Spellcasting & Antimagic

What Is a Spell?

A spell is a discrete magical effect, a single shaping of the magical energies that suffuse the multiverse into a specific, limited expression. In casting a spell, a character carefully plucks at the invisible strands of raw magic suffusing the world, pins them in place in a particular pattern, sets them vibrating in a specific way, and then releases them to unleash the desired effect—in most cases, all in the span of seconds.

Spells can be versatile tools, weapons, or protective wards. They can deal damage or undo it, impose or remove conditions (see Conditions), drain life energy away, and restore life to the dead.

Uncounted thousands of spells have been created over the course of the multiverse’s history, and many of them are long forgotten. Some might yet lie recorded in crumbling spellbooks hidden in ancient ruins or trapped in the minds of dead gods. Or they might someday be reinvented by a character who has amassed enough power and wisdom to do so.

Spell Level

Every spell has a level from 0 to 9. A spell’s level is a general indicator of how powerful it is, with the lowly (but still impressive) magic missile at 1st level and the earth-shaking wish at 9th. Cantrips—simple but powerful spells that characters can cast almost by rote—are level 0. The higher a spell’s level, the higher level a spellcaster must be to use that spell.

Spell level and character level don’t correspond directly. The Aethyrflame tables show which spell levels a character can cast at each level.

Known and Prepared Spells

Before a spellcaster can use a spell, he or she must have the spell firmly fixed in mind, or must have access to the spell in a magic item. How an Aethyrsparked character fixes spells in mind depends on their Aethyrflame Source. Those with the Knowledge or Dedication source use Studied Spellcasting, preparing spells each long rest; those with the Possession or Suffusion source use Intuitive Spellcasting, knowing a limited list of spells that are always fixed in mind. The same thing is true of many magic-using monsters. See Spellcasting for details.

In every case, the number of spells a caster can have fixed in mind at any given time depends on the character’s level.

Spell Slots

Regardless of how many spells a caster knows or prepares, he or she can cast only a limited number of spells before resting. Manipulating the fabric of magic and channeling its energy into even a simple spell is physically and mentally taxing, and higher-level spells are even more so. Thus, the Aethyrflame tables show how many spell slots of each spell level a character can use at each character level. For example, the spellcaster Umara has four 1st-level spell slots and two 2nd-level slots.

When a character casts a spell, he or she expends a slot of that spell’s level or higher, effectively “filling” a slot with the spell. You can think of a spell slot as a groove of a certain size—small for a 1st-level slot, larger for a spell of higher level. A 1st-level spell fits into a slot of any size, but a 9th-level spell fits only in a 9th-level slot. So when Umara casts magic missile, a 1st-level spell, she spends one of her four 1st-level slots and has three remaining.

Finishing a long rest restores any expended spell slots.

Some characters and monsters have special abilities that let them cast spells without using spell slots. For example, some Aethyrflame Features and some creatures let their owners cast spells in such a way.

Casting a Spell at a Higher Level

When a spellcaster casts a spell using a slot that is of a higher level than the spell, the spell assumes the higher level for that casting. For instance, if Umara casts magic missile using one of her 2nd-level slots, that magic missile is 2nd level. Effectively, the spell expands to fill the slot it is put into.

Some spells, such as magic missile and cure wounds, have more powerful effects when cast at a higher level, as detailed in a spell’s description.

Casting in Armor

Because of the mental focus and precise gestures required for spellcasting, you must be proficient with the armor you are wearing to cast a spell. You are otherwise too distracted and physically hampered by your armor for spellcasting.

Cantrips

A cantrip is a spell that can be cast at will, without using a spell slot and without being prepared in advance. Repeated practice has fixed the spell in the caster’s mind and infused the caster with the magic needed to produce the effect over and over. A cantrip’s spell level is 0.

Rituals

Certain spells have a special tag: ritual. Such a spell can be cast following the normal rules for spellcasting, or the spell can be cast as a ritual. The ritual version of a spell takes 10 minutes longer to cast than normal. It also doesn’t expend a spell slot, which means the ritual version of a spell can’t be cast at a higher level.

To cast a spell as a ritual, a spellcaster must have a feature that grants the ability to do so. Both of Geminaea’s spellcasting types grant it. The caster must also have the spell prepared or on his or her list of spells known, unless the character’s spellcasting type specifies otherwise, as Studied Spellcasting does.

In this section

Spellcasting: how to cast a spell, and Geminaea’s spellcasting types
Spells: the schools of magic and the spell compendium
Antimagic: Nullification Points and the antimagic features
Aethyr Chaos Surges: what happens when concentrated Aethyr breaks loose
Spellcrafting: inventing spells and scribing scrolls (provisional)
Enchanting: the enchanting check, runesmithing and infusions (provisional)
Alchemy: brewing potions and elixirs (provisional)

A mortal whose Aethyr Knot has been ignited into an Aethyrflame. The Aethyrsparked heal faster than ordinary mortals, can be revived after death by magic such as Revivify or Raise Dead, and can wield powers far beyond theirs.A sparked Aethyr Knot: a furnace of magical potential that keeps drawing energy from the surrounding Aethyr. It smolders when unused and flares when its bearer draws on the Aethyrweave; left unused long enough, it goes out.Where an Aethyrflame's connection to Aethyr comes from, one of its core aspects alongside its Domain and Technique. The four Sources are Dedication, Knowledge, Possession and Suffusion, and each has its own features by level.The Source of Aethyrflames forged through unwavering dedication to a divine domain, devoted to a higher purpose. Through oaths and devout action they uphold the tenets of their chosen deity, pantheon, philosophy or conviction.The Source of Aethyrflames born from a binding pact with a potent source of Aethyr or the acquisition of a mystical artifact, drawing strength from these supernatural affiliations.The Source of Aethyrflames whose bodies and souls are suffused with the raw power of the Aethyr, through Aethyr-rich places, rituals or other phenomena, making them living conduits of its energy.An ability an Aethyrsparked character gains, usually only once and subject to Technique, Source, Affinity, level and prerequisite requirements. Features are granted by a Technique or Source, taken as free picks, or bought with Aethyr Points.The setting: a celestial system of two planets, Aradaea and Vitaea, orbiting a shared moon, Ravena. The planets were once a single world, Terra, until The Rending split it. Mortal belief plays a central role in its creation and evolution.A finite reserve of Anti-Aethyr, which only those with an Aethyrflame can fully harness, spent to fuel advanced antimagic abilities. An Anti-Magic Instability Check fails if its result is over the practitioner's unspent points.The practice of wielding Anti-Aethyr to counter, dispel or suppress magic. Advanced antimagic needs an Aethyrflame and Nullification Points. Nullifying active magic calls for an Anti-Magic Instability Check, and failing it can trigger a chaos surge.The primal force underlying all existence in Geminaea, born in the Aethyr Explosion that began the universe. It is the source of all magic and the medium connecting thought and reality, recognized only through its effects on the matter it suffuses.