Name | Ring | Mastery | Range | Area of Effect | Duration | Raises
Commune | Universal | 1 | 20' | Self | Concentration | Special
This spell can be cast in any element save Void. It allows the caller to speak with one of the local elemental kami, asking it a few questions, which it will answer honestly to the best of its ability. Typically this spell will invoke the most active and energetic spirit of the chosen element in the area of effect; if all of the local spirits are quiescent. The GM may require the caster call 1 or 2 Raises to wake up a local spirit enough answer questions. A spirit reached with Commune will answer questions. The caster may Raise to get more questions (one per Raise). The caster may also Raise for clarity, get a more accurate and informative answer the questions. (Kami are notorious for their inability Tully comprehend human behavior, and asking questions without Raises for clarity can often result in confusing, enigmatic, or incomplete answers.) Spirits snot forget anything. So theoretically a shugenja can ask a spirit about something that happened decades ago; however, they do not experience time in the same way as mortals. Straying task about something from long agile usually require Raises in order make the caster's wishes clear the spirit. The nature of the information which spirits can impart varies by element: Air spirits tend to be playful and easily distracted, conveying information as emotions or as riddles and jokes. Since they are more interested in feelings than in facts, and enjoy playing games with those speak with them, communing with an Air spirit can sometimes be very frustrating. Earth spirits are straightforward and matter-of-fact, often blunt, but are rather uninterested in the behavior of mortals, have a poor understanding of human emotion, and tend to be overly focused on obscure details such as the color of a piece of clothing or the weight of a horse. Fire spirits are irritable and temperamental, and are often angry at being summoned unless they are propitiated with an offering of something burn. On the other hand, if a shugenja can please them they tend to offer the clearest and most accurate information. Water spirits communicate their knowledge through soundless visual images. This can be very helpful ta shugenja trying investigate a past incident, but since the spirits cannot convey scent, sound, or emotion, the information they provide can often be incomplete or misleading.
Sense | Universal | 1 | Personal | 50' radius | Instantaneous | Range (+10')
This spell can be cast in any of the four standard elements. It allows the caster sense the presence, quantity, and rough location of elemental spirits (not the evil spirits known as kansen) of that element within the range of the spell. This is most frequently applied when looking for spirits with which commune (see below), but can also be useful as a crude, basic location device. For example, a caster lost in the wilderness could cast Sense (Water) in hopes of locating a source of drinking water.
Summon | Universal | 1 | 30' | 1 cubic foot | Permanent | Range (+10'), QUantity (+1 cubic foot), Material (1-4 raises)
This spell can be cast in any of the four standard elements. It allows the caster to summon a modest quantity (one cubic foot) of the chosen element. The summoned matter appears (usually in a rough hall shape) in any open space within the spells range. This cannot place the summoned material inside another physical object or living creature. The summoned element will behave in a normal and mundane matter - Earth falls the ground, water soaks anything it lands on, air blows away, and fire winks out unless there is something present for it burn. In general it is impossible to use this spell effectively in combat, although clever shugenja may find a few modest combat uses, such as using Summon Fire to ignite a foe soaked in cooking oil. More commonly, the spells value is in simpler functions, such as summoning Water while in a desert, or summoning Fire to light a campfire without flint and tinder. Raises may be used with this spell summon a more specific type of the appropriate element, such as wood or iron with Earth, or tea with Water. The GM should choose how many Raises (generally anywhere from 1 to 4) this requires. However, these Raises cannot be used create rare/precious materials (such as gold) or spiritually powerful substances (such as jade or crystal).
By the Light of the Moon | Air | 1 | Personal | 20' radius | 1 minute | Area (+5' radius), Duration (+1 minute)
You call upon the kami to reveal that which has been hidden. All concealed objects within the area of effect appear as slightly luminous outlines to you. Any non-magical concealment is revealed, including secret compartments, trap doors, concealed weapons, etc. Only you can see the presence of these objects.
Legacy of Kaze-no-Kami | Air | 1 | Rank * 10 miles | 1 known person | Special | Area (+1 person), Range (+10 miles)
You are able call upon the spirits of the wind to take form as a bird and carry a message for you. The bird that is created by this spell appears perfectly normal in all regards, but if it takes any damage it dissipates into wind immediately, ending the spell. Upon creating the bird, you may speak tit, giving it a spoken message of up tone minute in length. The bird will then fly away to deliver the message the person (or persons) specified when the spell is cast. The bird will fly to their location, deliver the message via a whisper (it can be overheard by others, but not easily), and then disappear. If the bird is unable to reach the individual, but they are within range (if they are within a building with no windows, for instance will remain outside waiting for up tone week before disappearing). If the person specified by the spell is not within range, the bird will fly away in a random direction and disappear when it is out of your line of sight.
Nature's Touch | Air | 1 | 10' | 1 creature | Special | Range (+10')
You are able to use the spirits of the wind to speak to an animal and ensure that it understands what you are saying. This spell works only on natural animals, and will not work with Shadowlands creatures or creatures from other realms. It does not guarantee that the animal will regard you positively or that it will fulfill requests made of it, but the creature will understand anything you tell it (within its ability (naturally - political relationships will have no meaning ta horse. no matter how many times you explain them). This spell lasts as long as you maintain your full and undivided attention on the animal and continue speaking to it.
Tetsubo of Earth | Earth | 1 | Personal or 20' | 1 created weapon | 5 minutes | Damage (+1k0), Duration (+5 minutes), Range (+5')
You summon a tetsubo of pure earth, studded with all manner of stones. The weapon's default form is a tetsubo, but one Raise can change its form to any other heavy weapon of your choosing. The tetsubo has a DR of 2k2. When wielding this weapon, you may use your School Rank in place of your Heavy Weapons Skill if you wish. If you do have the Heavy Weapon skill, the tetsubo grants you a Free Raise for the Knockdown maneuver (this bonus does not apply if you grant the tetsubo to another person instead of wielding it yourself). The tetsubo disappears if it is lost from your hand. Instead of summoning the tetsubo for yourself, you may cause it to appear in the hands of an ally within 20 feet. He is treated as the caster for all purposes of the spell, but does not gain the Free Raise bonus.
Path to Inner Peace | Water | 1 | Touch | 1 target person | Instantaneous | -
The water kami can influence the flow of water through the body, dramatically hastening the natural healing process. You can use this spell to heal Wounds that another individual has suffered. This spell restores a number of Wounds to the target equal to the amount by which the Spell Casting Roll exceeded the spells TN to cast.
The Rushing Water | Water | 1 | 10' | 1 target person | 1 round | Duration (+1 round), Range (+5')
You can temporarily increase the speed of your target. This spell allows the target to make a Free Move Action of up to his Water Ring x 10' (instead of the normal x 5'). Without Raises for Duration, this benefit must be used on the target's next Turn or it is lost.
Whispering Wind | Air | 2 | 20' | 1 target person | Instantaneous | Range (+5')
The air kami see very little difference between speech and thought, and can perceive both with relative ease. By comparing the two, the kami can determine if what has been spoken is true, or a lie. Unfortunately, they have notoriously short attention spans, and thus can only assess extremely recent conversations. By invoking this spell, you may determine if the last thing said by the target was true or false. The kami have no concept of personal opinion, however, and if the target truly believes what he said was true, the kami will believe it as well.
Secrets on the Wind | Air | 2 | 10 miles | 20' radius | Concentration | Area (+5' radius), Range (+5 miles)
The kami can carry whispers across an Empire, if properly entreated to do so. This spell requires you to perform a preparation ritual in order to cast it effectively. The ritual requires ten minutes of uninterrupted meditation in the area designated as the spells area of effect. Any time within the 48 hours immediately following this ritual, you may cast this spell, and overhear anything being said in the prepared area. If your concentration is disrupted, the effect ends and may not be renewed without an additional preparation ritual. Only one area may be prepared via this ritual at one time.
Reflective Pool | Water | 2 | 10 miles | Water / Location | 5 minutes | Duration (+1 minutes), Range (+10 miles)
The inscrutable knowledge of Water is a great boon to those who know the means by which it can be invoked. You may stare into a body of water, which may be as small as a puddle, and through it view a familiar location as if you were present, although you can only see what is taking place, not hear it. In order for a location to be familiar to you, you must either have spent a great deal of time there (your home, the dojo, a preferred temple, etc.), or have spent a minimum of ten minutes in meditation at the location. Any body of water can be used for this spell, but since the visions imparted are visual images depicted will be clearer with larger bodies.