From rossi@cs.tu-berlin.deFri Apr 21 14:54:45 1995 Date: Tue, 6 Dec 1994 15:30:45 +0100 (MET) From: Oliver Rosenkranz Reply to: The wfrp mailing list To: wfrp@gojira.monsta.com Subject: Skaven Magic ============ I never saw why different types of civilisations - which don't have anything in common - should have the same knowledge when it comes to Magic. Why should Skaven Grey Seers know/use the same spells available to human magicians. Human or Elvish wizards have lots of libraries and magic schools in which they study. Grey Seers are a lot like shamans who have been blessed by their foul Skaven god (The Horned Rat) and therefore are able to convert raw warpstone to pure magic energy (called Magic Points in game terms). Grey Seers are united in a clan which is similar to a caste. So their knowledge about magic is transported from Seer to Seer. Scientific research is almost unknown to Skaven although there are examples of Skaven engineers developing weaponry and the like. Magic spells came (and occasionally also still come) to the Grey Seers' mind as a gift of their deity. Some times Skaven also steal scrolls or books written by Human or Elven wizards, so some spells they use have been taken from other civilisations. Skaven magic has been developed over the millenia to satisfy the Skaven needs to attack enemies, to live underground and to hide their appearance in order to bluff and trick other civilisations. Skaven have some degree of respect for fire. So spells that use fire are very rare, and a Skaven sorceror who wants to cast such a spell has to make a successful test against his WP to do so. As a result of this Skaven sorcery does not know the Fireball spell. The following is a list of Skaven spells which are in some way different from the spells known by other civilisations : o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Warp Ball Spell Level : Battle Magic 1 Magic Points : 2 per Warp Ball Range : 48 yards Duration : instantaneous Ingredients : one dose of warpstone Skaven sorcerors casting this spell throw a ball of glowing warpstone at their enemies, causing a great deal of damage and insanity. Only one warp ball per level of the caster may be thrown per combat round. Each spell must be targeted at the same character or group of characters or creatures. Target restrictions apply in the same way as for normal missile fire (see WFRP rulebook, Targeting Spells). Warp Balls automatically hit their target. If a warp ball is fired into a group, it will hit 1D4 creatures per level of the caster. Each hit has a strength of 2, and causes 2D4 wounds on one target (irrespective of any toughness). Additionally targets who did not successfully dodge a warp ball gain one insanity point per warp ball. If the warp ball is made of pure warpstone, non-dodging creatures gain 1D3 insanity points instead. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Call Rats Spell Level : Battle Magic 1 Magic Points : 3 Range : 1 mile per level of the caster Duration : D6 turns Ingredients : a small silver statue of the Horned Rat Before casting this spell the Skaven sorceror chooses the kind of rats to be called. Casting this spell attracts a number of rats within range (if any) to come to the place where the caster stood when casting this spell. The maximum number of rats can be determined on the table below but the GM may decide that there are fewer rats within range. The rats count as swarm and follow simple instructions of the caster. The first rats do appear at the earliest at the end of this spell's duration. rat type maximum number of called rats -------- ----------------------------- Giant Rats 2D6 Rock Rats 4D6 Normal Rats 6D10 o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Doom of Infection Spell Level : Battle Magic 2 Magic Points : special Range : special Duration : instantaneous Ingredients : a scorpion tail This spell may be cast either against any one single creature or against all non-friendly creatures within 24 yards of the caster. If cast against a single creature, the creature has to be touched and the spell costs 3 Magic Points, if cast on all non-friendly creatures within 24 yards the spell costs 6 (+ number of affected creatures) Magic Points, but no creature needs to be touched. Any affected creature is allowed to instantaneously make a WP test to avoid the spell's effects (+10 bonus for creatures with Immunity to Disease skill). Any creature who fails this test AND loses at least one wound within the next 24 hours suffers from an infected wound. No tests may be made when the infection occurs. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Awareness of Danger Spell Level : Petty Magic Points : 1 per hour Range : personal Duration : 1 + hours Ingredients : the nose of a snotling This spell gives the caster a good chance of being aware of danger before it occurs. The caster has to choose the time the spell should affect him. During that period of time (max. 24 hours) the caster is given a +20 modifier on all Initiative tests when reacting to non-obvious danger. Dodging a blow in already going on hand-to-hand combat is NOT a reaction to a non-obvious danger. This spell may only be cast once per 24 hour period. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Warp Power Spell Level : Battle Magic 4 Magic Points : 10 Range : 24 yards Duration : instantaneous Ingredients : 10 doses of raw warpstone Only the most powerful of the Skaven sorcerors may be able to cast this spell. It may be cast only once per combat round nad it may be targeted at any individual or single group. Target restrictions apply in the same way as for normal missile fire. This spell hits its target automatically and causes 1D10 Wounds at Strength 9. Additionally there is a 75% chance for wounded creatures (no matter if they were wounded before or during that spell) that the warpstone penetrates the creature's body and causes 2D6 insanity points. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Cloak of Shadows Spell Level : Elemental Magic 1 Magic Points : 2 Range : 12 yards in all directions Duration : one minute per level of caster Ingredients : a black cotton swab This spell fills a room of 12 yards in all three directions with a thick black gas which makes is impossible to see or smell anything within that cloud. Creatures that rely on these senses suffer a +/- 20 penalty to all orientation, combat or reaction tests as long as they are within that cloud. The gas of which the cloud consists of makes all other senses dull, so a creature that wants to do any coordinated action (like leaving the cloud) must make a successful WP test do so. All WP tests of the caster succeed automatically, so he is the only person who may act normally. Casting spells is still possible, but spells that rquire smelling or seeing are not possible within or into that cloud. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Thick Fur Spell Level : Battle Magick 1 Magic Points : 1 per AP and location Range : personal Duration : one battle Ingredients : a jawbone of a troll This spell provides protection against Wounds by increasing the number of armour points on any one location. The Skaven sorceror may choose the location and the number of AP on it. For example, Hackgood the Skaven Grey Seer wears a Sleeved mail coat with 1 AP on all locations (except his head) and chooses to increase the number of AP by two on all locations. Overall, this results in 2 AP on his head and 3 AP on all other locations. The spell costs 22 Magic Points - 12 MP for the AP increase plus 10 MP for already wearing 5 AP (see WFRP rulebook, Spellcasters and Armour, p135). This spell is does not count as Aura. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Warpstorm Spell Level : Elemental Magic 3 Magic Points : 8 per turn Range : 64 yards Duration : 1 + turns Ingredients : a staff with an air elemental bound to it, 3 doses of refined warpstone This spell may cause harmful side effects ! A Skaven spellcaster must make a successful WP test to cast this spell. Otherwise the staff explodes and the spellcaster takes 1D10 Wounds at the strength of 4. Once he passed the WP test, the three doses of warpstone are sucked into the staff. While one dose remains inside, the other two doses of warpstone are consumed by the elemental in order to provoke a magic storm. All other spellcasters within range must make a successful T test or gain one insanity point, and each time they want to cast a spell they must make a successful Cl test to do so. Each dose of warpstone that remains inside the staff gives the caster a +5 penalty for his WP test the next time this spell is cast with the same staff. For example, when trying to cast this spell using a staff which has already been used three time before the spellcaster's WP test is with a +15 penalty. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Hide Path Spell Level : Illusionist 1 Magic Points : 2 per hour Range : no limitations Duration : 1 + hours Ingredients : a twig from an elm grown on warp infected ground This spell hides all trail and tracks of the spellcaster for a number of hours. Only tracks which arise after the spell is cast can be hidden. The Skaven spellcaster must choose the period of time during which his tracks are hidden before casting the spell. Only characters with all of the following skills Excellent Vision, Orientation and Follow Trail have a chance equal to one half of their Initiative score to discover this trail. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Poison Wind Spell Level : Elementalist 2 Magic Points : 6 Range : 32 yards Duration : instantaneous Ingredients : a rotten cheese An instantaneous foul odour can be smelled within 32 yards away from the caster. All characters (even friendly ones and the spellcaster himself) must immediately make a successful WP test or become unconscious for 1D6+6 game turns (minutes). Any creature staying for more than 3 minutes within the poisoned area become poisoned with two doses of Black Lotus. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : WeakMind Spell Level : Battle Magic 1 Magic Points : 3 Range : Touch Duration : D6 rounds Ingredients : a bony spoon This spell may be cast against an other single creature. The victim receives a test against Will Power to avoid the spell's effect. Failure results in the victim's Will Power being reduced by 10 points. This spell can only be cast once per level per combat round, because the bony spoon is destroyed during the spell's casting. Reductions of several castings of this spell are cumulative. If a victim's WP is reduced to zero or below, the victim becomes unconscious and gains 1D6+2 insanity points. Any resulting disorder will be "Fear of Skaven". All characteristic losses are temporal. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Infiltrate Mind Spell Level : Battle Magic 3 Magic Points : 6 + enemy's WP/10 Range : Touch Duration : one week Ingredients : a small golden crown with the sign of the Horned Rat on it This spell may be cast against any one other character with Int of at least 13. The victim must make a successful WP test to avoid the spell's effects. This spell is cast to infiltrate to victim's mind and to let him have some kind of fixed idea. The spellcaster may choose any not too complicated pattern of ideas (GM decides what may be too difficult). The victim will think that it this is his idea and will do anything which lies within his nature to achieve this goal. For example, Pjotr the Merchant will use his trading connections to try to ruin a certain person and Peter the Agitator will probably talk to some peasants to convince them of the fact that bringing a certain person enchained and gagged to him would be an action which is good for them. Reduce the victim's Int to 10 when it comes to think about the reasons to act like this. Otherwise, in situations, actions and goals which would bring the victim itself (!) in direct physical danger, allow the victim a WP test to avoid acting that way. Treat the character as possessed during one week. He may be cured in the normal way possessed people are cured. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Resist Disease Spell Level : Petty Magic Magic Points : 2 Range : personal Duration : one day Ingredients : one dose of refined warpstone This spell provides certain protection to resist the outbreak of diseases. This spell is the equivalent to the Immunity to Disease skill. Characters who already have this skill, receive another +10 bonus on all Disease test. Any casting of this spell dissolves the effects of other Resist Disease spells. o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Panic Foe Spell Level : Elementalist 2 Magic Points : 4 Range : 12 yards Duration : one game turn Ingredients : a face mask showing the face of a vermin lord This spell may be cast against any other character or single group within range of the spellcaster. Any affected character receives a test against WP to avoid the spell's effects. A failed test results in gaining a temporary irrational fear of the spellcaster and its kind. The victim must make a successful Cl test or flee from this place (if possible). Creatures who already fear the spellcaster will become subject to terror of this kind (again, temporarily). o---------------------------------------o Spell Name : Summon Vermin Lord Spell Level : Daemonologist 4 Magic Points : 20 Range : Not applicable Duration : until task completed Ingredients : the pure heart of a Human cleric, slain in ritual sacrifice The caster can use this spell to summon a Vermin Lord, Greater Daemon of the Horned Rat. See "Summon Graeter Daemon" (Daemonology Level 4 spell) for further details. o---------------------------------------o This test should assist you in writing your own spells which you can hand over to your Grey Seer NPCs to frighten your PCs. The PCs should always be aware that normally they simply cannot say what a Grey Seer is doing and which spell he is casting when taking some magical ingrediences. Please send your own inventions to the wfrp mailing list. Oliver Rosenkranz rossi@cs.tu-berlin.de