Sorcery: Necromantic Spells II

Sorcery: Necromantic Spells II

Necromancy is a large college that deals with spirits, zombies, and life force. Animation summons a spirit to animate a statue or another object. Astral Vision allows the subject to see ghosts or other ethereal beings. Skull-Spirit turns a skull into a spectral assassin. Steal Energy drains the victim's FP to replenish the caster's FP. Summon Spirit allows the caster to talk to a deceased person's spirit.

            Animation

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 23 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Hours equal to margin of success on the casting roll.

Summon a spirit (IQ 9) to animate an existing statue, painting, or other item. The object that is animated must depict or represent a human or animal. Its abilities and attributes depend on its body. This is entirely up to the GM – for instance, a painting could talk, but not move around while a statue might leave its base and move freely. At the end of the casting, you must pay 1 FP and make a Will roll to animate the object. If you are victorious, the object is animated for margin of success hours.

If the animated object is destroyed, the summoner must wait a full day to call replacements. Dismissing the animating spirit is a free action, but you may only dismiss him if he is physically present. You can only cast this spell if your character’s point total is at least 2 times bigger than the object’s.

Statistics: Ally (Animated Object; Built on 50%; Constantly, no roll required; Adjustable, Humanoid or animal-shaped object, +50%; Conjured, +100%; Magical, -10%; Maximum Duration, hours equal to margin of success, -5%; Minion, +50%; Requires Will Roll, -5%) [23]. Notes: The Maximum Duration limitation is priced based on Maximum Duration, 12 hours. As a special effect, this spell breaks sorcery rules by allowing free maintenance, but this is offset by imposing a FP cost to cast.

Astral Vision

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 30 points.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 30 minutes.

This spell allows the subject to see invisible insubstantial entities. Examples include ghosts and subjects of Ethereal Body, Projection, or Astral Trip spells.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Astral Vision, +140%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [30]. Note: “Astral Vision” is See Invisible (Insubstantial; Magical, -10%) [14].

Skull-Spirit

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 44 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Hours equal to margin of success on the casting roll.

Summon a skull-spirit, a ghostly assassin created from the life force that lingers around a sapient being’s skull (GURPS Magic, page 150). Requires the skull of a sapient creature, which is destroyed in the casting. At the end of the casting, you must pay 1 FP and make a Will roll to animate the skull. If you are victorious, the skull is animated for margin of success hours.

If the skull-spirit is destroyed, the summoner must wait a full day to call replacements. Dismissing the skull-spirit is a free action, but you may only dismiss him if he is physically present. You can only cast this spell if your character’s point total is equal or bigger than the skull-spirit’s.

Statistics: Ally (Skull-Spirit; Built on 100%; Constantly, no roll required; Accessibility, Requires a sapient being’s skull, -10%; Conjured, +100%; Magical, -10%; Maximum Duration, hours equal to margin of success, -5%; Minion, +50%; Requires Will Roll, -5%) [44]. Notes: The Maximum Duration limitation is priced based on Maximum Duration, 12 hours. As a special effect, this spell breaks sorcery rules by allowing free maintenance, but this is offset by imposing a FP cost to cast.

Steal Energy

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 14 points for level 1 + 3 points/additional level.

Casting Roll: None.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Indefinite.

You can steal FP from a victim to replenish your own. There is no resistance roll, but the subject must be either willing or completely helpless. You must touch him constantly while stealing energy. Every two seconds, he loses FP equal to the level of this spell; for every full 3 FP he loses, you recover 1 FP.

Statistics: Leech 1 (Only Heals FP, -20%; Sorcery, -15%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%) [14 + 3/additional level].

Summon Spirit

Keywords: Information.

Full Cost: 23 points.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: Touch.

Duration: Instantaneous.

By touching a corpse, you can force its spirit to answer any one specific question that he can answer with a brief sentence. To cast the spell, you must first touch your subject, concentrate for one second, and make an IQ roll. You must also share a language with him.

The subject cannot resist, but your IQ (plus Talent) roll takes the following penalties: -5 if you don’t know the subject’s full name. -1 if it has been more than a week since the subject’s death, -2 if more than a month, -3 if more than a year, -4 if more than 10 years, -5 if more than 50 years, and -6 if more than 500 years; and you only get one try. If you win, you contact the spirit and force it to give you the answer. The answer is what the subject believes to be true – if he doesn’t know, he’ll tell you.

Statistics: Mind Probe (Accessibility, Only on corpses, -20%; Cosmic, Works on the dead, +50%; Sorcery, -15%) [23]. Feature: Time penalty replaces the normal Quick Contest.