School of Darkness (New)

The School of Darkness is exclusive to Drow, who do not teach their secrets to outsiders. Its spells manipulate darkness, both real and in the minds of others. Some of the spells can only be cast during the night or underground, and thus this School becomes significantly weaker during the day.

Dark Extinguish

Range: 20’
Duration: Instantaneous
Type: —
Target: Light
Effect:
This will extinguish a natural fire up to the size of a torch, Ignite or the Light/Lantern spell or salves thereof.

Blindness <n>

Range: 20’
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Offensive, Sight
Target: Person
Resisted by: Willpower
Effect:
A target character who fails to resist is struck blind.

Mass Blindness <n>

Range: 20’
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Offensive
Target: Area (10’ Radius)
Resisted by: Willpower
Prerequisite: Blindness <n>
Effect:
The caster nominates a point (which may be a person, object or anything else equally obvious) and everyone within 10’ is targeted by a Blindness <n>.

Darksight (S)/(T)

Range: Self/Touch
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: —
Target: Person
Effect:
For 15 minutes the target can see perfectly well, even if blinded or within magical darkness.

Darksight makes the target immune to the following effects: Invisibility, Dazzle, Flash, Blindness.

Darksight only works in darkness.

Advanced Darksight

Range: Self
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: —
Target: Person
Effect:
As Darksight, but in addition, the target can see through Advanced Invisibility.

Shadow Merge

Range: Self
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: —
Target: Person
Effect:
The target’s body and possessions turn into shadow. This has the following effects:

• They are effectively non-detectable by non-magical means.
• They are immune to Normal damage.
• They take Power damage (additionally Sun Dart’s do double damage and if exposed to light they take 1 Life Point damage per 10 seconds).

The Shadow Merge ends if any of the following conditions are met:

• They move.
• They make an attack.
• They cast a spell/miracle (including activating an item).

Shadow Merge only works in darkness or in shadows.

Shadow Withdraw (S)/(T)

Range: Self/Touch
Duration: 15 Minutes
Type: —
Target: Person
Effect:
The target affected by Shadow Withdraw sinks into the Plane of Darkness. For the duration he is unable to move, communicate, or effect the environment around him and the world cannot affect the target.

In order to Shadow Withdraw you cannot be restrained (e.g. by spells/miracles like Grip, Entangle etc. or physically by being held/ropes etc.) and must be standing in darkness or shadows.

When the Shadow Withdraw ends, the target emerges from the same point that he entered. If the point is occupied, or if it is no longer in darkness or shadows, then they will emerge at the nearest available point unconscious for 5 minutes or until damaged.

The point at which the target withdraws from is magical and hence can be detected with skills/spells like Rec Magic, Magic Sight etc.

Someone can cast an appropriate Dispel Magic on Shadow Withdraw if they can detect the point they withdrew from (as above) or know where it is as they saw them cast it/told exactly where it happened.

While withdrawn the following are true:

• The target can breathe.
• The target does still require sustenance (food & drink).
• The target can rest, sleep, pray & meditate and regain Life/Standing/Mana as appropriate.
• Any spells/miracles continue to affect the target and their duration decreases as normal.
• The target cannot cast any spells/miracles (this excludes Extend/Extension on the Withdraw specific casting), use any items etc.
• Any injuries, bleeding, poisons/diseases etc. will continue to affect the target.

The caster can Cancel the spell to end the withdraw early. Though on an OOC note they should decide on the duration of the withdraw before casting it, so cheating is avoided i.e. cancelling immediately after the area is safe.

Shadow Blink <n>

Range: Self
Duration: Instantaneous
Type: —
Target: Person
Effect:
Shadow Blink 0 moves the target instantaneously from one shadow to another. The target must shout “Shadow Blink – Time Freeze”, and can then walk 10 paces (normal walking steps) in a straight line to another patch of darkness or shadow. They cannot walk through anything or anybody and their facing remains unchanged, but they can stop before taking the full 10 paces if they are in an area of darkness or shadow.

Shadow Blink <n> allows <n> options to be chosen from the following list:

• Increase distance by 10 paces (can be taken multiple times)
• Take an additional character (can be taken multiple times). The additional character(s) must touch the caster. The caster must go with the character(s).
• Go through solid objects
• Change facing at the start
• Change facing at the end

Shadow Blink only works in darkness or in shadows.

Dark Dart <n>

Range: 20’
Duration: Instantaneous
Type: Offensive, Elemental
Target: Person
Resisted By: Power Armour, Dexterity
Power: Dark
Effect:
Dark Dart’s effects vary depending on the amount of daylight:

• Day (or in Light): causes <n-2> points of Power damage to every location of the target and <n-2> Life Point damage
• Dusk: causes <n> points of Power damage to every location of the target and <n> Life Point damage
• Night (or in Dark/Shadows): causes <n+2> points of Power damage to every location of the target and <n+2> Life Point damage

Dark Dart 0 does nothing.

The spell vocal should end with the words “Dark Dart <n(+-2)>” to indicate the damage and the caster should point at the targeted character.

Shadow Blade <n>

Range: Touch
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Protective (Weapon)
Target: Weapon
Power: Dark
Effect:
Shadow Blade can be cast on any weapon, its effects vary depending on the amount of daylight:

• Day (or in Light): adds <n-1> Power damage
• Dusk: adds <n> Power damage
• Night (or in Dark/Shadows): adds <n+1> Power damage

Shadow Blade -1 still remains in effect, but does nothing.

Shadow Blade 0 causes no additional damage, but does protect the weapon from being melted, warped or otherwise destroyed by magical means.

The call upon a successful hit is “Dark <n(+-1)>”, if the weapon is doing additional damage.

Dark Skin <n>

Range: Touch
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Defensive
Effect:
Dark Skin <n> wraps the target in living darkness, giving him <n> points of Normal protection. In darkness, the recipient of this spell also gains <n> / 2 (round down) points of Power protection.

<Strength> Weakness

Range: Touch
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Offensive
Target: Person
Resisted by: Strength
Effect:
Drains the target of Strength/Double Strength/Triple Strength/Quadruple Strength/Quintuple Strength. A target who drops below normal Strength collapses. Such a target may not cast any spells or miracles (but can activate items) and can only move at a slow crawl. Weakness effects are not cumulative.

<Strength> Shadow Web

Range: 20’
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Offensive
Target: Person
Resisted by: Strength, Radiate, Light
Effect:
Shadow Web forms grasping hands from the darkness around the target, webbing all locations that are in darkness.

If the target has Strength at least equal to the strength of the Shadow Web (i.e. Strength for Shadow Web, Double Strength for Double Shadow Web, etc.) he can break the hold in 5 seconds. This increases for 5 seconds per level of strength the character does not have. Further castings of Shadow Web whilst webbed reset this duration.(Titus is hit by Double Shadow Web and has Strength. He takes 10 seconds to break free).

Any bright light, such as from a Light/Lantern spell (but not Ignite) shone on the entangled target, reduces the Shadow Web by one level of Strength (Double Shadow Web → Shadow Web etc.).
N.B. An arm with a Light/Lantern spell running is automatically released from a Shadow Web.

Shadow Web only works in darkness or in shadows.

Mass <Strength> Shadow Web

Range: 20’
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Offensive
Target: Area (10’ Radius)
Resisted by: Strength, Radiate, Light
Pre-requisite: <Strength> Shadow Web
Effect:
The caster nominates a point (which may be a person, object or anything else equally obvious) and everyone within 10’ is targeted by a <Strength> Shadow Web.

Fear <n>

Range: 20’
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Offensive, Mental
Target: Person
Resisted By: Willpower
Effect:
A target character who fails to resist must flee the caster immediately (even if he hasn’t seen the caster) until they are out of sight. The effect lasts for 15 minutes (or until the caster is dead), during which time the effected character flees whenever they see the caster.

Note the target character is afraid of the caster, even if the caster has disguised themself or become invisible (in which case they are afraid of the general area of the caster, they are unaware of the exact position of the caster).

Mass Fear <n>

Range: 20’
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Offensive, Mental
Target: Person
Resisted By: Willpower
Pre-requisite: Fear <n>
Effect:
The caster nominates a point (which may be a person, object or anything else equally obvious) and everyone within 10’ is targeted by a Fear <n>.

Hide in Shadows

Range: Self
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Defensive
Target: Person
Effect:
This spell makes the target invisible to creatures which use sight as their primary sense as long as the target remains in darkness or shadows.

Hide in Shadows has the following properties:

• Any objects on you (e.g. wearing, carrying, holding etc.) when you cast up Hide in Shadows are invisible as long as you remain in darkness or shadows.
• You can transfer any invisible objects around your person and they remain invisible (e.g. you can take out an invisible sword from its scabbard and place it in your hand and it will remain invisible).
• Any objects that leave you (e.g. dropped, given to another person etc.) become visible.
• Any objects on you after you cast up Hide in Shadows are visible (e.g. picking up a sword after casting Hide in Shadows, the sword will remain visible, even if put in an invisible scabbard, hidden in an invisible cloak etc.)

N.B. Effects like light will be visible (e.g. if you are holding an invisible lantern the lantern itself will be invisible, but the light coming out of it will be visible).

Hide in Shadows dissipates if the caster:

• is ever in bright light
• makes an attack (this does not include the activation of traps)
• casts any spell or miracle, whether directly or via an item. Hide in Shadows is broken when you start casting (including starting a ritual).

N.B. This means you can for instance open a door, pull a lever etc. and remain invisible, though the action will be seen. This includes setting traps, but this will be visible to anyone with recognise tracks.

It is also ineffective against creatures that do not use sight as their primary sense. This includes:

• All animals and were versions of those.

It is also ineffective against the Enhanced Smell miracle.

The target will also be revealed by the spells Detect Magic, Magic Sight and Magic Divination. Additionally, if the target is a follower of a path or if they have miracles running on them they will be detected by Discern <Path> or Power Sight.

If the target is attacked by a wildly swinging character who is aware that there’s someone invisible nearby, he is treated as having an additional DR5 [Normal]. He can ignore damage from deliberate attacks, but can still take collateral damage if he is hit ‘accidentally’ (e.g. while walking through a battle line, hit by a wildly swinging character who is aware that there’s someone invisible nearby).

The player must wear a red baseball cap (or similar) to signify his invisible state.

Darksight can see through Hide in Shadows.

Dark Form <n>

Range: Self
Duration: 15 minutes
Type: Non-Stackable
Target: Person
Effect:
This spell begins transforming the target’s body into darkness. The caster may select <n> options from the following list:

• DR2 [Normal, Dark]. Additional selections increase the DR by 2 each time.
• All Darkness spells the target casts require 1 less Mana (minimum 1). This can only be selected once.
• The target is immune to one of the following spells: Blindness, Dark Dart, Weakness, Shadow Web, Fear. This stacks with Spell Immunity. Additional selections can choose an additional spell.
• The target gains a 10’ Aura of Blindness 1 centred on themselves. Additional selections increase the potency of the Aura by 1 each time. The caster can choose not to target their allies with this Aura. The Blindness effect from this Aura is not boosted by the caster’s Willpower.

The target of Dark Form must have dedicated themselves to the element of Darkness. Dark Form can only be learnt and cast if Dark is the primary School of the caster and target.