====== Magic Resistance ======

{{:abilities:twiceborn.png?nolink }} A great many [[magic|spells]] have esoteric effects, possibly limited to just within the target's mind or soul. Rather than butt up against the target's [[Protection]] score or their [[Elemental Resistance|Elemental Resistances]], these may go against their **Magic Resistance** instead.

What even is Magic Resistance? That is left purposefully vague. It could be the unit's mental willpower (like a Will save in Dungeons & Dragons). It could be their creativity or intelligence. It could be their attunement with magic, or perhaps even their discord with it. It could even be their soul. Maybe it's just that field beings have in Neon Genesis: Evangelion.

===== The Roll =====

Regardless of what Magic Resistance is, it serves as a base for a [[DRN]] roll against the offending spellcaster's **Magic Penetration**.

The offender's Penetration varies mainly on what is being cast:

  * Most effects have a base Penetration of **11**. If the effect is known to be "easy to resist" or "easy to negate", its base Penetration is **7**. If the effect is known to be "hard to resist" or "hard to negate", its base Penetration is **15**.
  * The caster then receives a Penetration bonus equal to **half** of their "overcast"; this is the gap between their skill level in the spell's primary magic path and the bare minimum skill level required. For example, a {{path>S4}} ??Astrologer?? casting ??Mind Burn?? without any assisting items has a Penetration of 12. This rounds down.

The caster also gets a [[DRN]] roll added to their Penetration, but this competes with the defender's DRN roll.

Against a spell effect of a magic path they know, the target gets a Magic Resistance bonus equal to **half their skill level** in the effect's assigned magic path. This is presumably because they understand what they're being hit with on some level. For example, the [[paralysis|paralyzing]] effect of ??Astral Shield?? is an [[Astral]] spell effect; possessing two or more Astral levels makes an Astral Shield less likely to paralyze you, if you intend to punch through the shield instead of using your own magic.

**The Penetrator wins ties.**

===== Coverage =====

Against most effects, Magic Resistance either works or doesn't work. Against some magic, however, Magic Resistance only halves effects. Examples include the enervating light of ??Stellar Cascades?? and the enervating darkness of ??Shadow Bolt??.

In addition, some magic has secondary or tertiary effects that may require additional Magic Resistance rolls to prevent. In certain cases, you can resist the main part of a spell, but still get hit with the side effects. For example, the odds of resisting the damage of a ??Nether Bolt?? but still getting [[Afflictions|Feebleminded]] are low, but never zero. A fair amount of spells have side effects that really only matter if the main part of the spell is resisted, such as ??Syllable of Death?? attempting to [[Fatigue]] the target after either succeeding or failing to "instakill" them.

===== Stat Examples =====

^  Example Monster  ^  Their MR  ^
|  A not-yet-awakened plant or object          |  2  |
|  Most ??Swarm?? summons                      |  3  |
|  A mundane ??Fish??                          |  4  |
|  An average {{:abilities:animal.png?15&nolink}} [[Animal]]     |  5  |
|  A ??Madman??                                |  5  |
|  A ??Soulless?? (a zombie)                   |  5  |
|  An ??Elephant?? (and other wise animals)    |  6  |
|  A ??Deep One??                              |  7  |
|  A ??Caveman??                               |  8  |
|  [[bandar-log-ma|Intelligent Primates]]      |  8  |
|  An [[ulm-ma|Ulmish]] or [[pyrene-ma|Pyrènian]] man   |  9  |
|  A ??Barbarian??                             |  9  |
|  Uncivilized Giants                          |  9  |
|  Uncivil [[shinuyama-ma|Bakemono]] Goblins   |  9  |
|  A ??Longdead?? (an animated skeleton)       |  9  |
|  **The average human**                       |  10  |
|  Humans of magical ancestry (or magical folk of human ancestry)                  |  11  |
|  An elite soldier trained by [[Astral]] mages   |  11  |
|  A pure-blooded Airya [[caelum-ma|Caelian]]     |  12  |
|  A [[pelagia-ea|Pelagian]] Triton or Merman     |  12  |
|  Disciplined [[vaettiheim-la|Vaetti]] Goblins   |  12  |
|  Someone distantly related to the Earth or Elements  |  12  |
|  A civilied half-Giant (Size 4 or 5)            |  12  |
|  A civilized Giant (Size 6)                     |  13  |
|  An ideal descendant of the Earth or Elements   |  13  |
|  A [[pangaea-ea|Satyr]]                         |  13  |
|  A typical level-1 Mage or Priest               |  13  |
|  An Elemental summoned with level-1 magic       |  13  |
|  The weakest {{:abilities:demon.png?15&nolink}} [[Demon]], //and// the weakest Celestial    |  13  |
|  A pure-blooded elf (such as a [[vanheim-ea|Van]] or a [[eriu-ma|Sidhe]])    |  14  |
|  Titans serving as troops (Size 9)              |  15  |
|  An [[r-lyeh-ma|Illithid]] of this world        |  15  |
|  A typical Mage/Priest with 2-to-4 levels       |  15  |
|  An Elemental summoned with level-3 magic       |  16  |
|  Most Mages/Priests with 5+ levels              |  16  |
|  A ??Devil??                                    |  17  |
|  A strong Mage/Priest of a magical race         |  18  |
|  {{:abilities:pretender.png?15&nolink}} **A [[Pretender God]]**                            |  18  |
|  An essentially-alien lifeform                  |  20  |
|  A [[Horrors|Doom Horror]]                      |  22  |