Available to: Sorceror, Witch King, Wizard, Magician

Sources: Book of Lore, Enchanter's Skull, Warlock

The Purple Type IV spells are some of the most powerful in the game. Every veteran player has seen the Sorceror or the Witch King open up with a Fiery Blast and incinerate the Rogues or Goblins menacing him. However, Fiery Blast is not the only useful spell in the Purple arsenal.

Blazing Light (Type IV/Purple)

Target: Cave clearing

Duration: Day

Usefulness: 3

The spellcaster must be in a cave clearing to cast this spell, and his target is that clearing. Each character, hired leader or controlled monster in that clearing during Birdsong has the option to record an extra phase to do any normal activity. He must also be in the clearing when he starts the phase or the activity is cancelled.

Perhaps best used to provide extra opportunities to Search while in caves. But it can also be used to record an extra Move phase, if the Move phase is taken while in the clearing.

Elemental Spirit (Type IV/Purple)

Target: Any of the spellcaster's type IV and type VI magic chits

Duration: Day

Usefulness: 4

Each targeted Type IV chit is transformed into a Type VIII chit, and each targeted Type VI chit is transformed into a Type V chit.

Chit-changing spell.

Fiery Blast (Type IV/Purple)

Target: any number of characters, monsters, and/or natives

Duration: Attack

Usefulness: 1

This spell attacks each target like a missile weapon with a length of 13, and it inflicts Light damage plus three sharpness stars.

The definitive combat spell. Using the Optional Combat Rules, an Alerted Fiery Blast is almost impossible for any denizen to withstand (since it attacks at time 0 and the difference between this time and the Move time of the target is added to the Harm it inflicts), but without the Optional Combat Rules it is a little unreliable due to its reliance on the Missile Table. It is good for taking out large numbers of weaker opponents such as Goblins, and as such it is a standard part of the arsenal.

Hurricane Winds (Type IV/Purple)

Target: One character, monster or native

Duration: Move

Usefulness: 2

This spell can be cast only in a mountain clearing. It creates a Fly chit with Tremendous strength and a time number of "1". The target must use this chit to run away at the start of the next encounter step; the Fly chit overrules the target's normal behaviour. When the target flies out of the clearing, all of his belongings, including his horses, fly and land with him. The spellcaster chooses which adjacent tile the target flies to. If the target is a denizen that does not record turns, it lands at the beginning of Daylight, just before the first attention chit is chosen. Otherwise, the target lands during his turn, as usual.

This seems to be a genuinely useful spell, but I've never seen it used in a game. It can be used by a Purple spellcaster to escape from a tile, or to shunt a dangerous monster from the mountain tile it is prowling in to another. A Tremendous Flying Dragon, for example, can be whisked away from its Horde to land in some Valley, where it will prowl as normal. It will not return to its Horde until dragons regenerate (4 chances of 1 in 6 during a normal game). This will allow the spellcaster to Loot the horde in safety.

Lightning Bolt (Type IV/Purple)

Target: One character, monster or native

Duration: Attack

Usefulness: 2

This spell can be used only in a mountain clearing. It attacks like a missile weapon with a length of 18, and it inflicts Medium damage plus three sharpness stars.

The weapon of choice for Purple spellcasters in mountains. Even better in effect than Fiery Blast, its only limit is its ineffectiveness anywhere other than Mountains. Useful in conjunction with Hurricane Winds.

Roof Collapses (Type IV/Purple)

Target: The spellcaster's (cave) clearing

Duration: Attack

Usefulness: 4

This spell can be used only in a cave clearing. It automatically attacks every character, monster and native in the cave clearing, including the spellcaster. Hidden individuals in the clearing are also attacked, and can play manoeuvres without becoming unhidden. It attacks like a striking weapon with a length of 18, and it inflicts Heavy damage with no sharpness stars. Important: This spell always attacks each target in the Smash direction with a time number of "4", regardless of the chit or card that was used to cast it.

I've never seen a spellcaster risk casting this spell, due to the potential for suicide. The Sorceror and Wizard can avoid being killed by Roof Collapses if they play their Move M4* chits in Charge or Dodge. The Witch King cannot avoid being killed by this spell. The Magician (if he can cast the spell at all) can avoid it. Goblins can avoid it. Trolls can avoid it. Heavy Dragons can avoid it (although the T non-flying dragon cannot). Serpents can avoid it. Against those monsters that can avoid the spell (i.e., are not undercut) it is no better than any other H attack (which of course the spellcasting characters don't normally get), except that it is virtually guaranteed to take out two of six goblins on the first round, which may give your ally a chance to take out the other four - except that the ally is attacked by it as well! It does seem ideally suited as a Dwarf-killer - since he will be undercut if he does not play his Duck chit, and struck if he does - and a Witch King-killer - since he cannot play a manoeuvre to avoid it

Violent Storm (Type IV/Purple)

Target: The spellcaster's hex tile

Duration: Day

Usefulness: 5

The spellcaster rolls the dice and consults the Violent Storm table. The result is the number of phases each character, hired leader and controlled monster must cancel when he ends a phase in a woods or mountain clearing in that tile. He pays this penalty only once per turn, and he can choose which activities to cancel. He can cancel only those activities that remain in his current turn - if he loses more activities than he has remaining, the excess losses are ignored

* Violent Storm affects only the target tile, and it affects only woods and mountain clearings that do not contain the Inn, House, Chapel or Guardhouse (campfires are affected). A character is not affected until he is in an affected clearing - he is not affected between clearings, in caves (or buildings), or when he is flying.

Inconveniencing spell. It would also inconvenience the spellcaster. I just don't see the point.

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