Magic

Magic in Shadowend works slightly differently than in the core rules. All spellcasters work from a common list of spells, divided into simple, complex, and exotic spells, and with extensive descriptors. The number of schools remains unchanged, but a number of new subschools has been added, and some spells have shifted schools.

All spellcasters ready spells, and cast them via spell slots, but without losing, forgetting, or expending the readied spell. Nearly all spells can be cast in a diminished (one spell level lower) or heightened (one spell level higher) form, provided the caster knows the base spell.

Talismans

Every spellcaster requires a talisman to cast spells quickly and efficiently. These talismans take many forms: wizards carry staffs, grimoires, or familiars; sorcerers wield key weapons; priests bear holy symbols; and druids and mages use expendable spell components.

A spellcaster needs her talisman to cast spells. Without it, treat her caster level as one lower and double casting times for all spells (stand-action spells become full-round spells, full-round spells take 2 rounds to cast, and so on).

Components

Every spell, unless otherwise noted, has verbal and somatic components. A spellcaster can substitute her talisman for the somatic component of a spell; the talisman must be held or wielded, and any conditions that would restrict a somatic component from being performed would likewise restrict the use of a talisman. A sorcerer, priest, or druid carrying her talisman does not suffer a chance of arcane spell failure.

Some spells list specific material components with a gold piece cost. All spellcasters require these components.

Multiclass Spellcasters

Multi-classed spellcasters add their spells readied and spell slot numbers together to get the total number of spell slots and readied spells. If the two classes have different primary spellcasting attributes (Intelligence for Wizards, Charisma for sorcerers, Wisdom for mages, druids, and priests), the character chooses one when his first level in a different spellcasting class is taken. This choice cannot be changed later.

Descriptors

Spells are divided into different lists by descriptors. Descriptors can be broken into broad groups: alignment (chaotic, evil, good, lawful), effect (curse, faith, fear, healing, morale, nature, plant, teleporation, wall)elemental (earth, air, water), common energy (acid, cold, electricity, fire, negative energy, positive energy, sonic), noble energy (force, light, shadow), imperial energy (negative, positive), limitation (language-dependant, mind-affecting, type).

Descriptors replace schools and subschools.

Energies & Elements

There are four elements: air, earth, and water; five common energies: acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic; three noble energies: force, radiance, and shadow; and two imperial energies: negative energy and positive energy. Elements are generally easier to manipulate than energies, and common energies are easier to manipulate than noble energies or imperial.

Demi-elements are typically grouped with an element. Demi-elements include ash, crystal, dust, frost, ice, magma, metal, mirror, ooze, salt, smoke, and steam.

Descriptor Listing

Alignment descriptors are: chaotic (Ch), evil (Ev), good (Go), and lawful (Lw).

Elemental descriptors are: air (A), earth (E), and water (W).

Common Energy descriptors are: acid (Ac), cold (Co), electricity (El), fire (Fi), and sonic (S).

Noble Energy descriptors are: force (F), light (L), and shadow (Sh)

Imperial Energy descriptors are: negative energy (NE) and positive energy (PE).

Effect descriptors are: Alchemical (Al), awareness (Aw), calling (Cal), charm (Chr), compulsion (Cm), curse (C), death (D), enhancement (En), faith (Fth), fear (Fe), figment (Fg), flesh (Fl), glamer (Gl), healing (H), life (Lf), lore (Lr), manipulation (Mn), martial (Ml), morale (Mo), nature (N), pattern (Pt), phantasm (Ph), plant (P), polymorph (Pol), precognition (Pre), psychic (Psy), scrying (Sc), spirit (Spr), summoning (Sm), teleportation (Tp), transformation (Tr), wall (Wl), wounding (Wo).

Limitation descriptors are: language-dependent (LD), mind-affecting (MA), type (Ty)

Sphere descriptors apply only to priest spells, and are: beasts, death, earth, fear, flame, grace, illumination, knowledge, lies, life, magic, mind, plants, protection, roads, summons, undeath, war, water, wind.

• air spells have to do with elemental air and air creatures.
• acid spells create or protect from acid effects.
• chaos spells involve chaotic forces or outsiders from the chaotic planes.
• cold spells create or protect from acid effects.
• curse spells inflict a disabling effect that is difficult to dispel.
• earth spells have to do with elemental fire and fire creatures.
• electricity spells create or protect from electrical effects.
• evil spells involve evil forces or outsiders from the evil planes.
• faith spells draw upon divine power to work, and are the province of priests.
• fear spells create terror and panic.
• fire spells have to do with elemental fire and fire effects, as well as fire creatures.
• force spells create or protect from force effects. Force spells affect incorporeal and ethereal creatures, and are resistant to lesser elements and energies.
• good spells involve good forces or outsiders from the good planes.
• language-dependent spells require the caster and the target to be able to communicate in a common tongue.
• lawful spells involve lawful forces or outsiders from the lawful planes.
• light spells create or manipulate light.
• martial spells create or enhance weapons, including natural weapons, and armor.
• mind-affecting spells control thoughts and emotions. Mind-affecting spells do not commonly affect plants, undead, or constructs.
• nature spells affect and manipulate nature, including weather. Nature spells are the province of druids.
• negative energy is the destructive force. It damages living creatures and heals undead. It has no effect on constructs.
• plant spells affect and manipulate plants.
• positive energy is the nurturing life force. It heals living creatures and damages undead. It has no effect on constructs.
• shadow spells create or manipulate a primal darkness.
• sonic spells create or protect from sonic effects.
• teleportation spells instantaneously transport the target to a destination.
• wall spells create a physical barrier.
• water spells have to do with elemental water, as well as water creatures.

Variant Schools and Subschools

• Abjuration: Barrier, Condemnation, Negation, Protection, Warding
• Conjuration: Calling, Creation, Healing, Summoning, Teleportation
• Divination: Awareness, Lore, Precognition, Psychic, Scrying
• Enchantment: Charm, Compulsion, Morale
• Evocation: Elemental, Energy, Force, Positive Energy, Negative Energy
• Illusion: Figment, Glamer, Pattern, Phantasm, Shadow
• Necromancy: Curses, Death, Flesh, Life, Spirit, Undeath
• Transmutation: Alchemical, Enhancement, Manipulation, Transformation