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thaumaturgy

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Thaumaturgy

Manipulates the arcane world in ways traditionally associated with sorcery. You might call forth the souls of victims a soldier has killed and send them after him, or create a window in space to observe distant lands. – Illwinter.

Thaumaturgy is a small school, but its mind-affecting spells can be extremely powerful, particularly for astral mages.

The critical spells Communion Master and Communion Slave allow astral mages to form communions. The line of astral attack spells in Thaumaturgy – Mind Burn, Paralyze, Soul Slay, Enslave Mind – are unique in that they ignore distance and precision, and a group of astral mages casting them can be a potent force.

Besides these, Thaumaturgy is mostly utility spells. There are scrying spells (Scrying Pool and Astral Window), some site-search spells (Haruspex, Auspex, Gnome Lore, Augury), some very powerful but situational anti-undead spells (Dust to Dust, Wither Bones), magic phase movement (Teleport, Gateway, Astral Travel), and a few very powerful global enchantments (Burden of Time, Vengeful Waters, Gale Gate, Dark Skies).

Thaumaturgy is most famous in the late game as the school of Master Enslave, which allows a single very powerful caster or a communion with a large amount of penetration-boosting equipment to devastate an army.

Generalization

Standard

  • Fire lets you sow Chaos and blind Rage.
  • Air lets you Steal Breath and sow Confusion. Air's Gem Generator is in this school, too.
  • Water lets you simulate both Dehydration (Desiccation) and Drowning (Sailors' Death). It also lets you Scry.
  • Earth lets you give and take Willpower with Iron Will and Melancholia (respectively).
  • Astral lets you control Space, and the Minds (and possibly the Souls) of others. It's the big one for this school.
  • Death lets you sow Terror, Aging, and Plague, and also lets you check (counter) the Undead. It's another biggie.
  • Nature lets you control Passions, Senses, Sensibilities, Immune Systems, and Sleep. It's a third biggie.

On top of that, it has the Site-Searching Rituals for Fire, Air, Earth, and Nature.

Crosspaths

Combat Magic

Thaumaturgy 0

Spell Paths Description Effect
Sleep Ray nature 11 The sleep ray will affect a small number of enemies right in front of the mage. Those who fail to resist will instantly fall into a magical slumber. Applies "Asleep" at point-blank range, with an AOE of 1. Magic Resistance negates.

Thaumaturgy 1

Spell Paths Description Effect
Desiccation water 22 This spell will affect a small number of targets with severe dehydration. The dehydrated targets will become more and more exhausted and may eventually lose consciousness. The duration of the spell depends on the magic resistance of the targets. Undead beings and constructs are not affected by this spell.
Affected units get 2d8 fatigue dmg each turn. MR + DRN vs 22 negates the effect. 		Instantly applies the "Desiccated" trait with an AOE of 1, at medium range. Rolls against the trait happen every combat round. MR negates.
This does NOT work underwater; all of Dominions' water is fresh.
Farstrike earth 22astral 11 The caster opens a rift in space and strikes through it with a fist hard as steel. The strength of the caster adds to the damage of the spell. Instantly does 17 +STR Blunt DMG at long range (but can still miss), scaling with (+1 Dmg).
Blink astral 11 The caster creates an instability in space that instantly transports him to another position on the battlefield. Instantly moves the caster up to 30 battlefield squares away, with a random destination.
Communion Master astral 11 The mage who has cast this spell can use the magic power of the mages who have cast Communion Slave. The fatigue that comes from casting spells will be distributed among all communion members and the communion master will also be able to cast more powerful spells than he could alone. While in communion, all spells that only affect the caster will also affect all the communion slaves. A communion with two communion slaves will grant all masters one extra level in all their paths, four slaves will grant two levels, eight slaves will grant three levels, and so on. Applies the "Communion Master" trait to the caster for only 20 Fatigue, plus Encumbrance.
Communion Slave astral 11 The caster opens his mind to allow other mages to guide his magic power. Mages who want to take advantage of the communion must cast the spell Communion Master (or carry an appropriate magic item). Being a communion slave can be dangerous if there are multiple communion masters or if the master is more skilled than the slave. The master can continue to drain energy even from the communion slaves even if they become unconscious. This can be fatal. Applies the "Communion Slave" trait to the caster for only 20 Fatigue, plus Encumbrance. Communion Slaves cannot cast their own spells if there's a friendly Communion Master.
Horror Mark astral 22 The Horror Mark is an astral beacon only perceivable by Horrors. Horrors, powerful astral beings, primarily attack marked people. This spell is the only way to direct Horrors and avoid disaster should one be summoned. Applies one Horror Mark to the target, at long range. The Mindless cannot have them.
Dust to Dust death 11 The mage destroys undead beings by unraveling the magic that holds them together. Neither magic resistance nor armor offers any protection against this spell. Instantly does 22 AN DMG with an AOE of 1 (but isn't too accurate), scaling with (+1 Dmg). Only the Undead are affected.
Decay death 11 This spell makes the victim age, wither and die at an incredibly fast rate. Victims with high magic resistance and many years left to live might be able to survive the effects of this spell. A somewhat-close-range single-target shot that applies the "Decaying" trait, causing 5 years to pass for the target each round (if it hits). MR negates.
Frighten death 11 The spell fills the targeted unit with fear. Instantly does 6 "Fear DMG" at long range (but can still miss), with an AOE of 1.
Fascination nature 11 The caster tries to project images and scents in an enemy's consciousness. Should it succeed the enemy will be distracted for a short while and hopefully enable someone to take them down. Instantly Stuns a single target at close range, if they aren't Mindless. MR negates.
Seven Year Fever nature 11fire 11 The caster curses some targets with a horrible fever that never ends. The victims will not be severely affected during combat, but their wounds will never heal and the victim will slowly die in the following years. Instantly applies the "Diseased" trait at somewhat-close range (but might miss), with an AOE of 1. MR negates. Inanimates can't contract any diseases, while the Undead can't catch this disease in particular.
Curse nature 11astral 11 The mage curses the target with bad luck. The spell has long range and always hits the chosen target. There is no protection against being cursed and it can never be removed. Instantly gives the target the "Cursed" trait, giving each time they get hurt an extra 15% chance to permanently mutilate them.

Thaumaturgy 2

Spell Paths Description Effect
Bonds of Fire fire 11 Shackles of fire will trap the victim of this spell. If the victim tries to escape, the shackles become exceedingly hot. Otherwise, the heat stays bearable. A high morale is required to fight the heat and escape. Trying to escape may very well kill a weaker man.
Morale check vs 21, 3 AN fire dmg. 		Instantly Entraps a single target at close range (but can still miss); unlike most Entrapments, Morale is needed to escape instead of Strength, and a failed roll causes 3 AN Fire DMG. This doesn't work underwater.
Steal Breath air 11 The victim of this spell will have his breath stolen from him. Recovering the breath will require quite an effort and the (sic) leave the victim exhausted. Instantly deals 40 AN Fatigue to a single target at medium range (but can still miss), scaling with (+5 Dmg). MR negates. This doesn't work underwater, where breathing is illegal. Those who don't breathe (Undead, Inanimates, and Aquatics), and those who don't need to breathe (such as the Amphibious), are immune.
Returning astral 22
2astralpearl 		The caster creates a rift in space that sucks him through, swinging him back to the home citadel. It is a very fast but dangerous way of teleporting. If the caster is unlucky he may get lost in time and might return later, not at all or completely insane. The spell will not work on other planes or if the home citadel is controlled by the enemy. Instantly teleports the caster back to their Pretender's capital, if it belongs to their Pretender. There's a 7% chance that the caster is sent to The Void instead, however, and a much smaller chance of arriving one turn late. Going Insane from the spell itself also seems very rare.
Mind Burn astral 22 The caster tries to overload the mind of the target. If successful, the target experiences overwhelming pain as his mind is damaged. The spell is very accurate and always finds its intended target. Instantly does 12 AN DMG to a single target, scaling with (+1 Dmg). MR negates. The Mindless are immune, of course.
Sleep nature 22 The target is made unnaturally tired by this enchantment. Applies the "Asleep" trait to a single target. MR negates.

Thaumaturgy 3

Spell Paths Description Effect
Rage fire 22 The spell fills the heart of a man with furious anger. The raging unit will attack anyone nearby, even friends. Applies the "Enraged" trait to a single target, giving them a 50% chance to attack a random person next to them each round (instead of following orders). MR negates. Doesn't affect the Mindless.
Sailors' Death water 33 The lungs of a small number of targets are filled with water. Any target that cannot breathe water will take severe damage. Instantly does 14 AN DMG with an AOE of 1 (but isn't super accurate), scaling with (+3 Dmg). This spell has the same limits and drawbacks as the Steal Breath spell, found in the previous table.
Iron Will earth 11 The caster strengthens the minds of some soldiers. Their ability to resist magic is increased for the duration of the battle. This spell cannot be cast on mindless beings. Applies a +4 bonus to MR, with an AOE of 1 and a somewhat-short range.
Panic nature 22 This spell will cause panic to spread among the enemies. Instantly does 3 "Fear DMG", with an AOE of 5 and medium range. +2 AOE per extra .

Thaumaturgy 4

Spell Paths Description Effect
Prison of Fire fire 33
Curse of the Desert water 33
Paralyze astral 22
Terror death 33
Touch of Madness nature 11
Rage of the Cornered Rat nature 22
Wildness nature 33

Thaumaturgy 5

Spell Paths Description Effect
Confusion air 33
Soul Slay astral 33
Control the Dead death 22
Leeching Darkness death 33
Charm Animal nature 22
The Ravenous Swarm nature 33
1naturegem
Growing Fury nature 44
1naturegem

Thaumaturgy 6

Spell Paths Description Effect
Enslave Mind astral 44
Wither Bones death 33
Syllable of Sleep nature 55

Thaumaturgy 7

Spell Paths Description Effect
Vortex of Returning astral 44
3astralpearl
Plague death 44
1deathgem
Charm nature 33

Thaumaturgy 8

Spell Paths Description Effect
Hydrophobia fire 22
1firegem
Soul Drain astral 55death 55
5astralpearl
Beast Mastery nature 66
4naturegem

Thaumaturgy 9

Spell Paths Description Effect
Master Enslave astral 88
8astralpearl
Undead Mastery death 77
7deathgem

Rituals

Spell Description Effect
Magic
Concepts Blood Hunting • Communions • Empowerment • Gems • Items • Magic Sites • Research
Categories Combat Magic • Ritual Magic • Notable Spells
Paths Fire • Air • Water • Earth • Astral • Death • Nature • Blood • Holy
Schools Conjuration • Alteration • Evocation • Construction • Enchantment • Thaumaturgy • Blood • Divine
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thaumaturgy.1654842293.txt.gz · Last modified: 2022/06/10 06:24 by fenrir

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