Scene Orchestrator Quick Guide to Magic

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Magic System - Scene Orchestrator's Quick Guide

Quick reference for running magic in systemRPG sessions

Quick Skill Determination

Listen for These Keywords

Magecraft Indicators Thaumaturgy Indicators Witchcraft Indicators
Study, research, formula Pray, invoke, blessed Feel, instinct, ancestors
Components, materials, precise Divine, holy, sacred Spirits, natural, emotional
Calculate, measure, systematic Faith, devotion, authority Will, desire, tradition
Books, notes, theory Ritual, ceremony, vessel Trust, gut feeling, inherited

30-Second Decision Framework

  1. What's the character's mental state? (Academic/Faithful/Intuitive)
  2. What actions are they taking? (Preparing/Praying/Feeling)
  3. What do they believe is happening? (Science/Divine/Natural)
  4. Does this match their established pattern? (Consistency check)

Power Level Quick Reference

By Rarity Tier

Rarity Skill Level Range Example Effects Typical Mana Cost
Abundant 1-10 Light candle, detect magic, heal scratch 1-3 Mana
Plentiful 5-15 Create small flame, sense emotions, heal cuts 2-5 Mana
Common 10-20 Fireball, invisibility, cure wounds 5-10 Mana
Uncommon 15-25 Flight, major healing, control weather 10-20 Mana
Rare 20-30 Raise dead, mass teleport, reality shift 20-50 Mana
Exotic 25+ Time manipulation, planar travel, wish 50+ Mana

Difficulty Scaling

Effect Complexity Base Difficulty Modifiers
Simple (single component) Character's skill level +/- Affinity bonus
Moderate (2-3 components) Skill level + 5 Environmental factors
Complex (4+ components) Skill level + 10 Leyline interactions
Experimental (new combination) Skill level + 15 Stress/time pressure

Component Combination Examples

Sphere-like Combinations (Freeform)

Creating a Magical Shield:

  • Components: Force (protection) + Duration (persistence) + [Optional: Light (visibility)]
  • Magecraft: "I weave protective energies using the barrier formula"
  • Thaumaturgy: "I call upon divine protection to guard me"
  • Witchcraft: "I will a wall of force between me and danger"

Healing Magic:

  • Components: Restore + Body + [Optional: Purify (remove toxins)]
  • Magecraft: "I apply regenerative theory to accelerate cellular repair"
  • Thaumaturgy: "I channel divine healing through my blessed touch"
  • Witchcraft: "I draw on life force to mend what's broken"

Enhanced Movement:

  • Components: Movement + Self + Duration
  • Magecraft: "I calculate the kinetic enhancement formula"
  • Thaumaturgy: "I invoke divine speed to serve righteously"
  • Witchcraft: "I feel the wind spirits carry me forward"

Arts-like Combinations (Structured)

Formula: Technique + Form + Range + Duration + Target

Example - Enhanced Weapon:

  • Base: Enhance (technique) + Metal (form)
  • Range: Touch (0) + Duration: Scene (+2) + Target: Single (+0) = Level 2
  • Required Skill Level: 2+ in relevant magical skill

Example - Area Damage:

  • Base: Destroy (technique) + Fire (form)
  • Range: Distant (+2) + Duration: Instant (0) + Target: Area (+3) = Level 5
  • Required Skill Level: 5+ in relevant magical skill

Common Magical Effects by Difficulty

Difficulty 5-10 (Beginner)

  • Light sources, minor illusions
  • Detect magic/invisible, sense emotions
  • Minor healing (1-5 HP), cure fatigue
  • Simple telekinesis (light objects)
  • Basic elemental effects (spark, breeze, etc.)

Difficulty 11-15 (Apprentice)

  • Combat spells (fireball, ice bolt)
  • Moderate healing (6-15 HP), cure poison
  • Invisibility (self), simple disguises
  • Enhanced physical abilities (temporary)
  • Communicate with animals/spirits

Difficulty 16-20 (Journeyman)

  • Flight, levitation, wall-walking
  • Major healing (16-30 HP), cure disease
  • Control weather (local), shape terrain
  • Advanced illusions, mental effects
  • Teleportation (short range)

Difficulty 21-25 (Expert)

  • Resurrection, regeneration
  • Mass effects, large area control
  • Dimensional manipulation
  • Permanent transformations
  • Long-range teleportation

Difficulty 26+ (Master)

  • Reality alteration, time effects
  • Planar travel, dimensional creation
  • Divine ascension, apotheosis
  • Fundamental force manipulation
  • Universal law changes

Environmental Effects

8-Projects/ttrpg_gameDev/system_multipass/3-Mechanix/Environment/Leylines Effects

Leyline Type Modifier Special Effects
Aligned (matches character affinity) +2 to skill checks -1 Mana cost for aligned spells
Neutral +0 No special effects
Opposed (conflicts with affinity) -2 to skill checks +1 Mana cost, risk of backfire
Chaotic Random (+3 to -3) Unpredictable spell modifications
Dead Zone -5 to skill checks All magic costs +2 Mana

Stress Conditions

Condition Modifier Notes
Calm, prepared +1 Ideal casting conditions
Normal pressure +0 Standard gameplay
Time pressure -1 Combat rounds, urgent situations
High stress -2 Life-or-death, emotional trauma
Extreme stress -3 System-threatening crisis

Troubleshooting Common Situations

"Can I combine X with Y?"

Quick Check:

  1. Do both components exist in the spell list?
  2. Does the character meet the prerequisites?
  3. Does the combination make narrative sense?
  4. Would the result exceed the character's power level?

If Yes to 1-3, No to 4: Allow with appropriate difficulty
If No to any: Suggest alternatives or require additional development

"This spell seems too powerful"

Solutions:

  • Increase Mana cost proportionally
  • Add time/component requirements
  • Limit duration or effectiveness
  • Require specific environmental conditions
  • Make it a Path System

"Player wants to invent new magic"

Framework:

  1. Identify required base components
  2. Determine closest existing effects as baseline
  3. Set difficulty 2-5 points higher than baseline
  4. Require experimentation rolls over multiple attempts
  5. Success creates new "known" combination for character

"Magic vs. Non-Magic Balance"

Guidelines:

  • Magical effects should solve problems differently, not better
  • Non-magical characters excel in reliability and resource efficiency
  • Magic provides versatility at the cost of resource management
  • Both approaches can reach similar power levels through different paths

Quick Affinity Reference

Elemental Affinities

  • Fire: +2 damage/heat effects, -2 ice/cold effects
  • Water: +2 healing/flow effects, -2 fire/heat effects
  • Air: +2 movement/weather effects, -2 earth/binding effects
  • Earth: +2 protection/growth effects, -2 air/movement effects

Arcane Affinity

  • Bonus: +1 to all magical skill checks
  • Special: Can sense magical auras naturally
  • Drawback: -1 to purely physical/mundane tasks when magic is available

Void Affinity

  • Bonus: +2 to destructive/necromantic effects
  • Special: Resistance to mental/spiritual attacks
  • Drawback: -2 to healing/creation effects

Session Prep Checklist

Before the Session

During Play

After Session

Emergency Rulings

When in doubt, use these defaults:

Skill Determination: "Based on what you described, this sounds like [Skill]. Does that match how your character thinks about this?"

Difficulty: Start at character's skill level, add +5 for complexity, adjust for environment

Mana Cost: 2x spell level for standard effects, +50% for creative combinations

Success Levels:

  • Failure: No effect, 1/2 Mana cost
  • Partial: Reduced effect, full Mana cost
  • Success: Full effect as intended
  • Critical: Enhanced effect, -1 Mana cost

Remember: The goal is to make magic feel meaningful and personal to each character while maintaining game balance and narrative flow.