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Health Spells

by Brian D. Neumann

1) Heal (SRII p.155)

The Heal spell will heal a number of boxes equal to the successes rolled. The Heal spell may be applied at any time. A character can only be magically healed for any single set of injuries.

The Target Number of this spell is 10 minus the target’s Essence, plus one-half his current Body Index. The spell is permanent and must be maintained for the base time indicated on the Healing Table, page 155 of SRII.

Successes from the Spell Success Test can be used to actually heal boxes of damage, as indicated on the table, or used to reduce the base time. Divide the successes into the base time. The total successes can be split between the two uses (healing and time reduction), as the magician desires.

The Drain Resistance Test Target Number is equal to one-half the Force of the spell, and the Drain Level is equal to the current Wound Level of the target, Light, Moderate, Serious or Deadly.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 10 - Essence
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Drain: (F/2)(Wnd Lvl) + (Body Index/2)

2) Treat (SRII p.155)

Similar to the Heal spell above, this spell must be cast within an hour after the wound was inflicted.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 8 - Essence
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Drain: (F/2)(Wnd Lvl) + (Body Index/2)

3) Heal (Wound Category) (SR p.95)

This spell only heals physical wounds of its category or lower (Restricted Target: someone with the appropriate wound level). Thus, someone with six or more boxes filled on his Physical Condition Monitor cannot be healed with a Heal Moderate Wounds spell, but someone with up to five boxes can. A number of boxes equal to the successes rolled are removed of the damage, and/or the successes may be used to reduce the required time. The caster decides how many successes he sets away for reducing the time, and how many for healing.

See the Healing Table (page 155 of SRII) for how long each spell must be sustained before becoming permanent.

This spell may be applied at any time after the target has been wounded.

Each variation of the spell is a separate spell, thus there are four different spells: Heal Light Wounds, Heal Moderate Wounds, Heal Serious Wounds, and Heal Deadly Wounds.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 10 - Essence
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Drain: (F/2)-1 + (Body Index/2)

4) Treat (Wound Category) (SR p.95)

This is the same as the Heal (Wound Category) spell, above, but the Treat spell must be applied within one hour of the wound being inflicted.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 8 - Essence
  • Duration: Permanent
  • Drain: (F/2)-1 + (Body Index/2)

5) Friends (AD&D 134)

A Friends spell causes the magician to temporarily raise his Charisma by one for every two successes rolled. The maximum increase is +4, although the spell’s effect may exceed the caster’s racial maximum (e.g. a Human may have a Charisma higher than 6 when under this spell’s effect). This spell does not affect Charisma boosted by cyberware or bioware (for instance by Tailored Pheromones). The increased Charisma has no effect on magical abilities such as conjuring.

The Drain Level depends upon the actual Charisma increase. Zero or one successes mean the drain is Light, two is Moderate, three is Serious, and four is Deadly.

The exact reaction of creatures looking on depends on the result of an opposed Charisma test. This test is made for each creature seperately. The more successes rolled, the better the creature will treat the person with the raised Charisma. The exact effect is left to the GM’s discretion.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 2x Charisma
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: (F/2)(see above)

6) Reincarnate (AD&D p.234)

With this spell, a magician can bring a dead person back to life. The more time has passed since his or her death, the more difficult the spell will be. The soul of the dead person is transferred to another body, possible one very different from his former body.

The subject must be touched, and a new incarnation of the person will appear within 1D6-1 metres from the dead body, after 1D6x10 minutes. The new incarnation recalls the majority of his former life and form, although with some difficulty. Add a +1 modifier to all Target Numbers for remembering things from the former life (see page 25 of ShadowTech for information about recalling memories). The Archetype and race might be very different, as determined by the GM. The GM can either simply select a new character race and/or Archetype, or may roll on the tables at the end of the spell description.

If the magician is knocked out by Drain, the spell fails and may not be tried again on the same person by the magician. There is a +1 modifier to the Target Number for every number of hours, equal to the subject’s Essence, that the person in question has been dead.

There are some limitations to this spell: the person being reincarnated must be of a sentient species (this includes paranatural animals such as Dragons, Sasquatches, etc.), and the reincarnation must also be of a sentient species. The reincation will be of a creature of relatively the same age (a 60-year-old Human can reincarnate as a 40-year old Ork, etc.), and can have cyberware, bioware, Physical Adept abilities, etc. “fitted” when he or she appears. In game terms, this simply means that the player (or the GM) must design a new character. The one advantage is that the reincar nation has all the Karma he had at the moment the original character died. The new character should be of the race and Archetype that the GM selects. Of course, if the player does not like the new race or Archetype, he can build a totally new one from scratch, but without the Karma and memories of the old character.

For a random assignment of race, roll 4D6 and consult the first table. Then roll another 1D6 twice to determine the Archetype, per the second table, below.

4D6 Race

Roll Race
4 Lesser Dracoform*
5 Ghost**
6 Ghoul
7 Dwarf
8 Dwarf
9 Elf
10 Elf
11 Elf
12 Human
13 Human
14 Human
15 Human
16 Human
17 Ork
18 Ork
19 Ork
20 Troll
21 Troll
22 Sasquatch
23 Shapeshifter***
24 Greater Dracoform*

* = roll 1D6; 1 or 2 = Feathered Serpent; 3 or 4 = Eastern Dragon; 5 or 6 = Western Dragon ** = roll 1D6; 1 to 4 = Apparition; 5 or 6 = Spectre *** = roll 1D6; 1 = Bear; 2 = Fox; 3 = Leopard; 4 = Seal; 5 = Tiger; 6 = Wolf

1D6 Archetype

Roll Archetype
1 Bodyguard F. Military Street Mage Rigger Tribesman Street Officer Samurai
2 Street F. Tribal Street Decker Shaman Rigger Samurai Warrior Shaman
3 Combat Mage F. Bounty Mage Mercenary Gang Member Former Hunter Wage Mage
4 Physical Former Shamanic Street Street Street Adept Samurai Shaman Mage
5 Gang Member Former Magical Burned-out Street Street Wage Mage Adept Mage Mage Samurai
6 Mercenary F. Mage Elemental Former Decker Gang Detective Adept Company Man Member

Up to the GM’s discretion, the player may or may not be allowed to play the new character. For instance, most GMs will not want a Dragon in their team. GMs should figure out some form of assigning Attribute points if they allow these creatures. If they don’t allow them, the player team should get the reincarnated team member as a Contact, and the player should make a new character without the Karma and memories of the old one.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 10 - Essence
  • Duration: Permanent (20 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)+8]D + � Body Index

7) Essence Drain

This spell allows the caster to drain the essence from another creature. See the description of the Essence Drain power on page 217 of SRII for information. Note that this spell is only used by evil spellcasters, and thus any attempt to cast this spell on someone strongly opposed to evil (an Eagle shaman, for example), adds +4 to the Target Number for the caster. The caster does not get the Essence points that the target loses, unless the caster has an Essence Loss weakness (if he is a vampire, for instance).

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: Willpower (R)
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]D

8) Haste (AD&D p.149)

When this spell is cast, each affected creature in the area of effect functions at double its normal speed. Quickness is doubled for the duration of the spell, and all natural Reaction is also doubled (i.e. without modifiers from cyber- or bioware).

> Example: Jerry, a Samurai with a natural Reaction of 4, and Level 2 Wired Reflexes, has a normal Initiative of 8+3D6. His natural Reaction is doubled, for a total of 8. Add to this the modifiers for his cyberware, to get a Reaction of 12. He may still only roll his normal Initiative dice of 3D6, for an Initiative of 12+3D6, for the duration of the spell

However, this spell ages anyone affected by it, by about one month for every turn that the spell is sustained.

The caster rolls a Spell Success Test as usual. A single success is enough to make the spell work. Each success rolled makes that the spell affects a single target (3 successes means that three targets are affected, etc.). The caster decides to whom he allocates his successes.

Unwilling targets are allowed a Quickness Resistance test. If the target rolls more successes than allocated to it by the caster, the spell has no effect. The successes allocated to this target may not be re-assigned to other targets.

Someone moving out of the area of effect immediately loses all benefits from this spell, while someone moving into it gets no benefits.

Multiple castings of this spell on the same target have no additional effect.

If a Haste spell is cast on a target under influence of a Slow spell (below), that spell’s effect is negated, and the target has his normal Quickness and Reaction again.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: (Quickness + Reaction)/2
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]D

9) Slow (AD&D p.153)

This spell has the exact opposite effect of a Haste spell. Quickness and natural Reaction are both halved. If the target is already under the effect of a Haste spell, that spell’s effect is negated, and the target has his normal Quickness and Reaction again.

Multiple castings of this spell on the same target have no additional effect.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: (Quickness + Reaction)/2
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]D

10) Allergy

When this spell is cast on a target, the target receives an allergy, as for a Metahuman, but gets none of the benefits of it (extra Attribute, Skill or Spell points, etc.) If the target already has one or more allergies, the new allergy comes in addition to the one(s) already present. Roll on the tables below to determine the kind of allergy and its severity.

Allergy Table

2D6 roll Allergy 2D6 roll Severity
2 Silver 2 Nuissance
3 Plastic 3 Nuissance
4 Plastic 4 Nuissance
5 Plastic 5 Nuissance
6 Sunlight 6 Nuissance
7 Sunlight 7 Mild
8 Sunlight 8 Mild
9 Pollutants 9 Moderate
10 Pollutants 10 Moderate
11 Iron 11 Severe
12 Roll twice (ignoring 12) 12 Severe

The target is allowed a Body Resistance test.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: Body (R)
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]S

11) Feeblemind (AD&D p.168)

This spell causes the subject’s Intelligence to degenerate. The subject remains in this state until a Treat (D) Wounds or Heal (D) Wounds spell is cast on it, to cancel the effects.

The target rolls a Resistance test, but if it fails to offset all the caster’s successes, the target’s Intelligence attribute is reduced to 1. Normal cyberware or bioware (Cerebral Booster and/or Encephalon) modifiers are then added to this new Intelligence.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: Intelligence(R)
  • Duration: Permanent (5 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)+4]D

12) Antidote Toxin (SRII p.154)

These curative spells act on a toxin (poison or drug) or the disease, not the person affected by them. The Spell Success Test has a Target Number equal to the Strength (Power) of the infection or toxin.

The Antidote spell must be used before the toxin damages the victim. Its successes directly reduce the Strength of the toxin at a one-to-one ratio, making it easier for the target to make his own Resistance Tests.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: Toxin Strength
  • Duration: Permanent (5 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)L
  • (M) Toxin:
  • Duration: Permanent (10 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)M
  • (S) Toxin:
  • Duration: Permanent (15 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)S
  • (D) Toxin:
  • Duration: Permanent (20 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)D

13) Detox (SRII p.154)

Detox relieves the effects of a drug or poison. It must overcome the toxin as the Antidote spell does, but because relief is symptomatic, the Target Number for Drain is reduced. Detox does not heal damage from toxins, but it eliminates any other effects they may have one the victim (dizzi-ness, hallucinations, nausea, pain, and so on). Detox is the hangover cure of choice among those who can afford it. Each toxin Damage Level is a seperate spell.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: Toxin Strength
  • Duration: Permanent (5 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)-2]L
  • (M) Toxin:
  • Duration: Permanent (10 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)-2]M
  • (S) Toxin:
  • Duration: Permanent (15 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)-2]S
  • (D) Toxin:
  • Duration: Permanent (20 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)-2]D

14) Prophylaxis (TG p.129)

This spell, requiring a voluntary subject, gives him or her extra Body dice (1 die for every 2 successes) to resist infection, drugs, or toxins. The subject also resists beneficial medicines.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: 4
  • (L) Pathogen:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]L
  • (M) Pathogen:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]M
  • (S) Pathogen:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]S
  • (D) Pathogen:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]D

15) Cure Disease (SRII p.154)

The cure spell can be used at any point after infection, killing germs in the patient’s system and eliminating any symptoms at once, but it does not heal damage already done by the disease. That takes a seperate healing spell. Successes from the Cure spell directly reduce the Virulence (power) of the disease at a one-to-one rato, making the target’s own Resistance Tests easier.

A seperate version of the spell exists for each of the Damage Levels associated with toxins and diseases.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: Virulence
  • Duration: Permanent (5 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)L
  • (M) Disease:
  • Duration: Permanent (10 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)M
  • (S) Disease:
  • Duration: Permanent (15 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)S
  • (D) Disease:
  • Duration: Permanent (20 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)D

16) Decrease (Attribute) (SRII p.154)

The magician’s Target Number is 10, minus the target’s Essence, plus one-half his Body Index. The target resists using the Attribute that is attacked, not necessarily his Body Rating. The success totals of both are compared. The magician needs only 1 success to affect the target. If an Attribute is reduced to 0, the target is helpless. If this is a Physical Attribute, the victim is unconcious or paralyzed. When a Mental Attribute is reduced to 0, the victim is standing about mindlessly. A seperate version of the spell exists for each of the Physical and Mental attributes, and for Reaction, but the other Special Attributes may not be affected. These are Physical spells, but will not affect targets with cyberware modifiers to their Attributes.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 10 - Essence
  • Attribute -1:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]L
  • Attribute -2:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]M
  • Attribute -3:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]S
  • Attribute -4:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]D

17) Decrease (Cybered Attribute) (TG p.129)

This spell works in a manner similar to the Decrease (Attribute) spell (above) except that it affects cybered Attributes. Increase the Drain Level by +1 for the version of the spell that affects cybered Reaction.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 10 - Essence
  • Attribute -1:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]L
  • Attribute -2:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]M
  • Attribute -3:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]S
  • Attribute -4:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]D

18) Increase (Attribute) (SRII p.154)

The spell increases a normal Physical or Mental Attribute and Reaction (with special modifications) but not any other Special Attributes. The Target Number for the Spell Success Test is equal to twice the rating of the Attribute to be increased. A single success is sufficient. This spell does not affect cybernetic features, which require the spell described next. Each Attribute has four specific spells, and so there might be a magician who knows Increase Strength +2, Increase Quickness +1, and so on.

The Increase Reaction version of this spell has a Drain one level higher; L becomes M, M becomes S, and S becomes D. There is no Increase Reaction +4 spell. The Increase Reaction spell only increases the Reaction Rating and gives no other benefits.

Note that this spell does not stack on top of other Increase (Attribute) spells of the same type. When cast on characters with an already magically boosted Attribute (such as a physical adept), the Target Number is increased by +4.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 2x affected
  • Attribute +1:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]L
  • Attribute +2:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]M
  • Attribute +3:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]S
  • Attribute +4:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]D

19) Increase (Cybered Attribute) (SRII p.155)

Like the Increase (Attribute) spell described above, except that these spells increase Attributes already affected by cybernetics. Increase Cybered Reaction +4 has a [(F/2)+5]D Drain code.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 2x affected
  • Attribute +1:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]L
  • Attribute +2:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]M
  • Attribute +3:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]S
  • Attribute +4:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]D

20) Increase Reflexes (SRII p.155)

This spell increases the Initiative dice of the voluntary subject by the amount indicated for the spell (+1, +2, or +3). There is no cybered version of this spell, so characters who have received cybernetic enhancements that add Initiative dice (e.g., Wired Reflexes) cannot be boosted by this spell.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 2x Reaction
  • +1 Initiative Die:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: (F/2)M
  • +2 Initiative Dice:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: (F/2)S
  • +3 Initiative Dice:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: (F/2)D

21) Decrease Reflexes (TG p.129)

Similar to the Increase Reflexes spell (above) this spell reduces the number of Initiative dice available to the target by the number indicated (-1, -2, or -3). This spell will not affect characters with cybernetic Initiative enhancements.

Any character who ends up with no, or a negative number of Initiative dice as a result of this spell uses his or her Reaction as Initiative.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: 2x Reaction
  • -1 Initiative Die:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]S
  • -2 Initiative Dice:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]D
  • -3 Initiative Dice:
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]D

22) Resists Pain (TG p.129)

This spell reduces the penalties suffered because of Physical damage (not Stun damage). Though this spell does not heal or treat damage, it offsets the injury modifiers (to the Target Number and Initiative) the character must use to reflect the damage. Magical assistance to resist pain requires a different spell for (L)ight, (M)oderate, and (S)erious Condition Levels. A Resist Pain spell cannot be used to counteract the pain of Deadly damage, because any character with a (D)eadly injury is unconcious and must be healed.

The spell is “permanent” in that the boost to the patient’s endorphin levels does not wear off. If the subject’s damage rises above the Condition Level at which the patient is resisting pain, or the wounds heal, then the spell dissipates.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: 4
  • Light:
  • Duration: Permanent (5 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)M
  • Moderate:
  • Duration: Permanent (10 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)S
  • Serious:
  • Duration: Permanent (15 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)D

23) Healthy Glow (TG p.129)

This spell brightens eyes and hair, sloughs off dead skin cells, improves circulation, and promotes general well-being. A cosmetic spell, the rich use the Healthy Glow spell as a status symbol and pick-me-up. Though “permanent” in the sense that it does not require magical sustaining, the spell will wear off in time, based on the subject’s lifestyle, diet, vices, and so on.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 4
  • Duration: Permanent (5 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)L

24) Oxygenate (TG p.129)

This spell, requiring a voluntary subject, oxygenates his or her blood, giving him or her extra Body dice (1 die for every 2 successes) to resist suffocation, strangulation, the effects of inhaled gas, and other effects of oxygen deprivation. The spell also allows the subject to breathe water.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: 4
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]M

25) Water Breathing

This spell allows a voluntary subject to breathe under water, but does not give any of the other advantages that the Oxygenate spell does. The subject can still breathe air when under the effect of this spell.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: 4
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: (F/2)M

26) Air Breathing

This is the opposite of the Water Breathing spell, and allows creatures that normally live under water and can not breathe air (such as fish, but not dolphins) to breathe and survive when not under water. The subject can still breathe under water. This spell requires a voluntary subject.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: 4
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: (F/2)M

27) Preserve (TG p.129)

This spell prevents dead organic matter from drying out, decaying, or putrefying. The magician must roll a single success to cast the spell. The Preserve spell can be used on food, but is most often used by forensic magicians to protect cadavers from decay before autopsym, or to preserve small organic samples taken from a crime scene for later use as a material link (see Ritual Magic, page 35 and 135 of SRII). Often, this spell is applied with a spell lock.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: Obj. Resistance
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]M

28) Stabilize (TG p.129)

When applied to a character with Deadly Physical damage, this spell stabilizes his condition so that he does not die. The magician must add the number of minutes elapsed since the character took damage to his or her Target Number for the Spell Success Test.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: 4 + minutes
  • Duration: Permanent (20 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)S elapsed

29) Ray of Enfeeblement (AD&D p.145)

By means of a Ray of Enfeeblement, a magician weakens an opponent, reducing its strength and thereby the attacks that rely upon it. The target’s natural Strength (without modifiers due to cyberware or bioware) is reduced by the number of successes, divided by two, that the caster rolls. The target is allowed a Strength Resistance test (again, use natural Strengt). As always, if the target rolls the same number of successes as the caster, the spell has no effect.

Add modifiers derived from bioware and/or cyberware to the new Strength attribute. If the target’s Strength falls to 0 or less, the target falls to the ground, paralyzed, and must make a Willpower test every minute to keep breathing. If one of these tests is failed, the target stops breathing and dies in 1D6 minutes, unless the magician drops the spell before that time expires.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: Strength (R)
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+4]S

30) Free Actions

The subject of this spell gets more actions than normal: to be exact, the subject rolls for his own Initiative, and the caster also rolls for his own Initiative. The subject then has Actions at the Initiative which he rolled, but also at those the caster rolled.

> Example: Tommie the Combat Mage rolls 15 for Initiative, while Gang Boss Jane rolls 10. Tommie casts a Free Actions spell at Jane, at action 15. Tommie has a second action at 5, but since Jane is under effect of the spell, she also has an Action at 5, in addition to her own Action at 10. The next turn, Tommie still sustains the spell, and rolls a 16 for Initiative, while Jane rolls 9. Jane now has actions at 16, 9, and 6.

This spell also works on characters with reflex enhancements.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: Reaction
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+3]M

31) Aid (AD&D p.202)

The recipient of this spell gains a -1 modifier to all Target Numbers, except for resisting damage, and a special bonus of extra damage boxes (both Physical and Stun) for the duration of the spell. The number of extra damage boxes is equal to one-half (round down) the number of successes rolled on the Spell Success Test. The Aid spell enables the recipient to actually take more damage than ten boxes. These “bonus boxes” are crossed off first when the recipient takes damage; they can not be regained by healing magic or mundane healing. A character normally has 10 damage boxes; a magician casts an Aid spell at him, rolling 5 successes. The character now has (5 / 2) = 2.5, rounding to 2, extra damage boxes, for a total of 12. 2 of these are only temporary, thus if the character receives a Moderate wound, first the two extra boxes would be crossed off, and the remaining box would go off the normal Condition Monitor.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: 10 - Essence
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]S + (Body Index/2)

32) Lower Resistance (TOM p.34)

Using this spell, a magician may attempt to reduce the magic resistance of a target creature. The magic resistance of the victim works against the Lower Resistance spell normally (i.e. the target may make a normal Resistance Test).

If the victim does not totally offset all of the caster’s successes, he may roll one die less on all Resistance Tests against magic, for every two successes rolled by the caster. It is possible to totally remove all dice from Resistance Tests in this way. The victim can still benefit from Spell Defense normally.

This spell has no effect if there is no resistance test for the spell being cast at the target.

  • Type: Mana
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: Willpower (R)
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]S

33) Hesitation (TOM p.59)

Creatures affected by this spell hesitate before executing their intended actions. This causes them to substract the number of successes rolled on the Spell Success Test, from their Initiative. They are allowed a Resistance Test.

The spell affects all creatures in its area of effect, including those only present on the astral plane, deckers connected to the Matrix (if the decker’s physical body is in the area of effect), and riggers jacked into a vehicle. This spell also affects people with cybernetic modifiers to their Initiative and/or Reaction, such as Wired or Boosted Reflexes, as well as bioware- or magic-based modifiers.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: LOS
  • Target: Reaction (R)
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+2]S

34) Hair Growth

This spell causes the subject’s head hair to grow at a speed of a number of centimeters equal to the caster’s Magic Attribute, multiplied by the number of successes, per turn. The effect is permanent after the caster stops sustaining the spell, in so far that the hair will fall out an can be cut off normally.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 4
  • Duration: Sustained
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]L

35) Hair Loss

This spell causes the head hair of the target to fall out. It is permanent in the same way as cutting the hair off with a razor is permanent.

Unwilling subjects may make a Willpower Resistance Test.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 4
  • Duration: Permanent (5 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]L

36) Contagion (AD&D p.155)

This spell causes a major disease and weakness in a creature. The afflicted individual is immediately stricken with painful and distracting symptoms: boils, blotches, lesions, seeping abscesses, and so on. Body, Strength, Quickness, and Charisma are reduced by 1. All Target Numbers get a +1 modifier. The effect persists until the character receives a Cure Disease spell (the type doesn’t matter), or takes a Cleansing Gene Therapy (Shadowtech). Characters ignoring the contagion for more than a day or so may be susceptible to worse diseases at the discretion of the GM.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Limited
  • Target: Body (R)
  • Duration: Permanent (10 turns)
  • Drain: [(F/2)+1]S

37) Age Creature (TOM p.98)

This spell ages the targeted creature one year per success rolled on the Spell Success Test. Unwilling creatures may roll a Willpower or Body Resistance Test (whichever is higher).

Subjects can not be aged beyond their natural life spans. If the successes indicate that a creature would be aged beyond this level, the creature is aged to one year short of his maximum age. The spell can not cause a subject to die.

Human and metahuman characters affected by the spell experience changes in appearance associated with increased age, such as gray hair and wrinkles. More significantly, they may also suffer reductions of Attributes when they reach certain age levels. Since SRII does not give aging rules, this is up to the individual GM to decide.

  • Type: Physical
  • Range: Touch
  • Target: 10 - Essence
  • Duration: Permanent (20 turns)
  • Drain: (F/2)S