This is the combined page for magic in the Helgram and Crown Casino Games.

The Magic System

Available Classes of Magic (linked to the Sable site)

The original Sable Magic System was designed to power a magical based society and the technology therein, in conjunction with actual technology, and is capable of rather more than the normal ADRPG version of sorcery. The Helgram Game uses this same principle. The magic itself comes from the internal power of the mage themself, rather than reliance on an external force, with the variations in spells and specialities being related to how the internal magical energy is directed. Because of this, Talented mages often need a higher endurance than many other practitioners of magic.

The “Talent” is the name for the genetic mutation that gives Helgram mages the means to cast their magic, and is therefore at the very heart of society. Some form of the Talent is present in about one in thirty people within the House, on average, with varying degrees of strength, although once in a branch or family line, it often runs true in successive generations. The higher the amount of Cornelian Blood a person has, the more likely they are to manifest the Talent, although even demons or Shadow folk have the potential to develop the Talent. On rare occasions, a person can learn spells if the Talent isn’t present but they have a particularly strong will, but they will only ever manage to attain the lowest degree of magical education, or are more likely become ritualists.

There are different levels of ability in this form of magic, but the basic theory is that for varying amounts of points spent over the basic 15, the mage’s potential is greater. Magic becomes far more rapid (instead of 45 minutes to an hour, casting time drops to from 10 minutes to just a minute or two to cast) and does not need lynch-pins. Spells can be racked mentally, with a maximum of 10-12 spells rackable at any given time, although these do need to be maintained. The time required for this varies depending on the skill and strength of the mage.

Magic can be used in a variety of ways, including:

  • Powering everyday technology (eg “boiler” spells for anything from kettles to steam engines, light spells which can be turned on and off with a switch) – this has become more important in Amber since Random changed the tech level
  • Transportation across and between Shadows
  • Long-distance communications
  • Destruction (fireballs, lightning bolts, explosives, demolition, etc.)
  • Defence (warding, personal shields)
  • Scanning (restricted to the Shadow the mage is on or those nearby)
  • Investigation/forensics (although these spells take somewhat longer to cast)
  • Healing and magical and mental surgery

Magic, as learned by the Talented, is split into a number of fields of study. All students have a basic grounding in all areas, including magical theory, with partial and full specialisations coming with further study. An idea of what is covered in each grouping, and what is attainable at various levels, is detailed on the other pages in this section, although this is not an all-inclusive list.

With respect to whether spells can be used remotely (i.e. down a farseeing spell), these may work if the effect is environmental, depending on the spell and whatever warding may be on the target area, and things like getting a remote teleport destination would work, as it’s just looking and identifying a location. They do not work if the spell is invasive to man or beast (e.g. a sleep spell).

There is also a less common field of ritual magic, however there are tight restrictions on its use and anything darker than grey in nature is stamped out with the utmost force. Ritual magicians will not necessarily be Talented, although if they practice, they are expected to register with the House Helgram authorities. One of the specific sub-fields of ritual magic, blood magic, is banned except by special licence, and non-licensed practitioners are arrested and imprisoned or executed.

Sensitives

Occasionally, someone will be found who is either exceedingly weakly Talented – i.e their Talent isn’t strong enough even to train as the most basic kind of mage – or perhaps has a flawed Talent, which is strong but for some reason cannot be trained by normal means, but who demonstrates some kind of unusual affinity or ability. This may be an ability they have from birth, or it may develop in later life due to specific stresses or experiences. These individuals are known as Sensitives, although what specifically makes someone a Sensitive, rather than leaving them with just a weak or broken Talent, is still a matter of great interest and investigation amongst the magical community.

Sensitive abilities can take a number of different forms: examples include the ability to feel magical or other arcane emanations, to unerringly spot black magic and its practitioners, being particularly empathic as far as feeling strong emotions in others, an affinity for the psychic without actually being able to cast spells, being able to seek for something or attune to something and know where it is thereafter, or have what is known in common parlance as Second Sight. There are even some mages who demonstrate the characteristics of Sensitives, which has led to further debate on the nature of this particular ability.