The Four Monarchs
Going to do some sightseeing in the Inner Kingdom? Plan to have your players take a trip to the Netherworld. What follows are some homebrew fu paths and sorcery schticks for the forces of the Four Monarchs. These are powers developed by the Four Monarchs over the centuries and passed on to their most favored followers. I don't recommend letting your players start with them without a good reason, but then again, it's your game.
Long time visitors to this site will notice that this section has shrunk considerably. That's because Atlas is releasing the sourcebook Elevator to the Netherworld, which will contain background on the Four Monarchs. I went ahead and eliminated some of the stuff I think (and know) will appear in some format in that book. I don't want to contradict the offical write-ups here.
Fire
Fire Sorcery
Protection from Fire
This spell protects the sorcerer as if he had the creature power “damage immunity — fire”. This effect lasts a number of minutes equal to the Outcome of the spell. If the fire is magical in nature, the caster must make a sorcery task check with their opponent's Sorcery skill level as the Difficulty for this spell to work.
Brain Fire
This spell is cast as a defensive action (it takes only one shot to cast) when the sorcerer is targeted by another sorcerers spell. The targeted sorcerer must spend one Magic point and make a Sorcery task check with their opponent's action result (for the spell they are targeting him with) as the difficulty. If successful, the spell is retargeted to a new character of the sorcerer's choice. This spell cannot be used if there are no other legitimate targets, and the original spellcaster cannot be targeted by his or her own spell. This spell has no effect on spellls that do not target a single individual.
Mark of Fire
The sorcerer shoots a series of jets or balls of fire at a group of unnamed opponents, targeting each one in succession. The sorcerer attacks the first character with this spell, making a Sorcery task check as normal. If the Outcome is enough to take the character out of the fight, the sorceror may attack another unnamed character in the following shot. This process may be repeated as long as each mook is taken out. The sorcerer may target a maximum of four unnamed characters with this spell. No character may be targeted more than once within a single use of this spell.
Ignite
This spell causes flammable, non-living substances such as cloth, paper, hair and wood to burst into flame (walking corpses and the like may not be targeted by this spell). The range of this spell is equal to the caster's Sorcery rating in meters, and the area of effect is equal to his or her Magic rating in square meters. A character whose hair or clothing is ignited must take 3 shots to slap out the fire or suffer 1 wound point every 3 shots until something is done about the fire.
Frenzy
The sorcerer drives his subject into a frenzy of fearless bloodlust, turning them into an unthinking killing machine. It can also be severly damaging to the subject, which is why it is usually only cast on willing Fire Martyrs before a battle. The sorcerer makes a Sorcery task check with the Willpower or Sorcery of the target as the Difficulty. If the subject is willing, the sorcerer gains +2 to his sorcery Action value. If successful, the character gains a +2 bonus to his Reflexes and Body and is immune to impairement caused by damage for the remainder of the fight. However, the subject's mind score drops to 2, and after the battle the character must make a Constitution check with the number of sequences spent under the influence of the spell as the difficulty. Failure means that the character loses one point of Body permenantly due to the strain on his system. This spell takes 5 shots to cast.
Thunder
Path of the Thunderous Storm
Lightning Strike
Chi Cost 2, Shot Cost 3
Strike an opponent with a lighting-charged blow. Make a normal Martial Arts attack against your opponent. If successful, he is disoriented, and suffers −2 impairment for a number of shots equal to the Outcome in addition to the normal damage from the strike. The effects of multiple strikes are not cumulative. This strike is accompanied by crackling electricity.
Pre: none
Path: Clap of Thunder
Clap of Thunder
Chi Cost: 3, Shot Cost: 3
Clap your hands together, creating a deafening wave of thunder which disorients everyone around you. The wave extends outward from you in a distance equal to your Fu in meters. Anyone caught in this area must make a Chi, Fu, or Martial Arts task check (whichever is highest) with your Martial Arts skill level as the Difficulty. Failure means the character loses a number of shots from his next action equal to the difference between his Action Result and the Difficulty. The effects of multiple thunderclaps are not cumulative.
Pre: Lightning Strike
Path: Thunder Strike
Thunder Strike
Chi Cost 4, Shot Cost 3
Strike an opponent with thunderous force. Make a normal Martial Arts attack against your opponent. If successful, she is dazed and automatically loses her next attack as well as taking normal damage from the strike. She may only dodge or retreat as her next action. The effects of multiple strikes are not cumulative. This strike is accompanied by a crack of thunder.
Pre: Clap of Thunder
Path: Tempest Roar
Tempest Roar
Chi cost 5, Shot cost 3
Bellow at your opponents, unleashing the power of the storm. The force of your yell extends outward in front of you at a distance equal to your Fu in meters. Anyone caught in this area must make a Chi, Fu, or Martial Arts task check (whichever is highest) with your Martial Arts skill level as the difficulty. Failure means the character suffers an amount of impairment equal to the difference between his Action Result and the Difficulty. This effect lasts for a number of shots equal to your Fu rating. The effects of multiple roars are not cumulative.
Pre: Thunder Strike
Path: Storm Strike
Storm Strike
Chi cost 6, Shot cost 3
Strike an opponent with the tempestous force of the storm. Make a normal Martial Arts attack against your opponent. If successful, he is stunned and suffers impairment equal to the Outcome of the attack for a number of shots equal to your Fu attribute in addition to the normal damage from the strike. The effects of multiple strikes are not cumulative. This strike is accompanied crashing thunder and electrical sparks.
Pre: Tempest Roar
Path: The Storm's Fury
The Storm's Fury
Chi cost 7, Shot cost 6
Strike the ground, either with a weapon or by jumping in the air and striking the ground with a kick. Your strike unleashes the full fury of the storm, shattering the earth and sending out a wave of destruction. The wave extends outward from you in a distance equal to your Fu in meters. Within this area the following things will occur: glass shatters, insecure objects are knocked over or flung backwards, masonry cracks, and a fissure splits the earth starting at your feet and extending the length of the area of effect. This power will also trigger rockslides and avalanches in areas predisposed to such occurrences. Any character in this area must make a Chi, Fu, or Martial Arts task check (whichever is highest) with your Martial Arts skill level as the Difficulty. Characters who fail are flung backwards X meters and suffer X damage, where X = the difference between the Difficulty and their Action Result. Unnamed characters will be taken out if they fail the check by 5 or more points. Named characters who fail their check are also stunned, and may only dodge for a number of shots equal to your Fu rating afterwards. Characters who are within 2 meters of you when you when you use this power are unaffected by it, as they are essentially within the eye of the storm. Note: if you try to use this power within most buildings, you will end up falling to the floor below (or the basement) and possibly injuring yourself as you shatter the floor, which is unlikely to withstand such force unless it is made of exceptionally thick and strong stone, preferably reinforced with steel.
Pre: Storm Strike
Path: None
Darkness
Darkness Sorcery
Eyes of Darkness
This allows the priestess to act normally in complete darkness as per the Fu Schtick Friend of Darkness. This effect lasts a number of minutes equal to the casters Sorcery skill level. If the darkness is magical in nature, the priestess must make a Sorcery task check with their opponent's Sorcery skill level as the Difficulty for this spell to work.
Cloak of Darkness
The priestess may magically create an area of inpenetrable darkness. This area covers a number of square meters equal to X, where is X = the Outcome of the Sorcery task check fo this spell. X is also the number of sequences this spell will last, and the distance in meters at which the spell may be cast. Note that the priestess herself will not be able to see unless she has cast Eyes of Darkness first.
Blanket of Darkness
This spell creates an area of magical darkness which has a paralytic effect on anyone trapped within it. Anyone who falls within this area must make a check on their Magic rating (or Sorcery skill) with the Priestesses' Sorcery task check Action Result as the difficulty. Anyone who fails this check suffers X impairment and must subtract X from their Move score, where X = the difference between their Outcome and the Difficulty. This spell covers an area in square meters equal to the priestesses' Magic rating. The duration of this spell (in shots) and the distance at which it can be cast are also equal to the same. Note that the priestess herself is not immune to this spell's effects, though she may make her check with a +2 bonus.
Walk of Shadows
The priestess may step into any area of shadow or darkness, becoming intangible and invisible. While in this state, the priestess may not cast any spells or interact with anything else in any way. She is still aware of her surroundings, and may travel within the shadows at her normal Move rating. She may not pass through solid objects, but she has no thickness so she may slip through door frames and the like. The priestess is also immune to all normal attacks. Magic, Chi, Arcanowave, and Creature power-based attacks can still affect her, though she is completely invisible while this spell takes effect. However, if she is targeted with a bright light she will stand out as a shadow. This spell lasts for a number of shots equal to the outcome of the priestesses' Sorcery task check. There must be sufficient shadow available for this spell to work.
Enervate
The priestess creates a number of magical tendrils of darkness which slither around a target and enevelop him, draining his energy into the priestess. The priestess makes a sorcery task check with the Magic, Chi, or Sorcery rating of her target as the Difficulty (whichever is highest). If successful, she drains a number of points from any one secondary attribute of her choice equal to the Outcome of the task check. She then also temporarily gains an increase in that attribute. This spell takes 5 shots to cast, and it lasts a number of shots equal to the priestesses' Magic rating. After this time the victim begins to regain lost points — and the priestess loses them — at a rate of one point per shot. The effects of the spell on the victim will vary; a victim drained of all their DEX will be unable to manipulate anything, INT will reduce the victim to a catatonic state, CON will cause the victim to collapse, and so forth. Characters targeted by this spell may attempt to actively dodge, or they may also attempt to actively parry it with Sorcery.
Ice
Ice Sorcery
Protection from Cold
This spell protects the sorcerer as if he had the creature power “damage immunity — cold” (OK, strictly speaking this doesn't actually exist, but you know what I mean). This effect lasts a number of minutes equal to the Outcome of the spell. If the cold is magical in nature, the caster must make a sorcery task check with their opponent's Sorcery skill level as the Difficulty for this spell to work.
Killing Frost
The spellcaster hits her target with a blast of freezing cold air, coating them with frost. The sorceress makes a Sorcery Task check with her target's dodge rating as the Difficulty. If successful, the target suffers impairment equal to the Outcome of the spell for a number of shots equal to the caster's Magic rating.
Biting Cold
The spellcaster hits her target with a blast of magical cold which temporarily leaves the target vulnerable. The sorceress makes a Sorcery Task check with her target's dodge rating as the Difficulty. If successful, the target reduces their Toughness rating by an amount equal to the Outcome of the spell. Toughness cannot be reduced by more than half of the target's original Toughness (rounding down). The effects of this spell last for a number of shots equal to the caster's Magic rating.
Freeze
This spell causes a single, non-living object to instantly freeze and become brittle (walking corpses and the like may not be targeted by this spell). Items frozen are effectively destroyed. The range of this spell is equal to the caster's Sorcery rating in meters. If you are trying to target something another character has on their possession, such as a weapon or their armor or whatever, the Difficulty is equal to the dodge rating of the character. The size of object also affects the Difficulty: the larger it is, the harder it is to freeze. A pistol would add nothing to the difficulty, a rifle would add +2, a full suit of armor +4, a motorcycle +6, and a car +10. GMs, use your judgement.
Create Ice
This spell allows the caster to create a solid mass of ice out of thin air. The Difficulty of the spell is equal to the number of cubic meters of ice created by the spell, and by the shape the caster wishes the ice to take. A flat sheet of ice on the ground or a solid slab of ice adds nothing to the Difficulty, but shaping the ice any further adds anywhere from +1 to +10 to the difficulty, depending on the complexity of the object desired, and the caster may not created detailed or multi-part items. Simple weapons may be created, but if the user inflicts 10 or more points of damage with it on any target (before reductions for Toughness and/or Armor) it will shatter. The range of this spell is equal to the caster's Sorcery rating in meters.