Chaosium Digest Volume 19, Number 12 Date: Sunday, June 8, 1997 Number: 2 of 2 Contents: Spells of Karakal (Frank Sronce) COC DREAMLANDS -------------------- From: fsronce@tcac.com (Frank Sronce) Subject: Spells of Karakal System: COC Dreamlands SPELLS OF KARAKAL The following spells are commonly associated with Karakal and his priesthood. Most of the major spells are known only by his high-ranking priests. Those spells created by Bolonath are known only to him and possibly a few members of his family. A few of these spells are taught by the priests of Karakal but appear to be unrelated to that deity. The priesthood still teaches them to its members because of their utility. All of these spells are presented in the following format: Spell Name (MP or POW cost, San loss, Base casting time) Additional Names the Spell is Commonly Known By, if Any [Source of the spell, if known] A description of the spell's effects, and any further explanations required. [Any additional notations or cautions for the use of the GM.] If the spell name is marked off with asterisks, then the spell is particularly powerful and the GM should consider all of the possible effects carefully before introducing it into a campaign. These spells should be weaker or even powerless in the waking world, as Karakal is a God of Earth and as such has little power outside the Dreamlands. A contest of Magic Points may be substituted for the contest of POW in any spell which calls for one, at the GM's option. Blessing of Karakal (4+ MP, 1 San, 3 rounds) [Karakal] This spell requires the caster to kneel before an open flame and utter a short prayer to Karakal, asking his blessing. At the conclusion of the prayer, the caster must reach into the fire with his naked hands. If the spell is cast properly, he will suffer no damage. When he withdraws his hands, they will be coated in a strange, golden sheen. For a duration of 1d4+2 hours, any fire damage which the caster suffers to his hands will be reduced by the number of Magic Points expended on this spell. [The minimum MP cost of 4 will protect the caster against most normal fires, but hotter fires may require more MP to resist. This spell could actually protect the caster's entire body, but the caster would have to cast it before a fire large enough to encompass his entire body and then step naked into the flames. This would probably be fatal if the spell were to fail for any reason. Only exposed skin is protected by the spell; it cannot protect the caster's clothing or other objects.] *Bolonath's Deadly Blade* (1 POW, 1d6 San, 1 minute) [Bolonath] This spell attempts to bind a previously summoned Minion of Karakal into a large, flawless ruby. If the Minion has already been successfully bound, then the Minion automatically climbs onto the gemstone and slowly merges with it. An unbound Minion will only be affected if the caster can overcome its POW with his own. Once successfully bound inside the ruby, the creature's electrical touch affects whatever touches the gem. Bolonath used this spell to create "the Tooth of Karakal" by constructing a sword with a ruby built into the blade. It was most distinctive for its oversided hilt, which was made entirely of non-conductive material. If the ruby is ever shattered, the Minion will emerge from the core of the gem and lash about angrily at anyone present. [Since large rubies are very expensive, the preparation for this spell is often more troublesome than its actual casting. This is a major spell because it enables the caster to effectively make a very deadly electrical trap or weapon that can be used repeatedly until the ruby is finally destroyed. Of course, great caution is required from the caster to keep from electrocuting himself when using this device. Bolonath used this spell only once, and was not entirely pleased with the result, for the sword he placed the ruby in could easily be lethal to its wielder as well.] Bolonath's Fiery Blade (2 POW, 1d6 San, 1 day) [Bolonath] This enchantment was used to create "the Flametongue." A weapon so enchanted may be activated by touching the blade to a flame while asking Karakal to bless it. This costs the wielder 2+ MP and 0 San. The flame will cling to the blade for 30 minutes per MP expended. People struck with the weapon while it is covered in flame will take an additional 1d4 points of fire damage. If the flame is cut off from oxygen (ie, by sheathing it or throwing it in water) the flame will die. [This is actually a more useful way of creating a magical weapon than Bolonath's Deadly Blade, since the damaging effect can be turned on and off at will. It is more expensive in POW than the other spell, though, and does less damage. Unless no other magical weapons are available to your investigators, introducing this spell is not likely to have a major effect upon your campaign.] Bolonath's Furnace (1+ MP, 1 San, 1 round) [Bolonath] This spell creates an immobile, shimmering globe of heat, about 4-5 feet across. It appears at most a few feet away from the caster. It cannot be created around a solid object, only in the open air. Its temperature rises at a rate of 100 degrees Fahrenheit per round until it reaches a temperature of 100 degrees per MP expended, but the heat is magically limited to the furnace itself. Anything touching it takes 1d6 damage per 200 degrees in the furnace. It will last for 3d6 hours. If the caster desires, he may add more MP after the first casting at a rate of 1 MP per round in order to increase the temperature further. [Since the Furnace does not reach its maximum heat immediately, it is practically useless as a combat spell. However, it can be used to block a corridor or to destroy any item which can be moved into its depths. Bolonath used it as a very precise forge, one unmatched in the Dreamlands. This spell was expanded from a spell entry in the Dreamlands supplement.] Bolonath's Wondrous Enchantment (1+ POW, 1d4 san, 1 hour) [Karakal] This spell of animation may be related to whatever method Karakal used to create his Minions. First, the caster must construct some sort of mechanical device out of metal (and/or other non-flammable components), which may require several successful skill rolls to complete. The device needs to have some sort of "heart," a sealed area wherein the flame can be stored. The Wondrous Enchantment fills the heart with living flame, and the flame brings a semblance of life to the device. Should the heart ever be pierced, and the flame released, the creature "dies" and returns to lifeless metal. [When the device to be enchanted is complete, the GM should decide upon the characteristics it will possess when animated. The POW cost to animate it is generally equal to the sum of the creature's characteristics divided by 20. Other abilities are dependent upon the quality of the workmanship involved. Bolonath's metal Magah bird, for example, only cost 2 POW to enchant, but it could sing and fly because of the extraordinary skill that went into creating its metal body. If too little POW is invested, the device will stir only slowly and weakly. If extra POW is invested, the creature will be bursting with life and energy, perhaps moreso than a living creature would be. Such creatures never tire but may follow a day/night schedule if they choose to. They will live forever unless destroyed. Most have only animal intelligence, but certain types of crystal may be used for a brain in order to allow for the creation of intelligent creatures. It is important that the crystal be flawless; any imperfections will result in damage to the new mind created. Bolonath never succeeded in creating an intelligent creature, but he might still be trying...] *Contact Karakal* (1 POW, 1d3 San, 10 minutes) [Karakal] This spell requires a large fire source, which the caster must kneel before while chanting to Karakal. At the conclusion of the spell, the flames will take on a strange, shimmering quality. The caster must then place some item (generally a piece of artwork of great value) within the flame, where it will vanish. After the offering is accepted, the flame returns to normal. The caster should then meditate in the vicinity, awaiting some sign from Karakal. He has a chance equal to 1/2 of his Luck Roll of getting a response. It can take up to 24 hours for Karakal to come. He will not appear before gawkers or other non-worshippers. If Karakal chooses to come, he will materialize in a sheet of fire. If the god is impressed, both with the offering and with his worshipper's humble attitude, he may choose to reward him with magical devices or knowledge. [The offerings are transported to Karakal's sanctuary in Unknown Kadath. If the offering displays extraordinary craftsmanship, the GM can substitute a roll of 1/2 of the skill used to create it instead of 1/2 of the character's Luck. If investigators are really brazen, it might be possible for a person to hurl himself through the shimmering fire into the depths of Kadath, but of course he would have no way of returning...] Enchant Brazier (1+ POW, 1d2 San, 1 day) [Karakal] This spell enchants a brazier to help with the spells Summon Minion of Karakal and Pyromancy (see below). It requires an animal sacrifice of at least 5 SIZ per POW being invested. Flame Maze (16 MP, 1d3 San) [Karakal] This spell causes a maze of brightly colored flame to spring up from the ground. The walls of the maze are generally about ten feet high. The caster can choose whether to be on an edge of the maze or in its center. The flames do 1d6 damage to anyone attempting to cross them, and that person must succeed in overcoming the caster's POW with his own to successfully pass through the fiery wall. The maze covers a wide area (the caster's POW in yards), and slowly shifts. It generally requires at least 3 successful Idea rolls to navigate from one end to the other. The caster has an image of the maze in his mind when it is first created, giving him a +50% to all Idea rolls. This bonus drops by 10% per round as the maze changes around him. The maze lasts for around 1 hour. [A useful way of walling off an area or temporarily trapping enemies, the Flame Maze is a bit too esoteric in nature to be a really useful spell.] High Steel (1+ POW, 1d2 San, 6 hours) This spell requires a pint of the caster's blood, which must be mixed in with steel and silver in a forge. The metal that results is known as High Steel. It can hold a better edge than normal metals, enabling the smith to produce edged weapons with their damage increased. It also counts as a weakly-magical weapon for purposes of harming certain creatures. Finally, it doubles the weapon's Hit Points for purposes of determining when it breaks. Doing this requires the loss of 1 hit point from the caster (from blood loss) and a successful Blacksmith roll on the part of the forger, or the eerily active metal will be ruined and the POW wasted. 1 POW is sufficient to produce a single sword or 20 arrow heads. Larger amounts of metal, of course, require more POW. [As a general rule, a High Steel weapon with a superior edge should ignore the first two points of armor worn by any target. It counts as a magical weapon, but this is not its primary enchantment, so the most damage that a High Steel weapon can do to a creature invulnerable to normal weapons is equal to three times the POW invested in it. High Steel armor should stop an additional 2 points of damage. This spell can create superior weapons and armor, but it is too expensive in terms of POW for an investigator to use it casually. High Steel is much more valuable in the Dreamlands (where a sword is still a common weapon) than in the waking world.] Lambent Flame (2+ MP, 1 San, 1 round) This spell creates a narrow cone of flame extending from the caster's outstretched finger. It is about as hot as a candle and may be of any color the caster desires. It costs 2 MP to initiate the spell and an additional MP per round maintained. [This is a modified version of a spell from the Dreamlands supplement and is reproduced here because it is associated with the priests of Karakal in my campaign. It is a fairly pointless spell in the waking world, where a good lighter can produce the same effect with no Sanity cost. Even in the Dreamlands, there is usually a better way to produce a flame unless time is of the absolute essence.] *Lightning* (8 MP, 1d3 San) [Karakal] Creates an electrical arc between the caster and his chosen target, who must be within 5 yards. This lightning strike is similar to the touch of a Minion of Karakal, but weaker. It inflicts 2d3 Hit Points of electrical damage, which ignores metal armor. The target must roll his CON vs the damage done, or his heart will stop. [This spell is rarely lethal to a human opponent, but it can be cast with a single gesture, so it remains a useful combat spell. It can also affect many creatures immune to physical attacks. The GM should arbitrate the secondary effects of a strong electric shock (muscle spasms, possible short-term memory loss) as he sees fit. Lightning does not do enough damage to slay most monsters with a single attack, but several investigators casting it on the same opponent certainly could...] Many Matches (1 MP per sigil, 2 MP to cast, 0 San) This spell requires that the caster first draw a simple sigil on any object to be affected. The sigil has an arrow coming from it, at whose point the magic will be generated. The sigil is drawn mystically, and is invisible except to magical perception. When the spell is actually cast, the caster gestures at the area to be affected. Every sigil in that area generates a small spark. If cast in reverse, every sigil attempts to snuff any fire touching the arrow-tip. This is not strong enough to put out any fire larger than a candle-flame. The most common use is for the mage to draw the invisible sigil over candles in his house, enabling him to light every candle in a room with a single spell. This spell can also be used to start other fires, but does not generate enough heat to do any real damage. Only items that burn very easily may be lit by it. [This spell is useful for lighting fuses and setting small fires, but its main use lies in impressing normal people with your "wizardly powers."] *Pyromancy* (8 MP, 1d3 San, 1 minute) [Karakal] This spell requires some sort of open flame. The caster must stare into the fire until he starts to see images in the flame. Fire scrying is faster than most other forms of scrying magic, but it shows only random, fragmented scenes. The caster should make a POW roll. On a POWx1 result, the subject that the caster wished to see will appear in the fire. On a higher roll, only part of the desired image will appear, and completely unrelated scenes may be seen as well. A roll above POWx3 generally fails entirely. If the caster uses an enchanted brazier for the flame, every POW invested in the brazier adds +5% to the accuracy of this spell. Pyromancy shows images of nearby events in the present. If the incident the caster wishes to view lies in the past, some object that was present at that time must be burned in the fire. [This is a deceptively powerful spell. Any form of scrying which lets the caster call up images of what other people are doing can solve many mysteries which would otherwise require a long and dangerous investigation. In particular, the ability of Pyromancy to view images of a past event associated with an item makes it very useful in reconstructing exactly what happened in a given place at a given time. It is up to the GM to decide whether the images which the caster views should be visible to others standing nearby or to the caster alone. In general, if you want magic to remain frightening and enigmatic, than only the caster should be able to see the visions granted by this spell, and only he should suffer any Sanity loss for seeing visions of unpleasant creatures. On a roll of 00, a deity or Great Old One may seize control of the fire and substitute whatever images it desires. Do not allow investigators to spy upon the actions of godlike creatures with this spell. Any truly powerful being will have ways to defend against scrying magic. In fact, even scrying the casting of a spell which invokes an Outer God may cause it to interfere with the scrying. I prefer to have each being respond in a different way. For example, if Yog-Sothoth is somehow unknowingly scried with this spell, the fire will be snuffed out instantly. Scrying Ithaqua causes the fire to be extinguished by a strange, freezing wind. When a child of Yog-Sothoth was scried in my campaign, a great eye was seen in the flame, looking out at each investigator. When Glaaki is scried, one of his three eyes is seen, and Glaaki immediately attempts to use the dream-pull upon the person scrying him. Scrying Tulzscha would cause the flame to turn sickly green and then explode into a column of rushing green fire, etc. Even an ordinary person may be allowed a POWx1 roll to sense that they are being watched, although only a spell-caster might be able to do anything about it.] Solar Heat (8 MP per round, 1d3 San, 1 round) [Karakal] This spell creates a shimmering disk which must be held between the caster's hands for the duration of the spell. The disk can focus and reflect the sun's rays into a ray of heat. It takes 1 round to create the disk, after which the caster can hold it at an angle to reflect the burning heat toward his enemies. The beam of light causes a base 1d3 Hit Points of fire damage per round, although this can be modified by the brightness of the sun. It costs 8 MP per round to maintain the disk. [The GM should modify the damage done by this spell according to the strength of the sunlight in the area. I suggest a modifier ranging from -2 for indirect sunlight only up to +3 for using the spell beneath a searing desert sun at noon. The ray of light should do double damage to light-sensitive creatures such as Shades. This is not a particularly powerful spell, since it can only be used effectively outdoors during the day. Artificial sources of light cannot be used to provide light for this spell; the disk will only amplify actual sunlight. But, since the cone can affect several targets at once if they are close together, it is still a useful combat spell. Several investigators could cast the spell simultaneously in order to do more damage, but Solar Heat is better suited to setting fire to buildings than to burning opponents.] *Summon/Bind Minion of Karakal* [Karakal] This spell requires a large, open flame, such as a brazier produces. A large part of the flame will begin to sparkle and detach itself, forming into the minion. If the brazier is enchanted, each point of POW invested increases the chance of a successful summoning (but not a successful binding) by 10%. The binding requires the caster to command the Minion in Karakal's name. [Minions of Karakal are actually fairly useful creatures, although inherently dangerous. Their deadly touch makes them a good choice when summoning a monster to destroy another monster. In particular, since most monsters fight with hand-to-hand attacks, they may not be able to injure a Minion of Karakal without being injured in the process. The real danger in summoning a Minion of Karakal lies in the fact that a failed binding could be instantly lethal to the caster. If your characters have some way to protect themselves against an angry Minion of Karakal, then they can summon them in comparative safety.] Towering Flame (8 MP, 1d2 San) [Karakal] This spell causes any normal fire to burn much, much higher. A line of burning oil would become a six-foot wall of flame. A brazier would send a sheet of fire high into the sky. Other than expanding the area affected by the fire's heat, it has no direct effect on the damage it does. The spell lasts for one hour, but can be dispelled at any time by a word from the caster, which causes the fire to be extinguished at once. [This is an occasionally useful spell, as it can create a very impressive distraction. Clever investigators can also use it to put out a raging fire by casting the spell and then immediately dispelling it.] -------------------- The Chaosium Digest is an unofficial electronic 'zine about Chaosium's Games. In no way should it be considered representative of the views or beliefs of Chaosium Inc. To submit an article, subscribe or unsubscribe, mail to: appel@erzo.org. The old digests are archived on ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in the directory /pub/chaosium, and may be retrieved via FTP.