Here There Be Monsters

Spellbinders

Lars Kenning is an example Spellbinder.

This alternate timeline version of Miles Hendricks is an example Spellbinder.

Spellbinders are practitioners of an incredibly ancient form of magic. Colloquially known as Spellbinding in the modern era, in ancient times it was known as Hermetica, Sortiria, or simply the now loaded term "Sorcery"; Spellbinders tend to prefer the more stately description of Ars Mercuria however.

In the post-Accords world Spellbinding is considered by many to be right up against the edge between acceptable Hermetic practices and the far more Sanctionable "Sorcerous Arts" such as Invocation and Necromantism.

Spellbinders practice a rawer art than Wizards. At the root of the tradition is the direct channeling of pure extradimensional energies. This is very powerful, but very risky. To mitigate the intrinsic risk Spellbinders usually filter the raw energy they channel into Spells they have bound to themselves.

Wizards would likely tend to look down on Spellbinders as they do on Mysterians, if not for the fact that their own tradition largely descends from Spellbinding. Indeed, Spellbinders claim to be the first Hermetic tradition; and also the art has given rise to many of the most powerful Magi over the millennia. Many Archmages and Demiurges were Spellbinders.

Spellbinders have abilities broken down into three basic categories, which must be taken in a Mystic Resource Pool:

Channeling: Spellbinders channel pure extradimensional energies to bend reality to their will. This is measured by a concept called Channeling dice, described below. However this is extremely dangerous and prone to side effects, and in the modern era is the sort of thing that will eventually get a Magi Sanctioned.
Spellbinding: To manage the risks inherit to channeling pure magic, Spellbinders learn to "bind" the energies they channel into very precise "Spells", which is where their colloquial name of "Spellbinders" comes from.
Innate: Spellbinders often internalize some of their magic, becoming altered and more capable over time due to their exposure to supernatural forces.

All Spellbinders must have at least 1d6 of Channeling dice (decribed below). Innate abilities and bound Spells are optional; however it is highly recommended that a Spellbinder have several bound Spells.

RESTRICTIONS

In a Here There Be Monsters campaign, Spellbinders have the following restrictions:

A Spellbinder cannot have more than ((INT + EGO + PRE + CON) / 10) Channeling dice. For example, a Spellbinder with 10 INT, 10 EGO, 10 PRE, and 10 CON could have up to 4 Channeling dice, while a Spellbinder with 15 INT, 15 EGO, 15 PRE, and 15 CON could have up to 6 Channeling dice.
A Spellbinder cannot channel an effect with Active Points greater than the Spellbinder's (INT + EGO + PRE + CON + BODY).

EXAMPLE: a Spellbinder with 10 INT, 10 EGO, 10 PRE, 10 CON, and 10 BODY can channel effects with up to 50 Active Points.

The total Real Cost of Innate abilities cannot exceed the Spellbinder's ((Base Points + Max Complications + Experience Points) / 5).

EXAMPLE: Lars Kenning has 75 Base Points, 50 points Max Complications, and no Experience; he can have up to (125 / 5) = 25 points worth of Innate abilities.

KS: Hermetic Lore

Spellbinders are technically not required to have Hermetic Lore if they do not have any bound Spells and just Channel, but they must know Hermetic Lore to bind Spells. Further, the Hermetic tradition is core to the concepts of Ars Mercuria, and thus it would be extremely unusual for a Spellbinder to not have the skill.

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KS: Hermetic Lore: This skill provides information regarding Hermetic traditions, capabilities, and notable history.

KS: Nomen Lore

Spellbinders are not required to have Nomen Lore, but in ancient times Invocation was as much a part of the Tradition as Channeling, and some still secretly practice both. Even amongst Spellbinders who eshew the practice, the Lore itself is still handed down by some.

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KS: Nomen Lore: This skill provides information regarding the theory of true names, recognizing true names, as well as the traditions, capabilities, and notable history related to Invocation.

KS: Mystic Lore

Spellbinders are not required to have Mystic Lore, and they do not need it for their magic, but it is common for learned Spellbinders to have the skill for general knowledge purposes.

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KS: Mystical Lore: This skill provides very broad information regarding Magic in general. It is not as precise as a more specific skill such as KS: Hermetic Lore or KS: Alchemy, but it grants a high level picture of Mystical concerns.

KS: Supernatural World

Spellbinders are not required to have KS: Supernatural World, and they do not need it for their magic, but it is common for knowledgeable Spellbinders to have the skill for general knowledge purposes.

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KS: Supernatural World: This skill indicates a general awareness of the Supernatural World and the monsters, magickers, and misanthropes that comprise it.

Channeling

Channeling is the core of this magical tradition. It is the process a Spellbinder uses to draw pure extradimensional energy through themselves and filter it through their will to bend reality. A Spellbinder's ability to do this is measured by Channeling dice.

Channeling Dice

At its most basic, a Spellbinder buys Channeling dice, which cost 5 points each. Using Channeling a Spellbinder can attempt to cast any valid Spell they wish, whether they have bound it or not.

Channeling die: 1d6

Real Cost: 5 points each

PRO TIP: if using HERO Designer, you can use the Luck Power to represent Channeling dice and simply change the name appropriately.

Mastery Dice

A Spellbinder can upgrade one or more of their Channeling dice to represent their mastery. Mastery dice work exactly the same as normal Channeling dice but do not count for the purposes of determining matches (described later), and thus are much safer to use.

A Spellbinder player should differentiate their Mastery dice by rolling different colored or sized dice.

Mastery Channeling die: Upgrades Channeling die: 1d6

Real Cost: +5 points each (i.e. 10 points total per die)

PRO TIP: if in HERO Designer you are using the Luck Power to represent Channeling dice, you can use a Private Adder labeled "Mastery: xd6", and set the cost to the applicable increment of 5 points.

Channeling Dice - Target Numbers

When attempting to cast a Spell, bound or otherwise, a Target Number is determined by dividing the Active Points of the Spell by 3; however a Target Number cannot be less than 3.

When casting bound Spells, the Spellbinder's level with the Spell is subtracted from the Target Number, thus making it easier to cast bound Spells (among other benefits).

The Spellbinder rolls as many of their Channeling dice as they wish and totals them up. This is usually a half phase action, but if the Extra Time limitation is taken on the Spell being cast it takes longer.

If the total rolled equals or exceeds the Target Number, the Spellbinder successfully casts the Spell. If not, they fail and the Spell fizzles.

Channeling Target Number

Target Number = Spells Active Points / 3

Minimum Target Number = 3

PRO TIP: to ease gameplay, the modified Target Numbers of a Spellbinder's bound Spells should be pre-determined and annotated on the character sheet.

Fizzle - Failed Channeling

If Channeling dice are rolled and the Target Number of the Spell being cast is not met, the attempt to cast the Spell fails ("fizzles"), but the caster also suffers 1 Stun for each point they missed their Target Number by.

If the Spellbinder does not have enough Stun, the remainder is subtracted from the Spellbinder's current Body total. It is possible for a Spellbinder to knock out or stagger themselves in this manner, or theoretically even kill themselves.

The Spellbinders's own defenses do not protect them from this side effect. However if they failed to cast a bound Spell, the Stun taken is reduced by their Spellbinding Talent's level. This can reduce the Stun loss to 0.

EXAMPLE 1: Unbound Casting: Lars Kenning attempts to cast Ragast's Radiant Ray on the fly. The Spell has 60 Active Points, and thus a Target Number of 20.

Rolling 5d6 of Channeling, Lars gets a total of 15, missing the Target Number by 5. In addition to failing to cast the Spell, he also suffers 5 Stun.

EXAMPLE 2: Bound Casting: Lars Kenning attempts to cast Ragast's Radiant Ray. He has Spellbinding: Ragast's Radiant Ray: 2. The Spell has 60 Active Points, and thus a base Target Number of 20, but this is reduced to 18 thanks to Lars' Spellbinding Talent with the Spell.

Rolling 5d6 of Channeling, Lars gets a total of 15, missing the Target Number by 3. In addition to failing to cast the Spell, he would normally suffer 3 Stun, but this is reduced by his Spellbinding Talent and thus he only suffers 1 Stun.

Matches On The Dice

Each time a Spellbinder rolls Channeling dice, in addition to the normal function of totaling the dice to determine if a Spell is cast successfully, an additional resolution occurs to determine if the Spellbinder has suffered any ill affect from tampering with such powerful forces.

To determine if this has occurred, the matching face values of all Channeling dice rolled are separted into discrete sets of matches.

Thus, if on five dice three 4's were rolled, the three 4's form a match. If two 2's were also rolled in the same dice result, the 2's would form a separate match.

These matches are used to determine Channelburn, and in the case of Unbound spells, Backlash.

Channelburn

Whether a casting succeeds or fails, when matches occur a Spellbinder loses Endurance equal to the number of matches times the face value matched on.

Thus, if on five dice three 4's were rolled the Spellbinder would lose (3 x 4) Endurance, for a total of 12 END.

A Spellbinder casting a bound Spell subtracts their Spellbinding Talent level from the total amount of Endurance loss from Channelburn; this is calculated after all other considerations such as Channelburn Resistance are taken into account. This can reduce the Endurance loss to 0.

Thus in the previous example if the Spellbinder had 3 levels in a Spellbinding Talent for the Spell they would suffer 9 END loss rather than 12 END.

If the Spellbinder doesn't have enough Endurance remaining they suffer Stun on a 1 to 1 basis for the remainder. If they don't have enough Stun they suffer Body on a 1 to 1 basis for the remainder. It is theoretically possible (though unlikely) for a Spellbinder to kill themselves in this way.

Each set of matches counts as a separate match. Thus, if on five dice two 2's were rolled and also two 3's, the Spellbinder would lose 2 x 2 = 4 END, plus 2 x 3 = 6 END, for a total of 10 Endurance lost.

EXAMPLE 1: Unbound Casting: Lars Kenning attempts to cast Ragast's Radiant Ray on the fly. Lars rolls 5d6 Channeling dice and gets three 3's, for a total loss of 9 END. He would also suffer a Backlash.

EXAMPLE 2: Bound Casting: Lars Kenning attempts to cast Ragast's Radiant Ray. He has Spellbinding: Ragast's Radiant Ray: 2. Lars rolls 5d6 Channeling dice and gets three 3's, for a total loss of 9 END. Lars subtracts his Spellbinding Talent level of 2 from this and instead suffers 7 END loss.

Reducing Channelburn

The most direct way to reduce Channelburn is to roll as few Channeling dice as possible to cast a Spell. The second most direct way is to only cast bound Spells.

However, a Spellbinder can also purchase a custom Talent in their Mystic Pool to directly mitigate Channelburn.

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Channelburn Resistance: the Spellbinder mitigates 1 point of Endurance loss to Channelburn for each level of this ability they have. This applies to each discrete amount of Endurance loss for multiple matches on the same Channeling roll.

EXAMPLE: Lars Kenning has Channelburn Resistance: 6, which cost him 6 points. He makes a Channeling roll with 5 dice and rolls three 2's and two 6's. This totals up to 6 Endurance and 12 Endurance loss. If Lars had no Channelburn Resistence he would lose 18 Endurance, but instead he only loses 6 as the first discrete amount for the three 2's is entirely resisted by his Channelburn Resistence: 6, and it applies again to the other discrete amount of 12 caused by the two 6's match.

Unbound Casting - Backlash

NOTE: Backlash only applies to unbound Spells cast on the fly. Bound Spells never cause Backlash.

If a Spellbinder gets a lot of matches on a Channeling roll, three or more, the GM has the option to interpret it as a significant magical Backlash or effect in addition to whatever the Spellbinder was attempting to cast; the more matches the more severe, powerful, or significant the outcome. Adjudication of this sort of occurence is left entirely in the hands of the GM, on a case by case basis.

Prospective players should be forewarned, a sufficiently severe backlash can potentially have catastrophic consequences (left to the GM's discretion and imagination), and such an event can potentially get a Spellbinder player character Sanctioned by Section M if it causes a significant Accords violation.

Bound Spells

To increase the safety as well as the reliablity of their magic, the vast majority of Spellbinders bind Spells to themselves. Binding a Spell is a permanent one-time process, and is analogous to a Mysterian mastering a Spell skill.

Bound Spell - Concept

Conceptually a bound Spell represents a personal and internal metaphysical transformation of the Spellbinder as they pursue their mastery of magic. Many Ars Mecurian academics claim that this practice is the root of all Hermetic magic.

Bound Spell - Game Mechanics

Mechanically a Spellbinding represents a single Power construct that defines an underlying game effect, referred to as a "Spell", which is activated ("cast").

Each distinct Power write up, no matter how similar, requires a separate Spellbinding.

A Spellbinder character pays for a bound Spell with a custom Talent named after the bound Spell, which costs 1 point per level. When casting the bound Spell, the Spellbinder reduces the required Target Number by the number of levels in the corresponding Talent. A Spellbinder can spend 1 point, or more, on a Spellbinding Talent but can never reduce the Target Number of the underlying Spell to less than 3.

The minimum cost to bind a Spell is it's Real Cost divided by 10. However, the minimum amount still subtracts directly from the Target Number needed to cast the Spell; it simply raises the bar for entry to bind the Spell.

Spellbinding: [Name]; (Real Cost: Spells Active Points / 10), +1 point / level

EXAMPLE: Lars Kenning wants to bind a Spell called Avarest's Arrows of Acid; it has 64 Active Points, and 37 Real Cost. The base Target Number for this Spell is 21 (64 Active Points / 3). The minimum cost to bind this Spell is 4 (37 Real Cost / 10).

Avarest's Arrows of Acid: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Area Of Effect Accurate (1m Radius; +1/2), Damage Over Time, Target's defenses only apply once, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (4 damage increments, damage occurs every Segment, can be negated by Base substances, reagents; +2 1/2) (64 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), No Knockback (-1/4), Limited Range (16m; -1/4)

Rather than pay for the Spell directly, Lars pays for the following Spellbinding Talent:

Spellbinding: Avarest's Arrows of Acid: 5

Real Cost: 5 points

When Lars casts this Spell it has a modified Target Number of 16, rather than 21.

Less Fizzle, Less Burn

When casting a bound Spell a Spellbinder subtracts their Spellbinding Talent's level from the Stun loss from failed casting attempts.

Similarly the Spellbinder subtracts their Spellbinding Talent's level from the Endurance loss from Channelburn. This is calculated last, after all other modifications to the Endurance loss such as Channelburn Resistance.

Finally, a Spellbinder never generates a Backlash when casting a bound Spell.

EXAMPLE: Lars Kenning has bought a Spellbinding Talent for a Spell defined as:

Spellbinding: Avarest's Arrows of Acid: 5

When he casts Avarest's Arrows of Acid he takes 5 less Stun from a failed casting, loses 5 less Endurance from Channelburn, and never generates a Backlash.

Binding A Spell

Binding a Spell is a function of research, learning, time, and ultimately a modified KS: Hermetic Lore skill roll.

If the Spellbinder has a written out version of the Spell they are trying to bind (such as in a Spell book or on a scroll), or is being directly instructed by someone who has already bound the same Spell:
- 1 Hour per Real Cost of Spell
Nothing to go off of / brand new Spell:
- 1 Hour per Real Cost of the Spell multiplied by 2d3

Consecutive Time

The time spent does not have to be consecutive, unless the GM deems otherwise.

Hermetic Skill Roll

At the end of the relevant amount of time the Spellbinder makes a KS: Hermetic Skill Roll at -1 per 10 Active Points of the Spell. Failure indicates that the Spell is not bound. The Spellbinder may try again, however they start the process over at the beginning.

Similarity Bonus

If the Spellbinder has already bound a very similar Spell they gain a +1 or +2 bonus to their KS: Hermetic Skill roll (depending on the GM's discretion regarding the degree of similarity).

Rushing

A Spellbinder can attempt to rush the process and take xd3 Hours fewer than normal to bind a new Spell, but suffers a -1 to their Hermetic Lore Skill roll for each 1d3 Hours trimmed off in this fashion. Thus a Spellbinder could opt to trim the time by 3d3 Hours, in which case they would suffer a -3 to their eventual KS: Hermetic Skill roll. The time required can never be reduced to less than 1 Turn.

Changing a Bound Spell

Once a Spell has been bound by a Spellbinder its mechanical effect can be changed, but it takes the same time and requires the same Hermetic Lore skill roll as binding a new Spell (the Similarity Bonus applies). If successful, the character sheet is updated with the new mechanical effect and is otherwise unchanged.

If the Real Cost of the new effect is raised, the Spellbinder must still meet the minimum Spellbinding Talent cost of Real Cost / 10; available experience points can be spent as needed to comply with this restriction. If no experience points are available, the Spellbinder will have to wait until they are.

Spell Signature

All of the Spells cast by a particular Spellbinder have a "signature" that identifies the Spell as theirs and that can be interacted with by other Spells. A Spellbinder can attempt to "disguise" their signature when they cast a bound Spell; to do so they declare their intent and increase the Target Number of the Spell by 3 for that casting.

Spellbinding Spell Design Restrictions

There are some limitations on the design of Power constructs (Spells) used with this magic system, as described below.

No Spell may be on Charges
No Spell may have No Conscious Control (NCC)
No Spell may be Independent (5e)
No Spell may have an Activation Roll
All Spells must either cost END by default or take the "Costs END" Limitation
- Spells may take Reduced END
- Spells may take "Costs END Only to Activate" where allowed by the rules normally
  - All Costs END only to Activate Spells must have a defined termination, expressed either as a duration or a specific and reasonably common event, or using the Time Limit modifier (6e)
- Spells may be built with Reduced Endurance (0 Endurance), but must take a Side Effect that always occurs automatically whenever the Power is used (Costs AP/10 In END When Cast) as a -1/2 Limitation.
Spells may not be embedded in a Universal Focus, but a Personal Focus required for activation is allowed
All Spells must have at least -1/2 in Limitations
Spells CANNOT Require a Skill Roll to be cast; the Channeling dice roll itself serves this purpose.
- A Spell may Require an additional Skill Roll in addition to the mandatory Channeling dice roll.
Frameworks, including Unifed Power (6e), are not allowed for Spellbinding Spells.

No Charges, NCC, Independent

Spellbinding is incompatible with Charges of any sort, No Conscious Control, and Independent. Spellbinder Spells may not be built using any of these Limitations.

Costs Endurance

A significant restriction on this magic system is that all Spells must cost Endurance to activate. This serves to restrict the frequency of magic use over a short term period, such as combat scenes, while still allowing practitioners of Spellbinding the ability to take part in multiple encounters over the course of a day.

It also prevents or discourages certain Power constructs from being used by Spellbinders due to mechanical conflicts or inefficiency. Note however that Spellbinders with END Reserves can get around many of the inconveniences of mandatory END costs; this is acceptable and intended.

Continuing Effects

Continuing or Constant Spells are possible with Spellbinding but unless they only cost END to activate they will deplete the Spellbinder's END quickly.

The Time Limit (6e) or Lingering (5e) modifiers can greatly assist a Spellbinder in stacking multiple effects simultaneously.

Continuing Effects - Capping How Many Can Be Stacked

Some GM's might want to put a limit on how many continuing effects a Spellbinder can have going (or stacked, as some call it). If that is the case, the following possible caps are suggested; a GM can choose one or come up with their own.

Channeling Dice Limit: the number of continuing Spells a Spellbinder can have active is equal to the number of Channeling dice they have. Thus if a Spellbinder has four Channeling Dice, they can stack four continuing effects at a time. This is an elegant approach that plays into the natural "mastery curve" of the magic system as more powerful practitioners will have more Channeling dice and thus can also stack more effects. This is the assumed default option for Here There Be Monsters.
Hermetic Lore Limit: a Spellbinder can have a number of continuing Spells stacked equal to their Hermetic Lore skil - 10. Thus if a Spellbinder has Hermetic Lore 14-, they can have four continuing effects at a time. Note that if the Here There Be Monsters recommended Skill Maxima of 14 is used, this is a very strict cap.
Scaling Point Limit: a Spellbinder can have a number of continuing Spells stacked equal to their current total points / 50, round in their favor. Thus a 125 point Spellbinder could have three continuing effects at a time while a 250 point character can have five. This is a very impersonal sort of cap beyond the character's control to do anything about.
Characteristic Based Limit: the number of continuing Spells a Spellbinder can have active is equal to the Spellbinders (INT + EGO) / 5. Thus if a Spellbinder has 10 INT and 10 EGO, they can stack four continuing effects at a time; if they have 20 INT and 20 EGO they can stack eight continuing effects at a time. This is somewhat similar to the cap used by the deprecated Delayed Effect modifier, but doesn't modify the cost of the spells themselves and is thus more viable.

No Universal Foci

Spellbinding is an internal sort of magic and thus Universal Foci are inappropriate. There is no way to "take away" the magic of a Spellbinder by absconding with an inanimate object, and similarly a Spellbinder cannot just lend out a gizmo that allows someone else to Channel magic and cast a Spell.

However Personal Foci are permitted.

Minimum Limitation

All Spells must have a minimum of -1/2 in Limitations upon them. Common choices are Incantations, Gestures, Extra Time, Concentration, and Side Effects, but any Limitation that is not specifically restricted is sufficient, subject to GM veto.

Due to the open-endedness of the Channeling ability to attempt to cast any "Spell", Limitations on Spellbinding Spells primarily just reduce minimum binding costs. Thus, they should primarily be selected to model a concept rather than focusing on reducing the Real Cost.

Requires a Skill Roll

Spellbinder Spells cannot require a Skill Roll to be cast as the Channeling dice roll handles that, but RSR may be used to indicate that other Skill or Characteristic Rolls are required after a successful Channeling roll is made.

Creating New Magic Items

Spellbinders can in theory enchant magic items, but it is not a common practice. A Spellbinder wishing to do this would either learn abilities from another Mystical tradition such as Alchemy that focuses on such, or more expediently cast a Spell based on Transform and use the rules for granting Powers therein to add abilities to a Focus object. The character points of such an item would need to be paid in either a Mystic Pool or perhaps an Equipment Pool by a character wishing to use the item.

Innate Abilities

Spellbinders often have or eventually develop subtle abilities stemming from their intimate contact with magical forces. A couple of very common Innate abilities are provided below.

Innate Ability: Supernatural Awareness

Many Spellbinders take the Supernatural Awareness Talent or an equivalent ability built up directly using the Detect Power with different modifiers and adders.

Innate Ability: Longevity

Some Spellbinders take the Life Support (Longevity) ability to represent extended life spans. GM permission is required.

Spellbinding Endurance Reserve

Spellbinders may have a Mystic Endurance Reserve if they wish, though their Powers may also be bought 0 END if they prefer. However, a limitation is imposed upon the total number of Character Points a Spellbinder can spend on their Mystic Endurance Pool as given below. Character Points within the limit can be spent on either Recovery or Endurance.

Endurance Reserve 5e

5e Scaling Capacity Point Cap = (10% of Total Character Points) {round in the character's favor}

EXAMPLE: Lars Kenning has 125 total Character Points; thus he could spend (125 * .1) = 12.5 Character Points on a Mystic Endurance Reserve. This could be allocated as any combination of Recovery and Reserve with a total Real Cost of 12.5 or less points.

Endurance Reserve 6e

Check out the House Rule on 6e Endurance Reserves.

6e Scaling Capacity Point Cap = (Total Character Points / 5) {round in the character's favor}

EXAMPLE: Lars Kenning has 125 total Character Points; thus he could spend (125/5) = 25 Character Points on a Mystic Endurance Reserve. This could be allocated as any combination of Recovery and Reserve with a total Real Cost of 25 or less points.

Distinctive Features: Magi

A Spellbinder should take the following Distinctive Feature Complication. Other Supernaturals can detect the Spellbinder from a fair distance, regardless of intervening mundane structures, whenever they are using any of their non-Invisible abilities.

Distinctive Features: Magi (Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable Only By Special Abilities; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures)