The Rules: Optional Rules

Introduction

No set of wargaming rules ever hit the streets perfect as no amount of playtesting can ever really match the collected intellect of the wargames community.  

Below you will find some extra rules written by players of Vis Magica,  Use them or not as you see fit.

Optional Rule 1:  Challenges

Optional Rule 2:  Combining Schools of Magic

Optional Rule:  Challenges

In the Issue Orders phase, before orders are issued, any Hero or Officer within 16cms of an enemy Hero or Officer can issue a challenge to single combat. 

If the Hero or Officer declines the challenge then they lose a point of Strength from shame or contempt for their cowardice.

If they agree to fight, then the Heroes/Officers are moved together and each roll a D6 adding their current strength (max of 6).

The winner takes one strength point of damage, the loser takes half the difference in the die rolls in strength points of damage.  If a tie occurs, then both lose a strength point and they fight again immediately.

Note that the proximity of the enemy Hero or Officer is ignored for Officer Casualties:  the challenge was bad enough!

Optional Rule:  Combined Schools of Magic

Magicians who are able to use more than one school of magic (Sorcerers, Wizards, Mages and ArchMages) may combine their magics to create new effects.

Details of the combinations appear below:

Mist Magic

Each time either player has rolled the dice to spot an enemy Leader Base, any Magician/Officer/Hero with both Air & Water magic may affect the dice that have been rolled. The scores on the dice may be either increased or decreased as the Magician wishes.

It costs one point of magic to affect the score on the dice by one point.

Sound Magic

By spending two magic points, a Magician/Officer/Hero with both Air & Fire magic may increase or decrease the command distance of an Officer until the end of that command phase.

The Officer concerned increases or decreases his command distance to the next rank e.g. a Leader, usual command distance 16", if increased, would become able to command without distance penalty like a Sub-General i.e. up to 32"; and a Sub-General, if decreased, down to 16".

Note that it costs two magic points per Officer magicked: not two magic points for all that player's Officers.

Command Magic

By spending one magic point, a Magician/Officer/Hero with both Void & Fire magic may increase or decrease the command points of an Officer by one point. This applies both to friendly and enemy Officers.

Shock Magic

By spending two magic points, a Magician/Officer/Hero may immediately disorder or remove disorder from a base. This is obviously particularly effective if a base is about to enter combat or take a morale check.

Ground Magic

By spending two magic points, a Magician/Officer/Hero with both Earth & Water magic may immediately ground an enemy Flyer base. The base may not take off again until it passes a morale test to be taken during the Routs section of the Mandatory phase.

This effect may also be removed from a grounded base by spending two magic points.

Range Magic

By spending one magic point per 2", a Magician/Officer/Hero with both Earth & Air magic may effectively increase the range of a base's missile weapons.

Subtract the " generated by the Magician from the distance between the shooting and target bases, and that is the range at which casualties are taken e.g. a base is shooting with Distance Weapons (range 3"/7") at an enemy base 10" away.  The Magician uses four magic points, and the enemy base is now 10" - 8" = 2" away (i.e. within short range) for the purposes of calculating casualties.

Order Magic

By spending four magic points, a Magician/Officer/Hero with both Water & Void magic may immediately change the orders of one base, friends or enemy. The base must then immediately act under its new orders.

For example, if a base were about to charge into contact, but had its orders altered to Halt, then the base would be unable to charge and would have to halt on the spot.