Druidic Spells: Plant Spells III

Druidic Spells: Plant Spells III

Snare creates a binding trap from a vine. Speak with Plants allows verbal communication with flora. Spike Growth makes surface-covering vegetation spiky. Transmute Metal to Wood is self-explanatory. Transport via Plants allows you to teleport between plants of the same species.

    Snare
    Keywords: Area (Fixed).
    Full Cost: 15 points.
    Casting Roll: None.
    Components: V, S.
    Cost: 2 FP.
    Casting Time: 1 minute.
    Range: Touch.
    Duration: Permanent until triggered or broken.

    This spell enables you to make a snare that functions as a magic trap. The snare can be made from any supple vine, a thong, or a rope. When you cast snare upon it, the cordlike object blends with its surroundings (Per-4 for a character to locate). One end of the snare is tied in a loop that contracts around one or more of the limbs of any creature stepping inside the circle (one hex). (The head of a worm or a snake could be thus ensnared, for example.)
    If a strong and supple tree is nearby, the snare can be fastened to it. The spell causes the tree to bend and then straighten when the loop is triggered, dealing 1d points of crushing damage to the creature trapped and lifting it off the ground by the trapped limb or limbs. If no such tree is available, the cordlike object tightens around the creature, dealing no damage but causing it to be entangled. In any case, the victim is allowed a Dodge attempt, if he has located the snare, or has Danger Sense.
    Anyone entangled by the snare is grappled with ST 14. They cannot select the Move or Change Posture maneuvers or change facing, and are at -4 to DX.
    To break free, the victim must win a Quick Contest of ST or Escape skill against the ST of snare. Each attempt takes one second. If the victim fails to break free, he loses 1 FP but may try again. Alternatively, he may try to destroy the snare. Innate Attacks hit automatically; other attacks are at -4. External attacks on the snare take no penalty, but risk hitting the victim on a miss (see Striking Into a Close Combat, p. B392). Snare has DR 4. Each point of damage reduces ST by one. At ST 0, the snare is destroyed and the victim is freed.
    Statistics: Binding 14 (Area Effect, 1 yard, +25%; Can be dodged, -5%; Cosmic, Can lift and damage if a tree is nearby, +50%; Costs Fatigue, 2 FP, -10%; Delay, Triggered, +50%; Environmental, Vine, -60%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%; Melee Attack, Reach C, -30%; Nature, -20%; No Signature, +20%; One-Shot, -10%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [15].

    Speak with Plants
    Keywords: None.
    Full Cost: 9 points.
    Casting Roll: None.
    Components: V, S.
    Cost: 1 FP to cast, 1 FP to maintain.
    Casting Time: 1 second.
    Range: Self.
    Duration: Indefinite.

    You can converse with plants. All earthly plants are IQ 0, but a large tree might be “wiser” than the average ivy, at the GM’s whim. A plant might know how recently it was watered or walked on, or something else that directly bears on its well-being, but would be unable to relate an overheard phone conversation. Any normal plant will always cooperate, within the limits of its ability.
    Statistics: Speak with Plants (Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Nature, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [9].

    Spike Growth
    Keywords: Area (Fixed).
    Full Cost: 32 points.
    Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.
    Components: V, S.
    Cost: 1 FP.
    Casting Time: 1 second.
    Range: 10 yards.
    Duration: 8 hours.

    Any ground-covering vegetation in the spell’s area becomes very hard and sharply pointed without changing its appearance. In areas of bare earth, roots and rootlets act in the same way. Typically, spike growth can be cast in any outdoor setting except open water, ice, heavy snow, sandy desert, or bare stone. This affects a 4-yard-radius area. Anyone who steps on the spikes takes thr-3 impaling damage to one of his feet, based on his ST. Anyone falling or colliding with the spiked surfaces takes impaling damage from the fall or collision.
    Statistics: Natural Weapon (Impaling; Area Effect, 4 yards, +100%; Cannot Parry, -40%; Environmental, Vegetation, -20%; Extended Duration, 3,000x, +140%; Increased 1/2D, 5x, +10%; Intangible, +50%; Nature, -20%; Non-Muscle-Powered Range, +10%; Persistent, +40%; Ranged, +100%; Reduced Damage, -3, -45%; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Resilient, Unbreakable, +40%; Reversed ST, +0%; Single, -20%) [32].

    Transmute Metal to Wood
    Keywords: None.
    Full Cost: 4 points/level.
    Casting Roll: IQ.
    Components: V, S.
    Cost: 1 FP.
    Casting Time: 1 second.
    Range: Touch.
    Duration: 10 seconds or permanent; see text.

    This spell allows you to turn metal into wood. The subject can weigh up to 10 x (level squared) lbs. – 10 lbs. at level 1, 40 lbs. at level 2, 90 lbs. at level 3, and so on.
    If the product is worth more than what you started with, it’s unstable and will revert to its original form after 10 seconds unless you stabilize it with your character points – in which case point cost depends on the difference in value. Each point spent stabilizes a quantity worth 10% of the campaign’s average starting wealth. (This is just the tradeoff used for Trading Points for Money, p. B26.) The GM determines the cash value per pound of matter – a ton of iron costs more to stabilize than a ton of stone.
Points spent to stabilize matter come from your “Creation Pool,” a number of points set aside for the purpose. You can’t apply any modifiers to these points. Points used to stabilize matter are unavailable until reclaimed – which causes the matter to vanish. If the matter is crafted into an object, the item is unmade when the matter vanishes. If the matter is mixed with other materials (e.g., alloyed), you must separate it to reclaim your points; this can be a tedious process. If it’s destroyed or transformed (e.g., eaten), you can’t reclaim your points – they’re gone. You can increase your Creation Pool with unspent points at any time.
    Statistics: Create (Transmute Metal to Wood, +50%; Transmutation Only, -100%; Nature, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%) [4/level].

    Transport via Plants
    Keywords: None.
    Full Cost: 35 points.
    Casting Roll: IQ.
    Components: V, S.
    Cost: 1 FP or more; see text.
    Casting Time: Special; see text.
    Range: Self.
    Duration: Instantaneous.

    You can touch a plant and teleport to any other plant of the same kind you are able to see with your own eyes, or view it remotely, or visualize it clearly (which is only possible if you have seen it previously in person).
    If you are carrying equipment heavier than your Basic Lift, then you make your casting roll at a penalty equal to twice your Encumbrance level. On a failed roll, you leave excess cargo behind; on a critical failure, you lose 1 point of IQ for each Encumbrance level you attempted as you “burned out” that part of your brain temporarily. This temporarily lost IQ recovers after you sleep.
    Your casting roll is modified as follows:
    Distance: Distance penalties appear on the table below. If actual distance falls between two values, use the higher.

Distance	Penalty
10 yards	0
20 yards	-1
100 yards	-2
500 yards	-3
2 miles	-4
10 miles	-5
100 miles	-6
1000 miles	-7

    Add an additional -1 for each 10x increase in distance.
    Preparation Time: The amount of time taken to prepare for the teleport affects the IQ roll, as follows:

Preparation Time	IQ Modifier
None	-10
1 second	-5
2 seconds	-4
4 seconds	-3
8 seconds	-2
15 seconds	-1
30 seconds	0
1 minute	+1
2 minutes	+2
4 minutes	+3
8 minutes	+4
15 minutes	+5
30 minutes	+6
1 hour	+7
2 hours	+8
4 hours	+9
8 hours	+10

    This table is not open-ended; +10 is the maximum possible bonus.
    Removal: If you have a “second-hand” view of the destination, you are at -2 per level of removal. For instance, seeing it on TV or through someone else’s eyes would give -2, while seeing it on a television set that you are viewing through someone else’s eyes would give -4. There is an additional -2 to teleport to a place you have visited but cannot see.
    Fatigue Points: Apply a bonus of +1 per additional FP spent. You must declare this before you roll, and you lose the FP whether you succeed or fail. You never have to spend FP, but it is usually a good idea if you must travel far or without much preparation.
    On a success, you appear at your target destination. On a failure, you go nowhere and strain your teleporting ability: you are at -5 to cast this spell again in the next 10 minutes. On a critical failure, you arrive at the wrong destination. This can be anywhere the GM wishes! It need not be dangerous, but it should seriously inconvenience you. In addition, your spell temporarily “burns out” and will not function again for 1d hours.
    You can cast this spell to evade attacks in combat. Once per turn, if you are touching a plant, you may teleport to any appropriate plant you can see within 10 yards, instantly. This is considered a dodge. Of course, the IQ + Talent roll will be at -10 for instant use, so you might want to spend FP to improve your odds!
    Statistics: Warp (Accessibility, Only to plants of the same kind, -25%; Costs Fatigue, 1 FP, -5%; Nature, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Special Portal, Plant, -20%; Uncertain Encumbrance, +25%) [35].