Chapter IX: The Game Master
— m asTerIng m agIC —
T hroughout their adventures players will encounter all manner of dangers, from cultists, monsters and insanity to disease, death and misfortune. If they’re really unlucky, they’ll have to deal with magic too. In Warhammer magic is neither friendly, nor used lightly. Though the players may not know it, each time they encounter Magic, they are encountering the stuff of Chaos, fickle, dangerous and sanity blasting. Magic corrupts everything it touches, in one way or another. It can mutate the body and destroy the mind. It can break the closest of fellowships and foster the darkest liaisons. Magic can make a great metaphor and counterpoint within your games. At what price power? How far are you willing to go for victory? Used carefully it can add a great deal of flavour to your campaigns, and stretch PCs in ways they never thought of. gm Ing m agIC If your group has no spellcasters of any type, the occasional encounter with a mad Wizard, Daemon bound blade or secret witch may well be enough to get the idea across. PCs may become involved in a Bounty Hunter scenario, or find themselves pursued by a paranoid and vindictive Wizard. They may find an innocent seeming artefact, which speaks in their dreams, or seeks to turn them against each other. Whatever you decide, the insidious, subtle and corrupting nature of magic should become clear. If you have Wizards in your group, the task becomes a little more long term. Magic use has social and personal repercussions for a character, and it’s up to you to get this across. Magic looks like a quick route to a lot of power; indeed, PCs quickly have a whole raft of spells at their disposal. They’ll be tempted to use magic for everything. Don’t worry
about this, for they will soon learn that things in the Warhammer World aren’t always as they seem. w ITChsIghT Wizards and sorcerers do not experience life the way everyone else does. They hear, see and smell the magical flux that suffuses to world. Be sure to describe this to them, but don’t spend so much time on it that you boor the other players. Occasionally their witchsight will warn them of dangers, or give them useful information. Most of the time, however, it will torment them. This can be a great way to build tension. Imagine arriving at a coaching inn and seeing it wreathed in strands of Amethyst death magic. You just know whatever is in there is not going to be good. Then imagine that your witchsight occasionally lies to you. Do you tell your fellows or ignore it? Sometimes you will need to curb a player who is using magic wildly and without realistic respect for the power they’re wielding. Don’t be afraid to do this—if spell casting becomes too commonplace or predictable, it looses its edge. Even if by some fluke or pact with Ranald, they never call down Tzeentch’s Curse, you can still warn your PCs away from cavalier use of their powers. The Chaos Made Flesh section below contains some horrific Daemon beasts you can set on your wayward Wizards. Described with subtle threat and menace, these can frighten your players, stop profligate spells and start some great role-play. Imagine a Wizard screaming the house down, fleeing a foe only they can see. Are they mad or are the Rotwyrms really after them? f ear and l oaThIng Of course, Wizards have more problems than just the ones in their heads. The Orders of Magic are still a new political institution, at only a few hundred years old, and most folk are still not convinced they’re safe. Wizards are a weakness in the membrane between the real world and the Realms of Chaos. They have brought danger and strife throughout the Empire’s two and a half thousand year history, so it’s not surprising people often will not deal with them. Elven Wizards in particular are subject to all manner of rudeness and persecution. They may not have to pay dues to the Orders of Magic, but the social penalties more than make up for it. If NPCs think they can get away with it, they might demand that the offending Elf be vouched for, be made to pay “on the spot” ear taxes, safety fines or even forced to wear metal in the hope that this would hinder their spell casting powers. Other NPCs might be fearful of a Wizard, running away, avoiding eye contact or even soiling themselves when forced to deal with a spellcaster. Goods may be more expensive, information might be harder to get, small children might hurl stones in the street. Again, don’t be overbearing in this, as it can ruin the feel of the game. Make free use of the following legendary beasts when describing Chaos manifestations or reining in careless casters. They are not monsters as such, and do not possess Characteristics or a Profile—they cannot be fought, stopped or avoided, for they are manifestations of the Wizard’s psyche, given shape by common myth, legend, and hearsay. Players of course need not know this, and you should act as if they are “real” at all times. Wizard PCs will be at least dimly aware of the following creatures, either through the teachings of their college or forbidden tomes of Persistent but subtle should be your guideline. C haos m ade f lesh
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