Raven's Rules for Sorcery v 1.1

[Raven Blackwell]

New Magical Item

Elder Weapon

Description: The ancient sorcerous kingdoms of Hyboria’s past created many wonders. Among the many more common artifacts of that time, enchanted weapons are the ones most sought after by adventures. An example of such a weapon profile is given below. A weapon thus enchanted gains the follow profile:

Cost: Invaluable
Damage: No change
Critical: No change
Armor Piercing: Increase by 4
Range Increment: If it has a Range Increment, increase it by 25%
Hardness: Add 10
Hit Points: Add 20
Weight: Decrease by 50%
Type: Unchanged

Notes:

Enchanted: An Elder Weapon may damage opponents normally unaffected by physical damage such as those only normally affected by fire and silver, out of phase, intangible etc.

Preservation: Elder Weapons do not decay or rust and are resistant to Corrosive Elemental effects and other Environmental Hazards and conditions that may other damage it.

 

[The King]

New Magical Item

Elder Weapon

Description: The ancient sorcerous kingdoms of Hyboria’s past created many wonders. Among the many more common artifacts of that time, enchanted weapons are the ones most sought after by adventures. AN example of such a weapon profile is given below. A weapon thus enchanted gains the follow profile:

Cost: Invaluable
Damage: No change
Critical: No change
Armor Piercing: Increase by 4
Range Increment: If it has a Range Increment, increase it by 25%
Hardness: Add 10
Hit Points: Add 20
Weight: Decrease by 50%
Type: Unchanged

Notes:

Enchanted: An Elder Weapon may damage opponents normally unaffected by physical damage such as those only normally affected by fire and silver, out of phase, intangible etc.

Preservation: Elder Weapons do not decay or rust and are resistant to Corrosive Elemental effects and other Environmental Hazards and conditions that may other damage it.

Did you think of the sword in the Conan movie when you wrote this? I like it because there are no pluses to hit.

 

[René]

New Magical Item

Elder Weapon

Description: The ancient sorcerous kingdoms of Hyboria?s past created many wonders. Among the many more common artifacts of that time, enchanted weapons are the ones most sought after by adventures. AN example of such a weapon profile is given below. A weapon thus enchanted gains the follow profile:

Cost: Invaluable
Damage: No change
Critical: No change
Armor Piercing: Increase by 4
Range Increment: If it has a Range Increment, increase it by 25%
Hardness: Add 10
Hit Points: Add 20
Weight: Decrease by 50%
Type: Unchanged

Notes:

Enchanted: An Elder Weapon may damage opponents normally unaffected by physical damage such as those only normally affected by fire and silver, out of phase, intangible etc.

Preservation: Elder Weapons do not decay or rust and are resistant to Corrosive Elemental effects and other Environmental Hazards and conditions that may other damage it.

Did you think of the sword in the Conan movie when you wrote this? I like it because there are no pluses to hit.

Yes, this is a very Hyborian weapon, I like it. Well done, Raven! I'll use it as base for the magic sword in Ancient Kngdoms: Mesopotamia - well, it is still some months until my PCs will get in this region, but planning is the better side of a good campaign...

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Did you think of the sword in the Conan movie when you wrote this? I like it because there are no pluses to hit.

There wasn't really a single weapon I used as a model- I just drew this from the many mysterious weapons in fanatasy fiction from 'earlier ages' that have no rust, still hold a keen edge, are marvelously light and cut through armor and demonic hides with great ease. The 'Elder Weapon' is a generic version of such a weapon that can be included in any game using the Mongoose system.

As for no pluses to hit, bursting into flame, being intelligent, granting wishes, etc.- this is the sort of meta magic I abandoned D&D for. In my eyes, the movie version of Thulsa Doom is right- it is the will and skill of the person behind the weapon, not the weapon itself that is important. Meta magic turns RPGs into an arms race and reduces characters to mere 'pilots' of their magical items. The blade above is designed to enhance a person's ability to survive by making it possible to damage many creatures otherwise incapable of being harmed by no sorcerous means, yet not so strong as to force the GM to somehow remove it from the game so it doesn't unbalance later gameplay.

In the next dispatch I will be posting a 'unique' magical blade I created for my game as an example of a weapon I think would fin an Hyborian type campaign. Useful but not uber powerful.

Raven

 

[The King]

I also stopped ADD more or less for this even if I enjoyed very much the video game Baldur's Gate II and its heavy magic weapons load, especially these artefacts that are broken and whose pieces you have to find in many dungeons.
Now I really prefer a good story to whatever beast I have to fight or items I may find (but of course the latter always help somewhat...)

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Feat

Hypnotist

Perquisites: Magic Attack Bonus of +1 or higher; Access to the Enchantment and Illusion Sphere of Power

The character has a natural talent for swaying the minds of the weak that fall under their thrall. They gain a +2 bonus when casting spells from the Enchantment and Illusion Sphere of Power.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Magical Item [Unique]

Wavesong

Wavesong appears to be a Broadsword cast from an unusually light silvery metal that resists all attempts to mar or scratch it. Interwoven on the blade are spiral designed with a wave or serpent motif. Any sorcerer with access to the Element and Forces Sphere of Power feels a resonance with the weapon and a pricklung sensation like a mild electric shock passes through them when the hilt is held by them.

Unknown to all but the most learned of Scholars, Wavesong originated int eh Atlantean Age. The blade was cast by the powerful sorcerer Etam Maetraen, a Sorcerer-Sailor and a great explorer of his age. Both a weapon and a symbol of his power, the blade served him well until his fleet vanished in a great storm said to have been created magically by the Serpent Folk in their bid to remove all that could pose a threat to their infiltration of Valusia. The blade was presumably lost with him, but Objects of Power tend to rest lightly in the world. It may reside in some aquatic horror’s den or on a small isle that survivors of his fleet landed on and never returned from. As a mere weapon the blade is excellent- in the hands of someone able to use its full potential it is priceless.

Cost: Incalculable
Damage: 1d10
Critical: 19-20/x2
Armor Piercing: 8
Hardness: 30
Hit Points: 80
Type: Slashing or Piercing
Weight: 1 lb


Bane Weapon: Although it is not a weapon of the Cold subtype, Wavesong's affinity with water causes it to do one and a half times normal damage to creatures of the Fire subtype.

Enchanted: Wavesong may harm creatures not normally affected by physical attacks such as those only normally affected by silver and fire, out of phase, intangible, etc.

Free Action: Wavesong may wielded underwater with no penalty. It does not however grant the ability to breathe water or reduce the wielder’s own penalties for operating underwater.

Magical Focus: Spells from the Element and Forces cast by the wielder of Wavesong are treated as if cast by a sorcerer of one level higher. This is cumulative with any other ‘bonus’ levels granted by any other source [e.g. the Childe of the Elements Feat] In addition any spell of Touch range may be cast upon any target touched by the blade- including a successful attack on another creature.

Preservation: Wavesong does not rust, corrode or decay in any way.

Skill Focus: The wielder of Wavesong gains a +2 circumstance bonus for Profession [sailor] skill checks, Knowledge [sea] checks, Knowledge [geography] checks for navigating on the ocean and Survival checks for surviving on the sea.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Revised Spell

Ill fortune, basic [Advanced Spell of the Blight and Curses Sphere of Power]
[was “Greater Ill fortune”]
Power Point Cost: 2
Casting Time: One standard action
Range: Evil Eye
Target: One creature
Duration: One hour per level of Scholar the caster possess
Saving Throw: Will
Perquisites: Ill-fortune, minor; five ranks of Knowledge [arcana]; Magical Attack bonus of +1 or higher.
Magical Success roll: Sets DC of target’s Will saving throw

A more advanced version of minor ill-fortune, this spell has increased duration and effect. Should the target fail his save, they suffer a non-cumulative -2 morale penalty for all attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks for the duration of the spell. Note that the caster must overcome all of the target’s magical defenses [if any] such as personal ward for the spell to be effective.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Revised Feat

Childe of Nature

All Children of Nature regardless of gender possess the following adjustment to their attributes: +1 Str; +1 Con; -2 Int

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Feat

Childe of the Fae

Perquisites: Must be taken at first levell May not possess any other Childe Feat

Description: Many times in history a young lass has come home with legends of falling prey to charms of a dark and mysterious lover. While most of these encounters are simply with an unfaithful human lover, sometimes the ‘dark lover’ is a member of the capricious spirit known to most as the Fae. The children of these unions rarely possess a ‘normal’ life and may feel drawn to a life between the known worlds and the realms beyond most people’s ken- feeling the pull of their father’s blood to places most cannot go.

The follow profile is applied to a creature with this Feat:

Size and Type: Change to native Outsider [Fae]
Speed: Unchanged
DV,DR, Base Attack, Special Attacks: Remain unchanged
Special Qualities

-Call of the Fae: The character us naturally drawn to areas still touched by the lands of Eternal Twilight- normally remotes glens and hilltops little despoiled by human touch. As such a Childe of the Fae will know when they are within a mile of a gateway to Arcadia or a nexus of Fae Power unless it is magically veiled against detection.

-Faerie Kyn: The Fae are an unusual lot with unique and a varied heritages. Little distinction is given to the ‘purity’ of their blood- all Children of the Fae will be treated by Fae as if they were Fae themselves rather than human beings. This means that all Children of the Fae interacting with a Fae start with one better level of Attitude. For example a Slyph normally Unfriendly to humanity would start as Indifferent to a human Childe of the Fae.

Note that as such, a Childe of the Fae may also claim kin right to their father’s people, but what the reaction of his father’s people would depend on their nature. The Unseelie Fae for example always claim that kyn blood tastes better than those of strangers….

Spells: While a Childe of the Fae is granted no spells per se, their affinity for properties of Dreamtime allow them to cast spells from the Enchantment and Illusion Sphere of power as a Scholar one level higher than they actually are and with a +1 bonus to their Magical Success Roll while doing so.

Attributes: All Children of the Fae possess a haunting beauty that possesses a fragile and soft core to it. Str –2; Cha +2

Feats: All Children of the Fae posses the Carouser Feat whether or not they meet the requirements for the Feat

Corruption: Children of the Fae are not truly prone to Corruption, but their sensualist nature leads them easily to addictive practices. All Saving Throws to prevent becoming addictive to a drug are made at –2

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Misfortune [Advanced Spell of the Blights and Curses Sphere of Power]
Power Point Cost: 2 for the first target, 1 for each one after that
Casting Time: One full round
Range: Short [Twenty five feet plus five feet per level of Scholar the caster has]
Target: One or more creatures
Duration: One minute per level of Scholar the caster possesses
Saving Throw: Will
Perquisites: Ill-fortune, minor; six ranks of Knowledge [arcana]; Magic Attack bonus of +1 or higher
Magic Success Roll: Sets DC for targets’ saving throws

Misfortune is a version of ill-fortune that can affect multiple targets at once. Upon casting, the sorcerer can choose as many targets they desire within the spell’s range and have Power Points to spend. Those targeted by the misfortune spell make a Will save opposed by the caster’s Magic Success Roll. If the saving throw is failed, the target receives a non-cumulative –1 morale bonus to all attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks for the duration of the spell. Note that the caster must overcome any existing magical defenses on the targets [if any] such as personal ward in order to for the spell to be effective.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Eyes of the Beast [Basic Spell of the Life and Nature Sphere of Power]
Power Point Cost: 1
Casting Time: One standard action
Range: Self
Target: Self
Duration: One hour per level of Scholar the caster possesses
Saving Throw: None
Perquisites: Four ranks of Knowledge [nature]
Magical Success Roll: DC 8

Eyes of the beast is a spell designed to grant the caster the superior vision enjoyed by most animals. The spell grants the caster Low Light Vision of thirty feet and a +1 circumstance bonus for all Spot checks.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Scent of the Beast [Basic Spell of the Life and Nature Sphere]
Power Point Cost: 1
Casting Time: One standard action
Range: Self
Target: Self
Duration: One hour per level of Scholar the caster possesses
Saving Throw: None
Perquisites: Four ranks of Knowledge [nature]
Magical Success Roll: DC 10

Scent of the beast grants a sorcerer the superior olfactory senses enjoyed by most animals. For the duration of the spell, the caster possesses the Scent special ability to a range of thirty feet. That is they may in normal conditions detect the presence of creatures with thirty feet. Targets upwind of the sorcerer can be detected up to sixty feet away, while those downwind at fifteen. The sorcerer may also Track targets by scent alone if they have the appropriate Feat and are willing to bend down and get on their hands and knees every once in a while….

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Scent of Honey [Advanced Spell of the Blights and Curses Sphere]
Power Point Cost: 4
Casting Time: One minute
Range: Close [Twenty five feet plus five feet per level of Scholar the caster possesses]
Target: One creature
Duration: One hour per level of Scholar the caster has
Saving Throw: None
Perquisites: Ill-fortune, lesser, summon animal; four ranks of Handle Animal; six ranks of Knowledge [nature]; Magical Attack Bonus of +2 or higher
Magical Success Roll: Sets the DC for the target’s saving throw

Scent of honey is a cruel spell designed by the Picts to further harry invaders in their lands, though variants of the spell are seen in many barbaric cultures. Targets of the spell who fail an opposed Willpower save against the caster’s Magic Success Roll have their scent subtly changed so that it becomes irresistible to predatory beings. When in the wilderness, encounters with animals become twice as likely. For example if the terrain the target is passing through a random encounter occurs normally one in six times, it occurs two in six times. If the creatures that encounters the target isn’t a predatory animal, roll again on the encounter table. If the second roll is one or more predatory animals, the target encounters it instead of the creature originally rolled. If not, the target meets the creature originally rolled on the encounter table.

All encounters with predatory animals begin as Hostile, but they may retreat if driven off- only to keep Tracking the target so long as the spell lasts, waiting for another opportunity to attack. The predators will always prefer to attack the target of the spell in preference to other creatures, but will defend themselves is attacked by others, hoping to clear a path to the target. If there are more than one person affected by scent of honey, the predators will attack the one closest to them. Depending on what Terrain the target of the spell is in, this spell can be anything from a mere annoyance to a virtual death sentence.

The magic of the spell is subtle. If cast secretly the target may not know something is happened unless they look for an enchantment on themselves and make a DC 20 Knowledge [arcana] check- or possess the Scent ability themselves.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

No I am not dead, nor am I a resident of the Gulf Coast- just been some intense RL happening recently. So here's the next dose of sorcerous creativity.....

Raven

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Claws of the Beast [Advanced Spell of the Life and Nature Sphere of Power]
Power Point Cost: 2
Casting Time: One standard action
Range: Self
Target: Self
Duration: One minute per level of Scholar the caster possesses
Saving Throw: None
Perquisites: Scent of the beast or eyes of the beast; six ranks of Knowledge [nature]; Magic Attack Bonus of +2 or higher
Magic Success Roll: DC 10

Claws of the beast is a relatively simple spell allowing a sorcerer to mold their hands into claws capable of ripping into flesh and bone. Upon successful casting of the spell the hands of the sorcerer lengthen and form razor sharp talons. These claws do 1d8 point of damage, have an Armor Piercing Value of 2 and a critical threat range of 20. If the caster possesses the Two Weapon Fight Proficiency they may make an attack with each claw with a Full Attack action. The caster is considered to be armed while making attacks with the claws and does not provoke an attack of opportunity when doing so. The claws are considered a natural weapon of the caster and may be used to apply damage in a successful grapple

Any gloves or gauntlets worn by caster are immediately destroyed by the emerging claws. The caster can still use basic tools like weapons but anything requiring fine manipulation like lock picking or turning the pages of a book will be beyond them.

The claws bequeath a +1 bonus to the caster’s Intimidation check to those unused to such transformations.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Misdirection [Advanced Spell of the Blights and Curses Sphere of Power]
Power Point Cost: 3
Casting Time: One full round
Range: Evil Eye
Target: One creature
Duration: One hour per level of Scholar the caster possesses
Saving Throw: Will
Perquisites: Minor ill-fortune; four ranks of Survival ;Magic Attack Bonus of +2 or higher
Magic Success Roll: Sets target’s DC for Will saving throw

Misdirection is a common curse designed to delay and hamper the target rather than outright hurting them. The effects are subtle, sometimes the target is unaware that they have been enchanted. The spell is very common among the Fae and those with Fae ancestery.

Upon successful casting of the spell, the target becomes unable to accurately gauge the direction he is traveling in. Even if equipped with a map and given explicit directions, they will inevitably lose their way. In the wilds, the target automatically fails all checks to determine if they are lost. [See Hyboria’s Fiercest for details on becoming lost] In urban or underground areas, when given a choice of multiple routes no matter which route the character declares they are taking, the Gamemaster secretly determines the true direction they travel in. the character will think they are heading the right way in all cases but in truth be hopeless wandering about.

Those not affected by the spell can attempt to assist the target, but must physically guide the person to ensure that the target moves the right way. Once the target is left alone for a moment they will begin wandering off again.

Though the spell is relatively harmless, wandering for hours in hostile terrain such as the Shemitish desert or the thief-ridden warrens of Zamoria can be fatal in itself.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Revised ability

Uncanny Knowledge
[was ‘Knowledge is Power’]

No change to this ability. I just think ‘Uncanny Knowledge’ sounds cooler. 8)

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Chi Boost [Advanced Spell of the Body and Mind Sphere]
Power Point Cost: 1-2
Casting Time: One standard action
Range: Self
Target: Self
Duration: One round per level of Scholar the caster possesses
Saving Throw: None
Perquisites: Focus; five ranks of Concentration; Magic Attack Bonus of +1 or higher
Magic Success Roll: DC 8 +2 per Power Point used

Chi boost is a common spell for those sorcerers devoted to the martial arts. By focusing a portion of the universal lifeforce commonly known as chi or qi in the lands of east the caster can enhance their body’s natural capabilities. For each Power Point cast with this spell, one of the caster’s physical Attributes [Strength, Dexterity or Constitution] is increased by two points for the duration of the spell. If two Power Points are used, the bonuses for each point may be used for the same attribute or for two separate ones. The enhanced attributes give the caster their new total- increases to the appropiate skills, higher lift capacity and damage inflicted by melee weapon, higher Dodge and Initiative value, increased saving throws and even temporary hit points. These bonuses, including the temporary hit points granted by a higher Constitution, all vanish after the spell’s duration passes.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

New Spell

Chi Strike [Advanced Spell of the Body and Mind Sphere]
Power Point Cost: 1-3
Casting time: One move action
Range: Self
Target: One creature or object stuck by the caster
Duration: Instant
Saving Throw: None
Perquisites: Chi boost; eight ranks of Concentration; Improved Unarmed Strike Feat; Magic Attack Bonus of +2 or higher; Base Attack Bonus of +2 or higher
Magic Success Roll: DC 10 + 2 per Power Point used

Chi strike is similar to chi boost save that the lifeforce [chi] is directed through the caster and directly into the caster. The caster forces the power through their fists and into the target they strike with an unarmed attack. [Attempting to channel this chi through a weapon would normally destroy the weapon] The target then takes 1d8 points of lethal damage in addition to the damage done normally by the attack. On addition for the purposes of this strike only, the caster is treated as if the attack had an Armor Piercing value of 2 per Power Point expended.

For purposes of ‘holding’ the spell, the caster can hold it as a move action or a standard action- their choice of which.