Necromancy/GoldenH
== Labyrinth Circle == http://hammerand.com/NecromancyGoldenH.jpg
Wind of Fear
Cost: 20 Motes
The Abyssal opens her mouth and emits a high pitches scream; but silent it is to the ears who accompany her. A foul wind picks up, embodying the darkness and terror of her soul, and seeks out her target, which can be many leagues away, as long as it can be seen, perhaps by there camps at night.
The wind flies through the air with it's foul scream along an erratic path, silent to those not within it; unlucky birds and flying insects caught in it fall to the ground dead, stricken by the horrors it endures. Upon reaching it's destination, it comes in along the ground, picking up speed until it comes amongst its prey as a shrieking gust that breaks through most magical enchantments, causing campfires to flicker and die, tents and unsecured embankments to tumble over, and spooking animals to either flee at their fastest speed or die as they trample each other and their masters in a frenzied stampede.
For humans and other creatures (such as spirits, god blooded, exalted and their familiars), reduce their Valor by one dot per dot of the Abyssals’ permanent essence to a minimum of their own permanent essence (1 for mortals), and force an immediate virtue roll - those who fail will be unable to continue in whatever quest they have undertaken unless their leader succeeds at a successful Leadership roll (Charisma + Presence) at a difficulty of the necromancer's essence.
Valor recovers at a rate of one every Abyssals’ Essence in hours. So, if an abyssal with Essence 4 cast this spell, the leader would have to roll 4 successes to get his men to do anything (assuming he himself succeeded the valor roll; if not, he is naught better and must flee the field with his men). They will recover Valor at one dot per every four hours, until it has reached it's maximum. At that point the commander can roll a simple Charisma + Presence roll to inspire his troops, shaking off the effects of this spell.
Dark Transformation
Cost: 20 Motes
Dark and filthy creatures follow in darkness' tread, feeding off the death and becoming swollen with darkness and disease. With this rite, the Abyssal may complete the symbiosis, sacrificing a corrupted life in order to corrupt herself. The Abyssal bites off the head of the foul beast, or possibly the whole thing, and then her body writhes in silent agony as the transformations occur.
Until the sun next rises, the Necromancer gains some of the traits of the fell beast, similar to the effects of the Solar Survival charm Bestial Traits Technique (p180 BWB), except that the character may suffer gross physical changes that do not obscure her physical appearance.
For instance, an Abyssal wishing to emulate a snake's bite must first find a living snake to consume, then emulate both the bite and the poison - the abyssal would grow fangs in this case, and the fangs would be able to transmit the poison. Any natural armament the Abyssal may have supplants the need for such an effect.
Another example would be growing wings - the Abyssal might bite off the head of a bat, or possibly a passing dragonfly as part of this spell - the Abyssal would then grow wings, and then the wings would allow hovering, and then true flight.
Consuming a spider could give it's many eyes (360 degree vision?), extra legs (and the ability to travel on webs), and spinnerets. Consuming a scorpion might give it's tail and pinchers.
While the eyes might change and a change in coloration might occur, this does not allow them to have a Deadly Beastman Transformation-like effect - their face is still human, marred as it might be by mandibles and cat-like eyes and striped like tiger's. Fur cannot cover their entire body, though it might enough to keep them warm under their cloak, and though their body might harden to become chitinous and strong, it would not be to the point that anyone would ever confuse them for a anything but what they are - an evil, shapechanged Abyssal Exalted.
Horror's Awakening
Cost: 30 Motes
Even the darkest creature can be twisted into something more foul and horrible. Thorough the use of this ritual on an as-yet unborn thing, it can be twisted into a servant of darkness that will be forever loyal to the one who cast this spell. If used on a human or other creature which carries it's young within, the mother takes health levels of aggravated damage equal to the permanent Essence of the sorcerer - treat extras as if they have only 3 HL. If it is an egg, then the egg, of course, it shatters. Either way the child always survives.
The gestation takes as little as 9 weeks from the day this ritual is performed, during this time the Abyssal must entrap the mother and feed her the foulest things; even poison and that which should kill both mother and child only makes the child stronger, regardless of how much pain may be inflected. If it an egg, soaking it in a mixture of the Abyssals’ blood mixed with the darkest poison every so often is a good idea to keep the egg soft enough for the creature gestating within to break through.
When the bond between abyssal and child has grown strong, it is born in a mess of blood and gore, a twisted mockery of what it should be. It's bones are hard and unbreakable, sometimes breaking through the flesh which is nevertheless tight against them, and it is immune to most poison and disease. It is strong and tires more slowly than mortal creatures, and does not need sleep, bound as it is to the Abyssals’ Essence. It serves its creator in all ways, automatically being intelligent enough to understand the demands made of it, though its ability to perform these feats are of course dependant on the type of creature it is.
A creature enchanted with this spell will not die of old age, save by leave of the Abyssal Exalted who created it, it heals at a rate of 1 Aggravated health level/day, is immune to any poison or disease with a difficulty to resist of 5 or less, it does not require real food, being able to subsist even in the underworld on ghostly flesh, and is in all ways a supernatural creature.
This ritual may be used repeatedly on a familiar, even after birth, in order to corrupt it fully. Each application strengthens the creature by one dot and causes further maturation, though no decrease in strength. This also takes 9 weeks, and ages it by a year or more, so that at 5 dots it will be at it's mortal prime.
Summoning the Winter’s Crypt
Cost: 20 Motes
Times often come when even the most powerful warrior must retreat. Thus, it is no surprise that even the most powerful necromancer comes to a time when she must withdraw. Gathering her companions to her, the Abyssal gives a parting remark to the enemy commander, who hears it no matter where they are, and hurls an orb of ice containing a tongue of fire to the ground, shattering it instantly. A maelstrom of ice explodes outwards from the Abyssal, driving all foes away. At the edge of the cloud forms a barrier of ice, stalagmites barring the path of any who seeks to follow those who flee.
For a number of turns equal to the Abyssals’ essence, these stalagmites cannot be broken, and drain the heat away from any who touch them, doing the Abyssals’ Essence in unsoakable lethal damage. Afterwards, it is just normal ice, and the method of the Abyssals retreat is uncovered.
A few blocks of an unremarkable icy maze awaits them, but should they follow, they will travel into a land of ice-filled death where neither food nor heat will comfort them, chilling all the way to the soul. Light shines above from a cloud-covered sky, and crystals of ice crunch underfoot. No escape can be had, for the entrance is gone as soon as it is out of sight, and invaders trying to climb the walls or fly out have the life sucked out of them by unliving winds (1L/turn) unless they stay within the walls of the labyrinth or are utterly immune to magical cold.
This is no barrier to the companions of the necromancer who summoned this vault, however, to whom these winds play servant. The winds report on the every movement of invaders, leaving them vulnerable to attack. The Abyssalss companions may climb around within the maze, laying ambushes and sneak attacks from above, putting traps in their way, and other nasty surprises. If this wasn't bad enough, none of them can be tracked without magical charms, and add a number of successes to any stealth rolls equal to the necromancer's essence.
But this is not all well and good for those who travel the labyrinth. A Wits + Survival roll at difficulty 2 must be made for every hour of travel within the maze - a failed roll negates the last roll's successes, and a botched roll resets the number of successes to zero. Many surprises await within the labyrinth, though no human soul knows what they may be. Bottomless pits and horrible obelisks reach far into the sky, but this cold and cruel reflection of the Underworld's Labyrinth into creation holds no answers for the curious mind.
Every hour of travel is worth 100 miles in the real world, meaning that it can be used to travel vast distances - but the only exits are to places important to the Abyssal and her companions. This includes childhood homes, manses, the lairs of nemesi and their secret hideouts. But- these exits can be found by accident as well as purpose. If those who pursue the Abyssals’ circle give up and decide to wander instead, have them roll wits + survival nonetheless. Upon long enough wandering, they will find another exit from the labyrinth - should they take it, however, nothing is guaranteed... except that they have to chance to learn something about their foe, or perhaps, even ruin their plans.
For this reason the necromancer will often summon guardians to block the way of any who seek to enter, and even turn back on their foes in order to destroy them before they discover something they should not.
If they should not decide to pursue, however, the winds nevertheless keep the Abyssals apprised of the situation, and when they leave, they know exactly where.
Should the wandering heroes leave before the abyssal, they may reenter as long as the abyssal is still within the labyrinth, but once the Abyssal has left, they cannot reenter, and the difficulty for navigating the labyrinth increases to 5 as it beings to fall apart.. Though, it will not actually be destroyed until everyone has either died or left.
Mummification of the Human Soul
Cost: 30 Motes
A horrible death awaits anyone who challenges a mighty abyssal necromancer, for it is unlikely that they should be gifted with any such respite. At any point after reaching their -4 health levels, any humanoid creature, exalt, or god-blooded are at risk of serving the Abyssal for all eternity.
The Abyssal needs only make a single unarmed touch attack, which cannot be dodged or parried and need do no damage, need not be declared until it hits and can happen at any time within the space of their essence in turns. The abyssal reaches within their chest, and grabs their soul, ripping it from their body, and putting it within a specially prepared ceramic urn, which appears on the Abyssals’ person at this time, and is banished back to it's previous location when the spell is complete.
From this point on, whoever possesses this urn will be served completely and utterly by the being so imprisoned, until either the urn is smashed and their soul freed, or they manage to defeat the intricate system of wards and traps that keep them contained, and return to their human body [roll Wits + Survival, unmodified by charms, at the difficulty of the sorcerer's essence, once per year at the time of the capture. If they have any willpower, allow them to spend it as an success or to add a virtue to this roll, and add decent stunts as well]
The abyssal will be served to the best of the creatures' ability, retaining any exaltation or other abilities it may have had. The poor slave cannot die, though it can be dismembered and the parts strewn to the corners of the earth, or contained and forced to tell where the urn is held. Otherwise, it will never betray it's master, and with a successful manipulation + essence roll, the Abyssal can even make them enjoy their servitude for a scene.
Should their soul escape this eternal prison, it will return to the body, which will immediately decay to the point where this spell was cast. Should it be that this spell was cast while they were dying (below incapacitated health levels) this does not give them any strength - they will die unless magic is applied to keep them alive.
Once they have escaped from this spell, it cannot be used on them ever again, because they have figured out the logic puzzle of the spell. However, if the Abyssal creates a new spell, it has a new puzzle, and they may be rebound with this new spell.
Song of Insurmountable Doom
Cost: 25 Motes
This war-hymn is sung over the course of however long the abyssal cares to sing it, but otherwise has no duration and ends when she ceases.
The effect of this spell is to cause darkness to follow in the necromancer's stead wherever she travels. Great billowing clouds blot out the sun, protecting the ghosts and other creatures who cannot bear the light of day from it's effects. Unless some greater force or sorcery casts aside these clouds, they will remain for several weeks, in time leading to the death of everything hidden from sight of the sun.
Whoever seeks to remove these clouds must have an essence greater than the necromancer who casts the spell; countermagic will not work, so other weather-affecting magic must be used.
Betrayer of Rotten Steel
Cost: 15 Motes
The abyssal holds the dagger above her as she enchants this dark magic, opening temporarily a portal into the underworld itself. From this hole of infinite darkness drifts green whips of light and darkness, which coalesces around the dagger of the Abyssal. The pyre flame burns like oil atop the greasy black stuff of the void, remaining on the blade for a number of turns equal to the exalts’ essence.
On a successful hit, the necromancer's weapon slides through the armor like it was never there, ignoring all soak, even that due to stamina and non-perfect charms, and they take an additional 2L/turn due to the pyre flame burning within their bodies, until the spell's duration elapses.
This spell is similar to the Celestial spell Blood of Boiling Oil, in that it lasts for a time during which the first successful attack that would do damage triggers it, and that it can be used as part of a combo. If a charm such as Adamant Skin Technique or Bottomless Depths Defense is used, that does not trigger this spell.
If this effect is not discharged within the necromancer's essence in turns, then instead the pyre fire lights the abyssal on fire, refusing to go out or away from her body until it has done a number of levels of damage equal to her permanent essence.
Void Circle
Becoming the Demon
Cost: 40 Motes
In an emergency, the abyssal can cast this spell in a single turn, transforming herself from being merely exalted into something else. Her body becomes immaterial, a being of pure shadow, impossible to see in darkness but for her eyes and her dagger, both of which glow with a red light the same color as blood. Only her dagger remains material, and it is affected normally by material defenses.
For a number of turns equal to her essence, the necromancer becomes immune to all attacks that cannot strike immaterial targets, and all attacks that target immaterial targets are made at a difficulty of her essence. Additionally, she may possess mortal targets at will (the turn does not count against the duration of the spell) as long as their willpower is lower than or equal to her essence, adds three times her essence to her initiative, and takes a number of extra actions equal to her permanent essence (extra action charms do not work in conjunction with this spell). A hungry ghost arises from the bodies of her victims the turn after the spell ends, attacking all those around themselves chaotically.
The cost is that she takes a single level of aggravated damage every turn, loses all willpower and essence at the end of the duration of the spell, and goes into an instant resonance effect at the level of her essence.
Curse of Royal Blood
Cost: 80 Motes
This curse spells doom to any who encounter it. An abyssal may lay this curse upon anyone she has ever beggared or received a gift from, merely by pronouncing their fate from the top of her tower, or anywhere else where the night can hear. From that day forth, all of that person's immediate living family and descendants will have blue blood, and be the Abyssals’ servants in all things.
Their flesh will turn white over the years, their eyes unused to the light of the sun. In life, they will be unable to resist the Abyssals’ suggestions, and in death, they will continue their servitude at her side. Her slaves cannot be persuaded to do anything to harm or do ill to their mistress, and will take to becoming nocturnal and take to foul pleasures in the secret, comforting night.
They will tend towards the endless politics and riddles in the darkness, forming great kingdoms in honor and worship of their mistress and forming a complex hierarchy with the line of the one who was cursed always hailed as king. Troublingly, this charm increases the fertility of the cursed - but always they are ready to die for their lord and master.
All mortals affected by this spell suffer a +1 difficulty against all rolls during the day, in direct sunlight, or in the presence of a solar anima, and gain +1 success on all rolls during the night, and do not have trouble seeing in darkness. In order for another exalt to use his charms to sway them to do his bidding, their essence must either be higher than the necromancer's, or he must roll his unmodified dice pool against the necromancer's permanent essence at the time of the casting of this spell, before any charms take effect.
These mortals are treated as servants of the underworld for the purposes of aggravated damage and other effects that target such beings. There is no way to escape this curse, except by the death of the necromancer that holds them in their thrall.
This spell has no effect on the exalted; cast upon them, it has no effect, and once someone from this line exalts, they are free of the curse, though the genetic deficiencies remain, including their blue blood and hatred of the light of the sun. This does not, however, stop a Solar's family from suffering this effect, although the abyssal then needs to receive a gift from another person in the family.
Shield of Stone and Iron
Cost: 50 Motes
Walking out onto a battlefield, the earth under the abyssal rumbled and shakes, foul vapors obscuring ones vision of the necromancer. Bones and bits of wood and iron fly through the air to the abyssal in a whirlwind of carnage (anyone within 10 yards of the necromancer during the casting of this spell takes 5 levels of lethal damage every turn, soaked, but not rolled). When the fog clears, the Abyssal stands glorious over the battlefield, clad in a warstrider hewn from solid bone.
Although this design can be whatever the abyssal desires when she designs the spell, it acts as a noble warstrider in every way except one - because the actions of the armor are due to force of will and not physical manipulation, the abyssal can freely cast necromancy and sorcery from within this shield.
This spell lasts until the next dawn, at which point it collapses into dust around her. It requires the corpses of at least a dozen men - these corpses can be already animated zombies, but once they are used, they cannot be reanimated again. It does not require a hearthstone, however, no weapon is created for the abyssal, and normal sized weapons are of no use. This armor can be created for other Abyssals, but no matter who wears it, no-one can take it off without ending the spell.
Dark Nightmare of Despair
Cost: 90 Motes
This spell is the most horrible manifestation of the Abyssals’ ability to rise ghosts and spirits to do his bidding. The abyssal turns from the assembled host and calls out in a long forgotten tongue to the Malfeans for their help in their quest. The spell grasps their attention, and for a moment, their dreams and reality are one.
It must be dark for this spell to work, though the darkness may be magical or not even real - lanterns and moonlight and the anima banner of Solars does no good, and none have immunity to this foe. The Malfeans dreams are the nightmares of all people, and while this spell does not give them flesh, it does make them visible to all who stand against them.
From the far horizon in the direction of a Shadowland, the marching comes, no matter how far or troublesome, the distance is traveled by the ghostly specters a single minute after the Abyssal makes her call, sent from the depths of the void and into reality, or perhaps pressed into service by cruel fate and magic.
Legions arrive, equal in number to those they face, and no one is spared - even the mightiest Solar’s worst nightmare has come true. For one that they loved is in the opposing field, passed into death, or seems to be - it is only a dream, but one that promises to be too real, and is.
Every individual must roll their valor at a difficulty of 2; failure means that they will do nothing as their loved one embraces them. Even if they succeed, they subtract the Abyssals’ essence in dice from their attempts to defend themselves against their lover's touch. The ghosts have the statistics of a war ghost, with the exception that every one of them is under the effect of Assassin’s Fatal Touch, and even if they survive the damage, their body falls, and their soul remains forever in their companion's arms. Exalted may defend against this by rolling their Permanent Essence, needing only a single success, or else they may soak the levels of damage with the lethal soak provided by their natural stamina.
At the end of the scene, all those who have survived remain and have the promise of the Malfeans that they may leave now and live, for a year's time, in peace - pursuing any of them who accept this freedom results in the abyssal being treated as if she had broken an eclipse oath with an exalt of her own essence.
However, if they should not accept this offer, or fight against this fate or their fallen comrades, or challenge the abyssal, then they are fair game to be run down as the abyssal pleases.
All unpaired ghosts turn to dust with the morning, and the new legions return to the underworld to take stock of their new life. Their dreams are real enough, for now, but dreams cannot fight - the Abyssal has only gained the souls of the fallen as soldiers, not the souls of their lovers as well. Their lovers will stay behind, waiting for them peacefully, while the soldiers fight the enemies of the abyssal, bound forever to the necromancer's will.
Comments:
Summoning the winter's crypt seems suspiciously like void circle to me. It lets you escape, bars your foes from following, and then ALSO lets you travel much faster, traps any persuers in a rather nasty mystic labyrinth that happens to like you AND tell you everything that's going on. All of this for only 20 motes? Opening a portal to the normal labyrinth... just opening the portal, is a labyrinth circle spell, and it's a far more dangerous method of travel/escape/anything really, even for abyssals. Do you agree, or do you have specific reasons you think it's labyrinth?
-- Darloth thinks it's wonderfully cool, just a level too low.
- As a quick note, opening a portal to the Labyrinth is a Shadowlands-Circle spell; just checked. I'd say pump up the cost and reduce the effects a bit (remove the sorcerer's ability to see everything in the maze, mainly). Maybe make all the threats apply to the sorcerer's allies as well as his enemies. - FrivYeti
- No, opening a GASH to the labyrinth is shadowlands. The caster and maybe another person fit through, and then it snaps shut. A controlled portal is labyrinth circle, I'm pretty sure. I suppose I could be wrong, but... meh.
-- Darloth
- No, opening a GASH to the labyrinth is shadowlands. The caster and maybe another person fit through, and then it snaps shut. A controlled portal is labyrinth circle, I'm pretty sure. I suppose I could be wrong, but... meh.
I'm with Darloth. More scarily, what this spell also does is change any battlefield you'd like. While the flavor text indicates that it's for retreat, or battles going poorly, it's also fundamentally a great way to start a battle. Why fight outside this thing at all? It's a great combat advantage, allows travel, gives near-perfect senses to the Abyssal, and prevent many modes of transportation within. Heck, just neutralizing a Lunar's ability to fly is a big deal. If the spell wasn't so vast and all-reaching, I could see it, but this thing really is making a pocket-dimension under the Abyssal's command. -- GregLink
Dark Transformation is a cool spell, but not really mechanically described. Maybe the spell could use a thing where the caster acquires so-many points of temporaray Mutations when the spell is cast for a duration, maybe with the possibility to exchange additional essence for more or less? Probably sounds a bit blah as an idea, just wondering about possible ways to balance it maybe (not that it definitely needs some formal mechanic to balance it). -- Call
The thing about Summoning the winter's crypt is that they have to follow you into the labyrinth. So it's not a very good way to attack someone, though it obviously provides tactical advantages if you can get them to follow you by, say, kidnapping someone they like. As for Dark Transformation, it only provides one transformation per casting, and you should consider it equivalent power-wise to the solar charm listed in the spell description. -- Goldenh
