5. Hallucinatory Forest

Ranian Cycle

BTS: n/a

ULT: 50 hours

Materials: a piece of real forest (e.g. a leaf or branch), not Druidic media

Actions: use Materials to indicate intended area of Hallucinatory Forest

1 to 14 No Effect

³ 15 Create Hallucinatory Forest of Radius 10(T-14) ft2 (may specify a maximum Radius and/or exact places covered, within Radius)

e.g. if T = 24, Radius = 100ft, producing a circular area of Hallucinatory Forest 200ft in diameter, or less if desired

Duration: 10t min - t(t-1)/2

Range: 100d ft -d(d-1)/2 (calculated to centre of Radius)

Unnatural Forest for location: -1 to -6 (depending on how unnatural).  E.g. to Cast a wood of local trees which is inappropriate to the soil, drainage or altitude gives -1, to Cast a mangrove swamp in the desert gives -6.  The Caster may specify the type of Forest required (which does not necessarily involve trees), but it must be one that is natural somewhere in the World and in which he has previously instressed.  There is an additional penalty of -1 per year since he last instressed there.

Notes:

  1. Hallucinatory Forest is an Illusion Spell: see the General Notes for Illusionist Spells.
  2. It creates an illusory area of Forest, in all senses (Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell and Taste), including natural flora and fauna.  The exact flora and fauna and their positioning are determined by the Nature Spirit performing the Spell, not by the Caster, and will blend in with their surroundings, so far as possible (e.g. if Cast over a track, there will still be a track through the illusory Forest, but it will be an illusory one, which is likely to take a different route).
  3. The Illusion must be created within the Radius, but may be perceived from outside it.
  4. The Caster perceives the Illusion, but can tell it is illusory, and can perceive the reality beneath it.  
  5. The real flora and fauna are still there, but only the Caster can perceive them beneath the Illusion.
  6. Unnatural objects are still perceived within the illusory Forest, so if cast within a town, the buildings will appear to have been overgrown.  Likewise Beings (including the Caster) outside the Natural ranks in the Scale of Life will still be perceived, so far as not hidden by the illusory Forest.
  7. The illusory Forest does not move.  Its fauna may, though they will not leave the Radius..
  8. The Caster has no control over how the illusory Forest (and in particular its fauna) behave.  It is an Independent Illusion in the terms of Illusion Spells.  It will respond in a natural fashion to the weather and to the activities of Beings within it.  This includes responding to the Caster, but if he does impossible things like standing inside trees, the Nature Spirit will treat this as if he has Cast Hide in Trees.
  9. Instressing an illusory Forest does not give IPs (though the person instressing might mistakenly think he has gained them!).