Copyright © 2001 by Robert J. Hall

Beyond the abilities of master wizards lies a level of arcane knowledge that approaches the very powers of the gods. These extremely potent rituals require a lifetime of study by the greatest sorcerers to ready, and the power of an entire order to unleash.

Once an Arch Magery spell has been prepared, the wizards of the order join in a circle with the spell caster, and proceed to lend him all of their arcane energy and knowledge. The caster painstakingly reads the incantation from the mystical runes entombed on the massive scroll or book, then becomes the channel for the magical energies as they are directed to their task.

Failure to properly follow the proper ritual is invariably disastrous, usually for the spell caster and often for the remaining members of the circle. For this reason, preparations for casting a spell of this magnitude are meticulous and thorough.

Magic of Arch Magery

The magic of Arch Magery is very powerful, and can badly distort a low or medium-level magic campaign. The spells should only be employed by non-player characters, except with the explicit permission of the GM.

Common Limitations: 1/2 DCV Concentrate throughout (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4), OAF - Ritual Tome, Bulky (-1-1/2), Circle must have at least 10 points in spells for every 45 points of Active Costs and from at least 1 different college for every 90 points of Active Costs (-1/4 per 10 spell points), Requires Magic Skill Roll (-1/2), Side Effects (-1/2).

Basic Spells

Wizard's Circle

This is the fundamental spell of Arch Magery, as it allows a Wizard to aid another in the casting of an especially difficult spell. The caster concentrates on the spell beneficiary, and transfers his arcane energy and lore through a ring of other Wizards. Hand contact must be maintained throughout the transfer, or the benefits of the spell will be lost, with possibly fatal consequences to the intended target. The total improvement to the Magic Skill of the caster can not exceed the unmodified rating after subtracting the modifier for the spell. (I.e. the Wizard's Circle spell can, at most, negate the Magic Skill roll modifier for the spell being cast.) If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he is temporarily drained of arcane energy.

Unique Spells

Annihilate World

Perhaps the ultimate Arch Magery spell, this ritual allows the circle to utterly destroy an entire world of up to 50,000km in radius. Needless to say, this spell is quite difficult to cast, and requires the concentrated powers of many Wizards to accomplish.

During the casting period, a strong mental sensation of impending doom is radiated throughout the world, so this spell will inevitably bring the intervention of the world's protectors, including any local Deities, to prevent its annihilation. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he and anybody standing nearby are blasted by wave upon wave of pure annihilating energy.

Arcane Shield

This spell brings into being a spherical shield of force that is impenetrable to all but the most powerful magical or mundane attacks. The shield appears as a glowing silvery dome, 5" in radius, and centered on the caster. As more powerful attacks are made against the dome, it glow more brightly and the coruscating colors move up through the spectrum, from red to orange, yellow, white, and blue, before turning violet shortly before it fails. A maximum of 128 beings can be protected within the shield. If the caster fails his magic skill roll, he is permanently stripped of his magical abilities.

Conflagration

The destruction caused by this spell are terrible to behold. By calling down the fires of the sun in an incinerating sphere, the wizards can cause the burning destruction of a small city, or annihilate an assembled army. The pitiful survivors on the outskirts of the spell effect, blinded by the flash and burned by the intense heat, must yet deal with the lingering effects of the radiation. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, the same blast is centered on the circle.

Death Fog

A sickly yellow mist rolls forth from the caster, enveloping and poisoning everything in its path. The only hope for survival lies in fleeing the expanding cloud. After two minutes the poisonous effect dissipates, leaving a dense yellow fog which covers the area for up to an hour. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he erupts in acid-filled boils which quickly eats away his flesh until he nothing but a bubbling pool of green goo on the floor.

Dome City

A ritual that has proven especially useful in lands tormented by flying creatures, the Dome City spell will create a permanent dome of crystal that will protect a large site, such as a city. The dome will withstand powerful physical blows, but is completely transparent to the energy of the sun. A slight glaze in the crystal will protect the inhabitants from being cooked inside a huge greenhouse. The dome will only have a limited number of entrances along the ground, each of which can be easily protected by the inhabitants. If the magic skill roll is failed, the wizard is permanently encased in a huge, transparent sphere of crystal.

Flying Castle

This spell allows the caster to enchant a Castle and its surrounding grounds so as to rise up and float permanently in the sky. The base of the Castle will be wrapped in an omnipresent cloud formation, hiding its existence from viewers underneath. The path of the Castle is controlled from the command chair, which also provides the pilot with a stereo view of the surrounding area.

Casting this spell requires a suitable existing Castle. The Castle becomes a vehicle with 28 BODY, 7 DEF, 2,000 hexes (8,000 hex Grounds), -12 DCV, 100 STR, 10 DEX, 1 SPD, -18 KB, 5" Flying (Limited Maneuver, 0 END Persistent), and no Ground Movement. The command throne must be selected before the spell is cast. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he is swallowed up and entombed by the earth.

Great Wall

When the Magi have a great need to block a land invasion, they can call upon this ritual to produce an immense barrier across the path. The wall will be two meters thick at the base and eight meters in height, with parapets, crenellations, and steps for the defenders to ascend to the top. The wall can span a length of sixty kilometers, long enough to block a strategic opening. If the Magi fails his Magic Skill roll, however, he is permanently englobed in a sphere of solid granite.

Hide World

The ultimate spell for defeating an invading horde from another world, this spell will completely hide an entire planet from outside view. Those within the shell of the Hide World spell will be able to function normally. Indeed, they may completely unaware that anything has happened. Those approaching from deep space, however, will see only an empty vacuum where once stood a planet.

Beings with mentalism abilities may still be able to detect traces of intelligence, if they know where to scan. If the caster fails his magic skill roll, he begins to radiate a brilliant light that is blinding to observe from close range. This glow will remain active for a full year.

Hurricane

The dread Hurricane, or Typhoon as it is known in the southern lands, is the most powerful storm known to humankind. This ritual will summon a Hurricane weather system to devastate the local lands. The 180km diameter storm begins at sea or near a coast, then advances inland along a path determined by the caster. After four to five days, the Hurricane will begin to dissipate and merge with the local weather patterns. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he is struck by an extradimensional vortex of pure chaos. The cone of disorder proceeds to tear him apart atom by atom, until nothing remains of the wizard.

Magic Free Zone

This spell will create a permanent dead zone where all but the most powerful forms of Magic will fail to function. Even artifacts, when they work at all, will be considerably weakened within this zone. This spell is especially useful when cast upon a strategic fortification that is difficult to defend against magical attacks, but not against mundane forms of assault. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he will radiate physical agony whenever he is exposed to any form of magic. Usually this will result in the affected caster being exiled, as he is too dangerous to remain within a magic-using community.

Move Mountain

To stop a deadly peril, it is sometimes literally necessary for the Arch Magi to be able to move mountains. This ritual will allow the wizards to exert a powerful force across the base of a mountain and lift it into the air. (The pressure from this 160 STR force is sufficient to lift a 2.4km tall column of rock, 2" across.) The mountain can then be slowly maneuvered into a new position and allowed to settle on the uneven landscape.

Such grand movements of terrestrial forms can have unexpected consequences, however, leading to earthquakes and eruptions of lava in the exposed mountain base. The mountain will also require many thousands of years to settle into its new environs, resulting in disrupted wind patterns and landslides. If the caster fails his magic skill roll, a powerful earthquake will rip through the ground near the magi.

Nemesis

This powerful sorcery ritual will summon a Nemesis, the spawn of Primordial Chaos, to serve as an assassin for the circle. The Nemesis is anything but subtle, and will leave a trail of death and wanton destruction wherever he travels. However, he is utterly relentless in his task, and will pursue a target across the far reaches of the world and to other dimensions until he has consumed his life force.

During the casting process, a mental sensation of "wrongness" will be radiated in all directions. Anybody making a +16 PER roll, with modification for range, will become aware of the sensation, along with the approximate direction of its source. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, the beast will appear but will be extremely difficult to control and will have selected the wizard as his next victim.

Phase City

This powerful ritual can send an entire city to a new location on any known extradimensional plane. Where the city once rested, there remains only a large crater in the ground. However, at the end of each year thereafter, the city, and its remaining inhabitants, will return to its original location for the span of one hour. For this spell to function properly, the city must have an average density equal to or lighter than rock. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he is banished to destination of the city for a period of one century.

Scar Land

By calling forth the mightiest powers of the four elements, the Wizards can use this spell to wrack terrible upheaval upon a large stretch of land. What was once fertile grazing land can be transformed into a barren desert, or a new island can be brought forth out of a stretch of empty ocean. The upheaval greatly disturbs weather patterns over the area, causing unusual fluctuations in the climate. After a week, the land settles into its new form, but the weather remain unstable for many decades thereafter.

The scarred land is within a 500km radius of the target, and the spell can be cast from a distance of up to 1200km away. Should the wizard fail his Magic Skill roll, the consequences are dire indeed. The wizard, along with his fellow members of the circle, are dispatched to one of the elemental planes. There they will face the wrath of a small army of Elementals.

Star Travellers

The ability to journey to the stars allows thousands of new worlds to be explored and conquered. This spell allows a small group of wizards and their cohorts, to fly to the edge of the atmosphere, then travel across the cosmos at enormous velocity. The group is provided with life support and defense against the harsh elements of interstellar space. Once the group sets foot upon a new world, however, the spell is cancelled and they must remain until they choose to risk the journey once more. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, with a blinding flash of light he is teleported 20-120 Light Years away in a random direction, likely never to return.

Summon Horde

This spell will summon a large horde of creatures from the surrounding lands to fight for the caster. Each of the 16,000 creatures is worth a maximum of 200 points, and must reside within a day's travel of the location where the spell is cast. They arrive with whatever weapons, armor, and equipment they originally carried, but they are willing and eager to follow any orders from the wizard. Any deficiencies in supplies and equipment must be made up by the caster and his allies. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, a furious blast of chaotic mental energy explodes outward from the caster. The wizard and his comrades will be reduced to drooling idiots for a period of several days.

Three Wishes

The target of this spell is granted the ability to make three wishes, which can be any combination of powers, advantages, and limitations (worth a maximum of 150 points) that are needed to satisfy the trigger phrase. The spell is activated whenever the spell recipient says the words "I Wish" followed by a request, regardless of whether the activation was intended or not. The spell is quite literal in its implementation of the wish, and the results will not always have the intended consequences. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, he is banished to an alternate plane of existence for a period of one hundred and one years. Few wizards who have miscast this spell ever survive to journey home.

Zone of Avoidance

This little known ritual will bring into being a Zone of Avoidance. An enchanted presence becomes the guardian of an area of land, and will allow none to enter unless identified as a friend. The Zone is empowered with powerful magical abilities that allow it to accomplish this task, including the creation of illusionary landscapes, the ability to suppress any type of magic, and a powerful attack that can take any form. The Zone is very crafty about its assigned task, and well equipped to detect any form of intrusion, day or night. If the caster fails his Magic Skill roll, the same Zone comes into being, but the wizard and his circle are always identified as intruders, and relentlessly attacked by the Zone.