In driving rain, at night, aiming at the
smallest of moving targets, the willworker
armed with this spell might just make a
shot if her skill is sufficient for the task.
This magic eliminates all of the minor
random factors that conspire against
ranged attacks, while giving the mage a
flawless lock on an object or living creature
within her normal line of sight. It
cannot be used to shoot around corners,
but it can be used to shoot a hummingbird
out of the air or to put a hole directly
through the middle of a playing card
flicked up into the air.
The mage uses Life 1 to get a lock on
a living creature or Matter 1 for an
object. Each success reduces one die of
ranged combat penalties normally due to the
target’s distance
(range
penalties), position
(such as being
prone), size (for
very small targets)
or environmental factors
such as darkness, snow or anything
else that doesn’t directly
work upon the mage herself or serve
to physically shield the target (the
spell does not eliminate cover penalties).
It can even apply to penalties for
aiming at specific targets, such as an
enemy’s hand or the object he holds.
The spell is applied to the next roll the
caster makes against the target onto
which he has locked. If the target leaves
his direct sight before he makes his shot,
he loses the lock and must cast this spell
again to achieve the same effect.
This spell cannot be cast in combination
with the Space 1 Spatial Map spell
(p. 233); only one spell (the one with the
highest Potency) takes precedence.
Guardians of the Veil Rote: The Wings Off A Fly
More than once, the secrecy of the
Mysteries has hinged on a Guardian
being able to eliminate some small
scampering thing before it can escape
to bedevil Sleepers, or perhaps to destroy
some tiny relic dangling from
around an enemy’s wrist. This rote
enables a willworker under such circumstances
to shoot from the hip with
precision that would be envied by the
world’s finest snipers.
