Sorcery - An Expansion

Working With Raw Power

A sorcerer in a shadow where there is significant magical power can channel that power to achieve effects that are not subtle, but which nonetheless can be effective. The kinds of effects that can be wrought with this type of magic are generally psychokinetic in nature (pushing, pulling, throwing, bashing, lifting, blocking). It is also possible to attempt to directly disintegrate an object by breaking it apart at the molecular level (a strong Psyche advantage would be needed to create this effect in the body of an opponent). The use of raw power is crude and inexact; you might be able to bash a door down, but you couldn't pick a lock. Manipulating raw power is slower than releasing hung spells or power words (although faster than creating spells). The force that can be applied depends on the amount of magic that is locally available, how familiar the sorcerer is with the nature of that magic, and the strength of the sorcerer's Psyche. If two mages are attempting to affect each other with raw power, the forces involved will directly counter each other (the contest could be described as something akin to an arm wresting contest). The use of raw power is very tiring, so Endurance is critical.

Cantrips are simple on-the-fly spells allow local manipulation of minor aspects of the environment. They can affect only a small area at a time, cannot open conduits from one shadow to another and will fade if moved from the shadow of their origin. Cantrips can not affect the basic nature of an object, i.e. it might make a meat pie tastier and a lovely shade of purple, but it can't make it into a desert pudding; you could relieve a person's pain, but not heal a wound. Cantrips can only affect unresisting objects, people can not be affected unless they wish to be, and their possessions are considered to be "resisting" as well if the owner does not want the item altered. As such, these spells are of little use in combat except for intimidation (you might be able to make your eyeballs glow, but you could not shatter an enemy's sword). Examples of simple spells include lighting candles, creating a globe of light, or changing the color of an object. It takes anywhere from a few seconds to a minute to cast a simple spell, depending on how conducive the local shadow environment is to magic and how complex the effect. It is possible to hang cantrips, but they take such a short time to cast that there is usually not much point.

Complex spells are as described in the Amber rulebook. They involve major manipulations of local shadow, the opening of conduits from one shadow to another, the linking of one mind to another, or the combining of sorcery with other powers. Complex spells are time-consuming to cast and even more time-consuming to develop. Use the system described in the Amber rulebook, with the addition of the following guidelines: Most spells either make some enduring and generally static effect on a person, object, or place (e.g., turning someone invisible or generating a magical ward); or they produce an immediate effect (e.g., throwing a fireball at an opponent's head). These types of spells require concentration only at the point of activation, or if a change of some sort is made to the effect.

If a spell produces a continuing active effect (i.e., one which must be controlled or adjusted as it occurs rather than making a static change), then it requires concentration as long as it continues. Any break in concentration (being startled, engaging in combat, receiving a wound, attempting to use a Trump card) will cause the spell to go down. Examples of spells with continuing active effects include flight spells, digging spells, and spells that create a moving illusion.

In describing a spell, the designer should give careful consideration to its physical effects under various conditions. Many spells have important limitations that become obvious with a little thought. The classic example from the books is Merlin's invisibility spell, which would make the user blind if used at 100% efficiency because the light would then pass through his eyes without being stopped by his retinas. Merlin must therefore keep himself slightly visible so that he can see his surroundings dimly. Don't think in terms of game mechanics but in terms of what those mechanics represent. For example, say a player wants to create a spell that allows her character to walk on walls and ceilings. Such a spell could work in different ways (e.g., making her feet sticky, holding her feet to a surface with kinetic force, or changing the direction of gravity). Each possibility has different implications for using the spell (how much concentration is needed, what kinds of surfaces it will work with, what an opponent can do to counter it, etc.). Every spell should be carefully considered for such implications before it is used in the game.

Spell hanging works just as it does in the game book for Logrus users and Adepts of Broken Pattern. If a character is an Initiate of the Pattern, they may also hang spells on it. Such spells take half again as long to cast, but they decay at about half the rate of spells hung on the Logrus. Spells that are hung on an item are more likely to decay when the object passes through shadows with different magical rules than are spells hung on Pattern or Logrus.

Any hung spell is cast after its lynchpins have been spoken. This process takes several seconds for each lynchpin. An opponent with a high Warfare and familiarity with the nature of sorcery will generally have plenty of time to react to the casting of a spell.

A spell can be avoided in any of the following ways (this is not intended to be an exhaustive list; nor do I want to imply that any of these methods will work all the time):

1. Mental attacks can be avoided by having a significantly higher Psyche than the attacker, or by having a major power brought to mind (e.g., Pattern or Logrus, for example.).
2. Physical effects can be dodged, blocked by armor, or otherwise avoided by keeping the attack from hitting or damaging its target. The kinds of physical defenses that may be effective depend on the specific spell being avoided. Since the accuracy of physical attacks with sorcery are governed by the Warfare attribute, it is often very hard to hit an opponent with a higher score in Warfare. If the defender has a primal power like Logrus brought to mind and is concentrating on it, the effect of the attack will be lessened.
3. Any spell can be disrupted by a Power Word. Most commonly, Magic Negation is used to interfere with the release of lynchpins, but any Power Word that breaks the caster's concentration can have the same effect. Burst of Psyche, Psychic Defense, and Defensive Luck can be used to avoid a spell even after it has been cast. Pattern Negation or Logrus Negation may affect spells based on those powers. Note that if the attacker has a higher Psyche than the user of the Power Word, the spell may still work.
4. It is possible to use raw power to block a complex spell. Only physical attacks can be blocked using raw power. Blocking with power is difficult and less certain than using a complex spell. If you have run out of defensive spells or are trying to hoard your spells, however, it can be an effective defensive tactic, particularly if you have advantages over your opponent in Warfare (to block effectively) and Endurance (to avoid exhaustion).

New Spell: Simple Block

Creates a temporary barrier to magical attacks by changing an area of the local shadow so that it is incompatible with magic. It can affect an area immediately around the caster or any area up to about 10 feet across in the caster's view. This spell lasts for just a few seconds, so it will generally negate one opposing spell. It will tend to work even when a Power Word would not (e.g., against an opponent of significantly higher Psyche).

Sorcery, at 15 points, appears to be very cheap for its power and flexibility. Balancing its advantages are two major disadvantages. First, it is very time consuming to create, hang, and maintain spells (as described in the rulebook). Second, magic is less effective against those who possess powers like Pattern and Logrus. In particular, if an initiate of a primal power has that power brought to mind, they become very resistant to magical effects of a psychic nature. Even physical magical effects will tend to miss or have a lesser effect. Primal powers can also be used to dispel magic. For example, if you encounter a magical barrier that prevents you from entering a doorway, you may be able to penetrate it by bringing Pattern to mind and using it to push through the barrier. A Pattern artifact like Grayswandir can be used to break wards, parry spells, and generally negate most magic used against the bearer (we can theorize that the reason why so little magic is seen in the first series is that Grayswandir provided Corwin with such a potent defense). Similar anti-magic effects can be achieved with Trump and Logrus. For sorcerers with access to a primal power, such negating effects can be somewhat offset by practicing magic based on that power (see below). For example, if you place an enemy in stasis with a spell that incorporates Pattern energy, the spell will tend to resist being disrupted with a Logrus tendril (and will also be harder to dispel by simply moving the enemy through shadow).