4.1.1 Casting magic

Only characters with active magic talent may cast magic.

To cast magic, a character must do the following:

• Decide what magical effect he/she is seeking to achieve (e.g. the nature and power of the enchantment, its area of effect, duration, etc.). This determines the difficulty of the enchantment, and also which magical skill and characteristic will be used for the dice roll that determines whether the enchantment is successful or not.
• Decide the manner of the casting (e.g. how long the character will spend casting the magic, what situation the character is in when casting, how obvious the casting will be, etc.). This determines the modifiers that apply to the dice roll.
• Make a dice roll using the relevant characteristic and magical skill, together with the situational modifiers, against the difficulty of the desired magical effect. Remember the penalty of -1 per other continuing enchantment that the caster is having to concentrate on at the time.
• If the dice roll succeeds, the magical effect occurs as the caster intended. If not, the caster chooses whether he/she still wants the magical effect to materialise. A failed dice roll casting magic may cause the caster to become tired and possibly suffer a wound [NB wounds received in this way do not cause specific disability]. If the dice roll fails by a large amount, a different magical effect of equivalent power may occur out of control of the caster (this is known as a backfire, and the precise effects are at the referee's discretion). The detrimental effects of a failed dice roll casting magic are summarised on the following table: