Coronal Mass Ejection

Attribution

Coronal Mass Ejection (Enchantment/Necromancy, Cost, Per Scenario): One of the most potent subterfuge/obfuscatory formulae, Coronal Mass Ejection is a Flashy casting that generates an anogenic solar response. Upon a +2 effort, a sun releases a coronal mass ejection that reaches a planetary target up to one Astronomical Unit (AU) in distance; each additional +1 effort extends the range of the ejection by 1 AU.

Casting this formula requires a considerable sacrifice: the caster takes a Severe Consequence, which may manifest as radiation burns, psychological harm, or other disturbances, such as spontaneous mutations.

The coronal mass ejection permanently takes out any planetary and orbital communication and computational systems unless they were purpose built to resist such stellar events. Hardened systems will still be taken out for at least one scene.

There is a further potential consequence of casting this formula. It often increases entropy in the star that is the target of the casting.

Roll 1dF:

• A positive face indicates no effect beyond the coronal mass ejection;
• A blank face indicates that the star enters a period of instability, with frequent subsequent coronal mass ejections; 
• A negative face indicates that the star enters a terminal, often explosive phase. 

Harmonization

During the Nexialist Revolt, seventeen worlds were rendered Harmonized by the Nexialist insurgents. This was both a practical measure to mobilize entire populations to resist the Imperial Sovereign, and an ideological demonstration of the principle of Nexialist Unity. Every ball was said to bounce at the same time on these worlds.

While the Empire's philosophers and sociologists are loathe to use terms like "totalitarianism" to describe this level of planetary-civilizational social engineering and manipulation, the term of course fits. The pacification of these worlds was equally absolute, and took the form of Excommunication.

Harmonization (Curse/Necromancy, Cost, Per Scenario, Permanent, Requires the Great IT spell, Corrupting): This formula must be cast in the immediate vicinity of an IT-class giant brain, and is therefore typically cast inside a Nexialist Institute that has been configured to accommodate such a brain. The spell's zone of effect expands incrementally; it can take up to 24 hours to achieve its effect planet-wide. A newly cast Harmonization reaches out across the planet's surface in an expanding circle whose center is the giant brain. The effect is Permanent, as long as the giant brain is intact.

The casting places the following Aspects on any intelligent living creatures on the planet:

• Of One Mind
• Obedient to the Brain
• Every ball shall bounce at once

Anyone who needs to resist the effects of Harmonization does so as if contending with a +6 Clever adversary. This casting has no effect on robots or other non-biological intelligences, or on other-planar intelligences such as angels and demons. 

This entry in the Galactic Grimoire is of course inspired my Madeline L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time."

Godgraft

Godgraft (Curses, Cost, Per Scenario, Corrupting): The caster rolls INT/Clever +2 to graft one or more divine organs, tissue, or body parts onto a willing subject. The subject must lose some of their own substance and essence to create space(s) for the graft(s) to fit, so amputations, flensing, and organ removal usually occurs prior to to casting. The recipient crosses off an existing Aspect and creates a new one representing the graft.

The recipient typically agrees to the casting because of the prospect of acquiring divine powers or abilities. The recipient rolls 1DF. On a positive roll, the GM determines what beneficial power has been acquired; on negative roll, some deleterious change occurs in the recipient as a result of the graft; on a zero (0) result, the limb, organ, or tissue is simply a functional replacement for the organ that was removed.

For the caster, this is a Major or Severe Infraction, depending on the deity and organs involved.

This spell is inspired by Michael Moorcock's Corum series.

Manna

I should have taken a photo. When we took the Anubian Ambassador out on Sunday morning, something strange was waiting for us in the back yard. A small round object with a hole in it was sitting in the middle of the yard.

Sticking straight up in the snow.

At first I thought it was a huge toadstool (and how did this grow up through packed snow?), whose head had somehow been turned to face me.

I picked up the Anubian Ambassador so she would not be tempted to gobble up the Mystery.

On closer inspection, it was clear what we were seeing: a bagel.

Pennies from heaven? I haven't been able to figure out how it got there. There were no footprints (or paw prints) around it. The back yard is fenced off and it's a tall fence.

My guess is that a bird dropped it. We have a Bruggers maybe a half mile from home to the north, and a Cub Foods about a half mile to the south.

But it could have been the Nexialist casting Bread Torus.

***

Bread Torus (Evocation, Cost, Per Scene):  During the Nexialist Revolt, this formula sustained the besieged defenders of Nexialist Institutes. It became one of the 12 essential proofs of the "Miraculous Materialism" that undergirds the Nexialist tradition.

Bread Torus manifests as one or more dense white rings of a breadlike substance. One bread torus can sustain a person for a day. Sometimes also called a "carbohydrate brick", bread tori putrefy remarkably slowly compared to other bread substances. If left at room temperature for several days, however, a torus may become a knife-breaker or tooth-chipper.

The caster rolls WIS +2 to manifest Bread Torus. The number appearing is equal to the effort rolled.

Temporal Mirror

Temporal Mirror (Divination/Planar, Cost, Per Scene, Persistent, Requires one other Divination or Planar spell, Corrupting): One of the essential forensic castings, this Nexialist formula creates a shimmering mirror in front of the caster. The mirror does not reflect the present, but instead presents a temporally displaced view of the space.

The caster and anyone else present in the space at the time of casting will also be reflected in the mirror. Their appearance is shifted temporally to reflect their past or future mien. If the caster uses the formula to view the space in a time prior to or after the existence of the caster, only the space is visible.

The caster rolls WIS +2 vs. a difficulty based on the degree of temporal displacement to be bridged:

•   0:Minutes
• +1:Hours
• +2:Days
• +3:Weeks
• +4:Months
• +5:Years
• +6:Centuries

Showing someone else a glimpse of their future is often Corrupting (few persons are truly prepared for such exposure), and given the circumstances often at least a Minor Infraction.

The name of this formula was suggested by Octavia Butler's short story "The Evening and the Morning and the Night", although the plot of that story has little to do with the spell itself.

Summon Paragon

Summon Paragon (Planar, Cost, Per Campaign, Permanent, Requires two other Planar spells): This casting summons a Paragon of the eternal struggle between Law and Chaos, a puissant warrior in the struggle that has wrecked countless worlds, and seldom resulted in a true Balance. The arrival of such a hero does not end a story as much as begin a new one: a vastly more complicated World-Skein will be woven (or unwoven) once a Paragon arrives.

The casting is always a collective project; a group is required for the summoning. The location of the ritual is always one surrounded by myth: the tomb of a great warrior-queen, the crashed space ark of ancient progenitors, a Nexus Point through which demons also pour.

Depending on the World-Skein and the Paragon desired, legendary artifacts, musical instruments, magical implements, or sacrifices may also be required for the summoning.

The Paragon summoned may be of a different species, gender, or culture than its summoners expect. Each expresses some essential and critical difference from those who have summoned the Paragon.

More rarely, but often enough, the power of the Paragon invests itself in part or all of the collectivity that summoned it. There may be no "body" for this kind of Paragon; instead a living Company becomes its own champion. This is the most durable kind of Paragon and can endure for centuries.

Many summoners assume that the Paragon will be their natural champion, without a need for the effort to persuade the Paragon that their cause is both just and desirable. Don't make that eternally recurrent mistake. Paragons have no natural affinity for their summoners. They often change side, develop their own allegiances, define their own Great Causes.

Make your case. Hope for the best. Roll 4DF + WIS.*


This spell is of course inspired by Elric, Corum, Hawkmoon and others: the many Eternal Champions that Michael Moorcock has introduced us to over the decades!


*GMs will want to set a specific target based on the storyline and circumstances of their game.

Cant Of The Limbo Of Literalistic Derision

Cant of the Limbo of Literalistic Derision (Abjuration, Cost, Per Scene, Persistent, Requires one other Ajuration spell): The ultimate counter-magical casting of the desperate, this formula evokes one of the garrulous and supernal Intelligences of Law. The caster rolls CHA +2 to summon this Mind. Once successfully cast, the distracting babble from this paragon of Law penetrates the minds of any living intelligent beings in the Scene, driving them to distraction with a barrage of rationalistic and subtly mocking quotidiana.

The affect of this disembodied otherworldly discourse is to raise the difficulty by +2 for any Create an Advantage or Overcome action requiring focus and concentration. The spell also blocks all other spellcasting actions (by any party, including the caster) for the remainder of the Scene. (Because of the latter restriction, this casting cannot be dispelled prior to the end of the Scene.)

Robots, androids, and other artificial intelligences are not affected by the Cant of the Limbo of Literalistic Derision.  Ignorance is bliss for those without imagination.

The name of this spell is inspired by a phrase in an essay by Clark Ashton Smith.

Sword Of The Underpeople

Sword of the Underpeople (Evocation/Necromancy, Cost, Per Scene, Persistent): This casting was developed by one of the innumerable subterranean and subaltern species that have dealt with undead infestations. A runeblade of bone, puissant against undead of all kinds, tears through the flesh of the caster's palm. The sword deals Weapon:2 in additional shifts of damage against undead creatures. It remains attached to their hand for an entire Scene or until dispelled by the caster.

The caster rolls CHA +2 to manifest the blade.

If the caster rolls a -3 on 4DF before Skills/Approaches are counted, the spell is successfully cast, but the sword remains extended for an entire Session, and cannot be dispelled before this time. (The sword can be physically removed using a bone saw, but this is messy and leaves a bleeding spur, for a Moderate Consequence.)

If the caster rolls a -4 before Skills/Approaches are counted, the same effects apply, but additionally the caster gains the Moderate Consequence of Rotting Flesh. This consequence promotes to Severe if an attempt is made to physically remove the sword using a bone saw.

The glowing arcane runes on this blade tell a story. They are invariably written in the most ancient written language associated with the caster's culture. Someone with the ability read the runes (such as a lich) will learn the caster's Trouble Aspect, and on a Success with Style, will learn additional secrets about the caster...

Sanitize

Sanitize (Evocation/Planar, Cost, Per Session, Requires one other spell from the Evocation or Planar schools): One of the Fourteen Essential Anti-Forensic castings, this formula was developed by the Nexialists to purify their ritual spaces - and to cover their tracks when necessary. It is often used to remove organic evidence from what the authorities might identify as a crime scene. It can also be used to purify a region contaminated by living pests and the organic effluvia of living things.

This formula destroys and removes all traces of bacteria, mold, fungi, and protozoans in the same Zone as the caster. It is also efficacious for the destruction of a range of small ectoparasites (e.g., lice) and other small invertebrates (flies, beetles, etc.) that may be present in a Zone. (It will never destroy a swarm cloud of attacking creatures, however, so Sanitize is useless as a defensive spell.)

The caster rolls their CHA +2 to cast this formula, with the following targets:

•   0: Removes bacteria and protozoans
• +1: Removes mold and fungi
• +2: Removes viruses, ectoparasites, and arthropods
• +3: Removes organic trace elements (blood, excreta, oil from fingerprints) and any associated stains, pools, splatters
• +4: Removes other-planar life forms and materials (e.g., demon blood)

This casting will not remove the psychic residue of an event from a scene, nor will it remove other forensic traces of a crime or a struggle (such as kinetic damage to walls and surfaces, energy burns, etc.).

Who Can Use Magic?

This is a rough guide to the creatures in the FATE Bestiary that are able to use magic spells. Some will have a preference to use other means, and will rarely use magic, but this is a representative running list of creatures that can use the kind of spells featured in the Galactic Grimoire at FATE SF:

The Anapa

Autodidacta

Creepers

Crocodilian-Humanoid Hybrid Demons

Crocodilian Guardian Mummy

Dromedary

Elementals

False Beholders

Ghost Wolves

Imperial Sibyls

Mi-Go

Morlock

Mother Mass

Old Martians

Planarian Nine

Plasmate

Peyotl

Red Martian Scientist

Saguaro

Serpent Folk

Tzitzimine Star Demons

The 'Zotl

Wireless Message

Wireless Message (Divination, Cost, Per Scene, Permanent, Requires one other Divination spell):  A Wireless Message never brings good news. This casting is used to keep tabs on a loved one, or a person the caster has been charged with protecting. It requires a photograph, a lock of hair, or some other arcane connection to its target. Once cast, the spell is permanent, but is only discharged if the target is threatened in some way by their immediate external environment (e.g., fire, drowning, abduction, an accident, or assault). If a triggering event occurs, the caster receives an immediate sensory impression of the local environment from the target's point of view. The caster will also be aware of the target's thoughts and feelings at the time of the triggering event.

This spell requires a WIS/Careful +2 roll:

• A normal success means that the spell has been cast successfully. 
• If the caster Succeeds with Style on their casting roll, they will experience Wireless Message as a premonition which occurs one day before the triggering event. 

A target may resist the casting by rolling their CHA/Flashy vs. the caster's WIS/Careful +2:

• If the target rolls higher than the caster, the spell fails. 
• If the caster rolls higher than their target, the spell is successfully cast upon the target. 

This spell was inspired by the Ambrose Bierce short story, "A Wireless Message".

Planarian Nine

http://www.ub.edu/web/ub/en/menu_eines/noticies/2011/02/07.html

Planarian Nine is a species of other-planar flatworms that range in from 1 cm in length x 3 mm in width on the small side, to the dimensions of humpback whales when full grown. The average specimen is 3-4 M long x 1 M wide x .3 M from dorsal to ventral surface. These planar vagabonds squiggle and squirm their way between dimensions. They extend their ventral feeding tube into nexus points to prey on unwitting travelers. They also scour a world's tidal pools and planar adjacencies - at least in those adjacencies with two or more dimensions - seeking fleshy morsels. For that reason, Planarian Nine are one of the main interdimensional wanderers feeding on the flesh that is displaced when the formula Skeletizer is cast.

A Planarian Nine secretes a sheet of mucus whose special properties lubricate the interstices between dimensions, facilitating smooth transitions across the planes. Their skin is much sought after for these properties. The eyes of the Planarian Nine are on their dorsal surface, so the creatures seldom view what they are consuming. Instead, the eyes help them to discern the energies coursing within and between dimensions, facilitating the identification of planar adjacencies that are nutrient rich. The creature's eyes are much sought after by those seeking a permanent version of the spell Eye of the Nexus, as its ocular tissues can be sectioned in exquisitely thin sheets for use as contact lenses.

OGL MECHANICS

Planarian Nine
Planar Flatworm (inimical)

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Huge interdimensional flatworm
• Trouble: Can't see what it's eating
• Aspect: Moves on mucus and leaves a trail
• Aspect: Drawn to Nexus Points
• Aspect: Quiet as a mouse

APPROACHES

• Careful: +2
• Clever: +1
• Flashy: 0
• Forceful: +3
• Quick: 0
• Sneaky: +3

STUNTS:

• Dimensional Editing: A Planarian Nine takes a +2 to its Sneaky Approach to a Create an Advantage by collapsing three or more dimensions down to two in an adjacent Zone. This forces any three dimensional creature to move one Zone further away. On a Succeed with Style, this action inflicts one Moderate Consequence on any targets in the Zone being edited; such individuals are also displaced to an adjacent Zone.
• Planar Squeeze: Once per Scene, the Planarian Nine may shift itself to another plane of existence. They cannot return to their original location during the remainder of that Scene.
• Regeneration: At the end of any Scene, the Planarian Nine may remove one Moderate Consequence.
• Twinning: After taking a Severe Consequence, the Planarian Nine may split itself into two smaller organisms and begin to regenerate. The Severe Consequence is downgraded to a Moderate Consequence for each twin. If the parent also had a Moderate Consequence at the time of twinning, each twin gains two Moderate Consequences. Each twin also inherits any Stress that its parent had at the time of twinning. Both have the memories of their parent.

REFRESH: 3

Dr. Hern's Anaetheric Lacuna

Dr. Hern's Anaetheric Lacuna (Abjuration/Planar, Cost, Persistent, Requires two other Abjuration or Planar spells): This formula disrupts the luminiferous aether, creating an airless vacuole of absolute darkness that is roughly 10' x 10' x 10'. Any individual trapped within such a vacuole takes a Consequence each round (starting with the Medium Consequence Breathless, Blind, and Freezing), and will soon freeze and suffocate in an absolute, terrible pocket of darkness. No sound, light, or energy of any sort penetrates the membrane of this void, but physical objects pass through it normally.

This casting is not infrequently used as a means of assassination. It is particularly effective in this capacity when used at night, since it can often be cast unseen directly in a target's immediate path.

If the target can see Lacuna being cast, the caster should roll CHA/Flashy +2 vs. the target's DEX/Flashy Approach. If the defender's roll is higher, they successfully evade the specific location where the caster placed the Lacuna.

A second, no less important use of Lacuna is to shield its caster from the fire of energy weapons. Because light cannot enter the vacuole - it has no luminiferous aether - the vacuole's membrane harmlessly deflects energy weapons of all sorts, scattering their rays away from the caster.


This spell was inspired by Ambrose Bierce's short story "Charles Ashmore's Trail."

Imperfect Conflagration

Imperfect Conflagration (Abjuration/Evocation, Cost, Persistent, Requires one other Abjuration or Evocation spell): A classic containment/detainment formula used by the Nexialists and many others to thwart their aggressors, Imperfect Conflagration imprisons up to five humanoid creatures within four vertical flaming walls, Each wall face is up to 3 x 3 meters in area. Those imprisoned by the walls of flame cannot pass through them to escape but are also not harmed by their proximity to the flames.

The caster rolls CHA +2 vs. the targets' individual DEX rolls. Any targets that succeed in their roll are successful in dodging out of the way of the casting at its moment of imminence.

The walls of flame first appear as a 3 x 3 meter square of flame at ground/floor level, each face of which whooshes rapidly upwards to create four flaming walls. Once erected, the walls create an impassible barrier from either direction. The area overhead is open, however, and presents a possible means of escape for creatures capable of feats of saltation, levitation, or flight.

If the floors or spaces upon which this formula is cast contain combustible materials, the space will take on the temporary aspect On Fire or In Flames until the casting AND the flames are both extinguished.

While this casting only lasts one Scene in the field, Nexialists often use this casting within their Institutes to interrogate enemies and imprison those who have persecuted their Order. Within the Institutes' meditative labyrinths, the caster can make the duration of this casting Permanent, because the formula has the ability tap into the circuits of other-planar energies circulating within these spaces.  Targets imprisoned indefintely using Imperfect Conflagration do not age or die, and will not need food or drink.

This spell is inspired by Ambrose Bierce's short story "Imperfect Conflagration."  We're reading a lot of Mr. Bierce this month of October.

The Skeletizer

Moche Dancing Skeletons

The Skeletizer (Curse/Necromancy/Planar, Cost, Permanent, Corrupting, Requires two other Curse, Necromancy, or Planar spells): Once used exclusively in necromantic religious rituals requiring a willing target, The Skeletizer is now  a casting in wide use for the creation of living dead for a variety of purposes including military operations and labor in dangerous environments (such as zones with high radiation or a vacuum).

Cast on a willing, living subject, The Skeletizer shifts the target's living flesh into a planar adjacency where it remains until the casting is either dispelled, or the missing meat is gobbled up by an other-planar entity that happens by the adjacency. (The knowledge of this possibility is usually withheld from the target of the casting.)

The target becomes an Undead articulated skeleton with Free will and normal intelligence. Such a being is undetectable using technologies that sense living organisms but can be easily detected using Divination castings such as Detect Magic, or Planar spells such as the Eye of the Nexus. The target also becomes immune to poisons, the effects of weapons such as death rays, and the Overkill effects of Annihilators.

Use of this casting is a Major Infraction, but that doesn't people from using it. Quite the contrary. The Skeletizer has the strange name it does because the casting is often incorporated into pseudo-technological items that appear to be energy projectors, or into wands, deaths-head style rings, and pins.

Rational Bullwark

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Cage_(episode)

Rational Bullwark (Abjuration, Cost, Per Scene, Permanent, Requires "Sphere of Force" or "Wall of Force"):  In the days of the long-gone Star League, the Nexialists acquired this formula by the ruthless extraction of recondite information possessed by a race of subterranean mutants. These creatures - whether human or alien - had developed mental powers to the point that they could, through sheer force of will, project illusions that were as solid and substantial as material reality itself. This refinement of intellectual capacities helped the mutants survive numerous environmental hazards in the shelters and warrens below the surface of their shattered world.

This INT-based casting erects a semi-transparent mental force barrier that is able to imprison persons on the opposite side of the force wall projection from the caster. The bullwark can be touched without pain, and will appear to oscillate and resound with a whoom when struck. The barrier is impermeable to physical force as well as to energy weapons, and will not allow a person or thing to pass through it without special counter-abjurative devices.

Rational Bullwark creates a semi-permeable barrier, allowing gas exchange to occur across the barrier without obstruction. It therefore makes an excellent prison cell door.

However, nanite swarms and similar invisible materials may freely migrate across the barrier in both directions.  Spells and spell-like abilities also have some ability to penetrate the barrier, so the caster of Rational Bullwark should make an INT +2 casting roll to determine the difficulty of all future attempts by others to cast spells across the barrier.

Zombie Breath

Putrescent Garland of the Copper Tomb (Illusion/Necromancy*, Cost, Persistent, Requires "Disguise", Corrupting): An essential casting learned by all who must tarry among the living dead, Putrescent Garland is a perfect disguise which convinces any living dead that the target of this spell has an aspect such as Zombie, Living Dead, or Overkilled. Boarding crews of pirate ships that use Annihilators are usually accompanied on boarding actions by someone who knows this casting.

Putrescent Garland does not bestow upon the target the regal mien of one of the undead elite, such as a vampire or lich. Quite the contrary. It creates the illusion that the target is one of the most abject, shambling, and rotting forms of undead,

Roll CHA +2 to cast this on oneself or others. An unwilling target resists with a WIS roll. If the caster should Succeed with Style on their casting roll, the target's appearance also convinces the living that the target is undead.

This casting is Corrupting and inflicts a Minor Infraction.  It is also unpleasant for the target. The target has the experiences dysgeusia as if their own flesh were indeed rotting. Other sensory systems may be similarly disturbed.

*The Necromantic version of spell works differently. It has no Cost, and does not require knowledge of the Illusion spell "Disguise".  However, use of this spell often brings bad fortune on the caster. A draw from the Deck of Fate is required. If a negative aspect appears on the card drawn, the caster gains an appropriate Moderate Consequence related to that aspect.

Flybrid

Return of the Fly (1959)

The existence of the human-fly hybrid, or Flybrid, is far from an accident of nature. They are invariably the cruel result of casting Dr. Langelaan's Mass-Discrepant Hybridization, the Nexialist formula that recapitulates one of the most horrific and memorable recurrent accidents in the Pre-Diasporic Era's early experiments with matter transmission. The Nexialists use this casting to wreak terrible vengeance on those who spy on or persecute them, or who spread skeptical propaganda against the Order's doctrines. For this reason, many Nexialists also refer to these creatures as ghe Reformed Skeptics.

A mosaic creature whose characteristics aren't terribly heritable, the best way to get more Flybrids is to make them using Langelaan's formula. That requires a good source of disposable humanoids, as well as access to flies or close analogues.

Nexialists typically use the Flybrids as guardians within the labyrinths found in the secure areas of Nexialist Institutes. Flybrids are very suitable for this role because they are able to subsist for relatively long periods of time on other-planar energy, and do not tire or sleep. Their exoskeletons provide  a superior defense against piercing (but not against bashing/blunt) weapons, while their compound eyes and antennae make them almost impossible to surprise.  They don't need weapons either, as Flybrids invariably have fearsome mouthparts and at least one pincer arm. That being said, some of the Reformed Skeptics certainly are armed (often with items reclaimed from their victims), and many have access to Eyes, charms, and other technomagical devices.

Sometimes they escape from their masters. It is common to find small numbers of Flybrids congregating or wandering as singletons in the ungovernable subterranean quarters of any city with a Nexialist presence. These wanderers are frequently insane and are invariably hostile to humans.

A final speculation about the Reformed Skeptics is in order. The creatures are most frequently encountered near Nexus Points (either within Nexialist Institutes in other locations). Given that they periodically escape their Nexialist masters, it is reasonable to assume that the Flybrids' compound eyes and antennae give them insights into hidden escape routes. They have spell-like abilities similar to Eye of the Nexus, and often enough Summon Planar Ally.

OGL MECHANICS

Flybrid
Human-Fly Hybrid (inimical)

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Bug eyed hybrid monster
• Trouble: Prone to madness
• Aspect: Hard to surprise
• Aspect: Drawn to Nexus Points
• Aspect: A wicked maw and pincers

APPROACHES

• Careful: +2
• Clever: +1
• Flashy: 0
• Forceful: +3
• Quick: +1
• Sneaky: +2

STUNTS:

• Maddening Buzz: A Flybrid makes deafening sonic attacks using its Forceful Approach; this attack deals mental harm to any allies or foes within two Zones, and anyone in range must defend using their Clever Approach.
• Eye of the Nexus: As with the Planar spell Eye of the Nexus but used at no Cost.
• Exoskeleton: Reduces by two stress points the harm dealt by any piercing/slashing physical attack. 

REFRESH: 3

Notes:

• Flybrids often have other spell-like abilities such as Summon Planar Ally. 
• They may learn Nexialist formulae.
• Many have weapons or technomagical devices.

Dr. Langelaan's Mass-Discrepant Hybridizer

The Fly (1958)

Dr. Langelaan's Mass-Discrepant Hybridizer (Curse/Planar, Cost, Per Scene, Permanent, Requires at least two other Curse/Planar spells, Corrupting): This casting dates back to the first experiments with matter transmission in the Pre-Diasporic Era. Failure to provide proper containment or shielding in these matter transmission experiments produced a series of disastrous random hybridizations between creatures of radically different morphologies and mass profiles. The most notorious of these sports of nature was the human-insect hybrid known as The Fly.

Dr. Langelaan's Mass-Discrepant Hybridizer requires laboratory trappings, or portable scientific equipment that provides the affect of scientific disciplinarity.  The caster rolls CHA +2 in a Create an Advantage attack vs. the CON of each targeted person/creature. If the caster's roll is higher than the individual rolls for each targeted person/creatures, then the result is a permanent hybrid combining the Aspects, Skills, and Stunts of both targets.

Resulting details for the hybrid will be determined by the GM.* Such creations are typically intelligent, but are quite often driven to madness by the transformation and the sudden perversion of their sensoria and memories.

A caster who plans to use this formula will often secret small vials of insects, or containers with snakes or similar vile creatures, in their sanctum for precisely this use. This formula is Corrupting and its use constitutes a Major Infraction.

This casting is one of the preferred punishments that Nexialists inflict on intruders and those who persecute their Order. In this way, the Nexialists create new monsters to stock the defensive labyrinths within their Institutes. At times they also release these hybrids to punish individuals and communities that they deem to have persecuted their Order in some way.

*But we'll present the Flybrid tomorrow, so stay tuned True Believers.

Aftertaste

Aftertaste (Nature, Cost, Per Scene, Persistent, Requires "Summon Nature's Ally"): The caster stuffs three living arthropods into their mouth, and mutters a brief metonymic charm in Glissendo. An enlargening version of one of the bugs leaps from the caster's mouth and immediately grows in size to equal that of a large humanoid. The creature obeys the caster's commands and will fight on its side in a combat. The bug's highest Approach/Skill is equivalent to the caster's Flashy Approach/CHA. The bug lasts for one Scene or until Taken Out in combat.

This casting was inspired by the spell Giant Insect in the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook (5E)