Cantrip

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In the Jeweled Amber multiverse Cantrips are tiny pieces of magic driven effects. They are essentially both Low Order and High Order magics bridging the lowest level of both system. They work on a level between human psyche and chaos psyche. They are of the same nature, and can be considered a lesser form, of Power Words. The number of cantrips a person can commit to memory varies.

Cantrip Costs and Acquisition

  • Human Psyche allows one to memorize 4 cantrips
  • Chaos Psyche allows one to memorize up to 12 cantrips.
  • Amber level allows one to memorize 20 cantrips.
  • Psyche Pips Each 5 Points of Psyche allow 4 more cantrips to be memorized. Learning a new cantrip over ones limits causes the memory of another to erode.

It does not require allocating points to learn cantrips up the the limit listed for an individual's psyche. However, allocating a pip for Cantrip as a power implies the person has taken the time to study the methods and magic of these minor effects and that undrstanding doubles the number of cantrips they can learn. Taking 2 pips in Cantrips allows one to develop new cantrips.

Considering Cantrips

Cantrips are spells such as kill insect, chill, heat, clean, purify water, puff of air, sharpen, turn page, dust, and thousands of other extremely low power effect.

Cantrips have little effect against others. The smallest attempt to dispel them does so. Some have a lasting effect not because of a magical residue but to changed nature of the target. EG: When Sharpen is used it leaves a sharp blade and dispel will not make it dull. Heat will cause a gallon of water to boil but if dispelled the water is still hot. Purify Water does its work then stays pure if a dispel is cast.

Many sorcerers consider them with scorn, yet nearly all of them could repeat dozens and dozens from instinct. Others consider them the glue of a magician's life. Opinions vary.

The Cantrip is a tiny spell created by practicing students of the magical arts during their apprenticeship. While these spells are mere minor dweomers, they still have some uses to the adventuring Magic-User. Since little expertise is required to activate them they are often learned by non-magic uses due to their usefulness.

In other games many of these have saving throws. In Amber they effect the Psyche of the target and may or may not be modified by the observation of the target. It should be remembered that these effects are easy to dispel, often easy to avoid, or ignore.

CANTRIPS LIST

Commonly Known Cantrips: Well known cantrips usable by all classes, including non-magical characters.

Anatomics Blend Blind Catfall Catfeet Chain
Chill Clean Color Dampen Dust Enrich
Exterminate or Zap Extinguish Firefinger Float Gather Gun
Heat Haunting Knot Know Direction Legerdemain Mend
Page Light Purify Water Sharpen Shield Slip Speed
Stitch Sober Stumble Temperature Tie Turn Page
Unseen Hand Weathertell Werelight (or Bluelight)


Druidic Cantrips: These are specific to drudic oriented characters.

Control Flames Create Bonfire Druidcraft Frostbite Guidance Gust
Infestation Magic Stone Mending Mold Earth Poison Spray Primal Savagery
Produce Flame Resistance Shape Water Shillelagh Thorn Whip Thunderclap

Cantrip Descriptions

  • Blind – Creates an instant bright light burst
  • Gun – allows reciter to shoot a blast of very concentrated air from his finger, includes gun motion
  • Chains – short term restraint
  • Shield – Temporary shield
  • Migraine – gives recipient horrible migraine
  • Slip – reduces friction where target is walking
  • Blend into shadows – temporary invisibility
  • Sober – sobers
  • Speed – burst of quick speed
  • Map – map of the surrounding but near by area
  • Stumble - stumble
  • Anatomics - Subject will involuntarily emit a body noise or reaction of the casters choosing. Belch, blink, nod, yawn, etc; but nothing sophisticated.
  • Catfall - reduces a character's falling rate, so they take less damage upon impact, provided the fall is from 30' or less.
  • Catfeet - Caster’s tread is rendered silent for a few minutes.
  • Clean -Remove heavy soil, dirt, and like foreign objects from floors, walls, dishes, windows, garments, etc. .
  • Color _ Alter the color of up to 3 sq. yds. of non-magical, non-living material. Only solid colors are permitted. If cast on objects in the possession of an unwilling subject a saving throw is permitted.
  • Chill
    • Area of Effect: 1 sq foot.
    • Duration-Variable depending on ambient temperature. Effects are incremental depending on the temperature of the liquid.

The Chill spell will lower the tempurature of a liquid to just above 32 degrees.

  • Dampen
    • Area of Effect: 1 cubic yard
    • Duration: Special

When the Dampen cantrip is cast, the area of effect is permeated by a fog-like dampness that leaves all material within damp to the touch. This is hard on parchment but it also makes parchment and like substances hard to set aflame. Those in the area of effect of the Dampen cantrip are enwrapped in a light fog, and objects in this fog, while still visible, lose their detail. The reverse of this cantrip, Dry, removes dampness and excess moisture from materials in the area of effect. It is useful for drying cloth or herbs and for cleaning chores. It will inflict 1 point of damage on water-based creatures.

  • Enrich
    • Area of Effect: One object
    • Duration: up to 6 turns

This cantrip enables the caster to give the subject a superior or better or different aspect of its to the senses; be they sight, smell, sound, touch or taste. Thus, mush can be made to taste as if it were lobster bisque, but the dweomer will not actually affect quality or wholesomeness. It can also be used to restore faded hues or to tinge those already colored with a different hue. A rough canvas garment can be made to feel like silk or velvet. A rotten egg can smell like fresh daisies, and a irritating sound can be made to sound like a canary’s song. However, the cantrip may only effect one sense per casting.

  • Exterminate
    • Area of Effect: One small creature
    • Duration: Permanent

When this cantrip is used, the caster may kill a small pest such as a fly, mouse, rat, beetle, or the like. It is useful for indoor and outdoor applications. If the subject is very small, an area of up to 1/2 cubic foot can be rid of pests. This cantrip only affects normal, non-magical pests.

  • Extinguish
    • Area of Effect: 1/3’ line
    • Duration: 1 round

Extinguish, extinguishes a small flame such as used in a lantern or candle. A torch is too large a flame to be effected with this cantrip.

  • Firefinger
    • Area of Effect: 1/3’ line
    • Duration: 1 round

The firefinger cantrip enables the caster to cause a jet of flame up to 2 inches in length to shoot forth from his or her finger. The flame is very hot and will ignite combustible materials such as parchment, twigs, kindling, and the like without difficulty, providing the materials are relatively dry. The flame persists for up to 1 round.

  • Gather
    • Area of Effect: 1 cubic yard
    • Duration: Special

This cantrip enables the caster to neatly gather numerous small objects into a stack or pile. For instance, if nuts, nails, coins, papers or the like were spilled, the magic would bring them together.. It can be used selectively, for instance to separate one type of material from another, but only the selected type is gathered neatly.

  • Haunting
    • Area of Effect: Special
    • Duration: 1 round

This cantrip creates the illusion of any number of ghostly sounds such as a faint groan, creak, footfalls, etc. Naturally, those creatures within hearing distance are allowed a saving throw versus spell, and if it succeeds, the individual will hear no such noise.

  • Heat
    • Area of Effect: 1 sq foot.
    • Duration: Variable. Effects are incremental depending on the temperature of the liquid.

The heat cantrip raises the temperature of a liquid to 212 degrees. Just barely boiling.

  • Knot
    • Area of Effect: One object
    • Duration: Special

This cantrip is a permutation of the tie cantrip. It causes the thread, string, cord, rope or cable to knot itself in such a manner that it is extremely difficult to untie (2d4 minutes minus the untier’s dexterity bonus). This cantrip will not work on a magical rope.

  • Know Direction
    • Area of Effect: Small iron implement
    • Duration: 1 turn

The caster briefly enchants a simple iron item such as a pin, needle, or nail to serve as a directional pointer. The item will pivot till it points towards true north, and will maintain that heading unless physically prevented from turning.

  • Legerdemain
    • Area of Effect: One small item
    • Duration: 1 round

This cantrip enables the caster to secret or cause to appear a small object in his hand without seeming to do so. The item created to appear from nowhere is illusory, and will disappear in 1 round.

  • Mend
    • Area of Effect: One object
    • Duration: Permanent

This cantrip repairs small breaks in objects. It will weld a broken ring, chain link, medallion or ripped material, providing but one break exists. Ceramic or wooden objects with multiple breaks can be invisibly rejoined to be as strong as new. A hole in a leather sack or wineskin is completely healed over by a Repair cantrip. This cantrip will not repair magic items of any kind.

  • Purify Water.
    • Area of Effect: Special
    • Duration: Special
  • Stitch
    • Area of Effect: Special
    • Duration: Special

This cantrip magically sews seams in cloth or leather. It can make new seams or repair old work. About 20 yards of cloth can be thus stitched but only about 2 yards of leather. The seam thus created is neither stronger nor weaker than one created without magic and will not detect as magical. The reverse, ravel, only works if there is a loose string or thread with which to work or the original was sewn using the stitch cantrip.

  • Temperature
    • Area of Effect: 1’ cube
    • Duration: special

A cantrip of this nature allows the caster to cause non-living liquid or solid material to become about 40°F warmer or cooler than it was, subject to a minimum temperature of freezing. The warming or chilling effect lasts for but an instant, after which the subject returns slowly back to normal temperature.

  • Tie
    • Area of Effect: One object
    • Duration: Special

By means of this cantrip, the caster can magically cause the object of the magic – thread, string, cord, rope or cable – to tightly knot itself to either its other end or the end of a similar object within 1 foot of it. The resulting knot is a normal one of whichever type of common knot that the caster wants (square, slip, etc.).

  • Unseen Hand
    • Area of Effect: One creature/item
    • Duration: 1 action

By means of this cantrip, the caster causes an unseen hand to perform simple actions such as open/close a door, lift a small object and carry it (1 lb limit) within 10 feet radius of the caster, and poke or pinch a target as desired. If this cantrip is used on a spellcaster, the target must make a saving throw vs. magic, with success meaning that the target is not distracted. Failure causes a 1 round distraction and may interrupt spell casting at DM’s discretion.

  • Weathertell
    • Area of Effect: Special
    • Duration: Special

This cantrip, a favorite among the sea mages, enables the caster (who must be able to see the sky and listen to the wind) to predict the general weather conditions for the upcoming 1 hour per level of the caster. These are the natural weather conditions at the wizard’s current location, assuming no magical manipulation. Specific timing of gusts and wind shifts is not possible but the caster will know the general wind speed, the possibility of natural rainstorms, general changes in temperature and any exceptional pending weather (such as a tornado).

  • Werelight (or Bluelight)
    • Area of Effect: 3 inch diameter sphere
    • Duration: Special

This cantrip enables the caster to conjure a small sphere of glowing blue radiance. The light has an eerie effect when seen from a distance, but the 3 inch sphere only illuminates an area 5 feet in diameter. The light does not cast shadows beyond the 5 foot diameter nor does it in any case affect infravision. However, the light is bright enough to allow normal reading. The light lasts as long as the caster concentrates on it. If the caster begins to do other things, the light will begin to fade, finally blinking out after a number of minutes equal to the caster’s level plus intelligence modifier. When the cantrip is cast, it appears wherever the caster wishes within 3 feet of him or her.