Magic

[Finch]

    After the outbreak broke out, the surviving children found themselves lost, confused, and with the cards of the world mounted against them. The streets were flooded with strangers, hungry for their flesh, food supplies had been looted during the initial panic, and, more than anything, they were little more than children.
    No one is quite sure who first figured out their abilities. Everyone has their own story. It was a ten year old up in Vancouver, those from the North said-- a ten year old that was always someone’s cousin, or brother, or something or other. Those from the rural areas always had the most unique stories. A panicked horse had been calmed by some miracle. A dog had begun to speak. A horrible wound had been healed with a simple touch.

    Of course, there’s no proof for any of it. These stories are little more than stories, words passed between a hundred kids, morphing into their own nonsense on the way. Whatever the origin of these abilities, however, even the most skeptical cannot deny their existence.     

    Nearly every kid in Seattle can perform at least the most rudimentary of spells.

Mechanics

    Similar to combat and healing, spellcasting uses similar rules to the rest of Remnants, with certain exceptions. This is due, mainly, to the fact that spellcasting in Remnants is seen as a group activity. While a single kid may be able to cast a simple spell, anything of major use cannot be performed alone. Thus, spellcasting uses a mechanic allowing multiple characters to work together on the same roll.
    Three pieces of data are needed to calculate the result of a spellcasting roll.
    First, the result of a 20-sided dice roll is needed-- a dice roll that is made in a separate post, as with other rolls. This roll should be made by the “leading spellcaster.” The leading spellcaster is the character with the highest Spellcasting skill level. If multiple characters fill this role, the leading spellcaster should be decided out of roleplay. If players are unsure, the character with the highest Charisma ability should be the leading spellcaster. This also applies if no characters have levels in the Spellcasting skill.
    Secondly, the Spellcasting modifier of the leading spellcaster must be identified. If the leading spellcaster does not have any levels in the Spellcasting skill, then this number defaults to 1.
    Thirdly, the Cohesion Score of the spellcasting group must be identified. This score represents the bond held between those casting the spell-- a bond which is just as, if not more, important than the Spellcasting skill. Determining this score is somewhat involved, and thus it is covered in the next section independently.
Once these three scores are identified, they should be used within the following formula.

Initial Roll + (Leading Spellcaster Skill Modifier * Cohesion Score) = Final Result

    This success of this roll is then determined based upon whether or not it is equal to or exceeding the Spell Difficulty of the spell being cast. This Spell Difficulty is different per spell, and is stated in their description. See below.

Cohesion

    After it was discovered that multiple kids could cast a spell together, the concept of cohesion was soon stumbled upon. It was quickly realized that the bond between spellcasters was incredibly telling of how successful their spellcasting attempt would be.
    Of course, it is not possible to boil down relationships to a numerical value with perfect accuracy. The bond of characters often runs far deeper than their Cohesion Score would show. However, the Cohesion Score is the author’s best attempt at numerically describing this bond.
    The Cohesion Score of a spellcasting group is described using the following table. The default Cohesion Score for any group is 0, and is modified by the traits on the following table. All applicable traits on the table should be added to create the final score. However, the Cohesion Score of a group cannot be lower than 0. The cohesion score of a single caster is 0.

Trait	Modifier
All characters are part of the same faction. (Excludes Jackals.)	+5
All characters have a friendly relationship.	+10
All characters have a strong bond.	+10
Characters are of different factions.	-5
Two or more characters have a negative relationship.	-10
Two or more characters are enemies.	-10

    It is up to players to determine this score, and some aspects may be subjective (ie, strong bonds.) While fudging the Cohesion Score of a group may improve rolls, the Score should be kept as accurate as possible. Staff members may intervene if needed in the determination of this score.

    Remnants uses a predetermined spell list, located here. This should always be considered an incomplete list, and players may suggest new spells to be added to this list. Though suggested uses of these spells are described, it is always encouraged for players to think outside of the box!
    Spells can only be casted by those in their faction. While spell difficulties may seem extremely high, the use of exponents makes these higher values far less difficult to reach, with a high enough cohesion.