Spells of Legend

[Prime_Evil]

Hey guys,

Was going to say...

If you can double the number of spells that are currently in the document we would, if you liked, reformat it and then released as a free PDF - as part of the official Legend core range.

If you liked...

Funny you should suggest that...I've been quietly working away on a number of additional spells for the next version

So to get the ball rolling, here are a few proposals for additional Common Magic spells:

Awaken
Ranged, Instant, Magnitude 2
With a snap of the fingers, the caster instantly awakens all sleeping creatures within a radius equal to his or her POW x 2 in meters. The creatures are fully awake and alert, with none of the sluggishness normally associated with being roused from sleep (e.g. no penalties to Perception or Strike Rank). This spell only affects creatures who are in natural state of slumber - if any creatures within the area of effect are under the effects of magical sleep, the caster of this spell must win an Opposed Roll against the effective skill of the caster who placed them in an enchanted slumber.

Farshot
Instant, Touch, Magnitude 1, Progressive, Trigger
This spell increases the effective range of a single missile weapons by 10% per point of Magnitude invested in the spell. Thus, a caster who uses this spell on a bow with an effective range of 100m at Magnitude 2 would temporarily increase the weapon's range to 120m. This spell affects any missile weapon - including bows, crossbows, slings, and thrown weapons. However, it does not affect seige weapons crewed by multiple people. This spell does not impart any other benefits, but may be used in conjunction with another spell that increases the effectiveness of the missile weapon. The spell is automatically triggered when the weapon is next fired or thrown - the caster cannot choose to delay the effect.

Fireproof
Touch, Duration 10, Magnitude 1, Progressive
This spell temporarily renders a single contiguous inanimate object resistant to fire and heat. The SIZ or ENC of the target object can be no greater than 2 x the Magnitude invested in the spell. While under the effects of the spell, the target object's AP is doubled, but only against against damage caused by fire or heat. This spell cannot be cast upon living creatures. Nor does it have any effect if cast upon magical constructs such as golems and the like.

Hesitate
Ranged, Magnitude 1, Progressive, Resist (Persistence)
This spell causes the target to momentarily hesitate, reducing their Strike Rank on the following round by a number of points equal to the Magnitude of the spell (up to a maximum Magnitude equal to the caster's POW / 3, rounded down). The target may use Persistence to resist this effect. Multiple castings of this spell on the same target do not stack - only the most powerful casting takes effect.

Spook
Ranged, Instant, Magnitude 1, Resist (Persistence)
This spell frightens a single normal animal, causing it to flee away from the caster's location at the maximum Move for a number of rounds equal to the caster's POW / 3 (rounded down). This spell only affects animals with a fixed INT lower 8. If this spell is cast upon an animal ridden as a mount, a Ride skill is required to prevent the animal from bolting. If the target creature is a domesticated animal, its owner can attempt an Animal Handling to maintain control. If this spell iscast on a herd animal, it may set off a stampede.

Vertigo
Ranged, Magnitude 2, Duration 5, Resist (Persistence)
This spell upsets the target's sense of balance, causing them to feel a sudden rush of giddiness. The target must resist the spell or suffer a -20% penalty to skill rolls involving balance - including Acrobatics, Climb, and Ride.

 

[superc0ntra]

I like them but would make Vertigo progressive at -10% per magnitude.

 

[alex_greene]

Hey guys,

Was going to say...

If you can double the number of spells that are currently in the document we would, if you liked, reformat it and then released as a free PDF - as part of the official Legend core range.

If you liked...

Sounds like a plan. Is there a timescale? Because I've got a few things I have to do this weekend, and next week's pretty free for me otherwise.

Can I submit some of my fan stuff from BRP Central? Specifically, the potions article? I would like to rework it in its entirety if it can be included in the core rulebook supplement (even if it does mean withdrawing it from downloads on BRP Central afterwards).

 

[Lilor[FR]]

Hi guys !
It's a very nice list of spells for Legend ! Anyone know if a french traduction is available ? If not, I can try to traduct little by little by myself and post the result here.

By the way, Thanks !

 

[Prime_Evil]

There is not a French translation at the moment, but it would be great to see one!

 

[Prime_Evil]

Another teaser for the next version of Spells of Legend - a cool new Sorcery spell designed by Alex Greene. If anybody else has ideas for new Sorcery or Divine spells that they'd like to donate to the project, now would be a good time to share them

In the meantime, any feedback for this new spell will be appreciated....

Phase
Autonomous, Resist (Resilience)
The caster becomes insubstantial and incorporeal, and can phase through solid matter at half normal Speed. The subject must hold their breath when moving through solid objects and may suffocate as per the rules on p.76-79 of the Legend rulebook if they run out of air whilst inside a solid object. A sorcerer might use Abjure (Air) to avoid this problem. Insubstantial characters still need food and water as normal and may perish if they spend a long time in this state without suitable provisions.

When a phasing character is passing through an object, they can see through the material as though it were partially transparent. The character can see a maximum distance through solid matter equal to their POW / 3 in meters (rounded down).

This spell affects a maximum of 3 SIZ per Intensity. This spell may be resisted with Resilience if cast on an unwilling subject. The spell affects the subject, their clothes and whatever they are carrying. If the character loses physical contact with an item worn or carried, it immediately becomes solid again. The subject can walk on solid surfaces whilst insubstantial (including liquids such as water), but can also choose to sink into the ground by spending a Combat Action. If the character does this, he or she can use the Swim skill to move through the earth. Gravity affects insubstantial characters as normal but they suffer no damage from falling - characters who fall while phased will simply plunge into the earth and may need to "swim" back to the surface.

For the Duration of this spell, the subject cannot directly affect the physical world but is immune to physical attacks - normal weapons will simply pass through them. Likewise, the target cannot make physical attacks against opponents unless they are also insubstantial. However, ghosts and spirits can attack the subject as though discorporated using the rules on p.7-8 of Spirit Magic. The subject may cast spells on non-phased beings as normal and most spells cast by or on the character will have normal effect: Dominate (the phased target's species) works, but Attract (Arrows) would only draw arrows to the target, not harm him.

If the duration of the spell expires while the subject in inside a solid object, the adventurer suffers damage equal to the AP of the material to each hit locations inside the object. This may be sufficient to kill the character instantly, but if the subject survives the character is immediately ejected into the nearest open space. If the subject is slain by reverting to solid form inside an object, the adventurer's corpse remains embedded in the object and may be impossible to retrieve (depending upon the circumstances).

 

[Loz]

Insubstantial characters still need food and water as normal and may perish if they spend a long time in this state without suitable provisions.

If the spell affects what the recipient wears and carries, how are they able to eat? The food they require is going to be as insubstantial as they are. And, even if food is substantive, then surely it will fall through the phased character?

I can see the whole need for food causing a lot of unintentional hilarity and rules/physics-lawyering, so it might be best to reword the spell to obviate either the need for food or simply note that while under the spell's effects, its impossible to eat or drink, although nutrition and hydration is still essential.

 

[alex_greene]

Insubstantial characters still need food and water as normal and may perish if they spend a long time in this state without suitable provisions.

If the spell affects what the recipient wears and carries, how are they able to eat?

If he's carrying his supplies, they are insubstantial for as long as he is carrying them, the same as his weapons, clothes, armour and kit. If he's in the same phase as his clothes and provisions, he can handle them and eat and drink normally. Once the supplies he's carrying run out, that's it, unless he can phase further food.

If he drops his provisions by accident somehow, he's stuck - whatever he lets go of becomes substantial and therefore untouchable to him.

The idea is that Phase can be used as a particularly cruel kind of curse, especially of someone greedy or gluttonous - targets could starve to death within inches of food, unable to touch any of it. Phase doesn't have to be on the target - the target could be normal and substantial, but the food and drink could be phased.

 

[Loz]

That's fair enough, but worth wording the spell to include that phased food/drink remains viable for a phased character to use.

Mind you, if you have to hold your breath while phased, eating and drinking is out of the question anyway (unless Abjure Air is being used), so for most the question of eating and drinking will be moot.

 

[PeteN]

Hmm, that Phase spell looks very nice... but of course it would, since its near enough an exact copy of my RQ6 sorcery spell 'Loxodromic Phasing' as published in Monster Island. :|

 

[Loz]

Hmm, that Phase spell looks very nice... but of course it would, since its near enough an exact copy of my RQ6 sorcery spell 'Loxodromic Phasing' as published in Monster Island. :|

Wow - so it is...

 

[alex_greene]

Hmm, that Phase spell looks very nice... but of course it would, since its near enough an exact copy of my RQ6 sorcery spell 'Loxodromic Phasing' as published in Monster Island. :|

Not guilty, Loz, PeteN. Never read it.

In fact, I can say with authority that I have not got a single RQ6 document or excerpt thereof in my house, computer or any flash drive, hard drive or hardcopy; nor, to the best of my knowledge, is there a copy of any RQ6 documentation in my town.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Interesting. :shock:

I do own a copy of Monster Island but didn't think of Loxodromic Phasing while reading the draft spell. Alex and I exchanged a couple of emails pinning down various details of the rules questions that arise when you have intangible characters running around (Can sprits attack phasing characters? What is the difference between discorporation and phasing? What if an intangible character falls off a cliff?). At that time I was thinking of the way that superhero games handle these problems. I suspect that this is a case of parallel evolution - phasing is a trope that turns up regularly in books and comics, but as soon as you try to introduce it into an RPG you need to address the questions that are likely to arise during play. And because Legend and RQ 6 are descended from a common ancestor, the game mechanics devised are likely to be similar. This is likely to become more of an issue as both product lines expand. On the one hand, I'm horrified to discover that this spell is so close to one published for RQ 6, but on the other hand I'm happy to see that our solution is similar to that developed by the guys who wrote the game

 

[alex_greene]

Interesting. :shock:

I do own a copy of Monster Island but didn't think of Loxodromic Phasing while reading the draft spell. Alex and I exchanged a couple of emails pinning down various details of the rules questions that arise when you have intangible characters running around (Can sprits attack phasing characters? What is the difference between discorporation and phasing? What if an intangible character falls off a cliff?). At that time I was thinking of the way that superhero games handle these problems. I suspect that this is a case of parallel evolution - phasing is a trope that turns up regularly in books and comics, but as soon as you try to introduce it into an RPG you need to address the questions that are likely to arise during play. And because Legend and RQ 6 are descended from a common ancestor, the game mechanics devised are likely to be similar. This is likely to become more of an issue as both product lines expand. On the one hand, I'm horrified to discover that this spell is so close to one published for RQ 6, but on the other hand I'm happy to see that our solution is similar to that developed by the guys who wrote the game

Pete; Loz; Prime and I are happy to make this spell disappear, if you don't like. But if you guys are okay with it, I'd allow the thing to appear in the book - but Prime - how about a credit? Perhaps "based on RQ6 taxonomic phrasing" tacked to the description?

 

[Loz]

These things happen.



I don't think that Pete or I want your Phase spell to disappear; but the co-credit is a nice idea, so yes - let's do that.

Thanks guys.

 

[Prime_Evil]

Incidentally, I've got a confession to make - the stuff about needing to hold your breath while phasing through objects and being able to "swim" through the ground was inspired by the way Chris Claremont handled Kitty Pryde's phasing abilities during his run on the X-Men. Those comics had a huge influence on me back in the late 1970s and early 1980s....

 

[pachristian]

How does a person walk on the ground while phasing?
Or does the spell have to be combined with "Fly"?

 

[alex_greene]

How does a person walk on the ground while phasing?
Or does the spell have to be combined with "Fly"?

Phase
... The subject can walk on solid surfaces whilst insubstantial (including liquids such as water), but can also choose to sink into the ground by spending a Combat Action. If the character does this, he or she can use the Swim skill to move through the earth. Gravity affects insubstantial characters as normal but they suffer no damage from falling - characters who fall while phased will simply plunge into the earth and may need to "swim" back to the surface ...

I'd like to add that, as one Easter Egg bonus, if your character's phased, they can do that Legolas no-footprints trick in the snow. As well as that walking-on-water trick ...

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Haven't seen this one yet....

Common Magic Spell:
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Purify Wound
Instant, Progressive, Touch

The Purify Wound spell must be cast within an hour of someone taking damage. The spell does not work on Diseases or Poison. When cast upon someone, the recipient adds +10 to their effective Resilience for 1d3 days(per normal healing, Legend Core Book page 86) per level of Magnitude. The caster can decide if the duration is increased or if the +10 bonus is increased, or some combination of the two. This spell is ineffective if First Aid has been applied to the wound.

====

This spell is often used to treat minor injuries. It doesn't really heal anyone but cleanses the wound and helps to prevent infection.

 

[alex_greene]

Haven't seen this one yet....

I think this was what Cauterise was for.