Arcane Symbols

Arcane Symbols is the skill which determines a character's proficiency with scrolls. Increased training will increase one's success when activating & deceiphering scrolls, and adds 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 × 2) + (Stat Modifier)
             + (Magical Knowledge Bonus) + (INTUITION bonus) + (LOGIC bonus)
             - (Spell Level × 10) - (Armor Penalty) - (Encumberance Penalty)

• Regardless of the attempt's outcome, a charge of the spell is always depleted.
• The inherent magical hinderance 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) †

† Not yet confirmed.

Magical Knowledge Bonus

Whether or not the spell to be activated lies within a character's sphere of magic can enhance the possibility of success (cumulative).

Character has direct knowledge of the spell to be activated (regardless of whether or not they can use it yet)	+20
Character can learn spells from the same circle of the spell to be activated	+20
Character can learn spells from the same sphere of the spell to be activated	+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 affluent 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

If the character is considered fully trained for the armor they are wearing, there is zero penalty. If they do not possess sufficient Armor Use ranks, there is a penalty.

Encumberance Penalty

For each additional second of RT added to a character's attack due to encumberance, they receive a +5 penalty to the activation. For instance, the RT imparted when swinging a broadsword unencumbered is 5 sec. If encumberance caused the swing to extend to 7 sec, they would receive a +10 penalty to the calculation of activation.

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)

Related Articles

• INVOKE (verb)
• Scroll
• Scroll Infusion (714)

External Links

• Official Arcane Symbols Skill