Spell Learning
All wizards are jealous with their knowledge, as a wizard’s safety is only ensured insofar as he can best his strongest rival. There are no schools of magic, only masters willing to take apprentices. Yet masters are miserly in their training, lest the prices of their devil-bargains be bargained higher by too many callers. There are secrets in the deep places, and he who knows the most gains an advantage.
As such, a wizard’s spell book, or grimoire, is never particularly thick. Its contents are determined as much by the chance falling of cosmic dust as by anything else. Every spell is rare and powerful. Ingredients are scarce, rituals are lengthy, and mind, soul, and body can be threatened with each casting. Thus, grimoires are guarded fiercely. A grimoire can have many forms. White wizards use spell books; shamans use strings of carved bones; necromancers record spells on scrolls of flayed flesh; Cthulhu cults have rune-inscribed stones; clerics use prayer beads; idolaters utilize sacred gongs; and star-sayers record constellations whose forms contains power.
An experienced wizard learns to recognize magic in all its form, so that he can better steal it.
Determining spells at a new level: A wizard knows spells as indicated on table 1-12: Wizard. At each level, the wizard learns new spells.
In the course of his travels, a wizard may come across recordings of spells. He may steal another wizard’s grimoire. He may find etchings in a lost tomb. He may make acquaintance with a generous demon. He may consult with the corpse of a deceased rival. Should a wizard have a source of knowledge for a new spell, he may choose to learn that spell when he reaches a new level instead of rolling randomly. If the wizard has not come across sources of such knowledge, then his spell choice is determined randomly. He chooses the level of spell he wishes to learn, as limited by the Max Spell Level for his wizard level, and randomly determines the spell. Duplicate results may be re-rolled. The random results reflect the chaos of fate: a spell is a result of finding a transcription, translating and understanding it, communing with whatever powers are necessary to cast it, acquiring the requisite ingredients, and, finally, succeeding in the associated rituals. At any given time a wizard may be working on unlocking a variety of spells, but the ones in which he succeeds are limited.
Learning a spell: Just because a wizard finds a description of how to cast a spell doesn’t mean he can actually pull it off. Your character must make a check to learn the new spell to which he is exposed. Your judge will give you the criteria for this check.
Picking and rolling: Although the concept of randomly determined spells is entertaining and fits with the original concept of Vancian magic, the author has found that it can be disruptive in actual play. No one wants to play the wizard with four useless spells! If the random determination results in a level 1 wizard with useless spells, the author recommends allowing the player to drop up to half the randomly produced spells and choose replacements.
Ritualized Magic
The spells listed here are primarily oriented around an adventuring wizard. As such, they do not include the great rites and rituals of the era: those magical invocations which take weeks or months to complete and which can tap into recondite energies beyond the scope of Man. Know that there are more powerful rituals - of a longer duration and more difficult casting time - than those described here. These rituals typically mandate spellburn and sacrifices of various kinds, for which the caster can summon forth unearthly creatures from beyond space and time, whose powers are not limited by the physics we know. Such works of magic are reserved for future volumes.
With that caveat, it is also possible to cast ritualized versions of the spells presented here, which are more powerful than their more mundane brethren. Especially for wizards, a ritualized casting of a normal spell can generate exceptional results. Typically this ritualized version is actually a different incantation than the normal version of the spell, and as such is considered specialized knowledge that must be discovered or devised in its own manner. Ritualized magic for clerics can also involve some of the following conditions but is typically influenced by the highly specialized rites associated with the worship practices of the cleric’s deity. The following conditions apply to ritualized magic, subject to the approval and interpretation of the judge.
Circle of mages: Having a spell invoked by multiple wizards at once can improve its power. One wizard amongst the circle is the primary caster and contributes his spell check and die type to the casting. Each wizard past the first adds half his spell check bonus (including spellburn) to the collective spell checks (tracking fractional benefits, so it takes two individual +1 contributors to grant a +1 bonus to the circle) to a maximum benefit of +10. When the spell check die is rolled, the casting mage can roll a number of times equal to the number of mages in the circle, keeping only the highest die roll and ignoring all lower results. For example, if there are five wizards in the casting circle, the caster can roll up to five times and keep the highest result. A casting circle has a minimum casting time of 1 turn per mage involved and is often closer to 1 hour per mage involved, and may be longer still depending on the nature of the spell. Additionally, if any corruption does occur, it is shared by all mages involved.
One additional benefit of a casting circle is the ability for multiple mages to contribute to any additional spells cast during the ritual. For example, the spells wizard staff and breathe life may require casting additional spells to imbue a staff or golem with a particular power. With multiple mages involved in a casting circle, the primary caster may have access to special properties beyond those in his own spell list.
Sacrifice: Sacrificing treasure or creatures can improve the result of a spell check. Treasure typically must have some relevance as an ingredient to the spell being cast (for example, a stash of gemstones may help a color spray casting). Depending on the nature of the spell, a benefit of up to +4can be obtained via material sacrifice, in rapidly advancing increments: up to 500 gp = +1, 501-2,000 gp = +2, 2,001- 5,000 gp = +3, and 5,001+ gp = +4. Sacrificing the enemies of the caster or his patron or creatures appropriate to the spell type (e.g., un-dead corpses for a chill touch spell) can grant a bonus of up to +1 for every 5 HD of creatures sacrificed, to a maximum benefit of +4. The judge’s discretion and good taste is encouraged in limiting sacrifices of living creatures or humanoids within the game. Sacrifices always require a ritual in the manner of their offering, which typically takes an hour or more.
Location of power: Casting a spell at a place of power can improve its result. Sometimes this place of power is a ley line, a standing stone, a cemetery, or other place of natural magical significance; other times, it is a place specific to the spell, such as the elemental plane of fire for a fireball spell. Casting a ritualized version in a location of power typically increases the die type by one size (according to the dice chain) but adds at least 1 turn and possibly a full hour to the casting time.
Rare ingredients: Extraordinarily rare spell components may require a quest to obtain, but can aid in a casting with a bonus of up to +4. The ritual to prepare the ingredients takes time in the questing, time for pre-casting preparation, and time in the actual casting.
Automatic corruption: Offering one’s own mortal shell for the consumption of supernatural powers can greatly aid a casting but is extremely painful. Any casting ritual where the caster offers to voluntarily accept corruption can add an extra +2 to +6 bonus to the spell check result, at the result of a mandatory corruption of minor (+2), major (+4), or greater (+6) variety.
Extra duration: Extended casting times, with relevant chanting, bell tolling, incense burning, and other contributions, can aid a spell check. Typically, every day spent in casting adds an additional +1 to the spell check. The wizard may be required to fast during this time to contribute to the duration. Any time spent casting does not count as normal rest, and the wizard catches only short, restless cat naps during this time; he is not well-rested and will not heal naturally or recover spells during this time.
Known Spells of the Current Era
There are 716 wizard spells. No more, no less. This number is known because Leetore the Limicker, a great mage of the fourth aeon, successfully contacted a somnolent elder god that sussurated several secrets (in limerick form, of course) before drowsing off forever. It is the measure of success for every wizard to fill his spell book with as many of these 716 spells as can be found in his lifetime.
Thus, the spells that follow are by no means all the spells in the world. They are merely some that are known among the more quotidian wizards of Aéreth. As most wizards will never see more than a few of these spells recorded together, they are listed here as a convenience for play, nothing more. Should your character ever know more than this many spells, he will be a great mage.
Cleric spells are not so rigidly defined. Each god’s domain offers both powers and limitations, such that the boundaries of a cleric’s magic are a bit more flexible. And the gods themselves change over time, of course.
Spells are organized alphabetically. The tables below organize the spells by level, while each spell entry provides more detail.
Spell entries: Each spell includes the following elements: Manifestation: When one spellcaster faces another, he does not necessarily know what spells are being thrown at him; all he can observe is the visual effect. This entry provides options for the visual manifestation of a spell. When a caster first learns a spell, he learns to create it with one of these manifestations. (The player can roll randomly or choose.) The same spell may have completely different manifestations in the hands of different casters.
Corruption: For wizard spells, a randomized list of potential corruption effects, which can potentially occur when the caster rolls a natural 1.
Misfire: For wizard spells, a randomized list of potential misfire effects, which can potentially occur when the caster rolls a natural 1.
Wizard Spells
* As per cleric spell of same name. Because the wizard version of the spell is a different spell level, the wizard receives a -2 penalty to spell checks when casting it. For example, binding is a level 2 cleric spell but a level 3 wizard spell; therefore, when rolling on the spell table, the wizard applies a -2 penalty to spell checks. On a result of natural 1, the wizard suffers a 50% chance of major corruption or misfire, rolling on the generic tables as appropriate.
** If either patron bond or invoke patron is rolled, the wizard receives both of these spells, but they count as only one spell slot.
*** Ignore this result if the wizard does not have the spell patron bond. If the wizard has that spell, he also gains the appropriate patron spell. Consult your judge for more information.
Cleric Spells
Patron Spells
| Patron | Invoke Patron results | 1st Level | 2nd Level | 3rd Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobugbubilz | Tadpole Transformation | Glorious Mire | Bottomfeeder Bond | |
| Azi Dahaka | Snake Trick | Kith of the Hydra | Reap The Whirlwind | |
| Sezrekan | Sequester | Shield Maiden | Phylactery of the Soul | |
| The King of Elfland | Forest Walk | War Horn of Elfland | The Dreaming | |
| The Three Fates | Blade of Atropos | Curse of Moirae | Warp & Weft | |
| Yddgrrl, the World Root | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Obitue-Que | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Ithha, Prince of Elemental Wind | N/A | N/A | N/A |
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