Spark

The Multiverse of Magic: the Gathering

in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.
Credit:
M
y thanks go to Wizards Of The Coast
and TSR for creating games that are so
inspiring to myself and others. Without
them, creations like this would not be
happening.
Ideas:
T
he following are the goals of this document. As
parts are defined, they will be created,
removed, or modified as necessary to continue
progression on this document. After most of
these goals are satisfactory, this page will
move to the end of the document.
All characters have mana
All characters have internal mana and are a source of mana
for themselves. The amount of they can produce and
(possibly) use is limited. A creature has an internal mana
cache equal to their proficiency modifier. This modifier, in
MtG terms, is roughly equivalent to their mana cost (as a
card). Yes, this means a lvl 20 creature would only be 6
(colored) mana to 'summon'.
Talents
All creatures with an internal mana cache should be able to
spend that mana for abilities.
Creatures should get new abilities when their proficiency
modifier improves, and some abilities should be usable
without expending mana permanently (like cantrips). These
abilities become locked if mana is all expended for that color.
One point of internal mana is determined by (sub)race.
Races and Mana:
All races included in official D&D sources and Plane Shift
documents as playable should be listed here.
Any: Human, Half-Elf, Half-Orc
Green: Elf (All), Firbolg, naga, Tabaxi
Red: Dwarf, Goblin, Bugbear, Kobold, Orc, Minotaur
Blue: Gnome, Kenku, Tortle, Triton, merfolk, vedalken,
naga, siren
White: Aasimar, Halfling, Kor
Black: Aasimar(Fallen), Tiefling, Yuan-Ti, vampire,
aetherborn, Lizardfolk
Special: Hobgoblin (R/W), Dragonborn (depends on
ancestry), Genasi (depends on subrace), Goliath (G/R), Aven
(U/W), Khenra (G/R)
Cantrips:
Cantrips should be available to near any character, based on
mana. All 'Green' characters should be able to take
Druidcraft, for example.
Boons:
Also need to provide credit to the author of Whispers from
the Aeons if I can find them.
One talent of each color should be based on the "Boon" cycle
from the original set of MtG. This is for familiarity and
player's seeing old and awesome stuff. Ancestral recall
should be pared down to be on par with the rest of these
abilities, though.
These boons should all scale with proficiency modifier in
some way and cost 1 mana of the appropriate color to use.
Lightning Bolt:
Should create an attack at range or add damage to an attack,
all dice of an attack, or every attack in a round.
Healing Salve:
Should heal an amount of damage that is small, but can
matter. Should this be Proficiency modifier, or Proficiency
modifier + Ability modifier?
Dark Ritual:
Should upscale a spell or treat caster as if mana had been
available to do so. The max level of the upscaling should be
limited, and it should only work on where black mana can.
Raising a spell one caster level, capped at proficiency
modifier level, seems relatively safe, but may make it a very
powerful ability (particularly early on).
Giant Growth:
Add to damage and/or temp hit points.
Ancestral Recall:
Not sure. Double proficiency modifier on any one roll? Allow
some form of pre/post-cognition?
If using Talents
At level one, you must choose either Intelligence, Wisdom, or
Charisma for your spellcasting modifier when using mana
points to cast a spell.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your chosen
modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your
chosen modifier
Choose a number of abilities below such that they add up
to your proficiency modifier. These must match up with the
mana you produce. These may be changed when your
proficiency modifier increases.
Potential Talents
White:
One Light(P), Resistance(P), Thaumaturgy(P), or, as a free
action, advantage on a Charisma (Persuasion) check.
Two Cure Wounds, Sanctuary, Shield, or, as a free action,
advantage on one attack roll.
Three Lesser Restoration, Prayer of Healing, Warding
Bond,
Four Beacon of Hope, Daylight, Protection From Energy,
or, as a reaction, cause an attack roll targetting you to miss.
Five As a bonus action, you gain resistance to bludgeoning,
piercing, and slashing damage for one minute.
Blue:
One Dancing Lights(P), Minor Illusion(P), Vicious
Mockery(P), or, as a free action, advantage on a Charisma
(Deception) check.
Two Command, Disguise Self, Hideous Laughter, or, as a
free action, you can telepathically speak to any creature you
can see within 120 feet of you in this manner for the next 24
hours.
Three Blur, Detect Thoughts, Enthrall, Invisibility
Four Counterspell, Fear, Hypnotic Pattern, Major Image
Five As an action, you create a 20-foot cube of psychic
energy within 120 feet of you. Each creature in that area
must make an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, a
target takes 8d8 psychic damage and is stunned until the end
of your next turn. On a successful save, a target takes half as
much damage.
Black:
One Chill Touch(P), Poison Spray(P), Spare the Dying(P), or,
as a free action, advantage on a Charisma (Intimidate) check.
Two Bane, False Life, Inflict, or, as a reaction, impose
disadvantage on an attack roll against you.
Three Blindness/Deafness, Darkness, Ray of
Enfeeblement, or, as a free action, regain hit points equal to
half the amount of damage you dealt with your most recent
attack.
Four Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Revivify, Vampiric
Touch
Five As an action, you target one creature you can see
within 120 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom
saving throw or be paralyzed for one minute.
Red:
One Eldritch Blast(P), Sacred Flame(P), Shocking Grasp(P),
or, as a free action, deal an extra 1d4 radiant damage on a hit.
Two Burning Hands, Divine Favor, Guiding Bolt, Hellish
Rebuke
Three Flame Blade, Scorching Ray, Shatter, or, as a free
action, deal an extra 3d10 radiant damage on a hit.
Four Call Lightning, Fireball, Haste, Tidal Wave
Five As an action, choose up to five allies you can see
within 60 feet of you. Each of those allies can use their
reaction to take the Attack action. You can choose the targets
of the attacks.
Green:
One Druidcraft(P), Guidance(P), Mending(P), or, as a free
action, advantage on a Wisdom (Animal Handling) or
Intelligence (Nature) check.
Two Bless, Earth Tremor, Entangle, Goodberry
Three Barkskin, Enhance Ability, Enlarge/Reduce,
Maximilian’s Earthen Grasp
Four Conjure Animals, Meld Into Stone, Spirit Guardians,
Wind Wall
Five As a bonus action, you gain 30 temporary hit points.
In addition, for one minute, your weapon attacks deal an
extra 2d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit, and your reach
increases by 10 feet. If you're smaller than Huge, you also
become Huge for the duration.
Mana based casters
Most would be abstracted concepts of mana, but a pure mana
caster is viable and desireable.
Pure Mana-based caster:
Call the mana based caster a "Mage" to flow with MtG
players' expectations.
Tapping lands needs to be a concept and land ownership
should be important to the class. Abstract the concept based
on short/long rests.
"Mana cost" should be tied to spell level to merge the two
'worlds'.
Spells that are cast at higher level should 'cost' more mana
(require more mana points dedicated to the correct color).
All spells should be available, but the selection should be
heavily restricted by color availability to emphasize maximum
compatibility with 5e feel and MtG feel simultaneously.
Two-color characters should be preferred. One color should
be preferred as "primary".
Class ability to substitute Two mana of any color for one
mana of a single color should be possible, but limited in
usage. Green should be able to use this more frequently for
itself.
Class will be very complex to play, so system mastery
should be high priority for prospective Mage players.
 Multiverse

T
he multiverse of Magic: the Gathering is full of The energies in these lands being so readily accessible to
worlds that span the gamut of the primitive mages means that they can attune to and tap in to these
and the technological. All of these worlds are energies to cast spells. Since the land on any given world is
influenced by the tethers of the land that flavor finite, areas with a lot of mages can create wars based on the
any given region of the world. From civilised land, and many cultures try to cultivate powerful areas that
plains within a robust world to entire planes manifest multiple colors of mana in order to make the most
that have been completely overrun by the of their land. These engineered lands are rarely without
undead, the world someone is on drastically influences the drawbacks, and tapping in to these specialized lands can go
nature of its inhabitants, and vice-versa. so far as to harm a mage that taps in to the power.
This concept is so ingrained in the multiverse that people,
locations, beasts, and sometimes even items created by the
intelligent races of the multiverse are almost universally tied
to one of the elemental energies associated with the world.
These elemental forces are referenced among scholars by
color, as the learned may look into the weave and examine
the threads of energy and see these energies in the colors
associated.

Replacing the Old

This document is a re-envisioning of spellcasting
within a fantasy game world. It is designed to
replace standard casting classes with something
that removes the separation of Arcane and Divine
magic to a system based on the land being drawn
from. Ideally, it will be balanced well enough to be
able to work in concert with the standard casting
classes, yet be distinct.
The influence here is from the Collectible Card
Game, Magic: the Gathering. An alternative system
for both magic and for alignment is highly desired
by some, however, and this could be useful for
anyone looking for a change of pace.

A land cultivated by human farmers that are working for the

local church, coming together as a robust community create
white threads of energy that permeate the land. If later, a
necromancer comes through and destroys all the inhabitants,
razes their buildings, salts their fields, and animates the
corpses, the land can be corrupted, becoming black. This
means that this corrupting terraforming is visible to those
who look at the mystic energies and is also tangible to mages.

Tapping the Land

Anyone with the power to attune to lands is referred to
colloquially as a Mage, although this does not guarantee that
they possess the class of the same name. The act of attuning
to a land and channeling its energy for your use is called
tapping the land. A mage may either do this on their behalf, or
grant their ties to the land to others to allow them to access
the mage's power source, but each land can only be tapped
for mana by one creature at a time.

4 PART 1 | Introduction
Mage
T
he multiverse of Magic: the Gathering is rich
with lore and several distinct worlds with their
own flavors and histories. Their magic touches
the multiverse and accesses lands from
throughout the multiverse to fuel them.
Mages must tie themselves to the land in
order to attune themselves to their magic. This
influences them dramatically. Their personalities tend to
reflect the lands that they have tied themselves to, and drastic
changes in either may affect both. Powerful mages fight wars
over particularly charged land, making them special
resources, and many mages will try to terraform an area in
some way to gain the mana that they seek. Necromancers
killing villagers to stain the ground with black mana are
common.
Many mages foster connections to the land such that they
control the energies of the area, carving out a territory of
their own. Others adapt their personalities to the lands they
come across attempting to stay versatile and blend in with
their surroundings.
Class Features
As a mage, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d6 per mage level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution
modifier per mage level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light
crossbows
Tools: none
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Insight,
Investigation, Medicine, and Religion
Equipment
You start with the following items, plus anything provided by
your background.
(a) a Quarterstaff or (b) a Dagger
(a) a Component pouch or (b) an arcane focus
(a) a Scholar's Pack or (b) an Explorer's Pack
A Spellbook
Alternatively, you may start with 4d4 x 10 gp to buy your
own Equipment.
Spellcasting
As a student of Arcane Magic, you have a Spellbook
containing Spells that show the first glimmerings of your true
power.
Magic: the Gathering
This document is heavily influenced by the Magic:
the Gathering collectible card game. Even as it
expands, it will do so with this thought process in
mind. Inspiration is gleaned from Wizards of the
Coast's Unearthed Arcana and Planeshift articles as
well as from the card game itself.
While this document will reference several
official D&D sources, I will not provide details that
are not part of the Free material published by
WOTC for D&D. I will reference ability/spell names,
but will give a page reference for further details.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know three Cantrips of your choice from the
mage spell list. You learn additional mage Cantrips of your
choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known
column of the Mage table.
Mana
Your spells have an additional component when compared to
standard spells in the PHB - Mana cost.
Mages can cast a very large and diverse variety of spells. In
order to cast a prepared mage spell, you must have the
appropriate colors of mana in the appropriate levels. This
requires you to attune to plots of land around the world. As
long as you have the land attuned, you can access it from
anywhere in the current plane in order to cast your spells.
Which spells can be cast at a given moment is limited to the
caster's access to the energy of various plots of land in the
multiverse (see Tied to the Land feature).
When casting mage spells, you can only cast spells that you
have the appropriate mana for. Each spell will have a mana
cost that must be reached in order to cast the spell. Most
spells will be a single element and require one mana of that
element per level of the spell. Some exceptions will require
multiple elements of mana to cast or even have extra
capabilities if you have extra mana accessible. Regardless of
whether you have a spell prepared, you may not cast a mage
spell that you do not have the mana available for.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Mage table shows how many Spell Slots you have to cast
your Spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these
Spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher.
You regain all expended Spell Slots when you finish a Long
Rest.
You prepare the list of mage Spells that are available for
you to cast. To do so, choose a number of mage Spells from
your Spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + your
mage level (minimum of one spell). The Spells must be of a
level for which you have Spell Slots. You may prepare any
spells in your spellbook, but you may only cast spells based
on your available Mana.
PART 2 | The Mage 5
 For example, if you're a 3rd-level mage, you have four 1st-
level and two 2nd-level Spell Slots. With an Intelligence of 16,
your list of prepared Spells can include six Spells of 1st or
2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your Spellbook. If
you prepare the 1st-level spell Magic Missile, you can cast it
using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't
remove it from your list of prepared Spells.
You can change your list of prepared Spells when you
finish a Long Rest. Preparing a new list of mage Spells
requires time spent studying your Spellbook and memorizing
the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the
spell: at least 1 minute per Spell Level for each spell on your
list.

The Mage
Level Proficiency Bonus Features Lands Attunable Cantrips Known 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
1st +2 Spellcasting, Tied to the Land 1 3 2 - - - - - - - -
2nd +2 Elemental Source 1 3 3 - - - - - - - -
3rd +2 - 2 3 4 2 - - - - - - -
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 2 4 4 3 - - - - - - -
5th +3 - 3 4 4 3 2 - - - - - -
6th +3 Elemental Source feature 3 4 4 3 3 - - - - - -
7th +3 - 4 4 4 3 3 1 - - - - -
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4 4 4 3 3 2 - - - - -
9th +4 - 5 4 4 3 3 3 1 - - - -
10th +4 Elemental Source feature 5 5 4 3 3 3 2 - - - -
11th +4 - 6 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 - - -
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 6 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 - - -
13th +5 - 7 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 - -
14th +5 Elemental Source feature 7 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 - -
15th +5 - 8 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 8 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 -
17th +6 - 9 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 1 1
18th +6 Spell Mastery 9 5 4 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 10 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 1
20th +6 Signature Spell 10 5 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1

Spellcasting Ability Spel

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your mage Spells, You c
since you learn your Spells through dedicated study and mage
memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell
refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Lea
Intelligence modifier when Setting the saving throw DC for a Each
mage spell you cast and when Making an Attack roll with Spell
one. Spell
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your show
with
Intelligence modifier you m
Spell Attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Spell
Intelligence modifier
Ritual Casting
You can cast a mage spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual
Ti
tag and you have the spell in your Spellbook. You don't need
to have the spell prepared.
6 PART 2 | The Mage
To attune to a plot of land, you must know the type of energy
it produces and ensure that it is not attuned to another
creature. This can be determined through a "Detect Magic"
spell or through a Wis(Arcana) skill check. (Use Int(Arcana) if
your DM does not use the Variant for detaching skills and
attributes). After the mana resonance is determine, you may
attune to the land during a short rest if the above
qualifications have been met.
Attunement to a plot of land can be ended as a bonus
action.
Tapping the Land
You retain a residual connection to your lands even across
different planes in the multiverse, but they can be difficult to
connect to from inter-planar distances. When you move to a
new plane all attuned Lands that do not exist on that plane
are dormant. It takes a Long rest to solidify the connection to
one of these dormant Lands. Re-establishing this connection
is referred to as "tapping" the land. Mana sources that do not
come from attuned lands are not similarly restricted. You can
still end attunement to a dormant land and immediately
begin a short rest to attune a new plot on the new plane.
You cannot prepare spells during a Long Rest in which you
are tapping land from another plane.
Elemental Source
When you reach 2nd level, you choose an elemental source,
shaping your practice of magic through the five elemental
colors of magic, such as Red Magic. Your choice grants you
features at 2nd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and
19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice
by 2, or you can increase two Ability Scores of your choice by
1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20
using this feature.
Placeholder ability (18)
This line will hold the level 18 power that is designed to
simulate a wizard's level 18 power. It is intended to be a
reasonably high powered ability, but not a capstone.
Placeholder ability (20)
This is to reserve a spot for the capstone of the Mage class
Elemental Sources
The study of wizardry is ancient, stretching back to the
earliest mortal discoveries of magic. It is firmly established in
fantasy gaming worlds, with various traditions dedicated to
its complex study.
The most common elemental sources in the multiverse
revolve around The Elements of Magic. Mages through the
ages have cataloged thousands of Spells, grouping them into
five categories called colors. In some places, these traditions
are taught in schools. In other institutions, the schools are
more like academic departments, with rival faculties
competing for students and funding. Even wizards who train
apprentices in the solitude of their own towers use the
division of magic into elements as a learning device, since the
Spells of each color require mastery of different techniques.
Red Magic
Red Mage Savant
Beginning when you select this source at 2nd level, the gold
and time you must spend to copy a Red spell into your
Spellbook is halved.
Heart of Flames
Your body and spirit has been infused with the energy of the
flames such that you are considered a Red Mana Source for
the purposes of spell-casting. Because of this, you can cast
spells as if you were attuned to 1 more red source than you
are. This increases to 2 at level 6, 3 at level 11, and 4 at level
16.
Additionally, you can add your Intelligence modifier to one
damage roll of any spell you cast that deals fire or lightning
damage. If you do this, you take damage of the same type
equal to half of your Intelligence modifier.
Fiery Boon
Beginning at 6th level, you can cast a damage dealing cantrip
you know as a bonus action. You must complete a short rest
in order to use this ability again.
Redirect
Beginning at 10th level, you have gained the ability to alter
the flow of magic quickly in response to an enemy casting a
spell. You may spend a spell slot and your reaction to change
the target of a spell being cast that has a single target to
another valid target of your choice. If the spell slot used is
less than the spell being cast, this ability fails.
If a spell is successfully redirected, this ability cannot be
used again until after the caster takes a Long Rest.
Fork
Starting at 14th level, any time you cast a spell that targets a
single creature, you can choose an additional creature to
target. You may only use this ability once per short rest. This
raises the mana requirements of the spell by 1 red mana and
requires the spell to be cast with a spell slot one level higher.
PART 2 | The Mage 7
 The Five Elements
T
he 5 elements of magic are an important part
of the world, almost all magic is tied to these
eements, and even creatures are attuned to at
least one element. Alignment in a world such
as this is more readily addressed and attuned
in relationship to the elements of magic rather
than some ambiguously defined aspect of
moral relativity.
Planeswalker
You'll notice that not much is said about
planeswalkers in this document. The Spark should
be the equivalent of an epic level feat or divine
boon. It should be awarded only in campaigns
where it is to become the norm.
This isn't to say that travel between worlds in the
multiverse shouldn't happen, but Planeswalkers are
the equivalent of gods in many, if not most, cases.
The Colors of Magic
Editor's Note:
This section is partially copied from the Plane
Shift: Ixalan document and edited to allow for
Colors to replace the standard alignment system.
All the planes of Magic’s Multiverse are suffused with mana—
the energy that fuels magic in all its forms. Mana is intricately
linked with the physical world, and different types of terrain
produce different “colors” of mana. Most mages specialize in
the use of one or perhaps two colors of mana, and in the
particular types of magical effects that mana can create.
Color is a fundamental organizing principle of the
Multiverse, closely linked with everything from physical
geography to human personality. The following are just some
of the correlations between color and other aspects of
existence:
• Lands: Different types of terrain generate mana of
different colors. For example, mountains produce red
mana,while plains produce white mana.
• Philosophical Principles: Each color is associated with a
set of ideals, values, and principles. White is connected with
protection and order, and green with life and nature.
• Magical Effects: Different colors of mana are used to
power different kinds of spells. Spells of fire, lightning, and
speed draw on red mana, while spells of water, ice, and the
mind use blue mana.
8 PART 3 | The Five Elements
• Races and Creatures: Humans are exceptional, in that
they don’t have a particular aptitude or affinity for one color of
mana. For other races, and even for nonsentient creatures,
the connection is much stronger. Elves, for example, are
typically green aligned. They use nature magic, and they value
things like balance, stability, and interdependence. Hydras
are also green aligned, though they don’t use magic and they
don’t have values—even as they can be seen to embody those
values. So if you wanted to summon a hydra, you’d use a
green spell to do it.
• Metaphysical Essence: Sometimes magic or even
powerful emotions can change the basic nature of people or
creatures in a way that alters their color alignment. A vile
curse might change someone from green aligned to black
aligned (or both green and black aligned). A terrible loss that
spurs someone to vengeance might add red to the person’s
color alignment—temporarily or even permanently.
• Personality Traits: Different colors of mana are
associated with different qualities of personality. It might be
that a person who is emotionally driven, creative, and
energetic is naturally drawn to the use of red mana; or
perhaps using red mana brings out those qualities in a
person. Most likely, the effect runs both ways.
A character’s or creature’s “color alignment” is a sort of
shorthand that sketches out its personality, alignment, and
power suite—the kinds of effects that it creates with its magic
or through its behavior. This section goes over the traits of
each of the five colors, and offers suggestions for ways they
might influence a D&D character.
Multiple Colors. Many mages, especially Planeswalkers,
routinely draw on two or more colors of mana. In some
worlds, color pairs or triads have such a strong identity that
they are manifested in the world. The guilds of Ravnica, for
example, are each aligned to a specific pair of mana colors,
and each of the clans of Tarkir used three colors. And some
lands produce mana of more than one color, so that a
highland lake might produce both red and blue mana. Mana
pairs similarly suggest certain principles, create certain
magical effects, and favor certain personality traits.
Based on the color wheel, it’s possible to speak of two
colors of mana as either “allied” (adjacent to each other on
the wheel) or “enemy” (separated by another color). White’s
allied colors are green and blue; its enemy colors are red and
black. That doesn’t mean that creatures associated with allied
colors are necessarily on the same side of any conflict, or that
creatures associated with enemy colors are actually enemies.
But if conflict does arise—for example, in a party of
adventurers—it’s more likely to arise between a whitealigned
and a red-aligned character than between a white-aligned and
a blue-aligned one. That’s the natural result of the different
personalities and principles associated with each color. A
white character might put a lot of stress on the value of law
and order, and of working together toward a common goal. A
red-aligned character values freedom and individuality.
Characters and Colors. In the language of the D&D game,
the colors of mana are a means of categorizing the types of
magic that suffuse all existence. When a spellcaster draws
upon or manipulates the Weave (see chapter 10 in the
Player’s Handbook), part of that process involves tugging on a
strand that connects to a land that produces mana of the
desired color. Whether consciously or unconsciously, a druid
casting barkskin tugs on a strand of the Weave connected to
a forest in the world, drawing out the green mana needed to
cast the spell.
Alignment
Although there is no rule-weight to the concept of drawing on
mana of different lands for non-mage characters, your
alignment is to one or more colors and this helps in finding
direction for roleplaying your character. Non-mage casters, if
allowed in a game with Mages, should choose spells in their
alignment color primarily for thematic reasons, but this is not
required. A Cleric that worships a god of light, for example, is
likely to favor white spells, have a white alignment, and use
white personality traits. Leaning toward another color can
show a shift in personality and alignment.
Your character's alignment can take up to two of the colors
of magic in order to help show a broad spectrum of complex
personalities.
This alignment system is designed to replace the standard
Lawful/Chaotic, Good/Evil spectrum in order to reflect
personality rather than morality.
White
Order. Protection. Community. White characers believe in
teamwork, leadership, heirarchy, and standing together
against the divide. This can be represented by benevolent
rulers or tyrannical overlords. They believe that the whole is
greater than the sum of its parts and safety is found in
numbers. White magic tends to supportive in nature, and
white warriors frequently stand as the bulwark against which
their enemies crash.
Power Suite: Healing, protecting, binding, bolstering
Suggested Backgrounds: Acolyte, folk hero, noble, soldier
White Personality Traits
d8 Personality Trait
1 I can find common ground with even the fiercest
enemies, empathizing with them and always working
toward peace.
2 I would rather make a new friend than a new enemy.
3 If someone is in trouble, I’m always ready to lend aid.
4 I get overly upset when people break even minor rules.
5 I am honest to the point of being blunt or rude.
6 I go into every situation with at least one backup plan,
but I can get lost when my plans go awry.
7 I have no patience for selfish or greedy people.
8 I like my environment to be well ordered and clean.
White Ideals
d6 Ideal
1 Harmony. I long for a world in which everyone gets
along.
2 Community. It is the duty of all civilized people to
strengthen the bonds of community and the security
of civilization.
3 Peace. It is each person’s responsibility to make the
most happiness for the whole community.
4 Solidarity. Working together, we are stronger than any
of us alone.
5 Law and Order. We all must obey those in authority
and follow laws, or society will devolve into chaos.
6 Honor. If I dishonor myself, I undermine the
foundation of my community.
Color Combinations.
Adding blue to white shows an introspective person
dedicated to law and order, creating archetypes such as the
devout monk or the honorable paladin.
Adding black to white steers it toward tyranny and
corruption, exemplified by oppressive clerics and fallen
paladins.
Adding red to white makes it zealous to a fault, believing
that the rule of law should be enforced at near any cost for
the benefit of all, as in the case of a fervent paladin.
Adding green to white shows a focus on kindness, gentility,
and community and would be useful for healing druids,
bards, and kindly rangers
Blue
Wisdom. Contemplation. Manipulation. Blue’s strength is the
power of the mind—its limitless ability to imagine, invent,
strategize, and deceive. Knowledge is power, and victory goes
to the smarter foe. More information about blue’s
philosophies and powers can be found here.
Power Suite: Control, the mind, counterspells, illusion,
transformation, time, wind, water, and ice
Suggested Backgrounds: Charlatan, hermit, sage
Blue Personality Traits
d8 Personality Trait
1 I employ a polysyllabic vocabulary that conveys the
impression of tremendous erudition.
2 I’m used to helping out those who aren’t as smart as I
am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to
others.
3 I often get lost in my own thoughts and contemplation,
becoming oblivious to my surroundings.
4 I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing
right. I can’t help it—I’m a perfectionist.
5 I want to know how things work and what makes
people act as they do.
6 There’s nothing I like more than a good mystery.
7 Messing up just means an opportunity to learn from
my mistakes.
8 There’s no need to rush into action; I prefer to plan
before I act.
PART 3 | The Five Elements 9
 Blac
Blue Ideals d6 Id
d6 Ideal
1 P
1 Perfection. The goal of a life of study is to constantly to
improve oneself.
2 Education. Information can change the world only you
when it is widely shared. don’t
3 Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement Stren
comes through mastery of what can be known. failur
4 Change. The world is in constant flux, and we must be
laws
ready to change with it. way t
Indep
5 Logic. Emotions must not cloud our clear thinking. Co
6 Self-Knowledge. If you know yourself, there’s nothing Ad
left to know corru
palad
Color Combinations. Ad
Adding white to blue shows an introspective person misd
dedicated to law and order, creating archetypes such as the and i
devout monk or the honorable paladin. Ad
Adding black to blue steers it toward manipulation and destr
misdirection and the behavior of stealthy spies, scoundrels, pries
and infiltrators. Ad
Adding red to blue steers it toward wildness and viciou
unpredictability combined with intellect, and is exemplified stalki
by madcap mages—elementalist wizards or sorcerers.
Adding green to blue solidifies its neutrality, embodied in Red
archetypes such as the sagacious druid or the scholar of Passi
nature. reflec
powe
Black energ
Ambition. Cruelty. Death. Black draws its power from the Po
slow decay of all things and the inevitability of extinction. destr
Supremacy belongs to those who are willing to do whatever it Su
takes—including hastening death’s arrival—to achieve their soldi
ends. Red
Power Suite: Necromancy, fear, pain, darkness, disease,
corruption d8 P
Suggested Backgrounds: Charlatan, criminal, noble 1 I
Black Personality Traits 2 M
le
d8 Personality Trait
3 I
1 The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I
can’t do it. 4 I’
2 If you do me an injury, I will crush you, ruin your name, 5 I
and salt your family’s lands for all time. b
3 The first thing I do in a new place is note the locations 6 I’
of everything valuable—or where such things might be fe
hidden.
7 I
4 I get bitter if I’m not the center of attention. e
5 I can’t stand the dangerous idiots who deny their own 8 I
needs in order to help others. It’s often difficult to o
motivate them to do what I want.
6 If others won’t do things when you ask nicely, stop
asking nicely.
7 Inspiring fear can be the most effective way to
motivate people.
8 I don’t care about morality or taboos—only results. I’ll
do whatever it takes to get the results I want.

10 PART 3 | The Five Elements


Red Ideals
d6 Ideal
1 Freedom. Everyone should be free to pursue their own
dreams.
2 Emotion. My heart tells me what it needs. All I have to
do is listen and act accordingly.
3 Adventure. Life is an adventure, and it’s up to each
individual to experience it.
4 Relationships. Part of life is embracing the passion,
loyalty, and camaraderie that ties us to others.
5 Creativity. The world is in need of new ideas and bold
action.
6 Sincerity. No one should pretend to be something
they’re not.
Green Ideals
d6 Ideal
1 Acceptance. Things are as they are for a reason, and it’s
foolish to try to change them.
2 Nature. The natural world is more important than the
constructs of civilization.
3 Potential. The secret to happiness is to find one’s place
in the natural order and embrace it.
4 Interdependence. My role is deeply connected to the
web of life, and my actions have consequences for
everyone around me.
5 Live and Let Live. Ideals aren’t worth killing or going to
war for.
6 History. Only through studying the past can we avoid
repeating past mistakes.

Color Combinations. Color Combinations.

Adding white to red makes it zealous to a fault, believing Adding white to green shows a focus on kindness, gentility,
that the rule of law should be enforced at near any cost for and community and would be useful for healing druids,
the benefit of all, as in the case of a fervent paladin. bards, and kindly rangers
Adding blue to red steers it toward wildness and Adding blue to green solidifies its neutrality, embodied in
unpredictability combined with intellect, and is exemplified archetypes such as the sagacious druid or the scholar of
by madcap mages—elementalist wizards or sorcerers. nature.
Adding black to red creates the archetypes of wonton Adding black to green steers it toward the darker and more
destruction and icons of bloodthirsty barbarians and battle vicious aspects of nature, in the form of sinister druids and
priests. stalking rangers.
Adding green to red leads to an intensely primal creature, Adding red to green leads to an intensely primal creature,
embodied in a totemic barbarian or fierce ranger. embodied in a totemic barbarian or fierce ranger.
Green
Nature’s abundance. Lush growth. Vibrant life. Green knows
that the artificial trappings of civilization are temporary but
the vast ecosystems of nature will always endure—adapting
and evolving in a delicate balance. Those who would prosper
must also evolve, embracing their wild side and letting nature
have its way.
Power Suite: Nature, plants, animals, growth
Suggested Backgrounds: Acolyte, guild artisan, hermit,
outlander
Green Personality Traits
d8 Personality Trait
1 I’m sharply attuned to the cycles of nature, and can
almost feel the pull of the full moon.
2 My instincts never lead me astray.
3 I get along better with animals than I do with most
people.
4 There is more wisdom in a forest pool than in any
library.
5 Beasts of the wild have no need for manners, and
neither do I.
6 Nothing raises my ire like seeing people treat life as
disposable.
7 I can identify hundreds of bird species by their songs.
8 I see omens in every ripple, gust of wind, and flight of
birds.

PART 3 | The Five Elements 11

Spark v2.0
The Multiverse of Magic: the Gathering
in Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.
Introduction
M
agic: the Gathering is a beloved
collectible card game that has been
around since 1993, sparking the
imagination, creativity, and tactical
might of people for 25 years. In the
multiverse of Magic are a vast number
of worlds, each brimming with their
own lore and ripe for the creative to create stories within.
Attempts to translate Magic to the rules of D&D or other
role-playing game systems have frequently fallen flat,
however, as the spells are balanced against each other, not
against a mechanical system in which a single character or
small team narrative thrives. A duel between planeswalker is
akin to a war between different governments that exist on
multiple planets... A war between entities with world-ending
power at their fingertips. Translating the summoning spells,
the low level spell counters, and more to a system designed
with large-scale battles between mystical overlords is hard to
convey, but the sheer beauty of the worlds created for Magic
beg for games set within its multiverse.
Not a Planeswalker?!?
You may notice that the default assumption is that
characters are explicitly assumed not to be
planeswalkers. This is for many reasons, one of
which is that all Planeswalkers are effectively epic
level Mages that have full mastery over a multiverse
of spells, artifacts, and most importantly, planar
travel. They cannot easily be created in a balanced
fashion in D&D, and are the functional equivalent
of characters from D&D lore like Bigby or
Elminster, only stronger.
Planeswalkers can plane shift effectively at will,
create portals effectively at will to summon allies,
destroy entire continents, and challenge gods
single-handedly or even control them in some
cases.
That said, it is also understood that a Dungeon
Master may want to add that level of power to a
character or a party of characters in their campaign.
To that end, the divine/epic boon called 'The Spark'
has been added. It is grotesquely over-powered for
an average campaign, so be warned. It will
fundamentally change the nature of your game and
it will reach levels of high fantasy that haven't been
seen in D&D since the characters themselves
became immortals and gods in the original version
of the game (BECMI OD&D).
The Colors of Mana
When establishing the setting of D&D as based on the Magic All liv
the Gathering card game it is necessary to alter the nature of innat
the campaign to give it the correct feel. Magic, and even to ch
creatures, need to be tied to the colors of mana in such a way partic
that it resonates throughout the game. It needs to be a as "ta
defining feature of everything within the world such that consi
sages and scholars speak of the colors of magic on a daily has e
basis. due t
The colors of magic and the use of mana should be
ingrained in the system and inseparable from it. Morality may
be ambiguous, but the colors and their influence is not. It is a
literal and tangiable part of the world. To that end, the colors
will replace the default alignment system that is assumed
in the D&D world.
Additionally, mana can be detected even by a trained
scholar that cannot cast magic, and anyone may tap in to
mana if they have access to it.
Detecting Mana
Mana can be sensed through use of the Arcana spell, but how
it is used depends on the goal. In order to determine what
color a creature is, a Wisdom (Arcana) contested by the target's
passive Charisma (Arcana) is neccessary. Success informs the
creature of the colors of mana associated with the target's
personality and physical being.
To determine what colors of mana a creature has access to
(same DC as above) or a spell uses (DC 10+Spell Level), an
Intelligence(Arcana) check can inform the creature.
Struggle for Mana
Wars are fought over land, but in the multiverse of Magic: the
Gathering, they are far more personal battles, as they shape
the very energies that a creature can use and ties themselves
to. People can change the landscape of an area over time or
with dramatic action/spells. They can steal land from their
opponents by wresting the land from its owners. They can
even destroy land outright, killing its ties to mana all together.
Due to this, even cultures which share color foci can end up
in embittered battle over the land that they control. This is
especially true when mages are involved. Whether those
mages are the clergy of a holy faith or mad necromancers
bent on turning the world to an undead wasteland, full
casters are feared and respected.
Creatures themselves are also mana sources. Each
creature fuels a certain amount of mana tied to their power.
They can use this mana to bolster themselves or cast a quick
spell to turn the tide of battle. Powerful individuals can train
themselves to tap in to this mana, ripping it from the creature
in order to fuel their abilities. This can exhaust or even kill
the creature.
Tapping Out
Rules Changes
To blend D&D with Magic: the Gathering, a hybridization of
rules is necessary. The blending is focused more on staying
balanced with the D&D mechanics than with the rules and
implementation of Magic, but is heavily flavored by the latter.
So long as basic assumptions for character creation are the
same, standard D&D characters and Spark characters
should be roughly balanced with each other.
Duration of a turn
One of the sticking points in translating the game
to an RPG format is how quickly a caster regains
their ability to cast at full strength. This happens
every turn, but turns are an ill-defined abstraction.
Is a turn a few mere seconds or is it days? How
does mana being tapped and land being played tie
in to this? This abstraction is possibly one of the
biggest difficulties in managing a Magic: the
Gathering role-playing game.
For the purposes of this document, a turn in a
Duel between Planeswalkers is roughly equivalent
to a timeframe between a short and long rest. This
is still an intentionally ambiguous time-frame.
Mage Restrictions
It may seem odd that Mages find it more difficult
to access and change their mana than most
spellcasters. This is intentional. Mages have the
most diverse and complete spell-list of any other
class, so they are more heavily restricted in what
they are allowed to access at any time.
If a Mage wants to start casting healing spells
and they are tied to black and green lands, they
have no recourse but to sever their connection to
some of the black or green lands and find a plains
or special type of land that produces white mana in
order to have access.
This does not prevent them from memorizing a
white spell, merely casting it without the requisite
mana.

Mana
All creatures are tinted to at least one of the five colors of
mana. To represent this, a character has a number of mana
points equal to their proficiency modifier. This mana
represents the creature's alignment and soul, so the choice of
each point, once made, is unchanging (except for large story-
based events that the DM may work with a player to create).
At least one of the first two points is required to be of the
color of your alignment. Creatures with more than one color
in their alignment are required to set their mana to both
colors of their alignment.
Mana like this is an expendable resource, and can be spent
on various abilities and spells. Each point may be used once
per long rest and abilities, like spells, have mana costs
associated with them.

Spellcasting
The spellcasting ability gains the following modification for
all casters:
At first level and every odd level after, you gain one mana.
This mana may be of any color unless it is bound by another
restriction (See Mage's Tied to the Land ability). This mana is
in addition to mana gained from proficiency or from subclass
abilities. Most spellcasters can change their class-based
mana's color during a short rest with no restriction on
distribution.