Magic Rules

Power scrolls

Power scrolls are precious artefacts holding ancient and powerful magic. They come in two types: sacred and profane.

Characters with the faith or sorcery skill can invoke powers from sacred and profane power scrolls, respectively. They must hold the power scroll while reading it out loud, just memorizing the incantations isn’t enough.

Knowledge on how to craft power scrolls has been long forgotten. Simply transcribing the incantations on parchment doesn’t work. The Church toils to collect and hoard sacred scrolls, and to burn and destroy profane scrolls.

Invoking sacred powers

Invoking a sacred power takes a full stretch and consumes an omen. The invoker must roll higher than their current corruption on a d12 for the power to work, otherwise it has no effect.

Example

Norman the Priest has the faith skill and a power scroll recording the rite of martyrdom. He can attempt to invoke this sacred power by spending an omen and a stretch. He currently has 2 corruption, meaning that the power is only effective on a roll of 3 or more on a d12.

Invoking profane powers

Invoking a profane power only takes a round. The invoker must spend 1 mana to cast the power, or suffer 2 corruption if that’s not possible.

Invokers can spend a number of enhancement points (EPs) equal to their current mana, before reducing it, to power up a profane power. They can get an additional EP by spending a full stretch instead of a round to invoke the power, by suffering 2 corruption, or by consuming a dark essence. Each can be done only once, but all three can be done together to gain 3 additional EPs.

EPs can be spent to buy the following generic enhancements, or any specific enhancement specified in the power’s description:

1 EP – Double the number of targets.
1 EP – Improve range by one category.
2 EP – Improve duration by one category.
1 EP – Ignore the effects of the magic shield skill.

Example

Philippa has the sorcery skill and two power scrolls recording the eldritch blast and miasma of chaos spells. She currently has 2 mana, meaning she can cast two spells safely.

She first casts eldritch blast with 2 EPs (her current mana), choosing to increase range by a category and doubling the number of targets. The power takes effect and her mana is reduced to 1.

Later, she casts eldritch blast again, this with only 1 EP. She decides to suffer 2 corruption to get a second EP and apply the same enhancements as before. Luckily she suffers no soulblight, the power works, and her mana is reduced to 0.

Later she casts miasma of chaos. Since she has no mana left, she suffers 2 corruption, increasing her total to 4. Moreover, she has no free EPs, but could still decide to get additional EPs by suffering corruption, taking longer to invoke the power, or consuming a dark essence. She decides against it, therefore casting the power in its basic form.

Power range

Touch. Targets must be nearby and be physically touched.
Sight. Targets must be visible and within range 8.
Connection. Targets can be anywhere as long as the invoker has an arcane connection to them. An arcane connection is formed through an object which is closely related to the target (a lock of hair, a personal possession, etc.), which is destroyed upon invoking the power.

Powers with touch or sight range are considered melee or ranged attacks, respectively. All relevant skills and rules apply, as long as it makes sense. In particular, targets can react to powers, and powers can be invoked to counter an attack, assuming the power takes a round to invoke. Powers with connection range aren’t handled as attacks.

Powers can always be cast at a worse range: for example, a power with connection range can be cast with sight or touch range. Furthermore, invokers can always target themselves, no matter the range.

Power duration

Stretch. The power lasts until the end of the stretch.
Watch. The power lasts until the end of the watch.
Lingering. The power lasts indefinitely.

Some powers might end prematurely based on particular conditions. Upon casting, the invoker may also choose a trigger which can end the power prematurely (a word, a gesture, an event, etc.).

Ongoing profane powers can additionally be dispelled by casting the exact same power on the same target. By default, it’s only possible to dispel a power with stretch duration in this way. By spending 2 EP or 4 EP, it is possible to dispel a watch or lingering power respectively.

Magic corruption and miscasts

As previously mentioned, it is possible to invoke a profane power with no mana left and/or with an additional EP by suffering 2 corruption. If both conditions hold true, the invoker suffers 4 corruption and only checks for soulblight once.

Corruption is inflicted before the power takes effect. If the caster resists soulblight, the power works flawlessly. If they suffer soulblight and are killed or incapacitated, the power has no effect. If they suffer soulblight but are still alive and conscious, the power works, but they must roll on the miscast table below.

Example

Philippa attempts to cast eldritch blast while having 0 mana and 4 corruption. Her corruption increases to 6, and she rolls 3 on a d12, causing soulblight! Her corruption is reduced to 3 and her health is reduced from 8 to 5, so she is still conscious. The power works, but Philippa must roll on the miscast table. She rolls an 8, meaning the eldritch blast has an alternative effect. The GM rules that the power heals the target instead of damaging them!

Later, Philippa casts eldritch blast again but this time with 1 EP, therefore suffering 4 corruption at once since her mana is still 0. Her total corruption increases to 7, and she rolls a 4 on a d12, meaning she suffers soulblight again! This time her health is reduced from 5 to 1, so she suffers critical damage: she is incapacitated and suffers a mutation. Since she was incapacitated, the power has no effect.

D12	Miscast
1	Fizzle. The power actually doesn’t work, but there are no other penalties.
2	Eldritch event. A minor eldritch event happens around the invoker: plants wither, blood rains from the sky, the air becomes unnaturally cold, etc. This might spook other people, but otherwise has no significant consequences. Anyone witnessing the event must pass a group WIT save or become frightened.
3	Darkness. Thick magical darkness or fog shrouds all zones within range 1 of the invoker until the end of the watch. It’s impossible to see through it, and light cannot penetrate it in any way.
4	Lost power. The power scroll burns or crumbles to dust and is permanently destroyed.
5	Corruption. The floor, walls, and air around the invoker twirl and change in chaotic patterns. All other characters within range 1 of the invoker suffer 2 corruption.
6	Explosion. Black flames burst from the invoker. All other characters within range 1 of the invoker suffer d6 fire damage. They can attempt to dodge.
7	Wrong target. The power hits the wrong targets, in a way which is disadvantageous for the invoker. Re-roll if this doesn’t make sense.
8	Alternative effect. The power has an alternative effect which is disadvantageous for the invoker, typically the exact opposite of what it was intended to do. Re-roll if this doesn’t make sense.
9	Demon pox. The invoker and all characters within range 1 are exposed to the demon pox disease.
10	Mutation. The invoker develops a random mutation.
11	Summoning. A demon enters the world nearby the invoker. It isn’t necessarily hostile, but its presence will surely spell trouble at some point.
12	Possession. A demon possesses the invoker. The GM makes a secret d12 roll for them at the start of each day. If they roll equal or lower than their corruption, the GM can take control of the character for a whole stretch at any point during the day, making them do the demon’s bidding. Characters who are possessed a second time succumb to the demon’s power, who takes full control of their body, and are effectively dead.

Sacred powers

Rite of bane. Touch, watch. Target an item. It burns demons and undead touching it. If it's a weapon or a shield, it inflicts enhanced damage to demons and undead. If it's armour or a shield, demons and undead attacking the wearer and not overcoming their armour value suffer direct damage equal to what they rolled.
Rite of blessing. Touch, lingering. Target two bottles filled with clean, pure water. They are turned into blessed water.
Rite of courage. Touch, watch. Target a character of human intelligence. The target emanates an aura which fills their allies with confidence and calm. The target and all nearby allies are immune to fear and treat terror as fear.
Rite of healing. Touch, instant. Target a creature. The target heals damage equal to half their STR.
Rite of judgement. Sight, instant. Target a creature of human intelligence and accuse them of a grave injustice. The target is engulfed by flames: they are reduced to ashes if guilty, but left unharmed if innocent. This power doesn't work with minor accusations of little significance.
Rite of martyrdom. Touch, watch. Target two creatures. When one of the two targets suffer damage, half of it is suffered by the other target instead.
Rite of preservation. Touch, lingering. Target a corpse. It can't be affected by profane powers and it will be perfectly preserved, never decaying.
Rite of protection. Touch, watch. Target a character. The target's armour value increases by 1, but only if they don't wear armour. They must show their faith in divine protection! Shields are allowed.
Rite of purging. Touch, instant. Target a demon, an undead, a character who has suffered mutations, or an item which has was tampered with profane magic. The target is banished, killed, or destroyed.
Rite of purification. Touch, instant. Target a creature. The target heals 1 corruption.
Rite of restoration. Touch, instant. Target a creature who is sick or poisoned. Poison is neutralized, and sick targets gain a success towards recovering.
Rite of warding. Touch, watch. Target a zone. The targeted zone and all those within range 1 are enveloped in an anti-magic field. Within the area, profane powers have no effect and demons and undead suffer d4 direct damage per round.

Profane powers

Animal shape. Touch, stretch. Target a creature, who turns into a animal of your choice but of the same size category. You must carry an animal trophy of the chosen animal (the skin, feathers, scales, shell, etc.), which envelop and merge with the target during the transformation and return to their previous state when the spell ends. Targets keep their intelligence, but can't speak. The spell doesn't influence the target's equipment, which simply falls to the ground.
- 2 EP – Turn into an animal which differs by one size category. You can apply this enhancement multiple times to increase the size difference.
Arcane lock. Touch, stretch. Target an item which can be opened and closed, such as a door, a box, or a bottle. The target is locked and can only be opened by a trigger of your choice (a password, a gesture, contact with a specific item, etc.). However, it is still possible to break it.
- 1 EP – The target emits a loud noise if someone attempts to open or damage it without using the proper trigger.
Bewitch. Touch, stretch. Target a creature. The target becomes infatuated with you: they will behave in a friendly and open way and will be willing to help. However, the spell breaks if the target is hurt or clearly taken advantage of.
- 1 EP – Target another creature, who replaces you as the one towards whom attitude is improved.
Burning vengeance. Touch, stretch. Target a creature of human intelligence. Name a person they know and remind them of how they have been wronged by them, no matter if by a small or a big matter. The target becomes obsessed with an irrational desire to take revenge by killing the named person, and they will fully devote themselves to this end.
Eldritch blast. Touch, instant. Target a character or an item. The target is hit by a force blast which works as an attack inflicting d10 damage.
- 1 EP – The power inflicts fire, lightning, cold, or heat damage.
- 1 EP – The attack gains the blast property.
False death. Touch, stretch. Target a creature. The target falls like a stringless puppet and appears dead, even upon close examination. However, they are still very much alive: they can perceive their surroundings and must breathe, eat, and drink to survive.
Fiery taste. Touch, stretch. Target up to 4 rations and/or alcoholic drinks. Rations become extremely spicy: those who consume must pass a STR save or succumb to a terrible stomachache and be incapacitated until the end of the stretch. Alcoholic drinks become extremely potent: drinking one counts as drinking two. Characters with the fire eating skill aren't affected.
Flawed resurrection. Touch, instant. Target the lifeless heart of a creature who died no longer than a stretch ago. A new body forms around the heart and the target's spirit is called back to inhabit it, effectively resurrecting them. The regeneration process takes a watch. The new body is different from the original both in appearance and capabilities. Reassign STR, AGI, and WIT randomly, as done during character creation. Skills and personality don't change, but traits associated with the physical body are removed. Once the resurrection is complete, the target immediately suffers 4 corruption.
- 2 EP – Target a creature who died no longer than a watch ago.
- 4 EP – Target a creature who died no longer than a day ago.
Gift of speech. Touch, stretch. Target a creature, who gains the ability to speak one language you can understand.
Hold secret. Touch, stretch. Target a creature of human intelligence and name a topic. The target is physically unable to talk about the topic, and will compulsively lie if forced to.
Illusion. Touch, stretch. Target a zone. You can create an illusion within its boundaries, which can affect sight, hearing, and smell, but not touch. While you are within range, you can concentrate on the illusion to change it or animate it. While you aren't concentrating, the illusion remains frozen in the state you left it, and only disappears when the power ends.
- 1 EP – You make the illusion animate in a loop until the end of its duration. Creating the loop takes as much time as the loop itself.
Joyous appearance. Touch, stretch. Target a creature. The target's appearance becomes perfect and free of any blemish. Signs of disease, affliction, old age, and mutation completely disappear. The appearance might in fact be too perfect, almost uncanny (the skin is too smooth, the cheeks are too rosy, etc.). The change in appearance is real, not an illusion, but any underlying illness or problem isn't cured and still has effect.
Levitation. Touch, stretch. Target a creature. The target temporarily gains the flyer (lander) trait.
- 1 EP – Improve to flyer (swooper).
- 2 EP – Improve to flyer (hoverer).
Miasma of chaos. Touch, stretch. Target a zone. The zone is filled with red mist flowing from the ground. Characters entering or starting their turn in the affected area suffer 1 corruption. The mist blocks visibility.
- 1 EP – Double the amount of corruption.
- 1 EP – The mist covers all zones within range 1 of the targeted one. Enhance multiple times to double the range.
Occult consultation. Touch, stretch. Target the remains of a creature whose spirit is still lingering in the area (typically, if they died no longer than a watch ago). You may ask one question, but they aren't forced to answer truthfully, if at all. If you enhance range to connection, you may contact the spirit of a long dead creature, even without their remains. In this case, they will answer by knocking on the door to the underworld. This means they can only answer with a number, or a yes-or-no question.
Plague vessel. Touch, stretch. Target a sick creature. You absorb the disease from the target, who is instantly healed. You carry the disease in your body without suffering its effect. You can attempt to discharge it by touching another creature before the power ends. The target can resist the infection with a STR save as usual. If they resist, the disease stays in your body, and you can attempt to discharge it again later. If the power ends before you discharge the disease, you are infected by it yourself, without chance of a save.
- 1 EP – Target another creature, who replaces you as the carrier of the disease.
Purifying flame. Touch, stretch. 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. All creatures it illuminates are immune to poison and disease. If they are already poisoned, the poison isn't neutralized but its effect is suspended. If they are already sick, they aren't healed but they don't suffer negative effects if they fail a recovery roll.
Radiant honesty. Touch, stretch. Target a creature of human intelligence. The target is unable to lie, but also exudes trustworthiness and automatically succeed at reasonable persuasion attempts.
Reanimate corpse. Touch, stretch. Target the corpse of a medium-sized or smaller creature. It is raised as a reanimated corpse under your control (see the Bestiary chapter for relevant stats and rules).
- 2 EP – Increase the maximum size of the targeted corpse by one category.
Silence. Touch, stretch. Target a zone. No sound can be produced or heard within it. Among other things, it isn't possible to invoke powers while inside the zone, but spells can still be cast from outside into it.
Star sign. Sight, stretch. Target a celestial body (the Sun, the Moon, a planet, a star, etc.) at any range. You can subtly alter its appearance (make it slightly larger, smaller, brighter, darker, etc.). You can keep altering appearance as long as you concentrate, otherwise it remains as you left it until the spell is over. Characters with the erudition skill can tell something is different, even if subtle.It is said that some wizards use this spell to encode messages in the stars.
- 2 EP – You can alter target's appearance in a rather evident way, so that pretty much everyone can see the difference.
Summon demon. Touch, stretch. Target a zone and invoke the true name of a demon. The veil between reality and the netherworld is torn, and the demon steps into this world. The demon isn't under the caster's control and behaves according to its own desires.
- 2 EP – The demon must fulfil a demand when summoned, after which it's free. It can still refuse to obey, in which case it is paralysed as if bound by invisible chains. If that happens, you can attempt to bargain and strike some sort of compromise. Typically, demons will be more willing to grant better boons if summoned for longer.
Water breathing. Touch, stretch. Target a creature. Gills and fins appear on the target's body, and their hands, feet, or paws become palmate. The target can breathe underwater and can swim as naturally as they can walk.
Wood shape. Touch, stretch. Target a creature. The target turns into a tree. They are still able to perceive their surroundings.

Combat Rules Bestiary