Magic of Elysiar

This page covers the main mechanical changes to using magic, for more additional setting information and mechanics introduced in this setting, see One Power.

Magic is separated into two categories: Arcane and Divine.

Arcanists, bloodragers, bards, skalds, sorcerers, magi, summoners, witches, and wizards use arcane magic. Arcane magic is derived from the One Power which emanates from the True Source. The True Source is made up of two complementary parts: Saidin, the male half, and Saidar, the female half. The generic term for an arcane caster is a “channeler.

Clerics, druids, favored souls, hunters, inquisitors, oracles, rangers, shamans, templars, warpriests, and adepts (NPC class) use divine magic. Unlike the One Power, divine magic draws power from a divine source. Clerics, inquisitors, templars, warpriests, and adepts gain their magic from deities, while druids, hunters, oracles, rangers, and shamans draw their magic from divine forces, e.g., nature. Clerics, favored souls, inquisitors, templars, warpriests and adepts need a deity in order to receive spells; druids, hunters, oracles, rangers, and shamans are not so bound, though most still worship a deity to some degree.

Spellcasting Changes

On Elysiar, spellcasting is significantly changed as to how it functions. The core changes are detailed here.

Spells Known

There is much less mechanical distinction between prepared casters and spontaneous casters (from here referred to as learned and innate casters, respectively). While there is still some distinction; namely that learned casters are taught magic through studying while innate casters rely on natural talent and intuition to learn, the lines blur significantly in a mechanical sense. One of the largest differences is that all spellcasting classes may know any number of spells.

Most spellcasting classes must learn spells, the main exception being learned divine spellcasters (clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers) who know all spells of a given level. Learned arcane spellcasters (alchemists, magi, witches, and wizards), maintain some receptacle (be it a spellbook, formulae book, or familiar), in which they record or preserve all of their spell knowledge. Whenever they gain a level in a learned arcane spellcasting class, they receive new spells, as dictated by their class. To gain additional spells, learned arcane spellcasters must either copy them from scrolls or another’s spellbook or conduct independent research. This is conducted identically to the base rules for these classes.

Innate spellcasters (bards, favored souls, inquisitors, oracles, and sorcerers) use intuition to cast their spells. Whenever a character gains a level in an innate spellcasting class, they may gain new spells, using the schedule laid out in their class entries. To gain additional spells, innate spellcasters must use weavesight, a new feature of the Spellcraft skill. Weavesight is the skill of replicating spells you see for your own use. In order to use weavesight to learn a spell, an innate arcane spellcaster must be aware of the other caster, see the casting process of the spell, and properly identify the spell through a Spellcraft check; they may then make an additional Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level). Naturally, learning a spell through weavesight is harder than copying a spell or researching, however, unlike copying, which takes time, once the Spellcraft check for weavesight is passed, the innate arcane spellcaster fully knows the spell and may use it immediately. See the Weavesight entry under Spellcraft for more information.

Spells per Day

Spellcasters no longer use spell slots to track spells per day. Instead, all spellcasters gain a number of spell points which they can use to cast any spell in their repertoire without prior preparation. This change is largely driven by the number of useful spells that populate the various spell lists that no one would ever prepare because they are either too circumstantial or the player would rather prepare more combat spells; as well as the logical thought that the spell slot system represents a character’s ability to harness and endure the use of magical energies, thus it would make sense that the total capacity is the true limiting factor rather than the number of spells at any given level. Thus, if a character wishes to use a lot more 1st level spells, they can basically cast them to their heart’s content, as they are fairly low intensity spells, and, while you can cast more higher-level spells, it takes away from the lower-level spells you could otherwise cast.

To determine the number of spell points you have, take the number of spell slots you would have for a given spell level and multiply it by the spell level. For example, a 5th level wizard has three 1st level slots, two 2nd level slots, and one 3rd level slot so he would have 10 SP since 3*1=3, 2*2=4, and 3*1=3.

Next determine the number of bonus spell slots you would receive for having a high spellcasting ability (INT, WIS, or CHA) using the same method. For example, that same 5th level wizard has an INT of 19, which would grant him an additional 1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th level spell slot; so, he would gain an additional 6 SP (1+2+3=6; the 4 is dropped since he can’t cast 4th level spells yet), bringing his total up to 16.

Casting a spell uses a number of spell points equal to the level of the spell being cast, including any modifiers to spell level from metamagic. Metamagic cannot allow a spell level to exceed the highest level of spells the caster may use.

Clerics and Specialist Wizards also gain an additional spell slot per spell level for their domain and specialty school spells (respectively). These are calculated in the same manner as above and are added to the caster’s pool of spell points. For example, that same 5th level wizard from above is specialized in evocation, he would gain an additional 6 SP that he would add to his pool of 16 spell points, giving him a total of 22.

If you have two classes which give spellcasting, track the spell points from both classes separately. Additionally, a wizard must use twice the number of spell points to cast a spell from an opposed school.

The following table details the base spell points a class should have at a given level:

Table: Spell Points per Level

	Blackguard, Paladin, Ranger	Alchemist, Bard, Favored Soul, Inquisitor, Magus, Summoner	Cleric, Specialist Wizard	Druid, Witch, Wizard	Oracle, Sorcerer
1st	-	1	2	1	3
2nd	-	2	3	2	4
3rd	-	3	7	4	5
4th	0	5	10	7	12
5th	1	8	16	10	14
6th	1	10	21	15	25
7th	1	13	30	20	30
8th	3	18	37	27	45
9th	4	22	49	34	52
10th	4	26	58	43	71
11th	7	33	73	52	80
12th	9	39	84	63	103
13th	10	44	102	74	114
14th	14	53	115	87	141
15th	17	61	136	100	154
16th	19	67	151	115	185
17th	20	78	175	130	200
18th	24	88	192	147	235
19th	27	99	208	163	252
20th	33	105	225	180	270

Metamagic

Any class can apply metamagic to any spell on the fly, without increasing the casting time. A spellcaster can apply as many metamagic feats to a spell as they desire, so long as the modified spell level does not exceed the highest level of spell the spellcaster can cast. Heighten spell has been altered to fit the setting, see Heighten Spell.

Spells of Elysiar

These are new spells added or existing spells altered by the campaign setting. Additionally, many new spells can be cast at a higher level in order to increase their effectiveness.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Healing subschool has been moved from Conjuration to Necromancy. All spells within it are necromancy spells now.

Heighten Spell

In addition to the component changes, all spells (both arcane and divine) may be heightened as with heighten spell, without requiring the feat. In addition to increasing the save DC, when increasing a spell’s level, apply one of the following benefits per spell level increased, each benefit may be applied multiple times and the effects stack (for example, heightening a 1st level spell to a 4th level spell will allow the caster to apply three of the below benefits):

• Increase Damage Dice: If the number of dice you would roll for a spell is determine by CL, increase the number of damage dice rolled with this spell by one. If the spell deals two dice per CL it is increased by two dice instead. This is in addition to any dice determined by caster level and is not affected by a maximum to the number of dice rolled. Lastly, if passing a save would result in a reduced number of dice being rolled, halve the number of dice you would add to the full effect of the spell.
• Increase Die Size: Increase the die size by one step, following the standard progression (1d4 to 1d6, 1d6 to 1d8, 1d8 to 1d10, 1d10 to 1d12). A spell cannot be heightened in this way beyond 1d12 per CL.
• Increase Modifier: If a spell adds a flat bonus based on caster level, increase that bonus by 5. Heal, Mass Heal, and Harm increase the bonus by 10 instead of 5.
• Add Additional Projectiles or Rays: Add an additional projectile on spells that have multiple individually targeted projectiles, like magic missile, or an additional ray on spells that have multiple touch attacks, like scorching ray. This does not affect spells that affect only a single target, such as shocking grasp or disintegrate.
• Affect an Additional Target: A spell heightened in this manner may select an additional target per increase. Damaging spells and spells with a range of “personal” may not be affected in this manner.

Cantrip

Even the simplest of spells are extremely potent in the hands of a skilled caster. That being the case, cantrips now scale in power based on the level of the caster. All cantrips are automatically heightened based on caster level, without requiring a higher level spell slot. Cantrips cannot be heightened as above.

Cantrips that deal damage have their damage die scaled up by one step (1d3 to 1d4, 1d4 to 1d6, 1d6 to 1d8, etc.). Additionally, every other caster level after 1st (3rd, 5th, 7th, etc.) adds one additional die to their damage roll to a maximum of ten dice at caster level 19.

Additionally, cantrips that grant a bonus or penalty have the bonus or penalty doubled every four levels (4th, 8th, 12th, etc.), cantrips scaling in this way, do not scale past caster level 20. Remember that two doublings is a tripling, three doublings is a quadrupling, etc.

Altered Spells

Cure Wounds
Daze
Inflict Wounds

New Spells

Balefire
Bond Warder
Battering Missiles
Leaping Missiles
Missile Burst
Missile Storm
Pass Bond
Restore Connection
Severence
Shield Connection

New Cleric Domain

Time Domain