Contents

(Cover)

• Introduction
• Spells

   Introduction
   Spells
      Anger Insects
      Belongs
      Bugeyes
      Calm Insects
      Chiton
      Cocoon
      Command Insects(F)
      Creeping Doom
      Faz
      Hop
      Insect as Natural(F)
      Insectform
      Lacewings
      Mandibles
      Paralysis
      Pheremone Speech(F)
      Poison(F)
      Protection from Insects
      Rules
      Rune Pro/Insects
      Rune of Attraction
      Rune vs Insects
      Seek Insects
      Silk Trap
      Soporific
      Sting
      Sting Bolt(F)
      Suit of Bees
      Swarm
      Wall of Silk(F)
      Wall Walking(F)
      Web(F)

Introduction

Insect lore is at the outer reaches of natural lore and many referees may wish to ignore it or treat it as an area the players never (for some odd reason) get access to. It can also be placed in ``Unnatural Lore''. It might make a wonderful unexpected disaster scenario with insect lorists from another dimension coming in and attacking. The spells in Insect Lore allow a character to duplicate many of the abilities of insects and giant insects. Chitonous skin, assorted poison stings, insect-like omni-directional vision. It also allows the character to understand, blend in with, protect against, and control giant insects.

Many normal insects are natural animals and may be subject to the more normal areas of Natural Lore. Giant insects are a monster class and Insect Lore permits many of the natural lore spells that affect only animals to affect giant insects. The area of Insect Lore also forces a decision on the referee - should this area apply to insects only, all multi-legged land-going arthropods, or all arthropods. It can make sense to do it any of the three ways.

Spells

This spell causes any one type of insect, caster's choice, within the area of effect to become agitated and angry unless they save versus insanity. For hive type insects or insects with a group mind a single save is rolled. For insects that are functionally individuals, each insect saves separately. The caster may gain +2" radius or subtract five from the sanity save for +1 mana. Special failure mode one simply draws the insects to the caster. Special failure mode two terrifies the insects, usually causing them to go hide. Special failure mode three combines mode one with and an unconsciousness save.

This spell causes the caster to feel to insects (giant or otherwise) as if he belongs among them. The caster must cast this spell for a specific type of insect. This type must be one that is currently present, that the caster has studied, or that the caster has cast the spell for before. The caster is viewed as being one of the insects and, if his behavior goes outside of species norms, subject to the insects societal discipline. The caster will get a feeling when he is doing something wrong and will get a feeling when something is expected of him (but not what is expected of him). Duration is 2x per +1 mana and the caster may cast this spell on another for +5 mana. Special failure mode one randomizes this feeling that warns of inappropriate behavior or expectation on the part of the insects. Special failure mode two causes the caster to smell like food or a larva (referee's choice) to the insects. Special failure mode three induces the insect to treat the caster as a deadly enemy.

This spell causes the recipients eyes to bug out and multiply. The creature's eyes still report the same type of images but from all directions. The magic helps out with selective attention and keeping track of what's important in the new, larger information stream. The practical effect is that the recipient sees equally well in all directions and looks really weird. This negates backstabbing/lethal blow type attacks. Duration is 2x per +1 mana and the caster may affect +1 person for +1 mana. For +3 mana this vision works as well in starlight or better light levels as in full light. Special failure mode one cancels the magical help sorting things out - a perception save is required for each thing the recipient wishes to see - and so any first attack counts as a surprise attack if this perception save is blown. Special failure mode two causes the spell to create eyes that get color and shape values slightly wrong, randomizing colors and making subtle shape based tasks (e.g. reading) impossible. Special failure mode three causes blindness.

This spell causes any one type of insect, caster's choice, within the area of effect to calm down unless they save versus insanity. For hive type insects or insects with a group mind a single save is rolled. For insects that are functionally individuals, each insect saves separately. The insects can be upset or excited again in a normal manner after this spell is cast; it merely returns insects to the calm state. The caster may gain +2" radius or subtract five from the sanity save for +1 mana. Special failure mode one simply draws the insects to the caster. Special failure mode two substantially increases the level of agitation of the insects. Special failure mode three combines mode one with and an unconsciousness save.

This spell causes the caster's skin to harden into chiton. The caster may choose to make the chiton look like any insect color and or pattern with which he is familiar. Chitonous skin has added edge and point armor of CN/5 and added impact and fire armor of CN/3. The caster may add +10 minutes duration for +1 mana and may add +1 point to all four types of armor for +2 mana. Special failure mode one adds +2 to all sorts of armor but subtracts -2 from all non-spirit speeds as the chiton is too thick. Special failure mode two causes the chiton to cover the hands in a manner that impairs their use, -15 to spell casting and -10 to hit rolls involving the hands. Special failure mode three causes the armor to be ablative with each of the four armor types losing d3-1 points of protection each time it stops some damage.

This spell causes a magical cocoon of green or golden material to form about the caster. It requires no stamina, gestures, or words: only concentration. While in the cocoon the caster counts as meditating (for mana regain purposes) and to heal hitpoints at ten times the normal rate. The caster also regains health at twice the rate he would if he were spending his DPs entirely on recovering health. Finally, the caster can regenerate lost limbs, eyes, etc. This requires quite a while (a leg as long as two health, an eye as long as one). Special failure modes are at referee inspiration. While in the cocoon the caster has +3 armor of all types but is otherwise essentially helpless. The caster will have a particular objective in mind when the spell is cast and will remain, helpless, in the cocoon until this objective is attained. Special failure mode one causes the caster to remain sleeping in the cocoon for twice the time he would have otherwise. Special failure mode two causes the caster to grow or modify a single body part to be insect like - usually something pretty minor but details are left to the referee. Special failure mode three causes the caster to sleep until he is awakened, remaining perfectly preserved in the cocoon.

This spell permits the caster to set a group of insects to doing something they might have done anyway. The action is visualized by the caster and the insects get an insanity save to avoid obeying him with modifiers (positive or negative) generated by the referee for the likelihood of the insect doing the thing and the insects ability to understand what is desired. If the caster can, for some reason, speak to or communicate with the insects he gets an additional positive modifier. This spell only affects one type of insect. Special failure mode one causes the insects to completely misinterpret the casters desires. Special failure mode two causes the insects to react defensively (many insects share the view that the best defense is a good offense). Special failure mode three forces the caster to save versus insanity or start working with the insects on what they were doing. Referee interprets this one liberally.

This spell requires a personal trace, a bit of hair or blood or something if its target is a person, paint, wood or brick if the target is a building. The spell causes insects, mostly not flying insects, to gather around the caster and then move toward the target of the spell. They will continue to follow, at 2" per round, until the target is caught and destroyed or they are. The mob of insects recruits to fill losses and is about as wide as its target and from twice to twelve times as long as it is wide. The mana cost for a person is as shown. If a larger object is targeted the mana cost is increased by the log base two of the footprint area of the target, treating a person's footprint as an area of one. If a Creeping Doom is killed, it does not reform. Forcing the doom to follow its victims through fire, over ice, etc. is one way to get rid of it. If even a few insects survive then the doom reforms about them. The caster may disperse a doom at will.

The insects crawl all over the target and shred it. A person caught by a creeping doom takes from one to three points of poison damage, with no save, 1-2 d6 of point damage, and perhaps other types of damage from natural insects per round. A stress save is needed to do anything other than try to escape. Giant insects caught up in the casting attack normally. All insects involved must be from near where the spell was cast or along the line of march of the doom. Buildings get bored and tunneled into dust and rubble. Special failure mode one causes the doom to attack any living target within 1/2 its width. Special failure mode two causes the doom to pick its target randomly. Special failure mode three turns the doom against the caster.

This spell causes the character to grow eight inch feathery antennae. These antennae allow the character to feel minute pressure variations in the air and thus sense, as a low resolution imaging sense, anything that is moving and still objects near moving objects. Detailed information requires a perception save and only information about shape and velocity are available. This sense functions prefectly in the dark, in smoke or fog, but not in environments with fast swirling air or full of medium sized particles (e.g. not through a bead curtain). The caster may get 2x duration or +5 perception save (with Faz only) for +1 mana. There is a 10% per point of damage chance of clipping an antenna per point of general damage or damage to the top or side of the head. Special failure mode one causes the antennae to report things that aren't there occasionally. Special failure mode two creates antennae 2-12 times as long as normal which are long, floppy, inconvenient and require a perception save to work. Special failure mode three grows long chitonous horns with no sensory ability.

This spell gives the caster a hopping movement of 4"+/-1" per level of increased (decreased) size that caster happens to have at the time. The caster can get +1" of hopping movement or 2x duration for +1 mana. The caster's legs become slightly longer and take on the articulation of a grasshopper's while the spell is in effect. Special failure mode one causes the caster to need to make a missile hit with a range modifier of -5/1" to hit a hex with a random scatter of 1" per 10 the hit roll is missed by. Special failure mode two causes the caster to accidentally hop backwards on a 1 in 6. Special failure mode three divides the duration by 5d6.

This spell is cast with another spell with the mana costs adding and the rank being the highest rank involved. This spell allows spells that would normally affect a natural creature of a sort the caster had an area of natural lore for to affect a giant insect or other non-natural insect type creature. Special failure modes are inherited.

This spell is related to the natural lore core spell Fylga and requires 12+(1 per 3 mana) determination points to cast. It allows the caster to have an alternate insectoid form with 10 design points per mana in the spell. Casting the spell permanantly endows the caster with the alternate insect form. The change to or from insectoid form requires a full round at -20 elusiveness and with human armor values. The change to insect form also requires the expenditure of one mana per 20 design points in the form being transformed to. Once the insectoid form exists, it gets one design point per two experience the caster earns in either form. Special failure mode one is a fizzle. Special failure mode two causes the human and insectoid forms to have entirely separate memories, save that the insectoid form will have the human memories that existed prior to the creation of the insectoid form. Special failure mode three causes the caster to forget he has a human form when in insectoid form and live as a monster until a dispel magic turns him back. In this case the insectoid form earns its own experience.

This spell creates four transparent wings on the caster's back, similar to a dragonfly's. They permit flight at a rate of 6", +1" per +1 mana to a maximum of plus the mage's rank with insect lore. The caster may get 2x duration per +1 mana. The is a 10% per point of general damage or damage taken to the back that the wings will cease to function. Special failure mode one grows only one pair of wings and halves the movement. Special failure mode two causes the caster to fly like a butterfly with a stress save needed to avoid random motion 1" left or right per 3" moved. Special failure mode three produces wings on one side preventing flight.

This spell causes the caster to grow mandibles that can be used as a bite attack (and which look seriously scary). The mandibles get the caster's damage bonus added to them and do a base damage of 2d6, +1 per +1 mana. Recall, +4 becomes +d6. The mandibles are -2 ASP and have weapon length 3. The caster gets +10 to his hand-to-hand hit bonus with these mandibles because the magic makes them a natural, reflexive weapon but the mandibles do not count as magical weapons. The caster may also get 2x duration for +1 mana. The caster may choose to create mandibles that do edge or point damage. The mandibles give the caster a -10 to cast spells that require spoken words. Special failure mode one causes the mandibles to be rounded so as to do only impact damage. Special failure mode two creates two sets of mandibles, one horizontal and one vertical, that ads +d6 damage but changes the hit bonus to -10. Failure mode three creates a fused mandible that adds +d6 to ramming (impact) damage and prevents speech or mouth breathing.

This spell can only be stacked (add mana and casting times, take higher rank) on top of a Poison spell and causes it to do one point of speed damage (all speeds except spirit) per 3 points of hits or stamina is does (i.e. gets past the target's defenses). For +3 mana this return rate becomes one point of each speed back per minute. Special failure mode one is a fizzle. Modes two and three are as in Poison. The lost speed comes back at a rate of one point per round after the poison stops doing damage.

This spell gives the recipient the ability to emit and interpret chemical signals. With practice, a person with Pheremone Speech can generate specific smells. In general the strength of the smell produced is proportional to the emphasis or emotional content of the message. ``Quiet'', i.e. barely noticeable, speech is possible and pheremone speech works through strong outside smells by using different chemical bandwidth. The caster may double duration or affect +1 more person for +1 mana. A smell perception save is needed to understand a pheremone based message and the first couple of uses of the spell will limit the use of complex concepts. In still air or with a constant breeze pheremone messages can go for miles. Special failure mode one causes the recipient to be distracted by other smells and must make a stress save to keep their attention of the current task (+30 to the save if the current task is something like combat). Special failure mode two causes the spell recipient to dislike the smell of the information coming in, subtracting 30 from perception saves. Special failure mode three causes the recipient to attract bugs (giant and natural) when the use pheremone speech.

This spell causes the caster's hands to glow with a pale green light (hard to notice in daylight, probably visible by firelight). The glow lasts six rounds or until the caster scores a combat hit or unsuspecting touch at which point the spell will end and poison the creature hit. The poison is speed VI (d6/round) with an intensity equal to the caster's rank in insect lore and the victim may save to half damage. The caster may add +3 rounds duration and an additional poison touch during that duration or double the duration with no additional poison touch for +1 mana. For +2 mana the caster may add +3 intensity levels (to a maximum of three times the caster's rank with insect lore) or +1 speed class (to a maximum of 5+the caster's rank in insect lore). So, for example, a rank 4 insect lorist could spend +2 mana to get intensity 10, but +3 mana would only get him intensity 12. The same rank four mage could spend up to +6 mana to boost speed to IX (4d6/round). There is no limit to buying extra poison touches. Finally the caster may reduce the poison save by -5 per +1 mana with the poison save disappearing at -30 to the save (i.e. no save for +6 mana).

Special failure mode one creates poison that only does stamina damage. Special failure mode two causes the poison to affect the caster as well when it hits someone. Special failure mode three entitles the caster to roll an effect off of the poison failure table. One usually irrelevant fact about this spell is that if the mage touches a magical potion (i.e. with mana in it) then the spell transforms the potion so as to be an ingestive poison with the same intensity and speed and the poison spell.

This spell creates an invisible barrier that prevents the entry of natural or giant insects and which makes insects feel like leaving if it forms over them (though they will not leave their hive, hill, or other home). An insect may enter the radius of protection if it saves versus magic, but will only try to do so if driven. For +1 mana each the caster may get +1" radius, 2x duration, or -5 to the magic save. For +2 mana the radius of protection will move with the caster. If the caster crosses the circle of protection, it is dispelled. Special failure mode one causes insects to enter the protection area as if unaware of it (but they still need the magic save). Special failure mode two is as one, save that magic saves are at +30. Special failure mode three causes the spell to serve as a strong insect attractant (as well as yielding no protection).

This spell issues a challenge, in an appropriate manner, to the queen or other dominant member of a group of insects (giant or natural) or to a single insect if not of a hive species. The insect challenged will commit single combat with the caster, ordering any associates to stay out of it if it can. If the insect in question is a queen or leader and if the caster wins then the other insects will treat the caster as the leader of their hill or hive. Communication may still be a problem. Special failure mode one causes all insects within 10" to act as if successfully challenged. Special failure mode two causes the caster to need to save versus insanity or become a member of the hive (or servant of an individual insect) as best they can. Special failure mode three simply requires an unconsciousness save.

It requires 5 DPs to engrave this rune. Once this rune is engraved on an arch, door, etc. insects may not pass through the arch save with the good will of the engraver of the rune (e.g. the rune can be engraved to pass honey bees but nothing else). Engraved on an item, arms, or armor this rune will render the item indestructible by a insect secretions (e.g. a giant ant's acid) and will give anyone wearing an engraved item +30 to any save to reduce the effect of an insects poison, acid, or other arcane attack. Special failure modes are at referee discression.

It requires 3 DPs to engrave this rune. Once this rune is engraved on an object, insects of a specific type, chosen when the rune is engraved, will be strongly attracted to the rune from the local area. Once a hive or several individuals have been attracted the attraction will not attract more until the original group is gone. Special failure mode one changes the insect type. Mode two continues to attract insects no matter how many come, as long as any are left in the local area. Mode three is like mode two save that it attracts several different, arbitrary types of insects.

This spell allows the caster to engrave a rune into a weapon that makes the weapon do +d100 when it strikes an insect. It requires 30 DPs to do the engraving and thereafter the rune may be activated with 9 mana dumped into the weapon with a delay of -3. Duration may be extended +6 rounds per +1 mana. Special failure modes are at referee inspiration.

This spell, once cast, permits the caster to feel a pull of some sort toward a type of insect with which the caster is either personally familiar with or has samples of. The caster must make a perception save to get the direction completely right and will feel multiple pulls if multiple instances or groups of the relevant insect types are around. Pull drops off with distance, -5 perception save per kilometer distant. The caster may get 2x duration or +5 perception save for +1 mana. Special failure more one causes the caster to be 2-12 degrees left or right even if they make their perception save. Special failure mode two causes the caster to seek the wrong sort of insect. Special failure mode three causes all signals to have equal strength, hashing the distance information, out to the limit where the casters perception save is 30 below its normal value.

This spell, if it hits, causes a silk cocoon to grow slowly about the target. It takes about a minute to form and is easy to tear off (delay other actions by -3 per round for 1-3 rounds will disrupt the spell) while it is forming. Typically this spell if useful only against immobilized, unconscious, or sleeping opponents. The silk permits breathing, blocks sight, and permits somewhat muffles hearing and speech. The silk cocoon counts as an entangle (see the section on monster powers) with a generic armor of three and three dice of hitpoints. The caster can add +1 armor and +2 hitpoints for +2 mana (recall +4 becomes +d6). Creatures inside such a cocoon do half damage with natural weapons when trying to get out once the cocoon has hardened. Special failure mode one causes partial coverage (roll three hit locations, these are not wrapped up). Special failure mode two causes the silk to be highly flammable (will do its ``dice'' as fire damage if ignited and go foof!). Special failure mode three causes the cocoon to not pass air, possibly asphyxiating the target.

This spell can only be stacked (add mana and casting times, take higher rank) on top of a Poison spell and causes someone who takes damage from this poison to save versus stress or fall asleep each round the poison acts. If in combat, this save is at +30. Special failure mode one is a fizzle. Modes two and three are as in Poison. The lost speed comes back at a rate of one point per round after the poison stops doing damage. For +3 mana this return rate becomes one point back per minute.

This spell causes the caster to grow a sting that may be used as a hand-to-hand weapon. The caster may choose where it grows, often on his hand. It has the following characteristics:

This spell allows the caster to through a small bolt of green fire that does d6 points of poison damage, no save, when it hits. This bolt uses the caster's spell to hit and the caster may add +5 to hit for +1 mana. The caster may add +2 damage or get +1 missile with a delay of -3 for +1 mana as well. recall that +4 becomes +d6. Special failure modes are rerolled.

This spell only has an effect if the caster is near a swarm or hive of bees in weather that lets the bees move around with comfort. If these conditions are met the caster will get a suit of bees; they will swarm over the caster covering his body save for his face. This will add +1 impact armor, +2 fire armor, and +3 magic and necromantic armor. Anyone who hits the caster for hitpoint damage at a range of 2" or less gets the attention of several bees - stress save or -20 to hit and on skill rolls and one point point of poison and point damage with the point damage ignoring device based (as opposed to innate) armor. Duration is +1 hour per +1 mana. Area effect damage that does 10 or more hitpoints has a 5 chances in 100 of ending the spell per point of damage over 10. Special failure mode one causes the bees to swarm too much about the caster requiring a perception save to see clearly (or target well, -20 to targeting if the perception save is blown). Special failure mode two divides the duration by 3d6. Special failure mode three causes the swarm to start stinging the caster the first time the bees stop any damage or the caster takes hitpoint damage. This does the caster d3 points of point damage, ignoring device based armor, and d6+1 points of poison damage, per round until he passes out or figures out a way to get rid of the bees.

This spell causes flying insects in the area to swarm into the area of effect of the spell. If the spell is targeted on a person then the area of effect will follow the person. Persons inside the swarm have a perception save modifier of -15 per hex of swarm they are trying to see, hear, or faz through. The swarm does d3 points of point damage and d6 of poison damage, no save, per round to those inside the swarm. Any activity that requires concentration is as -20 while inside the swarm (e.g. spell casting). Finally a stress save is required to fight or move other than toward relief (e.g. a deep pool of water). The caster gets 2x duration, or +2" radius for +1 mana and may add +1 point of point damage and +2 points of poison damage per round for +2 mana. Special failure mode one increases the radius by 2d6". Special failure mode two causes the swarm to attack the caster. Special failure mode three causes the swarm to spread 2" per round and form new swarms whenever it encounters a new creature for 3d6 rounds. The mode three swarms act as if successfully targeted. There must be insects in the area for this spell to work. Giant insects attracted by this spell attack with their own stats rather than as per the spell.

This spell creates, over the period of a round, a super strong, thin, opaque wall. The wall has a generic armor of 8 and 5d6 hitpoints. It lasts until destroyed or left wet for a day. For +1 mana the caster gets either +1 armor, +2 hitpoints for the wall material (+4=+d6), or +8 square inches of coverage. The caster may place the wall of silk between walls, trees, or any other sort of support; it cannot hang on its own. Special failure mode one causes the wall to form flat on the ground. Special failure mode two causes the wall to be very flammable (no fire armor). Special failure mode three causes the wall material to form around the caster as well. Running or fighting through the wall during the round it is forming is entirely practical. The wall becomes a wall the end of the round after it is cast.

This spell permits the caster to stick to walls at his whim. This permits the caster to use half his running movement to go up walls and his full running movement to move laterally across a ceiling or along a wall. The caster grips the wall with his own strength. Duration is 2x per +1 mana. Gripping strength can be increased by +2 per +1 mana. Special failure mode one causes the caster to need an agility save to correctly remove and place feet and hands or they slip off. Special failure mode two divides the duration of the spell by 3d6. Special failure mode three causes things to cling to the caster's feet and hands even when he does not wish them too.

This spell allows the caster to throw a large mass of silken strands. These form an entangle with armor equal to the casters rank in insect lore and with 4d6 of hitpoints. The caster may get +1 armor and +2 hitpoints for +1 mana (+4=+d6 hitpoints). The caster may get +1" radius for +2 mana. See the section on monsters for a description of how entangles work. If targeted on a single person this spell cannot be dodged. If targeted on a hex then this spell may be dodged with an agility save at minus the amount the spell would have hit the character by had it been targeted at him. If it would not have hit, the agility save is unmodified. This spell can be used to block doors, forest paths, etc. Special failure mode one causes the web to encase the caster. Special failure mode two creates a non-sticky web that can be taken off like tangled clothes (2-12 added delay). Special failure mode three causes the web to stick to any intervening objects.