The Druid
This document provides suggestions and insights into how to translate the ideas of the
Druid class from the source material into Path nder Fate Accelerated.
"While some druids might keep to the fringe
of battle, allowing companions and summoned
creatures to ght while they confound foes
with the powers of nature, others transform
into deadly beasts and savagely wade into
combat. Druids worship personi cations of
elemental forces, natural powers, nature itself,
spirits, animalistic demigods, or even speci c
awe-inspiring natural wonders.
Within the purity of the elements and the
order of the wilds lingers a power beyond the
marvels of civilization. Furtive yet undeniable,
these primal magics are guarded over by
servants of philosophical balance known as
druids. Allies to beasts and manipulators of
nature, these often misunderstood protectors
of the wild strive to shield their lands from all
who threaten them.
Rewarded for their devotion with incredible
powers, druids gain unparalleled shape-shifting
abilities, the companionship of mighty beasts,
and the power to call upon nature's wrath. The
mightiest temper powers akin to storms,
earthquakes, and volcanoes with primeval
wisdom long abandoned and forgotten by
civilization."
Archetype Considerations
The only Archetype a druid has to concern
themselves with is Primal and everything
else is optional.
To be considered a druid (and not some
other hybrid concept), a character should
start with at least Primal +3, which allows
unrestricted spell casting using the simple
magic guidelines, which you should read
rst if you are serious about playing a
spellcaster. Also, some sample spell write-
ups are available.
For a standard starting character, this
leaves only the decision of where to put the
Sample Iconics
Iasa, Lorisa, Nevaren
Starting Archetype Sets
Primordial
Primal +4
Untamed
Primal +3, Focused +1
Support / Utility
The source material o ers druids as full
casters with a spell list that isn't quite as
good as the Arcane spell list, but still quite
potent.
Self-buffing Strikers
Druids also get a grab bag of
miscellaneous nature-themed abilities,
including "wild shape", which allows them
to assume animal forms and then crush
in melee combat as well as gaining other
vicarious abilities.
Pets
Additionally, druids often have one or
more powerful animal companions, or
have the ability to summon or control
indigenous animals in whatever wildland
they nd themselves in.
Diverging From Source Material
D&D 3e recast druids as shapeshifters
who assume the forms of animals and
brawl, Beast Boy style.
Though conceptually this ts within the
"nature" shtick of at least some druids,
due to mechanical chicanery that is easily
exploitable which allows druids to be
 nal +1. unusually e ective combatants, this
A hyper-specialized, dedicated druid will mode of play has skewed the concept of
go all in on Primal +4, but putting a +1 into druid away from "nature magic user"
one of the other Archetypes goes a long towards "shapeshifter striker tank".
way towards suggesting a more interesting On the plus side, a class that was
background for the character. Focused is previously not played very often in earlier
probably the most common secondary editions gained popularity commensurate
Archetype splash for druids. with its perceived empowerment.
Focused +1 is an excellent choice for a When making a druid character in
druid who is sharp of wit, physically t, Path nder Fate Accelerated, you are free
perceptive, and quick on their toes. to adhere to the Path nder / 3e version
Combative +1 is a good choice for a druid of the druid concept, or you can harken
that prefers to use weapons rather than back to ealier versions from an edition of
spells or shapeshifted teeth and claws to Advanced D&D, or you can more loosely
in ict harm. make whatever your idea of a druid might
be.
In D&D it is kind of a thing that druids
tend to use scimitars, sickles, A lot of design space ts nicely under
scythes...weapons with s's and c's in the the broad label of "druid", and Path nder
name essentially; however you are free to Fate Accelerated encourages you to
ignore this trope if you like. explore it to nd interesting character
concepts.
Roguish +1 is an unusual choice as there
isn't much synergy between Roguish and
Primal. However, there is the idea of a
"urban druid" in the source material, and
Roguish +1 and a Stunt or two can model
that idea.
Arcane +1 would be an extremely odd choice, most likely taken to anchor an unusual
background concept. On the other hand, if you want to play a arcanist with a nature
theme you might go the other way and consider something like a sorcerer with the
verdant bloodline.
Divine +1 is a complicated choice.
Nature priests of gods like Erastil and Gozreh are an odd breed, as in D&D the
di erence between druids and priests who worship gods with nature related portfolios
has always been an area where the class system shows its rough edges. But in Path nder
Fate Accelerated terms a priest of a nature god can go Divine +1, Primal +3, which
abstracts away from the problem.

This will allow your character to have

Nature Priest : Because I worship a nature
appropriate levels of competence in
deity I am in tune with both divine and
natural settings. If you don't want your
primal forces. When using Primal to
character's casting to su er from having
work magic I may add my Divine
split Archetypes, you might also take a
capability as a bonus.
Stunt similar to Nature Priest but it isn't
required.

Note that while the concept of a vague "green faith" also exists in the source material
Primal amply covers that idea on its own; Divine is not necessary.

Vadok is a simple, earnest man dedicated to the service of the nature god Erastil, Old
Deadeye. Also a skilled archer and accompanied by a powerful divinely invested puma
named Aadat, Vadok is a erstwhile defender of common rustic folk and the ideal of
man living in harmony with nature.

Nikade is a con dent and tempestuous young man dedicated to the service of the
volatile nature god Gozreh, the master of Wind and Wave. Armed with a divinely
invested harpoon, and capable of bending the very weather to his will when necessary,
Nikade is a powerful exponent of his unpredictable patron's interests in the material
world.

Approach Considerations
Druids are rarely Forceful or Flashy . Similarly, Quick is not a trait generally associated
with druids, who tend towards ruminating, pondering, and waiting for auspicious
moments to do things.
Druids are very often Careful in their wisdom, and mysteriously Sneaky when it comes
to keeping secrets, tending hidden lore, reading forebodding signs, as well as more
prosaically avoiding notice while moving around in the wildlands.
Many druids know a great deal about a lot of things and are Clever in their sagacity and
disciplined thinking.

What Kind Of Druid, Exactly?

Generally speaking, when de ning a character in Path nder Fate Accelerated that you
envision falling into the "druid" category, you might start out by asking yourself the
following questions:

Elements, Hierarchy, Balance

1. What form does my nature worship
take; the "green faith", animism,
totemism, spiritualism, or something
else?
2. Is maintaining balance between nature
and civilization or between more
metaphysical concepts of good, evil,
law, and chaos an important facet of my
druid?
3. Is changing forms into one or more
animals an important facet of my druid?
Some older versions of D&D presented
druids as having a strong connection with
the Elemental Planes of Air, Earth, Fire,
Water.
Also, some materials presented the
concept of circles of druids with a strict
hierarchical leadership working behind a
veil of mystery to maintain the "natural
order" and "balance" or neutrality
between the moral and ethical poles.
Some players might want to incorporate
one or both of these themes into their
4. Is my druid accompanied on their
adventures by one or more exceptional
animal companions?
What Kind Of Nature Worship?
Determining your characters particular
relationship with nature, their world view,
and their belief system is probably the
most important decision you will make
during character creation.
Answering this question should impact
your High Concept and probably your
Trouble, at the very least, and might help
inform your selection of other abilities.
Maintaining A Balance?
In some versions of the source material
druids actively concern themselves with
maintaining some kind of "balance".
In some cases this is presented as the
mundane balancing between unsullied
nature and encroaching civilization. In
other cases it is presented as a
metaphysical balancing act between the
moral and ethical poles of the D&D
alignment system and aligned material
plane and extra-planar agents and
exponents.
Deciding if you want to incorporate such
ideas into your character will help guide
your choice of Aspects, possibly one or
more Stunts, and the portrayal of your
druid character.
Iasa is an ancient and aloof Elven deep
wood druid, profoundly attuned to the
natural order and his people's long
history of living in balance with nature.
Accompanied by his loyal ally, the
kingly eagle Aarea, Iasa pursues some
mysterious thread of fate.
Currently he seeks an ancient elven
artifact, but what ultimate goal he
labors towards remains a secret, like so
many other mysteries Iasa chooses not
to share.
druid concepts.
The Green Faith
In the world of Golarion, the Green Faith
(also known as the Old Faith, the Great Eld,
or the Wyrd) is a belief system based on the
idea that natural forces are worthy of
attention, respect, and veneration.
The Green Faith is more a philosophy than
an outright religion; it is a way of viewing the
world. The Green Faith can be found
anywhere where nature still holds sway and
has not yet succumbed completely to the
ravages of civilization, whether it be deep
forests, ocean coasts, searing deserts, or
arctic tundra.
Followers of the Green Faith meditate daily,
commune with natural forms of power, and
show respect to nature in all things.
Druidism
Historically in our world, a Celtic druid was
a member of the educated, professional
class among the peoples of Gaul, Britain,
Ireland, and possibly elsewhere during the
Iron Age.
The druid caste included law-speakers,
poets and doctors, among other learned
professions, although the best known
among the druids were the religious leaders.
It is thought that the core of druidism was a
deep-seated belief in reincarnation; not just
in the transmigration of the soul from one
human form to another, but to other life
forms as well. This belief in reincarnation is
sometimes credited as a contributing factor
to the druidic penchant for blood sacri ces.
Shapeshifter?
Animism
If you want to incoporate changing into
Animism (from Latin animus, -i "soul, life")
animal forms into your concept you'll need is the worldview that non-human entities
to reserve Stunt slots for a Stunt like Wild (animals, plants, and inanimate objects or
Shape. Due to the high opportunity cost phenomena) possess a spiritual essence.
involved, this decision will have a big Animism encompasses the belief that there
impact on the nal disposition of your is no separation between the spiritual and
character. physical (or material) world, and souls or
An alternative to dedicating Stunt slots to spirits exist, not only in humans, but also in
such an ability is to rely on spell casting some other animals, plants, rocks,
geographic features such as mountains or
rather than Stunts to accomplish
rivers, or other entities of the natural
shapeshifting. Though it will be slower and
environment, including thunder, wind, and
more awkward during play due to the loss shadows.
of action e ciency caused by having to use
Create Advantage frequently, from a
Totemism
character design standpoint there is no real
Totemism is a system of belief in which
opportunity cost involved if you go this
each human is thought to have a spiritual
route.
connection or a kinship with the essence of
another being such as an animal or plant,
Lorisa is a hardened near-savage
often called a "spirit-being" or "totem."
Kellid from far Iobaria, gifted with the
speech of beasts, and the ability to take The totem is thought to interact with a
on the forms of many animals. given group or an individual and to serve as
their emblem or symbol, o ering protection,
She's as fearsome as an aggravated
grizzly, and those who are wise avoid and confering some measure of the totem's
her clawed ire. perceived attributes upon the chosen
recipients.
Animal Companions?
If you intend to incorporate one or more
animal companions into your concept,
you'll need to allocate one or more Stunt
slots to it.
If you do have an animal companion it
might be a speci c mighty beast who is a
signi cant NPC in their own right and an
important part of your character, or it
might just be the ability to summon or
control indigenous mundane animals as
needed.
 Shamanism
Shamanism is a practice that involves a
practitioner reaching altered states of
consciousness in order to encounter and
interact with a spirit world and channel
transcendental energies or spirits into this
world.
A shaman is a person regarded as having
access to, and in uence in, the world of
benevolent and malevolent spirits, who
typically enters into a trance state during a
ritual, and practices divination and healing.
Shamans gain knowledge and the power to
heal by entering into a spiritual world or a
similar "other" dimension.
Most shamans have dreams or visions that
tell them certain things. The shaman may
have or acquire many spirit guides, who
often guide and direct the shaman in their
travels in the spirit world.

Nevaren is a wild eyed and menacing master of the raven mysteries, able to call all
ravens and crows in his vicinity and bind the murder to his will.
A follower of the ancient Shoanti traditions of totemic animism, Nevaren is a
powerful shaman and wise man.
Attuned to the natural world and privvy to many secrets revealed by the totem of
the crafty Raven, he knows far more than he ever reveals.

Stunts
Druid characters might nd the following Stunt categories of interest: Primordial, Warrior,
Elemental, Durability.
The following Stunts are o ered as samples that might be relevant for some druids.
However, the best Stunts are those that are tailor made to t your concept, so don't
hesitate to come up with your own or work with your GM to de ne something that is
"just right" for your character. See the Stunt options document for ideas on how to do
this.

Uncanny Animystic
Most druids are deeply in touch with the natural world, and often have uncanny
abilities that are more than mundane such as the ability to grow gills, sense danger,
command undergrowth to ensnare the unwary, conjure an elemental weapons, or
assume the forms of various animals.
Amphibious Swimmer : Because I am amphibious, I may add my Primal capability
bonus when I am Focused while swimming. Additionally, while swimming
underwater I can hold my breath for an entire scene before having to come up
for air.

Blade Of Fire (-3) : Because of my elemental a nity I can conjure a aming magical
sword at will; I gain +1 to attack and defend and can use Primal in place of
Combatives while wielding it. If I get a boost while attacking or defending with it,
I may upgrade the boost to apply the Aspect On Fire! with two (2) invokes on it
to the opponent I am engaged with.

Danger Sense : Because I am unusually alert and perceptive I gain +3 while Quickly
Focused to notice things that are dangerous, fast moving, or pose an imminent
threat to my safety.

Entangling Undergrowth : Because I am a master of natural magics, when I am in a

rural area with vegetation, while I am Carefully Primal I may attempt to
overcome a Great (+4) di culty to cause the undergrowth in my zone or an
adjacent zone to animate and wrap itself around and entangle all targets. See
the Entangling Undergrowth pro le for details. I am immune to this e ect.

Entangling Undergrowth
Animated Undergrowth, Creeping Vines
Good At : Entangling (+5)
Limitation : An immobile construct anchored to its zone.
Hits : [1][1][1][1][1]

Hammer Of Stone (-3) : Because of my elemental a nity I can conjure a fearsome

stone hammer at will; I gain +1 to attack and defend and can use Primal in place
of Combatives while wielding it. If I get a boost while attacking or defending with
it, I may upgrade the boost to apply the Aspect Stunned! with two (2) invokes on
it to the opponent I am engaged with.

Natural Weapons : Because I have natural weapons and am skilled in their use, I
may use Focused instead of Combative when my natural weapons are relevant.
In situations where it matters I can choose to be treated as attacking
barehanded or attacking with a weapon, whichever bene ts me more in the
situation. Finally, though I can be inconvenienced and my natural weapons can
be fouled or restrained, being disarmed is generally o the table for me.
 Pass Without Trace : Because of my mastery of the natural world, I gain +1 when I
am Sneakily Primal while in the wildlands, I am unobstructed by undergrowth,
and if I take a full move I may move three zones instead of two. Finally, tracking
me in wildland areas is very di cult; those attempting it must overcome a
di culty equal to my ((Sneaky + Primal) * 2).

Wild Shape (-2)

Because I have the ability to change into the form of any normal animal of my
choice, I may spend a Fate point to temporarily assume an animal form. My
trappings magically change with me and are unavailable until I return to my
normal form.
When I change forms I move all of my Approach bonuses to a disposition
relevant to the animal form I am assuming, and I move all of my Archetype
bonuses to Focused (leaving all of my other Archetypes at +0). This lasts for an
entire scene unless I choose to return to normal, which ends the e ect.
Additionally, I may spend another Fate point to assume a di erent animal's
form, and I do not have to rst change back to normal.
When I change forms I gain an additional Aspect named for the animal form I
have assumed which I can invoke when my current animal form is relevant, and
which can be compelled whenever my animal form or lack of humanoid
anatomy might inconvenience me.
If the animal form I change into has natural weapons I may use Focused in
place of Combatives while in a physical con ict.
If the animal form I change into has an unusual form of movement, such as
the ight of a bird, the running of a wolf, or the swimming of a shark then I gain
that mode of movement while I am in that form as well, at the GM's discretion.
If the animal form I change into has an unusual or extra keen sense, such as
the low light vision of a cat, the olfactory senses of a canine, or the
echolocation of a bat then I gain that sense while I am in that form as well, at
the GM's discretion.
This stunt requires Primal +1 or better to use.

Durable Survivor
Many druids are unusually resilient survivors, capable of living through incredible
trauma and harsh conditions.

Immune To Acid : Because I am immune to acid, I am una ected by any malign

e ect that relies on acid.

Immune To Cold : Because I am immune to cold, I am una ected by any malign

e ect that relies on cold.
 Immune To Fire : Because I am immune to re, I am una ected by any malign
e ect that relies on re.

Immune To Electricity : Because I am immune to electricity, I am una ected by any

malign e ect that relies on electricity.

Immune To Mind-A ecting : Because I am immune to mind-a ecting abilities, I am

una ected by any malign e ect that relies on mental coersion or disorientation.

Immune To Poison : Because I am immune to poison, I am una ected by any

malign e ect that relies on poison.

Living O The Land : Because I am adept at surviving o of what nature o ers me,
I am always able to nd enough food and water to keep myself and a couple of
other people or animals healthy while in wildlands and rural areas (i.e. above
ground and not near a city or town). Additionally if I've had at least half a day to
become familiar with the terrain in a speci c area of wilderness I gain +1 on all
actions while being Primal. How large the area of wilderness might be is left to
the GM's discretion, but it should be at least ve square miles.

Primal Reduction : Because I am signi cantly more rugged, robust, and survivable
due to my deep connection with primal forces, I reduce by one (1) all physical
stress in icted on me, and I reduce by two (2) all environmental stress in icted
on me.

Primal Resistance : Because my primal nature and elemental a nity protects me, I
may use Primal to defend against non-Primal magical attacks without needing to
rst create an advantage to invoke.

Resilience : Because of my impressive resilience, once per session if I would take a

Consequence I may instead spend a Fate point.

Primal Hunter
Many druids are masters of the natural world, supreme trackers and hunters, canny
in their instincts, and feral in their ferocity.

Alertness : Because I am unusually alert and perceptive I gain +2 while Focused to

notice things.

Ambusher : Because I am great at setting up ambushes, I gain +1 when I Sneakily

set up an ambush or create a related advantage.
Foe Bane : Because I have a favored enemy Race, when I succesfully attack a target
of that Race I in ict +2 shifts of extra stress. Additionally, if my attack results in a
tie I may use the boost to in ict a single point of stress on the defender,
immediately, as a free action.

Hunting Archer : Because I am a master archer and hunter, I may use Primal
instead of Combative to attack with any kind of bow and arrow.

Pounce! : Because I excel at leaping into combat in a startling burst of aggression, I

gain +4 on my rst attack in a con ict if I act rst and can charge, lunge at, or
pounce upon an opponent.

Primal Pugilist : Because I am able to ght with my natural weapons and with feral
intensity, I may use Primal instead of Focused when ghting barehanded or
grappling.

Stalking Hunter : Because I am so good at stalking, hunting, and pouncing upon

prey unnoticed, I get +2 when I am Sneakily Primal and create advantage or
overcome challenges to set up and execute ambushes while in wildlands.

Strider : Because I am eet of foot and able to move quickly, if I am in a con ict
and do nothing in an exchange except move, I may move an extra zone and I am
unobstructed by foot hazards of less than knee height. If I am in a contest
involving me walking rapidly or running, I gain +1 to overcome while I am Quick.

Swamp Fighter : Because I am so adept at ghting within swampy areas and using
my environment e ectively, I may add Primal as a bonus when I am Combative
in swamps and marshlands.

Swamp Stride : Because of my mastery of the natural world, I gain +1 when I am

Sneakily Primal while in swamps and marshlands, I am unobstructed by
undergrowth and areas of water, and if I take a full move I may move three
zones instead of two. Finally, tracking me in swampy areas is very di cult; those
attempting it must overcome a di culty equal to my ((Sneaky + Primal) * 3).

Tracker : Because I am so good at tracking a quary, I get +2 when I am Carefully

Primal and create advantage or overcome challenges related to tracking things
down in wilderness settings.
 Urban Jungle : Because I have mastered the art of fading away, blending in, and
avoiding notice even in urban areas among people, I can use Primal instead of
Roguish to create advantage and overcome when attempting to avoid being
noticed in civilized areas (Primal is already usable for this in rural, wildland
areas).

Wilderness Runner : Because I am so swift and able to run for hours, I may add my
Primal capability bonus when I am Focused while running in wildlands.

Wilderness Warrior : Because I am so adept at stalking prey and hunting in the

wilderness, I may use Primal instead of Combative to attack when I am in the
wilderness.

Companions
Druids often have animal companions; see the Stunt options document for details on
how to incorporate companions into your character using Stunts.

Animal Companion (-3) : Because [describe the reason you have an animal
companion] , I have attracted a powerful animal companion that chooses to aid
me.

Animal Companion
Two (2) Aspects
Good At : Spread +4 around one to four skill-like abilities
Bad At : Spread -4 around one to four skill-like abilities
Stress [1][2][3]
Mild (2)
Moderate (4)

The ability to share the senses of an animal companion can be useful.

Companion's Senses : Because I share a mystical bond with my animal companion,

I may spend a Fate point to share their senses for a scene at a range of a few
dozen miles. This allows me to witness events through the senses of my
companion as if I were present. This can be detected by others with appropriate
senses as a Quick + Primal overcome action vs a Fantastic (+6) di culty.

Option: Prepared Casting

Path nder Fate Accelerated allows free casting by default, but some players might
prefer their druid to be a Prepared Caster; see the magic options guidelines for more
information.
 A common trope of the source material is the so-called "Vancian" magic concept,
wherein some kinds of spellcasters must "prepare" or "memorize" spells chosen from
their list of "known spells" and / or a "spellbook" ahead of time, and have a limited
number of slots determined by their "caster level" and rated in "spell levels".
It's all a bit cumbersome, adds a lot of bookkeeping and extra verbiage, and also forces
that type of character to guess what spells they'll need through the course of the day and
then puts pressure on them to hoard their memorized spells like a miser. But, it does
have the bene t of long familiarity, and some people enjoy the extra mental challenge
and tension it instills.
Path nder Fate Accelerated allows free-casting without spell per day or even hard spell
level limits. This is a fast and loose style of play, and it's weighted so as to keep
spellcasters roughly equivalent in potency to non-spellcasters. However, if the GM and
group want to include prepared casting semantics into their game, it can be "turned" on
for a given character at the cost of a Stunt.
The below Stunt is appropriate for Primal characters such as druids, who must have
Primal +2 or better to qualify for it. Note that this allows a character with less than Primal
+3 to cast more than cantrips; the low number of uses and lack of free-casting
compensates.
 Prepared Caster (Primal)

Because of my devotion to primordial

Using Spell Write-ups
nature, each morning I may 'prepare' a
number of 'rites' equal to ((Careful +
Sneaky) * Primal).
To prepare a rite I roll 4dF against a
Mediocre (+0) di culty, adding a
preparation bonus equal to double my
Primal bonus.
I temporarily gain a new personal
Aspect corresponding to the rite I
prepared with one invoke, and
annotated with the margin of success .
Later during the day I may 'cast' a
prepared rite by invoking its Aspect as
an action and resolving the rite using
the previously rolled margin of success.
If I am preparing a rite from a write-
up that indicates an Approach be
combined with Primal to cast the rite,
with language such as 'while Sneakily
Primal', I ignore the requirement and
use my prepared bonus instead.
If I am preparing a rite from a write-
up that states a particular di culty
level, with language such as 'vs a
Good (+3) di culty)', the previously
rolled margin of success is applied
against the stated di culty when I
'cast' it; any remaining shifts can be
allocated per the simple magic
guidelines.

It is possible for a rite resolution to fail if the margin of success is insu cient to
the di culty or if I am opposed successfully. I can spend a Fate point at this time
to add +2 shifts to the margin of success.
Unfortunately due to my focus on prepared casting, I cannot free cast anything
other than simple primal e ects known as favors.

NOTE: as Prepared Casting is handled as a Stunt and Fate Accelerated characters are
allowed to swap Stunts at milestones, it is technically possible for strange shenanigans to
come up. However, it is recommended that Prepared Casting Stunts be anchored by a
character's High Concept, and can thus only be taken or removed when an appropriate
High Concept is taken or changed. This equates to character creation and major
milestones, and avoids casual uctuations.

Known Spells List

As a rule of thumb prepared casters start play knowing about twice as many spells as
they can cast per day. Thus a prepared caster than can prepare twelve (12) spells per
day would start play knowing around twentyfour (24) spells, give or take a couple.
However to avoid forcing a player to go through the chore of picking them all up front,
which is a bar to starting play, with the GM's permission a player can just select
enough spells to start the game and retroactively add more to the list of known spells
as they are thought up until they hit their limit.
Finally, prepared casters can learn more spells after play starts as they encounter
scrolls and spellbooks. How long it takes, whether a roll is involved, hand-waved or
played out...Path nder Fate Accelerated prefers to focus on narrative driven play and
doesn't take a stance on bookkeeping minutia where it can be avoided. Therefore it is
assumed to take some "o screen" time to learn new spells by default, but the entire
matter is left to the GM's discretion.
Some sample spells are provided, and players are also free to come up with their
own per GM's discretion.
Pros and Cons of Prepared Casting
There are some interesting permutations to the choice to play a prepared caster.
Prepared casters:
Get a large bonus on their roll to prepare.
Can apply spells that they are pretty sure are going to work to a situation, because
they already know how many shifts are available to the spell rather than having
to hope they succeed at a 4dF roll at the time of casting.
Don't have to use create advantage actions when the "heat is on" to set up more
esoteric spells, o ering better action economy.
Get potentially far fewer spells per day than characters using the free-casting
model, but as the saying goes "enough is as good as a feast". Eventually a
prepared caster can cast a su cient number of spells to get through a typical
session of play.
Excel if sessions are short as their limited number of spells is mitigated.
Lag if sessions are longer with multiple encounters.
Lag if the player guesses wrong about what will be useful, or runs out of spells too
soon, or hoards their spells so tightly they end up not doing anything.
Prepared Casting Example
For instance, Amarzedrin can prepare up to twelve (12) spells per day. Each time he prepares
a spell, he rolls 4dF and adds +8 (his Arcane bonus, doubled). One morning he prepares
Fireball (and eleven (11) other spells). For the Fireball preparation he rolls ++-[] for a total of
+9. Amarzedrin's player writes down the personal Aspect "Prepared Fireball (+9) [ ]" on a scrap
of paper.
Because it is useful to this example, it makes sense that later in the day Amarzedrin is
confronted by a couple of mobs of goblins (represented as mooks), damn the luck.
Deciding to not waste time and risk injury, Amarzedrin invokes Prepared Fireball. The
Prepared Fireball Aspect is removed from play as it has been expended, and the nine (9) shifts
from his margin of success are used to power a Fireball spell e ect.
Amarzedrin splits his nine (9) shifts into a group of ve (5) shifts and a group of four (4) shifts
and allocates each set of shifts as stress to the two goblin mobs. The rst group of goblins
defends at +0 (they are not spellcasters, and have no relevant skill-like abilities) and roll +--- for
a total of -2. Amarzedrin succeeds with style and may take a boost at the cost of a shift; but for
purposes of the example he opts to just blow them up.
The second group of goblins is actually a goblin pyromancer and his apprentice...of course!
They have a relevant Fire Magic skill-like ability at +3, and roll +++- for a total of Superb (+5),
and defend successfully. Looks like Amarzedrin has a ght on his hands.