Sorcery: Death Spells III

Sorcery: Death Spells III

We're done with death spells now! Accursed Triangle is a deadly possession spell that can be dangerous to the caster. Murder Blossom produces a fatally allergic pollen cloud. Swamp Rot transforms the victim into slime. Telepathic Overload scrambles the victim's brain.

Accursed Triangle

Keywords: Resisted (Will).

Full Cost: 47 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

This spell affects anything with a soul and causes the caster to swap bodies with the subject, then shifts the caster’s mind into a mindless vessel in the environment (stone, tree, or similar), and then swaps the caster’s consciousness back into his original body while moving the subject’s to the object. This is instantaneous.

The subject’s body will live indefinitely – as a mindless shell with IQ 0 – if cared for, but the mind dissipates after a mere Will/3 seconds, rounded down. While the mind survives, it can use psi abilities, spells it knows well enough to cast without ritual, and so on, although it can perceive nothing and can touch only whatever its vessel is touching. After that time, the victim’s consciousness is gone. Magic capable of reuniting a mind and a body or possession magic can save the subject if cast in those Will/3 seconds. Dispel Possession won’t work, as the subject is not possessed.

On a critical failure, the would-be subject may place the caster’s mind and his own in his choice of the caster’s body, his own body, and some random vessel. Most targets imprison their tormentor in an inanimate object, killing the wizard in Will/3 seconds. Some also hijack the caster’s body.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (Will; Accessibility, Only on beings with a soul, -5%; Based on Will, +20%; Coma, Variant, +250%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Critical Failure, -50%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [47].

   

Murder Blossom

Keywords: Area (Fixed), Obvious.

Full Cost: 58 points.

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

Range: 10 yards.

Duration: 10 seconds.

Conjures a beautiful flower to hand that belches forth a jet of deadly pollen. You may fill a two-yard-radius area with deadly pollen. To place the pollen cloud at a distance, use Innate Attack (Beam), with normal range penalties, but at +4 for affecting an area. The initial attack roll places the effect. It then drifts from that point with the wind.

Every creature in the area experiences a fatal allergic reaction on a failed HT roll. Treat this as a mortal wound (p. B423): The target instantly 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 suitable TL6+ medication or a Neutralize Poison spell, at -5 unless Identify Plant is cast first to determine what pollen caused the reaction.

The deadly pollen is a contact agent that affects any living being without the Sealed advantage (natural or from equipment) and/or Immunity to Metabolic Hazards. Magic Resistance provides no benefit – no magic is cast on the victim.

If your foe is within one yard of you, he may attempt to parry this attack (actually parrying your hand). If such a parry is successful, you must roll against DX to avoid placing the effect in your own hex!

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Coma, Variant, +250%; Contact Agent, +150%; Drifting, +20%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; Nuisance Effect, Dangerous to be parried, -5%; Persistent, +40%; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%; Sorcery, -15%) [58].

Swamp Rot

Keywords: Resisted (HT).

Full Cost: 64 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

Transforms any living subject to organic gunk – similar to the Body of Slime spell, but without stabilizing the results. The subject’s remaining possessions are left floating in a puddle of scum, which may ruin some gear. Remove Curse can reverse it if the victim’s residue is collected within a minute (doubtful if the subject was standing on anything but hard, dry ground like stone or finished wood). This must be cast before the stuff dies, which won’t take long in any environment that isn’t rich in rotting organic matter. The GM may require daily Biology or Naturalist rolls from the slime’s caretaker.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only living beings, -10%; Disadvantage, Fragile (Enhanced Unnatural), +100%; Heart Attack, Variant, +300%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Can be reversed, -10%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [64]. Note: Fragile (Enhanced Unnatural) means the subject dies if reduced to 0 HP; therefore, since Heart Attack reduces the target’s HP to 0, the target dies.

Telepathic Overload

Keywords: Resisted (HT or Will).

Full Cost: 54 points.

Casting Roll: Will.

Range: Unlimited.

Duration: Instantaneous.

Attempts to directly and fatally overload even the most rudimentary of brains. This spell is effective against any physical IQ 1+ entity! The subject may resist using the better of HT (brain) or Will (mind). If the victim fails to resist, the brain is burned out, its functions suspended and memories deleted. The victim collapses immediately. The body lives on for HT/3 minutes, but the person is gone barring an Instant Restoration spell cast within that window of opportunity.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only against physical IQ 1+ entities, -5%; Heart Attack, Variant, +300%; Malediction 2, +150%; No Signature, +20%; Nuisance Effect, Multiple ways to resist, -10%; Sorcery, ‑15%) [54].