Sorcery: Artillery Spells VIII

Sorcery: Artillery Spells VIII

This post covers Necromantic and Plant artillery spells.

   

Devil’s Dust

Keywords: Area (Leveled).

Full Cost: 15 points for level 1 + 2 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 5 seconds.

You may fill an area with a cloud of magically allergenic pollen. To place the cloud at a distance, use Innate Attack (Gaze), with normal range penalties, but at +4 for affecting an area. The initial attack roll places the effect. The cloud doesn’t persist for long enough for displacement or dissipation by wind to become an issue.

Living beings in the area must roll vs. HT every second to avoid 1d toxic injury; DR has no effect. After losing 1/3 of their HP this way, victims get a -2 penalty to DX until the injury is healed above that threshold. This is a contact agent; it needn’t be inhaled to be harmful. Thus, Doesn’t Breathe, Filter Lungs, and breath-holding are ineffective! Resistant and Immunity to Poison don’t help against Devil’s Dust. Resistant to Metabolic Hazards does add its bonus to resist, and Immunity to Metabolic Hazards or Sealed grants immunity.

The basic (15-point) version of this spell covers a two-yard radius. For each additional 2 points, you may double this radius; e.g., four yards for 17 points, 8 yards for 19 points, or 16 yards for 21 points. The GM must determine the maximum level allowed; 128 yards is recommended. You may always choose to affect a lesser area.

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1d (HT; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Contact Agent, +150%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Persistent, +40%; Reduced Duration, ½, -5%; Resistible, HT, -30%; Sorcery, -15%; Symptoms, 1/3 HP, -2 to DX, +60%; Variable, Area, +5%) [15]. Further levels add Area Effect (+50%) to the advantage [+2].

  

Ironweed

Keywords: Area (Leveled).

Full Cost: 17 points for level 1 + 1 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 10 seconds.

Causes the ground to sprout pointy, iron-hard shoots that behave as a dense field of miniature caltrops. These spring from soil like ordinary plants, appear as though shaped from a wooden floor, force their way up between bricks or cobbles, and create cracks in porous stone or concrete. Only seamless, nonporous ground in the area – like a sheet of metal, glass, or plastic flooring – remains unaffected. To place the effect at a distance, use Innate Attack (Gaze), with normal range penalties, but at +4 for affecting an area.

Each turn, everybody on foot in an Ironweed field automatically steps on one spike plus one per yard traveled within the area. Falling down among the barbs means being stabbed SM+4 times; e.g., four times for an SM 0 human or five for an SM +1 ogre. There are no rolls to avoid these fates – the shoots are too closely packed! Each sprout does thrust-3 impaling damage, based on the victim’s ST, to a randomly chosen foot – or, on a fall, to a random hit location. Minimum basic impaling damage is 1 point per attack (p. B378). Any DR protects normally. Impaling damage isn’t doubled against limbs or extremities (such as the feet); see p. B399. Maximum injury is 2 HP per barb, but keep track of it – accumulated wounds (p. B420) can cripple.

The basic (17-point) version of this spell covers a two-yard radius. For each additional 1 point, you may double this radius; e.g., four yards for 18 points, 8 yards for 19 points, or 16 yards for 20 points. The GM must determine the maximum level allowed; 128 yards is recommended. You may always choose to affect a lesser area.

Statistics: Impaling Attack 1 point (Accessibility, Only against moving or falling creatures, -10%; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Cosmic, Additional damage on falls, +300%; Cosmic, Once per yard, +300%; Environmental, Ground, -20%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Persistent, +40%; Sorcery, -15%; ST-Based, Reversed, +100%; Variable, Area, +5%) [17]. Further levels add Area Effect (+50%) to the advantage [+1].

Self-Destruct

Keywords: Obvious.

Full Cost: 6 points/level.

Casting Roll: None.

Range: Self.

Duration: Instantaneous.

This spell blows up the caster at once. This is a crushing explosion that does 6d damage level of this spell. The caster is reduced to -10xHP regardless of damage inflicted, and cannot be resurrected – while everyone else divides damage by distance in yards from the caster (not triple that). Everyone within five yards also risks being hit by bones, teeth, shattered gear, and so on, for 1d cutting damage; see Fragmentation Damage (pp. B414-415). The fate of gear is up to the GM. Most equipment is destroyed, but for anything important, assess damage against DR and HP.

This is also a Fire and a Necromantic spell.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 6d (Backlash, Disadvantage, Fragile (Enhanced Unnatural) and Heart Attack, -400%; Emanation, -20%; Fragmentation, [1d cut], +15%; Explosion 3, +150%) [6/level]. Notes: 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. This spell originally appeared in GURPS Magic: Artillery Spells.

Spirit Incursion

Keywords: Area (Fixed).

Full Cost: 5 points.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 10 seconds.

Fills a 2-yard-radius area with conjures evil spirits. To place the effect at a distance, use Innate Attack (Gaze), with normal range penalties, but at +4 for affecting an area. This spell conjures evil spirits related to those called by Skull-Spirit (GURPS Magic, p. 151). But instead of a single entity that serves obediently for 24 hours and is free to roam, this spell brings an indeterminate number of spirits that stay for mere seconds, are bound to a place, and don’t distinguish friend from foe. Each turn, every living creature in the area suffers 1 HP of toxic injury, which bypasses all DR.

Attempts to battle the entities this spell conjures are pointless – the magic brings a steady stream of spirits that partially materialize where the victim cannot see them, take a “bite,” and then vanish into the Spirit World. Neutralizing a small number would change nothing. However, Repel Spirits excludes these beings unless Spirit Incursion can beat it in a Quick Contest, while Astral Block prevents them from partially materializing to attack. Either situation means people inside the area of the defensive spell are safe

Statistics: Toxic Attack 1 point (Accessibility, Only on living beings, -10%; Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Cosmic, Irresistible Attack, +300%; Nuisance Effect, Spirit Resistance, -5%; Persistent, +40%; Sorcery, -15%) [5].