h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you have not been authorized to read Fact Sheet 2, then, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!!!!

Fact Sheet 2:

Magic
(a brief introduction to the FreeForm, or Seat-of-Your-Pants, magic system)

Theoretically you can do anything with magic, if you have enough power . But it isn't easy.

The trick is channelling your power. This calls for a ritual. You'll need to chant and gesture. How long you have to chant and gesture depends on how ambitious a spell you have in mind. Ridding your bunk of fleas will take a few seconds. To levitate the Mary Celeste you'll probably have to chant for 10 minutes just to get airborne (then keep it up for the duration of your flight). Chanting can be just gibberish, or you can call upon the old gods and spirits, and a few good couplets won't hurt (in gaming terms, the more you impress GL with your chant the better the result of your spell).

You'll also need some material components. These should be symbolic (a bit of sand to send someone to sleep), sympathetic (votive dolls to stick pins in) or both (cobwebs confuse people). The better the quality of the materials the better the spell, but you have to make do with the materials on hand so substitutions may be necessary, and this will affect the spellcraft (again, as with your chant, the object is to impress GL with your creative choice of components).

Finally, novelty is required in magic. The same ritual won't work as well a second time and to repeat a spell you must change your ritual and components.

Your character sheet will give you a general idea of how much magical power you have and GL can give you an idea of how much power the spell you're planning will require. Beware, for a failed spell still drains power, and you can be drained dry by over reaching, and still accomplish nothing. Some items store magic. If you can get your hands in them you can use them, all a mage needs to tap such magic is hold the item.

All this may seem harsh and demanding. That's because it is harsh and demanding (not to mention dependent on the whims of GL). Well, you can't just let everyone do Wish spells when they feel like it, can you?

Take heart, some magic is easy. Every mage has a few spells that just come naturally to them, and all you have to do to use these is say you are casting them (these will be listed on your "Special Abilities" sheet).