Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

Chapter VII: Magic

must once again make a Channelling Test, but this time the GM rules it’s Very Hard (–30%). Helmuth fails his test and loses the spell. He can start to cast it again on his next turn, but he’s lost the full action he spent the round before. You can only cast one spell per round. There are no limits on how many spells you can try to cast in a single day. However, the more spells you cast, the more Casting Rolls you make, and the more you risk Tzeentch’s Curse or the Wrath of the Gods. m agIC m IssIles Certain spells, like fire ball , are classified as magic missiles . This means that (like normal ranged attacks) you must have line of sight to your target. If you cannot see your target, you cannot use a magic missile spell against him. Unless stated otherwise, magic missile spells automatically hit their targets if cast successfully. p roTeCTIVe C IrCles Arcane spellcasters can minimize the risk of Tzeentch’s Curse by creating a magical circle that helps control Aethyric energy. The materials required to make a protective circle are Scarce and cost a number of gold crowns equal to the Casting Number of the chosen spell. A protective circle takes 1 minute and a successful Channelling Test to create and is good for one casting (successful or not). If you cast a spell from within a properly created protective circle, you may re-roll one d10 of your Casting Roll. The results of the re-roll are final. s pellCasTers and a rmour Armour interferes with a spellcaster’s ability to channel magical energy. While it is possible to cast spells while wearing armour or using a shield, it makes the process more difficult. The effects of armour and shields on spellcasting are as follows: • If you are wearing light armour (Basic) or only leather armour (Advanced), you suffer a –1 penalty on all Casting Rolls. • If you are wearing medium armour (Basic) or any type of mail (Advanced), you suffer a –3 penalty on all Casting Rolls. • If you are wearing heavy armour (Basic) or any type of plate or helm (Advanced), you suffer a –5 penalty on all Casting Rolls. If you are equipped (i.e. actively using) with a shield you suffer a –1 penalty on all Casting Rolls. If you have both shield and armour, you suffer both penalties. s pell d amage and h IT l oCaTIon Some spells, such as fire ball and shadow knives , inflict damage directly. This is calculated just like normal missile damage, (1d10 + Damage) minus (Toughness Bonus + Armour Points), unless the spell specifically states otherwise (some spells, for example, ignore armour). If you are using the advanced armour system or a Critical Hit is inflicted, you should roll percentile dice to determine the hit location. The Ulric’s Fury rule applies to damage from spells as well. However, rather than make a Weapon Skill Test to determine if extra damage is caused, a spellcaster makes a Will Power Test instead. •

T able 7-5: T he w raTh of The g ods Die Roll Result 01-15 Unearthly Vision: Your God chooses this time to grant you a symbolic but confusing vision. This stuns you for 1 round.

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Prove Your Devotion: A few more prayers are required to finish casting the spell. This result adds 1 half action to the Casting Time of the spell. You must take this extra time even if you failed the Casting Roll. You Try My Patience: You cannot cast another spell for 1d10 rounds. This spell still works as long as you made your Casting Roll. Your Cause is Unworthy: Your spell fails, even if you made the Casting Roll. Stinging Rebuke: Not only does your spell fail, but you also suffer a –10% penalty to your Will Power for 1 minute. What Will You Sacrifice for this Boon?: You lose 1d10 Wounds regardless of Toughness Bonus or armour. You Have Sinned Against Me: You have somehow angered your God. You must kneel and repent for 1d10 rounds. This renders you helpless. Daemonic Interference: Your prayer is answered but not by your God. Roll on Table 7-3: Major Chaos Manifestation instead.

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means that their spells aren’t as powerful as those of Wizards. Still, spellcasting is never without its risks. Since Priests get their spells from their Gods, they run the risk of displeasing some rather powerful beings. If you are a divine spellcaster, when you roll doubles or triples on your Casting Roll, you must roll on Table 7-5: The Wrath of the Gods to find out if you’ve angered your deity with too many requests for aid. Unless the table says otherwise, your spell is still cast successfully if you made your Casting Roll. s pellCasTIng l ImITs You must be able to speak to cast spells. It is through invocations in the various arcane languages that the Winds of Magic can be manipulated. If you cannot speak for any reason (you’re gagged, for example) you cannot cast spells. Spellcasting also requires a high degree of concentration. This is not a problem for spells that take a full or half action to cast, since you can cast those on your turn without interruption. Spells that require extended actions, however, take so long to cast that you become vulnerable to outside interference. If anything breaks your concentration—most commonly when you take damage or are the target of a hostile spell—you must make a successful Channelling Test or be forced to abort the spellcasting action. As always, the GM should modify this depending on the circumstances. Example: Helmuth, a Celestial Wizard, starts casting starshine on his turn. He takes a full action the first round, but still has a half action to go before the spell is complete. Before his next turn, he is shot with a slingstone and takes 1 Wound. The GM decides this is only a minor distraction, so Helmuth must make an Easy (+20%) Channelling Test. He makes it, so the spellcasting continues. Unfortunately, the next character in Initiative order is an enemy Bright Wizard, who casts breathe fire. Helmuth is caught by the spell and loses 10 Wounds. He

Example: Altronia hits an Orc with a fire ball, a Damage 3 magic missile. This means she rolls 1d10 and adds 3 (the damage of the fire ball) to determine her damage total. In this instance, she rolls a 10 and so the Ulric’s Fury rule applies. She makes a Will Power Test and succeeds, so she is allowed to add 1d10 to her damage total. She rolls a 5, so her final damage total is 3+10+5=18.

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