Sorcery: Necromantic Spells

Sorcery: Necromantic Spells

Just three necromantic spells from GURPS Magic. Death Vision frightens the target, Final Rest prevents a body from being reanimated or raised, Sense Spirit detects undead and spirits.

Death Vision

Keywords: Resisted (Will).

Full Cost: 33 points for level 1 + 11 points/additional level.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: 10 yards.

Duration: Instantaneous.

The subject sees a vivid apparition of his own death. This might be a vision of the future or a false vision from another possible future – but it is always chilling. You can target any creature within 10 yards. Roll a Quick Contest of Will with your subject. If you win, roll 3d for the result, as usual, but add your margin of victory instead of his margin of failure. Your victim gets +1 per Fright Check after the first within 24 hours. If a victim succeeds at his Fright Check, he will be unaffected by your Death Vision for one hour. Each additional level of this spell imposes ‑1 to the Fright Check. For example, with Death Vision 4, the subjects must make Fright Checks at ‑3.

This spell can also be useful to the subject, by pointing out a possibly deadly hazard.

Statistics: Terror (Active, +0%; Presence, +25%; Sorcery, -15%) [33]. Additional levels add ‑1 to the Fright Check [+11].

Final Rest

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 41 points.

Casting Roll: IQ. Use DX or unarmed combat skills to hit.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Truly Permanent.

When cast on a dead body, this spell renders the subject immune to all Necromantic magic, if the caster makes a successful IQ roll. The spirit of the deceased cannot be summoned, nor can the body be animated (or Resurrected). It has no physical effect on the body. The spell may be cast at any time after the subject dies, but the IQ roll has a penalty for the time gap between the casting and the subject’s death. Use Long-Distance Modifiers (p. B241) and substitute “days” for “miles”. This spell takes 8 or 9 seconds to cast instead of 1 or 2 seconds.

This spell has no effect on a living person, and will not affect the undead who have already risen. In many settings, this spell is an intrinsic part of funeral rites, and may be restricted to the clergy. In other settings, this spell is unnecessary; ordinary nonmagical funeral rites are sufficient to safeguard the dead from necromancy.

It is usually assumed that this spell functions by sending the soul of the deceased from the mortal plane into the presence of their deity. Some, however (usually members of one death-cult or another), believe that this spell works by destroying the disembodied spirits of the dead!

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only on corpses, -40%; Advantage, Final Rest, +10%; Cosmic, Can affect the dead, +50%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; No Signature, +20%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Sorcery, ‑15%; Takes Extra Time 3, -30%; Time-Spanning, Past, +50%; Truly Permanent, +300%) [41]. Note: “Final Rest” is Covenant of Rest (Also prevents resurrection) [1].

Sense Spirit

Keywords: Information.

Full Cost: 21 points or 26 points.

Casting Roll: Per. Use IQ for analysis.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

After casting, the GM rolls against the sorcerer’s Per, with a penalty based on the distance to the nearest spirit, undead, or a similar supernatural entity. The basic (21-point) version of this spell takes standard range penalties. The improved (26-point) one uses long-distance modifiers. If successful, the caster knows the exact distance and direction to the spirit, and may make a follow-up IQ roll (at no penalty) to learn basic details about it (e.g., “it’s a ghost” or “it’s a zombie”).

The caster may, at the time of casting, limit the spell to a specific type of entity, or exclude a given type or any known spirits.

Statistics: Detect Spirits (Precise, +100%; Selective Effect, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [21]. The improved version adds Long-Range 1 (+50%) [+5].