Level 1 War Mage Spells | Level 2 War Mage Spells | Level 3 War Mage Spells | Level 4 War Mage Spells | Level 5 War Mage Spells |
| Ammo Drop Combat Stabilization Consecrated Arms Field Report Force Shelter Meta-rations Ruck Platform This Is My Rifle | Commando Invocation Fighting Withdrawal Firing Position Ghost Soldiers Roof Instantiation Rookie Courage Salvage Gear Stifle Explosion | Artillery Strike Breaching Charge Double Tap High Road Invocation Tank Kill Team Liaison Terror of Battle Walking Wounded | Entrenchment Kinesis Forced March Metadimensional Minefield Radio Intercept Protocol Voice of Command War Gas Cloud | Air Cover Forlorn Hope's Charge Infectious Despair Murphy's Law Summon Fire Support Ten Thousand Bullets |
War Mage Spell Limits
War Mage spells are direct and practical. All of them revolve around satisfying needs that might occur in the field for a small military unit. Within this general scope, there are a few limits to keep in mind when approving newly-designed War Mage spells.
No major healing. The tradition can stabilize downed troopers and get them walking, but it can’t substitute for a medic.
No subtle divination. A spell might give the kind of recon intel that a good drone could, but it’s not going to predict the future or pry into a target’s mind. Only tangible, present realities can be revealed, and those only if they’re nearby.
No go-to attack spells. Any spell that does direct damage should come with both Surge and some drawback in execution that makes it impractical to use in every fight. War Mages are supposed to get most of their kills with mag rifles, not spells.No powerful Shadow summons. At best, War Mages should be able to summon a few low-powered but martial Shadows. Potent single creatures are beyond the school.
No caster combat buffs. Spells that boost targets in combat should never be caster-exclusive. Buffing allies is acceptable with Focus limits, but a War Mage isn’t meant to be their own buff machine.
Air Cover
Level 5
The caster conjures a temporary defensive shield five meters overhead, protecting everything within thirty meters. The shield moves with the caster as long as it is maintained. While up, any incoming directly-targeted damage delivered by plunging fire or aerial attacks is reduced by thirty points of damage, down to a minimum of zero. If attacked by area-effect damage such as artillery strikes or mortar rounds, the subjects beneath the air cover shield are safe from the explosions and shrapnel. Only direct-fire attacks from the same approximate horizontal plane as the caster can avoid the shield. The shield also disrupts conventional TL4 sensors, requiring direct visual observation to discern anything beneath it. Maintaining the air cover requires Light Focus. It lasts for one minute per caster level once focus is lost.
Ammo Drop
Level 1
The caster pulses a charge of metadimensional energy through the weapons of their allies, recharging power cells and constructing temporary metadimensional force analogs of physical ammunition. All weapons carried by the caster and up to six allies within thirty meters have any loaded type A power cells fully recharged and any physical ammo magazines replenished. For one round per caster level after casting this spell, these weapons expend no ammunition when they fire. This spell isn’t powerful enough to replenish type B power cells or Heavy weapon munitions, and due to the arcane sympathies involved in the spell only power cells currently loaded into actual weapons are recharged. If these spell-charged cells are used for anything but firing a weapon, they deplete instantly.
Artillery Strike
Level 3
The caster invokes a tremendous blast of metadimensional energy on a visible target point within 50 meters. Everything within 10 meters of the target point takes 1d8 damage per caster level from the blast and ensuing shrapnel, with an Evasion save to take half, with the damage counting as Heavy for purposes of disabling vehicles and instantly killing targets it reduces to zero hit points. This energy takes about six seconds to coalesce, however, and the blast only goes off at the end of the next round after the one in which this spell is cast. The ominous wail of the impending blast charge may be enough to convince those near the target point to seek cover, given that it sounds remarkably like an artillery shell passing overhead. This spell induces Surge.
Breaching Charge
Level 3
The caster touches a wall or other barrier and choos-es a delay ranging from instant to up to ten minutes. When the delay elapses, a metadimensional energy surge disintegrates a large portion of the barrier. The caster can punch holes in anything short of military fortifications to a depth equal to one meter per two caster levels, rounded up and a diameter of up to three meters. Due to the arcane sympathies involved, the spell can only be used to damage walls and structures, including starship bulkheads. The detonation does not harm creatures around the broken barrier, but taking out support walls may cause additional damage. This spell induces Surge.
Combat Stabilization
Level 1
The caster may choose a visible mortally-wounded tar-get and automatically stabilize them for the rest of the scene. If the target does not receive some sort of medical assistance by the end of the scene, however, they will die. If some modicum of help is provided, they will recover and be functional with 1 hit point at the end of the scene or ten minutes later, whichever is sooner.
Commando Invocation
Level 2
The caster and up to two adjacent allies per caster level are protected from a number of conventional sensing technologies and imbued with natural night vision. Al-lies need not remain adjacent after receiving the spell’s benefits. Conventional TL4 motion detectors, IR sensors, or night-vision goggles will not read the subjects of this spell, and all participants can see as clearly in perfect darkness as they could at midday. This tech-in-visibility does not grant any bonus to Sneak skill checks, but it may lessen the difficulty when attempting to infiltrate a well-guarded location. The effect lasts as long as the caster maintains Light Focus, and then ten minutes per character level afterwards.
Consecrated Arms
Level 1
The weapons of the caster’s fire team are charged with metadimensional energy, granting them a +1 bonus to hit and damage rolls and causing them to count as magical weapons for the purpose of overcoming the defenses of creatures immune to mundane steel. Every weapon used by the caster and up to six allies within 30 meters is so blessed, though targets can move out of this range afterwards without losing the benefit. This spell does not affect weapons which are already en-chanted. The spell lasts as long as the caster maintains Light Focus, and then one round per character level afterwards.
Double Tap
Level 3
An ally’s firing speed is drastically increased by this spell. The chosen ally must be within 30 meters of the at-tacker; so long as the caster maintains Light Focus the target may attack twice with each Main Action, whether with melee weapons or ranged attacks. Each round the target takes advantage of this option, they accrue one additional System Strain. The spell ends when the caster drops their focus, or after one round per caster level at the maximum. The caster cannot be the target of their own Double Tap spell.
Entrenchment Kinesis
Level 4
Physical trenches and earthworks can be molded by this spell, provided the soil in question is soft enough to be worked by hand tools. Simple trenches and earth-en mounds can be shaped by the caster, up to a 3x3x3 meter cube of earth being moved for each minute of Deep Focus maintained by the caster. The earth must be within 50 meters of the caster, and the spell cannot be maintained for more than two minutes per caster level. This spell cannot directly destroy structures, but may cause undermining that results in a collapse. The tendrils of energy that connect the caster to the worked earth are extremely visible, however.
Field Report
Level 1
The caster may focus on a single person they have personally met before casting this spell. A brief telepathic link is forged between the target and the caster, provided the target is willing to accept the link and is on the same planet. Voice-only communication between the two subjects may be maintained so long as the caster sustains Deep Focus, and then for one round per level.
Fighting Withdrawal
Level 2
On casting this spell, the caster nominates a point with-in ten meters per caster level that they can either see or have physically occupied before. At the end of that round, after all combat participants have acted, the caster and up to two willing allies per caster level with-in 10 meters are teleported to the nominated location. While this spell is commonly used to retreat from battle, it can be used out of combat as well.
Firing Position
Level 2
The caster conjures up a temporary construct of meta-dimensional force that can serve as effective cover against small arms fire. The construct takes the form of a wall up to two meters high and up to two meters long per level, transparent on one side, with firing slits positioned as the caster wishes. While behind cover, melee attacks are impossible and ranged attacks suffer a -4 penalty against targets behind the construct.
Ordinary small arms fire cannot meaningfully harm the construct, but melee weapons, explosives, or other structural damage can bring it down with five points of damage per caster level. The wall impedes normal movement and can act as a conventional barrier if desired. The wall lasts as long as Light Focus is held, plus one round per caster level thereafter.
Force Shelter
Level 1
The caster creates a temporary shelter out of metadimensional force. The shelter must be conjured within 10 meters on a solid surface, and takes the shape of a floored dome up to five meters in diameter and three meters high. The dome is colored and patterned to match its surroundings and is opaque from the outside and transparent from within; ranged attacks against targets hidden inside the dome are made at a -4 penalty to hit. The atmosphere within the dome remains warm, dry, breathable, and comfortably pressurized regardless of the environment outside, and may be lit or darkened at the caster’s discretion. The walls of the dome allow solid objects to pass in and out freely, but they will protect against precipitation, winds, and dust. It lasts as long as the caster maintains Light Focus, plus one hour per caster level.
Forced March
Level 4
The caster and up to two allies per caster level with-in 30 meters are infused with tremendous vitality and endurance. For one day per caster level, they need neither eat, sleep, nor rest, and can perform repetitive physical exertion without ceasing. They heal lost hit points at a rate of one hit point per hour. Their ordinary Move rate increases by 50% and any ordinary overland marching rate is increased by 300%, This spell cannot be used a second time on a given subject until a week has passed.
Forlorn Hope’s Charge
Level 5
The caster and up to one ally per two full levels with-in ten meters are briefly mantled in an invisible but powerful metadimensional energy shield. Until the spell ends, they are effectively immune to any physical damage inflicted by shrapnel, small arms, melee damage, falling, or anything short of a direct hit with a Heavy weapon. Injuries from psychic attacks or dam-age that comes from a source inside the shield is not mitigated, but gases, radioactivity, and energy hazards are also shielded. Unfortunately, the shield is so perfect that no dangerous levels of energy can be exerted outward from it either, and the recipients are unable to fire personal weapons, wield carried melee implements, or otherwise do harm with objects they were carrying when the shield went up. Objects cannot be dropped or otherwise leave the field while it is being maintained.
At the end of each round this spell was in effect after the first round, the GM rolls 1d10; on 6 or less, the spell ends. The caster cannot end this spell voluntarily; they must wait for it to wear off.
Ghost Soldiers
Level 2
Illusions of the caster or their allies are conjured to distract enemy attention. The spell may conjure the illusions at a point within 30 meters of the caster, creating an illusion of up to one person per caster level performing whatever actions the caster wishes. The illusion has full audiovisual components, but is intangible. The caster can only create illusions of their own person or allies within ten meters, and these illusions cannot manipulate or otherwise affect their surroundings, though they can dodge behind cover or appear to use their own illusionary equipment. The caster can control the illusions as a Main Action so long as they maintain Light Focus. Once Focus is dropped, the illusions continue their current activities for one round per level before vanishing.
High Road Invocation
Level 3
The caster and up to two allies per caster level within 10 meters become capable of limited flight. As a Main Action, the subjects may travel up to 10 meters through the air in any direction, provided they remain within 30 meters of the caster. If the spell ends or they exceed this distance, they float harmlessly back to the ground. The spell lasts as long as Deep Focus is maintained.
Infectious Despair
Level 5
This spell can only be cast at the immediate moment when an ally of the caster has just killed, disabled, or otherwise defeated a member of an enemy group. Un-like most spells, it may be triggered as an Instant action, but it must be an ally who deals the harm; the caster’s violence can’t empower this spell. In addition to what-ever Morale check the death may have forced on the enemies, they must make a separate Morale check at a -2 penalty or flee in a disorganized rout. If a group succeeds in this Morale check, they are immune to this spell for the rest of the scene. All affected members of the enemy group must be within at least 30 meters of the triggering violence.
Metadimensional Minefield
Level 4
Pockets of invisible metadimensional force are scattered over a zone of ground, detonating with lethal force when disturbed by more than ten kilograms of weight. When the spell is deployed, the caster indicates a zone up to twenty meters wide and twenty meters long. Anyone who moves into or inside of that zone runs the risk of stepping on a mine; after each applicable Move action is taken, the subject should roll 1d6; on a 3 or less, they’ve hit a mine; they and anything else within three meters takes 4d6 damage, with a Physical save for half, rounded down. Vehicles or other large
objects invariably hit a mine, taking damage as if from a Heavy attack with no saving throw to lessen it. The caster can see the mines, as can any target capable of detecting magic, but other allies cannot. The minefield lasts as long as Light Focus is maintained, or one round per level thereafter. This spell induces Surge.
Meta-rations
Level 1
The caster channels metadimensional energy to refuel depleted biological reserves. The caster and up to six additional allies per caster level within 10 meters have all hunger and thirst eliminated, with no additional need to eat or drink for 24 more hours per caster level. While clean and easy, metarations cannot sustain a subject indefinitely, and cannot be used twice on the same subject without at least a day’s true food and drink to replenish missing nutrients.
Murphy’s Law
Level 5
The caster invokes the grim and terrible chance of the battlefield to cause one visible piece of equipment, machinery, or electronics no larger than a gravtank to fail dramatically. Individual components of a larger structure or vehicle cannot be affected by this spell. Personal-scale equipment no larger than a suit of armor will collapse, short out, suffer a catastrophic fault, or otherwise becomes totally useless and irreparable. Larger objects or magical objects of any size are not permanently damaged, but are totally inert and unusable so long as Light Focus is maintained. Flying vehicles affected by this spell will crash.
Radio Intercept Protocol
Level 4
The caster gains an intuitive awareness of any radio transmissions, comm calls, or other technological communications being made or received within one kilometer, provided they are pertinent to their current activities or interests. The caster does not receive a verbatim transcript of the call, but instead gets a sentence or two describing the general content of the exchange and the persons talking. This spell can crack standard military encryption; ultra-secure transmissions force an Int/Cast Magic skill check at a difficulty of at least 11. The spell lasts as long as Light Focus is maintained, plus ten minutes per character level.
Roof Instantiation
Level 2
The caster conjures a sheltering metadimensional construct above their head, extending up to 15 meters in radius and hanging up to five meters above the caster. Any aerial viewer looking down through the roof will simply not see the caster or their allies, and any conventional TL4 sensors that ping through the roof will report nothing but ordinary ground below. The roof protects all below it from precipitation and in-tense sunlight. The roof itself cannot be destroyed by conventional damage, and lasts as long as Light Focus is maintained, plus ten minutes per caster level thereafter.
Rookie Courage
Level 2
Hearts are emboldened with blithe, unthinking bravery by this spell. Up to five willing allies per caster level within thirty meters are charged with tremendous courage while this spell is in effect, with NPCs gaining a Morale score of 11 and all subjects gaining a +2 bonus to their hit rolls. This bravery induces a degree of recklessness, however, and affected targets take a -2 penalty to Armor Class. This spell lasts as long as Light Focus is maintained.
Ruck Platform
Level 1
The caster conjures up a flat, waist-high plane of metadimensional force, usually appearing as a slightly concave, translucent sheet up to two meters long and two meters wide at their discretion. The sheet can bear up to four normal humans and their gear or 400 kilograms; weight in excess of this will cause it to sink down and refuse to move. The platform automatically remain within 5 meters of the caster if not detained by physical obstacles, and can float over liquids or difficult terrain. The caster can voluntarily move the platform within a 20-meter range as a Main Action, but as soon as their attention lapses the platform will return to hover close to them. It cannot exert force on objects in its path. The platform has an effective AC of 15 and can take 5 plus the caster’s level in hit points of damage before shattering. The platform remains as long as Light Focus maintained, and then one hour per caster level thereafter. It vanishes instantly if the caster gets more than 100 meters distant.
Salvage Gear
Level 2
The caster can temporarily restore a destroyed vehicle, robot, or other inanimate, non-consumable piece of equipment by fabricating substitute components from metadimensional energy, provided the device is no bigger than a gravtank. The equipment must be within thirty meters of the caster, and regains two hit points per caster level, up to its usual maximum, and is treated as being fueled or powered so long as this spell is maintained. Gear without hit points is restored to operating condition. If the device is broken again while this spell is in effect, it is smashed beyond the power even of this spell to revive it. The repair provided by this spell lasts as long as the caster maintains Deep Focus, and then one round per level afterwards. Devices cannot be repaired while this spell is in effect on them.
Stifle Explosion
Level 2
The caster reflexively uses an explosion’s energy to create a countervailing pressure, stifling small explosions and weakening larger blasts. Unlike most spells, this one may be cast as an Instant action. A single explosion within 30 meters has its damage reduced by 1d6 points per caster level. This effect applies to grenades, artillery blasts, explosive projectiles, or magical effects
that create an explosive detonation, but not to beams or conventional bullets.
Summon Fire Support
Level 5
The caster creates a metadimensionally-fueled weapon emplacement at a visible point within 30 meters. The turret-mounted gun fires visible bolts of charged metadimensional force for 3d8 Heavy damage, can fire to suppress, and has a range of up to four kilometers. Its ammunition is inexhaustible while the spell is maintained. While the turret can be operated by any human-sized creature, it does require a gunner to fire it, granting them a +4 AC bonus against ranged attacks for the cover it provides. The emplacement itself can-not be physically destroyed, and it inflicts damage as if it were a magical weapon against targets immune to mundane injury. The emplacement lasts while Light Focus is maintained, plus one round per two full caster levels thereafter.
Tank Kill
Level 3
If the caster can physically touch a vehicle no larger than a gravtank, they can disable it. When this spell is invoked, the caster’s touch becomes charged with a disabling vortex of arcane energy. This charge lasts as long as Deep Focus is maintained, until it is discharged by successfully touching a vehicle. A touched vehicle is immediately immobilized and inert for one round per character level, with any doors, hatches, or other seals automatically flying open. Touching a vehicle is automatic if the caster can get within arm’s length of it.
Team Liaison
Level 3
The caster imbues their own person or an ally within ten meters with the ability to communicate with any intelligent creature. This communication ability functions both in person and over remote comms, and also allows the reading, but not the writing, of foreign or alien texts. Extremely ancient or esoteric scripts may not be recognized by this spell. The spell’s effects last as long as Light Focus is maintained, plus one hour per character level thereafter.
Ten Thousand Bullets
Level 5
The caster instantiates and multiplies a storm of meta-dimensional projectiles, hurling a torrent of gunfire directly down on a target within 50 meters. All targets within ten meters of the focal point take 1d10 damage per caster level, with any structure or cover less durable than military fortifications torn into splinters. If this spell is disrupted before it is successfully cast, however, it goes off automatically with the caster as the focal point. This spell induces Surge.
Terror of Battle
Level 3
The caster catalyzes the instinct of self-preservation within most living creatures into a full-fledged panic attack. A visible target is selected within thirty meters. The target and all living enemies within five meters must immediately make a Morale check to avoid being overcome with dread. On a failure, they will withdraw as they would on a normal Morale check failure. This spell can affect a given creature only once per scene.
This Is My Rifle
Level 1
A weapon properly consecrated to the caster’s use can be summoned to hand by this spell, provided it’s within the same solar system. The caster must spend an hour consecrating a weapon beforehand, charging it with metadimensional energy and etching particular occult sigils on it. Once a weapon has been consecrated, casting this spell will call it and any ammunition loaded into it instantly to the caster’s grasp unless the sigils are defaced or removed. A caster can have up to one weapon per level consecrated, and any weapon light enough to be carried by the caster’s natural strength can be so marked. Unlike most spells, this invocation requires only an On Turn action to cast.
Voice of Command
Level 4
The caster loudly issues an order that can be expressed in a single sentence, affecting up to one intelligent listener per caster level within 30 meters, whether or not they speak the language used. Affected creatures can make a Mental save to ignore this order and become immune to this spell for the scene. On a failure, they will carry out the order unless it seems patently suicidal or involves harm to loved ones. Obedience to the order never lasts longer than one scene. This spell induces Haze 2.
Walking Wounded
Level 3
The caster charges a recuperation zone with arcane energy that seals open wounds and supports damaged tissues, albeit the subject is still perilously fragile. The zone can be up to 10 meters in radius and may be placed anywhere within 50 meters of the caster. Any mortally-wounded or stabilized subjects within the zone when it manifests are automatically restored to 1 hit point before the zone’s energy dissipates. They may move and act normally, but cannot fight or engage in any activity that would Commit Effort or accrue System Strain. If they suffer any damage before they have had a chance to be healed by some other effect or rest overnight, they will die instantly.
War Gas Cloud
Level 4
A torrent of acrid fumes billows from the caster outward in a strip five meters wide, extending forward out to five meters long per caster level. All living creatures caught within the cloud must make a Physical save or suffer two points of damage per caster level unless they’re wearing vacc suits or the equivalent. The cloud remains for 1d6 rounds after casting, though a given creature is only affected the first time it contacts the cloud. This spell induces Surge.