Mana & Spellcasting

Spells that attack at range use all the same rules though they substitute ranged attack rolls for spell attack rolls.

How difficult your spells are to counter or make saving rolls against is determined by your Spell Strength. Spell Strength is determined by adding 10 to the mana spent to play the spell. If that means you find a way to reduce a spells mana cost then you are also reducing it’s strength, and for spells with (X) in the casting cost you add (X) to the spell strength. It also means that spells cast from a tome have a higher than usual spell strength but spells cast from scrolls always have a spell strength of 10.

When using a spell or ability to counter another spell or ability the user of the counter makes a spell attack roll against the spells Spell Strength.

When attempting to make a saving roll (APS, PPS, AMS, PMS) the total needed to succeed is equal to or higher than the spell’s Spell Strength.

When using a spell or ability to disenchant an enchantment or disable an artifact the armor/shroud (depending on the means being used) score is equal to its Spell Strength.

When determining area of affect for any spell you cast, remember that spells do not freely pass through walls or structures and line of sight can be important. Global Enchantments ignore this as they enchant the battlefield itself, permeating the air and ground.

Instants & Sorceries
Sorceries are cast using your standard action. While they are slower they trend towards being more efficient in both ability and XP cost.

Instants are castable as either a standard or instant action. As with all instant actions they may be done in response to any other action taken by a combatant or at any point on a combatants own turn.

Enchantments
Enchantments are cast using a standard action. Unlike Sorceries or Instants, Enchantments linger on the battlefield until the end of combat or they become disenchanted. All Enchantments possess a subtype that denotes some specific rules for them.

Auras & Curses
Auras and Curses must target  a legal combatant. Combatants may not have more than one aura and curse enchanted to them at a time. Newly cast aura and curses will override old ones. Any combatant can have an aura and a curse at the same time.

Global Enchantments
Global Enchantments affect the battlefield as a whole and often interact with most if not all of the combatants. Each combatant may have no more than 1 Global Enchantment under it’s control.

Structures
Structures are Enchantments that create physical manifestations of the magic they represent on the battlefield. As they have have a physical form they can be destroyed through traditional means. Each section of a Structure has 2 toughness and Armor/Shroud equal to its Spell Strength. Any combatant may control no more than 1 Structure at once.

Summons
Summons are cast using a standard action. When you cast a summon spell you are borrowing that creatures essence to produce a facsimile under your command. Due to the nature of this tenuous link, summoned creatures can not exist for more than a few seconds without a defined enemy and purpose. For this reason summons can not be maintained outside of combat. Summons can not take a quick draw action but they can use a full draw. Whenever a summon full draws mana it gains an amount and types of mana equal to whatever its standard mana pool is. Equipment can be passed off to summons but due to their nature provide no benefit.

Forms
Forms are cast using a standard action. When a combatant cast a form they immediately become that form in every aspect setting aside their previous character statistics including mana in their pool. Any Insight or currently enchanted Aura/Curses however, are maintained through forms. Any negative conditions are wiped away upon assuming a new form. If at any time the form’s toughness would be reduced to 0 the Combatant would revert to it’s natural form. Each form spell can be cast no more than once per day.

Scrolls & Tomes
Spells may also be can from scrolls and tomes if a combatant has access to them. All rules related to when a spell can be cast remain unchanged. Casting a spell from a scroll or tome changes the dynamics of a spells casting cost in important ways. Any spell cast from a scroll has the mana necessary to cast it provided by the scroll which is consumed upon use. Any spell cast from a tome has its mana cost increased by (1) and that mana must be provided by the caster, but is repeatably usable.

Mana
Drawing mana to your pool is done in two ways. As an action you can Full Draw mana from your active bonds adding that much mana in that variety to your pool. You may also, as an instant action, make a Quick Draw in which you gain 1 mana corresponding to one of your bonds. At the start of any combat each combatant gets a free Full Draw.

At the end of any round in which you have more mana in your mana pool than you have permanent bonds you must test your AMS with a difficulty of one step per mana in your pool. If you fail the save you lose control of the mana and it “burns” emptying your pool.