War Magic

Battlefield Application of Enchantments and Illusions

All warfare is based on deception.

- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Most of the high level enchantment and illusion spells included in ACKS II seem designed more for sorcerers in their towers and evil viziers than for direct battlefield application (with some notable exceptions: hidden host, cone of fear, and panic prominent among them). But the more common framework is that high level magic is designed for wartime use, as exemplified by spells such as banner of invincibility, conflagration, earth’s movement, level water, passageway, and various detections and walls. That doesn’t work for everything — healing, movement, protection, and transmogrification are challenging to apply to units because of their scaling. But enchantment and illusion have excellent capacity for battlefield use in the existing spell building framework.

So as something of an experiment, I built out a set of illusions and enchantments to continue the trends established at lower levels and scale them up to affect entire battlefield units or similar battlefield applications. They all follow the standard spell building guidelines without breakthroughs, though I don’t claim they’re all well-balanced — I’ve tried to moderate those that seemed outrageously strong initially, but some are certainly very strong still, and others will need more playtesting. Overall though, I think there’s some room for strong spells in these arts to match standouts such as conflagration and earth’s movement (consider panic, which seems very potent as a company-scale save-or-die, until compared to conflagration which immolates a unit without a save at all and doesn’t require stationary concentration; the attack throw requirement reads much worse than it plays, given the ease of buffing attack throws). It would be nice for a dedicated illusionist to have similar battlefield potential as a dedicated blaster, though as ever a great concern is that a character with a large repertoire might break things by doing both.

If these prove interesting, I have some thoughts to potentially attempt the same for death and summoning spells.

Battlefield Spells

3rd Level

Phantasmal Fortress

This spell creates an illusion of fortifications such as walls, towers, ditches, or earthen ramparts. It can fill up to a 60’ cube within 240’, and contains only visual elements, though they can move dynamically (e.g. banners flapping in the wind, crackling flames), and lasts perpetually until dispelled or the caster stops sustaining it. Characters who have reason to suspect its authenticity can save vs Spells to disbelieve, as illusory interior.

Illusion: create visual mono-sensory illusion (9), illusion limited to one category (fortifications) (x0.7), illusion dynamic (x1), 240’ range (x1.1), perpetual duration (x3.25), 60’ cube (x2.6), save avoids (disbelieve) (x0.5), arcane illusion (x1) = 29.3

4th Level

Disguise Legion

This spell swaps the appearance of two companies of troops within 20’ per level of the caster, making each visually appear and audibly sound as if it were the other, complete with appropriate equipment, banners, etc. but is unable to make a mounted unit appear to be on foot or vice versa. Each target formation must fit within a 120’ radius and contain no more than 120 man-sized creatures. An unwilling target is never deceived as to its own mien, but cannot resist the illusion changing how it appears and sounds to others (cries of “it’s an illusion!” or equivalent will be conveyed by the illusion as murderous battle cries). Those with reason to doubt the illusion can attempt to disbelieve it, and the illusion will end for a creature as soon as that creature reveals its true nature by making an attack throw or casting as spell.

Illusion: create bi-sensory illusion (12), illusion limited to one category (troops) (x0.7), dynamic illusion (x1), 20’ range per level (x1), 1 turn duration (x1.75), expires if target attacks (x0.75), expires if target casts spell (x0.75), target up to 120 man-sized creatures within 120’ radius (x4.5), takes effect twice (x2), save avoids (disbelieve) (x0.5), arcane illusion (x1) = 37.2

Slumbering Legion

The caster projects forth a blanket of dreamless drowsing, putting to sleep all living creatures within a 60’ diameter sphere within 180’ that fail a save vs Paralysis (as slumber). Creatures of less than 2 HD are affected even on a successful save. Creatures of 5 HD or more are unaffected.

Enchantment: target slumbering for duration (15), 90’ range (x1), 1 round per level duration (1.1), 60’ diameter sphere (x6.25), only affects living creatures (x1), only affects creatures of less than 5 HD (x0.5), save avoids if more than 2 HD (x0.75), arcane enchantment (x1) = 38.7

5th Level

False Charge

This spell imbues a battle standard with a contingent illusion of a company of troops that fills up to a 60’ cube, and appears when a specific triggering event occurs (as programmatic figment). The illusion can be dynamic but is not interactive, and lasts once triggered for 1 round per level of the caster. Its sudden onslaught, complete with visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and thermal elements, is incredibly compelling and cannot be disbelieved. The classic use has it set to trigger when the unit in question begins a charge, to charge their target just ahead of them, thus absorbing any readied attacks and disordering their foes.

Illusion: create multi-sensory illusion (15), illusion limited to one category (troops) (x0.7), dynamic illusion (x1), spell requires one turn to cast (x0.8), 45’ range (x0.75), 1 round per level duration (x1), duration does not begin until triggered (x2.75), 60’ cube (x2.6), no save (cannot be disbelieved) (x1), arcane illusion (x1) = 45.0

Infuriate Legion

This spell imbues a missile weapon in the caster’s hands with enmity and discord. Upon casting the spell, the caster makes a missile attack throw against a living creature within range, and on a hit all living creatures with less than 5 HD within 30’ of the struck target who fail a save vs Spells are caught in a wave of consuming rage, becoming infuriated for 1 turn (as described in infuriate beast).

Enchantment: target infuriated for duration (25), 360’ range (x1.5), 1 turn duration (1.15), 60’ diameter sphere (x6.25), only affects living creatures (x1), only affects creatures of less than 5 HD (x0.5), attack throw required to target spell (x0.75), save avoids (x0.5), arcane enchantment (x1) = 50.5

6th Level

Dominate Legion

One company within 240’ must save vs Spells or fall totally under the caster’s sway. All living creatures of less than 2 HD within a 60’ sphere that fail this save are dominated (as dominate humanoid) as long as the caster sustains concentration on this spell. In mass combat, this allows the caster to activate the unit each round on his initiative.

Enchantment: target dominated for duration (60), 240’ range (x1.25), concentration duration (x1), 60’ diameter sphere (x6.25), only affects living creatures (x1), only affects creatures of less than 2 HD (x0.25), save avoids (x0.5), arcane enchantment (x1) = 58.6

Shadow Army

This spell creates an entire army of phantom soldiers under the caster’s continuous control, as spectral legion but creating as many such units as the caster desires within 120’, which persist as long as he concentrates on controlling them plus 4 rounds thereafter. The caster can move a number of these units each round equal to his Leadership Ability, as if he were a division commander over them. Additionally, the caster himself becomes completely invisible for the duration to protect him from disruption. This complex invocation requires one turn to cast.

Illusion: create multi-sensory illusion (15), limited to one category (troops) (x0.7), dynamic illusion (x1), illusion under caster's control for duration (x2), spell requires one turn to cast (x0.8), self range (x0.33), concentration + 4 round duration (x1.4), target 480’ diameter sphere (x10.5), save avoids (disbelieve) (x0.5), arcane illusion (x1) = 40.8; target becomes completely invisible (30), spell requires one turn to cast (x0.8), self range (x0.33), concentration + 4 round duration (x1.4), target 1 creature (x1), beneficial effect (x1), arcane illusion (x1) = 12.9; total = 53.7

Unseen Army

The caster weaves a grand veil of unsight over himself and all around him. As long as he maintains concentration, everyone within a 120’ radius of the caster becomes completely invisible, along with anything they are carrying within that area, though they can still see each other. For armies in formation, this can target up to two battalions. Affected creatures can still be heard or their passage tracked normally unless prevented by other means. This spell is often used by powerful sorcerers to hide the movements of their armies, with the sorcerer himself carried upon a palanquin while he concentrates on maintaining the spell.

If a recipient leaves the area, that recipient becomes visible and no longer benefits from the spell, even if he later returns. If any recipient makes an attack throw or casts a spell, the spell ends immediately for all targets. This complex invocation requires one turn to cast.

Illusion: target becomes completely invisible (35), spell requires one turn to cast (x0.8), self range (x0.33), concentration duration (x1), expires if target creature attacks (x0.75), expires if target creature casts spell (x0.75), target 480’ diameter sphere (x10.5), beneficial effect (x1), arcane illusion (x1) = 54.6