Casting Forbidden spells requires speaking mystic phrases in Dark Speech. If you don’t know this language, you make attack rolls using Forbidden spells with 1 bane and creatures make challenge rolls to resist your Forbidden spells with 1 boon.
Magic
must make a Strength challenge roll; on a failure, it takes 1d6 damage and becomes impaired for 1 round. On a success, there is no effect; on the third success, the target vomits a knot of squirming maggots and the effect ends.
A target that becomes incapacitated from the spell’s damage dies instantly, and a cloud of black flies spreads through a 5-yard-radius sphere from a point within its space. The flies heavily obscure the area and remain for 1 minute or until dispersed by fire or wind.
VISION’S END FORBIDDEN ATTACK 2
Target One sighted creature within short range
The target’s eyes bulge and strain in its head. If its Health is 15 or less, it takes 2d6 damage and becomes blinded as its eyes explode.
If its Health is 15 or more, make an Intellect attack roll against the target’s Strength; the attack roll is made with 1 bane if its Health is 30 or more. On a success, the target becomes blinded for as long as you concentrate, up to 1 minute. At the end of each round until the effect ends, the target must make a Strength challenge roll, taking 1d6 damage on a failure. If it gets three failures before the effect ends, the blinded affliction becomes permanent—the target’s eyes burst, ocular juices painting its face.
Attack Roll 20+ The effect lasts up to 1 minute without
concentrating.
DESIRE’S END FORBIDDEN ATTACK 3
Target One living creature within short range
The target experiences a sharp internal pain. Make an Intellect attack roll against its Strength. On a success, the target takes 3d6 damage and becomes dazed for 1d6 rounds as the sad remains of its reproductive organs fall from its body.
Attack Roll 20+ The target takes 3d6 extra damage and
also falls prone; it cannot stand up while it is dazed this way. PART BONE FROM FLESH FORBIDDEN ATTACK 3
Target One creature that has bones in its body within
medium range
The target’s bones shift under its skin. Make an Intellect attack roll against its Strength. On a success, the target takes 6d6 damage. If the target becomes incapacitated by this damage, it dies instantly; its bones tear free from the flesh to become an animated corpse of the target’s Size
that occupies its former space. The animated corpse attacks the creature nearest to it each round, choosing its target randomly if presented with multiple targets.
Attack Roll 20+ The target takes 2d6 extra damage.
SOUL EXCHANGE FORBIDDEN ATTACK 4
Target Two living mortal creatures within medium range
You grasp the targets’ souls. Make an Intellect attack roll against each target’s Will. On a success, the target becomes dazed for 1 minute.
Attack Roll 20+ The target also becomes stunned while it is
dazed this way.
Special If you get a success against both targets, their souls
permanently swap bodies. Each target gains 1d6 Insanity. Each soul brings the following to its new body, but otherwise uses the new body’s attributes, characteristics, and abilities: • All languages and professions
• Intellect and Will scores (recalculate Perception if necessary)
• Insanity and Corruption scores • All talents
• All traditions it has discovered and all spells it knows HORRID JOINING FORBIDDEN ATTACK 5
Target Two creatures you can see within short range of
each other and within medium range of you
The targets’ forms become indistinct for a moment. Make an Intellect attack roll against each target’s Strength. On a success, the target takes 3d6 damage and becomes impaired for 1 round.
Attack Roll 20+ The target takes 3d6 extra damage. Special If you get a success against both targets, their
bodies permanently merge to form a single creature, which becomes impaired until after it completes a rest. The merged creature’s appearance is up to you.
The merged creature combines the attributes,
characteristics, and other abilities of the targets as follows: • It has the higher of the targets’ Strength and the lower
of their Agility scores. Each target retains its own Intellect and Will.
• It gains 2d6 Insanity, replacing the targets’ Insanity scores (if any). The targets’ Corruption scores, if any, are added together.
• The targets occupy the same space, adding their Size together. Add together the higher of the targets’ Health and half the lower Health. The merged creature’s Speed becomes 6.
• The merged creature has the traits and talents of both targets, and it gains the horrifying trait if neither target already had that trait.
• Although they share one body, each target can take one turn each round. One must take a fast turn and the other a slow turn; if they can’t decide, each rolls a d6 and the high roller chooses.
Illusion
Illusion magic fools the senses.
Discovering the tradition often results from formal training at an institution of magic or from an apprenticeship to a master illusionist. Some discover it after being affected by an Illusion spell or find the power was within themselves all along. Students of Illusion magic use it to construct their own realities, preferring the false world it offers to the harsh reality around them. With a wave of a hand, they fashion illusory clothing made from the finest materials. With a word, they conceal blemishes or look like completely different people. Once you begin learning spells from this tradition, everything around you becomes suspect—from the clothes you wear to the company you keep.
CLAMOR ILLUSION UTILITY 0
Target One point in space within medium range Duration 1 minute
The target point emits sound you choose for the duration. This can be noises or speech in a language you know, and its volume can range from as quiet as a whisper to as loud as thunder. For the duration, you can change the sound as you wish to mimic effects such as the clash of blades, a conversation, or the approach or retreat of footsteps.
7
Magic
DISGUISE ILLUSION UTILITY 0
Target One creature you can reach Duration 1 hour
You touch the target and confer an illusory disguise that lasts for the duration. You decide what the disguise looks like. You can increase or decrease the target’s apparent height or weight by up to 25 percent. You can change the appearance of the target’s clothing and equipment, though the effect does not mask any sounds it normally makes.
FIGMENT ILLUSION UTILITY 1
Area A cube, 2 yards on a side, originating from a point
you can see within short range
Duration 1 hour; see the effect
A silent visual illusion of a creature, object, or force appears in the area. If you create an illusion of a creature, it moves and behaves in a lifelike manner for the duration. If the illusion is attacked, or if you cannot see it at the end of the round, the effect ends immediately.
THIMBLERIG ILLUSION UTILITY 1
Duration 1 hour; see the effect
Four illusory duplicates spring into existence in open spaces within your reach. For the duration, each duplicate moves with you, continually exchanging places so that observers
cannot discern which one is the real you. The duplicates’ movement does not trigger free attacks.
When a creature gets a success with an attack roll against your Defense, Strength, or Agility, roll a d20 to see whether the attack affects you or one of the duplicates. If it affects a duplicate, reduce the number of duplicates by one. The effect ends when the last duplicate disappears.
Thimblerig
Number of Duplicates Hits a Duplicate on . . .
4 16 or less
3 15 or less
2 14 or less
1 10 or less
VERTIGO ILLUSION ATTACK 1
Target One creature within short range
The target perceives its immediate environs as spinning. Make an Intellect attack roll against the target’s Perception. On a success, the target becomes afflicted with vertigo for 1 minute. If it moves more than 2 yards on its turn while afflicted this way, it must make an Agility challenge roll. On a failure, it falls prone and ends its turn.
Attack Roll 20+ While afflicted with vertigo, the target also
falls prone, potentially ending its turn, when it takes damage.
7
Magic
GLAMER ILLUSION UTILITY 2
Area A cube, 2 yards on a side, originating from a point
you can see within short range
Duration 1 hour; see the effect
A visual and auditory illusion of a creature, object, or force appears in the area. If you cannot see the illusion at the end of the round, the effect ends immediately.
If you create an illusion of a dangerous force, such as fire or boiling water, a creature moving into its space must make a Perception challenge roll, taking 2d6 damage on a failure. If you create an illusion of a creature, it moves and behaves in a lifelike manner and uses your Intellect score for its attributes, Defense, and Health. It ignores all afflictions and disappears when it becomes incapacitated, which ends the effect. For the duration, you can use an action to move the illusion up to 10 yards and attack one creature within 1 yard of it that can see the illusion and that believes it to be real. Make an Intellect attack roll against the target’s Perception. On a success, the target believes it was injured, burned, or otherwise harmed by the illusion and takes 2d6 damage.
Attack Roll 20+ The target takes 2d6 extra damage.
INVISIBILITY ILLUSION UTILITY 2
Target One creature or object you can reach Duration 1 minute
You touch the target, which becomes invisible for the duration.
DECOY ILLUSION UTILITY 3
Triggered You can use a triggered action to cast this spell
when a creature gets a success on an attack roll against you. The success instead becomes a failure, and you teleport to an open space of your choice within short range.
PHANTASM ILLUSION UTILITY 3
Area A cube, 4 yards on a side,
originating from a point you can see within long range
Duration 1 hour; see the effect
An illusion of a creature, object, or force that looks, sounds, and
otherwise seems real appears inside the area. If you cannot see the illusion at the end of the round, the effect ends immediately.
If you create an illusion of a dangerous force, such as fire or boiling water, a creature moving
into its space must make a Perception challenge roll, taking 3d6 damage on a failure.
If you create an illusion of a creature, it moves and behaves in a lifelike manner and uses your Intellect score for its attributes, Defense, and Health. It ignores all afflictions and disappears when it becomes incapacitated, which ends the effect. For the duration, you can use an action to move the illusion up to 10 yards and attack one creature within 1 yard of it that can see the illusion and that believes it to be real. Make an Intellect attack roll against the target’s Perception. On a success, the target believes it was injured, burned, or otherwise harmed by the illusion and takes 4d6 damage.
Attack Roll 20+ The target takes 2d6 extra damage.
MIRAGE ILLUSION UTILITY 4
Area A cylinder, 5 yards tall with a 10-yard radius, centered
on a point within long range
Duration Until you complete a rest
Illusory terrain appears inside the area and remains there for the duration. It looks, sounds, smells, and feels real in every way. You can change the appearance of the existing terrain completely or incorporate its features into the illusion. The illusion can totally conceal any existing terrain feature in its area and hide its visual effects. For example, you could render a fire invisible and completely conceal the light it casts, though it would still emit heat and deal damage to creatures that come into contact with it.
Sacrifice You can expend a casting of this spell to cast
phantasm.
Permanence If you cast this spell in the same area each day
for a month and a day, the effect becomes permanent. ILLUSORY DOUBLE ILLUSION UTILITY 5
Area A cube, large enough to accommodate a creature of
your Size, originating from a point within short range
Duration 1 hour; see the effect
An illusory copy of yourself appears inside the area. The copy looks, sounds, and otherwise is identical to you in every way. It uses your attributes and characteristics. However, it ignores all afflictions and disappears when it becomes incapacitated, which ends the effect.
When you move, you can also move your copy up to your Speed in any direction and manner you can normally move. You can choose to cast spells from your space or the space your copy occupies.
When a creature gets a success on an attack roll against you, you can use a triggered action to instantly swap positions with your copy, making it the target of the attack instead.
Life
Life magic eases pain, heals wounds, and removes
afflictions. Many people discover the tradition by studying at the fabled House of Healing, an institution founded long ago to fight plagues and alleviate suffering. Upon completing the training, each new Life practitioner receives a tattoo of a hand, palm out, on the right cheek and is given a crimson cloak to signify commitment to healing.
The tradition finds great favor among servants of the gods, since performing such miracles fosters devotion in
Discerning Illusions
A creature can attempt to discern whether what it sees, hears, or otherwise experiences is an illusion. To do so, it uses an action to make a Perception challenge roll, with 1 bane per point its Power score is lower than that of the illusion’s caster. On a success, the creature perceives the illusion and cannot be affected by it.
Other methods might also reveal an effect’s false nature, at the GM’s discretion.