Magic
The complete magic system — how spells work as skills, mana levels, the energy economy, ritual casting, spell classes, ceremonial magic, and how to build a wizard who can actually survive a dungeon.
Magic Glossary
Magic has its own vocabulary. These terms appear throughout the rules — understand them before anything else.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Mage | Anyone with the Magery advantage. Mages can learn and cast spells in all mana environments. |
| Wizard | Any user of magic, whether mage or not. In high-mana worlds, even non-mages may cast some spells. |
| Spell | A skill that produces a specific magical effect when used successfully. Each spell is a separate IQ-based skill. |
| Caster | The person casting the spell. |
| Subject | The person, place, or object on which a spell is cast. |
| Mana | The ambient magical energy of the environment. Mana level determines whether magic works at all. |
| Energy | The cost to cast a spell, paid in FP (or optionally HP). |
| Base skill | Your unmodified skill with a spell — the number on your sheet. |
| Effective skill | Base skill plus all modifiers (range, mana level, distraction, etc.). You roll against effective skill. |
| College | A group of spells related by subject matter (Fire, Healing, Mind Control, etc.). |
| Class | How a spell works mechanically — Regular, Area, Melee, Missile, Blocking, Information, or Resisted. |
| Maintain | To extend a spell beyond its normal duration by paying ongoing energy. |
| Backfire | A critical failure when casting. The spell fails spectacularly — often harming the caster. |
| Grimoire | Your personal list of known spells with their skill levels, costs, and durations. |
| Prerequisite | A spell (or attribute/advantage) you must have at least 1 point in before learning a more advanced spell. |
Learning Magic
Each magic spell is a separate skill, learned exactly like any other skill. Most spells are IQ/Hard; a few especially potent ones are IQ/Very Hard. Spells have no default — you can only cast spells you have put points into.
When buying spell skills, add your Magery level to IQ. A character with IQ 12 and Magery 3 buys all spells as if they had IQ 15 — meaning 1 character point buys them to skill 12, and 2 points gets skill 13. This is the core economic advantage of Magery.
Magery also reduces the time required to learn spells (not the point cost) by 10% per Magery level, minimum 60% of normal time at Magery 4.
Who Can Learn Spells?
Almost anyone can learn most spells. However, in Normal Mana environments — the default for most fantasy settings — only mages (characters with Magery) can actually cast the spells they know. Non-mages can still learn spells and use them in High Mana or Very High Mana areas.
Some spells specify a minimum Magery level as a prerequisite. A spell requiring Magery 2 cannot be learned at all without at least Magery 2.
Prerequisites
Most spells beyond the most basic require one or more prerequisites. A prerequisite is usually another spell — you must have at least 1 character point in the prerequisite before you may study the advanced spell. Prerequisites chain: to get a powerful spell, you often need to work backward through several linked spells.
Other prerequisites include a minimum Magery level, a minimum attribute score, or occasionally a mundane skill or advantage.
To build toward a specific spell you want, read its prerequisites, then check each of those for their own prerequisites, and trace backward to the "root" spells that require nothing. Buy those first. GURPS Magic's online spell charts make this easier for large spell trees.
In D&D, spells are often separate from skills and limited by spell slots. In GURPS, every spell is a skill — you learn it with character points, improve it with more points, and your skill level determines cost, speed, and reliability. No spell slots; instead, you manage Fatigue Points.
Aldric Vane has IQ 14 and Magery 3. He buys all spells at effective IQ 17. With 1 point in an IQ/Hard spell, he starts at skill 14. With 4 points he reaches skill 17 — the "free cast" threshold where FP cost drops.
Mana Levels
Mana is the ambient magical energy of the environment. The GM sets the mana level of the game world — or of specific areas within it. Magic only works if the mana level permits it.
| Mana Level | Who Can Cast | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Very High Mana | Anyone who knows a spell | Mages recover FP spent casting at the start of their next turn. All failures are critical failures — spectacular disasters are common. Extremely rare in most settings. |
| High Mana | Anyone who knows a spell | No modifier. Non-mages can cast spells they know. Rare in most worlds. |
| Normal Mana | Mages only | No modifier. The default for most fantasy settings. Non-mages cannot cast spells even if they know them. |
| Low Mana | Mages only | All spells suffer −5 to effective skill for all purposes. Critical failures have mild effects or no effect. |
| No Mana | Nobody | No magic works at all. Magic items lose their powers (but regain them when taken to an area with mana). |
The −5 in Low Mana applies only when checking for effective skill — not to ritual simplification, which is based on base skill. The exception: the −5 for low mana is allowed to reduce the cost threshold for high-skill energy reduction (see §05).
Casting Spells
To cast a spell, take Concentrate maneuvers for the spell's time to cast. At the end of the final turn of concentration, make a success roll against your effective skill. Roll 3d6 and compare to effective skill.
Outcomes
- Critical success — Spell works especially well (GM's discretion). No energy cost.
- Success — Spell works. Pay the full energy cost in FP (or HP).
- Failure — Spell fizzles. Lose 1 FP. (Exception: Information spells always cost full energy even on failure.)
- Critical failure — Spell backfires. Pay full energy cost and suffer a bad outcome — roll on the Critical Spell Failure Table or the GM improvises.
Distraction & Injury While Concentrating
If you are attacked, knocked back, grappled, or otherwise distracted while concentrating, make a Will roll at −3 to continue casting. On a failure, the spell is ruined and you must start over. If you are stunned, the spell fails automatically.
If you are injured but succeed on the Will roll, you may still cast — but any shock penalty from the injury applies to your effective skill.
Aldric has Fireball at skill 16. An arrow hits him for 4 injury just as he finishes concentrating. He takes a shock penalty of −4, dropping his effective skill to 12. He makes his Will−3 (Will 13, so rolls against 10) to continue. He makes the roll — and his Fireball launches at effective skill 12. He rolls 11 — success. The spell fires and he pays the FP cost.
Roll 3d on a backfire:
3 — Caster takes 1d injury.
4 — Spell hits caster (if harmful) or random foe (if beneficial).
5–6 — Hits a companion.
7 — Hits wrong target (GM chooses).
8 — Fail, caster takes 1 injury.
9 — Fail, caster stunned.
10–11 — Loud noise / bright flash only.
12 — Weak shadow of intended effect.
13 — Reverse of intended effect.
14 — Illusion of success (GM deceives).
15–16 — Reverse on wrong target.
17 — Caster forgets the spell temporarily (IQ roll weekly).
18 — Hostile entity appears and attacks.
Energy Cost & High Skill
Every spell has an energy cost. On success you pay this in FP. You recover lost FP by resting (typically 1 FP per 10 minutes of rest).
Burning HP Instead of FP
You may pay any or all of a spell's cost in HP instead of FP. This is dangerous: you take −1 to your spell roll per HP spent (this replaces the shock penalty, and High Pain Threshold does not help). You may burn HP until you fall unconscious, but you never actually die from it — you collapse first.
Skill Reduces Energy Cost
The better you know a spell, the less energy it costs. These reductions are based on base skill (only the −5 for Low Mana applies here). Calculate the full cost first, then subtract:
| Base Skill | Cost Reduction | What This Means |
|---|---|---|
| 1–14 | None | Pay full listed cost |
| 15–19 | −1 energy | Simple spells (cost 1) become free to cast |
| 20–24 | −2 energy | Most basic spells cost nothing |
| 25–29 | −3 energy | Many utility spells become free |
| 30+ | −4 (and +1 per 5 levels beyond 25) | Master-level reduction |
Reaching skill 15 in a spell is the most impactful investment a wizard can make. A spell with a base cost of 1 can be maintained indefinitely at no FP cost. This is why experienced GURPS wizards focus on depth (high skill in a few spells) rather than breadth.
Aldric has the Light spell at base skill 16 (IQ 14 + Magery 3 − 1 for 2 pts spent). The spell costs 1 FP to cast and 1 FP to maintain per minute. At skill 15+, cost is reduced by 1. So: cast cost = 1 − 1 = 0, maintain cost = 1 − 1 = 0. He lights his way through a dungeon all day without spending a single FP.
Magic Rituals
To cast a spell you must perform a ritual — specific gestures and words. The higher your base skill, the less demanding the ritual becomes. If you cannot perform the required ritual (gagged, hands bound, silenced), you cannot cast the spell.
Ritual requirements and time/cost reductions are based on base skill only — not effective skill. The sole exception is the −5 for Low Mana.
Certain spells have specific ritual requirements that ignore these rules. Blocking spells never get a cost reduction for high skill. Missile spells always take exactly 1 second to cast regardless of skill. Read individual spell descriptions carefully.
Duration & Maintaining Spells
Some spells are instantaneous — they take effect and end immediately (healing, damage). Others have a duration (e.g., 1 minute) and then end — unless you maintain them.
Maintaining a Spell
When a spell with duration reaches the end of its duration, you may pay its maintenance cost to extend it for another interval equal to the original duration. This takes no time and requires no skill roll. Distance to the subject doesn't matter.
You cannot maintain a spell while asleep. You cannot hand a spell off to someone else to maintain for you.
The same skill-level energy reduction applies to maintenance cost. If the maintenance cost drops to zero, you can maintain the spell indefinitely for free.
Canceling a Spell Early
You can specify a shorter duration when casting. If you decide mid-duration to end a spell early, pay 1 energy point (from FP or HP) to cancel it — regardless of the spell or your skill.
Concentration & Maintaining
Most maintained spells require no ongoing concentration. A few require the Concentrate maneuver while active (e.g., maneuvering a levitated object). If distracted while actively concentrating on a maintenance, make a Will roll at −3; on failure, the spell doesn't end but freezes in its current state until you can concentrate again. On a critical failure, the spell ends.
Light Aldric can keep a torch-level light running all day at zero FP expenditure — and cancel it instantly by paying 1 FP if he needs darkness in a hurry.
Casting While Maintaining Other Spells
You can only cast one new spell at a time, but you can cast new spells while older ones are still active. Apply these penalties to the new spell's effective skill:
- −3 per spell you are actively concentrating on at this moment.
- −1 per spell that is "on" but not requiring concentration. Spells with permanent duration do not penalize.
Aldric has Haste running (no concentration, 1 active spell = −1) and is concentrating on See Invisible (requires concentration = −3). He wants to also cast Shield. His effective skill suffers −3 − 1 = −4 to the Shield casting roll. At base 16, he'd roll against 12 — risky, but doable.
Maintaining multiple concentration spells while casting compounds rapidly. A wizard trying to maintain three concentration spells while casting a fourth faces −9 to effective skill. This is how mages die.
Spell Classes
Each spell falls into one or more classes that determine how it works mechanically. Knowing the class tells you the range rules, what rolls are needed, and how defenses interact.
Regular Spells
The most common class. A Regular spell affects one subject. Key rules:
- Range penalty: −1 per yard to the subject if you can see but not touch them. −5 additional if you cannot see or touch them.
- Size cost: Subjects larger than human-sized (Size Modifier > 0) cost more. Multiply cost by 1 + SM: SM+1 costs ×2, SM+2 costs ×3, etc.
- No barriers: Physical barriers do not block a Regular spell (unless it backfires).
Area Spells
Area spells affect a circular region. They are cast on a surface (floor, ground) and the effects extend 4 yards up. Cost = base cost × radius in yards (minimum 1 yard). The roll difficulty does not change with radius — only the FP cost does.
Darkness has a base cost of 3/yard radius. To fill a 3-yard radius circle: 3 × 3 = 9 FP to cast. The formula is always: base cost × desired radius. A base cost of ½ means you must spend at least 1 FP regardless.
Melee Spells
A Melee spell charges your hand or magic staff with harmful energy. Two rolls required:
- Spell roll to cast (no distance modifier — you cast on yourself).
- Attack roll (DX or unarmed skill / staff skill) to hit.
On a success at casting, your hand or staff is "charged." On the next turn you must either hold it or attack. You cannot cast another spell while holding a Melee spell. A parry does not discharge the spell — only an attack does. If your target successfully defends, the spell remains charged and you may try again next turn.
Missile Spells
A Missile spell summons a magical projectile in your hand. Two rolls required:
- Spell roll (1 second concentrate) — on success, invest 1 to Magery-level FP into the missile.
- Innate Attack roll to hit the target when launched.
You may hold the missile (up to 3 turns of buildup, adding energy each turn). Once launched, physical barriers affect it normally. Your target may block or dodge — but not parry. Most Missile spells deal 1d per energy point invested. DR protects normally.
If injured while holding a missile, make a Will roll or the missile immediately affects you.
Blocking Spells
A Blocking spell is cast instantly as a defense — it is your magical equivalent of a block, parry, or dodge. Rules:
- Only one per turn, no matter how skilled you are.
- Cannot block a critical hit.
- Automatically ruins any spell you were concentrating on (just as if you failed the Will roll).
- No energy cost reduction for high skill — always pay full cost.
Information Spells
Information spells reveal knowledge. The GM rolls in secret:
- Success: GM provides accurate information. Better margin = better detail.
- Failure: GM says "you sense nothing."
- Critical failure: GM lies to you — providing false information convincingly.
- Always pay full energy cost, regardless of outcome.
- Usually limited to one attempt per caster per day.
Resisted Spells
A Resisted spell must overcome the subject's natural resistance. Any class of spell can also be Resisted. Resolution:
- Spell only works automatically on a critical success.
- On a regular success, enter a Quick Contest: your casting roll margin vs. the subject's resistance roll (usually HT or Will).
- Subject's Magic Resistance (if any) penalizes your casting roll and adds to their resistance roll.
- If the subject wins or ties, spell fails — but you still pay full cost.
| Class | Rolls Required | Range | Target Defends? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 1 (spell) | −1/yard | No active defense |
| Area | 1 (spell) | −1/yard to nearest edge | Retreat possible; Resist if Resisted |
| Melee | 2 (spell + attack) | Touch / Staff reach | Yes — all active defenses |
| Missile | 2 (spell + Innate Attack) | Ranged (normal penalties) | Block or Dodge only, no Parry |
| Blocking | 1 (spell, as defense) | Self | This IS a defense |
| Information | GM rolls secretly | Varies (long-distance modifiers) | No |
| Resisted | Spell + Quick Contest | Per spell type | Resistance roll |
Ceremonial Magic
Ceremonial magic lets a wizard with skill 15+ draw on the energy of willing assistants to cast a spell that would otherwise cost too much FP to manage alone. The tradeoff: casting time is multiplied by 10.
How Assistants Contribute
| Assistant Type | Max FP Contribution |
|---|---|
| Mage who knows the spell at skill 15+ | As much as they wish |
| Mage who knows the spell at skill 14 or below | Up to 3 FP |
| Non-mage who knows the spell at skill 15+ | Up to 3 FP |
| Unskilled spectator (chanting, candles, etc.) | 1 FP each, max 100 from all spectators |
| Opposing spectator | −5 FP to the pool, max −100 total |
Skill Bonus from Extra Energy
Sum all contributed energy. If this exceeds the casting cost, you receive a bonus to your skill roll:
| Extra Energy (above cost) | Skill Bonus |
|---|---|
| 20% extra | +1 |
| 40% extra | +2 |
| 60% extra | +3 |
| 100% extra | +4 |
| Each additional 100% beyond | +1 more |
High skill does not reduce casting time or energy cost in ceremonial magic. A roll of 16 is always a failure; 17–18 is always a critical failure regardless of effective skill. Once cast, participants can continue providing energy to maintain the spell — making ceremonial magic a way to maintain spells indefinitely.
Ceremonial magic is best for high-cost spells that would exhaust a solo mage — like large Summon spells, powerful Enchantment work, or maintaining a Ward on a building indefinitely. In combat or dungeon exploration, the ×10 time cost usually makes it impractical.
Alternative Magic Systems
The standard magic system is not the only option. Two variants are built into the Basic Set for different flavors of fantasy magic.
Clerical Magic
For priests granted divine power, replace Magery with Power Investiture and replace mana with sanctity. Sanctity levels mirror mana levels (no sanctity = temple of an opposed deity; very high sanctity = in the god's presence).
- Clerics have Power Investiture instead of Magery.
- Clerical spells have no prerequisites — a priest acquires a new spell by praying for it, provided they have a point to spend.
- Priests can only learn spells their god offers (GM decides).
- The god may alter or suspend magical powers for reasons the priest may not understand.
Ritual Magic
In this variant, magic depends on a single core skill (typically Ritual Magic or Thaumatology) rather than individual spell skills. Each college is an IQ/Very Hard "college skill" that defaults to the core skill at −6.
- Ritual mages can cast spells at default — no need to buy each spell individually.
- Each spell is a Hard technique defaulting to the college skill, with −1 per layer of prerequisites.
- Spells cannot exceed the college skill level.
- Magery still adds to core skill, college skills, and spells.
Unless your GM specifies otherwise, assume the standard system (individual spell skills + Magery). Ask your GM before building a character around Clerical or Ritual Magic — these require campaign-level agreement.
Building a Wizard
Magic is expensive to build well. Every spell is a separate point investment, and Magery itself costs points. Here's how the math looks for our three characters — and why only Aldric bothers.
Aldric buys all spells at effective IQ 17 (IQ 14 + Magery 3). This means 1 character point gets him to skill 14, 2 points to skill 15 — the critical threshold where energy costs drop by 1.
His core spell list (Ch5 investment — 30 points):
- Fireball — 4 pts → skill 16. Costs 1–Magery energy per cast. Missile spell.
- Light — 2 pts → skill 15. Cast & maintain both drop to 0 FP. Free lighting.
- Seek Earth — 1 pt → skill 14. Prerequisite for Earth college.
- Shape Earth — 2 pts → skill 15. Opens tunneling and terrain control.
- Purify Air — 1 pt → skill 14. Prerequisite root for Air college.
- Create Air — 1 pt → skill 14. Air in vacuum / underwater situations.
- Recover Energy — 4 pts → skill 16. Recover lost FP 3× faster. Aldric's most important utility spell.
- Minor Healing — 4 pts → skill 16. Heals 1d−1 HP. Aldric doubles as field medic.
- Shield — 2 pts → skill 15. Blocking spell, +2 defense. Key survival tool.
- Ignite Fire — 2 pts → skill 15. Prerequisite for Fireball; also utility.
- Create Fire — 2 pts → skill 15. Fire college progression.
- Shape Fire — 2 pts → skill 15. Fire college prerequisite chain.
- Haste — 3 pts → skill 15. +2 Move & Dodge to self. Good maintained buff.
Mira has no Magery and doesn't want any. In Normal Mana settings she cannot cast spells, and buying even Magery 0 (5 pts) would cost her a skill level elsewhere. For Mira, this chapter is simply not applicable.
However, Mira can benefit from Aldric's magic. Haste, Shield, and Minor Healing can all be cast on her. A well-coordinated party is the mage's force multiplier.
Vora has no involvement with magic. Her point budget is fully spent after Chapter 4 — 150 out of 150 points committed to her berserker warrior build. She has no remaining points and no interest in acquiring Magery.
More fundamentally, her IQ 8 makes magic a poor investment even if she had points to spare. Spells default to IQ as their base skill — at IQ 8, she would begin every spell at skill 8, the bare minimum for reliable casting. The energy and point costs would far outweigh any benefit.
Vora's Ch5 role: She is the beneficiary of Aldric's magic, not a practitioner. Haste, Shield, and Minor Healing can all be cast on her — a well-buffed fighter is the mage's most tangible combat contribution.
A good wizard needs enough FP to survive an adventure. With HT 11, Aldric has 11 FP. Recover Energy at skill 16 restores FP at 3× normal rate (1 FP per ~3 minutes of rest instead of 10). In practice: 5 minutes of rest recovers about 1.5 FP. A mage without this spell is heavily limited in sustained spell use.
Ch.5 Example Sheets
Cumulative sheets after chapters 1–5. Aldric's sheet now shows his full spell list. Mira and Vora are unchanged from Chapter 4.
Attributes: 100 · Advantages: 42 · Disadvantages: −25 · Spells: 30 · Skills: 10 Remaining: 43 pts (reserved for Ch6+)
Attributes: 170 · Advantages: 35 · Disadvantages: −25 · Skills: ~20 No Ch5 spend. Points held for Ch6+.
Attributes: 100 · Sec. Chars: 9 · Advantages: 33 · Disadvantages: −50 · Skills: 57 · Ch5: 0 Budget fully spent after Ch4. No changes in Ch5 — magic is not her path.
Chapter Quiz
Test your understanding of the GURPS magic system. Questions shuffle and repeat infinitely.