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The latest informational update for Planewalker Games' upcoming RPG, The Broken Hourglass, reveals details of the rules and mechanics behind player spell customization. In addition to the standard spells provided by the game players can customize their own magical spells to suit almost any encounter situation. The "tinkered spell" will then incorporate a variety of magical effects chosen by the player.

Characters in The Broken Hourglass have an almost unlimited ability to customize their spellbooks through the use of the Tinker Spell interface. A "tinkered" spell is one defined by the player, selecting from a menu of spell sources and effects and given a player-defined mana strength.

Once one of your characters tinkers a spell, every member of the party may use it, if they have the necessary magic skills and mana to cast it. The entire party "learns" the customized spell. Tinkered spells are remembered with your saved games. You may, at your option, later delete a tinkered spell when you feel it has outlived its usefulness.

Why tinker spells at all? Although your characters will start with a well-stocked spellbook containing many common and useful spells, there are so many different ways to combine these effects that we cannot possible account for them all. A character who specializes heavily in Air and Fire Magic may find it more beneficial to combine multiple damage sources into a single spell rather than alternating between airbolts and firebolts, for instance. Or such a character may wish to cast a single party-enhancing spell to boost strength and agility (from Fire and Air Magic, respectively) rather then split them up into separate casts. And as characters become more powerful, they may wish to devote more mana to a single spell than the default spells in the book specify.

The Broken Hourglass: Tinkered Spells

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