Sunday, January 26, 2014

A&A School of Magic: Witchcraft


Witchcraft

Witches and Witchcraft are a staple of fantasy literature and idioms.  When making a spell list for Witchcraft I took it as an opportunity to consolidate numerous silly and unfortunate spells as well as a few that were extremely detrimental to whoever they were targeting.  Debilitation whether it be physical or social were given high priority.
Future Spells: Hobart's Interminable Hunger, Eyes of the Beholder, Dodon's Complete Lacking Verve

Cantrips
  • Hollis’ Redolent Trick
    • This trickery makes the target smell of a particular food.  Whether that food is appetizing or not towards the nearest predator is entirely up to the caster.  If it backfires the caster is infused with the aroma for the next week. 
  • The Spell of Transient Gills
    • Gills spring up on the target's neck allowing them breathe freely underwater.  Frog suit is optional.  Outside of water the target has difficultly breathing air and will begin suffocating.  Fortunately the spell only persists longer than a minute when fully immersed in water.
  • Feldoon’s Added Hump
    • Eccentricities abound in Feldoon's collection of scrawled scrolls.  This spell gives the caster a camel's hump to store water.  With the added hump even the desert of death can be crossed.  If fortune is on your side that is.


Lesser
  • Perpetually Accumulating Paper Tiger
    • The witch drops an origami tiger that springs to life.  Any paper it touches is absorbed into its body increasing its size proportionally.  Despite its fearsome roar and ever expanding size it is still made of paper and will fall apart when cut.  Any that fail in their attack roll take 1 damage from a vicious paper cut.
    • Be wary of attacking the tiger after it has consumed a scroll lest you free the magical energies within.
  • Rodent Scourge (Concentration)
    • In the absence of cats you have to do a job yourself.  The caster shrinks themselves and any willing allies down to mouse sized creatures to do battle with any pest infestations.  Conveniently they can enter mouseholes or other small crevices a dungeon might contain.
    • When this is cast on an unwilling target this peculiar pygmification has the unwarranted side effect of enlarging all other hostile (or soon to be) creatures near them.  The spell has no effect on Giant sized creatures.
  • Flawless Volant Arrival  (Concentration)
    • The warlock's arms transform into feathered wings.  While transformed they possess perfect winged flight that will carry them to one and only one specific destination without detour provided it can be seen or the caster has a picture perfect memory of the landing zone.  Such splendid aerial acrobatics renders most missile weapons harmless but the caster must be leery of any winged predator mobile enough to turn them into lunch.
  • Ezrel’s Lupine Blossom                                                           Save Delays Growth: Guts
    • The lupine flower once the dotted the entire landscape of the Valanor Empire.  Though the sun has finally set on the empire the flowers can still be found in many pockets around the world.  This charm transforms these lovely populous flowers into a guardian in the shape and capacity of a wolf.  Flowers begin to bloom around any bite marks slowly sapping their strength draining 1 HP a round as long as the guardian still walks.  Meanwhile more and more of these flowers begin to grow in the guardian's paw prints.
  • Dodon’s Abrupt Macrodactyly
    • At the end of the Witch Doctor's chant the unfortunate soul is disturbed to find that their big toe has grown to a monstrous size nearly the size of a small wigwam.  While being extremely inconvenient the afflicted is able to hop around and squish any underfoot.  The toe will revert to its original size eventually.  Probably.

Mario and Goomba Shoe by Mindy Y
Formidable

  • Strange Metamorphic Hex  (Concentration)                                       Save Halts: Guts
    •  The target begins shapeshifting uncontrollably into different creatures and monsters each round beginning the cycle with the last monster it had seen.  The afflicted ordinarily does not have control of their mental faculties and instead behaves as that creature effectively dropping a new wandering monster in the middle of the party each round.  Ones physical attributes change while shifting but HP remains the same.  Those with a startling willpower that are able to succeed on a Guts save to halt the transformation for one cycle may then attempt a Discipline Save to choose their next form and retain their free will.
      • Only a bold Witch would cast this upon themselves.  Those with enough moxy may even be able to use this spell to turn themselves into a Doppleganger provided they are not lacking in neither discipline nor focus.
  • Egon’s Disastrous Enervation                                                            Save Fortells: Instinct
    •  Many believe this spell was closer to a curse than traditional arcana, nevertheless it was a well used tool in Egon's Arsenal.  Egon always had a talent for exploiting the strengths of his aggressors and this spell is no different.  It saps their vim, vigor and vitality when they need it the most.
    • Many a tale are told when Egon cast this hex upon the nigh victorious giant with boulder poised above his head ready to crush the spindly wizard, or the time he revealed the dreaded black knight's identity when she could no longer bear the burden of her armor.
  • Mirror of Misdeeds
    •  A lifetime of wrongdoing compressed into a haunting transformative series of faces stream through the astral mirror reminding the afflicting of every dirty deed they have done.  No one gets to the top without stepping on a few heads along the way.  In combat the target takes damage equal to their level  plus any damage they dealt out last round and they receive a Wound if they have recently slain someone.  In any social context the all but the most pragmatic and self-righteous must immediately recuse themselves, the weight of their guilt interrupting their endeavor.
"Beauty and the Beast" by Warwick Goble.


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