Magic the Gathering the RPG
-
Upload
darlene-fisher -
Category
Documents
-
view
269 -
download
1
Transcript of Magic the Gathering the RPG
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
1/47
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
2/47
What's all this about?
About a year and a half ago Patrick and Icame to feel that the division betweenmany role-playing gamers and Magic: The Gathering players was a bit of a pity.More importantly, it seemed like Wizards of the Coast might find it profitable to openup a secondary market for magic cards - and if we wrote a book that made that
possible and offered it to them a bit of that profit and publicity might come our way.Besides, it would be fun to write and playtest.
So we designed a roleplaying system that used Magic cards as basic elements ofthe characters, as their minions, and as a library of opposition for them, allowed forthe use of both magi and mundane characters of every level - squires or dabblingmage-apprentices on through legendary heroes and mighty planeswalkers - allowedplayers to make characters of every major race and type in the system at the time,and allowed for full-scale planewalker duels. We even made it nominally d20compatible (although we preferred the 3d6 option) in case Wizards wanted to tie inthat product line as well.
Then we recruited a few playtesters, let them build master summoners, fireball-spewing sorcerers, noble knights, and insane tinkerers, and had some fun. Judgingfrom the reactions of some of our local magic players it looked like there would bemore than enough interest, so we went ahead and submitted it. Sadly, Wizards ofthe Coast referred us to a submissions agent company - who charged a modest feeand eventually got back to us to tell us that Wizards of the Coast wasn't interestedin submissions based on Magic: The Gathering.
Presumably they've had years of being flooded with them.
Still, that left us with a complete game system with no place to go - and some ofour playtesters were already starting to pass around copies of the draft PDF. Sinceit's out there anyway, heres a version with an explanatory note. After all, in itscurrent form (a final version published through Wizards of the Coast would beanother matter) it's essentially a free fan production designed to boost WTC sales,and certainly does not attempt to compete with or replace any product of theirs thatwe're aware of. If anyone at Wizards ever sees it hopefully they'll like it or want tocomment (If so, try my gaming blog, at http://ruscumag.wordpress.com/), sendEmail to [email protected] (I check that every so often), orlook for our print products at http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=601512. IfWTC feels that it's an infringement - or more of one than any other fan-productionrevolving around their Magic: The Gathering trademark - they can let us know, andwell take it down. On the other hand, if they express approval (or, hopefully, decidethat they want to pick it up), we'll see about getting it onto a few of the fan sites aswell or - gladly - start in on a print version. It was fun: just because it apparentlywon't be going commercial doesn't mean that no one else should get to play with it.
-Paul Melroy, for Distant Horizons Games
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
3/47
General IndexIntroduction 2
Characters 2
Basic Character Creation 2
Types
Abilities 2
Ability Rank Details 3
Cards 3
Lands 3
Creatures 3
Artifacts 4
Enchantments 4
Instants & Sorceries 4
Special Card Rules 4
Distinctions 5Armsman 5
Enhanced Sense 5
Good-Looking 5
Immunity 5
Inspiration 5
Landbond 5
Legendary 5
Legend Master 5
(___) Lord 5
Lucky 5
Magician 5
Magical Talent
In MTG:RPG 6
Martial Artist 6
Might 6
Poison 6
Role 6
Sharpshooter 6
Swarm Master 6
(___) Training 6
Undead 6
Warlord 6
Descriptions 7
Disadvantages 7
Sample Listing 7
Species 8
Angels 8
Aven and Griffins 8
Centaurs 8
Cephalid 8
Demons and Devils 9
Djinn and Efreet 9
Dragons 9
Dwarves 9
Elves 9
Goblins and Orcs 9
Leonin 9
Loxodons 10
Merfolk 10
Minotaurs 10
Nantuko 10
Nezumi-bito 10
Orochi-bito 10Soratami 10
Treefolk 10
Vedalken 10
Character Tem plates 11
The Assassin or Spy 11
The Barbarian Hero 11
The Hedge W izard 11
The Lesser Mage 11
The M agelord 11
The Merchant 11
The Planewalker 12
The Priest 12The Scholar 12
The Thief 12
The W arrior 12
Designing Character Types 13
Character Levels 13
Initial Ability Limits 13
Character Advancement 13
Opportunity Rewards 13
Fiat Rewards 13
Replacing Characters
The Duel Arcane 14
The Planewalker's Duel 15
Planewalker Distinction 15
Abilities 16
d6 versus d20 16
Using Abilities 16
The Base Rolls 16
Success Levels 16
Attacks 16
Combat Stances 16
Combat Damage 16
Critical Hits & Fum bles 16
Exclusive Abilities 17
General Abilities 25
The Landrule 31
Forests 31
Mountains 32
Islands 32
Plains 33
Swamps 33
Exotic Lands 33
Game Structure 34
Turns and Scenes 34
Tapping 34
Creature Conversions 34
Creature Statistics 34
Creature Combat 34Creature Abilities 34
Combat Turns 35
Surprise 35
Reaction and Initiative 35
Turns and Actions 35
Follower Actions 35
Accounting 35
Mana Burn 35
Timekeeping 35
Refreshing Cards 35
Movement and Position 36Other sources of damage 36
The W orkings of Cards 36
Keywords & Definitions 37
Running the W orlds 41
Classifying Creatures 41
Equipment 41
Strategic Choices 42
Mana Levels 42
Dynamic Magic 43
Sample Characters 44
Legal Note 44
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
4/47
2
IntroductionMTG :RPG lets you create and play characters in the
worlds of MTG:CCG using your MTG:CCG cards -
without having to settle for short combat-oriented
sessions, having to struggle against each other, or
necessarily playing Planewalkers. You can develop
your characters over time, interact socially, and take on
a wide variety of roles within the ongoing saga.
Youll need some six sided dice and a character
sheet, and youll probably want to have a 20-sided die
and some MTG:CCG cards available.
The rules for MTG:CCG are available here, at
http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules
Since almost everything in a RPG revolves around
the characters, thats where well start off.
CharactersCharacter creation is simple in
Magic: The Gathering Role Playing
Game. The Game Master decides on
the star ting level - usually level 4. You
gain ten times your level in ability
points. Ability points are then spent on
skills, but you may exhange two ability
points for a card slot, or four for aDistinction. You may not have more
Distinctions than your level. You may
not start play with a skill level above 5.
As a recommendation, invest at least
twice as many points in skills as cards.
This gives you a wide base of skills and
abilities you may need to survive.
Card slots represent major spells,
fo l lowers, and magical i tems.
Distinctions are innate special abilities
and skills. Theyre both covered in
detail later on.
Charac ters usually start around level
4 because that level indicates they have
strong skills, talents, and show prom ise
in their chosen field. At the same time ,
they are not nearly masters. A level 1
character has virtually no magical
abilities or talents, whereas a level 7
character is as powerful as many great
heroes.
Only the major characters get full
write-ups. Minor followers, people on
the street, and creatures use an
abbreviated system. Major characters
get certain special abilities - the skills
and abilities included in a full writeup - just for being important. Mana knows
those who have great destinies, and
protects them from certain forces.
Major characters have five basic attributes - Type,
Abilities, Cards, Distinctions, and Description. Some
have Disadvantages and a Species other than human
or near-human. Taking these in order:
Type descriptions are supplied by type cards or by
the game master. In either case, types have several
basic elements - their level, ability modifiers, and
special abilities (if any). Just as in MTG:CCG their level
is indicated by the number of Mana symbols on the top
of the card and their abilities are listed in the text block.
As characters grow and gain new abilities they may
change types and learn new roles.
Abilities are simply ratings for how good a character
is at particular tasks. For the basic game abilities are
scored at ratings of 2 (unsk illed, the normal base score)
through 10 (grandmaster). Abilities are divided into
General and Exclusive categories. General abilities can
be rolled even if a character hasnt allotted any ability
http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/ruleshttp://wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules.http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules.http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=magic/rules -
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
5/47
3
points to increase their level in them. Exclusive abilities
cannot be used for anything except automatic actions
unless youve invested some points in them. The
abilities are listed on the basic character sheet.
Ability Level Descriptions
Rank 0 Useless.
Rank 1 N o t a b l y i m p a i r e d o r r a c i a l l y
disadvantaged.
Rank 2 Untrained. Basically a competent person.
Rank 3 Basic training.
Rank 4 Ordinary professional level.
Rank 5 Talented professional.
Rank 6 Expert.
Rank 7 Master. As skilled as normal people ever
become.
Rank 8 Inhuman. Only a demigod can possibly
match your level of mastery.
Rank 9 Unbelievable. No one can possibly be that
good without supernatural aid.
Rank 10 Grandmaster. You have truly unearthly
mas tery of every possible application of
the ability.
Ranks 11 and 12 are only available to characters
with special racial aptitudes or unique enhancements.
If it should becom e important, Rank 11 is Godlike, and
is exceeded only by Rank 12 - Supremacy. At Rank 12,
no entity in the multiverse exceeds your mastery.
Cards represent followers, lands, mighty artifacts,
great spells, and other precious resources gleaned from
relics of the past, careful research, lengthy recruiting,
and lucky finds. Their power can far surpass that of the
abilities - but cards are far harder to com e by. There are
several choices to make regarding cards.
Lands are limited by the Mana Tappingability and by
the characters innate talent. Magelords and
Planewalkers ac tually control the full power of the lands
they claim, gaining the powers of Landrule (page 31)
and often ruling over their people and inhabitants.
Sadly, that mystical link leaves them open to the
dangerous of a full-scale Duel Arcane (page 14).
Lesser M agi are limited by theirMana Tappingability
and so can only draw Mana (at one point per day) from
those lands to which theyre attuned. They cannot draw
on the special powers of the Landrule without a
Distinction and their Mana supply is subject to thewhims of any Magelord who claims the same land.
Magelords can use the special powers of those
lands they control, permit or block the flow of Mana to
lesser magi attuned to those lands on a whim (hence;
Magelord), and may attune additional basic lands
according to their level of talent. Unfortunately, their
ability to attune exotic lands is still limited by theirMana
Tappingability and they can still only tap into Mana on
a per-day basis. Since most Magelords first act on
claiming an area is to lock out any lesser magi who
have been using its power - at least until they pay for
the privilege som ehow - lesser m agi often owe fealty to
a Magelord.
Planewalkers can tap into lands almost without limit
while operating in a battle-realm, but - while within a
dimension - operate under the same rules as
Magelords.
Game Masters who want to run land-poor games
may opt to mak e initial lands more expensive, counting
each as two card se lections, and may or may not allow
characters to start with any exotic lands in theirselection.
Since only one Planewalker or Magelord can control
a land at a time, mos t Magelords are deeply concerned
with the defense of their lands and with challenges to
their control. Fortunately for them, they can usually
leave such defense in the hands of competent lesser
magi in their service.
Creatures come in hundreds of specific types but,
for our purposes, only a few general ones. These
include Beasts (more-or-less natural creatures),
Aberrations (the undead, dragons, horrors from beyond
and so on), Minions (knights, druids, elves, and so on),
Spirits (nature spirits, elementals, and related beings),
and Constructs (golems, war machines, and similar
creations). Each is limited by a particular ability: a
character cannot have more Beastcards or any Beast
card with a higher level (converted Mana cost) than he
or she has ranks in the Beast Masteryability. Monsters
are limited by the Aberration ability, Minions by
Leadership , Spirits by Shamanism, and Constructs by
Artificer. Characters must also have high enough
ratings in the relevant m agical attribute or attributes to
be able to summ on or bind the creature in question.
For example, if the Bringer of Doom is a horrible
undead dragon which requires 4 Red and 4 Black Manato summon in a normal game, a c haracter would need
Aberration 8, Red Magic 8, Black Magic 8, and enough
Mana to call it up. This isnt easy.
Secondarily, Creatures can be designated as
Followers or as Conjurations when you acquire the
card. Followers are with you all the time (leave the card
face up on the table by your character sheet), at least
unless you send them on an errand or leave them at
home today and dont require any Mana to recruit. On
the upside, theyre tougher than Conjurations. Followers
dont die until -20 life, just like the player charac ters.
On the other hand, theyre a lot harder to replace; if
one dies, youre going to have to find and recruit areplacement. If you have a card-drawing ability this
generally only requires taking out some time to go and
recruit someone. If not, it may require a modest
adventure.
Of course, there are times when having a bunch of
Followers trailing you is inappropriate - especially if one
of them happens to be that Bringer of Doom . If one of
your followers is killed, turn the card face down until you
can find a replacement.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
6/47
4
Conjurations are short-term magical summonings.
This requires a lot of Mana, means that theyre
banished or die at 0 life, and that they never last more
than an hour or so, but it also means tha t theyre easy
to get back. All a summoner has to do is take a brief
break to rebuild the pattern of the spell and cast it
again. Just like with Followers, once a Conjuration is
Slain, or the duration of the summ oning runs out, turn
the card face down until your character gets a bit of rest
(how muc h depends on the type of card, see page 35).
Then pu t it back in your hand. Conjurations dont get toact until the turn after theyre summ oned.
Token creatures can be either Followers or
Conjurations. In either case, they count against the limit
on the appropriate type of card.
Artifacts are straightforward. Whether theyre items
or creatures theyre limited by theArtificerability just as
creatures a re limited by their relevant abilities. Artifacts
are usually permanent items. Followers can use most
artifacts, even if they cant normally be equipped to a
creature.
Enchantments are limited by the Enchantment
ability. Enchantments which require upkeep require it on
a daily basis, hence theyre most effective when applied
to Followers.
The enchantment ability can also be used to lay a
variety of short-term, low-powered enchantments, such
as night sight, slight (+1) increases in general abilities,
or making someone like you; these also occupy
enchantment slots. Hence only the most seriously
power-obsessed magi try to max out their supply of
major (card) enchantments.
Instants and Sorceries are limited by the
Elementalism ability. There is one major distinction
between them however; Instants work like Conjurationswhile Sorceries are simply powerful spells you happen
to have acquired. Once you use an Instantyou turn it
face down un til you have a bit of time off. Sorceries can
be used as o ften as you want - as long as you have the
Mana to power them. Given that creatures are more
durable in MTG:RPG, Instants and Sorceries that do
damage inflict 1d6+1 dam age per point that they would
norma lly inflict. Card-based effects do not require rolls
to hit or Resist Magic checks unless they are instant-
death effects.
Certain cards are subject to special rules in
MTG:RPG. While most of these appear in theKeywords section (page 37), some of the most comm on
rules include:
! Card Draw cards which allow the user to draw an
extra card during the draw step are only useful to
reduce the time required to replace cards which have
been destroyed - slain followers, broken artifacts, or
devastated lands. Each card which would be drawn
allows the user to replace one destroyed card at the
beginning of each session without having to actually
play out doing so. Permanent items provide whatever
bonus cards theyd normally provide per turn at the start
of each session.
! Card Draw cards which allow the user to draw
extra cards during a turn can be used to refresh
exhaus ted cards before their norma l refresh time is up.
If the Dynamic Magic option is in use, they can also be
used to draw cards for use with that ability.
! Cards which force the discarding of other cards
exhaust one card per card which would normally be
sent to the graveyard or otherwise rem oved. If a target
has no unexhausted cards they have no further effect.! Cards which allow the user to search for a
specified card can be used to fill a card slot which was
left vacant at the beginning of the session or can be
activated and then discarded to create a vacant slot.
Theyre useful in getting out a specific card to meet a
specific challenge, but deprive the user of the use o f at
least one slot in the meantime .
! Any card that ends the game in some fash ion can
only be used by the Game Master - usually as part of a
plot which the player characters want to stop.
! Epic Spells terminate after the end of the
confrontation in which they were used.
! Any Tokens a card or spell creates count as
cards of the same type, and count against restrictions
on their maximum number. Otherwise, since a
MTG:RPG gam e can cover many years of game time,
anyone using a card which spawns tokens could have
a limitless number of them.
! Legend Cards are subject to restrictions: Since
they represent unique places, individuals, and things,
only one of each may be used in a game and the Game
Master must approve them in advance. Theyre never
Conjurations; theyre always followers or real items.
Finally, any character who wants to control a legend
card must have either the Planewalker or Legend
MasterDistinction. The Game M aster will generally opt
to require the completion of a special quest or missionbefore allowing a Legend card to enter play.
! Global effects only apply to the cards which the
user and any opposing Magelord(s) actually control.
Other cards, and the world in general, are unaffected.
! Sacrificing lands simply means renouncing their
link with you, not actually destroying them. The Game
Master may rule that this also applies to legendary
cards in general, since otherwise they would be
permanently removed from the game.
! There are ten official cards (Polar Kraken,
Hypnox, Iname as One, Blinkm oth Infusion, Mox Lotus,
Mycosynth Golem, Autochthon W urm, the expensive
half of the Big Furry Monster duo, Draco and Gleemax)
with base costs of 11+. These cannot be controlled
(although they CAN be unleashed) outside of
Planewalker Duels without an appropriate Distinction,
although it is possible to collect enough Mana to play
mos t of them fairly readily. Secondarily, the Mox Lotus,
Gleemax, and possibly the Big Furry Monster are jokes,
and should not be permitted in MTG:RPG.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
7/47
5
DistinctionsDistinctions are special
talents and privileges, the little
touches which make characters
extraordinary in a variety of
ways . Wh i l e t he re a re
t h o u s a n d s o f p o s s i b l e
Distinctions, some of the most
common include:
Armsman I-IV. Armsmen
are masters of weapons,
armor, and melee combat.
Each level of Armsman
provides +1 Defense (see
Attacks under Using Abilities,
page 16) and +1 power (1d6
damage) in HTH combat. A
character who is deprived of his
or her primary weapons or
armor loses one effective level
of Armsman, one deprived of
all weapons and armor loses
two - three if nothing is
available to improvise with.
Enhanced Sense. Characters with this Distinction
have augmented sensory abilities. They may have a
sense o f smell like a bloodhound , be able to see in the
infrared and ultraviolet, be able to operate in the dark by
some sort of radar sense, be able to hear the voices
of the unquiet dead, or sense the presence of diseases
and toxins. The sensory enhancement involved must be
selected when this Distinction is taken and be approved
by the Game Master - if only because he or she will
have to describe what the character detects.
Good-Looking. Good-Looking makes you extremely
attractive. Movie-star attractive. Youll get invited to
places simply because youre so decorative, draw
obsessed fans and groupies, and need never sleep
alone. People will give you presents. Of course, they
may also try to kidnap you to put you in a Harem or try
to force you into marriage, but theres a price for
everything.
Immunity. Immunity allows the character to simply
ignore the effects of some sort of attack. Characters
may be immune to poison , to particular types of energy(fire, cold, lightning, etc), to particular colors (this allows
a DC 18 Resist Magic check to overcome), or even to
some effects, such as falls or being surprised. The
Gam e Master will probably refuse to allow characters to
take imm unity to too many things.
Inspiration. A character with Inspiration can share
one of his or her abilities with his or her followers and
Conjurations. If its applied to an ability once, the
inspiring character can share it at up to rank 4. If its
applied twice it can be shared a t up to rank 6. Applying
it three times allows the chosen
ability to be shared at up to rank
7, the maximum possible.
A character can share up to
seven abilities with his or her
followers, but no more.
Landbond. Landbond allows a
Lesser Mage to attune to an
additional two lands and to draw
on the Landrule powers but doesnot open them to the Duel Arcane
or allow them to keep others from
tapping into the lands theyre
attuned to. Unlike extra levels of
t he Mag i c i an D i s t i nc t i on ,
Landbond can be learned without
difficulty after charac ter creation.
Legendary. To become
Legendary a character must have
at least 8 other Distinctions
already and cannot have any level
of Magician. Its the difference
between learning to channel
Mana and becoming a natural
expression of it. In any case, a
Legendary charac ter gains some exotic special ability,
power, or talent unique to them and a +2 bonus to their
effective rating in any 3 abilities selected by the Gam e
Master (This may take their effective score up to a
maximum of 12). Legendary characters are rare and
sought-after.
Legend Master. This Distinction lets a character
control Legend cards. Unless the Game Master gives
you special perm ission, youll normally have to have at
least five other Distinctions first. Planewalkers dontneed this Distinction while theyre in a battle-realm;
under those circumstances they can control anything
they can get ahold of.
(___) Lord. These Distinctions allow their users to
partially bypass the restrictions on the number and
power level of a particular type of card which they can
control, increasing the maximum level of the cards
which they can control by +1 and the number of cards
which they can control by +2. This Distinction may be
applied to a particular card type up to three times.
Lucky. Some peop le just get all the breaks. A lucky
character gets three chances to reroll the dice per
game session, dropping the old result in favor of the
new one. They may even use multiple rerolls on a
single roll if theyre determined enough.
Magician I-IV. Lesser Mage (may tap into Mana from
a number of lands e qual to your Mana Tapping rank),
Magelord I(first 3 basic lands of each type do not count
against Mana Tapping limit), Magelord II(first 5 basic
lands of each type do not count against Mana Tapping
limit), Planewalker(see the Planewalker section; only
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
8/47
6
available with GM approval). As a rule, it is very difficult
or near-impossible to upgrade this Distinction after
character creation.
Magical Talent
In MTG:RPG there are five basic levels of magical
power - non-magi, who dont use magic at all, Hedge
Wizards, who practice the lesser magical abilities but
cant use Mana, Lesser Magi, who can use M ana, but
cant control its flow in the land, Magelords, who can
control external Mana flows, and Planewalkers , who
can control the flow of Mana between the dimensions.
Hedge wizardry requires nothing but study, but actually
using the higher levels of magic requires spec ial talents
- although anyone can learn the required skills.
Martial Artist I-IV. A Martial Artist gains a bonus of
+1 to his or her Defense (see Attacks under Using
Abilities , page 16) per level of Martial Artist and +1
power (+1d6 damage) with Unarmed Attacks for every
two levels of M artial Artist.
Might. Mightallows you to inflict an extra 1d6 points
of damage with weapons, lift extra-heavy weights, and
flex impressively. Its a favorite of warriors and may be
taken up to twice for those who favor the body-builder
look.
Poison. Poison allows the character to damage
abilities. In general, a charac ter can op t to have lethal
poison (reduces the victims Vigor by one point per
attack), nonlethal poison (reduces any chosen ability by
two points per attack), or a selection of non-lethal
poisons (the user may select one ability from each
group and choose which is reduced by one each time
he or she a ttacks; Vigor is not a valid choice). Dam agedabilities recover at one point per Ac t and, if an ability is
reduced to 0, the victim must roll a simple check for
norma lly-automatic effects using it.
Role. Roles are defined social roles which provide
special privileges. You dont have to have this
Distinction to claim such a title or include it in your
character description. You do have to have it if you want
the NPCs to react appropriately. Anyone can be a
priest. If you want to be a recognized priest from a
major faith, get special legal privileges, and call on the
support of your temp le, youll want to take it as a role.
Possible roles include being a Priest, Noble,
Diplomat, Gu ild Leader, Ruler of a City-State, Celebrity,
Fabulous Courtesan, Law-Enforcement Official, and
Heir Apparent.
Sharpshooter I-IV. Each level of Sharpshooter
increases the power of a charac ters ranged attacks by
+1, thus adding 1d6 points of damag e to a successful
attack. Every two levels provides a +1 bonus on the
users attack rolls.
Swarm Master. A Swarm Master may control four
tokens over and above normal limits. This may be taken
repeatedly.
(___) Training. You possess the special abilities of
one card of the same basic type as yourself provided
that such ab ilities are arguably learned, that the card in
question is not legendary, that the card in question has
a converted Mana cost of four or less, and that the
Game Master approves. For example, a human
character could learn to spend an action to generateone Black Mana each day (as per a Bog Initiate - a
Hum an W izard), to give up your turn to counter a spell
once each day (Mundungu, an unspecified wizard), or
to temporarily enhance creatures (Nantuko Disciple,
which may be an Insect, but is still a person and a
Druid). Most of the general monster abilities - Haste,
First Strike, Vigilance, and so on, are both valid and
encouraged. A full list can be found on page 37 under
Keywords.
He or she c ouldnt learn to put a squirrel token into
play each Turn and enhance squirrels like a Nut
Collector Druid, since a Nut Collector costs a total of 6
Mana. Only a Dragon is likely to be able to be able to
learn a breath weapon. Other powers , such as that of
a Joiner Adept (lands may be tapped for Mana of any
color) probably wont be perm itted by the GM.
As usual, any active effect generally works once per
day. Any continuous effect is still continuous.
This Distinction may be taken up to three times.
Each time m ay either add new abilities or increase the
level of a set of abilities by +3.
Undead. Your body is either dead or never lived, is
animated by the same m agic which binds your spirit into
it, and has no m etabolism. You cant be poisoned, are
immune to many forms of environmental damage, do
not age, and gain an extra 20 Life. You also loseaccess to the Regeneration and Green Magic abilities,
cannot be affected by beneficial drugs and related
magic, and will have a variety of social problems. This
can also be used to represent Constructs, Golems, and
Plant creatures.
Warlord. A Warlord may designate up to four of his
or her cards as examples of garrison troops. While
such cards have a max imum level of (relevant ability/2)
and cannot include Legend cards, a similar set of
troops or defenses is presumed to be present to defend
the mystical nexus of each land a Warlord controls. For
example, a Warlord who has Beast Mastery 8 and
controls several level four Beasts could garrison each
of his or her lands with four similar creatures. He or she
couldnt pick a creature with a total Mana cost of 5+
(those are too powerful) or a legendary creature like
Shizuko Caller of Autumn even though Shizoko only
costs 3 Mana.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
9/47
7
DescriptionsThere arent any game mechanics for your
characters description. A characters age, sex, build,
description, major personality traits, religion,
background, family, and any other details you care to
invent dont modify you r abilities or dice rolls, just how
you apply them.
Still, theyre probably one of the most important
things you can provide for your character. W eve left theentire back of the character sheet blank for them - and
for many players, that wont be enough.
We have left a place on the front for some of the
mos t important bits; no character is complete without a
name. Most of them should have a title - Enchanter of
the Third Circle, Ringmaster, or even something
mundane, like Scout - and many belong to some
organization, or at least did at one po int.
Disadvantages (Optional)Up until this point, everything about a character has
been positive. Characters may, however, have severe
drawbacks - addictions, compulsions, major enemies,
and similar problems. If you want to add such a thing to
your character, there are three steps - come up with a
description of your handicap, get the Game Master to
approve it, and then add it and a compensating bonus
Distinction to your character sheet. Perhaps fortunately,
characters m ay only start with one disadvantage unless
they pick up a second one due to their species - and
any they pick up in play dont come accompanied by
any compensating Distinction(s). Some possibilities
here include:
Addiction. You dont have to have it, but you suffer
a penalty of -1 to -3 (the easier your addiction is to fulfill,
the worse the penalty when you cant since youre less
used to doing without) on all die rolls if you ca nt get a
regular fix. Things like must have coffee in themorning don t count unless youre pretty much useless
without it.
Bad Luck. For those cursed with Bad Luck nothing
ever goes well. If you take this disadvantage the Game
Master is entitled to make you r life miserable in a wide
variety of minor ways and to request that you reroll a
successful check up to three times per session. This
will usually happen just when you got a really good roll,
so youre unlikely to accomplish any legendary feats.
Berserker. The character may not withdraw from
combat and must make a simple Psyche check to
refrain from attacking friends if out of enemies. On the
upside, he or she does gain a +1 bonus on his or her
attacks.
Crippled. You have an upper limit of rank five in 2-4
GM-selected skills which should be important to your
character. (Note that if you cant live with what the
Game Master comes up with, you can pick another
disadvantage instead).
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
10/47
8
Cursed. Something nasty happens periodically.
Perhaps any building you shelter in for more than a few
days catches fire or collapses, NPCs in the area catch
horrible diseases, youre an uncontrollable lycanthrope,
or your blood catches fire and does extra damage to
you whenever youre hit.
Honor. The character may not dec line an honorably
offered challenge. Most honorable characters also tend
to keep their words, protect innocents, and otherwise be
chivalrous, but nastier types often just like to fight.
Hunted. Some large and powerful group, or someindividual enemy with lots of minions, is after you.
Expect to be attacked at the mos t inconvenient times .
Oversized. Youre huge. You wont fit into ordinary
vehicles or buildings, take double damage from falls,
eat enormously, and are extremely conspicuous.
Prejudice. Whether its a racial reputation, an aura
of malevolence, or some twist of fate, youre generally
despised and prejudged. Merchants won t deal with you
or let you in their shops, the local authorities always
assume the worst about you, and small children may
throw rocks. Will you suffer nobly and try to overcome
such prejudice or will you return such hatred?
Sustenance. You have some exotic dietary or
environmen tal requirement; if you dont get it every day
youll begin taking damage, fall unconscious, or suf fer
some other awful consequence. You may need to be
immersed in fresh water every few hours, devour the
essence of a sentient being each day, or need to drink
a brew made from Tana leaves (semi-legendary and
very difficult to find) each week.
Further examples can be found under the Species
listing below; the racial drawbacks are simply examples
of Disadvantages.
It is possible to get rid of a disadvantage; you have
to either embark on some mighty quest to do so or, if
the problem is purely internal (such as an Addiction orBerserke r) spend a distinction to buy it off and spend
at least one Story doing so.
Species (Optional)The vast majority of playable species in MTG:RPG
are a lot like humans - enough so that the differences
can be readily represented through simply varying the
Distinctions and abilities they purchas e.
More exotic races, or players who want a more
detailed representation of a human-like race, can takea species package - normally consisting of 3 abilities
with a +1 initial bonus (this may raise them above the
usual starting limit) and a rac ial maximum of 12, three
abilities with -2 penalties and a rac ial maximum of 8, an
automatic Distinction and an automatic disadvantage.
More powerful species may require the investment
of additional Distinctions or simply start off young and
inexperienced. Characters dont have to start off with
the stuff listed in the Adults line, but shou ld probably
have it by the time theyve gone up a few levels.
Angel (no cost)
Angels are, at least in terms of the system, simply
humans with Flight (and often Vigilance) and an affinity
for White Magic. If you wan t to play one just create such
a character.
Aven (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Evasion, White Magic, and
Reaction. Racial max imum of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Artificer, Craftsman, and W hite Magic. Racial maximum
of 8 in these abilities.Racial D istinction: Flying
Racial Drawback: Fragile. For all their wingspan,
Aven are hollow-boned, light, and mostly made of skin
and feathers. They cannot take Armsman III or IV and
take an extra 1d6 points of damage from any melee
attack.
Adults: Adult Aven normally pick up a few points of
Movement, Perception, and Ranged W eapons.
Griffins, creatures of wind and passion, have only a
few sentient subspecies, but can use much the same
modifiers. Simply substitute Red Magic for White Magic
and add Unarmed Combat I, for a net cost of one
Distinction. A few types use magic to help them fly.
These subspecies drop the Fragile drawback in favor of
No Hands.
Centaur(no cost)
Racial Mod ifiers: +1 to Movement, Toughness, and
Vigor. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Stealth, Evasion, and Finance. Racial maxim um of 8 in
these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Might I
Racial Drawback: Centaurs are very large; they have
a hard time fitting into most buildings or vehicles, eat
enormously, take double damage from falls, and are
very conspicuous.
Adults: Should have a minimum Movement andVigor of 4, but dont require anything exotic beyond that,
hence most centaur characters start off as adults.
Cephalid (squid-people) (no cost)
Racial Mod ifiers: +1 to Blue Magic, Serpent-Tongue,
and Larceny. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to . Racial maxim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Cephalids communicate by a
limited form of telepathy, and so can both communicate
silently and bypass language barriers with non-a rtifact
creatures.
Racial Drawback: Boneless. Cephalids may not
increase their Vigor, Fortification, Melee Weapons orUnarmed Combat skills above 5 and cannot take
Armsman III or IV.
Adults: Adult Cephalids are usua lly either dom inated
or enslaved by other Cephalids or have an assortment
of servants of their own. They dont usually get along
with anyone (including each other) who isnt entirely
under their control.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
11/47
9
Demons and Devils
Oddly enough, Demons and Devils, like Angels,
require no special rules. They re generally evil entities
with an affinity for Black Magic and some o f them have
Flying. If you want to play one, just create such a
character. A few are very powerful, and require regular
sacrifices to bind them into the material world - but
theyre obviously not suitable as charac ters anyway.
Djinn and Efreet
While many Djinn and Efreet have flying and theirspecial powers are usually considered to be innate
rather than learned, they operate under the normal
rules.
Dragon (costs 2 Distinctions)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Fortification, Toughness, and
Vigor. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Larceny, Leadership, and Stealth. Racial maximum of
8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction(s): Unarmed Combat II, Flying
Racial Drawback: Dragons have a hard time fitting
in anywhere due to their sheer size, hoarding instinct,
and arrogance. Outside of cities they tend to be m ajortargets.
Adults: Should have Unarmed Combat 4, Might, one
or more Enhanced Senses and either Doublestrike
(representing a breath weapon) or Po ison. High levels
of the Elementalism, Fortification, Finance, Unarmed
Combat, and Evasion abilities are in order as well. Most
dragon characters start off fairly young and mature
slowly.
Drakes are smaller relatives of Dragons, and often
possess interesting magical powers. Unfortunately for
would-be players, theyre generally animalistic rather
than sentient.
Dwarf(no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Artificer, Engineering, and
Red Mag ic. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities. -2
to Courtier, Politician and Shamanism. Racial max imum
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: The dwarven racial Distinction is
not having any racial drawback.
Racial Drawback: None. See above.
Adults: Adult dwarves are usua lly skilled in Sleights
and have a fondness for devices involving fire, smoke,
and explosions. Most of them also have a fair level in
the Armsm an Distinction, but this is not a hard rule.
Elf (no cost)Racial Mod ifiers: +1 to Beast Master, Green Mag ic,
and Evasion. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Leadership, Politician, and Serpent-Tongue.
Racial maxim um of 8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Enhanced Sense. Elves can see
into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums.
Racial Drawback: Vulnerability; Elves are extremely
sensitive to toxins. They take double damage from
poison and suffer 1d6 life points of damage per day
spent in a destroyed land.
Adults: Adult elves are usually either attuned to a
forest or two or have Lifeweaking. In either cast, they
also usually have a few Beast followers and o ften know
how to summ on some sort of animal to their assistance.
Dark Elves are arguably a separate subspecies,
attuned to the powers of the Void rather than Life.
Dryads usually have Forestwalk instead of Enhanced
Sense, but otherwise use the same modifiers.
Giant (costs 2 Distinctions)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Vigor, Toughness, andFortification. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities. -2
to Stealth, Scholar, and Reaction. Racial maximum of
8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Might, Armsman II
Racial Drawback: Giants are very large; they have
a hard time fitting into most buildings or vehicles, eat
enormously, take double damage from falls, and are
very conspicuous.
Adults: Adult giants are even bigger, and normally
have high scores in Vigor, Fortification, Toughness, and
in Weapons skills. Most such titans will also have
Armsman IV and various other combative distinctions.
Goblins and Orcs (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Engineering, Sleights, and
Regeneration. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Artificer, Scholar, and Finance. Racial maximum
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Fools Luck. Goblins may ignore
the consequences of any single event - evading a big
attack, using themselves as a sacrifice, or whatever -
once per Act.
Racial Drawback: Utter Incompetence . Goblins have
to pay double when purchasing any ability above 4.
Player-Characters may opt to substitute Coward ice, in
which case they must flee or hide one round after taking
damage.Adults: Adult goblins tend to dabble in everything,
and are good at nothing - except at produc ing more and
more goblins.
Oddly enough, Goblins are actually good at using
tools and technological tinkering. Unfortunately for
them, virtually everything in MTG is based on magic.
Theyre also notable for having one of the most potent
racial distinctions, and wors t drawbacks , on the list.
Leonin (and other cat-people) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Athletics, Evasion, and
Reaction. Racial max imum of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Artificer, Craftsman, and W hite Magic. Racial maximumof 8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Vigilance.
Racial Drawback: Leonin are extrem ely tribal. They
will never abandon their tribemates or party mem bers.
Adults: Adult Leonin generally have an extra point o r
two in their racial skills and decent com bat skills. Most
Leonin characters start off as adults.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
12/47
10
Loxodon (elephant-people) (costs 1 D istinction)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Fortification, Toughness, and
Vigor. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Ambush, Stealth, and Larceny. Racial maximum o f 8 in
these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Might, any one Immunity of
choice.
Racial Drawback: Dedication. Once theyve given
their word or undertaken a m ission, a Loxodon will carry
out their task even if it kills them. Secondarily, thanks to
its corrosive effects on oaths, Loxodon will never takethe Black M agic ability.
Adults: Adult Loxodon norma lly possess fair ranks in
their racial skills - they are towering elephant-folk after
all - and a fair amount of White Magic if they have at
least Magician I.
Merfolk (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Enchantment, Blue Magic,
and Survival. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Artificer, Craftsman, and Engineering. Racial
max imum o f 8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Water immunity. Merfolk cannot
be harmed by water, including agents such as acids
and corrosives, and can breathe and function without
hindrance underwater.
Racial Drawback: Waterbound. Merfolk have no legs
and cannot breathe above water for long. They usually
have the good sense to stay in the water, and so are
rarely adventurers.
Adults: Other than a tendency towards high
Perception and Survival skills (and mastery of Blue
Magic if they have the talent to use it) there isnt that
much else distinctive about adult merfolk.
Minotaur(no cost)
Most Minotaurs are powerful warriors; they usually
have Might and at least Armsman II. On the other hand,so does almost any human barbarian. Outside of the
funny looks there rea lly isnt that much difference.
Nantuko (insect-druids) (no cost)
Racial Mod ifiers: +1 to Enchantment, Green Magic,
and Survival. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities.
-2 to Artificer, Craftsman, and Engineering. Racial
max imum o f 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Unarmed Combat I. Their claws
and chitinous armor m ean that no Nantuko is ever truly
unarmed.
Racial Drawback: Fragile. Wearing their skeleton as
a thin layer on the outside of their bodies leaves theNantuko vulnerable to physical attacks, taking an extra
+1 damage per 1d6 in the attack.
Adults: Adult Nantuko are usually attuned to one or
two forests and can ca ll on a beast or two to help them
out.
Nezumi-bito (ratfolk) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Larceny, Saboteur, and
Stealth. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Politician, Shamanism, and Enchantment. Racial
max imum of 8 in these abilities.
Racial Distinction: Clannish. Ratfolk have lots and
lots of relatives, and can call on them for ass istance.
Racial Drawback: Prejudice. Everyone thinks that
ratfolk are disgusting little monsters.
Adults: Adult ratfolk are usua lly very good at being
treacherous sneaks, and have decent ranks in theirracial skills.
Orochi-bito (4-armed snake people) (no cost)
Racial Modifiers: +1 to Green Magic, Stealth, and
Psyche. Racial maximum of 12 in these abilities. -2 to
Aberration, Artificer, and Streetwise. Racial maximum
of 8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Poison.
Racial Drawback: Cold Blooded. Orochi-bito take a
-2 penalty on all ability checks while chilled, including
after being blasted with cold magic.
Adults: Adult Orochi-bito belong to either the Kash i
(archer), Matsu (warrior), or Sakura (magician) orders
within their society, and are expected to master the
appropriate skills.
Soratami or Moonfolk (no cost)
These characters are essentially simply humans
with Flying.
Treefolk (no cost)
Racial Mod ifiers: +1 to Mana T apping, Shamanism,
and Herb Mastery. Racial maximum of 12 in these
abilities. -2 to Artificer, Courtier, and Movem ent. Racial
max imum of 8 in these abilities.
Racial D istinction: Plant. While they do have a very
slow metabolism, their bodies are still animated bymag ic. This is equivalent to the Undead distinction.
Racial Drawback: Methodical. Treefolk are slow to
travel, slow to make decisions, and slow to act. They
always go last regardless of their Reaction check and
cannot e ffectively pilot any vehicle.
Adults: Adult Treefolk tend to be huge, have the
Might distinction, and tend towards high ranks in Touch
of Life, Green Magic, Fortification, Vigor, and Resist
Magic. Theyre often Scholars as well as Shamans and
Herb Mas ters. Like any other tree, Treefolk take a long
time to reach their full potential.
Yes, Treefolk need to invest at least one point in
Movement to learn to move at all.
Vedalken (4-armed aquatic people) (no cost)
Vedalken are essentially just really ugly Merfolk and
can use the same m odifiers. Some of them have power
suits which let them get out of the water; these count as
a level 3 Technology card effect.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
13/47
11
Character TemplatesMTG:RPG doesnt have character classes - but
there are som e recognizable templates out there. All
of them are a little larger than life; MTG is about mighty
heroes, grand rulers, armies sweeping across
continents, and legendary artifacts. The RPG does
allow for less epic characters, bu t it really isnt designed
for petty thieves, youngs ters just out of militia training,
and junior apprentices. Even if you dec ide to act like apetty con artist or street thug, your talents are almost
always quite exceptional. Dragons a re impressive - but
even a beginning group of player characters can
probably take one down.
Some of the most
common templates, and
appropriate abilities for them ,
include:
The Assassin or Spy.
Unlike real spies, most of
whom spend almost all their
time being quiet and listening,
fantasy spies are flamboyant
and sinister. Cloaks and
daggers are pretty much
mandatory. Outside of that all
you need is a completely
ruthless personality.
Spies usual ly need
Perception, Stealth, Psyche,
S l i g h t s , I n v e s t i g a t i o n ,
S a b o t e u r , L a r c e n y ,
Persuasion, and some sort of
Weapons ability. If theyre
spying on a mage, theyllprobably need Magesight as
well.
The Barbarian Hero. Star
of a thousand tales and really
bad movies, the Barbarian
Hero is big, muscular, and likes to dress in furs, leather
straps, and a supply of sharp objects regardless o f sex.
Theyre usually cunning and loyal, but have a
regrettable tendency to go bersek.
His or her abilities commonly include Athletics,
Evasion, Stealth, Survival, Toughness, Endurance,
Vigor, Melee W eapons, and/or Ranged W eapons, all
topped off with a point or two in Fortification and
Regeneration.
Variants include Amazon Warriors (usually only
differing stylistically), Rangers (who often know a bit of
Green Mag ic, Beast Mastery, and Mana Tapping), and
Beastmasters (Green Magic, Beast Mastery, a few
Beast cards, and [usually] Lifewreaking).
The Hedge Wizard. While - like almost everyone
else - the Hedge Wizard cannot manipulate Mana
directly, there are an immense variety of feats which
can be accomplished without it. Classical hedge
wizards include W ise W omen and C unning Men, Seers
and Diviners, Druids, Wizards, and simple Herbalists.
Oddly enough, almost every Hedge Wizard is a bit
scruffy, late middle-aged or older, and carries around a
collection of unidentifiable occult parapherna lia.
A Hedge Wizards abilities usually include
Perception, Scholar, Psyche, Resist Magic, Healing,
and several of the lesser magical abilities - Touch of
Life, Magesight, Elementalism, Phantasm, Artificer,
Divination, Slights, Shamanism, Enchantment and HerbMastery.
Variants dont really exist; each Hedge W izard tends
to be a variant onto him- or he r-self.
The Lesser Mage. While they
do not - or at least do not yet -
possess the inner spark which
makes a Magelord, much less
the pr imal power o f a
Planewalker, lesser magi can
become quite powerful. While
theyre common as PCs, theyre
rare enough in the game world to
make each one unique.
A Lesser Mages abilities
(pretty much by definition)
include one or more (Color)
Magic abilities, Mana Tapping
and/or Lifewreak ing. Theyll need
at least one or two of the lesser
magic abilities as well. Finally, if
they expect to survive for long, a
bit of Vigor, Resist Magic,
Perception and Evasion are
probably in order - along with
whatever talents are needed to
round out the character conception. Unfortunately, this
usually means that their abilities
are spread pretty thin. Most
beginning lesser magi are far
more talented than skilled.
Lesser Magi usually have a
title for themselves - Necromancer, Adept, Forestlord,
Channeler, Invoker, or whatever. This may or may not
indicate anything about their specialities.
The Magelord. Second only to a Planewalker in their
raw power, experienced Magelords are laws onto
themselves. Beginners, however, no matter how
talented, have only one real advantage over Lesser
Magi: whatever powers they derive from Landrule. They
may not even control any lands; settling for simple
attunement as the Lesser Magi must. After all, if you
actually claim a land in your own right instead of acting
as som eone elses vassal, you have to defend it.
The Merchant. Merchants are rarely especially
heroic, but they are very good at coming out ahead.
Oddly enough, virtually all of them are middle-aged. In
general, a quick look at a Merchants clothing will
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
14/47
12
suffice to tell you what he or she deals in, their rank in
whatever organization they belong to, and how
prosperous they are (this can also be m easured by their
expanding waistline).
Appropriate abilities for Merchants include Scho lar,
Perception, Land Vehicles, Finance, Investigation,
Leadership, Persuasion, and Serpent-Tongue. Those
with wide-spread ope rations often dabble in Divination,
Politics, and Repute as well.
The Planewalker. Superficially, a young P lanewalkermay not comm and any more active magical power than
a young Magelord or even a Lesser Mage. However
they are far tougher - and have a potential lifespan of
many millennia.
After a few centuries mortals rarely defeat them.
After a millennia or two mortals generally dont even
matter to them any more - presuming that they
have any sanity left at all. Even the most benign
and disciplined mind must eventually give way
beneath the ever-increasing weights of power,
memory, and time. Some of the greatest
heroes, and m ost terrible villians of all time have
been Planewalkers - enough on its own to make
folk fear and dread them. Inexperienced
Planewalkers are probably well-advised to avo id
revealing that status.
The Priest. Servants of some philosophy or
god, priests vary enormous ly - but almost all of
them carry a selection of holy symbols, wear a
distinctive costum e, and tend to try and govern
the behavior of everyone around them.
Regardless of whether theyre a good priest or
a bad one, their religion plays a major role in
their lives. If it doesnt theyre just con m en, not
priests.
A Priests abilities usually includePerception, Mana Tapping (often attuned to a
temple or two), Psyche, Scholar, Finance,
Politician, Persuasion, and Repute. Most have
some skill in magic, but the type depends
heavily on what he or she serves.
Variants include Healers (with Healing or Touch of
LIfe), Mad Scientists (priests of science with
Engineering or Artificer), and eastern-style martial-arts
Monks (with a bit of Unarm ed Combat and possibly
Lifewreaking).
The Scholar. Usually either a som ewhat ineffectual
young man or an elderly one, the scholar tends to be
bookish and skinny, dresses in robes, and often seem s
somewhat ineffectual. Of course, in a world where
magic work s, such an impression may be entirely false.
For some reason the vast majority of Scholars are
male.
The Scholars abilities usually include Perception,
Investigation, Psyche, Resist Magic, Artificer,
Divination, Scholar, Enchantment, and Herb Mastery.
Quite a few dabble in magic, but rarely in any
predictable fashion.
The Thief. A sneaky, cunning, fellow who may know
how to use a knife when he has to, but prefers to get
things done in more subtle ways. The Thief usually
prefers to look like an ordinary person, and so sticks
with light - and so readily concealable - armor,
weapons , and equipment. They often dabble in magic,
but rarely understand what theyre doing very well.
His or her abilities usually include Evasion,
Perception, Stealth, Resist Magic, Investigation,
Saboteur, Larceny, Persuasion, and Serpent-Tongue.
Most also know how to use a weapon or two reasonablywell and many use Sleights.
Variants include Pirates (with some weapons skills
and Water Vehicles), Highwaymen (who often rely as
much on Repute and Persuasion as on their weapons),
Con Men (relying on Persuasion, Serpent-Tongue, and
sometimes Phantasm), and even Minstrels (using Arts
and Persuasion)
and Bards (who
mix the Arts with a
bit of Scholar and
o t h e r h e d g e
magic).
The Warrior.
Your basic human
tank, usually found
w i t h a m o r e
cunning companion
t o p r o v i d e
d i rec t i ons . The
Warrior likes to
wear heavy armor,
carr ies a wide
variety of weapons,
and often leads a
smal l t roop o f
lesser fighters.His or her
abilities commonly
i n c l u d e V i g o r ,
F o r t i f i c a t i o n ,
E v a s i o n ,
Endurance, Magic Resistance, Regeneration, Melee
W eapons, Ranged Weapons, and Leadership. Those
with troops will need a bit of White Magic to fulfill the
card prerequ isites even if they cant use magic directly.
Variants include Paladins and Holy Warriors (who
usually know a bit of actual magic), Knights (who may
buy up their movement or athletics abilities to represent
a mundane mount or actually have the power to control
an extraordinary one), Leaders (who concentrate on
followers, along with the tactical and enhancement
abilities needed to use them to their best advantage),
Mercenaries (who usually have Ambush, Engineering,
a selection of practical skills, and an aversion to actually
fighting if they can avoid it), and Blademasters (those
characters who represent their Fortification ability as
parries and blocks).
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
15/47
13
Designing Character TypesWhen creating character types, or if you want to
compare an experienced character to a beginner, the
rule-of-thumb is that each Ability point is worth 1 , each
Card is worth 2, and each Distinction is worth 4. Add
these up, divide by 10, and round off the result to obtain
the characters initial level / total Mana cost. Most
starting characters have initial levels of 4 to 6. The
casualty rate among weaker characters tends to befairly high.
While the Game Master may allow exceptions, few
starting characters are superhuman experts. As a rule,
low level characters should start with low abilities,
although they may build them up through experience.
Characters o f level 1 are usually limited to rank 3, those
of levels 2-3 are usually limited to rank 4, those of levels
4-5 are usually limited to rank 5, and those of higher
ranks to a level equal to their rank. Non-magi can
exceed these limitations by one rank ; they simply have
more time available to develop their other abilities.
Character AdvancementCharacters advance by gaining new Abilities, Cards,
and Distinctions. The only real question is how fast
such things are acquired.
The Game Master may opt to let characters
advance at the end of each major episode or story in
a cam paign. In this case characters gain 3 ab ility points,
two card slots, and one Distinction at the end of each
story - probably once every 3-5 sessions. The only
complication is that raising an ability above 5 costs two
points per step. Alternatively, the Game Master may simply base
things on the number of sessions a characters been
played. In this case we recomm end awarding one ab ility
point per session (doub le cost to raise abilities above 5
again), one card slot per two sessions, and one
Distinction per four sessions.
Game Masters who want rapid character
progressions can simply apply both methods.
Characters may opt to reduce the num ber of card
slots theyd normally have available in exchange for
additional ability points or Distinctions; a card slot m ay
be exchanged for 2 ability points or for 1/2 a D istinction.
In either case, advancing a character usually
requires a bit of time. Abilities usually dont require
much beyond an announcement that Im studying or
practicing thus-and-such, although the GM may
choose to make raising them above level 5 require
assistance. Cards m ust be justified; the character may
have to visit the mystical heart of a land to attune him-
or her-self to it, seek ou t the followers he or she w ishes
to recruit, or delve into ancient tomes for som e obscure
spell.
Distinctions must also be justified by some event in
the game, whether thats being hailed as a hero, ge tting
married, bathing in a mystic pool, or studying with a
follower who has the D istinction you want to learn.
Optionally, Game Masters may opt to play a more
active roll in card-based character advancem ent. In this
case, each player who wants new cards should file a
few - two or three will do - with the Game Master, who
will then work chances to acquire those cards into the
story.
Characters m ay also trade out old cards. To do so,
they simply inform the Game M aster of their decision at
the start of a session and remove the card. They may
then attempt to fill the open slot normally during the
next game session.
Opportunity Awards
Gam e Masters may wan t to restrict what characters
buy with their experience at times. After all, if some
poor characters find a horde of treasure it doesnt seem
unreasonable to ask them to each spend a point or two
on Finance. On the other hand, a character who knows
how to handle money probably has some already, while
those who dont will soon be broke again.
Such situations are handled by Opportunity Awards
- event-driven chances for easier self-improvement.
Mechan ically theyre pretty simple: the charac ters get a
chance to buy (and som etimes a chance to try out in
advance) whatever the Gam e Master elects to offer for
half price. Most com monly, that means two ability points
per one; those poor characters m ight gain a temporary
+2 boost to their Finance ab ilities. If they want to make
that permanent, it would only cost them one ability
point. Those who dont learn to Manage their finances
will thus shortly squander their new wealth.
Fiat Rewards
Some forms of character advancement dont affect
the game mechanics very much, although they may
affect play quite a bit. These story-based awards are
known as Fiat Rewards and usually only affect a limited
area. Of course, unless youre a Planewalker, you may
never leave such an area. Some of the major items in
this category include:
! Authority. Youre in charge of som ething, usually
due to having obtained some more-or-less official
position. You may have become the chief constable of
a city, the trusted advisor of a major king, or the k ingpin
of a band of thieves.
! Contacts. Youve met, and are on relatively good
terms with, someone important. This may be a powerful
W izard or even a Planewalker, a major ruler, or simply
someone its useful to know, like a good fence, expert
scholar, or m ilitary leader.
! Fame. Whether its good or bad, the tales of your
exploits are widely spread, minstrels sing about you,
and you get your own footnotes in the scrolls. They may
or may not be saying nice things, but most people seem
to regard it as a reward e ither way.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
16/47
14
! Favors. Having somebody owe you something is
always useful. On occasion, having someone important
or influential owe you something can be abs olutely vital.
Favors from major supernatural beings are to be
treasured, even by powerful magi.
! Lifestyle. W hether youve acquired an es tate, are
a favored guest of the wealthy, or have a stipend, you
can have a good time without having to pay for it in atleast one area. While this doesnt include spare cash,
at least the food, drink, and service are all excellent.
! Marriage. Like it or not, the opportunity to make an
advantageous m arriage has always been regarded as
a notable prize. Player characters, however, may well
regard this sort of reward as something exceedingly
awkward to deal with. Still, if Urza can do it...
! Recognition. This may mean medals, awards, or
titles, an honorary triumph, or some esoteric ceremony,
but it always means public acknowledgment, at least a
brief period of being a celebrity, and a certain amount of
social credit to draw on.
Replacing Characters
Unfortunately, characters sometimes die - and while
there are cards which can resurrect the dead, they
arent always available. Players may no rmally bring in a
replacement character with a level two below the
average level of the rest of the group.
So why cant your friend, a Magelord who controls
eight lands, just let every lesser mage in the group
attune to them and pick up a free eight-card
advantage? Why cant he just teach them that bit of
sorcery, hire a few followers, or spend some money
buying some new equipment?
Its because attuning yourself to lands, learning
spells, and increasing your sorcerous limits requires
immense amounts of time and effort. Getting new
equipment involves learning to use it, new abilitiesinvolve training and practice, and loyal followers take
time and effort to recruit. Your friend the Magelord can
certainly open his lands to you - but if you want to
attune one youll still need an open card slot and a high
enough level in Mana Tapping to accomm odate another
land.
For conveniences sake, if youre attuning to a land
that someone e lse holds, simply use a s lip of paper with
their name and the type of land on it as a token.
The Duel ArcaneUnlike Lesser Magi, Magelords can link to the land
they control so tightly that complex magical energy
structures can pass over the link. While this grants
them access to the Landrule and lets them cast spells
which take effect at the mystical center of one of their
lands, it also allows them to be arcanely attacked by
anyone at the mystical center of one of their lands (i.e.
they can be targeted by Instants, Sorceries, and lesser
magics despite being a very long ways away). Such a
battle will continue until the landowner renounces the
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
17/47
15
link (and the control of the land), is slain (and the land,
presumably, claimed by the new owner), or the
interloper is either slain or driven off. In either case, any
creatures which were summoned to either location must
still be dealt with or escaped. In any case, the land
cannot be tapped for Mana wh ile its being fought over.
To avoid hit-and-run or gang attacks, most
Magelords try to conceal which lands they own, seek
out lands in remote/dangerous/obscure locations to
claim, leave guards at each nexus, or arrange for the
locals to protect them. Such tasks are a ready source ofemployment - and Mana - for Lesser Magi.
Such arcane battles tend to erupt out of nowhere at
awkward times, specifically centered on two opposing,
if widely-separated, spellcasters. Given the unpopularity
of sudden outbreaks of monsters and destructive
magic, incautious Magelords make unwelcome guests.
Planewalkers are subject to the Duel Arcane, but if
the challenger is also a Planewalker the initial
challenge-contact automatically invokes a full
Planewalkers Duel.
The Planewalkers DuelPlanewalkers Duels are among the most
devastating of mortal conflicts, capable of matching or
exceed ing anything short of interplanetary war. On the
other hand, many worlds have endured hundreds of
such battles - and survived.
W hat makes such survival this possible is the nature
o f t h e P l a n e w a l k e r s t h e m s e l v e s . T h e i r
transdimensional, polymorphic, natures protect them
and allow them to tap into vast energies - but also mean
that when two of them choose to confront each other,
the true battleground lies between the dimensions.
Depending on how they choose to perce ive it, they maybe virtually face-to-face, or they may be separated by
vast distances, moving troops like chess pieces, but
such appearances change nothing. Entering such a
compromise-plane will momentarily cut each
Planewalker off from their usual resources - forcing
them to reach out and draw to themselves whatever
resources they find ready for use and are mos t attuned
to in the great library of the mu ltiverse.
Victory in such a confrontation depends somewhat
on luck, but mostly on who makes the best use of the
resources that come to hand. W hether for well or ill, the
loser is rarely truly slain; most often they escape
unharmed, although they occasionally forfeit a sliver of
their essence to the victor.
Regardless of who achieves the victory, no matter
what forces and spells are unleashed, their effects are
inherently limited to the battle-realm and those
creatures, items, and areas which have been drawn
partially into it. Thus even a Global Rain of Fire or a
spell of Armageddon will only affect a few isolated
locations, items , and creatures . Only ancient and vastly
powerful Planewalkers of nearly equal power can keep
a battle going long enough to draw in any significant
portion of a world.
Let us hope that no such conflict occurs until long,
long, after we are dead and ou r civilizations have fallen
into dust.
The Planewa lker Distinction has four bas ic effects:
1) A Planewalkers body is purely an expression of
his or her w ill. Planewalkers need not eat, drink, sleep
(although those who dont tend to go mad rapidly), or
breathe, do not age, and take only 1 point of damage
per die which would normally apply. Sadly, they dontheal easily either; magical cures a re discounted at the
same rate.
2) W hen thrown back on their own resources they
are reduced, at least at first, to a mere 20 life. If they
draw on the correct forces in a battle-realm, however,
they may expand this almost without limit.
3) W hen entangled in a battle-realm their multiplanar
existence allows them to transcend all normal limits on
the number of magical resources (cards) they may
control - but they do have an upper limit; when they
reach it their multi-planar structure will shatter under the
strain
4) Planewalkers who attempt to directly confront
each other a re automatically drawn into a battle-realm
as described above for a standard game of M TG:CCG.
If more than two are involved, simply use the
multiplayer rules.
Taking the Planewalker Distinction requires prior
approval from the Game Master. Planewalker-only
Distinctions exist. These include the ability to change
appearance at will (Metamorph), the ability to simplywalk between dimensions instead of having to cast
spells (Passage), and the ability to extend some of their
personal defenses to their creatures in a battle-realm
(Vanguard).
In other words, the basic MTG:CCG rules call for
starting by building a deck (deciding what youre
attuned to), starting with 20 life, drawing your initial
hand (the first resources you can grab), and then
continuing to draw whenever you can until you lose and
escape (p layers rarely quit playing magic entirely over
a loss), possibly lose an ante card (this is rare, but a
few games are still played with the ante rule), or quit playing entirely. If you run out of cards you lose. Of
course, now you know how the basic magic rules
interact with the world theyre set in - and what kinds of
effects they can have on the characters who arent
directly involved. Knowledge may not necessarily be
power, but it is a chance to duck.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
18/47
16
Using AbilitiesClassical d20 uses a d20 for most rolls. We
recommend using the optional 3d6 rule instead; the
resulting bell curve matches reality a great deal be tter
than the linear distribution of a single d ie. It also means
that you dont need any fancy d ice to play: a selection
of standard six-sided dice suffices.
Abilities can be used both Passively and Actively. Allof them can be used passively, without rolling.
Unfortunately, passive effects are quite limited, and
many abilities dont offer any at all. By default, all
abilities have a base level of (2 + any points spent on
the ability) up to a max imum total of 10.
Active effects require a roll, and succeed if the (Roll
+ Ability Level) equals or exceeds the Difficulty Class
set by the GM or by an opponents abilities. Sample
effects are listed for each ability, divided into:
Automatic. No roll is required to obtain this effect
unless the character is currently has an e ffective ability
rank below 2. If a character is so handicapped by
magic, injury, circumstances, or racial modifier these
effects have a DC of 10 for both the D6 and D20
variants.
Simple. These effects are pretty easy to obtain. They
have a d6 DC of 12 and a d20 DC of 12
Difficult. Highly skilled charac ters can usua lly pull off
a difficult task, although it may take multiple tries.
These effects have a d6 DC of 16 and a d20 DC of 20.
Heroic. These effects are reasonably common
among great masters, but are pretty rare otherwise. In
fiction they usually turn up at climactic mom ents, when
some great effort is m ade, or when someone gets very
lucky indeed. They have a d6 DC of 20 and a d20 DC
of 24.Legendary. These effects are d ifficult even for great
mas ters to obtain. They have a d6 DC of 24 and a d20
DC of 28.
Opposedchecks are simply resolve with opposed
rolls; if your Perception check beats your opponents
Stealth check you spot him or her. If not, you dont. In
this case no adjus tment for die type is required.
Attacks are fairly straightforward: Roll using the
relevant attack ability (Heavy, Melee, or Ranged
W eapons or Unarmed C ombat) versus the opponents
(Evasion + Fortification + 2). Characters with MeleeW eapons 5+ or Unarmed Combat 7+ gain an additional
+1 bonus on this Defense score.
In any case, the Gam e Master may assign bonuses
or penalties up to plus o r minus 4, or call for additional
checks. Two characters fighting on a narrow ledge
probably need Athletics checks to balance there.
Someone trying to do needlepoint in a howling gale will
suffer a -4 pena lty. Someone partially hidden behind a
tree gains a bonus to his or her Defense - but finds it
harder to attack with a sword.
Optionally, characters can declare that theyre using
an Totally Offensive, Offensive, Normal, Defensive, or
Totally Defensive stance. A Total Offensive stance
allows the user to attack twice, but he or she is
automatically hit by anyone who attacks him or her. An
Offensive stance provides a +2 bonus to attack at the
price of a -3 penalty on Defense. A Norma l stance has
no modifiers. A Defensive stance grants a +2 bonus to
Defense a t the cost of a -3 penalty to attacks. Finally, a
Totally Defensive stance provides a +5 bonus to
Defense, but does not allow the user to attack at all.
Damage is somewhat more comp licated. Characters
in general have a base power of 1 - converting to 1d6
damage - modified by any relevant Distinctions. They
can also gain a bonus for high ability scores:
Elementalism 6+ adds +1 power to attacks using
Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons, or Unarmed
Combat. Note that anyone with Elementalism 3+ may
simply manifest appropriate weapons to use with their
combat abilities.
Characters with Ambush who attack unprepared
targets gain a bonus of (Ambush Rating/2, rounded up)
to their attack attempt and a damage bonus of (Ambush
Rating/2, rounded down) to the damage they inflict.
Sadly, Ambush is usually only usable on the first attack.
Characters with Melee Weapons 4+, Unarmed
Combat 5+, or Ranged W eapons 6+ gain a +1 bonus to
their power when attacking with those abilities.
Critical Hits and Fumbles
If you want to complicate things, include Fumbles
and Critical Hits. These work best with the 3d6 system,
since they can reso lved with the initial roll.
3d6 Critical Hits and Fum blesRoll of 3 You some how Manag e to inflict 1d6
points of damage on yourself,
bypassing all defenses save for a
Planewalkers natural durability.
Roll o f 4 You smack a randomly chosen friend,
ally, or one of your creatures for
normal damage.
Roll of 17 You hit and do an extra 2d6 damage.
Roll of 18 You hit and do an extra 4d6 damage.
D20 Critical Hits and Fumbles
Roll o f 1 Roll the attack aga in . On a miss, youcause 1d6 damage to yourself,
bypassing all of your defenses save a
Planewalkers natural du rability. On a
hit you hit a friend, ally, or one of your
creatures for norm al damage.
Roll of 20 Roll the attack again. On a miss you
hit and cause an extra 2d6 damage.
On a hit you hit and inflict an extra 4d6
damage.
-
8/8/2019 Magic the Gathering the RPG
19/47
17
Exclusive Abilities
Exclusive Abilities (those with a grey background)
cannot be rolled unless you buy them, although any
automatic functions still apply. This group includes :
Aberration governs the ability to handle inherently
magical monsters, such as dragons, undead, shadow
creatures, and similar entities. It controls both the
maximum level and number of such creatures the usercan control at a time.
Automatic : Have an Aberration follower or control
a personally-conjured Aberration with a total Mana cos t
equal to the ability level or less (no more than one
creature per rank in this ability), provide basic ca re for
a fam iliar Aberration.
Simple: Identify the general characteristics of an
unfamiliar Aberration, recognize common types of
Aberrations.
Difficult: Develop a new Aberration-conjuring spell
given several months to work in, train unintelligent
Aberrations, understand what an Aberration is trying to
communicate without a common language, identify the
nature of a familiar Aberrations exotic afflictions
(devising an effective treatment will also require the
Healing ability).
Heroic: Control a conjured Aberation with a total
Mana cost of up to 5 over the ability level for 1d6+1
rounds, spot the unique special weakness of an
Aberration, predict the likely behavior patterns of an
Aberration, get a message across to an Aberration
without a common language.
Legendary: Determine the life cycle, and obscure
facts about, an unfamiliar Aberration with a mere
glance, develop a new Aberration-conjuring spell in a
few days, identify the nature of an unfamiliar
Aberrations exotic afflictions (devising an effectivetreatment requires the Healing ability).
Ambush governs setting up blinds and hidden
positions, sneak attacks, arranging a tactical
advantage, and inflicting extra damage on unaware
opponents.
Automatic : Gain bonuses to dam age and attacks
against unaware opponents (see Combat, page 16),
Simple: Conceal yourself in the woods in a good
spot to snipe from, pick the best available defensive
position available, create simple snares and traps.
Difficult: Conceal a group in a good position for a
surprise attack in a reasonable location or concealyourself in such a position under difficult conditions,
mak e an attack on someone look like an accident, build
dangerous deadfalls and pits.
Heroic: Organize an attack to give everyone on your
side a +1d6 bonus to damage during the first Turn,
conceal an attack on someone so that even the victim
must make a Perception check to determine the
source, build complex mechanical traps.
Legendary: Conceal a sm all horde in a flat desert,
plan a surprise attack to give everyone on your side a
+2d6 damage bonus during the first Turn, create a
maze full of lethal traps.
Artificergoverns the creation of magical devices
and the maximum number and level of Artifacts which
the character may possess . Note that the Game Master
can, and should, restrict silly combinations: most
creatures cant use more than one suit of armor and
one or two weapons at a time. Note that creating a new
Artifact allows it to be brought into the game without the
usual requirement of discovering it somewhere.
Automatic : Have a perm anent Artifact or an Artifact
Creature follower with a total Mana cost equal to the
ability level or less o r control a s imilar conjured artifact
(no more than one in total per rank in this ability),
provide basic care for a familiar Artifact.
Simple: Identify the general characteristics of anunfamiliar Artifact, recognize common Artifacts in use
by an opponent, create very simple (Level 1-2) Artifacts
given several months of work,
create magical charms and toys
given an hour or two, operate an
unfamiliar artifact.
Difficult: Develop a new Artifact
conjuring spell given several months
to work in, deduce the workings of
exotic Artifacts, make repairs on
low-level (1-3) Artifacts (for technical
artifacts this may also require an
Engineering check).Heroic: Spot the unique special
weakness of an Artifact or identify
any hidden functions, predict the
likely properties of a severely-
damaged or partial Artifact, make
repairs on damaged mid-level (4-5)