Transmutation

From FFa2Wiki

The School of Transmutation grants the caster the means to transform the world around them, from turning lead into gold to unleashing raw elemental forces. This School of Sorcery is often considered the most powerful and versatile of the Schools, but is also one of the most difficult to control. The below lists are not exhaustive, but are good frame of reference for what Transmutation is capable of.

Contents 1 Universal Attribute Transmutations 1.1 Minor 1.2 Major 1.3 Drastic 2 Mental 2.1 Minor 2.2 Major 2.3 Drastic 3 Physical 3.1 Minor 3.2 Major 3.3 Drastic 4 Social 4.1 Minor 4.2 Major 4.3 Drastic 5 Spiritual 5.1 Minor 5.2 Major 5.3 Drastic 6 Environmental 6.1 Minor 6.2 Major 6.3 Drastic 7 Harmful 7.1 Ongoing Harmful Transmutations 8 Sample Spell 9 GM Note - Winning the Hearts and Minds of the People

Universal Attribute Transmutations

The following apply for all Mental, Physical, Social, and Spiritual Transmutations as examples the caster can select:

Minor

• The Spell can give a die bonus to a Skill which uses the appropriate Attribute (Knowledge Skills use Mental, Social Skills use Social, etc)

Major

• The Spell can give Additional Successes to the appropriate Skill, or bonus dice to the appropriate Attribute.

Drastic

• The Spell can give Minimum Successes to the appropriate Skill, or can give Additional Successes to the appropriate Attribute.
• The Spell can destroy an Attribute, forcing an immediate Death Save for the target. If the Death Save is passed, the Attribute is unharmed.

Mental

The Spell creates a mental effect or alters a target mentally.

Minor

• The Spell can dampen a memory or modify a single memory, or can place a single, immediate command in the person's mind which they will feel compelled to act upon.
• The Spell can alter the awareness and reaction time of a target, adding to or subtracting from the Initiative Trait.

Major

• The Spell can remove a memory, or create a false memory. It can place a complex, long-term command into a person's mind, compelling them to act upon it.
• The Spell can create a mental barrier, preventing specific aware entities from passing through the area, or drawing them to a specific point.

Drastic

• The Spell can erase a person's mind, or construct a false personality, complete with memories and experiences. It can dominate a person's will completely, forcing them to act as the caster wishes.
• The Spell can create a source of knowledge, granting information that is purely knowledge-based. It can create an artificial intelligence, but one devoid of true personality.

Spell	Cost	Difficulty
Minor	4	3 or Resistance or Potency
Major	5	5 or Resistance or Potency
Drastic	6	7 or Resistance or Potency

Physical

The Spell creates a physical effect or a physical object, or alters a physical target.

Minor

• The Spell can alter the physical appearance of a target, allowing them to look like a generic person of a given nation, or alter the voice of the target to sound like someone else.
• The Spell can transmute an object from one substance to another, as long as the beginning and end result are not living or animate.
• The Spell can alter the direction and speed of a moving target, or can give mobility to a target, adding or subtracting a Speed Trait.

Major

• The Spell can create an inanimate object from Essence, or can turn a living creature into the shape of another living creature. This will not grant Powers or Merits, but simply the shape.
• The Spell can create a force, creating a Hardness or Soak Trait in the shape the caster desires.
• The Spell can repair or damage an object, restoring or removing the Health of the target.

Drastic

• The Spell can create a basic living object from Essence, or can turn a living target into an inanimate object or vice-versa. The caster can also attempt to grant physical Powers.

Spell	Cost	Difficulty
Minor	3	2 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency
Major	4	4 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency
Drastic	5	6 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency

Social

The Spell creates or manipulates emotions, and alter or destroy how people interact.

Minor

• The Spell can dampen emotions or modify emotions, or can cause a single, intense emotion in response in relation to a current event.
• The Spell can summon a group of unintelligent creatures who are of friendly disposition to the caster.

Major

• The Spell can remove or replace emotions, or enforce a specific emotional reaction to an upcoming event or specific trigger.
• The Spell can create a psychological barrier, causing an emotional trigger which deters things from entering the area, or which draws individuals to a specific point.

Drastic

• The Spell can destroy all ability to feel emotions, create false emotions, or develop a full personality for someone. It can dominate a target, forcing friendship or enmity.
• The Spell can summon an intelligent target, drawing them to the caster or to a location through an emotional urge.

Spell	Cost	Difficulty
Minor	3	2 or Resistance or Potency
Major	4	4 or Resistance or Potency
Drastic	5	6 or Resistance or Potency

Spiritual

The Spell creates a spiritual effect or alters a spiritual target.

Minor

• The Spell can alter the aura of the target, adjusting what the target looks like from the spiritual world. The Spell can conceal the race of the target, if the target is capable of sorcery, if there are spells or other effects active on the target, or so forth.
• The Spell can allow vision into the spiritual world, or allow a spiritual target to witness the physical world.
• The Spell can grant or draw away Essence, or alter the flow of Essence in an area.

Major

• The Spell can create a spiritual barrier, with a Hardness and Soak Trait, in the shape the caster desires. This barrier will prevent anything with Essence from being able to pass through it.
• The Spell can project someone into one of the other Realms, leaving their body behind, or can force a spiritual creature to manifest.

Drastic

• The Spell can craft a spirit from the raw substance of the spirit world.
• The Spell can grant the attributes of supernatural races, giving either Merits or Powers which are supernatural in nature.

Spell	Cost	Difficulty
Minor	3	3 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency
Major	4	5 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency
Drastic	5	7 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency

Environmental

The Spell transforms the environment, altering the region around the caster, and shaping the way the world exists. Such events are normally considered passive effects, though they can be directed against opponents.

Minor

• The Spell creates a small elemental effect such as procuring a flame in one's hand to create light.
• The Spell causes the ground to roll and knock people over, or a gust of wind to blow arrows away before they strike.

Major

• The Spell teleports non-living objects to the caster, or the caster sends non-living objects elsewhere.
• The Spell causes plant life to animate and move, directed by the will of the caster.

Drastic

• The Spell teleports living targets, moving them as the caster desires.
• The Spell opens a gate way to one of the other Realms, allowing transport to or from the Realm.
• The Spell alters gravity, throwing the target into the air, or crushing them under a great weight.

Spell	Cost	Difficulty
Minor	2	2 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency
Major	4	4 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency
Drastic	6	8 or Resistance, Hardness, or Potency

Harmful

Much like Evocation, the caster can unleash a raw manifestation of Power, directed at a target or area. Unlike Evocation, the caster must direct this force, aiming to strike the target, rather than it simply manifesting where the target is.

This is considered an attack using the spell casting roll rather than a normal attack roll. The Damage of the attack is equal to the Might of the Caster and the Potency of the Spell is used to create the Difficulty of the Soak roll.

The Spell can damage the Health or the Essence of the target, as determined by the caster, and uses a Spell Effect to determine how the attack manifests. If the caster wishes to use more than one Spell Effect, the Spell has a +2 Difficulty and +2 Cost, for each additional Effect used.

Spell	Cost	Difficulty
Essence	2	5 or Defence, Hardness, or Potency
Health	3	3 or Defence, Hardness, or Potency

Ongoing Harmful Transmutations

Transmutations which inflict damage are not intended for duration. The Difficulty and Essence Cost for an extended Harmful Transmutation is higher than that of other Spells. Ongoing Effects are weaker than Instant Effects. The Potency of the Spell is halved, and those who are subject to it must roll their Soak at the beginning of each Round that they are subject to the effect.

Duration	Cost	Difficulty
Instant
Instant Effect	+0	+0
Concentration
Active Until Broken	+3	+3
Self-Sustaining
(Half Might) Rounds	+2	+2
(Half Might) Minutes	+4	+4
(Half Might) Hours	+6	+6
(Half Might) Days	+8	+8
(Half Might) Weeks	+10	+10

Sample Spell

Lead To Gold (Major Physical Transmutation)

The Spell will transmute an inanimate object to gold. The Difficulty is equal to the Hardness of the object, and each Success grants or removes a point of Hardness. If the adjusted Hardness becomes 3, then the item is turned to actual gold for the duration of the Spell.

GM Note - Winning the Hearts and Minds of the People

Phantasm and Transmutation are both capable of altering the emotions and minds of characters. When used against NPCs, this can be very useful for a player to gain information which can help them in an adventure, or help the group get out of a tight spot. When a Game Master uses these kind of powers against a PC however, it can be a very dangerous proposition.

It is best if a Game Master be very careful about how these type of Spells are used. Yes, it is a normal fantasy trope for the hero to be brainwashed by the villain, so that the hero can be rescued by his companions, but some players are not comfortable with losing control of their character.

Talk with your players, determine if they are comfortable with these kinds of Spells, and use them cautiously.

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