Types of Sorcerer

Practitioners of Sorcery develop in one of two ways. The majority of sorcerers belong to schools of sorcery, which have books of spells and rules that they teach their apprentices. Alternatively, there is a long tradition of practitioners working in solitude, cut off from other Sorcerers and society at large, to focus purely on their magical activities. Occasionally such solitary Sorcerers take on an apprentice, to teach their art to, or simply as a helping hand around the magical laboratory.

Example School: The University of Wizardry

Benefits: Free board and lodging at all University Hostelries and forts.

For an Adept or Magus

Rescue or ransom will be paid if captured.

Duties: Uphold the laws of the University.

Oppose and expose heretical sorcerers.

Sorcery taught: Animate (Substance), Cast Back, Create Spell Matrix, Create Scroll, Damage Boosting, Damage Resistance, Dominate (Orc), Dominate (Goblin), Energy Projection (Fire), Enhance (STR), Enhance (DEX), Mystic Vision, Neutralise Magic, Palsy, Protective Sphere, Sight Projection, Spell Resistance, Summon (Magic Spirit), Treat Wounds.

Prohibited Magic: Tap (characteristic), Summon Demon or Undead, Venom.

Example Solo Sorcerer. The Sorcerer who Lives in the Tower

This is an Adept close to becoming a Magus (he has Sorcery Casting 85% and needs 95%), who lives in an isolated village on the border. He lives in an old ruined tower, just outside the village, conducting magical experiments and ensuring the safety of the village from ‘Things from Beyond’. Most of the villagers think he is a mad fool, but are not beyond seeking out his services, of healing and exorcism, when beset by the strange magical horrors

Sorcery Spells known: Cast Back, Create Spell Matrix, Create Scroll, Damage Boosting, Damage Resistance, Diminish (SIZ), Dominate (Spirit), Energy Projection (Cold), Fly, Mirage, Neutralise Magic, Protective Sphere, Shape change (Man) to (Wolf), Skin of Life, Spell Resistance, Spirit Resistance, Summon Elemental, Summon Spirit, Treat wounds.

Prohibited Magic: Tap (characteristic), Venom.

Ranks of Sorcery

There are three basic ranks of Sorcerers.

Apprentices (Sorcery Casting 25% and up). Those who are learning the laws of Sorcery and their application.

Adepts (minimum of Sorcery Casting 50%). Those who have a firm grasp of the basics and are making firm progress towards the true pinnacle of achievement.

Magus (minimum of Sorcery Casting 90%). Those who have mastered the arts of Sorcery and have used its power to transcend the limitations of life itself.

Apprentices

These are students of Sorcery who will only know a couple of spells, including Mystic Vision. As well as being taught the arts of Sorcery via book learning, attending practical classes or conducting practical fieldwork that their masters consider the foundations of their learning, they also spend a large amount of their time doing drudge work, cleaning up, doing the heavy lifting and other physical tasks that their teachers consider themselves above.

Requirements: To become an Apprentice, as well as meeting the Sorcery Casting requirement of a minimum skill of 25%, the character must spend two growth points.

Benefits: Apprentices learn the spell Mystic Vision, which is the fundamental method of discerning the Laws of Sorcery in action, for free, and they are shown how to create a sorcerer’s wand.

The Sorcerer’s Wand

The classic wand is a slender rod of hardwood about the length of the owner’s forearm. The wand is created for the apprentice by their mentor, who enchants the wand for the new apprentice.

The wand focuses up to two spells that the character knows. These spells can be changed in the downtime between adventures, and have a star placed against the spell name on the character sheet to show they are focused. Spells that are focused by the wand increase the character’s Sorcery Casting skill when casting them with the wand (+20% when used to all casting tests).

The character is aware of where the wand is at all times and the enchantments placed upon the wand makes it indestructible.

Adepts

These are full graduates of the schools of Sorcery, or equivalent, taught by a solo sorcerer who acknowledges their autonomy and ability to practice Sorcery without constant supervision. They will know between five and ten spells and will have a Sorcery Casting skill ranging from 50% to 90%. If a member of a school of Sorcery, they will be expected to spend 30% of their time performing duties for the school, such as teaching apprentices or recovering lost magical knowledge. If a former apprentice of a solo sorcerer, they will probably start taking over whatever duties their mentor is giving up (due to old age or deepening studies towards becoming a Magus).

Requirements: To become an Adept the character must have a minimum of 50% in Sorcery Casting, a POW of at least 15 and know at least five spells.

Benefits of becoming an Adept

The Sorcerer’s Stone

Would-be Adepts know how to create their sorcerer’s stone when they reach Sorcery Casting of 50%, and do so as part of the ceremony where they rise to Adepthood.

The sorcerer’s stone takes the form of a large magic crystal, about the size of a fist, which is primarily a magic point store. It can store up to the character’s current POW in magic points.

The Sorcerer’s Staff

Sorcerers of Adept rank are more active in the Real World and spend more time travelling around. So, they need a more obvious symbol of their power than the small and slender wand. Therefore, every Adept creates a sorcerer’s staff when they rise to this rank.

It acts as a spell focus, like a wand, but it’s not limited to two spells – the staff focuses one spell per ten points of Sorcery Casting.
Any spells that are focused by the character’s wand may also be focused on by the staff. Many Adepts keep their wands and use them for magic casting at home.
Like the wand, the staff is indestructible, and the sorcerer knows where it is at all times.
The sorcerer may mount their sorcerer’s stone at the end of the staff.
Finally, the staff is two-handed and can be used in close combat doing 1D10 damage.

The Sorcerer’s Familiar

Upon becoming an Adept, Sorcerers may also create a familiar from a standard animal.

Use an animal as a template for stats.

The familiar is in permanent Mindlink with the sorcerer, with a range as determined by the sorcerer’s Range Magnitude (see Combined Manipulation table).
Part of the ritual to create the familiar awakens its Intelligence, which becomes equal to the sorcerer’s INT.
A familiar’s characteristics, skills and magic can be increased by the player spending growth points, as they would for the character.
The player of the sorcerer who created the familiar also runs the familiar.
If killed, all the growth points that went towards creating and improving the familiar return to the character’s pool of unspent growth points.

Create and Teach Apprentice

Adepts can perform the rituals and create wands to induct Apprentices into the art of Sorcery. They can then teach them Sorcery spells.

Sorcerers do not teach non-sorcerers Sorcery. Instead, would-be students need to become Apprentices and learn the fundamental principles.

Magus

A Magus is an acknowledged master of Sorcery. They have at least ten spells and a Sorcery Casting skill of 90%+. If a character meets these requirements, the player can spend ten growth points to gain this rank. If a member of a school of Sorcery, the magus serves on its ruling body and has the complete resources of the school at their command. In return, they spend 90% of their time researching, teaching, and performing missions on the school’s behalf.

Transcendence

The Magus has such high knowledge of the laws of Sorcery that they are no longer part of the Real World. Their body changes from a physical one, based upon CON and SIZ with hit points, to one based on pure magical energy, based upon POW and magic points.

Consequently, they are immune to disease and poison, unless they specifically target POW or magic points, and instead of taking damage to hit points, they take them to magic points.

Spells which heal a physical body, such as Heal, Treat Wounds, and Divine Heal, do not work on the Magus’ new magical form. Instead, a Magus will transfer stored magic points, such as those held in their Sorcerer’s Stone, back into their magical body. This takes one combat round and is an action that requires full concentration to complete.

Defensive spells that protect against physical harm, such as Damage Resistance, still do so. As does physical armour, although a Magus is more likely to use magical means to protect themselves.

The appearance of their new magical body takes the form of the Magus at their most ideal. This form has a glowing halo around it, which is obvious to any onlooker.

The character no longer ages physically and is considered immortal.

Since they are made of pure magical energy, they also are easily detectable using Find Magic and other magic detection spells.

For many player characters, Transcending is the end of their story in-game, with the player retiring the character from play. If the player has ideas of how the Transcended character can continue, they should discuss that with their Referee to work out further adventures. Most non-player character Transcended Masters choose to withdraw from the Real World, using their new magical body to explore Other Worlds and the other avenues of magical power that open up to them. They often maintain a link with the Real World, where favoured students can contact them for sentimental reasons.

Ranks of Sorcery

Rank	Minimum Sorcery Casting	Minimum number of Spells	Growth cost	Benefits
Apprentice	25%	0	1	Taught Sorcery spells. Taught Mystic Vision for free. Gifted a sorcerer’s wand.
Adept	50%	5	5	Learns Sorcery spells. Creates a sorcerer’s staff. Creates a sorcerer’s stone. May create a familiar. May create and teach Apprentices.
Magus	90%	10	10	Learns Sorcery spells. Achieves Transcendence.