Unlimited Mana in Fudge Gramarye

Each wizard has a Threshold that defines the safe limits of magic. As long as his tally remains at or below his threshold, things are fine. If the tally exceeds the threshold, bad things happen, and the wizard must roll on the Calamity table. The recommended Threshold is 20, though individual GMs may adjust this to control the overall power level in the campaign.

Calamity Checks are made by rolling 4dF and adding the the amount by which the threshold has been exceeded. The first spell that causes the tally to exceed the threshold triggers a check; afterward, any spell cast by the wizard (even if it has zero mana cost) requires a calamity check at the current level of excess. Calamities occur immediately, although the effect may not be immediately apparent to the wizard. A calamity does not automatically mean the spell failed, but rather is a side effect of excessive magic use.

• There may be ways to instantly recover magic points, lowering your tally. For example, a potion of "energy" might allow the wizard to recover 1-6 magic points.
• Some potions or magic items may increase your threshold or recovery. The GM can use this as a balancing tool.
• Recovery could be random; 2d6-1 could be substituted in place of a flat six points without changing the overall balance.
• Optionally, the mage can choose his own Thresh and Recovery, provided that Thresh x Recovery is not greater than 120.

CALAMITY TABLE

Note: all variable results are shown as a number range rather than a specific dice combination, so they are useful to GMs using subjective or diceless resolution. Also, in very subjective games the GM might just use this table for ideas instead of keeping track of points...

Roll     Effect -3   Nothing bad happens, and the mage gets 1-6 free recovery! -2   Nothing happens - this time. -1   The wizard experiences a chilling sense of foreboding... 0   The mage's skin and clothing crawl with strange energies, sparks, or other visual effect for 3-18 minutes, and his eyes glow bright, making Stealth impossible and frightening small animals and many "mundanes." 1   The mage is struck with violent headaches that prevent any action other than suffering. The headaches last 3-18 rounds, unless the mage failes a fair Toughness roll, in which case they last 3-18 minutes! Result 0 also applies. 2   The mage becomes horribly nauseous and weak, taking a -2 to all actions. This lasts 1-6 hours, after which the mage must make a great Toughness roll to get over the sickness; if he fails, try again once per hour. 3   The mage is cursed with nightmares for 4-24 days. After the first night, the mage is at -1 to all actions due to fatigue and stress. The penalties last until the mage gets a normal night's sleep! 4   Any failed casting roll that the mage makes is treated as a critical failure! This lasts for 2-7 weeks. 5   The mage's mind is bent. The GM should assign one debilitating mental fault by fiat. It takes effect immediately, and lasts one day. Each day thereafter, the mage may make a fair Willpower roll to shake it off. 6   The mage has weakened the binding forces around him. His Threshhold for the next 1-6 weeks is reduced by 2-12. The mage is aware of a reduction, but not of it's severity! Result 0 also applies. 7   The caster gains a minor fault. After 3-18 days have passed, the mage may buy it off with experience points, causing it to simply fade away. If the mage does not wish to, or doesn't have the points, then it becomes permanent. ANY minor fault is legal; the mage can get ugly, go insane, and so on. 8   The mage's Threshold is reduced by 3-18; the change lasts 1-6 months! In addition, the mage's spellcasting will be at a -1 penalty for 2-12 weeks. Result 0 also applies. 9   As per 7, but the mage gains a serious Fault. 10   The mage is aged 15-25 (2d6+13) years, or a number of years equal to the mana cost of the spell that caused the calamity, whichever is worse! 11   Roll again on this table but the result affects a companion of the mage (chosen randomly). 12   The mage gains multiple faults (2 to 4, depending on severity). These are permanent. 13   The mage loses permanently the ability to use a single art/realm combination (such as Create Fire). The skills are still known, but cannot be used. Note that a mage that lost "Create Fire" could still Destroy Fire or Create Water. The mage must make a fair Willpower roll. If it is sucessful, he chooses which combination is lost. If not, the combination is chosen at random. On a Terrible failure, the GM chooses the mage's most useful or favorite form! 14   The mage loses one Gift, or has an attribute lowered on level. Choose randomly. 15   The mage becomes a wandering Mana-Scar! Spells cost double within a 10-mile radius of the mage, and Recovery is HALTED in the same area! Every mage in the region will be gunning for him... The duration, in days, equals the cost of the errant spell, plus one. Result 0 applies for the ENTIRE duration. 16   The mage takes a penalty to all spells! The mage must make a fair Willpower roll. If it is successful, the penalty will heal one level every week. If not, the healing rate is one per month! 17   A plague or curse (locusts, storms, etc) descends on the region, lasting for 3-18 (or more) weeks. No one will be able to trace this to the mage (-8 to divination attempts on the subject), but the mage will know the fault is his... Be grotesque and CRUEL. 18   The spell propagates out of control. Harmful spells will affect everybody and everything nearby, allies and enemies alike. Beneficial spells will do likewise, but will go "over the top" and cause dangerous side-effects (a healing spell might raise all the local dead, creating a horde of restless zombies out for revenge!) Information magic will overload the mage's mind, causing a "fright check" and nightmares as in 3. Missile spells will seem normal to the caster, but have so much punch that they drill through their target and through EVERYTHING ELSE FOR MILES beyond, and so on. 19   The mage permanently loses the ability to cast spells, (but not the skills - small comfort). At this level and above, the spell that causes the roll fails unless a great Willpower roll is made by the mage. 20   As per 19, and a rift opens up in the local fabric of space-time, with appropriate consequences: anyone standing nearby may get sucked into another dimension, or something else may come out! The wizard must make a superb willpower roll; if successful, the rift closes by itself after 2-12 hours. Otherwise, it becomes a permanent feature of the local landscape. 21   As per 19, and something happens to the region the mage is in. There is a 50/50 chance that magic itself is changed (the region becomes aspected, certain spells function erratically, or some such). Otherwise, the change is to the physical world - weather, birth rate, crops, or something else. Sometimes the result is good, sometimes bad (50/50). The duration is equal to the cost of the spell, in days. 22   As per 21, but the effect is always bad, and very severe. 23   As per 22, but the effect is permanent. 24   As per 23, but the wizard is now cursed by a god or other being. Treat the curse as a very powerful fault, causing massive bad luck and eventually terminating in some unpleasant fate. Alternately, the wizard himself is transformed permanently into a monster of some sort: a vampire, ghost, werewolf, or something. If he has any children at this point, the curse may be propagated... 25+   As per 22, but a GLOBAL change occurs. In addition, the mage must make a superb Toughness roll. If this roll is failed, the mage is consumed in a backlash of magical energy, and explodes. The explosion causes damage equal to the Calamity roll, and fades at a rate of 2 points per yard from the wizard (who of course is dead). If the Toughness roll is made, the backlash is less dramatic; the wizard takes 4-24 points of internal burning damage (no defenses apply), but doesn't explode.

NEW SPELLS

Heal Calamity

Rego Vim (superb)
Mana cost equals the die-roll that caused the calamity!

This spell is used to "repair" a worldwide or regional calamity. It is typically cast with extra time to offset the high mana cost and many mages participating. Often there will be one or more organizations of wizards who detect and repair calamities, as well as punishing wizards who cause them.

GIFTS

High Threshold

This gift raises a mage's threshold, but not recovery. Each +1 increases the threshold by 5 points. If the increase is limited to a single Art, it is worth 10 points.

Rapid Recovery

For each level of this gift, the mage recovers an additional point each day.

FAULTS

Hedge Wizard

The mage has normal Threshold and Recovery, but may not cast spells greater than 8 mana without making a Calamity check at 20. This means he can use a greater number of low-powered magics.

Reduced Threshold

This fault lowers a mage's threshold, but not recovery. Each -1 reduces the threshold by 5 points. If the reduction is limited to a single Art, it is worth 10 points.

Slow Recovery

For each level of this fault the mage recovers an one less point each day.