There are two types of Magic in FANTASY WARLORD. Arcane Magic which is practised by Magic-users and those Priests blessed with the attribute 'Wisdom' and Divine Magic which is used solely by Priests and Warrior Priests.

Arcane Magic involves the manipulation of the unseen etheric energy that lies behind the creation, to achieve dramatic results in the physical world. Thus a fireball is energy drawn out of the-ether and made manifest in the everyday world, with devastating results. To do this, Arcane Magic requires an individual who through natural ability and long practice has learned how to sense, access, shape and direct the etheric energy. In FANTASY WARLORD, only Magic-users, Rune Smiths and some Priests possess the ability to create and control arcane magical forces. Divine Magic takes the form of miracles, wonders or curses and is used by Priests and Warrior Priests. Divine magic also uses the etheric energy that flows unseen through the creation, but in the case of Divine Magic that energy is accessed and controlled through the gods, and the priest merely acts as a channel through which the gods can direct the energy into the physical world. Thus Divine Magic is safer than Arcane Magic, but it is more limited in use.

Rune Smiths do not feature as characters in FANTASY WARLORD because they are rarely encountered on the battlefield. Most Rune Smiths are of the elf or dwarf races, though a few humans have achieved this status — but only after long practice and help from the dwarfs. The Rune Smiths forge all magical weapons, armour and artifacts that can be used by any character. So while they may not be physically present on the battlefield, their power and craft is felt far afield from their secret forges.

The worlds of the multiverse are criss-crossed by ley lines of magical power. Where these lines cross, the ancients raised rune stones or sometimes gateways. More recently various religious sects have started to raise shrines on some crossing points. Rune Stones are solitary standing stones, carved with runes or magical patterns, that help to harness magical energy. As a result if a Magic-user casts a spell within 30 cm of such a stone, he will benefit from its power, and increase his chance of succeeding (see the Magic Modifiers on the Magic Sheet). Shrines have a similar effect but only on divine magic.

Gateways take many forms and may appear as stone circles, henges (a circle surrounded by a bank and ditch), pyramids or great trilithons. They act like Rune Stones for the purposes of casting Arcane or Divine Magic. In addition, gateways provide links between the worlds through which characters, soldiers and creatures can move, if they possess the right rune magic. Gateways and Rune Stones will be explained in more detail in future FANTASY WARLORD supplements.

Arcane magic spells can only be cast by Magic- users, those exceptional Priests blessed with the attribute Wisdom and the sylphs, angels, archangels, imps, demons and archdemons of the powers. Other characters can only access arcane powers through the possession and use of magical artifacts. These artifacts and the special rules that relate to them are covered in Chapter 2: Creating an Army.

Magic-users and Priests who use Arcane Magic are extremely powerful and capable of altering the course of a battle, if they cast their spells effectively. But because the energy involved in Arcane Magic is so powerful, it is difficult to control and as a result, dangerous to use. Whenever a spell is cast, there is a risk it may backfire on the user! Arcane magic in FANTASY WARLORD is a two-edged sword.

Magic-users and Priests with the attribute Wisdom, must pick their spells and record them before a battle commences or any troops are placed on the table. They are allowed to pick fresh spells before each game, because the FANTASY WARLORD rules presume they would only learn those spells that actually had some potential application to the circumstances their side is confronted with. The number of spells Magic-users or wise Priests can have, depends on how much Spell Energy they possess and which spells they choose.

Each spell has an energy cost, which represents the amount of energy a Magic-user must spend to cast the spell. When selecting spells for a Magic-user, the total energy cost of the spells selected must never exceed the Spell Energy Level of the character. Each spell selected is recorded on a piece of paper under the relevant Magic-user's name. The same spell can be picked more than once. Thus a Magic- user could have six Fireball spells. Each spell on the Magic-user's list can only be used once and as it is cast or miscast is crossed off the list.

The allegiance of a character may bar him from selecting certain spells. A follower of the Light cannot select any spells from the Dark Magic Spell List. A follower of the Dark cannot select any spells from the Light Magic Spell List. A follower of the Equilibrium can select spells from any list but the number of Dark or Light spells selected must never exceed the total number of Equilibrium spells selected. Both Light and Dark Magic-users may select spells from the Equilibrium Magic Spell List.

Spells can be cast in any phase of a game turn. To cast a spell the player controlling the Magic-user simply states: “I wish to cast a spell”. At that point the normal action of the turn is suspended, until the spell has been cast and its result determined.

A Magic-user may only cast one spell per game turn. A Magic-user cannot cast a spell while he is in base-to-base contact with the enemy or while a unit he is directly leading is in base-to-base contact with the enemy — as he needs to concentrate without distraction for the spell to work.

If two Magic-users cast spells at the same time on each other, or on the same third party, object or locality — they will automatically fail. The spells must be crossed off and cannot be used again. Worse, the magic rebounds on the caster and each Magic- user must roll on the Failed Magic Table (found on the Magic Sheet) to discover what happens to him!

Spells vary in complexity according to how powerful they are. Every spell has a 'Casting Success'. The lower this percentage is the harder the spell is to cast. Thus a spell with a 40% Casting Success is harder to cast than one which enjoys a 75% chance.

To cast a spell the controlling player must follow the following procedure: