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. 

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.

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.).

Ten For Tzitzimine

Tzitzimine Star Demon by Juan Ochoa

The Tzitzimine Star Demons love Eyes and other technological devices that use other-planar energy. So let's give 'em some Eyes! There are actually twelve of them below, not ten. So feel free to roll a D12 and pick a few for your Tzitzimine!

"Things to gather, things to grasp, spheres in a halo, treasures to grant."

What are Eyes, you ask? They are “Devices surviving from the ancient and glorious days of high technology” is according to their creator, Professor M.A.R. Barker.[1]  They are a hallmark of his world of Tekumel, which is perhaps the most elaborate fantasy setting ever created for gaming. According to Barker, Eyes are “so named because they are shaped like small, dull gems, with an eye-like aperture on one side and a protruding stud on the other, which activates the device.”

Eyes are handheld superscience artifacts that use other-planar energy. Each one is like a printed circuit with a specific function. Eyes are a perfect embodiment of Clarke’s Law, which states that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” For this reason, they are often found in temple treasuries, in tombs and hoards within the Underworld, and in the hands of the powerful.

They are also very useful to adventurers, who often search for them in the Underworld and within the ruins of the temples, bases, and other facilities of the star-spanning Ancients. Each Eye has a specific power and effect. There is no way to discern an Eye’s power without using it. Each Eye has 1d100 charges, after which an ancient device must be used to restore their charges.

The Eyes below are non-canonical and were inspired by a number of authors including M.A.R. Barker and Cordwainer Smith. (In fact, Cordwainer Smith was undoubtedly an influence on Barker, since Tekumel has its own constellation of species called "Underpeople".) These Eyes may be used in any setting which includes ancient space empires and superscience in its background. 

---

[1] Quotes in this section are from M.A.R. Barker’s Empire of the Petal Throne (TSR 1975), p. 75.

***

The Eye of Friendship with Underpeople: Every world touched by the Lords of the Instrumentality had certain abject hybrid species who were created as laborers by the Instrumentality's cruel and inventive Gene Masters. Most of these creatures long ago broke their bonds to the ancient masters. Today they are retiring and resentful of Mankind. This Eye creates a temporary bond of friendship with one of these creatures. The bond lasts one Scene. Only creatures whose apex Skill/Approach is greater than +1 may resist the effect of this device. The Eye's user rolls CHA/Flashy +2  vs. the target's WIS; if the Eye's user rolls higher, the bond of friendship takes effect and a suitable temporary Aspect is created on the target, such as "Friend of Man".   The Underperson might take any action that is reasonable for a true friend to take (such as fighting alongside the Eye user) but will not take suicidal actions.

The Eye of Lord Tezcatlipoca: This Eye can activate any gate in the network of Smoking Mirror Engines that string disparate places and worlds together like black pearls in the shining void. These gates are one way portals (at least using the Eye), so an activated gate will open only to the next available egress from the Smoking Mirror Engine network - whether that is on the same world, another world, or even on an entirely different plane. The gate remains open for one Scene. Once opened, anyone may pass through the gate and will arrive at the next junction in the network.

The Eye of Adopting the Mien of a Lord of the Instrumentality: This Eye surrounds its target with the data cloud of one of the star-spanning Lords of the Instrumentality of Mankind. In ancient times, this Eye was a favorite tool of the assassins that these Lords (and the Guilds) used to settle their conflicts. Today it is mainly used to gain access to secure complexes in space, as well as to comparable planetside facilities, and certain long-forgotten areas of the Underworld defended by ancient superscience. The Mien created by this Eye is a temporary Aspect (for example, The Mantle of Lord Vex) that lasts for one Scene. The automated defenses of the Instrumentality’s ancient facilities will grant the target and their entourage unrestricted access to all but the most sensitive installations. Once the target gains access, they must act quickly. Reactivating the Eye within such an installation will awaken terrifying automated defenses.

The Eye of the Banishers of Gloom: The Banishers of Gloom are today one of the Legions of the Imperial Sovereign. In ancient times, they were an elite military unit of the Instrumentality dedicated to exploring dead planets and space hulks. They garnered a reputation as fearless hunters of the undead and of abominations from the planes beyond. On many worlds, they remain active within religious orders dedicated to Law and the destruction of the undead. This Eye is their signature weapon. The Eye unleashes a miniature hypernova beam upon its target, a 1’ in diameter beam of coalesced visible light, x-rays, and gamma rays. The Eye’s range is three Zones. All combustibles touched by the beam burst into flame.If an attack by this Eye hits its target, stress inflicted automatically bypasses the target's Stress Track and causes one or more Consequences of equivalent effect.

The Eye of the Dutiful Corvee: While the Instrumentality was an advanced interstellar civilization, social relations under the Lords of the Instrumentality often took on a semifeudal character. The ancient Lords used this Eye to compel corvee labor on many worlds. The device only works on humans, as other species were by definition suitable for enslavement rather than beings subject to a labor tax, This device works infallably on beings whose apex skill is +1 or less. With each use, a total of 1D20 such beings may be commanded to work indefinitely on some major project. Legends tell of isolated worlds where nearly immortal humans continue to labor on great works for the Instrumentality even today.

The Eye of the Beshadowed Labyrinth: This Eye opens a gate to ruined planet. The gate itself is entirely invisible. An individual might pass through it quite unwittingly.  The ruined planet's lifeless, airless surface is constantly abraded by the deadly energy beams emitted by the magnetar - a species of neutron star with intense magnetic fields - which the world orbits. Below the surface is a world-labyrinth inhabited by innumerable inimical species. Vast subterranean machines maintain a barely breathable atmosphere tainted with a thousand exotic chemicals. The entire labyrinth is shrouded in shifting dim light which projects shadows everywhere. Adventurers who survive in this deadly realm will need to find another way home: the gate opened by this Eye only offers a one way trip.

The Eye of the Glorious Instrumentality of Mankind: A favorite of galactic tomb raiders everywhere, this Eye projects a 3-D holographic representation of the regions of space ruled by Instrumentality of Mankind, showing the location and disposition of all Instrumentality resources including fleets, legions, bases, and nodes in the Smoking Mirror Engine network, as well as protected trade routes. Points of interest may be zoomed in upon by using physical gestures; this reveals planetary maps and additional data such as day length, climate levels, etc. The projection lasts for one Scene.  It automatically updates once daily within Instrumentality facilities that remain connected to the Smoking Mirror Engine network. But few do.

The Eye of the Lady of the Jade Skirt: This Eye will summon the nearest minion of a god or goddess of rivers, lakes, seas, rain, or storms. The ahuizotl is an example of one of these, as are anaconda, crocodiles, and hippos. Caution must be taken when using this Eye in open seas, as it can summon particularly nasty creatures such as mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, killer whales, kraken, akho, and avanc. This Eye has even reportedly summoned a 'Zotl. The creature remains for one Scene.

The Mystic Eye of the Hexagonal Chamber: Zealously sought by scholar priests, archaeologists, and obsessive antiquarian biblophiles, this Eye confers upon the target the ability to read, comprehend, and memorize any religious, mystical, or sorcerous manuscript, no matter the language in which the text was written. The user fires the Eye at the head of the person desiring to read the text in question (this is often none other than the user of the Eye). The effect lasts for one session. But that's not all. A degree of harmful other-planar informational decay is associated with the use of this device. With each use, the reader must make a Clever/WIS roll to defend against a mental Attack with an insanity trigger of +2.

The Majestic Eye of Lord Pacal: This Eye allows its user to pilot telepathically a Pacal-class Vimana - one of the ancient chariots of the gods - for an entire Session.

The Eye of Petty Theogony: The target upon which this Eye is used selects a temporary Aspect reflecting a minor deity, or a lesser avatar of a great deity. The target selects a suitable temporary Aspect to reflect this. Their CHA/Flashy Approach also increases by +2 for the remainder of the Scene. Intelligent beings who are friendly or devoted to that deity will be favorably disposed; those intelligent beings who are opposed or hostile to that deity will be more likely to attack or flee. Any Consequence will completely dispel the effect of this Eye. No one likes a god that bleeds.

The Eye of Vague Auguries: When this Eye is pointed at an object such as a door, secret panel, or other portal (including interdimensional gates) the Eye will issue two vague-but-true telepathic auguries about persons, items, and conditions on the other side of the threshold. The auguries become scene Aspects as determined by the GM.  For example, if a PC uses the Eye at the threshold of a doorway in the Underworld, the auguries might be “reptile god” and “priests”. The resulting scene aspects might be:

Threshold of the Temple of the Snake Demon Ysxthici. 

A high priest, unwilling sacrifices and numerous cultists.

The devices above are copyright 2013 by John Everett Till.

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".

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.

Enkidu FerJabbersSake

Enkidu FerJabbersSake is my first character for 5th edition D&D. Yesterday, I posted the backstory for this character at The Everwayan. I thought it might be fun today to translate him for Fate Freeport Companion.

Keep in mind that a beginning character for the Fate Freeport Companion is significantly more capable than a 1st level D&D character.

Enkidu was originally created for a new western continent in the Forgotten Realms setting. But he'd work well in Freeport or Razor's Coast - really in any setting with a colonial port city and a wilderness where indigenous groups clashing with settlers from across the seas.

Although I originally wrote Enkidu as a grudging worshiper of Bahgtru, the orcish god of idiot strength, this version of Enkidu taps into 13th Age's Icons cosmology.

Enkidu FerJabbersSake

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Hulking Half Orc Ranger
• Trouble: A taste for human males
• Icon Relationship: Conflicted Relationship with the Orc Lord
• Aspect: My missing Half Orc brother
• Aspect: Surprisingly handsome

SKILLS:

• STR +3
• DEX +1
• CON +2
• INT 0
• WIS +1
• CHA +2

STUNTS:

• Favored Enemy: Because I have not forgiven my own goblinoid-kind for enslaving my little brother, I take +2 to my STR Skill when Attacking orcs or goblins.
• Half Orc Smash!: Because of my great size and physical prowess, I take +2 to my STR Skill to Overcome an Obstacle where might can help.
• Natural Explorer: Because I have lived all my life in the forest, I take +2 to my WIS or INT Skills to Create an Advantage in this environment.
• Rough Trade: Because I am ruggedly handsome, I take +2 to my CHA Skill to Create an Advantage with someone likely to be attracted to me.

REFRESH: 2

STRESS TRACKS: Physical - 3 boxes, Mental - 2 boxes

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.

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)

Psi-Meat

Saguaro flesh. Photo by L Bolyard.

The flesh of the Saguaro plant people can be harvested and used as a potent psi-enhancing substance. A chunk of the Saguaro's flesh must be cut off a limb or from the main trunk of the creature. This fresh meat is quickly dethorned, and then the leathery green rind is removed so that the softer internal flesh can be pulped and consumed.

Harvesting and consumption must occur in close physical proximity to the living Saguaro donor, or the psi-meat spoils - with deleterious side effects for the imbiber. Each mouthful of pulp confers plant-telepathy upon its subject for one Session. The user's skin takes on a greenish-yellow tint while the drug is in effect. Frequent or continuous consumption can lead to addiction, as well as to permanent somatic changes in the user.

An animal that consumes psi-meat will be able to communicate flawlessly with any nearby plant. Users are also able to communicate with nearby animal species as a Clever Action with a difficulty of 2. The user has little filter, hearing the thoughts of any and all plants, insects, and other animals in close proximity. To determine a specific range in Zones for this sensory input, roll 1DF +2 Zones.

It is important to note that sentient plants are able to effortlessly read the mind of someone who has ingested psi-meat; psi-meat users may roll their own Clever vs. the plant's Clever to defend against such an intrusion.

The Peyotl

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peyote_Cactus.jpg

Which came first, the Peyotl or the Saguaro? Soft, spineless, limbless, and sessile, the Peyotl are a subtle, deceptive, manipulative, and highly intelligent plant race. They have to be; after all, they have no limbs and always need others to do things for them.

The litter-borne Peyotl are another post-Cataclysmic cactus species. They are a close relative of the Saguaro. Like their more mobile kinfolk, the Peyotl have backtimed, and scattered across many worlds and times. However, their diaspora has not been as successful as that of the Saguaro. They occupy a number of worlds beyond the Imperial Extents, but are rarely seen within the Empire itself, as their species is considered highly inimical to Humanity.

They Peyotl are subtle slavers. Their cells produce numerous addictive and psychoactive substances, and they have the capacity to modify their flesh to produce special organs that facilitate the dissemination of these substances in the air and water, and through fleshy dispensations of drug buttons. Even more uncanny is their ability to affect other species through direct psychic manipulation. The Peyotl have psi-organs with the ability to simulate human brain functions. They use these structures to model the effects of the psychoactive substances that their body produces, psi-projecting those effects directly into nearby human minds as hallucinations and various other affects.

Humans who live in proximity to the Peyotl loose all capacity for true self-governance, although human polities will continue to be led by ever more refined aristocratic castes. The Peyotl are happy to rule behind the scenes, as scientific and political advisers, prime ministers, government officials, and oracles. They gradually replace human policy-making and political debate with ritual and vegetal procedure. Humans diversify into myriad social and racial castes under the Peyotl's subtle rule: both minds and genomes are manipulated and transformed through the Peyotl's constant experiments. Some humans even have strange tumorous growths on their foreheads: perhaps attempts at neural repression, perhaps experiments with the desuppression of the pineal gland.

The Saguaro who accompany Peyotl are likewise anything but their equals. They are as inferior as the ever-drugged human slaves who bear the litters of the Peyotl-folk and who worship them as Green Gods. In the presence of Peyotl, the Saguaro are reduced; they are capable of little more than being loyal foot soldiers of the Peyotl. For example, Saguaro in the presence of Peyotl can never use spells.


These cactus people are inspired by Nathalie Henneberg's The Green Gods (1961). Henneberg's work is a possible inspiration for the manipulative fungal overlords of  Jeff VanderMeer's Finch.

OGL MECHANICS

Peyotl
Intelligent cacti (inimical)

ASPECTS:

• High Concept: Manipulative cactus overlord
• Trouble: No physical defenses
• Aspect: Like sun but hate fire
• Aspect: Others carry them
• Aspect: A drug haze surrounds them

APPROACHES

• Careful: +3
• Clever: +4 
• Flashy: +2
• Forceful: 0
• Quick: 0
• Sneaky: +2

STUNTS:

• Command Plants - Take +2 to Flashy Approach to Create an Advantage with other plants (this is a psi-charismatic leadership ability)
• Plant Telepathy - Peyotl can communicate flawlessly with any nearby plant or animal.
• Purple Haze -   Take +2 to Sneaky Approach to Attack humans or animals with a haze of psychoactive drugs
• Psi-Sensorium - Peyotl have 360 degree perception (sight, sound/vibration, heat) for up to 3 zones; declines by 1 step for every successive zone after 3
• The Flesh is Willing - Once per session, Peyotl may create a new organ to produce or secrete drugs or psychoactive substances.

REFRESH: 3

Note: Peyotl may know two Enchantment, Illusion, or Planar spells for every additional point of Refresh spent.