Magic and the Arcane Arts
Mana Attribute
Establishing Mana as a key attribute for interacting with and manipulating wild magic is a great way to quantify a character's magical aptitude. This system allows for a broad spectrum of magical abilities, from novice spellcasters to master wizards.
The Interplay of the Five Forces
Magic in Mithayre draws upon five fundamental Forces: Grund, governing structure, mass and permanence; Veyne, governing motion, causality and connection; Tharn, governing energy, transformation and entropy; Alveon, governing vitality, adaptation and living rhythms; and Adyss, governing hidden spaces, secrets and dimensional possibility. Their interactions shape reality itself. Each pairing produces a Hybrid Force whose properties emerge from the relationship between its constituent Forces.
Encourage players to explore inventive applications of the magic their characters have learned. A spell that reinforces a shield might also support a damaged structure, provided its established effects and limits permit it.
Spellcasting Mechanics
Spellcasting in Ascended combines knowledge of Mithayre’s Five Forces with preparation and personal power. Magical Lore determines the complexity of spells a character can master. When a casting check is required, the caster’s Mana Rating and the spell’s difficulty help determine success, while the final result establishes its Arcane Potency for resistance and other specified effects.
Casting takes time, and interruptions can force an arcanist to begin again. Successful spells consume Current Mana, with more demanding workings drawing greater reserves. Failed attempts cost time but expend no Mana, while pushing beyond available reserves risks exhaustion or death.
Oblivion Corruption and Unmaking
Oblivion is sentient unmaking, a hostile intelligence that attacks the foundations of Mithayre. Its influence corrupts magic, erodes matter and twists life into unnatural forms, including undeath. It stands outside the Five Forces, spreading through reality and remaking what it consumes into hollow versions of what once existed. Those who wield tainted workings may discover that the power they believed they commanded has begun to command them.
Adventurers face its influence through immediate, dangerous encounters. Holding a passage, destroying a manifestation or rescuing the endangered can secure a vital victory. Yet stopping the immediate threat does not restore everything it has damaged, and protecting others may demand the destruction of something once worth saving.
Deific Influence and Aspect Attribute
Aspect as a measure of a deity's favor is a powerful tool for role-playing and character development. It ties the characters' abilities and progression to their relationship with their deity, emphasizing the role of faith and worship in the game.
The system of divining core and antithetic aspects, along with the cost modifiers, adds a strategic layer to using divine powers. It encourages players to align closely with their deity's ethos, further integrating character backstory and motivations into gameplay. The linkage of Aspect to specific abilities and interventions from deities can lead to dynamic storytelling and character arcs.
Psionics and Psionic Faculties
Drawing power from within, a psion develops specific Faculties: Awareness reaches beyond ordinary perception, Discipline grants mastery over the self, Telekinesis moves and manipulates objects, and Thought Transference enables communication and influence between minds. Life Affinity works upon living bodies, while separately trained Kinetic Affinities govern particular forms of energy or matter. These abilities offer another path to supernatural power, distinct from arcane spellcasting and divine petition.
Psyche Rating shapes power and scope. Whether sensing a hidden presence, shielding a companion or sending a silent warning, effective psionics demands practiced control and careful judgment under pressure.
“The struggle between wild magic and Oblivion, the influence of deities, and the emergence of psionic abilities can all serve as key plot points, conflict drivers, and sources of quests and adventures.”