Copyright (c) 1996 by John Jackson Wizardry (M/VH) Default: Occultism(Magic) -6 (max 14 on default) Prerequisites: Thaumatology 12+ or Occultism(Magic) 14+ Wizardry is the study of mages and spellcasting. It is used to study the various spells that are in existance. It applies to the characters background and culture. Wizardry doesn't tell a human mage anything about the spells the Far Eastern Elves use if their system of magic is different. It is an accumulation of a body of understanding. Note that the information known about the spell is not overly great, a few details, an idea of prerequisites, an opinion about casting costs and how tiring it is, etc. You will also know a great number of rumours. You will not be able to discern the truths from the rumours until certain levels of mastery are achieved. Wizardry gives access to knowledge about spells according to level as follows: 14 or greater - Magic book spells requiring Magery 1 or less. 16 or greater - all Magic book spells. 18 or greater - Grimoire book spells requiring Magery 1 or less. 21 or greater - all Grimoire book spells. Basically, this allows the PCs to know what the players remember from the books (based on level of mastery above). This does not allow the Players to 'look up' specific details of spells in the books unless the PC is in a setting where the PC could look up the information in a library. A library containing this information generally contains 4 volumes for every point of skill above 13 (like I said, there's a lot of useless and false information around as well). Each book costs around $250. It takes the PC five minutes to look up each spell in the library. Having extra books or a full library does not automatically increase skill. If the PC makes a successful skill roll (any roll of 14 or greater is always a failure on this roll), the GM will remind him on the spot of one thing he had forgotten about the spell, this takes 1 second of concentration. Example, the wizard Burt Annerny wants to remember how fatiguing it is cast the Immurement spell, but doesn't have five minutes for research because the Evil Treeman is closing in on him. Burt has a Wizardry skill of 21 and rolls a 13. The GM informs him what it takes most mages to cast this spell. Had Kookie had asked this question (he knows Wizardry at 17), he would have gotten a nonsensical or perhaps even false answer, because he hasn't studied the skill enough to know about the Grimoire spells! Magery does not add to skill level for this skill. A Player who knows Occultism(Magic) may also roll against Occultism(Magic) at -6 to gain information about spells from the Magic book requiring Magery 1 or less. Occultism is no help for knowledge of other spells. Area Knowledge (College) may also be used at -6 to remember specific knowledge about spells from that College in the Magic book requiring Magery 1 or less. Failed attempts on the Wizardry, Occultism, or Area Knowledge roll generally yield bad information. The roll may not be repeated. If you don't remember, you won't ever remember it until you have looked it up in the library again.