Calls List
Calls
Some characters and monsters have abilities with in-game effects (inflicting damage, disorienting or incapacitating the target, etc.) that need to be immediately and clearly conveyed to the target in combat. These effects are usually communicated through a call, a short (generally one- or two-word) phrase with a specific mechanical effect. The following general rules apply to calls:
- Calls should be loud and clear, and easy to distinguish from in-character dialogue. Where necessary, the speaker should also indicate the intended target, by pointing and if necessary description (e.g. "The person in the red tabard!").
- Attacks may have multiple calls, which should be given in the order Strength, damage type, damage indicator, effect, poison or disease (but see Stacking Calls, below).
- In general, participants should avoid using more than three calls on any one attack, even if they are entitled to using more, and may never use more than one damage indicator – try and judge which call or calls are best applied to a given attack.
- Arrows and crossbow bolts automatically bypass armour – the attacker does not need to call Through. Aside from this, these weapons cannot be accompanied by any calls.
- Calls are an out of character mechanic. With the exception of spellcasting, listeners should assume the call was not spoken in character.
- Players must never use a call that they have not been specifically authorised to use (e.g. because they have a relevant skill), or say anything in character that could be misconstrued as a call. Calls are an integral part of the rules, and misusing them can disrupt play and impact other participants' games.
| Uses, Charges and Magic Points
Some calls expend a limited resource, e.g. skills such as Disarming can only be used twice per day, spells cost magic points, and Gift of Fire allows the character to use a call twice in one minute. For the purposes of these abilities, the resource is used when the character says the call, generally accompanied by indicating a target, attempting a touch attack, swinging a weapon etc. If the call is resisted or countered, or the touch or blow misses or is prevented from hitting its target, the magic, use or charge is still expended. |
Strength
Strength should be called first on any attack, before any damage, effect, poison or disease call.
Any blow knocks the target off their feet, causing them to fall to the ground, unless the target is also capable of continuously calling Strength. The knockdown effect (but not any damage) applies even if the attack is blocked or parried, or strikes their weapon or shield.
This call does not have any special damaging effect. If it is not paired with a damage indicator, the target sustains a single point of mundane damage.
| Knockdown
Various effects, including the calls Strength, Strike Down and the damage calls Missile and Bolt, knock the target over. These are called knockdown effects. Knockdown causes the target to fall to the ground. If possible the target should fall completely off their feet (so that their hip or buttock touches the ground) before rising again. If the target's mobility is impaired, if falling to the ground would be dangerous, or if repeatedly falling to the ground could be fatiguing, they may instead lower themselves to one knee, wait 3 seconds, and then rise. See Taking a Knee. Some knockdown effects may be parried, resisted or countered. These defences are specified in the relevant sections. |
Grappling With Strength
A character able to call Strength continuously (e.g. for one minute, or permanently, rather than a number of calls per day) can also use this call to grapple a target on their own, without requiring three people. In turn, such a character may only themselves be grappled by three other characters with Strength.
The call may have other effects in play, e.g. a character capable of calling Strength may be able to lift and carry a heavy stone unassisted. Relevant phys reps will either have signs explaining any effects, or will be attended by a referee.
Attacking Weapons With Strength
Anyone using the Strength call is asked not to use the call when aiming for weapons; they must e.g. knock a defender's weapon aside (carefully) without calling Strength, then follow up with a Strength attack aimed at the defender themselves.
For ease of refereeing, however, the target must take the effect of any Strength attack that connects with their weapon or shield, regardless of the attacker's intention.
A player or monster found repeatedly treating this as a "loophole" – i.e. deliberately attacking weapons with the Strength call knowing the target has to take the effect – may have the privilege of using the call taken away.
| Strike Down vs. Strength
The calls Strike Down and Strength have about the same effect, but with some differences. Any blow with the call Strength knocks the target over, even if parried or blocked, while a touch or weapon attack with the call Strike Down only knocks the target over if it lands on the target. A character able to continuously call Strength (e.g. for one minute, or permanently, rather than a number of calls per day) is themselves unaffected by Strength calls while their ability is active, but is not immune to Strike Down unless they have an ability that says they are. Strength always reflects that the attacker is either very large or very physically powerful, while Strike Down represents some magical force, and Mundane Strike Down usually represents special training in techniques to trip or overbear the opponent. |
Damage Calls
An attack that bypasses defences or causes more damage than a normal blow uses a damage call.
There are two types of damage calls: damage type and damage indicator. Many special attacks include at least one of each, e.g. a wraith's enervating touch calls Spirit Through.
Damage calls apply to any successful weapon blow or touch attack. If the attack misses, or is parried or blocked, it has no effect.
| Magical and Mundane Damage Calls
Generally, if a damage call includes a magical damage type (i.e. Corporeal, Elemental, Spiritual or Artefact) and any damage indicator, the damaging effect is assumed to be magical in nature, e.g. an Elemental Crush axe might be wreathed in magical flame that burns as it cleaves, while a wraith touching for Spirit Through reaches through the target's armour with its ethereal grasp. If a damage call does not include one of those types, then the damage is assumed to be mundane in nature, e.g. a rogue calls Through with a dagger by finding gaps in armour, while a great beast calls Strength Crush due to its sheer brute power. This has no particular mechanical effect, but can inform how to interpret any attack's effects. |
Damage Type
An attack's damage type reflects the source of the damage, including the sphere(s) of magic powering it or the material from which the weapon is made. An attack might have multiple damage types, e.g. a spear invested with a bound demon might call Elemental Spirit, while a mace crafted from silver and enchanted to kill ghouls might call Silver Corporeal.
These calls don't affect how much damage the attack does – the target's immunities or vulnerabilities, if any, determine how they're affected. A player character on the receiving end of one of these calls is unlikely to need to account for it.
Note: Weapons with the magical damage calls Corporeal, Elemental, Spiritual and Artefact cannot carry poisons.
| Call | Description |
|---|---|
| Silver | The weapon is made from a silver alloy. These weapons are said to be effective against creatures whose nature is divided or changing, such as shapeshifters. |
| Cold Iron | Weapons fashioned from this rare, costly metal are believed to be effective against very strongly magical creatures, such as fae and magical beasts. |
| Corporeal | Attacks charged with corporeal magic are effective against supernatural creatures such as undead and constructs. |
| Elemental | Attacks charged with elemental magic are treasured by those who fight supernatural creatures such as demons and constructs. |
| Spirit | Attacks are charged with spiritual magic, and can injure even intangible spirits, like ghosts, oathbound and wraiths. |
| Artefact | The weapon is one of a handful of potent weapons of myth, charged with corporeal, elemental and spiritual magic all at once. It is said that even the gods themselves can be hurt by artefact weapons… |
| Weapons Made of Other Materials
A handful of weapons exist in the game that are made of gold, or the exotic ore known as "star metal"; many, of course, are made of wood or bone. No standard monsters in the Renewal campaign have any specific vulnerability to these weapons, so there is generally no need to call, e.g. Gold or Bone in combat. Any encounter- or event-specific exceptions will be communicated to players ahead of time. |
Damage Indicator
An attack's damage indicator reflects how harmful it is: depending on the call, an attack might bypass armour, devastate the location struck or merely stun the target without doing lasting hurt. Each has a default level (greater or exalted), indicating how hard they are to counter or resist. No attack call can include more than one damage indicator.
| Call | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Through | Greater | The attack bypasses any armour and inflicts one physical hit to the location struck, leaving the armour undamaged. Arrows and bolts inflict Through damage by default, and there is no need to make the call when attacking with these weapons. |
| Crush | Greater | One blow to any armoured location with this attack instantly reduces it to zero armour hits. One hit to any unarmoured location – or any location with no remaining armour hits – reduces the location to zero physical hits, incapacitating it. |
| Wounding | Greater | One blow with this attack bypasses any armour and reduces the location struck to zero physical hits, incapacitating it and leaving the armour undamaged. |
| Smite | Exalted | One blow with this attack reduces the location to zero armour hits and zero physical hits, incapacitating it. |
| Fatal | Exalted | One blow with this attack to any location bypasses any armour and reduces all locations to zero physical hits, incapacitating all locations and triggering the target's death count, and leaving the armour undamaged. This call may be accompanied by Smite (i.e. Fatal Smite) – most often for siege weapons or similarly overwhelming attacks – in which case the attack reduces all locations to zero armour hits and zero physical hits. The attending referee will explain any other effects. |
| Subdual | n/a | The target of this attack is dazed or stunned rather than injured; their armour is disarrayed rather than damaged. Effects are as per a normal attack, but all physical hits are recovered automatically after two minutes, and all armour hits may be restored by a few seconds' roleplaying adjusting and retightening straps. A character whose head or torso location has been incapacitated by Subdual damage is unconscious rather than mortally wounded. Subdual damage can be healed with the Recovery spell. |
| Powerful Foes and Damage Calls
As a rule, most players, non-player characters and monsters in the Renewal campaign are reduced to zero physical hits by the calls Crush, Wounding, Smite and Fatal as described above, but some exceptionally strong or magically powerful creatures are so resilient that these calls injure them without incapacitating them outright. Staff members and volunteers will be briefed how to take such calls. |
Ranged Damage Indicator
These special damage indicators are used at range, to represent offensive spells (e.g. a necromancer's withering hex) or equivalent magical attacks (e.g. a dragon's vile breath).
Like spells and other effect calls, a ranged damage call invariably hits its target, as long as it is within range, and cannot be "dodged" or "parried" except by certain special abilities. It can be resisted or countered as appropriate.
Ranged damage calls may be given as area effects.
| Call | Level | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Missile | Greater | The attack bypasses any armour, inflicts two physical hits to every location, and knocks the target over per Strike Down. It has a range of 30ft/10m. |
| Bolt | Exalted | The attack bypasses any armour, inflicts five physical hits to every location, and knocks the target over per Strike Down. It has a range of 60ft/20m. |
Ranged damage calls will usually be accompanied by a magical damage type (e.g. Spirit Missile or Elemental Bolt). Ranged, non-magical attacks are almost always represented by an actual physical projectile.
| Stacking Calls
Attacks may include multiple calls from one source – a mace may be enchanted with the call Elemental Crush, for example, while a wraith's enervating touch could call Spirit Wounding. But a magical damage or effect call (or combination of calls) from any one source (e.g. ritual enchantment, spells like Elemental Weapon or potions like Verdant Lotion), may not be combined with any call from another source (other than Strength), including:
Nonmagical calls may be combined freely, and the call Strength may always be combined with other calls. Where an attacker has access to calls that cannot be combined, they may choose which call to use from one blow to the next, but cannot "stack" them (i.e. they cannot use them together on a single blow).
|
Effect Calls
Ideally, all players should aim to familiarise themselves with all the spells in the Renewal campaign (see Spell List), but much of the time, the caster or an attending referee can explain any effects the target is unfamiliar with. The exceptions are combat spells, which players should react to without referee intervention, and which use either standard damage calls or the following list of effect calls.
Effect calls may also be used to convey a special ability or supernatural power.
- Examples
- A basilisk's petrifying attack (Paralysis)
- A vampire's hypnotic gaze (Enthral)
- A cloud of soporific spores (Poison Sleep)
- A duellist's canny disarming move (Mundane Fumble)
These calls are grouped by sphere; effects are assumed to be magical unless accompanied by the call Mundane, or the calls Poison or Disease. Each has a default level (lesser, greater or exalted), indicating how hard they are to counter or resist. All effects calls should obey the standard rules for range (unless applied with a weapon, see below), duration and maximum size of target. Any exceptions will be communicated along with the call or by an attending referee.
| Effects as Weapon or Touch Calls
When calling an effect with a weapon blow or touch attack (e.g., calling Fumble with a sword blow), the effect's usual range doesn't apply. The effect call only works if the blow lands on its target. If the call normally targets a person, parrying the blow prevents the effect; if it normally targets an object, parrying the blow inflicts the effect on the parrying weapon. If the call fails, the uses, magic points etc. are still spent. Effect calls work even if the damage is stopped by the target's armour. An effect given with a touch or weapon attack only affects the target struck, even if the call would normally apply to multiple targets (e.g. Flare). Special rules apply to poison calls. |
Fundamental Effects
The following effect is always magical and fundamental in nature.
| Call | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Disenchantment | Exalted | The target magical item is temporarily disenchanted for one minute (unless accompanied by the call Extension, below). This effect does not function on artefacts. |
Corporeal Effects
Unless accompanied by another sphere indicator or the Mundane, Poison or Disease calls, all the following effects are assumed to be magical and corporeal in nature.
| Call | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Blinding | Greater | The target creature is blinded for 30 seconds. Please exercise caution when taking this effect: if it is not safe to close your eyes, just roleplay being unable to see. |
| Fumble | Lesser | The named held item must be immediately dropped by the target creature and cannot be picked up by anyone for 30 seconds. |
| Mute | Lesser | The target creature may not make any vocal sounds for 30 seconds. |
| Paralysis | Greater | The target creature cannot move, act or make a noise for 30 seconds, even if attacked. |
| Retribution | Lesser | The target of this spell receives one point of Corporeal Through damage on the equivalent location for every blow they strike upon another creature (even those stopped by armour) for 30 seconds. |
Elemental Effects
Unless accompanied by another sphere indicator or the Mundane, Poison or Disease calls, all the following effects are assumed to be magical and elemental in nature.
| Call | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Disintegrate | Exalted | The target item is destroyed utterly beyond repair. This spell does function on magical items, but not on artefacts. |
| Entangle | Lesser | The target creature is rooted to the spot for 30 seconds. They may take any action that does not require moving their legs. Characters able to continuously call Strength are unaffected. |
| Flare | Greater | Three adjacent target creatures are temporarily blinded (per Blinding) for five seconds. |
| Heat Object | Greater | The target item becomes white hot for 1 minute. Any location in contact with the object suffers two physical hits, bypassing armour, as though struck twice by the call Elemental Through, after every ten seconds they remain in contact. This spell does not function on magical items. |
| Magnetise | Greater | The target item is drawn immediately to the ground and cannot be moved for 30 seconds. This spell does not function on magical items. |
| Repel | Lesser | The target creature or object is forced away from the caster in a straight line for 10ft/3m, stopping only if they come into contact with a solid obstacle. |
| Shatter | Lesser | The target item is shattered into several pieces, leaving it damaged. The prop must be immediately dropped, or its mechanical effects ignored if not easily dropped. The item may not be used again until repaired. This spell does not function on magical items. |
| Strike Down | Lesser | The target creature is knocked off their feet. Note that creatures able to continuously call Strength are not automatically immune to this effect. |
| Replacing Damaged Items
On a battlefield, a player may replace a damaged, broken or destroyed item (e.g. by the spells Shatter or Disintegrate) by "looting a corpse." This requires around 30 seconds' roleplay, rummaging around the ground where the corpses of slain monsters are presumably lying, after which the player may resume using their own phys rep. The replacement item is always of standard quality and materials, with no enchantment or other special properties. |
Spiritual Effects
Unless accompanied by another sphere indicator or the Mundane, Poison or Disease calls, all the following effects are assumed to be magical and spiritual in nature.
| Call | Level | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Command | Lesser | The target creature must obey the specified one-word command (which must be a verb, e.g. "run," "dance," "kneel") to the best of their ability for 30 seconds. The target is free to take any other action that doesn't prevent them obeying the command. Any physical blow or magical attack breaks the spell immediately. |
| Confusion | Lesser | The target creature is disorientated and confused for 30 seconds. They may parry or block attacks, but not attack, cast spells or use any abilities themselves. Any physical blow or magical attack, from any source, breaks the spell immediately. |
| Enthral | Lesser | The target creature remains enthralled by the caster for as long the caster speaks to the target in meaningful sentences. The target will follow the caster at a normal walk unless they are visibly leading them into danger. Any damage to the caster or target breaks the spell. |
| Fear | Lesser | The target creature must flee from the caster as fast as they can for 30 seconds; if cornered or grappled, the target must cower on the spot. |
| Sleep | Greater | The target creature instantly falls into a deep sleep and remains in this state for 30 seconds. If the target is deliberately awakened or takes any damage, the spell is broken. |
| Suggestion | Greater | As per Command, but the caster can give a command up to eight words in length. |
| Spirit Wrack | Exalted | The target creature's spirit is attacked, causing them intense suffering for 1 minute. The target may decide how to roleplay this effect – e.g. writhing in screaming agony on the floor, curling up in a silent ball, moaning in dread and horror – but they are unable to speak, act or defend themselves for the duration. |
| Terror | Exalted | The target creature must flee from the area as fast as possible for 30 seconds. If it is physically impossible for the target to leave, they must cower and may only parry blows, not attack, for the duration. This can be resisted with the skill Resist Terror. Terror is often deployed as an area effect; when given as Mass Terror, it affects every character within 10ft/3m of the designated target. |
Possession
Some intangible spirits such as ghosts or familiars are able to step into another creature's form and take over, supplanting the resident spirit. The staff member playing the spirit will indicate this by placing a hand on (or over) the target's shoulder and calling Possession.
This can be resisted by the skill Iron Will or countered as if it were a greater spiritual spell; if resisted or countered, the spirit cannot attempt to possess the same target for at least 10 minutes.
While the possessing spirit is in control, they can move the host's body as if it were their own, but cannot cause it to take any action that will directly harm it – if they attempt to do so, the possession immediately ends. They can use any skill the spirit knows, but cannot access the host's skills or memories unless the host is willing. The host is conscious throughout the possession and remembers what happened when the possession ends.
While in possession, the spirit is not visible to the spell Detect Spirits, but can be detected by the spells Spirit Reading and Discern Spiritual Nature. They can be targeted by any relevant Banish spell (e.g. Banish Spirit or Banish Demon) or driven out via Exorcism.
Any attack calling Artefact or Spirit injures the spirit as well as the host. If the host is incapacitated, the possession immediately ends. By default, possession has no time limit; to end the effect, the spirit must be destroyed or driven out.
Note that constructs, who are normally immune to all spiritual effects, can still be possessed (if anything, their lack of a spirit ensures there is no resistance).
| Body Effects, Mind Effects and Fear
These rules sometimes use the terms body effect, mind effect and fear effects. For clarification:
|
Touch Spells and Abilities
Offensive touch spells or abilities which emulate spell effects, with a range of touch, such as Wounding and Paralysis, are a general exception to the rule that spells occur at the end of the vocals, as follows:
Delivering the effect
- Offensive touch effects must be delivered with a suitable physrep up to dagger length (e.g. a dagger or wand). The physrep must meet the same safety standards as any other melee weapon (see weapon construction for physrep requirements).
- The caster delivers the effect by reaching toward the target and making the call. No physical contact is required or expected.
- As with all weapon attacks, the effect occurs at the moment the caster makes the call. If the physrep misses or is blocked, the effect fails and any associated resources are spent.
Holding the effect
- Some spells or effects have a hold period. On completing the vocals, the caster may "hold" the effect for up to 15 seconds to get into position.
- If the caster does not deliver the effect within those 15 seconds, the effect is wasted (along with any associated resources).
- If the caster casts any other spell or uses any other skill during this time (e.g. to counter another spell), the held effect is immediately lost and any associated resources are spent.
Countering and resisting
- Touch spells may be countered at any point between the vocals and the call, as well as immediately after the call.
- Mundane touch effects cannot be countered magically, but may be resisted by appropriate defensive abilities (such as Iron Body).
Storms and Mass Effects
There are two types of large-scale area effect in the game: mass spells and storms. While both affect multiple targets, they work differently and interact differently with defensive abilities.
Mass Spells
Mass spells (indicated by the call Mass) are multiple individual spell effects cast simultaneously. They always originate from the caster themselves.
- Mass versions of lesser calls affect everyone within 30ft/10m of the caster.
- Mass versions of greater calls affect everyone within 10ft/3m of the caster.
Each target can counter or resist the effect individually, at the original level of the spell:
- A lesser mass spell can be countered with Countermagic
- A greater mass spell can be countered with Greater Countermagic
- An exalted mass spell can be countered with Nullify
- Example
- A character in the area of a Mass Confusion effect can defend themselves with Countermagic or throw it off with the skill Iron Will.
It is not possible to counter the call for all targets, even with Nullify – this requires a special item or ability.
Storms
Storms are powerful battle-team deployed area effects, including Elemental Storm and Spirit Storm. A storm affects a 10ft/3m radius centred on a target up to 30ft/10m from the caster.
Storms are beyond exalted level and interact with defences differently from mass spells:
- Storms cannot be nullified with Nullify
- Storms cannot be individually countered with Countermagic, Greater Countermagic or Nullify
- The effect of a storm on an individual target can be resisted with Resist Exalted Magic
- Characters may research the ability to nullify a storm, but this is not available with starting skills
| Why Can't Storms Be Countered?
A mass spell is multiple individual spells going off at once – Countermagic allows you to counter the individual spell targeting you within the mass. A storm is a single phenomenal effect, not a collection of individual spells. Resist Exalted Magic allows you to negate the damage to yourself individually, but there is no individual spell to counter – the magic behind the storm is beyond the scope of standard countermagic. |
| Mass Spell | Storm | |
|---|---|---|
| Origin Point | Caster | Target up to 30ft/10m from caster |
| Area of Effect | 30ft/10m (lesser) or 10ft/3m (greater) radius from caster | 10ft/3m radius from target point |
| Counter with Nullify? | Yes (exalted) | No |
| Counter with Countermagic? | Yes (at spell level) | No |
| Resist with Resist Exalted Magic? | Yes | Yes |
| Examples | Mass Confusion, Mass Strike Down | Elemental Storm, Spirit Storm |
Special Modifiers
In general, aside from how the effect should be narrated or roleplayed, the rules for any effect call are exactly the same as the spell, including range