Curious Pastimes - Rules: Casting as a Wedge

Unbinding and Dissolution

Individual Corporealists and Shaman may attempt to 'banish' undead. However, as the power of the undead in question grows the powers of an individual may not be sufficient to combat it. Therefore characters may attempt to pool their power as described below.

Using a Wedge

Due to the complex nature of this procedure a Referee must be present throughout. A Wedge can be made of Corporealists or Shaman (but not both) and provides a means of focusing the power of a number of such spellcasters through the use of certain incantations and a device known as a Focus. This is created specifically for this task through the use of Ritual Magic (see: Ritual Magic). Players assemble into a formation based upon the following structure - one person, the Focus bearer, in the first row, two in the second, three in third and so on (with no theoretical limit). The Focus bearer at the front of the Wedge acts as a channel for the accumulated power of those in the Wedge behind them. In order to lead or join a Wedge a character must have either Rank 2 Shaman (for a Dissolution Wedge) or Rank 2 Corporeal (for an Unbinding Wedge).

When each member of the Wedge is touching at least one other member in the row directly in front of them, the character acting as the Focus Bearer receives all the cards for the purpose from other Wedge members and pronounces the locking incantation immediately. This can be any suitable phrase, provided that it contains the word 'lock'. After this point if any member breaks contact, or is rendered unconscious, the entire Wedge is broken. If this happens the entire process must begin again and all cards are lost.

Once locked the Wedge can then move assuming the above contact rules are maintained. When the target undead is in range of the Focus Bearer (range is as per the spell being used ,whether Unbinding or Dissolution and therefore equal to 30ft), all members of the Wedge except the Focus Bearer, pronounce the verbal for the relevant spell (Unbinding/Dissolution). NB: Unlike the 'standard' (See Unbinding/Dissolution) versions of these spells, members may only contribute a maximum of six Ranks including the initial Rank 2 card to the total. As the verbal is pronounced by the entire Wedge, the Focus Bearer points the Focus at the target undead, who must still be both visible and in range upon completion of the spell verbal. If the 'Rank total' of spell cards equals or is greater than the Rank of the undead, it is destroyed.

It is important to note that certain types of very powerful undead may be able to resist this by using their own spell cards to reduce the Rank of attack.

Example: A Spiritual undead attacking the Fir Cruthen camp has been determined (by the spell Discern Spirits Nature) to be a Wraith, Spirit Rank 36. Realising that this is far too powerful to destroy with a normal Dissolution spell, the players decided to form a Wedge.

Up step 18 Rank 2 Shaman, one of which is nominated as the Focus Bearer and holds the Focus item. They form the Wedge and hand their cards over. The Focus Bearer checks that all members are holding at least one other person and says the locking incantation 'Lady Babd, help us in our hour of need, we who are true will lock ourselves together and unite our power'. The Wraith comes into range and all members of the Wedge pronounce the verbals for Dissolution. The Focus bearer then points the Focus at the Wraith, who is luckily still in range, and all members pronounce the spell verbals. The Wraith is then hit by a Dissolution spell with a 'Rank total' of 36 points - enough to theoretically overload its Rank-based resistance and destroy it utterly. Unfortunately, the Wraith has one Rank 2 and one Rank 1 cards left, for a total of three points, and uses these to weaken the attacking spell. The 'Rank Total' of attack he is hit by is now 33, which is now insufficient to destroy the Wraith. Time for the Wedge members to start running...

There are several tactics you may use against a creature which you suspect has sufficient spell power to counter a Wedge attack:

Attack it with single Spirit or Corporeal spells to erode its available spell power - if it counters all well and good - if not it takes damage which may be just as useful. Draw its fire through physical assault - assuming you have enough combat-orientated characters available who are willing to lay themselves open to spell attack.

All Corporealist and Shaman are advised to practice Wedge maneouvres prior to the day they may actually need to undertake the banishment of a particularly nasty undead creature.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.