To be able to perform magic at all, you must have a Magic Skill. This is a 3-point INT-based skill which is used whenever the magician wants to cast a spell. It can be improved by buying any of the following Magic Skill Levels:

Cost	Effect of the Level
2	+1 to Spell Casting roll
5	+1 to Spell Casting roll, +1 OCV or +1 DCV with Combat Spells
8	+1 with All Magic, and: It can be used to provide 5 points of Power Defense to the caster, or It can add 5 points to a spell's Active Cost for the purposes of resisting a Suppress or Dispel, or It can be used to add 5 points to INT only for the purposes of casting a spell whose Active Cost would normally exceed the "5 x caster's INT" restriction (see below) Only one of the above options may be in force at a time.

The way in which a Magic Skill Level is to be used must be declared at the beginning of the magician's phase, just like a Combat Skill Level.

Magical Inventor Skill

In order to be able to design your own spells, or to be able to manipulate a Variable Magic Pool, you must have this 3-point INT-based skill.

The Magical Inventor roll may be improved by +1 for 2 Character Points. An 8-point Magic Skill Level will also add +1 to the roll.