After the promising lead the first Rune of Power - Life presented us with, we fund the expedition for additional excursions into areas rumored to be laden with ancient magic. This time our focus is more firmly focused on military applications, thus leading to excavations of battle sites known to have entertained hosts of Holy Roman Empire troops. Our searches turn up a few leads, but the best one we've found is a large, curious circle with branching lines. Testing and analysis of the rune reveals it to be a spell which draws and accumulates moisture, whether from the ground nearby or from the air itself. The circle can function anywhere from 3 to 10 meters in diameter depending on how large it's drawn and how much Mana is put into it. When drawn on the ground, the soil will gradually accumulate water and turn to mud over the course of 1 to 3 hours, at which point the Mana invested will burn out.
The circle is drawn either with string, stones, or simply a furrow dug into the ground. The enchantment is remarkably cheap and simple to cast.
Sorceries
Clear Sight: A spell developed by old mages with poor eyesight. Created by preparing a bowl of spring water, which is then stirred with the Mages wand of choice while casting. The Mage then dips their face into the bowl and opens their eyes. The water adheres to the pupil, forming a lens to correct the refraction of light into the back of the eye. Sorcery is good for 16 hours of use unless refreshed. May require practice. It is advised not to rub your eyes when in use. [Rookie] [1]
Sky Eye: The practice of casting ones very soul out of their body and observing the surrounding area, or at least achieving an effect similar. A Mage's disembodied perspective can reach about 100 meters for every experience level (100m for Rookie, 200m for Competent, etc). Spell is cast through a ritual involving a bowl of spring water and a period of meditation. The Mage's perspective is displayed on the surface of the water as a reflection, allowing non-Mages to see. Mages are able to cast despite distractions and maintain the effect for three hours before ending it. [Rookie] [3]
Evocations
Palm of Light: Imaginatively named, this Evocation causes the palms of a Mages hands to glow. Light feeds directly off the users Mana pool, but the draw is negligible at low intensities. Mana is channeled through the use of a hand sign (open palm, fingers together). Extended use may cause tingles in the palm region. Light at high intensities can cause first degree burns on the palms. [Rookie]
Telekinesis: Cast through movements borrowed from tai chi and yoga. Can manipulate objects larger than a loaf of bread within a range of 10 meters, exerting a force between 250 and 450 newtons. Linear Telekinetic Precision allows the user to hurl oblong objects with surprising accuracy at respectable speeds. [Rookie]
Barrier: Similar to our Telekinesis spell, but for stopping bullets. Presents a solid "wall" of magical energy directly in front of the Mage in the shape of a flat circle. Barrier prevents matter from moving across this boundary by directly counter-acting the force presented against it. Defending against bullets can eat up a large chunk of a Mage's Mana supply. The spell does not do well against multiple rapid hits, such as from concentrated fire or from a burst of shrapnel, and will crumple. Sufficiently high-force hits may also cause the shield to crumple, but the redistributed force could also send a Mage flying if not properly braced. The size of the shield can be adjusted up to the Mage's height in diameter before it becomes too unstable to hold. [Competent]
Enchantments
Dr. Baeder’s ‘Never Lost’ Compass: From a short-lived attempt to commercialize magical items, Dr. Baeder’s ‘Never Lost’ Compass is a standard 2” compass featuring N, S, E, and W on the face, along with a freely swinging needle. A button on the top will lock the current location to the compass, causing the needle to point towards it. It was later revealed that the user must be a Mage for the button to work, resulting in abysmal sales. A complex system of circles and lines on the back hold the imbued Mana, and pressing the button causes the target circle to shift and lock the current location. Replenishes itself naturally when attached to a Mage, but will only run for an hour by itself. [Rookie] [4]
Rune of Power: A Rune gleaned from holy sites in the wilderness around Kolubaria. When applied to a wounded person, the rune will slow bleeding, dull pain, and encourage quick healing. Applied via ink produced from a collection of various herbs. Rune resembles a number of concentric circles with an exploded star reaching out from the center, connected at the points with forked lines. Will burn through its own spell-Mana within 8 hours unless applied to a Mage, or refreshed by a Mage. [Rookie] [2]
Rune of Power - Mud: A Rune gleaned from battle sites in the north around Germany. When applied to the ground, the rune will gradually draw water towards itself over the course of a few hours, turning the soil nearby to mud. The rune can cover an area of 10 meters and can be made with virtually any physical components that leave a shape, such as string, stones, a furrow in the ground, etc. Rune resembles a circle with a number of branching lines. [Rookie] [2]
Camo Cloak v2: A cloak laden with pigments. Can rearrange pigments to form adaptive camo, though the change in pattern requires the user to do so manually. Resolution on the cloak isn't much more than blurry patches. The cloak must be maintained thoroughly to ensure the dyes stay fresh and the fabric does not grow brittle. [Competent] [8]
Scrying Focus: A pure quartz set within a steel ring and charged with a Mage's unique Mana signature. Allows that Mage to tether themselves to the focus when casting Sky Eye up to 10 kilometers away, though the distance they can move away from the object is halved. [Rookie] [4]
Misc Magical Equipment
GDMC Mk. 3b: A General Directive Magic Computator, Mk. 3, version b. A little larger than an open hand, and physically resembles a pocketwatch. The internals feature a revolving metal disk engraved with a spider web, which is powered by a wound spring. A GDMC is a method of efficiently directing a Mage’s magic into Sorceries and reducing the amount of Mana required to perform a spell; essentially a general-purpose spell circle. The device functions a bit like a funnel, helping capture unfocused magical energy from a Mage. Allows a Mage to more easily cast two spells at once by off-loading some of the focus required. Expensive, delicate, and time-consuming to produce, each GDMC is hand-crafted and Enchanted by skilled non-combat Mages, intermixing the magical and mechanical. This better allows a Mage to focus his Mana through a well-understood means and redirect it into a secondary means of spell direction, such as a wand or circle. Enchantments must be maintained daily. [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
Weisz-Vaszary Model 95: A modern bolt-action rifle, taking advantage of new smokeless powder cartridges. Proudly produced by brave factory workers in the homeland. The Weisz-Vaszary is the standard weapon for our infantry in the field, who will all point out that a rifle round will kill a man dead just as surely as a fireball. Long, heavy, and chambered for 8 mm rounds fed out of an internal 5-round box. The body is made of hardwood, and the rifled barrel is fitted with lugs for bayonets. Prone to rust despite proper care, and accuracy tends to decrease noticeably over the rifle’s lifetime. [5]
Makovecz 8mm: Standard-issue sidearm. Redeeming qualities are cheap cost and compact size. Comes with a seven round magazine and a safety that works most of the time, although the mechanisms are prone to wearing out and causing misfires. Short range. [1]
Double-Barrel Shotugn: Commonly used by hunters and farmers. Can be sawn short if needed. Spent shells must be removed manually. [3]
Spotting Scope: A small brass telescope, usually reserved for officers. [2]
Lanner Special: The Spotting Scope, to be affixed to the Weisz-Vaszary Model 95. Mounted in a small bracket, mounted on a rail, mounted on the wooden body of the gun. Surprisingly accurate, with hand-drawn crosshairs and adjustable screws to zero out the scope. [2]
Alpenkanone Shells: 7 cm shells from light mountain artillery guns. HE with percussion fuses. Comes with brass casings and powder, but they can be removed if needed. Slightly larger than a loaf of bread. Cheap, since 7 cm cannons are common among Kolubarian artillery teams and there is no supply shortage. [1]
Misc
Mage Uniform ’14: Standard mass-produced infantry uniform, adapted for mages. Durable and warm, but made from itchy wool. Gray trousers and jacket with a sharp-looking collar go over top, with faded red vest and pale shirt underneath. Boots mix together leather and canvas to stay cheap. Supplies are kept in a satchel that hangs down by the hip, leaving the other hip free for a sidearm. A floppy old-fashioned wizard's hat adds an additional foot and a half of height, though it tends to slip and block the wearer's vision. Does not protect against bullets or shrapnel. [0]
Budget: 25
2 Dice Left.
Author
Topic: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Kolubaria (Read 23882 times)