Mana, Fighting, & Magic

Mana

Mana represents the determination and fighting spirit of a character. Characters have an amount of mana determined by their level. Mana can be used to cast magic spells or execute daring martial feats. You can read about how mana applies to fighting here and magic here.

Damage Types

Damage is a numerical representation of life-threatening force. There are three types of damage, used to specify what kind of danger they represent.

Damage Type	Description
Physical	Physical damage represents injury caused through blunt force, sharp objects, and poison
Elemental	Elemental damage represents injury caused through fire, ice, lightning, acid, and other more rare but naturally-based effects.
Spiritual	Spiritual damage represents injury caused through psychic attacks, withering chaos, and other metaphysical dangers.

Defense

Defense represents resistance against certain damage types. When a creature takes damage of a certain type, that damage is reduced by their defense against that kind of damage.

If multiple sources provide Defense for the same damage type, they do not add unless they specifically say so. Use the highest Defense available for each damage type.

Wounds

Wounds represent life-threatening physical or mental injury. Wounds last until they are healed, which take time and rest (though certain magics can expedite healing). Each long rest, make a difficulty 10 Fortitude check for each wound. On a success, the wound recovers. On a failure, the wound remains. If disaster occurs, the wound begins to fester, inflicting one level of the Sick condition, which lasts until that wound is healed.

Each creature has a wound limit equal to 15 + its Vitality score which represents the amount of wounds that creature can take before they begin dying. Every time a creature that has met its wound limit recieves additional wounds, that creature has a Near-Death Experience. Near-Death Experiences are events that may leave that creature with permanent damage (if they survive). A player will choose a Near-Death Experience for their own character when this occurs.

Near-Death Experiences

The following Near-Death Experiences can only be chosen once each for a character:

Scar: You gain a notable scar. If a physical scar doesn't make sense, you develop a habit or behavior related to the Near-Death Experience.
Small Shock: You are Stunned until you no longer exceed your wound limit.
Shock: You fall Prone and are Stunned until you no longer exceed your wound limit.
Fall Unconscious: You fall Unconscious until you no longer exceed your wound limit.
Serious Infirmity: You gain one level of either the Crippled or Traumatized condition (preferably what condition makes sense given the cause of the Near-Death Experience) that naturally recovers after 3d6 long rests.
Permanent Infirmity: You gain one level of either the Crippled or Traumatized condition (preferably what condition makes sense given the cause of the Near-Death Experience) that can never be removed.
Permanent Blindness or Deafness: You become either Blinded or Deafened permanently (preferably what condition and sense makes sense given the cause of the Near-Death Experience).

The following Near-Death Experiences can be chosen as many times as you like:

Permanent Impairment: One of your ability scores is permanently reduced by 1 (preferably an ability score that makes sense given the cause of the Near-Death Experience).
Heroic Death: Your determination allows you to take one more turn, after which you die, permanently. During this final turn, you gain a +10 bonus to all checks, and with permission from the Storyteller, may be able to accomplish some miraculous deed typically not handled or allowed by these rules.
Take Your Chances: Make a Fortitude check with a difficulty of 10 + the amount of wounds you have above your wound limit. On a success, you may choose any other Near-Death Experience. On a failure, you die, permanently.

Attack Rolls

Weapon attacks, martial techniques and offensive magics often require a special check called an attack roll. This check is Strength-based for physical attacks and Wisdom-based for magical attacks. The proficiency for this check comes from the weapon or spell being used.

Make the check. Attack rolls are contests, typically against the target's Reflex skill. A spell or technique might specify a different skill for the target to use instead. Either way, make the check and determine the winner as well as the margin of success. If the target loses the contest, the attack hits; otherwise, it misses.
Determine effects. Spells, techniques, and weapons may specify special effects, a damage type, or both. If a damage type is specified, the amount of damage is equal to the margin of success.
Resolve damage. If the attack does damage, the target receives an amount of wounds equal to the damage of the attack minus the target's Defense for the attack's damage type. If this damage inflicts wounds that would cause the target to begin Dying, the attacker can instead choose to knock them Unconscious for 4d6 hours or until they are woken up, in which case the target does not receive wounds from the attack.

Rules of Fighting

Fighting is a general term encompassing the various martial arts, including those that utilize mana. In Remedy, this is done through gambits and weapons. Gambits are powerful techniques that consume mana, while weapons are physical items that make fighting more effective.

Proficiency

Unlike skills, gambits must first be learned before they can even be used at a novice proficiency level. If a creature does not first know a gambit, it cannot use it at all. Once a gambit is learned, however, its proficiency level can increase as normal.

Gambits have a wide range of effects, and not all of them require checks. Many gambits will provide their own rules for how to handle proficiency with them. In addition, many gambits employ the use of a weapon, with which you may also have proficiency. If a tactic or gambit requires an attack roll, your proficiency for that attack roll is the proficiency of the weapon used, not the gambit itself.

Rules of Magic

Magic is the art of using mana to alter reality. In Remedy, this is done through spells and tricks. Spells are powerful magic that consume mana, while tricks are simpler and smaller magical abilities that can be used at will, much like weapons.

Proficiency

Unlike skills, spells and tricks must first be learned before they can even be cast with a novice proficiency level. If a creature does not first know a spell or trick, it cannot cast it at all. Once a spell or trick is learned, however, its proficiency level can increase as normal.

Spells have a wide range of effects, and not all of them require checks. Many spells will provide their own rules for how to handle proficiency with them.

Spell Checks

Some spells require the target to make some sort of check, but the difficulty is not specified. These checks are made against a special kind of check made by the caster called a spell check. Spell checks are Wisdom-based checks, with proficiency coming from the spell being cast.

Arcane Focus

An arcane focus is a special item crafted for the purpose of channeling magical energies. This can take many forms, such as a cleric's holy symbol or a magic wand. These powerful items make casting magic a much safer ordeal. Without an arcane focus, the only way to cast magic is through either ritual casting or sacrificial casting.

Ritual Casting

Ritual casting ****is an old form of magic, a process by which spells can be cast through stray spirits and other magical creatures. Rituals are typically a form of offering, to which these lesser creatures will answer and act as an arcane focus in exchange for the offering. Ritual casting can also be interpreted as a petition to a higher power, who lends their strength in exchange for the offering. Some spells will list if they can be cast as a ritual, as well as how much time the ritual takes and what components are required to cast it as a ritual. Provided all these requirements are met, the spell can be cast as a ritual without expending mana and without an arcane focus. Spells cast in this way are treated as if they had been cast using exactly the amount of mana that they require.

Sacrificial Casting

Sacrificial casting is a dangerous gamble, by which spells are fueled by the caster's own flesh and life-force. To cast a spell sacrificially, you first cast it without expending mana, and then receive an amount of wounds equal to the amount of mana you are substituting for. An arcane focus is optional when casting sacrificially.

If casting a spell in this way would cause the caster to begin dying, the caster must make a Willpower check with a difficulty equal to the amount of wounds beyond their wound limit they are about to take. On a success, the spell takes effect before the caster takes wounds from casting the spell sacrificially; on a failure, the spell has no effect and the caster dies.

Spell Components

Many spells require additional components in order to cast them. There are four kinds of components a spell could require: vocal, somatic, or material.

Vocal components are words, chants, prayers, or songs that invoke the spell. A spell that requires vocal components can only be cast if you can speak.

Somatic components are gestures that invoke the spell, which can range from small hand movements to a ritual dance. A spell that requires somatic components can only be cast if your hands are free.

Material components are physical objects that take part in the casting of a spell. Material components listed with an asterisk (*) are consumed by the spell upon casting. Material components with an obelus (†) are only required when casting the spell as a ritual, and are consumed upon completion of the ritual.

Concentration

Some spells require sustained focus in order to maintain their effects called concentration. You can only concentrate on one spell at once, so if you are concentrating on a spell and cast a second spell that requires concentration, the first spell ends.

Pain or shock can break your concentration, causing the spell to fail. Whenever you are concentrating on a spell and you are hit by an attack, you must succeed on a Sanity check with a difficulty of 10 or lose concentration on the spell, ending it.

Alternatively, you can willfully release concentration on a spell at any time on your turn.