Magic

The Emergence of Magic

Magic is new to the galaxy. Before the apocalypse, it didn't exist — or if it did, technology suppressed or replaced it. The cascading catastrophes that destroyed civilization cracked reality itself, allowing strange energies to seep into the material plane.

Timeline of Magic:

• Year 0 (Apocalypse): Reality fractures during final catastrophic events
• Years 1-20: First inexplicable phenomena — objects moving without cause, impossible healing, spontaneous fires
• Years 21-40: First "magic users" emerge — mostly accidental, often deadly
• Years 41-60: Trial and error produces first consistent techniques (cantrips)
• Years 61-Present: Magic is still being systematized — no formal schools exist, each caster learns differently

Cultural Impact:

• Most settlements fear magic — it's unpredictable and dangerous
• Some worship it as divine power returned
• Tech-focused factions see it as a threat to rebuilding
• Magic users are valuable but often ostracized

There are no ancient grimoires. Spellcasters are pioneers, discovering effects through trial and error.

Spell Slots and Rarity

Spell Slots are RARE.

In Ashfall, magic is scarce and costly:

• Cantrips: Repeatable minor effects, available to any character who invests in a spellcasting skill tree
• Leveled Spells: Limited by spell slots, which regenerate slowly
• Ritual Casting: Bypass slots by investing significant time

Spell Save DC and Attack Modifier

Spell Save DC: 8 + proficiency bonus + spellcasting attribute modifier (INT for Mystics, WIS for Channelers and Medics, MIG for Warrior martial cantrips)

Spell Attack Modifier: Proficiency bonus + spellcasting attribute modifier (MIG for Warriors using martial cantrips)

Self-Targeting: Touch-range spells and abilities can target yourself unless the text specifically states "another creature" or "an ally other than yourself."

Save Names

Ashfall uses two naming conventions for saving throws interchangeably:

When a spell says 'Fortitude save,' it means an END-based save. When it says 'Reflex save,' it means an AGI-based save.

Full Caster Spell Slots (Mystic)

Maximum spell level: 7th (not 9th). 8th-9th level spells are reserved for mythic tier.

Notes:

• Spell slots are very limited (gritty = scarce magic)
• Ritual casting is essential for utility spells
• Full casters start with 3 cantrips at L1; gain a 4th at L5, 5th at L11, 6th at L17
• L16 class feature: Arcane Mastery grants additional spell slots of each level 1st through 5th (see Mystic Level 16 class feature for exact counts — these bonus slots are not included in the base table above)
• Slots plateau at L13 and remain flat through L20 at the base level; class features provide further enhancement at L16+

Cantrip counts by level:

Half Caster Spell Slots (Channeler, Medic)

Note: Medics use the half-caster table but are restricted to healing and support spells only.

Progression for Other Archetypes

• Warrior: No spell slots (unless multiclassing)
• Technician: No spell slots (tech abilities instead)
• Gunslinger, Operative, Diplomat: No spell slots (unless multiclassing)

Regaining Spell Slots

• Short Rest (8 hours): Recover 1 spell slot of 3rd level or lower
• Long Rest (1 week): Recover all spell slots
• Emergency Recovery (1/day): As 1 action in combat or 1 minute of focused meditation out of combat, make a WIS check (DC 15) to regain 1d3 levels worth of spell slots (you choose which slots to recover, up to the total levels rolled). Using this in combat is costly — it consumes one of your three actions — but can save a caster who is out of options. Out of combat, the 1-minute meditation requires concentration (you cannot perform other activities). Once used, this feature cannot be used again until after a long rest.

Class features that restore spell slots (such as Arcane Recovery) replace the standard short rest recovery rather than stacking with it.

Spell Slots and Humanity

Augmentations interfere with magical capacity. Each point of Humanity spent on augmentations removes your highest available spell slot level, working down from the top.

How It Works

1. Start with your normal spell slot table for your class and level.
2. For each point of Humanity you've spent on augmentations, remove all slots of your highest remaining spell level.
3. If all leveled spell slots are removed and you still have Humanity spent, you lose cantrips too.

Example: Level 10 Mystic with Humanity 7 (3 augments installed, 3 Humanity spent):

• Normal slots: 4 / 3 / 3 / 2 / 1 (1st through 5th level)
• After 3 Humanity spent: lose 5th, 4th, and 3rd level slots
• Remaining: 4 / 3 / 0 / 0 / 0 (1st and 2nd level only) + cantrips

Example: Level 5 Channeler with Humanity 8 (2 Humanity spent on Tier 1 augments):

• Normal slots: 3 / 2 (1st and 2nd level)
• After 2 Humanity spent: lose 2nd and 1st level slots
• Remaining: cantrips only

Design Intent: This system creates a clean trade-off between technology and magic. Each augmentation doesn't weaken all your spells — it removes your most powerful ones entirely. A caster with a couple of augments can still sling low-level spells reliably; they just can't reach the high-end anymore. This is simpler to track than percentage reductions and creates more dramatic decision points.

Spell Crafting System (Modular Magic)

Spells are built from three components:

1. Base Cantrip (the fundamental energy/concept)
2. Delivery Shape (how it manifests)
3. Effect Modifiers (what it does)

Formula:

Base Cantrip + Delivery Shape + Effect Modifiers = Final Spell Level

Spell level determines:

• Spell slot required to cast
• Crafting time (1 hour per spell level)
• Crafting cost (100 credits x spell level squared)
• Burnout risk if overcasting

Creating New Spells

Requirements:

• Minimum Level: Must be able to cast spells of desired level
• Time: 1 week of research per spell level
• Cost: 1,000 credits x (spell level squared)
• Skill Check: Arcana check DC = 15 + spell level

Process:

1. Design: Work with GM to define spell effect, referencing similar existing spells
2. Research: Spend time and gold experimenting
3. Check: Roll Arcana check
   • Success: Spell is learned, added to your repertoire
   • Failure by less than 5: Spell not learned, but 50% of time/cost can be reclaimed for retry
   • Failure by 5+: Spell creation fails, Twilight Event occurs (see Burnout)

Design Guidelines (for DMs): Compare new spell to existing spells of same level:

• Damage: Should match or be slightly lower than existing damage spells
• Duration: Longer duration = reduce potency
• Range: Increased range = reduce damage/effect
• Area: Larger area = reduce damage per target
• Utility: Compare to similar utility effects

Base Cantrips

These are the fundamental forces magic users learn to manipulate. All are unlimited use, 0-level.

Pyros (Fire)

• Effect: Ignite flammable objects, light torches
• Damage Type: Fire
• Range: Touch or 30 feet (minor flame)
• Utility: Start fires, light sources

Cryo (Cold)

• Effect: Freeze small amounts of water, chill objects
• Damage Type: Cold
• Range: Touch or 30 feet
• Utility: Preserve food, cool drinks, create ice

Volta (Electric)

• Effect: Minor shock, power small devices temporarily
• Damage Type: Electric
• Range: Touch
• Utility: Jump-start electronics, minor shock

Vitae (Life)

• Effect: Stabilize dying creatures (auto-success on DC 10 Medicine)
• Damage Type: Radiant (vs undead)
• Range: Touch
• Utility: Emergency stabilization, detect life

Mortis (Death)

• Effect: Cause minor necrotic decay, spoil food
• Damage Type: Necrotic
• Range: Touch or 30 feet
• Utility: Intimidation, corpse preservation

Kinesis (Force)

• Effect: Move objects up to 5 lbs, push/pull
• Damage Type: Force
• Range: 30 feet
• Utility: Retrieve items, open doors, minor telekinesis

Mentis (Mind)

• Effect: Send simple emotions or one-word concepts
• Damage Type: Psychic
• Range: 60 feet
• Utility: Silent communication, sense emotions

Materia (Matter)

• Effect: Temporarily alter small object's appearance or texture
• Damage Type: None
• Range: Touch
• Utility: Disguise objects, minor transmutation

Cantrip Damage Scaling

Cantrip damage scales with spell slot investment. When you cast a damage-dealing cantrip, you can choose to power it with a spell slot to increase its damage dice.

At-will cantrips always add your spellcasting ability modifier to damage (Intelligence for Mystics, Wisdom for Channelers and Medics). This represents your growing mastery of the fundamental forces.

Slot-powered cantrips add one additional d6 per slot level invested. The slot is consumed when the cantrip is cast. This creates meaningful round-by-round decisions: spend a slot to hit harder now, or save it for a more powerful spell later.

AOE cantrips (such as Pyros in cone or burst shape) deal the scaled damage to each target in the area, making high-slot AOE cantrips devastating against groups — but burning through your limited spell slots quickly.

Legacy Cantrip Scaling

In addition to slot-based scaling, damage cantrips gain additional base damage dice at higher levels: +1d6 at levels 5, 11, and 17. This stacks with slot investment. For example, a level 5 Mystic casting Pyros at-will deals 2d6 + INT mod; the same Mystic powering Pyros with a 2nd-level slot deals 4d6 + INT mod.

Cantrip Utility Scaling

Damage cantrips scale through slot investment and legacy dice. Utility cantrips scale differently — they grow in scope, range, and convenience as the caster gains experience. These improvements are automatic. They require no slot expenditure, no feat, and no special training. A caster who knows the cantrip gains the scaling benefit at the listed level.

Design Intent: Utility scaling keeps non-damage cantrips relevant at higher tiers without encroaching on leveled spell territory. A level 13 Kinesis can lift 250 lbs — impressive, but a 3rd-level Telekinesis spell can hurl that weight as a weapon, manipulate multiple objects simultaneously, and sustain the effect for minutes. The cantrip version is always the free, convenient option. The spell is always more powerful.

Compatibility with Cantrip Refinement: If your table uses the Cantrip Refinement system (see Downtime — Magical Research), refinement bonuses stack with utility scaling. Refinement represents personal technique improvements; utility scaling represents the natural deepening of your connection to the base force. A refined Kinesis at level 9 benefits from both the refinement bonus and the level 9 utility scaling listed below.

Kinesis (Force — Telekinesis)

At its base, Kinesis lets you move objects up to 5 lbs within 30 feet. As your control over the force grows, you can manipulate heavier objects with greater precision across longer distances.

Example: Kira (Mystic 10) uses Kinesis to drag a wounded operative out of a radiation zone 50 feet away. The operative weighs 80 lbs unencumbered — within her level 9 limit of 100 lbs — but is carrying 30 lbs of gear, pushing the total to 110 lbs. She strips the operative's pack first (a second casting), then drags the 80-lb body to safety. A Telekinesis spell would have moved operative and gear in one action.

Mentis (Mind — Telepathy)

At its base, Mentis lets you transmit simple emotions or single-word concepts to one creature within 60 feet. With experience, your mental projections become richer and can reach multiple minds.

Example: During a stealth insertion, Tal (Channeler 14) links four squad members via Mentis. The point operative spots a patrol, transmits the image directly to the squad. The demolitions specialist responds with a countdown. No spoken words, no radio signals to intercept. But when the enemy psion activates Psychic Ward, Tal's link to that zone goes dark — she needs a leveled spell to punch through.

Materia (Matter — Minor Creation)

At its base, Materia lets you temporarily alter a small object's appearance or texture. As your command of matter deepens, you can conjure increasingly complex objects from raw magical energy.

Example: The party's equipment was confiscated. Yara (Mystic 9) uses Materia to create a set of lockpicks — they're small, have basic moving parts (the tension wrench bends), and she needs them for less than an hour. The picks work normally for the Thievery check. A Fabricate spell would create permanent, masterwork tools. Yara's vanish when the hour ends.

Vitae (Life — Life Sense)

At its base, Vitae stabilizes dying creatures and lets you sense nearby life. As your attunement to living energy grows, you gain diagnostic capability that makes you invaluable in the field — though never a replacement for proper healing spells.

Example: The squad pulls a survivor from a collapsed building. Doc Renn (Medic 10) uses Vitae to touch the survivor and immediately identifies three conditions: irradiated (moderate), exhausted (level 2), and poisoned (minor, likely contaminated water). She can't cure any of them with Vitae at this level — at level 13 she could purge the poison, but the radiation and exhaustion need proper treatment. The diagnostic alone saves precious time: she knows exactly which supplies to reach for.

Mend (Repair)

At its base, Mend repairs small tears, breaks, and damage to objects up to 1 square foot. As your skill grows, Mend becomes a meaningful field repair tool — though it never replaces a proper workshop or the Fabricate spell.

Example: After a firefight, Voss (Channeler 13) uses Mend on the squad's damaged comms relay. The housing is cracked (structural repair, trivial) and the main circuit board took a bullet (tech repair, level 13 capability). One minute of sustained casting later, the relay boots back up. If the relay's encryption module had been fried, Voss would need a workshop — Mend can fix hardware, not software or magical components.

Prestidigitation (Versatile — Minor Tricks)

At its base, Prestidigitation produces minor sensory effects within 10 feet. With experience, your tricks grow from parlor magic into genuinely useful tools — though never powerful enough to replace real illusion spells.

Example: Standing watch over a camp, Mira (Mystic 14) uses Prestidigitation to create the illusion of a guard patrol — two figures walking a perimeter with footsteps, the glow of a cigarette, and the faint smell of tobacco. A passing raider scout sees the patrol and moves on. If the scout had thrown a rock at the "guards," the illusion would have shattered instantly. A Veil spell would create a tangible illusion that could withstand scrutiny.

Sense Magic (Detection)

At its base, Sense Magic detects the presence of magic within 30 feet. As your sensitivity sharpens, you perceive magical auras with increasing clarity and range — though the detailed analysis of a leveled Identify spell remains beyond cantrip capability.

Example: Exploring a pre-Fall research facility, Lena (Mystic 9) activates Sense Magic. She detects three magical sources: one is an active ward on a doorway (Cryo base, Barrier form — she can tell it's an ice-based protective spell), one is a dormant enchantment on a weapon rack, and one is a magical trap in the floor ahead. She knows the trap is there and that it's magical, but not what it does or how to disarm it — that requires an Arcana check or a leveled divination spell.

Utility Scaling — General Rules

1. Automatic progression. Utility scaling requires no action, no feat, and no spell slot. If you know the cantrip and have reached the listed level, you gain the benefit.

2. Stacks with Cantrip Refinement. The Cantrip Refinement downtime activity (see Downtime — Magical Research) provides separate bonuses that stack with utility scaling. Refinement is a personal technique improvement; scaling is your deepening connection to the base force.

3. Does not replicate leveled spells. No utility scaling effect duplicates or replaces a leveled spell. Where a cantrip and a leveled spell have similar effects, the spell is always more powerful, longer-lasting, or more flexible. The tables above note specific boundaries.

4. One casting per effect. Unless otherwise noted, each use of a utility cantrip produces one effect. You can cast the cantrip again on your next turn for an additional effect, following the standard action economy.

5. GM adjudication. Creative uses of utility cantrips beyond the listed effects are encouraged. The scaling tables define guaranteed capabilities — they do not limit what a clever caster might attempt with GM approval. When adjudicating edge cases, compare the proposed effect to the nearest leveled spell. If the cantrip use would match or exceed the spell's effect, it should require that spell instead.

Rule: Healing cantrips (such as Minor Heal) do not benefit from slot-scaling. Healing output is governed by dedicated healing spells and class features. Cantrip scaling applies only to damage-dealing cantrips.

Cantrip Acquisition

• Full Caster (Mystic): Start with 3, gain additional cantrips per the full caster spell slot table (see above)
• Half Caster (Channeler, Medic): Start with 2, gain additional cantrips per the half-caster spell slot table (see above)
• Other Builds: Can spend CP to learn cantrips (15 CP for non-casters, 12 CP for Diplomats, 10 CP for half-casters; see Character Creation — CP Spending Options for details)
• Synthetics: Cannot learn or use magic in any form. Synthetics have Humanity 0 and lack the organic quality that channels arcane energy. No cantrips, no spells, no ritual casting, no magical item attunement. However, Synthetics can activate arcane capacitors and other pre-charged magical devices (see Spell Interactions: Synthetics and Magic Devices). See Character Creation for full Synthetic traits.

Additional Cantrips

The following cantrips represent common learned techniques beyond the eight base forces.

Spark (Attack Cantrip)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Effect: Hurl bolt of raw energy. Make ranged spell attack vs target's DV. On hit: 1d10 + spellcasting modifier energy damage. Energy damage is untyped — it bypasses fire, cold, electric, and other elemental resistances.
• Scaling: +1d10 at levels 5, 11, 17. Can be powered with a spell slot for +1d10 per slot level.

Mend (Utility Cantrip)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Effect: Repair small tears, breaks, or damage to object (up to 1 square foot). Can restore 1d4 HP to constructs/synthetics.

Sense Magic (Detection Cantrip)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Effect: For 1 minute, sense presence of magic within 30 feet (but not specific location or type). Can concentrate to narrow focus.

Prestidigitation (Versatile Cantrip)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 10 feet
• Effect: Create minor sensory effects: light a candle, chill/warm small object, clean item, create harmless illusions (hand-sized), etc. GM discretion on applications.

Ward (Defensive Cantrip)

• Casting Time: Reaction (when hit)
• Range: Self
• Effect: Add +3 to your DV against one attack. Can declare use after seeing attack roll. This cantrip is distinct from the 1st-level spell Arcane Shield (+5 DV).

Sonus (Base Cantrip)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 feet
• Effect: Release a pulse of concentrated sound. Target makes a Fortitude save vs your spell DC. On failure: 1d6 + spellcasting modifier sonic damage and is deafened until end of their next turn. On success: half damage, no deafening.
• Scaling: +1d6 at levels 5, 11, 17. Can be slot-powered per Cantrip Damage Scaling.
• Utility: Can shatter glass, crystal, and fragile objects within range.

The Sigil System — Modular Spell Crafting

Magic in Ashfall is not memorized from dusty tomes. It is built — piece by piece, sigil by sigil — from the raw forces that bleed through the Veil.

Every spell is assembled from four categories of components. Understanding the difference between them is fundamental to how magic works in Ashfall.

The Four Component Types

Cantrip (The Force) The raw magical energy you channel. Pyros is fire. Cryo is ice. Mentis is thought. A cantrip is not a spell — it is the fuel. By itself, a cantrip is just potential. You can hold fire in your hand, feel lightning crackle between your fingers, sense a mind nearby — but without a Form, it goes nowhere. Every caster learns cantrips first. They are Level 0 and cost nothing.

Form (The Shape) How the force is delivered to the world. A Form takes raw cantrip energy and gives it direction: a Touch channels it through your palm, a Ray projects it as a beam, a Burst detonates it at a distance. The Form determines range, area, and who gets hit. A cantrip + a Form is a castable spell. Touch, Self, and Ray forms cost +0, making them at-will when paired with just a cantrip.

Metamagic (The Tuning) Modifications that alter how the spell behaves. Metamagic makes it bigger (Widen), longer-lasting (Sustain), more selective (Selective), or just rawer (Amplify). Each metamagic modifier adds to the total spell level. You can stack multiple modifiers, but the total cannot exceed 7th level. Metamagic is optional — a cantrip + Form works without it.

Spell Fragment (The Blueprint) A spell fragment is an incomplete spell — a recorded combination of Form + Metamagic components without a cantrip base. Fragments are knowledge, not stored energy. They cannot be cast. They are blueprints — instructions for how to shape a force that the reader must supply themselves.

Fragments exist in two contexts:

• Discovered fragments. Found carved into ruins, scrawled in dead casters' journals, or encoded in pre-Fall data cores. A fragment discovered in a ruin might be "Burst + Amplify + Selective" — the template behind Fireball. Any caster who studies it can complete it by adding their cantrip of choice. Pyros makes it a Fireball. Cryo makes it a Freezing Burst. Mentis makes it a Psychic Bomb. The same fragment produces entirely different spells depending on who completes it.

• Traded fragments. Fragments can be written down, taught to other casters, or sold. A fragment is worth roughly 50 credits per total spell level it contributes (e.g., a Burst + Amplify fragment is worth ~150 credits as a 3-level blueprint). The Ashen Veil actively trades in fragments. The Convergence of the Lit Path considers them heretical schematics.

A spell is a sentence. The cantrip is the verb. The form is the noun. The metamagic is the adjective. A fragment is a sentence with a blank where the verb should be — anyone can fill it in, and the meaning changes completely.

Learning Spell Fragments

Studying a discovered or traded spell fragment requires 1 hour per total spell level the fragment contributes (e.g., a Burst + Amplify fragment at 3 total levels requires 3 hours of study). At the end of the study period, the caster makes an Arcana check (DC 10 + fragment's total spell level). On a success, the caster learns the fragment and can use it to construct spells during preparation. On a failure, the fragment is not destroyed — the caster can attempt again after a long rest.

Any character proficient in Arcana who has spellcasting can learn a fragment, regardless of class. The fragment's components are universal — a Channeler and a Mystic can both learn the same Burst + Amplify fragment, completing it with different cantrips to produce different spells. Non-casters cannot learn spell fragments; the components require spellcasting intuition to interpret, and the notation is meaningless without the ability to channel a base force.

Storing Spells

A completed spell — cantrip + form + metamagic, fully assembled — can be stored for later use in two ways. Both methods require the caster to cast the full spell into the storage medium, expending a spell slot as normal.

Scrolls (Arcane Storage) The oldest method. A caster inscribes a completed spell onto parchment, hide, or any suitable surface using arcane ink and sigil-work. Creating a scroll requires Arcana proficiency, materials worth 25 credits per spell level, and 1 hour per spell level of uninterrupted work. The spell slot is consumed during inscription.

Anyone with Arcana proficiency can activate a scroll by reading it aloud 1 Action. The scroll is consumed on use. A character without Arcana proficiency can attempt to read a scroll with a DC 10 + (spell level x 2) Arcana check — on failure, the scroll is consumed with no effect. On critical failure (miss by 10+), the spell activates with a random target.

Scrolls are fragile — they can be destroyed by fire, water, or rough handling. But they require no technology, no power source, and no special equipment. Many wasteland casters prefer them for their simplicity.

Arcane Capacitors (Tech Storage) The post-Fall innovation. A caster burns a spell slot to charge a technological device — a crystal-lattice circuit, a rune-etched battery, a resonance chamber — that stores the arcane energy in stable form. Anyone can activate a capacitor, including non-casters and Synthetics. The technology does the casting, not the user.

Capacitors require both Technology and Arcana proficiency to craft (one skill to build the hardware, one to charge the magic). For full capacitor crafting rules, types, and costs, see the Crafting chapter under Arcane Capacitors.

Building a Spell

Base Cantrip (Level 0) + Form (+0 to +3) + Metamagic Modifiers (+1 to +4 each) = Total Spell Level

Sum all the costs. The total is the spell slot level you must expend to cast it. If the total is 0, it's an at-will cantrip.

Base Cantrips (Level 0)

These define the damage type and die. They cost nothing — they are the raw force you are shaping.

Dual Cantrip Fusion (+1 Level)

You can combine two base cantrips into a single spell. This costs +1 spell level (making the minimum a 1st-level spell). The spell deals both damage types simultaneously. Both cantrip effects apply — Pyros ignites AND Cryo freezes.

Rules:

• Use the lower die of the two cantrips (d6 if either cantrip uses d6)
• Split the damage dice evenly between the two types (round the extra die to whichever type the caster chooses)
• You choose one form that delivers both effects
• You must know both cantrips
• Vitae + any damage cantrip is special: the spell heals allies and damages enemies in the same area (requires Selective metamagic or targeted form)

Examples:

Triple fusion (three cantrips) costs +2 levels. Four or more cantrips cannot be combined — the forces destabilize.

Forms (Delivery Shapes)

* Wall includes the Sustain metamagic at no additional cost (see note below).

** Veil does not deal damage — it creates sensory illusions. The level cost represents the complexity of shaping a cantrip's energy into coherent false perception rather than raw force.

Wall and Sustain: The Wall form includes the Sustain metamagic property at no additional spell level cost. Unlike Burst (which deals instantaneous damage and dissipates), a Wall persists as long as the caster sustains it, blocking line of sight, denying passage, and creating chokepoints. The effective cost premium of Wall over Burst is +1 level Free (Wall +3 minus Sustain +1 = effective +2, same as Burst). Wall is the sustained battlefield control option; Burst is the instantaneous damage option.

At-will cantrips are any combination totaling Level 0: a base cantrip + Touch, Self, or Ray, with no modifiers.

Veil (Illusion Form)

The Veil Form shapes a cantrip's energy into a sensory deception rather than a physical effect. Instead of fire burning, Pyros + Veil creates the appearance, sound, and (at higher levels) heat of flame — without the damage. Veil illusions are constructs of magical perception, not reality.

Core Rules:

• Veil illusions cannot deal damage and cannot create real physical barriers. A Veil of a wall of fire looks and sounds real, but a creature walking through it takes no harm.
• The base cantrip determines the illusion's sensory palette. Pyros creates fire-themed illusions (flames, smoke, heat shimmer). Cryo creates ice/cold illusions. Mentis creates psychic impressions projected directly into minds. Materia creates illusions of physical objects (walls, furniture, terrain).
Resisting the illusion Passive: When a creature first perceives the illusion, it can attempt a Will save against the caster's spell save DC. On success, the creature recognizes the illusion as magical and is not fooled. On failure, the creature believes the illusion is real.
• Disbelieving the illusion (active): A creature that interacts with the illusion (touches it, walks through it, throws something at it) or spends 1 action studying it can attempt an Investigation check against the caster's spell save DC to disbelieve. On success, the illusion appears translucent and faded to that creature — they can see through it and are no longer fooled. Other creatures are unaffected. This matches the disbelieve mechanic used by legacy illusion spells (see Phantasmal Terrain, Illusory Fortress).
• A creature that disbelieves can point out the illusion to allies. An ally who is told an illusion is fake can attempt to disbelieve as a free action (same Investigation check), but with disadvantage — hearing "it's fake" is less convincing than discovering it yourself.

Veil Scaling by Spell Level:

Touch illusions (5th level): A creature touching the illusion feels resistance — a wall feels solid, water feels wet, a creature feels warm. This does not make the illusion real. It cannot support weight (a character who tries to stand on an illusory floor falls through), deal damage, or apply conditions. But it makes the illusion vastly harder to disbelieve through casual contact — the Investigation DC to disbelieve through touch increases by +5 at 5th level.

Mentis + Veil (Psychic Illusions): When Mentis is the base cantrip, the illusion is projected directly into the minds of targets rather than manifesting in physical space. Psychic illusions affect only creatures with minds (not Synthetics, constructs, or mindless creatures). They do not appear on cameras, sensors, or to creatures outside the targeted group. However, they are harder to disbelieve: the Investigation DC to disbelieve a Mentis + Veil illusion increases by +2 because the deception bypasses the senses entirely.

DC Stacking Cap: The total bonus to the disbelieve DC from Veil-specific sources (touch, Mentis, Amplify) is capped at +5. A 5th-level Mentis + Veil + Amplify spell would grant +2 (Mentis) + 2 (Amplify) + 5 (touch) = +9, but the cap limits this to +5 above the base spell save DC. This prevents extreme DCs at high investment levels while still rewarding the combination.

Tech Interaction:

Sight (Divination Form)

The Sight Form turns a cantrip's energy inward, using it as a lens to perceive hidden information rather than to project force. Instead of fire burning, Pyros + Sight lets you sense heat signatures. Instead of mind control, Mentis + Sight lets you detect conscious thoughts nearby.

Core Rules:

• Sight cannot interact with, change, or affect what it observes. It is purely passive information gathering.
• The base cantrip determines what type of information Sight reveals. Pyros detects heat. Cryo detects cold or frozen objects. Vitae detects living creatures. Mentis detects conscious minds. Materia detects the composition of objects. Kinesis detects motion and physical force.
• Sight provides useful but incomplete information — directional, quantity, and intensity, not perfect tactical data. "You sense three living creatures behind the door, one much larger than the others" — not "There are two raiders with shotguns and one mutant bear at exactly 30 feet."
• Sight does not grant line of sight for targeting spells. You know something is there, but you cannot target it with an attack unless you can actually see it.

Sight Scaling by Spell Level:

Cantrip + Sight Combinations:

Veil & Sight Metamagic Interactions

Example Crafted Illusion & Divination Spells

Phantom Flame (1st level): Pyros (+0) + Veil (+1) = 1st level. 60 ft range. Create a visual-only illusion of fire (campfire, burning doorway, flaming weapon) in a 5-ft cube. Concentration, 1 min. Investigation vs spell DC to disbelieve. Useful for scaring off wildlife, creating distractions, or faking a signal fire.

False Wall (2nd level): Materia (+0) + Veil (+1) + Amplify (+1) = 2nd level. 60 ft range. Create a visual + auditory illusion of a solid wall, door, or barricade in a 10-ft cube. Concentration, 10 min. Disbelieve DC increased by +2 (Amplify). Enemies must spend an action to investigate or walk through it to discover the deception. Ideal for blocking pursuit or hiding an escape route.

Phantom Squad (3rd level): Mentis (+0) + Veil (+1) + Selective (+1) + Amplify (+1) = 3rd level. Psychic illusion — projected into enemy minds only (Selective). Creates the impression of 4-6 additional combatants in a 15-ft cube. Visual + auditory + olfactory. Concentration, 10 min. Enemies perceive the illusory squad as real fighters — they may split fire, take cover, or retreat. Allies see nothing (Selective). Disbelieve DC: spell DC +2 (Amplify) +2 (Mentis psychic bonus) = spell DC +4 (within the +5 Veil DC cap). Does not affect Synthetics or mindless creatures.

Heat Scan (1st level): Pyros (+0) + Sight (+1) = 1st level. Self, 30 ft range. Instantaneous ping. You sense the presence, direction, and approximate distance of heat sources within 30 feet — living creatures, running engines, recent fires, discharged weapons. Detects through walls and obstacles. Does not reveal exact position or identity.

Life Sense (2nd level): Vitae (+0) + Sight (+1) + Sustain (+1) = 2nd level. Self, 60 ft, concentration 1 min. You sense all living creatures within 60 feet for the duration. You know their quantity, relative positions, and approximate size. You can track them as they move. Does not detect undead, constructs, or Synthetics. Useful for clearing buildings room-by-room.

Remote Surveillance (5th level): Volta (+0) + Sight (+1) + Persist (+2) + Extend Range (+1) + Amplify (+1) = 5th level. Create an unattended sensor within 2 miles (Extended) that detects electrical activity for 10 minutes without concentration. Detailed information: detects powered devices, active electronics, communication signals, and neural activity of nearby creatures. Functions like a remote electronic surveillance sweep — invaluable for scouting fortified positions.

Legacy Spell Reconciliation

The following legacy spells can be approximated (not replaced) through Sigil crafting:

Casting Time

A crafted spell's default casting time depends on its final spell level:

Rationale: At-will cantrips are quick and practiced — they fire from muscle memory. Leveled spells require shaping, directing, and sustaining the magical force being assembled, which takes 2 of your 3 available actions.

Ritual casting follows separate rules — rituals take 10 minutes + 10 minutes per spell level regardless of the above table. See Ritual Casting for details.

Example: A character crafts Pyros + Cone (1st-level). Its default casting time is 2 actions. If they add the Quicken metamagic (+2 levels, spell becomes 3rd-level), it costs 1 action to cast. This trades a spell slot upgrade for action economy.

Example: Pyros + Ray (cantrip, 0-level) costs 1 action, same as any base cantrip.

Damage Scaling

The total spell level determines how many damage dice you roll. You do not buy dice separately — the investment IS the damage.

Upcasting: If you spend a higher-level slot than the spell requires, use the slot level on the table. A 1st-level Ray spell cast with a 3rd-level slot deals 4d6+mod.

Healing: Vitae spells that heal use the same table, rolling dice as healing instead of damage.

Metamagic Modifiers

Optional enhancements that increase the total spell level.

Range & Targeting:

Duration & Timing:

Condition Riders (target suffers condition on failed save, lasts until end of their next turn):

Special:

Non-Damage Effects (Materia & Utility)

Materia does not deal damage. Its spell level determines the magnitude of the effect:

Worked Examples

Mind Spike (1st): Mentis (+0) + Ray (+0) + Amplify (+1) = 1st level. Ranged spell attack, 60 ft. 2d8 + mod psychic damage.

Burning Hands (1st): Pyros (+0) + Cone (+1) = 1st level. 15-ft cone. Reflex save. 2d6 + mod fire damage.

Healing Wave (2nd): Vitae (+0) + Small Burst (+1) + Selective (+1) = 2nd level. 60 ft range, 10-ft radius. Each chosen ally heals 3d6 + mod HP.

Lightning Bolt (3rd): Volta (+0) + Line (+1) + Widen (+1) + Amplify (+1) = 3rd level. 60-ft line, 10 ft wide. Reflex save. 4d6 + mod electric damage.

Fireball (3rd): Pyros (+0) + Burst (+2) + Amplify (+1) = 3rd level. 120 ft range, 20-ft radius. Reflex save. 4d6 + mod fire damage.

Psychic Scream (5th): Mentis (+0) + Burst (+2) + Shock (+3) = 5th level. 120 ft, 20-ft radius. Will save. 6d8 + mod psychic damage + Stunned on fail.

Force Cage (7th): Kinesis (+0) + Wall (+3) + Persist (+2) + Selective (+1) + Amplify (+1) = 7th level. 120 ft, force wall enclosure. 10 minutes, no concentration. 8d8 + mod force damage to creatures passing through. Allies pass freely.

Quick-Reference: Spell Level Budget

Legacy Spells vs. Crafted Spells

The Common Spells listed below are legacy formulas — famous spell configurations discovered by historic casters and recorded exactly as they were perfected. Some legacy spells are slightly more powerful than what the Sigil System produces at the same level (Fireball deals 8d6 as a legacy formula vs 4d6+mod as a crafted spell). This is intentional — legacy formulas are battle-tested optimizations. The Sigil System trades raw power for customization: you choose the exact effect, delivery, and element you need. When a legacy spell fits, use it. When you need something no legacy spell provides, craft your own.

Common Spells

These are common pre-built spells available to all spellcasters. Players using the spell crafting system may design custom spells with GM approval, following the crafting rules in this chapter.

The spells below are legacy formulas — battle-tested techniques refined over decades by the wasteland's first magic users. They are deliberately more powerful than spells created through the modular crafting system. A crafted spell trades raw power for customization: you choose the exact effect, delivery, and element you need. A legacy spell gives you proven, optimized results. Both have their place. When a legacy spell fits your situation, use it. When you need something no legacy spell provides, craft your own.

Spellcasting Modifier and Legacy Spells:

Legacy spells use the following convention for adding your spellcasting modifier (INT for Mystic, WIS for Channeler and Medic) to damage:

• Single-target spells (Ray, Touch, ranged spell attack against one creature) add your spellcasting modifier to damage. Example: Fire Bolt deals 1d10 + INT mod fire damage.
• Area spells (Cone, Line, Burst, Aura, Wall) do not add your spellcasting modifier to damage. The broader effect compensates for the lower per-target damage. Example: Burning Hands deals 3d6 fire damage, no modifier added.
• Healing spells that target a single creature add your spellcasting modifier to the healing amount.

This convention matches the modular Sigil System (see Effect Modifiers — Damage Modifier), where "+ mod" is part of the base formula for targeted spells and absent for area spells.

Cantrips At-Will

Fire Bolt

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: Ranged spell attack. On hit: 1d10 + spellcasting modifier fire damage.
• Scaling: +1d10 at levels 5, 11, 17. Can be powered with a spell slot for +1d10 per slot level (see Cantrip Damage Scaling).

Ray of Frost

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: Ranged spell attack. On hit: 1d8 + spellcasting modifier cold damage, target's speed reduced by 10 ft until start of your next turn.
• Scaling: +1d8 at levels 5, 11, 17. Can be powered with a spell slot for +1d8 per slot level (see Cantrip Damage Scaling).

Shock

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Effect: Melee spell attack. On hit: 1d8 + spellcasting modifier electric damage, target can't take reactions until start of their next turn.
• Scaling: +1d8 at levels 5, 11, 17. Can be powered with a spell slot for +1d8 per slot level (see Cantrip Damage Scaling).

Mend

• Casting Time: 1 minute
• Range: Touch
• Effect: Repair a single break or tear in an object (not magical damage).

Guidance

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: Target gains +1d4 to next ability check within 1 minute.

Light

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Duration: 1 hour
• Effect: Touch an object; it sheds bright light 20 ft and dim light 20 ft beyond that.

Minor Heal (Healing casters only)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Effect: Restore 1d4 HP.
• Scaling: +1d4 at levels 5, 11, 17.

Telekinetic Shove

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Effect: Force target to make Reflex save or be pushed 5 ft. No damage.

1st-Level Spells

Healing Touch (Healing casters only)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Effect: Restore 1d8 + WIS modifier HP.

Arcane Shield

• Casting Time: 1 action Reaction (trigger: being attacked)
• Range: Self
• Effect: +5 DV against the triggering attack. Lasts until start of your next turn.

Burning Hands

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 15-ft cone
• Effect: Each creature in area makes Reflex save. 3d6 fire damage (half on save).

Thunderwave

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 15-ft cube from self
• Effect: Each creature in area makes Fortitude save. 2d8 sonic damage and pushed 10 ft (half damage and not pushed on save).

Fog Cloud

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: 20-ft radius sphere; area is heavily obscured.

Mage Armor

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Duration: 8 hours (no concentration)
• Effect: Target's base DV becomes 13 + AGI modifier (no armor).

Detect Magic

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: Sense magic within 30 ft.

Phase Step

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Effect: You vanish and reappear in an unoccupied space you can see within 20 feet. This movement is instantaneous teleportation — it does not provoke attacks of opportunity and is not affected by difficult terrain. You cannot Phase Step into a space occupied by a creature or solid object. If you Phase Step while grappled, the grapple ends.

Sigil Build: This spell cannot currently be constructed from the Sigil System forms table (no Teleport form exists). Phase Step is a legacy spell that predates modular crafting.

Swift Current

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch (1 willing creature)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: The target's movement speed increases by 15 feet and they gain advantage on Acrobatics checks for the duration. The target can also move across liquid surfaces (water, mud, acid) without sinking, provided they end their turn on solid ground. If the target ends their turn on a liquid surface, they sink to knee depth (difficult terrain) but do not fully submerge.

2nd-Level Spells

Bind Wounds (Healing casters only)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Effect: Restore 2d8 + WIS modifier HP.

Scorching Ray

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 120 ft
• Effect: Create 3 rays of fire. Each makes a ranged spell attack for 2d6 fire damage per ray. Can target same or different creatures.

Shatter

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: 10-ft radius sphere. 3d8 sonic damage, Fortitude save for half. Damages objects.

Hold Person

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: Target humanoid must make Will save or be paralyzed. Target repeats save at end of each turn.

Invisibility

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
• Effect: Target becomes invisible. Ends if target attacks or casts a spell.

Mirror Double

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: 1 minute (no concentration)
• Effect: Two illusory duplicates of yourself appear in your space, mimicking your movements. When a creature targets you with an attack, roll a d20 before the attack roll. On an 8 or higher (with 2 duplicates) or 11 or higher (with 1 duplicate), the attack targets a duplicate instead — the duplicate is destroyed and the attack has no effect. Duplicates have no HP and are destroyed by any hit. A creature that cannot see or that relies on non-visual senses (tremorsense, blindsight) ignores duplicates. Area effects do not destroy duplicates but pass through them to affect you normally.

Augury (Ritual)

• Casting Time: 1 action (or 10 minutes as ritual)
• Range: Self
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Effect: You glimpse the immediate consequences of a specific course of action you plan to take within the next 30 minutes. The GM provides one of four responses: Weal (good outcome), Woe (bad outcome), Both (mixed results), or Nothing (no significant consequences or outcome too uncertain). The spell cannot predict events beyond 30 minutes or account for interference by other creatures' free will. Casting Augury more than once before completing a long rest yields "Nothing" regardless of the question — the threads of possibility tangle with repeated observation.

Gritty Rest Variant: Under Ashfall's standard rest rules (long rest = 1 week), Augury is limited to one reliable casting per week. GMs who find this too restrictive may allow reliable Augury once per short rest (8 hours) instead.

3rd-Level Spells

Mass Healing Word (Healing casters only)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: Up to 3 creatures regain 1d8 + WIS modifier HP.

Fireball

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 150 ft
• Effect: 20-ft radius sphere. 8d6 fire damage, Reflex save for half.

Lightning Bolt

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 100-ft line, 5 ft wide
• Effect: 8d6 electric damage, Reflex save for half.

Counterspell

• Casting Time: Reaction (trigger: a creature within 60 ft casts a spell you can see)
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: If the triggering spell is 3rd level or lower, the counterspell succeeds automatically — no check required, the spell fails and has no effect. If the triggering spell is 4th level or higher, make a spellcasting check (DC 10 + spell level). On success, the spell fails. On failure, the triggering spell takes effect normally and your spell slot is still consumed.
• Casting at Higher Levels: If you cast Counterspell using a spell slot equal to or higher than the triggering spell's level, the counterspell succeeds automatically regardless of level.
• Mystic class feature: Mystics who reach Level 4 gain a Counterspell class feature that supersedes this spell. The class feature triggers on the same condition Reaction (creature within 60 ft casts a spell), uses an INT check (DC 10 + spell level), and does not cost a spell slot — but is limited to 1/Short Rest. Mystics with this feature do not need to prepare or slot the spell version. See Classes: Mystic — Level 4: Counterspell for the full class feature text.

Dispel Magic

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Effect: Choose one spell effect on a creature, object, or area within range. If the spell effect is 3rd level or lower, it ends automatically — no check required. If the spell effect is 4th level or higher, make a spellcasting check (DC 10 + spell level). On success, the effect ends. On failure, the effect persists and your spell slot is consumed.
• Casting at Higher Levels: If you cast Dispel Magic using a spell slot equal to or higher than the target effect's level, it ends automatically.

Phantasmal Terrain

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: You create an illusory overlay across a 30-foot cube of terrain within range. The terrain appears, sounds, and smells like a different type of terrain of your choice — open ground can appear as rubble, a clear hallway can appear flooded, or a dangerous pit can appear as solid floor. The illusion does not hold up to physical interaction. A creature that touches the illusory terrain or uses 1 action to study it can make an Investigation check against your spell save DC to disbelieve. A creature that disbelieves sees the illusion as a faint, translucent overlay and is no longer affected. Creatures that fall for the illusion treat it as real terrain (moving around fake obstacles, avoiding fake hazards). The illusion cannot deal damage or create real physical barriers.

Clairvoyance

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 1 mile
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: You create an invisible, intangible sensor at a location within range that you have visited before or can describe by specific direction and distance. Choose sight or hearing when you cast the spell. For the duration, you can perceive through the sensor using the chosen sense as if you were there. You can switch between sight and hearing by spending 1 action on your turn. The sensor can be detected by a creature that succeeds on a Perception check (DC 20) or by Detect Magic. The sensor cannot move once placed.

4th-Level Spells

Revitalize (Healing casters only)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: One creature regains 4d8 + WIS modifier HP and is cured of one condition.

Wall of Fire

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: Create a wall of fire up to 60 ft long/20 ft high. Creatures within 10 ft of one side take 5d8 fire damage (Reflex half).

Banishment

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: Will save or target is banished to a harmless demiplane.

Fear

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30-ft cone
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: Each creature in the area makes a Will save or becomes Frightened of you. While Frightened, a creature must Dash away from you on its turn. A creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.

Stoneskin

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: Touch
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
• Effect: Target gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons.

Dimension Door

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 500 ft
• Effect: Teleport yourself to a spot you can see, describe, or state by direction and distance. You can bring one willing creature of your size or smaller within 5 feet.

Blight

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Effect: Necrotic energy drains moisture and vitality. Target makes a Fortitude save. On failure: 8d8 necrotic damage. On success: half damage. Plants and water elementals have disadvantage on the save.

Arcane Flight

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch (1 willing creature)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: The target gains a fly speed of 40 feet for the duration. The target can hover. If the spell ends while the target is airborne (concentration lost, dispelled, or duration expires), the target falls immediately — apply falling damage as normal. A creature can voluntarily descend safely by spending movement to land before the spell ends.

Design Note: Flight is a campaign-altering ability. At 4th level, it requires a significant spell slot investment and concentration (vulnerable to disruption). GMs should consider how flight interacts with enclosed dungeon environments — many post-Fall ruins have low ceilings that limit flight's tactical advantage.

Greater Phase Step

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Effect: You teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 60 feet. You can bring one willing creature of your size or smaller that is within 5 feet of you — they appear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of your destination. This teleportation does not provoke attacks of opportunity for either creature. You and any creature transported this way have advantage on the first attack roll you make before the end of your next turn — the disorienting arrival catches enemies off guard.

Design Note: Greater Phase Step is the combat teleport — shorter range than Dimension Door (60 ft vs 500 ft) and requires line of sight, but grants an offensive advantage on arrival. Phase Step (20 ft, 1st level) → Greater Phase Step (60 ft + attack advantage, 4th level) → Dimension Door (500 ft utility escape, 4th level).

5th-Level Spells

Mass Healing (Healing casters only)

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft radius
• Effect: All allies regain 5d8 + WIS modifier HP.

Cone of Cold

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 60-ft cone
• Effect: 8d8 cold damage, Reflex save for half.

Hold Monster

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 90 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: Target makes a Will save or is Paralyzed. The target repeats the save at the end of each turn, ending the effect on success. Unlike Hold Person, this works on any creature type.

Telekinesis

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: Move a creature or object weighing up to 1,000 lbs. Creatures make a MIG save to resist. On failure, move them up to 30 ft in any direction (including vertically) and restrain them until the start of your next turn. Each round, you can use 1 action to continue moving the target.

Greater Restoration

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Effect: End one of the following on the target: 1 exhaustion level, Charmed, Petrified, a curse, an ability score reduction, a max HP reduction, or an augmentation-related complication. This spell can reverse Magical Burn HP loss.

Wall of Force

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Effect: Create an invisible wall of pure force, up to 30 ft long and 10 ft high. Nothing can physically pass through it — no attacks, objects, or creatures. The wall is immune to damage and cannot be dispelled except by Dispel Magic cast at 5th level or higher.

Scrying (Ritual)

• Casting Time: 2 actions (or 10 minutes as ritual)
• Range: Special (same plane of existence)
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
• Materials: A reflective surface (mirror, still water, polished metal) worth at least 100 credits
• Effect: You target one creature you have met or can identify by name. The target must make a Will save against your spell save DC. On success, the spell fails and the target knows someone attempted to scry on them. On failure, an invisible sensor appears within 10 feet of the target, and you can see and hear through it as if you were there. The target's save is modified by your familiarity:

Illusory Fortress

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: You create a 20-foot cube of illusory walls, barriers, and terrain features at a point within range. The illusion appears completely real — solid walls, rubble, overturned vehicles, or whatever scenery fits the environment. Creatures inside the fortress have total concealment from creatures outside it. Creatures can physically pass through the illusory walls freely (they feel a slight tingle but nothing blocks them). A creature that passes through a wall or succeeds on an Investigation check (DC = your spell save DC) disbelieves and can see through the fortress for the duration. The fortress blocks line of sight for all creatures that have not disbelieved it, but it does not block area effects — a Fireball cast into the fortress still detonates normally.

Farsight

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
• Effect: Your senses expand beyond normal limits. For the duration, you gain the following benefits: you can see invisible creatures and objects as faint outlines; you automatically detect illusions within 30 feet 1 Action (no Investigation check needed, but you must still use to study anything farther away); you gain advantage on Perception checks; and your darkvision extends to 120 feet (or you gain darkvision 60 feet if you don't have it). This spell reveals what is there, not what something means — it shows you the invisible assassin but doesn't reveal their intent.

6th-Level Spells

Chain Lightning

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 150 ft
• Effect: A bolt of lightning arcs to a target, then jumps to up to 3 additional targets within 30 ft of the first. Each target makes a Reflex save. On failure: 10d8 electric damage. On success: half damage.

Disintegrate

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: Ranged spell attack. On hit: 10d6 + 40 force damage. If this reduces the target to 0 HP, the target is completely disintegrated — nothing remains. On miss: no damage (this is an all-or-nothing spell).

Mass Suggestion

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: 24 hours
• Effect: Suggest a course of action to up to 12 creatures you can see. Targets make a Will save. On failure, they pursue the suggestion for the duration. The suggestion must sound reasonable. Clearly harmful suggestions end the effect.

Heal

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: Target regains 70 HP and is cured of blindness, deafness, and all diseases. When cast at 7th level, healing increases to 90 HP.

7th-Level Spells

Reverse Gravity

• Casting Time: 2 actions
• Range: 100 ft
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Effect: Gravity reverses in a 50-ft radius, 100-ft high cylinder. Creatures that fail a Reflex save fall upward 100 ft, taking 10d6 falling damage when they hit the ceiling (or rise into open air). When the spell ends, affected creatures fall back down normally.

Plane Shift

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Effect: Transport yourself and up to 8 willing creatures to another plane of existence. Alternatively, make a melee spell attack against an unwilling creature — on a hit, the target makes a Will save or is banished to a random location on another plane.

Power Word Stun

• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Effect: Choose a creature you can see. If it has 150 HP or fewer, it is Stunned. At the end of each of its turns, it can make a Will save to end the effect. No save on the initial cast — if you're under the HP threshold, you're stunned.

Resurrection

• Casting Time: 1 hour (ritual only)
• Range: Touch
• Materials: 5,000 credits worth of rare components + 10 Essence
• Effect: Return a creature that died within the last 10 days to life with 1 HP. The target returns with all conditions removed but gains 3 levels of Exhaustion that cannot be removed except by time (1 level per long rest). The soul must be willing and free. This spell cannot restore a creature that died of old age or was disintegrated.

Concentration

You can concentrate on only one spell at a time. Casting another concentration spell ends the first.

Concentration Check: When you take damage while concentrating, make a Will save. DC = 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher. On failure, the spell ends.

You lose concentration if you are incapacitated, killed, or voluntarily end it Free.

Spell Interactions

Spell Effect Stacking

When multiple spell effects apply to the same creature or area, the following rules determine how they interact.

Same Spell, Same Source: If the same spell is active on a target twice from the same caster, only the most recent casting applies. The earlier effect ends immediately. For example, a Mystic who casts Mage Armor on an ally twice doesn't grant double the benefit — the second casting replaces the first.

Same Spell, Different Sources: If two different casters apply the same spell to the same target, only the more potent effect applies (higher spell level, higher caster modifier, or longer remaining duration — in that priority order). The weaker effect is suppressed, not dispelled. If the stronger effect ends first, the weaker effect resumes for its remaining duration.

Different Spells, Same Bonus Type: Different spells stack freely unless they grant bonuses to the same numerical value (attack rolls, DV, saving throws, damage, etc.). When two different spells grant a bonus to the same value, use the higher bonus — they do not add together. This mirrors the equipment bonus stacking system (see Crafting: Equipment Bonus Cap).

Example: A Channeler casts Shield of Faith (+2 DV) on a Warrior, and a Mystic casts Mage Armor (+1 DV) on the same Warrior. Both grant DV bonuses — the Warrior uses the higher value (+2 from Shield of Faith). The Mage Armor bonus is suppressed but not ended. If Shield of Faith drops, Mage Armor's +1 resumes.

Different Spells, Different Effects: Spells that affect different things stack normally with no restrictions. A creature can benefit from a damage buff, a healing-over-time effect, and a defensive ward simultaneously, as long as each affects a different aspect of the creature.

Example: A Warrior benefits from Bless (+1d4 to attack rolls), Mage Armor (+1 DV), and Stoneskin (resistance to physical damage) simultaneously. All three affect different things and stack fully.

Area Effects: When two area spells overlap geographically, creatures in the overlapping area are subject to both effects independently. A creature standing in both a Wall of Fire and a Fog Cloud takes the fire damage and suffers the obscurement. If both area spells deal damage, the creature takes damage from each.

Concentration Conflicts: You can concentrate on only one spell at a time. For full rules, see Concentration above. Sustained spells are not concentration spells and can coexist with an active concentration spell.

Save Type Assignment

When crafting a spell using the Sigil System, the save type is determined by the spell's primary effect:

If a crafted spell combines effects that would call for different saves (e.g., a fire spell with a fear rider), use the save for the primary damage or effect. The secondary effect triggers only on a failed save against the primary.

The GM has final say on save type for unusual combinations. When in doubt, Reflex for damage-dealers, Will for control effects.

Synthetics and Magic Devices

Synthetics cannot cast spells, learn cantrips, perform ritual casting, or attune to magical items. Their Humanity score of 0 means they lack the organic quality that channels arcane energy.

Synthetics can activate arcane capacitors and use pre-charged magical devices. Capacitors are technological devices that release stored arcane energy — the magic is in the device, not the user. Activating a capacitor is an item interaction, not spellcasting.

This distinction is intentional: Synthetics can press a button to discharge a spell battery, but they cannot speak words of power or channel energy through their body.

Rule of Thumb: If the magic comes from the user → Synthetics cannot do it. If the magic comes from the item → Synthetics can activate it.

Ritual Casting

Cast any spell you know without expending a spell slot by investing time and materials. Ritual casting time: 10 minutes + 10 minutes per spell level.

Ritual Requirements

• Time: 10 minutes + 10 minutes per spell level
• Materials: Components consumed (see Material Component Costs table below)
• Skill Check: WIS or INT + Proficiency vs DC 10 + (spell level x 2)
• Location: Relatively safe area (no active combat)

A ritual requires the caster's full attention and cannot be done while traveling or in combat. Material components are still consumed.

Ritual Casting Process

1. Declare spell being cast as ritual
2. Spend required time and materials
3. Roll skill check at end of ritual
4. Success: Spell cast normally
5. Failure (miss DC by less than 5): Spell fails, materials wasted, no Burnout
6. Critical Failure (miss DC by 5+): Spell fails, materials wasted, gain 1 Burnout point

Ritual Benefits

• No spell slot expended
• Can cast spells above available slots (risky!)
• Allows non-casters to attempt magic with instruction (DC +10, requires teacher)

Ritual Limitations

• Cannot cast in combat
• Requires focus (any damage interrupts, must restart)
• Expensive and time-consuming
• Risk of Burnout on failure

Material Component Costs

Multi-Caster Rituals

Multiple magic users can collaborate on a ritual:

• Lead Caster: Determines spell effect, makes casting check if needed
• Assistants: Up to (spell level) assistants can help
• Benefit: Each assistant reduces casting time by 10 minutes (minimum 10 minutes total) OR adds +1 to casting check

Example Ritual Spells

Detect Thoughts (2nd-level Ritual)

• Time: 30 minutes
• Components: Incense, quiet focus
• Effect: For next 10 minutes, sense surface thoughts of creatures within 30 feet. Can focus on one creature to probe deeper (Will save to resist).

Identify Magic (1st-level Ritual)

• Time: 20 minutes
• Components: Pearl dust (100 credits worth)
• Effect: Learn properties and activation of one magical item

Sending (3rd-level Ritual)

• Time: 40 minutes
• Components: Copper wire, personal item from recipient
• Effect: Send 25-word message to creature you know. They can reply with 25 words. Works across any distance on same plane.

Burnout Mechanics

Pushing beyond your limits is dangerous. Burnout Points (BP) track magical exhaustion from overuse.

What to Expect from Burnout

For Players: Burnout is a safety valve, not a punishment. In normal play, you should rarely accumulate more than 1-2 BP. Overcasting is an emergency measure — think of it as pushing your body past its limits in a desperate moment. If you find yourself overcasting regularly, consider managing spell slots more carefully or relying on ritual casting for non-urgent spells.

For GMs: A caster who reaches 3-5 BP is playing aggressively and should feel the consequences. A caster at 6+ BP has made several risky choices and is entering dangerous territory. Burnout 12+ should be a dramatic, campaign-defining moment — not something that happens every session. If players are hitting high Burnout frequently, they may need more opportunities for rest or access to more spell slots.

Gaining Burnout

• Overcasting: Cast spell without available slot (gain BP = spell level)
• Critical Ritual Failure: Miss ritual DC by 5+ (gain 1 BP)
• Twilight Event Consequence: Some reality-warping failures cause BP

Burnout Effects

Removing Burnout

• Short Rest (8 hours): Remove 1 Burnout point
• Long Rest (7 days): Remove all Burnout points
• Greater Restoration (5th-level spell): Remove 1d4 Burnout points
• Wish/Miracle (9th-level): Remove all Burnout points (if such spells exist at level 25+)

Burnout is tracked separately from Exhaustion; they can stack but are removed independently. A Medic cannot heal Burnout with class features; it requires rest.

Permanent Burnout

If you ever reach Burnout 20+, make a Will save DC 20:

• Success: Reduce to Burnout 15, gain permanent -1 to spellcasting
• Failure: Permanently lose the ability to cast magic

Overcasting Procedure

1. Declare Overcast: State you're casting without a spell slot
2. Gain Burnout Points: Gain Burnout equal to spell level
3. Casting Check: Roll d20 + your spellcasting ability modifier (Intelligence for Mystics, Wisdom for Channelers and Medics) vs DC (10 + spell level + current Burnout)
4. Results:
   • Success: Spell is cast normally
   • Failure (by less than 5): Spell is cast, but you gain 1 Exhaustion level
   • Failure (by 5-9): Spell fizzles, gain 2 Exhaustion levels
   • Failure (by 10+): Twilight Event occurs

Twilight Events (Critical Overcasting Failures)

When you critically fail an overcasting check, roll 1d10:

Example Twilight Mutations

• Eyes glow with unnatural light
• Hair becomes ethereal, moves without wind
• One hand constantly emits faint sparks
• Casting spells causes brief bleeding from eyes
• Shadow doesn't match your movements

Example Custom Spell

Electromagnetic Pulse (3rd-level Evocation)

• Created by comparing to: Fireball (damage), Dispel Magic (anti-tech effect)
• Casting Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 feet
• Effect: 20-foot radius burst. All electronic devices in area must save (DC = 8 + caster INT + proficiency) or shut down for 1 minute. Deals 4d6 damage to Synthetics and tech-heavy creatures (half on save).
• Research Cost: 9,000 credits, 3 weeks

Multiclass Spellcasting

When a character gains spellcasting from more than one class, the following rules apply:

Spell Slots

Spell slots do not stack between classes. Use the higher of your two spell slot progression tables. If both classes are full casters (Mystic, Channeler), you still use the full caster table once — you do not gain double slots.

If one class is a full caster and another is a half caster (such as a class with limited spellcasting through a specialization), use the full caster table. The half-caster levels do not contribute additional slots.

Cantrips

Cantrips known from each class are tracked separately. You prepare cantrips from each class's list independently. A Mystic 5/Channeler 3 knows their Mystic cantrips and their Channeler cantrips as separate pools.

Spell DC and Attack Rolls

When casting a spell, use the spellcasting ability modifier of the class that granted the spell. A Mystic spell uses INT; a Channeler spell uses WIS. If a feature references "your spellcasting modifier" without specifying a class, use the higher of your two spellcasting ability modifiers.

Burnout

Burnout is tracked as a single pool of Burnout Points, not separately for each class. All BP effects apply based on your total accumulated BP regardless of which class caused the overcasting. Twilight Events affect all your spellcasting equally.

Worked Examples

Example 1 — Mystic 8 / Channeler 4 (Full + Full): Elara is a Mystic 8 / Channeler 4. She uses the full caster spell slot table at character level 12 (not level 8 + level 4 combined for double slots). She knows Mystic cantrips (INT-based) and Channeler cantrips (WIS-based) separately. She can use any spell slot to cast any spell she knows from either class. Her Burnout Points are tracked as a single pool.

Example 2 — Warrior 6 / Channeler 3 (Non-caster dipping caster): Griff is a Warrior 6 who took 3 levels of Channeler for healing. He uses the Channeler spell slot table at Channeler level 3 (his Warrior levels do not contribute to spellcasting). He knows Channeler cantrips and can cast Channeler spells using WIS. He has no Mystic spells or INT-based casting. His Burnout Points are tracked normally based on accumulated BP.