It’s the little things that sometimes make all the difference…

AKA: Bottom Feeders, Dust-Gatherers, Molecules, Bug-eaters.

In 1959, eminent physicist Richard Feynman gave a lecture entitled “There’s Room at the Bottom.” This talk sparked interest in small-scale physical systems and is believed by some to be the impetus behind modern nanotechnology research. Unbeknownst to the more traditional research community, scientists weren’t the only people to pick up on this information and to get interested in small, small things.

The Nanomancer likes to keep things small. He likes them very small; so small you can’t see them with the naked eye. He likes them simple; simple to the point where they don’t have too many cells or molecules to get in the way of progress.

The Nanomancer focuses his magical mojo on the tiniest and simplest of things and then builds on them in a pretty scary way. The first Nanomancers are burned out scientists of one sort or another. Life has cut them down to size, so they work with the little that they have left.

The Nanomancer gathers and builds simple particles and forms them into swarms that do his bidding on some simple task. The size of the swarm and the complexity of the task performed grow as the Nanomancer invests greater magical energy. As far as we know, no Nanomancer has lost control of a swarm yet, but they do get a wee bit peeved by people who carry around fans or large sources of electricity or magnetism.

Nanomancy Blast Styles: Two schools of Nanomancy appear emergent.

1) The Abrasive Shower: This is straight-forward. Gather up a swarm of metallic or hard ceramic particles, whip them into a jet or a swirling cloud, envelop the target, and then slice and dice.
2) The Internal Attack: This can be more insidious. The particles quite literally go down the victim’s throat or just kinda-sorta get under his skin. The particles can be allergenic, toxic, acidic, abrasive, radioactive or in one spectacular case, very rapidly carcinogenic. Nanomancers that favor this mode of attack are often sadistic and scheming. The type of particle used can become an ego signature of a sort.

Stats: Nanomancers are often frustrated nerds. They have low self esteem. They often view themselves as convergent swarms of molecules rather than people. They are unclear on what a person really is. Think lots of failed self checks.

Generate A Minor Charge: Knowingly and intentionally allow an unknown microscopic organism to enter your body. It may make you somewhat ill, or as dead as a door nail. (Note to GM’s. The later possibility is not highly probable, but in very rare instances can happen)

Generate a Significant Charge: Knowingly enter a symbiotic or parasitic relationship with a microbe by ingesting a significant quantity of that microbe into your body. (Not to DM’s. Feel free to put the Nanomancer in the hurt locker for a good week or two for being that stupid. Drinking water out of toilet isn’t really smart either.)

Generate a Major Charge: Giving yourself terminal cancer just to sell out for your magic might do it.

Random Magic Domain: Anything really small, swarms of microbes, germs, or aerosol particles.

Taboos: Walking near powerful magnetic fields, or high-tension wires. Undergoing an MRI is an instantaneous mojo purge. Antibiotics will also kill the caster’s mojo unless the caster makes a level 5 self-check. Nanomancers just hate it when you kill their little buddies. Gusts of wind destroy any Nanomancer spell they hit.

Starting Charges: 2 Minors and a nagging cough.

Minor Spells:

Shimmering Glare/ Smoking Cloud: 1 Minor. The caster can whip up a cloud of reflective particles which obscure a 5’ X 10’ X 3’ cube. The particles refract, absorb and scatter all radiation that goes through the area. They can either backscatter it, creating a glare or they can absorb or refract the light, creating what appears to be a cloud of haze. They spell effect lasts 5 minutes. This will screw up IR goggles/ range finders and UV devices as well as visible light.

Rain of Pain: 2 Minor. The minor blast for the abrasive shower blast technique. Throw a handful of sand or metal shavings aloft and point your finger at the target. Then roll blast damage.

Minor Task: 2 Minor. Allows the caster to remove a coating of paint, of a 20 sq. ft area. Polish a similar area of glass or metal or lift up to a 20 lb object and move in a 20’ linear distance from it’s point of origin. The object will traverse the distance rapidly, with possibly unpleasant consequences for anything the object interacts with.

Dry Mouth: 2 Minor. This spell fills an opponent’s mouth with enough particles to prevent them from speaking intelligibly until they drink a glass of water. The target gets a save vs helplessness at level 3 to avoid getting dry mouth.

Camouflage: 3 Minor. This spell allows the caster to change the physical texture and color of a 20 sq ft area for up to 10 minutes.

Itch and Irritation: 4 minor. This spell causes its target to suffer severe itches and rashes (-15 on their physical ability checks) until they see a dermatologist and get cured.

Tiny Picture: 4 Minor. Allows the caster to send a swarm of invisible particles into an enclosed area and then has them return and arrange themselves into a rough sketch of the area. They become inert once the sketch is formed and will blow away the first time a wind picks up or they get disturbed by nearby motion.

Significant Spells:

Tiny Messenger: 1 significant. The caster throws a handful of sand or other tiny particles in the air and speaks up to three sentences and then says the name of a person the caster has spoken to prior to the spell. If that person is within 20 miles, the particles find that individual 3 hours later and deliver the message. They quite literally go in that person’s ear and the recipient hears the message whispered.

Air-Tight Seal: 1 significant. Allows the caster to seal an enclosed structure, from either the inside or the exterior, so that it is air-tight. The structure can enclose up to 10,000 cu ft of volume. The spell can be broken by any individual exerting at least minimal concerted force on opening a door or window. The structure maintains air-tight status for six hours, if left undisturbed.

Kiss of Death: 2 Significant. An example of a significant blast that uses an internal attack. The caster kisses the target on his/her lips and in the process blows a high-pressure stream of harmful particles into that person’s esophagus. Kiss the victim; roll the blast damage.

Long-Term Mirage: 3 significant. The caster can creat an image of any object of up to 3 kilotons of mass and 10,000 cu ft of volume that is so life-like, the viewer has to touch it to realize that it is an illusion composed of a cloud of tiny, buzzing particles. The illusion lasts for 6 hours.

Moving Barrier to Entry: 3 significant This forms a rock-hard particular wall with 30 damage points that will block a 10 sq ft area and lead to inelastic collisions with moving bodies such as vehicles, moving people and bullets. The caster can control the wall and move it up to 20’ in any spatial dimension, one dimension at a time.

Major Effects: Cloud seeding, nuclear winter, your own personal eclipse of the son. Induce strokes in a large crowd of people.

What You’ve Heard: One fairly long-practicing adept named Kimberly Dworjak has created an intelligent swarm and has merged with it. She and the swarm are one being now and who can know one moment to the next who is in charge.

The Movement of One True Jihad has recruited an entire Cabal of these adepts to develop ways of using their talents against enemies of their faith.

3-M Engineers consult with an adept nicknamed “Crystal MEP” to develop new products. One major client is named Mr. Abel……