Sorcery: Ice Spells

Sorcery: Ice Spells

Ice magic probably is my favorite elemental magic, even though ice sometimes is separated from water. GURPS Thaumatology - Sorcery has the Icy Weapon spell, and this post has the Body of Ice spell. Let's make some more!

Create Ice

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 5.5 points/level*.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: Touch.

Duration: 10 seconds or permanent; see text.

This spell allows you to create ice. To do so, take a Concentrate maneuver and roll vs. IQ. Success means the ice appears in hand or within arm’s reach (for example, within a drink you are holding). Failure means nothing happens. Critical failure means the creation happens, but in a way that’s inconvenient or dangerous – the GM should be creative!

The produced ice can weigh up to 10 x (level squared) lbs. – 10 lbs. at level 1, 40 lbs. at level 2, 90 lbs. at level 3, and so on.

Created ice is unstable. It vanishes in 10 seconds unless you use character points to “stabilize” it. Each point spent stabilizes a quantity worth 10% of the campaign’s average starting wealth. (This is just the tradeoff used for Trading Points for Money, p. B26.) The GM determines the cash value per pound of matter.

Points spent to stabilize matter come from your “Creation Pool,” a number of points set aside for the purpose. You can’t apply any modifiers to these points. Points used to stabilize matter are unavailable until reclaimed – which causes the matter to vanish. If the matter is crafted into an object, the item is unmade when the matter vanishes. If the matter is mixed with other materials (e.g., alloyed), you must separate it to reclaim your points; this can be a tedious process. If it’s destroyed (e.g., melts naturally) or transformed (e.g., eaten), you can’t reclaim your points – they’re gone. You can increase your Creation Pool with unspent points at any time.

Statistics: Create Ice (Magical, -10%; Reduced Fatigue Cost 1, +20%) [5.5/level*].

* Calculate the total cost and round up.

Freeze

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 2 points/level.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Permanent or until the ice melts naturally.

This spell allows you to turn liquid water into ice. To do so, touch the matter you wish to transform, take a Concentrate maneuver and roll vs. IQ. Success means you transform the matter successfully. Failure means nothing happens. Critical failure means the transformation happens, but in a way that’s inconvenient or dangerous – the GM should be creative!

Transmutation costs 1 FP per use.

The final product can weigh up to 10 x (level squared) lbs. – 10 lbs. at level 1, 40 lbs. at level 2, 90 lbs. at level 3, and so on.

Statistics: Create (Transmute Water to Ice, +50%; Transmutation Only, -100%; Magical, -10%) [2/level].

  

Ice Slick

Keywords: Area (Special).

Full Cost: 42 points for level 1 + 13.5 points/additional level*.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 30 seconds.

Covers a patch of ground with a thin layer of ice, making it extremely slippery. This may affect an area up to (Ice Slick level)+1 yards in radius. Ice slicks are very difficult to see. Anyone not actively watching the ground for ice must make a roll against IQ-3 to notice an ice slick before stepping onto it. All DX-based activities, including attack and defense rolls, are at -2 in the slippery area. In addition, those moving into or through the area must roll against DX-2 every turn or fall; this roll is at +1 if walking at Move/2, +2 at Move/4, and +3 at Move/8 (round down, minimum 0). Critical failure causes 1d-2 injury to a randomly chosen limb.

An ice slick will extinguish an area of normal fire that it overlaps, and vice versa.

Anyone with Perfect Balance or Terrain Adaptation (Ice) may ignore the effects of this spell. Anything less, including special footwear, doesn’t help. Character on skates can skate (B220) on the area of effect.

Statistics: Control Ground Friction 2 (Accessibility, Only to reduce friction, -25%; Cannot concentrate to extend duration, -10%; Extended Duration on Persistent, 3x, +20%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%; Visible, -10%) [42]. Additional levels add Control Ground Friction (Accessibility, Only to reduce friction, -25%; Cannot concentrate to extend duration, -10%; Extended Duration on Persistent, 3x, +20%; Only to increase area, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%; Visible, -10%) [13.5/level*]. Note: Based on Control Friction from GURPS Supers.

* Calculate the total cost and then round up.

   

Ice Sphere

Keywords: Missile, Obvious.

Full Cost: 4.5 points/level*.

Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Projectile) to hit.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Instantaneous.

You throw a ball of ice at a single target. Use Innate Attack (Projectile) to hit, applying normal range penalties. It does crushing damage with dice equal to your level of this spell. The missile can be blocked. The GM must determine what the maximum level available in the campaign is.

Ice Sphere can also extinguish fire in a 1-yard radius, if accurately aimed.

Statistics: Crushing Attack (Blockable, -5%; Can Extinguish Fire, +10%; Sorcery, -15%) [4.5/level*].

* Calculate the total cost and then round up.

Icewalking

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 22 points.

Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 30 minutes.

The subject can walk or crawl on ice walls and ceilings. He can stop at any point and stick to the surface without fear of falling. Neither feat requires a roll against Climbing skill, provided the surface is one you can cling to. Move while clinging is half the subject’s Basic Move.

If the subject is falling and tries to grab a vertical surface to break his fall, the GM must first decide whether there is anything in reach. If there is, the subject makes a DX roll to touch the surface, and then makes a ST roll at -1 per 5 yards already fallen. If he succeeds, he stops his fall. Otherwise, he continues to fall – but he may subtract 5 yards from the height of the fall thanks to the slowing effect of the failed Clinging attempt. Variations in gravity affect these distances; e.g., in 0.5G, the ST roll would be at -1 per 10 yards.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Icewalking, +60%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [22]. Note: “Icewalking” is Clinging (Magical, -10%; Specific, Ice, -60%) [6].

Melt Ice

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 2 points/level.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Permanent or until the water freezes naturally.

This spell allows you to turn ice into liquid ice. To do so, touch the matter you wish to transform, take a Concentrate maneuver and roll vs. IQ. Success means you transform the matter successfully. Failure means nothing happens. Critical failure means the transformation happens, but in a way that’s inconvenient or dangerous – the GM should be creative!

Transmutation costs 1 FP per use.

The final product can weigh up to 10 x (level squared) lbs. – 10 lbs. at level 1, 40 lbs. at level 2, 90 lbs. at level 3, and so on.

Statistics: Create (Transmute Ice to Water, +50%; Transmutation Only, -100%; Magical, -10%) [2/level].