Amtgard Magic 7.5
This is a section of the 7.5 Rulebook. The previous section is "Abilities and Traits."
Contents
Magic
Amtgard’s magic system is one of its most unique qualities. Playing a magic user requires the participant to think and is a constant challenge. Note that a delicate balance exists between all the classes. Each class, especially those with magic, must be played within the spirit of the rules defining it. There is a great deal of trust and honor involved, and someone abusing the rules of any class can easily disturb game balance. Wizards, Healers, Druids and Bards (collectively referred to as magic-users) are urged to dress and act as recognizable members of their classes, which are not only powerful, but also spectacular. If you have difficulty understanding the magic system, don’t hesitate to ask your Guildmaster or a Reeve. Happy magic casting!
The Rules of Magic
1. Magic must be said loudly and clearly enough to be heard within 100 feet or by the recipient, whichever is closer.
2. When casting verbal magic with a single target, the caster must announce the targets name immediately before the incantation (class and a unique descriptor will suffice if name is unknown). When the target is a piece of equipment, the wielder of the equipment must be specifically identified as well (Example: 'Bob’s right hand weapon', 'Elf Archer left leg armor', 'Blue Warrior sword on right hip', etc).
3. A player may not move their feet when casting magic, unless otherwise stated or specified in the magic’s description. The same applies to all class abilities and skills that require activation. If a player moves his feet while casting magic it is interrupted and not cast. The caster must reset and begin casting again.
4. The target of magic must be in range at the time the spell is completed in order for it to count.
5. Incomplete or interrupted magic has no effect, and does not count as if it were used.
6. Any hand being used to cast magic must be empty with the exception of magical components or the target of a touch spell such as Heal. Magic balls charged in the left hand may be transferred to the right hand before throwing.
7. Unless they buy Ambidexterity Wizards and Druids must cast magic with their left hand, and may not cast if their left arm is wounded. Healers and Bards may cast with either hand.
8. All magic is listed as a spell, enchantment, fixed enchantment, magic ball or neutral. This distinction can have a great impact on play so note it carefully. Unless noted otherwise, fixed enchantments follow all general rules for enchantments. Unless noted otherwise, magic balls follow all general rules for spells.
9. Enchantments (E)
- a. A person may carry only one at a time unless explicitly noted otherwise in a spell or class, such as the Stack magic or the Attuned ability. Note: Reanimate is an enchantment.
- b. When a person moves from where they died, any enchantments they carry are lost. Unless they have moved, Resurrected players retain enchantments unless specifically prohibited. Summon Dead does not return missing enchantments to players.
- c. Will only cover one object (for example a person, a weapon, armor, etc). Thus while you may be protected from flame, your armor and equipment is not. The same applies to class abilities.
- d. Enchantments cast on equipment count against the number of enchantments that may be carried.
- e. Enchantments cast on equipment only function when used by the player who was in possession of the item when it was enchanted. Example: If you give a Bladesharped sword to another player, the enchantment does not function.
- f. If you are carrying an enchantment you cast, it is removed when you begin casting other magic unless otherwise noted.
- g. May not be cast on unwilling participants or their equipment; this does not prevent them from being the target of enchantment effects such as Touch of Death.
- h. Must be denoted by a visible enchantment strip and announced if asked.
- i. Enchantments nullified must be removed. Enchantments on a dead player should remain while on the battlefield as they may affect attempts to Resurrect, Talk to Dead, etc.
- j. If already wearing your maximum number of enchantments, you must have an enchantment removed by the appropriate means (Cancel from the caster, Dispel Magic, etc) before receiving another one.
- k. When cast upon objects, they cover the entire object; i.e. a robe with Protection from Flame on it would prevent Fireballs from affecting the wearer if they struck the robe. If they struck a part of the player not covered by the robe then the player would be affected as normal.
- l. May be dispelled.
10. Fixed enchantments (FE)
- a. Disappear (never to return) when their caster dies or travels farther than 100 feet from them.
- b. Are considered to be on the area of ground and do not dissipate when other magic is cast.
- c. A player may only have a single fixed enchantment active at a time. Casting a fixed enchantment while another fixed enchantment from the same player is already active causes both enchantments to be negated.
11. Magic balls (B)
- a. A magic-user may physically carry no more than 12 magic balls, total. Pages and other players may not carry extra magic balls for magic-users.
- b. A magic-user may have only one type of magic ball charged at a time. "Remain Active" Fireballs do not count for this purpose.
- c. When an item is struck by multiple simul-cast magic balls, only the first magic ball from that group affects that item; i.e. a shield hit by two simul-cast Lightning Bolts is destroyed, but the wielder is unharmed. This rule does not apply to armor; i.e. if a player wearing torso armor and two Protects is struck in the torso armor by two simul-cast Iceballs, he loses both of his Protects.
- d. When a Lightning Bolt, Fireball, or similar destructive magic ball strikes a player in a location covered by armor, the armor is destroyed in that hit location and the magic affects the player as normal unless otherwise noted. Magic balls that deal damage (such as Magic Bolt) affect armor as normal per projectiles unless otherwise noted.
- e. Magic balls of the Subdual School have no effect on equipment that is not being carried. Example: You may not Iceball a players [sic] shield if it is not being wielded or carried by them.
- f. Magic balls, except where explicitly noted, only affect the first thing they hit.
- g. Unless otherwise noted, magic balls are not engulfing.
- h. Barring any enchantments or magical effects, garb strikes count as hitting the player if the magic ball would have continued on to hit the player. i.e. You may not block Lightning Bolts with your cloak.
12. All magic classes must have a list of which magic they have bought for that game on them at all times. Failure to have this list renders a player incapable of casting magic. Failure to wear appropriate class garb also negates the ability to use magic.
13. Beginning an incantation discharges all of your unused magic balls and interrupts the incantation of any other magic you were casting.
14. Magic points must be evenly distributed between levels; however, any number of higher level magic points may be deducted from a higher level to be spent on a lower level once the initial distribution is done. Certain neutrals allow purchasing multiple points worth of lower level magic. In all such cases these lower level points must be purchased prior to the start of the battlegame and indicated on the list of magic bought.
15. Relics are objects of great power. A relic will generally win any question of magical superiority unless the magic specifically states otherwise. Example: Sphere of Annihilation does not destroy the Shield of Reflection.
16. Spells completely cast and enchantments discharged are considered used, even if they were ineffective against their targets. The same is true of all class abilities. Example, a Warrior bearing the Touch of Death enchantment attempts to use it on a 6th level Monk. The Monk is immune to the effect and the enchantment is discharged.
17. In the event of a conflict between magic that is not directly covered by the rules, the higher-level magic is considered more powerful. If the magic is of the same level, the defensive magic is more powerful.
18. In the case of confusion or contradictions, the specific magic description should be the final source. Use your common sense when ironing out problems.
19. The Reeve’s word is final. If what looks like 30 ft. to you is determined to be 60 ft. by a reeve, then it is 60 ft.
20. Protections cast on a target have no effect on effects already active; i.e. casting Protection from Magic on a person who is Yielded does not free them from the Yield, though it would prevent them from being killed by a Fireball.
21. Verbal magic and abilities require the target to be visible to the caster upon completion of the incantation. If the target of the verbal magic or ability is wholly hidden outside of the casters view, such as short sword completely hidden behind a shield, then the magic or ability will be expended without affecting the target. If the caster can see a portion of the target, no matter how small, upon completion of the incantation, the spell will affect the target as normal. For the purposes of verbal magic and abilities, objects behind Thornwall and Forcewall are considered hidden.
Magic Clarifications
1. Immunities to magic are based on the School of magic they belong to. Exceptions to this are noted under the limitations of the spell. Note that immunities never extend to equipment.
2. Additional immunities, unless specified, do not exist.
3. Reeves may assist in placing a magic-user’s components, such as markers for a fixed enchantment.
4. A break in the casting of magic is defined as either improper or non-magical wording and/or a gap of two or more seconds between words. This prevents, for example, long spells from being cast while under the influence of a magic that requires an ongoing verbal component such as the chanting of “Commune” for the Commune spell.
5. Effects and magic with ongoing chants require the chant to be repeated with no more than a 5 second gap between iterations. These chants must be audible to 50 feet.
6. Dead players are always considered willing for the purposes of magic.
Magic Relics
Certain items of power are used in battlegames and are passed on to new owners every six months via a quest. Each group may use its own Relics, though these are not to be used in regional or national battlegames. The effects and abilities of Relics are considered to be non-magical in nature; hits from Relics are considered magical. Relics include:
- Dagger of Infinite Penetration
- Homestone
- Heimdall's Horn
- Ring of Power
- Shield of Reflection
- Sword of Flame
Schools of Magic
There are eight schools of magic. Each represents a different type of effect. Please note that immunities are based on what school a magic is in. Therefore, as Hold Person is a magic of the Subdual school, a Barbarian, immune to subdual effects, is not affected. Stun, on the other hand, is of the Sorcery school, and Barbarians would be affected by it.
- Control: controls the mind, will, or senses of the target.
- Death: an effect whose consequence is death or the withering of a body part.
- Flame: produces heat, fire, or lightning.
- Neutral: magic that is neutral in terms of its School. They cannot be dispelled.
- Protection: causes the target to be protected in some way.
- Sorcery: effects that are purely magical in nature or somehow affect magic itself.
- Spirit: an effect that has to do with the forces of life.
- Subdual: causes the target to be subdued in some manner.
The next section of the Rulebook is "Magic Descriptions".
