Lore of Death (NEW)

 

Version: 0.9 (2023-10-18)

Lore of Death (Amethyst)

The Lore of Death is the magic of mortality, endings, and the passage of time. The lore also has some applications against the undead. The Lore of Death uses Shyish, the Purple Wind of Magic. Magisters of this lore are known as Amethyst wizards and are rightly feared.

Amethyst wizards are easily confused with Necromancers, but they are a distinct group and will take offense at being lumped together with those vile practitioners of forbidden powers. They are also sometimes confused with priests of Morr on account of the whole gaunt and grim mien, the battle scythes, and the billowing robes.

Lore Skill: Intimidate

MR1

Death’s Messenger

MR: 1

CT: Half

Difficulty: Simple (+10)

Components: A sharp knife (+5)

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: MR minutes

Description: You gain a +10 bonus on Intimidate tests.

Deathsight

MR: 1

CT: Full

Difficulty: Simple (+10)

Components: A handful of dirt from a grave (+5)*

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: 1 hour

Description: You can see spirits (including Daemons, incorporeal undead, and more) normally invisible to the naked eye. When living beings die, you can see their souls leaving their bodies.

Swift Passing

MR: 1

CT: Half

Difficulty: Simple (+10)

Components: Two brass pennies (+5)

Range: Touch

Target: 1 critically injured creature

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: The spell instantly kills any character with 0 Wounds who has already taken a Critical Hit.

Souls dispatched in this way are immune to spells that affect the dead, but the physical body is not so protected and can be animated by a necromancer, for example.

If cast on any Undead, this spell instead forces the target to make a WP Test or be destroyed. Mindless undead have no WP and are automatically destroyed (but must still be hit with a touch attack).

Tide of Years

MR: 1

CT: Half

Difficulty: Simple (+10)

Components: A small hourglass (+5)

Range: Touch

Target: 1 object of Enc 75 or less

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: You cause one non-magical item to age and decay. Items of Poor or Common Quality turn to dust. Items of Good Quality become Poor, and those of Best craftsmanship become Common.

MR2

Final Words

MR: 2

CT: Full

Difficulty: Variable

Components: A piece of vellum (+10)*

Range: Close

Target: 1 corpse

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: You may ask MR questions of the departed soul of a corpse within Close range. The soul is not compelled to answer truthfully (or at all, for that matter), but you’re allowed to try to persuade, trick, or threaten the deceased.

The spell's difficulty depends on how long the body has been dead. Standard (+0) for the recently deceased, Challenging (-10) if 1 hour, Difficult (-20) if one day, Hard (-40) for one week, Very Hard (-60) for a month, and Impossible (-100) for an entire year.  

The spell can be cast only once on any corpse and cannot be cast on creatures without souls, like Daemons and the Undead.

Reaping Scythe

MR: 2

CT: Half

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components: A walking stick, branch, staff, or similar (+10)

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: MR minutes

Description: A scythe of Amethyst energy materializes in your grasp.

The scythe is a magic weapon that does 1d10+8 damage, regardless of Strength, provides WS +10, and has the Fast Quality. The scythe cannot be disarmed or harmed in any way (but it can be dispelled).

Smite Undead

MR: 2

CT: Half

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components: A piece of flesh or sliver of bone taken from an undead creature (+10)*

Range: Medium

Target: 1 undead creature

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: You strike an undead creature with a magic missile that automatically hits for 1d10+MR+WP bonus damage. T and AP apply normally.

MR3

Acceptance of Fate

MR: 3

CT: Full + Half

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components: A nail taken from a buried coffin (+10)*

Range: Self

Target: Large AoE

Duration: MR minutes

Description: This spell causes your allies to temporarily put aside their fear of death.

You and all your allies within the AoE count as having the Fearless talent for the spell's duration.

Corpse Flesh

MR: 3

CT: Full

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components: A bandage taken from a patient who died of his injuries (+10)*

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: 1 minute

Description: Your skin takes on the toughness of mortified flesh. Any Critical Hits against you are reduced by a number of levels equal to your MR.

Any Fel test you take is halved for the duration of the spell as you look and sound more dead than alive.

Steal Life

MR: 3

CT: Half

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components: A vial of blood from the same race as the target (+10)*

Range: Close

Target: 1 living creature

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: You suck the life essence of a target within Close range and use it to heal yourself.

Unless a successful WP Test is made, the target loses 1d10 Wounds, regardless of Toughness Bonus or armor. You are healed of as many Wounds as you inflict. If you already have your full amount of Wounds, you don’t gain any more (though the target is still damaged).

Steal life does not affect Daemons, the Undead, or other non-living targets.

Ward Against Abomination

MR: 3

CT: Full

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components: A piece of a cemetery fence (+10)*

Range: Self

Target: Small AoE

Duration: Concentration

Description: As long as you concentrate (Attack action) and do not move faster than a slow walk, undead creatures must make a WP test to cross the boundary of the Large template. Mindless undead have no WP and will automatically fail this test.

If you force an undead into a position where it must cross the boundary, such as by walking toward it, it automatically passes the test (even if it has no WP).

MR4

Death’s Door

MR: 4

CT: Full

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components: Vial of embalming fluid (+10)*

Range: Self

Target: Large AoE

Duration: MR minutes

Description: Your power over death is such that you can briefly delay the inevitable.

If slain during the spell’s duration, those affected can take a half action (such as attacking) on their normal Initiative before dying. As soon as the action is resolved, death beckons.

If cast by someone with MR 5, the affected get a full round before dying.

The Icy Grip of Death

MR: 4

CT: Full

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components: A thorny rose stem (+10)*

Range: Long

Target: Large AoE

Duration: Indefinite

Description: Targets must make a WP test or be Stunned for 1 round. Stunned targets must make a new test on their next turn, or they will remain stunned for another round.

This spell only works on targets that can be Stunned, so don’t use it on undead, daemons, or huge creatures.

Youth’s Bane

MR: 4

CT: Full

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components: Ivy taken from the grave of a priest (+10)*

Range: Close

Target: 1 living creature

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: You cause the target to age years in a matter of seconds. The target must make a successful WP test or permanently lose 1d10 from S and T.

Whilst it affects animals, youth’s bane has no effect on Daemons and the Undead. Similarly, it does not affect items and natural materials such as food, plants, leather, etc.

MR5

Banish the Undead Horde

MR: 5

CT: Full

Difficulty: Hard (-40)

Components: A vial of pure Shyish, blessed by a High Priest (+15)*

Range: Medium

Target: Large AoE

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: All undead within the AoE are instantly destroyed unless they make a successful WP test. Undead that are not destroyed take 1d10+5 Wounds instead, ignoring T and AP. Note that mindless undead have no WP and are automatically destroyed.

Black Wind of Death

MR: 5

CT: Full

Difficulty: Hard (-40)

Components: An egg-sized amethyst taken from the tomb of an undead lord (+15)*

Range: Long

Target: Large AoE

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: All living creatures in the AoE suffer 1d10+5 Wounds, regardless of AP and T. The lost Wounds cannot be healed by magic, and a character brought to 0 Wounds by this spell immediately dies.