Spirit Magic - desigining an elemental spirit

[BenQ]

Trying to get to grips with Spirit Magic for a campaign I'm planning. From the character creation section, I see a new character with the shaman profession will have either 2 intensity level 1 spirits or one intensity level 2 spirit.

In the setting I'm using, the characters will be entering an area where the air is toxic. I would like the shaman character to have a spirit that enables them to breath the air freely, so looking at the Spirit Magic chapter, that sounds as if an elemental spirit might fit the bill, linked to the air rune. Sound reasonable?

What the section on page 144 doesn't describe is what 'intensity' refers to in this context? I also don't quite understand how to create the spirit. Can explain how this works?

Thanks!

 

[Antalon]

Hello BenQ

Intensity is specifically listed for the example Animal Spirits, but applies to all spirits. It is simply a measure of their potency / power with the same function as magnitude for spells.

When creating a spirt, intensity is based on the POW of the spirit as follows: up to 12 POW equals intensity 1, 13 – 18 is 2, 18 -24 is 3, 25 – 30 is 4 etc.

Antalon.

 

[BenQ]

Thanks!

So looking at the outline of elemental spirits on pg. 144 I get:

Intensity 2 spirit, sylph
POW=1d6+12
Size = 2 cubic metres
The INT, CHA and abilities are equal to an elemental of a corresponding size.

To find out what these are, I need to turn to the creatures section on pp. 167-171 which covers the elementals.
Here I see that if I need a SIZ figure, it is equal to its hit points (p. 167)
Only one hit location & no armour

I want to design a Sylph. p.170 tells me that at 2 intensity (ie. 2 cubic metres) it has:
4d6 STR = 15
2d6 POW = 5
2 INT = 2
3d6+18 hit points = 30 (1 hit location)
4d6 DEX = 13

Brawn and damage modifiers are STRx2

Derived from this I get:
SIZ = 30
Persistence = POWx3+10 = 25%
CA = 2
Damage modifier = +1d2
Magic points = 5
Movement = ?
SR = 8
Armour = none
Traits none
Skills: Brawn 30%, Engulf 100%?, Persistence 25%, Stealth ?%

Realising that the elementals are described in the creature section, and that intensity refers in elemental spirits to no. of cubic metres, this was straightforward. Only a few bits I don't have filled in now:
Stealth = ?
Movement = ?
I also assume that Engulf is 100%, but is this correct?

Thinking back to the reason for wanting to create this spirit in the first place, do you think it would be reasonable to assign to this spirit the ability of protecting those within a certain radius from tainted air?

 

[Antalon]

I think the rules draw a distinction between the 'spirit' of an elemental, and the 'physical' manifestation as detailed in the creatures chapter - the difference being that a physical elemental needs a sufficient SIZ of suitable material to embody.

When binding and invoking an elemental spirit, a spirit magician can embody some aspect of the elemental. So, enabling a spirit magician to perhaps fly with the sylphs powers. Stats for these elemental spirits would not include the physical aspects (such as HPs etc). The skills for spirits are outlined on the box on page 143. As such, the stats would be slightly different from what you've calculated and would only benefit the spirit magician.

Having said that I see no problem with your approach - the spirit magician gets the elemental to invest the air around them, with a special ability to keep the air pure. As a special problem, make the benefit time-limited. The spirit itself perhaps needs a quest to some lonely, windswept peak to persuade the 'Great Wind of the Mountain of ??' to aid them - a negotiation rather than a spirit binding, but perhps it needs some spirit walking and discussion while local predators or tribal enemies attack the party.

When the PCs need their clean air, they can invoke their bargain.