Sorcery: Druidic Spellcasting

Sorcery: Druidic Spellcasting

Sorcery can be modified to represent druidic spellcasting. Let us see how it is done.

First, Sorcerous Empowerment by default has the Magical, -10% limitation included, but we will replace it with Nature, -20% for this advantage and for the Sorcery, -15% power modifier itself. Thus, all spells will have at least a -20% limitation from the power modifier. To balance out the additional limitation in the internal construction of the Sorcerous Empowerment disadvantage, we will additionally apply Reliable 2, +10%. This will give a +2 bonus to rolls made for hardcore improvisation. After these adjustments, the cost of the Sorcerous Empowerment advantage will not change.

This makes the spells depend on nature instead of magic. You’re at -1 to use your abilities in a despoiled wild place such as a clear-cut forest, -3 in a city, -5 amidst ordinary pollution, and -10 in a poisoned wasteland.

Any technology also impairs your power. You’re at a penalty equal to half the TL (round up) of the most advanced manufactured item you’re carrying, wearing, or riding in or on. Use the full TL of implants. Thus, a TL3 sword gives -2, while a TL8 pacemaker gives -8. A spell that requires no die roll loses 10% of its effectiveness (bonus to reactions or skills, DR, etc.) per -1 instead. If the penalties total -10 or worse, you’re powerless.

Second, some spells require somatic, verbal, and/or material components. This is accomplished by adding the Requires Magic Words, -10%, Required Gestures, -10%, and/or Requires Material Component, -10% limitations to the spells. The combinations of these limitations may vary from spell to spell. This will make druidic spellcasters easier to counter. The material component is usually mistletoe or a different natural item.

Third, FP cost should not be always 1 FP. This will add a bit of bookkeeping, but is useful for balancing powerful spells, such as Teleport. The same applies to casting times.

Fourth, the caster’s spell repertoire must be limited to druidic spells. This is roughly equivalent to six colleges – Air, Animal, Earth, Plant, Water, Weather. Since the colleges of Air, Water, and Weather have significant overlaps, and the College of Fungus is usually considered a part of the College of Plant, it is fair to consider this selection of spells as equivalent to four colleges, applying the Limited Scope, Druidic, -10% limitation to Sorcerous Empowerment.

For hardcore improvisation, druids use Religious Ritual (Druidic) instead of Thaumatology.
Advantages granted by druidic Buff spells should have the Nature, -20% modifier, because they are limited by the nature’s strength and technological items.

After all adjustments, Sorcerous Empowerment (Druidic) costs 18 points for level 1 + 9 points/additional level.

SPELLS

Antiplant Shell

Keywords: Area (Leveled), Resisted (IQ).

Full Cost: 40 points for level 1 + 5 points/additional level.

Casting Roll: Will.

Cost: 2 FP.

Casting Time: 1 second.

Range: Self.

Duration: 50 minutes.

Plant creatures become unwilling to enter the area around you; any already within the area leave immediately. You may reduce the area effect if you wish to.

While this spell is technically resisted by each plant’s IQ, in practice the GM should bother only for extraordinary plants. If so, victory allows the plant to remain within the area for three minutes, after which it must roll again.

Statistics: Affliction 1 (IQ; Accessibility, Plants Only, ‑40%; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Based on IQ, +20%; Costs 2 FP, -10%; Disadvantage, Dread, +30%; Emanation, -20%; Extended Duration on Persistent, 100x, +80%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Malediction 2, +150%; Nature, -20%; No Signature, +20%; Persistent, +40%) [40]. Additional levels add Area Effect (+50%) [+5].

Shape Earth

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 17 points/level.

Casting Roll: IQ.

Components: V, S.

Cost: 1 FP.

Casting Time: 2 seconds.

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Indefinite.

You can shape and move earth, including asphalt, brick, ceramic, concrete, and rock, but not purified metals. The higher your level of Shape Earth, the larger the quantity you can affect. You can affect up to 10 x (level squared) lbs. of earth in the form of a single object or amorphous mass. For example, Shape Earth 3 would let you affect a 90-lb. stone slab or even 90 lbs. of pebbles in a heap . . . but against a foe with a 8-lb. stone club and a 15-lb. stone shield you could only affect one target, even though the total weight is much less than your limit.

Shape Earth doesn’t work on complex, manufactured artifacts unless they’re made almost entirely of earth or stone. You could affect a stone club, but not a complex mechanism with only a few stone parts.

If your target is already under someone else’s direct control, roll a Quick Contest. You roll against skill they roll against skill if using Control or Telekinesis, their skill level if using a spell, and so on. You must win to establish control. Likewise, others can overpower your spell by winning a Quick Contest against your skill.

After establishing control, you can reshape the target. Forming a simple shape (blob, column, sphere, etc.) requires a Concentrate maneuver but no die roll. If the result is meant to be beautiful or functional, though, the GM may deem the effort a long task (see p. B346) and require skill rolls against Armoury, Artist, Machinist, and so on. You can work without tools, but you must know what you’re doing.

You can also cause the target to elongate or flow at a Move equal to your Shape Earth level. This requires constant concentration. You can make a solid stone object ooze, roll, or seep along the ground or a surface, and even reshape it in ways that defy gravity.

When you stop concentrating, you immediately give up control. Stable forms become permanent, while unstable ones collapse instantly.

Defensively, Shape Earth lets you move or shape earth to obstruct attacks. This requires a Concentrate maneuver. Such barriers give whatever cover the material normally provides. For instance, it might let you shape a stone slab into armor with the DR of stone by making an Armoury roll.

Offensively, Shape Earth is more limited. By concentrating, you can move an existing stone object to impede your enemy’s movement, like any object of that weight. In all cases, your foe can dodge.

If a foe is standing in an area where you control earth, – or if you can move earth onto him – you may inflict combat penalties on him. This requires flexibility on the GM’s part: Shape Earth 10 might cause a mini-earthquake if your foe is standing on the ground good for -10 to attack rolls. Tricks like this require a Concentrate maneuver and an IQ or Tactics roll.

Statistics: Control Earth (Costs 1 FP, -5%; Nature, -20%; Ranged, +40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%) [17/level].