Megagame Makers

This is an old revision of the document!

---

The basic magic rules

Some of the characters in the game are wizards. They have certain powers. This magic can be used at will during the roleplay part of any game turn. Success is automatic. A special case is Ritual Magic. Each nation can only cast 1 ritual spell each Strategic turn, a wizard must be freed up to lead this ritual. You can't be both involved in delicate diplomacy and coördinate a magic ritual that may have over a 100 participants at the same time.

PERSONAL MAGIC List of personal magic powers.

Yanking someone's eyeballs out from up to 20 paces away. What it says on the tin. Target is blinded until anybody in the game casts Edan's Thaumaturgic Poultice. The player involved will wear a blindfold until this happens.

Walk of Shadows You can discretely travel to an area of the game that is usually of limits to you. Interaction of any kind by you suspends the effect. So you can't sneak up on a team of players to spy on them. This spell is mostly there to facilitate secret negotiations. Victims of the Charm of Forlorn Encystment can't be reached by this spell.

Thaumaturgic Hydrodynamic Drive The wizard can travel over and across any body of water at an amazing speed.

Loathsome Weapon The sorcerer picks up a large scorpion, or a venomous snake seemingly out of thin air and wields it as a weapon. It is mostly a parlor trick, but it is a good way to keep members of the city watch, or local militia at bay. Still, getting stung by a scorpion the size of a house cat is mighty painful.

The Charm of Necroptic Inveiglement You can now have a conversation with a dead person if his/her corpse is available. The dead person will be more or less coöperative, if not automatically honest. The usefulness of this spell depends mostly on target chosen and the questions asked and possibly on the goodwill of the umpire playing the corpse in question.

Elven Telepathy Elven Wizards can mentally contact Large groups of Elfs over great distances to form a hivemind. It's practical purpose is to facilitate Ritual Magic and to mobilize Elven military units.

The Protection of the Goddess Empress Immunity to the effect of Smokes of Paradise, Yanking someone's eyeballs out from up to 20 paces away. and the Charm of Forlorn Encystment

Vanish The wizard and anyone he touches disappear in a puff of smoke leaving only the wizard's outer robe behind and teleports to the top of the Ziggurat. Vanish can't be used to escape the Charm of Forlorn Encystment.

Shield of the Superior Beings A whirling miasma of magical energies surrounds the wizard shielding him from all physical attacks and pushing away anyone he runs into allowing him to escape a violent confrontation.

Khulip's Nasal Enhancement This Gnome girl has a big nose, making her look very alluring in the eyes of dwarf men. During the game you wear a sticker reminding everybody of your big nose.

Charm of Forlorn Encystment The target is permanently locked up in a featureless cell somewhere deep in a local mountain, until somehow freed. It is common knowledge that there is no possible escape from being encysted! Having this spell gives you the following special power: I tire of your Antics and will Invoke the Charm of Forlorn Encystment. Any playercharacter who does not want to spend the rest of his life in a small featureless cell underground, better back away when the nice elf utters these words!! The player will get to take a (boring) break from the game and will then receive a new (probably embarrassing) character.

The Wizards and their personal magics

The Longbeard Chief Smithain, The Longbeard Chief Mining Engineer Walk of Shadows, Loathsome Weapon

The First Speaker of the Illuminati and The One Blessed by Moonlight Vanish, Walk of Shadows

The Bretwalda of Recruiting Walk of Shadows, Loathsome Weapon

The Grand Necromancer The Charm of Necroptic Inveiglement, Loathsome Weapon

The Mistress of Steam and The Gnome God Empress. Khulip's Nasal Enhancement, The Protection of the Goddess Empress

The Prince of Darkness Yanking someone's eyeballs out from up to 20 paces away, Walk of Shadows

All Elf observers Charm of Forlorn Encystment, Shield of the Superior Beings, Thaumaturgic Hydrodynamic Drive, Elven Telepathy

RITUAL MAGIC These are massive magical rituals that require dozens of participants, multiple hours and tons of incense. A team/nation can cast only 1 ritual spell each turn. There are seperate Tactical and Strategic ritual spells. And a few spells that can be cast in both types of turns. 5 cards are drawn from a deck of cards (the spelldeck). A wizard who adds nice touches, or theatrics in the description of the magic ritual draws an extra card. If enough cards of he right colour are collected the spell works. Each card is 1 point. A Joker is usually an automatic point and sometimes signifies that the spell has gone haywire. Effects can be made to appear anywhere on the map. If there are no cards available, nothing happens. The order in which spells are resolved is based on a first come first served basis. At the start of every turn the discard pile is added to the spelldeck again. The deck is not reshuffled. That does not apply to cards stored in of the 2 Spell Batteries (the Ziggurat of Ur and the Grand Imperial Spell Throne of the Gnomes). Multiple teams can link up to cast 1 ritual spell together. Each team adds 5 cards to the spell. Only 1 team needs to know the spell.

Gnomish Ritual Magics

Aldryk's Fire Quencher(black manna) Activates part of the gigantic sprinkler installation that draws from the lake between the Metal Mountains and has been wired throughout most of the city of Ur® and the inside of the mountain of the Gnomish Confederacy. Any fire in an affected area will go out and the affected area will be flooded. If the cause of the fire is still active in the location (say an impertinent dragon), than that cause will be soaked in an ungodly amount of water. Cost: 1 black card allows the wizard to flood any area in Urr or Mount CV he chooses. 8 hogsheads of water for each black card drawn are dumped on the cause of the fire if it is in range Special: drawing a joker activates the entire system flooding both Ur and the Confederacy.

Battery You are already collecting (black manna) to cast spells with in the future. The magic umpire draws 6 cards when this spell is cast and puts the ones of the right colour in a 'special reserved pile. When the Gnomes cast an appropriate spell later, some, or all of their cards are drawn from this pile, player's choice. Your storage location is the Grand Imperial Spell Throne at the heart of mount Central Heating. Special: Drawing a joker has no direct effect on this spell, but it must be added to the pile. Cards stored are not returned to the spelldeck until after they are used to cast a spell.

Beldane's Subterranean Borer(black manna) This spell fuels a short jaunt with a Gnomish contraption, that functions like a submarine except it travels through massive stone instead of water. It can travel to any spot within one of the 3 mountains, or below Ur®. Cost: 1 black card delivers a 1 way trip to any underground location in the game, 2 cards are needed to do a two way journey. Each military unit transported costs an extra card. For another extra card the Borer surfaces either in a market square of Ur®, or breaks through the outside surface of a mountain. Freeing someone from the Charm of Forlorn Encystment with this? Easy. This spell can be cast again as long as the Borer ends its turn back in Mount Central Heating.

Bladderwick's Human Catapult(black manna) Launches a bunch of mattresses and than the gnome Mattress Jaeger unit to any open space on the map. Each black card means 1 step worth of Mattress Jaeger appear intact (as in not turned into 'tomato paste'), 4 steps if there is a Hot Air Balloon aloft to spot the location. This spell can only be cast if the Jaeger are currently stationed in Mount Central Heating.

Dwarfs' Culinary Bounty(red manna) An enormous feast is created, worth 1 food point for each red card drawn. The food point must be spend on this turn. Special: This originated as a a Dwarven spell. Dwarven cuisine is wonderful, but a lot of it is very different from what everybody else eats. Side effects from Jokers usually manifest as a high portion of the meal consisting of traditional dwarven delicacies.

The Gnomish Sidewheeler(black manna) The procedure to activate the Gnomish Sidewheeler airship called 'The Good Ship Lollypop', it's apparently powered by several giant hamsters, running inside 2 massive hamster wheels mounted to the side of the 'ship. On board are the G.A.M's. The Gnomish Air Marines and their fearless leader captain Kiwk. It takes 3 black cards, or a joker to activate the air marines.

Helmet of Otranto(black manna) Transforms one or more dwarvish war helmet(s) into a helmet looking fortress/tower(s). Such a helmet has to be in place on the spot where the wizard wants to grow a tower. The tower remains for the rest of the game. It is as sturdy as something forged by dwarfs out of mithril, with walls as thick as a royal cubit can be. It's only flaw is the lack of a real foundation. Cost 1 black card for each helmet. A Helmet will provide a refuge for 1 units. 2 helmets side by side can be used to plug a hole in a breached wall. No they can't be dismantled and sold of as scrap.

The Hot Air Balloon(black manna) Launches some observation balloons. This costs 1 black card. Balloons are useful for artillery spotting and gathering detailed intelligence about troop sizes and movement. Meaning that if they want to an umpire can give some extra intelligence to the gnome nation. Balloons stay aloft until taken own by a raid.

Kruze's Magnificent Missiles(black manna) Rocket artillery! Containing itching powder!… Well o.k. it is not the most lethal weapon. Still, a missile fills the air in 1 square with very strong itching powder for one turn. Anybody inside that square is incapacitated for that turn. Getting this spell to target the exact square you want can be…difficult.. Use a standard scatter diagram for targeting unless there is an observation balloon spotting the barrage. 1 missile can fired for each black card collected.

Elvish Ritual Magics

Castle of Weeds(red manna) Naturally occurring local plants instantly grow to enormous size covering an entire square on the map. It does not function as a real fortification but it will slow down an advancing army. It takes an army 1 turn to move through the 'castle', destroying it in the process. Defenders can't be effectively stationed on top of, or inside the 'castle'. Permanent until destroyed. 1 red card (drawing more of them does not improve this spell).

Dwarfs' Culinary Bounty(red manna) An enormous feast is created, worth 1 food point for each red card drawn. The food point must be spend on this turn. Special: This originated as a a Dwarven spell. Dwarven cuisine isn't foultasting or unhealthy, but a lot of it is very different from what everybody else eats at the best of times. Side effects from Jokers usually manifest as the exotic side of Dwarven food….shudder…

The Spell of some Mediocrity(black manna) A vague grayish mist settles over the field where a battle is about to start. Luck will not be a factor this time. Instead of 1d6 add +3 to all battle totals. 1 black card

Summons of the Improvident Gap(black manna) Opens a small rift in the form of an old fashioned milestone to another reality with a much higher gravity. Everyone&everything in&over the hex and all hexes directly surrounding it start falling towards the rift. All units involved cannot do anything this turn. The next turn is either spend regrouping, or in a chaotic Battle Royal, depending on whether the units involved are on the same side or not. 2 black cards.

Transport(black manna) Teleports a unit (or more) to any open space on the map. 1 black card = 1 transported unit

Edan's Thaumaturgic Poultice(red manna) Your basic magic cureall. Heals 1 step on a chosen unit(s) for each red card collected.

Longbeards Ritual Magic

Aldryk's Fire Quencher(black manna) Activates part of the gigantic sprinkler installation that draws from the lake between the Metal Mountains and has been wired throughout most of the city of Ur® and the inside of the mountain of the Gnomish Confederacy. Any fire in an affected area will go out and the affected area will be flooded. If the cause of the fire is still active in the location (say an impertinent dragon), than that cause will be soaked in an ungodly amount of water. Cost: 1 black card allows the wizard to flood any area in Urr or Mount CV he chooses. 8 hogsheads of water for each black card drawn are dumped on the cause of the fire if it is in range Special: drawing a joker activates the entire system flooding both Ur and the Confederacy.

Blue skin and spiky red hair(black manna) This is always cast combined with Eternal Warriors Take all your clothes of, oil up and run screaming into battle. For each black card collected 1 unit who does this takes no damage this battle round.

Dwarfs' Culinary Bounty(red manna) An enormous feast is created, worth 1 food point for each red card drawn. The food point must be spend on this turn. Special: This originated as a a Dwarven spell. Dwarven cuisine is wonderful, but a lot of it is very different from what everybody else eats. Side effects from Jokers usually manifest as a high portion of the meal consisting of traditional dwarven delicacies.

Eternal Warriors(red manna) This is cast combined with Blue skin and spiky red hair Bring statues of Dwarven warriors to life as invulnerable infantry units. They remain animated for 1 battle round. 1 red card and lots of statues of warriors in full kit for each unit to be created. Special: The Eternal Warriors are considered to be under the influence of Blue skin and spiky red hair while they are animated. That's because they are animated statues, not because they are literally under the influence of that spell. The statues must be within the bounds of the kingdom of the Longbeards to be animated. There is a limited number of statues available.

Helmet of Otranto(black manna) Transforms dwarvish war helmet(s) into a helmet looking fortress/tower(s). Such a helmet has to be in place on the spot where the wizard wants to grow a tower. The tower remains for the rest of the game. It is as sturdy as something forged by dwarfs out of mithril, with walls as thick as a royal cubit can be. It's only flaw is the lack of a real foundation. Cost 1 black card for each helmet. A Helmet will provide a refuge for 1 units. 2 helmets side by side can be used to plug a hole in a breached wall. No they can't be dismantled and sold of as scrap.

Ritual Illuminati Magics

Aldryk's Fire Quencher(black manna) Activates part of the gigantic sprinkler installation that draws from the lake between the Metal Mountains and has been wired throughout most of the city of Ur® and the inside of the mountain of the Gnomish Confederacy. Any fire in an affected area will go out and the affected area will be flooded. If the cause of the fire is still active in the location (say an impertinent dragon), than that cause will be soaked in an ungodly amount of water. Cost: 1 black card allows the wizard to flood any area in Urr or Mount CV he chooses. 8 hogsheads of water for each black card drawn are dumped on the cause of the fire if it is in range Special: drawing a joker activates the entire system flooding both Ur and the Confederacy.

Battery You are already collecting (red manna) to cast spells with in the future. The magic umpire draws 6 cards when this spell is cast and puts the ones of the right colour in a 'special reserved pile. When the Illuminati cast an appropriate spell later, some, or all of their cards are drawn from this pile, player's choice. Your storage location is the Ziggurat at the center of Urr. Special: Drawing a joker has no direct effect on this spell. Cards stored are not returned to the spelldeck until after they are used to cast a spell.

Castle of Weeds(red manna) Naturally occurring local plants instantly grow to enormous size covering an entire square on the map. It does not function as a real fortification but it will slow down an advancing army. It takes an army 1 turn to move through the 'castle', destroying it in the process. Defenders can't be effectively stationed on top of, or inside the 'castle'. Permanent until destroyed. 1 red card (drawing more of them does not improve this spell).

Morath's Mobile Manor(red manna) A small fort, watchtower, or Helmet of Otranto under control of the government of Ur suddenly grows wheels and drives away. This spell can be used to move such a structure across any more or less flat terrain, to any flat point on the map. The spell cannot make a fortification cross the river without using a bridge, or maneuver through a narrow ally way, but the main streets of Ur are doable with the smaller fortifications. It takes a full nearby infantry unit to block such a relocation. 1 structure can be moved for each red card drawn.

Dwarfs' Culinary Bounty(red manna) An enormous feast is created, worth 1 food point for each red card drawn. The food point must be spend on this turn. Special: This originated as a a Dwarven spell. Dwarven cuisine isn't foultasting or unhealthy, but a lot of it is very different from what everybody else eats at the best of times. Side effects from Jokers usually manifest as the exotic side of Dwarven food….shudder…

Smokes of Paradise(red manna) Covers 1 square anywhere on the map with sweet-smelling thick smoke. Anybody in those squares is having pleasant hallucinations for the next turn and is not going to be of any use. Undead(don't breathe), gnomes (gasmasks) and animated statues (don't breathe) are immune. 1 red card for each square covered (and a shipment of lotus petals) Special: Yes, affected players need to sit on the ground for an entire game turn, look at their hands and say:“whee fingers!” a lot. And do nothing else.

Yimsha's Carpet(red manna) A procession winds itself around the Ziggurat 3 times, afterwards a supernatural cloud of gold-veined crimson appears covering at least part of it. Than the procession leaves the central square of Ur® at a stately speed and advances towards it goal. Those inside the cloud cannot be harmed, or obstructed in any way, but they can't affect the outside world either. At it's destination the cloud disappears, revealing the procession. 1 red card for each 200 covered by the cloud. Special: It is usually a bad idea to try to use this spell to move military units to a position on a field of battle. Because of the difference between a battlefield formation and the setup for a procession.

Charm of Brachial Fortitude(red manna) For each red card drawn a unit has a +2 on all rolls during the next battle. Tactical Spell

Edan's Thaumaturgic Poultice(red manna) Your basic magic cureall. Heals 1 step on a chosen unit(s) for each red card collected. Strategic Spell

The Ritual Magics of the forces of the Prince of Darkness The wizards in the employ of the Dark Prince are unusual in that they all have their own unique spell selection.

The Colossus Ylourgne(black manna) Dissect&Boil down the contents of graveyards and battlefield into a giant zombie/ siege engine piloted by the mind of The Grand Necromancer. After this spell the Grand Necromancer can no longer cast spells and he is always in the same spot on the map as the Colossus token. Cost: 2 black cards (and a graveyard full of human corpses, or a completely destroyed infantery, or archery unit) Drawing a joker manifests as the personalities of some of the ingredients of the spell manifesting and rebelling against the controlling mind. Only 1 Colossus can be created. As only The Grand Necromancer is able (and willing!)to undergo this transformation. Necromancerspell

Crimson Portents(red manna) Perform a human sacrifice, read the entrails and predict a glorious victory. The armies of the Prince of Darkness get +1 on their battle rolls during the next battle round. Cost: 1 red card, if a joker is drawn the planned human sacrifice turned out to be a sexy dancing girl and the adventurers of Urr stage a daring rescue attempt giving the armies a -1 on the battle roll instead. The servants of the Prince do not realize this is how it works, so they are always surprised by this turn of events. Allspell

Dance of the Skull(black manna) A dancing girl and a floating skull perform a writhing, spinning dance, while the male acolytes play the ritual bongo's and the female acolytes the magic flutes. The entire next turn an anti-intrusion field covers the treasury&bagage train of the Prince of Darkness repelling any raid automatically. Cost: 2 black cards (and a human skull and a sexy dancing girl, but those last 2 items can be used again later) Special: The effect of this spell is invisible, so nobody except the umpires knows if it is working until it comes into contact with a magical effectBretwaldaspell

Legion of the Dead(black manna)Nspell Animate the 'contents' of a graveyard, or battlefield as cheap shock troops. This spell creates 1 unit of undead shocktroops. Cost: 1 black card (and a graveyard of human corpses, or a completely destroyed infantery, or archery unit) Special: Multiple units can created if additional black cards are drawn and additional heaps of corpses are available. Necromancerspell

Summon Dragon(red manna) A 3-headed fire breathing dragon (possibly more of them) show(s) up, demanding to know why they have been called. This spell only summons dragons, it does not control them. You have to make a deal… Hiring a Dragon mercenary is very expensive and they cause lots of collateral damage. But if you want to go 'Dresden' on a location, want to airlift a warband, or need heavy fire support for an all out assault… Cost: 2 red, or a joker (and a very skilled negotiator with a very good offer, think lots of treasure). Special: An extra dragon WILL show up for each additional 2 red cards, or joker drawn. This is a horrendously dangerous spell!!Allspell

Alchemy(red manna) This spell turns dirt into gold tokens. 4 gold token for each red card drawn. [Slight problem: This is Fool's Gold and will be revealed as fakery the moment a joker has any special effect on a Ritual Magic spell, cast by any wizard in the game.]Bretwaldaspell

Insect Host(red manna) A gigantic swarm of locusts appears directed by the mind of the wizard casting this spell. The swarm proceeds to attack the harvest. For each red card drawn, remove 1 food token still out in the fields, or forests. Princespell

Ship of Tears(black manna) A magic ship appears made of the tears of whores (m/f) lamenting the deaths of a Real Man!™. This ship can sail the river into Urr and dock ignoring the fortifications that are there to repel a waterborn attack. The ship disappears after it has been docked potentially stranding the units in a very hostile environment. For each unit to be carried you need both a sample of camp follower tears shed during the memorial service of a different deceased Real Man!™ and a black card. To count as a real man according to the standards of this spell, you must the first player character of the game of a member of the team of The Dark Prince (including The Dark Prince, excluding the umpire). Rumours that by any objective standard the biggest stud in the game is prince regent Fabian of Urr are ofcourse base slander. Allspell