From: [f--an--e] at [egr.msu.edu] (Lawrence M. France) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.archives Subject: SUPPLEMENT: New Magic System for AD&D (and other games) Date: 16 Jul 1996 15:41:38 -0400 Wheel of Time Role Playing Game (Version 1.0 July 8, 1996) Accessory for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons, 2nd Edition LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO Anything attorneys for Robert Jordan, Tor Publishing, TSR (or any other entity with too much time on its hands) think is copyrighted, is. I am in no way trying to usurp thier precious copyrights or to make money off of this. Everything in this document is abso-smurfly free. Feel free to distribute this document but leave credit to the author Lawrence M. France ([f--an--e] at [egr.msu.edu]) CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Character Creation 2.1 Ability Scores 2.2 Races 2.3 Character Classes 3.0 Magic System 1.0 INTRODUCTION Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series is arguably the greatest fantasy epic of the last decade. It is a rich world, with lifelike characters and stunning landscapes. It is a world with magic, monsters, and, of course, mayhem. In other words, it is the perfect setting for a fantasy role playing game. Rather than start completely at scratch, this game is a modification the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game that we all know and love (and hate much of). The level system, combat system, and character generation are essentially the same (with some sleight modifications) while the magic system and character classes and races are vastly different. The magic system is based on a spell point system with different magic points for each of the five areas of the One Power (spirit, fire, earth, water, air). The other main difference in the magic system is that it is a system which requires greater ingenuity by both the players and the DM. There are a limited number of common weaves known by virtually anyone who is of sufficient ability. Among these are healing, illusions, etc. The rest of the players weaves will be learned through experimentation, combining elements of known weaves to produce slightly different or enhanced effects. In addition, Talents such as Traveling and Compulsion are available to the talented (and lucky) adventurer. The magic using characters will have a greater number of spells available to them in this system than in standard AD&D as well as increased spell flexibility. See the magic section for a greater explanation. 2.0 CHARACTER CREATION Character creation follows the same procedures as AD&D with a few minor exceptions noted below. The biggest changes are in races and classes which are appropriate to the Wheel of Time setting. 2.1 Ability Scores Strength, Charisma, Dexterity, and Constitution have the same meaning as normal AD&D. In addition to the normal definitions for Wisdom and Intelligence, the following also apply in this game Wisdom is a measure of how in tune a character is with the One Power. It effects the amount of mana a character can channel each day. Intelligence is a measure of how well a character can understand and handle weaves. It effects the ability of a character to learn a weave as well as the maximum mana a character can use in one weave (SL). 2.2 Races Human Humans have the same characteristics as those in AD&D. Most characters will be humans. They can be from any of the main cities (Tarabon, Tear, Cairhein, Andor, etc.) which will dictate to some extent their attitude, mannerisms, and fashion choice. Human occupations can range from mere soldier to Hunter of the Horn. The characters occupation and place of birth, however, have no effect on ability scores nor do they carry special abilities. They are for role playing purposes only. This is not to say that they will never matter however. An Andoran soldier will have a much better idea of how to handle himself in Andor than he will in Cairhein. A Tarabon noble might be useless to the party in the wilderness but will come in handy when trying to gain access to nobility in other locales. Aiel Aiel are basically human with a couple of bonuses and penalties. They are outlined below: Bonuses: + 1 Constitution + 1 Dexterity Penalties Can't use swords Must abide by Aiel custons (i.e. Ji'eh'toh) Seafolk Seafolk are humans with some advantages when on ships. They suffer some problems when on land (they attract attention, scare the ignorant masses, etc.) These differences will manifest themselves through role playing and do not affect any statistics. Seanchan There isn't enough information in the books to come up with anything special about the Seanchan. If you wish to play a Seanchan, make something up that is consistent with the limited information available in the books. 2.3 Character Classes Aes Sedai Aes Sedai are female magic users who have trained at the White Tower in Tar Valon. As such, they are bound by the Three Oaths. The oaths are: (1) To speak no word that is not true. (2) To make no weapon with which one man may kill another. (3) Never to use the One Power as a weapon except against Shadowspawn or in the last defense of her life, the life of her Warder, or another Aes Sedai. Humans, Seanchan, Sea Folk, and Aiel can all be Aes Sedai, however the majority will be Humans. Aes Sedai can use the resources of the White Tower, such as contacts and libraries scattered throughout the countryside. They also have the added benefit of the respect (and often fear) of the populace. All female magic users, including Aes Sedai, can sense the ability to channel in other females, provided the ability is not masked by any spells or items. Aes Sedai begin the game with five spell abilities chosen by the tower. They fight, gain hit points, and increase levels as a magic user. They are restricted to using staffs, maces, and daggers as weapons. They do not wear armor other than robes. Aes Sedai try to get any females they find that can channel to train at the tower. The Spell Limit (SL) is the maximum amount of mana that can be channeled at once. At higher levels, the magic user will be able to split this mana into multiple simultaneous spells. The SL increases with level according to the following table: ----------------- Spell Limit Table ----------------- Level SL Level SL Level SL 1 3 5 9 9 14 2 4 6 10 10 15 3 6 7 11 11 17 4 7 8 12 12 18 Aes Sedai with an Intelligence of 17 or 18 get a bonus of 1 SL and those with Intelligence of 19 or greater get a bonus of 2 SL. The following table shows the daily mana limits. ---------------- Daily Mana Table ---------------- Wisdom Level 1 Each Additional Level 11-13 5 + D4 D4 14-15 6 + D4 1 + D4 16-17 7 + D4 2 + D4 18 8 + D4 1 + D6 19 9 + D4 2 + D6 Wilders Wilders are female magic users who have not had formal training. They are not bound by the Three Oaths, however they also can not use the Aes Sedai resources. It will be difficult to find teachers because most Aes Sedai will try to drag them off to the White Tower. Wilders can be Humans, Seanchan, or Sea Folk, or Aiel. They fight, gain hit points, and increase levels as magic users. The other drawback that wilders suffer is that their SL is lower at low levels than the formally trained Aes Sedai. They follow the following table: ----------------- Spell Limit Table ----------------- Level SL Level SL Level SL 1 2 5 8 9 14 2 3 6 10 10 15 3 5 7 11 11 17 4 6 8 12 12 18 Wilders with an Intelligence of 17 or greater get a bonus of 1 SL. The daily mana limits for Wilders are the same as for Aes Sedai. Wise Ones Wise Ones are the Aiel equivalent of Aes Sedai. Only Aiel may be Wise Ones. Wise Ones are extremely well respected among Aiel, but they are seen as just another Aiel to wetlanders. Wise Ones are safe with any Aiel regardless of clan feuds. Wise Ones attempt to avoid Aes Sedai who might try to carry them off to the White Tower. Wise Ones will not take part in battle unless absolutely necessary. Wise Ones wear no armor. They gain hit points and fight (in an emergency) as a cleric. Wise Ones Spell Limits follow the Aes Sedai SL chart. The training provided by the elder wise ones is equivalent to that provided by the tower. They also follow the daily mana limit chart for Aes Sedai. Asha'man Asha'man are males who have the ability to channel. They have trained at the Black Tower. They start life as a normal fighter. Sometime during the progression from first to fifth level fighter they discover that they can channel the one power. . At this point, they stop their fighter training and Progress to a first level Asha'man. This is determined by rolling a D100 on the Discovery Table below each time the character goes up a level.. If the roll is less than the chance of Progression, they have discovered the ability to channel. They are then considered a dual classed character as defined by AD&D (Players Handbook, p. 33) with the following exceptions: they are able to use their fighter abilities in conjunction with their magic without any experience penalties; they can cast spells in studded leather armor or lighter; they can cast spells and attack in the same combat, although not in the same round; if they are hit with a projectile or attacked in hand-to-hand combat during casting, the spell will fail and the caster will suffer damage equal to twice the casting cost of the spell (similar to mana burn in Magic: The Gathering). Unlike females, males cannot sense the ability to channel in other males without specifically testing for it. They can, however, feel when anyone holds the source or channels. ----------------------- Discovery Table ----------------------- Fighter Level Chance of Progression 1 10% 2 20% 3 40% 4 75% 5 100% Asha'man follow the same SL table as Aes Sedai with the corresponding bonus for Intelligence. They follow the same daily mana chart as well. There is an additional problem with being an Asha'man. Because of the taint on Saidin, all Asha'man will eventually go insane. At each level, the character must make a saving throw against insanity. A roll of a D100 must be more than five times your level in order to save. Insanity is incurable and manifests itself in a number of ways, getting more severe each time a character fails to save. The following table shows what new effect occurs each time a character fails to save versus insanity. New effects are in addition to old effects, they do not replace them. -------------- Insanity Table -------------- Times Failed Effect 1 Daily mana reduced by 10 % rounded up. 2 Spell Limit reduced by 25% rounded up. 3 Begins to hear voices. Save vs. Intelligence or do what the voice says. (DM's chance to showcase creativity) 4 Intelligence decreases by 2 5 Intelligence decreases by additional 3 6 Lose 2 experience levels. 7 Death 3.0 MAGIC SYSTEM Mana Magic spells are cast using a magic point system. Each magic using character will have a given amount of mana that can be used per day. This mana can be channeled as any of the Five Powers (Spirit, Air, Water, Earth, and Fire). To reflect their relative strengths, females require two mana for each point of Fire or Earth which they wish to cast, and males require two mana for each point of Air or Water. All other types cost one mana per point. Spells are cast by combining, or weaving, the power in each of the five areas into a single spell. Just because a character has enough mana and knows that a certain weave will produce a certain effect, she may not be able to cast the spell because she is unable to weave that much mana at once. This will depend on the level of the caster and is specified by the Spell Limit (SL). Burn Out In addition to their daily mana, each character has a reserve of mana that they can call on in emergencies. However, this action is not without risk. There is a chance that they will be unable to control this additional mana and will suffer burn out. There are two possible manifestations of burn out. The first is that the maximum mana that can be channeled at once (spell limit) will be reduced. The second is that the maximum mana that the character can channel per day will be reduced. The more experienced Aes Sedai and Asha'man will have a greater chance of successfully tapping these reserves. To determine the effect of burn out, roll a 2D6 and check the result on the burn out table below. Channeling characters have a 10% chance of burnout for channeling extra mana equal to or less than their level. They have an additional 10% chance of burn out for each mana point above their level. -------------- Burn Out Table -------------- 2 Stilled 3 Lose 1 INT and 1 WIS 4 Lose 1 WIS 5 Lose 10 daily mana 6 Lose 1 SL 7 Lose 5 daily mana 8 Lose 1 SL 9 Lose 10 daily mana 10 Lose 1 INT 11 Lose 1 Experience Level 12 Death Talents There is a chance at each level progression that the character will discover a talent during the training for that level. The five talents are Travelling , Foretelling, Dreamwalking, Healing, and Compulsion. Each character begins with a 25% chance in one talent of their choice and a 5% chance in the rest of the talents. At each level, a roll of D100 is made for each talent. If the roll is less than the current percentage the character discovers the talent. If not, add 5% to each chance and roll again next level. It is necessary to keep track of the level of expertise gained in each talent. When first discovered, the character is first level in the talent. The talent level then increases by one every time the character goes up an experience level. The abilities of each talent are as follows: Travelling: Level 1 - Can make a 1 sq. ft. gateway after being at the place of departure for 8 hours that lasts 30 seconds Level 2 - Can make a 4 sq. ft. gateway after 4 hours at departure point that lasts 1 minute. Level 3 - Can make a 9 sq. ft. gateway after 2 hours at departure point that lasts 2 minutes. Level 4 - Can make a 16 sq. ft. gateway after 1 hour that lasts 5 minutes. Level 5 - Can make a 25 sq. ft. gateway after 30 minutes that lasts 10 minutes. Level 6 and beyond - Can make a 100 sq. ft. gateway after 15 minutes that lasts 20 minutes. Similar ideas will be used for the other talents. Healing may be one additional point per talent level added to each die rolls in healing spells. AUTHORS NOTE: I know that the Talents section is pretty much crap. There are more than the five I included and I am not sure if progressing in talents is worth doing or if you have the talent making one roll to determine how strong the talent is. --------------------------------------------------------------------- | Lawrence M. France | "There's a party at Mother's" | | Department of Chemical Engineering | "And a good time will be had | | Michigan State University | by all" | | [f--an--e] at [egr.msu.edu] | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------