Spes Magna Games

It’s been a while since I’d updated my little site here. I’d went from 17 August all the way through 23 November without a single post. That might be a personal best for website neglect. So, to try to make up for my shocking lack of concern for the Internet, here’s my fifth post since and including Monday. Today, I revisit Christopher Pound’s wonderful random Vancian spell names for three new spells, one each for three different game systems.

Pieritz’s Aqueous Apprehension for Barbarians of Lemuria

Pieritz, Grand Sorcerer and Dread Suzerain, grew tired of those who objected to his heavy hand as a ruler, secure in his belief that his lessers could not fathom his methods and motivations, which surely meant they lacked any standing to criticize Pieritz’s decisions. So, he drew down from cold stars a powerful enchantment, and wove this magic into the sands of the beaches of an archipelago off the coast of his realm. These rugged islands, covered with rocky ground and thorny scrub, became places of exile that need no guards. Once a visitor’s foot touches any of the ensorcelled beaches, Pieritz’s Aqueous Apprehension wriggles in, creating a dread of water that grows stronger in direct proportion to the amount of water the victim faces. Two hands cupped to dip into one of the scummy pools that dot the islands? A tightness in the gut and a slight tremor of the jaw. Faced with the expanse of sea surrounding the island? Screaming terror so great that perhaps clawing out one’s own eyes to never encounter such a fearful sight again.

Magnitude: Third
Cost: 15
Requirements: The Stars ARE Right
Minimum Cost: 11
Difficulty: Demanding (-6)

Eznin’s Spell of Irrepressible Gall for Dungeon World

Eznin, a wizard who bristled at the conventions of polite society, crafted this annoying little spell to create scandal and strife in the Summer Queen’s court. It worked like a charm, leading to one divorce, two duels, and an arrest warrant insisting on Eznin’s immediate imprisonment beneath the infamous Three-Walled Tower.

Level: Wizard 1, Enchantment, Ongoing

The person (not beast or monster) you touch while casting this spell has the gall to say the most inappropriate, offensive things. This spell lasts until the target is subjected to a violent response.

Berus’s Doltish Religion for Swords & Wizardry

Berus long nutured a hatred for clerics, viewing them as drones buzzing about on errands for meddlesome powers.

Spell Level: Magic-User, 5th Level
Range: 240 feet
Duration: Permanent until dispelled

This spell that affects only Clerics. The saving throw against the spell is made at a -4 penalty, and if the saving throw fails, the targeted Cleric abandons his deity in favor of an increasingly bizarre set of doltish beliefs, such as in the healing power of stinging nettles or the divine nature of oats. The Cleric consequently loses the ability to cast spells or affect the undead as long as under this spell’s effects.

Tags: Barbarians of Lemuria, Dungeon World, spells, Swords & Wizardry, Vancian magic

Evil and intelligent, the bajang, a type of lesser spirit, lives in tropical jungles, where it delights in terrorizing settlements. Wicked magic ties the bajang’s lifeforce to a single tree in the forest in which it dwells.

In its true form, the bajang looks like a stunted, stocky human with a blunt nose, wispy hair, and pale brown skin. Its beady orange eyes glare malevolently, and a permanent evil sneer creases its wide, lipless mouth. Instead of fingers, it has bony claws, and its feet resemble the talons of a vulture. The bajang can also take the form of a small wildcat, and its victims most often encounter the bajang in this form. As a wildcat, it has light brown fur and retains its distinctive orange eyes.

A vicious and devious fighter, the bajang delights in attacking the wounded, weak, or otherwise helpless. This monster seldom negotiates, and it may be incapable of telling the truth even to save its own life.

For Barbarians of Lemuria

Attributes: Strength 2, Agility 2, Mind 1

Combat Abilities: 2 bony claws +1, damage d6-1 plus poison; Defence 1; Protection 0; Lifeblood 12

Special: The bajang can turn into a small wild cat at will. It uses magic as if it has two ranks in the magician career. Bajang poison forces the victim to make a Hard strength roll to avoid suffering from painful cramps that impose a -1 penalty to strength and agility for 1d6+1 minutes.

For Dungeon World

Intelligent, Magical, Medium, Solitary, Stealthy
Bony Claws (d10 damage, messy)
16 HP
0 Armor
Close
Instinct: To terrorize the weak
* Ambush even the alert
* Form of a wild cat
* Weave enchantments of disease and loss

For Swords & Wizardry

An opponent struck by the bajang’s claws must make a saving throw or succumb to the monster’s poison, which inflicts wracking pains that cause a -1 penalty on all saving throws and attack rolls for the next 1d6 + 1 rounds. The poison’s effect is cumulative; each failed saving throw increases the penalty and adds one round to the duration. In its natural form, the bajang can cast control winds, hold person, and locate object three times per day each. It can cast cloudkill once per day.

In wildcat form, the bajang retains the Armor Class, Hit Dice, movement, and hit points of its original form. It attacks three times per round, inflicting 1-2 points of damage for each successful bite and front claw attack. If both forepaw attacks are successful in the same round, it can attempt two rear claw attacks for an additional 1-2 points of damage each. A bajang cannot cast spells while in wildcat form.

HD 6; AC 2 (17); Atks 2 claws (1d4 plus poison); SV 11; Special 10% magic resistance, change form, poison, spells; MV 12; AL C; CL/XP 11/1,700

Tags: Barbarians of Lemuria, Dungeon World, monsters, Swords & Wizardry

The humid night breeze rustled the leaves, which shifted just enough to reveal the corpse’s pallid arm.

“Look,” the thief said, pointing.

The thief’s companions followed the finger with their eyes. The leaves covering the body rustled some more, revealing more of the corpse.

“What caused all those wounds?” the fighter said.

“I have a better question,” said the wizard. “Why are those leaves starting to swirl about when the wind hasn’t picked up?”

The pile of leaves, as if they heard the wizard’s query, roared into a vortex of autumn colors before they raced toward the adventurers.

“We’re in trouble,” said the cleric, gripping his holy symbol.

Vampire Tree

The tree itself is immobile, but its leaves fly in swarms at night, hunting for prey much like vampire bats. When a swarm of leaves has drank their fill, they fly back, reattaching their swollen bodies to their branches to pump the blood into the tree. A vampire tree possesses dim intelligence, and its leaves have rudimentary visual and auditory senses combined with keen olfactory powers. A vampire tree fears fire, and will never send its leaves near flame.

For Barbarians of Lemuria

A full-grown vampire tree has hundreds of leaves. The stats below are for the tree’s leaves. The tree itself has no attributes or combat abilities.

Attributes: (for a batch of 10 or so leaves) Strength -3, Agility 3, Mind -1

Combat Abilities: Batch of Leaves +4, damage d6-1; Defence 4; Protection 0; Lifeblood 5

For Dungeon World

Large, Solitary
Flock of Leaves (d8+1 damage, 2 piercing)
20 HP
1 Armor
Close, Reach
Instinct: To drain blood
* Blend into woodlands
* Control flying, blood-sucking leaves
* Fill the air with danger

For Swords & Wizardry

These creatures use their leaves as weapons, releasing the leaves from the branches to fly toward prey. The leaves attempt to attach themselves (attacking as 12 HD monsters) to a body. When attached, they suck blood, doing 2d4 points of damage per attached leaf. Damage is automatic after the first successful attack, each attached leaf continuing to drain 2d4 hit points per round. The leaves are AC 9, and each has only 2 hit points, plus any hit points drained from the victim. The leaves will return to the tree when any being travels more than 120 yards from the parent tree or when the creature has no blood left. The tree can only control 10 leaves at a time. Vampire trees save vs. fire at a -2 penalty, and take +1 extra point of damage for every die of damage done by flame.

HD 12; AC 0 (19); Atks 1d10 leaves (2d4); SV 3 (18 for leaves); Special never surprised, vampiric leaves, fire vulnerability; MV 12 flying (leaves only); AL C; CL/XP 16/3,200

Tags: Barbarians of Lemuria, Dungeon World, monsters, Swords & Wizardry

In life, her name was Annabella Jenkins. She was a student at New Falls High School, but she had few interactions with her peers during the school day due to her mental disability keeping her out of general education classes. Pretty and too trusting, Annabella desired very much to fit in, to have friends, to go to dances, and, above all, to have a boyfriend like Cindy Robinson had.

It was this latter desire that Cindy and some of her friends used to lure Annabella to the catwalk around the town’s watertower. Everyone, even Annabella, for a time had fun. A few beers and a few cigarettes were shared. When things took a turn toward the ugly, it took most of the high schoolers a while to notice. Annabella was the last to notice, and by then she’d agreed to go swimming in the tower.

Frustrated, angry at herself, and too ashamed to admit that she was being made fun of, Annabella climbed the rest of the way to the top of the tower. One of the boys opened it, and Annabella jumped in. It proved a fatal mistake. Pretty and too trusting Annabella drowned. Of course, the death shocked and saddened the town, but shock and sadness were all the justice Annabella got.

The Girl in the Water Tower is a Scary Monster.

The Girl in the Water Tower is scary when it throws down its hair. It wants a real friend.

Fight 4
Grab 5
Chase 3
Scare 3

Qualities
It’s a drowned teenage girl.
Its hair snakes, stretches, and entangles.
It can appear as it did in life.
It cannot be away from the watertower during the day.

Virtues
Health 40
Terror 8

Stuff
Climb Like a Spider ØØØ
* Scuttle Rapidly (Chase +2)
* Stick to Walls and Ceilings

Dangerous Hair ØØØ
* Entangling Mess (Move -1)
* Grab at a Distance
* Wield Weapons (Damage +1)

Weep Horribly ØØ
* Mind-Numbing Grief (Think -2)

Tags: Little Fears, monsters

Favored Magnate Lirram, Archpriest of Tourr, enjoyed manifold blessings from his goddess. When he died, the faithful buried Lirram with all due pomp and circumstance. Years later, his remains were exhumed and cleaned. His bones were fastened together with gold wire and dressed in regal finery. Gold, silver, and jewels decorated his skull. The fabulously ornate skeleton, displayed in the Grand Cathedral, reminded Tourr’s followers that their goddess does reward those she favors.

Then the Merciless Throngs swarmed from the northern wilderness, their rapacious eyes filled with visions of pillage and slaughter. They laid siege to the capital, which quickly fell due to treachery from within. Barbarians surged through streets and into homes and public spaces. Even the Grand Cathedral did not escape the defiling touch of the invaders. One of the Throng snapped Lirram’s skull from its body, hauling away the prize as a trophy.

Since that dark day, Lirram’s Inequitable Fastigium, as the Archpriest’s skull has come to be called, has passed through many hands. Its sacred powers serve the self-serving well, at least for a time. When Tourr’s favor is withdrawn, however, the relic’s owner faces catastrophe and loss.

When Lirram’s Inequitable Fastigium is visible during negotiations of any sort, the relic’s owner has leverage and enjoys +1 forward to parley. In addition to the normal results of parley, *on a 10+, choose 2. On 7-9, choose 1.

* The other party does not later plot against you.
* You do not attract the attention of Tourr†.
* Word of the relic reaches interested ears.

† Tourr: The Goddess of Abundance and Fate. Tourr chooses who prospers and who doesn’t. She rewards her faithful as she sees fit. It is the faithful one’s task to grapple with and to accept the consequences of Tourr’s decisions.

Tags: Dungeon World, magic items