Sorcery: Plant Spells VI

Sorcery: Plant Spells VI

Last plant spells from GURPS Magic. Animate Plant turns a plant into an ally. Plant Form and Plant Form Other let the caster transform himself or other creatures into plants. Plant Speech lets the caster talk to plants. Rain of Nuts is an irritating area effect.

Animate Plant

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 21 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 living non-intelligent plant. Its abilities and attributes depend on its body. This is entirely up to the GM. At the end of the casting, you must pay 1 FP and make a Will roll to animate the plant. If you are victorious, the plant is animated for margin of success hours.

If the animated plant 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 plant’s.

Statistics: Ally (Animated Plant; Built on 50%; Constantly, no roll required; Adjustable, Plants, +25%; Conjured, +100%; Magical, -10%; Maximum Duration, hours equal to margin of success, -5%; Minion, +50%; Requires Will Roll, -5%) [21]. 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.

Plant Form

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 45 points.

Casting Roll: None. Special casting time.

Range: Self.

Duration: Indefinite.

The caster can assume the form of any natural plant or tree between 1⁄2 and five times his own size, as if using the Morph advantage (p. B84). The transformation takes 10 seconds. Equipment and gear up to his Light Encumbrance change with him. If he is knocked out or killed, he immediately reverts to his native form (which will also be unconscious or dead). The caster cannot move about, attack, etc., unless a plant with those abilities exists in the game world and he takes that form, or unless Animate Plant is cast on his plant form. He may hear normally but may not see except to sense light and darkness. He may not speak.

The caster retains his intelligence, but gains all the physical attributes of the new form. Note that FP are not increased for spellcasting purposes. The caster may not add traits to templates, but he may freely omit racial mental disadvantages (e.g., Bestial), and he may always choose to drop the racial IQ modifier from a template and use his own IQ.

Statistics: Morph (Accessibility, Non-Intelligent Plants Only, -60%; Can Carry Objects, Light Encumbrance, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [45].

Plant Form Other

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 66 points.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 30 minutes.

The caster transforms the subject into any natural plant or tree between 1⁄2 and five times the subject’s own size, as if using the Morph advantage (p. B84). Equipment and gear up to his Light Encumbrance change with him. If he is knocked out or killed, he immediately reverts to his native form (which will also be unconscious or dead). The subject cannot move about, attack, etc., unless a plant with those abilities exists in the game world and he was transformed into it, or unless Animate Plant is cast on his plant form. He may hear normally but may not see except to sense light and darkness. He may not speak.

The subject retains his intelligence, but gains all the physical attributes of the new form. Note that FP are not increased for spellcasting purposes. The caster may not add traits to templates, but he may omits racial mental disadvantages (e.g., Bestial), and he always drops the racial IQ modifier from a template, allowing the subject to use his own IQ.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Plant Form Other, +500%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [66]. Notes: “Plant Form Other” is Morph (Accessibility, Non-Intelligent Plants Only, -60%; Can Carry Objects, Light Encumbrance, +20%; Magical, -10%) [50]. If turned into a “usually on” magical item (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, pp. 27-28), the wearer can shift at will but it takes 10 seconds to do so.

Plant Speech

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 13 points.

Casting Roll: None.

Range: Personal.

Duration: Indefinite.

You can converse with plants. All earthly plants are IQ 0, but a large tree might be “wiser” than the average ivy, at the GM’s whim. A plant might know how recently it was watered or walked on, or something else that directly bears on its well-being, but would be unable to relate an overheard phone conversation. Any normal plant will always cooperate, within the limits of its ability. It takes one minute to ask one question and get the answer – if the plant decides to speak at all.

Statistics: Speak with Plants (Sorcery, -15%) [13].

   

Rain of Nuts

Keywords: Area (Leveled).

Full Cost: 23 points for level 1 + 8 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 10 seconds.

You cause a rain of nuts to fall within a two-yard-radius area, issuing from the nearby trees as if they were suddenly filled with crazed squirrels. This gives -3 to all vision rolls made through the area. To place the cloud at a distance, use Innate Attack (Gaze), with normal range penalties, but at +4 for affecting an area.

Additionally, every creature in the area is distracted by the rain of nuts, taking a -1 penalty to DX and IQ, while it is in the area. This effect may be resisted with a Will roll, but any creature that left the area has to make the roll again, if it enters the area again.

This spell may only be cast outdoors, in a forest. It won’t work in the dead of winter, or in very sparse woods. Depending on the species of trees, the nuts may turn out to be edible.

The basic (23-point) version of this spell covers a two-yard radius. For each additional 8 points, you may double this radius; e.g., four yards for 31 points, 8 yards for 39 points, or 16 yards for 47 points. The GM must determine the maximum level allowed; 128 yards is recommended. You may always choose to affect a lesser area or exclude any hexes from the area.

Statistics: Obscure Vision 3 (Environmental, Forests with nut trees, -60%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Ranged, +50%; Selective Effect, +20%; Variable, Area, +5%) [7] + Affliction 1 (Will; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Attribute Penalty, -1 to IQ and DX, +20%; Based on Will, +20%; Environmental, Forests with nut trees, -60%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Link, +10%; Persistent, +40%; Reduced Duration, 1/180, Only when the creature leaves the area, -35%; Selective Effect, +20%; Sorcery, -15%; Variable, Area, +5%) [16]. Further levels add Area Effect (+50%) to both advantages [+8].