Back to table of contents

Appendix E — Magic

Elemental Magic

All abilities and Feats in this section are accessible only to characters with the Elemental Initiate Feat.

Note: this is one of the more complicated magic systems in the game. You will end up having to interact with complicated mechanics frequently if you use it.

In-Universe Explanation

Elemental Magic is the art of channeling Energy to influence the Elements. It's a form of magic that is accessible to all life, and there are examples of not only animals, but also plants and the occasional species of germ capable of harnessing its power, though to a lesser extent than to humans and dragons. There are Twelve Elements, and corresponding Twelve Energies. These Elements are sorted into the Four Aspects, with three Elements within each Aspect. Each Aspect is described by one of two positions within the two Alignment Axes. These Alignment Axes are Chaotic-Orderly and Constructive-Destructive, and together indicate how the Element generally interacts with the world. The Chaotic-Orderly Axis details how the Element acts alone: Chaotic Elements are associated with change, dynamacy, and unpredictability, while stable elements are associated with permanence, staticness, and predictability. The Construction-Destruction Alignment details how the element interacts with the world: Constructing Elements create new structure, whereas destroying elements tear things down for new things to take their place. Each Element also has an Anti-Element, one of the Elements in the Aspect with opposite Alignment. In a sense, the Energies of Elements and Anti-Elements are the same, only negatives of each other.

Basic Mechanics

New Actions

You gain the following choices for Major Actions:

You gain the following choices for Minor Actions:

Casting Magic

With Elemental Magic, there is no set list of Spells. Instead, players create their own Spells based on certain rules. Since it can take some time to piece together a Spell, it's recommended that, outside of game sessions, you write down a few that you might use often, alongside their Energy Costs.

Each Elemental Spell consists of one or more Effects, and each Effect consists of three components: one or more Effects, a Duration, and a Target. Each component costs some amount of Energy. When you Cast the Spell, add up the Energy Costs for each Effect, then add the Energy Costs for each Effect to get the total Energy Cost for the Spell. Subtract that from your Energy Pool upon Casting. You may also use your own Hit Points as Energy for this purpose if you so desire, spending 2 Hit Points to act as 1 Energy.

You have an Energy Limit equal to your Spirit Score. If you cast a Spell costing more than your Energy Limit, you must make a Spirit Check with a Difficulty equal to the amount you exceeded the Limit by. If you fail the Check, you fail to Cast the Spell. Your Energy is spent regardless of the success of the Spell.

Effects

Elemental Magic can create/destroy nonliving matter, move matter, or shape matter. Certain Elements may have other Effects they're capable of. There are 12 Elements, each with their own properties and difficulties in using. Keep in mind that you can only use one type of Elemental Magic at a time unless you have a Feat allowing otherwise. For example, if you currently have Fire Energy attuned, you can only work with Fire, and not any other Element. It takes a Minor Action to switch Energy Types.

Each Spell has one or more Effects, and each Effect its own Duration and Target. Since Effects are a lot more complicated than the other Components due to differences between Elements, their usage is described in another section, The Twelve Elements.

Duration

This is how long an Effect lasts. When Effects end, they usually either stop imposing a force on the subject, or the subject returns to its natural pre-Effect state, depending on the exact context of the Effect and the GM's decision.

Pick one of the following Durations per each Effect:

Targets

A Target specifies where an Effect hits. There are two main categories of Target: Internal and External. External Targets target empty space or nonliving matter, whereas Internal Targets target living things. Any Effect that has a direct effect on a soul or on a living body, can only be used with Internal Targeting. If you attempt to hit a character using External Targeting (by moving something into their space, such as by launching a fireball), they may attempt to nullify the effect against them by making an appropriate Save contested against a Spirit Check by the Caster. Damage Checks against Internal Targets are made with Adjustment +3.

There are also Melee and Ranged Targets. Melee Targets must be within the Caster's normal Melee Range. Ranged Targets must be within a number of meters equal to twice the Caster's Spirit Score.

Pick one or more of the following Targets per each Effect

The Twelve Elements

The following is a list of all the Elements in ZT, organized by Alignment. Each Element's section begins with a brief description of what that element covers, as well as what its Anti-Element is. Below that information are the Elements' available Effects, which you can choose from when choosing the Effects for a Spell using that Element.

An Effect can be Instantaneous, Continuous, or Repeated. Instantaneous Effects occur only when the Spell starts (such as a loud bang, or an attack), Continuous Effects occur while the Spell is active (such as a light, or a region where speed is reduced), and Repeated Effects occur at the end of each of the Caster's Turns (such as repeated damage). Each Effect listed here will have "I", "C", and/or "R" (for "Instantaneous", "Continuous", and "Repeated", respectively) in brackets to show which types that Effect can be used as. Instantaneous Effects can only be used with Instantaneous Durations, while the other two types can be used only with the other two Durations.

Elemental Matter Unit (EMU)

Many Effects scale by the amount of matter targeted. Here, a unit of ⅛ cubic meters (i.e., a cube with a side-length of half a meter) is used for its more practical size. When only 2D space matters, such as for targeting an area of a battlefield, the unit is instead 1 square meter (i.e., 1 space). Both of these units will be referred to as an Elemental Matter Unit (EMU) in this section.

Common Effects

While most Elements have unique Effects to choose from, there are some Effects available to most Elements, only at different Energy Costs. Note that if one of these common Effects is not listed under an Element, the Effect cannot do that particular thing with that Element. To avoid listing those repeatedly, here are the common Effects:

  Rough Defined Complex Intricate
Trivial 0 1 2 4
Easy 1 2 4 8
Moderate 2 4 8 15
Hard 4 8 15 30

Chaotic-Constructing Elements

Life/Protection

Anti-Element: Death

Life is the element which souls are made of. They are what allow creatures to resist magical effects as well as physical decay.

Light

Anti-Element: Darkness

In addition to visible light, Light includes the entire spectrum. Also note that Light magic can't make things darker, Darkness is a separate Element.

Air

Anti-Element: Water

Air is the element of gasses and the sky. This does not include clouds, which are water.

Chaotic-Destroying Elements

Fire

Anti-Element: Earth

Fire magic covers things such as flame and heat. When making flames, remember that fire spreads: you probably don't need much Energy to create a blaze unless you're low on time or fuel. Fire spreads and deals damage on its own, without input from the Caster.

Lightning/Electricity

Anti-Element: Magnetism

Lightning is the element of the lightning that strikes from the sky as well as the electricity we use to power much technology.

Time

Anti-Element: Space

Time is a complex element. It is a dimension rather than a physical thing. Because of this, its effects are very different from most other elements.

Stable-Destroying Elements

Death/Decay

Anti-Element: Life

Death is the element of decay. While Life keeps living things from falling prey to the elements, death slowly destroys life. Elemental Death is found in all mortal beings.

Darkness

Anti-Element: Light

Darkness is a strange one. While in our world it's the absence of light, in ZT there is a physical darkness that cancels out light.

Water

Anti-Element: Air

Water is the element of the seas and rivers, as well as things such as water, ice, rain, and clouds.

Stable-Constructing Elements

Earth

Anti-Element: Fire

Earth is the magic of stone, dirt, metal, and dead plant material.

Magnetism

Anti-Element: Lightning

Magnet magic can be used to manipulate magnetic fields. It can move some metals like Earth magic can, but the magnetic can fields persist after the spell ends, making it slightly better for moving those metals.

Space

Anti-Element: Time

Space is a complex element. It is a dimension rather than a physical thing. Because of this, its effects are very different from most other elements.

Feats

Counterspell

3 Skill Points

You are quick in the art of Casting. When a Spell is Cast, you may use a Major Reaction to use the Cast Magic Action. The Spell you Cast can be used to perform such actions as deflecting an enemy's attack. Alternatively, you may expend your own Energy to add on to the Cost of the Spell. Note that doing so is still subject to your Energy Limit.

Master of Destruction

3 Skill Points

You can exert your soul to push more power into your destroying Energy. When Casting using an Element with a Destroying Alignment, you can convert 1 Hit Point into 1 Energy, instead of the usual 2 Hit Points for 1 Energy.

Master of Duality

1 Skill Points

You have a deep understanding of the relationship of Elements and Anti-Elements. Whenever Aligned with an Element, you are also Aligned with its Anti-Element, allowing you to Cast Dual-Element Spells.

Master of All Elements

2 Skill Points, requires Master of Duality

You have furthered your understanding of the relationship between Elements, and have learned how to Align your Soul with all Elements simultaneously. You may ignore Element Alignment requirements, and cast pan-elemental spells.

Spell Concentration

1 Skill Point

You can Focus on multiple Spells at once. When you take the Maintain Spell Action, you may Maintain 2 Effects rather than the usual 1.

Potion Brewing

All abilities and Feats in this section are accessible only to characters with the Potion Brewer Feat.

Note: this magic system puts extra responsibilities on the GM. Only take the Potion Brewing Feat with permission from your GM.

In-Universe Explanation

Potion Brewing is the art of combining various ingredients to produce magical effects for those who drink it. Certain plants are known for their value in creating simple potions, but more complex potions require increasingly rarer ingredients and greater skill.

Basic Mechanics

Potion brewing starts with a pot of water over fire. Adding specific ingredients will create specific potions, and adding more ingredients to those potions will alter the effects. Potion brewing will also take several hours and require either a Knowledge or Logic Check.

Each brewing creates one dose of a Potion by default, and drinking that dose will grant the drinker the effects as stated. If the drinker doesn't want the effect, they can make a Resilience Check with a Difficulty decided by the GM to nullify the effects.

Instead of having a predefined potion tree, a minimal tree is provided. This minimal tree will be the same between all ZT games, but beyond there can end up wildly different. What makes a fire-breathing potion in one world might make a poison in another. The mechanics of this will be explained below, but first, the standard tree:

Potion Base Ingredients Brewing Time Difficulty Effect
Thick Base Water Potioneer's Wax 30 minutes 1 N/A
Athletics Thick Base Bamboo Stalk 15 minutes 3 Grants a +1 Adjustment to Athletics Checks for 10 minutes
Strength Thick Base Willow Bark 30 minutes 3 Grants a +1 Adjustment to Strength Checks for 10 minutes
Resilience Thick Base Sage Root 1 hour 2 Grants a +1 Adjustment to Resilience Checks for 10 minutes
Thin Base Water Potioneer's Herb 30 minutes 1 N/A
Dexterity Thin Base Sunflower Seed 30 minutes 3 Grants a +1 Adjustment to Dexterity Checks for 10 minutes
Health Thin Base Willow Bark 30 minutes 3 Restores 1d6 HP
Energy Thin Base Rose Petals 30 minutes 4 Restores 1d6 Energy

Brewing a Known Potion

All potions in the diagram above are considered Known Potions, as well as any Potions the character has either made before, or has a recipe for. All Known Potions are organized into a tree as shown in the diagram. Starting either from water, or from a Potion the character has, follow the tree down to the desired Potion, summing all ingredients, times, and Difficulties. These will become the required components of the desired potion. For example, to brew a Resilience Potion, a character will use Potioneer's Wax and Sage Root, the potion will take an hour and a half to brew, and the player must make a Difficulty 5 Knowledge Check. However, if the character already has Thick Potion, they can make Resilience Potion using only Sage Root, an hour of brewing, and a Difficulty 4 Knowledge Check.

Discovering New Potions

Starting from a Potion the character has (water counts as a Potion for this purpose), the character can add a new ingredient to that Potion and start it on the fire. The GM is free to decide the brewing duration, Difficulty, and the effect of the resulting potion, which are each used as they would be in brewing a Known Potion. When choosing duration and Difficulty, remember that they're in reference to brewing it from an existing Potion, not from water, so go with lower numbers. For effects, keep the effect related to the previous effect: you can change the potency, duration, negate the effect, or simply go with something that has a similar "vibe", it's up to the GM.

If successful, the character will know when the duration has passed, as the Potion will visibly change, however, they won't know what effect it will have until after they drink it. Once a New Potion is successfully made, it is added to the tree of Known Potions, under the Potion that was used to brew it, noting the ingredient, duration, and Difficulty, and effect. It is the GM's responsibility to keep this list.

Failed Potion

If the character fails a check to make a Potion, they end up with a Failed Potion. While most Failed Potions simply have no effect upon consumption, they can have any effect whatsoever, usually related to the intended effect. It's the GM's choice what a Failed Potion does, and there is no expectation for the Failed Potion effects to be predictable nor consistent.

Feats

Multiple Dose Batch

1 Skill Point

You're skilled at managing large batches of Potion. When Brewing, you may brew multiple doses at once by multiplying the required ingredients by the same amount (i.e., 3 doses takes 3 of each ingredient). The brewing time and Difficulty are unaffected.

Potioneer's Intuition

2 Skill Points

You've learned some of the underlying mechanics of how ingredients interact. You may make Logic Checks to determine what effect a particular ingredient would have on a Potion, or what ingredients might get you closer to a desired effect. The GM should provide you with information accurate and detailed enough for the total that was rolled.

Shape-Shifting

All abilities and Feats in this section are accessible only to characters with the Shape-Shifting Feat.

Note: this magic system utilizes making temporary changes to a character's stats. Make sure to keep track of your non-shifted stats separately!

In-Universe Explanation

A spirit naturally protects its body and resists outside influence. However, some have learned to "convince" their spirit that their body needs to be "corrected" to a different form. With the help of elemental energy, their bodies can be reshaped into these other forms.

Basic Mechanics

The basic building block of shape-shifting mechanically is the Temporary Skill Point (TSP). These can be spent on Abilities, and later Feats, with restrictions. After a specified length of time, TSPs are lost and all stats modified using them are reverted to normal.

Gaining these TSPs requires the use of Energy. You have an Energy Limit equal to your Spirit Score. You can spend Energy up to your Energy Limit on a single Action with no Check. Spending more Energy requires a Spirit Check with Difficulty equal to the amount by which your Energy Limit was exceeded.

New Actions

You gain the following choices for Major Actions:

You gain the following choices for Minor Actions:

Feats

Reformation

2 Skill Points

Make the following changes to the Augment Action:

Mind is Matter

2 Skill Points, requires Reformation Feat

You have gained the ability to reform your mind to match your new forms.

Make the following changes to the Augment Action:

Feats Organized by Category

Body

Mind