How to Play
Sorcery
Words of Power
Throughout play, characters gain Words of Power (e.g. Blast, Bind, Smoke, Frog). Each word represents a concept that can be used in spellcasting.
- Words can be combined freely
- Players describe what they hope their spell will do.
- The GM adjudicates outcomes based on the Outcome, Words Used, and Intention.
- Once a Word of Power is used it is expended for the Long Rest. Abilities may grant you up to an additional 5 uses Maximum per Long Rest.
- You may learn a Word of Power more than once, if you do gain an additional use instead.
Words of Power
Words of Power are fragments of magic given form through language. Each Word represents a concept — such as Fire, Bind, Leap, Shadow, or Heal — and can be combined with other Words to create unique Sorceries. Rather than learning fixed spells, characters shape magic through creativity, intention, and the Words they know.
A single Word might create a simple focused effect, while combining multiple Words allows for more complex magic. For example, Fire could ignite a torch or scorch an enemy, while Fire Bind might conjure burning chains to restrain a target. Shadow Step could allow a caster to vanish into darkness and reappear elsewhere. The Words define the intent of the Sorcery — the Throw determines how well it succeeds.
Casting a Spell
To cast a spell:
- Choose 1–3 Words of Power
- Combine them into a spell (e.g. Frog Blast, Smoke Bind)
- Describe the spell’s intention
- Resolve the action with a Throw using an appropriate Skill
Resolving Sorcery
- Sorcery is resolved like any other action using a Throw. The final Outcome Number determines how the spell manifests:
- Strong Success → the spell works as intended, often with added effect
- Success → the spell works more or less as described by the player
- Partial Success → the spell misfires, weakens, or creates complications
- Failure → the intent of the spell is changed in an unexpected way
What Skill to Use
While Spellcraft and other Sorcery-based skills are the most common ways to cast spells, Words of Power can be used with any skill, as long as the player can justify how it applies.
Word Limits
The number of words used affects the scale of the spell:
- 1 Word → simple, focused
- 2 Words → stronger or more versatile
- 3 Words → large, complex, or risky
- Spells may not use more than 3 Words of Power unless stated otherwise.
Spell Levels & Intent
Words of Power are obtained primarily through your character’s Archetype and Pathway. Words are divided into three Levels according to the scale and complexity of the effects they can produce:
- Level 1 — Simple Words: Common, limited effects.
- Level 5 — Complex Words: Uncommon, powerful or versatile effects.
- Level 10 — Devastating Words: Unique, extraordinary or far-reaching effects. When you cast a Sorcery, its Level is determined by the highest-level Word of Power used to create it. The Sorcery’s Level provides a guideline for the scale, number of targets and overall impact of the intended effect.
Multiple Words can be combined to make the Sorcery broader or more complex. The table below provides a guideline for what a Sorcery can reasonably accomplish based on its Level and the number of Words used.
| Level 1 | Level 5 | Level 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Word | Simple Effect. Affect 1 target, a small object, or an immediate area. | Powerful Effect. Affect up to 3 targets or a small group within an immediate area. | Devastating Effect. Affect up to 5 targets or everyone within a substantial area. |
| 2 Words | Developed Effect. Affect up to 2 targets, or combine two simple ideas into a more specific effect. | Major Effect. Affect up to 5 targets, a sizeable group, or combine two complex ideas into a substantial effect. | Extraordinary Effect. Affect up to 8 targets, a crowd, or produce an exceptionally complex or far-reaching effect. |
| 3 Words | Complex Effect. Affect up to 3 targets, a small group, or combine several simple ideas into one Sorcery. | Grand Effect. Affect up to 10 targets, a crowd, or produce an elaborate effect with several components. | Legendary Effect. Affect any number of reasonable targets within the Sorcery's area, or create a truly transformative effect appropriate to the fiction. |
Obtaining Words of Power
Words of Power can be gained in many ways throughout play, though they are most often granted by a character’s Archetype or Pathway. All archetypes have access to sorcery, but it manifests differently depending on their focus. More martial characters tend to express magic in grounded, physical ways, using words such as LEAP or PUNCH, while more arcane archetypes draw on stranger, less tangible forces. However the world of SSS&S is wrought with magic and players may find themselves learning new Words of Power simply by performing great feats or from ancient texts or having the word accidentally infused into them.
Combining Words of Power
When casting a spell, players are encouraged to combine their Words of Power into a phrase that sounds like a natural incantation.
To do this, you may add simple connecting words or change the suffix of words using: “of”, “the”, “and”, “to”, “into”, “through”, “from”, “-ing”, “-tion”, “-er”.
- Connecting words are purely flavour
- They do not add power, but can change the spell’s intention
- They do not count toward the number of Words used — only the original Words of Power determine what the spell can do.
- Words define intent, not power.
Words of Power should feel powerful. Players should understand the difference between doing something normally and invoking Sorcery. Someone attempting a jump might clear a gap, but someone using the Word of Power LEAP or JUMP may soar five to ten times higher than should be possible.
Example: Smoke Step
The alley is tight, wet stone underfoot, walls closing in. Ahead, a guard steps into the gap, spear levelled. There’s no way around him. “Stop!” says the guard Mara doesn’t slow. “I’m not fighting him. I’ve got Smoke and Step — I want to cast Smoke Step using the {SNEAK} skill. Just… vanish and slip past him.” “SNEAK skill seems appropriate here.” Agrees the GM. Mara wins the bo3 with an outcome of +4. The guard commits to a thrust — and the world bursts into smoke. For a heartbeat, he’s sure he had her. Then nothing… The smoke hangs in the air, curling and thinning, and Mara is already past him, boots hitting stone on the far side of the alley. She doesn’t stop running.
Example: Bone Mirror’s Call
Nathan kneels in a chalk circle, words laid out before him: Bone Mirror’s Call. He’s attempting a {WEIRD} skill check. “I’m trying to reach… whatever’s on the other side.” The GM nods. “Make a Throw.” Hands clash. A loss. A draw. Another loss. The outcome is not good, -2. The circle flickers. Nathan’s finishes the incantation. For a moment, the mirror answers. Then it cracks. Something pushes through—not fully, not clean—and the room bends with it. The chalk circle smears, the air turns cold, and Nathan is thrown back as something else takes hold of the space he opened. It worked. Just not the way he wanted.