Sorcery: Air Spells IV

Sorcery: Air Spells IV

Here are two Air spells from GURPS Magic - Death Spells and two spells from GURPS Underground Adventures. Embolism creates a bubble of air within the subject's bloodstream. Monitor Air lets the subject know if the air he is breathing is unsafe. Steal Breath makes the subject unable to breathe. Test Air determines if the air is safe to breathe.

Embolism

Keywords: Resisted (HT).

Full Cost: 54 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

This spell creates a bubble of air within the subject’s circulatory system. If the target fails to resist, the result is stroke. Treat this as a mortal wound (p. B423): The victim immediately falls unconscious and must roll vs. HT every 30 minutes, with any failure meaning death. At TL6+, trauma maintenance can help.

Natural recovery occurs on a critical success on the HT roll. Otherwise, the only cure is brain surgery or an Instant Restoration spell. A victim who recovers is at -HP or current HP, whichever is worse. Critical failure on the HT roll required after recovering from a mortal wound costs the subject a level of IQ as well as the usual level of HT.

This can harm only living, breathing beings that have blood and brains. Doesn’t Breathe – or any form of Injury Tolerance that includes No Blood or No Brain – grants immunity.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only on breathing living creatures, -15%; Heart Attack, Variant, +300%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [54].

  

Monitor Air

Keywords: Buff.

Full Cost: 78 points.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 30 minutes.

This spell lets the subject determines whether the air he is located in is safe to breathe. The GM will secretly roll against the subject’s Per. If the roll is successful, the subject will know if the air is safe to breathe. The follow-up IQ roll will let the subject know if there are any impurities that might be harmful.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Monitor Air, +620%; Extended Duration, 10x, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [78]. Note: “Monitor Air” is Detect (Air; Analyzing, +100%; Reflexive, +40%; Sorcery, -15%; Touch-Based, -20%) [62].

Steal Breath

Keywords: Resisted (HT).

Full Cost: 60 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

This spell removes the body’s ability to get oxygen to essential systems. Treat as heart attack (p. B429) for most purposes: the subject drops to -FP, falls unconscious, and dies in HT/3 minutes unless resuscitated. However, the arrest is respiratory, not cardiac, which may affect treatment (GM’s option).

Resuscitated victims have the lower of their current HP or 0 HP. Those unconscious for more than two minutes must roll vs. HT to avoid a permanent -1 to IQ, as described for Suffocation (pp. B436-437).

This spell affects only breathing, oxygen-dependent life forms. Doesn’t Breathe – or any variety of Injury Tolerance that includes No Blood or No Vitals – gives immunity. Machines that require oxygen must resist or shut down until restarted. Air elementals and subjects with the Body of Air meta-trait (p. B262) are instantly destroyed on a failed resistance roll.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only on breathing living creatures and oxygen-dependent machines, -15%; Disadvantage, Fragile (Enhanced Unnatural), Only against air elementals, +60%; Heart Attack, Variant, +300%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [60].

Test Air

Keywords: Information.

Full Cost: 36 points.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

Determines whether the air is safe to breathe. The GM will secretly roll against the caster’s IQ to the subject, which the caster must be able to see or touch. The caster will know automatically if the air can be breathed safely, but a successful casting roll will let him know if there are any poisons or any impurities in the air.

Statistics: Detect (Air; Analysis Only, -50%; Analyzing, +100%; Sorcery, -15%; Touch- or Vision-Based, -15%) [36].