Spell Builder
You can build your own spells by "buying" aspects (ex. area, duration, target, restrictions, effects, etc.) and effects. A spell can have up to 4 points per tier. Spells are broken up into aspects: activation, target, range, duration, effect, upgrades, downgrades.
Here is your full system cleanly organized into five 1�“7 scales, each with consistent conceptual meaning and usable RPG-ready descriptions.
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# 1. Complexity (1�“7)
> “How fundamentally difficult or impossible is the effect?”
# 2. Magnitude (1�“7)
> “How much total work/infrastructure is compressed into the effect?”
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# 3. Scope (1�“7)
> “How many targets or how large an area is affected?”
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# 4. Activation Time (1�“7)
> “How long does it take to activate the effect?”
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# 5. Material Cost (1�“7)
> “How expensive are the required components/resources needed to activate the effect?”
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# Formula: Complexity + Magnitude + Scope - Time - Cost = Tier
ACTIVATION
Activation determines how long it takes to create a spell effect.
TARGET
Very Little Area Types:
- Emanation 5 feet x 5 feet x 5 feet
- Melee Blast 10 feet x 10 feet x 10 feet
- Close-Ranged Burst 10 feet x 10 feet x 10 feet
- Cylinder 100 feet tall x 5 feet long x 5 feet wide
- Line 100 feet long x 5 feet tall x 5 feet wide
- Wall is 5 connected 5-foot x 5-foot x 5-foot cubes or 50 connected 6-inch thick x 5 feet wide x 5 feet tall plates
Area (Burst) (+2): A very small burst is only 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter per tier (minimum 5 feet) at very close range (10 feet per tier). A small burst is 10 feet (3 meters), an average burst is 15 feet (4.5 meters), a large burst is 20 feet (6 meters), and a very large burst is 25 feet (7.5 meters).
Area (Cone) (+1): A very small cone is only 5 feet (1.5 meters) per tier (minimum 5 feet). A small cone is 10 feet (3 meters), an average cone is 15 feet (4.5 meters), a large cone is 20 feet (6 meters), and a very large cone is 25 feet (7.5 meters).
Area (Cylinder) (+3): A cylinder functions as a burst except it is 20 times as tall as it is wide. So a cylinder that had a 10-foot diameter would have a 200-foot height and a cylinder with a 125 foot diameter would be 2,500 feet tall.
Area (Emanation) (+3): A very small emanation is only 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter per tier (minimum 5 feet). A small emanation is 10 feet (3 meters), an average emanation is 15 feet (4.5 meters), a large emanation is 20 feet (6 meters), and a very large burst is 25 feet (7.5 meters).
Area (Line) (+3): A very small line is only 100 feet (30 meters) per tier (minimum 50 feet). A small line is 200 feet (60 meters), an average cone is 300 feet (90 meters), a large cone is 400 feet (120 meters), and a very large cone is 500 feet (150 meters) per tier. A very small and small line is only 5-foot wide and tall. An average and large line is 10-foot wide and tall. A very large line is 15-foot wide and tall.
Range: Close range is 25 feet (7.5 meters) + 5 feet per tier (1.5 meters). Medium range is 50 feet/10 feet and Long range is 100 feet/20 feet. If the effect is a noncombat effect (no damage, healing, debuff, or forced movement) then this range increases by a multiple of 10 (1 mile/1,000 feet, 10 miles/2 miles, and 100 miles/20 miles).
EFFECTS
Effect Categories: Alteration | Control | Creation | Destruction | Perceive
ALTERATION
1 - remove nonlethal hp OR grant temporary hp
2 - heal 1 damage type: biological, mental, physical, stamina
3 - heal 2 types
4 - heal 3 types
5 - heal all 4 types
X/4 - grant a bonus to one skill
X/2 - grant a bonus to a certain category of skills (up to 8 if they're all parenthetical or up to 4 if they are not)
X - grant a bonus to all skill rolls
X - grant bonus to a certain type of attack rolls or saving throws
X*2 - grant bonus to all attack or all saving throws
X*4 - grant a bonus to all attack rolls and saving throws
CONTROL
X - Impose compulsion on a single creature X = Compelled stage
? - Impose penalties on a creature, as Alteration but in reverse
X - Shift willing creature X2 spaces
X*2 - Shift unwilling creature X2 spaces
Double - Teleport or Provoking Shove (forced movement that provokes)
CREATION
1 - create difficult terrain
1 - create turbulence
1 - create minor concealment
2 - create major concealment or minor cover
3 - create total concealment or major cover
4 - create total cover
DESTRUCTION
1 - nonlethal damage
2 - 1 damage type (must include at least one of the following effect types: acid, base, bludgeoning, cold, electricity, disease, heat, mental, piercing, poison, radiant, shadow, slashing, sonic.
+1 - add up to 2 more of the types above or 1 more damage type
MAX BONUS
When creating an ability that grants a bonus, it has a maximum possible numerical bonus based on the duration of the effect creating it and rarity of conditions in which it can be used.
Create Difficult Terrain in area
Create Soft Cover at double the normal area
Create Hard Cover at half the normal area w/ hardness = Tier + 1/2 skill mod
+1 (hardened cover) = full skill mod instead of half
Shaped Area (shape it like a wall)
+1 (shaped any way you like wall or not)
1 - Inflict condition at stage 1 on a crit for 1 round (save ends)
2 - Inflict condition at stage 1 (or 2 on a crit)
3 - crit 3, hit 1
4 - crit 3, hit 2
5 - crit 3, hit 2, miss 1
+2 - two conditions
+6 - three conditions
Duration: 1 round --> 1d4+1 rounds -- 1 minute - 10 minutes - 2 hours - 24 hours - week - month - year - decade - century - millennia - unlimited
BASIC STRUCTURE
Every spells starts with a basic structure and effect that you combine. You can then increase its tier to a maximum equal to half your level. You can buy it as is, or apply downgrades and upgrades. You must apply all downgrades before applying any upgrades and cannot reduce its tier below 1 when doing so.
SINGLE TARGET DAMAGE or HEALING: Activation 1 action | Target 1 creature or object up to size 5 | Rolls (Skill) attack vs. (Defense) | Crit Hit: Max damage + random crit effect; Hit: (2 * Tier)d4 (rare damage type), (2 * Tier)d6 (uncommon damage type), or (2 * Tier)d8 (common damage type).
MULTIPLE TARGET DAMAGE or HEALING: Activation 2 actions | Target 1 creature or object/Tier up to size 5 | Rolls (Skill) attack vs. (Defense) | Crit Hit: Max damage + random crit effect; Hit: (Tier)d4 (rare damage type), (Tier)d6 (uncommon damage type), or (Tier)d8 (common damage type).
AREA TARGET DAMAGE or HEALING: Activation 3 actions | Target All creatures and object in Emanation (Tier), Melee or Close Blast (Tier *2), or Cylinder or Line (Tier * 5) | Rolls (Skill) attack vs. (Defense) | Crit Hit: Max damage + random crit effect; Hit: (Tier)d4 (rare damage type), (Tier)d6 (uncommon damage type), or (Tier)d8 (common damage type).
AREA CONCEALMENT OR DIFFICULT TERRAIN: Activation 2 actions | Target All creatures and object in Emanation (Tier*2), Melee or Close Blast (Tier *5), or Cylinder or Line (Tier * 10) | Rolls (Skill) creates DC of terrain
AREA COVER OR OBSTACLE: Activation 2 actions | Target Emanation (Tier), Melee or Close Blast (Tier *2), or Cylinder or Line (Tier * 5) | Rolls (Skill) creates DC of obstacle
AREA CONCEALMENT AND DIFFICULT TERRAIN: Activation 2 actions | Target Emanation (Tier), Melee or Close Blast (Tier *2), or Cylinder or Line (Tier * 5) | Rolls (Skill) creates DC of obstacle
AREA COVER AND OBSTACLE: Activation 3 actions | Target Emanation (Tier), Melee or Close Blast (Tier *2), or Cylinder or Line (Tier * 5) | Rolls (Skill) creates DC of obstacle
UPGRADES AND DOWNGRADES
ADD CONDITION (+1): add a tier 1 condition on a hit (2 on a crit hit) for 1 round. Do both or decrease two sizes to add a tier 2 on a hit, and tier 3 on a crit (also deals tier 1 on a miss if it has the unavoidable type). Alternatively, you can apply two tier 1 conditions on a hit and two tier 2 conditions on a crit rather than a single tier 2 on a hit and 3 on a crit. d12 --> d10 --> d8 --> d6 --> d4 --> d2. You cannot reduce damage/healing below (Tier)d2.
DECREASE DIE SIZE (-1): Applies only to a healing or damage effect that deals at least (Tier)d4 damage. Reduce die size by one step: d12 --> d10 --> d8 --> d6 --> d4 --> d2.
INCREASE DIE AMOUNT (+3): Increase existing die by one step: (Tier)d --> (Tier*2)d --> (Tier*3).
INCREASE DIE SIZE (+1): Applies only to a healing or damage effect that deals no more than (Tier)d10 damage. Increase die size by one step: d2 --> d4 --> d6 --> d8 --> d10 --> d12.
NONLETHAL ONLY (-1): Applies only to a healing or damage effect that deals at least (Tier)d2 damage. Deals or heals only nonlethal damage.