What's all this about?

About a year and a half ago Patrick and I came to feel that the division between
many role-playing gamers and Magic: The Gathering players was a bit of a pity.
More importantly, it seemed like Wizards of the Coast might find it profitable to open
up a secondary market for magic cards - and if we wrote a book that made that
possible and offered it to them a bit of that profit and publicity might come our way.
Besides, it would be fun to write and playtest.

So we designed a roleplaying system that used Magic cards as basic elements of

the characters, as their minions, and as a library of opposition for them, allowed for
the use of both magi and mundane characters of every level - squires or dabbling
mage-apprentices on through legendary heroes and mighty planeswalkers - allowed
players to make characters of every major race and type in the system at the time,
and allowed for full-scale planewalker duels. We even made it nominally d20
compatible (although we preferred the 3d6 option) in case Wizards wanted to tie in
that product line as well.

Then we recruited a few playtesters, let them build master summoners, fireball-
spewing sorcerers, noble knights, and insane tinkerers, and had some fun. Judging
from the reactions of some of our local magic players it looked like there would be
more than enough interest, so we went ahead and submitted it. Sadly, Wizards of
the Coast referred us to a submissions agent company - who charged a modest fee
and eventually got back to us to tell us that Wizards of the Coast wasn't interested
in submissions based on Magic: The Gathering.

Presumably they've had years of being flooded with them.

Still, that left us with a complete game system with no place to go - and some of
our playtesters were already starting to pass around copies of the draft PDF. Since
it's out there anyway, here’s a version with an explanatory note. After all, in its
current form (a final version published through Wizards of the Coast would be
another matter) it's essentially a free fan production designed to boost WTC sales,
and certainly does not attempt to compete with or replace any product of theirs that
we're aware of. If anyone at Wizards ever sees it hopefully they'll like it or want to
comment (If so, try my gaming blog, at http://ruscumag.wordpress.com/), send
Email to Feedback@DistantHorizonsGames.Com (I check that every so often), or
look for our print products at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=601512. If
WTC feels that it's an infringement - or more of one than any other fan-production
revolving around their Magic: The Gathering trademark - they can let us know, and
we’ll take it down. On the other hand, if they express approval (or, hopefully, decide
that they want to pick it up), we'll see about getting it onto a few of the fan sites as
well or - gladly - start in on a print version. It was fun: just because it apparently
won't be going commercial doesn't mean that no one else should get to play with it.

-Paul Melroy, for Distant Horizons Games

General Index Elves
Goblins and Orcs
9
9
Exotic Lands 33

Leonin 9 Gam e Structure 34

Introduction 2 Loxodons 10 Turns and Scenes 34
Merfolk 10 Tapping 34
Characters 2 Minotaurs 10
Nantuko 10 Creature Conversions 34
Basic Character Creation 2 Nezum i-bito 10 Creature Statistics 34
Types Orochi-bito 10 Creature Com bat 34
Soratam i 10 Creature Abilities 34
Abilities 2 Treefolk 10
Ability Rank Details 3 Vedalken 10 Com bat Turns 35
Surprise 35
Cards 3 Character Tem plates 11 Reaction and Initiative 35
Lands 3 The Assassin or Spy 11 Turns and Actions 35
Creatures 3 The Barbarian Hero 11 Follower Actions 35
Artifacts 4 The Hedge W izard 11 Accounting 35
Enchantm ents 4 The Lesser Mage 11 Mana Burn 35
Instants & Sorceries 4 The Magelord 11 Tim ekeeping 35
Special Card Rules 4 The Merchant 11 Refreshing Cards 35
The Planewalker 12
Distinctions 5 The Priest 12 Movem ent and Position 36
Arm sm an 5 The Scholar 12 Other sources of dam age 36
Enhanced Sense 5 The Thief 12 The W orkings of Cards 36
Good-Looking 5 The W arrior 12 Keywords & Definitions 37
Im m unity 5
Inspiration 5 Designing Character Types 13 Running the W orlds 41
Landbond 5 Character Levels 13
Legendary 5 Initial Ability Lim its 13 Classifying Creatures 41
Legend Master 5 Equipm ent 41
(___) Lord 5 Character Advancem ent 13 Strategic Choices 42
Lucky 5 Opportunity Rewards 13 Mana Levels 42
Magician 5 Fiat Rewards 13 Dynam ic Magic 43
Magical Talent Replacing Characters Sam ple Characters 44
In MTG:RPG 6 Legal Note 44
Martial Artist 6 The Duel Arcane 14
Might 6 The Planewalker's Duel 15
Poison 6 Planewalker Distinction 15
Role 6
Sharpshooter 6 Abilities 16
Swarm Master 6 d6 versus d20 16
(___) Training 6 Using Abilities 16
Undead 6 The Base Rolls 16
W arlord 6 Success Levels 16
Attacks 16
Descriptions 7 Com bat Stances 16
Com bat Dam age 16
Disadvantages 7 Critical Hits & Fum bles 16
Sam ple Listing 7
Exclusive Abilities 17
Species 8
Angels 8 General Abilities 25
Aven and Griffins 8
Centaurs 8 The Landrule 31
Cephalid 8 Forests 31
Dem ons and Devils 9 Mountains 32
Djinn and Efreet 9 Islands 32
Dragons 9 Plains 33
Dwarves 9 Swam ps 33

Introduction
MTG:RPG lets you create and play characters in the
worlds of MTG:CCG using your MTG:CCG cards -
without having to settle for short com bat-oriented
sessions, having to struggle against each other, or
necessarily playing Planewalkers. You can develop
your characters over tim e, interact socially, and take on
a wide variety of roles within the ongoing saga.
You’ll need som e six sided dice and a character
sheet, and you’ll probably want to have a 20-sided die
and som e MTG:CCG cards available.
The rules for MTG:CCG are available here, at
http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules
Since alm ost everything in a RPG revolves around
the characters, that’s where we’ll start off.
2
Characters
Character creation is sim ple in
Magic: The Gathering Role Playing
Gam e. The Gam e Master decides on
the starting level - usually level 4. You
gain ten tim es your level in ability
points. Ability points are then spent on
skills, but you m ay exhange two ability
points for a card slot, or four for a
Distinction. You m ay not have m ore
Distinctions than your level. You m ay
not start play with a skill level above 5.
As a recom m endation, invest at least
twice as m any points in skills as cards.
This gives you a wide base of skills and
abilities you m ay need to survive.
Card slots represent m ajor spells,
fo llo w e r s , a n d m a g ic a l ite m s .
Distinctions are innate special abilities
and skills. They’re both covered in
detail later on.
Characters usually start around level
4 because that level indicates they have
strong skills, talents, and show prom ise
in their chosen field. At the sam e tim e,
they are not nearly m asters. A level 1
character has virtually no m agical
abilities or talents, whereas a level 7
character is as powerful as m any great
heroes.
Only the m ajor characters get full
write-ups. Minor followers, people on
the street, and creatures use an
abbreviated system . Major characters
get certain special abilities - the skills
and abilities included in a full writeup -
just for being im portant. Mana knows
those who have great destinies, and
protects them from certain forces.
Major characters have five basic attributes - Type,
Abilities, Cards, Distinctions, and Description. Som e
have Disadvantages and a Species other than hum an
or near-hum an. Taking these in order:
Type descriptions are supplied by type cards or by
the gam e m aster. In either case, types have several
basic elem ents - their level, ability m odifiers, and
special abilities (if any). Just as in MTG:CCG their level
is indicated by the num ber of Mana sym bols on the top
of the card and their abilities are listed in the text block.
As characters grow and gain new abilities they m ay
change types and learn new roles.
Abilities are sim ply ratings for how good a character
is at particular tasks. For the basic gam e abilities are
scored at ratings of 2 (unskilled, the norm al base score)
through 10 (grandm aster). Abilities are divided into
General and Exclusive categories. General abilities can
be rolled even if a character hasn’t allotted any ability
points to increase their level in them . Exclusive abilities
cannot be used for anything except autom atic actions
unless you’ve invested som e points in them . The
abilities are listed on the basic character sheet.
Ability Level Descriptions
Rank 0 Useless.
Rank 1 N o t a b l y i m p a i r e d o r r a c i a l l y
disadvantaged.
Rank 2 Untrained. Basically a com petent person.
Rank 3 Basic training.
Rank 4 Ordinary professional level.
Rank 5 Talented professional.
Rank 6 Expert.
Rank 7 Master. As skilled as norm al people ever
becom e.
Rank 8 Inhum an. O nly a dem igod can possibly
m atch your level of m astery.
Rank 9 Unbelievable. No one can possibly be that
good without supernatural aid.
Rank 10 Grandm aster. You have truly unearthly
m astery of every possible application of
the ability.
Ranks 11 and 12 are only available to characters
with special racial aptitudes or unique enhancem ents.
If it should becom e im portant, Rank 11 is Godlike, and
is exceeded only by Rank 12 - Suprem acy. At Rank 12,
no entity in the m ultiverse exceeds your m astery.
Cards represent followers, lands, m ighty artifacts,
great spells, and other precious resources gleaned from
relics of the past, careful research, lengthy recruiting,
and lucky finds. Their power can far surpass that of the
abilities - but cards are far harder to com e by. There are
several choices to m ake regarding cards.
Lands are lim ited by the Mana Tapping ability and by
the character’s innate talent. Magelords and
Planewalkers actually control the full power of the lands
they claim , gaining the powers of Landrule (page 31)
and often ruling over their people and inhabitants.
Sadly, that m ystical link leaves them open to the
dangerous of a full-scale Duel Arcane (page 14).
Lesser Magi are lim ited by their Mana Tapping ability
and so can only draw Mana (at one point per day) from
those lands to which they’re attuned. They cannot draw
on the special powers of the Landrule without a
Distinction and their Mana supply is subject to the
whim s of any Magelord who claim s the sam e land.
Magelords can use the special powers of those
lands they control, perm it or block the flow of Mana to
lesser m agi attuned to those lands on a whim (hence;
“Magelord”), and m ay attune additional basic lands
according to their level of talent. Unfortunately, their
ability to attune exotic lands is still lim ited by their Mana
Tapping ability and they can still only tap into Mana on
a per-day basis. Since m ost Magelords’ first act on
claim ing an area is to lock out any lesser m agi who
3
have been using its power - at least until they pay for
the privilege som ehow - lesser m agi often owe fealty to
a Magelord.
Planewalkers can tap into lands alm ost without lim it
while operating in a battle-realm , but - while within a
dim ension - operate under the sam e rules as
Magelords.
Gam e Masters who want to run land-poor gam es
m ay opt to m ake initial lands m ore expensive, counting
each as two card selections, and m ay or m ay not allow
characters to start with any exotic lands in their
selection.
Since only one Planewalker or Magelord can control
a land at a tim e, m ost Magelords are deeply concerned
with the defense of their lands and with challenges to
their control. Fortunately for them , they can usually
leave such defense in the hands of com petent lesser
m agi in their service.
Creatures com e in hundreds of specific types but,
for our purposes, only a few general ones. These
include Beasts (m ore-or-less “natural” creatures),
Aberrations (the undead, dragons, horrors from beyond
and so on), Minions (knights, druids, elves, and so on),
Spirits (nature spirits, elem entals, and related beings),
and Constructs (golem s, war m achines, and sim ilar
creations). Each is lim ited by a particular ability: a
character cannot have m ore Beast cards or any Beast
card with a higher level (converted Mana cost) than he
or she has ranks in the Beast Mastery ability. Monsters
are lim ited by the Aberration ability, Minions by
Leadership, Spirits by Shamanism, and Constructs by
Artificer. C haracters m ust also have high enough
ratings in the relevant m agical attribute or attributes to
be able to sum m on or bind the creature in question.
For exam ple, if the Bringer of Doom is a horrible
undead dragon which requires 4 Red and 4 Black Mana
to sum m on in a norm al gam e, a character would need
Aberration 8, Red Magic 8, Black Magic 8, and enough
Mana to call it up. This isn’t easy.
Secondarily, Creatures can be designated as
Followers or as Conjurations when you acquire the
card. Followers are with you all the tim e (leave the card
face up on the table by your character sheet), at least
unless you send them on an errand or leave them at
hom e today and don’t require any Mana to recruit. On
the upside, they’re tougher than Conjurations. Followers
don’t die until -20 life, just like the player characters.
On the other hand, they’re a lot harder to replace; if
one dies, you’re going to have to find and recruit a
replacem ent. If you have a card-drawing ability this
generally only requires taking out som e tim e to go and
recruit som eone. If not, it m ay require a m odest
adventure.
Of course, there are tim es when having a bunch of
Followers trailing you is inappropriate - especially if one
of them happens to be that Bringer of Doom. If one of
your followers is killed, turn the card face down until you
can find a replacem ent.
 Conjurations are short-term m agical sum m onings.
This requires a lot of Mana, m eans that they’re
banished or “die” at 0 life, and that they never last m ore
than an hour or so, but it also m eans that they’re easy
to get back. All a sum m oner has to do is take a brief
break to rebuild the pattern of the spell and cast it
again. Just like with Followers, once a Conjuration is
“Slain,” or the duration of the sum m oning runs out, turn
the card face down until your character gets a bit of rest
(how m uch depends on the type of card, see page 35).
Then put it back in your hand. Conjurations don’t get to
act until the turn after they’re sum m oned.
Token creatures can be either Followers or
Conjurations. In either case, they count against the lim it
on the appropriate type of card.
Artifacts are straightforward. W hether they’re item s
or creatures they’re lim ited by the Artificer ability just as
creatures are lim ited by their relevant abilities. Artifacts
are usually perm anent item s. Followers can use m ost
artifacts, even if they can’t norm ally be equipped to a
creature.
Enchantments are lim ited by the Enchantment
ability. Enchantments which require upkeep require it on
a daily basis, hence they’re m ost effective when applied
to Followers.
The enchantm ent ability can also be used to lay a
variety of short-term , low-powered enchantm ents, such
as night sight, slight (+1) increases in general abilities,
or m aking som eone like you; these also occupy
enchantm ent slots. Hence only the m ost seriously
power-obsessed m agi try to m ax out their supply of
m ajor (card) enchantm ents.
Instants and Sorceries are lim ited by the
Elem entalism ability. There is one m ajor distinction
between them however; Instants work like Conjurations
while Sorceries are sim ply powerful spells you happen
to have acquired. Once you use an Instant you turn it
face down until you have a bit of tim e off. Sorceries can
be used as often as you want - as long as you have the
Mana to power them . Given that creatures are m ore
durable in MTG:RPG, Instants and Sorceries that do
dam age inflict 1d6+1 dam age per point that they would
norm ally inflict. Card-based effects do not require rolls
to hit or Resist Magic checks unless they are instant-
death effects.
Certain cards are subject to special rules in
MTG:RPG. W hile m ost of these appear in the
Keywords section (page 37), som e of the m ost com m on
rules include:
! Card Draw cards which allow the user to draw an
extra card during the draw step are only useful to
reduce the tim e required to replace cards which have
been destroyed - slain followers, broken artifacts, or
devastated lands. Each card which would be drawn
allows the user to replace one destroyed card at the
beginning of each session without having to actually
play out doing so. Perm anent item s provide whatever
4
bonus cards they’d norm ally provide per turn at the start
of each session.
! Card Draw cards which allow the user to draw
extra cards during a turn can be used to refresh
exhausted cards before their norm al refresh tim e is up.
If the Dynam ic Magic option is in use, they can also be
used to draw cards for use with that ability.
! C ards which force the discarding of other cards
exhaust one card per card which would norm ally be
sent to the graveyard or otherwise rem oved. If a target
has no unexhausted cards they have no further effect.
! Cards which allow the user to search for a
specified card can be used to fill a card slot which was
left vacant at the beginning of the session or can be
activated and then discarded to create a vacant slot.
They’re useful in getting out a specific card to m eet a
specific challenge, but deprive the user of the use of at
least one slot in the m eantim e.
! Any card that ends the gam e in som e fashion can
only be used by the Gam e Master - usually as part of a
plot which the player characters want to stop.
! Epic Spells term inate after the end of the
confrontation in which they were used.
! Any “Tokens” a card or spell creates count as
cards of the sam e type, and count against restrictions
on their m axim um num ber. Otherwise, since a
MTG:RPG gam e can cover m any years of gam e tim e,
anyone using a card which spawns tokens could have
a lim itless num ber of them .
! Legend Cards are subject to restrictions: Since
they represent unique places, individuals, and things,
only one of each m ay be used in a gam e and the Gam e
Master m ust approve them in advance. They’re never
Conjurations; they’re always followers or real item s.
Finally, any character who wants to control a legend
card m ust have either the Planew alker or Legend
Master Distinction. The Gam e Master will generally opt
to require the com pletion of a special quest or m ission
before allowing a Legend card to enter play.
! Global effects only apply to the cards which the
user and any opposing Magelord(s) actually control.
Other cards, and the world in general, are unaffected.
! Sacrificing lands sim ply m eans renouncing their
link with you, not actually destroying them . The Gam e
Master m ay rule that this also applies to legendary
cards in general, since otherwise they would be
perm anently rem oved from the gam e.
! T here are ten official cards (Polar Kraken,
Hypnox, Inam e as One, Blinkm oth Infusion, Mox Lotus,
M ycosynth Golem , Autochthon W urm , the expensive
half of the Big Furry Monster duo, Draco and Gleem ax)
with base costs of 11+. These cannot be controlled
(although they CAN be unleashed) outside of
Planewalker Duels without an appropriate Distinction,
although it is possible to collect enough Mana to play
m ost of them fairly readily. Secondarily, the Mox Lotus,
Gleem ax, and possibly the Big Furry Monster are jokes,
and should not be perm itted in MTG:RPG.
Distinctions
Distinctions are special
talents and privileges, the little
touches which m ake characters
extraordinary in a variety of
w a ys . W h ile t h e r e a r e
th ousands of p o ssible
Distinctions, som e of the m ost
com m on include:
Armsman I-IV. Arm sm en
are m asters of weapons,
arm or, and m elee com bat.
Eac h lev el o f Arm s m a n
provides +1 Defense (see
Attacks under Using Abilities,
page 16) and +1 power (1d6
dam age) in HTH com bat. A
character who is deprived of his
or her prim ary weapons or
arm or loses one effective level
of Arm sm an, one deprived of
all weapons and arm or loses
two - three if nothing is
available to im provise with.
Enhanced Sense. Characters with this Distinction
have augm ented sensory abilities. They m ay have a
sense of sm ell like a bloodhound, be able to see in the
infrared and ultraviolet, be able to operate in the dark by
som e sort of “radar sense,” be able to hear the voices
of the unquiet dead, or sense the presence of diseases
and toxins. The sensory enhancem ent involved m ust be
selected when this Distinction is taken and be approved
by the Gam e Master - if only because he or she will
have to describe what the character detects.
Good-Looking. Good-Looking m akes you extrem ely
attractive. Movie-star attractive. You’ll get invited to
places sim ply because you’re so decorative, draw
obsessed fans and groupies, and need never sleep
alone. People will give you presents. Of course, they
m ay also try to kidnap you to put you in a Harem or try
to force you into m arriage, but there’s a price for
everything.
Immunity. Im m unity allows the character to sim ply
ignore the effects of som e sort of attack. Characters
m ay be im m une to poison, to particular types of energy
(fire, cold, lightning, etc), to particular colors (this allows
a DC 18 Resist Magic check to overcom e), or even to
som e effects, such as falls or being surprised. The
Gam e Master will probably refuse to allow characters to
take im m unity to too m any things.
Inspiration. A character with Inspiration can share
one of his or her abilities with his or her followers and
Conjurations. If it’s applied to an ability once, the
inspiring character can share it at up to rank 4. If it’s
applied twice it can be shared at up to rank 6. Applying
5
it three tim es allows the chosen
ability to be shared at up to rank
7, the m axim um possible.
A character can share up to
seven abilities with his or her
followers, but no m ore.
Landbond. Landbond allows a
Lesser Mage to attune to an
additional two lands and to draw
on the Landrule powers but does
not open them to the Duel Arcane
or allow them to keep others from
tapping into the lands they’re
attuned to. Unlike extra levels of
th e M a g ic ia n D is tin c tio n ,
Landbond can be learned without
difficulty after character creation.
Legendary. To becom e
Legendary a character m ust have
at least 8 other Distinctions
already and cannot have any level
of Magician. It’s the difference
between learning to channel
Mana and becom ing a natural
expression of it. In any case, a
Legendary character gains som e exotic special ability,
power, or talent unique to them and a +2 bonus to their
effective rating in any 3 abilities selected by the Gam e
Master (This m ay take their effective score up to a
m axim um of 12). Legendary characters are rare and
sought-after.
Legend Master. This Distinction lets a character
control Legend cards. Unless the Gam e Master gives
you special perm ission, you’ll norm ally have to have at
least five other Distinctions first. Planewalkers don’t
need this Distinction while they’re in a battle-realm ;
under those circum stances they can control anything
they can get ahold of.
(___) Lord. These Distinctions allow their users to
partially bypass the restrictions on the num ber and
power level of a particular type of card which they can
control, increasing the m axim um level of the cards
which they can control by +1 and the num ber of cards
which they can control by +2. This Distinction m ay be
applied to a particular card type up to three tim es.
Lucky. Som e people just get all the breaks. A lucky
character gets three chances to reroll the dice per
gam e session, dropping the old result in favor of the
new one. They m ay even use m ultiple rerolls on a
single roll if they’re determ ined enough.
Magician I-IV. Lesser Mage (m ay tap into Mana from
a num ber of lands equal to your Mana Tapping rank),
Magelord I (first 3 basic lands of each type do not count
against Mana Tapping lim it), Magelord II (first 5 basic
lands of each type do not count against Mana Tapping
lim it), Planewalker (see the Planewalker section; only
available with GM approval). As a rule, it is very difficult
or near-im possible to upgrade this Distinction after
character creation.
M agical Talent
In MTG:RPG there are five basic levels of m agical
power - non-m agi, who don’t use m agic at all, Hedge
W izards, who practice the lesser m agical abilities but
can’t use Mana, Lesser Magi, who can use Mana, but
can’t control it’s flow in the land, Magelords, who can
control external Mana flows, and Planewalkers, who
can control the flow of Mana between the dim ensions.
Hedge wizardry requires nothing but study, but actually
using the higher levels of m agic requires special talents
- although anyone can learn the required skills.
Martial Artist I-IV. A Martial Artist gains a bonus of
+1 to his or her Defense (see Attacks under Using
Abilities, page 16) per level of Martial Artist and +1
power (+1d6 dam age) with Unarm ed Attacks for every
two levels of Martial Artist.
Might. Might allows you to inflict an extra 1d6 points
of dam age with weapons, lift extra-heavy weights, and
flex im pressively. It’s a favorite of warriors and m ay be
taken up to twice for those who favor the body-builder
look.
Poison. Poison allows the character to dam age
abilities. In general, a character can opt to have lethal
poison (reduces the victim ’s Vigor by one point per
attack), nonlethal poison (reduces any chosen ability by
two points per attack), or a selection of non-lethal
poisons (the user m ay select one ability from each
group and choose which is reduced by one each tim e
he or she attacks; Vigor is not a valid choice). Dam aged
abilities recover at one point per Act and, if an ability is
reduced to 0, the victim m ust roll a sim ple check for
norm ally-autom atic effects using it.
Role. Roles are defined social roles which provide
special privileges. You don’t have to have this
Distinction to claim such a title or include it in your
character description. You do have to have it if you want
the NPC’s to react appropriately. Anyone can be a
priest. If you want to be a recognized priest from a
m ajor faith, get special legal privileges, and call on the
support of your tem ple, you’ll want to take it as a role.
Possible roles include being a Priest, Noble,
Diplom at, Guild Leader, Ruler of a City-State, Celebrity,
Fabulous Courtesan, Law-Enforcem ent Official, and
Heir Apparent.
Sharpshooter I-IV. Each level of Sharpshooter
increases the power of a character’s ranged attacks by
+1, thus adding 1d6 points of dam age to a successful
attack. Every two levels provides a +1 bonus on the
user’s attack rolls.
6
Swarm Master. A Swarm Master m ay control four
tokens over and above norm al lim its. This m ay be taken
repeatedly.
(___) Training. You possess the special abilities of
one card of the sam e basic type as yourself provided
that such abilities are arguably learned, that the card in
question is not legendary, that the card in question has
a converted Mana cost of four or less, and that the
Gam e Master approves. For exam ple, a hum an
character could learn to spend an action to generate
one Black Mana each day (as per a Bog Initiate - a
Hum an W izard), to give up your turn to counter a spell
once each day (M undungu, an unspecified wizard), or
to tem porarily enhance creatures (Nantuko Disciple,
which m ay be an Insect, but is still a person and a
Druid). Most of the general m onster abilities - Haste,
First Strike, Vigilance, and so on, are both valid and
encouraged. A full list can be found on page 37 under
Keywords.
He or she couldn’t learn to put a squirrel token into
play each Turn and enhance squirrels like a Nut
Collector Druid, since a Nut Collector costs a total of 6
Mana. Only a Dragon is likely to be able to be able to
“learn” a breath weapon. Other powers, such as that of
a Joiner Adept (lands m ay be tapped for M ana of any
color) probably won’t be perm itted by the GM.
As usual, any active effect generally works once per
day. Any continuous effect is still continuous.
This Distinction m ay be taken up to three tim es.
Each tim e m ay either add new abilities or increase the
level of a set of abilities by +3.
Undead. Your body is either dead or never lived, is
anim ated by the sam e m agic which binds your spirit into
it, and has no m etabolism . You can’t be poisoned, are
im m une to m any form s of environm ental dam age, do
not age, and gain an extra 20 Life. You also lose
access to the Regeneration and Green Magic abilities,
cannot be affected by beneficial drugs and related
m agic, and will have a variety of social problem s. This
can also be used to represent Constructs, Golem s, and
Plant creatures.
W arlord. A W arlord m ay designate up to four of his
or her cards as exam ples of garrison troops. W hile
such cards have a m axim um level of (relevant ability/2)
and cannot include Legend cards, a sim ilar set of
troops or defenses is presum ed to be present to defend
the m ystical nexus of each land a W arlord controls. For
exam ple, a W arlord who has Beast M astery 8 and
controls several level four Beasts could garrison each
of his or her lands with four sim ilar creatures. He or she
couldn’t pick a creature with a total Mana cost of 5+
(those are too powerful) or a legendary creature like
Shizuko Caller of Autumn even though Shizoko only
costs 3 Mana.
Descriptions
There aren’t any gam e m echanics for your
character’s description. A character’s age, sex, build,
description, m ajor personality traits, religion,
background, fam ily, and any other details you care to
invent don’t m odify your abilities or dice rolls, just how
you apply them .
Still, they’re probably one of the m ost im portant
things you can provide for your character. W e’ve left the
entire back of the character sheet blank for them - and
for m any players, that won’t be enough.
W e have left a place on the front for som e of the
m ost im portant bits; no character is com plete without a
nam e. Most of them should have a title - “Enchanter of
the Third Circle,” “Ringm aster,” or even som ething
m undane, like “Scout” - and m any belong to som e
organization, or at least did at one point.
Disadvantages (Optional)
Up until this point, everything about a character has
been positive. Characters m ay, however, have severe
drawbacks - addictions, com pulsions, m ajor enem ies,
and sim ilar problem s. If you want to add such a thing to
your character, there are three steps - com e up with a
description of your handicap, get the Gam e Master to
approve it, and then add it and a com pensating bonus
Distinction to your character sheet. Perhaps fortunately,
7
characters m ay only start with one disadvantage unless
they pick up a second one due to their species - and
any they pick up in play don’t com e accom panied by
any com pensating Distinction(s). Som e possibilities
here include:
Addiction. You don’t have to have it, but you suffer
a penalty of -1 to -3 (the easier your addiction is to fulfill,
the worse the penalty when you can’t since you’re less
used to doing without) on all die rolls if you can’t get a
regular fix. Things like “m ust have coffee in the
m orning” don’t count unless you’re pretty m uch useless
without it.
Bad Luck. For those cursed with Bad Luck nothing
ever goes well. If you take this disadvantage the Gam e
Master is entitled to m ake your life m iserable in a wide
variety of m inor ways and to request that you reroll a
successful check up to three tim es per session. This
will usually happen just when you got a really good roll,
so you’re unlikely to accom plish any legendary feats.
Berserker. The character m ay not withdraw from
com bat and m ust m ake a sim ple Psyche check to
refrain from attacking friends if out of enem ies. On the
upside, he or she does gain a +1 bonus on his or her
attacks.
Crippled. You have an upper lim it of rank five in 2-4
GM-selected skills which should be im portant to your
character. (Note that if you can’t live with what the
Gam e Master com es up with, you can pick another
disadvantage instead).
 Cursed. Som ething nasty happens periodically.
Perhaps any building you shelter in for m ore than a few
days catches fire or collapses, NPC’s in the area catch
horrible diseases, you’re an uncontrollable lycanthrope,
or your blood catches fire and does extra dam age to
you whenever you’re hit.
Honor. The character m ay not decline an honorably
offered challenge. Most honorable characters also tend
to keep their words, protect innocents, and otherwise be
chivalrous, but nastier types often just like to fight.
Hunted. Som e large and powerful group, or som e
individual enem y with lots of m inions, is after you.
Expect to be attacked at the m ost inconvenient tim es.
Oversized. You’re huge. You won’t fit into ordinary
vehicles or buildings, take double dam age from falls,
eat enorm ously, and are extrem ely conspicuous.
Prejudice. W hether it’s a racial reputation, an aura
of m alevolence, or som e twist of fate, you’re generally
despised and prejudged. Merchants won’t deal with you
or let you in their shops, the local authorities always
assum e the worst about you, and sm all children m ay
throw rocks. W ill you suffer nobly and try to overcom e
such prejudice or will you return such hatred?
Sustenance. You have som e exotic dietary or
environm ental requirem ent; if you don’t get it every day
you’ll begin taking dam age, fall unconscious, or suffer
som e other awful consequence. You m ay need to be
im m ersed in fresh water every few hours, devour the
essence of a sentient being each day, or need to drink
a brew m ade from T ana leaves (sem i-legendary and
very difficult to find) each week.
Further exam ples can be found under the Species
listing below; the racial drawbacks are sim ply exam ples
of Disadvantages.
It is possible to get rid of a disadvantage; you have
to either em bark on som e m ighty quest to do so or, if
the problem is purely internal (such as an Addiction or
Berserker) spend a distinction to “buy it off” and spend
at least one Story doing so.
Species (Optional)
The vast m ajority of playable species in MTG:RPG
are a lot like hum ans - enough so that the differences
can be readily represented through sim ply varying the
Distinctions and abilities they purchase.
More exotic races, or players who want a m ore
detailed representation of a hum an-like race, can take
a species package - norm ally consisting of 3 abilities
with a +1 initial bonus (this m ay raise them above the
usual starting lim it) and a racial m axim um of 12, three
abilities with -2 penalties and a racial m axim um of 8, an
autom atic Distinction and an autom atic disadvantage.
More powerful species m ay require the investm ent
of additional Distinctions or sim ply start off young and
inexperienced. Characters don’t have to start off with
the stuff listed in the “Adults” line, but should probably
have it by the tim e they’ve gone up a few levels.
8
Angel (no cost)
Angels are, at least in terms of the system, sim ply
humans with Flight (and often Vigilance) and an affinity
for W hite Magic. If you want to play one just create such
a character.
Aven (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Evasion, W hite Magic, and
Reaction. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Artificer, Craftsm an, and W hite Magic. Racial m axim um
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Flying
Racial Drawback: Fragile. For all their wingspan,
Aven are hollow-boned, light, and m ostly m ade of skin
and feathers. They cannot take Arm sm an III or IV and
take an extra 1d6 points of dam age from any m elee
attack.
Adults: Adult Aven norm ally pick up a few points of
Movem ent, Perception, and Ranged W eapons.
Griffins, creatures of wind and passion, have only a
few sentient subspecies, but can use much the same
modifiers. Simply substitute Red Magic for W hite Magic
and add Unarmed Combat I, for a net cost of one
Distinction. A few types use magic to help them fly.
These subspecies drop the Fragile drawback in favor of
No Hands.
Centaur (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Movem ent, Toughness, and
Vigor. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Stealth, Evasion, and Finance. Racial m axim um of 8 in
these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Might I
Racial Drawback: Centaurs are very large; they have
a hard tim e fitting into m ost buildings or vehicles, eat
enorm ously, take double dam age from falls, and are
very conspicuous.
Adults: Should have a m inim um Movem ent and
Vigor of 4, but don’t require anything exotic beyond that,
hence m ost centaur characters start off as adults.
Cephalid (squid-people) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Blue Magic, Serpent-Tongue,
and Larceny. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to . Racial m axim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Cephalids com m unicate by a
lim ited form of telepathy, and so can both com m unicate
silently and bypass language barriers with non-artifact
creatures.
Racial Drawback: Boneless. Cephalids m ay not
increase their Vigor, Fortification, Melee W eapons or
Unarm ed Com bat skills above 5 and cannot take
Arm sm an III or IV.
Adults: Adult Cephalids are usually either dom inated
or enslaved by other Cephalids or have an assortm ent
of servants of their own. They don’t usually get along
with anyone (including each other) who isn’t entirely
under their control.
Demons and Devils
Oddly enough, Demons and Devils, like Angels,
require no special rules. They’re generally evil entities
with an affinity for Black Magic and some of them have
Flying. If you want to play one, just create such a
character. A few are very powerful, and require regular
sacrifices to bind them into the material world - but
they’re obviously not suitable as characters anyway.
Djinn and Efreet
W hile many Djinn and Efreet have flying and their
special powers are usually considered to be “innate”
rather than “learned,” they operate under the normal
rules.
Dragon (costs 2 Distinctions)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Fortification, Toughness, and
Vigor. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Larceny, Leadership, and Stealth. Racial m axim um of
8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction(s): Unarm ed Com bat II, Flying
Racial Drawback: Dragons have a hard tim e fitting
in anywhere due to their sheer size, hoarding instinct,
and arrogance. Outside of cities they tend to be m ajor
targets.
Adults: Should have Unarm ed Com bat 4, Might, one
or m ore Enhanced Senses and either Doublestrike
(representing a breath weapon) or Poison. High levels
of the Elem entalism , Fortification, Finance, “Unarm ed”
Com bat, and Evasion abilities are in order as well. Most
dragon characters start off fairly young and m ature
slowly.
Drakes are smaller relatives of Dragons, and often
possess interesting magical powers. Unfortunately for
would-be players, they’re generally animalistic rather
than sentient.
Dw arf (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Artificer, Engineering, and
Red Magic. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2
to Courtier, Politician and Sham anism . Racial m axim um
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: The dwarven racial Distinction is
not having any racial drawback.
Racial Drawback: None. See above.
Adults: Adult dwarves are usually skilled in Sleights
and have a fondness for devices involving fire, sm oke,
and explosions. M ost of them also have a fair level in
the Arm sm an Distinction, but this is not a hard rule.
Elf (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Beast Master, Green Magic,
and Evasion. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Leadership, Politician, and Serpent-Tongue.
Racial m axim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Enhanced Sense. Elves can see
into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum s.
Racial Drawback: Vulnerability; Elves are extrem ely
sensitive to toxins. They take double dam age from
poison and suffer 1d6 life points of dam age per day
spent in a “destroyed” land.
9
Adults: Adult elves are usually either attuned to a
forest or two or have Lifeweaking. In either cast, they
also usually have a few Beast followers and often know
how to sum m on som e sort of anim al to their assistance.
Dark Elves are arguably a separate subspecies,
attuned to the powers of the Void rather than Life.
Dryads usually have Forestwalk instead of Enhanced
Sense, but otherwise use the same modifiers.
Giant (costs 2 Distinctions)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Vigor, Toughness, and
Fortification. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2
to Stealth, Scholar, and Reaction. Racial m axim um of
8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Might, Arm sm an II
Racial Drawback: Giants are very large; they have
a hard tim e fitting into m ost buildings or vehicles, eat
enorm ously, take double dam age from falls, and are
very conspicuous.
Adults: Adult giants are even bigger, and norm ally
have high scores in Vigor, Fortification, Toughness, and
in W eapons skills. M ost such titans will also have
Arm sm an IV and various other com bative distinctions.
Goblins and Orcs (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Engineering, Sleights, and
Regeneration. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Artificer, Scholar, and Finance. Racial m axim um
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Fool’s Luck. Goblins m ay ignore
the consequences of any single event - evading a big
attack, using them selves as a sacrifice, or whatever -
once per Act.
Racial Drawback: Utter Incom petence. Goblins have
to pay double when purchasing any ability above 4.
Player-Characters m ay opt to substitute Cowardice, in
which case they m ust flee or hide one round after taking
dam age.
Adults: Adult goblins tend to dabble in everything,
and are good at nothing - except at producing m ore and
m ore goblins.
Oddly enough, Goblins are actually good at using
tools and technological tinkering. Unfortunately for
them, virtually everything in MTG is based on magic.
They’re also notable for having one of the most potent
racial distinctions, and worst drawbacks, on the list.
Leonin (and other cat-people) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Athletics, Evasion, and
Reaction. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Artificer, Craftsm an, and W hite Magic. Racial m axim um
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Vigilance.
Racial Drawback: Leonin are extrem ely tribal. They
will never abandon their tribem ates or party m em bers.
Adults: Adult Leonin generally have an extra point or
two in their racial skills and decent com bat skills. Most
Leonin characters start off as adults.
Loxodon (elephant-people) (costs 1 Distinction)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Fortification, Toughness, and
Vigor. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Am bush, Stealth, and Larceny. Racial m axim um of 8 in
these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Might, any one Im m unity of
choice.
Racial Drawback: Dedication. Once they’ve given
their word or undertaken a m ission, a Loxodon will carry
out their task even if it kills them . Secondarily, thanks to
its corrosive effects on oaths, Loxodon will never take
the Black Magic ability.
Adults: Adult Loxodon norm ally possess fair ranks in
their racial skills - they are towering elephant-folk after
all - and a fair am ount of W hite M agic if they have at
least Magician I.
M erfolk (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Enchantm ent, Blue Magic,
and Survival. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Artificer, Craftsm an, and Engineering. Racial
m axim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: W ater im m unity. Merfolk cannot
be harm ed by water, including agents such as acids
and corrosives, and can breathe and function without
hindrance underwater.
Racial Drawback: W aterbound. Merfolk have no legs
and cannot breathe above water for long. They usually
have the good sense to stay in the water, and so are
rarely adventurers.
Adults: Other than a tendency towards high
Perception and Survival skills (and m astery of Blue
Magic if they have the talent to use it) there isn’t that
m uch else distinctive about adult m erfolk.
M inotaur (no cost)
Most Minotaurs are powerful warriors; they usually
have Might and at least Armsman II. On the other hand,
so does almost any human barbarian. Outside of the
funny looks there really isn’t that much difference.
Nantuko (insect-druids) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Enchantm ent, Green Magic,
and Survival. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Artificer, Craftsm an, and Engineering. Racial
m axim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Unarm ed Com bat I. Their claws
and chitinous arm or m ean that no Nantuko is ever truly
unarm ed.
Racial Drawback: Fragile. W earing their skeleton as
a thin layer on the outside of their bodies leaves the
Nantuko vulnerable to physical attacks, taking an extra
+1 dam age per 1d6 in the attack.
Adults: Adult Nantuko are usually attuned to one or
two forests and can call on a beast or two to help them
out.
10
Nezumi-bito (ratfolk) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Larceny, Saboteur, and
Stealth. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Politician, Sham anism , and Enchantm ent. Racial
m axim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Clannish. Ratfolk have lots and
lots of relatives, and can call on them for assistance.
Racial Drawback: Prejudice. Everyone thinks that
ratfolk are disgusting little m onsters.
Adults: Adult ratfolk are usually very good at being
treacherous sneaks, and have decent ranks in their
racial skills.
Orochi-bito (4-arm ed snake people) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Green Magic, Stealth, and
Psyche. Racial m axim um of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Aberration, Artificer, and Streetwise. R acial m axim um
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Poison.
Racial Drawback: Cold Blooded. Orochi-bito take a
-2 penalty on all ability checks while chilled, including
after being blasted with cold m agic.
Adults: Adult Orochi-bito belong to either the Kashi
(archer), Matsu (warrior), or Sakura (m agician) orders
within their society, and are expected to m aster the
appropriate skills.
Soratami or M oonfolk (no cost)
These characters are essentially simply humans
with Flying.
Treefolk (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Mana Tapping, Sham anism ,
and Herb Mastery. Racial m axim um of 12 in these
abilities. -2 to Artificer, Courtier, and Movem ent. Racial
m axim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Plant. W hile they do have a very
slow m etabolism , their bodies are still anim ated by
m agic. This is equivalent to the Undead distinction.
Racial Drawback: Methodical. Treefolk are slow to
travel, slow to m ake decisions, and slow to act. They
always go last regardless of their Reaction check and
cannot effectively pilot any vehicle.
Adults: Adult Treefolk tend to be huge, have the
Might distinction, and tend towards high ranks in Touch
of Life, Green Magic, Fortification, Vigor, and Resist
Magic. They’re often Scholars as well as Sham ans and
Herb Masters. Like any other tree, Treefolk take a long
tim e to reach their full potential.
Yes, Treefolk need to invest at least one point in
Movement to learn to move at all.
Vedalken (4-arm ed aquatic people) (no cost)
Vedalken are essentially just really ugly Merfolk and
can use the same modifiers. Some of them have power
suits which let them get out of the water; these count as
a level 3 Technology card effect.
Character Templates can be accom plished without it. Classical hedge
wizards include W ise W om en and Cunning Men, Seers
and Diviners, Druids, W izards, and sim ple Herbalists.
MTG:RPG doesn’t have character classes - but Oddly enough, alm ost every Hedge W izard is a bit
there are som e recognizable “tem plates” out there. All scruffy, late m iddle-aged or older, and carries around a
of them are a little larger than life; MTG is about m ighty collection of unidentifiable occult paraphernalia.
heroes, grand rulers, arm ies sweeping across A Hedge W izard’s abilities usually include
continents, and legendary artifacts. The RPG does Perception, Scholar, Psyche, Resist Magic, Healing,
allow for less epic characters, but it really isn’t designed and several of the lesser m agical abilities - T ouch of
for petty thieves, youngsters just out of m ilitia training, Life, Magesight, Elem entalism , Phantasm , Artificer,
and junior apprentices. Even if you decide to act like a Divination, Slights, Sham anism , Enchantm ent and Herb
petty con artist or street thug, your talents are alm ost Mastery.
always quite exceptional. Dragons are im pressive - but Variants don’t really exist; each Hedge W izard tends
even a beginning group of player characters can to be a variant onto him - or her-self.
probably take one down.
The Lesser Mage. W hile they
Som e of the m ost do not - or at least do not yet -
com m on tem plates, and possess the inner spark which
appropriate abilities for them , m akes a Magelord, m uch less
include: t h e p r im a l p o w e r o f a
Planewalker, lesser m agi can
The Assassin or Spy. becom e quite powerful. W hile
Unlike real spies, m ost of they’re com m on as PC’s, they’re
whom spend alm ost all their rare enough in the gam e world to
tim e being quiet and listening, m ake each one unique.
fantasy spies are flam boyant A Lesser Mage’s abilities
and sinister. Cloaks and (pretty m uch by definition)
daggers are pretty m uch include one or m ore (Color)
m andatory. Outside of that all Magic abilities, Mana Tapping
you need is a com pletely and/or Lifewreaking. They’ll need
ruthless personality. at least one or two of the lesser
S p ie s u s u a lly need m agic abilities as well. Finally, if
Perception, Stealth, Psyche, they expect to survive for long, a
Slights , Investigation, bit of Vigor, Resist Magic,
Saboteur, Larceny, Perception and Evasion are
Persuasion, and som e sort of probably in order - along with
W eapons ability. If they’re whatever talents are needed to
spying on a m age, they’ll r o u n d o u t th e c h a ra c te r
probably need Magesight as conception. Unfortunately, this
well. usually m eans that their abilities
are spread pretty thin. Most
The Barbarian Hero. Star beginning lesser m agi are far
of a thousand tales and really m ore talented than skilled.
bad m ovies, the Barbarian Lesser Magi usually have a
Hero is big, m uscular, and likes to dress in furs, leather title for them selves - Necrom ancer, Adept, Forestlord,
straps, and a supply of sharp objects regardless of sex. Channeler, Invoker, or whatever. This m ay or m ay not
They’re usually cunning and loyal, but have a indicate anything about their specialities.
regrettable tendency to go bersek.
His or her abilities com m only include Athletics, The Magelord. Second only to a Planewalker in their
Evasion, Stealth, Survival, Toughness, Endurance, raw power, experienced Magelords are laws onto
Vigor, Melee W eapons, and/or Ranged W eapons, all them selves. Beginners, however, no m atter how
topped off with a point or two in Fortification and talented, have only one real advantage over Lesser
Regeneration. Magi: whatever powers they derive from Landrule. They
Variants include Amazon W arriors (usually only m ay not even control any lands; settling for sim ple
differing stylistically), Rangers (who often know a bit of attunem ent as the Lesser Magi m ust. After all, if you
Green Magic, Beast Mastery, and Mana Tapping), and actually claim a land in your own right instead of acting
Beastmasters (Green Magic, Beast Mastery, a few as som eone else’s vassal, you have to defend it.
Beast cards, and [usually] Lifewreaking).
The Merchant. Merchants are rarely especially
The Hedge W izard. W hile - like alm ost everyone heroic, but they are very good at com ing out ahead.
else - the Hedge W izard cannot m anipulate Mana Oddly enough, virtually all of them are m iddle-aged. In
directly, there are an im m ense variety of feats which general, a quick look at a Merchant’s clothing will

11
suffice to tell you what he or she deals in, their rank in The Thief. A sneaky, cunning, fellow who m ay know
whatever organization they belong to, and how how to use a knife when he has to, but prefers to get
prosperous they are (this can also be m easured by their things done in m ore subtle ways. The Thief usually
expanding waistline). prefers to look like an ordinary person, and so sticks
Appropriate abilities for Merchants include Scholar, with light - and so readily concealable - arm or,
Perception, Land Vehicles, Finance, Investigation, weapons, and equipm ent. They often dabble in m agic,
Leadership, Persuasion, and Serpent-Tongue. Those but rarely understand what they’re doing very well.
with wide-spread operations often dabble in Divination, His or her abilities usually include Evasion,
Politics, and Repute as well. Perception, Stealth, Resist Magic, Investigation,
Saboteur, Larceny, Persuasion, and Serpent-Tongue.
The Planewalker. Superficially, a young Planewalker Most also know how to use a weapon or two reasonably
m ay not com m and any m ore active m agical power than well and m any use Sleights.
a young Magelord or even a Lesser Mage. However Variants include Pirates (with som e weapons skills
they are far tougher - and have a potential lifespan of and W ater Vehicles), Highwaymen (who often rely as
m any m illennia. m uch on Repute and Persuasion as on their weapons),
After a few centuries m ortals rarely defeat them . Con Men (relying on Persuasion, Serpent-Tongue, and
After a m illennia or two m ortals generally don’t even som etim es Phantasm ), and even Minstrels (using Arts
m atter to them any m ore - presum ing that they and P ersuasion)
have any sanity left at all. Even the m ost benign and Bards (who
and disciplined m ind m ust eventually give way m ix the Arts with a
beneath the ever-increasing weights of power, bit of Scholar and
m em ory, and tim e. Som e of the greatest other hedge
heroes, and m ost terrible villians of all tim e have m agic).
been Planewalkers - enough on its own to m ake
folk fear and dread them . Inexperienced The W arrior.
Planewalkers are probably well-advised to avoid Your basic hum an
revealing that status. tank, usually found
with a more
The Priest. Servants of som e philosophy or cunning com panion
god, priests vary enorm ously - but alm ost all of t o p r o v i d e
them carry a selection of holy sym bols, wear a d ir e c t io n s . T h e
distinctive costum e, and tend to try and govern W arrior likes to
the behavior of everyone around them . wear heavy arm or,
Regardless of whether they’re a good priest or c a rrie s a w id e
a bad one, their religion plays a m ajor role in variety of weapons,
their lives. If it doesn’t they’re just con m en, not and often leads a
priests. s m a ll tr o o p o f
A Priest’s abilities usually include lesser fighters.
Perception, Mana Tapping (often attuned to a H is or her
tem ple or two), Psyche, Scholar, Finance, abilities com m only
Politician, Persuasion, and Repute. Most have inc lud e Vigo r,
som e skill in m agic, but the type depends Fortification,
heavily on what he or she serves. E v a s i o n ,
Variants include Healers (with Healing or Touch of Endurance, Magic Resistance, Regeneration, Melee
LIfe), Mad Scientists (“priests” of science with W eapons, Ranged W eapons, and Leadership. Those
Engineering or Artificer), and eastern-style m artial-arts with troops will need a bit of W hite Magic to fulfill the
Monks (with a bit of Unarm ed Com bat and possibly card prerequisites even if they can’t use m agic directly.
Lifewreaking). Variants include Paladins and Holy W arriors (who
usually know a bit of actual m agic), Knights (who m ay
The Scholar. Usually either a som ewhat ineffectual buy up their m ovem ent or athletics abilities to represent
young m an or an elderly one, the scholar tends to be a m undane m ount or actually have the power to control
bookish and skinny, dresses in robes, and often seem s an extraordinary one), Leaders (who concentrate on
som ewhat ineffectual. Of course, in a world where followers, along with the tactical and enhancem ent
m agic works, such an im pression m ay be entirely false. abilities needed to use them to their best advantage),
For som e reason the vast m ajority of Scholars are Mercenaries (who usually have Am bush, Engineering,
m ale. a selection of practical skills, and an aversion to actually
The Scholar’s abilities usually include Perception, fighting if they can avoid it), and Blademasters (those
Investigation, P syche, Resist Magic, Artificer, characters who represent their Fortification ability as
Divination, Scholar, Enchantm ent, and Herb Mastery. parries and blocks).
Quite a few dabble in m agic, but rarely in any
predictable fashion.

12
Designing Character Types
W hen creating character types, or if you want to
com pare an experienced character to a beginner, the
rule-of-thum b is that each Ability point is worth 1, each
Card is worth 2, and each Distinction is worth 4. Add
these up, divide by 10, and round off the result to obtain
the character’s initial level / total Mana cost. Most
starting characters have initial levels of 4 to 6. The
casualty rate am ong weaker characters tends to be
fairly high.
W hile the Gam e Master m ay allow exceptions, few
starting characters are superhum an experts. As a rule,
low level characters should start with low abilities,
although they m ay build them up through experience.
Characters of level 1 are usually lim ited to rank 3, those
of levels 2-3 are usually lim ited to rank 4, those of levels
4-5 are usually lim ited to rank 5, and those of higher
ranks to a level equal to their rank. Non-m agi can
exceed these lim itations by one rank; they sim ply have
m ore tim e available to develop their other abilities.
Character Advancement
Characters advance by gaining new Abilities, Cards,
and Distinctions. The only real question is how fast
such things are acquired.
The Gam e Master m ay opt to let characters
advance at the end of each m ajor episode or “story” in
a cam paign. In this case characters gain 3 ability points,
two card slots, and one Distinction at the end of each
story - probably once every 3-5 sessions. The only
com plication is that raising an ability above 5 costs two
points per step.
Alternatively, the Gam e Master m ay sim ply base
things on the num ber of sessions a character’s been
played. In this case we recom m end awarding one ability
point per session (double cost to raise abilities above 5
again), one card slot per two sessions, and one
Distinction per four sessions.
Gam e Masters who want rapid character
progressions can sim ply apply both m ethods.
Characters m ay opt to reduce the num ber of card
slots they’d norm ally have available in exchange for
additional ability points or Distinctions; a card slot m ay
be exchanged for 2 ability points or for 1/2 a Distinction.
In either case, advancing a character usually
requires a bit of tim e. Abilities usually don’t require
m uch beyond an announcem ent that “I’m studying or
practicing thus-and-such,” although the GM m ay
choose to m ake raising them above level 5 require
assistance. Cards m ust be justified; the character m ay
have to visit the m ystical heart of a land to attune him -
or her-self to it, seek out the followers he or she wishes
to recruit, or delve into ancient tom es for som e obscure
spell.
13
Distinctions m ust also be justified by som e event in
the gam e, whether that’s being hailed as a hero, getting
m arried, bathing in a m ystic pool, or studying with a
follower who has the Distinction you want to learn.
Optionally, Gam e Masters m ay opt to play a m ore
active roll in card-based character advancem ent. In this
case, each player who wants new cards should file a
few - two or three will do - with the Gam e Master, who
will then work chances to acquire those cards into the
story.
Characters m ay also trade out old cards. To do so,
they sim ply inform the Gam e Master of their decision at
the start of a session and rem ove the card. They m ay
then attem pt to fill the open slot norm ally during the
next gam e session.
Opportunity Aw ards
Gam e Masters m ay want to restrict what characters
buy with their experience at tim es. After all, if som e
poor characters find a horde of treasure it doesn’t seem
unreasonable to ask them to each spend a point or two
on Finance. On the other hand, a character who knows
how to handle m oney probably has som e already, while
those who don’t will soon be broke again.
Such situations are handled by Opportunity Awards
- event-driven chances for easier self-im provem ent.
Mechanically they’re pretty sim ple: the characters get a
chance to “buy” (and som etim es a chance to try out in
advance) whatever the Gam e Master elects to offer for
half price. Most com m only, that m eans two ability points
per one; those poor characters m ight gain a tem porary
+2 boost to their Finance abilities. If they want to m ake
that perm anent, it would only cost them one ability
point. Those who don’t learn to Manage their finances
will thus shortly squander their new wealth.
Fiat Rew ards
Som e form s of character advancem ent don’t affect
the gam e m echanics very m uch, although they m ay
affect play quite a bit. These story-based awards are
known as Fiat Rewards and usually only affect a lim ited
area. Of course, unless you’re a Planewalker, you m ay
never leave such an area. Som e of the m ajor item s in
this category include:
! Authority. You’re in charge of som ething, usually
due to having obtained som e m ore-or-less official
position. You m ay have becom e the chief constable of
a city, the trusted advisor of a m ajor king, or the kingpin
of a band of thieves.
! Contacts. You’ve m et, and are on relatively good
term s with, som eone im portant. This m ay be a powerful
W izard or even a Planewalker, a m ajor ruler, or sim ply
som eone it’s useful to know, like a good fence, expert
scholar, or m ilitary leader.
! Fam e. W hether it’s good or bad, the tales of your
exploits are widely spread, m instrels sing about you,
and you get your own footnotes in the scrolls. They m ay
or m ay not be saying nice things, but m ost people seem
to regard it as a reward either way.
 ! Favors. Having som ebody owe you som ething is
always useful. On occasion, having som eone im portant
or influential owe you som ething can be absolutely vital.
Favors from m ajor supernatural beings are to be
treasured, even by powerful m agi.
! Lifestyle. W hether you’ve acquired an estate, are
a favored guest of the wealthy, or have a stipend, you
can have a good tim e without having to pay for it in at
least one area. W hile this doesn’t include spare cash,
at least the food, drink, and service are all excellent.
! Marriage. Like it or not, the opportunity to m ake an
advantageous m arriage has always been regarded as
a notable prize. Player characters, however, m ay well
regard this sort of “reward” as som ething exceedingly
awkward to deal with. Still, if Urza can do it...
! Recognition. This m ay m ean m edals, awards, or
titles, an honorary trium ph, or som e esoteric cerem ony,
but it always m eans public acknowledgm ent, at least a
brief period of being a celebrity, and a certain am ount of
social credit to draw on.
Replacing Characters
Unfortunately, characters som etim es die - and while
there are cards which can resurrect the dead, they
aren’t always available. Players m ay norm ally bring in a
replacem ent character with a level two below the
average level of the rest of the group.
So why can’t your friend, a Magelord who controls
eight lands, just let every lesser m age in the group
14
attune to them and pick up a free eight-card
advantage? W hy can’t he just teach them that bit of
sorcery, hire a few followers, or spend som e m oney
buying som e new equipm ent?
It’s because attuning yourself to lands, learning
spells, and increasing your sorcerous lim its requires
im m ense am ounts of tim e and effort. Getting new
equipm ent involves learning to use it, new abilities
involve training and practice, and loyal followers take
tim e and effort to recruit. Your friend the Magelord can
certainly open his lands to you - but if you want to
attune one you’ll still need an open card slot and a high
enough level in Mana Tapping to accom m odate another
land.
For convenience’s sake, if you’re attuning to a land
that someone else holds, simply use a slip of paper with
their name and the type of land on it as a token.
The Duel Arcane
Unlike Lesser Magi, Magelords can link to the land
they control so tightly that com plex m agical energy
structures can pass over the link. W hile this grants
them access to the Landrule and lets them cast spells
which take effect at the m ystical center of one of their
lands, it also allows them to be arcanely attacked by
anyone at the m ystical center of one of their lands (i.e.
they can be targeted by Instants, Sorceries, and lesser
m agics despite being a very long ways away). Such a
battle will continue until the landowner renounces the
link (and the control of the land), is slain (and the land,
presum ably, claim ed by the new owner), or the
interloper is either slain or driven off. In either case, any
creatures which were sum m oned to either location m ust
still be dealt with or escaped. In any case, the land
cannot be tapped for Mana while it’s being fought over.
To avoid hit-and-run or gang attacks, m ost
Magelords try to conceal which lands they own, seek
out lands in rem ote/dangerous/obscure locations to
claim , leave guards at each nexus, or arrange for the
locals to protect them . Such tasks are a ready source of
em ploym ent - and Mana - for Lesser Magi.
Such arcane battles tend to erupt out of nowhere at
awkward tim es, specifically centered on two opposing,
if widely-separated, spellcasters. Given the unpopularity
of sudden outbreaks of m onsters and destructive
m agic, incautious Magelords m ake unwelcom e guests.
Planewalkers are subject to the Duel Arcane, but if
the challenger is also a Planewalker the initial
challenge-contact autom atically invokes a full
Planewalker’s Duel.
The Planewalker’s Duel
Planewalker’s Duels are am ong the m ost
devastating of m ortal conflicts, capable of m atching or
exceeding anything short of interplanetary war. On the
other hand, m any worlds have endured hundreds of
such battles - and survived.
W hat m akes such survival this possible is the nature
of the P la n e w a lk e rs the m s e lve s . T h e ir
transdim ensional, polym orphic, natures protect them
and allow them to tap into vast energies - but also m ean
that when two of them choose to confront each other,
the true battleground lies between the dim ensions.
Depending on how they choose to perceive it, they m ay
be virtually face-to-face, or they m ay be separated by
vast distances, m oving troops like chess pieces, but
such appearances change nothing. Entering such a
com prom ise-plane will m om entarily cut each
Planewalker off from their usual resources - forcing
them to reach out and draw to them selves whatever
resources they find ready for use and are m ost attuned
to in the great library of the m ultiverse.
Victory in such a confrontation depends som ewhat
on luck, but m ostly on who m akes the best use of the
resources that com e to hand. W hether for well or ill, the
loser is rarely truly slain; m ost often they escape
unharm ed, although they occasionally forfeit a sliver of
their essence to the victor.
Regardless of who achieves the victory, no m atter
what forces and spells are unleashed, their effects are
inherently limited to the battle-realm and those
creatures, items, and areas which have been drawn
partially into it. Thus even a “Global Rain of Fire” or a
spell of “Arm ageddon” will only affect a few isolated
locations, item s, and creatures. Only ancient and vastly
powerful Planewalkers of nearly equal power can keep
a battle going long enough to draw in any significant
portion of a world.
15
Let us hope that no such conflict occurs until long,
long, after we are dead and our civilizations have fallen
into dust.
The Planewalker Distinction has four basic effects:
1) A Planewalker’s body is purely an expression of
his or her will. Planewalkers need not eat, drink, sleep
(although those who don’t tend to go m ad rapidly), or
breathe, do not age, and take only 1 point of dam age
per die which would norm ally apply. Sadly, they don’t
heal easily either; m agical cures are discounted at the
sam e rate.
2) W hen thrown back on their own resources they
are reduced, at least at first, to a m ere 20 life. If they
draw on the correct forces in a battle-realm , however,
they m ay expand this alm ost without lim it.
3) W hen entangled in a battle-realm their m ultiplanar
existence allows them to transcend all norm al lim its on
the num ber of m agical resources (cards) they m ay
control - but they do have an upper lim it; when they
reach it their m ulti-planar structure will shatter under the
strain
4) Planewalkers who attem pt to directly confront
each other are autom atically drawn into a battle-realm
as described above for a standard gam e of MTG:CCG.
If m ore than two are involved, sim ply use the
m ultiplayer rules.
Taking the Planewalker Distinction requires prior
approval from the Gam e Master. Planewalker-only
Distinctions exist. These include the ability to change
appearance at will (Metam orph), the ability to sim ply
“walk” between dim ensions instead of having to cast
spells (Passage), and the ability to extend som e of their
personal defenses to their creatures in a battle-realm
(Vanguard).
In other words, the basic MTG:CCG rules call for
starting by building a deck (deciding what you’re
attuned to), starting with 20 life, drawing your initial
hand (the first resources you can grab), and then
continuing to draw whenever you can until you lose and
escape (players rarely quit playing magic entirely over
a loss), possibly lose an ante card (this is rare, but a
few games are still played with the ante rule), or quit
playing entirely. If you run out of cards you lose. Of
course, now you know how the basic magic rules
interact with the world they’re set in - and what kinds of
effects they can have on the characters who aren’t
directly involved. Knowledge may not necessarily be
power, but it is a chance to duck.
Using Abilities
Classical d20 uses a d20 for most rolls. W e
recommend using the optional 3d6 rule instead; the
resulting bell curve matches reality a great deal better
than the linear distribution of a single die. It also means
that you don’t need any fancy dice to play: a selection
of standard six-sided dice suffices.
Abilities can be used both Passively and Actively. All
of them can be used passively, without rolling.
Unfortunately, passive effects are quite lim ited, and
m any abilities don’t offer any at all. By default, all
abilities have a base level of (2 + any points spent on
the ability) up to a m axim um total of 10.
Active effects require a roll, and succeed if the (Roll
+ Ability Level) equals or exceeds the Difficulty Class
set by the GM or by an opponents abilities. Sam ple
effects are listed for each ability, divided into:
Automatic. No roll is required to obtain this effect
unless the character is currently has an effective ability
rank below 2. If a character is so handicapped by
m agic, injury, circum stances, or racial m odifier these
effects have a DC of 10 for both the D6 and D20
variants.
Simple. These effects are pretty easy to obtain. They
have a d6 DC of 12 and a d20 DC of 12
Difficult. Highly skilled characters can usually pull off
a difficult task, although it m ay take m ultiple tries.
These effects have a d6 DC of 16 and a d20 DC of 20.
Heroic. These effects are reasonably com m on
am ong great m asters, but are pretty rare otherwise. In
fiction they usually turn up at clim actic m om ents, when
som e great effort is m ade, or when som eone gets very
lucky indeed. They have a d6 DC of 20 and a d20 DC
of 24.
Legendary. These effects are difficult even for great
m asters to obtain. They have a d6 DC of 24 and a d20
DC of 28.
Opposed checks are sim ply resolve with opposed
rolls; if your Perception check beats your opponent’s
Stealth check you spot him or her. If not, you don’t. In
this case no adjustm ent for die type is required.
Attacks are fairly straightforward: Roll using the
relevant attack ability (Heavy, Melee, or Ranged
W eapons or Unarm ed Com bat) versus the opponent’s
(Evasion + Fortification + 2). Characters with Melee
W eapons 5+ or Unarm ed Com bat 7+ gain an additional
+1 bonus on this Defense score.
In any case, the Gam e Master m ay assign bonuses
or penalties up to plus or m inus 4, or call for additional
checks. Two characters fighting on a narrow ledge
probably need Athletics checks to balance there.
Som eone trying to do needlepoint in a howling gale will
suffer a -4 penalty. Som eone partially hidden behind a
tree gains a bonus to his or her Defense - but finds it
harder to attack with a sword.
16
Optionally, characters can declare that they’re using
an Totally Offensive, Offensive, Norm al, Defensive, or
Totally Defensive stance. A Total Offensive stance
allows the user to attack twice, but he or she is
autom atically hit by anyone who attacks him or her. An
Offensive stance provides a +2 bonus to attack at the
price of a -3 penalty on Defense. A Norm al stance has
no m odifiers. A Defensive stance grants a +2 bonus to
Defense at the cost of a -3 penalty to attacks. Finally, a
Totally Defensive stance provides a +5 bonus to
Defense, but does not allow the user to attack at all.
Dam age is som ewhat m ore com plicated. Characters
in general have a base power of 1 - converting to 1d6
dam age - m odified by any relevant Distinctions. They
can also gain a bonus for high ability scores:
Elem entalism 6+ adds +1 power to attacks using
Melee W eapons, Ranged W eapons, or Unarm ed
Com bat. Note that anyone with Elem entalism 3+ m ay
sim ply m anifest appropriate weapons to use with their
com bat abilities.
Characters with Am bush who attack unprepared
targets gain a bonus of (Am bush Rating/2, rounded up)
to their attack attem pt and a dam age bonus of (Am bush
Rating/2, rounded down) to the dam age they inflict.
Sadly, Am bush is usually only usable on the first attack.
Characters with M elee W eapons 4+, Unarm ed
Com bat 5+, or Ranged W eapons 6+ gain a +1 bonus to
their power when attacking with those abilities.
Critical Hits and Fum bles
If you want to com plicate things, include Fum bles
and Critical Hits. These work best with the 3d6 system ,
since they can resolved with the initial roll.
3d6 Critical Hits and Fum bles
Roll of 3 You som ehow M anage to inflict 1d6
points of dam age on yourself,
bypassing all defenses save for a
Planewalker’s natural durability.
Roll of 4 You sm ack a random ly chosen friend,
ally, or one of your creatures for
norm al dam age.
Roll of 17 You hit and do an extra 2d6 dam age.
Roll of 18 You hit and do an extra 4d6 dam age.
D20 Critical Hits and Fum bles
Roll of 1 Roll the attack again. O n a m iss, you
cause 1d6 dam age to yourself,
bypassing all of your defenses save a
Planewalker’s natural durability. On a
hit you hit a friend, ally, or one of your
creatures for norm al dam age.
Roll of 20 Roll the attack again. On a m iss you
hit and cause an extra 2d6 dam age.
On a hit you hit and inflict an extra 4d6
dam age.
Exclusive Abilities
Exclusive Abilities (those with a grey background)
cannot be rolled unless you buy them , although any
autom atic functions still apply. This group includes:
Aberration governs the ability to handle inherently
m agical “m onsters,” such as dragons, undead, shadow
creatures, and sim ilar entities. It controls both the
m axim um level and num ber of such creatures the user
can control at a tim e.
Automatic: Have an Aberration follower or control
a personally-conjured Aberration with a total Mana cost
equal to the ability level or less (no m ore than one
creature per rank in this ability), provide basic care for
a fam iliar Aberration.
Simple: Identify the general characteristics of an
unfam iliar Aberration, recognize com m on types of
Aberrations.
Difficult: Develop a new Aberration-conjuring spell
given several m onths to work in, train unintelligent
Aberrations, understand what an Aberration is trying to
com m unicate without a com m on language, identify the
nature of a fam iliar Aberration’s exotic afflictions
(devising an effective treatm ent will also require the
Healing ability).
Heroic: Control a conjured Aberation with a total
Mana cost of up to 5 over the ability level for 1d6+1
rounds, spot the unique special weakness of an
Aberration, predict the likely behavior patterns of an
Aberration, get a m essage across to an Aberration
without a com m on language.
Legendary: Determ ine the life cycle, and obscure
facts about, an unfam iliar Aberration with a m ere
glance, develop a new Aberration-conjuring spell in a
few days, identify the nature of an unfam iliar
Aberration’s exotic afflictions (devising an effective
treatm ent requires the Healing ability).
17
Am bush governs setting up blinds and hidden
positions, sneak attacks, arranging a tactical
advantage, and inflicting extra dam age on unaware
opponents.
Automatic: Gain bonuses to dam age and attacks
against unaware opponents (see Com bat, page 16),
Simple: Conceal yourself in the woods in a good
spot to snipe from , pick the best available defensive
position available, create sim ple snares and traps.
Difficult: Conceal a group in a good position for a
surprise attack in a reasonable location or conceal
yourself in such a position under difficult conditions,
m ake an attack on som eone look like an accident, build
dangerous deadfalls and pits.
Heroic: Organize an attack to give everyone on your
side a +1d6 bonus to dam age during the first Turn,
conceal an attack on som eone so that even the victim
m ust m ake a Perception check to determ ine the
source, build com plex m echanical traps.
Legendary: Conceal a sm all horde in a flat desert,
plan a surprise attack to give everyone on your side a
+2d6 dam age bonus during the first Turn, create a
m aze full of lethal traps.
Artificer governs the creation of m agical devices
and the m axim um num ber and level of Artifacts which
the character m ay possess. Note that the Gam e Master
can, and should, restrict silly com binations: m ost
creatures can’t use m ore than one suit of arm or and
one or two weapons at a tim e. Note that creating a new
Artifact allows it to be brought into the gam e without the
usual requirem ent of discovering it som ewhere.
Automatic: Have a perm anent Artifact or an Artifact
Creature follower with a total M ana cost equal to the
ability level or less or control a sim ilar conjured artifact
(no m ore than one in total per rank in this ability),
provide basic care for a fam iliar Artifact.
Simple: Identify the general characteristics of an
unfam iliar Artifact, recognize com m on Artifacts in use
by an opponent, create very sim ple (Level 1-2) Artifacts
given several m onths of work,
create m agical charm s and toys
given an hour or two, operate an
unfam iliar artifact.
Difficult: Develop a new Artifact
conjuring spell given several m onths
to work in, deduce the workings of
exotic Artifacts, m ake repairs on
low-level (1-3) Artifacts (for technical
artifacts this m ay also require an
Engineering check).
Heroic: Spot the unique special
weakness of an Artifact or identify
any hidden functions, predict the
likely properties of a severely-
dam aged or partial Artifact, m ake
repairs on dam aged m id-level (4-5)
Artifacts or create Artifacts of up to
Level 4 given som e m onths of work.
Legendary: Develop a new
Artifact conjuring spell in a few days,
create m inor Artifacts given a few days, m ajor ones
given a m onth or so and extraordinary ones given a few
m onths, repair virtually any Artifact.
Beast Mastery governs the ability to handle
anim alistic creatures and the m axim um level and
num ber of creatures which a character can control at
any one tim e. If com bined with a point of Green Mana
it allows easy com m unication with anim als as well.
Automatic: Have an Beast follower or control a
personally-conjured Beast with a total Mana cost equal
to the ability level or less (no m ore than one creature
per rank in this ability), provide basic care for a fam iliar
Beast.
Simple: Identify the general characteristics of an
unfam iliar Beast, recognize com m on types of Beasts,
control a frightened horse.
Difficult: Develop a new Beast-conjuring spell given
several m onths to work in, train unintelligent Beasts.
Understand what an Beast is trying to com m unicate
without a com m on language, identify the nature of a
fam iliar Beast’s exotic afflictions (devising an effective
treatm ent will also require the Healing ability).
Heroic: Control a conjured Aberration with a total
Mana cost of up to 5 over the ability level for 1d6+1
rounds, spot the unique special weakness of an Beast,
predict the likely behavior patterns of an Beast, get a
m essage across to an Beast without a com m on
language.
Legendary: Determ ine the life cycle, and obscure
facts about, an unfam iliar Beast with a m ere glance,
develop a new Beast-conjuring spell in a few days,
identify the nature of an unfam iliar Beast’s exotic
afflictions (devising an effective treatm ent will also
require the Healing ability).
Black Magic governs how m any points of Black
Mana the user m ay hold in reserve at any one tim e and
the m axim um level of Black m agic card that he or she
m ay bring into play.
Automatic: Draw Black Mana from an appropriate
attuned land, store Black Mana, block all Lesser Magi
from drawing on the Mana of a land you control (only
available to Magelords and Planewalkers), acquire
Black followers (also requires relevant lim iting ability).
Simple: Attune to a land which produces Black
Mana, determ ine the nature of a Black Magic effect by
inspecting it, determ ine som ething’s age and general
state of health by touch, curse som eone with baldness,
barrenness, or sim ilar infirm ities.
Difficult: Selectively block Lesser Magi’s access to
the Mana of a land you control (only available to
Magelords and Planewalkers), divine the direction to the
m ystical center of a Black Mana producing land you’re
currently in, create a stationary Circle of Protection
against Black Magic with an hour or so’s work, hold
back a m inor (level 3 or less) Black creature by sheer
m astery (this lasts as long as you take no other actions,
but protects no one else), exterm inate verm in in an
area, curse a field or farm hold so that it will not yield.
Heroic: Devise an on-the-fly counterspell against a
18
Black Magic spell (costs 4 Black Mana), Analyze an
incom ing spell which uses Black Mana, hold back a
notable (level 4-5) Black creature by sheer m astery,
design an original Black spell, resist aging for a day.
Legendary: Hold back a m ajor (level 6-8) Black
creature, or m ake a m ore powerful one hesitate, by
sheer m astery, create an original m ulticolored spell that
involves Black Mana (this requires sim ilar checks for all
other colors involved).
Blue Magic governs how m any points of Blue Mana
the user m ay hold in reserve at any one tim e and the
m axim um level of Blue m agic card that he or she m ay
bring into play.
Automatic: Draw Blue Mana from an appropriate
attuned land, store Blue M ana, block all Lesser Magi
from drawing on the Mana of a land you control (Only
available to Magelords and Planewalkers), acquire Blue
followers (also requires relevant lim iting ability).
Simple: Attune to a land which produces Blue Mana,
determ ine the nature of a Blue Magic effect by
inspecting it, pick up and shape water (it will rem ain
“solid” for several hours), operate a sim ple device.
Difficult: Selectively block Lesser Magi’s access to
the Mana of a land you control (only available to
Magelords and Planewalkers), divine the direction to the
m ystical center of a Blue Mana producing land you’re
currently in, create a stationary Circle of Protection
against Blue Magic with an hour or so’s work, hold back
a m inor (level 3 or less) Blue creature by sheer m astery
(this lasts as long as you take no other actions, but
protects no one else), purify water, produce the correct
change, determ ine the quality of goods.
Heroic: Devise an on-the-fly counterspell against a
Blue Magic spell (costs 4 Blue Mana), Analyze an
incom ing spell which uses Blue Mana, hold back a
notable (level 4-5) Blue creature by sheer m astery,
design an original Blue spell, determ ine who m ade
som ething, produce a few coins, solve m ost puzzles.
Legendary: Hold back a m ajor (level 6-8) Blue
creature, or m ake a m ore powerful one hesitate, by
sheer m astery, create an original m ulticolored spell that
involves Blue Mana (this requires sim ilar checks for all
other colors involved), m ake som ething go suddenly
wrong with a m ajor device, triple the productivity of
workers you supervise.
Divination governs basic detection and
com m unication m agic. Sim ple, im m ediate, questions
(“is this trapped?”) can be answered with a 10–15
m inute ritual or a point of Mana. Com plex, im m ediate
questions, sim ple ones at som e range, and m essage-
sending effects require an hour or two or two points of
Mana. Com plex, distant, questions of com plex
com m unications (such as a seance) can be m anaged
with 3 points of M ana or a ritual of several hours
duration.
Automatic: Determ ine true north or if som ething is
actually m agical, locate your personal property within a
hundred-foot radius, gain a substantial advantage at
gam es of chance, know the tim e, locate where you are.
 Simple: Send a brief m essage to som eone within
line-of-sight, check on the general status of som eone
you have a link to (lock of hair, blood brotherhood, etc),
read a letter without opening it.
Difficult: Detect poisons, contact the spirit of som e
recently-deceased creature, analyze the structure of a
lock or trap, gain a clue to som e com plex quest, cast an
augury, discover how som eone feels about you.
Heroic: Contact the spirit of som eone long-dead,
open a com m unications link with som eone on another
continent, divine the presence of a poison in a distant
location.
Legendary: Contact a m ighty entity or open a
scrying window across the planes, gain glim pses of the
distant future or of m ajor elem ents thereof.
Elementalism governs the use of m inor physical
spells as well as lim iting the num ber and level of instant
and sorcery cards which the user m ay possess. Like
m ost of the lesser m agical abilities, elem entalists m ay
counter other elem entalists with an opposed check.
Automatic: Use Sorcery and Instant Cards of levels
up to the level of your Sorcery ability (in conjunction with
the appropriate Magic ability), create m inor lightshows,
light pipes and cam pfires, cause extra dam age with
attacks or create elem ental weapons with sufficient
ability.
Simple: W ard off rain, dry clothing, purify water,
levitate a pencil or key, illum inate a sm all room , heat or
chill food, create a cool breeze.
Difficult: Create a blinding flash or m assive gust of
wind, m end clothing, m inor telekinesis, freeze-dry food,
waterproof cloth, sum m on patches of rain or fog, resist
1d6 worth of elem ental environm ental dam age.
Heroic: Fireproof leather and cloth, m end m etal
objects, extinguish a burning building, telekinetically
m anipulate a few hundred pounds, resist 2d6 worth of
elem ental environm ental dam age.
Legendary: Fireproof paper, forge com plex m etal
item s without tools, m aintain a bubble of breathable air
underwater or in the m idst of a forest fire resist 4d6
worth of elem ental environm ental dam age.
Enchantment governs the ability to create, analyze,
and sustain enchantm ents as well as the m axim um
num ber and level of enchantm ents which the user m ay
possess at any one tim e. Very m inor enchantm ents,
such as night sight, a slight (+1) bonus to a general
ability, influencing em otions, weaving suggestions or
sim ilar effects, can be accom plished with a sim ple
ability roll. Sadly, these also occupy enchantm ent slots
while they’re active, hence m ost m agi tend to leave a
slot or so open for utility effects. Like m ost of the lesser
m agical abilities, enchanters m ay counter other
enchanters with an opposed check.
Automatic: Use Enchantm ent Cards of levels up to
the level of your Enchantm ent ability (in conjunction with
the relevant M ag ic ability), m aintain lesser
enchantm ents, determ ine if som ething, som eone, or
som e area is currently enchanted.
Simple: Control (in-gam e) gam es of chance, m ake
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som eone lucky or unlucky (no real gam e effect, but nice
or bothersom e), change som ething’s color, weave vocal
suggestions, influence em otions.
Difficult: Boost a general ability by +1, enchant
som eone to see in the dark, m ake som eone like you
better, grant the ability to see in the dark, insert ideas
into people’s heads, get som eone lost, charm a letter
so that it keeps getting handed along until it reaches its
destination, reduce an opponent’s general ability by 1.
Heroic: Cosm etic transform ations, anim ate objects,
m ake som ething seem extrem ely attractive or utterly
repulsive, enhance secondary senses (such as sm ell),
reduce an opponent’s general ability by 2 or an
exclusive ability by 1..
Legendary: Love spells, physical transform ations
(with a point of Mana), seal an area so that no one m ay
leave or so that their steps invariably lead back inside,
let som eone walk on water or m ist, proof som ething
against the ravages of tim e, reduce an opponents
general ability by 3 or exclusive ability by 2.
Engineering governs your ability to design and use
high technology and (with Craftsman) your ability to
create it. If you want to program com puters, design
com plex structures, or m aintain engines, this is the
ability to get. If high-technology cards are in use in your
gam e the level of this ability governs both the num ber
and m axim um num ber of such cards you m ay possess.
(no, there aren’t really any “technology” cards in
MTG:CCG at this tim e, but if som eone m akes som e of
their own or their GM lets them bring in cards from
som e other gam e, then this is the ability to use).
Autom atic: Use Technology Cards of levels up to
the level of your Engineering ability (in conjunction with
the appropriate Magic ability), operate sim ple devices,
understand basic physical principles, basic m ath.
Simple: Operate com puters, replace com ponents in
a system , m ake repairs on sim ple engines, design
basic structures, build a waterm ill.
Difficult: Perform com plex calculations given som e
tim e, design industrial m achinery, design com plex
structures, program a com puter operating system ,
analyze a cities water system , crack ordinary com puter
security, repair com plex devices.
Heroic: Build an industrial base using nothing but
raw m aterials and (lots of) your tim e, design cities and
arcologies, design com puter chips, m aintain a stardrive,
disarm a well-designed bom b.
Legendary: Solve com plex m athem atical problem s
in your head in m ere m om ents, program an AI, hack a
m ilitary secure system with a pocket com puter, solve
the unified field equations.
Fortification governs the m astery of defense, on
both the personal, structural, and strategic levels. It
adds to Evasion to determ ine how difficult you are to hit
with physical weapons and can be rolled to design (or
penetrate) castles and keeps or to defend against
attacks on any lands which the user controls.
Automatic: Add your ability rank to your personal
Defense level, add your ability rank to the Defense of
those protecting your lands (given a few weeks to set anim al, shape wood with your bare hands.
up appropriate fortifications), spot obvious weaknesses Heroic: Devise an on-the-fly counterspell against a
in defensive designs. Green Magic spell (costs 4 Green Mana), Analyze an
Simple: Design a basic castle granting those within incom ing spell which uses Green Mana, hold back a
a 1d6 bonus on dam age and +2 Defense, reinforce a notable (level 4-5) Green creature by sheer m astery,
door, wall, or other structure to withstand a battering design an original Green spell, cause fields and beasts
(roll your Fortification ability to negate such dam age). to flourish (m ay require one or m ore points of Green
Difficult: Design a com plex fortification granting Mana, depending on the desired scale), link with a
those within a 2d6 bonus on dam age and +4 Defense, “fam iliar.”
negate 1d6 dam age or +2 from the Defense bonuses Legendary: Hold back a m ajor (level 6-8) Green
provided by a fortification. creature, or m ake a m ore powerful one hesitate, by
Heroic: Design a m ighty fortification, granting those sheer m astery, create an original m ulticolored spell that
within a 3d6 bonus on their effective dam age ratings involves Green Mana (this requires sim ilar checks for
and a +6 Defense bonus, negate 2d6 dam age or +4 all other colors involved), cause plants and anim als to
from the Defense bonuses provided by a fortification. grow and m ature in m om ents, cause dead wood to
Legendary: Negate either the dam age bonus or the sprout or roots to split stone.
defensive bonus offered by a fortification or 2d6
dam age and +2 Defense. Herb Mastery governs the use of herbs,
com pounds, drugs, potions,
and toxins. It doesn’t really
involve m uch m agic as
such, but m ost NPC’s
regard it as a m ystical art at
its higher levels.
Automatic: Make tasty
and refreshing use of herbs,
spices, and other
ingredients, m ake com m on
folk m edicines for basic
com plaints.
Simple: Brew 1d3 doses
of poison, cure a cold or
other m inor illness, extract
hallucinogens and other
drugs, create perfum es and
scents, brew alcoholic and
exotic beverages, produce
sim ple drugs.
Difficult: Identify a
poison, brew an antidote for
Green Magic governs how m any points of Green a known poison, cure a serious illness or prevent
Mana the user m ay hold in reserve at any one tim e and infection, extract the essences of m agical plants, brew
the m axim um level of Green m agic card that he or she elixirs which allow sight into other worlds, create healing
m ay bring into play. poultices (can restore 1d6 life per day), extract com plex
Automatic: Draw Green Mana from an appropriate drugs.
attuned land, store Green Mana, block all Lesser Magi Heroic: Identify the likely properties of an unknown
from drawing on the Mana of a land you control (Only m agical plant, cure severe illnesses, induce hibernation,
available to Magelords and Planewalkers), acquire brew m ixtures with com plex biochem ical and m ental
Green followers (also requires relevant lim iting ability). effects.
Simple: Attune to a land which produces Green Legendary: Cure advanced leprosy, com as, and
Mana, determ ine the nature of a Green Magic effect by those near death from various diseases, enable astral
inspecting it, identify the basic properties of an unknown projection, brew double-strength poisons.
plant, get plants to flourish, analyze soil.
Difficult: Selectively block Lesser Magi’s access to Leadership governs the ability to lead NPC’s,
the Mana of a land you control (only available to troops, and other intelligent (and m ore-or-less norm al)
Magelords and Planewalkers), divine the direction to the Minions, and controls the m axim um level and num ber
m ystical center of a Green Mana producing land you’re of such creatures which the user m ay com m and.
currently in, create a stationary Circle of Protection Automatic: Have a Minion follower or control a
against Green Magic with an hour or so’s work, hold personally-conjured Minion with a total Mana cost equal
back a m inor (level 3 or less) Green creature by sheer to the ability level or less (no m ore than one creature
m astery (this lasts as long as you take no other actions, per rank in this ability).
but protects no one else), train or dom esticate an

20
 Sim ple: Identify the general characteristics of an Magesight governs the ability to directly perceive
unfam iliar race. Dom inate slaves and sim ilar servants. and analyze m agical energies, as well as the ability to
Difficult: Develop a new Minion-conjuring spell determ ine what spell is being cast before it activates.
given several m onths to work in. Understand what Automatic: Read untrapped m ystical runes, detect
som ebody is trying to com m unicate without a com m on ley lines and other powerful Mana sources in the
language. Get independent NPC’s to listen to sensible im m ediate vicinity, sense powerful m ystic disturbances.
orders in an em ergency. Maintain general control of a Simple: Detect the m agical energies of a lurking
sizable arm y. Determ ine what an unfam iliar NPC m ost Spirit, determ ine the color of a spell that’s being cast.
wants (and so could likely be m anipulated with). Difficult: Pick up a m age’s m agical “signature” from
Heroic: Control a conjured Minion with a total Mana observing an active spell, detect the underlying m agic
cost of up to 5 over the ability level for 1d6+1 rounds. of an illusion, get a rough idea of how m uch Mana a
Spot som eone’s special weakness or predict their likely target currently holds, determ ine the general nature of
behavior. Get a m essage across to som eone without a a spell that’s being cast.
com m on language. Get sm all children to behave Heroic: Identify the nature of a spell from the
them selves. Inspire troops, granting m ystical traces it leaves
them a +1d6 bonus to the dam age behind, spot an invisible
they inflict. creature, such as one
Legendary: Determ ine the origin, using Landwalk, by it’s
profession, and general character of m agical aura, determ ine
an unfam iliar Minion with a m ere the exact nature of a spell
glance. Develop a new Minion- that’s being cast.
conjuring spell in a few days. Get Legendary: Detect the
m en to follow you into certain death. Planewalker spark in an
infant, determ ine what
Lifewreaking governs the ability spells and powers a m age
to transm ute life points into colorless has available from the
Mana or into any color of Mana the traces in his or her aura,
user has the appropriate Magic ability determ ine the structure of
for. Sadly, Life expended on a spell that’s being cast
Lifewreaking cannot be regained (half the cost of using a
through supernatural m eans. counterspell effect).
Automatic: Convert 20 Life into 1
Mana. Mana Tapping
Sim ple: Convert 15 Life into 1 governs the ability to draw
Mana, ritually sacrifice a com m on, Mana from odd sources,
m inor, anim al for a point of Green such as plan etary
Mana. conjunctions, crowds of
Difficult: Convert 10 Life into 1 fanatic w o r s h ip e rs ,
Mana. Ritually sacrifice a sentient sacrifices, m ystic wells,
being for a point of Black, Green, or and other exotica. It also
Colorless Mana. lim its the num ber of
Heroic: Convert 15 Life into 2 exotic lands which a
Mana. Sacrifice a Conjuration for the Mana used to Magelord or Planewalker can control at any one tim e
sum m on it less two points. and the total num ber of lands which a lesser m age can
Legendary: Convert 20 Life into 3 Mana. Drain the attune them selves to.
life-energies of a land while at it’s m ystical center. Autom atic: Draw Mana from a stable, attuned,
power source. Maintain a link with an exotic land.
Draining a land provides 1d6+4 Mana, but kills or Accept Mana transferred from som eone else.
weakens everything in the area and disrupts the lands Simple: Draw Mana from a Mana Font, Node, W ell,
ability to provide Mana for weeks. If the land is held by Artifact-Battery, or other sem i-stable source.
a Magelord or Planewalker they may subtract their Difficult: Draw Mana from a Ley Line, Upwelling, or
Fortification ability from the would-be wreakers ability. Crowd of W orshipers (one per crowd or ritual, color is
Hence this rarely succeeds against a defended land - determ ined by the Gam e Master according to the
and even the attempt is usually grounds for being nature of the crowd and ritual involved).
hunted down by everyone who lives there. Heroic: Draw Mana from the sun, stars, dawn, and
Lifewreaking is the presumed source of energy for other astronom ical events (1-2 points per day unless
creatures which can be tapped for Mana. This normally som ething special is happening). The character will
operates automatically at the Difficult success level, probably have to enact special cerem onies at particular
yielding one Mana point. Unfortunately, the price of an tim es to tap into this source of Mana and m ay require a
automatic success is being limited to producing Mana Distinction to do so. Characters m ay only attem pt to
of the color specified in the creature description. draw on such events once per day.

21
 Legendary: Draw Mana from popular beliefs and/or
philosophies and/or “gods” (whatever they are). This
usually requires observing a variety of cerem onies, odd
taboos, and subscribing to particular beliefs, but can
provide 1d6 points of Mana of colors specified by the
Gam e Master when it works. Sadly, this technique can
only be attem pted once per day.
Movement governs raw speed, the ability to run and
leap. This isn’t com plicated but, in a world of m agic, can
be quite im pressive. The base of 2 is norm al hum an
speed, cheetahs sprint at 6, and (on earth anyway) only
vehicles get m uch faster than that. It com plim ents
Athletics. For those who want actual num bers, the base
lim its are: Running Long Jump: 10 feet x Movem ent,
High Jump 2 feet x Movem ent, Sprint at 15 feet x
Movem ent/second, Long Distance Running is at 4 x
Movem ent MPH, and W alking is at 2 x Movem ent MPH.
Olym pic athletes usually have a Movem ent rating of 3.
Unless they’re using m agic m ost creatures Movem ent
scores are never m ore than one above the species
average.
Automatic: Crawl, walk, run, and leap with ordinary
speed and success. W alk, run, and jum p distances a bit
below the base lim its.
Simple: M ove at full speed across uneven terrain,
reach the lim its given above.
Difficult: Move at full speed across rough terrain,
slightly exceed the lim its given above.
Heroic: Move at full speed across broken terrain,
add +1 to your effective Movem ent for a bit.
Legendary: Move briefly over water, m ist, or som e
other im possible terrain, add +2 to your effective
Movem ent for a bit.
In chase situations both speed and agility are of
great importance: in this case simply make two checks:
one for closing the distance, one to keep up with
evasive maneuvers (if any).
Phantasm governs the ability to weave m inor
illusions. Unlike the other m inor m agical abilities,
Phantasm does not form the basis for effects beyond
those of hedge wizardry; illusions are lim ited by their
caster’s skill, im agination, and m ental focus rather than
by raw power.
Automatic: Create m odest light-show effects,
change the color of a sheet of paper, or cover up
palm ing som ething, suggest alm ost any kind of dream
to som eone.
Simple: Disguise som eone’s features, blend into the
shadows, disguise the opening of a cave, m ake a good
illusion of an opening or door, create an illusory stench.
Difficult: Make som eone or som ething invisible,
generate illusory pain or other sensations, create a
house-sized static illusion or an interactive illusory
creature.
Heroic: Create a good illusion of a docum ent over
paper, create passable illusory currency, m ake an
individual target see, hear, and feel alm ost anything.
Legendary: Create an interactive illusion covering
22
a very large room (a.k.a “the halls of faerie”).
Politician governs the ability to m anipulate
governm ents and organized societies. Note that being
a stranger in town m ay m ake this m ore difficult, but it’s
still quite possible.
Automatic: Function in society, get a general idea
of the local laws after a bit of poking around.
Simple: Find out who’s running an area, organize a
m arch or protest, find out about local laws, convince a
lobbyist to spend som e tim e on you.
Difficult: Get a license for restricted activities, obtain
a m odest grant for som e project, hinder or advance a
bureaucratic process, get som eone’s perm its pulled.
Heroic: Get in to see an im portant local figure,
arrange to have an ordinary person arrested or dealt
with, get a relatively sane law passed, get m ajor
charges dropped, get som eone offered a good job, or
send the police after som eone you dislike.
Legendary: Arrange to have a fairly im portant
person arrested, arrange a war, arrange an insane law,
or cover up alm ost anything.
Red Magic governs how m any points of Red Mana
the user m ay hold in reserve at any one tim e and the
m axim um level of Red m agic card that he or she m ay
bring into play.
Automatic: Draw Red Mana from an appropriate
attuned land, store Red Mana, block all Lesser Magi
from drawing on the Mana of a land you control (Only
available to Magelords and Planewalkers), acquire Red
followers (also requires relevant lim iting ability).
Simple: Attune to a land which produces Red Mana,
determ ine the nature of a Red Magic effect by
inspecting it, ignite flam m able objects, m ake everyone
nearby aware of your em otions.
Difficult: Selectively block Lesser Magi’s access to
the Mana of a land you control (only available to
Magelords and Planewalkers), divine the direction to the
m ystical center of a Red Mana producing land you’re
currently in, create a stationary Circle of Protection
against Red Magic with an hour or so’s work, hold back
a m inor (level 3 or less) Red creature by sheer m astery
(this lasts as long as you take no other actions, but
protects no one else), cold forge m etal, radiate an
em otion (this influences crowds and reactions but has
no com bat effects).
Heroic: Devise an on-the-fly counterspell against a
Red Magic spell (costs 4 Red Mana), Analyze an
incom ing spell which uses Red Mana, hold back a
notable (level 4-5) Red creature by sheer m astery,
design an original Red spell, soften rock and m etal so
that it can be shaped like clay, cause wild bursts of
poltergeist activity.
Legendary: Hold back a m ajor (level 6-8) Red
creature, or m ake a m ore powerful one hesitate, by
sheer m astery, create an original m ulticolored spell that
involves Red Mana (this requires sim ilar checks for all
other colors involved), drive a crowd of creatures into a
hysterical frenzy, cause a m inor elem ental storm (rocks
start flying about, weather goes m ad, etc) in the area.
 Regeneration governs self-healing. Unlike m ost of
the other exclusive abilities, all characters use this at
the passive, unconscious, level, autom atically regaining
one life per day per effective rank in this ability.
Automatic: Natural healing, recovery with som e
scarring.
Sim ple: Recover from serious wounds without
notable scarring.
Difficult: Recover from m assive wounds without
notable scarring.
Heroic: Regenerate lim bs and other organs, heal
from any survivable wound without im pairm ent.
Legendary: Cling to life (with a point of Mana)
despite obviously-fatal wounds.
Repute governs a character’s reputation. The user
is free to specify what his or her reputation is for, and
m ay influence a wide variety of social situations with a
successful check.
Automatic: Get recognized by friends, allies, and
relatives.
Simple: Im press som e yokel with your boasting.
Villagers treat you to beer. Get considered for jobs in
your area of expertise.
Difficult: Im press the gentry with your rem arkable
deeds. Tip the balance in a social situation. Mayors
invite you for dinner.
Heroic: Im press lords and kings with your incredible
talents. Get called on for quests and extraordinary
tasks. People want your autograph. Necrom ancers
want your hands.
Legendary: Im press Dem igods with your awesom e
works. No other expert in an area is worth talking to.
Urza invites you over for tea and cookies.
Scholar governs book-learning of all kinds, ranging
from geography and history on through chem istry,
alchem y, and even m ore esoteric knowledges.
Automatic: Know the basic, recent, history of your
hom eland, recognize com m on working anim als and
know their general habits.
Simple: Know the general layout of the continent or
world, work algebra, know enough chem istry to be
dangerous, recognize unusual anim als.
Difficult: Mix explosives, acids, and bases, recite an
outline of world history, identify the relics of a particular
culture.
Heroic: Know obscure uses for rare m agical
m aterials, sketch a decent m ap of a distant land,
recognize and describe exotic anim als, describe m inute
historical details.
Legendary: Know details about distant dim ensions
and worlds, engage in alchem ical transm utation (with a
point of Mana.
Shamanism governs the ability to call, com m unicate
with, and control spirits as well as the m axim um level
and num ber of spirit creatures which a character can
control at any one tim e.
Automatic: Have an Spirit follower or control a
personally-conjured Spirit with a total Mana cost equal
23
to the ability level or less (no m ore than one creature
per rank in this ability), sense and com m unicate with
spirits while in a trance.
Simple: Identify the general characteristics of an
unfam iliar Spirit, enter a trance, recognize com m on
types of Spirits.
Difficult: Develop a new Spirit-conjuring spell given
several m onths to work in, com m unicate with any local
spirits, enter a trance so deep that you appear dead.
Heroic: Control a conjured Spirit with a total Mana
cost of up to 5 over the ability level for 1d6+1 rounds,
spot the unique special weakness of an Spirit, predict
the likely behavior patterns of an Spirit, com m unicate
with the newly dead or with any spirit linked to your
current location, project yourself into the spirit world.
Legendary: Determ ine obscure facts about an
unfam iliar Spirit with a m ere glance, develop a new
Spirit-conjuring spell in a few days, contact the m ighty
powers of the spirit world or travel there with a group.
Sleights governs m inor technical and m ystical
trickery, ranging from sm oke pellets through instant
disguise spells and grapnel guns. The user m ay select
one such trick per ability level. Optionally, Slights m ay
also be used to represent com bat or other special tricks
and techniques.
Automatic: Escape from Chinese Handcuffs,
perform a sim ple card trick you’ve practiced.
Simple: Make sm oke bom bs and spring-loaded
grapnels, escape from handcuffs.
Difficult: Conceal a sm all weapon through a search,
escape from ropes, perform com plex card tricks,
Heroic: Escape from chains and cells.
Legendary: Escape from pocket prison dim ensions.
Space Vehicles governs the ability to operate space
vehicles of all kinds, ranging from shuttles to ethercraft
or the m ost bizarre science-fictional craft.
Automatic: Recognize the various types of space
vehicles, know the basics of space flight and navigation.
Simple: Take off or execute sim ple m aneuvers, get
a license.
Difficult: Land sm oothly and gently, execute a
com plex (but sensible) m aneuver, perform general
m aintenance.
Heroic: Land during a storm , plot an orbit in your
head, execute a clearly im practical m aneuver or a
com plex m aneuver under bad conditions, take off in a
fraction of the norm ally-required tim e, jury-rig or bypass
m ajor system s in an em ergency.
Legendary: Perform com plex m aneuvers under
horrendous conditions, evade an attack which should
certainly have destroyed the vehicle, execute a flatly
ridiculous m aneuver (right-angle turn, finding a “crack
in the event horizon” to escape through, etc).
Touch of Life governs lesser healing m agic, curing
diseases, blindness, and sim ilar afflictions, as well as
the ability to transfer your own life into others (to
instantly heal their wounds) or into inanim ate objects to
tem porarily anim ate them .
 W hite Magic
governs how m any
points of W hite
Mana the user m ay
hold in reserve at
any one tim e and
the m axim um level
of W hite m agic
card that he or she
m ay bring into play.
Automatic:
Draw W hite Mana
from an appropriate
attuned land, store
W hite Mana, block
all Lesser Magi
from drawing on the
Mana of a land you
control (O nly
available to
M a g e lo rds a n d
Planewalkers),
acquire W hite
fo llo w e rs ( a ls o
requires relevant
Automatic: Transfer up to 10 life points to som eone lim iting ability).
else, determ ine the extent of som eone’s injuries. Simple: Attune to a land which produces W hite
Simple: Anim ate a length of rope you’re touching for Mana, determ ine the nature of a W hite Magic effect by
a few m om ents for 1 life. inspecting it, heal m inor annoyances (bruises, sm all
Difficult: Cure ordinary diseases. Anim ate a door to cuts, rashes and sore throats), organize an am iable
m ake it open or close on com m and for several m inutes m eeting.
for 2 life. Difficult: Selectively block Lesser Magi’s access to
Heroic: Cure deafness and serious illnesses, m ake the Mana of a land you control (only available to
a statue take a few sim ple actions, anim ate a living Magelords and Planewalkers), divine the direction to the
plant for several m inutes for 3 life. m ystical center of a W hite Mana producing land you’re
Legendary: Cure virulent m ystical plagues, total currently in, create a stationary Circle of Protection
blindness, or congenital deform ities, anim ate a group of against W hite Magic with an hour or so’s work, hold
trees or plants for an hour or so for 5 life. back a m inor (level 3 or less) W hite creature by sheer
m astery (this lasts as long as you take no other actions,
Toughness governs the ability to resist dam age but protects no one else), soothe or m oderate an
from any source. argum ent, radiate a sphere of peace and serenity that
Automatic: Reduce incom ing dam age by one point wards off disturbances and calm s those within, cleanse
per rank in the Toughness ability (to a m inim um of 1). an area (whether physically or of m align influences is up
Planewalkers, who take only 1 point per die, get only to the user).
one third of this benefit - 1 point less dam age at rank 3, Heroic: Devise an on-the-fly counterspell against a
2 points less at rank 6, and so on. W hite Magic spell (costs 4 W hite Mana), Analyze an
Simple: Snap fishline or a fine wire without cutting incom ing spell which uses W hite Mana, hold back a
yourself on it, sm ash a beer can on your head, avoid notable (level 4-5) W hite creature by sheer m astery,
being sunburned. design an original W hite spell, exorcize a possessing
Difficult: Clim b a barbed-wire fence without injury, spirit, calm everyone in the vicinity, stem a retreat.
crash through a plate-glass window without being cut, Legendary: Hold back a m ajor (level 6-8) W hite
hold a hot coal without discom fort, pierce yourself with creature, or m ake a m ore powerful one hesitate, by
various item s without suffering real injury. sheer m astery, create an original m ulticolored spell that
Heroic: Absorb the im pact of a lengthy fall without involves W hite Mana (this requires sim ilar checks for all
serious injury. other colors involved), inspire a truce during a m assed
Legendary: Dive from a speeding car and roll to a battle, get a panicky crowd organized towards som e
halt without injury. com m on goal.

24
General Abilities
General abilities can be rolled even if you haven’t
purchased any ranks in the ability. Still, training will
m ake you a lot better. This group includes:
Air Vehicles governs the ability to operate air
vehicles of all kinds, ranging from balloons to fighter
jets.
Autom atic: Recognize the various types of air
vehicles, know the basics of flight and navigation.
Simple: Take off or execute sim ple m aneuvers, get
a license.
Difficult: Land sm oothly and gently, execute a
com plex (but sensible) m aneuver, perform general
m aintenance.
Heroic: Land during a storm , execute a clearly
im practical m aneuver or a com plex m aneuver under
bad conditions, take off in a fraction of the norm ally-
required tim e, jury-rig or bypass m ajor system s in an
em ergency.
Legendary: Perform com plex m aneuvers under
horrendous conditions, evade an attack which should
certainly have destroyed the vehicle, execute a flatly
ridiculous m aneuver (right-angle turn, flying sideways
between two buildings, etc).
Arts governs m usical perform ances, dance,
painting, sculpting, and a wide variety of sim ilar
activities.
Automatic: Distinguish between art and trash, m ake
crude-but-recognizable sketches of things, sing without
actually inflicting dam age on anyone, and appreciate
the work of better artists.
Simple: Sketch passably, play a recognizable tune
on a sim ple instrum ent, avoid looking like a com plete
idiot on a dance floor, and decorate your gear in fairly
reasonable taste.
Difficult: Perform professionally, paint accurate (or
salable) portraits, organize and direct an orchestra or
chorus, pick up a reasonable days salary perform ing in
any town or find a welcom e in the countryside.
Heroic: Com pose a scathing, and extrem ely catchy,
satire, m ove an audience to tears, entertain spirits of
nature and the dead, seduce an em peror with dance.
Legendary: Sway a god, com pose an epic that will
inspire m illions, com pel the lords of faerie, paint a
m asterpiece to awe all who gaze upon it (and possibly,
with som e points of Mana, to serve as a portal).
Athletics governs diving for cover, sprinting, lifting
weights, clim bing, balancing, swim m ing, and other
sim ple, physical, acts.
Automatic: Perform norm al, hum an-level, tasks.
Simple: Clim b a tree or easy rock face, walk along
a building ledge, carry som eone hurriedly out of danger,
stay afloat in m ildly rough water, tip over a sizable
boulder, dive out of the way of a rock slide, right a
canoe, fall without injuring yourself, turn a som ersault.
Difficult: Dash across a tree which has fallen across
25
a chasm , stay afloat going down rapids, lift 500 pounds,
dive out of the way of a falling truck, tum ble across a
room , swing from vine to vine through a forest.
Heroic: W alk a tightrope, lift a ton or two, pull a
truck, run down a horse on foot, swim through a raging
storm , dive for pearls, dive out of the way of a blast of
flam e, perform com plex feats of acrobatics without a
choreographer.
Legendary: Fight on a tightrope, clim b a greased
glass wall, lift several tons, swim through a tidal wave to
com e out on the other side.
Courtier governs etiquette, socializing, recognizing
social traps, m aking friends, locating respectable
contacts, and gaining access to high society.
Automatic: Know basic etiquette for your culture,
m ake requests and speak to people without being
offensive.
Simple: Deduce surface m otivations, get an official
to give you a job, speak in a form al style, use the right
fork for salad, get people to brag and talk about
them selves, m ake subtle insults, spread rum ors without
appearing to do so, get a date.
Difficult: Make som eone appear foolish, seduce a
reluctant target, deduce deeper m otivations, recognize
when som eone is setting you up, befriend a high-
ranking aristocrat, get into a private party, get som eone
into trouble while appearing to “help,” deflect a noxious
com m ent.
Heroic: Befriend a m ajor ruler, join any desired
clique, acquire a high-status m istress, extract all kinds
of inform ation from som eone in conversation, insult
som eone without them even realizing it, com pletely
warp som eone’s reputation, m ake infam y som ehow
chic and attractive.
Legendary: Cause hundreds to obsess over you,
befriend an ancient, solitary, entity, inspire a festival in
the pits of torm ent, counter a horrendous (and well-
docum ented) story about yourself, start a rom ance with
an enem y in the m iddle of battle.
Craftsman governs the ability to m ake nonm agical
item s. Most characters specialize a bit, but that’s not
really required. A workshop of som e sort usually is.
Automatic: Use sim ple tools effectively, select the
appropriate raw m aterials for a project, set up a work
area, assist m ore skilled craftsm en.
Simple: Make basic item s of adequate quality:
weave cloth, forge arrowheads, chip usable stone tools,
prepare decent leather, or set up an efficient workplace.
Difficult: Make com plex item s and/or item s of high
quality, weave a tapestry or fine silk, build good
furniture, or tailor clothing. Organize a group of crafters
to work efficiently.
Heroic: Make fine m usical instrum ents, superb tools
and weapons, and m arvelous m eals. Create com plex
m achinery.
Legendary: Craft m arvelous item s (these m ay count
as m inor Artifacts), work without tools (this trick costs
Mana), craft parts to m icroscopic tolerances.
 Endurance governs the ability to resist fatigue, pain,
and loss of concentration as well as the ability to
m aintain efforts and survive inclem ent conditions.
Automatic: Ignore m inor wounds and dam age
during an em ergency, resist decay, rem ain com fortable
despite m inor tem perature variations.
Simple: Stay awake for a lengthy guard shift, resist
a m inor disease, avoid heat exhaustion, com plete a
lengthy ritual.
Difficult: Resist a notable disease, cast a spell while
severely wounded, reach into a pit of flam es to pull out
som ething im portant, labor for a day without resting.
Heroic: W ithstand extrem e torture, resist a horrific
disease, go for a week without eating or drinking, run
for across a desert all day without drinking or slowing.
Legendary: Resist a virulent m ystical plague,
rem ain awake and alert for weeks at a tim e, walk
across a glacier naked without getting cold, com plete a
short task despite lethal wounds.
Evasion governs the art of not being hit. In general,
it helps set the difficulty for an opponent to hit you, but
is used alone against traps and other nonsentient
m enaces.
Automatic: Add your Evasion ability to your basic
Defense.
Simple: Dodge a rolling boulder, falling tree,
scything blade, or other single-target m echanical trap.
Difficult: Advance on a fixed position while staying
out of the line of fire, avoid a dangerous anim al in close
quarters, dodge a cloud of arrows from a trap.
Heroic: Dodge your way through an avalanche or
whirling wall of blades.
Legendary: Dodge the shrapnel from a m ajor
explosion.
Finance governs your personal wealth, ability to
bargain, and other financial m atters.
Automatic: Scrape up a few coins for a cheap m eal,
avoid being driven past the asking price, keep track of
how m uch m oney you’re carrying.
Simple: Balance your checkbook or budget, pay for
new clothes or general supplies, take a few days off to
go on a trip without risking financial collapse.
Difficult: Buy a house or car, m anage a bank, fund
an exploratory expedition, figure out an em bezzlem ent
schem e, evade your taxes with a good chance of
success.
Heroic: Pay for building a fortress or arcology, track
and control the finances of a m ultinational corporation,
evade your taxes legally.
Legendary: Pay for building a m ajor m etropolis,
track the finances of a m ultinational corporation in your
head, get a refund without paying taxes first legally.
Harvesting governs Farm ing, Logging, Herding,
Fishing, Mining, and other m ethods of extracting natural
resources. Most characters don’t actually bother with
using this ability, but quite a few have a point in it as a
background.
Automatic: Assist m ore experienced harvesters in
26
basic tasks, collect eggs, provide basic anim al care,
and gather fruit.
Sim ple: Fish for your own dinner, locate edible
plants in an autum n forest, dry m eat and fruits, select
trees for particular purposes.
Difficult: Top trees, perform deep-shaft m ining,
follow veins of ore, feed a fam ily for a few days by
fishing, hunting, or gathering, identify rare plants, refine
m etals.
Heroic: Feed a village for a few days by hunting or
fishing, recognize the signs of the presence of exotic
resources, m ake a farm work under awful conditions.
Legendary: Extract needed supplies for a sm all
group from a barren asteroid belt or m oonscape, find
food for a crowd in the desert or other wilderness,
refine exotic m ystical m etals, locate “extinct” plants or
anim als.
Healing governs first aid, m edicine, surgery, and
any available advanced techniques, such as im plant
surgery. In general, non-em ergency treatm ents can only
be applied effectively once per week.
Automatic: Recognize where it hurts you, realize
that som eone’s dead after checking on them .
Simple: Apply pressure-pads and tourniquets,
bandage m inor injuries, recognize broken bones and
shock, know which organs are m ost vital, act as a
physical therapist.
Difficult: Function as a physician, stitch up wounds,
deliver babies when com plications occur, evaluate
drugs and treatm ents, heal 1d6 life points worth of
dam age, perform cosm etic surgery.
Heroic: Reattach lim bs, transplant organs, perform
brain surgery, awaken som eone from a com a, treat
poisoning (restore 1d6 ability points), heal 2d6 life
points worth of dam age, rebuild dam aged organs,
restructure bones to change apparent race.
Legendary: Hook m echanism s to nerve trunks so
that the user can control them m entally, em ulate Dr.
Frankenstein, transplant brains, keep brains alive and
conscious in bottles, rebuild som eone into a m em ber of
another species, heal 4d6 life points worth of dam age.
Heavy Weapons governs the use of fixed- and
vehicle- m ount weapons system s, m achine guns,
m issile launchers, m ortars, and sim ilar system s.
Automatic: Add your weapons ability to your attack
roll, inflict extra dam age with sufficient ability.
Simple: Use unfam iliar heavy weaponry, perform
basic repairs and m aintenance on a known type of
heavy weapon.
Difficult: Perform basic repairs and m aintenance on
an unfam iliar weapon, evaluate what task a particular
weapon is best suited for, teach others to use heavy
weapons.
Heroic: Speed-load a heavy weapon, m odify a
weapon to suit a particular purpose, pick an especially-
vital target point on a vehicle or structure.
Legendary: Precisely control the area affected by
an area-effect weapon, operate a crew-serviced
weapon at norm al speed by yourself.
 Investigation governs the Simple: Pick a sim ple
ability to locate and analyze lock, locate a fence, forge a
inform ation, search libraries, and signature, disarm practical-
otherwise locate and operate in joke booby traps.
areas hidden from others. Difficult: Find rare drugs,
Automatic: Check the index in sell ordinary loot for near full
a book, hunt for som ething in a value, pick a com plex lock,
reasonably organized fashion, bypass a cam era-based
realize that the gaping knife wound security system , forge a
in the body m ight possibly be sim ple docum ent.
related to the bloody knife lying Heroic: Forge a lengthy
nearby. proclam ation, pick a superb
Simple: Search for cross- lock, disarm the defenses of
references and alternative titles in a m age’s tom b.
a library, reconstruct recent events Legendary: Sell the
from a fair am ount of evidence, crown jewels for near-full
locate som eone’s phone num ber value just after stealing them ,
on the internet, know what the run a con on the guards
neighbors are up to, put together a around your cell, bypass a
brief biography of a celebrity. full-scale m ilitary security
Difficult: Know what your system for a top-secret
children are up to, put together a conference.
brief biography on alm ost anyone,
locate a particular figure in the L in g u i s t ic s governs
underworld, put together details on s p e a k in g , re a d in g , a n d
obscure events and places, tran s lating languages,
recognize the signs of a m onster lair. creating and breaking codes and ciphers, and the study
Heroic: Find a brief citation in a m assive library in a of language in general.
single night or research, perform archeological Automatic: Speak any language you happen to
research, reconstruct m onths-old events from m odest know, know one language per Linguistics rank if the
am ounts of evidence, put together details on a near- Gam e Master happens to have specified languages for
m ythical place or event, find blackm ail m aterial on a his or her world.
squeaky-clean individual. Simple: Speak “Pig Latin” variants on your native
Legendary: Determ ine the cause of death of a language, translate sim ple ciphers with tim e and effort,
m um m y, reconstruct decades-old events from m inim al present a coherent argum ent.
evidence, deduce m any details about a person or place Difficult: Read sim ple ciphers with ease, identify the
from a brief glim pse. relationships between languages, decipher com plex
codes with tim e and effort, translate an inscription in a
Land Vehicles governs the ability to operate land dead language.
vehicles of all kinds, ranging from skateboards to m ain Heroic: Identify som eone from their writing style,
battle tanks. decipher com plex codes in a few m inutes, translate an
Automatic: Recognize the various types of land inscription in a lost language.
vehicles, know the basics operating them , get a license. Legendary: Casually read or translate a language
Simple: Execute sim ple m aneuvers, get a license, that you’ve never seen before, crack “unbreakable”
perform sim ple m aintenance. encryption.
Difficult: Execute a com plex (but sensible)
m aneuver, m odify system s, perform a jum p, push for a Melee Weapons governs attacking with hand-held
bit of extra speed, perform a “bootlegger reverse.” close-com bat weapons, whether such item s are
Heroic: Execute a clearly im practical m aneuver or designed for the task or im provised.
a com plex m aneuver under bad conditions, jury-rig or Automatic: Add your weapons ability to your attack
bypass m ajor system s in an em ergency. roll, inflict extra dam age with sufficient ability, attem pt to
Legendary: Perform com plex m aneuvers under disarm an opponent (a resisted check with a +4
horrendous conditions, evade an attack which should advantage to the opponent).
certainly have destroyed the vehicle, execute a flatly Simple: Use an unfam iliar m elee weapon, perform
ridiculous m aneuver. basic m aintenance on low-technology m elee weapons,
train novices in the basics of weapon use, attack an
Larceny governs lockpicking, forgery, bypassing opponents weapon instead of the opponent.
security system s, and sim ilar illegal activities. Difficult: Inflict stunning dam age with a norm ally-
Automatic: Serve as a thug or runner, locate readily lethal weapon, throw a m elee weapon effectively,
available illegal goods and services, scrawl som ething recognize the style of another weapon wielder, evaluate
illegible in place of a signature. what tasks a particular weapon is best suited for.

27
 Heroic: Perform basic repairs and m aintenance on
a high-technology m elee weapon, m odify a low-tech
weapon to suit a particular purpose, attack two or three
targets sim ultaneously.
Legendary: Make a sweeping attack targeting
everyone within reach, hurl a m elee weapon and catch
it again on the rebound.
Characters who try for multiple attacks and similar
tricks lose their basic attack if they don’t pull it off.
Perception governs alertness, sensory acuity, and
the user’s ability to accurately interpret sensory
inform ation.
Automatic: W ake up when an alarm goes off, see
and hear obvious things, and enjoy the benefits of
norm al sensory perception.
Simple: Recognize com m on spices, detect the
sounds of com m on activities behind a door, wake up
when there’s a slight disturbance.
Difficult: Note the signs of a possible am bush,
detect the aftertaste of a drug in wine, spot an am bush,
evaluate wines, spot lurking anim als.
Heroic: Spot a well-concealed trap or security
system , detect a subtle poison in a spicy dish,
determ ine an ingredient list from a few tastes, m ake out
what som eone is whispering to som eone else across a
crowded, noisy, room .
Legendary: Spot a Landwalker hidden in their
favored terrain type, track som eone by scent when it’s
not your prim ary sense, detect slight traces of an
odorless, colorless, gas.
Persuasion governs the m anipulation of other
intelligent beings, usually through verbal m eans.
Automatic: Get what you want across to som eone
in a com m on language.
Simple: Get people to do things which are obviously
to their advantage or at least have no downside, seduce
an adm iring or im pressionable target.
Difficult: Talk people into doing som ething that’s a
bit to their disadvantage or is fairly risky with little hope
of reward, convince an enem y to talk, m ake an absurd
proposition sound at least vaguely reasonable.
Heroic: Sway a hostile crowd, talk people into doing
som ething obviously absurd and/or dangerous, get an
enem y to ally with you, persuade a bunch of defeated
troops to go back into the battle.
Legendary: Talk people into doing things that
they’re specifically instructed or determ ined not to do,
get your executioner to let you go, talk a king you’ve just
betrayed into letting you serve as regent.
Psyche governs the ability to resist m ental
influences and attacks, as well as to detect, interact
with, and channel any wandering spirits in the area.
Automatic: Make a decision, avoid giving into silly
advertisem ents, sit through a horror m ovie without
panicking.
Sim ple: Resist whining children, choose long-term
plans over transient rewards, sense the presence of
powerful psychic auras.
28
Difficult: W ithstand m inor em otional influences, let
a spirit speak through you, conceal inform ation from a
telepathic probe of your m ind, sense the presence of
powerful spirits, break addictions.
Heroic: Sense the presence of lesser spirits, subtly
present only the inform ation you desire to a telepathic
probe, dispose of beloved offspring who are unsuited to
your plans, physically and effectively attack an
otherwise im m aterial entity.
Legendary: Present false inform ation to a telepathic
probe, channel the full powers of a m ajor spirit and
push it out of your body afterwards, resist direct neural
pleasure/pain conditioning.
Ranged Weapons governs the use of thrown,
projectile, and energy based ranged weaponry,
including lesser m agical attacks.
Automatic: Add your weapons ability to your attack
roll, inflict extra dam age with sufficient ability, attem pt to
m ake a precise shot against a stationary target (the DC
depends on how precise you want it to be).
Simple: Use an unfam iliar ranged weapon, m ake
new projectiles for low-technology ranged weapons.
Difficult: Train novices in the basics of using ranged
weapons, evaluate what tasks a ranged weapon is best
suited for.
Heroic: Place two shots precisely in the sam e place,
knock an item out of som eone’s hand without hurting
them , m ake two shots alm ost sim ultaneously.
Legendary: Make a stunning attack with a lethal
ranged weapon, skip over friends while spraying an
area with autofire, shoot down an incom ing m issile
weapon.
Characters who try for multiple attacks and similar
tricks lose their basic attack if they don’t pull it off.
Reaction governs reflex speed, initiative, and stunts
such as snatching arrows out of the air or quick-drawing
a weapon.
Automatic: Make reaction checks in com bat.
Simple: Catch a thrown object, grab the railing while
tripping down the stairs, jum p in front of som eone else.
Difficult: Catch an arrow, grab a handhold while
falling over a cliff, successfully interrupt another’s
action.
Heroic: Deflect bullets, throw a grappling hook to
safety while falling.
Legendary: Parry a laser beam , catch a spray of
autom atic gunfire.
Resist Magic governs the ability to resist hostile
spells and enchantm ents.
Automatic: Resist being warped or transform ed by
environm ental background m agic.
Simple: Resist “instant death” effects.
Difficult: Resist the effects of an enchanted well or
sim ilar feature, Hedge W izard m agic, or a creature’s
odd m agical abilities.
Heroic: Resist the effects of a m agical land or of
Magelord m agic, disrupt a m inor enchantm ent with a
touch, protect a sm all area from Hedge Magic.
 Legendary: Resist Planewalker m agic, break a spell
with a m ere touch, seal a dim ensional rift by stepping
into it, protect a sm all area from Magelord m agic.
Saboteur governs the ability to m ake things go very,
very, wrong.
Automatic: Jam inactive and exposed m achinery,
wedge a door, cause random havoc with an exposed
control panel.
Simple: Jam heavy m achinery without injuring
yourself in the process, subtly spoil a dinner, stall a
bureaucracy for several days.
Difficult: Fix m achinery so that it’ll break down
hours or days later, shut down an entire factory, disrupt
a relationship.
Heroic: Stall an arm y on the m arch for a few days,
rig an artifact to backfire, injure, or destroy its user.
Legendary: Throw a kingdom into confusion for a
week.
Serpent-tongue governs insinuation, taunts, lying,
and sim ilar verbal m anipulations. It’s com m only
opposed to Psyche or Perception.
Automatic: Lie clum sily, use com m on insults.
Simple: Misdirect city guards, start a rum or without
seem ing to do so, get the authorities interested in
alm ost anyone.
Difficult: Sow doubts and confusion through a city,
give som eone a bad reputation, start a fad, let som eone
think of som ething “on their own.”
Heroic: Generate a riot given a few m inutes in which
to talk, turn a city against its rulers or any desired target,
get a trial to com e out any way you want.
29
Legendary: Incite an arm y to fling itself against
superb defenses in order to reach you, lie so well that
even reading into your subconscious will not reveal the
truth, discredit a living saint with vicious rum ors.
Stealth governs being sneaky, picking pockets,
stabbing people without perm itting an outcry.
Automatic: W alk without tripping over things and
knocking stuff over, hide behind walls and trees without
sticking out.
Simple: lift som ething sm all and unim portant from
a target on a crowded street, disguise your identity with
a bit of m akeup, m ake effective use of cam ouflage.
Difficult: Cam ouflage and conceal a m odest area,
keep som eone from m aking any noise if you kill them
with a surprise attack, pick a pocket under norm al
conditions, blend into a crowd of roughly-sim ilar people,
disguise yourself as a typical (whatever).
Heroic: Pick a pocket when your victim is on to you
and no one else is around, sneak through a brightly-lit
and well-traveled area, disguise yourself as a particular
individual.
Legendary: Pick a pocket without ever seem ing to
approach your m ark, sneak down a well-lit, guarded,
white corridor, im personate som eone so well that
people can’t tell the difference even when you’re
standing next to the person you’re im personating.
Streetwise governs fam iliarity with the underside of
civilization, locating crim inal contacts, recognizing
com m on scam s, reading gang sym bols, and working
the streets.
Automatic: Swipe office supplies, recognize gangs
when you encounter them , run a bait-and-switch scam ,
m ake com m on illegal purchases, let it be known that
you’re looking for illegal services.
Simple: Locate the bad areas of town, read sim ple
gang signs, recognize the sim plest scam s, get enough
food to survive on by begging, locate com m on thugs
and gangers.
Difficult: Live sim ply but com fortably thru begging,
locate professional crim inals, scam a banker, find
exotic and highly-illegal m aterials for sale, contact a hit
m an without leaving any connection to yourself.
Heroic: Locate the local bosses or specialist crooks,
run com plex sm all-scale scam s.
Legendary: Run a shell gam e on a huge scale,
acquire m ost of the loose cash in a city, influence the
underworld on a nation-wide basis.
Survival governs hunting, tracking, building
shelters, and sim ilar basic functions.
Automatic: Take advantage of natural cover, build
a fire under norm al conditions, set up a tent so that it
will stay up for a day or so barring accidents, recognize
when it would be best to seek shelter, follow a trail of
m uddy footprints.
Simple: Set snares or sm all traps, set up a lean-to,
follow a trail through the woods, determ ine which way is
north, m ake your own trail difficult to follow.
Difficult: Set up an igloo, hunt ordinary anim als
under poor conditions, navigate by the stars or ocean
currents, follow a difficult trail or one which som eone’s
m aking efforts to hide.
Heroic: Follow a weeks-old trail over rocky, barren,
terrain, hunt the largest, m ost powerful, or m ost elusive
norm al anim als successfully.
Legendary: Follow a spirit-beast through a trackless
enchanted wilderness, im provise a shelter to withstand
an epic storm , set up a hunt for a legendary beast.
Automatic: Have life points, age at the norm al rate
(rather than very quickly).
Simple: Avoid a wound becom ing infected under
norm al circum stances, resist m inor irritants.
Difficult: Self-stabilize if below 0 HP (roll each
Turn), resist the effects of lethal poisons, resist an
ordinary stunning attack.
Heroic: Resist the effects of exotic poisons, take a
m assive blow without flinching, resist a powerful
stunning attack.
Legendary: R esist aging for a m onth, take a final
action when you ought to be dead, shrug off a m assive
stunning attack.
Water Vehicles governs the ability to operate
water vehicles of all kinds, ranging from rafts to ocean
liners.
Automatic: Recognize the various types of water
vehicles, know the basics of water behavior and
navigation.
Simple: Tack, subm erge (in a subm ersible vehicle
we hope), or execute other sim ple m aneuvers, get a
license.
Difficult: Dock sm oothly and gently, execute a
com plex (but sensible) m aneuver, perform general
m aintenance.
Heroic: Dock during a storm , plot a course in your
head, execute a clearly im practical m aneuver or a
com plex m aneuver under bad conditions, set sail in a
fraction of the norm ally-required tim e, jury-rig or bypass
m ajor system s in an em ergency.
Legendary: Perform com plex m aneuvers under
horrendous conditions, evade an attack which should
certainly have destroyed the vehicle, execute a flatly
ridiculous m aneuver.

Unarmed Combat governs the ability to inflict

dam age with your bare hands (or other appendages).
Automatic: Add your unarm ed com bat ability to
your attack roll, inflict extra dam age with sufficient
ability, stretch out properly.
Sim ple: Exhibit your skills with kata, bend and flex
in a variety of painful-looking ways, m ake stunning
attacks.
Difficult: Break boards, recognize an opponents
style, teach novices, add your m artial arts skill to your
Toughness by bracing for an attack, strike creatures
which are dangerous to touch without suffering injuries.
Heroic: Escape from bonds, break iron bars or
sm ash m assive doors, m ake yourself unm ovable and
/or resist a m assive im pact, attack two targets at the
sam e tim e.
Legendary: Break an opponents weapon in battle,
engage im m aterial opponents with your bare hands,
attack everyone in a sm all area sim ultaneously.

Vigor governs your life points. Sim ply m ultiply your

total score (2 + Level) by 10 to get them . Characters
who are reduced to 0 life points fall unconscious, those
who fall to -20 die.

30
 The Landrule
Attunem ent to the powers of the land offers som e
lesser abilities to an adept. They are gained in order, at
one ability per land controlled. The basic MTG :RPG
does not include abilities derived from controlling m ore
than five lands of any given type since such powers are
usually unique; Gam e Masters who want to include
higher order powers m ay m ake them up or wait for the
MTG:RPG Planewalkers expansion.
Forests
Green Mana is the surging power of life, the
unthinking prim ordial urge to be. It finds its natural
expression in the green cathedrals of the forests, where
growth, health, and vigor entwine with fury, toxins, and
the hunt in the ceaseless com petition of nature. W hat
has been is gone, what m ight be is not im portant; there
is only what is.
W hile Green m agic is the foundation of life and
growth, it brings forth beauty and horror in equal
m easure. To live is to know pain, sickness, and death
as well as birth, joy, and health. Still, without the power
of Green Mana, there would be no living things to give
m eaning to the m ultiverse.
Landsense allows the user to sense disturbances in
the natural order, including polluted areas, dam aged
ecosystem s, whether or not water is pure or food toxic,
and whether natural creatures are healthy or not. As a
side benefit, he or she never becom es lost and can
31
easily sense whether water is pure or food toxic. W hile
the character’s senses are usually lim ited to (num ber of
forests controlled) m iles in all directions, the scale of
the disturbance m atters. Very sm all problem s m ay not
trouble the character at all – while enorm ous changes
m ay be felt around the world.
Forester grants the user an intuitive understanding
of the processes of nature and how to care for the land,
as well as a (num ber of forests controlled) bonus on all
Survival checks in natural surroundings and an equal
bonus on developing and directing land m anagem ent
practices (usually Scholar or Harvesting).
Tongue of Gaia allows the user to spend a point of
Green Mana to com m unicate with natural plants and
anim als for the next (num ber of forests controlled)
hours. W hile basically friendly, such creatures m ay be
erratic, forgetful, or confused about the actions of other
creatures and see things from their own perspectives.
On the other hand, their natural senses, abilities, and
talents m ay com e in very handy.
Commune with Nature allows the user to spend a
point of Green Mana to speak with the local spirits of
nature, gaining a rough m ap/description of the local
terrain showing up to (# of forests) item s. Such item s
m ay include notable natural resources, sources for food
and water, dangerous areas, the locations of powerful
and unnatural creatures, routes, anim al populations,
polluted or corrupted areas, (extrem ely rough)
descriptions of cities, ruins, and other unnatural
structures in the area, or sim ilar inform ation.
 Pathfinding allows the user to spend three points of
Green Mana to seek out a trail which leads to a desired
realm , and take along up to a dozen com panions. The
destination m ay be in any dim ension, and possibly in
any tim e, of which the user has knowledge - but the
route is not guaranteed to be safe. After all, this finds
paths; it doesn’t create them .
M ountains
Red Mana is the power of the prim al elem ents, of
fire, earth, and stone, of instinct and passion. It
em bodies the fury of raging forest fire and the
endurance of m ountains - and even that is barely
enough to allow its wielders to survive the stress of
channeling it.
W hile m any m ages m ake the m istake of considering
Red Mana a purely destructive force, it provides the
foundation of worlds, and fuels the suns which warm
them . W ithout it, the thousand planes would be nothing
except a void. Still, the frail veneer of life cannot long
endure the direct touch of the prim al fury of Red Mana.
Earthsense allows the user to sim ply “feel” the
forces and structure of the earth. The user can sense
the presence of deposits of fuel, m etal, stone, and
water, evaluate the fertility of the earth, sense
dangerous terrain, locate caverns, and locate the safe
paths (if any) through dangerous terrain in a radius of
1000 feet per m ountain controlled.
Arcane Bolt allows the user to spend one point of
Red Mana to m ake a sim ple elem ental attack (the
special effects are up to the user), inflicting (num ber of
Mountains controlled - num ber of targets + 1)d6
dam age up to a m axim um of 5d6 per target. This does
not require an attack check, but does allow resistance.
W arding allows the user to endure natural
environm ental extrem es. Norm ally-survivable, if
uncom fortable, conditions such as tropical rain, desert
heat, and frigid cold, m ay be ignored freely. Conditions
which would actually cause dam age, such as lack of
oxygen, wading through lava, toxic atm ospheres, high
pressure, and subzero cold, cost 2 points of Mana per
(num ber of m ountains controlled) days.
Binding allows the user to spend a point of Red
Mana to try and m ystically entrap any single creature
with a level of 2x (num ber of m ountains controlled, 6
m axim um ) or less. Only one such creature can be
bound at a tim e and a m agic resistance check at DC 15
by the creature or its controller (if any) will negate this
effect. Entrapped creatures are swallowed up by the
earth and forced into stasis, but are unharm ed on their
release.
Realmward allows the user to expend 10 life points
to protect up to (num ber of m ountains) lands against
any effect which would otherwise dam age them .
32
Islands (Ocean M agic)
Blue Mana is the m agic of the m ind, of will,
creativity, and cold logic. The m ost intricate m agical
effects are drawn from its depths. The control of tim e
and space, of illusion and dream , of m inds and m agic,
are all the province of Blue Mana.
At its best, the power of Blue Mana can raise
civilizations, bringing art, artifice, science, and creativity
to the task of creating wonders. At its worst, those
sam e tools can be turned to the task of destruction,
creating unim aginable horrors. It is not for nothing that
the surface of the seas glints with light while its depths
conceal an abyssal darkness.
W eathersense allows the user to predict the weather
up to (num ber of islands controlled +2) days in
advance. This ability also provides a +(num ber of
islands controlled) bonus when piloting sail-powered
water vehicles or unpowered air vehicles.
Scrying allows the user to engage in sim ple
clairvoyance/ clairaudience at ranges of up to one m ile
per island the user controls. The effect lasts for up to
one hour per point of Blue Mana expended to power it.
Countermagic allows the user to spend two points of
Blue m agic as an instinctive action to add a +(num ber
of islands) bonus to a single Resist Magic roll or three
points to extend that resistance to an entire Scene.
W izard’s Link allows the user to spend a point of
Blue Mana to open a com m unications link with another
willing lesser m age or m agelord, regardless of distance
or dim ensional barriers. The link will rem ain open for up
to (num ber of islands controlled) hours or until
dism issed by either party.
W eathermonger allows the user to m anipulate the
local weather. Minor, Notable, and Major changes cost
1, 2, and 3 points of Blue Mana. Unfortunately, the user
does not have any fine control; a storm m ay be
destructive, but the sm allest possible “target” is a
sizable city. If the weather is not otherwise described, it
will tend to suit the user.
Minor changes include creating or dispelling
breezes, light rain, m ist, or annoying am ounts of dust
under fine weather conditions, m oderating a storm , or
slightly altering the tem perature.
Notable changes include creating powerful gusts of
wind, heavy rain, snow, or sleet, dispelling a storm or
turning a storm into a full hurricane, or creating wildly
unseasonable tem peratures.
Major changes pretty m uch cover changing any kind
of weather which occurs on the planet into any other
kind. You still can’t produce m ethane storm s at -200
degrees on earthlike worlds however.
Plains (Steppe M agic)
W hite Mana is the power of law and unity, binding
beings, places, and people together to create
som ething greater than the parts that m ake it up.
Societies and civilizations generate, and are bound
together by, W hite Mana.
Don’t assum e that W hite Mana is inherently
beneficial; the unity of a m urderous band and the order
of a fearsom e tyranny are just as m uch a product of
W hite Mana as the oath of brotherhood of a noble band
of paladins.
Locate Contact allows the user to find som eone who
fits a general description (such as “a skilled thief” or “a
m erchant dealing in rare herbs”) in a town or city in an
hour or two without cost presum ing that such an
individual exists. For a point of W hite Mana the user
m ay locate a specified individual within the area or
discover that they’re not there in the sam e tim e.
Gift of Tongues allows the user to spend a point of
W hite Mana to instantly learn a language or decipher an
inscription or code. Such instant understanding rem ains
for the next 6x (the num ber of plains controlled) hours.
Guestright gets the user hospitality in any civilized
locale (and often in uncivilized ones). The user is
autom atically invited to the best parties, to stay as a
guest, and to enjoy the privileges of high status in any
place where such things are available. The user m ay
even tow along up to (num ber of plains controlled)
friends or allies. Sadly, it does cost a point of W hite
Mana to activate this in areas dom inated by other races
or where people have never heard of you. W orse,
enem ies rem ain enem ies - and if you don’t behave like
a guest not even this power will m ake people treat you
like one.
Voice of Command allows the user to give orders
which will likely be obeyed by any m inor characters who
hear them unless they have a specific reason to
disobey. The user will never be hindered by petty
bureaucrats, get slow service, or have to argue idiots
into doing what’s obviously necessary.
For a point of W hite Mana the user m ay also project
his or her voice clearly to a m ighty throng or across a
battlefield, with a m axim um range equal to (num ber of
plains controlled) m iles.
Radiant Presence grants the m aster of W hite Mana
the aura of an overlord, inviolate to the power of lesser
beings. Creatures of level three or less cannot attack
the character. Those of levels 4 to (the num ber of plains
the user controls) attack at -2 power. Characters and
creatures with access to Psyche m ay negate these
penalties with a successful check at DC (10 + the
num ber of plains the user controls).
Sw amps (Void M agic)
Black Mana is the m agic of entropy – power derived
from the inevitable destruction and disintegration of all
things. At the sam e tim e, death - in all its kindly and
terrible aspects - is the foundation of new life. This is
m ost easily seen in the swam ps, where flourishing life
springs from fetid m ire.
33
W hat lives, fears death - or it does not live for long.
Black Mana appeals to the power-hungry, who wish to
share in its inevitable trium ph, to those who fear or wish
to exploit fear in others, and to those who wish to
com m une with death, but it is not inherently evil; it’s
sim ply easily abused. W ithout entropy, the universe
would tear itself apart with its own effulgence.
Gathering allows the user to draw sustenance
directly from the long, slow, entropic dem ise of the
universe, rather than feeding on it indirectly like all other
life. The user m ay support one creature per swam p that
he or she draws upon without effort or hindrance. For a
point of Black Mana per day the user can support ten
creatures per swam p.
Venomous Touch allows the user to spend a point of
Black Mana to create up to (the num ber of swam ps
controlled) doses of deadly poison, either to add to
m elee attacks or to a food, trap, or sim ilar item outside
of com bat. The user m ay also im bue a creature with
poison if it has a way to carry it (such as poison sacs) or
it happens to be undead, a construct, or som ething like
an earth elem ental, and therefore im m une.
Poisons dam age abilities. Most “com bat” poisons
reduce the victim ’s Vigor unless he or she m akes a
successful Endurance check to resist. More exotic
poisons m ay induce weakness, reduce magical abilities,
induce sensory trouble (reducing Perception), or cause
m any other problem s. Lost ability points recover at one
point per day or m ore rapidly with m agical healing. See
page XX.
W eave of Life allows the user to spend a point of
Black Mana to analyze lifeform s, including any
constructs which think and act independently. The user
gains an accurate, if basic, description of the creature
and m ay m ake a Scholar check with a bonus equal to
the num ber of swam ps he or she controls to obtain
m ore detailed inform ation.
Portal Mastery allows the user to spend three points
of Black Mana to open or close an existing gate, rift, or
portal or to draw a card to replace a lost card or fill a
vacant slot, reducing the tim e required just like any
other card-drawing ability.
Gates of Death allows the user to return from the
dead after being “killed.” Unfortunately, this com es at a
price; the user m ust give up one levels worth of abilities,
card slots, and/or Distinctions - as well as trading one
in for the Undead Distinction. He or she does, however,
gain a Toughness bonus equal to the num ber of
swam ps he or she currently controls from this point on.
Exotic Lands (Unique M agics)
Exotic lands contribute their special abilities and
functions as usual, but do not contribute to the Landrule
ability progressions.
Game Structure
Events run in Turns and Scenes.
A T urn is one full com bat round,
where every PC and m ajor NPC acts
once (see page 35). Scenes are
m erely m ajor events. A 20-second
back-alley knife fight is a Scene, as
is the ten-m inute chase which
follows it. One Scene m ay be
com posed of m any Turns, if it
involves com bat.
Cards which have effects based
on Turns act norm ally while in
com bat. Their effects norm ally end
with the Scene. At the GM’s
discretion, som e cards m ay instead
act as if Scenes were Turns for
them .

“Tapping” m eans “to draw upon

the resources of.” Tapping a
resource or creature in com bat takes
a single com bat Turn, not the whole
Scene. This activates the indicated
effect. Cards which self-tap under
certain circum stances, are tapped by
other effects, or com e into play
tapped do not require you to use a
Turn. Som e tap effects m ay be
played as Instant effects, at the
discretion of the GM.
Tapping during larger Scenes
when not using com bat Turns uses a
few m om ents of tim e – about 6
seconds. Thus, a character can
usually tap resources easily outside of com bat. Creature Combat Statistics
Attack Ability = (Total Mana Cost +2)
Unlike m ost RPG’s, the MTG:RPG encourages Dam age = (Power)d6
m ultiple Gam e Masters, allowing each to take a break Life = (Toughness) x 10
and get in som e play tim e. Each can cooperate in Toughness = (Toughness)
developing the cam paign, handle events in their own
specialities, and handle one side when the characters For creature-on-creature com bat don’t bother rolling
becom e involved in a Duel Arcane or Planewalkers’ to hit or adjusting m odifiers; just let the players roll
Duel. dam age for their m onsters, subtract Toughness, and
apply it to their creatures’ targets while you do the
It also m akes it easy to handle the perennial sam e. Creatures do possess any special abilities listed
headache of the party splitting up and going in different on their cards, although any that require Tapping the
directions. card to use are only usable once per day.
Creatures don’t usually have Resist Magic, Psyche,
or sim ilar abilities. Unless they have som e special

Creatures
Creatures are generally m ost im portant in com bat,
and so get abbreviated statistics and a quick-and-dirty
system for handling creature-versus-creature com bat.
Major enem ies, recurring NPC’s, and sim ilar figures
should probably get full writeups like the player-
characters (or at least som e notes on their m ajor
abilities).
power, m agic alm ost always works on them . W here the
Gam e Master agrees that they should have additional
abilties - say Movem ent for a Cheetah or Stealth for a
Ninja - these can be assigned as desired or sim ply
default to the creature’s (Total Mana Cost). Ability lists
for each individual card will be presented in the Card
expansion books.
Characters with appropriate Distinctions can share
som e of their abilities with their creatures. This can
m ake them a great deal m ore effective.

34
Combat Turns
Since MTG:RPG isn’t a wargam e as such, and has
a Gam e Master to resolve any disputes, it doesn’t rely
so heavily on a detailed Turn structure. Outside of
com bat it really doesn’t need one; discussing a bit of
intrigue over a form al dinner needs no Turn structure.
Com bat Turns are quite sim ple:
! If one or m ore potential com batants are unaware
of potential opponents, they m ay m ake an Awareness
check; anyone who fails is Surprised during the first
round, and doesn’t get to act.
! Each player m akes a Reaction check. The one
with the highest total goes first, then the next highest,
and so on. Ties m ay be resolved with a second check.
The reaction check m ay either be m ade at the
beginning of the com bat, and the results retained
throughout, or m ay be m ade each Turn. The choice is
up to the Gam e Master. In any case, Followers and
Conjurations act with their controller.
Instant card effects and reactive creature effects are
not tied to your Turn; they may be used at any time -
although a DC 15 Reaction roll is required to do so if the
character is surprised. A character can only use one
Instant effect per Turn however.
! W hen it’s their Turn, characters m ay do one thing
- cast a spell, attack som eone, flee from com bat,
attem pt to coordinate everyone else (especially their
own creatues) by yelling a series of com m ands, use
one of their other abilities, or whatever. Such actions
can include a subaction or two, but m ust be relatively
sim ple. Som e valid exam ples include:
1) I close with (whoever) and attack him /her/it!
2) I lean around the tree and cast a Lightning Bolt!
3) I order all of m y creatures to attack him /her/it!
4) I’m healing him /her/it (who presum ably needs it)
5) I hang back and shoot an arrow at him /her/it!
6) I hold m y action, preparing to (whatever)!
7) I try to leap over his head and stab him in the
back as I com e down (“OK, but -2 to attack and to your
own Defense, but +2d6 dam age if you pull this one off”
says the Gam e Master).
Characters m ay opt to delay their actions until later
in the round. Delayed actions m ay be used defensively
or to interrupt another characters action. W hatever a
character does, roll as required.
If everyone opts to wait you have the good old
Mexican Stand-Off. Make an Endurance check; the one
with the lowest roll has to do SOMETHING - or faint.
Tapping a Mana source is considered a part of a
spellcasting action.
35
! Followers can generally be assum ed to have
standing orders to protect the boss, while Conjurations
protect their m asters autom atically. This doesn’t m ean
that they’ll always succeed - or that the player can’t
have them do som ething else - but they’ll try if their
controller wants them to. Most m ages like to keep a few
protectors with delayed actions around (to get in the
way of attackers), just in case. Followers probably won’t
com m it suicide to protect you; how big a risk they’ll take
varies with their loyalty and philosophy.
! Once everyone’s done som ething, or has decided
not to act this Turn, finish up the accounting.
Characters who are unconscious, but not dead (0 to
-19 Life) take an extra point of dam age after each Turn
until they die or som eone does som ething to stop the
process, such as healing them for one or m ore life or
binding their wounds.
Characters who have som ehow m anaged to wind up
with m ore Mana than they can safely store - that’s m ore
of any one color than their relevant Magic ability or
m ore colorless Mana than they have spare points in
their m agic abilities to hold - take 1d6 points of dam age
per excess point as the excess Mana flares up out of
control and dissipates.
Instants and Spells which have been cast, as well as
slain Followers, depleted or broken Artifacts, com pleted
Enchantm ents, and slain Conjurations, are turned over
on the table. Slain or destroyed Followers and other
“real” item s are returned to the player’s Library (see
page XX) at the end of the Scene, other cards are
considered exhausted until they refresh.
! Tim ekeeping in MTG:RPG consists of tracking
Turns, Scenes, Acts, and Stories.
Turns are usually only im portant in com bat and
stress situations; a Turn is long enough for everyone to
take a sim ple action - anywhere from a few seconds to
a m inute or so. Exhausted Sorcery cards norm ally
refresh at the end of each Turn.
Scenes are best sum m arized as story segm ents -
“The barroom fight scene,” “The royal audience scene,”
and so on. Once the focus of the action shifts, the
Scene - and the effects of spells and Conjuration
effects - ends. Exhausted Enchantm ent, Creature, or
Artifact cards norm ally refresh at the end of a Scene.
Acts are the intervals between m ajor breaks in the
action - norm ally a full day between rest breaks. Acts
can take longer if the characters are on a m ulti-day
watch or journey. Instant cards, special abilities, and
Mana source abilities norm ally refresh at the end of an
act. Also, any available “Draw a Card” effects can be
used to replace lost cards at the end of an Act.
Stories are linked series of Acts, usually with som e
sort of clim ax or resolution at the end. They usually take
3-5 gam e sessions, or about a m onth of real tim e.
They’re also the tim e required to replace a lost card
without using a “Draw a Card” effect.
Movement and Position
W hile com bat can be entirely description-based,
m ost gam ers are m ore com fortable with som e sort of
m ap. Regardless of whether you’re using a hex grid,
square grid, of freeform m ap, the rules for m ovem ent
are pretty sim ple.
! Each character can m ove a num ber of squares,
hexes, or inches equal to his or her Movem ent rank and
still do som ething else.
! If they m ove but stay on guard, they can m ore
twice their Movem ent rank in squares, hexes, or inches
each turn.
! If they do nothing else, they can m ove three tim es
their Movem ent rank in squares, hexes, or inches. If
they choose to m ove this fast hostile characters they
pass m ay m ake a Difficult Reaction check to try and get
in a free attack on them .
! If the character is trying to change elevation in
com bat while fighting he or she will have to m ake a
Movem ent check. Jum ping or clim bing a few feet is
Sim ple, Clim bing a flight of steps or scram bling up a
brief slope is Difficult, sliding down a slope on your feet
is Heroic, trying to fight while swinging from a vine is
Legendary.
! Figurines of som e sort m ake the best m arkers.
! Range on the m ap is m ore or less irrelevant.
Anything which gets off the m ap is at long range, and
gains a +2 to it’s Defense. Anything a long ways off the
m ap is at extrem e range, and gets a +5 bonus to it’s
defense. Anything further away than that is gone.
! Hedge Magic works out to long range. Card-based
m agic is norm ally line-of-sight.
! Unless one side is waiting in am bush, encounters
norm ally start when those involved m ove onto the sam e
m ap and Perception checks are m ade.
Other sources of Damage
There are m any ways for character’s to get hurt over
and above being attacked. In m ost cases the only real
questions are how m uch and how fast. For this, use:
1d6 per
Event: Being hit with a gallon or two of boiling
water, explosive decom pression from one
atm osphere to vacuum , falling at least ten
feet (reduce falling dam age one level if
falling into water, two levels if falling into a
suitable cushioning area).
Turn: Choking sm oke, Drowning, being attacked
by arm y ants.
Scene: Blizzard conditions, sandstorm s, searing
desert heat.
Act Cholera and sim ilar debilitating diseases,
dehydration and/or starvation, severe dust
storm s.
36
2d6 per
Event: Being thrown from a horse without m aking
a Difficult Athletics check, falling a couple
of floors, having a pile of stones or
concrete blocks fall on you, being hurled
into a pile of sharp objects.
Turn: Contact with a Bonfire, breathing Mustard
Gas, being pinned beneath a porticullis,
being on fire, exposure to vacuum .
Scene: Breathing grossly polluted atm ospheres,
running over broken glass or blades with
bare feet.
Act The Black Plague, being a m agical being
in an area without m agic.
4d6 per
Event: Contact with a high voltage power line,
being hit by an avalanche, falling from a
tall tree, being swarm ed by bees (also
inflicts one level of deadly poison), being
caught in a tidal wave, having a building
fall on you.
Turn: Being covered in hot tar, crushed beneath
tons of rubble, exposed to a driven hail of
broken glass.
Scene: Being tortured or slowly im paled, having
the bends, running through an area that’s
being sprayed with m achine-gun bullets,
Act Horrific supernatural afflictions.
8d6 per
Event: Crashing a jet plane at speed, re-entering
the atm osphere without protection, being
struck by natural lightning while grounded,
falling a couple of hundred feet, exposure
to m ilitary nerve gases. Anything no
norm al person could possibly survive.
Turn: W ading through m agm a or soaking in a
blast furnace, swim m ing in liquid air, or
breathing chlorine gas.
Scene: Moving through the heart of a raging
forest fire, being naked and exposed to an
arctic blizzard at -80 degrees windchill,
Act Breathing som ewhat corrosive or other
slowly-lethal atm ospheres.
Many cards work a little differently in MTG:RPG.
That’s because things are a lot more com plicated. So
flying creatures can’t be blocked? W hat if I’m in a cave
and I plug up the entrance with a wall or large creature?
W hat if there’s a raging storm blowing and nothing can
fly? W hat if it’s diving for me and I simply roll under the
Mammoth? W hat if the flying thing W ANTS to close with
the ground-bound monster? W hat if, what if, what if...
Freedom of action is one of the things that defines a
role-playing game, and it’s why you need a game
master. Still, we’re not throwing you off the deep end
here; we’ve provided some guidelines for handling the
more common special card abilities under...
Keywords and Definitions
Act: Generally about a day, the tim e between two
rest periods. The tim e required to refresh an Instant
card or to replace a destroyed card using a “Draw a
Card” effect.
Affinity: Since players get to build their own hands in
MTG:RPG, this has only half effect.
Amplify: Since MTG:RPG characters can select
what’s in their hand the effect of Am plify is halved: it
takes two additional cards of the sam e type to trigger it.
Banding: Creatures in a band m ay distribute
dam age am ong them selves as their controller desires,
rather than as an attacker m ight desire.
Basic Land: Forest (Green M ana), Mountain (Red
Mana), Plain (a.k.a. Steppes, W hite Mana), Island (Blue
Mana, a.k.a. Ocean Magic), and Swam p (Black Mana,
also known as Void Magic). Basic Land Cards are
generally presum ed to represent substantial chunks of
territory. Attuning yourself to a land requires reaching
it’s m ystical center and m editating there for a tim e. A
character who is actually at the center can draw twice
the norm al Mana - usually 2 points - from a land each
day.
Bushido: This acts as levels of the Arm sm an
Distinction.
Buyback: Paying the buyback cost bypasses the
usual refresh tim e. This is rarely worthwhile without the
rapid Mana recovery that occurs in a Planewalker’s
Duel.
CCG: Collectible Card Gam e. Popular exam ples
include Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, and the VS
system .
Conjuration: The m agically-created m anifestation of
a Card from a player’s hand. Most Conjurations persist
for a m axim um of one Scene or until dispelled
som ehow but Enchantm ents m ay last for considerably
longer periods.
Convoke: Each additional m age who takes an action
to assist in the casting of this spell or the conjuring of
this m onster reduces the Mana cost by one Mana of
any color he or she has available. The assisting m ages
do not actually have to spend any Mana, but all of them
share equally in any defensive or healing benefits of the
spell.
Copying Objects: This works norm ally, although any
copied objects are subject to the sam e restrictions as
the originals are.
Counters: If derived from spells, Conjurations, or
Enchantm ents, counters fade with the m agic that
created them . If derived from perm anent creatures, they
are perm anent - but each two perm anent beneficial
counters on a card raise its effective level by 1, which
m ay push it beyond the control lim its im posed by the
characters abilities. Uncontrolled creatures are returned
to the Library, and any counters on them are lost.
Counters which accum ulate from Turn to Turn are
generally subject to a m axim um of five.
Accum ulative Lands - lands which build up a reserve
of Mana tokens - gain one counter per week, not one
per Turn, and are subject to the sam e m axim um of five.
37
Rem em ber that that lands with a lot of accum ulated
Mana becom e very tem pting targets for takeovers by
other Magelords.
Cumulative Upkeep: See Upkeep.
Cycling: You m ay pay the Cycling cost and exhaust
this card to refresh any other card. The cycled card
rem ains exhausted until the card it was used to refresh
would norm ally do so.
Damage: Dam age is persistent in MTG:RPG. Once
a creature or other item is dam aged it rem ains so until
it is repaired or recovers naturally. In general, each
point of Power equates to 1d6 dam age in MTG:RPG.
Mana-based card attacks are slightly m ore effective,
translating to 1d6+1 per point.
Defender: Anything with Defender either won’t attack
or can’t m ove (ask the Gam e M aster if there’s any
question). Anything which can’t m ove is norm ally only
taken as a Conjuration, although a character with the
W arlord Distinction m ay opt to give each garrison a
perm anent wall. However, he or she is not hauling such
a fortification around!
Destroyed: Destroyed cards include slain perm anent
followers, perm anently broken artifacts, and anything
sim ilar. Such cards should be returned to the player’s
Library after the gam e session; the character will have
to find replacem ent cards to fill those slots.
Discard Effects: These norm ally sim ply exhaust the
appropriate num ber of cards, usually of the target’s
choice.
Doublestrike: The creature m ay m ake attack twice
during a Turn. If it’s attacked during a Turn and has not
yet attacked, it can use one of its attacks against the
attacker before the attacker strikes.
Dredge: You m ay exhaust the indicated num ber of
cards to either im m ediately ready this card for use
again (spells and conjurations) or to heal any dam age
inflicted on a Follower provided that it’s still alive.
Echo: These creatures can only be Conjurations and
m ust be paid for twice, as usual. W hile the creature
rem ains under the control of its “owner,” other
characters m ay take an action to contribute Mana
towards its casting cost.
Entwine: This operates norm ally.
Epic: Epic spells com e to an end at the end of the
current Scene, but otherwise operate norm ally. As a
rule, few MTG:RPG characters can handle spells of that
level; m ost epic spells are very expensive.
Equip: Perm anent artifacts can be used by their
owner or delegated to his or her creatures without
paying the Equip cost. Conjured item s, or perm anent
Item s assigned to other people’s creatures or other
player characters require the norm al cost to Equip, but
either of the players involved can pay it.
Exhausted: Cards which are used for m agical
effects and would norm ally be discarded, along with
m agically sum m oned perm anents, becom e Exhausted
after use. They m ay be used again after an appropriate
interval.
Fading: This creature can only be a Conjuration.
There is a chance of it disappearing each Turn: Roll
1d6: Fading 2 disappears on a 1-3, Fading 3 or 4 on a
1-2, and Fading 5+ on a 1. If this is too m uch trouble,
use the standard counter system .
Fear. This creature radiates terror (and has no
social life). Only Artifact and Black creatures will
engage it in m elee voluntarily. All other creatures are at
-2 power if forced to do so, but m ay use ranged attacks
or other m eans norm ally. Player Characters m ay m ake
a Resist Magic check to negate the effect or engage at
-2 power.
First Strike: The creature gets a free attack as an
opponent closes, provided only that he, she, or it is
awake and aware of the upcom ing attack. This does not
count as its action.
Flanking: Creatures with Flanking grant any other
creatures who are fighting the sam e opponent a +2d6
bonus on the dam age they inflict. If m ultiple creatures
with Flanking are involved this reaches a lim it of +4d6.
Flashback: This Conjuration or spell m ay be played
again before its refresh period is up for the indicated
cost. After its played in this fashion return it the owners
library; the character m ust replace it like any other lost
card.
Flip: This operates norm ally. As usual, if a Flip card
leaves play, it returns unflipped. If one side of a Flip
card is legendary the usual Legend rules apply.
Flying: This creature can fly. This m akes it hard to
catch and lets it swoop down on unsheltered targets -
although anyone nearby m ay attack it as it attacks.
Flying is useful in m any noncom bat situations as well.
Followers: Creatures associated with a character
who actually exist, and therefore don’t cost Mana unless
they have an upkeep cost or activated ability.
Game Master: The person running the gam e.
Graveyard: MTG:RPG doesn’t have a “Graveyard”
as such; cards are sem iperm anent character attributes,
and aren’t usually discarded. Sorceries, Instants, and
conjured Creatures can be reused after enough tim e
has passed to refresh them . Followers and perm anent
artifacts can be Destroyed, in which case they’re
returned to the Library until the character gains a new
card to replace them , repairs them , or raises them from
the dead. For the purposes of cards which restore
cards from the Graveyard, can be used from there, or
depend on the num ber of cards there, destroyed item s,
slain followers, and all cards waiting to be refreshed are
considered to be “in the Graveyard.”
Hand: For the purposes of MTG:RPG your “hand”
consists of all the cards associated with your character
which aren’t currently in play, exhausted, or destroyed.
Haste: Conjured creatures m ay attack on the sam e
Turn in which they were sum m oned. Followers with
Haste gain an extra attack during the first Turn.
Haunt: W hen this card is “destroyed” tuck it under
another creature card. W hen that creature is destroyed,
play the Haunt effect and exhaust this card norm ally.
Horsemanship: Creatures with horsem anship gain
a +2 bonus on their Movem ent abilities as long as using
a m ount is practical.
Hunted. W orks norm ally as a Conjuration. If taken
on a Follower new hunter creatures will show up
periodically even if you killed the last batch.
Imprint: Cards that Im print other cards operate
norm ally but take up two card slots once the other card
38
is im printed.
Indestructible: Things with this property don’t take
dam age. They can’t be sacrificed or destroyed except
as determ ined by the Gam e Master (“you m ust take the
Ring to Mount Copyright, where it was Tradem arked
long ago, and there...”), but can be left behind, lost, sent
away, or otherwise incapacitated.
Interrupt: An old term for an “Instant” card, but quite
appropriate.
Kicker: Operates norm ally.
Land Destruction: “Destroying” a land definitely
involves blasting its m ystical center, thus breaking its
link with m ages of any kind. How far the destruction and
side effects extend beyond that is up to the Gam e
Master. In general, a Magelord’s link isn’t strong
enough to create too m any side effects. Planewalkers
are another m atter. Lesser Magi don’t have a strong
enough link to do anything but break it without affecting
the land.
Landwalk: This creature can conceal itself near-
perfectly in the indicated environm ent even while
m oving if it can get out of line of sight for a few
m om ents. Creatures with Landwalk can be spotted with
a DC 18 Perception check or with Magesight if they’re
Conjurations. Creatures which are not spotted m ay
appear and strike with autom atic surprise.
Level: Total or Converted Mana Cost. Alternatively,
the value of an Ability.
Ley Line, Mana Fountain, Mystic Node/W ell: These
natural Mana flows m ay be tapped (via Mana Tapping)
to power m agic. W hile they’re too unstable to be tapped
or linked to at range, a m age who’s actually at them can
draw on them for two points of Mana per day. Sadly,
such sources only contain a total of 4d6 Mana and
restore them selves at 1d6 points per day. They’re m ost
often claim ed by Lesser Magi who want to set up a
business without being beholden to a Magelord for
Mana. Note that these are distinct from the Leyline
cards.
Leyline (Card): These cards are in effect unless
countered, but any global effects only apply to the user.
Library: In MTG:RPG your “library” consists of every
m agic card you own that isn’t currently in use. It’s
norm ally only used when you’re creating or upgrading
a character, when you’re replacing lost cards, or when
you’ve used a card which allows you to either search or
draw to fill a vacant slot.
Life Points: A m easure of how m uch dam age a
creature or character can take. In general, each point of
life point gain or loss listed on a card is read as 1d6 or
1d6+1 for spells. W hile it is possible to gain life points
above your usual m axim um , such extra points fade
away at the end of the Scene.
Madness: This card m ay be invoked or activated at
its M adness cost if the user also expends 1d6 Life
doing so.
Mana Burn: Since MTG:RPG characters can store
a certain am ount of Mana on a long-term basis, Mana
Burn only occurs if they exceed their storage lim its at
the end of any given Turn.
Mana Production: Mana production effects are
norm ally once-per-day affairs. Lands, and other Mana
sources, can be tapped as needed, including while
you’re in the m iddle of casting a spell. Conjurations of
any kind CANNOT supply M ana, although they can
store it. Lands norm ally supply one point of Mana per
day, but som eone who’s actually at the m ystic center of
a land when they tap it gets two points instead.
Accum ulative Lands - lands which build up a reserve
of Mana tokens - gain one counter per week, not one
per Turn, and are subject to the sam e m axim um of five.
Rem em ber that lands with a lot of accum ulated Mana
becom e very tem pting targets for takeovers by other
Magelords.
Creatures and spells which can convert Mana from
one color to another can only do so once per day.
Modular: Modular creatures can only be
Conjurations; the +1/+1 counters they produce will - like
all other counters or item s that com e with Conjurations -
disappear at the end of the Scene.
Unlike MTG:CCG, the MTG:RPG is open-ended. If
counters and tokens could accumulate indefinitely,
entire continents should be buried under squirrels and
there should be artifact creatures running around at
+10,000/+10,000. The setting material doesn’t seem to
support this, hence the limitation.
Morph: This ability is a boon for follower-creatures,
since it allows them to take a m ore-or-less innocuous
form . Since you’re generally not hiding anything in
MTG:RPG you don’t have to bother turning the card
upside down; just set a note or innocuous m iniature on
it.
Multicolored Cards: Characters who want to control
m ulticolored cards m ust have sufficient skill in each
color involved to control a card of the appropriate level.
Thus weak m ulticolored cards are easy to acquire, but
higher-cost ones require high ratings in all of the
relevant abilities.
Ninjutsu: You m ay exchange this creature with
another creature of the sam e nature (Conjuration or
Follower) at any tim e by paying the Ninjutsu cost. Yes,
you can swap them back later.
NPC: A non-player character with a personality and
nam e of his or her own run by the Gam e Master.
Probably a redundant entry for anyone buying a RPG.
Ocean Magic: Another nam e for Island m agic.
Presum ably Islands are sim ply the places where Ocean
Mana foci can be tapped m ost easily.
Offering: Operates norm ally, however Followers
generally object to being used as an Offering.
Phasing: Creatures with Phasing m ay expend 5 Life
to avoid the effects of any single ranged attack or m ulti-
target m agical effect or to pass through walls or up to
ten feet of solid m atter. Optionally, the Gam e Master
m ay rule that a Phased creature can interact with a
Shadow creature.
The original rules for Phasing called for eliminating
all damage dealt to a phasing creature when it phased
out, which it did every other Turn. Since combat may
continue for several Turns in MTG:RPG this would
make tough phasing creatures nearly unkillable; hence
modifications are necessary.
Poison: W hile poison can cause various ability
penalties in MTG:RPG, standard creature poisons
39
reduce the Vigor ability by 1 per dose adm inistered
unless the character can m ake a DC 15 Endurance
check. Poisoned Creatures lose 10 life. Characters and
creatures recover from poison at 1 ability point or 10 life
points per day.
Power: A character or creature’s basic ability to
inflict dam age. Power can be boosted by various
abilities, Distinctions, item s, and m agical effects, all of
which are equally applicable to creatures, NPC’s, and
characters. Each point of Power equates to 1d6 points
of Dam age.
Protection: Protection operates norm ally in m ost
cases, but can be overcom e with a DC 18 Resist Magic
check if a character is extending that ability to his or her
creatures.
Provoke: This ability allows the creature to force a
chosen target to m ove into m elee com bat with it. Both
this creature and the target get a free attack on each
other as they close. Player Characters m ay resist with
a DC 15 Psyche check.
Ram page: Creatures with Ram page can strike at
each creature engaged in m elee with them with a single
attack, albeit at -1 power.
Regenerate: Creatures with this quality recover all
dam age between Acts (except for Life burnt off to
power m agic) autom atically. Their controller m ay pay
their regeneration cost to fully heal them at any tim e,
but cannot return them from death after the end of the
current Scene.
Remove from the Game: Cards belonging to a
character becom e Exhausted and refresh one level
m ore slowly unless som e other return condition is
specified. Cards acquired through Dynam ic Magic (see
page 43) are returned to their owner’s Library.
Return to Hand: This has no effect on followers or
real item s. Conjurations, Enchantm ents, and other
tem porary effects are dispelled, although the card will
once again be ready for use (although few m agi in
MTG:RPG have enough Mana for m uch of that). Lands
are basically unaffected, but the character’s link with
them will be disrupted for the rest of the day.
RPG: Role-Playing Gam e. Another one that anyone
buying this gam e probably already knows.
Sacrifice: Real creatures object to being sacrificed
and are considered destroyed if they are. Conjurations
can be sacrificed and resum m oned after the usual
refresh period.
Scene: One battle, the tim e spent exploring a crypt,
or another connected series of action sequences. The
tim e required to refresh an Enchantm ent, Creature, or
Artifact card.
Scry: W henever a Scry effect com es into play the
Gam e Master should provide the player with som e
useful bit of inform ation about the environm ent or an
opponent.
Shadow: Shadow creatures exist m ostly in other
planes of existence. They are im m aterial and can only
harm things which exist in m ultiple dim ensions, such as
Planewalkers and other creatures with Shadow. They
can only be harm ed by spells and light-based attacks.
Unless you’re fighting a Planewalker they’re only really
useful as scouts and spies.
 Soulshift: If a creature with Soulshift is a Conjuration
you m ay refresh any creature Conjuration card or
com bination of creature Conjuration cards of the
appropriate cost or less. If the creature with Soulshift is
a Follower you m ay revive any other slain Follower of
the appropriate level or less.
Steppe: Another word for “Plains”.
Storm: Spells with Storm take effect once for each
Lesser Mage, Magelord, or Planewalker character who
participates in the casting by using their action in the
Turn of casting to assist the user.
Sunburst: Discount the first two colors of Mana used
to bring a card with Sunburst into play.
Since any mageling in MTG:RPG will probably have
several types of Mana available, Sunburst has to be
toned down a bit to maintain game balance.
Splice: Splice operates norm ally, hence cards in
your hand with Splice can be used over and over again
unless used on their own.
Story: A connected series of acts, usually spanning
3-5 sessions of play or about a m onth of real tim e. The
tim e required to replace a Destroyed card unless the
character uses a “Draw a Card” effect.
Summoning Sickness: (Unofficial). The whatever-it-
is that keeps a Conjured creature from acting during the
Turn in which it was sum m oned.
Tap to (X): Cards which can be “tapped” to produce
a special effect can norm ally do so once per day. If
they’re in com bat, they m ust norm ally expend their
action to do so.
Technology Card: Technology cards are generally
either drawn from other gam es with the perm ission of
the Gam e Master or are unique to M TG :RPG. They
norm ally deal with the setting, rather than with other
players and opponents, and so have no purpose in
basic MTG:CCG gam es. Exam ples include Ships that
40
allow rapid travel between locations, Cyberdecks that
m ake it easier to hack com puters, or Bugs used to
listen in on NPC conversations.
Threshold: This operates norm ally.
Tokens: Tokens count as cards of the appropriate
type and do apply against the card lim its im posed by
the character’s abilities.
Toughness: Essentially a creature’s Vigor ability
rating. Toughness can be m odified in a variety of ways
through cards and other abilities.
Trample: If this creature does enough dam age to kill
its first opponent it m ay attack a second tim e in one
Turn.
Transmute: Paying the Transm ute cost allows the
user to take a card from his or her library and put it into
his or her hand. W hether it’s used or not, the card m ust
be discarded at the end of the Scene and the original,
transm uted, card will take a full Act to refresh.
Turn: A full round of com bat, during which everyone
involved gets to act once (usually a m inute or so at the
very m ost, m ore often about six seconds). Also the tim e
required to refresh a Sorcery card.
In MTG:CCG a Turn can usually be assum ed to
represent hours or days: this is quite unworkable in a
role-playing gam e.
Unblockable: This creature cannot be physically
attacked by any creature other than the one it’s
currently attacking. The Gam e Master m ay allow this
creature to be blocked depending on its m ethods, QV;
Landwalk.
Upkeep: Cards that require periodic paym ents of
som e type require them at varying frequencies.
Enchantm ents, Lands, and norm al Artifacts require
them each Act, Creatures, Artifact Creatures, and any
Instants or Sorceries require them each Scene, and so
can be held over between scenes if desired.
Vigilance: This creature is never surprised, and is
always considered alert and
ready for com bat. They can
also attack and then act
defensively or use a special
ability later in the sam e Turn.
Void: OK, “Swam p” m agic
just didn’t sound good.
W all: W alls are walls. In
general, you can hide as
m any other creatures behind
them as you like, but once
som ething brings down a
section of a wall, finds a way
around it, or scales it, it’s no
longer any help. “Killing” a
wall tears a big enough hole
in it for one creature at a
tim e.
W o r l d : W o r l d
Enchantm ents affect the
party and an y cu rrent
opponents. The rest of the
world is unaffected.
Running the Worlds
And finally, some advice on running the game...
Classifying Creatures
Over the years MTG has accum ulated a bewildering
variety of creature types. W hile com plete breakdowns -
along with special abilities and other notes - will have to
await the expansion books, here are som e general
guidelines for which lim iting skill the various types fall
under.
Beast Mastery (Beasts): Albatross, Alligator, Ant,
Antelope, Ape, Asp, Atog, Aurochs, Badger, Barishi,
Bat, Bear, Beast, Bee, Beeble, Bird, Boar, Brushwagg,
Bull, Butterfly, Cam el, Caribou, Carnivore, Cat,
Cheetah, Chicken, Cobra, Cow, Crab, Crocodile,
Dandan, Dinosaur, Dog, Donkey, Dragonfly, Eel, Egg,
Elephant, Erne, Ferret, Fish, Fox, Frog, Goat,
Hipparion, Hippo, Hornet, Horse, Hound, Hyena, Insect,
Jackal, Jellyfish, Kelp, Leech, Lion, Lizard, Mam m oth,
Mongoose, Narwhal, Octopus, Ox, Oyster, Pegasus,
Penguin, Pig, Poison-Snake, Pony, Rabbit, Rat, Rhino,
Scorpion, Serpent, Shark, Sheep, Slug, Snake, Spider,
Sponge, Squirrel, Starfish, Strider, Swarm , Tarpan,
Tiger, Toad, Tortoise, Turtle, Unicorn, Viper, Vulture,
W arthog, W asp, W hale, W hippoorwill, W ildebeest,
W olf, W olverine, W olverine-Pack, W olves-of-the-Hunt,
W om bat, and W orm .
Leadership (Minions): Advisor, Aladdin, Alchem ist,
Ali-Baba, Ali-from -Cairo, Am bush-Party, Archaeologist,
Archer, Archon, Artificer, Assassin, Avenger, Bandit,
Barbarian, Berserker, Bodyguard, Brother, Brownie,
Bureaucrat, Caravan, Cavalry, Centaur, Cephalid,
Cave-People, Child, Citizen, Clam folk, Cleric,
Constable, Crusader, Dervish, Deserter, Designer,
Drill-Sergeant, Druid, Dryad, Dwarf, Elder, Elf, El-Hajjaj,
Enchantress, Exorcist, Farm er, Flagbearer, Flying-Men,
Gam er, General, Goblin, Gnom e, Gus, Gypsy,
Harlequin, Heretic, Hero, Hom arid, Horsem an, Hum an,
Hunter, Inquisitor, Keeper, King, Kithkin, Knight, Kobold,
Lady-of-Proper-Etiquette, Legionnaire, Leper, Lord,
Mage, Maiden, Martyr, Master, Mercenary, Merchant,
Merfolk, Mim e, Minotaur, Miracle-W orker, Mob,
Monger, Monk, Moonfolk, Mystic, Nam eless-Race,
Niall-Silvain, Ninja, Noble, Nom ad, Ogre, Orc, Ouphe,
Paladin, Paratrooper, Peacekeeper, People-of-
the-W oods, Pikem en, Pirate, Pixie-Queen, Preacher,
Priest, Pyknite, Raider, Ranger, Rebel, Robber, Rogue,
Sage, Sam urai, Satyr, Scavenger, Scout, Serf,
Sham an, Sindbad, Sister, Slith, Sm ith, Soldier,
Sorceress, Speaker, Spellshaper, Spy, Squire,
Stangg-Twin, Survivor, Tactician, Taskm aster, Thief,
Townsfolk, Tracker, Treefolk, Twin, Uncle-Istvan,
Vedalken, Viashino, Villain, W aiter, W ar-Rider, W arrior,
W itch, and W izard.
41
Artificer (Constructs): Assem bly-W orker, Carriage,
Drone, Expansion-Sym bol, Golem , Pentavite, Prism ,
Rock-Sled, Ship, Tetravite, Thopter, W all, W irefly,
Sham anism (Spirits): Angel, Avatar, Ball-Lightning,
Banshee, Being, Bringer, Dem on, Devil, Djinn, Efreet,
Effigy, Elem ental, Faerie, Gaea’s-Liege, Gatekeeper,
Guardian, Illusion, Incarnation, Infernal-Denizen, Kirin,
Lhurgoyf, Licid, Marid, Mist, Mistfolk, Phantasm ,
P h o e n ix , R e fle c tio n , S h a d e , S p irit, S p r ite ,
Thunderm are, W ight, W raith, W retched, and Zubera.
Aberration (Monsters): Abom ination, Aboroth,
Avizoa, Basilisk, Blinkm oth, Cam arid, Carrier, Chim era,
Cockatrice, Devouring-Deep, Doppelganger, Dragon,
Drake, Dreadnought, Eater, Entity, Essence, Fallen,
F ien d, Frostbeast, Fungus, Fungusaur,
Gaea’s-Avenger, Gargoyle, G host, Ghoul, Giant,
Gorgon, Graveborn, Grem lin, Griffin, Hag, Horror,
Hydra, Im p, Island-Fish, Kavu, Kraken, Lam m asu,
Lem ure, Leviathan, Lichenthrope, Lurker, Lycanthrope,
M anticore, M edusa, Mindsucker, Mold-Dem on,
Monster, Mum m y, Mum m y, Murk-Dwellers, Mutant,
Necrosavant, Nightm are, Nightstalker, Ooze, Orb,
Orgg, Pest, Phelddagrif, Plant, Poltergeist, Roc,
Salam ander, Sand, Saproling, Shapeshifter, Shyft,
Singing-Tree, Sliver, Skeleton, Spawn, Specter, Sphinx,
Spike, Spuzzem , Teddy, The-Biggest-Baddest-
Nastiest-Scariest-Creature-You’ll-Ever-See, Thrull,
Titan, Troll, Undead, Vam pire, Volver, W alking-Dead,
W iitigo, W urm , Yeti, and Zom bie.
The "minion" creature type in Magic: The Gathering
CCG varies wildly; the GM should adjudicate these
cards on a case-by-case basis or refer to a creature
manual. Most "minions" are either Aberrations or
Minions.
Equipment
Equipm ent norm ally isn’t a big topic in MTG:RPG.
Mundane weapons and arm or are handled by the
various com bat Distinctions; if you have the Arm sm an
Distinction you’re assum ed to have the arm or and
weapons you’ve practiced with. You m ay have to do
without them briefly if you’re thrown into jail or are
presented at the king’s court, but you’ll certainly have
them back for the next storyline.
Magical artifacts are handled by cards. W hile cards
can be exhausted or “destroyed,” they’re basically
character attributes - and characters can replace them
without too m uch trouble.
“Token” or “Quest Item s” are the province of the
Gam e Master and norm ally only function as plot
devices. You m ay need the crystal key of Darvinox to
open the door of his ancient crypt, but it doesn’t really
do anything as far as gam e m echanics is concerned.
They’re good for keeping the party running around, but
they only represent interm ediate steps towards som e
m ore m eaningful goal.
 Minor item s - food, com m on m ounts, rope, writing
paper, tents, and so on - are norm ally assum ed to be
available. The only tim e they’re not is when the Gam e
Master is setting up a scene - for exam ple:
“After your escape from the desert nom ads, they
pursue you to the edge of a m ighty chasm . Safety lies
on the far side; the desert riders’ cam els will never be
able to cross. Since you were stripped of your gear, you
have no ropes or clim bing equipm ent. W hat will you
do?”
W ill they clim b on pure skill and risk falling and the
possibility of having to deal with m issile fire while
dangling from a cliff? W ill the group Elem entalist shape
the stone into a (narrow and perilous) bridge and then
hold it against the enem y? W ill the Beastm aster call up
a m ighty wyrm and bind it long enough for it to help the
group cross?
Like m ost good RPG problem s, there are m any
possible solutions, any of which m ight work - and any of
which will present their own problem s.
In a world of m agic there are hundreds of ways to
com pensate for the lack of any specific bit of m undane
gear. Unless it’s going to be dram atic and entertaining,
don’t bother to present a problem . Trivia is nothing but
boring filler, and no gam e needs that. If you m ust
m ention a trivial problem , pretty m uch any reasonable-
sounding solution will probably work.
Strategic Choices
The choice between Followers and Conjurations can
be difficult; Followers are som ewhat tougher, don’t cost
Mana, and are im m ediately available. On the other
hand, being followed around by a collection of creatures
m akes you unwelcom e in cities, pretty m uch elim inates
any notion of stealth or concealing your identity, and
often won’t even be allowed. No authority or other m age
will put up with a horde of m onsters in their presence.
Not only do you have to worry about food, lodging, and
support for followers, but you’ll often have to leave them
behind - m aking them unavailable when needed.
W orse, if one of them ’s killed, you’ve actually got to find
and recruit a replacem ent. They m ay even argue with
you.
Conjurations only exist when sum m oned, and if
they’re “killed” you can sim ply sum m on them again for
the next battle. You don’t have to worry about food and
supplies for them , upsetting the locals, or having them
get into random argum ents. On the other hand, you do
need a few m om ents to sum m on them , they don’t
usually show m uch independent intelligence, and they
cost Mana - and that’s a strictly lim ited resource.
A com prom ise is usually best: a few m ore-or-less
norm al Followers, such as druids, usually aren’t too
m uch trouble, a couple of low-cost Conjurations
(hopefully with som e handy special abilities) for m inor
battles when you need to conserve Mana, and a high-
42
powered sum m oning for larger battles where you don’t
care about conservation, m akes a reasonable package.
The strategic options of MTG:RPG are, in m any
ways, the com plete opposite of those in MTG:CCG. In
MTG:CCG you start off with a lim ited selection of cards,
no Mana and nothing ready (although both build up over
tim e), the ability to do as m any things as you can
m anage on your Turn - and no concern for the next
battle or the environm ent. After all, the next battle is a
clean start and there are no NPC’s or external
environm ent to worry about; you’re only dealing with
other players. You’re unprepared, but you have
im m ense resources to draw upon - 60, 80, or hundreds
of cards.
In MTG:RPG you start off with all the Mana you’re
going to have for the battle and your full selection of
Cards - but you can only do one thing in a Turn, your
resources are lim ited and are depleting instead of
building up, you have to worry about saving resources
for future conflicts or em ergencies, dam age carries
over, the environm ent and NPC’s m atter, and you’re
generally not fighting other players. You’re dealing with
m onsters and NPC’s in hopes of future advancem ent.
Sim ilarly, MTG:CCG leans towards single and dual-
color decks; they’re m uch faster, and - in MTG:CCG-
speed counts for a lot.
In MTG :RPG m agi usually start out with several
different colors available, if only because investing a
few ability points in the (Color) Magic abilities is a cheap
way to store Mana.
This is intentional, both because there’s not m uch
point in playing a m inor variation of rules you’re already
throughly fam iliar with and because RPG’s need lim ited
resources - otherwise there’s nothing to strive for - and
continuity. Episodic battles m ake good card and
strategic gam es, but poor RPGs.
Mana Levels
Mana abundance is a m ajor background question in
MTG:RPG. Quite a few individual creatures, such as
Viridian Acolyte, can be tapped for Mana. A group of
Fyndhorn elves of unspecified - but probably sm all -
size can be tapped for Mana, as can m any other elves.
Townships, abbeys, dens, trading posts, springs, and
orchards can all be tapped for Mana. Just how big is a
“Forest” or an “Island” anyway? A thousand m iles
across? A hundred? Ten? One? A sm all grove or am
outcropping of rock in a river? How m uch Mana can a
village of 500 elves yield per “Turn”? A point? 50
points? 500 points? How long is a “Turn” anyway?
W eeks? Days? Hours? Minutes? Seconds? You could
m ake a case for any of them .
If any elven ham let can yield seven m illion points of
Mana a day - 500 points every six second Turn - every
other NPC will be a Mana-user of som e sort and the
entire world probably runs on it. W hy bother to com pete
for som ething as com m on as the air?
Alternatively, one can assum e that it takes lengthy
and intensive training for creatures to learn to draw on
their own Mana consciously, that the Mana of Creatures
requires com plex techniques or the raw power of a
Planewalker to tap, that natural Mana sources are
separated by forty or fifty m iles, and that any given
source can only yield one point per day in total. W hile
this still gives a planetary capacity of better than 30,000
Mana points per day (presum ing an earth-sized world.
A lot would be underwater if the planet does resem ble
earth), it m eans that Mana-wielders will be vanishingly
rare - and m ost of them won’t be able to obtain m ore
than one point a day. There won’t be any m age-
academ ies, the vast m ajority of potential m agi will never
receive any training, and any that do will probably
reserve Mana for the m ost desperate situations.
The basic assum ptions of the MTG:RPG are a
com prom ise; Creatures are presum ed to draw personal
m agic from burning Life points via Lifewreaking, m aking
personal m agic a very lim ited source of power. Lands
are presum ed to represent natural m ystical nexi
separated by 15-30 m iles and only yield one point of
Mana per day to any individual m age - but num erous
lesser m agi m ay attune them selves to them , allowing
m agic to be a notable part of everyday life, m aking
control of nexi well worth struggling over, and providing
a reason why the Magelords and Planewalkers don’t
m onopolize the Mana. However, since only one
Magelord or Planewalker can control a land at a tim e,
they have a personal m otive for such struggles. Since
they can lock out the lesser m agi at will, Magelords can
influence the prosperity and power of kingdom s - but
aren’t powerful enough to do so with im punity.
Ergo m ost kingdom s are reasonably stable, strongly
supported by lesser m agi, and both wary and respectful
of the Magelords and Planewalkers.
Each Gam e Master is free to m odify these base
assum ptions - but should rem em ber that each choice
will affect the world background.
43
Dynamic Magic (Optional)
Dynamic Magic. This exotic Distinction opens up the
Dynam ic Magic ability to its possessor. It m ay then be
built up like any other ability which the user possesses.
W ith Dynam ic Magic a character can use “draw a
card” effects to draw a card from their own, personal,
deck up to a total num ber of cards in-hand equal to the
rank of their Dynam ic Magic ability. As usual, the
m axim um level of those cards is also equal to the
character’s Dynam ic Magic ability rank. Such cards m ay
be played norm ally within a Scene, but at its end they
m ust be returned to the deck. It’s generally believed
that this is version of a Planewalker’s ability to draw
external forces partially into their own battle-realm ,
lim ited by operating on a pre-existing plane, but the
process isn’t fully understood.
Unlike a Planewalker’s abilities, Dynam ic Magic is
still subject to the effects of the various lim iting abilities
and cannot provide Mana save by draining it from som e
other source.
Dynam ic Magic should be considered carefully
before it’s allowed into a gam e.
W hat is a dynam ic m age actually doing? The quasi-
reality of a Planewalkers Duel is fairly well understood -
but if Dynam ic Magi are doing the sam e thing within a
norm al plane, it’s a recipe for catastrophe; they’re
blowing holes in the universe. If they’re not, then where
is all that knowledge com ing from ? W ho’s loaning it to
them , and why? W hat price are they paying? W hy is it
quasi-random ?
Secondarily, on the gam e-m echanics side, it’s a
relatively cheap way to becom e a fairly powerful and
versatile m age. Sim ply pick up a point or two in each
m agic ability, a
f e w p o in t s in
Dynam ic Magic,
and enough Mana
Tapping to build
up your reserves.
It’ll take about 10
ability points and a
Distinction, but it
will give you a
pocketful of m ajor
spells to draw on
when the situation
calls for it.
Sample Characters
Unless otherwise noted, all creature spells are Summons.
All spells listed are available for reference on
http://gatherer.wizards.com/
Clockwork Master
“Tick-tocks, tick-tocks, look at all my magic clocks.”
Species Package: Human
Distinctions: Magician II (Magelord)
Abilities: Air Vehicles 4, Artificer 5, Blue Magic 4,
Craftsman 5, Engineering 4, Lifewreaking 4, Mana Tapping
3, Perception 4, Psyche 4, Resist Magic 5, Vigor 3
Card Slots (5): Clockwork Beetle, Ornithopter (Follower),
Yotian Soldier (Follower), W elding Jar (Follower), W elding
Jar (Follower)
The Clockwork Master specializes in fully-real artifact
creations. The Clockwork Beetle can appear on a moment’s
notice, while the Yotian Soldier uses its excellent defenses to
guard the character. The Ornithopter can fly, hence the Air
Vehicles ability. W hile the W elding Jars can instantly repair
and restore any broken artifact, the Clockwork Master must
replace them with hard work, since they are used up
permanently.
Cunning Rogue
“I’m sorry, was this yours?”
Species Package: Human
Distinctions: Enhanced Sense (Hearing), Enhanced Sense
(Sight), Good-Looking, Sharpshooter I
Abilities: Athletics 3, Ambush 4, Evasion 5, Finance 4,
Investigation 4, Larceny 5, Perception 3, Reaction 5,
Saboteur 4, Stealth 5, Streetwise 3, Vigor 4
A simple but useful character, the Cunning Rogue is
excellent for finding out information, sabotaging the enemy’s
plan, or creating an ambush to hit the enemy. As a Scout or
Spy, the Cunning Rogue has no equal.
Destined Child
“Destiny is on my side today!”
Species Package: Human
Distinctions: Magician IV (Planeswalker)
Disadvantage: Hunted (Enemy of Destiny)
Abilities: Aberrations 3, Black Magic 5, Elementalism 5,
Leadership 3, Lifewreaking 3, Mana Tapping 4, Red Magic
5, Vigor 3, White Magic 5
Card Slots (5): Incinerate, Lightning Bolt, Fireball,
Razortooth Rats, Zealous Inquisitor
A young but promising Planeswalker, the Destined Child
uses a variety of card spells. Though specializing in blasting
the enemy with Red Mana effects, the character can also
summon rats to annoy spellcasters. The Zealous Inquisitor
can do more than attack; its special ability can reflect damage
back at foes!
44
Goblin Suicide Commando
“The plan is perfect: I light the fuse and jump on them!”
Species Package: Goblin (Fool’s Luck, Utter Incompetence)
Distinctions: Haste Training, Magician I (Magician), Martial
Artist I
Abilities: Artificer 0, Beast Mastery 4, Elementalism 3,
Engineering 5, Finance 0, Green Magic 3, Harvesting 4,
Leadership 3, Lifewreaking 3, Red Magic 4, Ranged
W eapons 4, Regeneration 5, Saboteur 5, Scholar 0, Sleights
3, Toughness 3, Vigor 4
Card Slots (3): Goblin Brigand (Follower), Goblin Grenade,
Tarpan (Follower)
Goblins have very short lifespans. Said lifespans would
probably be longer if they didn’t keep killing themselves off.
This goblin has turned it into an artform, using the natural
species ability to avoid getting blown up by the Goblin
Grenade. The Brigand merely follows along and hits anything
which might seem dangerous or tasty. The Tarpan also
follows along. Of course, convincing any horse to let a goblin
ride it may take some doing! One final note: this character is
dumb as a rock and flat broke.
Guardian Angel
“Just because you have a protector is no reason to tempt
fate, child”
Species Package: Angel (Human)
Distinctions: Armsman II, Flying Training, Role (Heavenly
Spirit), Vigilance Training
Disadvantage: Honor
Abilities: Courtier 5, Endurance 4, Healing 5, Fortification
4, Melee W eapons 5, Movement 4, Psyche 5, Repute 3,
Toughness 5, Vigor 4
Refined socially yet brutal in battle, Guardian Angels are
more than prepared to boss their charges with both words and
swords as the situation warrants. Guardian Angels can put
some serious hurt on the enemy, but have enough skills and
talents to meet any challenge.
Magic The Gathering: Role-Playing Game Copyright
2006, Paul M. Melroy and Patrick Bryant.
Distant Horizons Gam es
Magic: The Gathering and the Mana Sym bols are
tradem arked by W izards of the Coast. Since this draft
docum ent is intended for subm ission to W izards of the
Coast in hopes of enhancing the sales of both their
RPG and MTG:CCG lines, their use herein represents
no challenge to W izards of the Coast.
All other artwork throughout this docum ent is from
classical artists, and is in the public dom ain.