Weathercraft

 

One of the main purposes of magic throughout history has been to gain control over the environment. There is no better example than the power to summon the elemental forces of nature. From the rain dances of the Native Americans to the weather-witches of medieval times, this Praxis has been both a blessing and a weapon for those sorcerers who study it.

 

Basic:

 

Touch the Air

At the simplest level, Weathercraft allows you to summon gentle gusts of wind. Though it is not strong enough to cause damage, this breeze can shift light objects around or even extinguish small fires. However, if you wish to accomplish something out of the ordinary, such as driving away a swarm of insects, you must first pass a Static Mental Test.

 

Lightning Strike

This dramatic effect calls lightning down from the sky, striking any single target within line of sight. By winning a Mental Challenge against your opponent’s Physical Traits, you may inflict one Health Level of aggravated damage. This spell may only be cast during an actual storm, though the storm’s origin - magical or otherwise - is immaterial.

 

Intermediate:

 

Gust of Wind

You are now able to direct powerful gusts of wind against your opponent. This will prevent someone from moving in a particular direction or even knock him to the ground. In the latter case, the target suffers a normal wound and must pass a Static Physical Test to stand up again. Either application requires a Mental Challenge against the subject’s Physical Traits. Like Lightning Strike, this spell may only be cast when the surrounding weather conditions are appropriate.

 

Clap of Thunder

This is one of the few applications of this Praxis that can be invoked independent of the local environs. When casting this spell, you must clap your hands together forcefully, though the resulting sound is entirely out of proportion for such a simple act. There are two applications of this spell. First, you may direct it at an individual, inflicting one Health Level of stun damage for each success on an Extended Mental Challenge. Your opponent may resist using either Physical or Mental Traits. Alternately, by spending a temporary Willpower Trait, you may releasethe thunder into the general area (20-foot radius). This automatically deafens everyone in the vicinity for a single turn. In addition, the affected characters must pass a Simple Physical Test, its difficulty equal to your Mental Traits. If a character loses this challenge, he is stunned and may only defend passively for the remainder of the scene. In the case of a tie, this effect lasts for one minute. However, should your foe win this test, he becomes immune to Clap of Thunder for the remainder of the scene.

 

Advanced:

 

Lightning Storm

This level allows you to affect multiple opponents. For each Mental Trait bid, you may target one specific person or object with the Basic spell: Lightning Strike. Alternately, you may cover an area of up to a 10-foot radius with ball lightning. This costs one temporary Willpower Trait, and each person in the area must make a Static Physical Test. The difficulty is equal to your current Mental Traits; anyone who fails suffers an aggravated wound.

 

Master:

 

Open the Sky

Though significant changes in the local weather patterns require ritual efforts, you are able at the Master level to break those patterns temporarily. This spell allows you to call any weather system into the immediate area, up to a 20-foot radius for each Mental Trait you possess. Hail, blizzard, even hurricane-force winds are all possible for a brief duration. The environmental changes begin when you start the spell and reach the desired results as you finish casting. The full extent of this change is subject to Narrator approval, but assume that you can duplicate any Basic or Intermediate effects from this Praxis for the remainder of the scene.