Spells of Legend

[Prime_Evil]

For those of us who think that Hand of Death is far too powerful for a Common Magic spell, here's a modest replacement:

Stun Touch
Instant, Magnitude 1, Progressive, Resist (Resilience), Touch, Trigger
This spell charges the caster's body with magical energy. The caster must touch a single living target to discharge this energy. If the target is wary of the caster's intentions, the caster must make a successful Unarmed attack to touch the target. This spell has a duration equal to the caster's POW. If the caster does not touch a living creature within the period, the stored energy dissipates. If the caster touches the wrong person while the spell is active, the spell discharges and the unfortunate victim must resist.

In either case, if the victim fails a Resilience test to resist the effect, they fall unconscious for a number of rounds equal to double the Magnitude of the spell. Armour protects against this spell. Each AP worn on the target hit location reduces the duration of unconsciouness by one round. A target who resists the Stun Touch suffers no ill effects beyond a mild sensation of vertigo. This spell has no effect on targets whose SIZ is greater than the caster's POW. Undead creatures and artificial construct such as golems are immune to this spell.

If the caster rolls a critical success, double the duration of the target's unconsciousness. But if the caster fumbles the spell they accidentally discharge it and must resist falling unconscious themselves.

 

[Prime_Evil]

For today's contribution, here's a useful Sorcery spell that addresses a classic fantasy trope.

Ever wonder how the bad guy always manager to survive certain death every time? Read on...

Clone
Autonomous

This spell creates an exact duplicate of the caster. The caster must spend one point of permanent POW to imbue the clone with a semblance of life. The clone lies in a state of suspended animation until the spell expires. The appearance, characteristics, and skills of the clone reflect those of the caster. The caster can awaken the clone at any time within the spell's duration. If the caster is alive when clone awakens, it has access to the caster's memories but is free-willed. In this case, treat the clone as an NPC run by the GM. The personality of the independent clone will be similar - but not identical - to that of the caster. If the caster dies while a sleeping clone exists, the caster's life force transfers to the clone. This occurs at the end of the following round. The clone awakens with full awareness of what transpired up to the point of death. In this case, the player may run the clone as a replacement for the dead adventurer. In either case, the point of permanent POW spent to imbue the clone with life is not refunded. If the spell expires before the clone awakens - either as a free-willed entity or as a replacement for the caster - the clone crumbles to dust. Manipulation can extend the duration of the spell to ensure the clone is available when needed. The clone does not disintegrate when the duration of the spell expires if it is activated before this point. A sleeping clone can be destroyed by inflicting enough damage to disable its head or chest hit locations. A sorcerer can only have a single active clone at any given time. When a sorcerer creates a new clone, the previous ones turns to dust. If the Sorcerer rolls a Critical Success while casting this spell, the clone created sleeps indefinitely until needed. But if the caster fumbles the casting, the clone has motivations and values diametrically opposed to those of the caster. For an example of how this works, consider T'sais and T'sain from the story "Turjan of Miir" in Jack Vance's Dying Earth sequence.

 

[Prime_Evil]

And here's a very useful Common Magic spell...

Deflection
Duration (Special), Magnitude 1, Progressive

The spell enables the caster to deflect arrows, crossbow bolts, and similar projectiles. The deflected projectiles must have a SIZ or ENC less than the caster's POW/3. Thus, the caster cannot use this spell to deflect siege engine missiles. The caster must spend a single Combat Action each round to deflect incoming missiles. The maximum number of missiles that the caster can deflect in a single round is equal to the Magnitude of the spell. An adventurer who casts this spell at Magnitude 4 can deflect up to four missile attacks per round. A handful of pebbles or the shrapnel from an explosion counts as a single missile for this purpose. The spell can also avert falling rocks or other natural effects that behave like missile attacks (GM's discretion). The caster may use any weapon or improvised item to turn the missiles aside. The caster can also divert them with their bare hands. The item or hit location used to avert the missile is not harmed. The deflected missile lands 1d4+1 meters away from the caster in a random direction. The caster cannot cause the deflected missile to ricochet off a surface or strike a nearby foe. In the case of missiles that explode on impact (such as a flask of burning oil), a successful Evade test avoids detonating it. This spell cannot be used to deflect magical attacks such as firebolts. This spell is active for a number of rounds equal to the caster's DEX.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Since things are still pretty quiet, here are a couple of new Common Magic spells:

Assay
Instant, Magnitude 1, Touch

This spell determines the composition of any liquid or solid. It determines the constituent ingredients and the relative amounts of each. It does not provide exact measurements but approximate ratios. The spell only works on mundane compounds. It cannot determine the composition of potions or alchemical creations. It can determine the presence and composition of poisons. It can also determine the content of an ore, enabling the caster to sense the metal content. And it can estimate the purity of metals used in coins, enabling the caster to detect counterfeit currency. A single casting can assay a quantity whose SIZ is less than the caster's POW.

Battle Cry
Magnitude 1, Progressive, Duration (Special)

The caster shouts a loud battle cry when casting this spell. They must have a close combat weapon in their hands, ready to attack. For a number of rounds equal to the spell's Magnitude, double the caster's critical range with this weapon. The maximum duration is equal to the caster's POW/3 (rounded down). Multiple castings of this spell do not stack.

Silence
Magnitude 1, Progressive, Ranged, Duration (Special)

This spell creates an area of absolute silence with a radius equal to double the caster's POW in meters. The zone of silence persists for one round per point of Magnitude. No sounds can be made within the silent area. Normal conversation is impossible. Additionally, spoken spells cannot be cast within the silent area. Creatures within the affected area cannot hear any sounds from beyond the boundary. As soon as they move out of the silent area, they can hear and speak as normal. This spell negates the Cacophony spell if the caster wins an opposed test against the creator of the Cacophony.

And a couple of older spells that have been cleaned up...

Beast Call
Instant, Magnitude 2, Ranged, Resist (Persistence)

This spell attracts a single animal within range. The caster must be able to see the targeted creature. When the spell is cast, it affects a single creature with a fixed INT of 7 or less chosen by the caster. If the animal fails to resist, it is drawn to the place where the spell is cast. Once it arrives, the spell effect terminates. Any barrier preventing the creature from reaching the location also ends the spell. If an obstacle is in the way, the creature will attempt to find a way around it until the spell expires. Otherwise, the creature follows the fastest route to the target location. This spell cannot lure the target animal off a cliff or similar hazard. The creature retains its sense of self-preservation. Any immediate threat ends the spell. This includes sight of natural predators. Actions that interrupt the creature's progress towards the destination also terminate the spell. For example, this spell might cause a horse to walk towards the caster. But a single yank of its reins by the rider ends the compulsion. When the spell ends, the creature is free to act according to its nature. If the creature reaches its destination, there is no guarantee it will be friendly towards the caster. Even so, this spell is a potent aid to hunters and herders.

Cacophony
Instant, Magnitude 3, Resist (Persistence)

This spell creates a deafening cacophony of harsh and strident noise. The raucous blare of sound deafens all creatures in a radius equal to double the caster's POW in meters. Creatures within this area cannot converse with each other. The continuous noise is so loud that it drowns out even shouted commands and the like. The sound is so distracting that creatures within the area suffer a -10% penalty to all actions. Double this penalty if the spell is cast in an enclosed area whose dimensions are less than the affected radius. Additionally, creatures within this radius must make a Persistence roll opposed by the caster's skill. If they lose, they remain deafened for 1d4+1 minutes after leaving the area. On a critical failure, the period of deafness is measured in hours rather than minutes. Mindless undead creatures such as skeletons and zombies are not affected. The deafening cacophony does not pass beyond the edge of the affected area. Individuals outside the area cannot hear the cacophony unless they cross the boundary. Creatures who enter the cacophonous area are affected if they remain there for at the beginning of the following round. A Silence spell can negate the Cacophony. To achieve this, the caster of the Silence spell must win a opposed test of casting skill against the creator of the Cacophony.

 

[Carew]

I have some questions on these!

Assay
Instant, Magnitude 1, Touch

This spell determines the composition of any liquid or solid. It determines the constituent ingredients and the relative amounts of each. It does not provide exact measurements but approximate ratios. The spell only works on mundane compounds. It cannot determine the composition of potions or alchemical creations. It can determine the presence and composition of poisons. It can also determine the content of an ore, enabling the caster to sense the metal content. And it can estimate the purity of metals used in coins, enabling the caster to detect counterfeit currency. A single casting can assay a quantity whose SIZ is less than the caster's POW.

I don't understand why this spell won't work on potions? Not all potions are magical or alchemical, Not all alchemical things are magical. So you should be more specific here. It does not make sense that the spell works on some liquids but not others. For example, it works on poisons, but what about poisons from magical creatures? Or poisons made through alchemy? Or on gold that is made from alchemy?

Battle Cry
Magnitude 1, Progressive, Duration (Special)

The caster shouts a loud battle cry when casting this spell. They must have a close combat weapon in their hands, ready to attack. For a number of rounds equal to the spell's Magnitude, double the caster's critical range with this weapon. The maximum duration is equal to the caster's POW/3 (rounded down). Multiple castings of this spell do not stack.

Why only a close combat weapon? What about a bow? If you change weapon, does the spell stay active?

Silence
Magnitude 1, Progressive, Ranged, Duration (Special)

This spell creates an area of absolute silence with a radius equal to double the caster's POW in meters. The zone of silence persists for one round per point of Magnitude. No sounds can be made within the silent area. Normal conversation is impossible. Additionally, spoken spells cannot be cast within the silent area. Creatures within the affected area cannot hear any sounds from beyond the boundary. As soon as they move out of the silent area, they can hear and speak as normal. This spell negates the Cacophony spell if the caster wins an opposed test against the creator of the Cacophony.

Would it be better to have to increase the Silent spell magnitude to beat a Cacophany spell instead of an opposed test?

Thank you!

 

[Prime_Evil]

Thanks for the feedback! It is very helpful.

I can see that the wording of the Assay spell doesn't adequately capture my intention. As you have surmised, my goal was to indicate that the spell can't determine any magical properties of a substance. I'll follow your suggestion and redraft it to be more specific.

For the Battle Cry spell, I wanted this to be something used in close combat rather than ranged combat as it fits genre expectations better. The point about changing weapons is a good one - more clarification required!

It may also be worth adding a statement that the spell automatically terminates when the caster stops fighting for more than one round. It fades when the current combat ends even if the duration has not expired.

As an aside, I've been playing around with a number of spells that increase the critical range of skills rather than boosting the chance of success. Mythras wisely removed the spells that provide a +10% bonus per point of Magnitude since they tend to be overused in play. But I'm retaining a few spells (such as my Divine Blessing spell) that double the recipient's Critical Range instead. Their chance of success is not increased, but there is a higher than normal chance that a success will be a Critical Success.

Your approach to Silence vs Cacophony is an interesting one. Many published spells resolve this situation with an opposed test of caster skills. If I let a Silence spell with a greater Magnitude automatically end the Cacophony would it make sense to allow a Silence spell with a lower Magnitude end the Cacophony if the caster wins an opposed skill test? Or is this too potent?

 

[Carew]

If I let a Silence spell with a greater Magnitude automatically end the Cacophony would it make sense to allow a Silence spell with a lower Magnitude end the Cacophony if the caster wins an opposed skill test? Or is this too potent?

Yes I think you hit the nail on the head. Silence is a 1 point magnitude spell while Cacophany is more potent, but can be trumped by either a lucky roll or a more skilfull caster. I think you should use magnitude because it then compares the power of the spells to each other instead of the casters.

 

[Carew]

For the Battle Cry spell, I wanted this to be something used in close combat rather than ranged combat as it fits genre expectations better. The point about changing weapons is a good one - more clarification required!

Also, is this spell stackable with Bladesharp? because if so I can see it being used to create an uber battle monster spell.

 

[Prime_Evil]

An earlier draft had a comment stating that it did not stack with other weapon enhancement spells such as Bladesharp, Bludgeon, or Fireblade. But I took it out as I was n't sure if it was necessary. But I take your point.

 

[Carew]

An earlier draft had a comment stating that it did not stack with other weapon enhancement spells such as Bladesharp, Bludgeon, or Fireblade. But I took it out as I was n't sure if it was necessary. But I take your point.

Yeah, it should go back in, because with something like Bladesharp you're already boosting the skill and the weapon damage, and then the Battle Cry is doubling the crit range on top of that. I guess it depends on your campaign but my players had 90%+ weapon skills and used Bladesharp or Bludgeon to take them into the 100% + range regularly and would cheer and get out the party poppers if they then had a spell that also doubled the crit range as well. It's things like this that have made us move to Mithras where the common magic spells aren't quite so uber as Legend's common magic versions.

 

[soltakss]

Not so sure about Battle Cry and Bladesharp, Battle Cry affects the person and Bladesharp affects the weapon.

I'd make Battle Cry incompatible with Fanaticism and Berserker, but allow it to be used with Bladesharp.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Not so sure about Battle Cry and Bladesharp, Battle Cry affects the person and Bladesharp affects the weapon.

Yes...that was essentially my reasoning too.

I'd make Battle Cry incompatible with Fanaticism and Berserker, but allow it to be used with Bladesharp.

That's a good point.

 

[Prime_Evil]

As a compromise, how about something like this:

Battle Cry
Magnitude 1, Progressive, Duration (Special)

The caster shouts a loud battle cry when casting this spell. They must have a close combat weapon in their hands, ready to attack. For a number of rounds equal to the spell's Magnitude, double the caster's critical range with this weapon. The maximum duration is equal to the caster's POW/3 (rounded down). This spell terminates before the spell expires if the caster stops fighting for more than one round. The Battle Cry enhances the caster's effectiveness in combat. It does not empower the caster's weapon. This spell cannot be combined with spells that enhance the caster's skill (such as Fanaticism and Berserker). It can be combined with spells that empower the caster's weapon. But there is a point of diminishing returns. Do not count bonuses provided by spells such as Bladesharp or Bludgeon when calculating the increased critical range provided by the Battle Cry. Multiple castings of this spell do not stack.

 

[Prime_Evil]

It's things like this that have made us move to Mithras where the common magic spells aren't quite so uber as Legend's common magic versions.

In my own games, I draw a distinction between between Common Magic and Battle Magic. Battle Magic is not a discrete form of magic. It is a term applied to Common Magic spells that possess military applications. Spells classified as “Battle Magic” are not freely available. They are “trade secrets” closely-guarded by military factions and cults. For example, imagine that the Bladesharp spell is only taught to initiates of the War Goddess and Firearrow is only taught to archers associated with elite mercenary units. Most Common Magic is intended for civilian use and reflects the everyday concerns of the rural communities. It is the kind of magic wielded by hedge wizards and wise women. By contrast, Battle Magic is focused on military needs. And just feudal societies restrict the rights of commoners to carry arms or wear armour, most of them also restrict the availability of Battle Magic. To learn a specific Battle Magic spell, adventurers must join a martial faction that teaches the spell in question and gain a rank high enough to be granted access to it. Most factions only teach these spells to trusted members who have proven their loyalty and competence. I find that this approach cuts down on the twinkery where players try to find combinations of spells that turn them into combat gods.

I am a big fan of what Loz and Pete have done with Mythras, but I still admire Legend for its embrace of the OGL. And to be honest, I suspect many people now use their Legend books as unofficial Mythras sourcebooks anyway. Mongoose seem to have abandoned this game system, so there is little competition any more.

 

[Prime_Evil]

And here's a simple but terrifying Divine Magic spell:

Accelerate Aging
Instant, Touch, Rank (Priest), Resist (Resilience)

This spell accelerates the aging of a single target creature. The target creature ages 1D4 years per point of Magnitude. The normal physical effects of aging apply. The victim also gains one level of Fatigue. Accelerated aging leaves the target exhausted as their vitality is siphoned away. The SIZ of the target creature cannot be greater than the caster's POW. The target can resist the spell with its Resilience. Magical defences (such as Countermagic Shield or Spell Resistance) reduce the accelerated aging by 2 years for each point of Magnitude they block.

 

[Carew]

In my own games, I draw a distinction between between Common Magic and Battle Magic. Battle Magic is not a discrete form of magic. It is a term applied to Common Magic spells that possess military applications. Spells classified as “Battle Magic” are not freely available. They are “trade secrets” closely-guarded by military factions and cults. For example, imagine that the Bladesharp spell is only taught to initiates of the War Goddess and Firearrow is only taught to archers associated with elite mercenary units. Most Common Magic is intended for civilian use and reflects the everyday concerns of the rural communities. It is the kind of magic wielded by hedge wizards and wise women. By contrast, Battle Magic is focused on military needs. And just feudal societies restrict the rights of commoners to carry arms or wear armour, most of them also restrict the availability of Battle Magic. To learn a specific Battle Magic spell, adventurers must join a martial faction that teaches the spell in question and gain a rank high enough to be granted access to it. Most factions only teach these spells to trusted members who have proven their loyalty and competence. I find that this approach cuts down on the twinkery where players try to find combinations of spells that turn them into combat gods.

Yeah, I hear you on this, but I think that if you don't make stuff explicit in the spell, it leave it open to interpretation which leads to argument which leads to rules lawyering which leads to me banging my head on the table.

I am a big fan of what Loz and Pete have done with Mythras, but I still admire Legend for its embrace of the OGL.

Embracing the OGL doesn't seem to have done a lot for Legend. It was just a convenience. It hasn't led to a ton of Legend supplements by third parties so I don't see the OGL as adding much in the way of value.

And to be honest, I suspect many people now use their Legend books as unofficial Mythras sourcebooks anyway.

Here you are right on, brother. It's what I do.

Mongoose seem to have abandoned this game system, so there is little competition any more.

Yeah, the balls has been well and truly dropped.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Yeah, I hear you on this, but I think that if you don't make stuff explicit in the spell, it leave it open to interpretation which leads to argument which leads to rules lawyering which leads to me banging my head on the table.

In my own personal Legend variant, I have made it explicit. You need a minimum rank in a relevant faction to learn these spells. There is a precedent in the way that Divine Magic is handled, with Minimum Cult Ranks required to learn certain spells. If you think of Common Magic as secular magic, you can restrict access to spells in the same way by requiring a Minimum Rank in a secular institution. I also assign spells a rarity, which modifies how easy it is to find a teacher. And I have updated the faction table so there are five Faction Ranks in most organisations rather than the four specified in the core rules - this allows for a bit more granularity and means that the hierarchy isn't too flat.

Embracing the OGL doesn't seem to have done a lot for Legend. It was just a convenience. It hasn't led to a ton of Legend supplements by third parties so I don't see the OGL as adding much in the way of value.

Without the OGL release of MRQI and later Legend, we wouldn't have OpenQuest, Rennaissance, Revolution D100, or the latest edition of Delta Green. Mongoose hasn't known what to do with their version of the game system and have struggled to position it in the marketplace. I actually think there is a place for it as a "medium crunch" game somewhere on the complexity scale between OpenQuest and Mythras, but I think they may cede this position to the forthcoming edition of RQ.

I would also emphasize that the differences between the various D100 games aren't as large as the differences between various D&D variants, so it's easy enough to mix-and-match bits from all of them.

Yeah, the balls has been well and truly dropped.

The Mongoose release schedule has been updated through to February 2018, and there's still no love for Legend on the Horizon. I'm happy that the new edition of Traveller is selling so strongly, but it's sad that Legend has been abandoned in the process. I wish that we would at least see the release of updated versions of Empires and Necromantic Arts so that all of the MRQII core product line is available for reuse under the OGL, but I don't suppose this will happen now.

 

[Carew]

Without the OGL release of MRQI and later Legend, we wouldn't have OpenQuest, Rennaissance, Revolution D100, or the latest edition of Delta Green. Mongoose hasn't known what to do with their version of the game system and have struggled to position it in the marketplace.

I was talking only about Legend. Sure the MRQ1 OGL helped create those other games and it also had a lot of support by Mongoose, but it has not really helped Legend. It proves to me that slapping the OGL onto a game isn't enough to sustain it as a line. The publisher has to support it too otherwise it is being left to everyone else. If a publisher can't show confidence in its game then why would anybody else?

I actually think there is a place for it as a "medium crunch" game somewhere on the complexity scale between OpenQuest and Mythras, but I think they may cede this position to the forthcoming edition of RQ.

Yeah, maybe, but nothing I have read about the new Runequest has me excited. I can't stand Glorantha so having to wade through all that stuff to get to a system that seems to be a reprint of RQ2 doesn't float my boat much.

I would also emphasize that the differences between the various D100 games aren't as large as the differences between various D&D variants, so it's easy enough to mix-and-match bits from all of them.

Very true.

The Mongoose release schedule has been updated through to February 2018, and there's still no love for Legend on the Horizon. I'm happy that the new edition of Traveller is selling so strongly, but it's sad that Legend has been abandoned in the process. I wish that we would at least see the release of updated versions of Empires and Necromantic Arts so that all of the MRQII core product line is available for reuse under the OGL, but I don't suppose this will happen now.

I saw that. I am losing no more tears over Legend not being supported. We have gone to Mythras now for our new campaign that starts again after Christmas. I had my home brew S&S world but we are trying something new that one of the players is keen to try using the Mythras rules.

 

[medievaladventures]

I just grabbed Version 2.25 from one of the links in this thread. Is that the most recent version available?
Afraid so. I had to withdraw several of my offerings because I'd been working on a project for Legend, which ended up as a project for Mythras instead.
I think I'd like to do something else for Legend. Bring the game back out of its hibernation.

 

[Vile]

I think I'd like to do something else for Legend. Bring the game back out of its hibernation.

Would be nice, and a good time to do so now.