Orgone: Spell Points & Mana

Orgone

Formally, in the study of magic, the term for all the assorted kinds of power derived from their Affinities is Orgone. Each Affinity is unique, each is a different expression of The Pale as it interacts with the Prime. We use mana as the term for all of them out of custom and habit, as the study was conducted chiefly by Wizards in their Akadian Towers, and so they tended to favor their own form over the others.

Mana is specifically the form of Arcane orgone. Mana is drawn from The Pale directly into the sigil as it is crafted within the mind. Arcane magic is a specialty of Akadia and is the best-known form. All others are influenced by the history of this, and the terms used often reflect this.

Divine orgone is called Mantra. Granted from On High by the Powers That Be.

Élan is the form of Eldritch orgone, raw and instilled within the host, refilled over time. Some are famous for their very peculiar ways of using it.

Mojo is specifically the form of Mystical orgone. Mojo is the energy within one, replenished and fed by unique interactions of the Prime and the Pale to provide an inner power. You will often hear Bards muttering about how to get their mojo back after a bad performance.

Cie is the form of Primal orgone, pulled from within and without, the world and the self, blended and merged. Many folks will focus their Cie to achieve impressive feats.

Ritual orgone is called Penumbra, and is built up slowly, like breathing, like the wind, like the air itself, drawn in until it finally exhales into the sigil. It is not to be confused with the miasmatics that empower certain constructs, though it is deeply similar.

Within the Primae, the power of magic is called Mana, and mana is what gives a Mage their power. Mana is like an energy field, present within all things, living or not, everywhere, in everything. It surrounds us, and penetrates us; it binds us, and flows between us. It is energy – drawn from the Pale itself, from the world around them, from within them, from the dedication and devotion to some task or in service to others.

Mana is represented in game by Spell Points. For those from other worlds, Mana is much like MP for the character. This is not the Magic Points or Spell Points you may have encountered previously – there is no spell slot system here. But you can run out of mana; you can use it up in excitement or desperation and then must wait to restore it. You can see why we just call it Mana, or Spell Points.

Spell Points

Wyrlde uses a spell point system for magic. Spell points are usually called Mana and each person has some of them, regardless of their other ability to use magic.

Base Mana is determined by your Mana score, rolled when you create a character. Base mana is a key number for rituals and recovering the ability to add to it, and the Axiom of a character determines how well they are able to hold and store that mana within them over time.

Those born with magic gain the gift of holding it and can hold and control more mana than most people, and this is part of what enables them to grasp Caligulan, even before they have begun to store enough of it.

Those classes which use magic focus to some degree and for differing reasons on building up the capacity to hold and regain mana. Mana comes from different places according to one’s Affinity, but the use and storage of it is built up according to one’s Axiom.

Spell Points Table

Axiom impacts the number of spell points a character is able to build up and store within them, and this level increases with experience, knowledge, and mastery. Those who have studied deeply, known as Disciples, are able to grasp the unique nature of mana and so build the capacity to retain it. Servants build up their capacity by their relationship with their power. Sensates are primarily self-taught, sometimes with a bit of help, but mostly through individual trial and error. The difference is notable.

Each spell has a point cost based on its spell level. Cantrips do require a spell point. All magic spells do. This may include class features and special abilities – though not all do. It does include magic spells used by monsters and NPCs – this is the way that magic works in the world.

Spell Points by Axiom

Sharing Mana

Most people can share mana on a successful constitution roll, even Nulls, but some people are cursed and unable to share mana. If the subject is willing otherwise, sharing is possible.

Mana can be stolen from another though the use of Infernal, Fell, Abyssal, Nether, Shadow, Necrotic and related devices, but not otherwise.

A Mage’s Axiom determines the amount of mana they can gather and hold to empower spells. Most people truly have little mana – even if they don’t have the ability to use magic – and never learn to embrace or manipulate it. Mages can sense that mana within themselves, manipulate it, to use it and play with it and fashion it into things.

There is a limit to how much power a person can contain, how much mana they can hold, and mana is slow to restore. Additionally, there is a limit to the number of spells per day of each level that a person can truly memorize, and it is a skill that requires constant attention and development.

Another way of looking at it is that you expend spell points to cast a spell and the greater the spell’s level, the higher the cost. Some have noticed this means that some mages are much more underpowered than is expected in other locales beyond the greater planes. The flip side is that here you can memorize a spell once each day and use it as long and as many times as you have the mana for it until you fall asleep.

When casting a spell, your Mana Modifier is used with the particular ability score that is linked to your affinity for the purposes of rolls involving magic.

Mana Recovery

You regain mana at a rate of your base Mana every hour of a full rest, long or short. Spell points are a physically dependent characteristic, inherent in the body of the caster. No body, no spell points, no spells. You can always fully recover your maximum mana with three long rests, if you don’t use any in the interim.

Using Mana

The number of spell points (Mana) you must spend on various feats and spells is based on your level as a spellcaster (mastery). More on that in a bit, in Casting Spells.

Your profession level, or Mastery, also determines the maximum level spell – based on complexity of the spell –you can learn and so the maximum level spell you can cast. Different axioms also have variable limits to the number of spells you can hold within your head.

Even though you might have enough points to cast a spell above this maximum, you cannot do so simply because you don’t have the capability yet – training and experience help you to develop this ability, enabling greater control and mastery over the complex sigils involved.

You cannot reduce your spell point total to less than 0. On reaching zero spell points, you collapse, unconscious, as there is a physical toll to running out of Mana.

A Mage who uses spells regularly typically only has a limited ability to hold these complex things within themselves. As they progress in skill, mastery, and knowledge, they gain a greater grasp of the glyphs, more control over the magrams, and fuller power over the ciphers that they must hold within themselves as sigils.

Mana Exhaustion

Anytime you use a number of points of mana equal to your level of mastery plus five points in casting a single spell, either through the base cost or through additional mana you pump into the spell to increase its effect and power, you are struck by a point of Fatigue.

Six points of fatigue mean you are into Exhausted territory, and at that point, every 5 points of mana used adds another level of exhaustion. 10 points of fatigue and you are unconscious, and must recuperate, which is never fun and let me tell you it can be extremely displeasing to have completely drained yourself for the sake of others only for them to leave you with a rock for a pillow and traipse off ahead.

An exhausted mage cannot defend themselves, cannot move, and cannot recover until they have completed at least a short rest. In some cases, it could kill you to run out of mana.

Spell Point Cost

The Spell Point Cost table summarizes the cost in spell points of spells from 1st to 9th level. Spells of 6th level and higher are particularly taxing to cast. The mana cost per spell is based on Spell Level, or Complexity.

This cost is regardless of the spell list, the Axiom, or the Affinity of the caster. Skill, knowledge, and efficiency in control are all what determine the ability of someone to manipulate the energy around them. There are things and ways to influence this.

Storing Mana

A lot of this means that people will often be concerned about finding ways to store mana and to be able to use that supply as needed. There are some philters that can help replenish some mana, but they are only able to double your recovery speed, and useless in an emergency. Sometimes you just need a bit of extra juice, y’know?

Those items are very rare, but they do exist, and they do not require magic to create them. They are fashioned from a blue tinted metallic material called Orikal. Although it requires using mana to do it, one can store mana in an Orikal object, to an amount determined by the object based on several factors including amount and purity. For some, this is the only way they can truly access their mana.