PLANT SPELLS

TM

Written by SCOTT PAUL MAYKRANTZ

Edited by JASON “PK” LEVINE and NIKOLA VRTIS
Illustrated by GUY BURWELL and DAN SMITH

An e23 Sourcebook for GURPS ®

STEVE JACKSON GAMES ®

Stock #37-0136 Version 1.0 – October 2010
 CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Change Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Create Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Druid’s Panacea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Fast Plant Growth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1. PLANT LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Seven Embezzled Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
PLANT TYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Forest Defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Ancestral Plants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Gather Moss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Crops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Grasping Branch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Flowers/Aromatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Green Death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Green Telurgy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
BASIC CHARACTERISTICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Harvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Green Mind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Hypnotic Leaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Optional Rule: Density of Vegetation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Improved Firewood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Invoke Fence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2. PLANT MAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Useful New Spells for the Dungeon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
ADVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Join Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Rarity of Plant Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Miniaturize Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
New Perks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Plant to Object. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Process Plant/TL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
DISADVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Razor Grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Those Who Revere the Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Resilient Vegetation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Reverse Plant Growth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Run Across Treetops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
But the job is to seek mystery, evoke Fungus Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
mystery, plant a garden in which strange Searching Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Spell Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
plants grow and mysteries bloom. See Plant Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
– Ken Kesey Shuriken Leaf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Slimy Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Spying Blossom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Toxic Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3. PLANT SPELLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Plant Spells in Dungeon Fantasy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
NEW PLANT SPELLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Trapped Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Plant Spells for Everyone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Tree Bark Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Blade of Grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Treetop Blink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Bloodsucking Branches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Undergrowth Ambush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Body of Leaves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Wooden Arm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Body of Leaves Meta-Trait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Woodfall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Buoyant Plant Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Capturing Vines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

GURPS System Design ❚ STEVE JACKSON Page Design ❚ PHIL REED and Marketing Director ❚ PAUL CHAPMAN
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CONTENTS 2
 INTRODUCTION
The earliest magical practices were rituals that connected This supplement adds 38 new spells to the Plant college,
humans with the greater natural world. Cunning folk discov- and adapts several more. Key information about plants of all
ered recipes using uncommon herbs, formulae that could be kinds and options pertinent to mages are also included.
used to induce healing and prophetic visions. They developed
their increasingly complex rituals into spells – codified packets
of knowledge that could be collected, taught, and mastered.
In a fantasy world, plant-based spells are the tools of
rangers, country witches, and woodland elves. They are the
arsenal of “druids” – nature-worshipping priests who combine
adventuring with their veneration of trees and green fields. In
the horror genre, the spells are used by Gaia-attuned spiritual-
ists, a variety of authentic druids, and glowering gardeners
who tend to their unpleasant plots.

They say a German once wrote a

book about a lemon skin; I could
have written one about every grass
in the meadows, every moss in the
woods, every lichen covering the
rocks. I do not want to leave even
one blade of grass or atom of
vegetation without a full and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Scott Maykrantz lives and works in Greenwood, Indiana.
detailed description. He is the author of several GURPS books. Scott spends his free
time playing the tambourine, contemplating the mysteries of
– Jean-Jacques Rousseau the universe, and teaching blind people how to fish. He dedi-
cates this book to the memory of Alec Holland.

About GURPS
Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of more. To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fellow
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INTRODUCTION 3
 CHAPTER ONE

PLANT LIFE
Modern science defines plants as multicellular organisms The definition does not include sponges, coral, or single-
with rigid cell walls and limited movement compared to ani- celled microorganisms. Fungi are special. Although they are
mals; they are usually photosynthetic. GURPS deviates from technically not plants, they form a special subcollege within
the scientific definition by including plantlike life forms: algae the Plant college. Many Plant spells have fungal equivalents
and lichen. Lists of representative plants are presented with the with the same costs and parallel prerequisites; see p. 17.
plant types below. Bushes and shrubs are considered trees.

PLANT TYPES
Plants can be divided into four broad categories, plus and can trigger starvation when a harvest is lost. The typical
fungi (see above). Mages can specialize in one of these, or be “farm wizard” is resourceful and unpretentious. He under-
generalists. Spells listed here are found on pp. 10-21 or in stands the relationship of seeds and soil. Appropriate spells
GURPS Magic. include Bless Plants, Blossom, Harvest, Heal Plant, Plant
Growth, Rejuvenate Plant, and See Plant Health.

ANCESTRAL PLANTS
Examples: Algae, club moss, ferns, kelp, kudzu, lichen, moss, FLOWERS/AROMATICS
pond scum, seaweed. Examples: Black pepper, daisy, dandelion, hallucinogenic
plants, lotus, opium poppy, orchid, rose, star anise, stink-bush,
The earliest forms of vegetation have been around for mil-
sunflower, tulip, water lily, water-shield.
lions of years – 540 million for terrestrial algae, 430 million for
moss, and 400 million for ferns. They can still be found today The “aromatic” group covers plants with a distinct and strong
in almost any climate. Algae, lichen, and pond scum are not odor, typically combined with visual beauty. It includes spices,
true plants, but they are categorized as such in low-tech worlds essential-oil-producing plants, and toxic vegetation that contain
where Plant spells are used. A mage specializing in ancestral hallucinogenic chemicals. They are often removed from their
plants is a denizen of damp caves, shadowed jungles, and sea- habitat and cultivated in gardens. Some mages who specialize in
weed-strewn coastlines. His spell list includes Body of Slime, aromatic plants appreciate their beauty and share it. Others use
Capturing Vines, Green Death, Gather Moss, and Slimy Skin. the plants for further ends, processing them chemically to create
potent drugs and toxins; it is no surprise when a mage of this
kind endeavors to keep his activities hidden. He knows Blossom,
Process Plant, Spying Blossom, and Toxic Plant.

Nature, to be commanded,
must be obeyed. TREES
Examples: Alder, ash, beech, birch, cedar, cypress, dogwood,
fir, juniper, larch, maple, oak, palm, pine, poison ivy, poison
– Sir Francis Bacon oak, redwood, spruce, willow, yew.
Trees occupy a special place in human folklore. Unlike a
flower or bushel of wheat, conscious, thinking trees seem plau-
sible. Perhaps this is because they stand upright and have
CROPS limbs just like people do. What’s more, they have a distinct
lifespan that mimics a person’s – from the small, vulnerable
Examples: Bamboo, banana, barley, beans, blueberry, cab-
bage, cannabis, coca, cocoa, cotton, grass, oats, onion, peas, sapling to the old maple that sags as it nears the end of its life.
pineapple, potato, rice, rye, tea, tobacco, tomato, wheat. Arboreal mages are the most common subtype. They are stoic,
uncomfortable with rapid change, and carry themselves with
Crops are varieties of vegetation converted to commodities, dignity. Their grimoires include Arboreal Immurement, Forest
making them fundamental components of the local diet and Defense, Grasping Branch, Plant Form, Run Across Treetops,
economy. They feed the population, make some people rich, Treetop Blink, and Walk Through Wood.

PLANT LIFE 4
 BASIC CHARACTERISTICS
Plants are organisms with the potential for intelligence. All semi-ablative to multiple impaling, piercing, and large piercing
living plants have an IQ score that is stuck at 0 unless something attacks to the same spot. See pp. B47 and B559.
supernatural occurs. Traits and spells that affect the mind are SM: Trees of SM +1 or more have roots that cover a circle
useless, including Mind Control, Mind Probe, Mind Reading, with a diameter equal to the SM in yards. The trunk sits at the
and Mindlink. Telepathy will connect, but there are no thoughts center and takes up space above ground equal to one-sixth of
for the telepath to hear. See GURPS Thaumatology (p. 116) for the diameter (don’t round).
a thorough description of IQ levels 1 through 5.
Examples: Trees with SM +1 are 7’ to 9’ tall, with a root-base
The range of basic characteristics among plants – HP, DR,
diameter of one yard and a trunk six inches thick. Trees with
weight, etc. – is as varied as the number of species. Use these
SM +5 are 31’ to 45’ tall, with a five-yard-diameter root base
guidelines for combat, attempts to damage trees, clearing
and a trunk 2.5 feet thick. Trees with SM +9 are 151’ to 210’ tall,
underbrush, movement in a forest, and setting fires. As a start-
with a nine-yard-diameter root base and a trunk 4.5 feet thick.
ing point, select the generic plant in the table below that most
closely resembles the actual vegetation. To measure the length of the branches, assume they mirror
the roots. These measurements are minimums for trees with a
HP: At 0 HP, a plant is clearly damaged but could recover
typical silhouette. For stout species (such as palms), increase
if tended to with adequate soil, water, and sunlight. When it
the root and trunk diameters by up to ¥2.
dies as the result of a failed HT roll at or below -HP, or at
Weight: Listed weight is above ground and “green” – the
-5¥HP regardless, it becomes an object, losing any IQ above 0
weight of a plant that contains its natural amount of water. To
it may have had for whatever reason. Rejuvenate Plant
include the roots, add 20%.
instantly brings a plant with negative HP up to 1 HP.
Flam.: Short for “flammability.” HPs of heat/fire damage
HT: Default HT for all plants is 11. Plant creatures may have
required to ignite (p. B433).
a different level.
Dep.: Its light, soil, and water requirement, expressed using
DR: Plant DR is ablative to burning, corrosion, crushing,
the Dependency disadvantage: D = Daily, W = Weekly, M =
cutting, and huge piercing attacks to the same spot. DR is
Monthly, and S = Seasonally. See Disadvantages (p. 9).

Plant Physical Characteristics Table

Type HP DR SM Weight Flam. Dep. Notes
Bamboo (6’ length) 11 1 0 4 lbs. 10 W [1]
Bush, average (5’) 39 1 +0 115 lbs. 30 W [2, 3, 4]
Bush, full grown (100’) 780 8 +8 923,000 lbs. 30 M [2, 3]
Coconut, single 10 4 -6 2 lbs. 30 S [2, 5]
Flower bush 8-23 0 0 1-25 lbs. 30 D [4]
Flower, single 1 0 -7 neg. 30 D
Fruit/vegetable, hard 1-12 1 -2 5-60 lbs. 30 D [5, 6]
Fruit/vegetable, soft 1 0 -6 8 oz. 30 D [5]
Grass/grains, tall (1 hex) 6 0 0 1 lb. 10 W [4, 7]
Ivy (1 hex) 6 0 0 10 lbs. 10 M [4, 8]
Log (18” length) 17-22 3 -4 10-20 lbs. 10 – [2, 5]
Moss (1 hex) 10 0 0 2 lbs. – S [4, 9]
Palm tree (20’ tall) 157 20 +3 7,200 lbs. 30 M [2, 3]
Seaweed (1 hex) 33 0 0 70 lbs. – M [4, 9]
Tree, dead (30’ tall) 75 12 +4 2,000 lbs. 3 – [2, 3]
Tree, living (20’ tall) 145 18 +3 6,000 lbs. 30 M [2, 3]
Tree, living (50’ tall) 752 30 +5 820,000 lbs. 30 M [2, 3]

Notes
[1] If removed from the rest of the plant with a successful
Gardening roll, can be used as a staff of cheap quality.
[2] DR cannot be reduced below 1.
[3] Provides cover DR equal to SM¥4.5, round down; mini-
mum 1.
[4] Treat as Diffuse to impaling and piercing attacks.
[5] See Throwing (p. B355) for use as a weapon.
[6] For example, a pumpkin or squash.
[7] Corn stalks and other tough crops get +2 HP.
[8] If cleared with bladed melee weapons, the items can get
stuck as per Picks (p. B405).
[9] When dry, halve weight, and Flam. becomes 30.

PLANT LIFE 5
 Green Mind Meta-Trait
If you have a “Green Mind,” you think like a plant. It’s Hidebound [-5], Weak sense of humor [-1], and Quirk (Dis-
naturally common among sapient trees. For other crea- likes going anywhere) [-1]. Cumulative cost: -15 points.
tures and characters, it could be the result of a peculiar Level Four: You feel like a plant. If you looked in the
curse or disease, a critically failed spell roll, or an affliction. mirror, you’d be shocked if you didn’t see a tree “staring”
The GM determines the exact level based on the cause back. Traits: Drop Curious. Add Chauvinistic [-1], Extra
(such as the Acquire Green Mind limitation, p. 7). Effects Sleep 3 (Only in winter, -80%) [-1], and Pyrophobia (12)
are cumulative; that is, at level three, you have one advan- [-5]. Cumulative cost: -20 points.
tage, three disadvantages, and three quirks. Some of the Level Five: You have the mind of a sapient tree. You’ve
modifiers used below appear in GURPS Powers. lost interest in the flesh-and-blood world, if you had any.
Your empathy for vegetation is deeper than ever. Traits:
Level One: You think about plants a lot. You want to know
Add Plant Empathy (Cosmic, No die roll required, +100%)
everything about them. You always find a way to squeeze the
[10] and Killjoy [-15]. Cumulative cost: -25 points.
topic into your conversations. Traits: Curious (6) (Limited to
Level Six: Overload. Your mind is too green. Even sapi-
plants, -60%) [-4]; Quirk (Ends every conversation with a
ent Redwoods aren’t this bad. Your thoughts are languid
plant metaphor) [-1]. Cost: -5 points.
and your metabolism can slow down to a virtual standstill.
Level Two: You’ve acquired an affinity for gardening,
You can enter total communion with the surrounding plant
foraging for herbs, and farming. You feel protective of the
life if you are in dense vegetation; you establish deep
woodlands and fields. You envy them for their stoic quiet.
empathic connections with the flora around you – even giv-
Traits: Add Green Thumb 1 [5] and Sense of Duty (To
ing you access to memories from plants that once grew in
forests, jungles, and other areas covered with plants) [-10].
that spot! Traits: Change Plant Empathy to Plant Empathy
Cumulative cost: -10 points.
(Cosmic, No die roll required, +100%; Remote, +50%; Sapi-
Level Three: You still talk about plants and you love the
ence, +40%) [15]. Add Extended Lifespan 3 [6], Metabolism
forests and farms, but you’ve become boring. You want to
Control 8 [40], Racial Memory (Active; Environmental,
stay put, you aren’t creative, and you have trouble under-
Dense vegetation, -40%; Immersive, +50%) [44], and
standing jokes. Traits: Reduce Curious to (12) [-2]. Add
Decreased Time Rate [-100]. Cumulative cost: -30 points.

enough to enter (see below), get +4 to Stealth and Camouflage.

OPTIONAL RULE: Each hex has 65 HP. Furthermore, the vegetation acts as a bar-
DENSITY OF VEGETATION rier, and it may function as cover from ranged attacks.

When anyone moves through an area thick with plants, there Creatures at SM -1 or SM -2 pass through vegetation at
are a number of effects. The GM can designate a particular area one step lower; e.g., a halfling moves through Impenetrable
as Sparse, Normal, Dense, or Impenetrable. The effects of each as if it was Dense. At SM -3 or smaller, move down two steps.
density described below are for a normal human on foot. This applies only to movement through the hex, not skill
modifiers or cover. Creatures of SM +1 or greater treat Dense
Sparse: Long-distance, straight-line movement is possible as Impenetrable and Normal as Dense.
only at this density level. Equivalent to Average ground travel Unless otherwise noted, assume jungle, swampland, and
terrain (p. B351). If you are using the Environmental limita- woodlands are Normal and plains are Sparse. In a cinematic
tion (GURPS Powers, p. 110), this level is -20% (out- campaign, jungle is often Dense. These rules are used with the
doors/wilderness). following spells: Breakfall Plants (p. 13), Fast Plant Growth
Normal: While running, roll every 100 yards against the (pp. 12-13), Forest Defense (p. 13), Razor Grass (pp. 16-17), and
better of DX or DX-based Running to avoid an ordinary Run Across Treetops (pp. 17-18).
mishap (e.g., trip and fall down). For purposes of clearing or
burning, each hex has 25 HP. Equivalent to Bad ground travel
terrain. If you are using the Environmental limitation, this
level is -30% (ordinary vegetation).
Dense: All ranged attacks modified by -2 due to automatic
The green plant
cover for targets. While walking, roll against DX every 50
yards, suffering a minor mishap only on a critical failure. If
ingests three elements –
you are running, use the same rule for Normal density, above,
and penalize the roll by -2. Additionally, certain characteristics earth, fire, and water –
are modified: +3 to Stealth, +2 to Camouflage, -2 to Move, and
-2 to Vision rolls. Each hex has 40 HP. Equivalent of Very Bad to produce the fourth.
ground travel terrain. If you are using the Environmental lim-
itation, this level is -40% (dense vegetation). – Anonymous
Impenetrable: A SM 0 or larger creature cannot pass through
the undergrowth! It gives -6 to Vision rolls. Creatures small

PLANT LIFE 6
 CHAPTER TWO

PLANT MAGES
A plant mage is anyone who knows more Plant spells than a disadvantage worth -10 points from the Those Who Revere the
spells of any other college, with a minimum of five Plant spells. Forest list (p. 9).
Plant mages often have Plant Empathy, Speak with Plants, and

ADVANTAGES
If magic is the only source for personal supernatural abil- Will, Per, and 10+Magery. The Remote enhancement
ities in the campaign, consider adding the Magical power (Powers, p. 48) is also particularly applicable to plant mages.
modifier (-10%) to Plant Empathy, Psychometry, and Speak
With Plants. Special Limitations
If physical contact is required, add Melee Attack, Reach C
Magery (-30%). If you have to make contact with your bare skin, also
add Contact Agent (-30%). If local sentient plants become
see p. B66 aware of your presence when you use this advantage, add
In a setting where major vegetation is extraordinarily Nuisance Effect (-5%) or Visible (-10%). The Environmental
prevalent, the GM may wish to change the value of One limitation cannot be combined with this trait.
College Only (Plant) from -40% to -20%. This is a major
change from the standard rules, but it
makes sense for campaigns set in a deep
jungle, an enchanted forest, and the like.
If the reverse is true – useful plant life is
rare – the GM may change the One
Rarity of Plant Types
Traits such as Control, Damage Resistance, Detect, Weakness, and Vulnera-
College Only value to -60%. Use -60% if bility require you to choose the rarity of the substance or condition affected. The
running a GURPS Dungeon Fantasy following list is a compilation of published examples that are relevant to this
campaign that never reaches the sur- book – and a few more that might come up. If you are using Accessibility, apply
face, confined to cut-stone tunnels. the value at the end of each paragraph. The four plant types (p. 4) are in bold.

Plant Empathy Rare: Algae, burning wood, cacti, dense vegetation, grape vines, hallucino-
genic plants, hemp, moss, plant creatures (nonspirit), plant mages, plant spir-
see p. B75 its, redwoods, sick plants. Accessibility -40%.
This advantage has five benefits. The Occasional: Airborne pollen, ancestral plants, apple trees, conifers, corn
first two are sensory, activated by IQ stalks, dead trees, toxic plants, medicinal plants, seeds. Accessibility -20%.
rolls (to sense health and to detect Common: Crops, flowers, herbs, leaves, trees, weeds, wood. Accessibil-
supernatural qualities). The remaining ity -10%.
three (based on Empathy) are only use- Very Common: Grass, living plants. Accessibility -0%.
ful when dealing with a sentient plant:
an IQ roll to get a “feeling” about it, the To modify the Specialized limitation, use the Accessibility modifier listed
ability to affect it with Influence skills, above, increased by -40%.
and a +3 bonus when using Detect Lies,
Fortune-Telling, or Psychology on it. Special Option for the Environmental Limitation
This trait is indispensable for plant The Environmental limitation (GURPS Powers, p. 110) sets wilder-
mages . . . and cheap! ness/outdoors at -20% and dense vegetation at -40%. You may choose a cate-
gory in between, at -30%. This category is not dense, but it’s not as scattered
Special Enhancements as outdoors or wilderness. The category includes sculpted gardens, planted
If you use Based on (Different fields, orchards, and wooded parks – grounds that have been mowed, land-
Attribute), this applies to the roll to scaped, weeded, trimmed, harvested, tended, watered, fertilized, or plowed.
sense magic plants and the roll used to Call it normal vegetation (-30%). See Optional Rule: Density of Vegetation (p. 6)
“get a feel” for sentient plants. for more.
Reasonable alternatives to IQ include

PLANT MAGES 7
 New Perks
Those who match the definition of a plant mage (p. 7) nonmagical threats that inflict HP or FP damage (land
may take any of these perks. If the Unusual Background mines, rattlesnakes, pit traps, etc.).
(Trained by an Archdruid) advantage (p. 9) is part of the Fresh Cudgel: If you use a thick branch as a club, it
campaign, a person may have them all. Otherwise, use the transforms to weapon-grade durability until you let go. Use
table at the bottom of p. 12 of GURPS Thaumatology: the stats for a small mace (swing+2 crushing).
Magical Styles, replacing “style” with “Plant college.” Little Green Digit‡: Once per day, you can modify a
Perks marked with a “†” require specialization; that is, skill roll as if you had Green Thumb (p. B90) at the same
a parenthetical note of the specific species, spell, terrain level as this perk. You cannot take this perk if you have
type, etc. that the perk affects. Those marked with a “‡” are Green Thumb.
leveled, exactly like an advantage that comes in levels. Plant-Form Rest: Prerequisite: Recover Energy. While
you’re under the effects of Arboreal Immurement, Body of
Detect Plant Sapience: With a touch and an IQ+4 roll,
Leaves, Body of Slime, or Plant Form, increase your effec-
you can determine if a plant is sapient. This includes any
tive spell level with Recover Energy by +5.
tree that is currently the subject of Arboreal Immurement.
Sympathetic Species†‡: This is similar to Super-Sympa-
Druid’s Tight Grasp‡: For every level, you may increase
thy (GURPS Thaumatology: Magical Styles, p. 33).
the ST or Binding level by +1 for the following spells: Cap-
Choose a species, such as birch, corn, oak, poison ivy, tulip,
turing Vines, Grasping Branch, and Undergrowth Ambush.
or wheat. Any spells directed at this species adds your perk
Maximum level is 5.
level to the effective spell level; maximum of 3.
Environment Awareness†: You experience a second of
Tree-Tickler: With a touch, you can shake a living tree
Danger Sense while surrounded by one of the following
no larger than your SM+2. Loose branches snap, plump
terrain types: jungle, plains, swampland, or woodlands.
fruit falls, squirrels scurry, etc. You do not inflict any
You must stop and concentrate first. You can detect only
damage to the tree.

Here are two new limitations: Keep in mind that this trait is useless unless the
object/location is “emotionally charged” – and plants tend to
Acquire Green Mind: After each use (or five minutes of con-
lead boring lives. You can counteract this drawback with the
tinuous use), roll against Will. If you fail, your gray matter
Sensitive enhancement (Powers, p. 69).
shifts to green, and you acquire one level of Green Mind (p. 6)
By adding Accessibility, Only plants (-10%) and Active Only
for 2d hours. Multiple failures are cumulative, raising the level.
(-20%), Psychometry produces the same results as Speak With
This limitation can also be applied to Speak With Plants. -30%.
Plants (below) when used on IQ 0 subjects.
Specialized: You can only communicate with certain plants.
“All terrestrial plants” (including all trees, bushes, and herbs)
and “All aquatic plants” (including algae, kelp, and seaweed) Speak With Plants
are -40%; a large subset of either of the previous broader see p. B87
groups (e.g., “Trees” or “Herbs”), -50%; a smaller subset (e.g., With IQ 0 subjects, this advantage is identical to
“Evergreens” or “Medicinal Herbs”), -60%. Psychometry. At the GM’s whim some trees have a higher IQ;
use these suggestions, based on its age:
Up to six months: IQ 1. Up to a year: IQ 2. Up to 18 months:
He who plants trees loves IQ 3. Up to three years: IQ 4. Up to six years: IQ 5. Up to 12
years: IQ 6. Up to 25 years: IQ 7. Up to 50 years: IQ 8.
others beside himself. Each doubling of the number of years adds an additional
level of IQ. (One of the world’s oldest trees, a bristlecone pine
– English proverb that’s been alive for over 47 centuries, would have an IQ of 14.)
Note: In the description on p. B87, the word “empathic”
should be replaced with “telepathic.” The advantage descrip-
Psychometry tion suggests telepathy rather than empathy. Additionally, treat
see p. B78 the trait as if it has a built-in Area Effect – you can converse
This advantage works with all plants, living or dead. If the with any plant in range of your normal speaking volume.
plant is rooted to the ground (including moss and lichen
affixed to a surface), your scan tells you about the plant and the Special Limitations
area surrounding it. You can reach back in time to the moment Normally, your communication is subvocal. If your voice
when the plant was born or, if it has been relocated, the day it is audible, use Nuisance Effect (-5%). If the tree’s speech is
was planted. Some ancestral plants can reveal events that took also audible, raise the modifier to -10%. Additionally, it’s pos-
place thousands of years ago. If it’s not rooted, you learn the sible to acquire a Green Mind, as with Plant Empathy (p. 7).
history of that particular plant only.

PLANT MAGES 8
Unusual Background • You can acquire Plant Empathy during play.
• You can acquire Speak With Plants during play.
(Trained by an Archdruid) • You can learn Invisibility Art, restricted to any terrain for
5 points which you have a Survival skill specialty.
Prerequisites: Hidden Lore (Druidic), and at least 5 points • You may use the Training Sequence rules in GURPS
in Plant college spells. If archdruids in the campaign Martial Arts (p. 147) to learn spells.
world are a political group that can affect the affairs Consider adding a complimen-
of state or industry (including guilds), this trait tary Secret or Reputation to reflect
doubles as a political contact trait. In this case, add your special relationship. Decide
Security Clearance [5] to the list of prerequisites. if the master is human, a sapient
You’ve learned from the magical equivalent of a plant, or something else! (No fur-
martial arts master. He has passed some of his ther details are required.) If the GM
extraordinary wisdom on to you. This gives you the desires, this trait may be a prerequi-
following four benefits: site for plant-mage perks (p. 8).

DISADVANTAGES
The following disadvantages are unsuitable for plant mages proper soil and moisture. Sunlight is not necessary. They lose
– and appropriate for their enemies: Dread of vegetation, plant 1 HP every three days. Seasonally, -1 point.
life, or trees; Lifebane; Pyromania; or Revulsion to grass or
Additional examples of Dependency can be found in the
wood. The GM may rule that casting rolls are penalized by -1
Plant Physical Characteristics Table (p. 5).
for every full -5 points in the sum of these traits.

Code of Honor Disciplines of Faith

see p. B127 see p. B132
Deep Ecologist: You patrol the forest, looking for anyone
Forest Protector: Defend all woodlands from those who
who might hurt it. You commune with the spirit of Nature at
attempt to harm or destroy it by setting forest fires*, logging,
least once per day (dawn is best), meditating in an overgrown
or other means. Keep its secrets. Use its resources in a respect-
spot. -10 points.
ful way. Show respect toward mages dedicated to the wood-
land. Oppose the idea of the forest as a possession, owned by
any individual, country, or institution. -10 points. Lifebane
* Any plant mage worthy of the name recognizes the value see p. B142
of a forest fire created by natural causes (e.g., lightning). If you need to measure the exact damage caused by this dis-
However, he’ll be skeptical of “controlled burns,” even if the advantage, treat it as a kind of “supernatural radiation.”
intent – and result – is beneficial. Specifically, it’s a 1 HP toxic attack with three cycles (of eight
hours each) and a one-yard range. It radiates like an Innate
Attack with Emanation. Applicable targets are limited to natu-
Dependency ral vegetation and natural animals weighing no more than a
see p. B130 few ounces. Bless Plants, Heal Plant, Rejuvenate Plant, Purify
Unless otherwise noted, all plants require good soil, reason- Earth, or Remove Contagion can cancel the cycles.
ably clean water, and adequate sunlight. Sentient plants take
this as a Dependency on a Very Com-
mon substance. Furthermore, the
guidelines below can be used to meas-
ure the rate of HP loss for any plant. Those Who Revere the Forest
Flowers wilt after a day without If your regard for the forest is respectful – but no more than that – give your-
water, sun, and nutrients. At the end of self a quirk: “Cannot tolerate extensive damage of a forest.”
the period, subtract 1 HP every hour. Those with stronger feelings add a concern for the overuse of woodland
Daily, -15 points. resources. They keep a lookout for offenders, too. Instead of the quirk, use one
Young trees or crops begin dying of the following: Code of Honor (Forest Protector; see above) [-10], Sense of
after a week, at a rate of 1 HP every six Duty (Forest) [-10], or Sense of Duty (Plants) [-10].
hours. Weekly, -10 points. The next level is the tree worshipper. The forest is his temple. He has one of
A full-size, adult tree loses HP after a the disadvantages above and any one of the following: Disciplines of Faith (Deep
month, at a rate of -1 per day. Monthly, Ecologist; see above) [-10]; Green Mind 1 [-5] (p. 6); Intolerance (Lumberjacks,
-5 points. at any TL) [-5]; Vow (Live in woodlands for at least six months a year) [-15]; Vow
Moss and other ancestral plants (Use plant material only if gathered without severe injury to the plant) [-5].
begin dying after a full season without

PLANT MAGES 9
 CHAPTER THREE

PLANT SPELLS
The spells in this book use all of the established rules in the special rules, such as Change Species (p. 12), Green Telurgy
Basic Set and GURPS Magic. Except as noted, spells are found (p. 14), and Miniaturize Plants (p. 16).
in GURPS Magic. Additional guidelines follow. Spell Class: Regular spells target a single plant of any size,
while Area spells effect all plants in their area. If the area is
Duration: A plant transformed by a spell with a limited
large and inhabited by many types of plants, the GM can allow
duration will not return to its original form if it is ingested, dis-
the mage to narrow the focus to one type of plant (“just the
solved, or burned before the spell ends.
trees,” “all of the weeds,” etc.) before the roll.
Enchanted Items: An enchanted “staff” is any rod-shaped
Subjects: Any spell with the word “tree” in the name also
piece of organic material up to six feet long. Thus, a wand is a
works on bushes and shrubs. They are, generally speaking,
type of staff. For those spells that require a wooden staff, any
short trees with branches close to the ground.
type of wood will do.
Specific Spells: The Resurrection spell works on any form of
Ingredients: The typical Plant spell needs at least a finger-
vegetation. It returns the plant to its IQ level at the moment it
nail-sized piece of plant life to start from, even if it’s only a leaf
died. Rejuvenate Plant resurrects dead plants as well, bringing
or a piece of a pinecone. There are 12 exceptions: Body of
them back to 1 HP (and at a much cheaper cost). However,
Leaves (p. 11), Body of Slime, Body of Wood, Create Paper (p.
Rejuvenate doesn’t restore any unusual intelligence; the reborn
12), Create Plant, False Tracks, Gather Moss (pp. 13-14),
plant has IQ 0. Strike Barren terminates a plant’s ability to
Green Death (p. 14), Plant Form, Plant Form Other, Pollen
reproduce, but does not kill it.
Cloud, and Purify Earth. The exceptions could be cast on the
moon, inside a walk-in freezer, in a featureless pocket
dimension, etc. They can be used in a clever way to create
useful campfire fuel as well.
Mage Sense: Unless otherwise noted, all plants created by Plant Spells
magic are nonmagical when the spell is over, and they can-
not be detected as being magical. (Of course, plants under for Everyone
the influence of an active spell are detected as magical.) Any mage can learn Plant college spells if he has the
Resistance: Some Resisted spells list an IQ roll and a “(p).” listed prerequisites. Most spells have four or more, forcing
These resistance rolls are only for any living plant. (Dead the mage to make a nontrivial investment in the college.
plants don’t get a resistance roll.) The spell is resisted by the The spells below are exceptions; they are useful, with a low
plant’s IQ (if any). Sapient trees are thus harder to alter with prerequisite count.
magic than their ordinary, IQ 0 counterparts. This may be
due to their inherent magical nature, a conscious will to resist Basic Spells: See Plant Health (p. 19), Seek Plant.
. . . or any other rationalization that sounds good. Needs Seek Plant Only: Identify Plant.
Needs Only Seek Plant and Identify Plant: Buoyant Plant
Example: Grasping Branch (p. 14) is resisted at IQ+5 (p). Life* (pp. 11-12), Harvest† (p. 14), Heal Plant, Improved
An ordinary plant (IQ 0) rolls against 5 in the Quick Contest, Firewood (p. 15), and Shape Plant.
and almost surely loses. A sapient tree with IQ 10 resists with
15, and might well win. * Also requires Magery 1.
† Also requires two spells from another college.
Size Modifier: Use the standard rules to adjust energy cost
by SM (p. B239), unless otherwise noted. Some spells have

NEW PLANT SPELLS

Blade of Grass A piece of grass 6” to 11” creates a small knife. Between 12”
and 17” makes a large knife. A length of 18” to 29” inches turns
Regular into a shortsword. Between 30” and 47” transforms into a
This spell transforms a single, long blade of grass into a broadsword. Any length of 48” to 53” creates a bastard sword.
knife or sword, complete with hilt. The weapon is well-crafted, Any length of 54” or longer makes a greatsword. The item has all
with a blade that shines pale green in sunlight. It appears to be of the stats of its type (same weight, Reach, etc.) except cost.
metallic, but it’s composed entirely of vegetable matter.

PLANT SPELLS 10
A few Merchant or reaction rolls set the cost at the point of sale. Body of Leaves
However, when the spells ends, the buyer will be fuming . . .
This spell is useless if the piece of grass is shorter than 6” Regular; Resisted by HT
– a problem easily resolved with a successful casting of Plant The subject’s body transmogrifies into a mound of leaves,
Growth! roughly hemispheric with an 18” peak. He has the Body of
Leaves meta-trait (below) for the duration of the spell. He is
Duration: 1 minute. inconspicuous in most outdoor environments. Clothes and
Cost: 1 to cast for every 12” of length, or fraction thereof. carried items, up to Medium encumbrance, are subsumed
Half that to maintain. into the new form. To determine what gets left behind, begin
Prerequisite: Shape Plant. with the heaviest items. Subsumed magic items are tem-
porarily inoperable. The subject may cast any spells that have
Item no ritual requirement.
Gauntlet, glove, or ring. Maintained until one minute after A body of leaves is useful for sneaking, for hiding, and to
the item loses contact with the weapon. Energy cost to create: survive a fall. The spell is not limited to the caster – it may be
550. cast on someone else to terrify him, slow him down, or injure
him using wind attacks and fire. (If this is his first transforma-
Bloodsucking Branches tion, roll a Fright Check at -6.) This spell is susceptible to Know
True Shape, Remove Curse, and Suspend Curse. Likewise, the
Area spell ends if the subject loses consciousness.
Temporarily transforms all rooted, branching plants in the
area into vampiric organisms. If the area doesn’t have any Duration: 1 hour.
plants of this kind, the spell is wasted. Cost: 5 to cast. 2 to maintain.
Any living, DR 0 creature (ignoring any DR with the Tough Time to cast: 4 seconds.
Skin limitation) who stops or walks through an affected hex Prerequisites: Body of Slime and Plant Form Other.
is “stung” – branches lash out, puncture the skin, and begin
drawing blood. (The blood flows down to the roots, where it Item
is expelled into the soil. This may be of interest for vampires (a) Wooden staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to cre-
or dark alchemists who need special ingredients.) At the ate: 1,200. (b) Ring or necklace, usable by anyone. The wearer
moment the branches strike, the victim is mentally stunned. changes form and stays that way until saved by Remove Curse!
Until he makes a successful IQ roll to snap out of it, he loses Energy cost to create: 2,100.
1 FP per second. Anyone traveling at Move 4
or greater is too fast to be stung.
If the victim collapses from FP loss, he has
a 5-in-6 chance that the fall will break his con- Body of Leaves Meta-Trait
tact with the plant (GM rolls one die). If the You are a sapient pile of leaves. You excel at hiding and sneaking,
GM rolls a 6, the victim fell into or on top of the but you can be easily dispersed by wind or ignited by fire. You move
plant; the bloodsucking branches stay con- with a slow slither, cannot speak, and have no obvious physical
nected and he continues to lose FP. Note that, attacks. ST -10 [-100]; HP +10 [20]; Chameleon 6 (Limited to locations
once he is at 0 FP, he loses HP, as well. This is where a pile of leaves could be found, -60%) [12]; Doesn’t Breathe [20];
a good time for adventurers to use traits such Double-Jointed [15]; Fragile (Combustible) [-5]; Immunity to Meta-
as Luck, Serendipity, or any form of divine bolic Hazards [30]; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse) [100]; Mute [-25]; No
intervention. Legs (Slithers) [0]; No Fine Manipulators [-30]; Numb [-20]; Reduced
If using the Density of Vegetation rules Move -4 [-20]; Silence 5 [25]; Vulnerable (Wind Attacks ¥2) [-20].
(p. 6) alter the rate of FP loss as follows: Affected by Plant spells [0]; Taboo Trait (Fixed ST) [0]. 2 points.
Sparse (1 FP every five seconds), Normal (no
change), Dense (2 FP per second),
Impenetrable (3 FP per second). Impenetrable
is possible only if the victim is trapped inside – or lying on top
of – the plants. Buoyant Plant Life
A critical failure causes the plants to attack only the caster Area
and his friends. If the caster rolls a critical success, the spell’s All vegetable material floating on water in the area of effect
effects can become permanent without paying the ¥10 cost. becomes supernaturally buoyant. The material cannot be per-
Duration: 1 minute. manently submerged. Choose one of three levels at the time of
Base Cost: 2 to cast. Half to maintain. the spell’s casting.
Time to cast: 1 second ¥ radius. Can be temporarily held below the surface: For a base cost of
Prerequisites: Magery 1, six Plant spells, and Weaken Blood. 1/2, the plant life cannot stay submerged for more than 1d+9
seconds. Roll once, for all plants in the area.
Item Never fully under: For a base cost of 1, the plant life can be
(a) Staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 850. 90% submerged, but never fully.
Reduce the cost to 650 if the staff is made of wormwood. (b) Always on the surface: For a base cost of 2, the plant life
Any change can be made permanent for ¥10 cost (minimum of floats, with no more than 10% of its mass under water, and
30 energy). cannot go deeper.

PLANT SPELLS 11
 Note that the vegetation is not fixed to its current location, Example: With a personal TL of 7 or greater, a spellcaster
so anyone who wants to hop between lily pads or walk across can create sheets of bond paper. However, the same mage can’t
floating logs risks falling down. Treat this as if the person was create papyrus scroll paper – unless he has a suitable skill such
walking on objects laid over a greased surface (GURPS as History (Ancient Egypt).
Magic, p. 142).
Conventional papermaking uses Artist (Woodworking,
Duration: 1 minute. Papermaking). Paper can be used to write a scroll, draw a map,
Base Cost: See above. Half to maintain. get a fire started, feed into a typewriter, wipe up a mess, create
Time to cast: 30 seconds. a barrier, diaper an infant, build a kite, make a flag, create a
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and Identify Plant. mask, and so on.
Duration: Permanent.
Item
Cost: See description.
Staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 1,100.
Time to cast: 4 minutes.
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Heal Plant.
Capturing Vines
Area Item
Animates a cluster of vines to stretch out and grab anyone Ring or a simple container of some kind. Energy cost to
nearby. Treat this as a binding attack with its Area Effect deter- create: 700. If the container was designed to hold paper, the
mined by the energy spent: Binding 15 (Environmental, -40%; cost is 550.
Persistent, +40%). If the vines are reaching out laterally (from a
wall or fence), targets may use active defenses. If the attack Druid’s Panacea (VH)
comes up from the ground, limit active defenses to parries with
Regular
feet or a dodge at -3. This spell has no effect on sapient plants.
This spell allows a subject – who must be resting at the foot
Duration: 1 minute. of a large (SM +2 or more), living tree – to heal his body and
Base Cost: 1 to cast. Half that to maintain. mind. The subject must spend the entire casting time motion-
Time to cast: 4 seconds. less, after which he heals HP equal to (tree’s SM ¥ energy
Prerequisite: Grasping Branch (p 14). spent) and benefits from the effects of one of the following
spells, chosen by the caster: Neutralize Poison, Relieve
Item Addiction, Relieve Madness, or Restore Memory. The effects of
Any; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 900. Relieve Addition and Relieve Madness cannot be maintained;
they last for one day or 10 minutes, respectively.
Change Species (VH) Duration: See above.
Regular; Resisted by IQ+5 (p) Cost: 1 to 3 to cast. One attempt per day.
Changes the species of a plant – sunflower to tulip, acorn to Time to cast: 10 minutes.
walnut, birch tree to grapevines, etc. The mass cannot be Prerequisites: Magery 3, Body of Wood, and Plant Empathy
altered by more than ±20%. Any natural species is possible, but (pp. 7-8 and p. B75).
greater changes cost more energy (see below).
Item
Duration: 1 hour. A simple silver ring; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to
Cost: SM¥2 for a plant of the same type as described on p. 4 create: 3,500.
(e.g., crop to a different crop); minimum 2. SM¥4 for a species
in a different group; minimum 4. Half to maintain.
Time to cast: 30 seconds.
Fast Plant Growth
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Reverse Plant Growth (p. 17). Area; Resisted by IQ+5 (p)
Every minute, the plants in the area stretch and mon-
Item strously sprout to fill an adjacent hex. With the Density of
(a) Jewelry or staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to Vegetation rules (p. 6), the caster may raise the density level of
create: 1,000. (b) Any change can be made permanent for 100 a hex instead of adding a new one (except an Impenetrable hex,
times the casting cost. which will not change). A newly filled hex has the same density
as the hex from which it spread.
Plants that pile up against a fixed object do (1d ¥ Magery)
Create Paper crushing damage per minute. Use the rules for structural dam-
Regular age on pp. B558-559. Movable objects are shoved as per Lifting
Creates a stack or a single sheet. No plant life is needed for and Moving Things (p. B353); BL is 15 ¥ Magery.
the casting – the mage could create paper in an empty jail cell Any ambulatory being can evade the expanding plant life.
or at the North Pole. Choose hemp or wood pulp – and a color Those who cannot – sessile, unconscious, etc. – are shoved as
– before casting. One point of energy produces a stack of 25 inanimate objects. If pushed against a solid barrier, the
sheets measuring one square foot each or a single sheet meas- shoved individual suffers 1/10 of the crushing damage
uring 5’ ¥ 5’ (caster’s choice). The mage can only create paper inflicted each turn.
he is familiar with.

PLANT SPELLS 12
 Seven Embezzled Spells
Sometimes a spell is a variant of another, customized stomach, it has to swallow the vegetable whole.) Prereq-
for a different college. For example, Animate Plant is a spe- uisite: Shape Plant.
cialization of Animate, and Arboreal Immurement is based Fling Fruit. As Poltergeist (Magic, p. 144). Subjects are
on Entombment. Except as noted, the spells below work as limited as for Exploding Vegetable (above). Prerequisites:
described in GURPS Magic. Magery 1, Apportation, and Shape Plant.
Grant Plant Intelligence. As Wisdom (Magic, p. 135).
Breakfall Plants. As Slow Fall (Magic, p. 144), but the
Temporarily raises the IQ of any living plant. Cost is 3
speed of your fall is unaffected until the last tenth of a
energy per level of IQ, maximum IQ 15. One-third to main-
second before you land. You must drop onto some form
tain. Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Plant Speech.
of living plant material – e.g., a wooden table won’t work,
Summon Dryad. As Summon Air Elemental (Magic,
but a thin bed of moss will. If you’re using the Density of
pp. 27-28). Calls any dryad within half a mile. Use the trait
Vegetation rules (p. 6), Sparse vegetation cuts your speed
list from GURPS Fantasy (p. 213). Energy cost is 23. Pre-
in half when you land, Normal works as described, and
requisites: Magery 1, Sense Spirit, and seven Plant spells.
Dense or Impenetrable lowers the energy cost to 1 for
Vine to Snake. As Create Animal (Magic, pp. 98-99). Use
every 100 lbs. Prerequisites: Magery 1, Apportation, Walk
the stats for rattlesnake (p. B458). Prerequisites: Magery 2
Through Plants.
and Create Plant.
Exploding Vegetable. As Explode (Magic, p. 118), but
Wood Golem. As Golem (Magic, p. 59). Use the clay
the spell is restricted to a tomato, ear of corn, head of let-
golem traits, adding ST +2, HP +10, DR 4, and Fragile
tuce, grapefruit, orange, or similar produce. The spell
(Combustible). Energy cost is 360. Prerequisites: Anima-
is cancelled if the produce is crushed, sliced, or bitten
tion, Enchant, and Shape Plant.
into before it bursts. (To have it detonate in a monster’s

Example: A spellcaster with Magery 3 casts this in a room Item

with wooden walls (DR 2 and 29 HP) and a moss floor, occu- Any. Energy cost to create: 700.
pied by a large, 500-lb. table. The living moss pushes outward
with effective BL 45, causing 3d damage. Shoving ST is 540
lbs.; the growing plants scoot the table across the floor. When
Gather Moss (VH)
they press against the wall, the GM rolls 3d, with a result of Regular; Resisted by HT
10; this is greater than the wall’s DR 2, so the plants reduce If the subject fails his resistance roll, patches of sticky moss
the wall’s HP to 21. The table takes 1/10 of this roll, or 1 HP grow out of his skin, beginning with his hands and feet. He
of damage. gains Bad Grip 1. The size of the affected area expands quickly,
spreading up the limbs and across the torso. When it reaches
The plants do not change when the spell ends; they remain
his neck, the victim begins to suffocate.
indefinitely in their new form. To return the vegetation to its
At each moment the caster pays the maintenance cost, the
previous state, use Reverse Plant Growth (p. 17).
moss spreads to the following body parts, in this order:
Duration: 1 minute.
• Lower arms and lower legs. All DX rolls are -2.
Base Cost: 2 to cast. Half to maintain. If expanding the area,
• Upper arms and upper legs. Reduce Move by 3.
increase the maintenance cost by 1 for every added hex.
• Torso. Worsen the DX roll penalty to -4 (as if grappled).
Time to Cast: 30 seconds.
• Neck/throat. Victim begins choking (p. B428).
Prerequisite: Magery 1 and Plant Growth.
• Head. Blind, no sense of smell, cannot speak. Hearing
rolls are -5.
Item
Wooden staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: As long as the spell is active, the subject suffers. A new
1,200. “location” is covered every five seconds – even if, at that
moment, all of the moss has been removed. If the body is
fully covered, a new layer grows, in sequence. When the spell
Forest Defense ends, the moss does not disappear; if it isn’t removed, it falls
Blocking off the skin after one hour.
This spell animates plants within two yards of the subject to The subject, and his friends, may attempt to scrape the
place themselves in harm’s way, blocking attacks. The plant life moss off. Two Ready maneuvers are sufficient to remove moss
can briefly transform to accomplish this task, becoming from the first “location” (both hands and both feet). Use the
slightly thicker or stretching to protect the subject. same requirement to clear the rest of the body, with two Ready
maneuvers per location in the list above. The GM may reduce
Cost: 1 to 3 to cast (each point of energy provides DR 3).
the time required to clear a location by one or even two Ready
When using the Density of Vegetation rules (p. 6), each point of
maneuvers if a suitable tool (knife, shovel, etc.) can be found;
energy gives DR 2 (Sparse), DR 3 (Normal), DR 4 (Dense), or
skill or DX checks should be required to avoid inflicting 1 HP
DR 5 (Impenetrable).
damage on the victim accidentally. Note that the two Ready
Prerequisite: Animate Plant.
maneuvers assume a pair of functional, human hands.

PLANT SPELLS 13
The GM may make adjustments (e.g., the scraper needs four Time to cast: 30 seconds.
Ready maneuvers if he’s using one hand). Prerequisites: Magery 2, Create Plant, and Sickness.
While scraping, the victim must make a Will roll, adjusted by
Fearlessness, to avoid panic. Cowardice gives its usual penalty Item
based on the self-control number. The GM should consider Ring or glove; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create:
Fright Checks for witnesses. 1,000.
Duration: 5 seconds.
Cost: 3 to cast. 2 to maintain. Green Telurgy
Time to cast: 3 seconds. Regular
Prerequisites: Fast Plant Growth Turns a plant into a “magic phone line.” Any two peo-
(pp. 12-13) and Hair Growth. ple who touch it can establish a telepathic connection
through the plant. A third person cannot break in, but
Item someone else may replace one of the two. A Will+3 roll
Jewelry. Energy cost to create: is required to connect. Modify the roll with any of the
1,200. following traits: Lifebane (-6), Plant Empathy (+4), and
Speak With Plants (+3). This spell can be used to over-
Grasping Branch come language barriers, to communicate secretly to a
scout in the trees, or as a method of transmitting mes-
Regular; Resisted by IQ+5 (p)
sages along the ivy clinging to castle walls.
This spell animates a branch on
a tree or shrub, granting it IQ 5 and a basic ST score of SM+14. Duration: 5 minutes.
It can stretch up to 25% beyond its natural length, and obeys Cost: Equal to SM of the plant to cast; minimum 2. 1 to
the caster as long as he can see it. If he can’t, the branch has a maintain.
“mind” of its own. Treat it as a dumb NPC whose body is in the Time to cast: 30 seconds.
form of a long, sessile finger with Curious (6), Impulsiveness Prerequisite: Plant Speech.
(9), and Kleptomania (12). It’s smart enough to attempt to keep
its existence secret, moving only when no one is looking. In Item
addition to stealing, it can tug at someone’s clothing, knock off Any. Energy cost to create: 650.
his hat, spear the food in his hand, dig in his ear, tickle his
nose, poke his eye, unfasten a buckle, and so on. If the same
caster creates more than one grasping branch, those that can
Harvest
touch each other work in concert whenever possible. Area
Crops in the area of effect harvest themselves: wheat shears
Duration: 10 minutes. just above the base, potatoes rise from the ground, apples
Cost: 2 to cast. 2 to maintain. detach from branches, etc. They drift in the air and pile them-
Time to cast: 3 seconds. selves neatly at the center of the area. Before casting, the mage
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Animate Plant. may pick another landing spot within the area, if desired. If the
area contains a mixture of crops, pick one of the following: all
Item crops growing out of the ground (wheat, corn); all crops under
Jewelry or staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to cre- the ground (potatoes, peanuts); all crops hanging from vines
ate: 1,200. and/or branches (apples, grapes). Failure leaves the crops right
where they are. A critical failure ruins – but does not destroy –
Green Death the crop and drains 1d+4 FP from the caster. If someone has
sanctified the entire area with Bless Plants, treat a critical fail-
Regular; Resisted by HT
ure as an ordinary failure.
Causes green, leafy plants to grow inside the subject’s body,
To harvest an acre – roughly the size of a U.S. football field
expanding until he dies. Treat this as a type of poison: 1d-1 toxic
without end zones – the spellcaster needs 10 energy and 13
attack, five-minute cycle, and 13 cycles. The symptoms include
minutes. That’s a small cost for an entire acre, but large farms
unnatural feature (bloated with mottled skin) at 2/3 HP, agony
require far more time and energy. Multiple castings increase
(p. B428) at 1/2 HP, and choking (p. B428) at 1/3 HP. If the vic-
the chances of critical failure, so the best way to magically har-
tim suffocates, the plants burst out of his orifices as he dies. The
vest multiple acres is to pump an enormous amount of energy
resistance roll is made once, at the onset of the attack.
into a single use of the spell.
If the spell is cancelled – using Remove Curse, Reverse
Plant Growth, Strike Barren, or Wither Plant – the deadly Base Cost: 1/4 to cast. Cannot be maintained.
flora shrinks and vanishes in 30 seconds. A surviving victim Time to cast: 20 seconds per yard radius.
who has reached the agony stage may have suffered some Prerequisites: Magery 1, Apportation, Identify Plant, and
form of permanent damage; the effects are up to the GM. (For Measurement.
ideas, see the Vitals Wounds Table on p. 139 of GURPS
Martial Arts.) A similar, exterior version of this spell exists in Item
the form of Gather Moss (pp. 13-14). (a) Jewelry or staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to
create: 250. (b) Scythe or sickle. Energy cost to create: 400.
Duration: 1 hour.
Reduce by 50 if the item is of fine or very fine quality.
Cost: 6 to cast. Cannot be maintained.

PLANT SPELLS 14
Hypnotic Leaves Invoke Fence
Area; Resisted by IQ Regular
This spell animates all leaves (or flower petals, moss beards, This spell creates a low (3’ tall) barrier comprised of sticks,
etc.) in its area of effect such that any sentient creature that sees brushwood, and larger pieces of fallen trees. The spell assem-
them must resist with IQ or become hypnotized. Those who lose bles existing material rather than conjuring plant life, magi-
are motionless and unaware of the passage of time; even Danger cally gathering the components from the surrounding area. Up
Sense is at -5. The condition ends if the subject’s sight of the to a half-mile away, branches and chunks of bark disappear
leaves is blocked (even for a second), the leaves are destroyed, or and then reappear, piece by piece, to create the fence. Its length
he’s attacked. It stops for everyone when the spell ends, of is based on the amount of energy spent (see below). The bar-
course. Successful resistance gives the subject immunity to the rier has no supernatural qualities; it functions like any other
spell’s effects for 30 seconds. After that, if he’s still in the area and fence, marking a boundary or corralling cattle.
can see the leaves, he must make a new resistance roll. The mage can create a similar barrier using Plant Growth
The GM can penalize any resistance roll if the leaves are and Shape Plant, but it will look unnatural, with a shape that
unusually plentiful (-1), very colorful (-2), or falling (-3). These suggests supernatural power was used to create it. The fence,
three penalties are not cumulative. Add -3 for anyone with meanwhile, shows no signs of supernatural creation and will
Peripheral Vision that’s at least two yards inside the area. Use not provoke suspicion among ordinary people.
darkness penalties as a bonus to the roll – in dim light, the
Cost: 3 for every 10 yards to cast.
leaves are difficult to see, so they’re less likely to hypnotize.
Time to cast: 2 minutes.
(The bonus is ignored if the subject has traits that allow him to
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Heal Plant.
see in the dark!) When using the Density of Vegetation rules
(p. 6), alter the roll by +2 if the subject is in a Sparse hex when
he rolls. Adjust by -4 if the hex is Dense or Impenetrable.
Item
The magic does not affect anyone who is outside the area Staff. The mage traces a line on the ground before activat-
looking into it. Witnesses might see a number of victims ing the spell, marking where the fence will appear. Energy cost
standing around in the thicket or garden, staring at to create: 200.
the pretty leaves (GM’s decision if any current vic-
tims are in view). If the witness is a plant mage, he
can roll IQ+5 to correctly guess what’s going on.
Useful New Spells for the Dungeon
Duration: 1 minute. In a fight, use Blade of Grass (pp. 10-11), Green Death (p. 14),
Base Cost: 2 to cast. Half to maintain. Shuriken Leaf (p. 19), Slimy Skin (p. 19), and Wooden Arm (p. 21).
Time to Cast: 4 seconds. Construct traps and improvised tools by applying Join Plants (pp. 15-
Prerequisites: Magery 1, Daze, and Plant Sense. 16) and Plant to Object (p. 16) on branches or leaves. Bend thick
wooden doors with Shape Plant. Create Paper (p. 12), Improved Fire-
Item wood (p. 15), and Trapped Light (p. 20) will come in handy as well.
Jewelry or staff; usable only by a mage. Energy
cost to create: 900.

Improved Firewood Join Plants

Regular Regular; Resisted by IQ+5 (p)
This spell can be cast on any piece of dead wood, dry, damp, This spell fuses plants together. They must be of the same
or even freshly removed from a tree. Its flammability (p. B433) type (see p. 4), but the mage may combine living and dead. The
rises to Highly Flammable when the spellcaster deliberately caster can bind them extensively (turn a braid of ivy into a solid
tries to ignite the wood. Once lit, it burns three times longer ivy rope) or partially (connect the tips of two leaves or link two
than it normally would (like Essential Wood) and emits no flowers by their stems). A fusion of living plants can continue to
noise or smoke! If anyone but the caster tries to set it on fire – grow. This spell complements Shape Plant. Both render wood
or the caster exposes it to flame accidentally – treat the wood and vegetation in the caster’s grip into a soft, claylike material.
as it was before the spell was cast. If it catches fire in this way, A few of the tricks that can be performed with this spell:
the spell ends. Improved firewood is very useful in enclosed Reattach picked fruit, connect a dozen wide leaves into a blan-
settings such as tombs and deep caves. ket, or build a knobby pole by fusing thick branches end-to-
The wood remains under the effect of the spell until it end. To determine the success in building complex items (such
becomes ash (if it was lit properly). It can be detected as mag- as a cage made from branches), use Artist (Sculpture),
ical, and Dispel Magic ends the effects at any time. Camouflage, or Traps.

Duration: Permanent. Duration: Permanent.

Cost: 1 per lb. Cost: 3, or 4 for unliving material, to cast.
Time to cast: 10 seconds per 5 lbs., round up. Time to cast: 10 seconds.
Prerequisite: Identify Plant. Prerequisite: Shape Plant.

Item Item
Jewelry or staff. Energy cost to create: 100. Clothing or jewelry (a pair of gloves or bracelets). Energy
cost to create: 500.

PLANT SPELLS 15
Miniaturize Plant (VH) • Strychnos toxifera vine produces curare (TL5). (See
GURPS High-Tech, p. 227.)
Regular; Resisted by SM+IQ (p) • Castor beans become ricin (TL6). (See GURPS High-
This spell causes a plant to shrink to a height of exactly six Tech, p. 227.)
inches. It can be easily carried or destroyed – or swallowed by
a large animal! When the spell ends, the plant doubles its A successful casting produces a number of doses equal to the
height every second until it reaches its original size. spell’s margin of success, minimum of one. One dose is enough
for a single, normal-sized person. If the plant can generate more
Duration: 1 minute. than one product, the caster chooses before the spell roll.
Cost: 1 to cast for per level of SM higher than -10. (Thus, a Knowledge of this spell at a given TL allows the caster to
SM -7 plant requires 3 energy, and a SM +7 plant requires 17 distill chemicals understood at that TL. Use Tech-Level
energy.) 1 per minute to maintain, regardless of original size. Modifiers (p. B168) for other substances.
Time to cast: 30 seconds.
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Reverse Plant Growth (p. 17). Example: Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was discovered at TL7.
A mage with Process Plant/TL5 would be at -10 to obtain this
Item chemical from wood. A spellcaster with Process Plant/TL11, in a
Staff; usable only by a mage. Must touch the plant. Energy society where DMSO was only used up until TL9 (after which it
cost to create: 1,000. was rendered obsolete by other chemicals) would be at -3.
The mage must be familiar with the end product and have
Plant to Object some idea of the process, even if this is no more than 1 point in
low-tech Expert Skill (Natural Philosophy). Other appropriate
Regular; Resisted by IQ+6 (p)
skills: Alchemy, Biology (Botany), Chemistry, and Pharmacy.
This spell transforms a single, living plant into a simple Without this minimal amount of skill, a critical success on the
object composed of the same material. The object can be a spell roll (the equivalent of a magical miracle) is required to
geometric shape (a plank, a box, a column, a cone, a board) produce the drug.
or a primitive weapon (blowpipe, club, staff, or a stake suit-
able for killing vampires). The mass cannot change more Duration: Permanent.
than ±20%. If the plant is not wooden, the object isn’t; that is, Cost: 3 to cast.
you can’t create a club from leaves. A gadgeteer or someone Time to cast: 30 seconds.
with Gizmos can expand the range of objects to include, for Prerequisites: Magery 2, Distill, and Heal Plant.
example, a flute, a bow (without the string), a bucket, or a
hemp rope. Item
If the spell fails or is resisted, repeated attempts are at a (a) Jewelry or staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to
cumulative -3 until one hour has passed. A critical failure create: 850. (b) Rigid container that can be sealed, such as a
destroys the raw material and inflicts 1d+1 FP to the caster. A bottle or urn; the material to be transformed is placed inside it.
critical success grants twice the natural HP to the object. Energy cost to create: 650.
Duration: Permanent.
Cost: 2 to cast for every 5 lbs. Razor Grass
Time to cast: Equal to cost, in seconds. Area
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and Shape Plants. All blades of grass in the area become extremely sharp. The
rigidity of the blades does not change, however – they won’t stab
Item through the soles of shoes or impale a horse’s hoof. The grass
Staff or glove; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: inflicts 1d-3 cutting damage every second of movement through
350. it (minimum 0). In Dense vegetation (p. 6), the damage is 1d-1,
minimum of 1 per second. The damage may continue if using
Process Plant/TL (VH) the optional rules for bleeding (p. B420). Those with DR who
pass through the area might not notice the grass has been
Regular; Resisted by IQ+7 (p)
altered! Anyone who stands still in the area is unharmed by the
Cast on a small amount of plant material, the material is grass. After the first point of injury, a surprised victim must
transformed into a derivative chemical, as if it went to a labora- make a Will roll to avoid crying out in shock and pain.
tory for a split second and then returned. A handful of tea leaves, The areas of the body that can be injured depend on the
for example, can be turned into a pinch of caffeine powder. height of the grass. Thus, if it’s up to the knees, victims take
Larger quantities of material require multiple castings; a mage damage to their legs and feet. Up to the armpits, victims
could turn a warehouse of tea leaves into a barrel of pure caf- take damage everywhere below the neck – discounting the
feine, but it would take a while! The following transformations arms if raised. Roll hit location randomly, rerolling any invalid
are allowed; the GM may add more. results. Damage thresholds are significant: Someone with HP
• An opium poppy can be turned into one dose of heroin 10 cannot suffer more than 4 HP to a foot, 4 HP to a hand, or
(p. B441). 6 HP to an arm or leg.
• Cinchona bark produces quinine (TL5). (See GURPS Duration: 10 minutes.
Bio-Tech, p. 153.) Base Cost: 1 to cast. Same cost to maintain. Double energy
• Wood can be transmuted into dimethyl sulfoxide (TL7). cost to add an Armor Divisor of (2) or increase damage by +2.
(See GURPS Bio-Tech, pp. 157 and GURPS High-Tech, p. 227.) Triple for both.

PLANT SPELLS 16
 Time to cast: 10 seconds.
Prerequisites: Magery 1, Essential Wood, and
Plant Growth. Fungus Spells
In most fantasy worlds, Fungus spells form a subcollege of the
Item Plant college. In settings with more sophisticated science, they
Ring or staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost might even constitute a college in their own right, as different from
to create: 700. Plant spells as Animal spells are – fungi aren’t plants or animals!
Either way, magic concerning fungi calls for specific Fungus spells,
Resilient Vegetation with their own prerequisite structure.
Area Spell Prerequisites
This spell protects all plants of a certain kind Animate Fungus* Fungus Control
within its borders. The caster may choose up to Bless Fungus* Heal Fungus
three species from the lists on p. 4. For example, the Blight Fungus Growth
mage could decide to protect all beech, cedar, and Body of Fungus* Magery 2 and Fungus Form
grass in the area of effect. Body of Slime Magery 2 and Fungus Form
Attempts to harm the plants are warded off as if Choke Magery 1 and Spore Cloud
by invisible defenders, giving the attackers -3 to hit Create Fungus* Magery 1 and Fungus Growth
and the plants DR 5. Cure Disease† Magery 3 and Identify Fungus
Duration: 1 minute. Decay Fungus Growth
Base Cost: 1 to cast. Same cost to maintain. By Foul Water Decay
doubling the cost, the mage can protect an entire Fungus Control* Six Fungus spells
category (p. 4) of plants. Fungus Form* Magery 1 and six Fungus spells
Time to cast: 1 minute. Fungus Form Other (VH)* Magery 2 and Fungus Form
Prerequisite: Magery 1 and Shape Plant. Fungus Growth* Heal Fungus
Fungus Speech* Identify Fungus
Item Heal Fungus* Identify Fungus
(a) Wooden staff; usable only by a mage. Energy Identify Fungus* Seek Fungus
cost to create: 600. (b) Piece of petrified wood. Cast Instant Neutralize
the spell by tossing or dropping it in the center of Poison (VH)† Neutralize Poison
the area. Energy cost to create: 500. Itch Fungus Growth
Mature Decay
Neutralize Poison† Magery 3 and Identify Fungus
Reverse Plant Growth Pestilence† Magery 1 and Sickness
Regular; Resisted by IQ (p) Poison Food Decay
The plant rapidly ages backward, becoming Rotting Death (VH) Magery 2 and Pestilence
younger and (presumably) smaller. The plant does Ruin† Magery 1 and Decay
not pass through former events; e.g., if it was dam- Seek Fungus* –
aged in a fire months ago, it does not repeat that Shape Fungus* Identify Fungus
moment. It simply grows naturally – but backward. Sickness Itch
It becomes a seed after one minute plus one minute Spore Cloud* Fungus Growth
for every +1 SM. Thus, a SM +7 oak tree shrinks Wither Plant Blight
down to an acorn in eight minutes.
The time required is 10 times as long with * Functions identically to a Plant spell, but affects fungi. Animate
ancestral plants, which produces a fingernail-size Fungus corresponds to Animate Plant; Bless Fungus, to Bless Plants;
plant, not a seed. It works twice as fast with flow- Body of Fungus, to Body of Wood; Create Fungus, to Create Plant;
ers. A critical success gives the mage an option to Fungus Control, to Plant Control; Fungus Form, to Plant Form;
make the change permanent by immediately pay- Fungus Form Other, to Plant Form Other; Fungus Growth, to Plant
ing 10 energy. Growth; Fungus Speech, to Plant Speech; Heal Fungus, to Heal
Plant; Identify Fungus, to Identify Plant; Seek Fungus, to Seek Plant;
Duration: 30 seconds. Shape Fungus, to Shape Plant; and Spore Cloud, to Pollen Cloud.
Cost: 2 to cast. 2 to maintain. † As Fungus spells, Cure Disease can cure fungal infections only;
Prerequisite: Magery 1 and Plant Growth. Neutralize Poison and Instant Neutralize Poison can only negate
fungal poisons; Pestilence can only cause horrible fungus infec-
Item tions; and Ruin only affects organic targets.
Wooden staff. Energy cost to create: 400.

Run Across Treetops trees. The contours are evident as he runs, but they are not
Regular; Resisted by HT so deep that he risks tripping. A gap in the imaginary tarp
The subject can jog or run across the canopy of trees. He appears in spaces between trees 10 feet or more apart. Deal
can see the illusion of a translucent surface laid over the with this using the rules for jumping during combat
(p. B352).

PLANT SPELLS 17
 The runner makes contact at the summit of Searching Roots
each tented peak, and that’s when he could take
damage if the trees can inflict injury by touch. Information
Fire affects him with heat and smoke. The roots of a plant burrow underground, using vibration
He cannot move slower than paced running and physical contact to find oil, coal, water, buried treasure,
(p. B354). Slower movement cancels the spell! coffins, corpses, artifacts, tunnels, tombs, etc. The caster must
This spell can be used on someone other concentrate. The roots spread down and outward at a rate of
than the caster, including animals. This is also one foot per second. The ultimate length of the roots is limited
a Movement spell. only by the duration of the spell and the density of the earth
(they cannot pass through solid stone). The margin of success
Duration: 1 minute. indicates the amount of accurate detail the GM will divulge.
Cost: 2 to cast 2 to maintain.
Prerequisites: Breakfall Plants (p. 13) and Example: The roots of a tree burrow through the earth,
Levitation. passing within 10 yards of a buried dinosaur skeleton. If the
margin of success was low (1 or 2), the GM comes up with:
Item “Something dense is within 50 feet.” If the margin was high
(a) Jewelry or footwear; usable only by a (3 or 4), he says, “There’s a skeleton north of you, approxi-
mage. Energy cost to create: 300. (b) Boots; mately 40 feet away.” A margin of 5 or more, he’ll say some-
always on. Usable by anyone. Energy cost to thing like: “The skeleton of a giant saurapod – a dinosaur? a
create: 850. dragon? – is 41 feet away, due north.”

Spell Techniques
Several spells have a special option or two – uncon- Create Book
ventional but legal uses. The options are available as
techniques. Hard
Default: Create Paper-4.
Prerequisite: Create Paper (p. 12); cannot exceed prereq-
Branch Fingers uisite skill.
Hard
You can bind the created paper into a book. The binding
Default: Wooden Arm-2.
is no different from any typical book at the caster’s TL. This
Prerequisite: Wooden Arm (p. 21); cannot exceed prereq-
adds 2 energy to the casting cost for a cheap, flimsy binding
uisite skill.
and cover; 4 energy for a soft-but-sturdy binding and cover;
Your fingers extend in twisted, thin branches. This or 6 energy for a high-quality binding and hardcover.
increases your effective SM by 1 for the purpose of calcu-
lating Reach (p. B402), but the DR granted by the spell is Seaweed Clutch
halved (to DR 2) and your hand and arm can be crippled
with the normal amount of injury. As a side effect, your Hard
punch is more of a “poke,” doing piercing damage instead Default: Capturing Vines-4.
of crushing. This adds 2 energy to the casting cost. Prerequisite: Capturing Vines (p. 12); cannot exceed pre-
requisite skill.
Animates a mass of seaweed instead of normal vines.
You’ll need a minimum of one hex of seaweed per victim.
Have more fun with plants! It has no DR. Victims in water risk drowning. This adds 4
energy to the casting cost.

Contagious Creeping Moss Targeted Creeping Moss

Hard
Hard
Default: Gather Moss-4.
Default: Gather Moss-4.
Prerequisite: Gather Moss (pp. 13-14); cannot exceed
Prerequisites: Gather Moss (pp. 13-14) and Pestilence;
prerequisite skill.
cannot exceed prerequisite skill.
Using this technique, you can begin the spread of the
Anyone who touches the subject of your Gather Moss
moss at any location you touch. If, for example, you
spell must make a HT roll. If he fails, he is infected by
touch the subject’s neck when you make the spell roll,
the spell and suffers right along with the subject. If his
moss appears on his neck first. It then spreads to the
roll succeeds, he is immune for five seconds. This adds 4
other locations, in the established order. This adds 4
energy to the casting cost.
energy to the casting cost.

PLANT SPELLS 18
 If using Archaeology, Engineer (Mining), Geology, Metal- of your hand. The slime doesn’t cover the soles of the feet, so
lurgy, Professional Skill (Grave-Digger), or Prospecting as part the subject can walk normally. Throughout the duration, he
of a subterranean investigation, modify the skill roll by the looks bizarre and messy (Unusual Features 5)! When the spell
spell’s margin of success. ends, the scum vanishes, leaving no stains or residue.
Duration: 10 seconds. Duration: 1 minute. Can be cancelled with Remove Curse or
Cost: 2 to cast. 1 to maintain, regardless of area size or spell Suspend Curse.
level. Cost: 5 to cast. 4 to maintain.
Time to Cast: 5 minutes. Time to cast: 3 seconds.
Prerequisites: Magery 2 and Animate Plant. Prerequisites: Shape Water and Wooden Arm (p. 21).

Item Item
Staff of wood; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: Ring. Affects anyone who wears it (for good or ill). Energy
850. cost to create: 650.

See Plant Health Spying Blossom

Area; Information Regular
Any ill or injured plants in the area stand out in the A flower becomes a surveillance “bug,” sending information
caster’s vision. If the margin of success is 5 or more, the to the caster at any distance. Once the spell is cast, the blossom
viewer knows the primary cause of the damage – e.g., disease, transmits visual, audio, and olfactory information with com-
trampling, weapons, farming equipment, fire, intense heat, or plete accuracy to the caster’s mind. The connection is unaf-
lack of water. Any margin over 5 is used as a bonus to fected by the movement of the caster or the blossom. To hear
Tracking rolls in the area; e.g., a margin of 7 adds +2. This soft voices, see small items, or detect dissipating vapor, use a
spell cannot be resisted. Sense roll.
If the flower has not been picked, the spell costs less energy
Duration: 30 seconds.
to maintain – a plant still rooted to the ground requires less
Base Cost: 1 to cast. Same to maintain.
mana to produce its effects. If the flower is damaged in any sig-
nificant way, the spell ends – plucking a petal is okay, but step-
Item ping on it is not.
Eyepiece, jewelry or wooden staff. The jewelry or eyepiece
must be worth at least $1,000. Energy cost to create: 100. Duration: 5 minutes.
Cost: 3 to cast. 1 to maintain if it is still rooted, or 2 if it has
been picked (e.g., a boutonniere).
Shuriken Leaf Time to cast: 10 seconds.
Regular Prerequisites: Plant Sense.
Causes a single leaf to fire itself at a target as if it were a
shuriken. The use of this spell is similar to Winged Knife, but
instead of having to hold the leaf, the caster may cause it to
Toxic Plant
leap off the branch at the target. Calculate the range for the Regular
spell using the distance from the caster to the leaf (0 if he is This spell enchants a non-sentient plant with rudimentary
holding it), but calculate the range for the attack using the dis- intelligence (IQ 3) and a toxic attack. When anyone comes too
tance from the leaf to the target. Use Innate Attack (Projectile) close, it emits an incapacitating vapor, the effect of which is
to hit. A Shuriken Leaf has 1/2D 20, Max 40, Acc 1, and deals resisted with a HT roll. Pick one of the following effects before
1d cutting damage or 1d-1 impaling damage depending on the the spell roll: Coughing; Daze; Ecstasy; Itching (-2 to DX unless
leaf’s shape (GM’s judgment). the victim spends a full second scratching); Sneezing;
Paralysis; or Retching. Treat this as an Affliction with Reach C,
Cost: 1 to cast. Raise the damage to 1d+2/1d+1 by spending Low Signature, and Respiratory Agent. See pp. B428-429 for
3 energy. the effects of these afflictions.
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and Blade of Grass (pp. 10-11). The vapor can be seen as a mist that lasts a fraction of a sec-
ond before it dissipates. Roll Vision-4 to notice (or unmodified
Item for someone actively looking for it). In an exterior setting with
None known, though legends tell of an elven ring enchanted a breeze, the vapor may affect only someone whose face is no
with this spell . . . more than three inches from the plant. It is best to choose a
plant that people like to get close to, such as flowers.
Slimy Skin Duration: 2 minutes.
Regular; Resisted by Will Cost: 1 to cast for Coughing, Itching, or Sneezing; 3 for
The subject’s skin is covered with a thin layer of pond scum Daze or Retching; 5 for Ecstasy; 8 for Paralysis. Half that to
that drips from his chin and limbs like maple syrup. He is too maintain.
slippery to hold; add +6 to Escape rolls. He is unable to climb Time to cast: 1 minute.
anything. Holding a weapon is difficult; after any swing or Prerequisites: Magery 1, Plant Growth, and Sickness.
thrust that hits, roll DX-4. Failure means the weapon slips out

PLANT SPELLS 19
 Plant Spells in Dungeon Fantasy
These new spells are perfect for druids in Dungeon Razor Grass, Resilient Vegetation, Reverse Plant
Fantasy. Use the following guidelines to determine the Growth, Trapped Light, Wooden Arm.
level of Power Investiture needed to cast each one. Also see PI 3: Breakfall Plants, Harvest, Miniaturize Plant, Shuriken
Useful New Spells for the Dungeon (p. 15). Leaf, Searching Roots, Slimy Skin.
PI 4: Body of Leaves, Capturing Vines, Create Paper, Run
PI 1: Blade of Grass, Buoyant Plant Life, Fling Fruit,
Across Treetops, Toxic Plant, Tree Bark Armor, Under-
Improved Firewood, Join Plants, See Plant Health, Spy-
growth Ambush, Vine to Snake, Woodfall.
ing Blossom.
PI 5: Bloodsucking Branches, Druid’s Panacea, Forest
PI 2: Change Species, Exploding Vegetable, Fast Plant
Defense, Grant Plant Intelligence, Treetop Blink.
Growth, Grasping Branch, Green Telurgy, Hypnotic
PI 6: Gather Moss, Green Death, Summon Dryad, Wood
Leaves, Invoke Fence, Plant to Object, Process Plant,
Golem.

Item The suit provides DR 5 to all locations except the face and
Staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 1,300. feet; it weighs 25 lbs. This assumes a SM 0 subject; multiply
weight by ¥2 for SM +1, ¥5 for SM +2, ¥10 for SM +3, ¥20 for
SM +4, ¥50 for SM +5, and so on. If the subject removes any
Trapped Light part of the armor, the spell ends and all of it vanishes.
Regular
Duration: 10 minutes.
This spell creates intense bright light inside a piece of wood,
Cost: 4 to cast. 3 to maintain.
a branch, or a large seed (such as an acorn). When it is cracked
Time to cast: 4 seconds.
(at least 1 HP of damage), the light pours out. Any person or
Prerequisites: Magery 1, Essential Wood, and Shape Plant.
creature that looks directly at it rolls against HT to avoid tem-
porary blindness. Add +1 for every yard of distance. The blind-
ness lasts one second, after which it turns to distracting
phosphenes for a period of seconds equal to the margin of fail-
ure. The victim suffers -1 to IQ and DX rolls during this period.
If the object is not obstructed by anything large and opaque, Entering the earth,
it illuminates a circular area extending 10 yards. If it is
blocked, the front hex is fully illuminated, and the light extends I support all beings with
10 yards (in a 90° wedge). This light cancels up to -5 in dark-
ness penalties.
My energy; becoming the
The light is cancelled when the spell ends or the projecting
object is destroyed. The object does not have to be cracked by
sap-giving moon, I nourish
the caster – it could be snapped by a confederate, accidentally
crushed by a wheel, incorporated into a trap, broken in the
all the plants.
hands of an unsuspecting person, etc.
This is also a Light and Darkness spell.
– Bhagavad Gita
Duration: 10 minutes.
Cost: 3 to cast. 1 to maintain.
Time to cast: 5 seconds.
Item
Prerequisites: Flash and Plant Growth.
Ring worth at least $500; usable only by a mage. Energy cost
to create: 850.
Item
Jewelry or staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to cre-
ate: 200. Treetop Blink
Blocking
Tree Bark Armor This spell instantly teleports the subject to the top of the
tallest tree within 20 yards. It must be thick enough to sup-
Regular
port his weight. If it isn’t, the spell is wasted. For simplicity,
The subject of this spell must be standing with his back
assume a typical tree has at least one limb that can support
against a tree that is at least one SM larger than he is. Success
50 lbs. per point of SM.
causes a sizeable expanse of bark to peel off and wrap around
the subject, armoring him! The process takes one minute. The Example: Two trees are within 20 yards. One is SM +1; the
tree replaces its missing bark one minute later – and can be other is SM +3. The first has at least one limb that can hold 50
used again. lbs.; the second can hold 150 lbs. If your weight is 145 lbs., the
Gauntlets are created but the feet are not protected below spell takes you to a limb in the SM +3 tree.
the ankle. The helmet covers the skull but not the face.

PLANT SPELLS 20
 The person appears on a limb that is attached 3/4 of the way when those spells target the arm. The arm is flammable,
up the trunk. Assume the tree’s height is the maximum for that ignited by 10 points of burning damage.
SM. That’s 21’ in the example, so the limb is approximately 16’ If cast on a bleeding arm, the bleeding stops. The flow does
above the ground. not resume when the spell returns to its normal state – this
When the person appears, he must make a DX or Body spell effectively stanches an open wound and can be cast solely
Sense+5 roll to keep his balance and avoid falling. Those with for that purpose. However, if the arm is crippled before the
Perfect Balance need not roll. spell ends, the flesh-and-blood arm is crippled, as well. If not,
any injuries inflicted to the arm are instantly healed when the
Cost: 3. Cannot be maintained.
spell ends.
Prerequisites: Magery 2, Forest Defense (p. 13), and Run
The spell could be cast on someone else as a curse. He may
Across Treetops (pp. 17-18).
feel a need to hide his deformity until the spell ends.
Item Duration: 5 minutes.
Jewelry; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 900. Cost: 3 to cast for one arm, 4 for both. 2 to maintain.
Prerequisites: Magery 1 and six Plant spells.
Undergrowth Ambush Item
Regular Ring; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: 400.
The roots of a tall tree (SM +1 or larger) rise up and grab
anyone within reach. They coil like tentacles, pulling their
victims down into the earth. The area of effect is a circle
with the tree at its center.
A tree’s roots extend to a radius of half its SM in yards
(see p. 5) and up to SM¥2 of them can attack simultane-
ously. Each root has Injury Tolerance (Homogenous), DX
13, HT 12, and IQ 3. ST and HP are equal to 4 ¥ the tree’s
SM, minimum 10 each. Every turn someone is in the
area, a root attacks him – unless the roots are all currently
occupied or hacked apart. This is a grapple (p. B370),
with the following special additions/exceptions:
• One root per victim. No one is grappled by two or
more roots at a time.
• Disregard requirements for the tree’s posture.
• If the victim is SM +1 or larger, the root targets a
leg.
• Each root follows a successful grapple on a standing
victim with a takedown attempt.
• Any successful takedown is followed by an attempt to pin.
Woodfall
Regular
When the spells ends, all roots immediately release any vic- This spell detaches a piece of a plant directly over the sub-
tims in their clutches and slither back down under the ground. ject and propels it downward so that it bonks him on the top
One retaliatory strike at a retreated root is allowed if the victim of the skull. This can be cast on any branch, piece of fruit,
acts immediately after his release. pinecone, nut, etc. that weighs from 1-5 lbs. It may be cast as
Duration: 15 seconds. soon as a target is directly underneath the object, or it can be
Cost: 3 to cast. Half that to maintain. cast in advance and maintained until a victim is in position.
Time to cast: 6 seconds. The caster must roll against Dropping or Innate Attack
Prerequisites: Searching Roots (pp. 18-19). (Projectile) to hit, applying range penalties from him to the tar-
get (not the object) but not hit location penalties – the objects
Item always homes in on the victim’s skull.
Wooden staff; usable only by a mage. Energy cost to create: To see the attack coming, the target must be looking up, have
700. If the enchantment can only effect one kind of tree (e.g., Danger Sense, or make a successful Vision-2 roll; if not, he gets
maple), the cost is 300. no defense. The attack does 1d-3 crushing damage, +2 damage
per pound of the object’s weight (e.g., a 2-lb. object does 1d+1
damage). Knockdown rolls (p. B420) are at -5 for a normal
Wooden Arm wound (not cumulative with the -10 for a major wound).
Regular; Resisted by HT
Duration: 10 seconds.
The subject’s arm (up to the top of the biceps) turns to hard
Cost: 2 to cast per pound; maximum of 10 for a 5-lb. object.
wood. It looks almost normal, able to flex and grip as if it were
Same to maintain.
unaltered. It has DR 4 and requires twice the usual injury to
Prerequisite: Rain of Nuts.
cripple. Its punches add +1 damage per die. It is homogenous
and has no blood. Add +5 to resistance rolls against Itch,
Item
Lengthen Limb, Paralyze Limb, Spasm, and Wither Limb
Any. Energy cost to create: 400.

PLANT SPELLS 21
Accessibility limitation, 7.
INDEX
Fresh Cudgel perk, 8. Resilient Vegetation spell, 17.
Advantages, 7-9. Fungus spells, 17. Resurrection spell, 10.
Ancestral plants; Dependency and, 5, 9; type, Gather Moss spell, 13-14, 18. Reverse Plant Growth, 17.
4, 7. Golem spell, 13. Root base, determining, 5.
Acquire Green Mind limitation, 7. Grant Plant Intelligence spell, 13. Run Across Treetops spell, 17-18.
Aromatics, see Flowers. Grasping Branch spell, 14. Searching Roots spell, 18-19.
Based on (Different Attribute) enhancement, Green Death spell, 14. Seaweed Clutch technique, 18.
7. Green Mind meta-trait, 6, 7. See Plant Health spell, 19.
Blade of Grass spell, 10-11. Green Telurgy spell, 14. Shrubs, see Trees.
Bloodsucking Branches spell, 11. GURPS, 4; Basic Set, 10; Bio-Tech, 16; Shuriken Leaf spell, 19.
Body of Leaves meta-trait, 11. Dungeon Fantasy, 7, 20; Dungeon Size Modifier (SM), plant, 5, 10.
Body of Leaves spell, 11. Fantasy 1: Adventures, 20; Fantasy, 13; Slimy Skin spell, 19.
Branch Fingers technique, 18. Magic, 10, 12, 13; Martial Arts, 9, 14; Slow Fall spell, 13.
Breakfall Plants spell, 13. Powers, 6, 7; Thaumatology, 5; Sparse density, 6.
Buoyant Plant Life spell, 11-12. Thaumatology: Magical Styles, 8. Speak With Plants advantage, 8.
Bushes, see Trees. Harvest spell, 14. Specialized limitation, 7, 8.
Capturing Vines spell, 12, 18. Hypnotic Leaves spell, 15, 18. Spells, classes, 10; duration, 10; for the
Change Species spell, 12. Impenetrable density, 6. dungeon, 15; ingredients, 10 new,
Characteristics, basic plant, 5. Improved Firewood spell, 15. 10-21; Power Investiture levels, 20;
Code of Honor disadvantage, 9. Invoke Fence spell, 15. resistance rolls, 10; SM and, 10; subjects,
Contagious Creeping Moss technique, 18. IQ and plants, 5, 8, 10, 13. 10; targeting, 10; techniques, 18; useful,
Create Animal spell, 13. Join Plants, 15. 10.
Create Book technique, 18. Lifebane disadvantage, 9. Spying Blossom spell, 19.
Create Paper spell, 12, 18. Limitations, 7-8. Strike Barren spell, 10.
Crops, Dependency and, 5, 9; type, 4, 7. Little Green Digit perk, 8. Subjects of spells, 10.
Deep Ecologist Disciplines of Faith, 9. Mage Sense and plants, 10. Summon Air Elemental spell, 13.
Dense density, 6. Magery advantage, 7. Summon Dryad spell, 13.
Density of vegetation, 6. Magical items, 11-21. Sympathetic Species perk, 8.
Dependency disadvantage, 9. Miniaturize Plant, 16. Table, plant characteristics, 5.
Detect Plant Sapience perk, 8. Normal density, 6, 7. Targeted Creeping Moss technique, 18.
Disadvantages, 9. Nuisance Effect limitation, 7, 8. Techniques, new, 18.
Disciplines of Faith disadvantage, 9. Perks, new, 8. Toxic Plant spell, 19.
Druids, Power Investiture list, 20; trained by, Plant Empathy advantage, 7-8. Trained by an Archdruid Unusual
9. Plant-Form Rest perk, 8. Background, 9.
Druid’s Panacea spell, 12. Plant mage, definition, 7. Trapped Light spell, 20.
Druid’s Tight Grasp perk, 8. Plant to Object spell, 16. Tree Bark Armor spell, 20.
Dungeons, spells useful in, 15. Plants, definition, 4; Dependency and, 5, 9; Trees, characteristics of, 5; Dependency and,
Duration of spells, 10. determining root base, 5; examples of, 4; 5, 9; sapient, 10; spells and, 10, 12, 14,
Enchanted items, 10. physical characteristics, 5; rarity of types, 17-18, 20-21; type, 4, 7.
Enhancements, 7. 7; resistance rolls, 10; revering, 9; sapient, Tree-Tickler perk, 8.
Environment Awareness perk, 8. 10; SM, 5, 10; spells, 10-21; spells for Treetop Blink spell, 20-21.
Environmental limitation, 6, 7. everyone, 10; types of, 4. Trunk, determining thickness, 5.
Explode spell, 13. Poltergeist spell, 13. Undergrowth Ambush spell, 21.
Exploding Vegetable spell, 13. Power Investiture levels, 20. Unusual Background advantage, 9.
Fast Plant Growth spell, 12-13. Process Plant spell, 16. Vine to Snake spell, 13.
Fling Fruit spell, 13. Psychometry advantages, 8. Wisdom spell, 13.
Flowers; Dependency and, 5, 9; type, 4, 7. Quirk, new, 9. Wood Golem spell, 13.
Forest Defense spell, 13. Razor Grass spell, 16-17. Wooden Arm spell, 18, 21.
Forest Protector Code of Honor, 9. Rejuvenate Plant spell, 10. Woodfall spell, 21.

The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound

coming out of the flowers.
– Matsuo Basho

INDEX 22
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