With the magic system, how do you think one would handle creating a ward or seal?

For example, assume the caster creates a ward that puts whoever encounters the ward to sleep. The skill check aspect is easy to figure out (opposed check of the victim's skill vs. the warder's magic skill), but creating, applying, and sustaining it is the question.

Most settings that use these kinds of wards have them be physically applied, like with a painted rune, carving, or paper tag, and don't require the user to constantly sustain them. In Star Wars, laying traps often isn't a skill check, just an action.

Advantages could dictate how long the ward lasts, and Threats reduce the time? Otherwise a Story Point could be spent to make the ward last for an encounter, a session, or be permanent.

250 currency cost to purchase an expendable item, the item allows one to create a spell that lasts for until the end of an encounter (or the next encounter). This would function like the Druid Circlet but would be expendable. Otherwise, they build the spell as normal.

Another option is to allow it via narrative, but the caster cannot recover the strain used to cast the spell (including any threat uses to cost more strain) until the ward or glyph is expended.

That's just two brainstormed ideas though.

maybe long-lasting wards can be the result of a custom talent that allows one to be maintained for a length of time without expending maneuvers.

I've no real opinion, but it is worth noting that Genesys did not include Runic and Verse magic Skills in the book, and they are listed on the Gencon demo character sheets. I would imagine the Runebound sourcebook will be addressing this.

I guess it's basically the "Cunning Snare" talent from Forged in Battle, now that I think about it (effects differ). So I might just make a separate spell for it ("Ward") and have it work pretty much the same as Cunning Snare, except with a strain cost to activate. Like Utility, there won't be a table for enhancements.

Not everything magical needs to be a spell. Spells in Genesys are transient effects; lasting wards are more like magical items in and of themselves. You can buy them from ye olde magick shoppe or temple, or make them yourself with raw materials and an appropriate skill check, then install them with your magic skill. Uncancelled successes on the installation increase the difficulty of bypassing or breaking the warding, while the GM can spend threat to make you leave some sort of weakness (like "the ward doesn't work on entities you invite in"). Available wards run the gamut in pricing, from cheap wards that just give setback dice to affected creatures to expensive ones that injure and forcefully repel intruders.

10 minutes ago, rsdockery said:

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Generally, I agree. I ask "what setting?" though, and am currently thinking of at least two, each with different ways such wards actually work. There are some settings where a character can place their hand on the ground and make a ward, and other settings where a character has to spend time crafting a talisman that can be used any time later.

Because there's a broad range of how it could actually work, I'm rather satisfied with my above solution.

1 hour ago, Swordbreaker said:

I guess it's basically the "Cunning Snare" talent from Forged in Battle, now that I think about it (effects differ). So I might just make a separate spell for it ("Ward") and have it work pretty much the same as Cunning Snare, except with a strain cost to activate. Like Utility, there won't be a table for enhancements.

"Strain cost to activate" as in cast , or when it actually triggers ? The latter could be very interesting. Perhaps 2 to cast (which can be recovered) and another 2 paid for the moment it goes off. The caster can go ahead and deplete their reserve, but they do so at their own risk.

About wards, I could imagine using the curse spell placed on the desired spot, add curse effects and spend one story point in substitute of concentration to keep it active until triggered.

Keep in mind the note about "magic effects that replicate another skill should usually be 1 difficulty higher than the original skill", setting a trap would be a survival check - just model it after that.

Remember that the magic system is descriptive , not prescriptive . What does your ward do? It puts people to sleep. How do we model that with magic? The curse action with the paralyzed option (and throw on the ensnare quality for free) does the trick. With that setup, the target cannot take actions or perform manoeuvres.

How do we get runes to be 'passive until triggered'? TALENTS! A tier 2 talent that gives the Prepare 2 quality to any spell for +1 strain. The spell then stays dormant until the end of the scene; two advantages can be spent to increase that by one additional scene and a triumph can be spent to make it last a day or something.

The rune doesn't activate, and thus no roll is made, until something triggers it. At that point, you roll for the effect. This would mean that you spend an action to scribe the rune but cast the spell as an out-of-turn incidental. Ok, now I have to figure out how to make this work!