25 Magic System
25. Magic System
Magic is not a gift from the world; it is theft. The world naturally resents those who siphon its energy to reshape reality. Using magic is dangerous, deeply unstable, and always demands a proportional cost.
Magic does not operate purely in a vacuum. The moment it is cast, the world snaps back.
25.1 The Cost of Magic
When a character uses magic, they draw from the world's latent energy. This disruption alerts the world's hostility.
Whenever magic is successfully cast, one of the following immediate consequences must occur:
• Immediate Escalation: The magic supercharges the environment or nearby adversaries. An adversary immediately gains a temporary, advantageous Tag (e.g., Powered, Frenzied, Shielded by Arcana). • Environmental Hazard: The surrounding environment twists violently, adding a negative condition to the Scene or Location (e.g., Shattered Ground, Arcane Storm). • Attention Spike: Magic is loud. Casting powerful magic immediately adds +1 to the Attention Pool (Section 18). Extremely volatile magic may add +2 or +3.
The exact penalty is chosen by the narrator or the table based on the narrative positioning of the spell, but a cost must always be paid.
25.2 Wild Surge and Bad Luck
When a character rolls to resolve an action involving magic and fails, the consequences bypass the normal flow of the Doom Clock or Attention thresholds.
A failed magic roll immediately triggers a Minor Reaction from the world (Section 18.4), entirely independent of whether the Attention threshold was met. This represents severe bad luck, a catastrophic failure of the spell, or the world directly retaliating against the caster.
25.3 Making Deals with the World
Because of its dangers, raw magic is rarely utilized safely. However, it is possible to mitigate the world's fury.
Certain factions, covens, or individuals attempt to make pacts with the world—or bind parts of it—to shield themselves from the immediate backlash. This creates an ongoing struggle for control: • Those who bind the world avoid immediate Escalation when casting but permanently raise the local threat level or corrupt the natural order. • Making a pact might shift the cost from immediate "bad luck" to long-term Doom advancement or a slow accumulation of Fatigue/Trauma.
These dynamics make excellent plothooks or long-term campaign goals as characters choose between surviving the brutal immediate cost of magic, or risking grander consequences by bargaining with the world.
25.4 Example
For practical examples, see Appendix A (e.g., Ready to use examples.md).