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Magic permeates the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Nearly anyone can find a spell and cast it, if they can read the text of the spellbook, collect the proper reagents, and properly pronounce the magic words.  In places rife with mystical energies (such as Sunnydale), it appears that many folks know about and practice at least a little magic.

But magic is both difficult and dangerous to practice with any degree of potency.  Even practiced witches and warlocks cast with great caution.  It takes only a slight mispronunciation, an incorrect wave of the hand, or slightly stale reagent to render a spell inoperable or, worse yet, deadly.  Uncontrolled magic wreaks havoc, with unpredictable and usually grave results.

In Buffy D6, magical powers manifest in two separate, but connected ways.  First,  Ritualistic Magic is available to anyone performs the proper research, preparation and spell casting.  The second, Witchcraft, represents potentially more powerful and dangerous method of magic used by those with innate magical abilities.  In game terms, these characters access Mana, a source of inner, mystical energies.

Finally, remember that the Buffy series plays pretty fast and loose with magic--which is good for TV writers but sometimes difficult to incorporate into role-playing.  I would hope that players won't abuse the system--which could quickly imbalance game play.  But, GM's should be mindful of character who are accumulating too much magical power and using magic too often.  Magical addiction and other karmic retribution awaits the magic-abuser...

Images courtesy of Buffyguide.com.

Ritualistic Magic
Ritualistic magic involves nearly all spells that are cast from reading a scroll or book, or reciting memorized words while inside a specially prepared area (such as a circle of power, a pentagram, a blessed tabernacle, etc.).  They always require three main elements:  1) A magical text; 2) Symbols and/or magical reagents; and 3) Recital of an incantation.  Because magic rituals exist for nearly any kind of spell, these rules focus on the process of researching and casting a ritual rather than specific spells which may be cast.  GM's and players should use their imaginations as new problems arise.  Magic often provides assistance, and perhaps even a final solution, but will never simply fix all the characters' problems.  Even if the success of a mission depends upon the casting of a Ritual, there will be ample action and danger in gather the needed materials or distracting the villain to provide time for the casting to take effect.

Research the Problem
A character must first Research the spell to be cast.  This usually begins with an inquiry or statement as to what the desired effect will be.  The GM will then decide the difficulty of the research--depending on the obscurity and age of the spell, the power of the intended result, and means of research available to the character.  Then, the character will roll a Research check against the Difficulty.  If successful, the character will find the necessary texts and a list of needed materials.

Example:  Grabazzar, a Grand Demon, has escaped his mystical prison inside a specially-prepared urn and is slowly turning the fine townspeople of Fresno into mindless zombies.  Lector must find a binding spell that will trap the demon once more.  The GM decides that since Grabazaar has been trapped once before, it will not be too difficult to find the same spell again.  He tells Lector that the Research will be a Difficulty of Moderate (15) and take 2D6 hours.  He will have to consult with contacts, dig into the library, or do some other form of research to learn the proper incantation.   Lector succeeds in his Research and finds an old Binding Demons for Dummies in the bargain bin at his favorite occult bookstore.  From the book, he finds the incantation and a list of necessary objects, including a crystal ball, four black candles, a pentagram design to be drawn on the floor, and some herbs needed as garnish.

Example:  Lector has no problem finding a crystal ball, but it must be first blessed with an alchemical concoction made of cocoa leaves, mint, and honey fresh from a beehive (he'll save the leftovers for a dessert to celebrate the casting).  The GM tells him it will require an Easy (10) Alchemy check to properly mix the ingredients and create the smoke necessary to treat the crystal ball.

Example:  The GM tells Lector that the only version of the spell is in Babylonian, so Lector will have to make a Language: Ancient check of Moderate (15) to even read the spell.  Lector succeeds after a bit of practice.  Next, he prepares the pentagram, lights the candles, sprinkles the herbs, and sits in the middle of the area read to chant the Binding spell.  He rolls his Arcana Skill of 5D and adds 2D because he has 1D in Mana.  The GM tells him he needs a Difficult (20) check to succeed.  Lector manages a 21!  He barely casts the spell, just as the Grabazaar was directing his zombie horde to eat their own children.  The little burg of Fresno is safe once again!

The Costs of Casting
All magic has a cost associated with it.  Sometimes, the spell will be so trivial that the caster will not notice the loss.  But when a major spell is attempted, the character will exhaust herself with the effort.  Whenever a spell is attempted, the caster (or casters) must make a Resistance check against the Difficulty of the spell.  She will suffer exhaustion as if it were Wound Levels if her roll is less than the Difficulty number (i.e., as if the Difficulty Level value were damage and the Resistance roll were a Constitution check).  No actual damage will be done, but the character will suffer the appropriate penalties to all her actions until she rests (1/2 hour per "Wound" Level).  If she reaches Incapacitated or Mortally Wounded, she will pass out for a brief period (1/2-1 hour).  If she suffers enough "damage" to be "Dead", she will fall into a coma and require medical assistance.  Finally, if Mana are used, the character will suffer the exhausting effects of tapping into her inner energies as well (-1 to all actions for 1/2 hour for each Mana Die used).

(Please note:  Witchcraft in the game--like that in the show--has no relation to real-life witchcraft, wiccan practices, or, frankly, anything real at all.  No offense to practicing witches--and if you're looking for  accuracy, look elsewhere!  Have fun...).

Gaining Witchcraft Spells
The Mana Attribute represents the character's inner energies and her power to manifest them.  For each 1D a character has in Mana, she may pick a Spell to cast at will.  Until she successfully casts the spell once under duress (i.e., combat or in distress--not just practicing), 10 is added to the Base Difficulty given for the spell.  It's one thing to master an ability during long hours of practice, but it's another to do so under pressure.  Though resembling magical "powers" more than Ritual spells,  Witchcraft spells still require magical words (usually some Latin-sounding word) or magical reagents (which can be as simple as cooking spices or as rare as aged frog eyeballs).

Improving Mana and Witchcraft Spells
While easier to improve than other Attributes, Mana is difficult to nurture and advance (costing 3x the current value to improve).  Most characters will have to employ character points when using Witchcraft--representing  personal investment of energies into the casting.  As the character gains more Mana, she will have more dice to roll when casting the a known spell.

The Costs of Casting
For each 1D of Mana used in a spell, the character must reduce ALL Attributes (and consequently, all Skills) by one "pip" until she has rested for 1/2 hour per "pip" lost (thus, a character with a Dex of 3D+1 would only have 3D until he rested.  If he made another casting, he would have 2D+2, etc.).

Botching a Casting
Like Ritual Magic, Witchcraft is dangerous and unpredictable when miscast.  But because the caster is drawing upon inner energies so much more with Witchcraft, the danger to her is even greater.  Thus, not only must the caster check against Exhaustion as a Ritual caster must do (see above), but the caster may suffer physical damage.  She must make a Constitution check against the number of Mana spent will take physical damage as if it were an attack.

The Taint of Black Arts
Magic casting requires interaction with forces well beyond human control and, often, comprehension.  Some of these powers are "dark" and corrupt the human soul.  Over-use of magic and manipulation of malignant powers may result in a kind of addiction to the magic and even drive a good person towards the dark side. 

When the GM decides that a caster is either dabbling in forces she cannot control or is abusing her magical gift, the GM should give the caster a Bad Karma point and  may force the caster to make a Willpower check (Reduce the caster's Willpower skill by 1D for each Bad Karma point.  Difficulty should depend on the degree of abuse and should increase with cumulative uses of the power).  Failure will result in a temporary "dark flash" in which the caster will act "evilly" (this will likely reveal itself as cruelty, selfishness, or contempt for loved ones).  Often, the taint will manifest as physical changes to the person: eyes will go black, creepy veins will sprout up all over their skins, etc.

If the caster persists in casting black magic, she will accumulate Bad Karma and turn to the dark side completely.  Then, she will only be saved through the efforts of her friends or loved ones.

Design Notes:  I see Witchcraft working much the same way that Force Powers work in the Star Wars RPG.  Thus, you can likely import various Force Powers into this game with little trouble.

Spells:
Below is a short list of some of the Witchcraft Spells you might use in your game.  GM's should probably tinker with them a bit, to increase Difficulties when appropriate, add potential derivative powers and, perhaps most importantly, create costs and consequences to particular magics.  A good rule to remember:  each action has an opposite and equal reaction.  All magic comes with karmic costs that will eventually be revisited on the caster.

Cloak
Casting Time: 1D6 rounds:
Duration: 5 minutes + 1 minute for every 5 points above the Target Number.
Description:  With Cloak, the caster may obscure a target from detection.  The specificity and thoroughness of the Cloak depends on the Difficulty Number attempted.
Difficulty:
 

Conjuration
Casting Time:  1D6 rounds.
Duration:  The item is permanent.
Description:  Permits the caster to virtually create something from thin air.  In fact, the item is "conjured" from some other place in the universe (you cannot create one thing without destroying something else).  So, Conjurers should be careful when using this spell, as the karmic costs may build up over time.  The more complicated and large the item conjured, the more difficult the casting.  Furthermore, this spell leaves a "magical resonance" in an area, making it obvious to other magic users that a spell has been cast there recently.
Difficulty:
 

Emotion Control
Casting Time: 1 round.
Duration:  5 minutes +1 minute for every 5 over the Difficulty; may be negated by a successful Willpower check or certain negating magics.
Description:  Grants the ability to manipulate the emotional state of a target or targets.  The Difficulty increases with the intensity of the emotions and the Willpower checks of any unwilling targets.
Difficulty:
 

Enhanced Senses
Casting Time: 1D rounds.
Duration:  15 minutes +5 minutes for each 5 attained above the Difficulty level attempted.
Description:  The caster may "bless" a target and bestow a variety of heightened sensory powers.
Difficulty:
 

Foresight
Casting Time:  2D6 minutes.
Duration:  Can foresee one "event" or get a general impression of a future occurrence.
Description:  This represents a somewhat limited ability to see the future ("Always in motion is the future").  The Difficulty Number selected will depend on the specificity sought and the distance over time before the event will occur.
Difficulty:
 

Harm
Casting Time: 1 round.
Duration: 1 action.
Description:  Harm may manifest itself in a variety of ways:  electrical blasts, disintegrating rays, invisible blows.  Regardless, they all do the same thing:  they hurt people and things.  In case you're wondering, this is not a nice spell--considered by all to be "black magic" and active use of it--even for good--is likely to get you into some dark trouble sooner rather than later.  If the character Complicates while casting this spell, she will suffer its damage effects.
Difficulty:  Moderate (15).
Damage:  2D of damage for every 1D of Mana used to cast this spell + 1D for every 5 points above the Difficulty Number.  Magical Armor has no effect against this spell, but magical shields and items may deflect it.

Heal
Casting Time: 1D6 rounds.
Duration:  Permanently heal one Wound Level on a target.
Description:  Perhaps one of the oldest of magics, Healing is a potent and useful "white magic" spell.  However, it may only be cast upon a target once per day.
Difficulty:  Very Easy (5) for Wounded; Easy (10) for Wounded x 2;  Moderate (15) for Incapacitated; Difficult (20) for Mortally Wounded.  Heroic (50) to save a character who has been Killed within the last 3 minutes.  The Difficulty can be reduced by one level if another person joins hands with the caster and "lends" them some of their strength.  The "lender" will be at -1D to all actions for an hour after helping and must also make a Constitution (or Endurance) check.  Failure will result in the lender becoming exhausted and needing to sleep for about 1 hour or she will suffer -2D to all actions for 3 hours.

Hindsight
Casting Time: 2D6 minutes.
Duration:  Will see one "event" or "scene" attached to a given place, object or person.
Description:  With this spell, the Caster may seek to read the past of a person, object or place by touching it and concentrating.  The character will "experience" images in her mind.  The clarity of the experience increases with great success of casting. A minimal success may leave the caster with a vague impression of what occurred, while a fine success will be like she was actually there in the room when the event occurred.
Difficulty:  Easy (10) for events within 24 hours.  Moderate (15) for events within 1 week.  Difficult (20) for events within 1 year.  Very Difficult (25) for events within 10 years.  Heroic (50) for events within the past few thousand years.

Locus:
Casting Time: 1D6 rounds..
Duration:  Until the target of the spell is found or visited, but the caster must continue to concentrate on this spell (-1D to all other actions).
Description:  This handy spell evokes various methods of guidance and tracking.  There is usually a physical manifestation to guide the caster--such as a small ball of light leading the way, a glowing arrow pointing in the right direction, etc.  Diffusion and other obscuring magicks are fairly common to counter this spell.
Difficulty:
 

Luminescence
Casting Time: 1D6 rounds.
Duration:
Description:  Involves powers over lights and visible radiation, permitting the caster to invoke illumination and even "shape" light into images.
Difficulty:
 

Mind Control
Casting Time:  1D6 minutes.
Duration: Permanent:  until the victim succeeds in making a Willpower check against the Spell's Success Number or the caster stops concentrating on the victim.
Description:  With this creepy spell, the caster may invade the mind of another and control it, just as a puppeteer pulls his toy's strings. The victim may make a Willpower check against the spell each round to break free from the control.  The victim will get +5 to their roll if being forced to do something highly disagreeable to them (like attack a friend), but will suffer -5 to their roll if doing something that is pleasurable (use your imagination).  The caster must focus on the victim for the entire duration of the caster--any other actions are at -2D.  Finally, this is pretty dark mojo, so it will rack up some karmic debt with continued use.
Difficulty:  10 + an initial Willpower check by the victim.

Pyromancy
Casting Time: 1 action.
Duration:  Variable (see below).
Description:  Power to create and control flame.
Difficulty:
 

Shield Casting Time: 1 action. Duration: 1 minutes + 1 minute for every 5 above the Difficult number. Description:  With this spell, the caster may conjure a variety of different forms of protection against an appropriate myriad of attacks.  The shields will manifest themselves in different ways, depending on the attack (and perhaps the whim of the caster or the GM). Difficulty:

Telekinesis
Casting Time:  1 action.
Duration: 1 action; may be kept "up" by concentrating on the object, but the caster suffers a -1D to all other actions while doing so.
Description:  Ah, the old classic.  This is the ability to move objects with the mind.  It may manifest in a variety of ways, all appearing to be different spells (spells to open doors, close window shades, throw a bunch of knives, etc.).  But when it comes down to it, it's good old Telekinesis at work.
Difficulty:
 

Telepathy
Casting Time:  1 round when linking to people with whom the caster is familiar.  1D6 rounds when the target is unfamiliar.
Duration:  5 minutes +1 minute for every 5 above the Target Number.
Description:  Another old classic, this spell represents the ability to broadcast the caster's thoughts into the mind of another and receive thoughts broadcast back at her.  The Difficulty increases with increased range or if the target attempts to hide her thoughts (to "think in whispers").
Difficulty:  Add the Range Difficulty Numbers to the target's Willpower roll, if the target attempts to hide her thoughts.

• Range:  Easy (10) for up to 20 meters; Moderate (15) for up to 100 meters;  Difficult (20) for up to 1000 meters.  Very Difficult (25) for up to 10,000 meters.