==== Glossary of Magical Terms ====

abort: To stop the casting of a spell before its completion.

backfire: A critical failure when casting a spell.

base skill: Your unmodified skill with a spell; compare with effective skill.

basic spell: A spell with no other spells as prerequisites.

cancel: To end your own spell before it would normally be over.

caster: The person casting a spell.

class: A group of spells that use the same special rules. Three examples appear in this glossary: Melee spells, Missile spells, and Resisted spells.

college: A group of spells that deal with the same subject – fire, healing, etc.

effective skill: Your base skill, plus any modifiers (usually penalties) for range, circumstances, etc. A caster rolls against effective skill.

enchantment spell: A spell for creating permanent magic items.

energy: The “cost” to cast a spell. You may pay this in either FP or HP. Some game worlds offer alternative energy sources.

grimoire: The list of spells you know (and more generally, any book of spells).

mage: Anyone with the Magery advantage.

Magery: The advantage of being “in tune” with magic; see the [[:rpg:gurps:core:advantages#magery_m_su_5_points_for_magery_0_10_points_level|Magery]] advantage.

maintain: To continue a spell after it would normally end. This costs more energy, unless you have high skill.

mana: The ambient magical energy manipulated by spells. Different areas (or worlds) have different levels of mana; see [[:rpg:gurps:core:magic#mana|Mana]].

melee spell: A spell that “charges” your hand or a magic staff with harmful energies that affect the first target you strike.

missile spell: A spell that summons a magical projectile that you must “throw” at the subject.

prerequisites: A requirement for learning a spell.

resisted spell: Any spell that must overcome the “power” of its subject before it works.

sapient: Racial IQ of 6 or higher.

spell: A skill that produces a specific magical effect when used successfully.

subject: The person, place, or thing on which a spell is cast.

wizard: Any user of magic, whether he is a mage or not.