CIRCLE 5 SPELLS

Astral Horror
Threads: 3	Weaving Difficulty: 9/19
Range: 120 yards	Duration: 1 + Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 6
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense (12)
This spell creates the illusion of an Astral Horror cast around a tiny bit of true spiritual essence. Nethermancers are known for conjuring abominable things from astral space or beyond, and this spell plays on that fact. The Astral Horror appears as a Fog Ghost (see p. 176), but is far more lethal. The illusion must stay within spell range of the nethermancer or else it is dissipated. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the nethermancer rolls the Effect dice to generate the Disbelief Number (see p. 166) for the illusion. The illusion obeys the mental commands of the nethermancer. The nethermancer may perform other actions and still command the illusion. Astral Horror DEX: 7 STR: 8 TOU: 10 PER: 7 WIL: 9 CHA: 6 Initiative: 9 Physical Defense: 12 Number of Attacks: 2 Spell Defense: 12 Attack: 9 Social Defense: 14 Damage: 11 Armor: 0 Number of Spells: NA Mystic Armor: 6 Spellcasting: NA Knockdown: 6 Effect: NA Recovery Tests: 3    Death Rating: 40 Combat Movement: 60 Wound Threshold: 11 Full Movement: 120 Unconsciousness Rating: 32 Legend Points: 200 Equipment: NA Loot: NA

Circle of Astral Protection
Threads: 3	Weaving Difficulty: 11/19
Range: Touch	Duration: 1 + Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 8
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer must walk the circle before casting the spell. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the spell creates a Circle of Astral Protection with a radius of 5 yards. The circle is black with glowing yellow lines. The nethermancer then rolls the Effect dice, using the result for the Mystic Armor Rating of any character within the circle, as long as the character was in the circle when the spell was cast.

Pass Ward
Threads: 5(6,7)	Weaving Difficulty: 13/21
Range: Touch	Duration: Rank weeks (up to Rank years)
Effect: Willforce + 12
Casting Difficulty: 2
The Pass Ward spell places a ward on a specific spot. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the ward has a Spellcasting step equal to that of the nethermancer. Whenever someone comes within 10 feet of the ward, the ward makes a Spellcasting Test against the Spell Defense of the approaching character. If the test succeeds, the ward places a white star on the target character and tells him or her to halt (or gives some other message chosen by the nethermancer). Unless the character stops or backs away immediately, the ward makes another Spellcasting Test. If the test is successful, the ward rolls the Effect dice for damage to the intruder. The ward can target any number of characters in the same round; if a character enters the warded area, he can be zapped in the same round. Pass Ward is an extremely difficult enchantment to cast. The nethermancer must weave all threads in 7 rounds or less. If he fails, the spell fails. The minimum number of threads woven for the spell to succeed is 5. If the magician weaves 6 threads, the duration is a number of months equal to the magician’s rank in Spellcasting. If he weaves 7 threads, the duration is his rank in years. If the spell fails, the nethermancer takes 5 points of Strain.

Target Portal
Threads: 4	Weaving Difficulty: 10/19
Range: 1,000 yards	Duration: Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 7
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
With this spell, the nethermancer creates a gap in astral space, a pathway between himself and the target character. The portal allows him to cast spells at the target. For the purposes of spellcasting, the target must remain within 1,000 yards of the caster to be in line-of-sight. The nethermancer may cast any spell with a range greater than Touch through this portal. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the nethermancer rolls the Effect dice. The target makes a Willpower Test against that number to see if he can dispel Target Portal.

Wither Limb
Threads: 3	Weaving Difficulty: 8/19
Range: 60 yards	Duration: 1 round
Effect: Willforce + 8
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer points at the victim’s limb and whispers “wither.” If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the nethermancer rolls the Effect dice for damage. Mystic armor protects against Wither Limb. If the victim suffers a Wound from the damage, his limb shrivels and shrinks to a useless vestige. The character must seek powerful healing magic, such as Reverse Withering, to regain use of the limb. The injury stays with the character until the limb is restored. CIRCLE 6 SPELLS

Blessed Light
Threads: 1	Weaving Difficulty: 8/18
Range: 15 yards	Duration: 15 + Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 4
Casting Difficulty: 3
With this spell, the nethermancer pierces astral space to gather pure light. The Spellcasting Difficulty is only 3. If the test is successful, the globe hovers about 2 or 3 feet above the nethermancer, but no higher. The light illuminates 15 yards to either side. The nethermancer rolls the Effect dice, and the result becomes the Difficulty Number to dispel Blessed Light. Any entity, including undead, who wishes to enter the lit area must either dispel the spell or make a successful Willpower Test against the same Difficulty Number. If the test fails, the entity cannot enter the area. A successful test extinguishes the Blessed Light spell.

Bone Shatter
Threads: 2	Weaving Difficulty: 12/20
Range: 60 yards	Duration: 1 round
Effect: Willforce + 8
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer makes cracking sounds while weaving the threads for this spell. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the nethermancer gets a number of effects equal to his Spellcasting Rank, and he may target up to three against a single character. A character with Rank 7 Spellcasting, for example, could cast 1 Bone Shatter effect against 7 different characters, or 3 effects against 1 character and 1 each against 4 more characters. The nethermancer makes only one Spellcasting Test. Compare the result to the highest Spell Defense of any target. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the nethermancer rolls the Effect dice for damage for each Bone Shatter effect. Mystic armor provides protection against each effect of Bone Shatter. Characters who take Wounds from Bone Shatter make their Knockdown Tests with a penalty of –3 steps.

Foul Vapors
Threads: 1	Weaving Difficulty: 11/19
Range: 25 yards	Duration: 6 + Rank rounds
Effect: Willforce + 5
Casting Difficulty: 2
The nethermancer taps the uglier regions of astral space, drawing the foul vapors to the physical plane. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the vapors completely fill a sphere within a radius of 25 yards from the nethermancer. Foul Vapors do not move once conjured. The nethermancer is immune to the Foul Vapors. She may extend this immunity to other characters, up to a number equal to her rank in Spellcasting. Those considered immune must be declared at the time of the casting. Characters take damage for every round they are caught in the vapors. They do not have to breathe the vapors to take damage; only contact is necessary. The nethermancer rolls the Effect dice for the damage each round. Mystic armor protects against Foul Vapors.

Friendly Darkness
Threads: 3	Weaving Difficulty: 9/20
Range: 15 yards	Duration: 1 round
Effect: +4 steps to rank characters
Casting Difficulty: 2
The nethermancer draws on a bit of darkness from another dimension, then commands it to billow and expand. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the darkness fills an area with a radius of 15 yards from the target character or object. Characters who are not willing recipients of Friendly Darkness increase their Spell Defense by +5. The darkness inhibits enemy actions in the same way as Ethereal Darkness (see p. 176) in that all characters suffer a –5 step penalty to all actions requiring sight. In addition, the nethermancer and a number of characters equal to his rank in Spellcasting gain a +4 step bonus to their actions. The nethermancer can only grant the bonus to one type of action, such as Attack Tests, Spellcasting Tests, Recovery Tests, and so on. All characters benefiting from Friendly Darkness receive the 4 steps for the same type of action.

Recover
Threads: 3	Weaving Difficulty: 9/20
Range: Touch	Duration: 1 round
Effect: Willforce + 15
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer gives a fierce boost to the life force of the spell’s target. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the target makes a Recovery Test using the Recovery Spell’s Effect step rather than his own Recovery step. The recipient must still use 1 Recovery Test to benefit from the spell.

Soul Armor
Threads: 1	Weaving Difficulty: 7/17
Range: Touch	Duration: 15 + rank minutes
Effect: +D8 to Mystic Armor
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer touches the target of the Soul Armor spell. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, a glimmering set of blue chain mail seems to cover the recipient and then sink into his or her body. Soul Armor adds 1D8 to the recipient’s Mystic Armor Rating for the duration of the spell. CIRCLE 7 SPELLS

Constrict Heart
Threads: None	Weaving Difficulty: NA/18
Range: 25 yards	Duration: 3 + Rank rounds
Effect: Willforce + 6
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
While weaving the spell threads, the nethermancer extends his hand in a grasping motion, facing the victim. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, Constrict Heart surrounds the victim’s heart with a squeezing layer of astral force. The nethermancer rolls the Effect dice for damage. The nethermancer must concentrate when rolling the Effect dice each round after the first. The victim is immobilized unless the spell breaks or he is able to make a successful Willpower Test against a Difficulty Number of 15 to dispel Constrict Heart.

Restrain Entity
Threads: 2	Weaving Difficulty: 14/20
Range: 25 yards	Duration: 3 + Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 12
Casting Difficulty: : Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer casts Restrain Entity on a single creature. This spell works on undead, Horrors, or Horror constructs. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, a brilliant circle of red light, limned with gold writing, encircles the creature. The circle is rooted to the spot. Neither it nor the entity can be moved. The undead can still communicate if the nethermancer wishes to talk to such a foul creature. The creature may attempt to free itself through a Willpower or Dispel Magic Test. Each time the creature makes an attempt, the nethermancer rolls the Effect dice. The creature must roll a number equal to or higher than the magician’s test result to get free.

Reverse Withering
Threads: 3	Weaving Difficulty: 11/18
Range: Touch	Duration: 3 +
Effect: Willforce + 7
Casting Difficulty: 2
The nethermancer touches a limb that has been injured by the Wither Limb spell while infusing it with energy from another plane. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the nethermancer must then make an Effect Test against a Difficulty Number of 13 to cure the withering. If the Effect Test fails, the nethermancer may maintain the spell through concentration, making Effect Tests each round of the spell’s duration until successful. The withered limb is not instantly restored to full health. The character suffers a –3 step penalty when using the limb. Once the wound associated with the withering is healed, the limb is back to full strength.

Spirit Portal
Threads: 4	Weaving Difficulty: 14/19
Range: Touch	Duration: Rank x 10 minutes
Effect: Willforce + 10
Casting Difficulty: 2
Spirit Portal must be cast within a Bone Circle built by the nethermancer. The magician punctures a small hole in astral space, continuing to widen the opening until the spell is complete. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the nethermancer has created a doorway into astral space through which spirits may enter the physical plane or characters enter astral space. The nethermancer has some control over who uses the Spirit Portal, but he must be within sight of the portal to contest entry. To prevent a being from crossing the portal, the magician rolls the Effect dice, comparing the result to the outcome of the being’s Willpower Test. If the nethermancer’s test fails, the being can pass through. An Average success is enough to stop the being, but it will cost the nethermancer 1 point of Strain. A Good success or better will stop the being without causing the magician any damage.

Wit Friend
Threads: 2	Weaving Difficulty: 8/19
Range: Touch	Duration: 10 + Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 5
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer summons a spirit, tapping the recipient’s head as the spirit slowly glides into the target’s mind. Anytime the recipient of this spell fails a mental Skill or Talent Test (except for Spellcasting, Willforce, or Thread Weaving), the Wit Friend spell gives him a second chance that same round. Use the Effect step as the target number for the second chance at the action. CIRCLE 8 SPELLS

Control Being
Threads: 3	Weaving Difficulty: 14/20
Range: 25 yards	Duration: 10 + Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 6
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer holds his body perfectly still, eyes closed, while weaving the threads for this spell. He casts the spell by opening his eyes and flinging his arms out. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the spell allows the nethermancer to control the movements of the target’s body. The target is still in control of his thoughts and his speech, but the nethermancer dictates all movement. The nethermancer must concentrate to make the enchanted target move, but failing to concentrate does not automatically break the spell. If the victim wishes to break free from control, he makes a Willpower Test against the result of an Effect dice roll by the magician. Success breaks the spell.

Horror Call
Threads: 6	Weaving Difficulty: 13/22
Range: 10 yards	Duration: Rank hours
Effect: Willforce + 16
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
The nethermancer must first learn the Name of a Horror he wishes to call. He then inscribes a circle 10 feet in diameter, painting it white and gold. Horror Call is blood magic, costing the magician a permanent loss of 1 point of damage. In addition, the nethermancer must permanently lose another point of damage each time he fails to weave a thread for Horror Call. If the nethermancer breaks off the spell before completing it, the magical backlash immediately delivers Step 25 damage. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, the Horror is summoned into the protective circle. The nethermancer then rolls the Effect dice, recording the result. The Horror remains in the protective circle until it can make a successful Willpower Test against that number. Many Horrors will bargain with a nethermancer, offering great treasure in return for release into this world. They have been known to offer more than 100,000 Legend Points in treasure. They often pay as promised, but they will usually return to take back the treasure at a later date. Few nethermancers teach this spell. A character should wonder about the motives of one who does, because Horrors often make teaching the Horror Call spell to others part of any deal they make with a nethermancer.

Restrain Horror
Threads: 1	Weaving Difficulty: 13/19
Range: 25 yards	Duration: Rank rounds
Effect: Willforce + 16
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
This is a quicker, more powerful version of Restrain Entity. Restrain Horror only works against a Horror, not one of its constructs. If the nethermancer makes a successful Spellcasting Test, the spell will restrain the Horror. The nethermancer then rolls the Effect dice, recording the result. Restrain Horror has a short duration, so the nethermancer will also need a backup plan. The Horror may attempt to break free or dispel Restrain Horror. In either case the Difficulty Number is the result of the nethermancer’s Effect dice roll.

Shadow Tether
Threads: 2	Weaving Difficulty: 16/19
Range: 50 yards	Duration: 10 + Rank minutes
Effect: Willforce + 7
Casting Difficulty: Target’s Spell Defense
To cast this spell, the nethermancer must be able to see the targets and their shadows. A nethermancer may target a number of characters equal to his Spellcasting Rank. If the Spellcasting test is successful, the Shadow Tether spell fixes the targets’ shadows to the ground, and holds the characters to their shadows. The nethermancer rolls the Effect dice and records the result. To break free, the targets must make a successful Strength Test against this number.

Translator Spirit
Threads: 4	Weaving Difficulty: 11/19
Range: 10 yards	Duration: Rank x 10 minutes
Effect: Willforce + 5
Casting Difficulty: 2
The nethermancer summons a quavery spirit. If the Spellcasting Test is successful, use the Effect step as the spirit’s Speak Language talent step number. The spirit automatically can speak any language the nethermancer wants.