Magic is ever-present in fantasy worlds and will be a part of what the PCs face on their endless adventures. Spellcasters are able to
wield powerful forces and harness their powers to do their bidding- but this ability is not without its own costs and risks.
Spell Effects
When a spellcaster casts a spell, its effects are either beneficial to the target or harmful to the target. If they choose to resist in either case, they must “Save” vs. the spell effects.
For example, a character might not want to argue with the party Cleric casting Bless, which gives everybody a +1 bonus to hit for 6
turns. But they might want to resist the effects of an enemy Cleric casting Hold Person.
To do so, each player must roll a d20 against their “Save vs. Spells” value on their character sheet (see Saving Throws for details). Let’s say it’s a 2nd level Fighting Man resisting the effects of the evil spellcaster. He must roll a 16 or higher on a d20 to not fall under the Cleric’s sway.
Casting a Spell
Some spells may be used outside of combat, but the majority are usually cast while locked in battle with opposing forces. It is usually harder to cast a spell in combat (i.e. it requires a die roll) than outside. Also, some must be cast while touching the target while others can be cast hundreds of feet away – you must read the spell descriptions to see what your spell of choice requires.
Here we’ll go through some common cases.
Spell Example: Cure Light Wounds
Outside of combat, cure spells do not usually require a die roll to determine if they were successful or not. Simply declare that you are casting Cure Light Wounds on a target and you can then roll to see how much damage you have cured (1d6 + 1).
In combat, your character is fighting more distractions, so it’s harder to focus. You must roll a d20 as if making a melee attack on your target. For instance, if your Cleric is casting Cure Light Wounds on a 3rd level Fighting Man (wearing Chain Mail) in the heat of battle you must roll a 14 or better on your d20 to succeed (based on the Character To Hit Charts). If you fail, the spell is lost and your companion did not regain any lost hit points.
Spell Example: Magic Missile
Magic Missile has a maximum range of 150 feet and does 1d6 + 1 points of damage upon success. Let’s say a 2nd level Magic-User is casting Magic Missile against a Skeleton with an armor class of 8 and is a 1/2 hit dice creature. Based on the To Hit Charts, you would need to roll an 11 or better to hit on a d20. And then roll a d6+1 for damage.
Spell Descriptions
In the following pages, we present the spells for the Cleric and Magic-User to learn and use during adventures. Different types of spellcasters use different means to achieve their magical manipulations. Magic-Users must study their spell books
to memorize their spells, while Clerics are granted their divine spells through prayer.
Ready for more?
