Sorcery: Artillery Spells II

Sorcery: Artillery Spells II

More artillery spells. This post covers Body Control, Communication and Empathy, and Enchantment spells.

Death Field

Keywords: Area (Leveled), Resisted (HT).

Full Cost: 18.5 points/level*.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

All victims in the area who fail the HT roll to resist take 1d crushing damage per level of this spell, ignoring DR. This damage does not cause knockback. This spell does affect the undead.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1d (Area Effect, 4 yards, +100%; Based on HT, +20%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Knockback, -10%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, ‑15%; Variable, Area, +5%) [18.5/level*].

* Calculate the total cost, then round up.

  

Plague Touch

Keywords: Resisted (HT).

Full Cost: 48 points for level 1 + 15 points/additional level.

Casting Roll: None. Use DX or unarmed combat skills to hit.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Instantaneous.

The caster must touch the subject to trigger this spell. Armor does not protect. If the subject fails his HT roll to resist, he takes 3d crushing damage per level of this spell. This damage does not cause knockback. This spell does affect the undead. The subject becomes a “carrier”. Anybody that person touches without deliberate hostile intent suffers the same effects and becomes a carrier, too. The original target stops being a carrier. This transfer can happen twice per level of this spell. Only the living or undead take injury, but anyone can be a carrier! However, nobody can be zapped more than once by a given casting of Plague Touch.

For this spell’s purposes, a “touch” includes a deliberate touch (e.g., to render first aid or cast a helpful spell), an accidental bump (as from knockback), or even handing off an object. A person simply passing through a non-hostile hex must roll vs. DX, with failure indicating a brief touch. It’s unimportant which party initiates contact. Opponents in battle are assumed hostile; the magic won’t spread to them under any circumstances.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 3d (Based on HT, +20%; Cyclic, Highly Contagious, Resistible, two 1-second cycles, +150%; Melee Attack, Reach C, Cannot Parry -35%; Malediction 1, +100%; No Knockback, -10%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Cannot strike one target twice, -10%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [48]. Each additional levels increases the number of cycles by 2 (+100%) [+15].

Psychic Scream

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 6 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Self.

Duration: 10 seconds.

The caster emanates an invisible psionic pulse that injures any nearby being that possesses a mind. For as long as the spell endures, all beings with minds within 4 yards – friend or foe, everybody but the caster – suffer 1 HP of toxic injury per second while in the area. This injury bypasses all DR save for that specifically effective against psionic attacks.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1 point (Accessibility, Only beings with minds, -10%; Area Effect, 4 yards, +100%; Aura, +80%; Cosmic, Irresistible Attack, +300%; Cosmic, Psionic Damage, +50%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Reduced Duration, 1/6, -15%; Requires Will Roll, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [6].

  

Vengeful Staff

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 20 points for level 1 + 6 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 30 minutes.

The spell imbues a handheld item with the one-time ability to explode when broken. Accidental breakage never sets off the blast, although it does end the enchantment. To blow up the item, the wielder must grasp it with one or more hands (not remotely, as via a Movement spell or Telekinesis), declare the intention to activate it, and take one second – a maneuver in combat – to destroy it. Dashing it against something hard and immovable counts as an attack, deals the object maximum swing damage for the user’s ST, and can benefit from All-Out Attack (Strong). Snapping it is considered a Ready maneuver, involves winning a Quick Contest of (ST - artifact’s DR) vs. (artifact’s HP), and can involve extra effort. A spell such as Shatter must be cast by touch using the usual Concentrate maneuver(s).

Alternatively, if the item is broken by enemy action while in the owner’s hands – e.g., by an attack powerful enough to shatter it when used to parry (Parrying Heavy Weapons, p. B376), or by a hostile spell – the wielder can attempt to initiate the blast with a simple Will roll.

However the blast is triggered, it’s a crushing explosion that does 6d x square root of (object weight in lbs. x 4) damage, but no more than 6d per level of this spell. The holder always suffers this damage – there’s no workaround – while everyone else divides damage by distance in yards from the holder (not triple that).

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Objects Only, -10%; Advantage, Vengeful Staff 1, +60%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Weight-Limited, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [20]. Notes: Each level of “Vengeful Staff” is Crushing Attack 6d (Backlash, Instant Death, -300%; Emanation, -20%; Explosion 3, +150%; Trigger, Breakage, -10%) [6]. Additional levels add more levels of Vengeful Staff (+60%) [+6].