Runequest Thursday #5: A New Sorcery (Part 3)
In the first installment of this new system for Runequest sorcery, you have learned about the Sorcery skill and what it can do, as well as how training as a sorcerer allows you to manipulate the spells that you know. In the second, you found out about the things you can manipulate about spells, how that happens, and the limitations on it. I also threw a few spells at you, including the beast that is Conjure/ Dismiss Elemental, which is really something like six spells, twelve if you count the ability to send hostile elementals back to whatever plane they came from.
Yesterday, I teased with another spell, Hammerhand, which shows off sorcery’s runic associations. Much of this has not been revealed yet, but since Runequest has runes as a central feature, sorcery does too. So I thought I would give you a bit about how Runes affect sorcery.
Common sorcery, the spells on the Spell List in ‘Part the Second’, all have runic associations, as do most other spells. Runes are listed in the square brackets after the name of the spell]. Below, the first spell for today – Control – has the Runes for Mind and Mastery associated with it. Mind because the spell involves overriding the conscious control of a subject; Mastery because of what can be done with that control.
Think of the Runes as aspects of the metaphysical world that magicians and others tap into to work magic. Mastery denotes understanding and command of a subject, which could be a creature, a substance, an element, or similar, rather than command over someone [a slave to the Master implied in Mastery], although it can be that too. Sorcerers learn about the Mastery Rune in their training, struggle to deepen their understanding of it their whole careers. It is what allows them to manipulate magic as they do. The shaman or the cultist [who are spellcasters, but not sorcerers] can’t do that. They receive magic from different places than do sorcerers, and deal with as it comes to them. Sorcerers look at the power of the universe and shape it to their will, subject to little limitations like their comprehension of their art, and the Runes.
But as sorcerers become wiser, and more powerful, they may begin to associate themselves with certain runes; and craft spells that build on or enhance that association. Some spells, like ‘Hammerhand’, can enforce restrictions on what a sorcerer can do, in order to enhance other aspects of the spell. I’ll have some Heroic Abilities for sorcerers, many of them about Runic Associations and Mastery, in a later Part in the series. But I wanted to cover the basics of Runes now, before we got in too deep.
Below, you have another batch of Common Spells – from Control to Lift. Many are reversible. Like Conjure/ Dismiss Elemental, they can be cast either positively or negatively. This is another manifestation of sorcery’s connection to the Mastery rune, Enhancing or Diminishing, Healing or Wounding, where another caster would need two spells memorized to do something similar.
It is worth remembering that all of these spells, like those found in the previous article, are variable. That is, they may be cast at any level known to the Sorcerer and subject to his manipulation limit, may be manipulated for enhanced effect. The costs for all Common Sorcery Spells are on the Spell List found in Part the Second.
Control [Mind, Mastery] Range – 120 Yards POW Check - Yes
Duration – 10 melee rounds
Each level of the spell equates to 5 INT, which must equal or exceed the INT of the creature to be controlled. If the Caster has sufficient levels, he may attack more than one creature per casting. Each attack requires a POW vs. POW check. On a success, if the caster wishes, he may simply allow his victim to collapse [see below], at which time the spell ends. If the caster wishes to maintain control, he must concentrate on the spell, using no other spells or doing anything more than moving normally and speaking in short sentences. While concentrating, he may control the movements, even the speech of the target. If the caster is forced to fight or concentrate on any other activity, the victim collapses into sleep.
A collapsed victim will revive from unconsciousness and regain control of himself as soon as he makes a roll of his CON on D100. The roll may be attempted once each melee round after the round of collapse. NPCs will revive after 1d6 rounds instead if the GM wishes.
Countermagic [Magic] Range – 120 Yards POW Check - No
Duration – 5 minutes
This spell creates a magical shield around the user or on any person or object he wishes to keep magic from affecting. The level of an incoming spell must be rolled against the level of the Countermagic on the resistance table. A successful roll means the spell penetrates the Countermagic. If a POW vs. POW roll is required by the incoming spell, it will still have to be made. The Countermagic protects the target and anything he is carrying. The Countermagic remains in play, unless the spell that overcame it was Dispel.
Countermagic is effective versus Blast and Lightning, but not against Fire/Frost.
Dispel [Magic] Range – 120 Yards POW Check - No
Duration – Instantaneous
This is a spell used for removing the effects of a spell such as Control, Lift, Sharpen/Dull, etc. It must overcome the level of the target spell on the resistance table. It can be used to dispel an elemental. It must be directed at a particular spell (though saying, ‘Get rid of that spell that has Gottfried walking like a zombie’ will do, if the exact spell is not known) and, if the target is protected by Countermagic, it must be of equal or higher level than the Countermagic. It may be directed against a target’s Countermagic specifically, in which case roll on the Resistance Table to see if the Countermagic is dispelled.
Dispel may also be thrown at a character who is in the process of casting a spell in an attempt to keep that spell from happening. The dispelling mage must state that he is doing so, and must complete his casting before his target does theirs.
Example
Sangor attempts a third level Dispel to stop the guy in the black robes from throwing whatever he is throwing this time. Sangor succeeds in casting first, so he compares his Dispel with the level of the spell his target was casting on the Resistance Table to see who was successful.
Enhance/ Diminish [Man, Beast] Range – Touch POW Check - On Diminish
Duration – 15 minutes
This spell can add one point to one of STR, CON, SIZ or DEX of the target for each level of the spell used. This spell can also diminish a characteristic in the same manner.
Fire/ Frost [Fire, Ice] Range – 120 Yards POW Check - Yes
Duration – 1 Round
Each level of this spell does 1D6 fire or cold damage to everything in a one-Yard-diameter circle. Each additional level may be used to increase the diameter of an existing effect by 1 yard or start a new 1 yard diameter effect within range, and increase the effect of all areas by 1d6.The Fire/Frost appears as a pillar arising from the ground.
The damage is absorbed by armor, Protection, and Resist spells, but Countermagic has no effect. The fire version may heal salamanders, or ignite flammable material, damaging anyone or thing within it at 1D4 points per melee round.
Frost can be used to put out normal fire, and damage salamanders.
Example
Sangor the Sorcerer needs to block a 2-Yards-wide passage, and fry the first rank of attacking trollkin in the process. With Fire/ Frost 5, he casts a fifth level Fire, using 3 levels to create a 3d6 Fire, and another level to extend its area to a 2 yard diameter circle and filling the passageway. With on level remaining [up to his manipulation limit of 5] he chooses to extend the casting to 10 melee rounds. Making his POW vs. POW against each of the two trollkin, they each take 3D6 damage. In addition, their fellows will have to deal with crossing or extinguishing the fire if they want to pursue.
Healing/ Wounding [Man, Beast] Range – Touch POW Check – On Wounding
Duration – Instantaneous
A level of this spell heals or inflicts 1D3 of damage done to the Hit Points of a target. It does not work against poison or disease. Healing can keep a dying character from death if cast in time. It can also be cast on a location to heal local damage, even reattaching a limb or similar if 6 or more Hits are applied in a single casting to such a wound.
Cast as Wounding, the caster must touch the target and overcome the target’s POW. Wounding then does 1d3 damage per level to a single location [roll d20 for location as normal]. Countermagic and Resist Wounding will affect this, but armor and Protection do not.
Illusion [Light] Range – 30 Yards POW Check - No
Duration – 15 minutes
This spell allows the caster to build up an image of an object equal to 5 SIZ points for every level of the effect. This image is totally visual, with no sound, scent, touch, or taste component. Unless the caster concentrates on it, the illusion will not move. Additional levels of the spell can add another aspect of sensation to the Illusion. If touch is included, an illusion can affect the minds of those who have not disbelieved, causing 1d6 Stun damage [behaves as real damage in all ways, except it cannot damage or kill, only paralyze a location or drive someone into Unconsciousness for 1d6 rounds per level] per level of the illusion if appropriate [an illusory troll could do Stun Damage, whereas the illusion of a treasure chest would not]. The more senses included, the less likely the spell is to be dispelled, or disbelieved.
Observers may disbelieve an illusion if they suspect its true nature. They must spend a combat action doing so, during which they cannot defend against the Illusion [because that would defeat their attempt to disbelieve it]. If they succeed on a POW x5 the illusion becomes obviously so and incapable of harming or affecting anyone. For each additional sense included, the target for the POW check is reduced by one multiple. Other factors, such as history, or realism of the setting, might also affect the check. A sorcerer who knows Illusion and chooses to disbelieve does so at POW x5 regardless of the normal difficulty.
Example
Sangor is dueling a brother sorcerer, Alagard, for bragging rights. Alagard casts Illusion 4, spending 2 levels on what appears to be a fire elemental, adding the sensations for Touch and Hearing, with his remaining levels. Sangor is taken aback by the hissing flaming lizard, shying from the heat of it - until he remembers that Alagard doesn’t know how to conjure a salamander. Rather than waste POW dispelling, he spends his first Combat Action of the duel attempting to disbelieve. Normally, the POW check would be POW x3 [x5, reduced by 2 multiples for the added senses of Touch and Hearing], but the GM allows that Sangor’s conviction that Alagard does not know the conjure salamander spell will improve his odds of success by 1 multiple, so the POW Check goes back up to x4. Sangor rolls, and fails. Alagard’s ersatz salamander does 2d6 stun damage to the hapless Sangor, who couldn’t quite convince himself that it was not real.
Invisibility [Light] Range – Touch POW Check - No
Duration – 15 minutes
Each level of this effect covers a SIZ 5 object or person. The caster must concentrate on the spell and may take no more than a normal move, though he may speak. Fighting, throwing spells, or similar distractions such as falling into pits or negotiating a difficult path will break the spell. If the subject of the spell is attacked by something that cannot better perceive it, the attack is made at -50%. This spell does not stop sound or affect senses other than the visual.
Lift [Telekinesis] Range – 120 Yards POW Check - Yes, if resisted
Duration – 15 minutes
Each level of this effect covers 5 SIZ points of the person or object affected. If the SIZ is appropriate, the caster may lift the object and move it through the air. If the SIZ affected is less than the SIZ of the subject, the object is considered lighter by 10 SIZ for purposes of movement, pushing, etc. The caster may Lift himself, using the spell to fly, if he has sufficient levels to equal or exceed his SIZ. The subject will move at 24 Yards per melee round. Each level of the spell above the minimum necessary to move the SIZ may be used to add 6 Yards per melee round to this speed, if desired.
If the object does not wish to be lifted, the caster must overcome its POW. An unwilling recipient of the spell may attempt another POW vs. POW to free himself each Round.
The spell may also be used to slow down a falling object too big for the level of the spell. For each level less than needed, the object does and sustains 1d6 less falling damage.
Next time: The rest of the Common Spell List – from "Light/Dark" to "Wards."
