Dastardly Wizardry

Wizarding Roll
Roll 2d6 and get less than or equal to your MAGIC + Magic-Wizardry talent. Higher rolls are failures (resources are still spent). Double 6s are catastrophic failures and roll on the Oops Table.

If you are interrupted (take damage, knocked over, etc.) you fail.

Wizardry is never sneaky.

Resisting Wizardry
If a spell can be resisted it will be in the description. Just test your LUCK. The caster can make this harder by spending more resources to cast the spell, giving a -1 penalty per point spent.


Learning New Wizard Spell

  • Spells must be taught or stolen
  • Takes one week per MP cost of the spell to be learnt
  • Tuition costs 250p per week. Theft has its own cost.
  • Finally, pay 1xp per MP of the spell to memorise it







To Cast:

Add MAGIC to Magic: Wizardry, this is your Arcane Power. Roll against this to cast spells.

Spells cost varying amounts of Magic Points (MP), which are spent to cast them. You can spend extra MP to gain +1s on the casting roll.

You start with double your Arcane Power in MP.


Wizardry Casting Situation
Modifier
Each round of preparation before casting
+2
Peace and quiet
+3
Not under attack
0
Being shot
-1
Being stabbed
-2

Hard to use while wearing armour, thus a wizard's reputation for being weedy.

Armour Worn
Extra MP Cost
Light
+1
Medium
+2
Heavy
+4
Shield
Additional +4


Starting Spells
You start the game with spells of equal MP value to your total Magic Points. No spells chosen may cost more than 4MP.




1MP

Befuddle
The wizard merely touching someone can shake up their mind like a snow globe.The will take all active rolls at -6 until their head clears (3 minutes)

Natter
As everyone know, wizards are excellent ventriloquists. So good in fact that they can throw their voice inside another's mouth. They can target anyone within sight and can transmit a short sentence.

Darkness
Summon a stationary, perfect sphere of darkness up to five metres from the wizard for up to three minutes. Extinguishes all light sources.

Fear
In the eyes of one poor fellow, the wizard grow into a primal monster from the depths their lizard brain. They will attempt to flee, otherwise they will curl up in a ball and whimper. They may test Luck to resist the illusion, lasts for three minutes.

Fire Bolt
Shoot impressive flames from your fingertips, dealing 1d6 damage to one target within 20 metres unless they test their Luck to dive out of the way.

Flash
The wizard claps neatly, issuing forth the light of a thousand suns. Most unpleasant. All within 20 metres must test their Luck or be blinded for 1d6 turns.

Illusion
Fabricate an illusion that fools one target. They may test Luck when interacting with it to unveil the trickery.

Light
Create an ethereal orb of light that glows like a torch. Lasts 15 minutes and can be extinguished at will.

Lock
Magically lock an object. The object must have a lockable aspect to it, but the lock is now magically sealed. Lasts for 15 minutes.

Open
The wizard chooses a reality wherein the lock was open all along. Can be used to counteract a Lock spell.

Peace
Open up the mind to universal love and cause two subjects to test their Luck or cease hostilities with each other. They will still defend themselves if attacked but will at least appreciate the pettiness of it.

Personalize Spell
Wizards pride themselves on innovation and research, attribute huge prestige to knowing the most unique and rare spells. Others settle for the outward appearance of individuality, with this simple spell. The wizard may tack this on to another casting to make it superficially different.

Ironhand
The common man does not appreciate exactly how close flesh and iron are when considered relatively to, say, flesh and the smell of hot tea. With some slight convincing the wizard may cause a targets flesh to behave as though it had the desirable properties of metal. They get +1 Skill, immunity to modestly proportioned fires, and a bump up in armour for 3 minutes. 

Strength
Endows one with the strength of an ogre. Lasts for 3 minutes or one task.

Thunder
A favourite for impressing locals while travelling the provincial expanses of the Road. The wizard raises his arms and shouts something suitably ominous, then all within 20 metres must test Luck or be deafened by a riotous roll of emphatic thunder. Luck or no, they will be mightily impressed.

Tongue Twister
Beware! For if a wizard screws his nose and twists his fingers at you, then a tongue twister is coming your way. The target must test Luck or have their tongue literally tied in knots. This requires some time and a fair bit of patience to disentangle.

Ward
A handy spell only requiring the flick of a wrist. In response to being fired upon the wizard may cast this spell to have the missile be deflected.

Weakness
Open a small portal to the sphere of hopelessness within the subject's mind. Reduce their Skill by 1d6 for 3 minutes.


2MP

Animate 
Cause inanimate objects to question their place. One object up to the size of a baby can be caused to hop around and do whatever else the wizard wishes of it. To affect more or larger objects simple pay more to cast it. 

Breach
The wizard's hands work elemental material as though it were soft clay. Fire, stone, goo, earth, fog, all of it behaves like clay under his touch for 9 minutes.

Breath
Creates a mysterious and specifically shaped cone of air around a touched targets head. They may continue to breather the freshest of air for 12 minutes.

Combine
A reckless disregard for safety leads the wizard to consider gluing spells together. Pay for this spell to then cast two spells in tandem.

Consume
A simple but effect summoning of fire. Once present it's actions can't be accounted for, however. Summon a fire the size of a small bonfire somewhere within 12 metres of the wizard.

Counter
The wizard works on disentangling a spell from this instance of reality. To do so they must pay 2 MP and suffer a casting penalty equal to the original spell cost. If attempting to confound a spell of a different discipline the wizard must pay MP equal to the unfamiliar tradition's equivalent to Arcane Power (magic+something).

Darksee
The wizard reaches into his sockets and extricates his eyes. Thus freed, the dark void behind them can see perfectly well in pitch blackness and suffer excruciating pain in light (-4 to all rolls). Be careful not to lose those eyeballs though, they are the only way to end the spell.

Thought Vapour
The wizard can cause his nose to exist in multiple alternative planes, travel through various spheres, and enable the olfactory sensation of thought. Emotions, attitudes, underlying feelings can be smelt. No words or images are formed, just impressions. Any suitably strong odour will make this very difficult.

Farseeing
Endows the wizard engorged, plate-like eyes, able to see in minute detail for miles around.

Force Bolt 
An arc of lightning jumps between you and a target with a satisfying crack, dealing d6 damage.

Languages
The wizard forms a mouth with his hands, which can speak any language. He can simultaneously cup his hands to his ear to understand them in return. Lasts for one conversation.

Levitate
Elevates the wizard or another on the backs of tiny invisible sprites who answer only to their summoner. May float about for 3 minutes. 

Mirror Selves
In the mind of one subject, the wizard appears to be, in fact, three wizards. All three will perform the same actions in unison, offering the target inly a 1 in 3 chance of targeting the right wizard, all three of which are able to hurt him in response.

See Through
The wizard rubs a surface, gradually causing it to become see-through from one side. Immensely handy. Lasts until the wizard looks away.

Sentry
The wizard plucks a bit of his mind out like candy floss and leaves it stuck to a wall somewhere. This psychic presence is invisible to the naked eye but extends the wizards senses to that spot for the duration. While it lasts the wizard suffers -2 to all rolls due to the incredible confusion this generates. If the shard is discovered and harmed the wizard will take 2 Skill damage due to the shock.

Shatter
The wizard may wildly gesticulate at a brittle object no larger than an umbrellas and cause it to shatter into a million pieces. To affect larger objects, pay more. Living targets may test their Luck to avoid this unpleasant spell.

Sleep
The wizard convinces a target to forgo wakefulness for a time, causing them to sleep for three minutes unless they are Lucky.

Starry Orb
The wizard creates a 5th dimensional orb above his head. All intelligent beings who look at it must test their Luck or marvel at it for the duration. Lasts 3 minutes.


4MP

Arrow Snake
Turn an arrow in sight into a small venomous snake (10/4).

Find
When wizards need answers wizards mumble to themselves until the answer is made apparent. The thing being sought must be specific and the direction is only given in terms of compass points.

Grow
Cause an item to grow half its size again. Lasts for three minutes.

Invisibility
The wizard turns flesh into refractive crystal sheets. It's very uncomfortable and you make a slight shish-ing sound as you move, but you are quite invisible and don't suffer from the usual limitations of illusions. Mind, it is just your flesh. Lasts for 3 minutes, after which you noisily reform into dull and frustratingly opaque flesh.

Arc
Lightning bursts from the wizard's outstretched fingers, ziping and zaping about. Quite a show. Deals 2d6 damage to one target.

Affix
Cause a subject to be fixed in place. While they are so held they do not move, breath, fall, perspire, acquire or otherwise change. Totally immune to harm, in fact. Lasts for three minutes.

Diminish
Cause something to reduce by half its size. Lasts three minutes.

Explode
A very simple spell. Arguably it's not even a spell, rather a premeditated failure of catastrophioc proportions. The wizard may cause an object of up to one cubic metre to explode as though filled with gunpowder. He must concentrate for 15 minutes per metre, and may stack up uses of this spell to affect larger objects.

Gills
The wizard may permanently gift a touched subject with gills, completely replaceing their usual breathing arrangement. Very useful for underwater excursion, not so useful when inflicted upon a chap in the middle of town. The wizard may end this at will.

Poison
This spell, when cast upon a liquid, causes it to become deadly poison. The liquid deals 4 damage if drunk and may deal an additional 1 damage per extra MP spent in the original casting. The liwuid loses its potency after an hour.


6MP

Cockroach
A popular spell whose only use is to turn troublesome folks into humiliating animals. The target must test their Luck of be permanently turned into a small insignificant creature of the wizard's choice

Assume Shape
The wizard undergoes a distressing transformation into an inanimate object no bigger than a piano and no smaller than a cup. Lasts until ended.

Exchange Shape
What looks like a hug is in fact fell wizardy! The wizard bumps into another and exchanges bodies. Lasts until the wizard chooses to end it, but they must be within sight of each other for this to happen.

Banish Spirit
The wizard explains, clearly, sternly, why it is impossible that the spirit should be here at this time. The spirit must test its Luck or be sent to somewhere less improbable.

Hurricane
The wizard waves his hands in the air like he just doesn't care. Which he likely doesn't, being a wizard. This causes a mighty gust that will knock everyone over within 30 metres who doesn't test their Luck, dealing 1d3 damage and making an awful mess. Lasts for 10 minutes, test Luck every turn if not laying down.

Web
Whether opening a portal to the plane of slime or channelling the sprites of sickness, all can agree that it is quite disgusting when the wizard blows forth the "web" from his nose. All in a cone extending 10 metres in front of the wizard are trapped unless they test their Luck. Each turn anything passing through or out of it must test Luck or become stuck.

Wall of Power
What they call a wall is in fact a dome, but wizards always have worked in mysterious ways. The wall is a shimmering bubble that causes d6 damage when touched. Nothing may pass without the wizards permission (it is recommended they remember to allow air). Lasts for 3 minutes.


9MP

Teleport
The wizard or a target of his choosing may travel to any location, absolutely anywhere, instantly. If they are unfamiliar with the location they must test their Luck or be thrown wildly off course.

Earthquake
The wizard hikes up his robe and stomps his wizzend feet. An area 30 metres around him suffers a massive earthquake. Everyone must test Luck or fall through a crack in the earth, taking 2d6 damage and being stuck in a bloody great big hole. Buildings may be wrecked unless especially sturdy.

Assassin's Dagger
Evocatively named, but actually quite mundane. The wizard whispers to an object, that object then seeks out and vigorously and repeatedly bumps into the target. Obviously if you whisper to a poisoned dagger the results are one thing, while doing it to a letter is another. Travels any distance, always arrives (eventually).

Death
A very simple switch from one adjacent state to another. Kill a being that has less Stamina than you have Arcane Power.






Making New Wizard Spells

Wizards are always making new spells. They are usually gaudy, transgressive, and wilfully ignorant of the laws of reality. 

However, this academic pursuit is outside the remit of the adventuring wizard. If you do insist on making fresh spells assume they take 1 year of intensive study per MP of the spell. At the end of each year the wizard must test their Wizardry, if they fail they hit a dead end and must start over. Each year of study costs 13,000p for room, board, and study materials.

Now you know why wizards are so pernickety.





All effects of the Oops table below are permanent unless obviously not and will require a visit to your local priest or cunning man for disentanglement.

Oops table - d66

11
A flash, followed by an ominous shriek - the caster has turned into a goat.
12
Twenty-five years of the wizards life drop away in an instant, possibly making him a very small child. If younger than twenty-five already then he disappears into cosmic pre-birth.
13
A small shoal of herring and the water they had previously swum in materialises above the caster and everyone else standing close by.
14
The wizard no longer speaks or understands any known tongue, instead favouring a slightly unpleasant language seemingly made up of shrieks and whispers.
15
The most feared of adolescent academy curses: hiccups! Until dispelled the wizard hiccups uncontrollable, suffering -4 to further attempts at magic.
16
The wizard grows an attractive tail.
21
All currency in the wizards' possession turns into beautiful and appropriately coloured butterflies that flap off into the sky in a pleasing manner.
22
A very surprised orc appears beside the caster (7/8 - Sword). Truly, they are the most despised in creation.
23
The casters hair turns white and never goes back.
24
The shoes of a random ally catch fire.
25
The wizard grows a small pair of goat horns.
26
All of the wizard's body hair falls out with an audible "Fuff!".
31
All weapons of war in the vicinity turn into flowers.
32
The wizard changes sex and becomes decidedly handsome.
33
The wizard disappears in a puff of smoke, never to be seen again.
34
The wizard's hands find a mind of their own and take a severe disliking to the tyranny of the mind. They set about choking him to death, only to lapse back into servitude as soon as he passes out.
35
All animals in the vicinity are brought back to life. This notably includes rations and leather armour, which will crawl and flap about blindly.
36
A sickness overcomes the wizard, causing him to cough up a thick black fluid. The fluid flows away as though in a hurry to be somewhere. The wizard will soon hear rumours and suffer accusations due to the workings of a sinister doppelgänger.
41
Everyone in the vicinity turns into a pig, except for one embarrassed wizard.
42
An overflow of plasmic fluid has found its way into your head. Your eyes catch fire, causing flames to shoot forth every time you open them. You are now either blind or incinerating things.
43
All vegetation within a mile withers and dies.
44
A pool of colour opens up under the wizard, sucking him and any other unlucky nearby souls into it. They will be whipped off to a random sphere of existence.
45

All liquid within 12 metres turns to milk. That milk then curdles.
46
A random spectator's bones mysteriously disappear. Even more mysteriously he doesn't seem overly put out by the effect. He can't fight or cast magic and can only very slowly shuffle about as a gelatinous blob of flesh, but he's generally unharmed by it. After d6 hours the bones pop back into place from wherever they went.
51
An inanimate object in the wizards possession gains sentience and a voice. Its attitude is up for the GM to decide.
52

A portal is opened to a paradigmatic battleground, allowing an angelic or demonic figure to pop through.
53

A gout of steam shoots out from the wizard causing them to shoot off in a random direction at great speed.
54

The wizard suffers a coughing fit for d6 turns, after which d6 gremlins (7/4) tumble out and start biting peoples faces.
55

The wizard instantly grows an enormous shaggy beard. It tumbles down to the floor and gets in the way. -2 to everything until you tame that beast.
56

The wizard becomes 20 years older.
61

All metal within 20 metres becomes incredibly hot for d6 turns. Anyone wearing armour or carrying weapons must take d6 damage per turn.
62

The wizards teeth all fall out. The sudden loss causes him to be at -4 to making magic due to his poor diction. After an hour a fresh set grow in.
63

An entirely different and random spell goes off, directed at the same target.
64

The wizard is cursed with poetry. Until cured he can only speak in rhyming couplets.
65

The wizard issues forth a mighty sneeze, knocking everyone over in front of him and dealing d6 damage unless they test their Luck.
66
The spell being cast won't stop. It goes completly haywire, out of control, firing off madly until the wizard is subdued.


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