Heralds Magic, Part 2

Oh, what the heck: Electric Boogaloo! There, it's said, it never need be repeated. Anyway.

I should first clairify some stuff on those two spells I posted yesterday. First, the fatigue recovery parts workeven if you aren't resting. Second, the fatigue recovery is multiplied if you tap multiple ley lines or nodes, by casting the spells more than once. Finally, the spells don't count as spells "on" for the purpose of casting other spells, except for casting other Tap Ley Line or Tap Node spells.

That said, on with the real new stuff.

In Velgarth, having Magery and tapping the ley lines and nodes aren't the only way to cast spells. There's also blood magic. Blood magic uses the energy released by the harm or death of living beings to cast spells. It's a way for an unGifted mage to cast spells, since they know there'll be power available, even if they can't sense it. So, the Blood Magic skill:

Blood Magic
Will/Very Hard
No Default

This is the ability to use the spilling of blood to fuel your spells. Having high levels in this skill subsitutes for Magery in spell prerequisites, and a skill check can allow you to use a creature's HT in place of your own energy when casting a spell.
If your skill level in blood magic is 20 or higher, you are treated as if you had Magery 1 for spell prerequisites. If your skill level is 25 or higher, you are treated as if you had Magery 2, and if your skill level is 30 or higher, you are treated as if you had Magery 3.
To use HT as energy for a spell, make a skill roll. Note that simply making the skill roll does not cause HT damage; damage must be caused by some other agency before you can use the HT to power a spell. Intelligent creatures provide the best source of blood energy. If a creature has IQ of 5 or lower, and the Bestial disadvantage, then you can only get 1 energy for every 4 HT of damage it takes.
Using blood magic in combat is usually a free action. You can make a skill roll and draw energy from a target, and still cast a spell in the same round.
If a spell's energy cost can be spread out over several rounds, then you must make one roll each round, and you cannot use the same HT wounds more than once! Once a wound is used for energy, that energy is gone, and a new source must be found. You cannot try to draw from more than one person per round with blood magic.

Modifiers: +2 if you are using HT taken from yourself. -3 If the target is not yourself, and the target is not willing or completely restrained. If the wound is not "fresh" (ie, delivered in the last second), -2 per second after the first. If you attempt to draw on someone's total HT damage, taken over several seconds, for one spell, use the penalty for the oldest wound. -1 per yard you are away from the subject. -5 if you cannot see the subject.

Example: Treyan is a wizard with Blood Magic 25. He is in a fight, and decides to cast Lightning. There are three wounded combatants nearby, Arven, Bala, and Celun. Arven has taken 3 HT of damage, one per round, for the past 3 rounds. Bala has taken 3 HT of damage in the previous turn. Celun took 1 HT of damage 3 rounds ago, and 1 more two rounds ago. None of these are willing or immobile targets.
Treyan decides to charge his Lightning spell as much as possible. He makes his skill roll with Lightning, and begins to charge the spell. On the first round, he tries to get 2 energy from Arven. Arven is 5 yards away. The penalty for Treyan's Blood Magic roll is -10: -3 for an unwilling target, -2 for trying to draw on a wound more than one second old, and -5 for the distance to his target. He makes his roll, and charges the spell. (If Treyan had 30 or more skill in Blood Magic, he could have chosen to draw all three energy from Arven, but the penalty would have increased by -2, since he would have had to draw on a wound 3 seconds old.)
On the second round, he tries to draw energy from Bala, who is 3 yards away. The penalty is this case is -8: -3 for an unwilling target, -2 for trying to draw on a wound that is now 2 seconds old (remember, Bala took damage on the round just prior to Treyan <i>beginning the spell), and -3 for the distance. He still makes his roll, and again charges his Lightning.
On the third round, Treyvan decides to try to draw energy from Celun. This, however, will be more difficult. Celun is 5 yards away. To draw 2 energy, Treyan will have to use a wound that is now 5 seconds old. The total penalty to his roll is thus -18. Treyan tries, but he fails his roll. Now Treyan has a choice: he can either throw the Lightning spell at once, but at less than full charge, or he can use his personal energy to charge the spell further.