Fundamentals of Karma Spellcraft

Overview:

Before you design your first spell using the Karma Core Rules, you will need to determine what type of caster you want to play.  Are you the classic fireball-wielding wizard? A devout cleric protecting his allies? A sneaky illusionist?  A mysterious warlock?  While all spellcaster types follow the same game mechanics in terms of designing spells, the type of magic you select will determine how effective your spells are.

All spells presented in the Karma Core Rules book and other supplements are built based on the minimum caster requirements to use certain Elements and Impacts and do not take into account specializations or magic group specific benefits or penalties.  So while a player might find a starting level spell already pre-generated, that doesn’t mean the player must only use the spell as presented.  It doesn’t even mean the player can use the spell! 

Generally, any spell that relies on only the Classical Elements is going to be accessible to starting characters.  But spells that employ Secondary Elements or the Astral Elements often have certain prerequisites before they can be used.  For example, a Divine spellcaster can use a spell that employs the Lightning Element once he has gained at least two ranks in his Divine spellcasting Ability.  An Arcane spellcaster, however, also needs two ranks in Natural Sciences before being able to use the Lightning Element.  These prerequisites represent each caster types unique relationship with the universe and its magic theory.  A Druid that is in tune with the natural world will have a much easier time mastering the Wood Element than an Arcanist that spends his days crafting magically-powered machines. 

The same is true with Impacts.   Some impacts have requirements that must be met before they can be used.  Others are specific to certain types of casters. 

In all cases, spells found in Karma books will show the point allotment and, in cases where it is an advanced spell, will specifically identify the base spell used.  This allows players and storytellers to actually see how we formulated these spells so there is no guesswork in terms of determining how to make balanced edits.

 Maximizing Spellcasting Potential:

In some cases, it may not appear that there is not much difference between the different caster types.  For example, the following sample spell is listed on all three sample spell lists in the core rules book.

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Fire Bolt (19 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Fire Element 5 points

One Target: 1 point

30 ft range 6 points

Instant Cast 1 point

Opposed by Resilience –: 2 points

Destruction Impact 1 point

This spell releases a fiery bolt of elemental energy toward the target, dealing 5 points of fire damage. The caster simply points a finger at the target, and the bolt of fire is released. The bolt hits the target unerringly, however the target may make a Resilience check at a -1 penalty to resist the damage.

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 Regardless of whether or not your character uses Arcane, Divine, or Psionic magic, the basic mechanic of this spell is the same.  However, because it uses the Destruction Impact, Arcane spellcasters have a special benefit. 

Normally, a spellcaster must spent 2 spell creation points for every additional 1 point of damage or additional destructive effect.  This makes increasing the potency of damaging spells extremely expensive in terms of the number of spell points.  However, Arcane spellcasters spend only 1 spell creation point per every two additional points of damage to DT, or additional destructive effect. 

Because this base spell uses only 19 points, a starting character that is an arcane spellcaster can spend one additional point to maximize the damage potential while still keeping this spell within the 20 point maximum for a new spell.

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 Fire Bolt-Arcane Version (20 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Fire Element 5 points

One Target: 1 point

30 ft range 6 points

Instant Cast 1 point

Opposed by Resilience –1 2 points

Destruction Impact 2 points

This spell releases a fiery bolt of elemental energy toward the target, dealing 7 points of fire damage. The caster simply points a finger at the target, and the bolt of fire is released. The bolt hits the target unerringly, however the target may make a Resilience check at a -1 penalty to resist the damage.

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The starting character that really wants to unleash significant damage early can spend one of his two free Specialty points in the Destruction Impact.  Each point placed in the Destruction Impact specialty not only improves the caster’s chance of success with Destruction-based spells, but increases overall damage to DT by 2.  So with only 1 point in the Destruction Impact, the Arcane spellcaster can deal 9 points of damage with a simple Fire Bolt spell.

While Arcane spellcasters may be masters of Destruction, Divine spellcasters are masters of healing.  Both Psionic and Divine spellcasters have access to the Healing impact, but Divine spellcasters gain special benefits. 

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Healing Touch (15 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Water Element 5 points

Area of Effect 1 target 1 point

Range Touch 0 points

Duration Instant 1 point

Opposed by N/A

Healing Impact 5 point

This spell heals 10 DT upon touch, or heals 5 DT and purges one poison.

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Both Divine and Psionic characters can cast Healing Touch, and it is certain a useful spell for both.  Generally, every two additional points spent in the Healing Impact heals either an additional 5 DT or has one other restorative effect (such as removing poison, curing a disease, restoring lost attributes, etc).  In the above sample spell, the first point of the Healing Impact initiates the base 5 DT healing.  Two additional points boost the overall healing to 10 DT, while an additional two points adds the option of purging a poison.  Divine spellcasters, however, need only spend 1 point instead of two.   A Divine spellcaster could therefore save some of her spell creation points and still get the same effect, or add more healing or additional benefits to this spell.

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Healing Touch-Divine Version (13 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Water Element 5 points

Area of Effect 1 target 1 point

Range Touch 0 points

Duration Instant 1 point

Opposed by N/A

Healing Impact 3 point

This spell heals 10 DT upon touch, or heals 5 DT and purges one poison.

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Healing Touch-Divine Version (15 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Water Element 5 points

Area of Effect 1 target 1 point

Range Touch 0 points

Duration Instant 1 point

Opposed by N/A

Healing Impact 5 point

This spell heals 10 DT upon touch, or heals 5 DT and purges one poison, or heals 5 DT and restores 2 points to an Attribute.

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Maximizing your caster’s potential is a combination of selecting the right Magic group with the right specializations for the types of spells you will want to use.  These choices will have a huge effect on the potency of your spells. 

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Blink (17 pts)

Combat spell (Physical) 3 pts

Aether/Air Elements 10 pts

Caster Only zero pts

Range caster 0 pts

Duration instant 1 pt

Opposed by N/A

Movement Impact 2 pts, Temporus Impact 1 pt

This spell causes the target to shift out of the time continuum for a split second, moving 4 ft in any direction. Because the spell moves the target outside of the normal flow of time, if the spell goes off successfully she can immediately engage in a non-spellcasting activity in the same round.

For example, a spellcaster that blinks while in combat can move behind an opponent and make a normal melee attack. Blink does not allow a character to move through solid objects. The destination must be clear of obstruction for the spell to be successful.

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On the surface, Blink does not appear to be an overly powerful spell.  But if this spell is found in an Arcane caster’s spellbook, then those 2 points in the Movement impact are twice as effective.  Arcane spellcasters spend only a ½ point per rank in the Movement impact.  Which means that those 2 points equals a distance of 8 ft, not 4 ft.

Further, if the caster is a Movement Impact specialist, the distance is multipled by the number of ranks she has in her specialty.  Just two ranks in the Movement Specialty would increase the total distance of this spell to 16 ft.  Suddenly, Blink becomes a very useful and potentially powerful spell without adding any additional points to it!

Editing an Existing Spell

Any spell found in any Karma book can be edited by the Storyteller or player to suit the game, though players should discuss those edits with the Storyteller prior to using them.  So long as the Storyteller agrees, there is no reason any spell found in any Karma core book cannot be adjusted to suit your character’s personal style.  For example, suppose you wanted to use the basic Fire Bolt spell, but instead of only targeting one opponent you wanted to target several.

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Fire Bolts (20 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Fire Element 5 points

Two Targets 2 points

30 ft range 6 points

Instant Cast 1 point

Opposed by Resilience –1 2 points

Destruction Impact 1 point

This spell releases a fiery bolt of elemental energy toward the targets, dealing 5 points of fire damage to each. The caster simply points a finger at the target, and the bolt of fire is released. The bolt hits the target unerringly, however the targets may make a Resilience check at a -1 penalty to resist the damage.

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An Arcane spellcaster may be more concerned with maximizing targets and potential damage.  He could instead edit the spell point allotment to eliminate the Resilience penalty and use those two points elsewhere.

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Fire Bolts-Arcane Version (20 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Fire Element 5 points

Three Targets 3 points

30 ft range 6 points

Instant Cast 1 point

Opposed by Resilience (no penalty) 0 Points

Destruction Impact 2 points

This spell releases a fiery bolt of elemental energy toward the targets, dealing 7 points of fire damage to each. The caster simply points a finger at the target, and the bolt of fire is released. The bolt hits the target unerringly, however the targets may make a Resilience check to resist the damage.

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Going back to our Divine spellcaster, she might decide that she wants to make her Healing Touch spell more useful by increasing the range so that she can heal from a distance.

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Healing Bolt-Divine Caster (18 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Water Element 5 points

Area of Effect 1 target 1 point

Range 15 ft:  3 points

Duration Instant 1 point

Opposed by N/A

Healing Impact 5 point

This spell heals 10 DT, or heals 5 DT and purges one poison, or heals 5 DT and restores 2 points to an Attribute.  The spell has a range of 15 ft.

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Finally, because she still has two points before she hits the 20 pt cap on a new spell, she could decide to add additional targets to this spell to make it easier to heal multiple allies at once.

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Healing Wave-Divine Caster (20 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 points

Water Element 5 points

Area of Effect 3 targets: 3 points

Range 15 ft:  3 points

Duration Instant 1 point

Opposed by N/A

Healing Impact 5 point

This spell heals 10 DT, or heals 5 DT and purges one poison, or heals 5 DT and restores 2 points to an Attribute.  The spell has a range of 15 ft. and can heal up to three targets.

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Swapping Out Elements:

When editing a pre-generated spell, players can in some cases chose to swap out the Element used to create it. 

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Faith Armor (20 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 pts

Earth Element/Aether Element 10 pts

Area of effect Two Targets 1 pt

Range: Touch 0 pts

Duration 6 rounds 5 pts

Opposed by N/A

Creation Impact 1 pt

This spell creates an intangible field of holy energy around the targets. It absorbs a total of 10 DT before being destroyed. The spell lasts until 10 DT are absorbed, or six rounds have past, whichever occurs first.

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Faith Armor is a useful spell, but because it pulls its energy from the Aether, it is difficult for Arcane and Psionic casters to replicate.  Instead, these types of casters might decide to substitute the Aether Element with another Classical Element to replicate the end result in a slightly different way.

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Fire Armor (20 points)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 pts

Earth Element/Fire Element 10 pts

Area of effect Two Targets 1 pt

Range: Touch 0 pts

Duration 6 rounds 5 pts

Opposed by N/A

Creation Impact 1 pt

This spell creates an intangible field of energy around the targets that resembles a fiery halo. It absorbs a total of 10 DT before being destroyed. The spell lasts until 10 DT are absorbed, or six rounds have past, whichever occurs first.

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So long as the swap doesn’t inherently change the way the spell works, or interfere with any other requirements the spell might have, this is a perfectly acceptable way to edit.

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Animate Dead (20 pts)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 pts

Fire/Void Elements 10 pts

Area of effect two dead bodies 1 pt

Range ten feet 1 pt

Duration 4 rds 3 pts

Opposed by N/A

Necromancy Impact 1 pt, Movement Impact 1 pt

This spell allows the caster to manipulate the target corpses much like a puppetmaster. The caster must maintain concentration on the animated dead for the duration of the spell. Corpses animated in this fashion only move as the caster wills them to move. They cannot act independently.

If used to attack an opponent, the animated body uses the caster’s appropriate weapon ability at a –2 penalty. For example, if the body were using only its fist, it would rely on the casters Martial Arts Ability. If the body were using a sword, it would rely on the caster’s Martial Weapons Ability.

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This spell presents certain challenges to a spellcaster.  Because it uses the Necromancy impact, the spell must include either the Aether or Void Element.  A character that does not have access to the Void Element is therefore strictly limited in his options.  A Divine spellcaster could swap for the Aether Element, but a Storyteller could rightfully question if the caster’s god or faith would allow such as use.  In this case, the Storyteller might allow the swap with the following change.

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Animate Dead (20 pts)

Combat Spell (Physical) 3 pts

Fire/Aether Elements 10 pts

Area of effect two dead bodies 1 pt

Range ten feet 1 pt

Duration: 4 rds 3 pts

Opposed by Spirituality (no penalty) 0 pts

Necromancy Impact 1 pt, Movement Impact 1 pt

This spell allows the caster to temporarily restore some of the lifeforce of a dead person to a corpse, allowing it to move.  Once animated, the caster manipulates the target corpses much like a puppetmaster. The caster must maintain concentration on the animated dead for the duration of the spell. Corpses animated in this fashion only move as the caster wills them to move. They cannot act independently.

If used to attack an opponent, the animated body uses the caster’s appropriate weapon ability at a –2 penalty. For example, if the body were using only its fist, it would rely on the casters Martial Arts Ability. If the body were using a sword, it would rely on the caster’s Martial Weapons Ability.

When casting the spell, the corpse is entitled to a Spirituality check.  If the corpse belongs to a person that shares the same religion or goals as the caster, the corpse can willingly forgo the check.

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In this case, the Storyteller has added a special stipulation, allowing the opposed Spirituality check, to offset the spell alteration. 

Magic FAQs:

 Question:  If my players find a spell in a Karma supplement, do I have to let them use it?

Answer:  No.  Spells found in Karma books are meant to provide a library of pre-generated material to reduce your preparation time.  However, there is no requirement to allow any specific spell, particularly if you feel it will interfere with your campaign setting. 

That said, most spells presented in supplements err on the side of caution, and take a conservative view at spell creation.  So long as a character meets the prerequisites of a spell, there is little danger to allowing a specific spell into the game. 

Question:  I created a Teleport spell on my own.  When I got the Karmic Grimoire, there is a Teleport spell in it that is set up differently than mine.  Is my spell wrong?

Answer: No.  SO long as your Storyteller approved your version of the spell, it is fine.  Magic is an artform in Karma, and like any artform there are different ways to get the same effect.  So long as the spell design follows the game mechanics and your Storyteller allows it, then you are free to design your own variants of spells.

 Question:  If I rely just on my spell creation points, I will never have a lot of spells.  And the ones I do have won’t get very powerful.  How can I get more spells?

 Answer:  The Core Rules Book provides information on how to obtain new spells without having to spend your own spell creation points.  The rules for using Training Scrolls and Spellbooks can be found in Creating Magic Items section of the book.  If you feel your character’s spell options are too limited, talk to your Storyteller to find out if there will be opportunities in the campaign setting to perhaps purchase training scrolls or study with masters in order to access their spellbooks. 

 Question:  If I find a spell in a spellbook or on a scroll that is an advanced spell, do I need to know the base spell before I can learn it? 

 Answer:  No, however you do need to meet all of the prerequisites for casting it.  We show the base spell as part of the description in order to help you better develop your own spell progression.  Even in the case of advanced spells, you must meet all of the prerequisites in order to learn it.

 Question:  I don’t get why a newly designed spell can only use 20 points.  Since I can advance it later and conceivably put as many points as I want in it, why can’t I just decide to blow 30 points right from the beginning?

 Answer:  Players have a fixed amount of spell creation points, and it is difficult to obtain more.  To replicate the difficulty of mastering the magical arts, we limit newly created spells to 20 points or less each.  This also encourages players to seek more diversity in their spells, and encourages them to pursue other means of obtaining spells.

Also, this is part of the game mechanic designed to provide game balance.  While there are few restrictions in the game in regards to “min-maxing,” we felt allowing a character to create mega spells right out of the gate would prove detrimental to the overall enjoyment for other players.

Your Storyteller, however, is free to adjust this restriction to suit the type of game he or she is running.  If she is running a high fantasy campaign where the use of magic is as common as the use of cell phones in the modern world, then certainly it would be reasonable to allow for more powerful spells early on.  The currently point allotments are designed to let players comfortably use the system immediately without worrying about game balance.  Once players are more comfortable with the system, they are free to work with their storyteller to adjust the point allotment.

 Question:  Some of the Impacts seem very difficult to obtain.  Is there a way I can let my players access certain impacts without worrying about the prerequisites?

Answer:  Of course.  While most game systems are “house-ruled” by gamers, Karma is perhaps the only system that was actively designed with house ruling in mind.  Nobody knows your game group better than you do, as we encourage you to run in whatever direction you want in terms of tweeking the mechanics to suit your style of play.  If you have a specific type of world in mind, and a prerequisite interferes with that vision, by all means adjust accordingly.

We do caution, however, that you not ignore prerequisites out-of-hand without a reason.  The game mechanics of Karma are designed to encourage players to design well-balanced characters that succeed or fail on the consequences of their decisions.  Ignoring prerequisites can encourage min-maxing and even render non-spellcasting characters useless. 

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Need more magic?

The Karmic Grimoire:  Hundreds of pre-generated spells and magical items for use in your Karma games, plus advanced rules for Alchemy, buying and selling magic items, Consumer-Grade magic items, and more.

Saikorojutsu! The Way of the Dice!: Advanced spell creation rules for more high-powered campaigns.  Take advantage of special Magical Path benefits. Craft more potent spells with few points by building Spell Groups. Maximize spell damage by taking advantage of elemental opposites 

Learn more about Karma at www.bardsandsages.com/karma