RED ELF
How to Cast a Spell

To cast a spell, a Wizard chooses and nominates one of his spells to cast and then declares the target of the spell.

Each spell has an associated casting value which varies from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 15. When a Wizard attempts to cast a spell, the player can roll a number of dice from his Power dice pile equal to the amount indicated in the table below. So, for example, a First Level Wizard may only roll a maximum of two dice to cast a spell. The result is the total of the dice rolled.

For example, if one dice scores 4 the result is 4, if two dice score 4 and 6 the result is 10, if three dice score 3, 5 and 6 the result is 14.

If the result equals or exceeds the spell's casting value the spell is successfully cast. If the result is less than the spell's casting value, it is not cast, In either case, all dice rolled are 'expended' and removed from the Power dice pile. As can be appreciated, the chances of casting a spell can be increased by rolling more dice, but doing so will reduce the number remaining and hence the chances of casting further spells.

If a spell is successfully cast, the opposing player can make one attempt to dispel it. He rolls as many Dispel dice as he wishes and compares the total of the scores with the score rolled by the caster's Power dice. If the result is equal to or higher than the caster's score, the spell is dispelled - it is not cast and has no effect. As Dispel dice are rolled they are expended, reducing the player's ability to dispel further spells.

Minimum 3 to Cast

No matter how powerful a Wizard might be, he cannot cast a spell where the total of the dice result is less than 3. A result of 1 or 2 is always considered a failure, despite any modifiers. This is true regardless of any bonuses that might apply in any form, whether from a magic item or some other source. When rolling to cast a spell, a result of 1 or 2 is always a failure.

Miscasts and Irresistible Force

So far we have seen that spells are cast by rolling a result equal to or more than the required casting score. In addition, there are two special rules that apply to all Wizards when they cast spells: these are Miscasts and Irresistible Force.

When rolling to cast a spell, if the player rolls two or more 1s, the spell is a Miscast. The spell automatically fails to cast regardless of the total result. Something goes horribly wrong. Refer to the Miscast table to discover what horrible fate has befallen your Wizard.

When rolling to cast a spell, any result of two or more natural 6s means that the spell has been cast with Irresistible Force. The spell is cast successfully and the enemy cannot attempt to stop it working, as described below. It cannot be resisted!

As astute readers will have realised, the chances of rolling a Miscast or Irresistible Force is increased by rolling more dice. Such is the nature of magical power! If a spell miscasts and is cast with Irresistible Force at the same time (eg, from four dice the player rolls two 1s and two 6s) then the spell counts as a Miscast. Miscasts take precedence in this case.

With Miscasts and Irresistible Force it is the actual dice scores that are considered, irrespective of bonuses and before any re-rolls from magic items are taken. A re-roll cannot cause a spell to be cast with Irresistible Force, nor can it prevent a Miscast.

Miscast Table

 Roll 2D6 as your opponent cackles maniacally
2D6
Result
2
The collected magical power explodes in a ball of energy. Models in base contact, friend or foe, suffer one Strength 10 hit, as does the casting Wizard.
3
There is an explosion of dazzling colors and sulfur as the Wizard loses the control of the spell. The caster is blasted D6” in a random direction (use the Artillery dice to determine the direction) and cannot cast further spells until he rolls a 6 on a D6 at the start of his Magic phase. If blasted into another model he stops and both take one Strength 10 hit. If blasted into a wall, wood, or solid object, the caster takes one Strength 10 hit.
4
The magical energies escape as the Wizard loses his concentration. The opposing player may immediately cast any one of his own spells of the same casting difficulty rating or less. No casting roll is required—the spell is automatically cast—but can be dispelled by the player whose turn it is by using Power dice in the same way as Dispel dice. A player needs to beat the basic casting value of the spell to dispel it.
5
The caster is knocked of his feet by a sorcerous explosion. He cannot shoot or attack this turn, is hit automatically in close combat and cannot cast any magic this turn or in his next turn, but is otherwise unaffected.
6-7
The caster loses control of his spell and struggles to keep the magical energies in check. He cannot cast any more spells in this Magic phase.
8-9
A massive vortex of power drains away the sorcerous energy. Any remaining Power dice held by the player are removed and the Magic Phase ends.
10
The caster is racked by sorcerous power and suffers 1 wound with no saves allowed.
11
Ravaged by the power of Chaos the Wizard loses some of his power. The caster’s Magic Level is reduced by –1 and he cannot attempt to cast the spell that he has miscast for the rest of the battle. If the caster’s Magic Level is reduced to 0 he can cast no further spells for the rest of the battle, but he still counts as a First Level Wizard for the purposed of calculating the number of Dispel dice only.
12
The caster’s mind is ravaged by the power of a hideous Daemon who’s attention the spellcaster has drawn. The spell he attempted to cast is successful and counts as having been cast with Irresistible Force, but the caster cannot cast any more spells for the duration of the battle, and generates no Dispel or Power dice.

Daemon Spellcasters

The fact that units of Daemons can cast spells has given rise to a few anomalies, which are addressed here.

For the purposes of line of sight, measuring ranges, etc, nominate one of the Daemons to be a focal point, in effect this Daemon is casting the spell with the power generated by the unit. On spells which affect only the Wizard (such as Flaming Sword of Rhuin) this only has an effect on the nominated Daemon, not the whole unit! A Daemon cannot use magic to leave its unit (casting Steed of Shadows, for example).

Daemons use this slightly modified Miscast table:

Daemonic Miscast Table

 Roll 2D6
2D6
Result
2
The collected magical power explodes in a ball of energy. Models in base contact with nominated Daemon, friend or foe, suffer one Strength 10 hit, as does the Daemon.
3
The nominated Daemon takes a S10 hit immediately. The unit cannot cast spells until you roll a 6 on a D6 at the start of his Magic phase.
4
The magical energies escape as the Daemon loses his concentration. The opposing player may immediately cast any one of his own spells of the same casting difficulty rating or less. No casting roll is required—the spell is automatically cast—but can be dispelled by the player whose turn it is by using Power dice in the same way as Dispel dice. A player needs to beat the basic casting value of the spell to dispel it.
5
The nominated daemon and the rest of the unit are knocked of their feet by a sorcerous explosion. Unit cannot shoot or attack this turn, is hit automatically in close combat and cannot cast any magic this turn or in its next turn, but is otherwise unaffected.
6-7
The nominated daemon in the unit loses control of his spell and struggles to keep the magical energies in check. Unit cannot cast any more spells in this Magic phase.
8-9
A massive vortex of power drains away the sorcerous energy. Any remaining Power dice held by the player are removed and the Magic Phase ends.
10
The nominated Daemon is racked by sorcerous power and suffers 1 wound with no saves allowed.
11
Ravaged by the power of Chaos the unit-caster loses some of his power. The unit-caster’s Magic Level is reduced by –1 and he cannot attempt to cast the spell that he has miscast for the rest of the battle. If the unit-caster’s Magic Level is reduced to 0 it can cast no further spells for the rest of the battle, but it still counts as a First Level Wizard for the purposed of calculating the number of Dispel dice only.
12
The daemons` minds in the unit-caster are ravaged by the power of a hideous Greater Daemon who’s attention the unit-spellcaster has drawn. The spell it attempted to cast is successful and counts as having been cast with Irresistible Force, but the unit-caster cannot cast any more spells for the duration of the battle, and generates no Dispel or Power dice.

Spells with Templates

Certain spells utilise one of the templates provided with the game. When using templates, any models whose base is completely under the template are considered to be affected by the spell. Models whose bases are not covered by it have been lucky enough to escape.

Spells in Play

Most spells are cast instantly and their effect is worked out at once. For instance, the Fire Ball spell is cast, it strikes a target and damage is resolved. In this case, the spell has no further effect in the game during the same Magic phase, and the spell cannot be cast again in that Magic phase.

Some spells last for longer than this and they are said to Remain in Play or Last One Turn. These spells cannot be cast again while they remain in play.