Arcane Background: Sorcery

Arcane Skill: Sorcery (Spirit) 
Starting Power Points: 10 
Starting Powers: 3

The powers of sorcery have lain dormant in humanity's deepest nature since the beginning of time. Sorcery is the power to use one’s own spiritual energy to call upon other realms of existence for the raw supernatural power to alter the world as we know it. Over time, these techniques for bending the fabric of reality to the whim of man has become a study with individual schools of thought alternately opposing or conspiring with one another. If a character does not begin with the arcane background in Sorcery, he must learn the basic techniques from a master to buy the background as an advance. Sorcery replaces the Magic arcane background from the rulebook.

Backlash: On a failure, the fabric of reality takes a toll on the sorcerer as it snaps back to its original weave. When a sorcerer character rolls a 1 on his Sorcery die he is automatically Shaken (regardless of Wild Die). This can cause a wound.

Disruption: A character who is actively maintaining a power may be disrupted if he suffers damage. To maintain concentration for all of his powers, the sorcerer makes one opposed arcane skill roll versus the damage he suffered. If his roll is higher, he maintains all of his spells. If he fails, he instantly drops all of his powers after the attack that caused the disruption is resolved. A sorcerer who is Shaken by non-damaging means (such as a Test of Wills) must make a simple Smarts roll to maintain his powers.

The Lesser Mysteries are powers that may be chosen by anyone who takes the sorcery arcane background. Some of these mysteries are prerequisites for other more sinister powers.

• Binding - This power allows spellcaster to supernaturally heal their comrades from damage or poison. It is identical to the Healing power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

• Cursing - Cursing is the dark art of placing a doom on somebody. Curses are best placed on somebody in the sorcerer’s immediate presence, but if the victim of the curse is not present, the sorcerer must at least know the victim and have either a close personal possession (a piece of well-worn clothing or other item to which the victim is emotionally attached), or a body part or secretion (hair, saliva, fingernails, etc.) of the victim. Curses add a -2 penalty to all rolls the victim makes for the next encounter on a successful opposed spirit roll. If the victim loses the opposed roll by 4+ they are cursed for the entire game episode. The curse rebounds on the spellcaster if they roll a 1 on their magic die. Curses cost the spellcaster 2 power points.

• Prophecy - Prophecy is the art of either seeing into the future or else divining something that is not readily apparent. The kind of questions that can be answered by Prophecy fall into two categories, the broader “Will I succeed?” or “Should I go ahead?” type of questions, and the much more specific “Who is?” or “Where is?” type. The first type of questions may be performed relatively quickly and only costs 2 power points per question. The second type of prophecy requires an hour of preparation and costs 3 power points per question.

• Scrying - The Mystery of Scrying is the practice of sending one’s consciousness, or maybe one’s spirit, astral body, or soul, away from one’s physical self and having it travel quickly to distant places to spy out what is happening there. To do so, the sorcerer enters a deep trance, usually one aided by certain drugs. The spellcaster makes a magic roll. On a roll of a 1 on the magic die, they overdose and remain unconscious for eight hours without an opportunity to scry. On a failed roll, the scrying attempt is incomplete and the spellcaster gets incomplete or conflicting information. On a success, they are able to discern one important scene, but perhaps from a single point of view or without auditory or visual information. On a success of 8+ the scrying spellcaster is able to view the entire scene from many points of view, with both audio and visual information. Each separate scrying attempt costs the spellcaster 5 power points per scene.

• Witchfire - The Witchfire Mystery sorcerously unleashes energies to damage or outright destroy things.This is the ability to cast blasting magic. The rules are the same for the Bolt power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

The greater mysteries are only available to wild cards who are at least seasoned.

• Goety - One of the greater Mysteries, this is the sorcery of conjuration, command, and banishment of supernatural creatures from beyond the boundaries of the world, those commonly called demons. This power is identical to the Zombie power from the Savage Worlds rulebook, with the exception that instead of bodies, sacrifices comprised of the blood of the living are required to call up demons. The demons summoned are extras with a D4 in all ratings except for a Spirit of D10. They have a Fighting of D6, and may use melee weapons. They have a toughness of 4.

• Necromancy - Necromancy deals with calling up the dead from the beyond, and perhaps to animate them as undead. This power is identical to the Zombie power from the Savage Worlds rulebook. Zombies are extras with a D4 in all ratings except for strength of D8 and a Vigor of D10 giving them a Toughness of 7. They have a Fighting of D4 and may not use melee weapons.

• Demonic Anatomy - This mystery allows a sorcerer to temporarily adapt their bodies to match those of demons from the underworld. This power may be used as either the Armor power, the Smite power (but only for melee weapons), or the Boost/Lower trait power in the Savage Worlds rulebooks. One difference is that these powers may only be used on the spellcaster, and they may not be “disrupted” like other magical powers as they are maintained. On a roll of a “1” on the magic die, a demonic taint stays with the spell caster even after the power fades and they take on a permanent aspect of a demon in addition to being shaken. For every three permanent demonic taints, the player loses a point of charisma from a visible deformity.

• Hypnosis - With the mystery of hypnosis the sorcerer forces his will on his victims’ will, right up to the point where the sorcerer commands his victim’s view of reality. This Mystery requires neither formulas nor gestures, just that the sorcerer makes eye contact with his victim. The sorcerer may choose to make a suggestion that something isn't as it appears, or that a figment of the victim's mind is real. This effect will last for the duration of an encounter. Alternately, the sorcerer may plant a command in the victim's head that is triggered in a particular case (or immediately). This version of the power lasts for only a single round after it is triggered. Either effect requires two power points and an opposed spirit roll to succeed against the target, rolled at the triggering event or time. If the roll beats the target by +4 the power may be used for the target to harm their allies. On a success of 8+ the power may be used to force the target to harm themselves.

Dark secrets are only available to Veteran wild cards and require that certain lesser mysteries are taken first.

• Abomination - (Requires Goety & Binding) This hours long extended ritual must be conducted, with slight alterations, every week during about the first third of the pregnancy over the body of a woman who is either a willing participant or else powerless to resist. It changes the embryo into some monstrosity, whose eventual birth will almost certainly kill the mother. This wild card follower may be constructed just as a novice wild card. Only one Abomination may be created at a time. Each one takes nine months. This power will probably only be used by villains and operates under special rules.

• Enslavement - (Requires Hypnosis & Necromancy) A more powerful form of hypnosis that matches the Puppet power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

• Firestorm - (Requires Witchfire & Goety) An area effect version of Witchfire. It costs 5 power points to use. It creates a large burst of damage at a point the spellcaster wishes within 48“ of the casting model. Targets within the firestorm take 3D6 damage. Unlike other attacks, raises do not do more damage. On a roll of a '1' the burst damage is centered on the spellcaster instead.

• Hand of Doom - (Requires Necromancy & Hypnosis) One touch kill or extras on a successful opposed spirit check. Wildcards take one Wound for success and an extra Wound for each raise. Range is touch. On a magic roll of a '1' the spellcaster is shaken.

• Mold the Flesh - (Requires Cursing & Demonic Anatomy) This power allows the spellcaster to take on the countenance of someone they have personally met, create powerful physical weaponry from their bodies, or destroy the flesh of an extra by touching them. By spending 2 power points, the spellcaster may create bone weapons from their body (or someone else's) that deal D6 in weapon damage. Alternately, they automatically gain the ability to look like someone they have met in person adding a +4 to any skill roll that might benefit from appearing to be someone else. Finally, the spellcaster may use this power on any extra to render two limbs useless on a successful magic roll. This power is useless on an enemy wild card. On a roll of a '1' on the magic die, the spellcaster is shaken.

• Plague Wind - (Requires Prophecy & Necromancy) Causes a potentially deadly contagion to break out and infect a district of the population. This power will probably only be used by villains and operates under special rules.

• Portal - (Requires Hypnosis and Scrying) Identical to the teleport power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

• Shake the Bones of the Earth - (Requires Prophecy & Goety) Causes an earthquake doing extensive property damage. This power will probably only be used by villains and operates under special rules.

• Whisper My Name in Fear - (Requires Scrying & Necromancy) Once a sorcerer learns this Secret, he will know from that moment on whenever his name is spoken anywhere in the world. If somebody utters the sorcerer’s name, the sorcerer immediately and unfailingly learns this person’s name, location, identity (e.g. farmer, nobleman, gang member, etc.), in what context his name was spoken (e.g. hostile, reverential, in awe, plotting, etc.), and also the names and identities of this person’s interlocutors.