The magic arcane background uses the following powers:

The Lesser Mysteries are powers that may be chosen by anyone who takes the magic arcane background. Some of these mysteries are prerequisites for other more sinister powers.

• Binding - This power allows spellcaster to supernaturally heal their comrades from damage or poison. It is identical to the Healing power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

• Cursing - Cursing is the dark art of placing a doom on somebody. Curses are best placed on somebody in the sorcerer’s immediate presence, but if the victim of the curse is not present, the sorcerer must at least know the victim and have either a close personal possession (a piece of well-worn clothing or other item to which the victim is emotionally attached), or a body part or secretion (hair, saliva, fingernails, etc.) of the victim. Curses add a -2 penalty to all rolls the victim makes for the next encounter on a successful opposed spirit roll. If the victim loses the opposed roll by 4+ they are cursed for the entire game episode. The curse rebounds on the spellcaster if they roll a 1 on their magic die.

• Prophecy - Prophecy is the art of either seeing into the future or else divining something that is not readily apparent. The kind of questions that can be answered by Prophecy fall into two categories, the broader “Will I succeed?” or “Should I go ahead?” type of questions, and the much more specific “Who is?” or “Where is?” type.

• Scrying - The Mystery of Scrying is the practice of sending one’s consciousness, or maybe one’s spirit, astral body, or soul, away from one’s physical self and having it travel quickly to distant places to spy out what is happening there. To do so, the sorcerer enters a deep trance, usually one aided by certain drugs. The spellcaster makes a magic roll. On a roll of a 1 on the magic die, they overdose and remain unconscious for eight hours without an opportunity to scry. On a failed roll, the scrying attempt is incomplete and the spellcaster gets incomplete or conflicting information. On a success, they are able to discern one important scene, but perhaps from a single point of view or without auditory or visual information. On a success of 8+ the scrying spellcaster is able to view the entire scene from many points of view, with both audio and visual information.

• Witchfire - The Witchfire Mystery sorcerously unleashes energies to damage or outright destroy inanimate and animate things.This is the ability to cast blasting magic. The rules are the same for the Bolt power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

The greater mysteries are only available to wild cards who are at least seasoned.

• Goety - One of the greater Mysteries, this is the sorcery of conjuration, command, and banishment of supernatural creatures from beyond the boundaries of the world, those commonly called demons. This power is identical to the Zombie power from the Savage Worlds rulebooks, with the exception that instead of bodies, sacrifices of blood are required to call up demons. The demons summoned are extras with a D4 in all ratings except for a Spirit of D10. They have a Fighting of D6, and may use melee weapons. They have a toughness of 4

• Necromancy - Necromancy deals with calling up the dead from the beyond, and perhaps to animate them as undead. This power is identical to the Zombie power from the Savage Worlds rulebooks. Zombies are extras with a D4 in all ratings except for Vigor of D10 giving them a Toughness of 7. They have a Fighting of D4 but may not use melee weapons.

• Demonic Anatomy - This mystery allows a sorcerer to temporarily adapt their bodies to match those of demons from the underworld. This power may be used as either the Quickness power or the Smite power in the Savage Worlds rulebooks. However, on a roll of a “1” on the magic die, the demonic taint stays with the spell caster even after the power fades and they begin to take on a permanent aspect of a demon in addition to being shaken.

• Hypnosis - With the Mystery of hypnosis the sorcerer forces his will on his victims’ will, right up to the point where the sorcerer commands his victim’s view of reality. This Mystery requires neither formulas nor gestures, just that the sorcerer makes eye contact with his victim. The sorcerer may choose to make a suggestion that something isn't as it appears, or that a figment of the victim's mind is real. This effect will last for the duration of an encounter. Alternately, the sorcerer may plant a command in the victim's head that is triggered in a particular case (or immediately). This version of the power lasts for only a single round after it is triggered. Either effect requires an opposed spirit roll to succeed against the target, rolled at the triggering event or time. If the roll beats the target by +4 the power may be used for the target to harm their allies. On a success of 8+ the power may be used to force the target to harm themselves.

Dark secrets are only available to Veteran wild cards and require that certain lesser mysteries are taken first.

• Abomination - (Requires Goety & Binding) This hours long extended ritual must be conducted, with slight alterations, every week during about the first third of the pregnancy over the body of a woman who is either a willing participant or else powerless to resist. It changes the embryo into some monstrosity, whose eventual birth will almost certainly kill the mother. This wild card follower may be constructed just as a novice wild card. Only one Abomination may be created at a time. Each one takes nine months.

• Enslavement - (Requires Hypnosis & Necromancy) A more powerful form of hypnosis that matches the Puppet power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

• Firestorm - (Requires Witchfire & Goety) An area effect version of Witchfire. It costs 5 power points to use. It creates a large burst of damage at a point the spellcaster wishes within 48“ of the casting model. Targets within the firestorm take 3D6 damage. Unlike other attacks, raises do not do more damage. On a roll of a '1' the burst damage is centered on the spellcaster instead.

• Hand of Doom - (Requires Necromancy & Hypnosis) One touch kill or extras. Wildcards take one point of damage per success. Range is touch. On a magic roll of a '1' the spellcaster is shaken.

• Mold the Flesh - (Requires Cursing & Demonic Anatomy) This power allows the spellcaster to take on the countenance of someone they have personally met, create powerful physical weaponry from their bodies, or destroy the flesh of an extra by touching them. By spending 2 power points, the spellcaster may create bone weapons from their body (or someone else's) that deal D6 in weapon damage. Alternately, they automatically gain the ability to look like someone they have met in person adding a +4 to any skill roll that might benefit from being someone else. Finally, the spellcaster may use this power on any extra to render two limbs useless on a successful magic roll. On a roll of a '1' on the magic die, the spellcaster is either shaken if they are trying to modify their own body, or stuck to an extra if they try to render limbs useless.

• Plague Wind - (Requires Prophecy & Necromancy)Causes a potentially deadly contagion to break out and infect a district of the population.

• Portal - (Requires Hypnosis and Scrying) Identical to the teleport power in the Savage Worlds rulebook.

• Shake the Bones of the Earth - (Requires Prophecy & Goety) Causes an earthquake doing extensive property damage.

• Whisper My Name in Fear - (Requires Scrying & Necromancy) Once a sorcerer learns this Secret, he will know from that moment on whenever his name is spoken anywhere in the world. If somebody utters the sorcerer’s name, the sorcerer immediately and unfailingly learns this person’s name, location, identity (e.g. farmer, nobleman, gang member, etc.), in what context his name was spoken (e.g. hostile, reverential, in awe, plotting, etc.), and also the names and identities of this person’s interlocutors.

I was going to argue that we should not do direct damage effects with arcane backgrounds, but this list is so damned evil and Witchfire fits so well that I am totally on board

Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that. We can still pull it back out? This list is cribbed from some pulp Swords & Sorcery stuff I have. BTW, I've still got more work to do on this list. I've got to add rules, too.