These are somewhat more advanced spellweaves known to Theril, Nimlo, Dargon, and Quix. Most of these are designed explicitly for military use, though not all are directly applicable to the immediate exigencies of combat. These reflect the same types of changes mentioned under "Basic Spellweaves" below. Again, note that these are very basic descriptions; the specific extent and limitations of these spells, even when woven in their normal forms, are rather more complicated. I did leave out one spell in this class, known only to Theril among Black Steel wizards, because it was a highly specialized spell which she learned for a very specific purpose, and has not been used or mentioned since. If it, or any use for it, ever comes up again, I'll describe it then.
Amphibious Lungs: Originally designed by human wizards to combat undersea enemies, preferably by enchanting a giant ally, this spell allows its subject to breathe oxygenated water (e.g. water in which a fish can "breathe" with its gills) as comfortably as though it were air, for up to 24 hours, without interfering with the subject's ability to breathe air as well. The change affects the subject's reflex system, physiology, and lung structure as well, allowing him to breathe water without reflexively choking, to descend safely into deeps where the pressure would normally crush a human's lungs, and to avoid the bends upon surfacing, no matter how quickly.
Darksight: Another "special forces" spell for wars against inhuman species, this one was designed to give the subject, usually a spy or assassin, the ability to see clearly in starless night or the lightless depths of a cave, without giving himself away by carrying a light source. It was designed with long-term missions in mind, and therefore, like Amphibious Lungs, lasts up to 24 hours.
Directed Deflection: Developed and expanded from the simple Deflection spell, this spell's enhanced effects are made possible by the caster's continuous and direct attention, directing the field of deflecting force himself. Any and all arrows, javelins, spears, crossbow bolts, even rocks of reasonable size -- falling, thrown, or launched from slings -- that the caster can see approaching the subject of this spell are automatically knocked aside unless enabled to get through by enchantments of their own, allowing a great warrior, a giant with a ram, or the caster himself to walk into a storm of arrows unharmed. This spell may last indefinitely, ending only but as soon as the caster's attention to it (and weaving and direction of it) lapses.
Enhance Reflexes: Intended for use upon an army unit in preparation for battle, this spell gives its subject and everyone immediately around him at the time of the spell's release the energy and reflexes of a berzerker so long as they all remain near the central subject (e.g. part of their unit). It does nothing to prevent wounds or exhaustion, but those are matters to be considered after the battle is won. By means of a simple modification to its core in the inital weaving process, the caster can instead prepare a slightly different version of this spell that has the effect of sapping the energy and dulling the reflexes of its target and everyone near him if they fail to resist its power; this version of the spell, usually called "Impede Reflexes," is most often used to weaken the enemy at a critical position, like a castle gate or the crest of a hill, or to soften a key section of the enemy battle line. Though anyone other than its immediate target can escape its effects by leaving the area of its power (even if they immediately return) an army whose men leave an important station at the wrong moment is likely to suffer even more than one that finds the men there suddenly and severely weakened.
Firecast: Finesse and subtlety have their place. The drawing room for instance. On the battlefield, you want /this/ kind of spell. Firecast doesn't act like an explosive bomb or rocket-propelled grenade -- there's no explosion or impact, and there are no fragmentation shards -- but it does fill its target area with blazing, magical fire. The more skilled the caster of the spell, the wider the area, and the hotter the flames.
Flight: How do you get a sniper into a good position over a castle on a bluff? How do you send a swordsmaster after the rider on a hippogriff who's dropping rocks on you from above? How do you place a scout or general to observe every position and direct his whole army on a battlefield three miles across? How do you get a messenger home with a captured artifact when the enemy surrounds you on all sides? Oh, you can find other ways, no doubt, but the best way is usually to fly. Based on the humble Resist Gravity spell, Flight is just a little over-ambitious for its power and spellweave design, and is therefore one of the most unstable spells in a wizard's repertoire, but it works, and if woven correctly is always good for at least an hour. A skilled wizard like Theril can make it last even longer too, and though it /does/ cut out without warning when its weave finally collapses, the final stages of the collapse can be recognized by the caster or anyone else familiar with the spell, as long as they can see its weave working with their sorcerous vision, usually enough to give several minutes of warning.
Group Invisibility: Another spell meant (like Enhance Reflexes) to be worked on a small combat unit, this is ideal for flanking maneuvers, ambushes, and sneak attacks, among other special assignments. It works just like the Invisibility spell, but affects everyone immediately around the subject as well as the subject himself. As with Enhance Reflexes, those under the spell must remain close to the subject (e.g. moving together as an army unit) in order to continue to benefit from the spell.
Protective Aura: The third spell intended for army units, this one is meant to defend one as it escorts the caster himself. Its effects are identical to a simple Protective Charm, but protects the caster's entire immediate vicinity and anyone in that area who treats him as a friend and ally.
Spellbind: When Matrix met Pasha Fokahre for her jungle party, people say he just stood and stared as if spellbound by her beauty. This is the spell to which they're referring. It is heavily based on the Bewitch spell, but so overwhelms its subjects' faculties -- it is most potent against a single target, but may affect several at once -- that they essentially freeze in place, slowing and stopping if in motion when the spell is cast and more or less relaxing while holding roughly the same position they were in when the spell caught them. The subjects can still see and hear, but can't move even their eyes while the spell continues (usually roughly an hour, depending on the caster's skill). It is possible, via a simple change in the weaving process, for the caster to prepare a different version of this spell, usually just called Release, since Spellbinding magics are common enough that Release is primarily used as a means of breaking them. Its true effect however is to ease undue stress and strain on its subject's mental faculties, thereby breaking not only Spellbindings but the temporary power of paralyzing emotion, religious fervor, or even pain, allowing its subject to function normally, at least until something triggers the natural paralyzing effect again. (Thus, a mourner, helpless with grief, might be Released by this spell and go about the business of his own life, only to break down again on seeing something that reminds him too strongly of the deceased.)
Spellbreak: Spellbreak is quick and dirty anti-magic, and its operation is quite straightforward: It sweeps through a wide area, tying tight, blocking knots into every spellweave it can find, preventing them from operating, so that they collapse and cease to function. The spellweaves of especially skilled wizards are resistant to this effect for the same reasons that they tend to be more lasting in the first place: They are typically more compact, better capable of repairing themselves, and better fortified against outside interference. Nonetheless, Spellbreak is such a crude and powerful instrument, even the spells of very powerful wizards rarely escape its effects -- and of course as a wizard becomes more skilled at spellweaving, he can make his Spellbreaks more effective too.
Spinning Stones: Before he and Dargon moved up to Illenia (by way of Night Harbor, which most people would say is going about the thing back end foremost) Quix took regular walks by the stream that runs through the Scabbard, picking up skipping stones to toss across the water. Wizard that he was, he soon got the notion of getting such stones to skip on the air. He's a practical-minded guy though, and the spell he eventually developed, a clever union of Spellstrike and Minor Telekinesis with some ideas of his own, is a quirky but effective combat spell, especially useful for "shooting around corners," as the stones can twist and swerve in flight, and don't require line of sight as long as the targets' locations are known. Upon impact, each Spinning Stone is eradicated by the spell's magic, delivering a shock of pure magical energy to its target. Although greater skill allows wizards to enchant greater numbers of stones (all must be hurled at once, regardless) the only sure way to get the maximum effect is to prepare the number of stones you want and wrap the spell around them just before releasing it. It's therefore of limited effect as a quick reaction spell, but if you've waging a secret war against Black Steel, and you spot Theril approaching, counting smooth river stones into her hand, the time has come to turn around and run.
Thunderbolt: Finesse and subtelety really /are/ terrific, and they really /do/ have their place. Sometimes the time and place for certain other tactics is just a little easier to recognize. Thunderbolt does not call down lightning from the clouds, and does not generate a "bolt from the blue" like a judgment from the gods. The wizard points at the spot where he wants the bolt to start, and forked lightning roars out from there in the same direction the wizard is pointing, generating a thunderclap that can be heard for miles around. A Thunderbolt can blast through wooden doors and walls, set trees afire, and sometimes even shatter stone, and if it strikes something it can't get through, it only multiplies its forks, arcing through the area with greater force than before. This is the spell you use on giants and drakes when the time for subtlety is gone.
Vicarious Vision: Sometimes finesse even has its place in war. Wizards are often repositories of knowledge, and leaders of men -- too valuable and vulernable to be risked in espionage missions or lightning raids, but necessary to their success or in need of such information as they bring as soon as it can be had. Long ago, a great sorcerous general therefore developed the means of going on his spies' most important missions without ever leaving his command post. By casting Vicarious Visions and spending ten minutes with one of his spies, attuning to his vision, he could see the world as though he were looking through the eyes of the spy for nearly two hours. This spell is also useful for learning a creature's motives without the dangers inherent in Mind Reading though; attuning to a creature does not require its permission or knowledge so long as it's close, and the caster can see exactly what that creature looks at, focuses upon, and does in its own view, then return to his own eyes or even move on to someone new.
Weave Read: Though now most often used /after/ a battle to discover the nature of enchantments left behind by the enemy -- or during a secret mission, to learn the nature of sorcerous defenses -- Weave Read was originally developed as a counter-intelligence measure to learn what enchantments might lie upon an ally or informant who had been in enemy territory. Weave Read enhances the wizard's sorcerous vision to reveal intimate details of spellweaves set upon the caster's location or an object in his hands. While this does not grant perfect knowledge of the spell's effects, and certain spells, especially when cast by highly skilled wizards, are capable of deceiving it, Weave Read is in general extremely reliable, especially as the caster grows skilled enough to recognize greater numbers of spells and deceptions. It is also the simplest enhancement to sorcerous vision that is actually superior to what Theril can do naturally.
