Magic in Veylantia works differently. These rules augment, update, or replace the rules presented in the Player’s Handbook.

Spells

A spell is a discrete magical effect, and those who can cast spells are called spellcasters. These people bend reality, forcing Veylantia to shape around their will. Their spells may do harm, create something from nothing, change a person’s emotions, or bring about any of a thousand other effects.

Gaining Spells

Before you can cast a spell, you must learn it, or have access to it in some means such as through the use of a Spell Book, Spell Scroll, or other magical item. Various game rules such as class features and feats give you access to new spells. Anytime a game rule directs you to learn a new spell, you can choose a spell from any of the spell lists you can access as long as it’s not Rare or Unavailable (see below).

Spell Lists

Usually, the same game rule that gives you access to new spells also grants access to one or more class Spell Lists. Whenever you learn a new spell, you can choose from any Spell List you have access to, regardless of how or when you gained access to it.

For instance, Nulk selects the Guardian feat, which grants him access to the sorcerer or wizard Spell List and allows him to learn 3 spells. He chooses the wizard Spell List and picks three wizard spells as it is the only Spell List he can access currently. Later, he chooses the Dancer of Death feat, granting him access to the cleric Spell List and also allowing him to learn an additional three spells. This time, he selects one spell from the wizard Spell List and two from the cleric Spell List as he now has access to both of these Spell Lists.

Preparing Spells, Spell Slots, and Material Components

Many core concepts presented in the Player’s Handbook are either unneeded, or handled differently in the Veylantian magic system.

Preparing Spells. You do not need to prepare spells. If a game rule requires a prepared spell, every spell you have access to is considered prepared. This includes spells you know from feats, spells you can access through magical items such as Spell Books, as well as any other spell you can cast.

Spell Slots. Your spells do not use spell slots. If a game rule changes based on the level of the spell slot, such as any spell that can be cast using a higher level spell slot, treat your spells as if they were cast using a spell slot equal to 1/2 your level (rounded up).

Material Components. Most spells in Veylantia do not have material components. If the spell you want to cast has a material component cost less than 1 gp, ignore the material components. If the cost is more than 1 gp, it takes you longer to recover the magic points used in its casting. It takes 7 days to recover the magic point for every 50 gp in the spell’s material component cost (rounded up).

Magic Points

Your spells are powered by Magic Points and you can only cast a spell if you have enough Magic Points to pay its cost. Every spell, with the exception of cantrips, costs 1 Magic Point to cast and if you don’t have any Magic Points, you cannot cast any spells (even cantrips). Certain game rules increase the Magic Point cost of spells (such as Spell Surging).

You regain all your expended Magic Points at the end of a Long Rest.

Spellcasting Ability Score

When you gain the ability to cast spells for the first time, you form a pool of Magic Points equal to 2 + your spellcasting Ability Score. The game rule that gives you the ability to cast spells also defines your spellcasting Ability Score. Often, you can choose between different Ability Scores. No matter how many you have to choose between, you always have only one spellcasting Ability Score and use the most advantageous from among those available to you.

For instance, when Nulk learned to cast spells with the Guardian feat, he could choose either Intelligence or Charisma as his spellcasting Ability Score. Later, when he chooses the Dancer of Death feat, he adds Wisdom to his choices. Nulk always uses the best of those three Ability Scores as his spellcasting Ability Score. It makes no difference what Spell List a spell comes from or if it’s a Wizard spell or Cleric spell. Nulk uses the same Ability Score for all his spells and chooses the best option from among those he can use.

Changing Ability Scores

You always calculate your Magic Point total using your spellcasting Ability Score. Just like Hit Points, if your Ability Score modifier ever changes, your Magic Points also change, increasing or decreasing by an amount equal to the change in your Ability Score modifier.

Magic Points from Multiple Sources

You may gain Magic Points from many different sources. Regardless, they all add together to form a single, shared pool of Magic Points available to you. You can cast any spell you know with Magic Points from all your different sources. This means you may learn a Cleric spell from one source, and a Wizard spell from another and both sources give you Magic Points. You can use those points however you want. On a given day, you may use all your Magic Points casting Cleric spells, or vice versa, while on another day, you may mix and match them casting some Cleric spells and some Wizard spells.

Casting in Armor

Because of the mental focus and precise gestures required for spellcasting, you must be proficient with the armor you are wearing to cast a spell. You are otherwise too distracted and physically hampered by your armor for spellcasting.

Magic Point Reserve

Your unused Magic Point total is referred to as your Magic Point Reserve. To cast a spell, you must have a Magic Point Reserve equal to the spell’s level. If you do not, you cannot cast that spell, even if you have enough magic points to pay the cost.

For instance, Breia has 15 magic points maximum, and 7 unspent points. This means her current Magic Point Reserve is 7. She can cast any spells she knows of 7th-level and below, by paying its cost. She cannot cast the 8th or 9th level spells she knows because her Magic Point Reserve is not high enough. When she casts a magic missile, expending 1 Magic Point, her reserve falls to 6. Now she can only cast 6th-level and below spells.

Cantrips

Cantrips are a special sort of spell intended to be used at will. When you cast a Cantrip, it does not require you to expend any Magic Points. However, to cast a Cantrip, your Magic Point Reserve must be 1 or higher.

Limited Magic

Spellcasters in Veylantia gain magic points slowly, and are never able to cast as many spells in a day as their traditional spellcasting counterparts. This is intentional. In Veylantia, magic is rare and few people ever come to rely on it entirely. Cantrips are also rare. Very few game rules grant access to Cantrips, especially those which deal damage. Magical powers are intended to be supplemental, and not your “go-to” option.

Rare Spells

Some spells are Rare. This means that, even though they are on a given spell list, you can only learn them if a game rule explicitly states you learn that spell.

For example, teleport is a rare 7th level spell. A game rule such as the Spellcaster Master feat, which allows you to choose any spell from your available spell lists, cannot be used to learn teleport. To learn teleport, the game rule would have to specify that you learn the teleport spell.

To determine if a spell is rare, follow this checklist:

• Does the spell allow you to summon a creature?
• Does this spell change you into a creature?
• Does the spell relocate your body to a new place without you physically moving there?
• Does the spell interact with an extra planar entity or a deity?
• Does the spell require an alternate plane of existence to function?
• Does the spell allow you to animate, speak, or summon the dead?
• Does the spell allow you to create something from nothing?

If you answered yes to any of the questions, the spell is rare.

Unavailable Spells

Some spells are simply beyond the scope of magic in Veylantia. These spells are not rare, they cannot be learned.

To determine if a spell is unavailable, follow this checklist:

• Does the spell bring the dead back to life?
• Is the spell limited wish, wish, miracle, or their equivalent?

If you answered yes to any of the questions, the spell is not available.

Spells from Other Worlds

Some spells are drawn directly from other game worlds. These are typically prefaced by a name such as Bigby, Tenser, or Tasha. You can choose these spells, but drop the proper noun in the spell’s name.

Spell Surging

Sometimes, you may want to cast a spell that you do not know, or that is beyond your current level. If you try this, you are attempting to Spell Surge.

When you Spell Surge, you can push yourself past safe boundaries in an attempt to produce the magical effect you desire. Spell Surging always requires an expenditure of Magic Points and often results in the loss of Hit Points and possibly even Wounds. You can fail to successfully cast a spell when Spell Surging. In most cases, you must still expend any Magic Points even if your spell fails.

You can only cast a spell through Spell Surging that is on one of your spell lists.

Magic Point Cost

When you Spell Surge, you expend Magic Points equal to 3 plus 1 additional Magic Point per spell level above your current maximum spell level.

Spellcasting Ability Check

Once you know the Magic Point cost, make a spellcasting Ability Check with a DC equal to 15 + the Magic Point cost of the spell. If your check succeeds, you cast the spell. If it fails, you expend the Magic Points and fail to cast the spell.

Critical Results

When you Spell Surge, you can critically succeed or fail. If you roll a natural 20 on your d20 roll, you critically succeed, and if you roll a natural 1 on your d20, you critically fail.

When you critically succeed, your Spell Surge always succeeds and its Magic Point cost is reduced to 0.

When you critically fail, your Spell Surge always fails and its Magic Point cost is doubled (which also increases the Hit Point damage and Wound damage you suffer).

Hit Point Cost

When you Spell Surge, you suffer damage equal to 1d6 Hit Points for each Magic Point expended to cast the spell. This damage cannot be reduced by any means and Hit Points lost in this fashion reduce your maximum Hit Point total by an equal amount until you complete a Long Rest.

If you fail to cast the spell (due to failing the spellcasting Ability Check), you do not suffer Hit Point damage unless your check fails by 5 or more or you critically fumble.

Wounds

If the spell you cast through Spell Surging costs 5 Magic Points or more, you suffer 1d4 Wounds + 1d4 Wounds for every 2 points over 5. These Wounds cannot be reduced by any means are are in addition to any Hit Point loss and Magic Points expended. If you die from the wounds, you are consumed by the magic of your spell.

Like Hit Point damage, if you fail to cast the spell (due to failing the spellcasting Ability Check), you do not suffer Wounds unless your check fails by 5 or more or you critically fumble.

Cannibalization

Sometimes you need to cast a spell but you have no Magic Points. You can convert Hit Points to Magic Points, cannibalizing your body to power your magic spells. Damage sustained from cannibalization cannot be reduced by any means and Hit Points lost in this fashion reduce your maximum Hit Point total by an equal amount until you complete a Long Rest.

The cost increases as you draw more Magic Points, resetting after you complete a Long Rest.

• The first bonus Magic Point costs 1d6 Hit Points.
• The second bonus Magic Point costs 2d6 Hit Points.
• The third bonus Magic Point costs 4d6 Hit Points.
• The fourth bonus Magic Point costs 8d6 Hit Points.
• The fifth bonus Magic Point costs 16d6 Hit Points.
• Etc.

Investing Magic Points

You can create enduring magical effects by Investing your Magic Points in spells or objects.

Spell Investiture

When you cast a spell with a duration measured in hours - such as mage armor, feign death, foresight, nondetection, magic aura, and protection from poison - you may choose to Invest the Magic Points expended casting the spell. If you do, the spell’s duration changes to “Permanent (until dismissed)”. You do not regain the Magic Points you Invest in the spell until the spell ends and you complete a Long Rest.

Enchant Object

You can also imbue an object with a magical effect in a few different ways. Regardless of your choice, you do not regain the Magic Points you Invest until the magic in the object is discharged and you complete a Long Rest. Enchanted objects radiate magic when subjected to spells such as detect magic.

Magic Weapon. You can use the magic weapon spell to perpetually enchant a weapon as detailed above under Spell Investiture.

Enchantment. You can Invest 1 Magic Point to cause your weapon to deal additional damage equal to your Proficiency modifier. If you target ammunition this way, you can enchant up to 20 pieces of ammunition per Magic Point.

Spell Investiture (Single Target). You can invest a weapon with an instantaneous damage spell that targets a single creature (such as harm or acid arrow). To do so, Invest a number of Magic Points equal to those needed to cast the spell +1. If you Invest a piece of ammunition (such as a crossbow bolt or arrow), the spell resolves automatically when you hit a target with the enchanted missile (or is expended harmlessly if you miss and the ammunition is destroyed). If you Invest a melee weapon, you can use a Bonus Action to trigger the spell when you successfully strike a target with your weapon.

Spell Investiture (Area Effect). You can invest a weapon with an instantaneous damage spell that targets an area (such as fireball or burning hands). To do so, Invest a number of Magic Points equal to those needed to cast the spell +1. If you Invest a piece of ammunition (such as a crossbow bolt or arrow), the spell resolves automatically when you hit a target with the enchanted missile. The point of origin for your spell is your target (or calculate the origin as you would splash damage if your attack misses). If you Invest a melee weapon, you can use a Bonus Action to trigger the spell when you successfully strike a target with your weapon, calculating the point of origin from your target’s space.

Cannibalization

You may choose to cannibalize your Constitution Ability Score rather than spending Magic Points when you Invest a spell or object. To do so, you deduct a number of points of Constitution equal to the Magic Point cost. You do not regain Constitution lost in this way until after the spell or effect ends and you complete a Long Rest. You can spend a number of Constitution points this way up to your maximum Magic Point total.