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An impressed spell has a path cost cost of three if impressed into the caster. If the mage wishes to create a version of the spell which could be impressed into another living being (who does not have the necessary magic skill to cast the spell, as it is already "precast"), he must allow the state path to include another being. This is done by extending the state path from the pattern knowledge back down to folk. If the pattern knowledge is folk, then the state path goes up to living forces and back down to folk, a path cost of four.
To build a spell which can be placed in an object is even more difficult. The state path must be extended from the pattern knowledge to living forces (to be impressed), then to folk (to connect the state path to the character casting the spell), then to the element knowledge which best describes the material of the object (to be stored in the object.)
Example: To build a fireball spell which could be impressed into a wooden wand requires that the state path go from fire to living forces (a path cost of seven), then from living forces to folk (a path cost of two), then back to plant (another nine) for an additional 18 added on to the casting cost of impression (three), for a total casting cost of 21.
Objects may be prepared in advance to hold spells of a certain result knowledge, which can be more cost efficient then designing a spell which can be cast into an object, particularly if more than one type of spell is to be cast. See "Permanent Magic" below.
Once impressed into an object, the spell remains in an object until cast.
When creating permanent magic all backlash is compared to the spell skill total, never the Mind of the caster. Each creation of permanent magic is in some way unique, enough so that it is not possible to refine the process as one can a grimoire spell.
A magician must state that he is attempting a permanent conjuration, and then the spell is cast with a -15 bonus modifier. If successful, the spell is real when conjured and will not fade after the duration expires. A lasting link has been created.
Types of magic other than conjuration may be also made permanent; they to have a -15 bonus modifier. Regardless of the type of magic employed, the link between the natural world and the pattern must be created, i.e. conjured, for the effect to be permanent. As with conjuration, the mage must state he is making the spell permanent before he casts the spell.
When making permanent magic, a mage has a basic choice. He can either make the pattern or the process permanent. If he makes the process permanent, the spell effect is permanent, at least until dispelled by a stronger magic. A fireball would burn forever, a man would stay a frog, a disguise self would last until dispelled (see page 112 of the Torg Rulebook). The casting mage has whatever control over the spell is built into the spell, and no more.
Example: A permanent altered fireball may only be controlled by the casting magician while he is in range of the spell. An altered fireball made permanent could not be turned off, as control over the effect is not part of the altered fireball spell.
If the pattern is made permanent, the potential to cast the spell perma nently exists. The caster must still provide the appropriate magic skill to cast the spell. The primary advantage of making a pattern permanent is that the pattern need not be observed by the caster, as it is already there. The second advantage is that as permanent pattern is not yet part of the natural world, is cannot be dispelled by a spell effect of the same knowledge.
Any effects of the spell may be dispelled, but the pattern itself could not be dispelled. Any theorem restrictions still apply to the spell; an altered fireball wand with a permanent pattern still requires the component of pitch and coal.
An impressed spell is a partially cast spell, one which is suspended in the process. An impressed spell does not require a magic skill to cast once impressed (but see "Casting" above). An impressed spell which could be cast over and over again requires permanent pattern and process, making the process part of the pattern. The spell must be cast twice, making it permanent each time. If either casting fails, then the spell is not permanently impressed; there is no effect.
If successful, the spell recasts itself over the cast time of the spell, then sits suspended until triggered by the user of the item. As process is built into the pattern, a permanently impressed spell is not destroyed if dispelled, although the effect of that casting of the spell is gone.
As wards are impressed spells, it is possible to make permanent wards which periodically recharge.
Example: A flame sword could be constructed with permanent effect of a burning blade, in which the effect were controlled by a word, such as the sword's name. The user could turn the effect on and off by speaking the name of the sword. Manipulating the effect would require the user to have the magic skill used to cast the spell.
Wands, amulets, or whatever may be constructed which have a permanent pattern within them. These require the user to provide the magic skill. The spell may be cast by anyone with that skill, regardless of skill value.
Example: A light wand could be constructed which had a permanent pattern of mage light. Any character with alteration magic could cast the spell, although they would still need a
Constructing items which require no skill to use are difficult, as the spells must be impressed. The first step to building such an item is creating a permanent effect that allows spells with the result knowledge of fire to be impressed into an object. Assume we are building a staff of fire magic. The pattern is plant, the material of the staff. The mechanism is life, to imbue the staff with real living forces, allowing spells to be impressed. The result knowledge is fire, the pattern knowledge of any fire spell stored in the object. However, as discussed above (see "Casting" ), the state path is pretty convoluted: plant to inanimate forces to magic to life to living forces to folk (to allow folk to cast the spell) to living forces to light to inanimate forces to fire. The spell is cast directly. One possible spell looks like this:
The magician must hold the staff while casting the spell, blackening the staff in the smoke from a fire which is burning the same sort of wood as of which the staff is made. The mage concentrates on images of the staff absorbing the flames, not being burned by them.
This spell allows up to 14 spells to be impressed into one object at one time. This number is derived from result points of the effect value against the value of the living forces already in the staff (usually O) read on the power push table, plus a result point modifier of seven purchased for the spell.
If this spell is cast to make a permanent enchanted item, there is a -15 bonus modifier to the cast.
Scanned in by Scanner Man Garrett Taylor
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