Sorcery: Earth Spells III

Sorcery: Earth Spells III

Oh boy, I wanted to delay these spells for as long as possible, but I forced myself to write them up to fully complete the college of Earth (if you do not count spells from GURPS Magic - Death Spells). Most of these spells were very hard to build, and I am not sure if I did everything right.

Alter Terrain

Keywords: Area (Special).

Full Cost: 90 points for level 1 + 75 points/additional level.

Casting Roll: IQ. Special casting time.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: One day.

Can be used to completely transform vast amounts of terrain. If cast over a large enough area, this spell can turn a city into a lake or sea, or an offshore island into a mountain range. The profile of the ground (including sea, lake, or river beds) within the affected area can be raised, lowered, or reshaped as the caster chooses (1 yard per second), or changed in texture to anything between soft earth and sand to hard granite. The GM should require Architecture, Artist, or Engineer rolls if the caster tries to alter the area into something specific.

The caster can only shape terrain in a natural way. He cannot make shapes, for example, that defy gravity, or other unstable elements, even if he keeps concentrating on the spell.

This spell can affect an area up to spell level yards in radius.

Statistics: Control Terrain (Accessibility, Cannot make unstable shapes, -15%; Cannot concentrate to extend duration, -10%; Extended Duration on Persistent, 10,000x, +160%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [90]. Additional levels add Control Terrain (Accessibility, Cannot make unstable shapes, -15%; Cannot concentrate to extend duration, -10%; Extended Duration on Persistent, 10,000x, +160%; Only increases area of effect, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [75/level].

Earthquake

Keywords: Area (Leveled).

Full Cost: 54 points for level 1 + 5 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 10 seconds.

The caster causes the ground to shake for 10 seconds. Any creatures standing in the area of effect, must make a DX roll each second to remain standing.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (DX; Accessibility, Legs and similar supportive body parts only, -20%; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Based on DX, +20%; Cosmic, Irresistible Attack, +300%; Environmental, Ground, -20%; Fixed Duration, +0%; No fatigue loss from Seizure, -20%; Persistent, +40%; Seizure, +100%; Sorcery, -15%; Variable, Area, +5%) [54]. Additional levels add further levels of Area Effect (+50%) to the advantage [+5].

Move Terrain

Keywords: Area (Special), Resisted (Will and DX).

Full Cost: 179 points for level 1, see the table for higher level.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Permanent.

The target area of terrain with all buildings and creatures on or in it “shrinks” in radius at the rate of 1 yard per second, while the caster continues to concentrate. Victims should be able to jump out of the area as it shrinks – make (DX – area radius) rolls! If the caster stops concentrating, the area expands back at the same rate.

The first level of this spell can affect an area 8 yards in radius. Every additional level adds one yard to this. Or, to put it another way, the caster can affect an area equal to (spell level)+7 yards in radius.

Area Radius	Full Cost
8 yards	179
9 yards	190
10 yards	196
11 yards	202
12 yards	208
13 yards	214
14 yards	220
15 yards	226
16 yards	232
17 yards	243
+1 yard	+6 per level and an additional +5, if the previous level is a power of 2

Unless everyone within the area is willing, the person with the highest effective Will resists. The spell is all-or-nothing; if that one person resists, then the spell fails, but if not, then it works. If the GM is uncertain of who has the best resistance roll (e.g., one person has high Will while another has modest Will but also Luck), he can pick two, roll for both, and average their margins of success for the Quick Contest.

When the area of terrain to be transported shrinks beyond the radius of 1 yard, it vanishes and gets replaces by bare earth or open water. The caster is now “carrying” that area in invisible, intangible form (but still detectable with Detect Magic).

Beings caught by the spell are aware of a wild, swirling sky above their heads and a physically impenetrable barrier all around them. The atmosphere inside remains breathable and comfortable. Spells cast out of the area automatically hit the Move Terrain’s holder! Captive mages could also cast Dispel Magic or Counterspell on the affected area, forcing the spell to end abruptly if they are successful.

When the caster switches to another spell or releases the terrain willingly, the terrain reappears. The caster’s location falls anywhere within it or at its edge. The subject area “expands” back to normal size at the same rate it shrank. If there is no suitable space available, anything in the way is moved aside as if by Shape Earth.

Statistics: Control Terrain (Accessibility, Only to shrink, -60%; Link, +10%; Nuisance Effect, Victims may jump out, -5%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [21] + Affliction 1 (Will; Accessibility, Only on the shrunk area, -60%; Advantage, Move Terrain, +1,100%; All or nothing, -10%; Area Effect, 8 yards, +150%; Based on Will, +20%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Link, +10%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Caster is vulnerable to spells from the shrunk area, -40%; Magical, ‑10%) [158]. Notes: “Move Terrain” is Jumper (World; Extra Carrying Capacity, Heavy, +30%; Improved, +10%; Limited Access, Pocket Dimension, ‑20%; Magical, ‑10%) [110]. Additional levels add Control Terrain (Accessibility, Only to shrink, -60%; Nuisance Effect, Victims may jump out, -5%; Only increases area of effect, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [6/level] and add Area Effect (+50%) to the Affliction when Control’s area of effect becomes larger than the area of effect of Affliction.

Purify Earth

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 4 points/level.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Permanent.

This spell removes foreign objects, poisons, and harmful elements from soil, rendering it fit to support growing plants. This spell also remedies any deficiencies in the soil’s composition. Small foreign objects (coins, nails) underground are destroyed; medium ones (swords, artillery shells, chests, statuettes) “float” to the surface. Large objects (coffins, walls, large statues) will cause the spell to fail, but the caster gets a general idea of the reason.

To cast the spell, the caster touches the earth he wishes to purify, takes a Concentrate maneuver and rolls vs. IQ. Success means he purifies it 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!

Purification costs 1 FP per use.

The caster can purify an amount of earth weighing 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 (Accessibility, Only to transform into normal soil, -20%; Transmute Earth to Earth, +50%; Transmutation Only, -100%; Magical, -10%) [4/level].

Sandstorm

Keywords: Area (Leveled).

Full Cost: 181 points for level 1 + 34 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 10 seconds.

Create a circular sandstorm with an “eye” of calm inside (a good place for the caster to stand). The radius of the eye can be up to half that of the storm – or smaller, if the caster wishes. The caster may move the area at Move 1 with a Concentrate maneuver.

Roll 4d as for crushing damage, determine knockback, and then double the distance; however, the victim suffers no actual damage or blunt trauma from the effect – just the consequences of being hurled around. As a special effect, knockback from this moves victims sideways (all clockwise or all anticlockwise; decide when triggering the attack) rather than away from the storm.

Second, Dodge values of all creatures within the area of effect are increased by 2 against projectile attacks.

Third, the sandstorm gives -4 to all vision rolls made through it.

Finally, any creatures in the area of effect, must make a HT roll each second or be blinded for 3 seconds. Simply closing the eyes protects against this effect.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Disadvantage, Blindness, +50%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Link, +10%; Mobile 1, +40%; Persistent, +40%; Reduced Duration, 1/60, -35%; Selective Area, Only to create an “eye”, +10%; Sorcery, -15%; Vision-Based, +150%) [40] + Crushing Attack 4d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Mobile 1, +40%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Wounding, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Selective Area, Only to create an “eye”, +10%) [37] + Enhanced Dodge 2 (Affects Others 1, +50%; Area Effect, 5 yards, +50%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Force Field, +20%; Limited, Projectiles, -40%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Mobile 1, +40%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +40%) [89] + Obscure Vision 4 (Environmental, Air, -5%; Ranged, +50%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Mobile 1, +40%) [15]. Additional levels add further levels of Area Effect (+50%) to all advantages [+34].

Volcano

Keywords: Area (Special).

Full Cost: 54 points for level 1 + 39 points/additional level.

Casting Roll: IQ. Special casting time.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: One day.

Causes vapor and lava to spew from a chosen spot of ground. This is not a quick spell, but it is very serious! The volcano starts out small – a small hole spitting stones and vapors – and increase its diameter by a couple of yards per day, if the caster casts it repeatedly. The first effects become visible one hour after the casting, but multiple successive castings are required to create a fully functional volcano. The caster must concentrate for 8 hours every day to keep the volcano growing. This spell can also reactivate a dormant volcano. When the spell is allowed to lapse, the volcano ceases to grow and will soon die (a formerly dormant volcano may stay active at the GM’s discretion).

The first level of this spell can create a volcano 10 yards in radius. Every additional level adds one yard to this. Or, to put it another way, the volcano can have an area equal to (spell level)+9 yards in radius.

Statistics: Control Terrain (Accessibility, Only to create a volcano, -30%; Cannot concentrate to extend duration, -10%; Extended Duration on Persistent, 10,000x, +160%; Immediate Preparation Required, 8 hours, -90%; Nuisance Effect, Grows slowly, -15%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [54]. Additional levels add Control Terrain (Accessibility, Only to create a volcano, -30%; Cannot concentrate to extend duration, -10%; Extended Duration on Persistent, 10,000x, +160%; Immediate Preparation Required, 8 hours, -90%; Nuisance Effect, Grows slowly, -15%; Only increases area of effect, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [39/level].