Revision Phase, Turn 4Trench Sweeper
Following up on the massive success of the Trench Broomstick, the Trench Sweeper is the next step in the use of magic to be simply better than the soldiers around us. The magazine is converted to a detachable 20-round box magazine instead of the stripper clip-loaded 5-round internal magazine that the Sava '00 and original TB use. Improvements to barrel manufacturing quality, rifling, or the sealing of the breach are done as necessary to improve the rifle's long-range accuracy and smoothness of action. Finally, the barrel-moving enchantment is upgraded a bit, to be capable of very fine aiming for precision sniping against enemy snipers. If you can see their scope glint, you can look at them and pull a Simo Hayha on their sorry optical-aid-requiring faces, without needing any optics of your own.
Revision: Trench Sweeper (5) [Hard]
An upgrade of the wildly successful Trench
BoomBroomstick, the Trench Sweeper addresses a number of issues inherit to the original Sava '00.
The biggest fix, and one that is well-met by our Mages in the field, is expanding the internal box magazine from a humble 5 rounds to a more sizable 20. This makes the gun a bit more cumbersome as the box now sticks out of the bottom of the gun, but for most purposes this is a negligible issue. The Trench Broomstick remarkably featured an automated bolt-cycling system which enabled our Mages to fire considerably faster than other infantry in the field, though this tended to burned through the users magazine far too quickly. With four times as much ammo, this means our Mages are reloading a fourth as often and can afford to be more bold in their maneuvers.
Upgrading the barrel-moving enchantment proves to be a bit difficult as we continue to run into the same target-identification issue that plagued the Enhanced Optics System. The Mana Tracer targeting system relies on the user looking at what they want to shoot at and automatically matching the leads, and there's not really any way for us to make that much better than it already is. However, we can upgrade the auto-kinetic Enchantment on the tip of the barrel to counter-act unintended sway and tremble, as well as applying a downward force to counter recoil. Considering our Mages can now fire twenty rounds in rapid succession, this will likely be pretty helpful.
Our Magineers are not gunsmiths or experienced mechanical engineers, so the idea to make the internal box magazine detachable was not met with enthusiasm. However, after contracting a few independent non-magical designers we were able to draw up a satisfactory design that allowed the magazine to be detached and reattached securely. Although this eliminates the need for stripper clips to reload, the magazines can be a little heavy and awkward to carry, especially considering the ammo pouches on our Standard Uniform '14 doesn't hold a lot of extra room - and the ammo pouches are designed for clips, not the entire magazine. In the field a Mage might carry one extra clip for emergency reloading, but they will still reload primarily through clips fed into the open bolt when possible.
When addressed with the Sava '00 poor performance at long range, our contracted designers sheepishly admit that there's not a lot that can be done. Getting much more performance out of the Sava would require re-designing the entire weapon, which is a bit out of scope for this revision. However, they do point out that the standard bolt is made out of softer steel than what it should be, likely due to cost concerns. Considering the 208th uses a relatively small batch of rifles, it's possible to afford higher-grade steel for our bolts. Rifles used by our Mage Company will no longer wear out their bolts over the course of standard use.
The Trench Sweeper requires more elaborate modifications to the standard Sava '00 than the Trench Broomstick did, and thus features a minor increase in cost.
Type: Enchantment
Experience: Rookie
Cost: 7
Strategy Phase, Turn 41 Dice left.
Kobarid was lost this past turn as part of Kolubaria's counter-offensive. After failing to hold the city, theatre commanders are looking at alternative methods of securing the area. For this reason we are planning on breaking through enemy lines and advancing into Tolmin this turn in order to stage a renewed offensive on Kolubaria next turn. Additionally, we would like to pressure the Kobarid line if possible in order to prevent the enemy from capitalizing on their advance last turn; the valley provides a natural chokepoint for defense, but if pressed by enemy Mages this could not be enough.
In order to destroy the Kolubarian fleet and secure our holding in this theatre, Trieste needs to fall. For Trieste to fall, we must either find some way to get our fleet safely within engagement distances, or provide support from ground forces. Portogroz, despite being a relatively small town without any harbors capable of supporting warships, features a number of naval defenses that prevents our fleet from tightening the blockade. We are seeking to either take the town this turn if possible, or at least destroy the defenses on the shore.
We nearly lost Porec last turn, which would have crippled our forces on the peninsula. Kolubaria will undoubtedly attempt to take the city once again, so a stiff defense is essential. We are also planning to send a detachment to raid Rovinj across the channel this turn, and Mage support would be appreciated.
Army: Poor. "Lot of good those Mages did in Kobarid - we lost a lot of good men there." -General Feo
Navy: Neutral. "We would have been in some trouble if Porec had fallen. I suppose the 208th deserves some credit." -Admiral Cesena
Political: Positive. "Do you like my coat? It's magic, of course, I had the Mages make it for me. We're good friends, you know." -King Gioffre II
Public: Neutral. "What do they do? Can they fly and shoot fire out of their hands? Oooh, can they read my fortune, too?" -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]
Svanire: Invisibility, sort of! Bends incoming light 150 meters away around the user in an omnidirection sphere. Focus is a cheap Tourmaline 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. User can not see while casting. [Experienced] [12] [<50% Complete]
Galilei Lensing v2: 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, but a double-back curve on the lower edge of the lens helps even out the difference. 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]
Observation With Low-Infrared (OWL-I): Infrared Night Vision. Creates a circle a few inches from the Mage's face, which phase-shifts infrared light into blue/red visible light. Detection extends out to 40 meters, with recognition much shorter. Resolution is fuzzy, and the picture isn't very bright. Warm weather degrades performance, and the circle is visible to others if they are behind the user. [Competent] [<50% Completed]
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]
Thaumic Radio v2: An AM radio, capable of communicating in Morse Code. Range extends out to 4 kilometers. 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]
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]
Enhanced Optics System: A magical scope. Comes with a little wind flag, two dials controlling focus and magnification, and a scroll holding ballistics data. Projects a circular reticle that shows the approximate location to aim to compensate for drop and wind speed. Tends to be finicky when picking out targets, however, as there currently exists no reliable target identification equipment. Negligible Mana draw. Pairs well with the Trench Broomstick. [Rookie] [5] [<50% Complete]
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: 27
Svanire | (6/16)(3) | 3 Dice Spent | [Experienced] | [12] | Sorcery
Observation With Low-Infrared (OWL-I) | (4/10)(4) | 3 Dice Spent | [Competent] | [0 ] | Evocation
Enhanced Optics System (EOS) | (0/12)(2) | 3 Dice Spent | [Rookie] | [5] | Enchantment
Magia e Scienza unite per la VittoriaMurano 1 | Rookie
Torcello 2 | Competent
Burano 3 | Competent
Guidecca 4 | Competent
Footsoldier:(9 = 6*1.5) Fulcrum Armour v4
(6) Trench Broomstick
(4) Lucky Rabbit's Foot
(1) Pavle Sidearm
Artillery Spotter:(4) Galilei Lensing v2 (4)
(12 = 8*1.5) Thaumic Radio v2 (8*1.5=12)
(1) Soaring Memory of Crystal Mind, Version 4
(1) Pavle Sidearm
(1) Pavle Sidearm
Gauntleteer:(5) Gauntlets of Force
(6) Fulcrum Armour v4
(
Thaumic Radio v2
(1) Bottiglia Artillery Shells
(1) Freccette
(1) Pavle Sidearm
Author
Topic: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Abbraccio (Read 22567 times)