Known also as Summoning, Transimancy, and Abjuration, Conjuration is the magic of attraction, repulsion, creation, and instantaneous transportation. Its most basic spells (Sphere Circle) allow the magician to attract or repel inanimate objects and non-sentient living things in the immediate vicinity. More potent spells (Plain Circle) allow the Conjurer to attract or repel sentient living things in the vicinity, draw inanimate objects and non-sentient creatures to himself without regard for distance, or shunt inanimate objects or non-sentient creatures into a place prepared by the magician. The most powerful spells (Point Circle) can create inanimate objects and non-sentient creatures out of pure Essence, open a temporary gateway between one Demesne or Manse and another, summon demons to places of power, or draw unmaterialized spirits into the physical world.
Conjuration is one of the least common Paths, though its secrets are far more widely known than those of Thaumaturgy or Diplomancy. Conjuration is the newest of all mortal Paths of magic, dating back only to the final century of the First Age, when it was used to solve very specific supply problems at the edges of Creation. Much of its evolution since then took place on tiny islands in the extreme West during the centuries following the rise of the Scarlet Empress, though Conjurers have literally been turning up in every corner of Creation in the last few centuries. As a result, even learned occultists rarely expect to meet one. Those who have witnessed the magic of Conjurers tell mixed stories, portraying these magicians as demon summoners, charitable spirits, and just about everything in between. The Immaculate Order is wary of Conjurers, at present, though few of the Chosen have had enough contact with one to draw firm conclusions about the character of the Path's practitioners.
Reclaim the Harpoon
Cost: 4 motes
Prerequisite Spells: None
This spell affects a target within (Conviction x 10) yards. Until the end of the scene, whenever the target fires an arrow, hurls a weapon, is disarmed, or otherwise drops or casts off an object or objects weighing a total of (Conviction x 25) pounds or less, the object(s) returns to its original position at the end of the turn so long as it remains within (Conviction x 100) yards of the target. This can be helpful for an archer whose arrows return to her quiver at the end of each turn or for a warrior who is disarmed. It can also be problematic or even fatal to a killer who cannot discard the murder weapon or to a soldier who cannot effectively climb a ladder because his sword and shield return to his hands each turn. The force generated by this spell can only draw the object to the target, never the target to the object. So, a rope tied to a sinking anchor will not draw the target down with it.
Draw the Enemy's Sword
Cost: 5 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Reclaim the Harpoon
This spell is fast and requires no shaping, though it still counts as an action for purposes of splitting dice pools and as a Simple action for purposes of activating Heroics. The magician may draw a single object in her line of sight and within (Conviction x 10) yards to her hand(s) provided she could normally lift and carry it without a feat of Strength. This can be a sheathed weapon, for example, or a trinket on the other side of a pit. If the object is secured in some fashion, take the method used to hold it in place into consideration when calculating the Strength + Athletics score required to call it to hand. If someone is holding the object, he retains control of it if his Strength + Athletics pool is higher than the magician's. He may also make a reflexive feat of Strength to overcome the spell's force. The object travels in a straight line to the magician's hand, and some attempts to intercept it might be feasible at the storyteller's option.
Spider's Ascent
Cost: 5 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Reclaim the Harpoon
This spell creates an invisible cord between the magician and an inanimate object in her line of sight within (Conviction x 20) yards. While the spell exerts no force on the object, the cord shrinks at the rate of 20 yards per turn, drawing the magician toward the target. Once the magician's hand touches the object, the cord lasts until the magician dismisses it or until the end of the scene. This spell is especially useful for rapidly ascending steep or sheer surfaces.
Falcon Blade
Cost: 4 motes
Prerequisite Spells: None
Until the end of the scene, the magician may throw objects he could normally carry up to (Conviction x 5) yards so long as he physically holds them in his hands. In the case of weapons that are normally thrown, this range is added to the normal maximum range of the weapon. A normal attack roll is required, using Dexterity + Athletics or Thrown, whichever the magician prefers.
Scatter the Swords
Cost: 6 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Falcon Blade
This spell affects all normal objects matching a single broad description (swords, arrows, knives, boots, etc...) within the magician's Temperance in yards and lasts until the end of the scene. Those objects within the area of effect slide or roll away from the magician - unless they are secured in such a way that his normal Strength + Athletics pool could not remove them - reaching the edge of the area by the end of the turn. Objects of the chosen type cannot enter the area of effect for the duration of the spell unless they are made of one of the Five Magical Materials, created from pure Essence or enhanced by a spell or Charm.
Sing to the Fish
Cost: 4 motes
Prerequisite Spells: None
This spell affects all members of a broad category of non-sentient, non-magical animal (fish, bears, rodents, birds, etc...) within a number of miles equal to the magician's Conviction. All animals of the chosen type move toward the magician to the best of their abilities for as long as she continues to chant, sing, play an instrument, or otherwise focuses her attention on drawing the creatures toward her. The magician can take no significant action while calling to the creatures and can only move at a leisurely walk. Once the creatures come within 5 yards of the magician, they react normally to their surroundings but will neither attack the magician nor move more than (Conviction x 20) yards from her for as long as she continues calling, to a maximum duration of one scene. Use of this spell to summon large predators can be a dangerous prospect for obvious reasons, but regularly calling large numbers of prey animals together for the purpose of slaughter tends to anger local nature spirits who, as a whole, are even more dangerous than a half dozen unhappy tigers.
Drive Away the Snakes
Cost: 4 motes
Prerequisite Spells: None
This spell affects all members of a broad category of non-sentient, non-magical animal (fish, bears, rodents, birds, etc...) within a number of miles equal to the magician's Temperance. All animals of the chosen type move away from the magician to the best of their abilities for as long as she continues to chant, sing, play an instrument, or otherwise focuses her attention on drawing the creatures toward her. The magician can take no significant action while calling to the creatures and can only move at a leisurely walk. The magician may maintain this spell for a scene or up to 6 hours, whichever comes first. Despite its limited range, magicians have been known to drive entire populations of snakes, rats, and other creatures off of an island and into the sea by means of this spell.
Shelter from Animals
Cost: 5 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Drive Away the Snakes
This spell affects all non-sentient, non-magical animals within a number of yards equal to the magician's Temperance. These creatures leave the area of effect as best as they are able for the duration of the spell, and no animals can enter the area. To them, the barrier is as solid as stone. This spell lasts until the end of the scene, the magician chooses to end it, or 12 hours have elapsed. The area of effect is mobile with the magician.
Magician's Territory Marker
Cost: 8 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Sing to the Fish
This spell mystically marks an area with a maximum horizontal radius of (Conviction x 10) yards and a height limit of (Conviction) yards. The magician must spend at least one hour in the affected area per 10 yard radius of the target area. Thereafter, unless countermagic is applied, the region is within the magician's Purview. There is no limit to how many regions may be added to the magician's Purview over multiple castings of this spell, and a region may lie in the Purview of more than one magician. While some magician's clearly mark areas within their Purview, casting this spell does not, in itself, provide easily discernable evidence of the magic at work in the area. Recognizing the presence of active magic in the area requires a Perception + Occult check at a difficulty of 3. Charms and spells that allow the user to see patterns in Essence will notice this spell at once, of course. No magician may add a Manse or Demesne to which she is not attuned to her Purview.
Shipboard Herd
Cost: 10 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Sing to the Fish
This spell affects one or more members of a broad category of non-sentient, non-magical animal (fish, bears, rodents, birds, etc...) within the magician's Purview, to a maximum of (Conviction x 100) pounds of animals. The animals arrive where the magician chooses within (Conviction x 10) yards. He may not, however, conjure them into a place too small for them to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting their weight (including thin air). This spell does not grant the magician any control over the summoned creatures. The animals leave behind inanimate burdens such as saddles and cargo, as well as any sentient riders or handlers, but small parasites like fleas and ticks accompany a summoned host.
Foil the Blockade
Cost: 10 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Spider's Ascent
This spell affects normal objects matching a single broad description (swords, arrows, knives, boots, etc...) within the magician's Purview. The magician transports one or more objects of the chosen type from his Purview, to a maximum of (Conviction x 100) pounds. The objects arrive where the magician chooses within (Conviction x 10) yards. He may not, however, conjure them into a place too small for them to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting their weight (including thin air). This spell cannot affect items made of one of the Five Magical Materials, created from pure Essence or enhanced by a spell or Charm.
Banish the Maddened Beast
Cost: 10 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Drive out the Snakes
This spell affects one or more members of a broad category of non-sentient, non-magical animal (fish, bears, rodents, birds, etc...) within (Temperance x 20) yards, to a maximum of (Temperance x 100) pounds of animals. The animals vanish and arrive at a place within the magician's Purview of his choosing. He may not, however, banish them into a place too small for them to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting their weight (including thin air). The animals leave behind inanimate burdens such as saddles and cargo, as well as any sentient riders or handlers, but small parasites like fleas and ticks accompany a banished host.
Flawless Burglary
Cost: 12 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Scatter the Swords
This spell affects normal objects matching a single broad description (swords, jewelry, coins, arrows, etc...) within (Temperance x 20) yards, to a maximum of (Temperance x 100) pounds. The objects vanish and appear anywhere the magician chooses within his Purview. He may not, however, conjure them into a place too small for them to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting their weight (including thin air). This spell cannot affect items made of one of the Five Magical Materials, created from pure Essence or enhanced by a spell or Charm.
Steal the Children
Cost: 12 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Shipboard Herd
This spell affects all members of a broad category of people (children, young men, old women, mothers, etc...) within (Conviction x 20) yards. All people of the chosen type move toward the magician to the best of their abilities for as long as she continues to chant, sing, play an instrument, or otherwise focuses her attention on drawing the creatures toward her. The magician can take no significant action while calling to the creatures and can only move at a leisurely walk. Once the creatures come within 5 yards of the magician, they react normally to their surroundings but will neither attack the magician nor move more than (Conviction x 10) yards from her for as long as she continues calling, to a maximum duration of one scene.
Victims may spend a point of Willpower either to leave the affected area or attack the magician for a turn. Victims whose Heroism is higher than the magician's may roll a Willpower check to completely resist the effects of this spell. This spell has no effect on people whose Essence is higher than the magician's.
Oil on Water Barrier
Cost: 10 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Shelter from Animals
Until the end of the scene, the magician is surrounded by a sphere that repels sentient creatures, preventing them from coming closer to her than her Temperance in yards. To the hand of such a creature, the outer edge of the barrier is perceptibly soft to the touch but quickly grows as solid as a stone wall. The magician can move effortlessly through crowds. Those who attempt to stand against her are simply brushed aside by the barrier without impeding the magician in the least. It is also difficult or impossible for anyone to engage the magician in hand-to-hand combat, though missiles are not affected in the least. This barrier works both ways, however, so the magician's capacity to engage a sentient target in hand-to-hand combat is equally limited. Beings whose Essence is higher than the magician's may pass through the barrier during a turn on a successful Essence check, allowing him to engage the magician in hand-to-hand combat, though the magician is equally capable of engaging him. Also, this passage is only one way. Passing out of it again requires another successful Essence check. A being who penetrates the shield benefits from and is limited by the protection afforded by it while he remains within the sphere, though he will find it easier to engage opponents, since the barrier does not move with him the way it does for the magician.
Plague of Swarming Vermin
Cost: 17 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Shipboard Herd
The magician creates from nothing up to (Conviction x 100) pounds of non-sentient, non-magical animals. The animal(s) arrive where the magician chooses within (Conviction x 10) yards. He may not, however, conjure them into a place too small for them to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting their weight (including thin air). This spell does not grant the magician any control over the summoned creatures. The animals created by this spell must be ones with which the magician has had significant meaningful contact, whether it is because he has dissected, domesticated, or regularly encountered them. They cannot, in any case, be purely fantastic creatures. Some Conjurers postulate that the animals are not actually created but, rather, are summoned randomly and instantly from another part of the world, but testing this theory has proven troublesome.
Massive Reproduction
Cost: 17 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Foil the Blockade
The magician creates from nothing up to (Conviction x 100) pounds of inanimate objects. The object(s) arrive where the magician chooses within (Conviction x 10) yards. He may not, however, conjure them into a place too small for them to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting their weight (including thin air). The objects created by this spell must be ones with which the magician has had significant meaningful contact, whether because it is a common item (such as a basket or bread), something he has the skills to create (in which case the storyteller should call for Crafts rolls exactly as if the magician were planning and building the object or objects to be conjured except no time is required for the construction phase), or something he currently has in his immediate possession. This spell cannot create items made of one of the Five Magical Materials, objects of pure magic (including Hearthstones), or objects that require any magical component to create (including adamant and walkaways).
Take the Captive
Cost: 14 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Steal the Children
The magician must be within the boundaries of a Demesne or Manse in his Purview to cast this spell. This spell affects a single target within (Temperance x 10) yards. The target vanishes and arrives at a Demesne or Manse within the magician's Purview of his choosing. He may not, however, banish her into a place too small for her to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting her weight (including thin air). The target leaves behind inanimate burdens such as armor, clothing, and weapons. If the target's Heroism or Essence is higher than the magician's, she may choose to roll a Willpower check to resist this spell.
Call the Reinforcements
Cost: 14 motes
Prerequisite Spells: Steal the Children
The magician must be within the boundaries of a Demesne or Manse in his Purview to cast this spell. This spell affects a single target in a Demesne or Manse within the magician's Purview. The target vanishes and appears at a spot of the magician's choosing within (Conviction x 10) yards of the caster. He may not, however, conjure the target into a place too small for them to fit or onto a surface incapable of supporting his weight (including thin air). The target leaves behind inanimate burdens such as armor, clothing, and weapons. If the target's Heroism or Essence is higher than the magician's, she may choose to roll a Willpower check to resist this spell.
Conjure the Malfean Beast
Cost: 20+ motes
Prerequisite Spells: Call the Reinforcements
This ritual requires four hours to complete - beginning at sunset and culminating at midnight - and casting it outside of a dedicated ritual space with some connection to Malfeas is impossible for a mortal magician. The magician calls up a Demon of the First Circle. If the magician chooses to bargain with the demon in some way, such as by offering it sacrifices or prayers, she must make a Charisma + Performance at a difficulty equal to (7 - Resources value of the sacrifice) to properly honor it. This difficulty is increased by 1 if the magician is not a priest devoted to that demon. If this roll succeeds, the demon will accept the offering and might even enter into an agreement with the magician if the number of additional successes on the roll is equal to or greater than the demon's Essence. This does not provide the magician with direct control over the demon, but is more akin to a temporary alliance. If treated well, the demon will accompany the wizard for as long as a year and a day, though it will still behave according to its nature.
A magician may also attempt to bind the demon to its will using the same system as for the Terrestrial Circle Spell Demon of the First Circle, but a mortal's low Essence score makes such a contest of wills a dangerous prospect. Moreover, demons enslaved by a mortal are more likely to seek vengeance once their term of service has ended. If ever the total Essence scores of all demons bound by the magician exceeds her Heroism, she must release one or more demons. A demon released by a magician in this fashion does not return to Malfeas until the magician dies or it is returned there by additional magic.
Open the Divine Gate
Cost: 17 motes + 1 feat
Prerequisite Spells: Take the Captive, Call the Reinforcements
The magician must be within the boundaries of a Manse in his Purview to cast this spell. It opens a gateway in the Hearthstone's focus chamber in the Manse, allowing the magician and any creatures on either side of the gateway (point of origin or destination) to travel rapidly along a narrow road of Essence in Elsewhere to another Manse, arriving in the focus room for the Hearthstone. The journey takes a number of days equal to the Manse rating, regardless of the rate of travel. A group traveling only a few hours on foot each day will arrive as quickly as a mounted courier riding nonstop at top speed along the path.
The exact destination depends on a great many factors, including the time the gateway was opened, placement of the gateway (north, west, south, east, or down), the rating and alignment (air, earth, fire, water, wood, Sidereal, Lunar, Abyssal, or Solar) of the Manse, and the location of the Manse. Most of the roads between Manses have not yet been mapped, and even so-called known paths sometimes change if one of the Manses it connects is altered or destroyed. Here are some rules of thumb for determining the potential destinations of a gateway from a Manse.
Eternal Pathway
Cost: 20 motes + 3 feats
Prerequisite Spells: Open the Divine Gate
This is one of the newest of all Third Circle spells wielded by mortals, developed less than a century ago. It is similar to Open the Divine Gate in that it connects two Manses along a road through Elsewhere, the destination of which is determined by factors of time and place. The gateway, however, remains open permanently unless subjected to potent countermagic, creating a quick and easy means of travel for anyone or anything that should pass through the gate. With the exception of gates in Sidereal-aligned Manses, the destination of this gateway remains static, ignoring limits on when it may be opened and where it would normally lead. An Eternal Pathway in a Sidereal-aligned Manse remains open, but the destination varies according to the month and day at the time when a traveler enters the gateway. Some Conjurers think it is possible, with a sufficiently powerful Manse, to duplicate the effects of this spell by means of sufficiently advanced geomantric architecture, resulting in an eternal gateway where the Hearthstone would normally be, but this theory has yet to be proved and is clearly not without risks.