Sorcery: Air Spells V

Sorcery: Air Spells V

Let's make some new air spells! Harden Air creates thin, invisible walls. Twister creates a tiny tornado that hurls people upwards. Vacuum creates a momentary drop of pressure. Vortex Ring is a weak area attack.

    

Harden Air

Keywords: None.

Full Cost: 16 points for level 1 + 2.5 points/additional level*.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Five minutes.

This spell hardens existing air into a wall. You do not have to concentrate to maintain it, Harden Air is “fire and forget.” It can be cast repeatedly, allowing the sorcerer to put up multiple hardened air walls as needed, but each wall has a certain number of HP and dissipates once those are exceeded (or the duration runs out). The walls are invisible.

To find the maximum square yardage available, look up the level of this spell on the Leveled Area Table (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, p. 9) and multiply the given radius by 3. Alternatively, know that Harden Air 1 has a maximum area of six square yards, with each additional level doubling that cumulatively. For example, Harden Air 3 has a limit of 24 square yards, allowing the sorcerer to conjure a wall six yards long by four yards high, 12 yards long by two yards high, or any other valid combination. The caster may form this into any shape he wishes.

Each yard of the wall has DR 3 and HP 1/2.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Extended Duration, 30x, +60%; No Signature, +20%; Persistent, +40%; Sorcery, -15%; Variable, Area, +5%; Wall, Shapeable, +60%) [16]. Additional levels increase Area Effect (+50%) [+2.5*].

* Calculate the total cost and round up.

  

Twister

Keywords: Area (Fixed).

Full Cost: 44 points.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: 10 seconds.

The sorcerer spins existing air into a tiny tornado that hurls people around and stirs up dust and debris. The caster may move the area at Move 1 with a Concentrate maneuver.

Roll 2d as for crushing damage, determine knockback, and then double the distance; however, the victim suffers no actual damage or blunt trauma from the effect – just the consequences of being hurled around. The knockback is vertical, so the victims may take falling damage. Each victim must make an HT roll at -1 per each 2 points of injury that he would’ve taken if this spell dealt actual damage or get -2 to DX for (20 – HT) minutes due to dizziness and disorientation.

In addition, the twister gives -4 to all vision rolls made through it.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 2d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Link, +10%; Mobile 1, +40%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Wounding, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Side Effect, -2 DX, +70%; Sorcery, -15%; Vertical Knockback, +50%) [29] + Obscure Vision 4 (Environmental, Air, -5%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Mobile 1, +40%; Ranged, +50%) [15].

Vacuum

Keywords: Area (Leveled).

Full Cost: 73 points for level 1 + 20 points/additional level.

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

Range: 100 yards.

Duration: Instantaneous (but see below).

The sorcerer instantly lowers the air pressure in the area to zero. All creatures within the area without any breathing gear or without Vacuum Support immediately lose 2d FP to suffocation. In addition, the rushing air deals them 1d crushing damage as large-area injury. The knockback is directed to the center of the area. The rush of air produces a loud clap; creatures that take damage must roll against HT at -1 per two points of injury or be deafened for (20 – HT) minutes and physically stunned (they can roll against HT every second to recover). Protected Hearing gives +5, Hard of Hearing gives +4, and those with Deafness are immune. If the caster is within the area, he must roll as well, but at +5. Creatures outside the area, but within a radius equal to twice the area’s radius, take 6d crushing damage. It does not deal any actual damage or blunt trauma, but deals knockback directed to the center of the area.

This sudden change of pressure does not cause the bends or explosive decompression.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Hearing-Based on Side Effect, -20%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; No Signature, +20%; Side Effect, Deafness and Stunning, +70%; Variable, Area, +5%) [11] + Crushing Attack 3d (Area Effect, 4 yards ring, 2 yard empty center, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Variable, Area, +5%) [18] + Fatigue Attack 2d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Link, +10%; No Signature, +20%; Respiratory Agent, +50%; Sorcery, -15%; Suffocation, +0%; Variable, Area, +5%) [43] + Protected Hearing (Accessibility, Only versus own Vacuum, -80%) [1]. Additional levels add Area Effect to Affliction, Crushing Attacks, and Fatigue Attack (+50%) [+20].

Vortex Ring

Keywords: Area (Fixed), Missile, Obvious.

Full Cost: 3 points.

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

Range: 20 yards.

Duration: Instantaneous.

The sorcerer conjures a vortex ring and sends it through the air. This spell has no 1/2D, but it only works in the presence of air. This is a wide attack that covers an entire hex. Thus, it is aimed at a hex at +4, and it can only be dodged like an area attack. It deals 1d-3 crushing damage, doubled for the purpose of knockback, on direct collision with a solid target. However, it can bounce from a glancing impact.

To perform a ricochet shot, the sorcerer must be able to see the target clearly or know its exact position. The attacker must then describe the path the attack will take, bouncing it off as many surfaces as he likes. Ignore DR, HP, and angles of the surfaces; all that matters is that they are convincingly “hard.” Figure the range penalty using the total path length to the target (not a straight line). If spotting the target required a penalized Sense roll, apply that penalty to the attack roll, too. And finally, there’s an additional -2 per bounce.

If the attack roll succeeds, it may manage to surprise the target completely – there’s no defense roll against an unexpected attack suddenly bouncing around the corner! If he’s able to see the attack coming – even if it bounces behind him first – he may still defend, but at -1 per bounce. The attack does full damage if it hits.

Statistics: Crushing Attack 1d-3 (Area Effect, 1 yard, +25%; Double Knockback, +20%; Environmental, Air, -5%; Increased 1/2D, 10x, +15%; Reduced Range, 1/5, -20%; Ricochet, +10%; Sorcery, -15%) [3].