Magic & the Mana Level
The world's magic runs on its Mana Level — how much magic is in the air, the earth, and the things people carry. Like genre, it is declared before the casting starts, and like genre it bends your odds. Unlike genre, it is its own number: a world can be a brass-and-steam machine and still sing with wild magic.
The Mana Level scale
| Level | Name | Magic Mod | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Null-Magic | magic dead | No glow; spells simply don't happen |
| 1 | Low Magic | −4 | Rare sparks; a ritual a day; artifacts faint |
| 2 | Fading Magic | −2 | Magic leaving; crystals dim and artifacts weaken |
| 3 | Balanced Magic | 0 | Standard; magic behaves |
| 4 | High Magic | +2 | Spells stronger; glowing streams; floating cities |
| 5 | Surge Magic | +4 | Wild surges; random effects; magic everywhere |
| 6 | God Magic | +6 | Divine presence; reality softens |
| 7+ | Reality Forging | +8 | The world reshapes to a wish |
A rich Mana Level (+2 and up) makes your spells easier and hits harder. A thin one (− and down) makes every spell a gamble and weakens the blow. Null-Magic is absolute — no spell succeeds there, no matter how great you are.
Enchanted gear carries its own power
An item's enchantment sits on a scale of its own and stacks onto the world's mood:
| Rarity | Damage | Accuracy | Mana cost per use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mundane | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minor Enchantment | +1 | +1 | 1 |
| Major Enchantment | +2 | +2 | 2 |
| Powerful Magic | +4 | +3 | 5 |
| Artifact | +6 | +4 | 10 |
| Relic | +8 | +5 | 20 |
| Mythic | +10+ | +6+ | 50+/special |
That glowing dagger is a boon in a Balanced world and a prayer in one where magic is fading — but it is still yours, and it still draws on your Mana (MA) every time it bites.
Casting the spell
Rolls stay on the 4d6 engine, bent by the world:
[4d6: X+X+X+X = SUM] − (Mana Mod, when rich) + (Mana Mod, when thin) vs [IN] → [CAST / FAIL]
The Master sets a base difficulty and adjusts it by the Mana Level: Spell Difficulty = Base − Mana Mod. High Magic makes the DC drop; Low Magic makes it climb; Null-Magic means nothing to roll.
The two numbers that make a setting
Genre (see Genre & Tech Level) sets how hard steel hits and how well armor holds. Mana Level sets how magic flows and how bright enchantments burn. They are independent — pair a steampunk world with dense arch-magic, or a medieval kingdom losing the last of its spells. When both apply to one attack: base weapon damage + genre mod + mana mod + the item's own enchantment. The world's machinist tools and its wizard fire are two different levers, and a skilled mage learns which one is up.