Lores of Magic 101
Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 7:34 pm
Might as well attempt to go into detail on on how things work in the lores of magic, as these things get brought up often enough. So here we go.
Also I don’t know the exact rules on using difficulty for getting each spell, I’ll use the following terms for my spells on how hard it would be for a level 1 wizard to get the spell off, and difficulty will be the most conservative I can get. That is until one of the mods says I can say the number needed to get off.
For a level 1 wizard (give or take, this isn't an exact science I’m using this time).
Very Easy: Need a score of 3-4, can get it on 1 die.
Easy: about a score of 5-7, can be conceivably achieved on 2 dice.
Moderate: 8-10, need at least 3 dice.
Hard: Need a 11-13, need about 4 dice conceivably for this to work
Very Hard: 14-16, about 5 dice
There goes the dice pool: You need to get about a 17-19, so you dice limit for most casters.
This is going to hurt isn't it: Casting Difficulty 20+. This is going to hurt. By now you should be seeing lots of double 6’s, but at this level you need to be a lord class wizard to see get this done.
Now for game jargon:
Lore Attribute: Special rules pertaining to the lore.
Signature Spell: A basic spell from said lore that all wizards know. Because of this, no one will have to roll for this spell. However you can't pick this spell until you roll for your other spells. If there is a spell you don't like or don't want to use on this wizard and/or game you can switch it out for the signature spell. Because of the fact this is the first spell any wizard learns, every wizard in your army can take this spell despite the normal restrictions of one of each spells per army.
Boosting: Increase the difficulty for more perks for the spell, normally extra damage or increased range.
Any other questions, adoring admiration, critiques, your own opinion, and so on post after this.
Lore of Fire (Come on Baby, Light my Fire)
This is the easiest lore to get spells off in, and perfect for new players. It’s also the best to get a few things stated off on.
It’s attribute is called Kindle Flame. Not only are all the spells flaming, but as long as a unit was hit by a magic missile or direct damage spell from this lore that magic phase, it automatically becomes easier to cast spells from lore of fire on them. Why? Because now the lore of fire user can add D3 to their casting score when the dice and magic level is added up.
Signature Spell: Fire Ball.
This is the definition of easy to get off. 24” range, D6 hits at Strength 4. Boost it to double difficulty to price you can get an extra 12 inches to your range (36 now…I’m an American, get over it), and another D6 worth of hits, while the third level (yes, it has a third level of boosting, and is one of the few spells to have this) for a very hard casting difficulty for a 48” range and 3D6 hits.
Pretty much you are going to be using the first two levels a lot as they are not that hard to get off, and have good range. The last one seems a bit overkill as you now have the range of a bolt thrower, and you can probably spend those dice used on it elsewhere. Still, its pretty simple and works nicely.
As a magic missile it cannot be used in close combat, or on a unit in close combat, but this is where the next few spells come into play.
Excample: you can cast the normal version on the Shadow warriors that used their scout rule in front of you with the normal difficulty for D6 hits; use the more difficult version for those great swords 25" away and pelt away 2D6 of them; or blow that bolt thrower into atoms at 48” away with the very difficult one (3D6 hits is bound to get one wound in sooner or latter).
Cascading flame cloak:
Another easy spell to get off, and it only has one level. This remains in play spell is an augmentation spell, one that can aid your troops. The spell effects the wizard and any unit he is in, and causes 2D6 strength 4 hits to any and all enemy units in base contact of the unit every magic phase.
Excample: A group of savage orcs get my Empire Greatsword’s flank, while a nasty unit of Black Orcs has me in the front. During their turn, both units would each suffer 2d6 hits, which could kill between 2-12 orcs in each unit. Not bad, not bad at all.
While this spell can easily be dispelled latter on, it is defiantly a good thing to have as it weakens the enemy for you before you have to go into the nitty gritty of Close Combat. And as it’s every magic phase, that’s 2D6 worth of hits against each enemy unit a turn.
Flaming Sword of Rhuin:
The first moderate spell on the list that can be cast on a unit within 24 inches, or go with the hard to get off upgraded version and pick a friendly unit within 48”. That said, once a unit has been chosen, the unit now has flaming attacks and +1 to wound in both Shooting and Close Combat until the caster’s next magic phase. You’ll most likely be using the normal version, but the upgraded version won’t cost you an arm and a leg, so you could use it on a friendly unit, say harpies or a unit of Shadow Warriors, on the other side of the field with no worries.
Burning Head:
What can I say, this spell is cool. This spell is borderline hard spell, however It goes through ranks like a bouncing cannon ball, and can be used in close combat. Basically everything within 18”directly in front of the caster get’s hit with a strength 4 attack. This hits like a canon ball, and goes through each ranks as such. Moreover any unit that takes an unsaved wound from this must check for panic. For a slightly harder version, you can double the range.
This is perfect for units that either have A) Low leadership can start running, and units with lots of ranks or B) are very close to one another can rack up the wounds. Moreover, this can get through the meat shield units some armies use. The second version of this is not that much more expensive, so its not going to kill your Power Dice pool to get it off. It also has no specific target, so unless I’m wrong here (correct me if so) you could conceivably use it in close combat.
Example: The enemy is using a horde of skaven and spamming ranks to keep their steadfast and +3 to LD do to army rules. While screaming skull might not kill every skaven it goes though like a 50 caliber bullet, it can still make the role to wound every rank per rank. So a unit with 7 ranks (like I said, spamming ranks) will need to roll for seven skaven to see if they become charbroiled. S4 attacks so -1 to armor, and wounding on 3+.
Piercing Bolts:
Another one that is borderline and who’s second level is not going to kill your power dice pool to get off. Normal: 24 inch range, Boosted: 48 inch range. In either case, this magic missile causes D3 hits per ranks with 5+ models in it on the targeted unit. This means units with lots of ranks can have the possibility to rack enough unsaved wounds to warrant a panic test. However units without ranks such as skirmishers and fast cavalry, war machines, or monsters; or units who traditionally do not need to have 5 models a rank for a full rank such as Brettonian knights or monstrous units are immune to this spell for the most part because they don't have 5 guys per rank most of the time. Also when monstrous units do do that, I doubt a few wounds from that is going to do much against a monstrous unit in horde formation.
The spell has it’s uses, 1-3 wounds a rank every rank for a typical unit means there will be quite a few kills, but it doesn't mean it will always work that way. Overall, this is the weakest spell in the lore.
Example: The enemy has a unit of ungores with 6 ranks within 24 inches, and the enemy general in the far back with his 4 ranks of beastigores at 48 inches away. You could go hard against the ungores and cause anywhere from 5-15 wounds or the beastigores at a even harder difficulty with 4-12 wounds.
Fulminating Flame Cage:
A hex spell, and a hard spell, but one that is achievable on 3 dice. Pretty much the target unit gets hit by D6 S4 hits, but if the unit has to move for whatever reason, the EVERY MODEL IN the unit takes a Strength 4 hit. This is perfect for hoard armies, and units with Frenzy or stupid, or is fleeing as chances are they are going to move. That said, if they do not move by the caster’s next magic phase it’s automatically dispelled. Still, this can keep an elite unit in one place a s the enemy player may not want to risk losing his heavy hitter.
The basic version has a 24” range, and the longer ranged version is double that for a slightly higher difficulty. While this has the potential of being a what I like to call a Unit Killer, a spell or unit that can wipe out a whole unit or at least take out a good chunk of it. That said you’ll need to have them take a panic test, break in combat, park a unit in front of those frothing Frenzied units, or hope they have stupidity otherwise they just loose D6 wounds.
Ex: My Warriors of chaos opponent has 30 Muraders with mark of Khorn within 18”, and a unit of 18 trolls at 30 inches. I could cast the flame cage on the marauders and have my dark riders parked close enough to bait them. What ever survives the D6 hits has to now test to see if they won’t charge due to frenzy, but if they failed what is left of the unit has is hit (so If I killed no one when I cast the spell, all 30 of them have to take a hit, champion included).
I could also do this to the trolls, knowing their stupidity will more then likely do themselves in. While I doubt this will kill the unit (each troll has 3 wound each, there will be survivors).
As the spell is not remains in play, the only way to dispel it is to set it off or wait it out, or dispel it when it was first cast.
Flame Storm:
The first round template spells. Pretty much you should guess the strength of hits here: every undeathneath the template is hit by Strength 4 hits. There are two versions of this.
Then basic one is in the moderate difficulty which allows you to place a small template anywhere within 30 inches of the caster, and then role a scatter die and D6 to see how off cores it goes. However go with the very hard level of difficulty (although still somewhat manageable) boosted version of this spell,s its now a large template and 2D6 scatter. Either way this can take out a good chunk of a unit. Also, remembered that template spells can’t touch friendly models, though they may scatter onto them.
Since it’s direct damage and not a vortex it goes away.
Example. I have enough zombies in front of me to have the body count of the Night, Dawn, and Day of the Dead combined. I could use a small templat on them, much more manageable but will largly just work on a smaller unit. However the larger one can cover more ground, therefore more enemies, but will scatter farther (either way unless I see a direct hit on the scatter die, I’m going to hit my mark).
Lore overview.
Perks: Perfect for new players as the spells are largely moderately priced, and even the hard ones are manageable. Nothing a level 2 wizzard can’t handle really. All the spells that do damage do so on strength 4, so against most units in the game you will be wounding on a 3 or 4. As flaming attacks, Regeneration is canceled and flammable units are at your mercy.
Down Sides: All the spells that do damage, and that is all but one of them, will be hitting at strength 4. I love this strength as it makes figuring out what I need to wound it with so much eaiser (T3 need a 3; T4 need a 4; T 5 need a 5; you get the idea). I can also see this being good against about, if I had to guess, 60% of the units out there as that about the number that are toughness 3 and 4. However this makes tougher foes such as chaos spawn, chosen of chaos who get that one blessing that boosts toughness, monsters, and war machines as they will be needing 5’s and 6’s. Also most of the spells need to targeting someone a fair distance away, with only maybe 2-3 workable up close and personal with the enemy.
Tune in next time as I talk about metal.
Also I don’t know the exact rules on using difficulty for getting each spell, I’ll use the following terms for my spells on how hard it would be for a level 1 wizard to get the spell off, and difficulty will be the most conservative I can get. That is until one of the mods says I can say the number needed to get off.
For a level 1 wizard (give or take, this isn't an exact science I’m using this time).
Very Easy: Need a score of 3-4, can get it on 1 die.
Easy: about a score of 5-7, can be conceivably achieved on 2 dice.
Moderate: 8-10, need at least 3 dice.
Hard: Need a 11-13, need about 4 dice conceivably for this to work
Very Hard: 14-16, about 5 dice
There goes the dice pool: You need to get about a 17-19, so you dice limit for most casters.
This is going to hurt isn't it: Casting Difficulty 20+. This is going to hurt. By now you should be seeing lots of double 6’s, but at this level you need to be a lord class wizard to see get this done.
Now for game jargon:
Lore Attribute: Special rules pertaining to the lore.
Signature Spell: A basic spell from said lore that all wizards know. Because of this, no one will have to roll for this spell. However you can't pick this spell until you roll for your other spells. If there is a spell you don't like or don't want to use on this wizard and/or game you can switch it out for the signature spell. Because of the fact this is the first spell any wizard learns, every wizard in your army can take this spell despite the normal restrictions of one of each spells per army.
Boosting: Increase the difficulty for more perks for the spell, normally extra damage or increased range.
Any other questions, adoring admiration, critiques, your own opinion, and so on post after this.
Lore of Fire (Come on Baby, Light my Fire)
This is the easiest lore to get spells off in, and perfect for new players. It’s also the best to get a few things stated off on.
It’s attribute is called Kindle Flame. Not only are all the spells flaming, but as long as a unit was hit by a magic missile or direct damage spell from this lore that magic phase, it automatically becomes easier to cast spells from lore of fire on them. Why? Because now the lore of fire user can add D3 to their casting score when the dice and magic level is added up.
Signature Spell: Fire Ball.
This is the definition of easy to get off. 24” range, D6 hits at Strength 4. Boost it to double difficulty to price you can get an extra 12 inches to your range (36 now…I’m an American, get over it), and another D6 worth of hits, while the third level (yes, it has a third level of boosting, and is one of the few spells to have this) for a very hard casting difficulty for a 48” range and 3D6 hits.
Pretty much you are going to be using the first two levels a lot as they are not that hard to get off, and have good range. The last one seems a bit overkill as you now have the range of a bolt thrower, and you can probably spend those dice used on it elsewhere. Still, its pretty simple and works nicely.
As a magic missile it cannot be used in close combat, or on a unit in close combat, but this is where the next few spells come into play.
Excample: you can cast the normal version on the Shadow warriors that used their scout rule in front of you with the normal difficulty for D6 hits; use the more difficult version for those great swords 25" away and pelt away 2D6 of them; or blow that bolt thrower into atoms at 48” away with the very difficult one (3D6 hits is bound to get one wound in sooner or latter).
Cascading flame cloak:
Another easy spell to get off, and it only has one level. This remains in play spell is an augmentation spell, one that can aid your troops. The spell effects the wizard and any unit he is in, and causes 2D6 strength 4 hits to any and all enemy units in base contact of the unit every magic phase.
Excample: A group of savage orcs get my Empire Greatsword’s flank, while a nasty unit of Black Orcs has me in the front. During their turn, both units would each suffer 2d6 hits, which could kill between 2-12 orcs in each unit. Not bad, not bad at all.
While this spell can easily be dispelled latter on, it is defiantly a good thing to have as it weakens the enemy for you before you have to go into the nitty gritty of Close Combat. And as it’s every magic phase, that’s 2D6 worth of hits against each enemy unit a turn.
Flaming Sword of Rhuin:
The first moderate spell on the list that can be cast on a unit within 24 inches, or go with the hard to get off upgraded version and pick a friendly unit within 48”. That said, once a unit has been chosen, the unit now has flaming attacks and +1 to wound in both Shooting and Close Combat until the caster’s next magic phase. You’ll most likely be using the normal version, but the upgraded version won’t cost you an arm and a leg, so you could use it on a friendly unit, say harpies or a unit of Shadow Warriors, on the other side of the field with no worries.
Burning Head:
What can I say, this spell is cool. This spell is borderline hard spell, however It goes through ranks like a bouncing cannon ball, and can be used in close combat. Basically everything within 18”directly in front of the caster get’s hit with a strength 4 attack. This hits like a canon ball, and goes through each ranks as such. Moreover any unit that takes an unsaved wound from this must check for panic. For a slightly harder version, you can double the range.
This is perfect for units that either have A) Low leadership can start running, and units with lots of ranks or B) are very close to one another can rack up the wounds. Moreover, this can get through the meat shield units some armies use. The second version of this is not that much more expensive, so its not going to kill your Power Dice pool to get it off. It also has no specific target, so unless I’m wrong here (correct me if so) you could conceivably use it in close combat.
Example: The enemy is using a horde of skaven and spamming ranks to keep their steadfast and +3 to LD do to army rules. While screaming skull might not kill every skaven it goes though like a 50 caliber bullet, it can still make the role to wound every rank per rank. So a unit with 7 ranks (like I said, spamming ranks) will need to roll for seven skaven to see if they become charbroiled. S4 attacks so -1 to armor, and wounding on 3+.
Piercing Bolts:
Another one that is borderline and who’s second level is not going to kill your power dice pool to get off. Normal: 24 inch range, Boosted: 48 inch range. In either case, this magic missile causes D3 hits per ranks with 5+ models in it on the targeted unit. This means units with lots of ranks can have the possibility to rack enough unsaved wounds to warrant a panic test. However units without ranks such as skirmishers and fast cavalry, war machines, or monsters; or units who traditionally do not need to have 5 models a rank for a full rank such as Brettonian knights or monstrous units are immune to this spell for the most part because they don't have 5 guys per rank most of the time. Also when monstrous units do do that, I doubt a few wounds from that is going to do much against a monstrous unit in horde formation.
The spell has it’s uses, 1-3 wounds a rank every rank for a typical unit means there will be quite a few kills, but it doesn't mean it will always work that way. Overall, this is the weakest spell in the lore.
Example: The enemy has a unit of ungores with 6 ranks within 24 inches, and the enemy general in the far back with his 4 ranks of beastigores at 48 inches away. You could go hard against the ungores and cause anywhere from 5-15 wounds or the beastigores at a even harder difficulty with 4-12 wounds.
Fulminating Flame Cage:
A hex spell, and a hard spell, but one that is achievable on 3 dice. Pretty much the target unit gets hit by D6 S4 hits, but if the unit has to move for whatever reason, the EVERY MODEL IN the unit takes a Strength 4 hit. This is perfect for hoard armies, and units with Frenzy or stupid, or is fleeing as chances are they are going to move. That said, if they do not move by the caster’s next magic phase it’s automatically dispelled. Still, this can keep an elite unit in one place a s the enemy player may not want to risk losing his heavy hitter.
The basic version has a 24” range, and the longer ranged version is double that for a slightly higher difficulty. While this has the potential of being a what I like to call a Unit Killer, a spell or unit that can wipe out a whole unit or at least take out a good chunk of it. That said you’ll need to have them take a panic test, break in combat, park a unit in front of those frothing Frenzied units, or hope they have stupidity otherwise they just loose D6 wounds.
Ex: My Warriors of chaos opponent has 30 Muraders with mark of Khorn within 18”, and a unit of 18 trolls at 30 inches. I could cast the flame cage on the marauders and have my dark riders parked close enough to bait them. What ever survives the D6 hits has to now test to see if they won’t charge due to frenzy, but if they failed what is left of the unit has is hit (so If I killed no one when I cast the spell, all 30 of them have to take a hit, champion included).
I could also do this to the trolls, knowing their stupidity will more then likely do themselves in. While I doubt this will kill the unit (each troll has 3 wound each, there will be survivors).
As the spell is not remains in play, the only way to dispel it is to set it off or wait it out, or dispel it when it was first cast.
Flame Storm:
The first round template spells. Pretty much you should guess the strength of hits here: every undeathneath the template is hit by Strength 4 hits. There are two versions of this.
Then basic one is in the moderate difficulty which allows you to place a small template anywhere within 30 inches of the caster, and then role a scatter die and D6 to see how off cores it goes. However go with the very hard level of difficulty (although still somewhat manageable) boosted version of this spell,s its now a large template and 2D6 scatter. Either way this can take out a good chunk of a unit. Also, remembered that template spells can’t touch friendly models, though they may scatter onto them.
Since it’s direct damage and not a vortex it goes away.
Example. I have enough zombies in front of me to have the body count of the Night, Dawn, and Day of the Dead combined. I could use a small templat on them, much more manageable but will largly just work on a smaller unit. However the larger one can cover more ground, therefore more enemies, but will scatter farther (either way unless I see a direct hit on the scatter die, I’m going to hit my mark).
Lore overview.
Perks: Perfect for new players as the spells are largely moderately priced, and even the hard ones are manageable. Nothing a level 2 wizzard can’t handle really. All the spells that do damage do so on strength 4, so against most units in the game you will be wounding on a 3 or 4. As flaming attacks, Regeneration is canceled and flammable units are at your mercy.
Down Sides: All the spells that do damage, and that is all but one of them, will be hitting at strength 4. I love this strength as it makes figuring out what I need to wound it with so much eaiser (T3 need a 3; T4 need a 4; T 5 need a 5; you get the idea). I can also see this being good against about, if I had to guess, 60% of the units out there as that about the number that are toughness 3 and 4. However this makes tougher foes such as chaos spawn, chosen of chaos who get that one blessing that boosts toughness, monsters, and war machines as they will be needing 5’s and 6’s. Also most of the spells need to targeting someone a fair distance away, with only maybe 2-3 workable up close and personal with the enemy.
Tune in next time as I talk about metal.