* Restricted Information: specialist Gravity Elementalists only

All Fall Down...

General Notes for Gravity Spells

• Gravity
• Falling
• Landing
• Maximum Speed

Gravity

Gravity is an Elemental force deriving from the Power of CASPIS, God of Gravity, and implemented by His Gravity Elementals.  It pushes / pulls downwards at a force of 1 Gravity ("1G"), or 32 feet per second per second (32 ft/s²), being the maximum gravitational force exerted by a L1 Gravity Elemental (equivalent to the meta gravity at sea level on Earth).  Higher Level Gravity Elementals can exert a maximum gravitational force of up to n times 1G, where n is their Level, e.g. a 10th Level Gravity Elemental can exert a force of up to 10G.

Gravity operates within a hemispherical area of an estimated radius of 3,750 miles (or 5 times the approximate height of Mt. Anar).  The base of the hemisphere is a flat sphere (the "Gravity Line"), on which rests the top of the Wall at the Edge of the World, all around the perimeter of the Underworld.  The top of the hemisphere is at the Sun's Perihelion, twice the height of Mt. Anar above the Overworld.  Immediately beyond this hemisphere in the Overworld lie the Stars (pure Chaos).  Beyond the Gravity Line in the Underworld lies the Void, which is without Gravity, and an uncertain distance beyond the Void lie the Stars again, as seen from the Underworld.  The area in which Gravity Elementals operate approximates to the air-filled area in which Air Elementals operate, except that over the Underworld there is a bubble of air beyond the Gravity Line above Hell (in which debris can sometimes be seen) and the air thins out and disappears below the Gravity Line elsewhere above the Underworld.

In the Overworld and in the Underworld, Gravity pushes / pulls towards the Gravity Changeover Point, which runs through the Depths of the Earth midway between the Overworld and the Underworld, terminating at the Wall at the Edge of the World.  Places where the Changeover Point may most commonly be encountered are at the Wall itself (where it is centred on the base of the Wall where it meets the ground on both sides, making the Wall appear flat at its base but becoming vertical towards its top), the Gates of Hell (at the bottom of the Sun Pit in Hell, where CAERULAS rests during most of the Overworld night / Underworld day), the bed of the Great Ocean at its deepest point where it meets Mt. Anar, and deep in the Dungeons of Mt. Anar on the approaches to Hell.  At the Gravity Changeover Point, as passed in the Dungeons, down flips to up.

Throughout the area in which Gravity operates, the Elementals push / pull (depending on the position of the Elemental relative to the subject) uniformly downwards towards the nearest Gravity Changeover Point at a force of 1G.  Thus an object or Being will always tend to fall towards the surface of the Earth, or (if underground) down towards the Depths of the Earth.  The exception is on the Wall, where something or someone falling off its edge will fall inwards towards it, sliding down to its base.

The Palace of CASPIS is situated on the Wall at the Edge of the World, beyond the Caspian Mountains.  Gravity operates in variable directions and strengths within the Palace.

There is no Gravity in the Ethereal or Astral Planes.  Gravity usually operates normally in the Dreamworlds (except in certain Falling Nightmares).  In Chaos or Madness the situation is more variable.

The power of Gravity may be exerted anywhere in Anarea outside its usual bounds by Activating a Gravity Elemental of sufficient Level to achieve the desired Spell Effect.

Falling

A force of 1G should accelerate a falling object or being without air resistance (e.g. in the Void) at a rate of 32 feet per second per second.  However, Gravity Elementals are inconsistent, so this rate varies slightly in practice.  Most Gravity is exerted by L1 Gravity Elementals, who are a bit lazy, so experienced Gravity Elementalists use a rate of 30 ft/s² as a rule of thumb.  But occasionally an overenthusiastic higher level Elemental may be at work, and the rate may exceed 32 ft/s².

At an acceleration of 30 ft/s² a man who appears stationary in mid-air (e.g. by stepping off a cliff or appearing in mid air after an unsuccessful Teleport) will accelerate to a speed of 30 ft per second after one second of falling and 60 ft per second after two seconds of falling, etc.

But Air Elementals resent the impudence of Gravity Elementals at accelerating subjects through what they see as their domain.  The effects of this can be even more variable, as two competing types of Elemental are at work.  However, the usual effect is that Air Resistance pushes back at Gravity, to give falling Beings and objects a maximum falling speed.  The greater the area of the falling Being or object that is exposed to the resisting air, the more the Air Elementals are affronted, and the more they have to push back against with air, but typically air resistance prevents further acceleration once a falling speed of 150 ft per second has been reached (about 102 miles per hour).  Should something be moving faster than 150 feet per second, air resistance will tend to decelerate it at 10 feet per second per second.  More or less air resistant objects (e.g. feathers or arrows respectively) can have air resistance cut in earlier or later.

So for the man who appears stationary in mid-air these are the typical statistics for his fall:

The Air Elementals may also be producing wind or other air movements, which will apply in addition to Gravity and Air Resistance.  For example if the wind is blowing at 10 miles per hour in a certain horizontal direction, then after falling 102 miles in an hour , the subject will also be displaced by the wind 10 miles in that direction.

Gravity is independent of movement sideways or in other directions, whether caused by motion of the subject or by Gravity Spells or effects.  For example, if our example man was moving at 10 feet per second when he ran off a cliff, he would continue to move 10 feet in that direction each second that he fell.  But if that sideways vector is not maintained (as he has stopped running), his weight will tend to slow him.

Gravity will also decelerate anyone moving upwards.  For example if a giant throws a man into the air at 90 feet per second, he will decelerate in 3 seconds, rising up to 135 feet above the ground, before starting to fall.

Water resists falling much more strongly than air, as Water Elementals resent the intrusion of Gravity Elementals into their domain even more than do Air Elementals.  The maximum falling speed for most things in water is 15 feet per second, and things falling faster will decelerate at 30 ft/s² until falling at this speed.

In many cases, it will be important to calculate the speed of landing.  A formula that allows calculation of landing speed depending on distance fallen is as follows.

• Let s = height to fall

• Then landing speed = SQRT(60*s) or 150, whichever is lower

Thus:

Landing

Landing after a fall requires a Thievish Jump roll, and depending on the speed of falling and the result of the Jump roll, damage may resolve.  The procedure is as follows:

1. Work out the unmodified speed of landing from the table above.

   Make a Jump roll (if able) with usual DL for encumbrance, and ignoring any run up.  Apply the following DLs:
   DL 3    Fall is of 5 seconds or less and was not of own volition
   DL 1    Fall is of 5-20 seconds and was not of own volition
   DL 3    Falling head first
   DL –2    Falling into water
   This will give a number of feet that can be jumped.

2. Convert the number of feet that can be jumped into a landing speed according to the formula or table above – SQRT (60* no. of feet). For example a throw of 0 gives 6 feet, which is 19 ft/second.

3. Subtract the speed at 1. from the speed at 3. and this will give a modified speed of landing.  For example someone falling from a 50’ building (54.8 ft/sec) who rolls 0 at jump (19 ft/sec) gets a modified speed of 35.8 ft/sec.

4.  If your modified speed of landing is 20 ft/second or greater, take D6 general damage per 5 ft/second (FRU) above this.  For example if your modified speed is 28 ft/sec, take 2D6. Modify the damage as follows:
   - Wearing chain or ring armour, +1 damage per die
   - Wearing plate armour, +2 per die
   - Landing in mud or snow, -1 per die
   - Landing in water, -2 per dice (min 0)

For example:

• An orc jumps off a burning tower 100’ high with no encumbrance.  His unmodified speed is 77.5 ft/second, but he’s an excellent thief and rolls –150 on jump which gives a 18 foot jump, reducing this by 32.9 feet/second to 44.6 ft/second. He takes 5D6 general damage.

• An unconscious man is dropped 10 feet onto the ground. His falling speed is 24.5 feet/second and he takes 1D6 of general damage.

• A man jumps off a bridge that is 78 feet high (68.4 ft/sec), making a jump roll that gives 5 feet (17.3 ft/sec) moderation. His modified falling speed is 51.1 ft/second, so he takes 7D6 general damage (-2 on each dice), which averages 11-12 points general damage.  

• A dwarf in plate mail falls from the side of Mount Anar into water miles below.  His unmodified landing speed is 150 ft/sec.  Suppose he manages a Jump roll of –20, this will reduce his modified landing speed to 129.5 ft/sec.  This gives 22D6 (+2-2)of general damage.

• A man falls 60 feet into a 30 feet deep pond with a muddy bottom.  He does not make a Jump roll.  His falling speed is 60 feet/second which gives 8D6 (-2 on each dice) roll.  His speed reduces to 30 feet/second hitting the muddy bottom, so he takes a further 2D6 (-1 on each dice) damage from the pond floor.

Maximum Speed

Many Gravity Spells produce a "Max. Speed" effect.  Unless otherwise specified, the Target will accelerate at 1G until it reaches that Max. Speed, and then move constantly at that Max. Speed in the specified direction, irrespective of Air Resistance, Water Resistance or the Target being in a Void.  Typically the Caster may use light concentration to limit the Speed to any value below the Max., but acceleration or deceleration is still at 1G unless otherwise specified.  The Elemental is pushing constantly to reach and maintain the designated Max. Speed.

Competing Gravity Spells produce multiple cumulative vectors: e.g. two Gravity Spells producing a Speed of 20 ft/sec in opposite directions will cancel each other out.  Where multiple Max. Speeds are in effect, by default count only those which are being concentrated upon.

Where a Gravity Spell or Effect produces an effect described as just "Speed" or "Force", without a "Max." or "Maximum" it is a constant G force, giving acceleration subject to Air/Water Resistance as described in Falling above.

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