Magic School - Ubicokinesis

[GuardianTempest]

Ubicokinesis

This school is an alternative to Divination, using Willpower to cast.

The big drawback for this school is that it's complicated and inconsistent. It might also be reliant on other homebrew. Ubicokinesis spells use core game mechanics in weird ways, like using the target's stats against themselves. It doesn't help that I have been trying to minimize word bloat which results in spells being less clear than expected.

Level 1

SPOILER: Click to show

Gry
Ubicokinesis 1
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 15
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Attack, Combo-OK, Verbal, Ranged Touch, Somatic
Duration: Instant
A target within 20m is dealt I damage to the Body equal to their static defense. You may remove the Ranged Touch keyword as you cast this spell. If you do, the spell's damage is halved.

Blink
Ubicokinesis 1
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 15
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Somatic
Duration: Instant
You teleport to a spot you can see within 40m.

Blade Broadcast
Ubicokinesis 1
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 15
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Focus, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: One Scene
The focus gains the Reach property if it doesn't already have it, and attacks with it can hit targets at a range of 10m per level of the caster. The spell ends if the focus leaves the caster's hands.
Focus: a melee weapon without Brawling that deals R damage

Steal
Ubicokinesis 1
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 15
Action: Free Action
Keywords: Social, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Instant
Your sleight of hand is such that you even can take things from far away. This spell may be used as a Larceny roll for stealing purposes on targets up to 5m away. Stealing something from someone changes the TN to their static defense, and they may resist with Arcana+Willpower. Artifact items and attended-to items such as drawn weapons or equipped armor may not be taken, and if you choose to take something the target does not have the spell fails.

Level 2

SPOILER: Click to show

Twisted Barricade
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 15
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Somatic
Duration: Concentration (reaction)
The caster distorts the space around them to divert all attacks including theirs. Use the magic roll as the static defense against all attack rolls made by and towards the caster. If both the attacker and the target are under the effects of this spell, use the lower result between the two instances.

Baleful Blink
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Attack, Combo-OK, Saving Throw, Somatic, Verbal, Touch
Duration: Instant
You touch an adjacent target and teleport it to a spot you can see within 10m, plus additional 2m for every raise on your Focus Power test. The target may resist with Arcana + Willpower.

Baleful Call
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Attack, Combo-OK, Saving Throw, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Instant
You designate one person within 10m and teleport them to an available space adjacent to you. They may resist with Arcana + Willpower. You can double the target range for every 2 Raises on the Focus Power test.

Spatial Step
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Somatic
Duration: Instant
The caster compresses space, moving in a straight line up to their Speed plus half the magic roll. This movement can be done in all three dimensions.

Enlarge Person
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Somatic, Touch, Verbal
Duration: One Scene
The touched creature gets +1 to Size. The creature's equipment adjusts in size to fit.

Reduce Person
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Somatic
Duration: Instant
The touched creature gets -1 to Size. The creature's equipment adjusts in size to fit.

Level 3

SPOILER: Click to show

Gryva
Ubicokinesis 3
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 25
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Attack, Verbal, Somatic
Duration: Instant
Everyone within a 10m radius (including the caster) is dealt I damage to the Body equal to their static defense, reduced by twice their Aura.

Porte
Ubicokinesis 3
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action or Reaction Action
Keywords: Somatic
Duration: One day per Caster level.
You create a portal large enough for a person to walk through in a place you can see within 100m. The portal must be placed on a relatively flat surface, but can otherwise be set at any angle. If the surface moves, the portal vanishes instantly. You must cast this spell twice for it to have much effect. The portals are like a doorway - there's no real space between them, entering one immediately puts you out the other. You can hang halfway through a portal, though if one is closed you're expelled through the open side. Momentum is conserved through the portals. You may have only two portals open at once. If you attempt to open a third, you must choose which of your existing portals closes.

Jaunt
Ubicokinesis 3
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 25
Action: Reaction Action
Keywords: Combo-OK
Duration: Instant
You instantly teleport up to 10m away. If used in reaction to an attack, you can use this as a dodge attempt.

Trickster's Transposition
Ubicokinesis 3
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 25
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Attack, Saving Throw, Somatic
Duration: Instant
The caster swaps the position of two objects of the same size within his field of view, maximum of Size 10. If either of the two objects is a character, they may resist with an Arcana + Willpower saving throw. The spell fails if either of the two characters succeed.

Dimension Door
Ubicokinesis 3
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Somatic
Duration: Instant
This spell acts as Blink, except you can also teleport one willing adjacent target, as well as a number of additional willing targets equal to the number of raises on your Focus Power test.

Grasp of Escher
Ubicokinesis 3
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Attack, Saving Throw, Somatic
Duration: Instant
Firmly grasp it in your mind's eye. This spell can be used in place of a Disarm test and can be used on targets 5m away per rank in Ubicokinesis. The target rolls Weaponry+Strength to avoid being disarmed (Brawl+Strength if the weapon has Brawling), otherwise the weapon goes to the caster's free hand. If the caster doesn't have a free hand, the disarmed weapon falls to their feet.

Level 4

SPOILER: Click to show

Teleport
Ubicokinesis 4
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 30
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Instant
As Blink, but with no maximum distance, and you may teleport anywhere you have seen before. Unless you are extremely familiar with the destination, you must make a Wisdom + Perception check against TN 25 (The SM may raise the TN for locations you've only seen once or have seen only from a distance or through divination spells). Teleport cannot be used to teleport through Crystal Spheres or into shielded ships.

Spatial Stride
Ubicokinesis 4
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 30
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Combo-OK, Somatic
Duration: Instant
The caster compresses space to a greater degree, moving in a straight line up to twice their Speed plus the magic roll. This movement can be done in all three dimensions.

Distortion BLockade
Ubicokinesis 4
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Attack, Saving Throw, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Concentration (reaction)
As Twisted Barricade but it also applies to everyone within 10m of the caster.

Square-Cube Squeeze
Ubicokinesis 4
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 30
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Attack, Ranged Touch, Saving Throw, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Instant
A creature of Size 10 or less within 25m implodes, dealing XkX I to the Body where X is the creature's Size. The target may resist with a Level + Strength saving throw.

Dilate Space
Ubicokinesis 4
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Action: Half Action
Target Number: 10
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Half a minute
The caster creates a sphere with a radius equal to the number of raises on the focus power test plus one. Within this sphere, distances are amplified by two plus the number of raises times two; for example, if you rolled a 30, that would create a sphere with a radius of 5m and an amplification factor of 10. To cross from one end of the example sphere to the other would require that the crosser move a distance equal to the diameter of the sphere times ten, or 100m. Dispel may be used on this sphere at any time to revert space back to normality, but if the spheres have been nested within each other only the lowest spheres in a sequence of nested spheres can be dispelled.

Multidimensional Stinger
Ubicokinesis 4
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 30
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Focus, Somatic
Duration: One Scene (E)
Remaining ammunition in the focus is imbued with the power to pierce all physical barriers, effectively giving it infinite penetration. The focus also gets a free raise in the damage roll for every exploded die kept in the attack roll, doubled if the weapon's clip size is 1. The spell ends once the affected weapon's clip is empty or as a free action.
Focus: A ranged weapon that fires solid ammunition

Level 5

SPOILER: Click to show

Grydyne
Ubicokinesis 5
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 35
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Attack, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Instant
A target within 5m is dealt I damage to the Body equal to their static defense, reduced by Aura. You may add the Touch keyword as you cast this spell. If you do, the damage is instead twice the target's static defense and reduced by twice their Aura.

Gate
Ubicokinesis 5
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 35
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Social, Somatic
Duration: One day per Caster Level.
As Porte, save you don't need to have line of effect to the target for the portal opening. This portal counts as one of the two open portals you may have and otherwise follows all the rules of Porte. Unless you are extremely familiar with the destination, you must make a Wisdom + Perception check against TN 25 (The SM may raise the TN for locations you've only seen once or have seen only from a distance or through divination spells).

Spacial Rend
Ubicokinesis 5
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 40
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Attack, Ranged Touch, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Instant
From the caster's perspective, it looks as if the target is a photo that is cut in half then cleanly pieced back together. To everyone else, space itself is dislodged for a moment. This spell deals 6k5 R with Volatile and Proven (4).

[GuardianTempest]

The space to Chronokinesis' time. I'm using Fujino Asagami because her bridge busting display was my main inspiration. That, and I can't find good fanart of Vista from Worm. The above image doesn't count. It's a little barebones right now but more spells will be added over time. I still haven't figured out how to turn Fujino's bridge buster as a spell yet. DVSS has ideas for this school but most of them involve moving characters against their will (tl;dr ZA HANDO but as spells), and that's a little bland. There's so much more that can be done with space manipulation. Spacial Rend's current effect is a placeholder.

I don't have names for the following effects:
- Change the hit location of an attack that hits you (free action spell)
- You are always considered to be in point blank range for ranged attacks, both yours and everyone else's (concentration spell)

Also...

Twisted Barricade
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Wisdom
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Concentration (Reaction)
All attack rolls against the caster must keep the lowest dice.

The initial effect was that the caster swaps the static defense and the attack roll of all incoming attacks.

[Traskus]

Might I recommend dimension door?

[GuardianTempest]

Sure. I've also added a version of Twisted Barricade I'm content with, as well as a few new spells.

Also, I checked my notes and it turns out I got the wrong Room spell (it was supposed to be Wonder Room). Oh well. Hmm, gonna add more graviton effects in the future (adds the target's AP to the damage roll)...

Another spell I couldn't name:

Name pending
Ubicokinesis 3
Test: Ubicokinesis + Wisdom
Target Number: 20
Action: Full Action
Keywords: Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Five rounds
<fluff here> The static defense of everyone within 10m is 10 + (3 x Size) - (2 x Wisdom) - (2 x Dex).

[GuardianTempest]

Changed characteristics and alternation since I already had a Wisdom magic school, corrected some error and added Yog's Dilate Space (duh). Now excuse me while I figure out how to add Flechette's Sting as a spell...

[GuardianTempest]

Oh snap, fixed an oversight with Grydyne and made it slightly more survivable. Trick Room has been removed. Buffed Spatial Step and Spatial Stride by allowing vertical movement.

[GuardianTempest]

Twisted Barricade nerfed, however I still want this to be an option for low-SD characters who want to ply their hand at being SDef tanks.

SPOILER: Click to show

Twisted Barricade
Ubicokinesis 2
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 20
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Somatic
Duration: Concentration (Reaction)
The caster distorts the space around them, using their magic roll as their static defense.

[GuardianTempest]

Okay, new way of balancing Twisted Barricade: Make it mutual. It twists space around the caster to deflect incoming attacks, but wouldn't that mean the caster's attacks would also be affected? I'm tentatively keeping it as a Full Action because the username/Flint Steele Solution is to not maintain concentration, make a standard attack, then cast the spell again. On one hand Delayed attacks are a thing and it eats up a lot of your actions for a single attack, on the other hand: Celerity.

Trickster's Transposition turned into a Half Action so you can use it to swap an ally and an enemy at a critical moment (plus, Trickster in worm canon probably doesn't need that much). Also, here's a clever trick with Gry/Gryva: Wait until the target makes a Dodge/Parry action.

I need ideas for low-level/high-end spells since the middle is getting bloated.

[ScrapyardDragon]

So, having seen a chance to see it in use proper, I think Gry halving SD before damage calculation kind of kills it. It just results in it often doing no damage at all after resilience, or only a single wound if that. Compare it to magic missile as the default "heck you dodge builds" thats also level 1 and its just, really bad. I think making it to their full-SD in damage and only halving it if you take the auto-hit option is a solid setup.

[GuardianTempest]

Mar 12, 2023 18:11:58 GMT -6 ScrapyardDragon said:

So, having seen a chance to see it in use proper, I think Gry halving SD before damage calculation kind of kills it. It just results in it often doing no damage at all after resilience, or only a single wound if that. Compare it to magic missile as the default "heck you dodge builds" thats also level 1 and its just, really bad. I think making it to their full-SD in damage and only halving it if you take the auto-hit option is a solid setup.

That's understandable. Though 24 EZ damage can get scary for newer characters, and might just outpace the already-unpopular Energy Burst (which is possibly worse than a gun). Anyway, I've made the edit.

[GuardianTempest]

Square-Cube Squeeze made easier to survive. Twisted Barricade's TN is reduced to 15. Gravity Bomb has been replaced with a new spell. Here is the replaced spell for comparison.

Gravity Bomb
Ubicokinesis 4
Test: Ubicokinesis + Willpower
Target Number: 30
Action: Half Action
Keywords: Attack, Ranged Touch, Somatic, Verbal
Duration: Instant
The caster makes a ranged attack with the profile of a Grav Bomb, with a range of 25m.

If anyone has a better name than Distorted Convergence, I'd be glad to use it.