some spells of English magic

By Rovina Cai

Animam Evocare*

Range touch

Duration immediate

Draws out the subject's soul as a floating mote of pearly color. It can be caught and held indefinitely (in which case the subject cannot have their soul taken by other means) but they will grow depressed and melancholic over time. If squashed the subject must save vs poison: on a success the soul reforms and returns to them, but on a failure they immediately die.

Note: personages with claim on a soul do not take kindly to using this spell on what they view as their property.

Butler's Shade

Range: 0

Duration: 6 Turns +1 Turn/level

Requires a mask. Conjures forth a mindless, vaguely human-shaped shadow to wear the mask that performs simple tasks at the magician’s command. It can run and fetch things, open unstuck doors, and hold chairs, as well as clean and mend. It can open only normal doors, drawers, lids, and the like. It can lift 20 pounds or drag 40 pounds.

The butler cannot attack in any way but counts as a spirit if that ever comes up.

It has impeccable taste in beverages whenever presented with multiple options.

Chauntlucet*

Range: 40'

Duration: 2 Rounds/level

This spell “encourages the moon to sing”, bathing individuals in its pale glow and filling the area with melancholy song. The moonlight can affect creatures within a 40' radius, and may outline up to one human-sized creature per magician level. Outlined subjects shed light that makes them visible in darkness at a distance of 80' and their greater visibility grants attackers a +2 bonus to hit them while the spell is in effect.

The song also gives all those hearing it an additional save vs madness, charms, or other mind-clouding effects.

Dissuade Trajectile

Duration: 2 Turns

Range: Touch

The magician projects out a dissuasion to objects moving towards them. Against missile attacks, the spell grants the caster AC19, and an effective AC17 for all other attacks. They also receive a save vs breath whenever they are exposed to falling or flung particulates like rain or falling dust for it to flow deftly around them.

Empatheticum (from Logan)

Range 60'

Duration 1 round/level

A chosen subject shares everything that happens to you until the duration ends. Emotionally, chemically, physically. Your feelings and desires become the subject’s to act upon. Purple smoke breathed into your lungs intoxicates the subject’s mind. A knife driven through your hand opens a bloody wound in the hand of the subject. Subjects of a level higher than you may save vs. Magic, and if successful, the effect is reversed.

Foucault's Plummet

Range: Self

Duration: 1 round/level

The magician holds up a lead weight on a string. Tilting it alters the earth's pull on them as their body flees unseen stars. Efforts to drastically alter vectors forces a save vs device to avoid falling damage.

Gateau Construit (from Patrick)

Range: 0’

Duration: permanent

An unfashionable piece of magic of foreign creation. Conjures a bridge made of fairly dense fruitcake. The bridge is 10’ long for every level of the magician. Its width is equal in feet to 1/3 of the caster’s Intelligence score in feet. The cake is solid and will support weight, but is about as hard to damage as polystyrene.

It is quite edible and will attract animals, but any persons attempting to eat it for more than one meal per day will find it quite nauseating and have disadvantage on all physical rolls until they get a proper meal.

Goblin Knock (from Alex)

Range Touch

Duration Instantaneous

The magician performs a special knock on a door. The door will open just wide and just long enough for a goblin to scurry out. It is not necessarily friendly nor hostile; mostly it's a goblin, and likely a curious one. It is also not the same goblin every time. It's just a goblin. Over time, the goblins will come to recognize the magician’s knock. The disposition of summoned goblins will change in response to the magician's treatment of their kind.

Hand of Glory

Range: 30' + 10'/level

Duration 1 hour (or less)

Requires the pickled hand of a felon and a candle. This spell causes a magical slumber to come upon creatures with 4+1 or fewer Hit Dice. The magician can specify areas within range (i.e. “only those in the room on the other side of this door”) or may have it only affect 1 creature if it has 4+1 or more Hit Dice, but the spell will otherwise affect all creatures in range totaling no more than 2d8 Hit Dice. Creatures with the fewest Hit Dice are affected first.

Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Otherwise they wake at the candle’s extinction.

Mists of Afallach

Range: 20’ radius

Duration: 1 turn/level

The air around you cools and smells of the sea, forming a thick fog. Vision is impossible past 5ft inside of the radius and objects become cool and clammy.

Monsen (from Nate)

Range Touch

Duration 1 hour

The target must declare that they would like to use the monsen, and whatever is done next, 20 friendly mice will appear and assist. They act as well as they can according to their abilities, even dying. They stay for an hour or until the declared act is done.

Pixie Peon

Range self

Duration instantaneous

Ring a silver bell engraved with the name of a particular sylph. They appear before you to carry out an instruction: either fetching an item of yours (one significant item) or delivering a message to someone you know. They fly off and complete the task in 1d6x1d6 rounds. If the spirit cannot bring the object, the object is not the commander's legal property, the person does not exist in this world, or a command is not given within a few seconds, it goes insane and attacks whoever rang the bell until they are incapacitated (d6 sewing needle, 5hp, immune to physical attacks).

Sanguine Seal

Range: 10'

Duration: 2d6 Turns

The magician smears a thin line of their own blood across the lintel or frame of a door, window or gate affects it just as if it were securely closed and normally locked. The blood boils and hisses for the duration, releasing an odor of burning flesh once expired or dispelled.

Scopus*

Range 100’

Duration Concentration

The spell requires a glass filled with water. If magic is detected, a white, pearl-like light appears in the glass; the light shines as bright as a torch if the magic is very close by, going down to a slight glow if the magic is at the furthest range.

Detects cast spells, magical items, or any creature or object under the effect of ongoing magic. Magicians themselves do not detect as magic with this spell, but anyone that is under the effects of an active spell does.

The spell does not identify the nature of the magic, only that magic is present.

Teilo's Hand*

Range 30'

Duration concentration

Stops the flow of anything - rain, fire, wind, coursing water or blood - limited by the span of the magician's hand. Generally most useful with the use of tubes.

Ties That Bind

Range 50'

Duration 1 round/level

Compels a rope to writhe and wriggle at the magician's command. It can enwrap only a creature or an object within 1 foot of it—it does not snake outward—so it must be thrown near the intended target. It attacks with the magician's attack bonus. The rope does not deal damage, but it can be used as a trip line or to cause a single opponent that fails a Reflex saving throw to become entangled. Once bound, the end of the rope tugs towards the creature's closest living relative.

Via Obscura

Range 50'

Duration Instantaneous

Conjures a silk blindfold over the target's eyes. This can be removed fairly easily but is tied tightly, so it takes a round and requires both hands. The blindfold lasts indefinitely while worn but melts away into shadowy strands within an hour when removed.

Winter Down

Range Touch

Duration 1 turn/level

Target grows thick white down feathers, protecting them from cold weather and puffing them up quite considerably, causing them to fall as slowly as a feather.

The spell can be cast with an instant utterance, quickly enough to save the magician or another creature if they unexpectedly fall, but Initiative, if appropriate, must be on the side of the magician. No saving throw is permitted.

The feathers shed fairly quickly into a fluffy heap once the duration expires.

 * With apologies to Susanna Clarke