1SPELLS AND MAGIC

Casting spells is difficult and uncertain, but someone has to do it - Court Wizard Algeron d' Tunis

The power of a simple illusion in politics and warfare cannot be denied. The most subtle effects can send hordes fleeing- Court Wizard Guidon

Court Magic

 

D E M A G O G U E

The priestess barely knew what hit her; a bag was thrown over her head and she was taken, the screaming for her guards muffled by the thick, smelly leather. As she was hidden in a closet, she thought she heard her own voice speaking to the servants: "Oh, that sound. Don't mind it, I'm sure it's just some mice."

Demagogue is one of the more powerful Court Wizard attack spells, as it allows a wizard to prevent a kingdom or realm from performing any actions during a single turn, except for making income and trading resources and other actions which do not require the presence of the ruler.  The spell costs 15 spell points for various teleportation and illusion spells and 5 bags of gold for various bribes.  While many Court Wizards with access to libraries have tried to create a more powerful version of this spell to allow them to actually take the place of the ruler while the spell is in effect, attempts thus far have remained unsuccessful.

 

S H I E L D   O F   I N V I S I B I L I T Y

Just as the thief reached his perch on the mountain tree and had pulled out the expensive spyglass, he saw a wavering in the air just beyond the hills where the Kingdom that he was hired to spy on lay.  He could see the glistening towers of silver for a moment, but after that, the wavering in the air became a heavy mist.  Mist surrounded the entire kingdom, the thief would see nothing that day.  Meanwhile, far south in the city of Demfaril, the Court Wizard of Jykad gazed into a crystal ball, spying on the same kingdom. The crystal ball revealed nothing but the clouds of mist and light that the thief had also seen.

Shield of Invisibility is a magic spell that allows Court Wizards to prevent others from seeing into the country.  Even Farsight spells are affected by this spell. A Shield of Invisibility requires 5 spell points, and lasts for 1d4 turns or until dispelled by its caster or another.

 

F A R S I G H T

The Court Wizard Kernal held up a crystal ball on the end of his staff, and muttering a few words over the crystal ball began to show all else in the room what was going on in the distant Kingdom of Lameria. He held the crystal ball closer to his Lord King and closed his eyes to empower the sphere. "Aha." The king cried, peering into the crystal ball and watching the spells being cast there. He turned to the Battle Wizard wearing brown robes beside him. "They are bringing forth a Tsunami!"

Farsight allows Court Wizards and their rulers to peer into the Kingdoms of others for a small cost of 5 spell points.  Farsight is probably the most useful spell in the game.  To look inside private buildings or beneath the ground into caves, a Wizard must refocus his or her power and concentrate harder, which many may not be able to do.  There are some reports of incidents where Wizards trying to use Farsight on each other's kingdoms have accidentally made telepathic contact, which has recently resulted in an attempt to create a spell that allows Wizards to communicate in such a way.

 

I L L U S I O N A R Y   A R M Y

The Wizard held up his hand when the Lord Mercenary told him to, throwing a few specks of dust into the air.  The wind suddenly swirled in the dust and leaves, picking up pieces and swirling them around and finally into shapes of humans. The Wizard shook his open hand at the figures, a spark of light flashing in his palm as helmets and armor appeared on the shapes. They fell silently behind the main troops, a single troop of archers. Apparently that little stunt had tipped the odds in their favor and caused the enemy to flee.

The Illusionary Army allows a Court Wizard to summon illusionary forces. He or she may summon 1 unit of spearmen or archers and 1 unit for every level over 1.  This spell requires 10 spell points but only 10 spell points no matter the size of the army. By spending 1 bag of gold per unit for armor and supplies, a Wizard can summon 1 unit of cavalry or pikemen. By spending 2 bags of gold per unit, a Wizard can summon 1 unit of knights or an artillery machine.  Illusionary forces cannot cause any actual damage, loot or pillage, or behave in any way other than to follow the directions of the Wizard in moving and pretending to attack.

 

A L C H E M Y

The Lord hated to disband his troops this way, but he badly needed the money. He took all their spears, their armor, their helmets,... everything down to their greaves and handed them over to the wizard, who placed them in a vat filled with an odd colored, odd smelling solution.  After a few hours, all the metal had changed to pure gold.

Perhaps Alchemy is much more useful than Farsight.  For only 5 spell points, a ruler of a kingdom may sell units, ships, and other products for the exact same price that he bought them at, rather than half the price which would be what the general market would give back for them.  Greed and enhancement of the knowledge of alchemy has resulted in research culminating in the discovery of Improved Alchemy.

 

I M P O V E D   A L C H E M Y

The Court Wizards that had trained at the Alchemical Guild were greatly relieved to discover that Improved Alchemy had finally been released in Mage Libraries throughout the world, and quickly rushed to buy their own copies, amazed to discover that they barely had enough money for it.  When they went home and turned all their iron items into platinum, they began to understand why.

Improved Alchemy is a little bit more expensive then Alchemy, requiring 10 spell points to perform the ritual. A ruler of a kingdom may sell units, ships, and other products for 1.5 times the normal price that he bought them at.  Improved Alchemy is a researched spell and is only available where Mage Schools and Libraries are built together, at a cost on top of that, too.

 

C L O U D E D   V I S I O N

"Your Majesty! All the Crystal Balls in the kingdom refuse to work!" The Wizard rushed into the throne room, holding a crystal orb in front of him, dark and cloudy.  They had been watching the frenzy of research in the Mage School Library of the Camali for the past few months. "Blast! They've found it." The Imperial Lords of Delardu conquered the Kingdom of Thinuel that evening; the Thinuelians never knew they were coming. Later, the tome of Clouded Vision was a staple in classes of magic teaching Defensive and Offensive Applications of Single Spells, though highly expensive.

Clouded Vision is a Court Wizard spell requiring 10 spell points to cast. It prevents a single kingdom from casting any Farsight spells for the next 1d4 turns.  Clouded Vision is a researched spell and is only available where Mage Schools and Libraries are built together, at a cost on top of that, too.

 

Subtlety?.... Bah! - Fire Battle Wizard Arthrax the Pyromean

You think dispelling spells is EASY ? - Last Words of Gvarus Bodina, Earth Battle Wizard

They say Air Wizards are batty. I think we're more like butterflies. Flutter, Flutter, Flutter. - Air Battle Wizard Aerina Pollux

What do you mean...'Am I WET ?' - Qualthor, Water Battle Wizard

Battle Magic

 

E N E R G Y   B L A S T

The Fire Wizard peered out from his perch on the mountain cliff. They would be coming around that bend, he thought to himself.  When he saw the battalion of armed knights march through on black horses, he raised his arm almost like a salute, then swung it down toward them. A flash of light burst from his fingertips just as a huge fiery explosion erupted where the knights were once standing. They ran in every direction, those that were not killed; he must have gotten the general. The Wizard smiled to himself and went back home.

Energy Blast is very typical for Battle Wizards as it is the first destructive magic they learn to harness.  It need not appear as a fiery blast, however, it could be lightning from the skies, an explosion of internal energy, a flaying of particles held in the wind, a sudden burst of water above their heads... probably any number of elemental controls, even a small, localized earthquake that swallows up the unit.  For a cost of 5 spell points, this is an extremely effective spell in combat and otherwise. There is only one known limitation, the victims of the spell must be visible to the Wizard casting at them.  Damage will be resolved randomly, but higher level Battle Wizards usually cause more damage than lower level ones.

 

T E L E P O R T

The Wizard stood up suddenly and heavily blinked, vanishing in an instant. She found herself two kingdoms away near the Palace of Darsitia Venul. 'Darn', she thought to herself. That random effect was acting up again. She'd have to fine tune it once she got back home. Better start walking!

Using 5 spell points, a Battle Wizard may teleport anywhere up to 3 kingdoms away, or 300 miles over the sea. The Teleport spell can sometimes work at greater distances than 3 kingdoms, but there is a chance of failure. On a failure, the teleport is short by 1d4 kingdoms.  Failures will be resolved randomly, but higher level Battle Wizards usually will be more successful than lower level ones.

 

E N E R G Y   S T O R M

The two Battle Wizards stood on the mountain top, facing out toward the Dark City of Gevirnon, and the other cities of the Evil Kingdom of Sardoth. In their mind's eye, they could see all the units of cavalry and knights that were patrolling the plains. With a sudden shout, each Battle Wizard released the fury from within: clouds of pink and purple energy gathered over the plains, shooting down ball lightning the size of houses, and colored in red and green.

Energy Storm is one of the more expensive Battle Spells, costing 20 spell points.  Every single unit in a kingdom is affected as though by an Energy Blast spell, though with reduced damage.  There are only a few known limitations: the Battle Wizards casting the spells must be together to cast magic cooperatively, and the Battle Wizards must be able to see the borders of the kingdom to be affected. So, either they must work in conjunction with a Court Wizard casting Farsight, or be at a very high place such as a mountain or in a flying ship.

 

T E L E P O R T   U N I T

"We are ready, your... Mageship!" The young captain spoke up. "Excellency will do!" "Yes, your excellency." The Wizard stepped out of the red and gold campaign tent. She saw that the men in the unit were standing just as she had directed them to.  She formed an image of the location in her mind, opened the gateway of energy and the opened her eyes allowing the energy to flood outward. She blinked again, opening her eyes to discover that the unit was gone.

Teleport Unit allows a Battle Wizard to use Teleport on a whole unit: men, horses, armor, and all.  The spell has the same limitations as the Teleport spell. Teleport Unit costs 15 spell points and 1 bag of gold for exotic spell components.  On a failure, the unit is not teleported at all. There has been some discussion about being able to Teleport whole armies and not just units at a time in order to prevent from losing a few stragglers behind and being able to take the Wizard with them. Many have tried, failed, and died, to make the clich'e shorter.

 

S H I E L D   O F   P O W E R

The two Battle Wizards went and stood on towers at opposite ends of the kingdom. They closed their eyes and let the elemental energy flow around them. A hum filled the air for miles. Suddenly the Wizards opened their eyes, rays of light shooting from their eyes to the far reaches of the kingdom.  A shield of resonating energy gradually built up around the kingdom. By the time the Shield was in place, the Wizards collapsed, exhausted.

Shield of Power costs 20 spell points, and as such usually requires more than one Battle Wizard. No one may enter or leave the Kingdom for 1d4 turns.  Some attempts have been made to create a single spell that will combine the effects of the Court Magic Shield of Invisibility with the Battle Magic Shield of Power, but so far no known successes have occurred.

 

U L T I M A T E   T E L E P O R T

When Dregfal the Insane, an Earth Battle Wizard claimed that he could teleport around the world, people laughed at him.  When he returned some 20 years later, the general population found him more insane. A few Battle Wizards though he was a genius, and had actually teleported around the world.  After generations of questioning the obscure one, they finally procured the Tome of Ultimate Teleportation, which sent shockwaves through the Mage School Library of the known kingdoms. In the back of the book was a list of 9000 different kingdoms that Dregfal had visited.

Ultimate Teleport requires 20 spell points and 5 bags of gold for various expenses. There are very few Battle Wizards that can use this spell without relying on powerful magic wands and staffs.  Any kingdom that the Battle Wizard is aware of, he or she can teleport there without error.  Ultimate Teleport is a researched Battle Magic spell and is only available where  Mage Schools and Libraries are built together, with a cost on top of that, too.

 

B L O O D L U S T

Among the Spells of War, the Tome of Bloodlust has been lost, rediscovered, lost, rediscovered, and lost again. The last time it was discovered by a General Warlord of Gvirmonis, a powerful Fire Battle Wizard.  He quickly made copies of the Tome and sent one to the Council of War Magic, another one to the Council of Destiny, and a further one to the Council of Gvirmonis. Needless to say, this erupted in a bloodthirsty war between the three councils.  The Council of Destiny made further copies of the Tome until finally every Mage School Library in the known kingdoms had one.

Bloodlust requires 5 spell points, plus 1 spell point per additional unit affected by the spell. It enhances the combat ability of the units to a great extent but makes them easier to wound.  Battle Wizards with Bloodlust may cast this spell on any visible unit and the spell will last until the end of the turn.  Bloodlust is a researched Battle Magic spell and is only available where Mage Schools and Libraries are built together, with a cost on top of that, too.

 

C O U N T E R S P E L L

The Earth Battle Wizard Dumbledin raised his hand, preparing to dispel the incoming Energy Blast near the Battle of Dolumnel. He hoped that his information was right.  He had gathered around him valuable materials of silver and electrum in case he needed to force the great energy of reversal through them instead of allowing it to rack through his body. He pulled the energy from the earth sending it across river and mountain to the great Battle. In his mind's eye he saw the Air Battle Wizard Aetheria summoning forth yellow balls of lightning and sending them toward the Imperial Knights. 'Ahhh, yesss.' the thought seemed to remain forever in his mind, the energy shot forth over time and space, canceling out the yellow balls of lightning.

Counterspell is an Earth Battle Magic, available only to Earth Battle Wizards.  The spell costs a measly 5 spell points, which makes it possibly the most powerful spell in the game. There are a few dangers to the use of Counterspell, though. The exact name of the spell must be known through either espionage or Farsight.  If Counterspell is cast but the perceived spell was not cast, the spell costs 10 spell points instead of 5.  If the Battle Wizard cannot afford the additional 5 spell points, he must spend 5 bags of gold instead (the silver and electrum in the example above).  If this expenditure is not made, the Earth Battle Wizard dies.

 

V U L C A N I S M   /   T S U N A M I

The Kingdom was in great trouble. Through his stupidity the King had managed to make both a local guild of Fire Battle Wizards and a local guild of Water Battle Wizards extremely angry.  One still day, the peasants of the kingdom got up to see mountains bursting forth from the ground, with lava spewing everywhere to their east, and a huge tidal wave rushing in on them from the west.  Needless to say, the Kingdom doesn't exist anymore.

Vulcanism and Tsunami are both 30 spell point attack spells cast by Fire Battle Wizards and Water Battle Wizards respectively. They both deal a great deal of damage to all units in the kingdom, as well as to buildings, forests, and fertile plains.  Damage is determined randomly but higher level Battle Wizards will deal more damage than lower level Battle Wizards. Despite the description of the spells, damage done to lands is not permanent: damage to buildings and units is.

 

F L I G H T

The Warship soared over the desert. "This isn't right. Ships aren't supposed to fly!" the navigator said. "It's shorter than going the other way, silly!" laughed the Air Battle Wizard as she leaned out over the railing, her hair whipping freely in the wind.

For a cost of 5 spell points per vessel, an Air Battle Wizard can give a naval vessel the ability to fly over the land for 1d6 turns. More powerful Air Battle Wizards can make the ship fly for a longer periods of time than lower level Battle Wizards.

 

Spells are powerful in destructive ability, but it requires godly power to heal. - Thera Dominelle, High Priestess of Aleina.

Unless Fire Battle Wizards have trained to hone their craft, rampant disease is the true destroyer. - Goryel Daryth, Dark Lord of the Temple of Semnor

Divine Blessings and Curses

 

H E A L I N G

The cleric gazed pitifully around her. How could she heal them ALL? Raising her hands in prayer to her Goddess, she radiated healing energy. In a few moments, those that had been mortally wounded were fresh anew again, as though they had just been recruited, full of energy and vitality.

Healing will cancel the previous effects of a damaging spell or attack to some extent, and is one of the most useful Divine Blessings for only 5 spell points.  Amount healed is determined randomly, but more powerful Priests and Theogians will be able to heal more damage than lower level Priests and Theogians.

 

S H I E L D   O F   F A I T H

It was a time of darkness for the holy kingdom of Guinamarel. The Dark Lord laughed down at them from his dark temple on top of Mt. Ashkel. The 3 Priestesses of Furda stepped forward, combining their prayers and their energy to bathe the city in a heavenly light from above.  When the Dark Lord attempted to drive demons of disease into Guinamarel, they were halted by the light.

When the Shield of Faith is cast in place for only 10 spell points, the kingdom is protected by the gods of its faith.  No curses may enter the kingdom or be cast from the kingdom.  The Shield of Faith may be renewed for 5 spell points each turn, but if the Shield of Faith remains for too long a time, the powers of the priests and theogians will begin to dwindle as their deity saps their power for itself.

 

F E A S T   O F   T H E   M A R T Y R S

The Feast of the Martyrs is summoned by the Priests of the God Tevarel, Lord of the Dead and those whom have passed beyond. The Martyrs are those whom have died keeping their faith. The Priests summon forth a large bounty of food and drink, to benefit the celebration of the war ending, and also to honor those that had died in the way, and to enjoy life once again as it had been.

The Feast of the Martyrs provides enough food for the entire population of a kingdom in the form of meats, breads, and wine. For 5 spell points, this spell is generally required in case of long periods without a way of producing or trading for food and drink.

 

D A R K   E N E R G Y   /   H O L Y   F L A S H

These two spells have been waged in holy battles since time began. One uses the negative powers of powerful emotions. The other uses the powers of love and hope to defeat darker forces. The priestess dressed in a white robe held up her hand and a sparkle of rainbow light burst forth, only to be swallowed up in the dark cloak of the Dark Lord. In response, the Dark Lord raised his hand and a ray of black light shot out, striking the priestess in the chest.

Both of these energy attacks require 10 spell points, and may only be used against units that can be visibly seen. A certain amount of damage is done based on alignment and/or general behavior of the unit. Damage is determined randomly, but higher level priests or theogians will generally cause more damage than lesser level ones

 

D E A D L Y   P L A G U E

There is no greater force of evil than the Plague, personified in many cultures as Yellow Death, Red Death, Black Death, and a host of other colors and effects. The dark lords have mastered the ability to control this dark force and move it from kingdom to kingdom, infecting those it passes by.

The Plague that is summoned for 15 spell points has a decimating effect on the population. For every unit, there is a certain chance that anyone in the unit will die. In addiition, due to the effects of the disease, trading is halted completely and no buildings may produce anything of any sort until the plague is dealt with. Also, certain plagues may have a negative effect on military performance. Deadly plagues last for 1d4 turns, although more powerful priests may be able to lengthen it further.

 

D E M O N I C   H O R D E   /   A N G E L I C   L E G I O N

Trumpets blare from the sky, and the swoosh of a thousand wings can be heard coming closer. The peasants look up to see an Angelic Legion assaulting the dark castle Claymore. Each strike of their holy flaming swords bringing down stone after stone. Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the Holy Temple of Atlantis is experiencing attacks from the shadows.

These two spells require 25 spell points to cast and 5 bags of gold each. These creatures are summoned to assist in battle and mundane activities for 1d4 turns. Some priests may summon hordes and legions for longer than normal based on their faith. If there is no battle to wage, the creatures will work for the benefit of the kingdom adding 1d3 Kingdom Points per turn of labor.

 

 

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