Force

You can weave magic around yourself for protection. When you expend mana to cast a spell, you can simultaneously use a strand of the spell’s magic to create a magical ward on yourself that lasts until you finish a long rest. The ward has health equal to your level + your spellcasting ability. Whenever you take damage, the ward takes the damage instead. If this damage reduces the ward to 0 health, you take any remaining damage.

While the ward has 0 health, it can’t absorb damage, but its magic remains. Whenever you expend mana to cast a spell, the ward regains an amount of health equal to the mana you expended.

When a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to cause your ward to absorb that damage. If this damage reduces the ward to 0 health, the warded creature takes any remaining damage.

Once you create the ward, you can’t create it again until you finish a long rest.

You can cast mage armor on yourself at will, without expending mana.

You gain the ability to see the magical world around you. You can cast detect magic at will, without expending mana.

As an action, you extend your hand and trace a sigil of warding in the air. Until the start of your next turn, you have resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage dealt by nonmagical attacks.

As an action, you shoot a beam of magical force at a creature or object that you can touch or see within 5 meters. The target takes 1d6 force damage.

At higher levels

This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 9th level (2d6) and 17th level (3d6).

As an action, you form a blade of pure scintillating force. Make a melee spell attack against the target.

On a hit, it takes 1d10 force damage.

On a critical hit, it takes twice as much damage.

On a miss by 4 or less, it takes half as much damage.

At higher levels

This spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 9th level (2d10) and 17th level (3d10).

As an action, you create one of the following magical effects within 5 meters:

• You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor.
• You instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.
• You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than half a cubic meter.
• You chill, warm, or flavor up to half a cubic meter of non-living material for 1 hour.
• You make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour.
• You create a nonmagical trinket that lasts until the end of your next turn.

This spell is a minor magical trick that novice spellcasters use for practice.

If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect on your turn (no action required).

As you spend 1 minute to cast this spell, you set an alarm against unwanted intrusion. Choose a door, a window, or an area within 5 meters that is no larger than a sphere. Until the spell ends, an alarm alerts you whenever a Tiny or larger creature touches or enters the warded area. When you cast the spell, you can designate creatures that won’t set off the alarm. You also choose whether the alarm is mental or audible.

A mental alarm alerts you with a ping in your mind if you are within 2 kilometers of the warded area. This ping awakens you if you are sleeping.

An audible alarm produces the sound of a hand bell for 10 seconds within 10 meters.

As an action, you sense the presence of magic within 5 meters of you. If you sense magic in this way, you can use an action to see a faint aura around any visible creature or object in the area that bears magic, and you learn its theme, if any.

The spell can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 30 centimeters of stone, 2 centimeters of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 1 meter of wood or dirt.

If you touch a creature or object for 5 minutes, you can determine the magic affecting it. If it is a magic item or some other magic-imbued object, you learn its properties and how to use them, whether it requires attunement to use, and how many charges it has, if any. You learn whether any spells are affecting the item and what they are. If the item was created by a spell, you learn which spell created it. If it is a creature, you learn what spells, if any, are currently affecting it.

As an action, a thin green ray springs from your pointing finger to a target that you can touch or see within 10 meters. The target can be a creature, an object that isn’t being worn or carried, or a creation of magical force, such as the wall created by wall of force.

The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d12 force damage.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

This spell automatically disintegrates a Tiny or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Small or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 75-centimeter radius sphere portion of it. A magic item is unaffected by this spell.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 3d12 for each additional mana expended.

At 2 mana, this spell automatically disintegrates a Small or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Medium or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 1-meter radius sphere portion of it.

At 3 mana:

• if the damage leaves the creature with 0 health, the creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a resurrection spell, a miracle spell, or a wish spell.
• this spell automatically disintegrates a Medium or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Large or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 1-meter radius sphere portion of it.

At 4 mana, this spell automatically disintegrates a Large or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Huge or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 2-meter radius sphere portion of it.

At 5 or more mana, this spell automatically disintegrates a Huge or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Gargantuan or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 3-meter radius sphere portion of it.

As an action, you create a circular, horizontal plane of force, 1 meter in diameter and 2 centimeters thick, that floats 1 meter above the ground in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 5 meters. The disk remains for the duration, and can hold up to 200 kilos. If more weight is placed on it, the spell ends, and everything on the disk falls to the ground.

The disk is immobile while you are within 4 meters of it. If you move more than 4 meters away from it, the disk follows you so that it remains within 4 meters of you. If can move across uneven terrain, up or down stairs, slopes and the like, but it can’t cross an elevation change of 2 meters or more. For example, the disk can’t move across a 2-meter-deep pit, nor could it leave such a pit if it was created at the bottom.

If you move more than 20 meters away from the disk (typically because it can’t move around an obstacle to follow you), the spell ends.

Augment

The weight that the disk can carry increases by 200 kilos for each additional mana expended.

As an action, an invisible field of force appears and surrounds a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters, granting it a +2 bonus to Defense for the duration.

Augment

You can target one additional creature for each additional mana expended, though the spell then must be cast as two actions. The creatures must be within 5 meters of each other when you target them.

As an action, an invisible field of force forms within a sphere twice as big as normal centered on you that moves with you. For the duration, The bulwark provides half cover from attacks and spells originating outside the bulwark.

As a reaction, which you use when you are hit by an attack or missed by 4 or less that you can see or when you take force damage, an invisible barrier of magical force appears around you. Roll a d4 and add the result to your Defense until the start of your next turn, including against the triggering attack. You can do so after the roll but before any effects of the roll occur.

Additionally, you have resistance to force damage until the start of your next turn.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional mana to trigger the spell when a creature that you can touch or see within 10 meters is attacked. The attacked creature gains the benefits instead.

As an action, a spear of magical force blasts from you. Each creature in a cone or line takes 3d4 + your spellcasting ability force damage.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 2d4 for each additional mana expended.

As an action, a weapon you touch becomes imbued with raw magical energy. For the duration, the weapon deals an extra 1d4 force damage.

Alternatively, you can touch a quiver containing arrows or bolts, granting the ammunition pulled from it the same effect. The spell’s magic ends on a piece of ammunition when it hits or misses.

Augment

• You can increase the damage by 1d4 for each additional mana expended.

• You can expend 1 additional mana to imbue an additional weapon you touch with raw magical energy.

• Magic Weapon. You can expend 1 additional mana so the weapon becomes a magic weapon for the duration.

As an action, you touch a door, a window, a gate, a box, a chest, a set of manacles, a padlock, or another object or entryway that contains a mundane or magical means that prevents access. Choose knock or lock as the spell’s effect.

Knock. A target that is held shut by a mundane lock or that is stuck or barred becomes unlocked, unstuck, or unbarred. If the object has multiple locks, only one of them is unlocked. If you choose a target that is held shut with lock, that spell is suppressed for 10 minutes, during which time the target can be opened and shut normally. When you use knock, a loud knock, audible from as far away as 100 meters, emanates from the target object.

Lock. The object or entryway becomes locked until it is broken or the spell is dispelled or suppressed. You and the creatures you designate when you cast this spell can open the object normally. You can also set a password that, when spoken within 1 meter of the object, suppresses this spell for 1 minute. While affected by this spell, the object is more difficult to break or force open; the Difficulty to break it or pick any locks on it increases by 10.

As an action, you touch a willing creature who isn’t wearing armor, and a protective magical force surrounds it until the spell ends. The target’s Defense becomes 13 + half its Aptitude Bonus (min 1) + its Dexterity (max 4), and it gains resistance to force damage. The spell ends if the target dons armor or if you dismiss the spell on your turn (no action required). The force can be invisible or can appear as a colored glow, at your option.

As an action, you create up to three glowing darts of magical force. Roll 3d6 and add your spellcasting ability; the total is the total amount of damage the darts do. Each dart hits a creature that you can touch or see within 20 meters.

If you create multiple darts, divide the damage evenly among the targets as the darts all strike simultaneously. If the damage does not divide evenly, you can choose which creatures receive the remaining damage.

Augment

You can roll an additional 4d6 and can create an additional dart for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, magic beams rain from above at a point within 20 meters. Each creature in a cylinder centered on that point takes 6d4 + your spellcasting ability force damage.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 2d4 for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, you create a Large hand of shimmering, translucent force in an unoccupied space that you can see within 5 meters. The hand lasts for the duration, and it moves at your command, mimicking the movements of your own hand.

The hand doesn’t fill its space.

When you cast the spell—and once on on each of your turns thereafter as an action—you can move the hand up to 5 meters and then cause one of the following effects with it.

Clenched Fist. The hand strikes a creature or object within 1 meter of it. Make a melee spell attack against the target.

On a hit, it takes 4d8 bludgeoning damage and its speed is reduced by 3 meters until the end of its next turn.

On a critical hit, it takes twice as much damage and its speed is reduced by 6 meters until the end of its next turn.

On a miss by 4 or less, it takes half as much damage.

Forceful Hand. The hand attempts to push a creature within 1 meter of it in a direction you choose. The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 4d8 bludgeoning damage and is pushed 3 meters away from the hand. The hand moves with the creature to remain within 1 meter of it if it is Medium or smaller.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage and is pushed 6 meters away from the hand. The hand moves with the creature to remain within 1 meter of it if it is Medium or smaller.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Grasping Hand. The hand attempts to grapple a creature within 1 meter of it. The creature must make a Reflex saving throw.

On a failure, it takes 3d8 bludgeoning damage and is grappled by the hand if it is Medium or smaller.

On a critical failure, it takes twice as much damage.

On a success, it takes half as much damage.

On a critical success, it takes no damage.

Interposing Hand. The hand interposes itself between you and a creature. The hand moves to stay between you and the creature, providing you with half cover against the creature. The creature can’t move through the hand’s space unless it succeeds on a Brawn check to overrun it or a Nimbleness check to tumble past it.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 2d8, reduce the creature’s speed by an additional meter for the clenched fist option, push the creature an additional meter for the forceful hand option, and affect a creature of a larger size for each additional mana expended.

As two actions, you create a sword-shaped plane of force that hovers within 5 meters that lasts for the duration or until you cast this spell again. When you cast the spell—and once on on each of your turns thereafter as an action—you can move the weapon up to 5 meters and cause the sword to strike a creature within 1 meter of the sword. The target takes 5d4 + your spellcasting ability force damage.

Augment

You can increase the damage by 3d4 for each additional mana expended.

As you spend 1 hour to cast this spell, you inscribe a glyph that harms other creatures, either upon a surface (such as a table or a section of floor or wall) or within an object that can be closed (such as a book, a scroll, or a treasure chest) to conceal the glyph. The glyph can cover an area no larger than 2 meters in diameter. If the surface or object is moved more than 2 meters from where you cast this spell, the glyph is broken, and the spell ends without being triggered.

The glyph is nearly invisible and requires a successful Perception check against your spell save Difficulty to be found.

You decide what triggers the glyph when you cast the spell. For glyphs inscribed on a surface, the most typical triggers include touching or standing on the glyph, removing another object covering the glyph, approaching within a certain distance of the glyph, or manipulating the object on which the glyph is inscribed. For glyphs inscribed within an object, the most common triggers include opening that object, approaching within a certain distance of the object, or seeing or reading the glyph. Once a glyph is triggered, this spell ends.

You can further refine the trigger so the spell activates only under certain circumstances or according to physical characteristics (such as height or weight) or creature kind (for example, the ward could be set to affect aberrations or drow). You can also set conditions for creatures that don’t trigger the glyph, such as those who say a certain password.

When you inscribe the glyph, choose explosive runes or a spell glyph.

Explosive Runes. When triggered, the glyph erupts with magical energy in a sphere centered on the glyph. The sphere spreads around corners. Each creature in the area must make a Reflex saving throw. A creature takes 7d6 + your spellcasting ability force damage on a failed saving throw (your choice when you create the glyph), or half as much damage on a successful one.

Spell Glyph. You can store a spell of 2 mana or less in the glyph by casting it as part of creating the glyph. The spell must target a single creature or an area. The spell being stored has no immediate effect when cast in this way. When the glyph is triggered, the stored spell is cast. If the spell has a target, it targets the creature that triggered the glyph. If the spell affects an area, the area is centered on that creature. If the spell summons hostile creatures or creates harmful objects or traps, they appear as close as possible to the intruder and attack it. If the spell requires concentration, it lasts until the end of its full duration.

Augment

You can increase the damage of an explosive runes glyph by 2d6 for each additional mana expended. If you create a spell glyph, you can store any spell of up to the same mana as you expended.

As two actions, you create two magical motes in your space. They float in the air and orbit you for the duration. When you cast the spell—and once on on each of your turns thereafter as an action—you can expend a mote, sending it streaking toward a point within 20 meters. Once a mote reaches its destination or impacts against a solid surface, the mote explodes. Each creature within 1 meter of that point takes 2d8 + your spellcasting ability force damage.

If you have four or more motes remaining, they shed bright light in a 5-meter radius and dim light for an additional 5 meters. If you have one to three motes remaining, they shed dim light in a 5-meter radius.

Augment

You can increase the number of motes by 2, the damage by 1d8 for each additional mana expended, and the damage by 1d8 for every two additional mana expended.

As you spend 1 minute to cast this spell, a 2-meter radius immobile dome of force springs into existence around and above you and remains stationary for the duration. The spell ends if you leave its area.

Nine creatures of Medium size or smaller, or a mix of Medium size or smaller and Large creatures which are equivalent to 4 Medium creatures, can fit inside the dome with you. The spell fails if its area includes a larger creature or more than nine creatures. Creatures and objects within the dome when you cast this spell can move through it freely. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it. Spells and other magical effects can’t extend through the dome or be cast through it. The atmosphere inside the space is comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside.

Until the spell ends, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. The dome is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside.

As two actions, an invisible wall of force twice as big as normal springs into existence at a point within 20 meters that lasts for the duration. The wall can’t occupy the same space as a creature or object and doesn’t need to be vertical or rest on any firm foundation.

If a creature would be surrounded on all sides by the wall (or the wall and another solid surface), that creature can make a Reflex saving throw.

On a success, it can use its reaction to move up to its speed so that it is no longer enclosed by the wall.

The wall is weightless and 1 centimeter thick and each panel of the wall has 15 Defense, 2 Soak, 50 Health, and is immune to bludgeoning, necrotic, piercing, poison, and slashing damage. Reducing a panel to 0 health destroys it and might cause connected panels to collapse at the GM’s discretion.

Nothing—not physical objects, energy, or other spell effects—can pass through the barrier, in or out, though a creature in a sphere can breathe there. A creature or object inside can’t be damaged by attacks or effects originating from the other side.

You can size the wall to be just large enough to contain the creature or object inside. A creature enclosed in a spherical wall can use an action to push against the sphere’s walls and thus roll the sphere at up to half the creature’s speed. Similarly, a spherical wall can be picked up and moved by other creatures.

A disintegrate spell targeting the wall destroys it without harming anything inside it.

Augment

You can expend 1 additional mana to change the duration to 1 hour/mana and a creature trapped inside the wall can’t leave it by nonmagical means. If the creature tries to use teleportation or interplanar travel to leave the wall, it must first make a Will saving throw.

On a success, the creature can use that magic to exit the cage.

On a failure, the creature can’t exit the cage and wastes the use of the spell or effect. The cage also extends into the Ethereal Plane, blocking ethereal travel.

As two actions, you have resistance to all damage until the spell ends.

Augment

You can expend 2 additional mana to be immune to all damage instead of having resistance.

As you spend 1 minute to cast this spell, you create a magical restraint to hold a creature that you can touch or see within 5 meters. The target must succeed on a Fortitude saving throw or shrink to a height of 2 centimeters and is imprisoned inside a gemstone or similar object. Light can pass through the gemstone normally (allowing the target to see out and other creatures to see in), but nothing else can pass through, even by means of teleportation or planar travel. The gemstone can’t be cut or broken while the spell remains in effect. If it succeeds, it is immune to this spell if you cast it again.

While affected by this spell, the creature doesn’t need to breathe, eat, or drink, and it doesn’t age. Divination spells can’t locate or perceive the target.

Ending the Spell. During the casting of the spell, you can specify a condition that will cause the spell to end and release the target. The condition can be as specific or as elaborate as you choose, but the GM must agree that the condition is reasonable and has a likelihood of coming to pass. The conditions can be based on a creature’s name, identity, or deity but otherwise must be based on observable actions or qualities and not based on intangibles such as level, class, or health.

A dispel magic spell can end the spell only if it is cast using 5 mana.