Runequest Thursday #178 - More Magic for the Stone Children!

Last week, I presented the Stone Children as a new race for d100 games. I designed them for the shared world Savage North setting that I am GMing and playing in currently. In the intervening week, I did some further work with them, firstly converting them to the Ragnarok RPG system that I am developing for Skirmisher Publishing, but also adding several Incantations to their magic form: Stonesinging.

If you are a fan of my Sorcery system, you may find a couple of them reminiscent of sorcery spells. This is intentional. It occurred to me that Elder Races like the Athelanta (the Stone Children as they are known to the legends and lore of the Ancient Savage North) could well have taught, or inspired, early human mages. Sorcery then, could easily be a human attempt to codify and quantify the inherent abilities of creatures like the Stone Children. Witchcraft, since it is actually the practice of bargaining with potent creatures (like the Athelanta) for magical powers, probably predates sorcery and may have bee formative to it. I will probably develop this notion further, but there is no reason why a witch could not bargain with a Stone Child for magical tutelage. 

Note that the Songs that were adapted to Sorcery spells are somewhat different, generally being slightly more powerful, but also slightly less versatile.

That is enough for the magical prehistory and theory of my systems and the Savage North for now. More concretely (sorry), I developed a number of new spells for the Stone Children, which I detail below. They are also included in the Stone Children pdf and .doc attachments. And since it has been a little while since I linked my Sorcery system to a post, you can get it here too - this is the most current version, mostly but not completely up to date. 

Now, on to the Incantations:

EARTH TO STONE - Reversible

Range: Touch                       POW Check – No        Duration – POW x rounds/ Permanent

You transmute up to 1 cubic yard of earth per Magnitude into stone for the duration of your song. For purposes of this spell, “earth” means anything incorporating earth that is softer than the stone you create, including such things as sand, soil, “quicksand”, rubble, gravel, etc. The transmuted stone has Magnitude x3 in Armor Points and Magnitude x5 in Hit Points per Cubic Yard.    

                   You may make a single song’s worth of Earth to Stone permanent by permanently sacrificing a point of POWer.

                  In rare occasions, this song could he used offensively (for example: against an earth elemental or other being or force composed of earth, or to interrupt a spell like Shape Earth). In such a case, you must succeed at a POW contest against the being or its creator.

                  You may also sing Stone to Earth, transmuting stone to earth. This reverse of the song has all the same parameters as Earth to Stone. If transmuted stone is under pressure or stress (example: a stone bridge or wall section transmuted to earth) it may collapse

                  Levels may be spent to increase Duration.

GEM BLAST - Variable

Range: Touch                       POW check – No                 Duration – POW x 10 minutes

This song sets up a destructive resonance within a target gem, making it explosive when the trigger conditions are met. Each Magnitude causes an explosion of 1d6 and adds 1 yard to the Radius of the effect. The gem is charged until the duration expires. If it is not detonated in that time, the resonance fades and the gem is no longer any different than it was previously. If the gem detonates, it is destroyed completely in the wave of potent destructive earth magic. The Gem used in the spell must be worth at least 20 Silver pieces per Magnitude of the spell.

Any target within the area of the effect, may attempt Evade, negating the effect on a success, or a Dex x3% roll for half damage otherwise. Armor. Countermagic has no effect, because this is not an effect that target's the individual. 

                  The “trigger” must be clearly stated, and cannot include specifics as to target or effect. So you could say, “The thing it hits when I throw it”, or “the next time it is touched.” You may devote a rank of Manipulation to add a condition to the trigger. Then such triggers as “the next troll to touch it”, or similar are possible.

SHAPE EARTH/ STONE

Range: POW x Yards                          POW Check – No        Duration – POW x rounds

More versatile, and in many ways, more powerful, than Rock Wall, this song is also slower and affects a smaller area. You can move and shape earth with the force of you Stonesong. If the shape you create is stable (a mound, hill, pit, etc), it will remain after the duration is over. If it is not stable (a column, wall, shelf, sculpture, etc) it will collapse when the duration expires. You can affect 1 cubic yard of earth per Magnitude that you know of the song. If you move earth with this song, it travels at 1 yard per turn per Magnitude. The movement and shaping of the earth via thing song is too slow to entrap anyone who is able to move away, but may trap, or even smother the unconscious, or those unable or unwilling to move.

                  If you have at least Magnitude 4 of this song, you can shape Stone in the same way. Stone will retain whatever shape you create even after the duration of your song is over. When shaping Stone requires the devotion of 4 Magnitude of the song, but affects stone as if it were a Magnitude 1 song (so you devote 4 ranks of Magnitude to the shaping of stone, allowing song Manipulation with whatever remains of your manipulation Limit).  

                   Levels may be spent to increase Duration.

                  You may use the skill Work Earth and Stone in conjunction with this song.         

STONE PHASE – 3 POW

Range: Self                              POW Check – No        Duration – 1 Round

You can subsume yourself into solid stone, allowing you to hide, or move, through it at a rate of 1 yard per turn. You may navigate via Earth Sense, but are otherwise cut off from your senses while phasing. If the duration of the song expires while you are phasing, you take 4d6 damage to your total Hit Points.

                  Levels may be spent to increase Duration or two increase your movement by 1 yard per turn per Magnitude.

WARD GROUND

Range: Touch                       Resisted: Yes                        Duration: POW x Rounds

Cast upon ground that you touch, you create a warded area or perimeter (chosen when you cast). The area or perimeter you may ward is up to 5 yards in radius at Magnitude 1, and doubles with each increase in Magnitude. You determine the restrictions of the ward as you create it, stating who can or cannot cross the perimeter or enter the area. You may name, and thereby restrict, one being or type of being per Magnitude that you possess (A single entity, like Demetrios the Archmage, or a type of being, like sorcerers or Serpentfolk). You must know the name of an entity to restrict it. If you do not, you may only restrict its type (Example: Not knowing the name of the demon that stalks these ruins, Serath can only restrict her Ward against “Demons” generally. Those beings or types of creature named are barred from moving into the warded area unless they can make a POW contest success against your POW +3 per Magnitude of the song. Those who fail suffer 1d6 of Magical Damage (Armor does not protect against this, but Countermagic and similar effects do) to their total Hit Points per Magnitude of the Ward.

                  If you leave the warded area, the Warding immediately fails. However, you can manipulate the range, allowing you to leave the warded zone by that amount. You can also devote ranks to increasing the duration.