Spellblights are rare and unusual magical conditions that uniquely affect spellcasters, including creatures that use Innate Powers. Spellblights are curses, some functioning continuously and others manifesting only when the afflicted creature attempts to cast a spell or use an Innate Power. A creature that lacks the ability to do either cannot usually be afflicted by a spellblight.
There are many ways a spellcaster can become afflicted with a spellblight. These conditions can be gained by way of a curse as well as spontaneously with a number of unusual circumstances.
Areas of Spellblight: Typically, the act of casting a spell has little chance of inflicting a spellblight, but there are some areas of magical instability where the mere act of casting a spell within the area can endanger a spellcaster.
There are two main types of spellblight areas. In areas of minor spellblight, each time a spellcaster casts a spell, she must make a Spirit check or be affected by a random minor spellblight.
In areas of major spellblight, the caster must make a Spirit check at -2 or contract a major spellblight. Due to the strange and random nature of such areas, their effects are not always consistent. There are areas that inflict a single type of spellblight, and areas that are easier or harder to resist with each spell cast.
Curses and Other Spells: All spellblights can be inflicted upon spellcasters with curse. With success, curse can bestow any minor spellblight (or a major spellblight with a raise on the roll). Other spells may inflict a specific spellblight or may allow the caster to select any spellblight as part of the spell. Resisting a spell prevents the spellblight from taking hold. The addition of a spellblight to an activated power is up to the discretion of the GM unless the caster has an Edge allowing it.
GMs may choose to include the following methods of acquiring spellblights.
Armor Interference: When a spellcaster fails to cast a spell due to Armor Interference, she has a chance of becoming afflicted with a spellblight. The failed spellcaster must make a Spirit check or gain a spellblight. A failed Novice or Seasoned power results in a minor spellblight, while a failed Veteran or higher results in a major spellblight.
Crafting Magic Items: When a spellcaster is crafting a magic item, and fails the check to create the item, the GM can choose to give the caster a spellblight. Determine the spellblight randomly based on the item she was attempting to create. Creating an item with a power of Seasoned or lower grants a minor spellblight, while a power of higher rank gives a random major spellblight.
Teleportation Mishap: A spellcaster who Critically Fails when casting teleport must make a Spirit check. With success they gain a minor spellblight. With failure, they gain a major spellblight instead.
Use Magic Device: When a spellcaster Critically Fails while attempting to use a magic device, she can gain a minor spellblight.
While the most severe symptoms of a spellblight may manifest only episodically, the condition is often tenacious and difficult to remove. Each spellblight lists conditions for its removal, and can also be removed as if it were a curse (with Remove Curse). Any spellblight can be removed automatically with wish.
The tables on the previous page lists minor and major spellblights. When called to randomly determine a spellblight, roll on the appropriate table.
The following section details spellblights, split up based on their severity and featuring descriptions of effects and special methods to end those effects. Note that some of the effects of spellblights can be somewhat beneficial. Crafty spellcasters can make the best of even the worst situations, and the beneficial effects of any spellblights represent this.
D10 SPELLBLIGHT
1 Casterblank
2 Caster Croak
3 Confounded Casting
4 Disassociation
5 Ebon Eyes
6 Eldritch Ague
7 Hemoculysis
8 Lassitude
9 Ritualistic Obsession
10 Spell Addiction
D10 SPELLBLIGHT
1 Eldritch Cataracts
2 Nameless Dread
3 Negated
4 Obsessive Fixation
5 Phase Blight
6 Spell Burn
7 Spell Sap
8 Transference Block
9 Vertigo
10 Two random minor spellblights
The following is a list and descriptions of many of the most common minor spellblights.
A spellcaster with casterblank has a hard time focusing her spells and Innate Powers on the same creature more than once. After targeting a creature with a spell, the caster cannot target that creature again with a spell until casterblank is removed or suppressed.
To suppress casterblank, the afflicted spellcaster must spend a limited action concentrating, which shakes off all effects of the casterblank until she casts a targeted spell again. Casterblank only affects spells that target creatures, and a spellcaster can still affect the creature with area spells.
Cure: Casterblank can be cured by relief cast with a raise.
The afflicted spellcaster’s throat or mouth is magically constricted. The spellcaster can barely make her words heard, and then only with great effort. A creature under this effect can only make itself heard by others by spending a limited free action to focus its will on speech.
Casting spells that require speech as part of their Trapping suffers a -1 penalty. Innate Powers are not affected by this spellblight. Shouting and screaming is impossible while the creature is affected by this spellblight.
Cure: Caster croak can be cured by healing with Greater Healing or by the afflicted casting sound.
A spellcaster with confounded casting has a mental disconnect between the spells she intends to cast and the spells she actually casts. The first time each turn the character casts a spell, she suffers a -2 penalty to her arcane skill roll. With failure, she casts a random spell instead so long as she would have succeeded without the -2 penalty. The GM determines the power but the target (if any) remains the same.
Cure: Confounded can be cured by relief cast with a raise.
A spellcaster with disassociation lapses into a mild insanity in which she dissociates her identity and starts to perceive herself as someone else. While subject to disassociation, a spellcaster is incapable of targeting herself with a spell unless she uses the Additional Recipients Power Modifier.
Cure: Disassociation can be cured by relief cast with a raise.
A spellcaster with ebon eyes develops a jet-black film over her eyes, which inverts her capacity to perceive light and darkness. The creature treats Pitch Darkness as light, Dim as Dark, Dark as Dim, and light as Pitch Darkness.
Cure: Ebon eyes can be removed with an effect that removes blindness.
Eldritch ague manifests as a debilitating sickness. When the subject casts a spell, she is overcome with shaking for one round. This causes a -1 penalty to activate powers and forces the victim to make a Spirit check to activate a Mystic or Innate Power.
Cure: Eldritch ague acts much like a disease, and creatures with Immunity to disease are also immune to eldritch ague. Healing with Neutralize Poison or Disease cures eldritch ague.
A spellcaster with hemoculysis bleeds from her eyes whenever she casts a spell. The volume and number of rounds of this flow depend on the Rank of the power. (Novice:1, Seasoned: 2, Veteran: 3, Heroic: 4, Legendary: 5). While bleeding from the eyes, the spellcaster is Vulnerable. The sight of the spellcaster’s eyes bleeding is horrifying, and she gains a +1 bonus on Intimidation checks and suffers a -2 penalty on Persuasion checks.
Cure: Hemoculysis can be cured by healing with Greater Healing.
Whenever a spellcaster with this spellblight casts a spell, she takes a level of Fatigue unless she makes a Spirit check.
Cure: Lassitude can be cured by relief with Restoration, or any effect that completely removes Fatigue. Simply resting has no effect.
A spellcaster afflicted with ritualistic obsession adds unnecessary gestures to her spellcasting activities. It takes two actions for the character to cast a spell. However this extra action does not inflict a Multi-Action Penalty.
Cure: Ritualistic obsession is cured by relief with Restoration.
A spell addict feeds off the elation of wielding magic, but suffers rapid withdrawal once spellcasting ends. After successfully casting a spell, the addict gains a +1 bonus on Trait rolls until her next turn. If the spell addict does not cast a spell on her turn, however, she goes into withdrawal, and becomes Vulnerable.
Cure: Spell addiction is cured by relief with Restoration and Neutralize Disease.
The following list details some of the most common major spellblights. While major spellblights can be suppressed for a time, they cannot be cured.
Each time a spellcaster with this spellblight casts a spell, her vision becomes fuzzier and fuzzier until eventually she is blinded. Each time the spellcaster casts a spell, she makes a Vigor check. With failure, she gains the Bad Eyes (Minor) Hindrance until the spellblight is removed. Further failed checks increase the Hindrance to Major, then replace it with Blind.
Suppression: Eldritch cataracts is a difficult spellblight to cure. Any effect that cures blindness reduces the Hindrance progression by one.
A caster with nameless dread believes strange beings from far dimensions or the blackness between the stars are hounding her and sapping her sanity. Every time the caster uses a spell, Mystic Power, or Innate Power, she sees a glimpse of her nameless pursuers.
She makes a Spirit check or becomes Shaken. If Distracted or Vulnerable, she rolls on the Fear Table. Each time a spellcaster rolls on the Fear Table, she adds 1 to all future rolls on the table due to nameless dread.
A spellcaster suffering from nameless dread is particularly adept at wielding fear. When she casts fear, she adds +1 to her arcane skill roll.
Suppression: Relief with Restoration suppresses the effects of nameless dread (and its benefits to spellcasting) for one hour.
A negated spellcaster has his ability to manipulate magical energies disrupted. He gains Arcane Resistance. This resistance affects spells cast by himself and allies.
Suppression: Relief with Restoration suppresses the negated spellblight for one day.
A spellcaster with an obsessive fixation develops a tendency toward repetition. Whenever the character casts a spell, she feels the need to cast the same spell a second time with her next action that turn.
A caster using Mystic Powers wants to spend the additional Power Points to get a raise on the power. If the caster does not do this she is Stunned for one round.
Suppression: Obsessive fixation can be suppressed for one day with empathy cast with a raise.
A spellcaster afflicted with this spellblight fades in and out of existence. Each time she casts a spell, she phases in and out of reality until the end of her next turn.
While phasing, any attacks or spells targeting or coming from the character suffer a -2 penalty as she phases.
Suppression: Effects that block planar travel or banish stabilize a phasing creature for the duration of the effect.
Each time this spellcaster casts a spell or uses a Mystic or Innate Power, her skin feels if it were on fire. With a successful Vigor check, the spellcaster can ignore the pain of the effect, but with failure, she is Vulnerable (Stunned with a Critical Failure). While the caster is Vulnerable by this spellblight, any spell with a fire Trapping that she casts gets a +1 bonus to the arcane skill roll.
Suppression: The burning sensation is a figment of the caster’s imagination. Spellcasters that are immune to mindaffecting powers (such as puppet and empathy) are immune to this spellblight, and don’t gain the beneficial effect when casting spells with the fire Trapping.
A spellcaster with spell sap is subject to blackouts when casting spells. She may becomes mentally locked, distant, or catatonic, or may even slip into unconsciousness. Each time the afflicted spellcaster casts a spell or uses an Innate Power, she makes a Vigor check or becomes Distracted and Vulnerable. If she Critically Fails she instead lapses into unconsciousness for 1d4 rounds.
Suppression: Spell sap can be suppressed for one day with healing with Greater Healing.
A spellcaster with transference block has difficulty targeting allies with spells. She must spend an additional Power Point for each ally she targets with a spell.
Suppression: Transference block can be suppressed by spending one hour in an area where magic doesn't work.
A spellcaster with vertigo becomes dizzy and lightheaded when she casts a spell. Each time she casts a spell or uses an Innate Power, the world spins and shifts around her. She falls down and is Vulnerable. While Vulnerable, the spellcaster must make an Athletics check to stand up.
Suppression: A relief with Restoration cast on the afflicted spellcaster suppresses this spellblight for one day.