Alright, so I loved the concept of Fireborn - it was the first RPG I ever actually bought , as opposed to just leeching off other people's copies - and large parts of the execution, too. It was such a pity that there were so many issues with it. One of my personal peeves is the way that the spells didn't feel right for the game's style. They felt to clean and clinical for the elemental powers that create and govern them, too dull .

So, naturally, I began a list of my own.

I've only just started writing them up properly, but I have a long list of spell concepts. I'll be posting an editable link to the GDoc in which I wrote them, and people are welcome to add more spells, or to write in mechanics for spell concepts that are already there. Please don't mess around in there, though, and keep it sane.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G91IjF0-e8JSYKEULRqiYTBYvJzfStF78cmb1pD8W6U/edit?usp=sharing

Here are a few samples:

Rank 1

Stains of Death

Alternate Names: Seeing the Reaper’s Mark,

Area of Effect: Caster, or a person the caster touches

Range: As far as the caster can see

Duration: (Air) minutes

Reaction: No

Effect: The caster opens his eyes to the stains of death. People touched by death are marked, to his sight, with signs and auras distinguishing them. A person with a terminal cancer might have a black, suppurating mass in their chest, while a murderer’s hands might drip with semi-congealed blood. These signs fade with time, although they never vanish entirely.

Casting Options:

1. 1 (Unlimited) Extend the duration of the spell by 1 minute

Ritual Version: Enchant a device so that any who look through it gain the effects of the spell. This could be a telescope, a pair of glasses, a set of contact lenses etc. (3 hours/2 karma/object to be enchanted, endures)

Variant (Murderer’s Bane): This variant of the spell only shows those who have killed others, and concentrating on a mark and making a successful (Air + Ka) test will give the caster a short, often cryptic vision of how the murder happened.

Oathbind

Alternate Names: Geas, Blood-Oath, Chain of Vows

Area of Effect: Two people who are swearing an oath or making an agreement

Range: Caster’s touch

Duration: (Air) weeks

Reaction: No

Effect: The caster calls upon karma to sanctify an oath. This has no effect until and unless someone who swore the oath breaks it. At this point, all of those who swore the oath immediately gain an instinctual knowledge that the oath has been violated, as well as a knowledge of who among them did it. They gain know knowledge of how the oath was broken, only that it was.

Casting Options:

1. 1 (Unlimited) The caster can add another person to the oath.

2. 3 (up to Air times) Add another week to the spell’s duration.

Ritual Version: The ritual version of this spell enchants a piece of paper (or parchment, papyrus etc) so that any oaths, contracts, agreements and so on which are written on it come under the effects of the spell, which has an indefinite duration. This enchantment lingers for a year and a day, and if it not used before then, the magic fades. If the paper is used, then the magic is locked in place, becoming permanent. (1 day/3 karma/paper, endures).

Variant (The Vindictive Vow): This variant of the spell does not inform the participants when the oath is broken, but rather inflicts a curse of bad luck on the oathbreaker. After the oath is broken, the oathbreaker suffers a penalty to all actions taken with one Aspect (chosen when the spell is cast) equal to the caster’s Air rating.

Pyromancy

Alternate Names: Conjuror’s Trick, Pyrokinesis

Area of Effect: One flame no larger than a small bonfire

Range: Caster’s sight

Duration: Concentration. Maintaining concentration in a stressful situation (e.g. combat) requires an Earth + Will test with a TH set by the GM.

Reaction: No

Effect: Spinning a web of fiery karma, the mage calls to fire with fire, gaining minor control over a flame for as long as he concentrates. He might make the flame of a torch lash out at its holder, flare with riotous colours, snuff itself out, take the form of a beast, roar or any number of other minor tricks. This spell cannot create fire from nothing, although it can use an existing flame to light more.

Trying to do damage with the spell involves rolling (Fire + Casting) as a separate action to hit. Damage is dependant upon the heat and size of the fire, as dictated by the GM. A candle flame would be lucky to do 1 damage, while a fireball to the face might do somewhere in the region of 15 damage, not counting the damage which might come from clothes igniting.

Casting Options:

1. 5 (Up to 3) Affect a flame large than a small bonfire. One application of this allows control over a large bonfire, a second allows control up to the size of a shed on fire and a third allows control over a blaze the size of a small house.

Ritual Version: The ritual version of this spell enchants an implement, often a wand or an amulet with the ability to manifest this spell a number of times equal to twice the principle caster’s Air score. (1 day/5 karma/the object to be enchanted, endures. A handful of sulphur, consumed.)

Variant (Electrokinesis): A spell developed in the modern age, electrokinesis acts as Pyromancy, save that it affects electricity, not fire. Electrokinesis could be used to cause a phone to short-circuit, an outlet to flare or a car to suddenly lose all charge.

Variant: (Firewalker): A simplified version of Pyromancy, this spell twists flames away from the body and worn possessions of the caster, so that he may walk through fire unharmed. That said, it does nothing to protect from smoke inhalation.

Cleansing

Alternate Names: Hair of the Dog, Alcoholic’s Friend, Venomeater

Area of Effect: One poison or unpleasant substance within a single living thing’s body

Range: Caster’s touch

Duration: Instantaneous

Reaction: No

Effect: The caster rolls Fire + Medicine against a TH set by the GM based on the virulence and amount of the poison or substance to be expelled. On a success, the venom is purged, either by sweating it out through the skin or, if the caster so chooses, through vomiting. For beings of a significantly larger stature than humans, this may take longer, or else not be possible at all.

Casting Options:

1. 1 (Unlimited) Affect one more person or type of venom

Ritual Version: The ritual version of this spell creates a magical brew specifically designed to target one poison. The creation of this brew requires some kind of mixing implements (a glass and spoon will do, in a pinch), a way to heat it and a number of herbal ingredients. The potion retains its potency for seven months before it fails. (1 hour/3 karma/ingredients, consumed)

Great stuff!

I will review this in more detail later, but I like what you have so far.

My presence is mostly on the G+ community, and will definately share this on there for a bit more exposure. Hopefully this gets enough traction to create a new (better) collection of spells for the game if more people come up with some interesting ideas of their own. (those using the fan-made powers and heritage for spell-engine/arcane breath etc. probably had some crazy ideas used or imagined waiting to be turned into spells I'm sure!)

41 minutes ago, Helios Inferno said:

Great stuff!

I will review this in more detail later, but I like what you have so far.

My presence is msotly on the G+ community, and will definately share this on there for a bit more exposure. Hopefully this gets enough traction to create a new (better) collection of spells with for the game if more people coem up with some interesting ideas of their own. (those using the fan-made powers and heritage for spell-engine/arcane breath etc. probably had some crazy ideas used or imagined waiting to be turned into spells I'm sure!)

It's great to see a reply! Sure, you're welcome to share this on G+, provided I'm referenced. You're under the same name, I take it?

EDIT: Also, I must admit that a vast majority of the spells in there are just re-skinned versions of Mage: the Awakening spells. Then again, they say that good writers borrow, great writers steal...