Magic & Spellcasting

Spellcasters other than the legates of Izrador are rare in the world of MIDNIGHT, and their roles are somewhat different from those of spellcasters in other fantasy settings. With the exception of the legates, spellcasting in MIDNIGHT is not tied to any class. Rather, it requires a character to take feats that represent spellcasting ability. Characters draw from their own energy to cast spells, which in turn pull on the mystical power surrounding and intertwined with Aryth to create the spells’ effects. Characters have spell energy points that may be spent to accomplish this; if a character runs out of spell energy points he may still cast spells, but at the expense of his own health. Many of the traditional spellcasting classes found in the d20 System core rules—bards, clerics, paladins, rangers, and sorcerers—are not found in MIDNIGHT. Druids and wizards only exist as prestige classes. The ability to cast spells is no longer tied to the class you take—anyone can take the Magecraft and Spellcasting feats and learn to wield magic. One new class, the channeler, does facilitate the casting of spells, and as inheritors of the magical tradition, they gain special abilities that allow them to wield more effective and powerful magic than those who merely dabble in the arts.

The Three Paths

Though the science of magic has waned in the days since the rise of Izrador and its use has been all but stamped out by Izrador’s minions, it is still commonly understood that there are three types of magic on Aryth. The most common type of magic in this final age of Eredane is that granted by Izrador. This is divine magic, that granted by a deity to his followers. While once common throughout Eredane and beyond, divine magic for all but Izrador’s followers was cut off during the Sundering.

The type of magic most used by PCs and the common folk of Eredane is channeled magic. Channeling draws on the natural power of Aryth herself, the web of power and magic that surrounds and is a part of everything. In order for this power to be woven and released to desired effect, however, the “pump must be primed” so to speak, which requires the use of spell energy. Channeled magic is the type learned through Channeling feats, and is described in greater detail below.

Finally, the most natural and once the most common of the three paths is innate magic. This is the sort of simple and natural magic found among the elves, halflings, and even many creatures (including those with spell-like abilities). Innate magic comes from within, not calling on any god nor manipulating the power of the world. The natural magic of the elves and halflings has of course been assaulted by Izrador, and that used by the other creatures of the world has by and large been twisted to Izrador’s uses, so this type of magic is now much less common than it once was. However, it may be that Aryth herself is joining the fight against Izrador, as a new type of innate magic has arisen in the Last Age: that of heroic paths.

Channeled Magic

A character who wants to be able to cast anything beyond innate spells, and who does not wish to give himself over to Izrador, must take the Magecraft feat in order to do so. This feat is the basic building block upon which all of the character’s spellcasting abilities are based. After he takes this feat, the character can then select Spellcasting feats that allow him to learn and cast spells from certain schools.

Magecraft

When you select the Magecraft feat, you must also select a tradition. The tradition determines which ability score your spellcasting abilities will be based on, what spells you may begin with, and what special abilities you will have if you ever take channeler levels. The three traditions are described below.

Regardless of the tradition chosen, a character that gains the Magecraft feat gains knowledge of prestidigitation, three other 0-level spells of his choice, and one 1st-level spell of his choice. He may then cast a number of those 0-level spells per day equal to 3 + his spellcasting ability modifier without suffering spell damage or using spell energy. If the character exceeds this limit, treat all 0-level spells as 1st-level spells for purposes of spell energy and spell damage. In addition, he gains a number of spell energy points equal to his spellcasting ability modifier. This spell energy can be used to cast the 1st-level spell he selected, as well as later learned spells, as described below under Casting Spells.

Note that when selecting your starting spells, you may not select spells from the greater schools of magic.

Until a character gains the Spellcasting feat, he can only cast the spells that he learned from the Magecraft feat. Once a character gains a Spellcasting feat, he may learn and cast any channeled spells he wishes within the limits of the rules for channeled spellcasting.

The Three Traditions

As one’s scope narrows from the types of magic down to channeled magic, one is once again presented with three choices: the three traditions. While their practical differences are largely cosmetic, the three traditions each have different roots and different styles. Each of the spellcasting traditions of MIDNIGHT is based on a different way of interacting with the world and the subtle but powerful currents of magic that infuse Aryth.

All three traditions, regardless of their mindsets, use the same methods: their practitioners use a combination of verbal, somatic, and sometimes material components, along with a catalyst of personal energy called spell energy points, to create mystical and often dramatic effects called spells.

Charismatic Tradition
Spellcasting Ability	Based on Charisma.
Spell List	Magecraft spells must be chosen from the Charismatic Tradition starting spell list. Spellcasting spells must be chosen from the MIDNIGHT spell list.
Description	Charismatic spellcasters harness the magic of Aryth through sheer will. While they do not have the benefit of learning from others, either by book or mentor, they have the confidence and strong sense of self to experiment again and again until they learn the words, motions, and materials necessary to cast spells. They are likely to be brash, outspoken, or confident, though some are so quietly intense that they need no words to convince others of their power, only actions.

Hermetic Tradition
Spellcasting Ability	Based on Intelligence.
Spell List	Magecraft spells must be chosen from the Hermetic Tradition starting spell list. Spellcasting spells must be chosen from the MIDNIGHT spell list.
Description	Hermetic spellcasters are the alchemists, mathmeticians, and studious sages of MIDNIGHT. They use esoteric formulas translated into words of power and motions of arcane might to create their spells. Hermetic channelers are naturally gifted loremasters, loving to accumulate knowledge for its own sake. Getting them to pull their heads out of their stacks of writings or their laboratories in order to share or use that knowledge, however, is another matter.

Spiritual Tradition
Spellcasting Ability	Based on Wisdom.
Spell List	Magecraft spells must be chosen from the Spiritual Tradition starting spell list. Spellcasting spells must be chosen from the MIDNIGHT spell list.
Description	Spiritual spellcasters are the most closely tied of the three traditions to both spirits and the physical world. Their magic is created through an understanding of plants, animals, and weather, as well as life and death. The motions used to create their spells are like dances and humble requests, rather than charismatic channelers’ demanding and forceful gestures and hermetic channelers’ complex and precise movements. Of all the channelers, spiritual channelers hearken the most strongly to the priests of old, but in place of removed and unavailable gods, they make their requests of the world and the spirits around them.

Spellcasting

If Magecraft is the foundation of channeled spellcasting, the Spellcasting feat is a beam or pillar upon which the rest of a spellcaster’s knowledge is built. Whereas Magecraft allows a character to know and cast a few 0-level spells and a single 1st-level spell, each Spellcasting feat chosen opens up an entire school of magic to the channeler.

As noted above, until a character gains the Spellcasting feat, he can only cast the spells that he learned from the Magecraft feat. Once a character gains a Spellcasting feat, he may learn and cast channeled spells from that school using the rules below.

Schools of Magic

There are 10 schools of magic in MIDNIGHT: Abjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Greater Conjuration, Greater Evocation, Illusion, Lesser Conjuration, Lesser Evocation, Necromancy, and Transmutation. These schools are unchanged from the core rules with the exception that Conjuration and Evocation have been split into two different schools, with lesser and greater versions of each.

Lesser Conjuration	This school includes all Conjuration spells other than those with the Calling or Summoning subtypes.
Greater Conjuration	This school includes all Conjuration spells of the Calling or Summoning subtypes.
Lesser Evocation	This school includes all Evocation spells with no descriptor, as well as those with the Darkness, Light, and Sonic descriptors.
Greater Evocation	This school includes all Evocation spells with a descriptor not listed above.
Universal	There is no Universal school of magic in MIDNIGHT; all channelers know prestidigitation, and arcane mark, limited wish, permanency and wish do not exist.

Choosing Spells for the Day

Channeling spellcasters do not need to prepare spells ahead of time each day. They may select any spell they know when they need to cast it and can cast the same spell as many times per day as they have sufficient spell energy to do so.

Casting Spells

Many of the rules for casting spells using channeled magic are unchanged from the mechanics for casting arcane spells presented in the core rules. Channeling spellcasters must abide by the same casting time restrictions, chance of arcane spell failure as caused by armor, chance of disruption due to damage, and so on. A few things are different, however, and are explained below.

Spell Energy

The most notable difference between channeled magic and arcane magic in the core rules is that channeling spellcasters have neither a number of memorized spells per day nor a number of spell slots per day. Instead, they have a number of spell energy points. In order to cast a spell, the caster must pay one spell energy point per level of the spell he wishes to cast. It’s that simple. So, casting a 3rd-level spell reduces your available pool of spell energy points by three.

Running Out of Spell Energy

Normally when a channeling spellcaster performs a spell, he is using some of the threads of mystic power that bind his own spirit to the energy that exists throughout Aryth. When he runs out of that spell energy, he is cut off from his normal sources of power, just as a wizard or sorcerer in the core rules might run out of spells or spell slots. In MIDNIGHT, however, a channeling spellcaster has another option: he may sacrifice some of his own life essence to regain that connection to the powers of magic, thereby allowing him to cast additional spells. Doing so is dangerous, however; when a channeling spellcaster casts a spell and cannot pay the cost in spell energy, she suffers one point of Constitution damage per spell energy she is short of the spell’s cost. This damage cannot be prevented and may not be restored using spells or effects such as lesser restoration. The only way to recover this Constitution damage is by resting for a full eight hours. Upon getting a full night’s sleep, a character recovers all Constitution damage suffered in this manner during the previous day.

If a channeling spellcaster has some spell energy left, but not enough to cast the spell she needs, she can pay the difference in Constitution damage and cast the spell normally. So, if Elera needs to cast a fly spell but only has two points of spell energy left, she can cast the spell by using up her remaining spell energy and suffering one point of Constitution damage. A character must use spell energy to cast a spell if she has any remaining for the day.

Reducing Spell Energy Costs

There are several ways to reduce the amount of spell energy required to cast a spell. A character can learn rituals that reduce or eliminate the energy necessary to cast a spell. Special items known as spell talismans (see page 306) can also help ease the burden on a spellcaster when he uses specific spells.

Components

Channeled magic is an art more than it is a science, and depends more on personal investiture of power than in complex interactions with mystic materials and strange physical properties. Therefore, while all channeled spells require the same verbal and somatic components as their counterparts in the core rules, none require material components unless they have a value of 1 gp or greater (this effectively means that all channeling spellcasters gain the benefits of the Eschew Materials feat).

Metamagic

Unlike spontaneous spellcasters in the core rules, spellcasters in MIDNIGHT do not have to use a full-round action to cast spells using metamagic feats. The caster simply pays the increased cost in spell energy for the spell and casts it normally.

Caster Level

The caster level of channeled spells is usually equal to character level. However, there are sometimes dangers to revealing too much magical might in the world controlled by the Shadow, who is hungry for the power demonstrated by those with arcane abilities. Therefore, as per the core rules, a channeling spellcaster may cast a spell at a lower caster level than normal, but the caster level she chooses must be high enough for her to cast the spell in question. All level-dependent features must be based on the same caster level.

For example, a 12th-level channeler can cast stoneskin with a duration of 120 minutes and the ability to absorb up to 120 points of damage. If she wished, she could cast a stoneskin spell at caster level 7 instead, but it would only have a duration of 70 minutes and would only be able to absorb up to 70 points of damage. She couldn’t cast stoneskin with a caster level lower than 7th (the minimum level required for a channeler to cast stoneskin).

Magic is as much a part of the world as wood and earth, water and air. Just as felling a tree or carving a stone requires the sweat of labor, so too does the working of magic tax the craftsman who would wield it. Whether one would learn and master a magic, harness that magic in the casting of a spell, or bind the magic in the enchantment of a material object, the sorcerer must always invest some of his own essence and vitality in his art. The student of magic must learn that a true channeler does not master a power or force outside himself, but rather one that comes from within.

– Suruliam of Caradul, The Art of Magic