Magic

Casting spells

As a round action, characters can cast a spell by reading a sacred or arcane scroll out loud. Each scroll contains a single spell and can’t be duplicated: they aren’t simple pieces of parchment, and knowledge on how to craft them has been lost. Reading from the scroll is required; it isn’t possible to memorise the incantations: for unknown reasons, the human mind repels the memory.

Spell level

Casters can enhance spells to improve their range or duration by a category, to double the number of targets, or in other ways specific to each spell. The same enhancement can be applied multiple times. The spell level equals 1 plus the number of enhancements.

Sacred spells

Sacred spells depend on the favour of the caster’s divinity and are subject to their whims. The caster must spend an omen and roll above current corruption plus twice the spell level on a d12; otherwise, the spell has no effect.

Arcane spells

Arcane spells channel pure chaos and are extremely dangerous. The caster automatically suffers corruption equal to twice the spell level. If they suffer damage due to corruption, the power still works, but the caster must roll on the miscast table below, even if they are killed or incapacitated. Re-roll if the result doesn’t make sense or isn’t applicable in the current situation.

Spell range

• Touch (default). The caster must touch the target. The spell works as a melee attack. It can be countered, dodged, and guarded against.
• Sight. The caster must see the target. The spell works as a ranged attack. It can be countered, but not dodged or guarded against.
• Connection. The target can be anywhere as long as the caster has an arcane connection to it. An arcane connection is formed by holding an object closely related to the target (a lock of hair, a personal possession, etc.), which is then destroyed. The spell doesn’t work as an attack and can’t be reacted to.

Casters can always target themselves, no matter what the spell range is.

Spell duration

• Fleeting (default). Lasts until the end of the stretch.
• Prolonged. Lasts until the end of the watch.
• Lingering. Lasts indefinitely.

The caster may declare a trigger which ends the power prematurely (a word, a gesture, a trigger, etc.). Instantaneous powers have an immediate effect and therefore no duration.

Mana

Characters with the sorcery skill have a pool of mana. When they cast an arcane spell, they reduce its power level by their current mana to determine how much corruption they suffer, even down to 0. After the spell is cast, they lose 1 mana. Mana is recovered by resting.

Rituals

Characters can cast a spell as a ritual as stretch action rather than a round action. This lets them apply a free enhancement without increasing the power level. The spell targets must constantly be within range during the whole ritual, otherwise they are unaffected. The caster may cancel a ritual casting at any moment, in which case they don’t spend omens, mana, or suffer corruption.

Dispelling

Characters may dispel an ongoing spell by casting it again on the same target. This counts as casting with power level 1, 2, or 3 if the targeted spell has fleeting, prolonged, or lingering duration, respectively.

Sacred spells list

• Aegis of Faith. Target a creature. The target appears surrounded by a blurry barrier and gains armour 1. It doesn't stack with equipped armour. The spell ends prematurely if the target is incapacitated, killed, or suffers corruption.
  • Enhancement: increase armour to 2. You can only apply this enhancement once.
• Bless Water. Instantaneous. Target up to 2 bottles filled with clean water, which turn into blessed water.
  • Enhancement: you can target dirty water, no matter how filthy. It is cleansed and purified, turning pure and crystalline.
• Call to Judgement. Instantaneous. Target a person and accuse them of a grave injustice they have allegedly committed. The target is engulfed by flames: they suffer d10 fire damage if guilty, but are unharmed if innocent. This spell doesn't work with minor accusations of little significance.
  • Enhancement: the flames burn the guilty into ashes, killing them on the spot.
• Chant of Banishment. Instantaneous. Target a demon and pronounce its name. The target is instantly banished.
• Chant of Unbroken Bravery. Target a creature. The target is immune to fear and morale. The spell ends prematurely if the target is incapacitated, killed, or suffers corruption.
  • Enhancement: the target emanates an intangible aura of bravery. Everyone else, friends or foe, in the same zone is also immune to fear and morale. Enhance again to double the range.
• Prayer of Absolution. Instantaneous. Target a creature. The target heals 1 corruption.
  • Enhancement: double the amount of healed corruption.
• Saint Austeria's Miracle of Healing. Instantaneous. Target a creature. The target recovers d8 health (at most half the maximum).
  • Enhancement: restore half the maximum health. Enhance again to restore health to the maximum.
• Sanctuary of Purity. Target a zone. It is enveloped in a barely visible, translucent dome. Within it, arcane spells and magic items don't work, and demons, undead, and creatures born out of arcane magic suffer d4 direct damage at the end of each activation.
  • Enhancement: all zones within range 1 are also covered by the dome. Enhance again to double the range.
• Sigil of the Exorcist. Target an item. The burning sigil of the two-headed serpent appears on it, making it impossible for demons, undead, and creatures born out of arcane magic to voluntarily touch it.
  • Enhancement: a holy sigil burns incandescent on the item and is clearly visible. Demons and undead are frightened by it.
• The Martyr's Burden. Target two creatures. When either of them suffers damage or ability loss, half is transferred to the other.
  • Enhancement: as long as one of the targets lives, the other does as well, no matter how terrible their wounds are. However, if they were supposed to die while under the effect of the spell, they succumb once it ends.
• Watch Over the Final Repose. Target a corpse. It will not decay and can't be targeted by arcane spells.
  • Enhancement: the body acts as a conduit to the spirit of the demised. People can pray in front of the corpse and ask a question. The spirit might sporadically grant an answer.
• White Flame of Sarush. Instantaneous. Target an unlit light source, such as a candle, an oil lamp, a torch, or a bonfire. It is instantly lit with a bright white flame. The flame grants protection from poison, venom, and disease to those under its light, but doesn't cure already afflicted people.
  • Enhancement: the flame is particularly intense, and the light radius is doubled. If this enhancement is applied more than once, the light becomes so bright that it blinds anyone looking directly at it.

Arcane spells list

• Astro's Magnificent Lock. Target an item which can be opened and closed (a door, a box, etc.). The target is locked and can only be opened by a trigger of your choice (a special key, a password, a gesture, etc.). It can still be broken. The nature of this spell is unknown, but some posit that it conjures an invisible demon holding the object closed.
  • Enhancement: the target emits a loud scream if someone attempts to open or break it.
• Awaken the Eternal Servant. Target the corpse of a tiny or medium creature. It is raised as an undead. It keeps its STR, halves AGI and WIT, loses all skills, and gains the undead and frenzied traits. The corpse is only driven by the desire to destroy the living, but won't turn against you. It is impossible to raise the same corpse again after it has been destroyed.
  • Enhancement: you can target the corpse of a huge creature.
  • Enhancement: the corpse retains the intelligence it had in life. It maintains its WIT score and skills, and doesn't acquire frenzied. It still can't harm you, but might not like its current condition…
• Bestial Metamorphosis. Target a person. The target's bones and flesh are painfully rearranged, turning them into an animal at the end of their next activation. Until then, they are unable to act. They retain their intelligence, but can't speak, and their gear falls to the ground. Every individual always turns into the same beast, their spirit animal. The GM picks one or rolls a d12: 1) cat; 2) small dog; 3) light horse; 4) mule; 5) sheep; 6) bat; 7) rat; 8) wolf; 9) boar; 10) deer; 11) hawk; 12) viper.
  • Enhancement: the target retains the ability to speak.
  • Enhancement: if you carry an animal trophy, you can turn the target into that specific animal instead of their spirit animal. The trophy merges with the target for the duration of the spell.
• Bewitch. Target a creature. The target becomes infatuated with you. They are extremely friendly, but also rather obsessive. They keep their free will and won't be easily convinced to do something harmful or against their morals. The spell ends prematurely if you hurt them or take advantage of them.
  • Enhancement: the target is compelled to obey, without question, one single request coming from you, triggered by a sentence pattern of your choice. However, this will break the spell after their next activation.
• Blessing of the Deep One. Target a creature. Gills and fins appear on the target's body, and their hands and feet become palmate. They can breathe underwater and swim as naturally as they can walk.
  • Enhancement: the target also gains the ability to communicate with water creatures.
• Burning Fire of Vengeance. Target a person, name someone who wronged or offended them, even slightly, and remind them how. The target's blood boils with anger, and they become obsessed with an irrational desire to take revenge by killing the named person. If they are in their presence, they will do what they can to harm them.
  • Enhancement: the target becomes so obsessed that they will hunt and seek the named person, no matter where they are.
• Chaotic Miasma of Change. Target a zone. A twirling, multi-coloured mist raises from the ground within it. It blocks visibility, and characters who exit or end their activation in the mist suffer 2 corruption. Plants and even inanimate objects also change in weird ways.
  • Enhancement: double the amount of corruption.
  • Enhancement: the mist covers all zones within range 1 of the targeted one. Enhance multiple times to double the range.
• Damnable Conjuration of Morkarr. Target a zone. You open a dark portal to the Netherworld within it, just long enough for a demon to step through it. The demon isn't under your control and behaves according to its own desires. It will be banished back when the spell ends, or whenever it wishes to return itself. You can summon a specific demon by calling its name; otherwise, the GM chooses.
  • Enhancement: draw a circle on the ground. The summoned demon is bound within its boundaries until it accepts a bargain with you. The demon might refuse or try to negotiate.
• Deathly Curse of Tramar. Instantaneous. The range of this spell can't be enhanced; it is always centred on the caster. All living, tiny creatures within close range and who can hear the curse must pass a group STR roll or die. The caster, demons, and undead are unaffected.
  • Enhancement: the spell works one zone further.
  • Enhancement: the spell also affects medium-sized creatures. Enhance a second time to also affect huge creatures.
  • Enhancement: the targets automatically die without a STR roll.
• Deceitful Demise. Target a creature. The target is paralysed and falls to the ground like a stringless puppet. They are incapacitated and appear dead even upon close examination, but must still breathe and will suffer from hunger and thirst. The spell ends if the target is hurt.
  • Enhancement: the target doesn't have to eat or drink while under the influence of this spell.
  • Enhancement: the target is able to perceive what happens around them while under the influence of this spell.
• Doom Covenant. Target a person with whom you want to seal a bargain. You summon a demon to bear witness and act as a guarantor: it will punish whoever breaks the deal while under the influence of this spell. The nature of the punishment is decided by the demon: it might be death, possession, one's soul, etc. You can summon a specific demon by calling its name; otherwise, the GM chooses.
  • Enhancement: you can't be punished even if you break the bargain. However, there is a 1:4 chance that the demon will find a loophole and will still be able to.
• Dreadful Leech. Instantaneous. Target a creature. A leech-like tentacle projects from your mouth, biting the target and sucking their blood. The target suffers d6 damage and you recover an equal amount. This spell can be evaded and guarded against also at sight range.
  • Enhancement: your attack gains the grab property. If you do grab the target, you can pull them towards you, and you can keep inflicting damage with this spell while you keep hold as your round action.
• Flawed Resurrection of Görst. Instantaneous. Target the lifeless heart of a creature who died during the current stretch. A new body slowly forms around it by the end of the stretch, and the target's spirit is called back to inhabit it, effectively resurrecting them. The new body, however, is different from the original in appearance and capabilities. Reassign STR, AGI, and WIT randomly, as done during character creation. Skills, memories, and personality don't change, but physical traits such as permanent injuries or mutations are lost.
  • Enhancement: you can target someone who died on this day. Further enhancements add another day.
• Mindworm. Target a creature. You are able to perceive what they perceive. However, you are unaware of what happens around your own body, which appears to be locked in deep meditation. You can voluntarily go back to your body, but only if you are within the range at which you cast the spell.
  • Enhancement: you can also telepathically communicate with the target.
• Mirtello's Most Excellent Illusion. Target a zone. You create an illusion within its boundaries, which can affect one sense (sight, hearing, or smell, but not touch). While you are within range, you can concentrate on the illusion to change or animate it. When you stop, the illusion remains frozen in the state you left it.
  • Enhancement: you can make the illusion animate in a loop by itself.
  • Enhancement: the illusion can affect another sense.
• Occult Consultation. Instantaneous. Target the remains of a person who died during the current scene, whose spirit is still lingering in the area. You may ask the spirit one question, but they aren't forced to answer truthfully, if at all. If you enhance the spell's range to connection, you may contact the spirit of a long-dead person. In this case, they can only answer by knocking on the door to the underworld: the answer can be yes-or-no (knock once or twice) or a number.
  • Enhancement: the target can't lie, but they can still choose not to answer.
  • Enhancement: double the number of questions you may ask.
• Pankratius's Blast of Vengeance. Instantaneous. Make an attack inflicting d10 damage. It can be evaded and guarded against also at sight range.
  • Enhancement: the attack inflicts fire, lightning, cold, or heat damage.
  • Enhancement: the attack gains the blast property.
• Plaguebearer's Gift. Instantaneous. Target a creature. The Rot God blesses the target, who immediately contracts an infectious disease, even if they are immune to it. You can choose any disease you have previously encountered and know about.
  • Enhancement: you empower the disease with the blessing of the Rot God. Cures don't work against it, only natural recovery or magic.
• Shroud of Quietness. Target a zone. No sound can be produced or heard within it.
  • Enhancement: the spell also affects other zones within range 1. Enhance multiple times to double the range.
• Sorcerer's Tongue. Target a creature. The target gains the ability to speak a language of your choice.
  • Enhancement: you can target a beast, who also gains a burst of intelligence to be able to converse. By applying this enhancement a second time, you may even target plants. A third time lets you target inanimate objects.
• Swift Chariot of the Winds. Target a creature. The target is raised by the wind, gaining the flying trait. The winds are too turbulent and the target is unable to do anything requiring finesse, including attacking, while flying. The spell ends immediately once the target touches the ground again.
  • Enhancement: the target is able to act while flying.
  • Enhancement: the target also gets the fast trait while flying.
• Taste of Fire. Instantaneous. Target up to 4 portions of food or alcohol. Food becomes extremely spicy, and alcohol incredibly strong. Those eating the food must pass a STR roll or succumb to sudden acute diarrhoea. Drinking one unit of alcohol counts as drinking two. Characters with the fire-eating skill are unaffected.
  • Enhancement: the food and alcohol actually burn the innards of those who consume them, inflicting d6 fire damage. Enhance again to improve the damage die to d10.
• Unbind the Chains of the Soul. Target a creature. The target's spirit is separated from the body, which appears deep asleep. The spirit is ethereal and can fly and cross solid barriers. It can return to the body to end the spell prematurely.
  • Enhancement: the target can read the superficial thoughts of other by touching their brain while in spiritual form.
• Way of the Ten Thousand Steps. You must prepare this spell by drawing or carving a matching sigil on two doors. You can target either door to open a portal connecting them.
  • Enhancement: upon casting, specify a key which is required to use the portal. This could be an actual key, an item, a password, a gesture, etc. Those who attempt to cross the portal without the key are stopped by a solid barrier.