How Magic Works

Magic and spells are part and parcel of a high fantasy world, but how do you role-play this?

In HeroQuest, both spells (magic) and invocations (power) require you to use some imagination.  For simplicity please assume the following descriptions apply to invocations as well as spells.  There are two types of spell:

• touch - you need one or two empty hands to touch your target for the spell to work
• range - you point one empty hand towards your opponent; if they are within 20ft and you can see them (e.g. they are not on the other side of a wall - spells can't pass through such physical materials) then it will be successful

Apart from a couple of specific spells (such as "magic missile" or "ice javelin") there is no need for you to throw anything physical at your opponent, but you do need to make your target aware that they've been affected by shouting out the name of the spell. 

The person hit by the spell will react appropriately, depending on the name of the spell shouted at him/her.  For example, "freeze" would cause a monster to stand unmoving for 10 seconds.  "Lightning bolt" might cause a monster to yell out in pain as the electricity charges through his body.

In addition to calling out the spell name, spells must be cast in the following ways:

Battle Magic Spells

The least powerful of all spells may be delivered after some suitable chanting, (at least five words per each level of the spell).  For example, a drow mage might cast a firebolt spell using the following words:

Strength through chaos, fire from the dark
Let these flames strike their mark
Scorch their way through the sky
Cause my foes to scream and die

She then has five seconds to locate a suitable target and unleash her spell upon him, shouting the name of the spell and any damage to the monster (in this case "Firebolt, 16 hits") at the person in question.  The same drow mage might also cast a non-damaging spell such as "bind", by chanting:

Depths of the earth, rocks under the ground
Ensnare his feet so that he is bound

and then yell "Bind!" at the monster.

There are no set words for spells, you are entirely at liberty to come up with spell vocals that are appropriate to your character.  If you like rhyming spells (you may find them easier to remember) then check out rhymezone.com for assistance.

High Magic Spells (Wizardry)

As spells become more powerful, so the length of time and effort to perform them increases.  For wizardry, you need:

• a vessel to channel the magical energy (known as a "focus")
• some "casting kit" (a casting mat and ritual components)
• a ceremony to conjure forth the mana

The ceremony will take anywhere 5 to 15 minutes to perform, depending on the capabilities of the character.  During this ceremony, this caster is oblivious to the world around him/her and thus may wish to find a place of safety before starting to cast the spell.  Once the ceremony is complete, the caster has 30 seconds to unleash the spell (again from empty hands) and must perform a suitable chant of at least five words per spell level.  A black magic caster might for example call:

I call on the dark, I call on the night
I call on a world where there is no light
I call forth a darkness to rob him of sight
And blind him with night
Blindness 128 ranks!

Arcane Spells (Sorcery)

These are the most powerful spells to cast, and the ceremony takes 15-20 minutes, needs a larger casting kit and can only take place under special circumstances (e.g. a red magic ceremony being held next to a large fire).

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the caster must again chant the words to the spell to unleash it.

Power

The underlying forces behind power (the Spheres, a spiritual dimension as opposed to the elemental forces responsible for shaping mana) are entirely different from magic, but the game mechanics are roughly the same as described for spells.

The names used for power-related casting are:

• invocations (as opposed to spells)
• talisman, as the casting vessel (as opposed to a focus)
• lay power (as opposed to battle magic)
• ritual power (as opposed to high magic)
• cosmic power (as opposed to arcane magic)

Additionally, Priests can "invoke" their invocation which means they do not need to unleash it immediately, as Wizards do with their spells. A Priest can potentially wait upto 15 minutes before casting his invocation.

A full description of how magic and power works at each level can be found in the Rules section of this website.