Researched Spells & Focuses

p> In Fifth Age books as well as products, I noticed that the concept of researching and learning spells was mentioned several times. I had always believed that the magic in Fifth Age was to be molded and used whenever. I have reached a conclusion, and generated these new, optional rules. A sculpter can sculpt many things, and can sculpt objects on the fly if need be, however, that same sculpter could probably sculpt a, for the lack of a more descriptive word, better object if he has done it before, and perfected the technique. So, what I'm saying is that a sorcerer can make spells in the spur of the moment, but he can also research spells, and cast these with greater ease. In The Day of the Tempest, Ulin mentioned a spell that Palin had taught him, and he had improved on. These kind of spells are what I'm talking about. Also, I want to introduce focuses, or spell components if you will. In both The Dawning of A New Age, and The Day of the Tempest, sorcerers were using spell components. Palin chanted and traced arcane symbols in the air, while feril used a seashell to trasmute air to water. These components are not necessary, but can further role-playing, and act as focuses for the magic.

Researched Spells


A sorcerer can research one spell per quest, and at the beginning of play is considered to have a number of spells at hand that equal the number of quests taken. The sorcerer must set aside some free time to research his spell, and must make a challenging Reason action to successfully "learn" the new spell. There are modifiers for that action score:

Table 1
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In the Academy of Sorcery       +4
In Wayreth      		+3
Alone    			+0
Helped by fellow sorcerer	+1
In other college		+2

Table 2
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5 magic points  		+4
6-10 magic points		+2
11-15 magic points		+0
16-20 magic points		-2		
Over 21 magic points    	-4

(Note: A sorcerer only gains one adjustment from each table. A sorcerer at the Academy of Sorcery and is being helped by a friend does not gain a +5 bonus. However, if someone is at Wayreth, and is researching a 16 point spell, his adjustment would be +1)

Every time a sorcerer casts a researched spell, he gets an automatic trump bonus to the action. Narrators should encourage players to keep their researched spell handy, perhaps on 3 x 5 index cards. See bottom for an example.

Focuses


While spellcasters in the Fifth Age of Krynn no longer need to memorize arcan words or use spell components, it helps to have them. While these don't really lend any modifiers or anything, it's a great role-playing technique. Each sorcerer should have one primary focus: material, somantic, or verbal. Therefore, to successfully cast a spell, a sorcerer who chose the verbal focus must be able to speak. This allows the mage to have a weakness. You should record this focus in the Additional Informtion area of the character sheet. While not necessary, a player can have more than one primary focus, and must use both to cast a spell. While this is not recommended, it is still viable. A player may also use a focus that isn't his primary one to further role-playing, or any purpose. This is just extra, as long as he still uses his primary focus.


If you have any comments on my page, or want to submit stories, ideas, etc., then e-mail me at Eric94087@aol.com.