Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Chapter IV: Wood Elf Magic
Ri t u a l o f Sp r i n g Aw a k e n i n g
The Great Ritual of Spring Awakening is performed annually at
King’s Glade to signal the end of winter. Lesser variants of this
ritual are sometimes cast at other glades in Athel Loren during
times of illness, food shortage or corruption.
Type: Arcane/Divine
Arcane Language: Arcane Elf
Magic: 4
XP: 300
Ingredients: The still-beating heart of a stag and a garland of
Winterblossom (pg. 109).
Conditions: The community’s bravest hunter must eat the stag’s
heart and make love with a virgin Treesinger. Spellsingers then
incant the ritual while their kinfolk dance. The hunter walks
into a great bonfire wearing the Winterblossom garland and is
consumed by flames.
Consequences: If the ritual fails, Ariel is angered by elves
tampering with seasonal cycles. Forest Spirit Disposition for the
entire region is reduced by -20 until summer.
Casting Number: 20 (30 if cast before winter solstice)
Casting Time: 6 hours
Description: The sun becomes warmer, melting snow. Plants
spontaneously bloom within a 2-mile radius. Living creatures
are healed back to starting Wounds, and diseases may be cured
with a successful Toughness test. Any Flora and Fauna Corruption
within 2 miles is removed automatically (see pg. 109, 114).
Forest Spirit Disposition increases by +10 until summer.
Th e Da n c e o f Bl a d e s
Over time, Sword Dancing transformed into the Wardance
performed by the Wardancers of the Wood Elves. The Wardance
is a form of magic that follows the casting rules described in the
WFRP rulebook. However, there are a number of notable differences,
which are explained below.
Th e Lo r e o f Mi r t h & Ma y h e m
Wardancing requires no invocations, and no words exist to
describe or define spells of the Lore of Mirth & Mayhem. A
practitioner of the Wardance therefore does not need to speak
an Arcane Language in order to use spells from the Lore of
Mirth & Mayhem. Any spells from other Lores require an Arcane
Language to cast as normal.
The Lore of Mirth & Mayhem uses the Performer (Acrobat) skill
instead of Channelling. The manner in which Channelling is
resolved remains the same. As a Half Action, the character may
attempt a Performer (Acrobat) Test before casting a spell. This
represents the Wardancer’s flourishes and cavorting movements
before an attack. If successful, the character may add their
Magic characteristic as an additional bonus to the Casting Roll.
When a Wardancer first learns the Lore of Mirth & Mayhem,
only the four dances associated with the seasons are learnt: the
dances of Winters Chill, Spring Resurgence, Summer’s Vigour,
and Autumn’s Decline. These basic dances can be performed
out of season; in fact they are usually combined during performances.
Other dances are considered more advanced and must
be purchased individually for 100 xp each.
A dance lasts for a number of minutes equal to your Magic
characteristic. The same dance cannot be performed consecutively.
Sh a d o w -Da n c e s o f Lo e c
Although the Order of Swordmasters was not established until
the foundation stones of the White Tower of Hoeth in Ulthuan
were laid, Elves have wielded spell and sword alike in the defence
of their homelands since the time of Aenarion. Many have
combined these potent arts into a lethal fighting style, channelling
the Winds of Magic through ritualistic movements in place
of the arcane invocations used by traditional Mages.
Those who mastered this new art of Sword Dancing were the
leaders of warriors and seekers of knowledge. They were known
as Swordmasters, and while some sought to perfect the art of
killing, others preferred to wander the world in search of truth.
So it was that a few Swordmasters found themselves amongst
the fledgling Asrai at the end of the War of the Beard. Living in
the forests slowly transformed these warrior-sages into the Wardancers
of today; warriors without equal who revel in trickery
and music.
Dance of Winter’s Chill
Casting Number: 5
Effect: Your slow movements deceive your opponents, allowing
you to turn aside blows quicker than they would believe you capable.
During the dance any successful Parry attempt you make
also inflicts 1 Wound upon your opponent, as you turn their
blade aside and riposte with almost supernatural speed.
Dance of Spring Resurgence
Casting Number: 7
Effect: You move with almost supernatural speed, turning one
way and then another, making opponents struggle to anticipate
where to strike. All opponents reduce their Attack characteristic
by 1 point for the duration of the dance.
Dance of Summer’s Vigour
Casting Number: 8
Effect: You strike with uncanny precision, severing heads and
piercing hearts with deceptively elegant strokes. While perform-
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