Boil and Bubble: Magical Styles – Spellslinger

Secret Spells: Essential Gunpowder; Ghostly Gunsmith; Rapid Reload; Semi-Auto Magic; Smash Shot; Sniper Shot; Spell Marksmanship; Gun Charm.

First Circle (Gun Hand)
Eight spells are considered basic. A new recruit is required to learn them all.

Second Circle (Pistoleer)
A Gun Hand becomes a Pistoleer upon learning all nine First Circle spells. This entitles him to learn any of these twenty-two spells.

Third Circle (Shootist)
A Pistoleer is promoted to Shootist upon learning eleven Second Circle spells (a total of 20 spells, with First Circle spells), allowing him to study these nineteen spells.

Fourth Circle (Gunfighter)
A Shootist graduates to Gunfighter upon learning at least nine Third Circle spells (a total of 29 spells, with lower-Circle spells), giving him access to twenty more spells.

Fifth Circle (Gunslinger)
A Gunfighter earns the title of Gunslinger upon learning at least eight Fourth Circle spells (a total of 37 spells, with lower-Circle spells), and can then go on to study any of these sixteen options.

Sixth Circle (Gunsmith)
A Gunslinger earns the title of Gunsmith upon learning at least eight Fifth Circle spells (a total of 45 spells, with lower-Circle spells), and can then go on to study any of these 14 options. Those with the Gun Charm spells may go on to learn the following Enchantment spells at any time, though only firearms, ammunition, and gun accessories (like gun belts or cleaning kits) may be enchanted: Accuracy, Bane, Blank Spell Arrow, Cornucopia, Ghost Weapon, Graceful Weapon, Loyal Sword, Penetrating Weapon, Puissance, Quick-Aim, Quick-Draw, Speed Spell Arrow, Spell Arrow. Blank Spell Arrow, Speed Spell Arrow, and Spell Arrow only be used on firearm ammunition, not arrows or bolts.

Essential Gunpowder (VH)

Transforms regular gunpowder into the perfected essence of gunpowder. Essential Gunpowder does not spoil, get wet, or ever go bad. This reduces the Malfunction number by 3 when using ammo that contains Essential Gunpowder. If used in the manufacture of match-grade or extra powerful ammunition it doubles the normal benefits (and drawbacks). This can also be used on explosive powders, but not something like C4 or DET Cord; for these double the REF.

Duration: Indefinite.
Cost: 3 per pound of material; if casting this on ammunition use the WPS.
Time to cast: 30 seconds.
Prerequisites: Secret Spell (Essential Gunpowder) and nine Fifth Circle spells.

Fighting Irons

After casting this spell you can use a firearm you have in hand to parry a incoming attack. If the spell succeeds, the gun becomes harder than iron, momentarily – and automatically parries the attacking weapon without harm to the caster. If the spell fails, the wizard is simply parrying with his weapon! (and all that entails), if he critically fails use the results of the spell failure chart and the attack he was attempting to parry automatically hits him. This spell can parry no attack that could not normally be parried. Unlike most Blocking spells this spell may be used up to two times in a singular turn if the only other Blocking spell used was the Fighting Irons spells.

Cost: 1.
Prerequisites: Secret Spell (Fighting Irons), nine 0 Circle spells, and DX 11 or higher.

Item
Any firearm, useable by mages only. Energy cost to create: 600.

Ghostly Gunsmith/TL

Casting this spell allows you to clean, disassemble, and reassemble a single firearm as if they had a Gun Cleaning Kit (GURPS High Tech, pg 160-161). It also allows the caster to assemble firearm ammunition from the normal ingredients (cartridge, bullet, powder) as if they had a Portable Tool Kit (Armoury (Small Arms)) (GURPS High Tech, pg 24). Assembly still requires a skill check to complete (with a +4 bonus from the spell) use the rules for Handloading and Reloading (GURPS High Tech, p.174) at one-tenth the rate to determine how many rounds can be assembled per casting, assume that this spell does a hour’s worth of work each time it is used.

Duration: See Text.
Cost: 4 to cast.
Time to cast: 10 seconds.
Prerequisites: Secret Spell (Ghostly Gunsmith).

Gun Charm

This spell mirrors the Temporary Enchantment spell and serves as a prerequisite spell for other enchantments much as the Enchant spell (GURPS Magic p.54) does but only for the purpose of enchanting firearms, ammunition, and gun accessories (such as a Gun Cleaning Kit or a Cartridge Bandoleer). See GURPS Magic for further details on enchanting and enchantment.

Prerequisites: Secret Spell (Gun Charm) and nine Fifth Circle spells.

Rapid Reload

This spell allows you to momentarily speed up your reflexes and agility but only for the purpose of reloading your firearm. This spell does not produce ammunition, which you must already have. You must specialize by reloading scheme: Belt (for machine guns), Breechloader (for double-barreled shotguns), Detachable Magazine (for most modern automatics), Muzzleloader (for black-powder guns), Swing-Out Revolver (for modern revolvers), etc. See High-Tech for a full list. A successful casting lets you reload as a free action for Detachable Magazine or for Swing-Out Revolver (with a speedloader), or with a single Ready maneuver for every other specialty but Muzzleloader. For the Muzzleloader specialty, you can spend extra 2 FP, and a successful roll chops 25% per 2 FP off reload time, to a minimum of three seconds.

Duration: Instantaneous
Cost: 4. See text for further information on Muzzleloaders.
Time to cast: 1 second.
Prerequisites: Magery 1. Fast-Draw (Ammo) 12+. Secret Spell (Rapid Reload) and eight Second Circle spells

Semi-Auto Magic

This spell is cast on another damage-dealing spell, granting it an enhanced rate of fire (p. B373). The spells are cast one after the other, with no delays between castings. Semi-Auto Magic is cast first, and counts as a spell “on” for determining the effective skill for the second spell. You still have to pay the cost of each spell in FP but make only a single skill roll for all of them, so if you cast this spell for a RoF 3 and then Fireball with a 1d Fireball, the total FP cost would be 8, 5 FP for the Semi-Auto Magic spell, and 1 x 3 for the Fireball.

Duration: Until the second spell expires.
Cost: See table below.

RoF  Cost
2       4

8-15 10

Time to cast: 3 seconds.
Prerequisites: Secret Spell (Semi-Auto Magic) and eight Third Circle spells.

Smash Shot

Your attack’s with a small arms weapon adds the effect of knockback to the target in addition to any other effects. The bullet does normal damage plus does knockback based on the amount of normal damage. For double the cost you may make this Double Knockback or Double Blunt Trauma, for triple cost you may have them both.

Duration: 1 minute.
Cost: 4 to cast. 2 to maintain. (double cost for Double Knockback or Double Blunt Trauma, triple cost for both).
Time to cast: 1 second.
Prerequisites: Secret Spell (Smash Shot) and eight Third Circle spells.

Sniper Shot

Your next attack with a small arm weapon has its range increment increased by one-half (multiply by 1 1/2). This also affects the 1/2 D range of the weapon, if any.

Duration: 1 use (see text).
Cost: 3 to cast.
Time to cast: 5 seconds.
Prerequisites: Secret Spell (Sniper Shot) and eight Second Circle spells.

Spell-Marksmanship

This spell imbues a bullet with any spell that could be cast by touch. Get your small arm ready to shoot, and then choose a spell and energize your projectile with it. This takes the spell’s standard casting time. It requires energy equal to the spell’s usual cost, reduced for skill with that spell, plus 3 FP, reduced for skill at this one. Don’t roll yet – that comes later! You may hold the charged projectile ready while you take other actions, but unloading the firearm wastes the spell.  When you’re ready to shoot, make a normal ranged attack. Roll for the spell when the projectile hits something, using the lower of your level with that spell and Spell-Marksmanship. All standard casting modifiers apply except those for distance – the target is affected just as if you had cast the spell by touch! The missile does its usual damage.

Spellslinger

Style Prerequisite: Gunslinger, Magery 0, and Ritual Adept.

Blending spell magic and implausible skill; the Spellslinger is a terrifying foe. Battle mages, or ‘spell slingers’ have been around for a long time, but it wasn’t until the first firearms came around that this style came into being. Using both magical prowess and firearms, the goal of the style is to use spells and guns (specifically pistols, but some practitioners use rifles, shotguns, etc.) as one, making them a extension of the mage. Because of the extremely stringent requirements (Magery and Gunslinger) plus the time invested in learning the style itself this style has few practitioners.
The perk, Object Channel (Firearm) may be bought as soon as the Style Familiarity perk is gained as it is intrinsic to the style, for the purposes of that spell, any firearm with a bulk of -4 or less counts as a “wand” while a bulk of -5 or more counts as a “staff.”

      To gain the energy reduction bonus for this style the spell must have something to do with firearms, guns, or destructive “battle magic” (damaging spells would be acceptable, as would a spell that blinds a foe – but not one that mere stuns them).

Required Skills: Armoury (Small Arms), Connoisseur (Guns), Fast-Draw (Ammo), Fast-Draw (Pistol or Longarm), Guns (any two), Innate Attack (Beam or Projectile), and Thaumatology.
Required Paths: Path of Body, Path of Energy*, and Path of Matter*.

Required Ritual Masteries: Alertness, Fighting Irons, Fireball, Haste.

Attributes: Improved DX and IQ.
Advantages: Acute Hearing or Vision; Ambidexterity; Combat Reflexes; Danger Sense; Daredevil; Enhanced Time Sense*; Enhanced Tracking*; Imbue*; Night Vision; Signature Gear; Spellslinger; Telescopic Vision*; Unfazeable.
Disadvantages: Bad Temper; Callous; Enemies; Impulsiveness; Loner; On the Edge; Overconfidence; Post-Combat Shakes; Stubbornness.
Skills: Alchemy; Artillery; Axe/Mace; Brawling; Fast-Draw (Long Arm or Pistol); Gunner; Guns; Hazardous Materials (Magical); Hidden Lore (Magical Items); History (Firearms); Knife; Spear; Teaching; and Imbuement skills.
Perks: Imbuement or Gun Fu Perks (any).

Secret Material: Fawkes Fuse 
Prepared correctly, this handmade gunpowder becomes a potent one-off magical energy source. Transformation calls for a Thaumatology-4 roll by a spellslinger with the Secret Material (Fawkes Fuse) perk. Any success produces a fine grey powder containing bound energy points equal to margin of success x 5, with no maximum. Failure wastes the gunpowder. Critical failure produces a useless product that increases the Malfunction number of any ammo made with it by 3! The GM rolls in secret – failures are obvious, but it’s impossible to tell success from backfire! It can only be used to power rituals or create magical items. For the former each point of bound energy can be tapped as a source for spells that deal with firearms, explosions, fire, and so on. For the latter, it counts as 1 hour of Slow and Sure enchanting per point of margin of success when created – but only for magic items that is related to one of the above.