Regular
As listed under Movement Spells, p. 148.
Resist Lightning
Regular
The subject and anything he carries become immune to the effects of light- ning and electricity. In low-tech settings, this is most often used to guard against hostile magic; in higher-tech worlds, it becomes a valuable professional tool.
This is also a Protection and Warning spell and an Air spell.
Duration:1 minute.
Cost:2 to cast. 1 to maintain. Prerequisites:Any six Air spells.
Item
(a) Any. Only affects the wearer. Cost to create:1,000 energy and $1,000 in platinum. (b) Wand, staff, or jewel- ry. Cost to create: 1,500 energy and $1,000 in platinum.
Lightning
Missile
Shoots a bolt of lightning from a fingertip. This bolt has 1/2D 50, Max 100, Acc 3. Treat any metal armor as DR 1 against this spell! If the target is wounded, he must make a HT roll, at -1 per 2 HP suffered, or be stunned. He may attempt a HT roll each turn thereafter to recover. Against electron- ic equipment, treat this attack as if it had the Surge damage modifier (see p. B105).
Lightning behaves unpredictably around conductors. A lightning bolt cannot be fired through a metal grid, between bars, from within a car, etc. – it jumps to the metal and is lost. However, the GM may (for instance) allow a wizard to shoot a lightning bolt into a metal floor. This would not elec- trocute those on it, but could shock them all, interrupting concentration and doing slight damage (no more than 1 point, and possibly none at all). The GM may encourage creative use of lightning until it becomes a nuisance.
This is also an Air spell.
Cost: Any amount up to your Magery level per second, for three sec- onds. The bolt does 1d-1 burning damage per energy point.
Time to cast: 1 to 3 seconds (the caster’s fingers sparkle as the spell builds).
Prerequisites:Magery 1 and at least six other Air spells.
Item
Staff or wand – the bolt is fired from the end of the item. Usable only by mages. Cost to create:800 energy, $1,200 for platinum decorations.
Explosive Lightning
Missile
Creates a lightning bolt that affects both its target and things nearby. This has 1/2D 50, Max 100, Acc 3. It can be thrown at a wall, floor, etc. (at +4 to hit) to catch foes in the blast. The tar- get and anyone closer to the target than one yard takes full damage.
Those further away divide damage by three times their distance in yards from the explosion (round down). The effects of lightning damage listed under Lightning apply.
This is also an Air spell.
Cost:Any amount up to twice your Magery level per second, for three sec- onds. The lightning bolt does 1d-1 burning damage per full 2 points of energy.
Time to cast:1 to 3 seconds. Prerequisite:Lightning.
Item
Staff or wand – the bolt is fired from end of item. Usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 1,200; must include platinum decorations worth $500.
Lightning Whip
Regular
Creates a whip of lightning in the caster’s hand. It is wielded like a normal whip (p. B404), except that it always takes only one second to ready, and it cannot be used to parry or entangle. The whip inflicts 1d burning damage every time it strikes. The effects of lightning damage listed under Lightning apply.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration: 10 seconds.
Cost: 1 to cast per two yards of reach (maximum of 8 yards). Same to maintain.
Time to cast:2 seconds. Prerequisite:Lightning.
Item
Glove, whip, or jewelry. Usable only by mages. Energy cost to create:350.
Shocking Touch
Melee
Charges the caster’s hands or staff with lightning. The caster must strike the subject to trigger this spell; hit loca- tion is irrelevant. The subject takes 1d+1 burning damage per point of ener- gy in the spell. Armor does not protect.
Shocking Touch has unusual side effects on electronics and conductive materials, as per Lightning (above).
This is also an Air spell.
Cost:1 to 3.
Prerequisite:Lightning.
Item
Staff, wand, or glove. The item must touch the subject. Energy cost to create: 1,500.
Spark Cloud
Area
Creates a ground-level cloud of electrical sparks. It does not block vision, but it inflicts burning damage to anyone standing in it. Armor pro- tects in the usual fashion (metallic armor provides the same minimal pro- tection that it does against Lightning).
This is also an Air spell.
Duration: 10 seconds.
Base cost:1 to 5; the cloud inflicts 1 point of damage per second for every point of energy put into the base cost. Time to cast:1 to 5 seconds, depend- ing on base cost. Cannot be maintained. Prerequisites:Shape Air and Lightning.
Item
Staff, wand, or jewelry. Usable only by mages. Cost to create:150 energy, $500 in platinum, and a $500 opal.
Spark Storm
Area
Creates a normal Windstorm, with a dangerous addition: every turn Lightning strikes one random victim in the area of effect. To resolve the bolt’s attack, roll against the caster’s Spark Storm skill, without any range adjustments. The victim gets an active defense, as usual.
At the GM’s option, the lightning strikes may not be completely ran- dom: tall targets may be at more risk than short ones, and metal armor may tend to attract the lightning. Mages who use this spell know what the true rules are in their world.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration:1 minute after reaching full strength.
Base cost: 2 (1d-1 Lightning), 4 (2d- 2 Lightning) or 6 (3d-3 Lightning) to cast. Half that to maintain.
Time to cast: The storm starts immediately, but the caster must con- centrate for a number of seconds equal to the storm’s radius in yards to bring the storm to full strength.
Prerequisites: Windstorm and Lightning.
Item
Staff, wand, or jewelry. Usable only by mages. Cost to create: 300 energy, $500 in platinum ,and a $500 opal.
Wall of Lightning
Area
Creates a shimmering, crackling curtain of lightning around an area. The wall is four yards high, but may be made higher by scaling the cost as the height (double for 8 yards high, triple for 12 yards high and so on).
Every turn, anyone crossing or touching the wall suffers burning damage. It impedes vision and hear- ing through it: -1 to these Sense rolls.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration:1 minute.
Base cost:2 to 6 to cast. Same cost to maintain. Each turn, the Wall inflicts 1d-1 burning damage for every two
points of energy put into its base cost. Prerequisite:Lightning.
Item
(a) Staff, wand, or jewelry. Usable only by mages. Cost to create: 500 energy and a $500 opal. (b) A Wall of
Lightning may be made permanent at an energy cost of 100 times normal.
Ball of Lightning
Missile
Creates a ball of lightning in the caster’s hand. Unlike a regular Missile spell, however, a Ball of Lightning floats away in the direction the caster wills it to; it cannot be hurled in the usual fashion. The ball is utterly silent and moves in a straight line at a max- imum speed equal to the caster’s skill divided by 5 (round down), regardless of wind and nonmetallic obstacles – the ball floats right through windows, curtains, walls, etc. It maintains its heading and speed unless the caster concentrates to change it. The ball
explodes on the mental command of the caster or upon contact with a liv- ing being or metallic object. If the spell is allowed to expire, the Ball winks out of existence without exploding.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration:1 minute.
Cost:Any amount up to twice your Magery level per second, for three sec- onds; half that to maintain. The ball inflicts 1d-1 burning damage for every 2 full points of energy to anyone with- in 1 yard of the explosion. Those fur- ther away divide damage by three times their distance in yards (round down).
Time to cast:1 to 3 seconds; the ball grows in the caster’s hand as the cast- ing progresses.
Prerequisites: Apportation and Lightning.
Item
Staff, wand, or jewelry. Usable only by mages. Cost to create: 600 energy and a $500 opal.
Lightning Stare
Regular
The caster shoots lightning from his eyes, using DX-4 or Innate Attack skill to hit. The caster must be facing the target to use this spell. The typical ritual for this spell uses facial motions rather than hand gestures; thus, Lightning Stare can be cast “no hands” at any level of skill.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration: 1 second.
Cost:1 to 4. Cannot be maintained. Does 1d burning damage per point of energy put into the stare. Range is 2 yards per point of energy.
Time to cast: 2 seconds.
Prerequisites: Lightning, Resist Lightning.
Item
Jewelry. Usable only by mages. Cost to create: 1,000 energy, $500 worth of platinum, and a $500 opal.
Body of Lightning
Regular; Resisted by HT
Subject becomes an animated shape of lightning, temporarily granti- ng him the Body of Lightning meta- trait (see box). Clothes (up to 6 pounds) also become lightning, but lose any magic powers they might have had.
Stop Power acts as Glue and Steal Power acts as Steal Strength on the subject.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration: 1 minute. The spell is broken if the subject loses conscious- ness.
Cost:12 to cast. 4 to maintain. Time to cast:5 seconds.
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Lightning.
Item
(a) Staff, wand, or jewelry. Only affects the wearer. A severe drawback is that, as soon as it is activated, the item falls through the user’s hand – thus a spell cast with this item lasts only a minute. Energy cost to create:3,000. (b) Staff, wand, or jewelry. Only affects the wearer. Unlike the previous item, this item turns to lightning along with the wearer. While in lightning form, it loses any other magical powers it might ordi- narily have. Energy cost to create:6,000.
Lightning Armor
Regular
The subject is sheathed in crack- ling lightning, without feeling any dis- comfort (the subject and anything he carries are under a Resist Lightning spell). The subject’s melee attacks do an extra point of burning damage.
Any metallic weapon that hits the subject triggers a 1d-1 backlash of burning damage along the weapon. This attack automatically hits the hand that is holding the weapon, regardless of the weapon’s length, as long as its entire length is conducting. Should the subject grapple or be grappled, the foe takes 3d-3 burning damage, but the spell will be broken.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration:1 minute.
Cost:7 to cast. 4 to maintain. Prerequisites:At least six Lightning spells including Resist Lightning.
Item
(a) Staff or jewelry. Usable only by mages. Cost to create: 1,000 energy and $300 worth of platinum and opals. (b) Cape or armor; only affects the wearer. When activated, the cape seems like a piece of sheet lightning; it will protect against attacks from the back and sides, but not from the front,
unless it is wielded as a light cloak (see Cloak,p. B184). Energy cost to create: 700 for the cape, 1,000 for armor.
Lightning Weapon
Regular
The subject melee weapon becomes charged with lightning, visi- bly spitting and sparking, without harming its wielder. The weapon must be at least partly metallic; weapons made entirely of wood and/or stone won’t hold the spell. The weapon does an additional 2 points of injury after armor penetration and wounding modifiers have been figured. Against metallic armor, the weapon inflicts at least 1 point of damage on any hit.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration:1 minute.
Cost:4 to cast. 1 to maintain. Time to cast:2 seconds.
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Lightning.
Item
A weapon that becomes electrified whenever used, at no energy cost to the user. Energy cost to create:750; at least $300 must be spent in platinum and opal decorations.
Lightning Missiles
Regular
Like Lightning Weapon, but cast on a missile weapon. The weapon itself becomes surrounded with an electric halo. Any missile it fires becomes charged with lightning, doing 2 addi- tional points of injury as per Lightning Weapon. The missile’s wooden parts turn to ash after it hits a target or after 10 seconds, whichever comes first.
This is also an Air spell.
Duration: 1 minute.
Cost:4 to cast. 2 to maintain. Cost doubles if the missiles to be fired are nonmetallic.
Time to cast:3 seconds. Prerequisite: Lightning Weapon.
Item
A missile weapon that fires light- ning missiles whenever used, at no energy cost to the user. Energy cost to create: 1,000; at least $400 must be spent in platinum and opal decorations.