On this third Monday of the month, our look at game rules takes us to our magic system, designed around flexibility and action, instead of consigning spellcasters to worry about "saving" their spells for the next big encounter. Here's a look inside.

Explaining how magic works in The Broken Hourglass is best done by first explaining how it does not work. Although TBH may well be the first CRPG for some players, many people have considerable experience with and preferences for different methods of representing magic in a game setting.

 Is and Is Not

 Our magic system is:

 - Not a spells-per-day/"hung spell" model. In our system, you do not commit your spell choices a day in advance, or make a career decision to only cast a small handful of spells over and over again. Casters have access to any known spell and spell effect at all times, provided the caster still meets the requirements.

 - Not a potion-collecting model. In our system, you do not guzzle potions to restore your magic ability. When CRPGs turn away from the spells-per-day system, the usual alternative is a stock of spell points which are depleted with every cast spell and replenished by consuming a bandolier of vials. Here, tied-up mana is restored either by dropping magical effects, finishing combat, or resting.

- Not (really) a reagent-mixing model. Although it is possible to create new spells from existing effects, there is no "secret blend of spices" which produces the Spell Of Ultimate Mastery. Combining effects to create ("tinker") new spells is completely optional.

- Not dependent on just one character statistic. There are three different character statistics which affect how a Broken Hourglass character handles magic, all of which influence his or her ability to cast spells. The first is mana, which is a measure of how much magical energy the character can wield at any one time. (Read that again, it will be important to understand shortly.) The second are the magical proficiency skills, one for each of the five magic sources. These skills work just like weapon proficiencies, making spells cast by the mage more likely to strike their target with a high attack roll, thereby having a greater effect. A third stat affects how quickly a mage may cast spells.

With these explanations in mind, it becomes easier to understand that our magic system is a mana-potential system. The amount of mana possessed by each character represents how much magical energy they can divide up among one or many tasks at a given time. Any effect which has a long duration is considered a standing enchantment, and standing enchantments tie up mana until they are released. A mage with 15 mana points who invests five mana points in a damage-protection spell is reduced to having 10 mana left to spend. When he releases the armor spell, he will once again have 15 mana available. Beneficial standing enchantments typically remain in play until party members choose to drop them. Deleterious standing enchantments, such as an attribute penalty or a spell to lower resistance to damage, typically remain in play until the end of combat, or until the party rests.

Some spells are not standing enchantments--most notably, direct damage spells. These spells are considered instantaneous rather than lasting in nature, so mana is not "held up" by a direct damage spell. A mage with 15 mana points who invests five in an armor spell is left with 10 mana points, which he can then use to shoot 10-mana damage bolts at enemies for as long as he wishes (or at least, as long as his enemies don't force him to change tactics by rushing him.)

Healing magics are considered standing enchantments, rather than instantaneous. Mana used on healing spells is tied up until the party rests. Healing is also unique in that it can only be cast from the sphere of physical magic.

Confused? Think of a spellcaster as a garden hose and mana as the gallons per minute available to that hose. The higher the value, the more powerful the flow of water through the hose. Water can be sprayed from the hose hard at a single target, or misted over a wide area. The hose may be spliced to direct water to several sources--just as a mage could use part of her mana to provide defensive protections to the party and the remainder to inconvenience the enemy.

Inside the Spells

Spells become available to characters in one of three ways:

- A spell can be globally known--anybody who can cast magic in that spell's sphere can potentially cast it, if they have enough mana and spell proficiency.

- A spell can be learned from another source, such as a mentor or an ancient text. Learned spells are shared within a party.

- A spell can be "tinkered." Tinkered spells are custom-created by players in the spellbook interface by selecting one or more magical energy sources, one or more standard spell effects, and a spell target. That spell is then known to the party and can be used at any time. You may name and delete your tinkered spells at will.

Every spell has a single target type. The target types are:

• Single Target.
• Target Whole Party.
• Target Visible Enemies.
• Target Sphere.

Most "everyday" spells contain one or more of these effects:

• Heal.
• Regenerate.
• Armor.
• Attribute Bonus.
• Damage.
• Repeating Damage.
• Life Drain.
• Lower Resistance.
• Attribute Penalty.
• Summon.

Notably, spells exhibiting these effects are both provided in the spellbook, and can be "tinkered" by the player on the fly to create new combinations. There are also "unique" spells. Unique spells can do just about anything, but their customized effects cannot be used in the "tinker" interface to create new spells.

Both mana and magic proficiency are important to spellcasters. But not every character needs to focus on building a large store of both. True, the most powerful and flexible casters will have a high mana value as well as strong study in at least one elemental discipline. But a character may choose to have high mana but little or no magical proficiency--this will enable the character to equip and wield magical items which grant enchantments to the possessor, without worrying about casting spells on others.