How to Cast Fireballs?
lorax666
eneg_d...@yahoo.com (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
Joe Cosby
"somebody who doesn't grasp the inherent difficulty in the idea of
a few rhyming words creating a fiery explosion is just not very strong
in the area of critical faculties."
- Joe Cosby
--
Joe Cosby
http://joecosby.home.mindspring.com
"If you shoot a mime, should you use a silencer?"
---Steven Wright.
Frater SG
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" <yronwode.com@nagasiva> wrote in message
news:rZfpb.2611$Wy2....@typhoon.sonic.net...
The Natural Philosopher
> 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?
>
>
Note that guano is in fact birdshit, and most shit contains quantities
of potassium nitrate aka saltpeter the main ingredient, along with
charcoal and sulphur, of gunpowder....
stg-delfuego
Since most of the groups are *supposedly* (actual) magick groups, I'll
bite my tongue on the role-playing bit. Basically what it comes down
to in the original question is how in this world, can I cast a
fireball? Certain things we all know are flammable, such as: Bacardi
151, Grape Bubble Yum (chewed and dried), Kite string (waxed), oil,
alcohol (some types at least), and herbs. Thw way to protect your
hand while it is holding a flaming object is to coat it in a substance
that is flammable, but does not immediately burn the hand (such as
alcohol samples in Junior Chemist kits); I would recommend coating a
type of glove or gauze rather than your actual hand. Don't ask me how
I know this; it is one of the few things I *do* know. So, with gloved
hand coated in oil or alcohol, the next thing is a solid mass that is
flammable with enough weight to be thrown, and a good throwing arm.
Such as, perhaps a racquetball wrapped in waxed kite string and dried
chewed Grape Bubble Yum. Do not try this.
HTH
Delfuego
lorax666
# Didn't you check the original AD&D materials
heh, I had the Basic Set, which I thought was amusing.
Player's Handbook and DM's Guide are in The Hole,
as I said. wanna add the proper quotation from Gygax?
else I suppose I could crawl down there an unearth it.
# or did you only have the 2nd Ed. stuff available?
got it all d00d, even the Wizard's Handbook. ;>
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