Miscasts
Every spell you cast with your own mana can go wrong. A miscast never stops the spell: it comes after the spell has done everything it would have done. Then something else happens as well, from a harmless shimmer to a blast that can kill you.
Can a miscast kill you? Only when you cast a spell far beyond your Spellcraft: about ten spell levels more than your skill and the spell’s rank carry. Below that, every miscast is protected: it can hurt you, but it always leaves you alive.
What never miscasts. Scrolls and wands: their magic is the item’s, not yours. That holds for a scroll you wrote yourself with the wizard’s Scribe too, and writing it makes no check either. You pay three times the mana for it, and in return the spell is safe to read later, even in the middle of a fight.
Creatures that cast miscast just as you do, by the same rules and the same table. When you see it happen, you are told: “Sparks bite the kobold shaman’s fingers.”
The check
Each cast makes a check once the spell has gone off: 2d12 + your bonus against a difficulty. Your bonus is your Intelligence modifier plus what Spellcraft adds (the second table below). Missing the check is a miscast.
The difficulty is 8, and then:
- +1 for each spell level.
- −1 for each rank you hold in the spell above the first. A spell at rank 10 is as safe to cast as one nine levels lower. A creature’s spells count as rank 1.
- +1 for every 10 % that the armour you wear adds to a spell’s cost, counted as the cost counts it.
A roll of 1 and 1 always fails, whatever your bonus. Even a master miscasts now and then, one cast in 144.
The chance of a miscast, by spell level and your bonus, out of armour, at rank 1. The second table gives what Spellcraft adds to your bonus, and what it takes off a miscast’s total (see The miscast table):
| Spell level | Difficulty | Bonus +0 | Bonus +3 | Bonus +6 | Bonus +10 | Bonus +15 | Bonus +20 | Bonus +30 | Bonus +40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 8 | 14.6 % | 4.2 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 1 | 9 | 19.4 % | 6.9 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 3 | 11 | 31.2 % | 14.6 % | 4.2 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 6 | 14 | 54.2 % | 31.2 % | 14.6 % | 2.1 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 11 | 19 | 85.4 % | 68.8 % | 45.8 % | 19.4 % | 2.1 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 16 | 24 | 99.3 % | 93.1 % | 80.6 % | 54.2 % | 19.4 % | 2.1 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 20 | 28 | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 95.8 % | 80.6 % | 45.8 % | 14.6 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 24 | 32 | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 95.8 % | 75.0 % | 38.2 % | 0.7 % | 0.7 % |
| 30 | 38 | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 97.9 % | 80.6 % | 14.6 % | 0.7 % |
| 35 | 43 | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 99.3 % | 97.9 % | 45.8 % | 0.7 % |
| Spellcraft | Added to the check | Taken off the total |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 17 | +1 | 1 |
| 20 | +2 | 2 |
| 40 | +5 | 4 |
| 60 | +8 | 6 |
| 80 | +11 | 8 |
| 100 | +14 | 10 |
| 150 | +18 | 15 |
| 200 | +22 | 20 |
A new wizard has a bonus of about 3, so about one cast in fourteen of a level-1 spell goes wrong. A spell ten levels above that miscasts most of the time.
Spellcraft is how you move the odds. A wizard who puts every skill roll on Spellcraft has a bonus of about 20 at level 10 and 28 at level 20. At level 10 only a roll of 1 and 1 goes wrong on any spell up to level 15, and at level 20 on any spell up to level 23. A spell twenty levels above them still goes wrong four casts in five, and one in five at rank 10. A wizard who puts no roll on it stays at about 5 to 8 all career.
Classes that cast on the side start with little Spellcraft. A ranger of level 6 casting Barkskin miscasts about one cast in four, and a new bard casting Mend about one in seven. That is intended. Their miscasts stay in the protected rows (see below), and a skill roll or two on Spellcraft at a level-up moves the odds a long way. So does deepening the spell: every rank above the first counts as one point of bonus.
Every cast trains Spellcraft the same, whether it miscasts or not.
The miscast table
A miscast rolls on one table, ordered from mild to deadly. The higher the total, the worse it gets:
- 2d12,
- + 5 for each point you missed the check by,
- − what Spellcraft takes off (the second table above: 10 at 100, 20 at 200),
- ± your stance: Defensive takes 5 off, Aggressive adds 5, and a berserker’s Frenzy adds 10.
The total is never below 1. How far you missed matters far more than the dice: a near miss lands in the first rows, and a spell twenty levels beyond you lands at the bottom of the table. Some near misses are even boons: your mana back, the spell a second time for free, a blessing, or haste.
“Someone near” in the table is anyone within 6 cells of you in a clear line, friend or foe.
The total is 2d12 + 5 for each point the check missed by − what wards you. It is never below 1. Results below 71 (marked protected) cannot kill you: their harm always leaves you at least 1 hit point.
| Total | What happens | You are told |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | nothing more: a harmless glamour (protected) | The air glimmers for a moment and is still. |
| 3–4 | nothing more: a harmless glamour (protected) | Motes of colour drift from your hands and fade. |
| 5–6 | the mana the spell cost comes back (a boon) (protected) | The weave slackens, and the spent power runs back into you. |
| 7–8 | a loud noise (loudness 30) that creatures nearby may hear (protected) | A low hum hangs in the air after the spell. |
| 9–10 | the spell goes off a second time at the same target, free (a boon) (protected) | The spell rings like a struck bell and sounds twice. |
| 11–12 | 1d2 fire damage to you; never below 1 hit point (protected) | Sparks leap from your fingers and bite. |
| 13–14 | someone within 6 cells in a clear line, or you, drawn at random, is Blessed ×1 (protected) | Stray power drifts loose and settles as a blessing. |
| 15–16 | you are Hasted ×1 (protected) | Power hums through your limbs, and they quicken. |
| 17–18 | 10 % of your mana left is lost (protected) | The spell fizzes, and a little of your power with it. |
| 19–20 | 1d3 damage of the spell’s own type to you; never below 1 hit point (protected) | The spell snaps back and stings you. |
| 21–22 | you are Staggered ×1 (protected) | The world lurches, and you with it. |
| 23–24 | a loud noise (loudness 60) that creatures nearby may hear (protected) | The spell ends with a crack like a whip. |
| 25–26 | 25 % of your mana left is lost (protected) | Your power leaks away through a fraying in the weave. |
| 27–28 | 1d4 damage of the spell’s own type to you; never below 1 hit point (protected) | The spell turns and lashes you. |
| 29–30 | you are Frightened ×1 (protected) | Something cold looks back at you through the spell. |
| 31–32 | you are Weakened ×1 (protected) | A shiver runs through you and leaves you weak. |
| 33–34 | a zone of smoke that blocks sight lies around you for 5 turns, radius 1 (protected) | Grey fog boils from the spell and wraps you. |
| 35–36 | you change places with someone within 6 cells in a clear line (protected) | Space knots and twists about you. |
| 37–38 | you are Drowsy ×1 (protected) | The spell drags at you as it goes. |
| 39–40 | a loud noise (loudness 100) that creatures nearby may hear (protected) | The spell breaks with a clap of thunder. |
| 41–42 | 2d4 damage of the spell’s own type to you; never below 1 hit point (protected) | The spell kicks like a mule and scores you. |
| 43–44 | a zone of darkness lies around you for 10 turns, radius 2 (protected) | The spell drinks the light, and dark pools about you. |
| 45–46 | 50 % of your mana left is lost (protected) | Half your power drains out through the broken weave. |
| 47–48 | a zone of slick ground lies around you for 10 turns, radius 1 (protected) | The ground about you weeps and turns slick. |
| 49–50 | you are Silenced ×1 (protected) | Your tongue stumbles, and no word of power will come. |
| 51–52 | you know the spell 1 rank lower, never below rank 1 (protected) | The spell’s shape blurs in your mind. |
| 53–54 | 2d6 damage of the spell’s own type to you; never below 1 hit point (protected) | The spell bursts in your hands, and you take the brunt of it. |
| 55–56 | a random stat takes 1 stat damage, which mends a point a day (protected) | A deep ache settles in your bones. |
| 57–58 | you are flung to a random free place on the level (protected) | The world folds, and you are flung through it. |
| 59–60 | a stat training mark is lost (protected) | A little of your hard-won training slips away. |
| 61–62 | you are Sluggish ×2 (protected) | Cold sinks into your limbs and slows them. |
| 63–64 | you know the spell 2 ranks lower, never below rank 1 (protected) | The spell’s shape crumbles in your mind. |
| 65–66 | 100 % of your mana left is lost (protected) | Every drop of your power is torn out of you. |
| 67–68 | 3d6 force damage to you; never below 1 hit point (protected) | The spell bursts with a force that drives the breath from you. |
| 69–70 | a random stat takes 2 stat damage, which mends a point a day (protected) | You are racked, and something of you is bent out of true. |
| 71–72 | the spell goes off on you at its base strength: a damage spell bursts around you, a hex falls on you, a heal mends the nearest foe you see, a buff takes hold of that foe, and a summon’s creatures come hostile to everyone, you, your foes, and one another; any other spell, a heal or buff with no foe in sight, or a summon with no room deals (level ÷ 3 + 1)d6 force to you, by the spell’s level | The spell twists in your grip and turns on you! |
| 73–74 | a random stat loses 1 for good unless you make a Willpower check against 16 | The spell turns and feeds on you. |
| 75–76 | a hostile rift appears next to you | A rift tears open beside you, and the stink of the Abyss pours out! |
| 77–78 | a hostile hellmouth appears next to you | The ground beside you splits into a mouth of brass and fire! |
| 79–80 | a hostile gate of gloom appears next to you | A gate of gloom stands open where there was none, and something bays beyond it. |
| 81–82 | you forget the spell | The spell tears loose from your mind. |
| 83–84 | 4d6 force damage to you; it can kill | The raw power rends you. |
| 85–86 | twice over, a random stat (perhaps the same each time) loses 1 for good unless you make a Willpower check against 16, each its own check | The spell feeds on you, and comes back for more. |
| 87–88 | a hostile abyssal gate appears next to you | A gate yawns open beside you, and the Abyss looks through! |
| 89–90 | the spell goes off on you at the full strength you cast it with: a damage spell bursts around you, a hex falls on you, a heal mends the nearest foe you see, a buff takes hold of that foe, and a summon’s creatures come hostile to everyone, you, your foes, and one another; any other spell, a heal or buff with no foe in sight, or a summon with no room deals (level ÷ 2 + 1)d6 force to you, by the spell’s level | The spell rebounds on you with all its force! |
| 91–92 | a hostile iron gate appears next to you | An iron gate grinds open beside you, and the hells are behind it! |
| 93–94 | a hostile black gate appears next to you | A black gate opens beside you, and things that serve for pay look out. |
| 95–96 | 6d10 force damage to you; it can kill | The weave unravels through you, and raw power tears you from within! |
| 97–98 | a random stat loses 2 for good unless you make a Willpower check against 18 | The spell bites deep, reaching for what does not grow back. |
| 99–100 | you forget the spell and 1 more of the spells you know, drawn at random | The spell rips through your memory, and what it tears loose is gone. |
| 101–102 | a hostile dire gate appears next to you | A dire gate rips open, and what steps through has a name. |
| 103–104 | 8d10 force damage to you; it can kill | You are harrowed by your own power. |
| 105–106 | stairs down into a Pit of its own open beside you, and a hostile rift at their head; on the overworld or a Pit’s own floor, only the gate | The floor splits, and a stair goes down into red dark. Something waits at its head. |
| 107–108 | 3 times over, a random stat (perhaps the same each time) loses 1 for good unless you make a Willpower check against 18, each its own check | The spell feeds on you like a leech that will not let go. |
| 109–110 | 10d10 force damage to you; it can kill | Ruin pours through the broken weave and over you. |
| 111–112 | a hostile arch-gate appears next to you | An arch-gate opens beside you, wide enough for a lord of the hells. |
| 113–114 | stairs down into a Pit of its own open beside you, and a hostile abyssal gate at their head; on the overworld or a Pit’s own floor, only the gate | The floor yawns open, and a stair goes down into red dark. A great gate stands at its head! |
| 115–116 | you forget every spell you know | Your mind is wiped as clean as a slate. |
| 117–118 | 12d10 force damage to you; it can kill | The power unmakes you from within. |
| 119–120 | twice over, a random stat (perhaps the same each time) loses 2 for good unless you make a Willpower check against 20, each its own check | The spell gorges on you, and every bite goes deep. |
| 121–122 | stairs down into a Pit of its own open beside you, and a hostile dire gate at their head; on the overworld or a Pit’s own floor, only the gate | The floor splits with a roar, and a stair goes down into red dark. A dire gate stands at its head! |
| 123–124 | a hostile lords’ gate appears next to you | A gate opens for a lord of the hells. |
| 125–126 | 15d10 force damage to you; it can kill | The power annihilates everything it touches, and it touches you. |
| 127–128 | stairs down into a Pit of its own open beside you, and a hostile lords’ gate at their head; on the overworld or a Pit’s own floor, only the gate | The floor splits, a stair goes down into red dark, and a lord of the hells is coming up it! |
| 129 or more | 20d10 force damage to you; it can kill | Oblivion. |
Your stance counts too, added to the total: Defensive -5, Aggressive +5, Frenzy +10.
The protected half
The results below 71 are protected:
- Their harm always leaves you at least 1 hit point. At 1 hit point it does nothing.
- A stat they take is stat damage, which mends a point a day.
- They never drain a stat for good, make you forget a spell, turn the spell on you, or open a gate.
- They can cost you a rank or two in the spell, never below rank 1, and a stat training mark.
To reach 71 you must miss the check by 10 or more. So the worst a near miss does is leave you hurt, out of mana, or hindered in a fight that can still kill you.
From 71 on
Past the protected half, a miscast can kill you outright, and what it takes may be gone for good:
- Force damage, from 4d6 up to 20d10 at 129 and over.
- Drained stats. A stat can lose points for good unless you make a Willpower check. The worst rows drain two or three times over, each with its own check.
- Forgotten spells (see below).
- The spell turned on you. A damage spell bursts around you, a hex falls on you, a heal mends the nearest foe you see, and a blessing takes hold of that foe. A summoning brings its creatures berserk: they attack you, your foes, and one another alike, whatever their kind (see Factions). A wolf called this way is no longer a harmless beast of the wild. A spell that cannot turn on you this way hits you with force instead.
- Gates of the fiends, and at worst a stair into a Pit.
A miscast that kills you is put down to your own miscast spell.
What you are told
Each result has its own line, the one in the table. When a result takes something, the next line says what: the stat in words (“You feel duller.”), a drain you resisted as a chill that passes, the spell whose rank fell (“You know Fireball less well than you did.”), or the spells forgotten, by name.
Forgotten spells
Some miscasts make you forget spells: the spell you cast, sometimes one more drawn at random, and at worst every spell you know. A spell your class gave you is forgotten just the same. A forgotten spell is gone from the Magic page and the abilities menu, and you cannot cast it.
The only way back is its grimoire, exactly as you learned it the first time: the same reading, the same check, and the same experience. It comes back at rank 1, whatever rank you had.
Lost ranks are milder, and can happen in the protected rows: the spell stays known, one or two ranks lower, never below rank 1. Read its grimoire again to win the ranks back.
Gates
Nine of the worst results open a gate beside you: a rift, a hellmouth, a gate of gloom, an abyssal, iron, black, or dire gate, an arch-gate, or the lords’ gate. The deeper the result, the stronger the fiends behind it: a rift lets dretches and quasits through, the lords’ gate a balor or a pit fiend.
What a gate does. A gate is a rooted creature that never strikes a blow. Instead it lets fiends through: one or two at a time, every minute or more, as long as it sees you or one of your allies within 8 cells. It stops while four of its fiends are about (three for the arch-gate and the dire gate, two for the lords’ gate), and starts again when one dies.
Whose side it is on. The gates are a faction of their own, at peace with every monster and an enemy to you and your side alone. No monster attacks a gate. You, your allies, and your companion can, whether you set it on the gate or not. A blast, such as a thunderclap, hurts a gate caught in it like anything else, even one a monster cast. Gates shrug off fire and poison, and take half from cold.
The loosed. The fiends a gate lets through belong to no one. They attack you, your foes, the townsfolk, and every other fiend alike, but never each other or a gate. A gate a creature’s miscast opens is no friend to that creature either: its fiends come for the caster too.
How it ends. A gate never closes on its own. Kill it and no more come, but the fiends already through stay. The gates’ numbers are in Creatures in numbers, and the fiends each lets through in Creature powers.
The gates a Pit’s warden opens are a different matter: they stand on the warden’s side, and so does what comes through them.
Pits
Four results go further: the floor splits and a stair down into a Pit opens beside you, with a rift, an abyssal gate, a dire gate, or the lords’ gate at its head. Every one is a Pit of its own. On the overworld or on a Pit’s own floor no stair opens, and only the gate comes.