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After some time away, here’s another set of ten spells for GURPS Dungeons & Sorcery. This time, many of them deal with misdirection and effects meant to fool others.

Baneful Deflector (SC)
Evocation, Somatic, Verbal, Buff
32 points + 30 points/level
Casting Time: 2 seconds
Casting Roll: None
Range: Touch
Duration: 30 seconds

The subject of the spell gains a shimmering field of force that attempts to deflect all normal missiles that strike him from a particular direction (front, back, right, left, above, below), as specified by the caster. As long as the base damage of the missile is less than or equal to 2d per level of the spell, it is deflected towards the nearest person other than himself, and a new attack roll is made against this person. If the damage is greater than that amount, the deflector has no effect.

The distance between the subject and the new target is treated as additional flight distance, and may cause the attack to take a greater range penalty, have reduced damage and accuracy for being past 1/2D distance, or do nothing if it goes past its max range. If it misses, the usual chances of Hitting the Wrong Target (B389) must be assessed, but only as if it was going from the subject to the new target. If the new target is hit and also has an active baneful deflector in the way, this will happen again, ignoring all previous targets.

Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage: 7 DR (All-or-Nothing, -10%, Deflection, +20%; Directional: Choose, -15%; Force Field, +20%; Limited: Missile Attacks Only, -20%; Magical, -10%), +300%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Reduced Duration, 1/6, -15%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%; Takes Extra Time, x2, -10%) [3.2×10] Each level adds 7 DR (2 dice) to the affliction. Notes: ‘Deflection’ is an alternate version of Reflection.

Feign Death (SC)
Necromancy, Somatic, Verbal, Buff
64 points
Casting Time: 1 second
Casting Roll: None
Range: Touch
Duration: 1.5 hours

The caster can put one person into a cataleptic state with this spell, which can easily be mistaken for death. The subject is still alive, and aware of his surroundings, and must ‘act’ dead to pass any inspection (this does require an Acting roll for anything other than a cursory glance, but there should be bonuses in most situations). The subject does not breathe, and his heart rate is so slow that it can only be detected by a Diagnosis -10 roll. The caster must touch the subject to cast the spell, who must be willing; this cannot be used to incapacitate an unwilling prisoner.

In addition, the subject is completely numb, and will therefore not feel any pain from being prodded, attacked, etc., and his slowed metabolism will give a +10 to all HT rolls to resist poison, toxins, disease, and bleeding.

Affliction 1 (HT; Advantage: Metabolism Control 10 (Link, +10%; Magical, -10%), +500%; Disadvantage: Numb (Link, +10%; Magical, -10%) +20%; Extended Duration, x30, +60%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [6.35×10]

Fire Burst (C)
Alteration, Somatic, Verbal
8 points
Casting Time: 1 second
Casting Roll: None
Range: 20 yards
Duration: Instantaneous

The caster chooses one non-magical open fire within range, which will then ‘explode’ (it does not actually affect the fire at all), sending out hot coals and tongues of flame, hitting everyone within 4 yards for 1d-1 points of damage. This could be a campfire, but will still work with small sources such as candles and lanterns (note that a closed lantern would block the effects of the burst, while an open one would effectively just act as a cone through the open side).

Innate Attack 1d6-1 (burn, Accessibility: Open Non-Magical Fire -10%; Area Effect, 4 yards, +100%; Cosmic: No Die Roll Required, +50%; Increased 1/2D, x10, +15%; Reduced Range, 1/5, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%) [2.0×4]

Fools’ Gold (C)
Illusion, Somatic, Verbal
12 points
Casting Time: 2 seconds
Casting Roll: None. Use IQ or Artist (Illusion) to determine how convincing it is.
Range: Touch
Duration: Special

The caster causes number of copper coins (only; no silver, nickel, alloys, etc.) to appear as gold coins. The number affected varies, but is limited to what can easily be piled together to be targeted all at once (casting on the contents of a small bag will work). This merely an illusion, and will get the caster in a lot of trouble if the deception is noticed. This only changes the look of the coins, so someone paying attention may well notice the fact that they are too light for gold (IQ roll for any anyone used to handling gold, or any appropriate moneyhandling skill to notice), but as they are metal, they will feel and sound right (though biting the coins will show they are too hard for reasonably pure gold). If the coins are examined visually, roll a Quick Contest of the caster’s Artist (Illusion) plus Talent vs the observer’s Per or appropriate numismatics skill. (In the latter case, the GM may want to cap the caster’s roll with his ability in the same skill. “Wait! The duke’s head has never appeared on a gold florin!”)

The coins will continue to appear gold, perhaps fooling several people who take them in turn, until they are struck against any sort of wrought iron (most forms of non-steel worked iron). At that point, the illusion will break, revealing their true nature.

Illusion (Accessibility: Only on Copper Coins, -80%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Independence, +40%; Limited: Gold Coins Only, -80%; Preprogrammed, -10%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%; Takes Extra Time, x2, -10%; Visual Only, -30%) [0.45×25]

Hypnotism (C)
Enchantment, Somatic, Verbal
53 points
Casting Time: 1 second
Casting Roll: IQ + Talent
Range: 10 yards
Duration: 10 seconds

The magic-user intones a short droning chant while picking a 4-yard radius area, and everyone in the affected area makes Quick Contest of IQ + Talent vs the subjects’ Will (the subjects’ rolls are all secret). Anyone who loses the Contest is subject to obeying any “reasonable” suggestions the caster may make (and the subject can understand) for the next 10 seconds.

Obviously harmful suggestions will just be ignored by the subject(s), and things against its nature will also not work. But more general ones (‘leave’) will work in most cases, and suggesting that a close friend has been replaced by a doppelganger that needs to be destroyed could work. Once the duration expires, the suggestion will lose its force, and the subjects may reassess what they’re doing, but will not remember being hypnotized.

Mind Control (Accessibility: ‘Reasonable’ Commands Only, -10%; Area Effect, 4 yards, +100%; Hearing-Based, -20%; Long Range, Long-Distance Modifiers, +100%; Range Limit, -5%; Reduced Duration, 1/6, -15%; Reduced Range, 1/10, -30%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%; Suggestion, -50%) [1.05×50]

Magic Aura (C)
Illusion, Somatic, Verbal
27 points
Casting Time: 1 second
Casting Roll: None. Use IQ or Artist (Illusion) to determine how convincing it is.
Range: Touch
Duration: 18 hours

This allows any small object (no more than about a foot across) to be given an aura like an enchanted object. Technically, it is enchanted, but only with having an aura, which can appear to be of whatever college or type desired. Like all regular magic auras, it is invisible to normal sight, and only appears to a detect magic spell or similar. When detected, roll a Quick Contest between the caster’s IQ or Artist (Illusion) (whichever is better) plus Talent vs the detector’s Per. If the detector wins he can tell that it is a fake aura, but otherwise he will see the item as magical. Dispelling the object will work normally, but may not provide the effect the dispeller expected.

Illusion (Accessibility: 1 Cubic Foot Objects or Smaller, -30%; Extended Duration, Permanent, +150%; Limited Scope: Magical Auras, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%; Static, -30%; Visual Only, -30%) [1.05×25]

Metamorphose Liquids (C)
Alteration, Somatic, Verbal
8 points per level
Casting Time: 1 second
Casting Roll: IQ + Talent
Range: Touch
Duration: (Possibly) Permanent

This spell can be cast on any type of bulk liquid to turn it into any other non-magical liquid. Any potion, poison, acid, holy water, etc. can be turned into ordinary water, wine, oil, or even blood. It could even be used to turn water into dangerous acid or poison, in which case the resulting liquid can do up to 1d of damage per level this spell is known at. Note that this only works on simple, coherent bodies of liquid (in a container, pool, etc.), and does not work on, say, ‘the water in that person’s body’.

Up to 10 pounds of liquid can be transmuted (at the base spell level; square the level and multiply by 10 lbs. for higher levels), or a bit more than one gallon of water (many liquids are near the same density). This will last for 10 seconds unless the magic-user expends effort (CP) to stabilize the liquid in its new form. This requires 1 CP per $100 of value of the liquid (measured by the increase in value), and should be waived by the GM for low-value items (non-drinkable water is effectively free, 1 gallon of water is ~$1, wine ~$5), but should be enforced for more valuable substances (fine wine can be considerably more valuable, and should also require a roll against Connoisseur to come out right). CPs for stabilization come out of a ‘creation pool’, which can be added to from unspent points at any time. A metamorphosed liquid could be “destabilized” (and the CP put back into the pool) at any time as long as the liquid is still in its created form (i.e., not consumed, evaporated, mixed into something else…).

Create 1 (Liquids; Magical, -10%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Transmutation Only, to Liquids, -50%) [0.2×40]

Misdirection (C)
Illusion, Somatic, Verbal
47 points
Casting Time: 2 seconds
Casting Roll:
Range: 20 yards
Duration: 5 hours

This spell will attempt to defeat or misdirect a number of divination spells and effects. Binary, or ‘yes/no’ effects such as detect evil and detect lie will return the opposite answer as the truth, while things that detect the presence of certain effects (detect charm, detect invisibility, detect magic, etc.) will correctly identify these effects, but will report the source of it as being a different place/item/creature/etc.

Note that the type of detection, and not the power source of the detection is important here; more capable spells, such as know alignment or ESP will not be fooled by this spell. (In terms of Powers: Enhanced Senses, any Detect without Discriminatory, Imaging, or Analyzing is potentially subject to misdirection.)

Obscure 10 (Detect (Divination); Cosmic: Active Misdirection, +50%; Extended Duration, x300, +100%; Ranged, +50%; Reduced Range, 1/5, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%; Takes Extra Time, x2, -10%) [2.35×20]

Non-Detection (C)
Abjuration, Somatic, Verbal, Buff/Resisted (Will)
44 points
Casting Time: 3 seconds
Casting Roll: None
Range: Touch
Duration: 5 hours

Any one object the caster touches will become immune to all sorts of divination, whether through spells, spell-like abilities, or magical items for the duration of the spell. Ordinarily, this is a Buff, and success is automatic, but if the subject desires to resist it (to allow friends to find where he’s been kidnapped to, for instance), make a Quick Contest of Will between the caster and subject (including the caster’s Talent), and the subject is only hidden from detection if the caster succeeds.

Affliction 1 (Will; Advantage: Obscure 10 (Detect (Divination), Magical, -10%), +180%; Based on Will, +20%; Extended Duration, x100, +80%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Malediction 1, +100%; Melee Attack, C, 1, -20%; Requires Gestures, -10%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%; Takes Extra Time, x2, -10%) [4.35×10]

Suggestion (C)
Enchantment, Verbal
100 points
Casting Time: 3 seconds
Casting Roll: IQ + Talent
Range: 20 yards
Duration: 5 hours

The magic-user makes a Quick Contest of IQ + Talent vs the subject’s Will to be able to give the subject a short command (two sentences at most). Obviously harmful suggestions will just be ignored by the subject, and things against its nature will also not work. But concepts like suggesting that a dragon help you attack someone else and split their treasure can work. Once the duration expires, the suggestion will lose its force, and the subject may reassess what he’s doing.

Mind Control (Accessibility: One ‘Reasonable’ Command Only, -20%; Extended Duration, x100, +80%; Fixed Duration, +0%; Hearing-Based, -20%; Independent, +70%; Long Range, Long-Distance Modifiers, +100%; Range Limit, -5%; Reduced Range, 1/5, -20%; Requires Magic Words, -10%; Sorcery, -15%; Suggestion, -50%; Takes Extra Time, x2, -10%) [2.0×50]

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Metamorphose Liquids is a pretty interesting spell even in the original, and translates over to GURPS pretty smoothly. Of course, it suddenly needs to go into the Creation Pool mechanics of Create from Powers, and I’m thinking I may just need to put a couple of paragraphs about that into the introductory section of Dungeons & Sorcery if this crops up a few times (which is probably likely as I continue pushing into higher-level spells).

I’d be careful letting Fools’ Gold lose in any campaign, as the PCs could easily mix a bunch of magicked coins in with regular coins so they aren’t immediately noticed, or come up with any number of other schemes to work around the limitations. At least it’s still money of some amount, and it could be a perfect spell for that NPC miser magic-user….