Color Magic Resources

[powersthatbe]

So You Want To Learn Color Magic

Color magic is perhaps one of the most popular skills Syn has to offer, in no small part because anyone can learn it. At the same time, it’s one of the more confusing skills on offer. This quick primer should help clear up the confusion, and point you toward the resources you’ll need to sort out your skill claims.

Cantrips

Color magic has a prerequisite of some inherent magical ability on your character’s part. If you believe a canon skill of theirs would cover this, consult a mod to double-check; otherwise, picking up Cantrips is a perfect starting point. Cantrips are ‘colorless’ spells, meaning they work no matter what Color Magic you take, or even if you don’t take that after the fact.

The master list of available cantrips is here. Cantrips I grants you up to six, while Cantrips II gives you access to the whole list.

Color Magic

Here’s where it starts getting tricky: You can take one Color of Color Magic, you can take it as a skill twice, and you get nine ‘points’ of spells per claim.

Spell levels are a relic of these basically being D&D spells simply a reference point for how powerful the spell in question is. Player characters are not allowed to take anything stronger than Level 5 for their lists. You also don’t have to use all your spell points from Color Magic I at once; if you end up with a couple left over, you can save those for Color Magic II.

The current master lists of color spells are as follows: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, Rose. (There is not currently an Orange master list; however, Orange is one of the freer colors, and anything sufficiently funny/dangerous can be bent around into an Orange spell.)

How many spells can I take?

That depends on how you want to divvy up your spell points. You could, after taking Color Magic II, have a full complement of 18 Level-1 spells, or you could save most of your points from Color Magic I and come out of it with three Level-5 spells. Most players settle for something between those two extremes.

I don’t like those spells. Can I make up my own?

Absolutely! The master lists are simply guidelines to help people get a feel for what falls under a given Color; you’re more than welcome to dig through other tabletop spell books, online resources, or figure out an effect you want to achieve through Color Magic. Consult a mod for final approval.

How do I mark what cantrips/spells I’m taking on those lists?

Megan (librariansheart) is the Keeper of the Color Magic Lists. Edit in your information as appropriate; it’ll show up as a suggestion, and she’ll confirm the edit when she has a moment.

Nobody currently in-game can/will teach the color I want my character to learn. Am I screwed?

Far from it – there are books on Color Magic available in various corners of Liminal Space, and often, someone who has a different color can help you work out the specifics of the one you want. This will have the most success with relatively adjacent colors (say, a Green mage will be of more help with Indigo than a Red mage would).