Lore of Shadow (Grey Magic)

Draft 1: Additional spells might be added, and some spells might be slightly tweaked.

Lore of Shadow (Grey Magic)

The Lore of Shadow is the magic of concealment, illusion, confusion, and occasionally unseen death. It is based on the manipulation of Ulgu, the Grey Wind of Magic. Its Magisters are called Grey Wizards but are also commonly known as illusionists. They are a secretive and somewhat eccentric group, prone to isolating themselves, although some Grey Wizards prefer to hide in plain sight.

Lore Skill: Stealth

MR 1

Bewilder

MR: 1

CT: Half action

Difficulty: Simple (+10)

Components: Unit of alcoholic beverage (+5)* or being at least mildly intoxicated yourself (+5)

Range: Short

Target: 1 creature

Duration: MR rounds

Description: The target must take an opposed Spellcasting vs Willpower Test (+0) or become bewildered.

The degree of bewilderment depends on the degree of success:

·         0-3 Befuddled: Actual normally, but can only take a single Move or Half action each round.

·         4-6 Confused: Either run in a random direction, as determined by the GM, or move slowly around and do something inconsequential. Can defend using reactions but cannot attack or cast spells.

·         7-8 Enraged: Attack the nearest character, friend or foe, with an all-out attack. If the nearest character is out of reach, move as fast as possible and engage in melee combat (making a charge attack if possible).

·         9+ Dumbfounded: The bewildered character is utterly dumbfounded and cannot take any actions, including reactions (parry,  dodge, or counterspell).

Dark Whispers

MR: 1

CT: Move action

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components: A drop of your own blood brought to your lips (+5)* or knowledge of the target’s fears/darkest desires (+5)

Range: Close

Target: 1 creature

Duration: MR rounds

Description: You whisper dark words that cause the target to become Unsettled (-10 to all tests) for MR rounds unless it succeeds at an opposed Spellcasting vs. Willpower test.

The target must be able to hear you speak (both loud noises and silence effects could thus render this spell impossible to use) but need not understand your words.

This spell can be cast as a Move action, so you can also attack during the same round if desired, but the limit to casting only a single spell per round still applies.

Shadow Cloak

MR: 1

CT: Half action

Difficulty: Simple (+10)

Components: A piece of charcoal (+5)* or the cloak you’re wearing (+5)

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: MRx10 minutes

Description: You gain a +20% bonus to Stealth.

The spell immediately ends if you make any noise, including speaking, casting another spell, or failing a stealth check.

Static Illusion

MR: 1

CT: Full + Half

Difficulty: Simple (+10)

Components:

Range: Medium

Target: Small AoE

Duration: MR minutes

Description: This spell works like Lesser Illsuion, except it can only provide a static, unchanging image and/or repetitive sounds.

MR2

Doppelganger

MR: 2

CT: Full + Half action

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components: A lock of hair from a member of the race you are impersonating (+5)* or a doll infused with a drop of blood from the person you are impersonating (+10)

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: MR x 10 minutes

Description: You can take on the appearance (including clothing, armor, and so on) of any other living, humanoid creature (Human, Elf, Orc, etc.).

If you want to look like a specific individual, the test becomes Difficult (-20) if you’re intimately familiar with that person or Hard (-40) if you’re not.

Otherwise, you look like an undistinguished member of the same race. The spell does not disguise your voice, only your appearance. For instance, you may look like an orc, but it’s best to keep your mouth shut around greenskins if you can't speak the Goblin tongue.

Should you somehow act in a suspicious manner, viewers are allowed an Intelligence test to see through the illusion.

Lesser Illusion

MR: 2

CT: Full + Half

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components:

Range: Medium

Target: Small AoE

Duration: MR minutes

Description: This is the lesser version of True Illusion. The effect is the same, but the range, duration, and area of effect are reduced.

Obfuscate Actions

MR: 2

CT: Half action

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components: A sketch of your illusory action (+5)*

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: MR rounds

Description: This spell allows you to perform an act while appearing to do something different. For example, you can seem to all eyes to be doing nothing when you are actually pilfering someone’s pocket. Or maybe you want to appear like you’re humming a tune when you’re actually casting another spell.

Observers are allowed an Intelligence test to see through the illusion, with the difficulty linked to how different the illusory and actual actions are.

If your action affects someone else directly, the target of that action becomes instantly aware if it’s something overt like an attack, but must pass an Intelligence test if it's something more subtle.

If cast successfully, the spell also disguises the act of casting the spell.

Pall of Darkness

MR: 2

CT: Full + Half

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components:

Range: Medium

Target: Large AoE

Duration: MR rounds

Description: You create a swirling area of impenetrable darkness anywhere within range. No one (you included) can see within the area of effect, even with Night Vision (Blindsight works normally). In addition, those within the area (again, you included) can only take a Half action each round unless they make a successful Willpower test at the start of their turn.

Shroud of Invisibility

MR: 2

CT: Full

Difficulty: Normal (+0)

Components: A gossamer shroud (+2)

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: MR minutes

Description: You shroud yourself with magic and disappear from sight.

While invisible, you automatically pass any Stealth check that is opposed entirely by vision, such as hiding without moving. If you move around, you instead get a +40 bonus on Stealth checks.

If you are detected, the spell remains in effect, but you can now be targeted by the person who sensed you, but you get a free reaction against every attack, with a +20 bonus.

Attacking while invisible gives a +20 bonus to WS (if a melee attack), and the target cannot defend using a reaction (both melee and missile). Once you attack, the spell ends.

MR3

Dread Aspect

MR: 3

CT: Half

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components: A shred of cloth taken from a powerful undead creature (+10)

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: MR minutes

Description: You make yourself look like a nightmare creature of purest dread.

You cause Terror in all Humanoid creatures that you are engaged with.

Shadow Knives

MR: 3

CT: Half

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components: A knife of cold-forged iron (+10)

Range: Medium

Target: Up to MR targets

Duration: Instant

Description: You conjure MR magic missiles and hurl them at one or more opponents. Shadow knives do 1d10+3+MR damage, and ignore non-magic armor is ignored.

Shadow Steed

MR: 3

CT: Full

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components: The hoof of a horse that died during the night (+10)

Range: Close

Target: 1 shadow steed

Duration: MR hours

Description: You conjure a steed of shadows and dreams, which you can ride using your Loer of Shadow skill instead of ride. The steed will carry you tirelessly until the spell ends or the first light of dawn.

If you get 3+ MoS you can bring a passenger on the steed, otherwise it's limited to you only.

True Illusion

MR: 3

CT: Full + Half

Difficulty: Challenging (-10)

Components:

Range: Long

Target: Large AoE

Duration: MRx10 minutes

Description: You create an illusion that is a nearly perfect simulation of reality, complete with sight, sound, and smell. You can make the affected look like anything.

You must spend a half action each round maintaining the illusion. Furthermore, you cannot cast any other spells, and the illusion disappears immediately.

Viewers may be allowed an Intelligence test to see through the illusion if they have cause to suspect it’s a trick, so the more natural you make it look, the better.

The precise effects of the illusion are up to the GM to determine and should follow the guidelines of common sense.

Universal ConfusIon

MR: 3

CT: Half

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components: The preserved eyes of a Chimera (+10)

Range: Medium

Target: Large AoE

Duration: MR rounds

Description: All targets within the AoE must make a WP test or suffer the effects of the Bewilder spell.

MR4

Demi-Shadow Monsters

MR: 4

CT: Full action

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components:

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: Instantaneous

Description:

You conjure MR half-real creatures from the Realm of Shadows. The creatures are equivalent to wights in all regards, but their semi-real nature means any damage they do after Toughness and Armour is halved.

Gray Death

MR: 4

CT: Full action

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components:

Range: Medium

Target: You

Duration: 4 rounds

Description: The air becomes heavy with noxious fumes that nauseate and eventually suffocate whoever is caught in the area of effect.

·         Round 1: The target must take a Toughness test or become Fatigued.

·         Round 2: The target must take a Toughness test or become Stunned.

·         Round 3: The target must take a Toughness test or become Unconscious.

·         Round 4: The target must take a Toughness test or die.

The spell only works in darkness or shadow and is countered by sunlight or equivalent magic.

Programmed Illusion

MR: 4

CT: Full + Half action

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components:

Range: Long

Target: Large AoE

Duration: MRx10 minutes

Description: This spell is identical to True Illusion, but you do not need to spend any actions to maintain the illusion. You must decide beforehand if the illusion will move or change throughout its duration.

Greater Shroud

MR: 4

CT: Full action

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components:

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: AS Shroud of Invisibility, but you can affect an additional MR creatures.

Shadow Walk

MR: 4

CT: Full action

Difficulty: Difficult (-20)

Components:

Range: Self

Target: MRx100 yards

Duration: MR rounds

Description: Each round, while the spell lasts, you can step from one shadow (or patch of darkness) to another by using yor Move action, instantly disappearing and reappearing by crossing the Realm of Shadows.

This is an excellent way to bypass obstacles or enemies and gain a tactical advantage (gain a +20 bonus to any attack made against a creature you have advantage over).

The Realm of Shadows is a parallel dimension to the waking world, filled with thirsting shadows, fevered dreams, and ancient horror. It is not the same place as the Realm of Chaos, although the two are easily mistaken.

MR5

Realm of Shadows

MR: 5

CT: 3 half actions taken over 3 consecutive rounds

Difficulty: Hard (-40)

Components: A vial of distilled shadow (+10)* or a

Range: Self

Target: You

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: You step sideways through the veil between worlds into the Realm of Shadows (or vice versa). This is similar to how the Shadow Walk spell functions, but you do not immediately exit. Instead, you remain in the Realm until you decide to leave by casting this spell again.

Storm of Shadows

MR: 5

CT: Full

Difficulty: Hard (-40)

Components:

Range: Long

Target: Large AoE

Duration: Instantaneous

Description: The spell works the same as Shadow Knives, but every eligible target is struck by MR knives.