Dev Dive: Alteration Magic

[DISCLAIMER: Everything regarding unreleased projects, including the W&A Underworld Rulebook, is subject to change.]

This week, we’re taking a close look at some of the new things coming in War and Aether’s first expansion, focusing on the Underworld. Specifically, we’re going to take a look at the new magic system coming to the Underworld Rulebook, Alteration Magic! Read on to learn about the brand new, prepared-caster magic system coming to War and Aether!

[A dwarf works tirelessly creating his latest spellstone - Art generated using Adobe Firefly]

In the history of Zale, magic came to the world nearly a millennium ago in the form of “The Awakening”, which dawned the Aether across the planet. Every major civilization found their own ways to use the Aether. In the W&A Core Rulebook, Conjuration Magic is a product of the Eternals, it focuses on the control of the Aether in your own body, and utilizes dynamic movements and fluid control of your body to manipulate that Aether into powerful spells. Alteration Magic, on the other hand, is a product of the Dwarves, it focuses on the control of Aether inside objects and utilizes runic carvings on magic-retaining moonstone to manipulate that Aether into powerful spells. Through Dwarven Alteration Magic, you can expect to find a new prepared-caster magic system, and mechanics for classic fantasy systems such as enchanting.

Alteration Magic is the control of Aether through objects, in order to control and direct such forces requires the carving of runes. These runes act as symbols and funnels for the aether, moving it through an object with specific motion, in order to produce a specific effect. While Alteration Magic may be imbued into any object, most objects struggle with retaining the chaotic energies of Aether inside of them 一 thus, the dwarves turned to Moonstone (also known as Vidanian Chalk to the Eternals). Moonstone is stones that have fallen from the two moons Elama and Kolama onto Zale. Moonstone is plentiful, but heavy and largely worthless aside from an ornamental piece - but not to spellcasters, as spellcasters discovered Moonstone has the unique ability to contain and retain the chaotic forces of the aether. For Alteration Magic, this is fundamental to increasing the efficiency of spells.

Similarly to Conjuration Magic, every spell is one you will create yourself from scratch, using your character’s access to different spell components acquired across their journey. Components that will grant the spell additional range, the ability to deal damage, the ability to harm enemies, or buff your allies, and so much more. With Alteration Magic, every object has a limited number of rune slots that it can accept. While any object can be used as an improvised apparatus, most objects cannot contain the strength of aether inside of them, and are limited to how many runes they can accept before collapse. The most efficient use of an apparatus would be through a runestone.

Runestones are moonstones that have been carved to the most efficient size, shape, and proportions for carving and storing spells. While bigger and better runestones are capable of storing more rune slots for spell components, eventually there comes a limit where a bigger runestone doesn’t mean the stone can handle any additional magic. These runestones can be permanently carved with spell components, designing a spell and building it from scratch. Once the runestone has been carved, it can be charged with the caster’s Pathline of choice to imbue an element and its effects, creating a spellstone.

Once charged, the spellstone holds the charge for a number of days before the aether within fades out and makes the spellstone useless. Whether the spell inside is cast or the aether fades away, a runestone can be charged, recharged, and cast any number of times. However, charging a runestone with your aetherial energies takes time, and with every spell cast there comes the risk that the spellstone shatters and is permanently destroyed.

All of this comes together to create the new Alteration Magic system. Craft and carve your runestones with your available components — runestones of different tiers can house a greater number of rune slots for more complex and powerful spells — charge the runestones with aether and store them until needed, and cast the spellstones at a risk the spellstone shatters and is permanently destroyed. But what sets Alteration Magic apart from Conjuration Magic most of all, is the cast time. Where Conjuration spells in the Core Rulebook get progressively more powerful with the greater the cast time invested into the spell, Alteration spells all cast inside of a single action, and spell strength (while not unlimited) is most derivative from the spellstone you create. Additionally, Alteration Magic is the progenitor of Glyph Magic, used to empower Conjuration Spells - you can expect to make fully custom Glyph Spells using the new magic system!

Lastly, included in the Underworld Rulebook will be new spellcaster Advancements that require access to Alteration Magic as a prerequisite. Included in these Advancements are an Artificer who can enchant weapons and armor, a Battlemage who can deal out more powerful spellstones at reduced risk of shattering, a Constructor that can create their very own custom Construct Monsters, and a couple more that we’ll save for another time.

But most importantly, what do you think of the new magic system? Are you excited for what it brings to the table? Do you have more questions about how the system works? Let us know in the comments and we’ll keep you updated! And look forward to more Dev Dives in the future, as we go into other new systems and additions coming to the Underworld Rulebook!