4.2.23 Transmutation enchantments

Enchantment nature: Transmutation

Magical skill used: Air, Earth, Fire, Water; Earth magic is best.

Characteristic used: WP

Description: A transmutation enchantment is one that allows the caster to change one substance into another for the duration of the enchantment.

Power: The Power of a transmutation enchantment determines how much of the material can be transmuted, as follows:

Power Weight that can be transmuted Equivalent volume of air (approximately) Equivalent volume of water (approximately) Equivalent volume of rock or metal (approximately)
1 100g 100 cubic metres (e.g. 10m x 5m x 2m) 100 mililitres (e.g. small cupfull) 20 mililitres (e.g. 5cm x 2cm x 2cm, 3cm diameter stone)
2 1 kg 1,000 cubic metres (e.g. 10m x 10m x 10m) 1 litre (e.g. large beer mug, waterskin) 200 mililitres (e.g. 10cm x 5cm x 4cm, small weapon, 7cm diameter stone)
3 10 kg 10,000 cubic metres 10 litres 2 litres (e.g. 20cm x 10cm x 10cm, large weapon, 15cm diameter rock)
4 50 kg 50,000 cubic metres 50 litres 10 litres (e.g. suit of armour, 25cm diameter rock)
5 100 kg 100,000 cubic metres 100 litres (e.g. 30cm x 30cm x 30cm) 20 litres (e.g. 30cm diameter rock)
6 150 kg 150,000 cubic metres 150 litres 30 litres (e.g. 40cm diameter rock)
7 200 kg 200,000 cubic metres 200 litres 40 litres
8 300 kg 300,000 cubic metres 300 litres (a bathfull, 2m x 50cm x 30cm) 60 litres (e.g. 50 cm diameter rock)
9 500 kg 500,000 cubic metres 500 litres 100 litres (e.g. 60 cm diameter rock)
10 1 tonne 1,000,000 cubic metres (e.g. 100m x 100m x 100m) 1,000 litres = 1 cubic metre (e.g. 1m x 1m x 1m) 200 litres (e.g. 70 cm diameter rock)

The initial location of all the material being transmuted must be within the area of effect of the enchantment.

The minimum Power of a change environment enchantment is 1.

Finesse: The Finesse of a transmutation enchantment determines the composition or purity of the final state, and the amount by which the temperature can be altered.

Finesse Effect on air Effect on water Effect on earth
0 Cosmetic change (e.g. adding a colour pigment to the air, creating mist) Cosmetic change (e.g. adding a colour pigment to the water) Cosmetic change (e.g. making metal or jewelry shine brightly or dull)
2 Minor change (e.g. boosting the amount of oxygen in the air at altitude to normal sea-level amounts) Minor change (e.g. changing salt water into fresh water or vice versa) Minor change (e.g. sharpening a metal edge)
4 Significant change (e.g. adding a common substance, such as methane, to the air) Significant change (e.g. changing water into poor quality wine, purifying water to remove bacteria) Significant change (e.g. adding elements to a metal, for example changing iron to steel or copper to bronze, or adding traces of a metal into a rock)
6 Major change (e.g. adding a rare substance, such as a nerve poison, to the air) Major change (e.g. changing water into good quality wine) Major change (e.g. changing the form of a rock, for example changing coal into diamonds or basalt into obsidian)
8 Fundamental change (e.g. stripping all the oxygen out of the atmosphere) Fundamental change (e.g. changing water into pure alcohol) Fundamental change (e.g. changing one metal into another, for example lead to gold, changing steel into mithril)
10 Creation - creating air in an environment where none exists (e.g. underwater or in vacuum) Creation - creating water out of thin air Creation - creating rock or metal out of thin air

If the caster wants to change the temperature of the substance, he/she can use additional points to Finesse to achieve this. Each extra point of Finesse can change the temperature of air by 5 degrees centigrade, of water by 10 degrees centigrade, or metal by 15 degrees. Above 50 degrees centigrade, objects become too hot to handle without discomfort. Below -10 degrees centigrade, objects become too cold to handle without discomfort. Water boils at 100 degrees centigrade and freezes at 0 degrees centigrade.

If the caster tries to transmute an unwilling or moving target, the caster must make an attack dice roll with a basic value equal to the Finesse of the enchantment to pick up the target in the transmutation enchantment.

Limitations: The magical skill used limits the effects of the transmutation the caster can perform. The referee should apply discretion, but the following list may help.

Skill Transmutation restrictions:
Air Change air. The caster can change the composition of the air (e.g. to add smells, colours or gases).
Earth Transmutation. The caster can change the composition of earth, rock or metals, including raising or lowering their temperature.
Fire Heat metals. The caster can only increase the temperature of metals (the composition cannot be altered).
Water Change liquids. The caster can change the composition of liquids, including raising or lowering their temperature.

Examples:

Tim has a Fire magic score of 5 with no specialism in transformation spells, and a WP of +2. It is a hot sunny day on arid plains and a combat is taking place. Tim sees a group of 3 warriors approaching him with swords in hands. He decides a show of force would be helpful and tries to make their swords heat up so that they are too hot to hold. The enchantment is Power 3 (enough to heat 10kg more than enough for 3 swords), Finesse 4 (enough to raise the temperature by 60 degrees centigrade to just under boiling point), Range Short (i.e. 3), Concealment 0 (very obvious to onlookers), Duration 1 Combat turn (i.e. 1), Area of effect 3 metre diameter, selective to affect all drawn swords in the area (i.e. 2 + 1 = 3), Investment 0 = Difficulty 14 in total. His basic value is 5 +2 = 7. He uses hand gestures and words when casting to give a modifier of +2, plus the referee rules that the arid conditions give him a +1 modifier to the use of Fire magic. This gives him an overall basic value of 10. He risks 9 points to get a dice roll of 3D + 1. In the event, he rolls a 6, 5 and 3, giving a dice roll result of 15, i.e. the enchantment succeeds. Because the warriors are not willing targets, Tim must now make attack dice rolls against each warrior individually to see whether his sword is caught up. In the event, the transmutation enchantment hits two of the warriors, who drop their swords. The last warrior advances menacingly.

Mertan has a Water magic score of 6 with +2 specialism (narrow) in Power 2/Finesse 10 transmutation (to create a litre of water) and a WP of +2. He is travelling across arid deserts, and his water supplies have run out. He decides to try to create some water into the aterskin he is holding. The enchantment is Power 2 (one litre), Finesse 10 (creating water out of thin air), Range Touch (i.e. 1), Concealment 0 (very obvious to onlookers), Duration 1 Minute (i.e. 2), Area of effect single target (i.e. 0), Investment 0 = Difficulty 15 in total. His basic value is 6 +2 +2 = 10. He uses hand gestures and words and spends 10 minutes preparing to give a modifier of +5, but the referee rules that the arid conditions give him a -1 modifier to the use of Water magic. This gives him an overall basic value of 14, not quite enough to guarantee success. He rolls 4D+2, gets a 4, 3, 4 and 3 to give a dice roll result of 16 - a success. He conjures up water into his waterskin and then drinks as much of it as he can in the next minute, before what remains disappears as the enchantment expires.