Phoenix - spell risk

[Alex Koponen]

Hmmm...What with work and life (and two computer failures) interfering
with gaming I appear to have mislaid the write-up of the exact formula I
use to add more risk to spellcasting. That is fine, as I can give the gist
of it now and still leave some mystery for those spellcasters in the game
I am running.

    Basically if a spell is successful there is no change. If a spell is a
abysmal failure the result is likely to be bad enough anyway. If the spell
is a failure I roll a second time. If the second roll is a success then it
is simply a normal failure. If the second roll is another failure there is
a one phase stun and loss of 1 or more energy. If the second roll is an
abysmal failure there is at least a phase of stun and loss of 1d6+ energy.
    Also I do not keep the players informed of the character's EnL and
Mana. (Actually if I am feeling generous and have kept a close track of
them I may say 'you're tired' when down by 1/3rd, 'you're really run down'
when down to 1/3rd left. Those with mana sensing get to be told their Mana
and EnL). Bad or very bad things happen if they ever let either of these
get to zero. Nor do I tell them when they are getting close to their
casting ability (which drops as EnL drops). Bad things happen if the
casting ability is ever exceeded. These rules encourage a culture of risk
aversion among spell casters. Casting, and especially failing lots of
spells can be fatal.

        Alex Koponen