This section introduces such things as mighty Wizards, magical spells and sorcerous items into the Warhammer game. In the Warhammer world, magic is a very real force - a force to be both feared and respected. Only beings that possess awesome mental and physical power can even hope to bend the powers of magic to their will. Lesser persons would be consumed in an instant - their minds torn apart by unfettered energies and their souls dragged to the darkest underworld by cackling daemons. Even the most accomplished sorcerers walk a narrow path between ultimate power and eternal damnation.

You will learn much from the pages that follow about how magic works in the Warhammer world, about the different kinds of spells, and about the ever present dangers of meddling with dark, sorcerous forces. Before we begin, let us make sure that we are properly prepared!

Cast
The player decides that one of his Wizards is casting a spell. He nominates the target of the spell and decides how many Power dice he wants to use to cast the spell. The number of Power dice he can use is limited by the caster’s level.

To cast a spell successfully, the caster must roll equal to or greater than the casting value of the spell. Add the results of the dice together to determine how difficult the spell will be to dispel.

If two or more of the dice come up as 6s, the spell is cast with Irresistible Force and cannot be dispelled. If any two or more dice come up as 1s, the spell is Miscast (refer to the Miscast table).

Dispel
The opposing player may attempt to counter the spells using one or more of his Dispel dice. He will have to roll equal to or greater than the score rolled by the casting player. If two or more dice comes up as 1s, the dispel automatically fails.

Spell Fails or Spell Succeeds
Apply the effect of the spell if it succeeds.

Cast Again
Provided that he has more spells to cast and more Power dice remain, the player whose turn it is can cast again.

Dispel any Spells in Play
Once the first player ahs finished casting his spells, the opposing player may dispel any spells in play if he has any Dispel dice left.

The casting player may use any remaining Power dice that he has to try and dispel spells in play.

In the Warhammer game we commonly refer to a model able to cast spells as a Wizard. Some races use different terms, such as Sorcerer, Mage, Shaman or Seer, but all of these and others are considered to be types of Wizard. Their use in the game is covered by the rules described on the following pages.

In the player's Magic phase, his Wizards can cast spells. These can be terribly destructive, or powerfully protective, or might confer special abilities on the caster or other models. A comprehensive list of spells is given later.

Some races have their own unique types of spell which they can use instead of those in this book. These are not described here as there are a great many, and they are only of specific interest to a player who owns that particular army. They are therefore included in the Warhammer Army book for each race.

No two Wizards in the Warhammer world are identical in power or knowledge, but in the game we divide Wizards into four degrees of ability called Levels.

Level 1: Wizards of the First Level are those of basic ability, although they are mighty practitioners of magic in everyday terms.

Level 2: Wizards of the Second Level are experienced spell casters whose powers are significantly greater than mere First Level Wizards.

Level 3: Wizards of the Third Level are great sorcerers of a kind rarely seen on the battlefield except in times of dire need.

Level 4: Wizards of the Fourth Level are the most mighty of all Wizards, the very equals of kings amongst the realms of sorcery.

The higher a Wizard's Level, the greater his ability to draw magical power from the swirling winds of magic, either for his own use or that of his fellow Wizards.

Each Wizard begins the game with one pre-generated spell for each Magic Level he has. We'll explain how to generate spells later. For now it is sufficient to know that First Level Wizards have one spell, Second Level Wizards have two spells, and so on.

In a player's Magic phase, which follows the Movement phase, each of his Wizards can attempt to cast each of his spells only once. Spell casting is determined by rolling dice, and the number of dice available to roll limits the number of spells that can be attempted. Fleeing or dead Wizards cannot attempt to cast spells.

Wizards cannot cast spells at units in close combat, unless specifically noted in the spell's description.

At the start of the Magic phase, the player whose turn it is takes two dice and adds one further dice for each First Level Wizard, two dice for each Second Level Wizard, three dice for each Third Level Wizard, and four dice for each Fourth Level Wizard in his army. Some magic items also add bonus dice. All of these dice are called Power dice. The dice are expended throughout the Magic phase when rolling to cast spells, so it is important that all of the Power dice are placed in a pile directly in front of the player where they can be seen, or alternatively placed into a cup, a box or some other convenient place where they will not get mixed up with other dice used in the game. Alternatively, the players may wish to use different coloured dice to represent Power dice. Fleeing or dead Wizards do not generate Power dice.

At the same time as the player whose turn it is makes a pile of Power dice, his opponent makes a pile of Dispel dice. To do so, he takes two dice (four in the case of a Dwarf army) and adds one further dice for each First or Second Level Wizard, or Dwarf Runesmith or Runelord in his army regardless of Level, and two dice for each Third or Fourth Level Wizard in his army. As with Power dice, magic items can add to the Dispel pile. As with Power dice, the Dispel dice can be placed into a cup, box or some other convenient place where they will not get mixed up with other dice used in the game. The Dispel dice are expended throughout the Magic phase when attempting to dispel spells that have been cast by the opposing player. Fleeing or dead Wizards do not generate Dispel dice.

Once the players have gathered the appropriate number of dice into their Power dice pile or Dispel dice pile the player whose turn it is can begin to cast spells.

Note that characters on their own, large monsters, war machines, etc, are classed as units as well, so spells that target units can be cast on these targets. Characters in units cannot be targeted separately unless otherwise noted.

A unit is considered to be the target of a spell if any of the models in the unit are affected by the spell.

Fleeing Wizards are not allowed to cast or dispel spells. Fleeing Wizards do not add any dice to the Dispel dice or Power dice pool. Note that Wizards who are rallied before the Magic Phase are allowed to cast spells and can dispel as normal. Dispel dice can even be used if the player has no Wizards.