Sorcery: Meta Spells III

Sorcery: Meta Spells III

Some tools against enemy spellcasters. Catch Spell is great in magic duels. Displace Spell lets the caster move that nasty Fire Cloud somewhere else. Scryfool redirects scrying attempts to a decoy. Spell Shield negates most of the spell cast through it.

   

Catch Spell

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 63 points/level.

Casting Roll: DX/2 + 3. Use Innate Attack (Projectile) to aim the caught spell.

Range: Self.

Duration: Instantaneous.

This spell may be cast as an immediate reaction against Missile spells that have been projected at the caster of this spell, allowing them to catch the missile as it comes within reach.  So long as the casting roll is successful and the spell’s basic damage is less than (Catch Spell level)x2 dice, the spell is physically caught in the caster’s free hand. Convert all flat damage to dice (as per p. B269) for this determination. Catch Spell also allows the caster to catch non-damaging Missile spells; each level of Catch Spell can repel two levels of Affliction or 10 levels of Binding. However, the caster cannot catch area spells.

Once caught, the spell can be held by the caster to be thrown later, as if they had cast it themselves. If the caster switches to another spell, the caught spell dissipates harmlessly. Regardless of the skill used by the original caster, the caught spell is aimed with Innate Attack (Projectile). The caster does not have to spend FP to throw the caught spell.

The casting roll is modified by Talent and Combat Reflexes. If the caster tries to cast Catch Missile more than once in a turn, the casting roll takes a cumulative -4 penalty per attempt after the first within a turn. The caster rolls at -4 if stunned and cannot cast Catch Missile in situations where they would not get an active defense. If the casting fails, all future castings cost an additional 1 FP until the next successful casting. If the caster drops to 3 FP or less from casting Catch Missile, they cannot cast this spell until all FP are replenished. This spell does count as an active defense for the purpose of cumulative defense penalties and cannot be combined with other active defenses.

Statistics: Damage Resistance 7 (Accessibility, Requires gestures, -10%; Active Defense, -40%; All-or-Nothing, -10%; All-Out, -25%; Cosmic, Can change the target for Reflection, +50%; Force Field, +20%; Limited, Missile Spells, -40%; Reflection, +100%; Sorcery, -15%; Triggered Delay on Reflection, +50%) [63/level]. Notes: Each DR 7 is converted into 2d per p. B269. The ruling on Affliction and Binding is from p. 168 of GURPS Powers. All-Out turns the casting into an actual active defense, prohibiting the caster from using this spell in conjunction with another active defense. The requirement of a free hand restricts the sorcerer’s options when using Alternative Rituals (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, p. 7).

  

Displace Spell

Keywords: Area (Special).

Full Cost: 33 points for level 1 + 6 points/additional level.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Indefinite.

The caster can move an Area spell, which must have an initial radius (in yards) no greater than the caster’s level of this spell, and which center must be within 100 yards. This allows the caster to “walk” the spell, with Move 3. They must actively concentrate while moving the spell. The caster cannot move Truly Permanent spell effects, such as Drain Mana or Restore Mana.

If the spell is already under someone else’s direct control (for example, if the spell has the Mobile enhancement and the original caster can concentrate to move it, or if someone else has cast Displace Spell on it), roll a Quick Contest of the caster’s IQ against the other person’s IQ or appropriate spell skill, if the control was established by a spell of another magic system. The caster must win to establish control.

Statistics: Control Magic 1 (Accessibility, Only to move Area spells, -55%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [21] + Control Magic +2 (Accessibility, Only to move Area spells, -55%; Does not increase area of effect, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [12]. Additional levels add Control Magic +1 (Accessibility, Only to move Area spells, -55%; Only increases area of effect, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [6/level]. Note: As this is one advantage (Control Magic) with the Sorcery limitation, not two, it costs only 1 FP to use.

  

Scryfool

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 78 points.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Five hours.

This spell redirects Information spells targeted at a first subject onto a second subject, the “decoy.” Both subjects must be present at casting time; add the range penalties, if any. Unwilling subjects resist automatically. If the diviner’s margin of success is 10 or more, then he divines the correct subject.

A spell like Detect Magic (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, p. 19) will reveal the existence of the Scryfool spell, but that’s all – and the caster would have to first see the subject with his own eyes to cast it.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Advantage, Scryfool, +580%; Extended Duration, 100x, +80%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [78]. Note: “Scryfool” is Obscure 10 (Information Spells; Cosmic, Redirects to a decoy, +100%; Defensive, +50%; Magical, -10%; No Area of Effect, -50%; Stealthy, +100%) [58].

  

Spell Shield

Keywords: Area (Leveled).

Full Cost: 70 points for level 1 + 15 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Five minutes.

This spell creates a transparent dome that attempts to negate any spell cast through it. Spells can be cast within the dome, but no spell can cross the boundary freely. Spell Shield does not affect missile and jet spells. To penetrate Spell Shield, the caster must win a Quick Contest of Will with the caster of Spell Shield. If the spell already requires a Quick Contest of some kind, then the attacker rolls only once, but the target gets +5 to resist.

Statistics: Static (Magic; Area Effect, 2 yards, +100%; Extended Duration, 30x, +60%; Only around the border of the area, -0%; Ranged, +40%; Resistible, -50%; Sorcery, -15%; Variable, Area, +5%; Visible, -10%) [69] + Rules Exemption (Magical abilities can coexist with anti-magical Static) [1]. Additional levels increase Area Effect (+50%) for Static [+15]. Note: As a special effect, this forms a hemispherical dome, not a cylinder.