To see the list of Arcane Words your character knows upon starting, go here.

What is Thaumaturgy?

Thaumaturgy is energy, power, MAGIC.
Humans can wield Thaumaturgy through the Arcane Words.

It comes easier to some than others, of course. Some are born a little magic-touched, able to cast a spell or two.

A rare lucky few are born with Thaumaturgy in their very bones. Because of the magic that spills out of them from a young age, they tend to be widely notorious. Whether they are revered or rebuked for their abilities depends on the superstition in the child's culture.

Thaumic Wellspring

The magic stored inside your body is known as your Thaumic Wellspring. Each unit of energy in your Wellspring is known as a Thaum.

The Thaums in your Thaumic Wellspring depends on your Profession and Trade.

Each night you get a decent night's sleep, you regain all Thaums back into your Wellspring.

Increasing your Wellspring

When you take Harm from Slippage, make a note. The next time you spend XP, gain 1 to your Thaumic Wellspring maximum.

Overview of Casting

Step 1

The Player indicates that their character wants to casts a Spell by determining a Target, Distance, Size, Duration, Source, and Words.

"I want to Fireball that bandit over there for 1 second, using the energy from the fire in the Tavern."
Target: Bandit
Size: Person
Distance: 20 feet away
Duration: 1 second
Source: A tavern hearth + Thaumic Wellspring
Words: Conjure Heat Orb

Step 2

The Director and the Player work together to decide on the effect of the Spell (but the Director has final say).
tThen The Director tells the Player the Position and any Risks involved.

Step 3

The player calculates the total Thaumic Cost, and decides if they want to Cast.
If they decide to Cast, they lose that many Thaums from their Thaumic Wellspring and other sources (no matter the outcome).

Step 4

The Spell is Cast!
The Player makes a Cast test. The Outcome is determined and Harm is calculated (if any).

Step 5

The character who Cast the Spell takes Slippage, if any.

Casting a Spell (Detailed Step-By-Step)

Casting a Spell requires a focused and concentrated mind.

Step 1

Focusing with the Mind & Body

First it is necessary to hold the Belief firmly enough in your mind that it affects reality directly.

Focusing the mind means directing your intended spell

• at a creature, place, or object (Target),
• some distance or no distance away from you (Distance),
• effecting some area of space (Size),
• for some amount of time (Duration).

Focusing the Body means pointing with your hands, fingers, or other limbs with intent to cast.

You need as few distractions as possible and both hands free to cast a spell.

Drawing from a Source

Thaumaturgy does allow you to move energy from one form to another, but the energy still has to come from somewhere.

A caster can typically find a Source of energy from:

• One's own body
• A fire or other source of heat
• Magic from an artifact or place

The amount of energy from a given Source is measured in Thaums.

The further away a Source is from you, the fewer Thaums you can draw from it.

Speaking the Arcane Words

To cast a Spell with Thaumaturgy you must speak the Arcane Words, which define the Spell's Effect. Spells typically need at least 3 words each of a different type, spoken in the following order:
The Act, the Material, and the Form.

If you are missing words from a Spell, the Director will decide words or randomly roll words to fill them in.

Arcane Words chart
Arcane Words Descriptions

Step 2

Magical Effect

The Director and Player work together to decide on how the spell acts and what its effect is.
The Director has final say.

Risks

After you have agreed on the magical effects, the Director will determine the Risks if the spell goes wrong.
The Director sets the Position just like other Actions.

Step 3

Thaumic Cost

The total Thaumic cost is based on:

• Effect Size
• Distance from the Caster to the Target
• and the Effect Time.

Effect Size

Distance from Target

Effect Time

Cast or Not

After knowing the Risks, Position, and Thaumic cost, the Player chooses if they want to Cast or not.
A Player can cast even if they don't have enough Thaums in their Thaumic Wellspring. If they do, they will take Slippage (see Step 5).
The Player may want to choose a different course of Action.

Step 4

The Spell is Cast! The Player makes a Cast test.
The Outcome is determined and Harm is calculated (if any).

Harm

Step 5

Slippage

When casting a spell, if the Cost of Exchange is greater than the Thaums in your Wellspring, Slippage occurs.

You take 1 Level of Harm per Thaum greater than in your Wellspring.

If you have a Severe Complication (usually from the worst outcome during a Desperate position) and are drawing from a Source outside your Wellspring, you take 1 Level of Harm from the Damage Table per Thaums from that Source.
For example, if you Desperately cast and fail using a cooking fire, you'll take 3 Harm.

When you take Harm from Slippage, make a note. The next time you spend XP, gain 1 to your Thaumic Wellspring maximum.

Limitations of Thaumaturgy

Permanence

Keeping magic around is HARD. Things that are permanently magical are rare, and should be feared or revered.

Telekinesis

Moving objects with one's mind has been recounted in some old texts, but "Move" and "Shift" are not known Act words.

Illusions

It's extremely difficult to Evoke Light in the right ways to create a complete illusion. It would need decades of practice, and even then it would be a very thin illusion.

Director Thaumaturgy Rules

Alterations

The GM is welcome to add or subtract Thaums depending on the situation. If the Intended Effect doesn't align with the Words, or if a caster is attempting something outside their capabilities, you might add Thaums.
If the player thinks of something highly creative or clever, or is casting a very familiar spell, you might subtract Thaums.

Sources

One's Own Body

From your Thaumic Wellspring.

Fires

For every 10 feet that a PC is away from a fire, reduce the Thaums that can be used by 1.

Miscellaneous

Still-warm dead bodies (~3), a rock heated by the sun (~7), or magical artifacts.