Malignant Miscasts
by Avian
Very destructive, very much fun, very random. Originally intended for the Wårcon 2003 tournament, testing found them to be a little (okay, a lot) too unbalanced for competitive play. The original idea was to simply give each pair of players a randomly drawn sealed envelope to be opened at the first Miscast, each containing one of the eight special Miscast effects. What you could do instead is to roll a D8 for it when a wizard first Miscasts.
The Punishment of Heaven
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic attracts a bolt of Warp lightning from the skies. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, all units within D6" x the number of dice used to cast the spell, suffer D5 Strength 5 hits.
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
A Rain of Fire
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic causes the skies to glow red and large balls of flame start falling to the ground. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, roll a D6 for each unit on the table. On a 5+ it suffers D6 hits with a Strength equal to the number of Power dice rolled to cast the spell. These hits count as Fire based.
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
The Beast Within
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic awakens the feralness of the soldiers, causing them to claw at each other like wild beasts, biting and rending the flesh of their comrades. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, roll a D6 for each unit on the table. On a 4+ it suffers a number of hits equal to the number of dice rolled to cast the spell. So if three dice were rolled the unit suffers 3 hits. The Strength of the hits can be found on the table below.
| Units with total Unit Strength 1 - 4 | Strength 2 |
| Units with total Unit Strength 5 - 9 | Strength 3 |
| Units with total Unit Strength 10 - 19 | Strength 4 |
| Units with total Unit Strength 20+ | Strength 5 |
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
The Chill of Death
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic creates a column of freezing air around the wizard, chilling the souls of those near him. The column has a radius equal to 2" x the number of dice rolled to cast the spell. So if three dice were rolled the column has a radius of 6". The column is centred on the wizard and will move with him as he moves. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, the following effects apply until the wizards next magic phase. Units with one or models within or partially within the column at the start of their turn suffer -1 Movement (-2 to charging or marching). Random movement such as fleeing or pursuing, is not affected. All models within or partially within the column at the end of their own Movement phase take a Strength 2 hit with no armour save allowed.
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
The Balance of Nature
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic has upset the natural balance of life nearby. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, each unit within D6" x the number of dice rolled to cast the spell, suffer D6 Wounds with no saves of any kind allowed. Total up the number of Wounds suffered by each side. The opposing side can now use these Wounds to heal wounds and bring back dead models. They can be used to revive dead models which units have suffered earlier or because of this Miscast, but they cannot restore units or characters who were wiped out before this Miscast occured. So if Player A's army suffers 7 Wounds in total and Player B's army sufferes 4 Wounds in total Player A can heal 4 Wounds in his army and Player B can heal 7 Wounds in his army.
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
Blood and Iron
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic causes metal to melt and run, burning alive those who put too much faith in their armour. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, the unit within 3D6" of the wizard that has the best armour save (roll a dice if two or more units have an equally good armour save) suffers a number of hits equal to the difference between their armour save and Leadership. So a unit with a 2+ save and a Ld of 8 would suffer 8 - 2 = 6 hits. The hits have a Strength equal to the number of dice rolled to cast the spell with no armour save allowed. If a unit has mixed armour saves, for example if it contains a character, use that of the majority.
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
Tricks of the mind
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic brings visions of darkness and despair to those around him. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, roll a D6 for each unit within D6" x the number of dice rolled to cast the spell. If an odd number is rolled the unit gains +1 Leadership (up to 10) until start of the casters next Magic phase. If an even number is rolled the unit's Leadership is reduced by half the number rolled (down to 2) until start of the casters next Magic phase.
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
Radiant Glory
The caster's failure to harness the Winds of Magic bathes the battlefield in a bright glow. The humble feel their strikes guided, while the vain fall to their own blades. In addition to the normal effects of a Miscast, both players roll a D6 for each unit in their army, in any order they like. The first unit in each army to roll a 6 has it's Weapon Skill altered to the number of dice rolled to cast the spell. This effect lasts until the start of the casters next magic phase, when it reverts back to normal. If none of the units in a player's army rolled a 6, each unit suffers a number of hits equal to the number of dice rolled to cast the spell, with a Strength equal to their Weapon Skill. If a unit has mixed Weapon Skills, for example if it contains a character, use that of the majority.
This will happen again each time a wizard miscasts.
| Back to the Gaming page | Back to the Main page |