[Sorcery] Michael's daily sorcerous spells thread

[Michael Thayne]

The rules for conjured allies in DF5 and DF9 left me somewhat unclear on whether the Minion enhancement was necessary. I decided to include it, but removing it would save 4 points.

Summon Air Elemental
Keywords: None.
Full Cost: 19 points.
Casting Roll: None.
Range: The summoned elemental appears at arm's length.
Duration: Indefinite.

You can summon an air elemental to do your bidding. Each time you summon an elemental, it makes a reaction roll. On a Poor reaction or worse, it will obey you, but try to subvert your commands or otherwise act against your interests. If the reaction is Neutral or better, it will serve you reasonably faithfully. If a summoned elemental dies, you cannot cast this spell again for 24 hours.

Summon elementals should be built on half your point total. Statistics for a basic air elemental can be found in GURPS Magic, p. 28, while ideas for customizing air elementals can be found in Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners, p. 27.

Statistics: Ally (Air Elementals; Built on 50% of points; Constantly; Conjured, +100%; Minion, +50%; Sorcery, -15%) [19].

[Michael Thayne]

This build really stretches the definition of "wall", but it seems to me the difference between "curtain of fire descends for a split second" and "fire blast hits everyone in its path over the course of a split second" is largely cosmetic. Substitute "crushing damage from air magic" for "fire" and you get this spell. +0% struck me as reasonable for the random twisting because it's like Wall, Shapeable (which costs 30% more than a regular Wall) only you don't control it.

Twisting Terror
Keywords: Area (Special).
Full Cost: 22 points for level 1 + 5 points/additional level.
Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: Instantaneous.

Conjures a small tornado that rips across the ground, smashing everything in its way. The caster must choose a starting point (calculate distance penalties from that point). The twister appears there and cuts a swath one yard wide by three yards high. To find total distance travelled, look up the level of the spell on the Leveled Area Table (GURPS Thaumatology: Sorcery, p. 9) and read "radius" as "distance". The caster does not control the path – each yard, roll for Scatter (p. B414) to determine the direction moved.

Anyone the tornado would touch may attempt to dive for cover (p. B377) to get out of its path. Other active defenses are ineffective. Success means that person ends up on the ground, unharmed. The tornado can sweep over a victim repeatedly, doing damage with each pass. If that happens, diving for cover is useful just once.

Those who fail to get out of the way are pummeled with a 2d crushing attack; this is large-area injury (p. B400). Use double damage to calculate the amount of knockback, and Scatter to determine its direction.

Needless to say, this spell is best cast at a safe distance from the caster and any allies!

Statistics: Crushing Attack 2d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; No Signature, +20%; Persistent, +40%; Nuisance Effect, 1 second duration becomes instantaneous, -5%; Reduced Duration, 1 second, -20%; Sorcery, -15%; Wall, Permeable, +30%; Wall snakes randomly, +0%) [22]. As a special effect, those in the path of the twister are hit in quick succession rather than all at once. Additional levels add Area Effect (+50%) [+5]. This spell originally appeared in GURPS Magic: Artillery Spells, p. 10.

[Michael Thayne]

Ha! A simple build.

Walk on Air
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost: 34 points.
Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: 30 minutes.

The subject gains the advantage Walk on Air.

Statistics: Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Walk on Air, +180%; Extended Duration, 10×, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10×, +15%; No Signature, +20%; Sorcery, -15%) [34]. Notes: “Walk on Air” is Walk on Air (Magical, -10%) [18].

[awesomenessofme1]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Ha! A simple build.

Walk on Air
Keywords: Buff.
Full Cost: 32 points.
Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: 30 minutes.

The subject gains the advantage Walk on Air.

Statistics: Statistics: Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage, Walk on Air, +180%; Extended Duration, 10×, +40%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10×, +15%; Sorcery, -15%) [17]. Notes: “Walk on Air” is Walk on Air (Magical, -10%) [18].

Shouldn't it be [32]? Base cost [10], then (1+1.8+.4+.15-.15)=3.2

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1

Shouldn't it be [32]? Base cost [10], then (1+1.8+.4+.15-.15)=3.2

Absolutely. Somehow I got it right on the "Full Cost" line but not in the little square brackets. Though actually it should be 34 because I forgot No Signature.

[Michael Thayne]

Today, I'm taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming to say, "hey guys, we're less than a week away from having complete write-ups of the entire Air College, what do people want me to do next? Animal spells? Earth spells? Something else?" I know people are reading this thread—based on the view count, there appear to be dozens of you (dozens!). So who wants to speak up and influence the future of this thread?

[Michael Thayne]

The last lightning spell. The end of an era.

Wall of Lightning
Keywords: Area (Special).
Full Cost: 25 points for level 1 + 4.5 points/additional level*.
Casting Roll: None. Use Innate Attack (Gaze) to aim.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: 30 seconds

Creates a ring-shaped wall of lighting 12' high. The caster can give the ring any radius up to the maximum indicated for an Area (Leveled) spell of the spell's level.

Anyone touching the wall takes 1d burning surge damage per second. Metallic armor counts as DR 1 against this attack, but nonmetallic armor protects normally. Targets stuck by this attack must make an HT roll, at -1 per 2 points of penetrating damage, or be physically stunned. Furthermore, all rolls to see or hear across the wall are at -1.

This is also a Weather spell.

Statistics: Burning Attack 1d (Area Effect, 2 yards, +50%; Extended Duration, 3×, +20%; Link, +10%; No Signature, +20%; Persistent, +40%; Selective Area, Only to limit effect to edge of area, +10%; Sorcery, -15%; Surge, Arcing, +100%; Variable Area, +5%) [16] + Obscure 1 (Hearing; Extended Duration, 3×, +20%; Link, +10%; Ranged, +50%; Selective Area, Only to limit effect to edge of area, +10%; Sorcery, -15%; Variable Area, +5%) [4] + Obscure 1 (Vision; Extended Duration, 3×, +20%; Link, +10%; Ranged, +50%; Selective Area, Only to limit effect to edge of area, +10%; Sorcery, -15%; Variable Area, +5%) [4]. Further levels add Area Effect (+50%) to Burning Attack [+2.5], Obscure (Hearing) [+1], and Obscure (Vision) [+1].

* Calculate the total cost and then round down (because the Burning Attack costs just 16.5 points before rounding).

[Michael Thayne]

Left off the blinding part, because it seemed odd for this spell to have it and Windstorm to not have it. I also noticed I've been somewhat inconsistent as to what exactly a +10% version of Selective Area gets you (compare my past handling of Sandstorm to my handling of Wall of Lightning), but I'm not entirely sure that's wrong—some limitations are too minor to be worth even -5%. But I guess you could make "mandatory selective area" into a feature of sorts, if you wanted to make Wall of Lightning and Wall of Wind slightly cheaper.

Wall of Wind
Keywords: Area (Leveled).
Full Cost: 62/75/117 points for levels 1-3.
Casting Roll: IQ.
Range: 100 yards.
Duration: Indefinite.

Creates a ring-shaped wall of wind one yard thick and four yards high. The caster can give the ring any radius up to the maximum indicated for an Area (Leveled) spell of the spell's level.

Any DX-based skill checks made within the wall's thickness, and any ranged attacks passing through it, are at -3. Creatures standing within the wall's thickness also suffer 1d crushing damage, doubled, for the purposes of knockback only.

Statistics: Level 1 is Control Air 2 (Ranged, +40%; Accessibility, only to create a wall of wind, -30%; Link, +10%; Nuisance Effect, cannot move storm, -5%; Sorcery, -15%) [40] + Control Air 1 (Does not increase area, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Accessibility, only to create a wall of wind, -30%; Link, +10%; Nuisance Effect, cannot move storm, -5%; Sorcery, -15%) [10] + Crushing Attack 1d (Area Effect, +50%; Double Knockback, +20%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%; Cosmic, No Attack Roll Required, +100%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Increased 1/2D, 10×, +15%; Link, +10%; No Signature, +20%; No Wounding, -50%; Persistent, +40%; Reduced Duration 1/180, -40%, Requires Concentrate, -15%; Requires IQ Roll, -10%; Selective Area, Only to limit effect to edge of area, +10%; Variable Area, +5%) [12]. Level 2 adds Area Effect (+50%) to Crushing Attack [+3], removes "Does not increase area" from the third level of Control Air [+10], and adds Control Air 1 (Only to increase area, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Accessibility, only to create a wall of wind, -30%; Link, +10%; Nuisance Effect, cannot move storm, -5%; Sorcery, -15%) [10]. Level 3 adds Area Effect (+50%) to Crushing Attack [+2] and adds Control Air 4 (Only to increase area, -50%; Ranged, +40%; Accessibility, only to create a wall of wind, -30%; Link, +10%; Nuisance Effect, cannot move storm, -5%; Sorcery, -15%) [40].

[pialgo]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Today, I'm taking a break from our regularly scheduled programming to say, "hey guys, we're less than a week away from having complete write-ups of the entire Air College, what do people want me to do next? Animal spells? Earth spells? Something else?" I know people are reading this thread—based on the view count, there appear to be dozens of you (dozens!). So who wants to speak up and influence the future of this thread?

I speak up :)

I really like your work, more sorcery spell are always good. I'm particularly interresed on spell that sorcery can't do very well like Blocking spell and other specials cases like meta-spell, wish, or even other method of enchanting/buff object spell (Scroll, potions, ...)

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by pialgo

I speak up :)

I really like your work, more sorcery spell are always good. I'm particularly interresed on spell that sorcery can't do very well like Blocking spell and other specials cases like meta-spell, wish, or even other method of enchanting/buff object spell (Scroll, potions, ...)

Glad you like it! The encouragement means a lot to me, since it's felt like a lonely project, though I know by the numbers a decent number of people are reading. I am probably going to continue picking a college and converting it thoroughly, rather than devote a lot of time to exclusively doing hard-to-convert spells. And I honestly don't relish the thought of trying to come up with conversions for some of the weirder Blocking spells, like the ones in the Gate college, which I've shared my thoughts on in this thread. So for now I plan to focus on relatively straiaghtforward colleges. Next will probably be the Animal college—though I have others on my mind, including Body Control, Illusion and Creation, Light/Darkness, Necromancy, and of course the remaining "elemental" colleges.