The Life Arcana involves the magical creation and manipulation of living creatures
Example Knacks: Insects, Mushrooms, Plants, Humans, Dolphins, Cats,
Controlling Life
Note that when using magic to control life, it is used to control the body only, as the mind and spirit require separate Arcana.
Transform and Transfer Effects
Spells that transform and alter a target revert the target back to their previous form when the spell ends.
Targets transformed into something of less health revert to their original bodies if the transformed body is killed/destroyed. The total damage done to their previous form is then done to the character’s restored body.
Spell Components
Level 1:
| Cost | Spell Potential | Effect |
| Free | – | Detect Life: (Knackless) Detect the source, shape, and sizes of lifeforms within area. |
| Glance | – | Control Life: Manipulate the movement of a lifeforce. |
| Glance | – | Transfer Bashing Damage: (Knackless) Transfer Bashing Physical damage, one per cost, from 1 willing target to another willing target. The health transfer lasts even after the spell ends. |
Level 2:
| Cost | Spell Potential | Effect |
| Glance | – | Discover information: (Knackless) Determine the age, species (if known), sex, and other physical details of the target. Analyze the health of a target and any ailments afflicting them. |
| Glance | – | Alter Features: (Knackless) Alter the target’s appearance (skin color, eye color, fur color, hair length, etc) |
| Hit | 2 | Create Life: Create a lifeform from nothing. (See “Magical Constructs” on the Spell Potential and Constructs page for more information.) |
| Hit | _ | Transfer Severe Damage: (Knackless) Transfer Physical severe damage, one per cost, from 1 willing target to another willing target. The health transfer lasts even after the spell ends. |
Level 3:
| Cost | Spell Potential | Effect |
| Glance | – | Cleanse: (Knackless) Remove common diseases and poisons from the target |
| Glance | – | Hone Form: (Knackless) Raise Constitution, Dexterity, or Strength by 1. This cannot increase a target’s attributes above 4 and does not grant increased Mana, Stress, or Fortune. |
| Hit | – | Infectious: (modifier) (Knackless) Combine with another spell to make its effects infectious to anyone that comes in contact with it. |
Level 4:
| Cost | Spell Potential | Effect |
| Hit | 3 | Transfer Features: Give the target features/traits from one of your Knacks. For example, a mage with the Knack “birds” can give the target feathers and wings. |
| Hit | – | Lesser Transform: Transform 1 target into another of equal size. A mage must have a knack in at least 1 form (original or target) and must spend 1 mana if they do not have a Knack for both. (No mana cost if made Knackless) |
| 1 Glance & 1 Hit | – | Transfer Aggravated Damage: (Knackless) Transfer physical health damage, one per cost, from 1 willing target to another willing target. The health transfer lasts even after the spell ends. |
Level 5:
| Cost | Spell Potential | Effect |
| 1 Glance & 1 Hit | 2 | Greater Transform: Transform 1 target into another of any size. A mage must have a knack in at least 1 form (original or target) and must spend 1 mana if they do not have a Knack for both. (No mana cost if made Knackless) |
| 2 Hits | 1 | Destroy Life: Completely snuff out a lifeforce for the duration of the spell. |
| 2 Hits | – | Regeneration: (Knackless) Regenerate lost organs or limbs and repair lasting wounds. The effect lasts even after the spell ends. Cost 1 additional Sunesis |
Life Splices
The Mutated; The Animals;
Those who strain the limits of life magic gain physical, in-human abnormalities, features from other creatures, and are known to rely on heightened instincts while acting on animalistic urges.
Tier 1 Splices: At the start, Life splices create blemishes and ungainly skin growths on the caster, creating an unpleasant or freakish appearance, that are nonetheless benign.
Tier 2 Splices: As a splice enhances, the physical abnormalities start to take features from other creatures; generally ones associated with the target of a spell. They may form as scales, sharpened canines, or light coat of fur.
When the splice activates, the resemblance sharpens and the mage gains some of the instinctual behaviors of the animal. Acting on the instincts is easy but resisting them requires a Resolve Ability Check.
Tier 3 Splices: The physical changes are now always recognizable, as are some of the smaller advantages and disadvantages it may provide (acting as a permanent 1 die aspect). Even while inactive the mage can feel some of the lingering instinctual urges of the beast within, though resisting is not too challenging.
Once active, the witch faces a -2 penalty to resisting the beast. Furthermore, the bestial appearance spreads across the entire body of the mage, increasing 1 of the mage’s attributes by 1.
Tier 4 Splices: At this tier the splice takes hold beneath the skin, creating an effective animalistic replacement of the body part; creating retractable claws, gills, a second stomach, poisonous fangs, or other drastic change (a permanent 2 die aspect). The instincts are also harder to resist, often requiring a Resolve Ability Check just to resist the beast’s reaction to a sudden change in events.
When active, the mage undergoes a full body transformation to appear more similar to the beast. This provides a +2 bonus to two attributes, but the mage cannot resist the beast’s urges anymore and may only make a Resolve Ability Check to redirect its instincts to another suitable target.