The Black Death
- When prepared, the Black Death spell is cast on any enemy army which
marches in to invade one of your provinces where the spellcaster is
stationed. Casting this spell places extreme strain on the life energy
of the spellcaster and thus may only be cast a limited number of times
in a spellcaster's lifetime. The Black Death is a form of virulent
plague which will slay between 20% and 50% of the enemy troops as they
march to meet your forces in battle. The Black Death spell may not be
used offensively and only works in defense of provinces under your
control.
“I
have three hundred pikemen, four hundred Bossonian archers, and perhaps
fifty men who, like yourself, are skilled in woodcraft. They are worth
ten times their number of soldiers, but there are so few of them.
Frankly, Conan, my situation is becoming precarious. The soldiers
whisper of desertion; they are low-spirited, believing Zogar Sag has
loosed devils on us. They fear the black
plague with which he threatened us — the
terrible black
death of the swamplands. When I see a sick soldier I sweat
with fear of seeing him turn black and shrivel and die before my eyes.
Source:
Beyond the Black River
Robert
E. Howard
“Conan, if the plague
is loosed upon us, the soldiers will desert in a body! The border will
be left unguarded and nothing will check the sweep of the dark-skinned
hordes to the very gates of Velitrium — maybe beyond! If we
cannot hold the fort, how can they hold the town?
Source:
Beyond the Black River
Robert
E. Howard
"Should
King Nimed and his sons die naturally, in a plague
for
instance, Tarascus would mount the throne as the next heir, peacefully
and unopposed."
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON had birth
in war and pestilence and unrest. The black
plague stalked through the streets of Belverus, striking
down the
merchant in his stall, the serf in his kennel, the knight at his
banquet board. Before it the arts of the leeches were helpless. Men
said it had been sent from hell as punishment for the sins of pride and
lust. It was swift and deadly as the stroke of an adder. The victim's
body turned purple and then black, and within a few minutes he sank
down dying, and the stench of his own putrefaction was in his nostrils
even before death wrenched his soul from his rotting body. A hot,
roaring wind blew incessantly from the south, and the crops withered in
the fields, the cattle sank and died in their tracks.
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
"I've dreamed many evil dreams,"
he said, "and most of them were
meaningless. But by Crom, this was not like most dreams! I wish this
battle were fought and won, for I've had a grisly premonition ever
since King
Nimed died in the black plague. Why did it cease when he
died?"
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
"No! The black
plague's no common pestilence. It lurks in Stygian
tombs, and is called forth into being only by wizards. I was a
swordsman in Prince Almuric's army that invaded Stygia, and of his
thirty thousand, fifteen thousand perished by Stygian arrows, and the
rest by the black
plague that rolled on us like a wind out of the
south. I was the only man who lived."
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
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Reincarnation
- The
reincarnation spell is only usable on one of your characters who has
died on the previous turn. If the spell is successfully cast, it will
bring the dead character back to life at the same age as when he died.
The reincarnation spell places a tremendous drain upon the spellcaster
and a character may only cast it a limited number of times in his
lifetime. A reincarnated character will not regain used-up spells.
"Ishtar!"
he gasped. "It is Xaltotun!-and he lives! Valerius! Tarascus!
Amalric! Do you see? Do you see? You doubted me- but I have not failed!
We have been close to the open gates of hell this night, and the shapes
of darkness have gathered close about us -- -aye, they followed him to
the very door -- but we
have brought the great magician back to life."
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
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Fire Wall
- This spell
causes a wall of flame to leap up in obedience to the will of the spell
caster. A firewall can engulf and destroy entire ranks of charging
soldiers in an instant!
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Through
their tales ran the name of Natohk like a crawling serpent. At his
bidding the demons of the air brought thunder and wind and fog, the
fiends of the underworld shook the earth with awful roaring. He
brought fire out of
the air and consumed the gates of walled cities, and burnt armored men
to
bits of charred bone.
Source:
Black Colossus
Robert
E. Howard
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The Open Hand
- Knowledge
of this spell signifies membership in the dread Open Hand Society. A
master of the Open Hand of power can break down strong doors and kill
instantly.
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"The Heart, by Crom!" he
muttered. "He was carrying it under his mantle. He stole it. He
burst that door by his magic, and slew Beloso. He was a
priest of Set."
A quick investigation confirmed at least part of his suspicions. The
jewel was not on the Zingaran's body. An uneasy feeling rose in Conan
that this had not happened by chance, or without design; a conviction
that the mysterious Stygian galley had come into the harbor of
Messantia on a definite mission. How could the priests of Set know that
the Heart had come southward? Yet
the thought was no more fantastic than the necromancy that could slay
an armed man by the touch of an open, empty hand.
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
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Earth Demon
- The Earth Demon spell is a very potent and terrifying form of magic!
With a word of command, the holder of this spell may summon the very
power of the earth to do his bidding, causing the earth to shake,
cliffs to topple onto the armies of his enemies and the walls of
fortifications to come crashing to the ground in the space of a moment.
The Earth Demon spell is only effective in mountain, hill, or fort
terrain.
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He
staggered as the walls of the tent swayed drunkenly. Afar
over
the thunder of the fight rose a deep bellowing roar, indescribably
ominous.
"The
cliffs reel!" shrieked the squire. "Ah, gods, what is
this? The
river foams out of its channel, and the
peaks are crumbling!
The
ground shakes and horses and riders in armor are overthrown! The
cliffs! The cliffs are falling!"
With
his words there came a grinding rumble and a thunderous
concussion, and
the ground trembled. Over the roar of the battle
sounded screams of mad terror.
"The
cliffs have crumbled!" cried the livid squire. "They
have
thundered down into the defile and crushed every living creature in it!
I saw the lion banner wave an instant amid
the dust and falling stones,
and then it vanished! Ha, the Nemedians shout with triumph! Well may
they shout, for
the fall of the cliffs has wiped out five thousand of
our bravest knights-hark!"
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
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Magic Sleep
- With this
spell, a character can call upon a child from the chilling outer void
(a being whose very touch can paralyze the body and numb the mind). If
successful, the spellcaster may command this creature to touch the
commander of an enemy army. The commander touched in this fashion will
become paralyzed and useless for the duration of the battle.
"It
was there, in the comer," muttered the king, tossing his lion-maned
head from side to side in his efforts to rise. "A man-at least he
looked like a man-wrapped in rags like a mummy's bandages, with a
moldering cloak drawn about him, and a hood. All I could see was his
eyes, as he crouched there in the shadows. I thought he was a shadow himself, until I saw his eyes. They were like black jewels.
"I made at him and swung my sword, but I missed him clean- how, Crom knows-and splintered that pole instead. He
caught my wrist as I staggered off balance, and his fingers burned like
hot iron. All the strength went out of me, and the floor rose and
struck me like a club. Then he was gone, and I was down, and- curse him!-I can't move! I'm paralyzed!"
Pallantides lifted the giant's hand, and his flesh crawled. On the king's wrist showed the blue marks of long, lean fingers. What hand could grip so hard as to leave its print on that thick wrist?
Pallantides remembered that low laugh he had heard as he rushed into
the tent, and cold perspiration beaded his skin. It had not been Conan
who laughed.
"This is a thing diabolical!" whispered a trembling squire. "Men say the children of darkness war for Tarascus!"
Source:
The Hour of the Dragon
Robert
E. Howard
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