The Vampire Field – A Scenario

FOREWORD

Another early Christmas present for you – ideally played between wizards with a sizeable difference in levels.

INTRODUCTION

It is said that the two greatest attributes in a wizard are an insatiable thirst for knowledge and the infinite patience needed to acquire it.

Now once upon a time there was a wizard who possessed the former in spades, but was sadly lacking in the latter…

Insanely jealous of the magical discoveries of his peers, it is said that this wizard delved too deeply into the darker recesses of the craft, taking counsel from creatures not even the greatest practitioners of the day dared seek out.

Strange noises and unholy lights emanated from the wizard’s abode, until one day passers-by espied a weird device squatting in the square that fronted his house. This device began to throb and emanate a magical field, and soon all the magic users in the vicinity began to grow forgetful…

The authorities grew worried as news spread of the wizard and his ‘Vampire Field’, and how anyone caught in it’s embrace began to forget their spells. Meanwhile the wizard would walk cockily through the streets, boasting of each new spell that he had suddenly learned.

Soon sorcerers of every persuasion were discovered wandering the alleyways, lost and confused. As time went on they began to forget their very names and had to be led, dribbling and incoherent, into the local asylum. And all the while the wizard grew ever more powerful.

But one night a young enchanter, barely out of her apprenticeship, set forth to investigate the wizard’s machine. She felt her brain being probed, but the device sought more powerful fare than the handful of tricks at her disposal and withdrew it’s feelers. Gripping her magical spanner, she opened up the device and began to tinker…

The explosion that followed was impossible to describe, but one thing was for certain – out strode the enchantress, now so powerful that she immediately ascended to a higher plane. And of the wizard there was nothing but a mindless old fool, who could only gibber as he was dragged to the very asylum that housed his poor victims.

Now this is a very old tale – an ancient legend even before the great calamity. But some say that, like the story, the magical field created by the device still survives, and although weak, still roams the ruins looking for minds to transfer to it’s long-dead master…

SET-UP

Set up the table as per a standard game, but with the remains of a ruined magical device in the centre. Place treasure as per the normal rules.

Take a circular disk, 3” in diameter and place it d20 halved inches (rounding up) in a random direction from the centre.

SPECIAL RULES

THE VAMPIRE FIELD

This 3” disk is the remnants of the Vampire Field. It cannot be fought, damaged, dispelled etc.

At the beginning of each turn, roll a d20. On a 1, the field will centre on the lowest level wizard; on a 20 it will centre on the highest level wizard. Any other result will see the field move half that number (rounding up) in inches in a random direction.

If it reaches the edge of the board, re-randomise the direction and move the remainder of the distance.

Any wizard either partially of fully in the Vampire Field must roll a d20 and subtract their will. On a 10 or more he/she will immediately be drained of all knowledge, which will be swapped with another wizard on the table (roll to decide if there is more than one).

The wizards so affected must swap stats and spells (but not magical items, weapons etc.) – it might be useful to have an extra copy of each wizard sheet to swap with your opponent.

Apprentices are not affected and keep their stats as normal.

If more than one wizard is in the field, it latches onto the one with the highest level.

ENDING THE GAME

Game ends as normal, but what of our wizards and their swapped minds?

Luckily, the effects of the field are only temporary(ish). Roll a d20 for each pair of ‘swapped’ wizards and consult the table below:-

D20 roll	Result
1 - 12	Lowest level wizard chooses a stat (except experience level) and changes it to that of the wizard he/she swapped with (apprentice stat changes in-line if applicable). Otherwise all stats return to normal (plus in-game experience etc.)
13 - 17	Lowest level wizard chooses a spell known by the wizard he/she swapped with and retains knowledge of it at the base casting number. Otherwise all stats return to normal (plus in-game experience etc.)
18 – 19	Highest level wizard chooses a spell known by the wizard he/she swapped with and retains knowledge of it at the base casting number. Otherwise all stats return to normal (plus in-game experience etc.)
20	Highest level wizard forgets a spell (chosen by the wizard he/she swapped with) and may no longer cast it until it is re-learned. Otherwise all stats return to normal (plus in-game experience etc.)

If a wizard has swapped with more than one other wizard during the game, then more than one roll will be made –effects are cumulative.

TREASURE AND EXPERIENCE

Treasure is treated as normal.

Experience treated as normal, however all magic users will also gain by experiencing the power of the field, so the following additions apply:-

100 experience points if a wizard enters the Vampire Field (may only be applied once).

50 experience points if an apprentice enters the Vampire Field (may only be applied once).