Skill: Magic (Genesys)

What is reality compared to your will?

Becoming a Magic-user

Becoming a mage is simple - just purchase a rank in the Magic skill. Players should discuss with their GM how their abilities fit into their character's backstory, as well as the initial training that most characters require before being able to properly direct their arcane powers.

Using Magic

Magic is divided into two sections: Cantrips are abilities that come with the practice of using a wand or staff, and do not take up Talent slots. Spells are powerful additional modifiers to powers, and cost Experience Points and Talent slots to keep.

/Using a power follows the standard rules for magic in Genesys: when your character casts a power that requires a check (whether or not it is successful), they suffer +2 Strain after resolving the check./

List of Magic Powers

No wand? No staff? No power!

If you don't have a wand or staff, you are not able to cast any magic - with very few exceptions.

Telekinesis (cantrip)

Often the first ability mages learn, many are able to manipulate objects from afar utilising their unique abilities. While attempting to use telekinesis to harm an enemy (either directly or by hurling some kind of projectile at the target) is covered under the Magical Attack power, attempts to lift static objects or willing allies is considered a mere utility.

Activation: Maneuver (Magic d), (Concentration on further turns to maintain), single target, Short Range, +1 Strain to cast

While Concentrating: Maneuver Move the object 1 Range Band equal to Magic.

Can lift Encumbrance equal to 2 * Magic skill.

Modifier	Effect	Cost
Range	Increase the Range of the ability by one Range band. This modifier may be added only once, unlike most other Range modifiers.	+d
Ritual	No Strain cost is required. Instead, the time to cast grows from an Action to 3 Actions. Cannot be used in any kind of Encounter or stressful/time sensitive circumstance. Cannot be used if the Difficulty is dd+	-d
Powerful	Increase the Encumbrance able to be lifted by an amount equal to Magic Rank. This modifier may be added multiple times.	+d
Dexterous Grip	While using Telekinesis, may use a held object as a tool to perform actions from afar. Uses the normal skill to perform this action. Concentration required	+d

Barrier

Barriers reduce incoming damage for your character, and possibly your allies. They generally appear as a bluish-purple shimmering field around the target's body, or as a wall or dome. Barriers can be selective or exclusive at the caster's discretion, allowing friendly healing and allies to pass through while halting hostile bullets and plasma.

Activation: Action (Magic d) +2 Strain to cast, (Concentration on further turns to maintain), Single target, Engaged Range, Augment

Until the end of this character's next Turn, the target reduces all Wounds received by 1, and further reduces it by 1 per uncancelled ss (not including the first). If the caster becomes out of Range, this ability instantly ends on the target.

Before making a Barrier check, choose any number of additional effects from the table below:

Modifier	Effect	Cost
Extra Target	Barrier affects one additional target within the Range of the ability. Also, after casting Barrier you may spend a to affect another additional target within Range (and trigger this multiple times, spending an a each time.)	+d
Range	Increase the Range of Barrier by one Range band. This modifier may be added multiple times, increasing the Range by one each time.	+d
Empowered	Barrier reduces additional damage equal to the number of uncancelled s instead of ss.	+d
Big Target	Increase the Silhouette limit of Barrier by +1 This modifier may be added multiple times, increasing the Range by one each time.	+b

Magical Attack (cantrip)

The Magical Attack power covers any attempt to disable or cause direct harm to your target. Characters often mix and match various modifiers to create their desired combination of effects, from pyrokinesis to disintegrating the enemy's weapon.

Make a combat check with your equipped wand or staff, using the weapon statistics below.

Skill	Dam	Crt	Range	Special
Magic	Casting Characteristic + Magic skill + Wand/Staff	t	Short only	Magical

Before making a Magical Attack check, choose any number of purchased modifiers from the table below:

Modifier	Effect	Cost
Close Combat	May select a target at Engaged Range.	+d
Powerful	The attack deals Damage equal to double the character's casting Characteristic. If the attack has the Blast quality, its Range is increased to Short Range. May not be used with the Priming modifier.	+dd
Non-lethal	The attack gains the Stun Damage quality.	+d
Priming	No Wounds or Strain may be inflicted by the base attack, but other qualities provided by modifiers may still be triggered. May not be used with the Powerful modifier.	-d
Range	Increase the Range of the ability by one Range band. This modifier may be added multiple times, increasing the Range by one each time.	+d
Reave	The attack has a Critical Rating of 2. The attack also gains the Vicious quality with a rating equal to Willpower. This character may spend t to heal a number of Wounds equal to half (rounding down) of the Wounds inflicted by this attack. This modifier is generally considered to be 'evil' almost universally. Use with care. Characters with Type: Robotic receive 0 Wounds and Strain. Characters with Type: Cybernetic provide -1 Wound restored per Rank when spending a t to drain health.	+d
Throw	If the attack hits, you may spend a to move the target up to 1 Range band in any direction. For each Silhouette rating above 1 your target has, +d.	+d

Domination (cantrip)

Domination is a catch-all category for all of the mage's esoteric mind-affecting abilities. At its core, it relies on disrupting the synaptic harmonics of an organic brain so that it becomes more clumsy, or loses the ability to differentiate between friend and foe.

Activation: Magic dd combat check to cast, (Concentration and +1 Strain on further Turns to maintain), single target, Short Range

Until the end of the this character's next Turn the target suffers -d to all checks.

Before making a Domination check, choose any number of additional effects from the table below:

Modifier	Effect	Cost
Enervate	If a target suffers Strain for any reason, they suffer +1 Strain.	+d
Range	Increase the Range of the ability by one Range band. This modifier may be added multiple times, increasing the Range by one each time.	+d
Extra Target	The ability affects one additional target within the Range of the ability. In addition, after casting this ability you may spend a to affect another additional target within Range (and trigger this multiple times, spending an a each time.)	+dd
Leech	The target's Strain Threshold or Wound Threshold (wielder's choice) is reduced by the wielder's casting characteristic. The Caster's Strain Threshold or Wound Threshold (same as chosen) is increased by an equal amount. This effect may not be combined with the Additional Target modifier.	+dd
Compel	After the target makes a check, you may change one die face in the pool to any other face on that die.	+dd
Paralyze	The target is staggered for the duration of the ability. This effect may not be combined with the Additional Target modifier.	+ddd

Empowerment (cantrip)

Mages are able to use their powers to suspend themselves in midair, perform acrobatic feats, or supplement their Melee and Brawl attacks with magical force.

Activation: Magic dd check to cast, (Concentration and +1 Strain on further Turns to maintain), Augment, single target, Engaged Range

Until the end of the this character's next Turn the target gains +d to all Athletics, Coordination, Brawl and Melee checks.

Before making an Empowerment check, choose one additional effect from the table below:

Modifier	Effect	Cost
Speed	The character may always perform an extra Move Maneuver during their Turn, without spending Strain. (They may still only perform two Maneuvers per Turn, as usual.)	+d
Dash	While this ability is active, during a single Move Maneuver that the character performs during their Turn they may 'Dash' in any direction including vertically. The character may Dash in midair but must land on stable ground before Dashing again. If the character finishes their Turn in midair, unless suspended by some other means the character begins falling at the start of their next Turn.	+d
Martial Empowerment	The character may add Damage equal to Discipline or Coordination to their Brawl or Melee checks. Additionally, their Critical Rating for unarmed combat checks becomes 2, if it is not already lower.	+d

Guided Weaponfire

The closest that magic and technology come without crossing the line into technomancy. Magically guided bullets adjust their trajectory in midair, allowing for mediocre gunmen to make near-impossible shots - striking weak points on pistols and shattering them, or slipping between chinks in military-grade plating.

Activation: Magic dd check +2 Strain to cast, (Concentration on further turns to maintain), single target, Engaged Range, (Augment)

Until the end of the this character's next Turn the target gains +d to any combat checks made with a Ranged (Light), Ranged (Heavy) or Gunnery weapon. If the caster moves beyond the Range this ability was casted at, Concentration is automatically broken.
As an Incidental, the affected target may choose to sacrifice the +d benefit to add the Sunder quality to their attack instead.

Before making a Guided Weaponfire check, choose any number of additional effects from the table below:

Modifier	Effect	Cost
Extra Target	The ability affects one additional target within the Range of the ability. In addition, after casting this ability you may spend a to affect another additional target within Range (and trigger this multiple times, spending an a each time.)	+dd
Range	Increase the Range of the ability by one Range band. This modifier may be added multiple times, increasing the Range by one each time.	+d

List of Spells

Tier One

Dancing Lights

Dancing lights

Tier: 1
Activation: Action, Spell
Ranked: No
School of Transmutation, Long RNG You create up to four lights that resemble small headlights or flashlights. The dancing lights must stay within Short Range of each other. You may move them as a Maneouver, but if a light goes beyond Long Range of yourself then that light instantly disappears. You can only have one Dancing Lights spell active at a time, if you cast this spell again the first spell is dispelled.

Create a few small lights that can move up to Long Range. They must stay vaguely together.
Ghost Sound

Ghost sound

Tier: 1
Activation: Action, Spell
Ranked: No
School of Illusion, Med Range, (optional) Concentration You create a volume of sound that rises, falls, recedes, approaches, or remains fixed. You choose what type of sound this spell creates when casting it and cannot thereafter change the sound’s basic character. The volume of sound created can produce as much noise as 20 normal humans. Thus, you can create shouting, singing, talking, marching, running, or walking sounds, as well as sounds of battle or small explosions. You can make noises that sound like machines, the general chatter of distant conversation, or the roar of an alien predator, but you can’t make specific sounds such as intelligible speech or the exact hum of a particular starship’s engines. If you choose to concentrate on this spell, you can sustain the effects.

Create ghostly sounds up to Medium Range away.
Telepathic

Telepathic

Tier: 1
Activation: Passive, Single target, Language dependent, Mind-Affecting dependent, Spell
Ranked: Yes
Magic (wil), Type: Psychic, Type: Warlock(TBD), Type: Sorcerer(TBD) or Type: Shaman(TBD) only

May communicate via magic up to Short Range. Conversing with multiple creatures simultaneously is just as difficult as listening to multiple people talk at once. This spell can penetrate barriers but 3ft of dirt or wood, 1ft of stone, 1 inch of any metal, a thin sheet of lead or any forcefield or magical barrier blocks it.

Additional Ranks increase the maximum Range by +1, continuing from Extreme Range on the personal scale to Close Range on the vehicular scale all the way to Extreme Range on the vehicular scale.

Communicate via Magic.
Token Spell

Token spell

Tier: 1
Activation: Action, Spell
Ranked: Yes
School of Transmutation, Engaged Range, No wand/staff required Token spells are often some of the first minor changes that spellcasters produce when they begin experimenting with magic. If the character is in no rush to accomplish a small goal, checks of this sort should not require Strain expenditure. Once cast, Token Spell enables you to perform simple magical effects for 1 hour. The effects are minor and have severe limitations.

You can slowly lift one item of 0 En up to waist height.
You can alter items in a 1-foot cube each Turn: colouring, cleaning, soiling, cooling, warming, or flavouring them.
You can create small objects, but they look artificial and are extremely fragile (they can’t be used as tools or weapons).
You can illuminate an object to shed dim light in a radius out to Short Range.

Token spell lacks the power to duplicate any other spell effects. Any actual change to an object (beyond moving, cleaning, or soiling it) persists for only 1 hour.

The most basic of spells, often taught to beginner wizards.
D&D players may know this as Prestigidation.
Daze

Daze

Tier: 1
Activation: Incidental, modifier (Magical Attack (cantrip), Domination (cantrip))
Ranked: No
May add +h to the check to increase its Disorient quality by +1.

+h on a Magical Attack (cantrip) or Domination (cantrip) check to Disorient +1

Tier Two

Detect Thoughts

Detect thoughts

Tier: 2
Activation: (Spell) Magic check, (Concentration on further turns to maintain), Medium Range, Mind-affecting Dependent, Sight Dependant
Ranked: No
Requires Magic 1+ to purchase, School of Divination The longer you have this spell active, the more details you learn. The abilities gained upon each Turn are listed below.

You detect the presence or absence of thoughts from conscious creatures that have an Intellect of at least 1. (This level is not Sight Dependant)
You detect the number and Intellect of each creature within range. If a creature is 2+ Intellect higher then you when you read their mind, you lose Concentration and are Staggered for the remainder of your Turn. You are not required to detect everyone's mind. You can only discover the location of the minds if you can see them.
You may make a Magic vs Discipline check against a single mind, failure breaks your Concentration. If you succeed, you can read the surface thoughts of the creature. The creature knows a creature is attempting to read their thoughts. d may be spent for the target to read one of the caster's surface thoughts.
Further rounds may be spent continuing to read the target's thoughts (another roll is required, as above) or reading the thoughts of a different creature (as above).

This spell can penetrate solid objects but 3ft of dirt or wood, 1ft of stone, 1 inch of any metal, a thin sheet of lead or any forcefield or magical barrier blocks it.

Requires Magic 1+ The longer you maintain this spell, the more details you can glean from the thoughts of those around you. You might be Staggered by reading the minds of people too intelligent for you. Can be defended against with certain types of physical barriers.

Tier Three

Tier Four

Tier Five

Blood Magic

Blood magic

Tier: 5
Activation: Incidental when suffering Strain to cast magic
Ranked: No
May not be combined with Type: Psychic, Type: Shaman(TBD), Type: Free-spirit Dancer(TBD).

Instead of suffering Strain, this character may suffer Wounds to cast magic abilities. Magic cast using this ability generates +ss but Upgrade the Difficulty of all checks to heal Wounds once per each use. This effect lasts for a number of hours equal to Upgrades received.

Use Wounds instead of Strain. +ss to magic but severe, long-term healing penalties.

Tier Zero

Tier Zero Talents are unusual in that they do not take up Talent slots. They are unavailable to be purchased and are usually either given at character creation, as a reward or restricted for NPC use only.

Types

Tier 0 Talents that are Types often serve to define characters and adversaries further.
Psychic

Type: psychic

Tier: 0
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
May not be combined with Type: Warlock or Type: Wizard.

May use Cunning instead of Willpower for Magic. If this Talent is used, wands/staff requirements are ignored but also do not provide their bonus.

A caster that uses Cunning instead of Willpower. If using this, they don't benefit from or rely on a magic focus.
Warlock

Type: warlock

Tier: 0
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
May not be combined with Type: Wizard, Type: Sorcerer(TBD) or Type: Psychic. May use Charisma for Magic. If a Spell is Ranked, count as having +1 Rank in that Talent.
Also, gain 5 Obligation and/or a new Duty (GM's discretion).

A caster that uses Presence instead of Willpower. If using this, they receive a free Rank to their Ranked Spells. At the GM's discretion though, they may gain a new Obligation or Duty.
Wizard

Type: wizard

Tier: 0
Activation: Passive
Ranked: No
May not be combined with Type: Warlock or Type: Psychic.

May use Intellect for Magic.

A caster that uses Intellect instead of Willpower.

Ability Requirements

Augment: A character may be affected by only one Augment effect at a time. If a new Augment effect is offered, the GM decides which effect is kept.

Concentration: Concentrating is a Maneuver that needs to be used every Turn, failure to do this breaks Concentration at the end of this character's Turn. A character may use only one Concentration ability at a time. If a new Concentration ability is used, the previous effect is lost. If the effect that began Concentration required an item (e.g. a wand, staff or replicator) that item must remain equipped. If Concentration is broken, the ability's effects are ended instantly.

Power XP costs

Modifiers must be purchased separately for each power.

Item	Cost
New Ability	Number of powers in this Skill+1 multiplied by 10

Where's Knowledge (Magic)?

By default, the check uses the Magic skill with the Intellect Characteristic.

Psychic-specific penalties

Condition	Penalty
No free hand (staves are excepted)	+b
Caster is unable to speak	+b
Heavy armour, a physical shield, restrictive outfits	+b
If the target is affected by the Tech Armour power.	+b
Circumstances that interfere with concentrating such as swimming, hanging from a rope, being buffeted by a sandstorm or casting a power that doesn't target the person they're fighting in hand-to-hand combat	Upgrade Difficulty

Spending h and d extra options

Cost	Result options
h or d	The effort exhausts the character (+2 Strain or +1 Wound, Player's choice. +b to any further attempts to use psychic abilities until the end of next Turn. Concentration is broken, suspending any maintained effects.
hh or d	If the character is using a wand or staff, it is damaged one step unless the item is an artefact. Until the end of the Encounter, enemies add +b when using a power, macro or trick targeting this character.
hhh or d	The power is slightly more forceful than expected, and another character of the GM's choice is affected by the power as well.
d	The character overexerts themselves, and is unable to use any psychic abilities for the rest of the Encounter. The GM selects the target of the power. If the caster is an NPC, the controlling Player picks the target instead.
dd	The character completely loses control of their abilities and suffers a Critical Injury. If they are using an Amp, it is destroyed.

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