Aysle Preview #2 – Magic

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Out of all the cosms that invaded Core Earth, Aysle is by far the most magical.  Magic pervades the reality, and there are many ways in which this manifests. Although the magic system in Torg Eternity was substantially streamlined, some of the elements of the original magic system are coming back, just as specific elements of Aysle’s arcane traditions.

Just a reminder, the Aysle Sourcebook is still in development and playtesting, so the previews shown are provisional and may change in the final product.

Arcane Knowledges

Fans of Original Torg will remember arcane knowledges, and they’re back in Torg Eternity. Arcane knowledges are 22 fields of discovery that are divided into four categories: Essences (the primal forces of magic including Life, Death, Time and True Knowledge, Mixed Forces (combinations of the Essences including Darkness, Inanimate Forces, Light, Living Forces, and Magic), Kindred (living beings including Folk, Entity, Elemental and others), and Elements (physical substances such as Air, Earth, Fire, Metal, etc.).

The arcane knowledges mostly manifest themselves through the spell lists a character can select spells from.

Specialist and Generalist Mages

In Aysle, wizards can either learn spells of all types, or specialize in one field. Generalists have access to the Aysle Mage list from Torg Eternity which now includes all of the spells in the Aysle sourcebook, except those in the Necromancy list.

Specialists get one more spell that generalists do, but at the cost of only selecting those from a certain list, like Elemental Magic:

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Those who wish to specialize in a field choose a Magic Perk, one of Elemental Magic, Essence Magic, Kindred Magic, or Principle Magic. Accessing the Necromancy list is done in a similar fashion, but is instead a Darkness Perk, with all that entails.

Magic Perks

The Aysle Sourcebook adds some other new Magic Perks including learning more spells through ownership of a spellbook, the crafting of a homunculus, making one of your spells a trademark spell, or using your magic skill to dodge ranged attacks.

Furthermore, advanced Aylish spellcasters can take the Esoteric Spell Perk, which allows them to pick a spell from any list, even those from other cosms:

Aysle Spells

Naturally the Aysle Sourcebook comes with plenty of new spells, some of them quite advanced that may require Beta Clearance or even a less powerful version of that spell, like heighten backlash:

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Disfavored

But what’s this “Disfavored” condition?  This is a new condition introduced in the Aysle Sourcebook that essentially is the balance to “Favored”. The two counter themselves out, but if the Disfavored condition is in effect, the victim loses their first roll again, whether that comes from an Up condition, rolling a 10 or 20, or spending a Possibility.  Longtime fans will recognize this as essentially the Original Torg Stymied condition.

Cantrips

Finally, Aysle’s Magic Axiom is high enough that nearly anyone is capable of casting at least simple spells, called cantrips.  Anyone who has the proper magic skill can cast them without needing a Perk, even those from other realities (and they can do so without contradiction). Cantrips can still be cast by Aysle spellcasters outside of the realm, but with the normal contradiction check. These still cause backlash if they fail, but there is no extra effect from Good or Outstanding results.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this preview, head on over to our forums!

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