Aqua Lore
The Nautican spellcasters are exclusively female. They are rare and mostly shy but sometimes venture to the surface waters to sate their curiosity about the "land beings". Many stories are told about these beautiful spellcasters which surface dwellers call by the names of Muses, Sirens and Mermaids. Many races fear the Sirens saying they deliberately draw their ships onto rocks enchanting the sailors with their songs. Others say the Sirens are friendly and have rescued drowning mariners. Little else is known about the Sirens on the surface world except that powerful elemental magic always follows in their wake.
The Sea Sirens and Mermaids float atop ever present magical waves and sing for the Nautican army seeking a way to join the Nauticans in their quest to inhabit the shallows and colonise coastal bays away from the terrors of the deep.
Spellcaster Special Rules
Sea Sirens (levels 1 & 2 magic users)
- see "4 - Characters"
Mermaids (levels 3 & 4 magic users)
- see "4 - Characters"
Note: when you see "Siren" below, please take this to mean Mermaid aswell.
Spell Generation
Roll a d6 to randomly generate:-
1 - Waterblast
2 - Symbol of the Southern Ocean
3 - Sea Surge
4 - The Dead Seas of Time
5 - Summon Water Elemental
6 - Tidal Wave
1 - Waterblast (Casting Power 5+)
A powerful blast of sea water surges from the spellcaster's fingertips at astonishing speed to crash into enemies foolish enough to approach within range. The power of the water is such that is hits the enemy like a solid wall. Those that do not succumb to the sheer force of the blast are often drowned or incapacitated as the water fills their lungs.
Target any unit in line of sight within 18". The unit suffers d6 str2 hits with no armour save allowed.
2 - Symbol of the Southern Ocean (casting power 6+)
Sirens and Mermaids have a close affinity with all of the creatures of the seas, those within it and those that live upon and around it. When the Sirens sing the melody of ocean breeze, the giant albatross will answer and come to their aid.
This spell can be cast upon any unmounted friendly Nautican character that is not engaged in combat, is within 18" of the Siren and has a starting profile wounds characteristic of 3 or less. The giant albatross will swoop down and lift the character, moving it anywhere within 20" of it's original position (even directly into combat, in which case the Nautican counts as charging in the following combat phase).
3 - Sea Surge (casting power 8+)
The crest of a wave is summoned to drive the Nautican army into the fray.
Target any friendly unit with the Seaborn rule within 18" (no line of sight is required). The unit is immediately moved 2d6 inches (+1 inch per magic level of the caster) directly forward*. If this results in contact with the enemy then resolve combat in the next phase as though the Nautican unit had charged**, the only allowable enemy charge reactions are "hold" or "flee."
* no unit can be moved more than once with the Sea Surge spell per Nautican magic phase
** the Nautican unit is not subject to any charge related psychology tests
4 - The Dead Seas of Time (casting power 8+)
Through song and dance the Siren conjures up images of the dead seas where no being or thing can survive. A highly corrosive salt covers everything and instantly eats into the enemy's skin, scales, armour and weapons alike. The salt is not lethal but very painful and distracting
Target any enemy unit within 18" that the caster can see, the unit's armour save, weapon skill and bow skill are all reduced by -1 for the remainder of the battle. Casting this spell more than once on a unit has no additional effect.
5 - Summon Water Elemental (casting power : 9, remains in play)
In times of dire need and usually only for their own protection a Siren can use great powers to animate water elementals to do their bidding.
The concentration required for such a feat is great and exhausting and the elemental's existence in this world is a fragile one held in place only by the great will of the Nautican spellcaster.A Siren may summon a water elemental. The elemental must remain within 8" of the caster at all times, if for any reason this distance is increased then the elemental waters will immediately dissipate into the ground and become but a puddle !
The concentration required to maintain a water elemental is so great that if the spellcaster moves, is wounded, engaged in combat or casts another spell then the water elemental immediately seeps back into the ground.
| M | Ws | Bs | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | |
| Water Elemental | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
Base Size : 40 x 40mm
Special : Unbreakable, Drown, Elemental Singularity
- Drown:-
The Water elemental attacks by attempting to drown it's enemies in a torrent of water and punches with watery fists as hard as iron that can smash stone and bones alike. Armour is of small help against a water elemental.
-2 armour save (-3 taking into account the str 4 attack)
Elemental Singularity:-
A water elemental cannot coexist in the presence of it's equal and opposite fire elemental or any part of it (even a single ember)
A water elemental will be immediately banished and cease to exist if it is hit (not necessarily wounded) by any kind of flaming attack whatsoever.
6 - Tidal Wave (casting power 13)
The most powerful and deadly of all the Siren spells. The raw unadulterated power of the seas is captured in a tidal wave. A power that can sweep across the battlefield destroying all in it's path. Enemies encumbered by armour or heavy, scaly skin and cavalry are particularly vulnerable because they are less able or totally unable to rise above the wave, they are literally pinned to the ground and are crushed and drown where they stand. Likewise, those inanimate objects which not designed to function underwater are more readily damaged, flooded or rendered inoperable.
The spell is equally effective against the undead (even though they cannot be drowned) because the wave is infused with Nautican magic that cleanses the unnatural sorcery that binds the undead to the living world. The longer the undead are held under the waters the more damage that is done.
The tidal wave moves directly from the caster 24" in a straight line chosen by the Nautican player. Any units in the path of the tidal wave immediately suffer the following effects:-
The Tidal Wave's effective strength differs according the enemy's armour save:-
armour save 5+ or no save - str 3 hits
armour save 4 - str 4 hits
armour save 3 - str 5 hits
armour save 2 or better - str 6 hits
1st unit in the tidal wave's path : 2d6 hits
2nd unit in the tidal wave's path : d6 hits
3rd unit in the tidal wave's path : d3 hits
Any low level obstacles such as hedges and walls are completely destroyed if a tidal wave hits them but in turn they weaken the power of the wave as though it had passed through an enemy unit.*
* For example if a tidal wave was cast against a unit behind a hedge the hedge would absorb the effect of the wave as though it were the 1st unit hit by the wave. The unit behind the hedge would then suffer d6 hits, any further unit hit by the wave would suffer d3 hits.
3rd unit in the tidal wave's path : d3 hits
Any low level obstacles such as hedges and walls are completely destroyed if a tidal wave hits them but in turn they weaken the power of the wave as though it had passed through an enemy unit.*
* For example if a tidal wave was cast against a unit behind a hedge the hedge would absorb the effect of the wave as though it were the 1st unit hit by the wave. The unit behind the hedge would then suffer d6 hits, any further unit hit by the wave would suffer d3 hits.
Tidal Waves can be cast into combat** because Nauticans suffer no ill effects from being hit by a tidal wave, they sense it coming, can breathe underwater and are literally in their element !
** A Tidal Wave which passes through a Nautican unit engaged with the targeted enemy will be dispersed somewhat and treated as though it had already passed through an enemy unit. In this case, the 1st enemy unit in the wave's path will suffer d6 hits (not 2d6 because the Nautican unit it is engaged with has already absorbed some of the wave's power) and the 2nd unit will suffer d3 hits.
Note: if the spell is cast into combat against an enemy unit behind an obstacle then the Nauticans count as the first unit encountered and the obstacle would count as the second object the wave encounters so the enemy unit would suffer d3 hits after which the Wave's power would have dissipated.
