Call Weather

Call Weather

Power: Magic, Shaman, Faith
Rank: Veteran
Power Points: 2–6 + Extra for “Lightning Strike”
Range: 5 miles/Power Point invested
Duration: 30 minutes/Spirit die of caster
Trappings: Variable; usually whistles, drums, or special arrows fired into the clouds

Overview
This Power is adapted from Ghost Dancers, with the usual substitution of Power Points for Appeasement points, and allows the caster limited control over the weather. Fog may be summoned or dispersed, a drizzle may be intensified into a downpour, or the sun may be pulled from an overcast sky. The Power also lets the caster call down bolts of lightning from a storm.

Casting the Spell
Call Weather requires at least a half hour to cast, and requires the caster to perform some form of ritual appropriate to the weather being summoned—a rain dance, a burnt offering to appease the thunder beings, a prayer to call forth the sun, painting a picture of a blizzard; whatever trappings are most appropriate to the caster’s personal belief system. During this time, the caster may take no other actions; but once the desired weather has arrived, it may be manipulated within reason—tendrils of fog may be directed to better conceal or distract, hailstones may be intensified over one particular area, or bolts of lightning may be called down to strike enemies.

Limitations
The existing weather conditions have an effect on the time and cost required to cast Call Weather. It costs 2 PP and 20 minutes to “shift” the weather one “stage,” as expressed on the table below. Furthermore, the caster cannot significantly change the temperature; one cannot call forth snow from a summer sky.

For instance, a medicine man wishing to call forth a drizzle from an overcast sky must spent 2 Power Points and spend 20 minutes performing a rain dance. If he desires enough rain to call forth lightning, it requires 4 Power Points and 40 minutes. However, a traveling preacher wishing to bring forth a sunny day from a blizzard requires 6 Power Points and a full hour of intense prayer.

Lightning Strike
Providing the weather status is “Heavy Precipitation,” the Call Weather Power may be used to summon forth lightning bolts. A lightning bolt does 1d6 damage for each Power Point the caster invests, up to a limit of 4d6 damage. Although the lightning strike is centered on an individual target, it inflicts blast damage, radiating outwards one yard for each d6 invested in the strike. Damage drops off by 1d6 for every yard away from the target—therefore a 4d6 lightning strike called down during a storm costs 4 Power Points, affects a circle with a radius of 4 yards, and does 1d6 DAM at the outer fringe. If the caster gets a raise on his Spellcasting roll, he may increase the damage by 1d6/raise. These raises require spending additional Power Points at the normal rate.

Improved Call Weather

Power: Any
Rank: Heroic
Power Points: 2–8 + Extra for “Lightning Strike”
Range: 10 miles/Power Point invested
Duration: 1 hour/Spirit die of caster
Trappings: Variable; usually whistles, drums, or special arrows fired into the clouds

Overview
A more powerful version of Call Weather, this spell is prepared and cast in the exact same manner, but allows for more extreme weather conditions to be summoned. It also allows for lightning to be called from less severe conditions.

Casting the Spell
Improved Call Weather is cast in the same manner as the standard spell, but reduces the time frame for each stage from 20 minutes to 10 minutes. The cost in Power Points remains the same.

Limitations
The existing weather conditions still have an effect on the time and cost required to cast Call Weather. It costs 2 PP and 10 minutes to “shift” the weather one “stage,” as expressed on the table below. Furthermore, the caster cannot significantly change the temperature; one cannot call forth snow from a summer sky.

Sources & Notes

The origins of this Power are in “Call Weather” and “Lightning Strike,” both from the Ghost Dancers sourcebook. I expanded and re-imagined the Powers, then adjusted them to fit the Savage Worlds rules.

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 13 May 2017
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
PDF Version: Deadlands Grimoire – Call Weather