FATE Fate Core Skill - BDA: Magic (or Equivalent)

Magic (or an equivalent skill by some other name) allows a character to use magic to accomplish their ends.

The Magic skill is not generally available; access to it is granted by the Magic Extra, or by an Aspect where it would make sense, though typically that approach does not provide the Stress track that makes spell-casting viable without potentially crippline a character.

Special: The Magic skill gives you additional magic stress boxes or consequence slots. Average (+1) or Fair (+2) gives you a 3-point stress box. Good (+3) or Great (+4) gives you a 3-point and a 4-point stress box. Superb (+5) and above give you an additional mild consequence slot along with the additional stress boxes. This slot can only be used for magical harm.

The Basics

Before any modifications are applied (see below), using magic simply requires:

• Declaring what your magic effect is going to do.
• Spending a Stress from your Magic Stress Track.
• Making your skill roll.
• (If necessary and desirable) adjusting the outcome by spending more Stress

By default, spells and other uses of Magic are instant (lasting only long enough to achieve the effect desired), and personal (affecting only the caster, and having no range). The effects may be “permanent” (e.g., damage [Stress and/or Consequences] caused doesn‘t go away), but the spell that actually caused those effects lasts almost no time at all.

These factors can be changed by using Improvements, at the cost of making the attempt more difficult. The increase in difficulties can be reduced by taking Requirements and Costs (as can a base difficulty).

Time Increment Improvements/Requirements and Costs

Requiring Extra Time as a requirement uses the negative value to reduce the difficulty for the Magic skill roll. Extending the Duration as an improvement uses the positive value to increase the difficulty:

Modifier	Time Increment
±1	End of current Turn
±2	On character’s next Turn
±3	End of next Turn
±4	After 2 Turns
±5	End of current Scene
±6	End of next Scene
±7	End of Session
±8	End of Scenario
±9	End of Story Arc
±10	End of Campaign (essentially permanent duration)

(Obviously, using any increment for an Extra Time requirement past the end of the current Scene may not be practical for characters in many cases)

Range and Area of Effect Improvements

Like Time Increments, above, difficulties increase with how a spell‘s effects work “spatially:”

Modifier	Description
+1	Affects others (touch)
+2	Combat range[1]
+3	Non-combat range[2]
+4	Line of Sight
+5	Horizon to Horizon
+8	Worldwide
+1	Everyone in an entire target hex
+2	1-hex radius
+3	2-hex radius
+4	4-hex radius (and so on)
+2	Targets are selective[3]
-1	Area of effect fades (1 shift per hex)

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^[1] Equivalent to using Shoot
^[2] Essentially, far enough away that the target of the spell couldn’t retaliate with Shoot.
^[3] Caster’s choice

Other Improvements

Casters may expend Stress (or Consequences) to impove their roll, over and above the one Stress required to cast any spell. This expenditure can happen after the roll, but only if that roll failed, as well as before the roll is made. In either case, the bonus to the roll is the value of the Stress- or Consequence-box used.

Casters may disconnect a cast spell from themselves, such that they no longer have any control over the spell’s effects, and its duration will continue even if the caster is Taken Out.

Other Requirements and Costs

Note that Side Effects as a Cost (or risk) are already accounted for in the basic mechanics of the Four Outcomes: a Fail outcome can incur a serious cost, and a Tie a minor cost.

Other general requirements and costs options include:

Modifier	Description	Notes
-1	Uses Materials[1]	Average Resources roll to acquire/replace
-2	Uses Materials	Fair Resources roll to acquire/replace
-3	Uses Materials	Good Resources roll to acquire/replace
-4	Uses Materials	Great Resources roll to acquire/replace
-5	Uses Materials	Superb Resources roll to acquire/replace
-1	Materials are consumed	Must be replaced
-1	Gestures[2]
-1	Incantations[2]
-1	Concentration[2][3]

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^[1] Materials that are dangerous to acquire, illegal, or otherwise more difficult will raise the difficulty of the related Resources roll.
^[2] These can be interfered with, occur for the entire casting time (including Extra Time), and are obviously related to the casting of a spell, even to those with no Magic knowledge.
^[3] Prevents the caster from being able to use Defend actions.

How Many Active Spells Can Be Maintained?

The value of the character’s Magic (or equivalent) skill indicates how many spells can co-exist at a time.

Common Magical Effects

Healing: Base difficulty to heal a Consequence, using an Overcome action, without having to go through the normal recovery process, is the level of the Consequence.