Swords and shields alone do not a fantasy game make - a Wizard's spells, the Priest's prayers, the songs of a Bard, and the incantations of Druids all are an integral part of the Knight Realms setting. Most of them follow similar rules, which are outlined here - specific rules for each kind of caster are presented in their own suppliment. For the purposes of this chapter of the rulebook, all forms of casted effects are referred to as "spells" regardless of their origin.

Spheres & Domains

Buying Spheres

Your character starts with one or two spheres (Depending on your starting class), and may learn spells from within those spheres. In order to learn spells from another sphere, you must purchase a new sphere first as a pre-requisite. A new sphere costs five build; you can buy one sphere of magic every other level beginning at third level.

Spell Level Restrictions

You must also reach a certain level before being powerful enough to cast higher-ranking spells.

Casting Spells

There are currently 6 methods to cast effects in Knight Realms: Verbal (the most common - Arcane, Divine, and Druidic effects), Surge Casting (used by Wild Mages, Elementals, and other beings that can channel effects inherently), Concentration (Used by Psions, Healers, and some other unique skills), Singing (Used by Bards), Valence, and Rituals. These rules cover the first four methods, Valence and Rituals are covered in their specific Higher Lists.

Verbal Casting: The caster must say, in a normal speaking tone and volume (or louder), a specific set of words to cast the effect they wish. The words must be intelligible to others around them, including the target, and said at a normal speaking volume or louder. Once the incantation is complete, the caster has 5 seconds to release and deliver the spell. If the caster is interrupted or struck at any point before the spell is released, the spell is lost. If the caster aborts the spell before completing the verbal, or if they mis-speak the verbal or do not have enough career points to cast, no career points are expended and the effect fails. If a verbal is completed, but the spell is then interrupted or failed to be delivered, career points are expended as normal. A caster may invoke or use skills, including blocking with a weapon or shield, to defend themselves while casting. A character casting verbally must be able to speak, hear, and use their hands freely.

Singing: Singing uses the same general rules as Verbal casting, with the additional stipulations noted under the Bard rules.

Surge Casting: The caster may cast an effect immediately and instantly, without preparation. Once the effect is called, the caster has 5 seconds to release and deliver the spell. If the caster does not have enough career points to cast, no career points are expended and the effect fails. If an effect is cast, but the caster is struck or otherwise interrupted, or the spell failed to be delivered, career points are expended as normal. A caster may invoke or use skills, including blocking with a weapon or shield, to defend themselves while casting. A surge caster must wait 5 seconds after delivering (or failing to deliver) an effect before they can attempt to cast again (Sometimes referred to as a "cooldown" period). A character that is surge casting must be able to move their hands freely in order to cast, although they do not need to be able to speak or hear.

Concentration Casting: The caster must concentrate for a specific amount of time in order to cast the effect they wish (Usually 5 seconds per rank of effect, unless noted otherwise). Once the effect is called, the caster has 5 seconds to release and deliver the spell. If the caster does not have enough career points to cast, no career points are expended and the effect fails. If an effect is cast, but the caster is struck or otherwise interrupted (Unless noted otherwise, such as Psions), or the spell failed to be delivered, career points are expended as normal. A caster that is concentrating may NOT invoke or use skills, including blocking with a weapon or shield, to defend themselves while concentrating. A character that is concentrating has no requirements in regards to freedom of movement, or being able to speak or hear, to cast.

Other rules covering casting:

All verbals for all Magic spells, Prayers, and Druid spells are spoken in a different language, and may NOT be directly understood by anyone that hears them and only understands the common language. Although the verbals are in a different language, the language of magic is filled with power that resonates with it's intent, and anyone hearing them is able to understand the basic intent of the spell (i.e. - they can determine whether the skill is harmful or helpful, and the sphere of spell) as it is being cast, although they cannot identify the specific spell. Verbals must be spoken at a normal conversational volume (or louder), and must be spoken precisely & clearly enough to be understood. Note than anyone, including non-casters, can call a "flub" on a caster if they misspeak a verbal while casting.

Anyone with the skill Lore: Magic is fluent in the arcane tongue, and can properly identify the spell (that is, they understand the verbal word for word, and can identify the exact spell being cast, including the sphere). Characters without this skill may NOT identify the spell directly, only the effect(s) after it is cast.

Anyone with the skill Lore: Divinity is fluent in the language Ancient Koromyrian (the IG equivalent of Latin used by the church), and can properly identify the prayer (that is, they understand the verbal word for word, and can identify the exact prayer being cast, as well as the deity called upon). Characters without this skill may NOT identify the prayer directly, only the effect(s) after it is cast.

Anyone with the skill Lore: Druid is fluent in the language of Druids, and can properly identify the spell (that is, they understand the verbal word for word, and can identify the exact spell being cast). Characters without this skill may NOT identify the spell directly, only the effect(s) after it is cast.

Example: An average commoner witnesses a mage cast an Incinerate spell. The commoner (who does not have Lore: Magic or Lore: Divinity) would be able to tell it was a Fire spell, and that it was going to be harmful before it went off, but not that the spell was the Rank IV Mage spell "Incinerate."

Delivering Spells

All effects, unless stated otherwise, must be delivered by spell packet. If the spell packet hits any part of its target (including clothing, hair, or a shield or weapon), then the target is affected by the spell. If the spell packet misses completely the spell has no effect and the casters magic points are used. The spell packet can hit any place except for the face in order to be successful.

A caster may choose to deliver an effect that does not have the Attack trait by touching a target. Effects that are delivered by touch may be defended against by any defense that will protect against a physical attack, as well as the normal defenses against such an attack (The touch is never completed directly to the target, and the spell never delivered).

Touch casting may not be done with a weapon, claw, or boffer fist, unless the caster has the skill "Weapon Cast."

All Healer class abilities, unless stated in the skill description, must be delivered by touch

Psionic Attack Ranks are considered to automatically hit, to a maximum range of 20 feet - all Disciplines and other effects must be delivered as above.

Wild Mages choosing to use a Wild Mage Envelope must concentrate for 5 seconds. Striking a Wild Mage while they are doing so immediately releases the effects of the surge.

All effects (Mage Spells, Prayers, Druid Spells, and thrown Alchemy) that use a Spell Packet use that packet as an In-Game representation of the effect. When someone throws a spell packet what you see In-Game is the person directing a spell, prayer, bottle of alchemy, etc. Any exceptions will be noted in the description of the skill or casting class. Spells cast by Touch or Weapon Cast have an effect that is as noticeable as the verbal (That is, if you can hear the caster speak the verbal, you can see the effect as well, provided you can see the hand that is touching the target. If you cannot hear the verbal, it is assumed you did not notice the effect, either). The Spell Packet is *not* visible until it leaves the hand of the caster, unless it actually represents a physical object (such as Alchemy). Spell packets in a PC's hand are not visible, and do not represent anything.

Psionics and Bard Songs, as well as effects that do not use spell packets, do not have a visible effect. Effects without IG verbals (Healing, the skill Fear, etc.) can not be overheard. Any exceptions will be noted in the description of the skill itself.

While Bard Songs do not have a visible effect, anyone who hears a Bard call a Song effect will know that that specific Bard used a Song - the power behind the voice is unmistakable. However, until the Bard Song is called, there is not a way of distinguishing a Bard Song from normal singing.

Any being that is targeted by an effect is aware of what the effect is, and may react to this information as they choose. This information is vague, not specific - someone would know they were targeted by a powerful mental attack, but not necessarily the spell Dominate. The target is NOT made aware of the origin of the attack by the fact that they were targeted, only if they witness the casting as it happens. Good Role-Playing is encouraged.

Any caster that uses an effect (skill or spell) is aware if it is successful or not, and why it was not successful if it failed. This information is vague, and not specific. For example, if you use an Enfeeble Mind on someone, and they use a latent spell as a defense but play dumb, you will still be aware the spell failed because a latent spell was used to defend against it.

The above rulings are in place to best tie together the OOG aspect of spell casting to the IG presentation of them. The logistics of not seeing or hearing something IG that you can clearly see or hear OOG is extremely difficult to deal with - for this reason, they are being associated as close as possible to improve the flow and quality of overall game play.

Spell Packets

Spell packets should be made from environmentally friendly material, as they are often lost in the woods when used. It is recommended that you use brightly colored fabric to be able to easily spot and recover them.

Spell packets are the caster's equiviant to a physrep for a sword or arrows - it is the caster's responsibility to carry them, and if they are out, they cannot cast ranged spells (unless they have a skill or other ability that allows them to without the use of a Spell Packet). Spell packets may NOT be collected during a hold - this would be anagalous to a warrior picking up a disarmed sword during a hold.

Interrupting A Spell

Breaking the concentration of a caster can interrupt spells. Casters cannot cast magic while taking damage. If a caster is almost done with a spell incantation but is hit with a weapon blow for damage, than that spell is lost, and the magic points are lost as well. This includes any damage dealt to the mage such as being shot with an arrow, hit with a thrown weapon, or even another spell. Damage need not be in the form of reduction of body points - A tag skill (such as Stunning Blow or Throw) or damage that is prevented due to a Soak or Threshhold will still interrupt casting.

Career Points

Casting a spell requires the caster to expend career points (such as Magic Points, Faith Points, or whatever is appropriate for their class). Casters have a number of points that they can spend each period; spending build to purchase more points can increase this number. When casting a spell (sucessful or not), the caster must mark off the points used on their character card. If they are casting a beneficial spell on someone, they must also write the spell on the recipient's card on the back, in the space provided for this, along with the points used and their card number for reference.

Latent Spells

Some spells are latent and can be held until invoked. When cast upon someone (and marked upon their card), the recipient can choose to use the spell at a later time by stating the name of the spell, either as a defense, or by saying "invoke (spell name)" to activate it. When it is used, the spell should be checked off on the character's card.

Spell Effects and the Death Count

All active unnatural effects with a fixed duration that are on a character will expire if the character enters the Critical Stage of her death count unless the description of that effect specifically states otherwise. For the sake of clarity, a latent protection that you have not yet invoked is not "active".

Dispelling Effects

To dispel a magic spell, prayer, or druid spell that you have cast, you must say the verbal that is used to cast the spell, inserting the word "Dispel" before the spell name. You must then gesture at the target and open up your hand, palm out. To dispel a song that you have cast, you must sing the first line of the song, and then do as you would for a spell. A wild mage must wait five seconds after dispelling a spell before she can cast or dispel another spell. A Psion can dispel her own effects after 10 seconds of concentration. After the 10 seconds have passed, she must say "Dispel (Effect Name)". This is a seperate 10 seconds from the charge time for psionic abilities. You may not dispell another person's spells without the use of a spell specifically intended to do so.

Spell Books and Learning Spells

All casting classes (Mages, Priests, Druids, Bards, Clerics, Scholars, and Rangers, as well as Alchemists and anyone who can make Herbals or Poisons) are strongly encouraged to carry or have a "Spell Book" to learn new effects or recipes. While there is no cost or requirements to create one, they are a part of the learning process when a new casting effect is taught. As a part of the teaching, the student can copy the OOG rules & wording of the effect into their Spell Book. In this way, is is guaranteed that they have read and written the official rules on the spell at least once. Good role-playing (embellishing the book) is encouraged, as is studying the book both IG and OOG. (Note that "Spell Book" is a generic name, and it may be referred to as a Prayer Book, Book of Shadows, Minstrel's Journal, Recipe Book, etc. as needed. It does not even need to be a book IG, and can be a collection of sheet music, clay tablets, etc. - as long as it's a form of written documentation that the OOG rules can be written on.)

The above noted classes (with the exception of Priest and Cleric) require an IG teacher who has the effect or recipe on her character card. If both the student and the teacher utilize a spell book during the learning process the normal time to teach is reduced by half rounded up.

Scrolls

Any character with Advanced Literacy may read and use scrolls Rank I to Rank III. A character must be able to cast spells in order to use Rank IV scrolls. The scroll must be opened and the incantation must be read directly from it to cast the spell. After the spell is cast the scroll must be destroyed (ripped up).

Invoking Magical Items

To invoke a spell or skill from an item simply say "Invoke X" where "X" is the name of the skill or spell being invoked. Invoking a spell or ability from a magic item requires that the character speak IG. This speech is treated the same as casting a magic spell – other characters with Lore: Magic understand what you have said, while others do not. In terms of what is seen or heard by onlookers, invoking an ability from an item is the same as casting a magic spell.

If a spell is embedded into a weapon, it works the same as if the spell was embedded into a piece of jewelry or other item. You must invoke the spell and throw a spell packet, and may not use the weapon to deliver the spell. The only exception to this is Legendary Artifact weapons, which will have the notes explained on their unique item card. Defensive spells embedded into an item must be invoked prior to an attack and written on your character card as a normal spell is, not in response to an attack.

When an item with a ritual enchantment or limited uses of a spell has all enchantments removed (through expiration, use, or other means), the resulting item is worth the base value of the materials, and the effort put into creating the base item. If the item was Exalted in quality at the time it was enchanted, it drops to Superior quality (as does its value). The player must exchange the magic item card for a new generic item card.

Additional Rules for Casting Spells

Magical walls will not cancel each other out nor will effect each other (IE a "wall of thorns" cannot be burnt down by a "wall of fire" and a "wall of wind" will not move a "wall of water"). In addition a magical wall is defined as one being created by spell casting (both higher and lower magic), sorcery, and innate abilities of magical and fey creatures (to included but not limited too; elementals, fairies, familiars, etc). The only known way to augment, change, or negate such walls is through a Dispel Magic spell, ability, or sorcery. However, Divine walls will not fall within this framework.

Divine walls can be created by demons, angels, undead, paladins, anti- paladins, priests and clerics through prayers, divine ritual, and innate abilities. These walls can be cancelled by appropriate and opposite walls of opposing faith (Good creatures will summon "Walls of Fire/Light and Evil creatures will summon forth Walls of Ice/Dark," which will result in the cancellation of both walls - i.e., an undead uses an innate ability to cast "wall of ice" and a paladin uses a skill to call forth a "wall of fire," the resulting effect will be that both walls are cancelled out.)

Gaia's Embrace, Heal Life, and Paladin Life can only be used once per event on a given PC unless the character dies and is resurrected during the event. In addition to the normal casting time for these prayers/abilities, the caster must take the recipient’s character card and mark the use of this ability in the proper location before the ability is considered completed. Neither the caster nor the recipient is OOG during this exchange, but the recipient may discreetly ready her character card during the normal casting time.

Healing will do normal damage to Undead, at the rate of 1 Point healed for 1 Damage to the Undead. Therefore, 5 HP put in to Cure Wounds by a healer (at 1 HP to 4 Body) will do 20 Points of damage to an undead. Only straight healing of body points from a Healer or Priest will damage undead. Healing abilities such as Regenerate Limb, Heal All, or Heal Life are too focused and refined (as opposed to raw healing energy) to damage undead. While using healing to damage undead you must use a spell packet, and the normal casting procedure (concentrate for 5 seconds for healers, or verbals for priests). For Healers, this is the only time they may use a Spell Packet to use their abilities.

Dominate and other mind effects can be used on a subject and remain in effect if the subject is unconscious for any reason. Once a person is in the critical stage of her death count, she is immune to mind effects, and all current mind effects upon her are cancelled.

Paralysis and hold effects cannot be used on a target that is in the critical stage of its death count; these effects will wear off once the target enters the critical stage if they were put on the target beforehand. The only exception is if the skill itself specifically says it works in the critical stage.

Abilities that rely on being heard to take effect (Battle Cry, Despair, Bard Songs) can penetrate any walls/spheres/barriers that admit sound.

While invisible, you may not perform any action that targets another being, be it living or (un)dead. Doing so will immediately cause the invisibility to dispel. You can pick up inanimate objects and remain invisible – the description only states that actions that affect beings will dispel the invisibility. However, the spell only affects the caster, so any item she picks up after the fact remains visible, unless she casts the spell anew to make the newly acquired item invisible. Placing the item within a pouch or under your robe will not conceal it, since the pouch or robe is invisible.

Elemental Summoning Spells: You can only summon one elemental (or Nature's Herald) at a time. Use the monster card for a Lesser Elemental. If you summon a Nature's Herald, use the monster card for a Lesser Elemental, substituting druid spells for elemental spells and having it strike for normal damage.