This is the 4th Draft with more to come.
Sorcery
Casting Sorcery
Casting is difficult, as there are literally no instruction manuals existing in the entirety of the world. As such individual casters are left to try and figure out how to harness their abilities on their own. In the Kingdoms RPG setting this means Forbidden Lore AND the Sorcery Skill. The Forbidden Lore Skill is needed to unlock the ability to use a spell freely, while the Sorcery skill is needed to effectively wield the spell.
If a spell has a difficulty number, then the caster must make a Sorcery roll against that number. If the caster fails to meet or beat then they fail to cast the spell. If a spell is used in combat, then the caster rolls their sorcery vs the opponent's Ranged Defense (RD) value. Whatever they win by, then they do that much damage plus sorcery damage.
ALL Sorcery casting requires a Brilliance check BEFORE casting. This means, the sorcerer will make a +dice 1d10+brilliance roll with a beginning base difficulty of 6. 6+ on the total roll will be counted as a success. The difficulty of the brilliance roll will go up by 1 after every spell cast. If a player fails their brilliance roll by 3 or more, they enter the 'Taxed' state. They can still cast however, the Sorcerer simply has the effects of being 'Taxed' (see each sorcery type for what the taxed state should be).
Upon first entering the taxed state, the sorcerer must make a +dice 1d10+Sorcery roll difficulty 7. A failure on this roll will result in the sorcerer immediately falling unconscious and being placed into the 'Shocked' state. If the sorcerer succeeds in this sorcery roll, they remain in the 'Taxed' state but may cast as normal, however, a second failure by 3+ on their brilliance roll will immediately place them into the 'Shocked' state and render them unconscious (please check each sorcery type to see what the 'Shocked' state should be). The sorcerer will then make two +dice 1d4+0 rolls. The first roll will determine how many days the sorcerer remains unconscious. The second roll will determine how many rounds the unconscious sorcerer 'bleeds off' their magic, in accordance with the shocked state. The sorcerer may not be moved during these rounds. Only once these rounds have passed, may the unconscious sorcerer be moved.
The Benefit of Sorcery
- Elemental Defense: PASSIVE. Sorcerer's have a good survival instinct! As such, if they are in Light, or minimal armor they are instinctively protected by their element. When hit, their element flashes. Sparks fly for lightning. A burst of rock or flowing moss for Plant and earth, the air hardens for air, and flash of flame for fire. The effect is the caster gains +2 to their defensive scores, and a further +1 when defending against their own element. Sorcerers may also use their Sorcery skill for determining their Melee and or Range defense. The flash of the Element can be hidden if you have Elemental Control.
Number of Spells
A Player has a number of spells equal to 3+Sorcery+Forbidden Lore. This means whenever you gain a new rank in Sorcery or Forbidden Lore you learn a new spell. New Spells can ALSO be learned by finding ancient Forbidden Lore scrolls in the world. This will teach you ONE spell chosen at random by Staff but will always be a spell your character can use. The Scroll crumbles after use and only confers the spell to ONE person.
Rules for Casting and Attack Spells
To cast a spell the caster must first choose the spell to cast. This is to make sure there are no special requirements for that spell, or to check if it is a Difficulty Value spell, or a Normal Attack Spell. Next the player will make a Brilliance Check. The first spell a sorcerer casts begins at a Difficulty Value of 6. You add +1 for each spell the Sorcerer casts. This means that if a spell requires multiple Brilliance Checks, you make it at the Difficulty Value you were at for that turn. IF a Sorcerer fails by 3+ on their Brilliance Check, then proceed to Taxed and Shocked below.
Next, the caster makes the appropriate Sorcery roll. The first is a simple Difficulty Value. The caster must simply meet or beet that value to cast the spell. The second is a Normal Attack Spell, which requires the caster to make a Sorcery Roll vs the target's Range Defense Value. They must BEAT the target's Range Defense value to hit. They will then do Sorcery+2+(Overage Value) in damage.
EXAMPLE: Darius has a sorcery of 2. He is casting Elemental Blast against a foe who has an RD of 6. He rolls an 8 and thus hits with 2 over. This means Darius does 2+2+2 for a total of 6 damage.
Taxed and Shocked
Should a sorcerer fail their Brilliance check by 3+ they immediately become Taxed. Please note that a taxed sorcerer can still cast, and the spell they were casting still goes off. When taxed, the caster's element swirls about them, and no amount of Elemental Control or sorcery can hide it. They do 1d10 physical AND Mental Stress to ANYBODY who touches them while they are in a taxed state. The caster must make a D4 roll this is the number of rounds a caster is covered by swirling energy of their element. If a caster casts a spell and fails by 3+ on their Brilliance check again, then they roll a D4 again and add those rounds. A caster may be taxed a number of times equal to their Wits score. Once this is exceeded, they automatically go into Shock. This determines the number of rounds that a sorcerer will be Taxed for. The caster then makes a Brilliance check at Difficulty Value 7. If they fail this roll then they go into Shock.
A Sorcerer who enters into Shock will automatically pass out. The spell they were trying to cast fails, and they drip magical energy from their very pours. If a sorcerer becomes shocked, they roll a D4 and add any Taxed rounds to that number. This is how many rounds magic swirls about them. The caster takes that many rounds of Mental Stress. Once Shocked, a caster cannot use magic again for 1d4 days as the body heals.
Tokens
Tokens are items that retain a link to their owner or maker, whether by the importance it holds to that person (a lady's sleeve richly embroidered with doves, a beloved knife, a passionate letter, a childhood book) or by virtue of containing some literal part of their person (a kercheif stained with their blood, a lock of hair kept in a locket, baby-teeth). Possessing a Token, whether made with magical intention or not, gives the holder a psychic link to the person who made/originated the token. If a token is made without the spell "magic token" it will deteriorate at normal rates for the material it is comprised of.
The first kind of token must be given on purpose to another person and is thus made intentionally; tokens are in fact a regular part of tourney culture, given in earnest of strong emotion or support. The second kind also exists in mundane capacity, but is naturally much more powerful and less common than the former, and may be created without the target's knowledge or consenting: that is to say, it may have been made as a magic token intentionally by the linked person in question, or it may be made by another sorcerer entirely under the right circumstances. For this reason wise sorcerers are careful to destroy hair clippings, bloodied bandages, and anything that could be used to create a psychic link to themselves by unknown parties.
Runes
Runes are symbols through which sorcerers are able to focus their magic, also sometimes called glyphs or magic circles. They continue to be developed and are the source of much research at the Academy and elsewhere, with some research suggesting that they seem to have analogues in traditions of the Many faith. Their resemblance to the highly secret Alchemic Language seems to be no coincidence, though they are not interchangeable, and the exact nature of this link is unclear. Common runes have many names, with the most famous of these being the Circle, or Moon glyph.
Generic Spells
These are spells that anybody with Sorcery can cast regardless of the Element they control. They range from the Protection to Attack.
Make a normal Casting check. Spell auto-succeeds so long as you do not become taxed. The sorcerer draws a closed moon rune on their skin where it can be plainly seen. It can be done in blood or specially treated ink (which can be purchased from Alchemists or mixed oneself with the proper tutelage and forbidden lore knowledge). Once they complete the Circle, the sorcerer infuses it with their magic, and feels a shiver of chaos go through them that may display itself around them as a reaction in their element; the grass underfoot grows lush, the wind sighs, the panes rattle, and the sorcerer’s body is magically toughened against harm. The immediate side-effect is a sharpening of the senses as regards the caster’s element: they are more in tune with it while covered with this energy, though it is more of a feeling than any solid bonus. Some find it reassuring, others not so much. This has no mechanical effect.
For the runework itself there seems to be no universally agreed upon execution, except that there must before all else be the Circle and it’s on this that the spell really hinges; the reason for this is a subject of fierce debate among Alchemists and Sorcerers of the Academy, as drawing only the Moon glyph on one’s body seems to 'open' the spell, while the finishing strokes 'close' it. These finishing marks /glyphs are known to each caster by some strange instinct rather than hard logic (which rather frustrates some Instructors). The Four Corners Academy teaches a variation of this that has been extensively tested and has gained popularity around the West as highly reliable and safe to apply to one’s own body, in as much as any magic is safely done. Many sorcerers choose to use it rather than letting instinct drive them thanks to this fact. Unsurprisingly, different Runework seems to be being used in Partharia, though it is recognizable for what it is, just as those variations observed by the Four Corners Academy among some students and unenrolled sorcerers. (+1 Stress and Temp wound, can stack, may cast on others. Can only cast this spell a number of times equal to the caster's Forbidden Lore.)
Also see: Greater Circle Runework
Dif 7.
Summons a local spirit. River Spirits, or the Spirits of Forests and Stone, Field and Sea and so on and so on. Mortal Sorcerers cannot summon Ghosts, which are of course a different kind of spirit, though rumors of research in this direction are not unheard of. The Spirit remains in the material world for one round for each level of Forbidden Lore that the Caster possesses.
Methods of casting this spell vary by the sorcerer, with cultural influences changing how they approach the problem of calling on a spirit’s attention, and the intuitive nature of magic further varying the process; some sorcerers entreat the spirits, while others command. A mirror is well suited to be used as a magical doorway between worlds. Some others spill fresh blood and sing to them, and so on. An inviting atmosphere may be a good idea or a terribly bad one. Offerings may improve the spirit’s mood upon being drawn into manifesting itself for the Sorcerer’s benefit, but there is no way to tell how the Spirit will behave upon being summoned. Some are benign, and revel in the attention of sorcerers, seeking gifts. Others are reclusive, and take great offense to being called away from what they were doing to apparate for some human’s whim. All of them have long memories, stretching back to the time of Darius Firebrand, and further back still. Casting this spell is dangerous, and should be approached with caution. Some Spirits are quite powerful, while others are weaker, and their motivations can be hard to judge. Drawing their attention may have unintended consequences.
Dif 7.
Similar to Circle Runework, Soul Shield is a rune based spell painted on the skin of the Caster, distinct from the Moon rune. This special tempera pigment is a recipe handed down in alchemic traditions under many different names, but most famously as Sidhe Ochre. When used in magical preparations it is comprised of iron oxide, blood, and egg-white. The blood must be fresh and can either Human or Sidhe, and does not need to belong to the caster. Spirits attack the soul and not the body (IE they do Mental Stress) as such this gives the Caster immunity to Mental Stress damage as long as the Circle remains unbroken. Soul Shield magically fades from the skin after a number of hours equal to the caster’s forbidden lore score. regardless of the materials used. It can also marred mundanely, but this takes some doing as the glyph is resistant to smearing and the caster may attempt to save their spell from being destroyed by inconvenient splashes of mud, beer and so on with a dif 5 check. Spirits and Ghosts cannot touch the Soul Shield itself once it is activated on the caster’s skin. It is not easy to destroy by mistake. Painting it onto the hand and punching someone in the face with that same hand has yet to cause anyone’s Soul Shield to fail.
Requires: Iron ocher (or any source of iron fine enough to be successfully mixed into a pigment) and either human or sidhe blood. While not strictly necessary, Sidhe Ocher includes egg white in its recipe as a binder, making it a tempera. Others in Tirth’s secret history have used henna, woad, and other carriers to be sure that the Soul Shield remains on the skin long enough to do battle with the supernatural. The end product ranges in colours of red, orange, brown, and black depending on the type of iron used, the carrier, and the ratios of each ingredient. Bathing will remove the Soul Shield. Entering a Taxed state will consume the runes of the Soul Shield as they burn off the caster’s skin.
Normal Attack Spell.
The raw stuff of Chaos, Magic energy. A simple non Elemental Sorcerer attack that is pink in color. Requires a normal casting check, and a Sorcery vs Defender’s defense skill of choice. This can be cast regardless of outside conditions that would normally prevent you from casting. This does not include Lightsilver restraints. Blast originates from the caster’s body as it is literally raw magic flowing out of them without being formed into an element.
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
This creates a glowing pink bracelet of raw chaos around one of the Caster’s arms. The defender receives all the normal benefits of a shield as written in the combat rules, except it is invisible. The player still needs to have an arm to raise in defense so can’t use two-handed weapons etc to take advantage of this (Gives a target the effects of a shield, the Caster can only keep one up at a time). The shield may float by the caster or be assigned to another PC, but the bracelet appears on the caster’s arm regardless.
This is a passive spell that is always on. With it you can identify the direction of a Sorcerer within 20 ft of you. This doesn’t identify the sorcerer directly, but you know the exact direction. So it narrows things down. In a crowded street or room, you would need to make a dif 7 perception check to find them directly.. You can cast this spell with a dif 7 and be able to identify the Sorcerer’s Element, and have a psychic trail lead to them that leads you to them (Identifies them) for a number of hours equal to your Forbidden Lore. If a Null Sorcerer casts this spell to learn more about their target and create that psychic thread between them, they will need to feed off a Sorcerer or suffer a -2 on all rolls for Five Days minus their Sorcery Level. The target who has been linked through a successful casting of this spell automatically know they’ve been linked. This means if they have the spell, they can use Sorcery Negation to sever the link.
Difficulty value 8 to cast, unless against an Elemental Effect, then it is Difficulty value 6.
This is not a counterspell, but instead disrupts magical effects form Elemental Effects or other spells that linger. The caster’s Element flashes in their eyes as it destroys the Magical Effect or Curse. If a Null casts this spell, then the Sorcerer who cast the target of the Negation suffers 1 point of stress of automatic Feedback wherever they are. This spell can be used to disrupt curses.
Normal Attack Spell
Requires 2 Brilliance rolls at the same value if not a Null Sorcerer.
Any damage done can remove stress from the Caster. Null’s get an automatic +1 damage if successful ir a Tie. The Caster must be touching the target of the spell to feed on their energy. Null sorcerers do not need to be touching their target, but must have line of sight. This spell does Mental Stress in damage. A wonderful satiating feeling that fills up the belly and warms the blood.
Difficulty value 8. This is a Difficulty value 6 spell if the Caster and the Target were related, intimate at all or you have an item of value to the target.
The Caster must physically touch the corpse to use, and have lit a candle for each cardinal direction around the corpse. The candles can be replaced by the tolling of lightsilver bells four times. Intoning the names of the directions in the Old Tongue, the caster calls the ghost back to its bodily remains. Speaking its name may cause raw magic to creep out or their element to display itself in unintentional ways as the magic rings across the barrier between Life and Death. The Ghost is pulled back to their body by this call, and may appear hovering above it, or sink into its body to creak its answers from cold lips, able to clumsily possess its remains for the duration of the spell. Regardless of how the ghost chooses to appear, it is truly the spirit of the dead person, and will act accordingly. The recently deceased are likely to be just as they were before their death, fresh still from the warmth of Life. Older remains, and therefore older Ghosts, may be stranger. They may not appreciate being pulled from the afterlife, if indeed their soul has found its way to its final rest. The most dangerous sort of ghost may be that rare kind which has wandered Tirth for a long time without finding the afterlife, but their earthly remains are usually hard to find.
Side Effect
The Caster of this spell will have Nightmares for seven days minus the character’s Forbidden Lore score. Attracting the ghost’s attention has a cost; it will haunt them each night till its link to the sorcerer is exhausted and it must return to its haunt or the afterlife. Whether the ghost means harm or not, this experience is unsettling at best for the sorcerer. The ghost can no longer apparate, and remains only as a mild disruption during the day (small misfortunes: glasses crack, cups fall from the shelf, etc) and a source of inescapable nightmares at night as the jumbled experiences of the deceased continue invade the caster’s mind without the help of the spell to translate. This is a temporary Mental Trait and should be recorded as such. This side effect does NOT affect those with the Black Element. Banishing or otherwise destroying the ghost will put a stop to the daytime effects, but will not flush the nightmares out of the caster’s system any faster.
Allows for simple tricks such as lighting a candle, siphoning water from plants, finding rare stones in the earth, sprouting a plant, or sending a whisper across an open field. It can also be used to do things like float your element around yourself. Casual tricks that take no real concentration are included within this spell, as well as slightly more complex feats of skill, like shaping dancing figures from blades of grass or perfectly roasting a marshmallow on your fingers… well, it gets sticky, but it LOOKS good!
Having this spell gives the Sorcerer 1 extra damage reduction against elements of the Sorcerer’s type for each point they have in Sorcery. Their very nature is influenced by the element as their connection to their magic grows. This also allows the caster to have elemental effects. This means that a Sorcerer who has this spell, and then hits with a spell that states 'Elemental Effect' has the following bonuses:
- Fire: Target burns creating 1 damage per turn for 3 turns or until they spend a round putting themselves out.
- Air: Stunned. Target is stunned and cannot take an action next round.
- Earth: Knocked down. All defensive actions taken this round take a further -2 until they go again.
- Water: Knocked down if Ice Element is used, All defensive actions taken this round take a further -2 until they go again.. If Water element then target is drowning ans must take an action to catch their breath and will loose their next action unless a spell is used to cancel this.
- Kinetic: Caster’s choice. Knocked down, All defensive actions taken this round take a further -2 until they go again. OR they may choose to knock the target back causing 1 immediate damage for every ten feet they are knocked back. Targets are knocked back 10 ft for each success scored on the attack. (If the room doesn’t allow the distance they take 1 damage and are pushed to the borders of the room.)
- Null: Stunned (From the Negative Energy). Target is stunned and cannot take an action next round.
- Black: Living feedback. Target suffers 1 pt of damage over success.
Difficulty value 6 to cast.
The sorcerer creates a token and infuses it with their magic. This must be a literal part of the body; locks of hair were often used (leading to the alternative name ‘Lovelock’ that survives in one of the books of forbidden lore owned by the Academy) but 3 drops of blood is enough to imbue an item so long as they can be absorbed by it. One such historical example of what Alchemic researchers believe to have been a Lovelock is the Lamp of Saint Amella which led to the healing springs where her tomb was found, growing brighter as the knights approached the waters: currently the theory stands that the wick may have been her fingerbone, but others argue that the everlasting oil contained her blood.
The Magic Token (as per this spell) does not decay even after the sorcerer's death. It can be placed into mundane objects to give them a minor elemental effect (such as the brightening wick of Amella’s Lamp). Giving the Magic Token to another pc will grant that pc a bonus to Investigation and Tracking checks made to locate the sorcerer; the holder can sense direction on a successful roll, though not distance or condition. Casting a spell on another sorcerer whose Token the caster is in possession of will lower the difficulty by 1. Tokens can be stolen, and can be destroyed by mundane means or a Negate spell cast on the token itself. A sorcerer will know their token even if it has been transformed into an object that they do not recognize since its original creation. Magic Tokens from the time of Darius are often haunted, so beware!
Making a token of another person than the sorcerer casting is more taxing and must be done with fresh clean material obtained within the month. A full vial, or a cloth soaked with the target's blood is the ideal example… but only if it itself was clean and the blood not too muddied in with beer or dirt and horse hair. More than one person's DNA being present will essentially nullify any chance of success. This spell is cast on a night with full moons in clear view of the sky. Diff 8 to cast.
Requires: Elemental Control, a piece of the caster. Optionally any materials needed to craft an item to contain or disguise the token.
Generic Advanced
Normal Attack Spell
In the case of Mass Combat, the caster can choose the target Unit within Line of sight and do normal Morale damage, OR do Mass combat artillery effect for magic as listed under Mass Combat. If they are portraying a Hero, then they hit sorcery + Forbidden lore level in targets. This is a non Element spell, and manifests as a blast of Pink Energy. However it is delivered is different from caster to caster. Some gesture and Pink beams of light fly from them to burst in a pink explosion of Chaos. While others say a word of power (usually made up) and the heavens suddenly rain the raw power of Chaos on their foes. Regardless, as per blast, this spell can be used regardless of casting conditions.
Requirement: Needs Elemental Explosion to be used in Mass Combat.
Difficulty value 10 to cast. The difficulty goes down by 1 to a minimum of 6 for every round of preparation put into casting the spell. Casting this, the sorcerer turns their attention to drawing a large circle on the ground with salt, surrounding themselves and their companions in a magical ward. This is the same glyph as 'Circular Runework' and is activated by infusing it with their magic, an action that requires the sorcerer’s full attention and sufficient time to complete. Drawing the circle may be paused or interrupted but until it is complete the magic cannot work and it's only a drawing that can be returned to. With Greater Circle Runework, the caster closes their glyph and performs some ritual action, like a clap and a spoken spell, the sacrifice of an animal, a prayer, or the smash of glass. Depending on whether the Caster is standing inside or outside upon doing this the Circle can be used in two different ways.
Cast from the inside, the Circle protects the Caster from all outside harm for as long as they are consciously focused on maintaining the circle and feeding their magic into it. Leaving the circle will end the spell, as will creating a break in the circle (ie: smearing the salt to break the glyph). Conscious maintenance is required; the sorcerer must stay awake and do no other significant action. Talking, eating and other simple activities that don’t require one’s strict attention are fine. Reading a book, bobbing for apples, staring contests, calaesthetics, casting other spells and heated arguments are out. The spell will last as long as it is not broken, and the caster feeding energy into it does not fall asleep. Drinking kaffe is the ultimate power move, but watch out for sugar crashes and make sure to pack a healthy lunch.
Made from the outside, a magic circle can be used to trap a person, demon, or spirit (getting them in there is the tricky part). Summoning a Spirit or Demon in the presence of a completed Greater Circle Rune that’s been properly prepared and finished will draw the summoned creature directly into the circle and trap it there. If used to trap another human being, the Caster MUST have a token of the person they intend to trap insid. They must also be gotten inside the circle without destroying it on the way in, making a human being rather more difficult to ensnare this way. Effectively, you can’t just trick somebody into walking into one, scream HA! and trap them in there, even if they didn’t see the circle drawn on the floor.
Greater Circle Runework receives 20 Stress of damage that it can take. Spirits and Undead are simply UNABLE to break circles from the outside, however much they might pound and burn and pace, the Circle is beyond their ability to affect. Vampires and Demons on the other hand take great delight in breaking these and giggling as the Sorcerer realizes they made a boo boo. But if the sorcerer manages to catch a demon inside the Circle the demon is unable to break it themselves by any action. They are trapped at the Caster’s whims until their summoning ends, or the Sorcerer releases them by breaking the circle (purposefully or otherwise; wise sorcerers keep the floor clean and cats out of their summoning dungeon). The Circle can be as small as the Caster would like (so long as they fit within) but it can only be as large as 10ft for every point the Caster has in Forbidden Lore.
This spell is immune to Negation.
Requirement: The Circle MUST be made of Iron, Copper, Salt, Blood, or if you can somehow afford it, Lightsilver. Once broken, the materials making up the circle are consumed by the escaping magic. Certain alchemists can be found in Four Corners who sell special chalk mixed with iron and copper that sorcerers of the Academy have been known to use.
Difficulty value 6 to cast.
(be very very careful) Cast a Difficulty value 6 Spell (Demons WANT you to summon them. This should be a warning!) . Summons Demon of choice. You do not control them though. So be very very careful. The Demon in question remains in the material plain for 1 round per Sorcery + Forbidden Lore of the Sorcerer who cast the spell. They can remain longer if they drink blood, lasting 1 week for every pint of human or sidhe blood drank. Technically, summoning a demon requires only speaking their name. Doing this gives the demon an immediate sense of the caster attempting to summon them; this will lead to instant recognition of the sorcerer should they cross paths thereafter. Some places are more suited than others; a lonely crossroads, a broken alleyway, a bleak and hopeless dungeon, but really any place will do. Without a specific name to focus on, the sorcerer must cast their thread out randomly; using a name merely draws that particular demon rather than rolling the dice and seeing who shows up first. Fortunately (or not), Intention itself is enough to draw the general attention of Hell and allow the escape of a demon into Creation; a representative will be with you shortly. If there is a Greater Circle Runework completed successfully, they will be drawn into that.
Base
These are spells that are based on the caster’s Element.
Normal Attack Spell
Normal attack with the caster's element. Nothing fancy, just pure elemental deliverance.
Normal Attack Spell
This spell dismisses spirits, and destroys one lesser undead creature if successful. (Lesser undead being the raised undead from Black, and does NOT include Vampires. As well as most ghosts, and lesser spriits.)
Requires some form of Iron Component to cast. This can be a filings flung at the target, or simply holding an Iron Nail. The Iron is consumed when cast, your element simply disintegrating it.
Normal Attack Spell +2 on attacker's sorcery roll.
This spell can be used to counter an incoming attack with Magical Offensive capabilities OR Counter an opponent’s spell. To use the Caster MUST be either the target of Spell or the attack, or be within line of sight. The Counter spell will simply nullify an opponent’s spell and does no damage. If a Null Sorcerer casts this spell, then they do damage as if they were combating the opposing caster as their hungry magic eats at their energy. A Sorcerer may use this spell only a number of times equal to their Forbidden Lore score per day. Meaning a Player with a Forbidden Lore of 2 may only counter twice a day.
Difficulty value 8 to cast
A simple Difficulty value 8 spell that automatically physically incapacitates a target; as such it can be cast on living creatures and objects such as doors or chests. This may appear in any way that makes sense for the caster’s element; binding an opponent’s feet in stone, trapping them in an invisible box of kinetic resistance like a mime in hell, catching and clasping them in the boughs of a tree. The target does not take damage regardless of the element used; fire is hot but doesn’t burn, wind pins them down but doesn’t suffocate, rock doesn’t break their bones. The Caster must maintain Focus. If that focus is broken for any reason, the spell ends. The target can attempt to break out with a Brawn check vs the Sorcerer’s Brilliance which can be performed the moment the spell is successfully cast. Does not work on spirits or ghosts. The same rolls are made to break a binding on doors or chests etc.
Difficulty value 6 to cast
If cast before combat starts, then you only need to make the cast roll. This grants a weapon an Element damage bonus of +1. (See Weapons under Combat). Please note that normal weapons, those not made of Lightsilver or Sidhe Steel are DESTROYED after this spell ends. Normal weapons may NOT be made permanent. This can be made permanent if the player finds the appropriate Forbidden Lore knowledge. That being said, however, Lightsilver, Sidhe Steel or a specially crafted weapon, can hold this magic. Also, keep in mind that keeping a permanently burning sword etc can be … problematic. This is because once permanent it doesn’t have an “Off Switch”
Advanced
Normal Attack Spell
Must have for Mass Combat effects. This is a simple Sorcery vs Range defense. In the case of Mass Combat, the caster can choose the target Unit within Line of sight and do normal Morale damage, OR do Mass combat artillery effect for magic as listed under Mass Combat. If they are portraying a Hero, then they hit sorcery + Forbidden lore level in targets. This spell grants Elemental Effects.
Normal Attack Spell
To cast the Sorcerer must pass 2 Tax Tests, double their Sorcery Skill, and finally perform a normal Sorcery vs target’s defense. The Sorcerer summons a large quantity of power to them and uses it to attack with the gathered energy. Raw Chaos flows with the caster’s Element. If successful the Caster suffers -2 on their next round, but any damage dealt this turn is DOUBLED. This spell grants Elemental Effects.
Difficulty 7 to cast.
Same casting rules as Infuse. The sorcerer infuses the weapon of another combatant. The same material rules apply, but this version of the spell is far more complicated, as it must actively protect the wielder from the foreign magic trapped in the weapon they're holding (higher difficulty). For this reason it may only be cast on magical metals (Sidhesteel or Lightsilver) and lasts for one scene. If the caster faints, fails their casting check, or is put into shock the spell literally breaks on the weapon, and the wielder must succeed at a (reflex) check or be splashed with 1 physical stress (plus elemental effect). A broken spell does not harm the weapon itself.
Earth
Both Earth Focused and Plant Sorcerer’s have access to these spells. They lower the Difficulty by 1 on spells that focus their chosen Element.
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Sorcerer can get a feeling for how an animal is feeling. If they are sick, healthy etc. Can also bond with Elementi over five years of Age with a Dif 8 Roll. This can be used to create a bond between a person and their Elementi other than the Sorcerer. A caster CAN bond with other animals, but they cannot bond animals to other people other than Elementi. Requires 2 Tax rolls.
Difficulty value 7 to cast. Plant focus.
Turns existing plants into man eating ones that attack opponents and defend an area/the sorcerer, with Sorcery times forbidden lore area in feet in plants affected. Targets if killed are drawn into the earth by roots, or snapped up by a mean green mother from outer sp- that’s copyrighted? Bad mother begonias. The plants do 1 damage per round to targets within the area of effect but are rooted to the spot (pun intended …) and cannot pursue the target. Targets can break free with a brawn or grace check vs the Sorcerer’s Brilliance. At first glance they appear to be normal plants (unless stated otherwise by the caster), with anyone wandering into range having a dif 7 Perception check to notice. Upon eating their target, the man eating plant is satisfied with its day and turns to digesting for a solid few months. If the target escapes, the plants lose their hunger for a mid-knight snack (This spell is intentionally punny) and go back to being regular plants within a week. The sorcerer who cast this spell may lead a small number of allies through the plants safely by appeasing the plants as they go with the sound of their voice and very probably a few well-timed sirloins.
Normal Attack Spell
Plant based.
A successful attack means the target is tangled and has to make a successful Brawn check at 8 to escape. They also suffer an Elemental Effect.
Normal Attack Spell
Rock Based.
The earth simply erupts upwards where the Sorcerer commands it. Striking a foe. Elemental Effect. A caster may cast this on themselves and fling themselves SAFELY (because magic tm) ten feet for every sorcery level they possess. The height can be as high as ten feet for every forbidden lore they posses.
Rock Based.
Difficulty value 6 to cast.
Creates a structure about 4ft in height, providing cover. Creates 10ft in length with 2 ft thick of rock for each success made on a Difficulty value 6 Roll.
Rock Based.
If the sorcerer has this ability, then it is instinctive and always on in a 10ft radius. It can be cast as a spell to focus and send their senses further away from their body. The Stone sorcerer may attune themselves with their surroundings, provided they are not at sea. This can be disorienting at first, as the sorcerer can feel anything that moves on the earth within <radius that makes sense here> as if the ground were an extension of themselves. They may get a very general sense of the size and relative location of other creatures nearby as if feeling the vibration of their movements and warmth resonating through the living earth. They can sense size (something the size of a person feels different from something the size of a bear, a mole burrowing through the ground feels different than children running across the road to chase a carriage’s wheels), direction, and number, with successes over the threshold offering more insight. The sorcerer cannot ‘see’ the targets around them, and must be on the ground floor of any building they are occupying to gain any benefit while inside. Outside, they must have their feet on the ground.
Advanced - Earth
Plant Based.
This spell creates a single fruit or berry that carries a spell inside it, growing from a plant that the sorcerer summons or from a pre-existing one that miraculously bears fruit, whether it normally could or not. The spell can be either a blessing or a curse. If it’s a fruit of blessing, it acts as the Heal spell. If it is a cursed fruit, consuming it heals the target, but also confers a mild curse at the GM’s discretion, which may or may not be immediately apparent to the character, which lasts till the next full Summer Moon or it is broken by pc action. Each magic apple has a ⅓ chance of being a cursed fruit. The Faerie Apple does not keep forever but will decompose at the same rate
Normal Attack Spell
Plant Based.
Sudden Vegetation springs from the ground so long as it is the region’s natural soil. (A Paved Road wouldn’t work for instance.) The Caster MUST be standing on the region’s natural soil as well. In combat, make a normal Sorcery vs Target’s defense skill. . Outside of combat creates a field of vegetation (Such as farmland) Equal to 10 ft per success. During Mass Combat, Sprout is a mass Tangle (As per the spell Entangle above) and can grapple Sorcery + Forbidden Lore in targets ONE enemy unit.
Normal Attack Spell
Plant Based.
Requires 2 Brilliance checks
Vines erupt from the earth lashing troops, trees if nearby spear foes. This is a blast radius focused on the caster, and DOESN’T CARE ABOUT FRIEND OR FOE. All targets are immediately Entangled as per the spell. They also take the Caster’s Sorcery Skill level in damage. They suffer Elemental Effects.
Difficulty value 8 to cast
Requires 3 Brilliance checks.
Rock based.
This spell requires Three Tax Tests and is a Dif 8 to cast. This creates an Earth Quake 100ft in length by 30ft wide in a line directly in front of the Caster. In an urban setting, this is disastrous and can do terrible things to the surrounding cityscape. It will automatically take down a section of wall, all living things in the path suffer Elemental Effects as well as the Caster’s Sorcery Skill in both Stress and Temporary Wounds. (This means most NPC’s are KILLED) Buildings are turned into rubble. In Mass combat, any unit’s in the spell’s path take the Caster’s Sorcery + Forbidden Lore in Morale damage. (A FATE point from the opponent’s General can HALF this.) After casting, the Caster is STUNNED after casting and cannot take an action next round.
Normal Attack Spell
Rock Based.
The ground around a Caster turns to molten rock and suddenly flies, solidifying into obsidian shards mid-flight that shred anything in the caster’s path. Requires 2 Tax rolls to cast. The Caster then makes a Sorcery vs Target’s defensive skill. The Caster only makes one Roll, and all defender’s make individual rolls. Those hit suffer an additional amount of automatic damage equal to the caster's Forbidden Lore score. This spell is 15ft wide and is 10 ft long for every point of the Caster’s Sorcery Skill. In Mass Combat, the caster can hit a unit in front of him, (Make sure friendlies are out of the way!) and does +2 damage to a minimum of the Caster's Forbidden Lore score in morale to the Caster’s target unit. This is due to the close nature of Mass Combat.
Either focus.
Standing beneath the full Winter Moon, the sorcerer blasts the land, cursing it with barrenness. Nothing will grow within <radius> of the casting site, and stones mined here will crumble and crack. Negation will break this curse, as will the death of the sorcerer. The caster may dispell the curse at any time. This Curse stuns the sorcerer and gives them nightmares of the wound they’ve caused in Tirth for 7 days, during which time they are unable to cast and will be avoided by animals. Breaking the curse themselves before this time is up will return the cursed area to viability.
Difficulty value 9 to cast (Use Forbidden Lore instead of Sorcery)
Requires 2 Brilliance checks.
Either focus.
The caster kneels down and lays their hands against the path underfoot: Who walked here before? The path answers with a memory of every living creature that has crossed it in the past number of days equal to the caster’s Sorcery. It is up to the sorcerer to parse this vision; using this spell on a highly trafficked road like a city street can inflict Mental Stress. Roll Forbidden Lore Dif 9, they take Mental Stress for every point they fail by. Successful casting allows the sorcerer to make an Investigation or Tracking check dif 7 on the vision that’s presented to them in order to look for specific information within 100 feet of the sorcerer’s location. While the sorcerer is treated to this vision, they are blind to their realtime surroundings and cannot defend themselves or make perception checks. Plant Sorcerers cannot use this if there is no plantlife present, but they may suffer negatives if vegetation is extremely sparse (dry dead grass, burnt trees, rotting vegetables). Failed castings of this spell result in a week of headaches. (Temporary Mental Wound: Headaches)
Difficulty value 6 to cast
Plant Focus.
The caster buries their fingers in the earth and summons up a field of waving flowers (or mushrooms, ferns, slender poplar trees, etc) that give off sweet-smelling pollen or spores that fill the air. Breathing in the pollen will put (Sorcery) targets to sleep. Targets may make an Alacrity roll Dif 6 to avoid the effects. Walking through the plants will cause the pollen to spread. The plants will not propagate, and last one moon cycle before wilting and losing their magic properties. Attempts to cut or transplant the plants will destroy the spell, as will extremes of temperature.
Fire
Fire burns. There really isn’t much else to say. It is one of the Elements that doesn't have two forms and thus has no bonus in a chosen form.
Difficulty value 6 to cast. Must have line of sight.
The target item if metal gets to hot to hold, and forces the person holding it to drop it. If the object is flammable then it lights on fire and suffers an elemental effect. This could be used to heat a fuse on an explosive, or heat oil or water to boiling, etc. It will only ignite flammable liquids if the Caster manages to ignite a burnable object and it falls in as it is not fire directly.
Difficulty value 6 to cast.
Fire erupts within the line of sight of the Sorcerer.
If it happens to be on a flammable surface, then that target suffers elemental effect. This will ignite flammable liquids as it is a fire source. SCIENCE! (Well. Magic. But Potato Potato.)
Allows a Fire Sorcerer to simply be warm no matter the environment even if they are unable to cast. If the sorcerer has this ability then it is always active, and instinctual. Having this spell also makes the sorcerer a target for every cat and dog in a cold house, as they are always and eternally putting off more body heat than the average person, sealing their fate.
Normal Attack Spell
One target within line of sight engulfed in a towering pillar of flame. Target takes double damage and suffers double elemental effect.
Only requires a Brilliance Check per normal casting to use. This creates a weapon of pure fire. Handy when you find yourself disarmed. Targets hit by this weapon suffer Elemental Effect if more than 3 damage is dealt. The weapon summoned has the stats of the weapon created.
Advanced - Fire
Normal Attack Spell
Requires 2 Brilliance checks.
A wall of fire forms in a cone from the caster’s hands and rolls along the ground for 10 ft per Sorcery level of the caster. This can be used in Mass Combat and creates double morale damage to the targeted unit. It will roll over friendly units, so Caster will have to expose themselves, or be on the frontline.
Difficulty value 7 to cast
Requires 2 Brilliance checks, Clear Skies, or access to the Sun’s Rays.
The Caster may target an area within line of sight, and there the Sorcerer causes it to literally rain fair for 2 rounds. This ignites anything flammable in the area of effect. It does the Caster’s Sorcery’s skill in damage, and in mass combat does double damage to a unit. Sorcerer is immediately stunned from the energy spent. Area of effect is 20 ft in diameter per sorcerer level. All targets within the area of effect count as hit regardless and suffer elemental effect however in Mass combat, the opposing General may spend a FATE point to half the damage to ONE unit. This spell does not discriminate between friends and foes and will happily burn allies as well.
Casting incense, fragrant woods or fine wine into the fire, the sorcerer calls up a vision of a person they wish to see to be projected in the smoke rising from the flames. The vision is brief, and does not extend beyond the target’s immediate surroundings; if they are inside a room, the sorcerer may perhaps see a bit of furniture, or a cat rubbing on their ankles. The vision is as if the sorcerer is standing facing the target of the spell at the moment its cast; if the target turns in the brief window of the vision, the sorcerer’s perspective remains unmoved. If the target is sleeping, the sorcerer sees that, and the surface they’re laying on, etc. The vision last 30 seconds, and the sorcerer is taxed immediately afterwards. Destroying the fire will interrupt the spell.
Normal Attack Spell
Requires 2 Brilliance checks. Must have access to the Sun’s rays.
The Caster channels the sun directly through their fingertip and one target within line of sight is immediately destroyed. This can be a person, a portion of a wall (Which explodes), a ship, a keep. All opponents within or along the target of the Sun’s Wrath suffer a Temporary Wound. This means that most NPC’s will be killed. If the Sorcerer fails the casting dif roll or becomes Taxed, they take 2 times the number failed by in temporary wounds (Burns.) They can take a permanent wound devised by the Storyteller to autocast this spell. Expect this to be messy if chosen. Also, some NPCs will be able to survive this with the CHEAT Trait.
Water
The Element of water includes both Ice and liquid water. They lower the Difficulty by 1 on spells that focus their chosen Element.
Either focus.
It only requires a tax Check per normal casting to use. This creates a weapon of pure water or Ice, forming in the sorcerer's hand or drawn miraculously from the font. Handy when you find yourself disarmed. Targets hit by this weapon his suffer Elemental Effect if more than 3 damage is dealt. The weapon summoned has the stats of the weapon created.
Water Focus. Difficulty value 6 to Cast.
The caster grows gills on their neck and can use them to breathe underwater. They do not allow the sorcerer to remain under water indefinitely, but require the caster to return to dry land every 7 days to survive and recast the spell, sleeping one full night in the dry air. Likewise the gills do not allow the sorcerer to remain on dry land once formed; they must be smoothed away with a full round action and the use of both hands.
Water Focus. Difficulty value 6 to Cast.
The open ground softens before the eyes, breaking, darkening, and finally bubbling with slippery mud as water is drawn up from the earth to messy oversaturation. The ground can be too hard for this to matter such as paved roads or city streets, or places where the sorcerer and all targets are standing on solid rock, or anywhere with a finished floor. It can also hit targets within an area of 10ft per line sorcerer level, and cause elemental effect on one target automatically if successfully cast.
Ice Based. Difficulty value 7 to Cast.
One target is hit by freezing mist that stops them in their tracks as lacy ice crystals form on their clothes and crackles in their hair. Target is frozen until Heat Object is used, they make a successful Brawn Check dif 7, the caster releases them, or 3 rounds pass. If Target is hit by weapons, they take no damage but break free. Since they cannot move, there is no roll to strike a frozen target.
Water Focus.
The Sorcerer is simply immune to poison as a side effect of owning this spell. They can also touch a liquid item and make it safe to drink. This does, unfortunately, have the side effect of turning Wine to Fruity Water, as alcohol is a kind of poison. Great Party Trick. No roll is needed to cast this spell, but the Sorcerer will need to pass a Brilliance check per normal.
Either Focus. Difficulty value 5 to Cast.
Caster heals 1 pt of stress for every success on touched target. Does NOT remove temporary wounds.
Ice Focus.
Difficulty value 7 to cast
Creates a structure about 4ft in height, providing cover. Creates 10ft in length with 2 ft thick of ice for each success made on a Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Either Focus. Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Upon successfully casting this spell the caster can simply create a fog that settles in an entire valley or as small as a village, or disperses a fog bank. If they disperse a fog bank, all the water instantly falls to the ground soaking everything. This has the added effect (Good or bad) of making Fire Sorcerers unable to cast for a number of rounds equal to the Caster’s Forbidden Lore.
Water Focus. Difficulty value 6 to cast.
Upon casting this spell the caster removes all the water in a location. This could be a single plant, an entire field of crops, or even a person. If cast on a person, the target takes physical AND Mental stress (the target sees what is happening to them, after all) equal to the number of successes of the roll +2. If they are reduced to 0 from Physical Stress, they will effectively be immediately mummified and die. If their mental stress is reduced to 0, they panic and can do NOTHING but scream in terror for three to four hours. Knocking them out may be a kindness.
Either Focus. Passive.
Water Sorcerers of any type who have this spell can know what is around them in the waters they sail on or swim in. They can sense and know exactly what is around them for 100 ft. If they concentrate and focus, the caster can sense anything within 1 mile around them. This applies to sensing things frozen in ice.
Advanced - Water
Normal Attack Spell
Ice Focus. Requires water.
A spear of Ice forms hurtling toward the caster’s target, and if the attack is successful add +1 to the damage and elemental effect. This spell wins against ties.
Water focus.
There are legends handed down from the time of Darius which tell of sorcerers using the rivers of Tirth to escape supernatural hunters. Ghosts, lesser vampires and many spirits must take care in crossing moving water, allowing fortunate mortals a chance of escape. Normally the river must be at least knee-deep and relatively fast flowing for this to work unassisted by magic, and most big rivers have places where they may be crossed by ferry or bridge. Casting this spell on a moving body of water which flows between the sorcerer and their pursuer will temporarily force a supernatural foe to halt in their pursuit for <sorcery> days or until they are able to find a bridge or some other way to cross the magically strengthened barrier. This has no effect on Master Vampires or Demons, who are not hampered by running water in any case, but it will work on Goblins despite their skill at swimming.
Difficulty value 8 to cast
Water Focus. Requires Elemental Explosion to cast.
For area of effect, Difficulty value 8 to cast.. The rain around a caster turns warm and soothing, washing pain away from anyone it falls on, soothing hurts, banishing fevers, and quieting the restless sleeper. The water is instantly soaked by those within the rain and heals all stress OR one Temporary Wound. Lasts 1 Round. For a single target, this requires access to water and 2 Brilliance checks. The spell then removes all Physical Stress AND up to 3 Temporary Wounds.
Normal Attack Spell
Ice Focus Requires Elemental Explosion to cast.
Requires 2 Brilliance rolls
Within Line of Sight, the Sorcerer causes it to literally rain razor-sharp ice shards for 2 rounds. It does damage equal to the Caster’s Sorcery+forbidden lore Skill to all targets within the area of effect, and in mass combat does double morale damage. Sorcerer is immediately stunned from the energy spent. The area of effect is 20 ft in diameter per sorcerer level. The opposing General may spend a FATE point to half this damage in Mass Combat. They count as hit regardless and suffer elemental effect.
Ice Focus
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Up to the Sorcerers Sorcery + Forbidden Lore in Targets become knocked down from the ground freezing them in place.
Water Focus
Difficulty value 8 to cast
Requires 2 Brilliance checks and at least a bucket of water.
One LIVING target has their lungs filled with water and dies drowning. This takes the target’s Physical Stress in rounds to do. The can’t talk. Only gurgle. Caster is stunned after casting. Given the target has time, this means that another Sorcerer can interrupt the spell, or the Caster can choose to end it, allowing the victim to violently cough up the water.
Ice focus.
The sorcerer may freeze a living target in a literal prism of ice, halting their life force and holding them in perfect stasis. The Prism does not harm the target, and time effectively stops for them until the prism is broken (counter or negate, whichever makes sense) or the sorcerer releases them by destroying the spell. Unlike with GCR, the prism may be moved, though this is exactly as difficult as one would expect, as the ice prism is just as heavy as its non magical variety. Capturing another person requires having a token of theirs, as with Greater Circle Runework. Destroying this link will allow the magical ice to melt as real ice, with the subject inside revived once it has fully melted with no lingering physical effects (gm discretion; x days with temperatures in mind. Bringing the prism to a warm place will speed this up).
The target gets a brawn or grace save against this spell, which if they succeed they shake off the ice before it can form heavily enough to bind them, and instead the spell hits the ground, forming the prism half in and half out of whatever surface it hits instead. This may therefore damage buildings and ships. Water and Ice sorcerers with Element Control get +1 bonus to their save. Fire sorcerers are especially difficult to trap in this way, with a bonus of their sorcery to resist being frozen. Fire Sorceress who have Keep Warm will melt through the Ice in 2 rounds if they are successfully frozen.
Once placed successfully into the prism, the subject goes into a dreaming stasis that lasts for as long as the spell is unbroken.
Special theme note: There is no set upper limit for legendary applications of this spell from the time of Darius. Modern sorcerers cannot prism anything for longer than the current limit.
Either focus.
Submerging a silver mirror into clean water, the sorcerer infuses it with their magic and casts their mind out over Tirth, seeking someone in particular. If the sorcerer is in possession of a Token, then as long as the target also has access to a mirror they may communicate as if they were in the same room, speaking through their respective mirrors. If the target is without a reflective surface, then only their image is shown to the sorcerer. The token is consumed on using the spell. Magic Tokens are not, and may be used multiple times. This spell is cast on a night with one or more full moons.
Anyone watching the spell being cast will be able to view the mirror, and if reflected themselves they will be in view of the target of the spell, as the mirrors show whatever they reflect. Over time, a mirror used for this spell may begin to act strangely…
Air
This is the Element of Air or Lightning. They lower the Difficulty by 1 on spells that focus their chosen Element. Air spells all either pull lightning/wind down out of the sky or from the sorcerer themselves, depending.
Normal Attack Spell
Air Focus.
If successful, it does normal damage, but also knocks them down as a targeted gale blasts down on them, blowing away paper, leaves, and any item of negligible weight in a 5' radius. All defensive actions taken this round take a further -2 until they go again.
Normal Attack Spell
Lightning Focus.
This spell blasts lightning from the Caster’s fingertips and can strike up to three targets. Each person rolls against the Sorcerer’s ONE Sorcery roll.
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Air Focus.
Creates a five foot bubble around the sorcerer making them immune to projectile attacks. Lasts for One round per Forbidden Lore. This will also clear toxic fumes form their area, and allow them to breathe normally.
Either focus: Unable to fly, the Air sorcerer is nevertheless beloved of the sky: knowing this spell means that the caster falls as lightly as a bird, taking reduced damage from great heights and no damage from lesser falls (though landing in magma or broken glass will obviously put them in danger). They may with a successful acrobatics check land safe and unhurt on their feet, or failing that simply drift gently to the ground, slowing their fall as if caught by a cushion of air once they reach one body length from impact. They fall straight down and cannot change trajectory once the fall begins.
Additional: This spell may be used as an attack spell with a successful wits save. The caster may instead hit the earth with an explosion of force as their magic catches them, projecting that magic outward from their landing place in (sorcery radius) for elemental damage. Doing this requires Elemental Control. Lightning sorcerers hit the earth with a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder, and wind sorcerers land in a miniature hurricane of force. Using the spell offensively means the sorcerer takes fall damage, and must have dropped at least twice their body length before landing.
Normal Attack Spell
Lightning Focus.
Caster points to something within line of sight, and it is is struck by sky lightning. Must be outside with Clouds present. Elemental Effect.
Advanced - Air
Difficulty value 8 to cast.
Either Focus. Clouds must be present.
All ranged weapons suffer a -2 in the storm's area.
The storm's area is wherever the clouds are. This means you can bring a very large storm into existence. All you need is some clouds. Caster is stunned after casting. Gale force winds and lightning. The clouds drop rain, meaning it can interfere with Fire Sorcerers This spell can be targeted by Negation if the opposing caster realizes it isn’t natural.
Difficulty value 8 to cast
Requires 2 Brilliance checks.
Air Focus.
This allows an Air sorcerer to create cloud coverage OR remove clouds and end a rain storm.
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Lightning focus. Make 2 Brilliance Checks
The sorcerer screams a command and the sky answers, blasting the sorcerer and everything around them in a 10 foot radius with one tremendous bolt of lightning that glasses the earth directly underfoot and does damage equal to the caster’s sorcery + Forbidden Lore. The sorcerer is not harmed by the vertical bolt and instead feels a rush of energy, gaining a temporary +1 bonus to their next action (basically this is the world's biggest shot of magical espresso). If mounted, the sorcerer's steed is instantly killed and the sorcerer must spend their next turn freeing themselves from the burning corpse (taking any action other than freeing oneself from the horse brûlée will result in 1 physical stress in burns per round). The lightning does not differentiate between friend and foe, only sparing the sorcerer from direct harm. This spell ignores grounding by elemental control.
Lightning Focus.
Difficulty value 8 to cast
Requires 2 Brilliance checks.
Also requires clouds in the sky, with access to the clouds themselves Within Line of Sight
The Sorcerer causes it to literally rain lightning for 2 rounds. The Sorcerer is immediately stunned from the energy spent. Area of effect is 20 ft in diameter per sorcerer level. All targets inside the area of effect take the Caster’s Sorcery level in damage, and targeted units in Mass Combat take double damage. The opposing General may spend a FATE point to take half damage.
Normal Attack Roll
Air Focus.
The target must choose a skill that makes sense. Using a sword to defend against this wouldn’t make sense for instance. If they don’t have a skill, they may use half their Grace to dive for cover. The sorcerer summons a directional gale force wind that batters everything in its path, and may choose to shout or scream into that wind. Their voice will be carried with terrifying effect, magnifying in volume and power till it is a stunning force that frightens horses into throwing their riders. Windows will smash and shatter. If a target fails to defend they are deafened for 1 round per caster’s Sorcery skill. They are also stunned, AND Knocked down.
Kinetic
The basic and powerful Element of Force. Kinetic Element is the raw power of the universe and as such has no secondary element. Like Fire it is alone.
Dif 6.
The Caster can safely leap 10 ft per success. The Caster does not have to leap the full distance. If used as a charge, the Caster adds 1 point of automatic damage to their attack.
Difficulty value 6 to cast
Can be cast in response to an attack. For every success the Caster absorbs and stores the damage. They can hold this damage for 1 round per level of forbidden lore. If they don't cast Release, they take 1 point of stress for each turn the power was stored. The counter starts the moment they store damage, and they can not store multiple stores of damage.
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Can be cast with a normal attack. This attack may be ranged or melee. They add however many points of damage they have stored. If the attack hits, it adds the amount chosen by the caster in damage. Elemental Effect.
Advanced - Kinetic
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Caster chooses a number of targets equal to his Sorcery plus forbidden lore. Each target takes a number of damage points equal to their stored amount form Absorb. Elemental Effect.
Difficulty value 6 to cast.
The Caster can take two actions per turn for a number of rounds + the turn they cast this spell (Allowing them to make an immediate action after casting this.) equal to their Physical Stress minus armor. After this spell ends, the caster is equasted, and can still fight or use skills/cast but have a -2 to all tasks until they sleep for 8 hours.
Can be cast upon being hit. Caster redirects the damage. Make another set of attack rolls. If the Caster wins, the damage that would have been dealt to him is dealt to the attacker instead. If they miss, the redirected damage flies off harmlessly in a burst of kinetic energy. Elemental Effect.
Difficulty value 8 to cast.
One nonliving target is destroyed. This can be a weapon, a wall, a door. It cannot be an entire structure. A defensive wall like in a fort simply has a hole blown through it large enough for three people to go through. Undead (Except Vampires), and magical constructs are affected by this spell. Vampires hit by it take double the caster's Sorcery+forbidden lore in damage.
Difficulty value 7 to cast.
Requires 2 Brilliance checks and at least 1 point from Absorb.
Target opponent receives an automatic temporary wound of a Broken Bone. This means that NPC's are automatically killed. The Caster chooses what bone is broken, this includes necks and spines meaning you can indeed kill somebody with this spell. Some NPC's can use CHEAT trait to avoid death, and some NPC's can take Temporary Traits.
Null
The Element of Null is an anathema and a counter to Sorcery. They are brutal and involves the consumption of spiritual energy from other living creatures. Like fire it has no secondary Element and gains no bonus other than being Null.
Can be cast in response to an opponent's spell. It is a Sorcery vs sorcery roll. If Successful, the opponent's spell is negated, and the Caster removes 1 level of Taxed per success.
Normal Attack Spell
If successful the Caster consumes part of the their opponent's essence. They heal 1 pt of stress for every success. Must be used in place of a Melee attack.
Two Tax Rolls and dif 8.
For a number of rounds equal to the caster's forbidden lore + sorcery, the caster is immune to Sorcery effects. Even one's that don't target them directly. Meaning they could, as an example, walk through a Fire Storm, or a Lighting Apocalypse as if it wasn't happening.
Advanced - Null
Requires 2 Brilliance Checks.
Make a Sorcery vs Sorcery Roll. If successful, then the Caster removes a Sorcerer's ability to cast for a number of rounds equal to their Sorcery plus Forbidden Lore. Also, any spell effects they have active are immediately ended.
Make 2 Brilliance checks and a Sorcery vs Sorcery Roll. The Null Sorcerer gains +1 to this roll. If Successful, the target is killed as the Null Sorcery Consumes the life essence of their target. The Null Sorcerer heals all wounds both Stress and any Temporary Wounds. They may choose to remove a Permanent Wound up to and including regrowth of limbs. This may ONLY target Sorcerers whom the Null has a Psychic Link to via the Sorcery Detection Spell.
Black
The Element of Black is also called the Element of Death. It is named for the color of its energy which is black, tinged with a purplish hue. Its domain is that of negative energies, and the dead themselves. Mortal sorcerers cannot take Black spells without …. Alteration….
Normal Sorcery vs Target's defensive skill.
The Sorcerer throws daggers of pure Black Element. When they do damage they cause Mental Stress instead of Physical Stress. Slowly carving out a target's soul. Should a person receive a death blow from this attack, their soul is destroyed ending their cycle of rebirth and destroying that soul completely. Elemental Effect.
Dif 6.
With this spell, the Sorcerer animates one dead object for a number of hours equal to their Sorcery Skill. It has 2 Stress plus any armor it was wearing, and a skill of 1. It is armed with whatever weapons it is given or happens to have. It is not connected to the deceased soul at all, and blindly obeys the commands of the Sorcerer.
Dif 8.
With this spell, a person's soul is captured and placed in a gem that forms immediately. The victim has ONE chance to resist this, which is a contested Brilliance roll. If they fail, then whoever holds the Gem controls them completely. This can only be broken by shattering the Gem. This spell is immune to Negation but CAN be Countered as it is Cast.
Advanced - Black
This spell requires two 2 tax rolls and is a Sorcery vs Target's defensive skill. For every point of success, the target suffers both Physical and Mental Stress. If they are killed from Physical Stress damage, then they die of a rot from the inside. If they are slain from Mental Stress, then their soul is destroyed as Soul Stab. Elemental Effect.
This is a Sorcery vs Target's defensive skill roll. The Caster receives a bonus +1 to their roll. Black lightning forks form the caster's fingers and whatever the Lightning touches are wracked in unimaginable pain as the black lightning attacks the target's body with everything the Black Element has. Not only does the subject suffer Physical Stress as per normal, but they also take an immediate Mental Temporary wound of Nightmares for 7 days minus their Forbidden Lore score as their worst nightmare plays out in their mind. They are immediately stunned and cannot take an action next round.
Requires 2 tax rolls and is Dif 10. As per Control Dead, but instead of One risen dead, the Sorcerer raises One dead for each point they have in Sorcery plus forbidden lore.
Requires 4 Tax rolls, and is Dif 8.
The Sorcerer raises from the ground an Undead Host with stats equal to those in Control Dead. The number raised is equal to 100 times their Sorcery plus Forbidden Lore scores. This means that the number of dead risen by a Sorcerer who has a 2 in Sorcery and a 2 in Forbidden Lore is 400. The Sorcerer can make these dead Permanent (Until Destroyed) by suffering a Temporary wound.
Requires 2 Tax Rolls and is a Sorcery vs Target's Defense skill.
The Sorcerer simply rips the target's soul out of their body in a blast of Black Element. If they win, then the target is killed, but the soul is not destroyed. Even if they win the roll, the target suffers Element Effect.