Spellonomics

Crafting creative casting channels.

In 2022, despite the vast possibilities in the world of magic in “The World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game”, I still loaded up my little Rock Gnome Wizard (Synna Umberleaf) with the starting equipment from the Player’s Handbook (PHB) including a basic spellbook. And you know what? It’s fine. I made him a curious, bookish young man who seeks knowledge now that he’s out of the sheltered life his grandmother provided. I could get on with the game and not worry too much about developing a super-unique character. Now, over a year of creative writing and playing other games, I’ve developed a craving for something new. Thinking on the intellect of someone like a wizard, a magical spellbook sounds like a burden to have. Flipping though the pages to find the specific spell I’m thinking, taking the time to read the page and pull out the components… it all feels a little silly, right? Wouldn’t my wizard be able to memorize the spells? Wouldn’t my wizard practice casting spells with speed so he’d be more effective in combat or when the stakes are high? Questions like these led me to look for something that would make magic feel unique for my character and give a little illustration of who my Wizard is and how he ticks.

(The below icon of my wizard Synna was drawn by my brother Mikko, check their stuff out on Intatgram (click here).)

If you’re feeling the same way about magic craft in your games, you’re in luck. In this newsletter, we’ll go over several original spellcasting methods and ideas on different ways to flavor your spellcasting to be as unique as the Characters you create. These examples will attempt to be system agnostic for play in any system, however, Players should work witht their Game Master to determine how these examples could be appropriate for the game world. When in doubt, I like to run with the rule of cool. As a GM you should looking for moments like this to allow your Players to have fun. Sometimes, even if something doesn’t quite make complete sense, “winging it” is the way to go.

Sample Spellcasting Methodologies

Marbles

Deep beneath the Lancaster Manor, Twill crouches behind a stack of dusty crates. He heard a rattling coming from the door across the room. Inky-dark shadows loom in the area and Twill is unable to see more than 10 feet in any direction. Checking his magical skills, Twill decides to cast True Sight which will allow him to see in the darkness. Twill deftly flicks the latch on the pouch at his right side and fishes out a small dimly glowing sphere about the size of small tomato. Focusing on clearing his mind, he takes a deep breath and crushes the sphere in his leather glove. Immediately after the shell cracks the magic energy floods through Twill’s body and he visualizes the spell just before his eyesight flashes and his vision expands. Looking around the once dark corners of this catacomb Twill can see the entire room in shades of grey with a slight purple haze. He continues to examine the surroundings when he hears the rattling again. Once the hairs on his neck subside, he peeks around the stack of crates to see a figure huddled in the corner. The rattling is the chain around their ankle. The emaciated body looks sick and dirty from the dirt and dust. Just moments later the figure turns its head and Twill recognizes the face. He has found Baron Vish of the Lancaster family; long thought to be dead. Twill’s adventure just switched gears from filching stolen antiques to rescuing a man who should be dead.

Twill, a Twilight Seeker uses his rest periods to condense charges of spell energy into small breakable marbles. By cracking a marble, he can cast spells on the fly, rather than spend time concentrating in sticky situations. This has allowed Twill to delve into dangerous places without fear.

At the table, something like a marble is a great direct representative of spell slots or magic points. Larger marbles could be representative of higher-level slots or perhaps there’s a set number of marbles and higher-level spells would require multiple marbles. This idea has several possibilities to flavor it to fit your character.

Crochet

A squat hut stood at the edge of town. The amber glow in the windows told Percival the Witch was home. Unable to knock, he resorted to calling for help, and after a few moments the shadows in the window undulated and a heavy lock was thrown open with a loud thunk. Wild eyes peered from behind the door which quickly swung all the way open to allow the Ranger entry into the hut. Percival shoved Adrox’s hefty body onto the cleared table and after a moment of conversation, the Witch set to work. Her warm home was covered in tomes and curious ingredients for her potions. Percival could not keep up with her as she flew about in the dim firelight grabbing ingredients for a small mortar. Time was running out and he knew it by the way her wide eyes fluttered from book to book hastily until she found it. A greying leather tome was dropped onto the table and she began to read. With the book open just to the left of the dead Paladin’s body, the witch quickly ate the now-mashed ingredients. Her eyes glazed over into two smoky moons of glowing white and when her eyes returned she appeared focused. She read the tome and muttered under her breath. However, Percival noticed, she wasn’t muttering words for a spell but rather reviewing a set of directions and practicing lightly above the Paladin’s chest. Best not to mess up on casting revivify. Pulling an odd, hooked needle from her tools, the Witch held it aloft and after a few deep breaths, Percival saw the threads. The “weave” it was called. She was grabbing threads of the weave, hooking them around the tool, and manipulating the ends, over and over again. Her hands became a flurry of repetitive motion as her eyes were glued to the tome. That night was a long one, but Adrox always brings specimens or the odd scroll to the Witch as a means of saving his life.

Percival, a man dedicated to protecting nature saw a miracle that night. The witch Syree pulled the weave to her and using a crochet-like method was able to reunite his Friend’s soul with his body. Her tomes are filled with experiments and patterns for accessing the power of the weave in larger rituals. When needing something quick she can use her fingers to tie knots and do simple crochet but the larger more complicated manipulations require time and a tool previously imbued with the Witch’s mana.

At the table, failing to make a certain roll to hit with a spell could be seen as missing a loop while crocheting the weave into whatever spell. Rituals could turn into massive crocheted works of magical energy that envelop the target like a blanket or scarf. Passing time by the fire with yarn could simply be a magic user’s way of staying sharp.

Tattoos

Beads of blood and ink clung to the freshly inked line supon the young sailor’s arms. Gruff older men clapped him on his newly-tattooed shoulder in congratulations causing him to wince. Sebastian was new to the sea trade but he knew that all men of the sea had tattoos or scars to show their toughness. He wasn’t too worried about the typical machismo that came with ink, he had bigger plans. Late that night, as the high tide rose and the smell of the ocean grew rank in the dark of that cave, Sebastian called to The Mother. For hours he kneeled facing the full moon waiting for the deity to hear his plea. Finally, dripping in brine and sweat, eyes bleary from exhaustion, The mother showed herself. There Sebastian pledged himself to her cause so long as she bore him protection on the seas. He showed her his new ink dedicated to her. A motif of the phases of the moon over rolling tides was scrawled across his shoulder. This pleased the deity who then touched Sebastian’s arm. He would not be able to recall further what transpired that night but Sebastian understood the pact. Every time he was at sea, he would feel the power radiate through his arm. The tatto would animate, traverse his body, and a divine schimitar would appear in his hands. It’s blade of pristine silver and the hilt a twisting of hardened coral and barnacle. Again and again, Sebastian would charge into battle unafraid, taking what he wished from the spoils and each return to port, his body would be freshly inked with a new sign of his renewed faith in The Mother.

Symbols of a pact between a Deity and a Warlock can vary but Sebastian knew the high seas would not permit him to carry much in the way of the traditional holy vestments. He didn’t wish to be run through in his sleep by greedy blades. Additionally, this pact with The Mother would grow and change as Sebastian’s tattoo would grow. The divine weapon would grant additional boons and powers which made the myths of Dread Pirate Sebastian all too fantastic.

For your table, something like tattoos could easily be used to denote single spells known by a player or go so far as to be the actual contract a Warlock would sign. The extent of the tattoos or even the motifs and color used could be signifiers of the type of magic found there.

Let’s Add A Little Bit of Spice

While you are free to use the ideas above, either wholesale or as a launchpad for your own styling, you may have something more in-tune with your character in mind. Perhaps you’re drawing a blank entirely but want something unique for the newest mage you just rolled up. Let’s go over a few simple ways you can flavor your casting to add a little bit of spice to your roleplay.

Color has the unique ability to visually communicate a lot with a little. Think about what color you associate with things like anger, winter, or even vampires. Check out the above image for some typical associations. Think about the energy or “vibe” of your character. Are they a relaxed, gentle caster or do they fly forward into battles with energy? With this feeling in mind, what color do you associate with that energy? Your fireballs might go off with a sick acid green to denote the sinister warlock. Your healing energy might envelop the recipient in a cooling blue hue representing your Cleric who worships the Godess of the Seas.

Materials, such as the above example of marbles, or things like paper and string can give your magic a more tactile and “crafted” feeling. Does your character have a significant hobby or were they previously a craftsperson? Maybe your character is the party grandmother, what materials and textures do you assosciate with an older matron? Perhaps her spells are something she embroiders onto her shawl which would represent her spellbook. Maybe she carries a magical ball of yarn which she pulls from to cast her spells, and respins in her downtime to replenish her mana. Many roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder already do the heavy lifting for you in this regard because they often contain material components required for casting each spell. If you’re playing a really “rules heavy” game, you should track these components and flavor your casting by thinking of the material required. Ask yourself, “How does my cleric/mage/druid manipulate these materials?”

Methods of casting can vary from caster to caster as well. How your mage physically moves their body or manipulates objects can add an interesting detail to your roleplay. Think about the way your sorcerer learned to tame their inate energy into their spells. A great example of this is found in the TV show ‘Avatar the Last Airbender’. The benders must physically connect their movements to the elements they command and each element of bending requires a different methodology. Spells in RPGs are often collected into schools or levels which lend themselves to requiring different movement to cast. Similarly to materials, many spells can also require a verbal component. Simply saying “Fireball” might feel a little weak whereas saying “I deepen my voice and let out the gutteral fiendish word for fireball” feels full of life and intrigue.

I ultimately wanted to talk about this subject due to a recent manga (Japanese comic) I’ve been obsessing over. Witch hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama is a great pure fantasy tale where the magical process of casting spells is a well-guarded secret. Witches do everything possible to conceal how they cast spells and the methodology for doing so is highly regimented. The main characters a yound apprentices who are learning not just how to cast spells, but how to tailor their spells to reflect who they are. It’s a beautifully drawn manga and the magic system is based on drawing magical runes with special ink and tools. The limitations of their craft are creatively stretched to suit their needs and the feel-good nature of seeing young learners thrive is something I really enjoy. I highly recommend you check out the series published by Kodansha. (Read the below pages from right to left)

As you chew on my suggestions, does anything resonate with you? Are there references you can draw upon to borrow ideas? Please let me know. Looking for more guidance or someone to bounce ideas off? Shoot me a message or find me on Discord under the username gradacious. Thank you for reading, stay tuned for next month.