These rare spells were taught to Ilius by his pater, Petalichus the Spider.
R: Voice, D: Mom, T: Group
The targets’ clothes seek out and bind themselves to the nearest other object, moving or not. If the members of a group are standing sufficiently close, this spell binds them together. The magic lasts just long enough for the clothes to bind themselves into knots, and then dissipates, allowing the targets to free themselves by undoing or cutting the knotted cloth.
While all of a target’s surface clothing will writhe and seek out something to bind to, there is no guarantee that all of it can. If the clothes are close-fitting, or there is not enough slack in the garment, the cloth will simply flail for a moment and then fall dormant. If there is sufficient cloth but there is nothing within its reach, the target may still become bound up as his clothes wrap and tie themselves around his limbs.
Affected targets suffer a –3 penalty to all subsequent rolls for physical actions, but can free themselves by either dedicating a round to cutting or tearing the clothing, or by spending two rounds working to untie the knots.
Storyguides may wish to give other options to particularly large, strong, or dexterous characters. Until members of the target group have freed themselves, successive castings of this spell have no further effect.
(Base 1, +2 Voice, +2 Group)
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Part
Like The Weaver’s Subtle Art (below), this spell makes a lasting change to a tapestry or other item made from cloth (whether made from wool, cotton, silk, or linen). Any geometric shape or regular line in or on the item, or even the shape of the item itself, can be made even and precise. The Creo requisite ensures that the lines and shapes affected by this spell are perfect examples of their type.
This spell is used to enhance items, especially when making Excellent-quality wares, or Items of Quality as per the Verditius House Mystery detailed in Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults, page 124. The application of this spell alone is not enough to raise the true quality of an item (it cannot be made more hardy or more richly colored, for instance), but it is enough to aid spells that require certain mathematical resonances.
The individual changes made by the spell may stand out and draw the eye of those interested in the piece. Those looking at the work should make a Perception + Awareness + simple die roll against an Ease Factor of 9. On a success they notice the precision of the affected areas. Those who have the ability may substitute their Weaver craft ability for Awareness when making the check. A Herbam casting requisite is required for tapestries that include plant-based cloth or yarn.
(Base 1, +1 Touch, +1 Part, +1 for size, +1 for Creo requisite)
R: Sight, D: Conc, T: Ind
This spell uses a target’s clothes against him, twisting them into cords that then strangle the target for as long as the caster keeps concentrating.
Using the deprivation rules in ArM5, page 180, the target must make a Stamina check every 5 rounds. Additionally, the target can attempt a Strength + Athletics stress roll against the caster’s Dexterity + Finesse simple roll in order to break the grip of the clothes. If the character is being helped, use the highest Strength + Athletics score and add 1 for each other person helping.
The target can attempt a Brave Personality Trait roll against an Ease Factor of 9 in order to perform an action other than attempting to free himself from the grip of his own clothes. The caster must, as usual, succeed in Concentration rolls each round.
(Base 1, +3 Sight, +1 Concentration)
R: Touch, D: Mom, T: Part
This spell allows the caster to make minor alterations to a finished tapestry or embroidered item, such as changing a subject’s pose, improving a likeness, or rewording an embroidered phrase. The change is minor in relation to the whole, never making up more than a fraction of the item, but as this spell can act on large tapestries, the individual change may itself be quite large. The change retains the original character of the work, so the intrinsic workmanship cannot, in itself, be improved through this spell.
The version known to Ilius was handed down to him by his master Petalichus. Casters who know this version may use their Weaver craft ability in place of Finesse when determining the quality of the effect. Magi who invent this spell, or learn it from another source, use Finesse as normal. A Herbam casting requisite is required for tapestries using plant-based thread.
(Base 1, +1 Touch, +1 Part, +1 for size, +1 for Finesse)
R:Touch, D: Mom, T: Group
One of the first spells taught to Ilius by his pater, this spell cleans, cards, and spins a whole fleece, or a bale of cotton or flax, into thread in a matter of moments. If dye is available when the spell is cast, the thread can be dyed as the caster directs. A Herbam casting requisite is required for plant-based cloth.
This is an Average task for a mundane spinner, so the caster must make a Perception + Finesse (precision) + stress die roll against an Ease Factor of 12 (Craft Ease Factor 9 + 3 for using Craft Magic). Failing the roll results in a badly spun fleece, probably with flecks of dirt still clinging to the thread. A botched roll ruins the fleece outright, though this may not be immediately apparent. See Covenants, page 49 for more on Rego Craft Magic.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Group)
R:Touch, D: Mom, T: Group
This spell is exceptionally good at making simple cloth, but casters may find it difficult to create cloth of any great quality or highly patterned tapestries. The table below lists the base Ease Factors for weaving bolts of cloth in a single casting. Treat each bolt of cloth as being two paces in length by one pace wide. Successive castings can extend the current bolt of cloth rather than creating a new item.
Members of Ilius’s lineage have traditionally used this spell in practicing their Finesse. The caster makes a Perception + Finesse (precision) + stress die and compares the result against the table below.
It is a harder task to create patterned cloth. A simple repeating pattern adds +3 to the Ease Factor, while an image or words woven into the cloth adds +6. See City & Guild, page 67 for more on item quality. A Herbam casting requisite is required for work involving cotton or linen.
(Base 3, +1 Touch, +2 Group)