The spells emulate the intricacies of the gun’s internal mechanics as well as the explosive emotions provoked by waving your piece in someone’s face.

copyright lemonjuice

BALLISTOMANCY

aka Heat-Packers, Persuaders, Rambos

The gun is the most powerful, complex and emotionally charged thing on the planet today. Ballistomancers are gun-obsessed because they understand how much influence guns have in so many aspects of life. These aren’t your every day, gun-totin’ goombahs, and they’re DEFINITELY not pansies who only target shoot and think thats what guns should be used for.

Guns are a symbol of power, if you have a gun and they don’t, they’ll listen to you (provided they’re sane). Guns are precise, if you point a good gun in the right way, you’re almost certain to cause some damage. This leads into the next point, that a gun can HURT someone. It’s a quick way to deal out the hurt and make your intentions clear. Guns are great bargaining chips and can be used in the blink of an eye.

You’re enthralled with the instant the bullet leaves the barrel, its not coming back- life is changed for better or worse. forever, there is a paradox every time that trigger is pulled.

generate a minor charge:
-spend 4 hours at a shooting range
-kill an animal while hunting
-purchase a new and interesting gun

generate a significant charge
-discharge a VERY rare or historical firearm
-instill fear on at least 50 people with a gun (brandishing a gun at a town meeting)
-save someone’s life through the use of a firearm
-generate mild success and fame from a bullet. Set distance shooting record, kill the largest elephant ever, etc.)

generate a major charge
– change history with a single bullet
– if you generate a major charge, the firearm you use automatically becomes historically significant to other ballistomancers, not you. If you use the weapon for anything other than a significant charge, it counts as a taboo. Also, expect people to come after your historical guns.

Taboos: not having a gun on you at any time, if someone takes a gun away from you, even for an instant, you lose your charges. Also if you kill anyone with anything other than a gun.

blast spells: ballistomancers need no blasts. they have them at the hip, and on the ankle, and under the shoulder….

random domain: ballistomancy random magic acts as a catalyst, especially for fear. things can also be propelled, people have reactions. random magic works in proportion to quality of the firearm on hand.

SPELLS – ballistomancers don’t use magic to mimic what they can already do with a 6-shooter. instead, their spells manipulate the environment in ways similar to a firearm, without having to reveal it.
MINOR SPELLS:

2 minor charges: FEELING LUCKY PUNK?
puts doubt in target’s mind -less likely to take risks. for rolling purposes counts as a -10% on intimidation for the rest of the day

2 minor charges: COCK THE HAMMER
the next time target makes an action that will take more than 1 round, it takes -1 round to do.

2 significant charges: PULL THE TRIGGER
causes target to unprovokedly attack any other person, this could be a friend or innocent bystander

2 minor charges: FREEZE PUNK!
target is frozen with fear for two rounds

3 minor charges: DUAL WEILD
user becomes instantly cooler. people are generally more attracted to him, if rolling for some sort of charisma check regarding persuasion or charm, +10% all day

3 minor charges: STUCK IN THE BARRELL
for the next 20 steps the target takes, they may only go forward

1 significant charge: JAM
a single mechanism (ignition, firing pin, keypad) does not function for d10 rounds

2 significant charges: PULL THE TRIGGER
causes target to unprovokedly attack any other person, this could be a friend or innocent bystander

2 significant charge: EVERYBODY HIT THE DECK!
everyone who can see you lays down on the ground and is bound there until you get out of sight

3 significant charges: PEACE THROUGH SUPERIOR FIREPOWER
combatants will disengage from combat and retreat if you have more guns than them. (Ballistomancer Ted Kalpert’s party is engaged with 3 others. Ted has 3 guns on his person and each enemy has 1. So two enemies flee.)

2 significant charges: WARNING SHOT/SIGNAL SHOT
can send a message to all friendlies in the area, or all baddies, if lost, this can send some sort of message to nearest person. GM decides how much of the message gets through, based on distance.

major effects: enchant a firearm. Whoever you point the gun at will follow your orders until you put the gun down. (this weapon will always have this effect). Alternatively, the gun can be enchanted to take any form you want, you can give it any properties a normal gun could possibly have, shape it any way you want and can also become a multi-use significant artifact. any weapon that is the target of a major effect becomes “historical”.