Draw Steel skill
Magic Lore
Magic Lore is a skill in Draw Steel: Knowledge of magical traditions, rituals, and phenomena: what an effect is and where it came from.
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Key facts
- Characteristic
- Reason
Overview
Magic Lore is the scholar's side of the supernatural: naming the tradition behind a glowing sigil, recognizing a summoning circle by its geometry, knowing which order taught this ritual and what it costs. It is a Reason skill because it is learned theory rather than raw talent. It comes up at wards and enchanted doors, over unidentified items, in libraries, and whenever the party needs to know what a magical effect will do before someone touches it.
How it works
Characteristic: Reason. Skill group: Reason skills. Test: 2d10 + Reason; 11 or lower is tier 1, 12 to 16 tier 2, 17 or higher tier 3. Training grants a benefit and unlocks attempts untrained heroes cannot make. How it is used: Tier 3 names the effect, its tradition, and its likely trigger or weakness. Tier 2 identifies the general category. Tier 1 yields nothing, or a wrong guess the party may act on. Edges and banes: Notes, a library, or a familiar tradition grants an edge (+2). Alien magic, deliberately disguised workings, or examining an effect at a distance imposes a bane (-2).
Tips and playstyle
Best for: Elementalists, Conduits, and Talents, and any party that meets more wards than monsters. Character concepts: Sage career researcher, Mage's Apprentice, academic upbringing in an arcane academy. Synergies: Disrupt Magic to act on what you identified, Psionics when the source is mental, Timescape for effects that reach beyond this world.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be a caster to take Magic Lore?
No. It is academic knowledge. Any hero can study magic without being able to work it.
Does Magic Lore let me use a scroll or ritual I find?
It tells you what the thing is and what it demands. Whether you can perform it depends on your class and the Director's ruling.