New Thanatari Magic

My cult of Thanatar is based upon the cult given in Shadows On The Borderlands with the additional changes from Stephen Martin in The Book of Drastic Resolutions #1 and some ideas from Simon Phipps' webpage. Given here are some additional spells that I thought may be appropriate to be taught as additional subcults, or rewards for HeroQuests. Certainly they should be quite rare, perhaps only possessed by powerful Thanatari, or taught by small shrines (imagine the variety you could have in Dorastor!). As with all things to do with Thanatar, anyone with the secrets of these spells will guard them to the death.

Some of the following spells are based on the Thanatar write-up I wrote for Hero Wars.

New Atyar Magic

Destroy Book (Spirit Magic)
variable
ranged, instant
This spell affects up to 1.0 ENC of written material, such as books or scrolls. The book or scroll must be completely visible to the caster, and within range. When cast all information on the book or scroll is destroyed. This spell does not work against any book within an area sanctified to a god of knowledge (such as Lhankor Mhy or Irripi Ontor) or on the person of a worshipper of a god of knowledge.

Distill Knowledge (Rune Magic)
2 points
ritual enchantment
A spell particular to Kralorela. This allows an Atyari to take a live subject and make potions out of their brains. Once cast it costs 2 points of permanent POW, during which time a live subject must be sacrificed. The spell will create a batch of potions equal to the victims INT. Each potion, when drunk, allows the drinker to score an instant critical on a skill roll for a knowledge or magic skill (as long as the roll is made within a short period of time after drinking the potion, say five minutes). Each potion has affects one particular skill. The Atyari can decide which skill it affects only at the time of brewing, and it must be a skill the victim had at 90% or higher.

For Example: An Atyari takes a sage, who has World Lore 95, Animal Lore 92 and Mineral Lore 75. He has an INT of 16. The ritual will produces 16 potions affecting either world lore, or animal lore (and the Atyari could mix and match and have 4 potions affecting world lore and 12 potions affecting mineral lore etc...).

Rape Mind (Rune Magic)
1 point
touch, instant, stackable, reusable
This spell allows the worshipper of Atyar to search through a victims mind, looking for information and answers. The Atyari must overcome the victim in a magic point versus magic points. If successfully the Atyari can yield one person of information of their choice from the victim. For instance, if an Atyari wanted to know where a group of Humakti were camping and had one of the Humakti caputred they could rape his mind for that particular piece of information. If the victim does not know what the Atyari wants to know then all the Atyari yields is that they know nothing.

Survive Beheading (Rune Magic)
1 point
self only, temporal, nonstackable, reusable
This spell allows the Atyari to survive the loss of their head. For the duration of the spell the character cannot die because of losing their head (i.e. the head has been removed or reduced down to negative hit points). If, during the duration of the spell, the head is healed back onto the body the Atyari will survive! This does not prevent death from any other damage source, or general hit point loss. If the spell expires whilst the head is damaged or removed the caster will begin to die as per usual.

Survive Without Blood (Rune Magic)
1 point
self only, temporal, nonstackable reusable
For the duration of the spell the character cannot die from blood loss. The caster loses no hit points from blood loss, and an previous hit points lost due to blood loss dissappear. Do record the loss, however, for when the spell expires the caster immediately takes all the damage (unless healed in the interim). So if an Atyari who has suffered 2 points of blood loss then casts this spell, they are healed for 2 hit points. If they then bleed for another 12 hit points they take no damage, until the spell ends and they take the full 14 in one go! In the interim, however, healing magic can be applied.