BQ - Magic System v1.2

Spells and metamagic in Banished Quest are meant to be modular and generalized.

The MC has a base Vys Pool of 10, each spell effect will generally cost 1 Vys and each Metamagic effect (With a few exceptions) will cost 1 Vys. Sustained effects will cost the same as the spell (minus the cost of any metamagic effects) every round.
(eg. Casting a Ranged Pain spell on a target to cripple them will cost 1 vys per round instead of 2.)

Spells can be countered by using the same or a similar effect as the one cast in conjunction with the Manipulate effect. So, if the MC were paralyzed, they would need to use Manipulate Paralysis to counter the spell.
The exception are elemental spells. Fire is countered by Water (and vice versa), Nature is countered by Earth (and vice versa). Metal has no known direct attack spells, and thus no counter.

The MC's Vys Pool grows by
+1 point for every experiment they complete successfully.
+1 point for every level they gain in a major element.
+1 point for every magical tome they finish.
+1 point for every effect they learn.
+2 points for every metamagic feat they learn.

If the MC's pool falls to 0, he can cast no more spells. If it falls to -1 (via the spells of an enemy Vatis) the MC is unconscious. At -10 Vys the MC is dead.
The MC regains Vys by sleeping, but regains it faster by meditating. Meditating is required to advance through the basic elements and learn new spells. It is also useful for other things.

The MC's max vys pool can be permanently or temporarily lowered. Usually a temporary penalty to max vys will become permanent after enough time has passed, but a particular string of bad luck or a particularly bad decision might cause permanent damage immediately. Usually temporary vys pool reduction is removed after you remove the cause, be it an artifact, a wound, or an effect.

Positive temporary vys points can also be earned by particularly good decisions or particularly good luck. They work much the same way, and don't recharge after being spent.

Every Vatis starts by learning to channel Vys. Mechanically, this is represented as spending at most 25% (Rounded to the nearest whole number) of your maximum vys to add an equivalent modifier to ANY roll. This is expressed in fluff as channeling Vys into your arms to make an attack stronger or climbing/swimming/lifting easier, or into your legs to run faster, et cetera.

Spells themselves come in a variety of flavors, which are detailed below:

The Five Basic Elements*: Broad categories of spells.
	Nature:	Controlling vines, encouraging plant growth, certain extrasensory effects.
	Fire:	Almost entirely direct attack spells. Ignite flammable objects with a touch, hurl fireballs,
		et cetera.
	Earth:	Manipulating the ground, creating pillars of stone, sinkholes in the sand, hurling
		boulders. Also useful for debuffing others, corroding their armor, et cetera.
	Metal:	Defense spells. Making yourself hardier, warding off mental effects, fortifying armor.
	Water:	Mostly healing and buffing spells. Knit wounds together, stop blood loss, remove
		exhaustion. A few attack spells if near a water source or at high levels.

		Levels in the Five Basic Elements
		Grandmaster: 	No further advancement.
		Master:		DC 35 to gain insight. 5 insights needed.
		Expert:		DC 30 to gain Insight. 4 insights needed.
		Vatis:		DC 25 to gain insight. 3 insights needed.
		Apprentice:	DC 20 to gain insight. 2 insights needed.
		Novice:		DC 15 to gain insight. 1 insight needed.
*Note these are not absolutely required to cast a spell.
Certain elements are complementary. Using them together will enhance the effects of both, at double the cost for each.
(eg. using Metal and Earth together to raise a barricade will result in a barricade made of the nearest metal at the cost of 4 Vys.)

The complementary elements are:
	Nature-Water
	Metal-Earth

Outlier Effects: They do basically what the name would imply.
	Animate
	Confuse
	Create
	Destroy
	Leech
	Mark
	Manipulate
	Pain
	Poison
	Paralysis
	Slow
	Speed
	More to be revealed as the plot unfolds.

Metamagic Effects: These alter the way the magic is cast, or provide context for what the spell does.
	Area of Effect
	Beam
	Blast
	Delayed
	Extended
	Leaping
	Permanent^
	Ranged
	Time^
	Vys^
	Weapon Affinity
	More to be revealed as the plot unfolds.
^:Indicates an effect that cost extra

		Metamagic/Effect Difficulty Levels
			-Beginner		DC 20 to learn.
			-Intermediate	DC 25 to learn.
			-Complex		DC 30 to learn.
	*Note: The DC to create an effect/metamagic from scratch is the Base DC as listed here multiplied by a factor of 1.5, rounded up.

So, for instance, if someone wanted to control an animal they would want to cast Manipulate, with the Vys metamagic effect, and probably the Ranged metamagic effect too. For a total cost of 4 Vys. The control would last as long as they focused, draining 1 vys per round.

Use common sense as for what effects would logically work with any other effects. Confuse, for instance, doesn't make sense with any of the basic elements. Nor does pain.

Certain combinations will automatically consume all or half of your Vys, depending on how large the MC's pool is. Slow and Speed Time would be examples of this.

Other combinations won't work simply because no mortal being is powerful enough to make them work. Create/Destroy Time, for instance, will just reduce your Vys pool to 0 because it's impossible. Control Time will do the same thing (without mediating circumstances). Same thing with Create Vys (without mediating circumstances). I'll tell you if you're exceeding your grasp.

This is subject to review and alteration as the quest progresses.