From: appel@chaosium.com (Shannon Appel)
System: Elric!
Chaosium's newest game of the Young Kingdoms, Elric!, offers an impressive magic system which allows characters to cast many of the small spells seen in the Elric novels. Although I was originally somewhat leery of the idea, I think the result is a good one. There are sufficient detriments to spell casting, that parties of adventurers are unlikely to wander about the Young Kingdoms, Hell's Razor constantly upon their blades. However, even with the minor magics of Elric!, the system still seems somewhat incomplete. I first hit upon this problem when designing the Melnibonean Spell, The Runesleep [see V3.4]. The normal procedures for spellcasting, which allow for short-lived spells which may be cast very quickly, seemed inappropriate. Since then, I've considered the problem a bit more, and I now offer, as a solution, a new manner of spells: Enchantments. The Elric! rules touch briefly upon Enchantments, saying that they are: "a form of magic which imbued objects and places with one or more qualities that permanently changed its characteristics or behavior" (Elric! rules, page 107). I would suggest that that is only one aspect of Enchantments. More completely, an enchantment is any spell that has some type of permanent effect upon the world. These might be the Armoring, Binding and Matrix Enchantments of RuneQuest, or the ancient enchantments alluded to in Elric! or modern rituals, known by the most powerful of sorcerers. All enchantments have three defining characteristics: * LENGTH OF CASTING - Enchantments take an extended amount of time to cast. Most modern enchantments will take 1D8 hours to cast. More powerful enchantments, such as the ones described on page 108 of the Elric! book could take considerably longer. * DURATION OF SPELL - Universally, enchantments are of a permanent duration, although some of them (such as The Runesleep and The Hidden Soul) may be broken under certain conditions. * EXPENDITURE OF POWER - Due to their strength, Enchantments take something out of their caster. The weakest ones, such as the examples given below, drain but one POW. Greater ones might require the sacrifices of entire villages. As examplse of enchantments, I would first offer two extant spells, Brazier of Power (Elric! pg 77) and The Runesleep (vol.3.4). Clearly, they meet two of the criteria of enchantments already, for they each require a point of POW to be spent and they both have permanent effects upon the world. By naming them enchantments, we also extend their casting time to 1D8 hours. In both cases, it seems appropriate. Finally, I offer one new enchantment, a spell of the East, drawn from the Elric books: The Hidden Soul (4) [Spells of the Unseen World] "He had put his soul into the body of a cat so that no rival sorcerer might steal it when he slept." -The Bane of the Black Sword III, 1 Enchantment. Cost is 1 POW. Range is touch. Chaotic. With this spell, the sorcerer is able to put his soul into the body of an animal, protecting himself from certain foul enchantmants (notable among them, the soul stealing abilities of Stormbringer). However, in turn, the sorcerer also increases his vulnerability. If the animal which holds the sorcerer's soul should die, so shall he. This enchantment may be brought to an end if the sorcerer and the animal exchange blood. Knowledge of this enchantment is limited to the unknown kingdoms of the east. However, it might be known by travellers to the Young Kingdoms who originated in those far away lands.Back to Eternal Index