Spellcasting
From Falling Sky
Combat mages use the power of runecasting infused into a person in battle. A character who has the First Circle Mage trait is a mage and gains a mana pool. A newly initiated mage has two mana points. These are a separate pool to stamina points.
A mage can meditate to recover all of their mana points when not under pressure.
Spells are divided into Circles. A character with the First Circle Mage trait can cast First Circle Spells. A character with the Second Circle Mage Trait can also cast Second Circle Spells. A character with the Third Circle Mage Trait can also cast Third Circle Spells.
Using Magic
To cast a spell, you must have enough remaining Mana Points to cast it. Each spell costs Mana Points equal to the Circle of the spell. First Circle Spells cost 1 MP; Second Circle Spells cost 2 MP; Third Circle Spells cost 3 MP. Spells have a verbal length that is a multiple of 3 seconds and an effect. (Most First Circle spells have a verbal length of 3 seconds.) To use the spell, the character must spend that much time speaking out loud - called the verbal of the spell - and obviously casting magic. Magic can’t be mumbled or whispered - it must be spoken to at least a conversational volume, but need not be shouted.
If you don’t know what verbal to use, this standard verbal is about 3 seconds.
“I channel the power of the runes and call forth a spell.”
Alternatively, you can babble nonsense words while counting the seconds (“zap zap zap” is about one second), or make up your own spell verbals, as long as they meet the minimum length for the spell. Some mages with military background are trained to cast with a verbal such as “channelling three, channeling two, channeling one, cast!” in order to help the rest of the unit coordinate with their spells.
When casting a spell, you can’t be actively fighting, and you must have a hand free. You can parry, but not attack, while casting a spell. You can only cast one spell at a time.
After you have completed the verbal, you can call the effect of the spell. Most spells target anyone in close range (five metres). You must clearly indicate the target so that they know they’re being affected, and announce what call takes effect. At that point, you spend a mana point, and the spell is complete.
For example, to use the First Circle spell Fear, you might cast it as follows:
“I channel the power of the runes and call forth a spell. Goblin with spear! REPEL!”
If the target doesn’t notice you calling the effect, the mana point isn’t consumed.
Circles of Magic
There are multiple circles of initiation into combat magic. Each level of initiation requires progressively more complex and strenuous runecasting invocations cast on the mage, along with the requisite training to control that kind of power.
First Circle spells tend to have subtle effects, being used to control the battlefield or as supplements to other fighting styles. Second Circle spells tend to have more overt effects, being used to directly take out enemies or make major changes to the way fights happen. Third Circle spells are known to exist, but no surviving mages are currently capable of casting them, and the method of initiating a mage into Third Circle Magic has been lost.
If you choose to initiate into a circle of magic in play, you immediately gain a spell of the circle you’ve initiated into when you do so. The spell that you get is determined by your character’s subconscious preferences. You may choose this spell OC or allow a ref to decide.
Learning Spells
Learning spells is also done by means of a runecast invocation. The mage needs to be the target of a specific ritual designed to imbue them with that spell. The runic inscriptions are included with the known spells later, if you want this to occur in play. Alternatively, you can have your character learn spells “off-screen” from NPCs - combat mages are a valuable asset, so teaching them spells is something that you can find a runecaster willing to do.
Third Circle Spells
Third circle spellcasting is known to exist, but the secret of third circle initiation is not common knowledge aboard Flotilla currently. There is some speculation about the exact extent of the power of third-circle magic, but it is generally agreed that it is another leap in power higher than the second circle. The one spell that is well-attested by many sources is the “Soulblast”, a piercing arcane strike that is able to fell nearly any foe.
Known Spells
Some new spells have been researched in play: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uDFoJcnf3D2FlzAaWqY4qsQ6LLTHsN7reyxFxQ0zfd4/edit#