TEXT: Savage Cantrips 
  HANDLING MINOR MAGICAL EFFECTS IN SAVAGE WORLDS 
   
   
   
  By Bill ‘JB’ Littlefield 
   
   
   
  The material presented here is intended for use with the Savage Worlds system from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Savage Worlds and all 
  affiliated logos are Trademarks of the Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. © 2001 the Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. Savage Worlds is 
  Copyright 2003-2007, the Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. This work is not an officially licensed product and has no affiliation with the 
  Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. Illustration © Storn Cook used with permission under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
  ShareAlike 2.5 License.  This work based on material originally published in Unearthed Arcana by Gary Gygax, ©TSR, Inc. No challenge to 
  copyright status intended or inferred. All original material is © 2003-2007 William Littlefield. 
  
  INTRODUCTION 
   
  This document adds an additional level of detail to those 
  characters possessing the Arcane Background (Magic) 
  Edge. A creative GM might also adapt this information to 
  cover the AB (Psionics) or AB (Miracles) Edges. 
   
   
  Cantrips are the magic spells learned and used by 
  apprentice mages during their long, rigorous, and tedious 
  training. Cantrips are simple spells of no great effect—they 
  cost 1 power point (PP) to cast and have a range limited to 
  Smarts (in inches). Effects last for one round unless noted 
  otherwise. 
  In order to cast a cantrip, make a Spellcasting roll. Due 
  to the simplistic nature of cantrips, all rolls are considered 
  successful unless snake eyes come up. If the roll fails, the 
  power point is expended with no effect or additional 
  consequences. Casting a cantrip is considered a normal 
  action. Cantrips cannot be maintained, and may be 
  countered by anyone besting the mage’s Spellcasting total 
  with an opposed roll of their own. Cantrips cannot be used 
  while engaged in combat or on targets engaged in combat. 
  All mages start the game knowing a number of cantrips 
  equal to 3 plus the result of their Smarts die (e.g., 3+d8 for 
  a mage with a Smarts of d8). Additional cantrips may not 
  be learned—after all, with all that magic has to offer, what 
  self-respecting mage would waste his time learning such 
  inconsequential spells? 
   
   
  As always, this document does not claim to be the final 
  word in how cantrips should be handled in Savage 
  Worlds—it is just one GM’s interpretation. Feel free to 
  modify it to suit your own needs. 
   
  CANTRIP DESCRIPTIONS 
   
  Where more than one cantrip name is given, the caster is 
  allowed to learn all permutations, thus a character who 
  learns Bees also learns Bugs, Gnats, and Spiders. 
   
  ARCANE MARK 
  This cantrip allows the caster to permanently inscribe his 
  personal mark on any single object he touches. The mark is 
  only visible to the caster unless he chooses otherwise. 
  Casting detect arcana will reveal a concealed arcane mark, 
  while dispel will permanently remove it. 
   
  BEES/BUGS/GNATS/SPIDERS 
  This cantrip summons a small swarm of normal bees. The 
  bees appear next to the target, needless to say they are 
  angry and will attempt to sting the target! The target suffers 
  a –2 modifier to all actions for the remainder of the round, 
  after which time the bees simply fly off. 
   
   
  BELCH/YAWN/GIGGLE 
  This cantrip causes the target to emit a single loud belch, 
  yawn, or giggle. Treat the target as having a –2 Charisma 
  modifier to all within hearing for one round.  
   
  BLINK/COUGH/SNEEZE/ITCH/TWITCH 
  This cantrip causes the target’s eyes to blink uncontrollably 
  for one round—all actions during the round are at –2.  
   
  BLUELIGHT 
  This cantrip summons a small globe of glowing blue light 
  that floats around his head. The light has an eerie 
  appearance when viewed from a distance and provides 
  light sufficient to read by in an area equal to a small burst 
  template. The light does not cast reflections beyond the 
  area of effect and does not affect Infravision (or other types 
  of vision) in any way. The globe is static unless cast on an 
  object. Its effect lasts for one turn. 
   
  CHANGE 
  By means of this cantrip the caster can alter the 
  appearance of one non-living object (man-sized or smaller) 
  to appear as something else. Thus, a piece of parchment 
  may be made to look like a colored square of cloth or a 
  sword may appear as a simple walking stick. The cantrip 
  will not increase or decrease size or volume. The effect lasts 
  for one round. 
   
  CHILL/WARM 
  This cantrip affects one cubic foot of non-living liquid or 
  solid matter which the caster touches to instantly become 
  about 40º cooler (or hotter) than it was. The material 
  returns to room temperature within 10 minutes. 
   
  CLEAN/DIRTY 
  Clean allows the caster to remove heavy soil, dirt, and like 
  foreign objects from floors, walls, dishes, windows, etc. All 
  the surfaces of a like type (e.g., all floors or all windows) 
  may be cleaned in a single casting. Dirty simply sullies all 
  surfaces within range. 
   
  COLOR 
  This cantrip allows the caster to restore faded hues or to 
  tinge the target with a different hue. A single bolt of cloth or 
  set of clothing may be affected. Only non-living items may 
  be targeted, and the effect lasts for 10 minutes. 
    
  DAMPEN/DRY 
  Dampen permeates an area of up to one cubic yard with a 
  fog-like dampness that leaves all material within it damp to 
  the touch for the next 10 minutes. Dry instantly removes 
  moisture from a similar area.  
   
  DISTRACT 
  Distract causes a single target within range to look at a 
  specific area of his choosing. This cantrip is useful for 
  slipping by guards, distracting a crowd, or otherwise 
  diverting attention away from the caster. The effect lasts 
  until the end of the round in which the cantrip was cast. 
  
  FIREFINGER 
  This cantrip causes a single jet of normal flame (about 3” in 
  length) to shoot from the caster’s finger. The effect last for 
  but a second; however, the flame will ignite combustible 
  material. 
   
  FLAVOR 
  This cantrip allows the caster to permanently change, for 
  good or bad, the taste of a single serving of food which he 
  touches. The wholesomeness and quality is unaffected—
  only the perceived taste. 
   
  FRESHEN/CURDLE/WILT 
  Freshen will bring new life or freshness to the object 
  touched by the caster. The magic can be applied to food 
  and drink items as well as cut flowers, vegetables, and 
  herbs. It will improve a slight taint of spoilage, restore 
  drooping flowers, and so on. The target must be of 
  relatively small size—a cask of liquid, a side of beef, a small 
  garden, etc. Curdle is the reverse form of the cantrip and 
  may be used on food and drink items. Wilt is only effective 
  against vegetable matter. The effects are permanent. 
   
  GATHER/SPILL 
  Each casting of gather allows the caster to gather multiple 
  objects of a single type into a pile. Spill will scatter all items 
  within the area of effect into a jumbled mess—since the 
  containers the objects are stored in are actually tipped over, 
  they may not be larger than a gallon (liquid) or weigh more 
  than 5 pounds (solid). 
   
  GHOST SOUND 
  This cantrip allows the caster to create an auditory illusion. 
  Any sound, other than a specific voice, the caster is familiar 
  with can be recreated. 
   
  GUIDANCE 
  This cantrip will reveal the direction of magnetic North to 
  the caster. 
   
  HAIRY/SHAVE 
  This cantrip causes hair, fur or fur-like growth (such as that 
  on a peach) to increase and lengthen by up to 6”. The 
  effect is permanent and the hair or fur must be cut to 
  restore its former length. Shave will shorten such growth by 
  up to 6”. Such growth will return to its former length 
  naturally. 
   
  LULLABY 
  This cantrip causes the target to feel drowsy. The game 
  effect is a –2 modifier on all Notice rolls. If a dangerous 
  situation grabs the target’s attention then the effects of the 
  cantrip are negated; otherwise, the effect lasts until the end 
  of the round in which the cantrip was cast. 
   
  MEND 
  This cantrip allows the caster to make minor repairs to 
  simple objects he handles. Thus, a torn piece of parchment 
  or a broken bottle could be made whole again; a broken 
  wheel on a child’s toy could be repaired, or a cracked 
  mirror made functional. The GM is the final arbiter of what 
  can be repaired with mend and what requires the use of 
  the Repair skill. All of a broken object’s pieces must be 
  present for this cantrip to be effective. The effect is 
  permanent, although the object may be broken again. 
   
  MESSAGE 
  This cantrip allows the caster to pass a message of up to 10 
  words to a target within range. The message is delivered as 
  a faint whisper in the target’s ear. 
   
  POLISH/TARNISH 
  When this cantrip is used, the caster magically smoothes, 
  and brings a luster to material—such as wood, metal, 
  stone, leather, or ceramic—which he handles. Tarnish and 
  rust may be removed. A single object, such as a pair of 
  boots, a floor, an armoire, or a suit of leather armor, may 
  be affected. Tarnish has the opposite effect. The effect is 
  permanent, but such objects may be cleaned or tarnished 
  by non-arcane means. 
   
  SMOKEPUFF 
  This cantrip causes a small puff of smoke of the desired 
  color to appear anywhere within range. The smoke puff is 
  of sufficient size to envelop the head of a normal human, 
  and imposes a –2 modifier on Notice rolls. 
   
  TIE/UNTIE/TANGLE/UNRAVEL 
  This cantrip allows the caster to cause the object of the 
  magic—thread, string, cord, or rope—to tightly knot itself 
  to its other end, the end of a similar object, or a specific 
  object such as a pole or tree limb. Each casting allows a 
  single knot, of the caster’s choice, to be created. Untie will 
  cause any single knot within range to come undone. 
  Tangle causes all like objects to become tangled in a 
  jumbled mess that will require 2d6 minutes to untangle. 
  Unravel will reverse the effects of tangle. 
   
  WHIFF 
  This cantrip allows the caster to envelop an area equal to a 
  medium burst template with an odor of his choosing. The 
  odor may be any with which the caster is familiar. 
   
  END NOTES 
   
  I hope you enjoyed Savage Cantrips. If not, don’t worry—I 
  plan on producing more supplements in the near future, so 
  you’re bound to find something useful eventually! 
   
  If you come up with any new cantrips, or have 
  questions regarding the existing ones, drop me a line at 
  jblittlefield@yahoo.com and I’ll be sure to address your 
  concerns in the next revision. 
   
  Until next time…Keep it Savage! 
   
  This document was created on December 12, 2003. 
  Last updated on April 30, 2007. 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/_Fan/Savage Worlds - Savage Cantrips.pdf