Wards Spells in TFT

(c) 2015 by Richard Wayne Smith - - - - - Version 4.0.4

In fantasy fiction, wards were powerful flexible and had a variety of offensive and defensive powers. In TFT, they simply were an alarm, and a small one. You could ward a door way or a small room and that was it. These new rules will make wards in TFT considerably more flexible.

One change from the old ward spell is that wards no longer detect 'evil intent'. Any spell that can be used as a loyalty detector must be better than IQ 10 in my campaign.

The ward spell comes in three versions. The more advanced versions simply cover more area, and allow the wizard to move farther from them with out them breaking.

If the wizard has a ward spell, there are two lines of new spells that modify it. One is defensive which allow the wizard (and those protected by the ward) to hide more effectively. The other line of spells are offensive which hurt or inconvenience those who try to cross the ward.

Note that some of these spells are very high IQ. I like the idea of their being high IQ spells, even if no one can currently use them yet. It gives people something to aspire to.

Note the spell, Wild Ward (2). The (2) means that the spell requires 2 memory points to learn.



Image Second Magic Circle Not Found.

The following spells may be added to the TFT spell list, if the GM agrees.


WARD SPELLS:

IQ 10
S Ward
Ward is cast on a hex which "booby-traps" it. When cast, the hex must be adjacent to the wizard. Anything that enters the warded hex will be known to the casting wizard under any conditions, waking him up if needed. A ward lasts a maximum of one week. Ward spells may be maintained, (maintaining the ward spell, automatically maintains the modifying spells cast on it). Any number of wards may be cast. The casting wizard must remain within 25 hexes of the ward or it vanishes (this distance becomes greater with better versions of this spell).
Note, if a ward has an un-warded area inside it (for example 6 hexes surrounding an un-warded center hex), and someone teleports into the middle, without entering any of the warded hexes, they will not trigger the ward or any of the effects on it.
A ward (and the modification spells on it) do not detect or affect someone with Spell Shield. Items thrown across the ward will be detected, unless they are coated in Essential Clay.
The wizard may cast several wards beside each other. These wards join together and become one large ward. If you wish to ward a 3 hex wide gate, the spell must be cast 3 times.
Multiple wizards can cast wards onto the same hexes, but their separate wards do not mingle or share modification spells. A wizard can only modify his or her own wards.
Note that several spells modify wards and make them more powerful. If cast on a large ward, one spell will affect the entire ward. If a wizard casts two separate wards and then joins them, the modifying spell(s) will also spread and join.
Cost: 2 fST

IQ 20
S Ward: Long
preq Ward. This spell is exactly like Ward except it covers more area and the ward will vanish if the wizard moves more than 250 m from it. Any of the spells that modify and increase the power of the Ward spell will modify (for the same price) the larger area of this Ward.
This spell will cover an area of 6 connected hexes. Note this (and all Ward modifying spells) will affect a ward of any size. A wizards can only cast these modifying spells on wards he or she has cast. A wizard can choose to have some or all effects target one person When cast, one hex must be adjacent to the wizard.
Cost: 2 fST

IQ 30
S Ward: Wide
preq Ward: Long. Exactly like the Ward spell, except it covers a larger area and it does not vanish until the wizard is more than 2,500 meters from it.
This spell will cover an area of 12 connnected Mega hexes. When cast, the wizard must be adjacent to one hex of the ward.
Cost: 2 fST



MODIFYING SPELLS TO WARDS (OFFENSIVE) :

IQ 11
S Ward of Fear
This spell is cast on a Ward to make it more powerful. Anyone approaching the ward will feel frightened. Intelligent foes must make a 3vsBv (3 vs Bravery personality attribute) to cross. Animals with an IQ of 6 or less won't enter, and if forced into the ward they will buck and fight until they leave.
Note this (and all Ward modifying spells) will affect a ward of any size. A wizards can only cast these modifying spells on wards he or she has cast. A wizard can choose to have the effect of the modifying spell(s) affect some people & not others.
This is the first in a series of offensive ward spells. Note that Ward is NOT a prerequisite of this spell, but it is useless unless you also know the ward spell.
Cost: 3 fST

IQ 15
S Ward of Prison
preq Ward of Fear. This spell is cast on a Ward spell to give that spell these powers. Any spell casting from within this ward has the fatigue cost increase 5 fold. This spell is cast on prison cells that must hold wizards.
Cost: 4 fST

IQ 19
S Ward of Damage
preq Ward of Prison. This spell will modify the Ward spell. Anyone approaching the Ward within 1 meter will feel a pins and needles type of pain. If they try to force their way into the Ward, they will take 1d+1 damage per turn that they remain in the ward. Armor and shields do not protect.
This spell may be cast multiple times (maximum 5 times) to do extra damage. Each recasting cost is double the last time. (ie 5d+5 damage will cost a total of 155 fST spent over 5 separate spells).
Cost: 5, 10, 20, 40 or 80 fST

IQ 23
S Ward of Death
preq Ward of Damage. This is cast on a Ward to modify that spell. Anyone that approaches the Ward will feel a pins and needles type of pain. If they try to force their way into the Ward they must make a 4vsST or die. If they make the saving throw, they take 3d+3 damage, or half their basic ST in hits, whichever is MORE. Having entered the area of the ward, they may remain in the ward safely, but if they leave then reenter the ward, they area effected anew by this spell.
Cost: 6 fST

IQ 27
S Ward of Aversion
preq Ward of Death. Cast on a Ward to modify it. Does 7 pts of damage / turn nothing protects including natural armor, spells, talents [except Spell Shield], and anyone that has crossed into or thru the Ward must make a 4vs their lowest Attribute or have an Avert cast on them. If the Avert spell is on them, they must exit the ward (at 2 hexes a turn or more) by the shortest route. After they have left the ward's area, they must end each move 2 or more hexes further away from the ward. The Avert lasts until they are 50 hexes from the Ward. (See the Avert Spell at IQ 9.)
Cost: 7 fST



MODIFYING SPELLS TO WARDS (DEFENSIVE) :

IQ 13
S Ward of Hiding
This is cast on a Ward spell to make the ward more powerful. Those not actively seeking you will not notice you and pass by. Those actively looking for you must make a 3vsIQ to detect you (they must make a 4vsIQ if they were looking for just anyone, e.g. guards on patrol).
Note this (and all Ward modifying spells) will affect a ward of any size. A wizard can only cast modification spells onto wards he or she cast. The wizard may choose to have the modifying spell affect some people & not others.
This is the first in a series of defensive ward spells. Note that Ward is NOT a prerequisite of this spell, but this spell is useless unless you also know the ward spell.
Cost: 3 fST

IQ 17
S Ward of Immunity to Magical Spying
preq Ward of Hiding. Any sort of magical spying, scrying or divination will over look the area covered by the Ward. The spying wizard gets a 6vsIQ to notice that an area is hidden to them, unless they were specifically spying on the area you have hidden. (If they ARE specifically spying on that area, they automatically notice that the area is blank.)
Cost: 4 fST

IQ 21
S Ward of Barriers
preq Ward of Immunity to Magical Spying. This spell is cast on an already established Ward spell. This spell will make an invisible 'wall' that will stop any physical object from crossing it. Doing the 'wall' 50 pts of damage in one blow will destroy this spell, but not the underlying ward and any other modifying spells cast on it. The casting wizard will automatically notice that the barrier was destroyed in that hex.
Cost: 5 fST

IQ 25
S Ward of Magic Protection
preq Ward of Barriers. This spell is cast on a Ward to modify that spell. This spell will prevent any spell, magic item or magical creature from crossing the Ward exactly like a pentagram. If the ward is attacked like a pentagram it rolls normally, except the 'IQ of the creating wizard' is always 25. (See the Pentagram spell at IQ 15.)
Cost: 6 fST

IQ 29
S Ward of Sideways
preq Ward of Magical Protection. Cast on the Ward Spell to modify it. This spell will pull all the stuff the wizard wishes (that is inside the ward) 'around a corner' into a nearby dimension. Those in the Ward can see 'out' of it and hear what is going on. Those outside the Ward can only detect the Warded figure with the Detect Hidden Watchers spell. Some one with the Spell Shield on can't be hidden by this Ward since the ward and the modifying spells can't detect or affect someone with Spell Shield.
Cost: 7 fST



MODIFYING SPELLS TO WARDS (BOTH OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE - COMBINATION) :

IQ 31
S Wild Ward (2)
preq both Ward of Aversion and Ward of Sideways. This spell when cast on a Ward will put any or all (your choice of which) of the following spells on the Ward. Ward of: Fear, Prison, Damage, Death, Hiding, Immunity to Magical Spying, Barriers, Magic Protection, Aversion & Sideways. (Ward of damage is at level one. You may strengthen it with multiple castings with the cost doubling to 4, 8, 16 and 32, for later castings.)
Basically, you can cast any or all of the ward modifying spells at once and at a lower fST cost.
This extremely powerful spell takes 10 turns to cast.
Cost: 2 fST



Back to Spells Page

This link takes you back to Rick's top level.

Image First Magic Circle Not Found.