Magic / Faith related Questions

#1

  1. Spell Effects - I was able to find that the default “Output Effect” for a spell is 1d6 on pg 37. It also says this can be upgraded with customization. Where would I find that?

  2. Spell Effects - When looking at the Drain, what would “reduce” do? Is it also supposed to be 1d6 like Output Effect? Cloak also has this keyword.

  3. Paragon of Faith - Can the destroy 1d6 weak undead be used as often as you want, provided you wait one round after casting? Can this power be upgraded? The faith grows by 2 max of 16 is different then what is on page 84. Would I be correct in thinking if you just have the faith skill you’d use Gain Faith on pg 84 and then it improved by taking the core ability Paragon of faith?

  4. Holy Symbol - Is the symbol itself free and just the adding of powers costs hero points? Can any of the powers on the holy symbol be upgraded?

  5. To use the “create” spell effect, I would need to first purchase a spell like fireblast. So as part of a new character build I would not need to pay for the Magic Skill to then cast create, making a long sword with fireblast once per day? Assuming yes, I could also add “lasting” and have a magic long sword that would always add 1d6 fire damage when it hits for the cost of 9 hero points? And then I could go crazy and add Gear Effects to the sword.

Thanks in advance for answers

#2

Some quick answers:

  1. In Basic & Custom Spells (on page 41) in Spell Effects Group 3 Effect 10 Powerful will “Boost a spell with a die upgrade, additional die, or similar.” So if it starts at 1d6 you this effect could move it up to a 1d8 the first time, then 1d10 then 1d12 at the max. Or work with the GM and maybe it make more sense to make it a 2d6 or maybe add a +1 to it.

  2. For Drain it would reduce the DEF or ATK of the target by 1d6 by default yes. For Cloak I would use it as a boost to the targets Stealth skill, and that boost would be 1d6.

  3. For the growth and max updates to 2 and 16 respectively you are correct that characters with Paragon of Faith have the faster growth and higher max. For upgrading the destroy 1d6 week undead I would say ask you GM but I would allow it to be modified in the same way as any other spell. Following my view of treating the destroy undead as a spell it would only have 1 cast before it is expended. Then the character would need time to rest and reflect on their faith to be able to cast it once again. The question I’ve had about this ability is, what is the range of that ability?

  4. I would have the base holy symbol as a free item. Well sort of, I wouldn’t have the base holy symbol cost any hero points, but if it gets destroyed or damage by attrition I also wouldn’t just allow the character to just grab a stick and call it a holy symbol. They would still need to rest in safety to take the time to sanctify and bless a new holy symbol that is fitting of the characters faith.

  5. This one is very much going to be a GM specific question but here is my go. First I wouldn’t allow the Create effect to create a sword, it just makes an object whose only function is to hold said spell effect. So it would create something like a want or a mystic crystal that gets used up once the spell effect is used. So for something like Fireblast it might be a pair of gloves (assuming the range is still touch) that holds the effect then when the item is used the glove turn to ash and fall off the users hands. Now if you wanted to add the Fireblast effect to an existing sword using Create I would allow that and I would allow the sword to persist after the effect was triggered. So you could still have a sword with Fireblast the sword would just need to be something that existed to hold the create spell. Now if you have add lasting to that create spell that would be do able be keep in mind it doesn’t add the ability to cast Fireblast more than once it make the output of that spell permanent. So the create spell outputs an object imbued with a spell that can be cast once. So in my gloves example the only difference would be that the gloves wouldn’t turn to ash after the one use of Fireblast was cast.

In number 5 keep in mind that I"m saying almost all of that comes down to the GM. For me I would have those limits on it because honestly if Create could make swords and lasting make it permanent there would be no need for blacksmiths. A mage could just pump out swords all day. Or heck Take Create and and create a shield imbued with the Armor spell that is lasting for a shield with an extra +3 Defense. So for me if you want to create an item like a sword or armor that will hold the spell it will need to exist before the create spell is cast and then the create spell will add the effect to that existing item, and if you have lasting on your create spell that effect doesn’t go away.

#3

Thanks for the response! As I read #5 - Buy a sword (2hp), use Create (3hp) to put a spell on it, then use Lasting (3+15=18hp). However this would still only get 1 use per day of the spell unless “Additional Cast” is also used but even then it would be up to 4x per day (9hp). This doesn’t feel like a very effective way to spend Hero Points (32) but good to know.

#4

For Number 5 I would work more like this.

The caster character (Seth of Clan Hanson) is creating a custom spell, aka one that is not on the basic spells list on page 38.

That custom spell in this case would be named something like “Seth’s Lasting Enchantment”.

Seth’s Lasting Enchantment (total spell cost 6 hero points)

  • Create (3 hp)
  • Lasting (3 hp)

This spell allows the user to create an object imbued with any spell know by caster. This spell can be cast X times unless the caster is able to invest 15 hero points into the spell while casting. This investment makes the enchantment permanent. If the item has been invested with 15 hero points when created the spell charge can be renewed when the wielder is able to rest in a safe place.

If the caster then wanted to create a wand of Fireblast they would first need to have the Fireblast spell.
So let’s say that Seth has Fireblast with 1 additional casting and Ranged (total spell cost is 9 hero points)

Seth would cast “Seth’s Lasting Enchantment” and imbue the wand Fireblast. in this example Seth does not spend the 15 hero points to make it lasting. So the want now exists and holds 2 ranged charges of Fireblast that deal 1d6 damage. Once both charges are used the wand turns to dust.

In another example the noble knight traveling with Seth is asking to have his sword enchanted to allow it throw fire.

Seth sits down with the knight and the sword and begins to cast Seth’s Lasting Enchantment to add Fireblast to the sword. As the knight wants to the enchantment to last it will require a magical investment to be made permanent (aka someone needs to spend 15 hero points to make this lasting) the knight will provide the life force the spell requires and now when Seth completes the casting the sword gains the ability to cast 2 ranged Fireblasts at 1d6 damage before it requires recharging while resting in safety.

So in the end you aren’t spending all of the 29 points you listed every time you use this spell.
This is because Create, Lasting, and the 3 additional castings were effects that were added to spells that are only paid once.

So the caster has at minimum 2 spells to do what you want.

  1. Fireblast spell with 3 additional castings (cost 12 hero points) This is a spell the caster can use on it’s own no item required.
  2. Seth’s Lasting Enchantment (cost 6 hero points) once the spell is know there no cost to cast it unless you want to active the Lasting Effect with then has a cost of 15 hero points.

If I am the GM the only additional cost I would add would be if you wanted to enchant an item that is use able out side of the spell imbued in it. So if a sword with fireblast is also intended to be used as a sword I would rule that the create spell can’t create any form of a sword that is use able as a sword and as such a use able sword would need to be provided to the spell.

#5

I think this gets to the heart of what makes Hank’s games so great: there are so many paths/options to get the effect that you want to have in the game. The flexibility is super powerful here, especially when it comes to this magic system. But I can definitely see/feel reluctance to experiment with it too much as a GM because it would be (possibly, i think) pretty easy to break your game by giving a character really powerful abilities. Making OP equipment isn’t too much of a danger because you can destroy it; giving OP casting abilites seems a bit more sticky because the only way to “fix” that is to kill a character.

*edit:
That being said, I’m still very much trying to wrap my head around the point buying magic system.

#6

It’s more about creating a spell you want then finding the cost for the various effects. Add them all up and then you get how many hero points it cost to learn the spell. Generally speaking I didn’t see any effects that come with a hero point cost to cast other than the Lasting effect (which has a cost of 15 hero points when cast).

And spells really can’t be used all that much so investing in a spell is a huge deal. Because spells don’t protect you from attrition, so characters that are invested more heavily into magic will, by design, be squishy.

And I think you are right, about how great this is for letting GMs set it how they fell. The very basic system of spending points ;to build custom spells is rather simple but the GMs and players get a lot of wiggle room in the interpretation of what each effect does and how it interacts with the other effects on the spell.