Re: How to Cast Fireballs?

AVE!
Wow, have you ever got a lot of time on your hands... ;)
Didn't you check the original AD&D materials or did you only have the 2nd
Ed. stuff available?

in LVX
-SG


"lorax666" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> 50031102 viii om
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Tom R. Rastell):
> # I want to cast fireballs. How can I learn it?
>
> that's a FAQ!
>
>     Q: How can I cast fireballs (lightning, + other RPG magic)?
>
>     A: Dungeons and Dragons' 1978 Basic Set doesn't even *have*
>        a description of the Fire Ball spell, it is *3rd* Level,
>        which means that you have to be a *5th* Level Mage to
>        even cast the thing!
>
>        'ok,' I sez, 'the *Advanced* set's gotta have something',
>        so I got out my *whole library*. even GURPS and Spell Law
>        and Mage: The Ascension, Ars Magica, the Books of Nephilim
>        and Madness and Liber Ka, and of course Paul Hume's Grimoire,
>        plus the rest. now I'm *sure* I can offer you something. :>
>
>        what I remember offhand from my hardcore DnD days is that
>        we were always in need of batshit. they called it 'guano',
>        and the stuff was highly flammable (or at least inflammable).
>        the idea was that you were to pick a spot somewhere in sight,
>        or at least toward which you were familiar enough to aim,
>        and then throw the ball of guano in that direction, saying
>        the incantation, and taking out a half-dozen goblins.
>
>       Material Effects
>
>        the ADnD Wizard's Manual mentions the importance of the
>        Fireball inasmuch as it does *immediate* damage, but it
>        doesn't have the particulars about the casting of the spell.
>        I'll have to go get my DM's Manual and/or the Spellbook
>        from The Hole where it is stored if I can't find it in these.
>
>        Liber Ka has a Human Combustion spell, but this is not quite
>        about what you were asking. all the same, the spell components
>        are a small doll or a photograph, which will be burned to ashes
>        during the course of the spell. this is a Third Circle spell.
>
>        Pixaud's has several Fireball spells, of course, complete
>        with backlash scores (Altered Fireball has a backlash score
>        of *18* (looks like out of 20 -- dangerous to cast!!)). Pixaud
>        says you have to have a one-third lb. ball of flammable pitch
>        or coal. grab a piece from the ball before setting it ablaze,
>        then control its movement
>
>              by mimicking its flight with the piece he retained.
>              He controls the detonation by slamming the piece
>              into his hand when the ball arrives at its target.
>              The ball explodes to its full volume, a sphere with
>              a radius of four meters.
>
>        wow! the improved version seems roughly the same, though it
>        can increase in volume as it moves, or move as it's exploding,
>        doing quite a bit more volume-damage. there is some kind of
>        lore about the fireball spell here too:
>
>                 *Fireballs were the obsessive speciality of
>                  Vascher Flametongue. He developed the
>                  two above, as well as his infamous
>                  Vascher's Collosal Fireball. It took weeks
>                  to cast, and he launched it in the Gorunden
>                  Hills, where it impacted at what is now
>                  called the Black Glass Crater, a hole better
>                  than 8,000 meters across. -- Zelephest*
>
>        but there is a different method given for the *Conjured
>        Fireball* spell:
>
>              the conjuring must be done near an open flame,
>              although the fire may be as small as a pair of
>              candles. The spell may be released within a
>              round, the magician uttering a cast word of his
>              choosing and mimicking the shaping of a ball of
>              flame through motions of his hands. The fireball
>              has a burst radius of 10 meters and anyone not
>              disbelieving.... takes the effect value as damage.
>
>        the World of Darkness Sorcerer reminds that we could be
>        talking about multiple types of fire here. typically you
>        will wish to call upon elemental fire unless you have some
>        connection to some other dimension or realm of flame,
>        as some Middle-Eastern hell or a Dantean Roast-Off. in the
>        former the spell components will likely be something simple,
>        like a ball of something flammable, and in the case of
>        hellfire we're talking a pact with or some payment to the
>        Underworld Powers.
>
>        in grimoires fireball-like spells span the lexicon from
>        "fire" and "pyro" to "incendiary" and can be found under
>        "spells:<whatever>", or "elemental:fire"/"infernal:hellfire".
>        they are usually in the first plateau of spellcasting mastery.
>        GURPS sez that the spellcaster must have a magical staff,
>        wand, or jewelry, plus a valuable gemstone.
>
>        Nephilim has a wonderful description of the magical
>        fields (Fire-Mars the first; the rest are Air-Mercury,
>        Water-Venus, Earth-Jupiter, Moon, Orichalka-Saturn
>        (metal), and Sun):
>
>                The Fields of Fire are influenced by the magic
>                energies of Mars. Mars is in the signs of its
>                rulership during the astrological months of Aries
>                and Scorpio as well as all Tuesdays. ... Fire
>                Fields are most often red, but can also be orange
>                or yellow. Some can even be white, the color of
>                fusion, while others will be blue. Their shapes
>                are ever changing, and are often surrounded by
>                small flames. They are fast moving and thin.
>                Fire-element is found in volcanic places, during
>                heavy storms, around natural or accidental fires,
>                and other sources of heat.
>
>        the same book has a human combustion also called Pyretic
>        Body in the Circle of Higher Magic (2nd). it looks like a
>        touch-based effect. i.e. you can't throw this, it would
>        require a finger's touch; and the closest thing to a
>        fireball spell in Nephilim I can find is a Grand Secret
>        spell of the 3rd Circle: it burns any matter up to 500 kg.
>        in a range of 10 meters, though Eruption, with the miniature
>        volcano for 24 hours, seems like an interesting alternative.
>
>        Spell Law has the flame emanating directly out of the
>        caster's palm, no components necessary. I think the fact
>        that one is attuned to the element (Fire) allows this
>        manipulation and direct manifestation of the fireball:
>        1' diameter, range 100', to explode in a 10' radius.
>
>        that's all I've got to hand, but there's always the Great
>        Net Spellbook. it is accessible through the alt.magick FAQ,
>        and has loads of variations on ADnD spells. in this case,
>        with a brief looksee in Level 3 Spells (the typical level
>        at which more than missiles, bolts, darts, or tongues of
>        flame may be enhanced to explode at the end of their
>        trajectories), I found the following variations:
>
>              * Acidball -- add some caustic soda to the bat guano
>              * Ball Lightning -- add some iron shavings to the guano
>              * Fireball From the Plates -- whale oil substitute
>              * Flaming Sphere -- uses a bit of sulphur; 5' radius
>              * Force Ball -- guano and shavings from a giant's club
>              * Grand Unified Blast -- guano + sulphur
>              * Iceball -- bat guano mixed with powdered glass
>              * Legolath's Weird Wildball -- this seems more variable
>                      and less likely to result in flammage; its
>                      material component is a 'wonderstone', which is
>                      described as "a stone of many colours all mixed
>                      together, probably sedimentary, and not really
>                      all that wonderful."
>              * Shadowfire -- fireball + darkness; uses a lump of coal
>              * Steamball -- bat guano and salt from boiled seawater
>              * Thunderball -- uses rainwater from a thunderstorm
>
>        which in general concludes the spell component list nicely.
>
>        as with most sympathetic magic, these spells were constructed
>        with flammable materials, usually with some motivating gesture
>        indicating where the ball was to proceed and when to explode.
>        guano, sulphur, and coal appear to be the primary components,
>        though sometimes smaller flames were used as triggering devices.
>        one might also consider older connections with the element of
>        Fire such as the point-up triangle or the tetrahedron.
>
>       Astral Effects
>
>        for those interested in less overt manipulations, or who do
>        not frankly believe that this kind of magic is possible in
>        the material realm, you may wish to consider the metaphoric
>        implications of the Fireball spell.
>
>        typically fire represents some kind of wonderful spiritual
>        power or sanctity, especially as it makes an appearance as an
>        areole or halo, some kind of field surrounding a personage of
>        cosmic import. a targetted *ball* of fire would imply a
>        sending of passion, intense disruption, and a general caustic
>        influence to the area or person. it is as antagonistic on the
>        astral plane as it would be in the material, and with brief,
>        explosive, repercussions.
>
>        presumably such an Astral Fireball spell would require some
>        connection or link to the target, and since the astral plane
>        doesn't have the same restrictions as the material, one may
>        cast it to any location as long as one has the proper means
>        of forging the connection with the target. a photograph of
>        a human target, for example, might enable the spellcaster
>        to send an astral fireball to the individual *wherever* they
>        happen to be. if one has some of their personal concerns,
>        such as some of their hair, nails, or some previously owned
>        and used article (e.g. something flame-related might be very
>        effective here, like their lighter, or a cigarette from the
>        pack that they are *currently smoking*, etc.), then this is
>        more likely to provide the necessary connection.
>
>        in such a case the bat guano and the rest will not be as
>        important, but could be helpful. sulphur, pitch, or coal
>        might easily be acquired and the connecting item could be
>        drenched in flame during the incantation of the attack.
>        the name of the intended target or the specified location
>        of the area to be affected should also be specified at
>        during this portion of the spell, with the clear intent
>        of disruption, unsettlement, and agitation being the net
>        results of the fireball from the astral.
>
>       Generally
>
>        as you can tell, many spell descriptions are vague and
>        have the barest instructions on how to cast them. they
>        are not intending, in the spell listing, to provide an
>        entire education on spellcasting or values or safety.
>        for this one usually must seek out an expert, master
>        of magic, or do sufficient research so as to prepare
>        the variety of circumstances that may result from such
>        aggressive and caustic spells.
>
>        while this FAQ can go some distance to providing the bare
>        rudiments for the experienced mage, it will necessarily
>        be incomplete as particular situations and participants
>        tweak the spell results based on their skill and weakness.
>        verbal components almost always seem to be attuned to a
>        cosmological knowledge-set, such as reliance upon cosmic
>        spirits, divinities, or allies, and the material bases of
>        fire-based spells in general seem to focus on one of any
>        number of sources for heat and flame. these may include
>        other planes or dimensions, certain Planets (Mars, Sol),
>        or zodiacal signs (usually Sagittarius, Leo, or Aries).
>
>        spell defects or problems such as backlash, bounce-back,
>        etc., and spell ethics, are lines of study which the
>        spellcaster ought best resolve for hirself. their reality
>        and likelihood are often contended in usenet forums in
>        place of practical data as to how to cast spells. start
>        small and work your way upward as regards spell effects
>        and ranges, keeping careful track of your results. make
>        these known to the usenet magical community so we'll have
>        an easier time ferretting the fakery from the miraculous!
>
>       ==================================================================
>        REFS
>
>       Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Handbook
>        Rules Supplement: The Complete Wizard's Handbook, Tactical
>        Studies Rules, Inc., 1990.
>
>       Dungeons and Dragons: Rules for Fantastic Medieval Role
>        Playing Adventure Game Campaigns, by Gary Gygax and
>        Dave Arneson, ed. by Eric Holmes, Tactical Studies Rules,
>        1979 December (the boxed set that I just got @ a yard sale!)
>
>       G.U.R.P.S. Magic: A Tome of Mystic Secrets for F.R.P.,
>         by Steve Jackson, Steve Jackson G.I., 1990.
>
>       The Great Net Spellbook, Sixth Edition, compiled and
>         edited by Boudewijn Wayers, online at:
>         http://www.luckymojo.com/spells/GNSB/0-intro.html
>          and the Third-level Spells were found at:
>         http://www.luckymojo.com/spells/GNSB/03lvl.html
>
>       Liber Ka, John R. Snead, Heather McKinney and Sam Shirley,
>        Chaosium Inc., 1997.
>
>       Nephilim, by Fabrice Lamidey, Sam Shirley, Greg Stafford,
>        and Frederic Weil, Chaosium, 1994.
>
>       Pixaud's Practical Grimoire: Arcane Knowledge from the Realm
>        of Aysle, ed. by Greg Farshley, numerous contributors,
>        W.E.G. 1991.
>
>       Spell Law, by S. Coleman Charlton, Peter C. Fenlon Jr.,
>        and Terry K. Amthor, Iron Crown Enterprises, 1989.
>
>       World of Darkness Sorcerer: the Hedge-Wizard's Handbook, by
>        James Estes Looking Eagle and Phil Brucato, White Wolf, 1997.
>
>       ===============================================================
>        copyright 2003 nagasiva yronwode. all rights reserved.
>       ===============================================================
>
>
> this will appear in some upcoming revision of Nagasiva's alt.magick
> FAQ, which can be found at the following URL:
>
>        http://www.luckymojo.com/namfaq.html
>
> END