Spells

The Spell list on your character sheet shows all of your character’s spells (p. B242), their levels, points spent, and notes on how they work.

GCS does not automate spellcasting. You must manually:

• Subtract FP (or HP) costs from your Point pools.
• Apply any effects or conditions from the spell to your character sheet.

You can add important reminders as Notes, or use the Page References to jump directly to the rules in your PDF.

Master Library

GCS includes hundreds of official spells in the Master Library. See Library Explorer for more details.

You can also create your own custom spells.

Spell list

The spell list on your character sheet includes the following columns. Select a column heading to sort ascending or descending .

Column	Description
Spell	The spell name and any notes, including Magic Ritual information. Select the notes icon to open or close the notes for this spell.
SL	The calculated skill level, based on its controlling attribute and points spent.
Rsl	The relative skill level compared to its controlling attribute. For example, IQ+2.
Pts	The total points you’ve invested in the spell.
	Page reference for the skill. See Page References for more details.
	Tracks whether the skill matches the official Master Library. See Master Library Syncing in Character Sheet Overview

Adding spells

To add a spell:

1. Open a Spell library from the Master Library.
2. Choose the spell you want.
3. Add the spell in one of two ways:
   • Drag it from the library to your sheet, or
   • Right-click it and select Copy to Character Sheet.

You can also create a new custom spell:

• On your character sheet, go to Item > New Spell.

Important

Many spells have prerequisites. If you add one without meeting its requirements, GCS shows an error below it. Hover over the error to see what’s missing.

When you add a spell:

• GCS highlights the block where it can be dropped. No matter where you drag it, it goes to the right location.
• The Points block updates automatically. Points spent on spells reduce your unspent points.
• The spell’s starting level is calculated automatically, based on its controlling attribute. Changing an attribute can change the skill level.
• Ritual information: Casting time, cost, and other ritual details (p. B237) are automatically calculated based on your spell level. These appear as notes under the spell on your character sheet.
• Magery modifiers: If your character has Magery, the appropriate modifiers are automatically applied to spells.

Points and costs

• Most spells require at least 1 point to purchase.
• Higher spell levels cost more points, based on the Skill Cost Table (p. B170).

Managing spells

You can change spells on your sheet in a few ways.

Incrementing points vs. increasing levels

Increment:

• Adds (or removes) one point at a time.
• Depending on the skill cost table (p. B170), several points may be required before the spell increases to the next level.

To add (or remove) points:

• Right-click the spell and select Increment (or Decrement), or
• Go to Edit > Increment (or Decrement).

Increase Spell Level:

• Raises (or lowers) the spell’s actual level directly.
• GCS automatically adds (or removes) the correct number of points based on the skill cost table.

To increase (or decrease) the spell level:

• Right-click the spell and select Increase Skill Level (or Decrease Skill Level), or
• Go to Edit > Increase Skill Level (or Decrease Skill Level).

Tip

Use Increment when you’re tracking gradual training. Use Increase Skill Level if you want to jump directly to the next full level.

Tracking study time

You can also track study time for spells. See Study time for more details.

Tip

When tracking study time for spells, don’t forget that Magery reduces the required hours (p. B66). Update the Standard learning hours setting in the Study section to reflect this reduction.

Organizing spells with containers

Spells can be grouped into Containers to keep related magic together.

For example:

• Group all Fire College spells into one container.
• You can also use containers when building Character templates to require a caster picks a certain number of spells.

Deleting a spell

To delete a spell:

• Right-click it and select Delete, or
• Select it and go to Edit > Delete.

Ritual Magic Spells

GCS also supports Ritual Magic Spells, which work similarly to standard spells but with a few differences:

• Creating Ritual Magic Spells:
  • On your character sheet, go to Edit > New Ritual Magic Spell.
• Field differences:
  • Ritual Magic spells include a Base Skill field. This is usually the Ritual Magic skill, but you can select another if appropriate.
  • The Difficulty field is restricted to Average (A) or Hard (H), per the Ritual Magic rules.
• Automatic calculation:
  • GCS automatically handles the math for Ritual Magic in the background, so you only need to enter the Base Skill and points.

Ritual Magic spells behave like standard spells. You can edit them, track study time, and manage them in the same way.

Editing spells

You can edit a spells in a few ways:

• Double-click it to open the Detail Editor for spells.
• Right-click it and select Open Detail Editor.
• Select a spell and go to Edit > Open Detail Editor.

Save your changes when you're done from the Spell toolbar (see below).

Spell Detail Editor fields

The Spell Detail Editor includes the following fields:

Spell Editor Field	Description
Name	The spell’s name.
Notes	Notes about the spell. These appear below the spell in the list. Select the Scripting Guide for instructions on including JavaScript.
VTT Notes	Notes for use in your Virtual Tabletop system. See your VTT’s documentation.
Tech Level	The Tech Level associated with the spell, if applicable. This field is greyed out unless Required is checked.
Required	If checked, the Tech Level must match for the spell to be available.
College	The spell’s college (p. B239). Separate multiple colleges with commas.
Class	The spell’s class, such as Regular, Area, Melee, Missile, Blocking, or Information (p. B239).
Power Source	The source of magical energy (for example, Arcane, Divine, or Psionic). This is used exclusively for Dungeon Fantasy characters.
Base Skill (Ritual Magic Spell only)	For Ritual Magic spells, choose the skill (typically Ritual Magic) on which the spell is based. Note: This field is hidden unless the spell type is Ritual Magic. See Ritual Magic Spells above.
Difficulty	Select the controlling attribute (usually IQ) and the difficulty level (most spells are Hard or Very Hard) (p. B235).
Points	Total character points invested in this spell.
Level	Read-only. Shows the calculated spell level and relative skill level (IQ+2). Levels are calculated based on the GURPS skill cost table (p. B170).
Resistance	Notes on how the spell is resisted (p. B241)
Casting Cost	The cost to cast the spell (p. B236).
Maintenance Cost	The cost to maintain the spell (p. B237).
Casting Time	How long it takes to cast the spell (p. B236). Usually 1 second (1 sec).
Duration	How long the spell lasts (p. B237).
Item	Notes on how this spell can be enchanted into an item (p. M16).
Tags	Comma-separated Tags to help organize spells.
Page Reference	The page number where the spell appears. See Page References.
Page Highlight	Text to highlight in the PDF. Leave blank unless the default highlights fail.
ID	The spell’s unique ID.
Source ID	The unique ID for this spell in the source library.
Source Library	The name of the source library.
Source Path	The path to the source library.
Prerequisites	Requirements for this spell. See Prerequisites.
Melee Weapon Usage	Melee weapon statistics if the spell grants or modifies melee attacks. See Melee and Ranged Weapons.
Ranged Weapon Usage	Ranged weapon statistics if the spell grants or modifies ranged attacks. See Melee and Ranged Weapons.
Study	Tracks study time for this skill. See Study time. Remember that Magery reduces the hours required to learn spells.

Spell toolbar

The toolbar above the Spell Editor gives you quick access to common actions:

Button	Name	Description
	Help	Opens the help page from the User Guide.
100%	Zoom	Adjusts the display size of the Spell Editor.
	Apply Changes	Saves and closes the Spell Editor.
	Discard Changes	Exits without saving changes.
	Set Substitutions	Lets you enter values for spells with placeholders in their notes.

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