Design Phase, Turn 2Alright, light-bending invisibility sorcery proposal:
Svanire:
Optical magic has a bright future ahead of it. Notably, whilst it can enable us to see the enemy, it can also be used to make the enemy unable to see us. To this end, we are combining elements of Galilei Lensing and Fulcrum Armour- albeit in a modified form- to drastically enhance our stealth abilities.
Svanire (Vanish) is envisioned as a quick, relatively simple sorcery, that renders the caster temporarily invisible (or at least much harder to see). It does so by utilising the light-bending techniques of Galilei lensing (making much sharper changes, but at much shorter ranges), combined with experience from Fulcrum Armour, where the ultimate direction is not changed, but merely made to experience a small detour, leaving a small area untouched. The spell creates a roughly form-fitting field around the caster, which redirects light from one side to the other. To prevent this from rendering the caster blind, the spell does not affect a small area around each eye- this does mean the eyes will be visible (from the front, anyway), but it should be fairly difficult to notice a floating pair of eyes in most situations.
The focus for this spell is an amulet set with a black gemstone (cheap Tourmaline should suffice, but can be substituted for a more convenient option) cut in the shape of a lens. Casting should be fairly rapid, and the effect should last for as long as the caster maintains concentration (and has the required mana).
Design: Svanire (V Hard) [2]
Invisibility is one of those tricks that people always worry about Mages using for nefarious purposes - sneaking around, spying, evesdropping on private conversations, etc. The truth is, no Mage has ever been able to competently cast a veil of true invisibility upon themselves.
We manage to get very close, though! Svanire is a complex sorcery that bends incoming light around the user in a gentle curve. In order to keep the Mana consumption at 'acceptable' levels, light begins curving at 150 meters out from the user; in early tests, this seems to be the best trade off between "not bending it too hard" and "not casting too far away". Past 150 meters the user seems like a soft heat shimmer in the air as light is mildly distorted by the spell. Within 150 meters, the effect becomes immediately noticeable as the area around the caster becomes a black void.
Casting is focused on a cheap Tournaline carefully cut and set within a heavy set of copper wires and an expensive set of engraved plates, which the user hangs from their chest like a backpack worn in reverse. Casting takes a great deal of focus from the user, though they can still walk and talk while casting. Mana consumption can be quite high, limiting use to 1 hour for an Experienced Mage. Despite our best efforts, retaining the ability to see while casting was not possible to do in the limited time available. Due to the complex nature of bending omni-directional light and the focus required, Experienced Mages are needed to cast this spell.
Progress: (0/16)(3)
Type: Sorcery
Experience: Experienced
Cost: 12
Requisitions3" Bottiglia Artillery Shells: Italian for "bottle". Bottiglia Artillery Shells are three-inch (76.2 mm) ammo commonly fired from the artillery battery mounts on our destroyers. They are percussion fuses with HE payloads, and they are fairly common. Our navy has plenty of them, and with very little ship-to-ship combat going on no one notices if a few go missing.
[1]Freccette: Italian for "darts". Finding a 5g dart in the civilian sector that matches our requirements proves to be a little difficult. We have to get them custom-ordered from a local blacksmith instead. They're simple, made from cheap iron, and have pointed tip with a "+" shaped tail that goes from the head to the base. They're heavy for their size, and around the length from a man's wrist to the tip of his fingers.
[1]
Army: Miserable. "More or less useless. Can't work a radio, can't scout, can't even keep a bridge intact. Their only saving grace is they don't die easily, but I'd make much better use of sharpshooters than they ever would." -General Feo
Navy: Poor. "Card tricks won't win the war, but maybe they'd be able to entertain the sailors at port." -Admiral Cesena
Political: Neutral. "The flag - yes, you see, the flag was my idea, really. I had them whip up the design for me, since they weren't terribly busy in the first place. I think it came out quite well, don't you?" -King Gioffre II
Public: Ambivalent. "I read about them in the paper. I think they're ceremonial? Or some kind of religious thing, maybe?" -Random Citizen
Sorceries
Soaring Memory of Crystal Mind, Version 4: Created by one of the junior members of SPELLS in an attempt to modify his memory and perform better in school and updated by the 208th for intelligence gathering. Maps the cone of vision through a monocle onto a sheet of pigment-laden paper. Resolution is impressive despite the small size of the photos. Requires a monocle to cast, and operates by re-arranging the pigments of the paper slotted into the monocle. Requires a second casting to clear. [Rookie] [1]
Galilei Lensing: 8x brass binoculars. Casts a field of Mana tracers out from the main lens in a bent cone. The cone curves proportionally to the sliding engraved rail system on the side of the binoculars, which currently allows a curve of a radius between 5 and infinite kilometers (i.e. at a 45° angle, the binoculars grant sight range of 10 kilometers). Light bends back along the tracers towards the binoculars, giving line of sight beyond the horizon. Top and bottom sections of the image can't be focused at the same time. Significantly drains Mana. A Rookie-level mage can perform observation for an hour, with an additional hour per level. [Rookie] [4]
Gauntlets of Force: Largely leather in nature, with engraved steel rings implanted into the fingertips and palms. The rings are connected to one another with copper wires, trailing down the backs of the fingers and terminating in another steel ring that goes around the wrist. The ring around the wrist is the most heavily engraved, and handles most of the flow and direction of input Mana. Holds up to rough use. Left Gauntlet controls the movement and direction of the object being cast upon, and the right controls power. Possible to use other equipment while casting, but multi-tasking becomes difficult. Can complete tasks such as throwing a ball into a bucket or punching a dummy. Range of 15 meters. Max force is limited to manipulating around 650 Newtons (or about 150 pounds). As the distance and force increases, so does Mana consumption. Does not stop bullets. [Competent] [5]
Evocations
Snap-Lighter: A brief conjure of flame, for lighting pipes and cigarettes. Mana is channeled by snapping one’s fingers while casting, causing a match-sided blue flame to appear on the users thumb. Runs entirely off Mana, though the spell is intended to only last a short period of time. Caster is advised to wet their thumb before casting in order to prolong the time the flame can appear before burning the thumb. [Rookie]
Enchantments
Lucky Rabbits Foot: A preserved rabbits foot, using a rather convoluted weave of magic. Effects seem dubious, but through rigorous testing it is revealed to subtly move the wearers foot just enough to avoid stumbling over unseen rocks or stubbing toes on furniture. Further testing reveals it performs an on-going analysis of the users gait and compares the projected footfall with the terrain immediately ahead. Replenishes naturally while in close proximity to a mage, but will otherwise run dry within an hour. [Rookie] [4]
Fulcrum Armor V4: A canvas trench coat lined with steel wire. Comes with a hood and a collar that buttons up over the nose. Redirects force around and through the coat, exiting on the opposite side to which it was applied. Steel wire handles most of the stress, but canvas will rupture around impact and exit locations. Does poorly against multi-impact weapons such as shotguns or shrapnel. Can be turned off when not in use. Can maintain its enchantment for more than 48 hours when on standby mode, and run down a Rookie's Mana Pool in 8 hours when active. [Rookie] [6] [>50% Complete]
Thaumic Radio: An AM radio, capable of communicating in Morse Code. Small enough to be worn as a backpack, with a long, swishy antenna. Converts Mana to electrical energy to replace the battery. Vacuum tubes are replaced with magical logical components. Goes staticky with every time the wearer takes a step. Prone to breaking down, but operators are described as "bizarrely seductive". [Competent] [8] [>50% Completed]
Trench Broomstick v2: A modified Sava '00, to which King Gioffre II has turned a blind eye. Magically operated modified straight-bolt turns the gun into a semi-automatic. A subtle magic auto-kinetic enchantment on the barrel allows the user to maintain accurate sights to whatever he's looking at. Casts a pair of Mana Tracers downrange to perform accuracy improvements. User must manually adjust for range, drop, wind speed, etc. [Rookie] [6]
Misc Magical Equipment
Focus Talisman, Version “Bear”: A modern Mage’s talisman, used to help direct a Mage’s magic into Sorceries. The contraption is a little bit bigger than an open hand and features intricate inner workings that blend the magical and mechanical. Physical appearance represents a bird cage, with the bars joining together in a central point. The device allows a Mage to focus her Mana through a well-understood means and redirect it into a secondary means of spell direction, such as a wand or circle. The device is a bit like an intricate net, helping capture unfocused magical energy from a Mage. This reduces the amount of Mana needed to perform a given spell and helps a Mage split their focus between two spells, but each Focus Talisman must be hand-crafted by skilled non-combat Mages, making it quite expensive. Enchantments must be maintained daily. Delicate and prone to breaking. [10]
Wooden Wand: Carved from broom handles, fence posts, and any other scrap of wood that can be found. Used to assist in Direction during spell-casting, allowing the user to more efficiently spend their Mana and apply their Will. Generally engraved with lines and symbols by the user. Used for casting low-level Sorceries, with a penalty to effectiveness. Generally, a wand should be specialized to whatever spell is being cast, but this works in a pinch. [0]
Mundane Weapons
Sava ’00: Bolt-action rifle, firing 0.333 caliber rounds out of a 5-round internal box. Named after the King’s father, may God rest his soul. Manufactured in the homeland, and a shining example of our people’s technical skill. The Sava ’00 is standard-issue to all infantrymen, and a single round will kill just as well as a lightning zap (as magic detractors will quickly point out). The wooden body cradles a rifled barrel fitted with lugs for bayonets. It’s light and wieldable, but cycling the bolt causes loss of sight picture. Prone to jamming as the bolt wears out. [5]
Pavle Sidearm: Standard-issue sidearm, 0.35 caliber. Remarkably cheap and easy to use, but unreliable. The slide is prone to jamming in place, and the sights are more of a suggestion than anything used for accurate fire. Comes with an eight round magazine. [1]
Bottiglia Artillery Shells: 3" naval artillery shells. Percussion fuses with HE payload. [1]
Freccette: 5g darts. About 8" long, made of simple iron with a "+" shaped tail and pointed tip. [1]
Misc
Mage Uniform ’14: Standard mass-produced infantry uniform, adapted for mages. Warm and sturdy, and made mostly out of scratchy wool. Brown trousers and overcoat with a drab green undershirt. Boots are oiled leather and come up to the ankle, with cloth wraps that go up past the calf. A belt around the waist holds ammo and supplies, although there’s not a lot of room. A fashionable cloth cap keeps the head warm. A set of fancy, billowing robes that go over top marks the wearer as a Mage, though the hem drags in the mud and the sleeves snag on everything. Does not protect against bullets or shrapnel. [0]
Budget: 25
Fulcrum Armor V4 | (12/14)(2) | 8 Dice Spent | [Rookie] | [6] | Enchantment
Thaumic Radio | (12/15)(3) | 3 Dice Spent | [Competent] | [8] | Enchantment
Svanire | (0/16)(3) | 3 Dice Spent | [Experienced] | [12] | Sorcery
Magia e Scienza unite per la VittoriaMurano 1 | Rookie | Artillery Spotter | -none-
Torcello 2 | Rookie | Artillery Spotter | -none-
Burano 3 | Competent | Footsoldier | -none-
Revision Phase, Turn 22 Dice left.
Author
Topic: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Abbraccio (Read 22602 times)