True Incantations represent the pinnacle of power for Human mages. While spells and incantations can do much already, they are inherently limited by the capabilities of the spirits they summon. True Incantations bring back the power that the advanced mages of old had, calling upon the power of advanced spirits and “other forces,” a catchall term for pretty much anything not quite understood by the modern magical community. While the names and physical manifestations of True Incantations have changed over time, the basic concept of each Incantation has remained the same. Ice incantations create cold weather, Gravity incantations create a black hole, Protection incantations protect things.
Thus far, true incantations have only been found among the human magical tradition. Whether this is a unique feature of humanity or if the other species are just keeping their cards up their sleeves is unknown.
True incantations are school-less, and can be learned by anyone with magical talent, innate or not.
There are said to be 36 True Incantations, one for every kind of spirit. This has been the subject of some debate, as modern mages have not been able to determine what the 36 spirit varieties are. It is also said that each true incantation has three wielders at any given time: one who learned it through experience, one who learned it through disaster, and one who is fated to know it.
For all intents and purposes, these are beyond the realm of Player Characters, and are listed here for reference. Player characters may discover true incantations over the course of a campaign, but they may not start out with one without DM permission.
Some True Incantations have known origins, and some must be spoken in a specific language in order to be cast successfully.
True Incantations may be overcast, following the standard rules for doing so. Some True Incantations provide additional benefits beyond the bonus to Magery check when overcasting.
Catastrophic Sunder: End of Things
Overlord of calamities
Ruler of the end
Awaken from your slumber
Bring an end to all creations
CATASTROPHIC SUNDER!
Casting Time: 2 Rounds
Duration: Instantaneous
Restriction: Can only be successfully cast once per week.
Nonlethal Damage: 5d8
Magery Check: DC 30
Spirit: Destruction
Origin: Modern
This blows stuff up by severing the strong force bonds between the components of the atoms of the target’s structure. Translation: It turns the target into a fission bomb – and the usual rules apply for that. Target goes boom. Not recommended for player use, small children, pregnant women, the elderly, political candidates, or maniacal generals. Rampant destruction is not for everyone, consult your doctor and lawyer before use.
Known Users (1 of 3):
- Fated – Agent ‘E,’ Agent of 7th Directorate, Real Name Classified
Fimbulwinter: Prelude To The End – in development
Foul winter that heralds the end
Sweep from the north
Freeze all who stand before you!
FIMBULWINTER
Spirit: Ice
Origin: Norse, must be spoken in Old Norse, Norn, or Greenlandic Norse
Glittering Crux: Brilliance of Belief – in development
Spirit: Faith
Origin: Byzantine, must be spoken in Medieval Latin
Infinite Courage: Humanity’s Spirit – in development
Spirit: Mankind
Origin: Modern, must be spoken in Terran Standard
Temporarily gain talents and feats you don’t have.
Magna Flamma: Destruction Rains from the Heavens – in development
Oh brilliant heavenly destruction
Rain from the heavens and smite my foes!
MAGNA FLAMMA!
Casting Time: 2 rounds
Spirit: Fire
Origin: Ancient Rome (theorized), must be spoken in Classical Latin
Basically, it creates a meteor storm. Probably works like the D&D/Pathfinder spell, meteor storm.
Nants Ingonyama Bagithi: Call of the Wild – in development
There comes a lion
Oh yes it’s a lion
We’re going to conquer
Spirit: Nature
Origin: Zulu, must be spoken in Zulu. Some theorize that the origin is actually Santa Monica, California, USA in 1994.
Summon Nature’s Ally XYZ
Ragnarok: The Fated Catastrophe
Catastrophe that fell from the heavens
Devourer of worlds and of space itself
Rise from the depths of your prison
Resound, horn of the end and consume my foes
I bind thee to my will and name thy form…
RAGNAROK!
Casting Time: 3 Rounds (activates on the third round)
Duration: Instantaneous
Special: Can only be successfully cast once per week.
Nonlethal Damage: 5d8
Magery Check: DC 30
Spirit: Gravity
Origin: Modern, but historical records indicate it is not a recent phenomenon. Language has varied.
An example of an entreaty, this incantation doesn’t so much summon a creature, but a manifestation of one. Ragnarok, or at least its physical manifestation, fell to Earth in the early 21st century in the months before the Day of Fire and was found by a shaman in the northeast United States after months of investigating strange happenings in the area. After a protracted battle, Ragnarok was subdued, but the shaman was forced to perform a risky ritual to seal the entity as spirit energy, which seems to have had some unintentional side effects. The few scientists that have had the chance to see Ragnarok’s effects in action have theorized that the entity known as Ragnarok is actually a sentient micro-black hole of sorts, or for a lack of a better term – a highly advanced Gravity Spirit. References to similar creatures who were bound by earlier generations of spellcasters have been found in lost records of history, as well as in myths and legends, lending credence to the theory that there are more of these creatures out there in the void.
When summoned, Ragnarok creates a maelstrom of gravitation energy 40 squares wide, spiraling “down” even when “down” would be into a physical object. At the center of the maelstrom is a 2 square wide area of safety. There is no target selection, Ragnarok targets everything within the 40 square wide area and sucks it down into the bottomless abyss. Targets who’s Reflex Defense is not beaten by the caster’s magery check successfully grab onto a secured object and resist being dragged into the abyss, but they take 4d6 bludgeoning, 4d6 slashing, and 4d6 piercing damage from the debris being whirled around by the effect. Targets who’s Reflex Defense is beaten are dragged into the bottomless gravitation abyss and are never seen again…usually.
Known Users (1 of 3):
- Experience – Martin Marks, Chief of 1st Directorate
Sakura: Protection of a Thousand Blossoms
Casting Time: 2 Rounds
Duration: Concentration
Special: Requires a cherry tree flower as a material component that is used up during the casting.
Nonlethal Damage: 3d8
Magery Check: DC 25
Origin: Japan, must be spoken in a Japonic language
Spirit: Protection
This Incantation prevents damage, and can be used in one of two ways. It can either creates a 50-square wide circular area which prevents all damage from sources inside the area from damaging things outside the area, or can instead be used to create a 7-square wide circular area which is immune to all damage from the outside. In either case, the area being protected is surrounded by rapidly circulating cherry tree petals that appear from nowhere, but remain after the spell’s duration is complete.
Tesla: Wrath of the Mad Genius
Casting Time: 1 Round
Duration: Instant
Special: Drains the charge from a power pack or similar object.
Nonlethal Damage: 3d8
Magery Check: DC 25
Origin: Unknown, but must be spoken in Serbo-Croation
Spirit: Electromagnetism
This Incantation creates a massive wave of electricity. It targets up to 10 targets per level (within a 100-meter wide area) and does 4d6 electricity damage per level. In addition, it recharges every battery and electric device in a 60-meter radius.
Known Users:
- Fated: Samuel Lachlan, ‘free agent’ (SDA Registered)
Tzadikim Nistarim: Thirty-Six Righteous Warriors
Righteous warriors of the past
Heed my call, the time to fight is now
One of the current 36 calls you forth
TZADIKIM NISTARIM!
Casting Time: 2 rounds
Nonlethal Damage: 3d8
Magery Check DC: 30
Spirit: Battle
Origin: Judaic Lore. The spell must be spoken in any Canaanite language (Hebrew, Phoenician, Edomite, etc). If a bearer of this true incantation does not know such a language upon being selected as a bearer, they automatically learn the language, but find they are unable to speak it except when casting this true incantation.
This spell creates 36 allies, which each possess a heroic level equal to three-quarters of your own, and each of which has some form of magic. They are equipped as standard for their level, and are effectively treated as characters in their own right with the exception of that they cannot move beyond 30 squares from you. Visually, they can appear however you would like.
This incantation lasts for 1 minute per character level or until all the duplicates have been defeated. Should you be killed or fall unconscious while this incantation is active, the spell will end.
Tzadikim Nistarim is an exception to the three-users rule of True Incantations, in that it has 36 users at any given time. Should any of them fall, a new user is chosen instantaneously from among those “deemed worthy” at the time.
Known Users (5 of 36):
- Agent ‘A,’ Agent of 2nd Directorate, Real Name Classified. Agent A’s Tzadikim Nistarim takes the form of 36 warriors appearing to date from the Three Kingdoms period of China, with 12 warriors each from the states of Wei, Shu, and Wu.
- Agent ‘C,’ Agent of 7th Directorate, Real Name Classified. Agent C’s Tzadikim Nistarim follows no discernable pattern, appearing differently each time it is used.
- Agent ‘E’, Agent of 7th Directorate, Real Name Classified. Agent E’s Tzadikim Nistarim is known to take the form of 36 World War 3 era United States Marine Corps FORECON Soldiers.
- Brigadier Aleksandr ‘Sasha’ Markovic, Chief of 3rd Directorate, Brigadier of TASS Leningrad Marine Detachment. As the only user who’s identity is public, Brigader Markovic’s Tzadikim Nistarim is well-documented. It takes the form of a group of Russian soldiers, no two of them dating to the exact same time period and stretching far back into the past.
Winds of Blackness: Eternal Night – in development
Spirit: Darkness