Creating Spells

#Magic

To generate a spell, roll d66 on the table below to find the spell formula. One die indicates the row and the other indicates the column.

Roll 1-3 4-6
1 Physical Effect + Physical Form Ethereal Element + Physical Form
2 Physical Effect + Ethereal Form Ethereal Element + Ethereal Form
3 Ethereal Effect + Physical Form Physical Effect + Physical Element
4 Ethereal Effect + Ethereal Form Physical Effect + Ethereal Element
5 Physical Element + Physical Form Ethereal Effect + Physical Element
6 Physical Element + Ethereal Form Ethereal Effect + Ethereal Element

Once the player has found the spell formula, they roll on the two indicated magic tables to create the spell's name. The GM then tells the player the spell's general effects, based on its name. Offensive spells typically allow their targets a danger roll to resist or avoid the effects. If the spell includes damage, the GM can either set a flat damage rating or rate the damage as a number of dice from 1 to 6.

Players may also suggest uses for the spell outside of the GM's description. If the suggested effect matches the spell's name and the situation very closely, the GM should usually allow it.

The GM may also opt to roll random spells from spell lists written for other old-school games.

Physical Effects

Physical Effects 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Animating Crushing Fusing Levitating Reflecting Sealing
2 Attracting Diminishing Grasping Opening Regenerating Shapeshifting
3 Binding Dividing Hastening Petrifying Rendering Shielding
4 Blossoming Duplicating Hindering Phasing Repelling Spawning
5 Consuming Enveloping Illuminating Piercing Resurrecting Transmuting
6 Creeping Expanding Imprisoning Pursuing Screaming Transporting

Physical Elements

Physical
Elements		 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Acid Clay Glass Moss Sand Thorn
2 Amber Crow Honey Obsidian Sap Vine
3 Bark Crystal Ice Oil Serpent Water
4 Blood Ember Insect Poison Slime Wine
5 Bone Flesh Wood Rat Stone Wood
6 Brine Fungus Lava Salt Tar Worm

Physical Forms

Physical
Forms		 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Altar Chain Elemental Horn Sentinel Tentacle
2 Armor Chariot Eye Key Servant Throne
3 Arrow Claw Fountain Mask Shield Torch
4 Beast Cloak Gate Monolith Spear Trap
5 Blade Colossus Golem Pit Steed Wall
6 Cauldron Crown Hammer Prison Swarm Web

Ethereal Effects

Ethereal
Effects		 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Avenging Compelling Dispelling Excruciating Nullifying Soothing
2 Banishing Concealing Emboldening Foreseeing Paralyzing Summoning
3 Bewildering Deafening Encoding Intoxicating Revealing Terrifying
4 Blinding Deceiving Energizing Maddening Revolting Warding
5 Charming Deciphering Enlightening Mesmerizing Scrying Wearying
6 Communicating Disguising Enraging Mindreading Silencing Withering

Ethereal Elements

Ethereal
Elements		 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Ash Ectoplasm Light Plague Smoke Thunder
2 Chaos Fire Lightning Plasma Snow Time
3 Distortion Fog Memory Probability Soul Void
4 Dream Ghost Mind Rain Star Warp
5 Dust Harmony Mutation Rot Stasis Whisper
6 Echo Heat Negation Shadow Steam Wind

Ethereal Forms

Ethereal
Forms		 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Aura Bubble Cone Gaze Pyramid Swarm
2 Beacon Call Cube Loop Ray Torrent
3 Beam Cascade Dance Moment Shard Touch
4 Blast Circle Disk Nexus Sphere Vortex
5 Blob Cloud Field Portal Spray Wave
6 Bolt Coil Form Pulse Storm Word
Maybe use for later

The common tongue (sometimes simply called Common) is the lingua franca among intelligent species. This is, however, not the only language that is written or spoken. Spells are written in various languages. Monsters may know only their own tongue. Ancient dungeons may predate Common!

Other languages include:

  • Abyssal: The rasping tongue of the foul beasts in the mythic Underworld.
  • Celestial: The sonorous language of the angelic.
  • Draconic: The growling, sibilant language of the serpents, worms and dragons.
  • Goblin: The gruff, squeaking tongue of wicked creatures like goblins, bugbears, ogres and orcs
  • Primordial: The tongue of the oldest of beings like the Aboleth, Minotaur, Medusa and the Sphinxes hiding in the deep places in the world.
  • Sylvan: Whimsical, sing-song fey tongue of the seelie court including pixies, sylphs and elves.
  • Umbracant: whispering echoes and guttural sounds, spoken by the fey of the unseelie court including redcaps, banshees, changelings trolls and drow.