Wizardry: Gate Spells IV
Let's tackle the summoning spells, as they are very difficult to get right.
Bind Elemental
Keywords: None.
Full Cost (Short-Range): 40 points.
Full Cost (Ranged): 45 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 3 FP.
Casting Time: 1 hour.
Range: Unlimited (-1/yard) – Unlimited (standard).
Duration: Instantaneous.
There are different versions of this spell for every type of elemental. Thus, Bind Fire Elemental and Bind Air Elemental are two different spells. This type is chosen when you learn this spell. A Bind Elemental spell places a magical command on an elemental to carry out some service, as desired by you. The subject must be able to understand your command. Once the service is completed, the subject returns to the last place it has been to on its home plane along with everything it is carrying. The subject must be willing to accept this spell – the caster must persuade, bribe, or threaten it into accepting the binding spell. Thus, impossible demands or unreasonable commands are never agreed to. As a rule, this spell is cast on a creature called with Ensnarement and trapped in a magic circle created with the Symbol Drawing (Summoning Circles) skill.
Once the requested service is completed, the creature needs only to inform you to be instantly sent back whence it came, but a no-mana area and effects that block dimensional travel will prevent the return trip, much to the dismay of the recipient of Bind Elemental. The creature might later seek revenge. If you assign some open-ended task that the creature cannot complete through its own actions the spell remains in effect for a maximum of margin of victory days. Note that a clever recipient can subvert some instructions – the recipient needs only to follow the letter of the verbal contract. Bind Elemental cannot be dispelled, as its duration is instantaneous, and it functions even in no-mana areas.
If you fail your casting roll, you cannot cast this spell on the same subject again within 24 hours.
Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only on willing subjects, -20%; Accessibility, Only on elementals of a specific type, -80%; Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Costs Fatigue, 3 FP, -15%; Heart Attack, Variant, +300%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 hour, -75%; Increased Immunity 3, -30%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; No Signature, +20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [30] + Mind Control (Accessibility, Must share a language, -10%; Accessibility, Only on willing creatures, -20%; Accessibility, Only on elementals of a specific type, -80%; Accessibility, Only to impart Obsession with no self-control roll, -40%; Conditioning Only, -50%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Reliable 5, No net bonus, +40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Short-Range 1, -10%; Slow and Sure, 1 hour, +40%) [10]. The Ranged version replaces Malediction 1, +100% with Malediction 2, +150% on Affliction [+5] and removes Short-Ranged 1, -10% from Mind Control [+0]. Note: Even though Reliable is not applicable to Mind Control, here it is applied to negate penalties that depend on the value of the imparted disadvantage. The enhancement has an increased value and does not provide a net bonus.
Planar Binding
Keywords: None.
Full Cost (Short-Range): 44 points.
Full Cost (Ranged): 49 points.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 3 FP.
Casting Time: 1 hour.
Range: Unlimited (-1/yard) – Unlimited (standard).
Duration: Instantaneous.
A Planar Binding spell places a magical command on an extraplanar creature to carry out some service, as desired by you. The subject must be able to understand your command. Once the service is completed, the subject returns to the last place it has been to on its home plane along with everything it is carrying. The subject must be willing to accept this spell – the caster must persuade, bribe, or threaten it into accepting Planar Binding. Thus, impossible demands or unreasonable commands are never agreed to. As a rule, this spell is cast on a creature called with Ensnarement and trapped in a magic circle created with the Symbol Drawing (Summoning Circles) skill.
Once the requested service is completed, the creature needs only to inform you to be instantly sent back whence it came, but a no-mana area and effects that block dimensional travel will prevent the return trip, much to the dismay of the recipient of Planar Binding. The creature might later seek revenge. If you assign some open-ended task that the creature cannot complete through its own actions the spell remains in effect for a maximum of margin of victory days. Note that a clever recipient can subvert some instructions – the recipient needs only to follow the letter of the verbal contract. Planar Binding cannot be dispelled, as its duration is instantaneous, and it functions even in no-mana areas.
If you fail your casting roll, you cannot cast this spell on the same subject again within 24 hours.
Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Accessibility, Only on willing subjects, -20%; Accessibility, Only on extraplanar creatures, -40%; Based on IQ, Own Roll, +20%; Costs Fatigue, 3 FP, -15%; Heart Attack, Variant, +300%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 hour, -75%; Increased Immunity 3, -30%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Malediction 1, +100%; No Signature, +20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [34] + Mind Control (Accessibility, Must share a language, -10%; Accessibility, Only on willing creatures, -20%; Accessibility, Only on extraplanar beings, -40%; Accessibility, Only to impart Obsession with no self-control roll, -40%; Conditioning Only, -50%; Link, +10%; Magical, -10%; Reliable 5, No net bonus, +40%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Short-Range 1, -10%; Slow and Sure, 1 hour, +40%) [10]. The Ranged version replaces Malediction 1, +100% with Malediction 2, +150% on Affliction [+5] and removes Short-Ranged 1, -10% from Mind Control [+0]. Note: Even though Reliable is not applicable to Mind Control, here it is applied to negate penalties that depend on the value of the imparted disadvantage. The enhancement has an increased value and does not provide a net bonus.
Summon Elemental
Keywords: Summoning.
Full Cost: 11/32/53 points for levels 1-3.
Casting Roll: Skill.
Components: V, S.
Cost: 2 FP.
Casting Time: 2 seconds.
Range: 10 yards.
Duration: 30 seconds.
Summon an elemental to serve you. The type of the elemental is chosen when you learn this spell. Thus, Summon Air Elemental and Summon Water Elemental are two different spells. Choose a creature to summon from the table below, using its standard statistics with the addition of Enhanced Unnatural [-100] that makes the summoned creature “die” once it reaches 0 HP, and a -2 penalty to IQ, but not Will or Per. You may always choose to summon a creature from a list of a lower spell level. You cannot summon a specific individual.
Level 1: Small elemental.
Level 2: Medium elemental.
Level 3: Large elemental.
Statistics for air, earth, fire, and water elementals can be found in MCII, pp. 145-157.
The elemental obeys your verbal commands, if it can understand your language, but will refuse suicidal orders, taking the Do Nothing maneuver. If not given a task, it acts normally but will never harm you. It may harm your allies unless ordered otherwise.
The target creature senses the destination and may refuse the call if the environment cannot support it (e.g., aquatic creatures require water). If one refuses, an identical creature is summoned instead.
The summoned creature is vulnerable to Dispel Magic, Banishment, and similar effects. In a no‑mana zone, it vanishes but returns if mana is restored before the spell ends. You may still command it from a no‑mana zone but cannot dismiss it early.
You may dismiss the creature as a free action. When the spell ends—or if it is dismissed, banished, or killed—the creature returns to its home plane intact, retaining its memory and original gear. Items given to it during the summoning are left behind. If killed, it reforms after 24 hours.
Dimensional Anchor does not prevent its return upon death but blocks active banishment or dismissal.
Casting multiple Summoning spells per day is difficult - each Summoning spell you cast imposes a cumulative -3 penalty on all subsequent Summoning spells cast that day. In addition, if a summoned creature is killed, you cannot cast this spell again for 24 hours; if dismissed, you must wait five minutes.
Statistics: Ally (A type of elemental; Built on 25%; Constantly; Adjustable, +25%; Conjured, +100%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP, -10%; Magical, -10%; Minion, +50%; Nuisance Effect, Summoning Penalties, -5%; Ranged, +40%; Reduced Duration, 1/2, -5%; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Special Abilities, +50%; Takes Extra Time 1, -10%) [11]. Other versions increase the point percentage.
No comments:
Post a Comment