Arcane Symbols
Arcane Symbols is the skill which determines a character's proficiency with scrolls. Increased training will increase one's success when activating and deciphering scrolls, as well as adding to the duration of magic initiated from scrolls. In addition, certain traps (such as scarab and glyph traps) are easier to spot and/or disarm.
| Type | Square | Semi | Pure | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profession | Rogue | Warrior | Monk | Bard | Paladin | Ranger | Cleric | Empath | Savant | Sorcerer | Wizard |
| Max Ranks Per Level | 1 | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 |
| Training Point Cost | 0/7 | 0/7 | - | 0/4 | 0/5 | 0/5 | 0/2 | 0/2 | - | 0/2 | 0/1 |
Reading Scrolls
To view which spells appear on the scroll, read it. The precise amount of skill required to read each spell which appears on a scroll is unknown. Spells which have reached zero charges will no longer appear when the scroll is being read. In order to obtain a more precise reading of which spells exist on a scroll and how many charges of each remain (including spells with zero charges), a sorcerer can use the odeir'cos rune upon it.
Calculating Activation Success
- Holding the scroll in the right hand, and nothing in the left: INVOKE {spell#} to prepare a spell from a scroll.
The character's stats, skills and other relevant variables (as seen in the formula below) are factored together. This total is displayed as the "modifiers" value. A d100 roll is then added, and if the total is greater than 100, the activation is successful.
Modifiers = (Arcane Symbols Skill bonus) + (Stat Modifier) + (Magical Knowledge Bonus) + (INTUITION bonus) + (LOGIC bonus) - (Armor Penalty) - (Encumbrance Penalty) - (Spell Level × 5)
- The inherent magical hindrance of armor can also potentially cause activations to fail.
- One must be able to see the spell on the scroll by reading it in order to be able to invoke it.
Stat Modifier
Stat modifiers are determined by which spell circle the spell to be activated is in. For this table, use stat bonus and not the value of the stat itself (round down).
| Circle Number |
Spell Circle | Modifier Calculation |
|---|---|---|
| 100s | Minor Spiritual | WISDOM |
| 200s | Major Spiritual | (WISDOM÷2) |
| 300s | Cleric Base | (WISDOM÷2) |
| 400s | Minor Elemental | AURA |
| 500s | Major Elemental | (AURA÷2) |
| 600s | Ranger Base | WISDOM |
| 700s | Sorcerer Base | ([WISDOM+AURA]÷4) |
| 900s | Wizard Base | (AURA÷2) |
| 1000s | Bard Base | (LOGIC+INTUITION) † |
| 1100s | Empath Base | (WISDOM÷2) |
| 1600s | Paladin Base | (LOGIC+INTUITION) † |
| 1700s | Arcane | ([AURA+WISDOM+LOGIC]÷3) |
† Not yet confirmed.
Magical Knowledge Bonus
Whether or not the spell to be activated lies within a character's sphere of magical knowledge can enhance the possibility of success.
| Character has direct knowledge of the spell to be activated, regardless of whether or not they can cast it yet |
+60 |
| Character can learn spells from the same circle of the spell to be activated, but has not trained that rank yet |
+40 |
| Character can learn spells from the same sphere of the spell to be activated, but cannot directly train from the same circle |
+20 |
| Character has no influence in the spell's sphere | 0 |
- Warriors and rogues are not magical enough to claim influence in any sphere; they receive bonuses for both minor circles and none for all others.
- Hybridists (bards, empaths, and sorcerers) are considered aligned with multiple spheres, and receive bonuses accordingly.
- When activating magic from a hybrid circle, it is considered "within a known sphere" by characters fluent in either sphere. For example, sorcerer magic is partially elemental, therefore a wizard would receive the full +20 bonus for their affiliation with the elemental sphere.
Armor Penalty
Not being adequately trained for worn armor may penalize a character's attempt to invoke a spell. This penalty is based on the armor's Roundtime adder and the wearer's Armor Use skill. There is no armor penalty to the activation roll if the character is properly trained, or is wearing robes or light leather. The penalty for AsG 6 (full leather) and higher is 20 points per second of untrained RT adder. The formula for calculating the amount of armor use skill required to fully negate the penalty is (RT adder * 20) - 10.
For example, brigandine armor (AsG 12) has a roundtime adder of 6 seconds. To fully negate the armor penalty requires ((6 * 20) - 10) = 110 armor use skill (27 ranks). A character wearing brigandine with no armor use skill would have an activation penalty of 120 (20 points per second).
Encumbrance Penalty
Encumbrance will reduce the activation modifiers by 1 for each 1% of encumbered body weight. E.g., a halfling with a body weight of 120 lbs. and 24 lbs. of encumbered weight will have a penalty of -20 since 24 lbs. is 20% of the character's body weight.
Encumbrance penalty calculations:
- 100 * (encumbered weight / character's body weight)
Calculating Duration
Calculating the duration of magic invoked from a scroll is similar to activating magical items. Each two ranks of Arcane Symbols counts as one 'phantom rank' of the spell circle to which the magic belongs.
Duration = Base Duration + ([Arcane Symbols Skill Ranks ÷ 2] × Per Spell Rank Duration)