Hexery

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Hexery or Hex Weaving

Hexery or Hex Weaving is an extremely powerful form of shadow magic common in Black Zone worlds. It manifests in many forms. Its most basic form is in the psyche embedding of a woven or personal item with a temporary spell that is consumed when the spell is cast. This differs from conjuration in that it is not the creation or empowerment of an artifact that is permanent in nature, the items usually being consumed in the casting. It differs from sorcery in that the spells, once hung, do not deteriorate in the same way. A woven hex can last millennia. It contains its own power and may be able to function in shadows that magic may not work, even worlds where sorcery & conjuration fail. Hexery has an advantage over many shadow magics because hex spells seem to work in Amber, Therefore Hucksters mare armed while in Amber itself, while Mages and Wizards are powerless.

Some hexes are meant to be reused, the hex charm itself not being destroyed. These items are inherantly less powerful versions of the standard hex. See Hex Items for more on this

Practitioners of Hexery are called Hexsters, Hucksters, hexslingers, or hex weavers. In the shadows this is usually found, human level and sometimes chaos level psyche power the hexes, which is what the basis descriptions below reflect. The use of Amber or ranked psyche is a powerful boost in the magic system. Hucksters of these levels are sometimes called Grand Hucksters or Grand Hexslingers, or some times Sharps or sharpies. Their hexes can be substantially more powerful. They are created quicker, act faster, react faster, and are more difficult to dispel. They do not do more damage however because the items themselves can only hold so much power. Experiments with more hardy item materials have yielded unreliable results.

For unclear reasons, many practitioners of this art are female. Estimates range as high as 70% of them in most Black Zone shadows. In these shadows the objects are likely to be disguised as common items and will evade normal detection in already magic-rich Black Zone shadows.

The form of the hex can vary widely since the construction of the hex is largely personal. This is why hexslingers may not recognize the powers of a hex object they find. Advanced Hexery is required to identify hex objects. Basic Hexery allows one to learn a large range of hexes. Most are simple straw or grass weaves, simple branch weaves, baskets, wreaths, rope knotting or macramé. Hexery is found in ship's roping, country weaving, homespun cloth and simple whittled devices. Also, for reasons based on the shadows culture, a trump style card, or playing card sized hex object is very common. These shadows, which bear a bizarre similarity to 1800's earth shadows, lend a great deal of the terminology and lore of this powerful form of shadow magic.

Certain of the simplest of these hexes require no woven or material component. Such hexes, such as 'Sharpen,' are the application of the art on material items themselves

There are several levels of hexery. Novice (5 Points), Greenhorn (10 Points), Basic (20 Points), Advanced (40 Points), Master (70 Points).

Novice & Greenhorn are the simplest forms and really are distinctions within the class, incremental steps toward basic Hexery. Novices spend 5 points before they can create their first item. This reflects their mastery over the details of the form they will use and includes skills in that form. For example if their hexes will be simple wreath weaves they gain 2 points in weaving skill, 1 point in weave design. The remaining 2 points are the margin of study required to empower the item. Then they spend 1 point learning each weave. Some powers that seem connected to the power to embed hexes come along with the completion of their level. Such novice skills are more involved in the character of the huckster then true magic and as such require no material component to function. These are the spells marked novice in the descriptions below. Greenhorns learn 2 hexes for each point after the 5 novice points are spent.

The vast majority of hucksters never pass beyond the Greenhorn stage. They learn the basics of hexery, frewuently as children from grandparents, then learn to weave a few hexes. They then never make the leapto becoming a true practioner of the art of Hexery.

Greenhorn Hexes (5 to 19 Points)

Baleful Gaze	Sp: 1	G	Dur: Instant	R: Eye-contact
Overawing a fellow with your mean looks pales in comparison to scaring the living bejesus out of someone with a single glance, which is exactly what this hex does. The huckster must first make eye contact with the target and then cast the hex.
Gloom 'N' Doom	Sp: 2	G	Dur: Concentration		Range:10 yards r
When cast on a certain light source (such as a flaming torch) within sight and range of the huckster it is rendered useless
Rum Punch	Sp:2	G	Dur: 1 hour		Range: 1 yard
Many drinks pack quite a punch and can leave a fellow on his back and brain damaged after just one bottle. With this hex, however, it can be done after just one sip! The hex boosts the potency and absorbtion rate of a single bottle of alcoholic liquid. This is frequently a hex cast at parties to boost a bunch up to a level that can inebriate even those with Amber and ranked level endurances.
Withering Look	Sp: 1	G	Dur: Permanent		Range: 5 yards/hex level
Going on the premise that looks can kill Hoyle developed this little hex which allows a huckster to rot and destroy plants and vegetation with a single glance. The huckster casts his hex and his eyes glow a dark green colour momentarily. Any plant/bush/tree or wooden object that the huckster is fixing his gaze on suddenly suffers from rapidly advanced rot and crumbles into compost.
Booby Trap	Sp: 1	G	Dur:10 sec/Hex Lvl		Range: Touch
When this hex is cast the Hexslinger's hand leaves a charge of magical energy on whatever object the Hexslinger was touching. The area affected is the same size as the Huckster's hand, as if he had left a print there. Any person touching this magical trap receives a backlash shock which causes intense pain and is enough to knock a fellow out cold! Essentially this is like a caltrop. Something left sitting around for people to step on, pick up, or stumble across.
Afterglow	Sp:	G	Dur: 1 round		Range:Self
With this trick, the huckster can make his eyes glow any colour he chooses.
Bloodscribe	Sp:	G	Dur: 5 minutes		Range:Self
By casting this trick on himself the huckster can write with his own blood! All he needs do is prick the end of his finger until a spot of blood appears and he then has a "pen" with which to write. This does not use up the Hucksters own blood, the trick just turns the spot of blood into a red ink supply which dries a dull, rusty brown. The huckster's finger-pen runs out of "ink" when the trick ends.
Cool	Sp:	G	Dur: 1 hour		Range:Self
When succesfully cast the huckster feels heat from the sun as if it were 20 degrees(C) cooler.
Dry	Sp:	G	Dur: Instant		Range:Touch
*If a huckster needs to dry her clothes in a hurry she can do so with this trick. Dry* will remove a pint of moisture from any material the huckster holds in her hands, turning it into mist**
Sharpen	Sp:	G	Dur: 1 minute		Range:Touch
By casting this trick and running her finger gently down the length of a blade a huckster can magically sharpen an edged weapon to make it slightly more effective. This is mainly a shadow distinction and will not raise a blade to double damage. It will clear nicks,burs and other slight dulling in razor weapons and can be considered a maintenance act.
Zap!	Sp:	N	Dur: Instant		Range:Touch
The huckster builds up a small charge of energy into his fingertips and can release it into a target by touching their exposed skin.

Basic Hexes (20 Points.)

Confound Mechanism	SPD: 1	B	Dur: Variable	R: 5 yards/hex level
This hex reduces the reliability of any contraption making the device unstable and possibly dangerous. The degree to which the device malfunctions is psyche-based
Deep Breath	SPD: 1	B	Dur: Concentration		Range: Self
With this hex the huckster may go without oxygen. Useful for running. The runner can run faster.
Hidey Hole	Sp: 2	B	Dur: 1 minute		Range: Touch
With this grand hex a huckster can create a small pouch of space in a solid surface to hide his secrets in. The area must be thick enough for the object to be hidden in with at least 1/2 an inch of space on all sides of it. IE: A Hidey Hole is created in a castle wall, casuing a 3"x3"x3" bubble to be created, which a small object can stay in. The hex item has 3 segments. One to open the hole, one to close it, and one to open it a again. After the 3^rd part is used the hole closes on its own the hex item being totally consumed. Warnings: If a massive dispelling or other great magic disrupts this hole the ability of the whole to recover the item is destroyed. Then the item may only be retrieved by actually breaking in to the Hidey Hole area.
Invisible Wall	Sp: 2	B	Dur: Variable		Range: Touch
The huckster casts this hex whilst touching a door frame or other portal. That doorway/portal is then sealed, assuming the hex works, by a transparent barrier, visible only where it touches the doorframe as a glowing red perimeter line. Nothing physical may pass through the wall.
Light As A Feather	Sp: 1	B	Dur: 1 round by psyche		Range: 50 yards
This useful hex is intended to keep the huckster from falling to his death, or to stop somebody from dropping a piano on his head. It can be used by someone falling, or against items dropped on the huckster. Archery weapons will not be effected.
Many Tongues	Sp: 1	B	Dur: 1 minute/hex lvl		Range: Self
Being able to understand whether the Indian braves you've stumbled across are giving you friendly advice or merely discussing the best way to take that scalp from off your head is sometimes important, as is giving the correct response. When this hex is cast it translates any human language spoken to the huckster.
Projecting Voice	Sp: 1	B	Dur: Concentration		Range: Variable
The art of projecting your voice is somewhat easier to pick up for hucksters who know this hex. When cast all words spoken by the huckster are projected to a place of his choice so that it sounds like he is actually talking from somewhere else.
Shattering Blow	Sp: 1	B	Dur: Permanent		Range: 1 yard/hex level
Not many folks can break iron bars with their bare hands, but hucksters with this hex can do it with just their living breath. In fact any brittle, non-magical substance is affected by this hex - be it ice, brick, steel, bone, or glass. When the hex is cast the Huckster must blow towards a material within range which then simply shears in two (in the case of iron bars or bone) or may even break into a thousand peices (if a sheet of glass or ice).
Sucker Punch	Sp: 1	B	Dur: 1 round		Range: 5 yrds/hex lvl
At the beginning of the round the huckster expends the hex object the target is struck with an amber level punch ,usually from an unexpected direction. This frequently knocks the target out. It is a secret attack. If the target can take such a punch he will immediately know where the attack came from.
Unnatural Healin'	Sp:1rnd	B	Dur: Permanent		Range: Self
This is a powerful hex which heals the huckster's own wounds and afflictions but at a high cost - the huckster's very endurance. The hex can also be used to cleanse a huckster's system of poisons and disease, so long as the hex is cast within (hex level) days of being infected with the illness or toxin, but again the huckster loses endurance and the hex will not cure supernatural diseases (such as lycanthropy) or curses. The huckster may only use this hex on himself and not on others. The cost in endurance is 1 point for ranked endurance. It lowers Amber rank to chaos, Chaos to human, and human to frail, for one year.
Pain 'N' Suffering	Sp: 2	B	Dur:		Range:5 yards/level
This is a nasty little hex for those who like to see a fellow squeal in pain. This causes the victim to feal double the pain for the amount of damage taken.
Pluggin' The Holes	Sp: 1	B	Dur: Instant		Range:Touch
When you start taking rounds in the chest things can start to go downhill very fast. This woccur.ill staunch one bleeding wound from a puncture. It does not so much heal the wound as stop the bleeding. Like a scab. Further internal damage may
Lock	Sp:	B	Dur: Permanent		Range:Touch
When this trick is cast on a locking mechanism it magically re-enforces the effectiveness
Mirror	Sp:	B	Dur:		Range:Touch
By holding a regular playing card in her hand a huckster can turn the face of it into a reflective surface by casting this trick.
Seal	Sp:	B	Dur: 24 hours		Range:Touch
When this trick is cast the huckster places a small magical seal on an object.Only the huckster can see this seal and if the seal is broken it disappears. This trick can be used on doors, envelopes, closets, pockets and any other items that require opening.
Snooze	Sp:	B	Dur:1d8 hours		Range:Self
Need help sleeping on rough ground? This trick will help those hucksters who have difficulty sleeping by knocking themselves out for 1d8 hours.
Warm up	Sp:	B	Dur: 1 minute/spirit co-ordination		Range: Self/Touch
This trick causes the huckster's hands to warm up until they are nearly hot to the touch. This is useful if the huckster is in a cold climate and his pinkies are too cold to fire a pistol properly, or perhaps he needs to melt some ice quickly, or maybe the huckster simply needs a quick source of heat for some reason.
Voice	Sp:	B	Dur: Concentration		Range:5 yards
With this trick the huckster may opt to target himself or another person within range. The voice box of the target of this trick is either tightened or slackned a little to create a higher or lower pitched voice, which sounds nothing like their usual self when they speak

Advanced Hexes (40 Points)

Earth Meld	SPD: 2	A	Dur: C		Range: S
The huckster lies flat against the place she wishes to meld with, the simpler the material the easier, and casts the hex. At which point it's power will draw the huckster's body into the material so she can no longer be seen. Ranked psyche may result in seeing the huckster as a dark smear on the surface of the material. The Huckster is only protected from the eyes of her searchers, not from any damaging attacks - she is still quite vulnerable to any harm and furthermore if harmed the hex will end and the huckster unbonds from her sanctuary.
Blaze O' Glory	Sp: 2	A	Dur:	R: 10 yard radius
"Maybe just taking a few of them with us..." The concept of going out in style in a no-win situation gave rise to this extremely powerful (and risky) hex. The huckster casts Blaze O' Glory and raises his hands into the air and a whirling wind of magical flame, covering a circular area of radius 10 yards, with the huckster at the heart of the circling flames. The draw back of this spell is that it consumes the caster's psyche and drains the caster for a long period of their magical power. They complete the spell with no psyche. Not human or chaos psyche, no psyche.
Heartgrip	Sp: 2	A	Dur: Instant		Range: 5 yards
This is a nasty hex which requires a lot of effort on the part of the huckster to perform. The huckster chooses a target within range and performs the hex, the victim then feels invisible hands squeezing his inards in a cold grip. It quickly halves endurance.
Ironhide	Sp: 1	A	Dur: Pair		Range: Self
When cast, the hex gives the huckster iron-hard skin (turning it a slightly darker shade of it's original color and gaining a metallic hue) and in effect protects him from physical harm and grants him an all over Armour value. Unfortunately the hex also slows the Huckster down slightly due to the weight of his new hide. The hucksters weight also increases by 50%. The hex only affects the Hucksters skin. Equipment and clothes remain as normal.
Misty Form	Sp: 2	A	Dur: concentration		Range: Self
When the hex is cast successfully the huckster becomes immaterial (but not etheral) as he takes on a gaseous form, allowing him to squeeze under doors, pass through iron bars, and becoming immune to physical attacks such as arrows and punches. The huckster, in turn, may not harm other people or cast new hexes whilst in this form. His pace is also halved due to the slow moving nature of mist. He appears no different to normal people (unless squeezing through a keyhole of course) but other magic users or supernatural creatures may notice that they can see right through the huckster if they squint a little. The hex lasts until the huckster wants it to end, if he is somehow harmed.

Advanced Hexery also includes a number of abilities that do not require hex charms themselves. The ability to determine the powers of a hex item. The ability to unravel, defuse, or destroy hex charms without activating them. To detect those capable of Hexery.

The ability to detect hidden hex charms. Sometimes a hex charm will be woven into a greater items. A macreme hammock might have a sleep hex woven into it to lul the rester to sleep.

Advanced Hucksters can create miniature or very small hex charms. Grenhorn & Basic Hex charms are of a general size. Advanced hex charms can be as small as 1/4 the size of the original. At these sizes the artistic value of the item may be diminished.

Hexes for Sale

Hex items are frequently sold in their shadows. These hex charms act continually and are inherantly less powerfull. They tend to lose their power over the course of a couple years. Like Continual Items, they immediately losetheir power if exposed to powerful magical forces. Even if not directed at them. Raising the sign of the Pattern and touching the Hex charm will destroy it. Usually pissing off its owner since most of the items in this class are harmless.

Drink fob: This is a common, even popular, hex weave sold in many Black Zone worlds. These may contain simple identification charms, Potency charms, detect Poison, temperature.

Identifier	Sp:	Dur:	Range: Item
This fob is usually attached to an item. When it is grasped the person gets a sense of who the owner is. Not more than a glimpse of the face and an their name. Advanced identifier fobs might also list 'If Found" information.
Potency	Sp:	Dur:	Range: Item
This fob hex boosts the alcohol level of the drink contained in the glass the fob dangles from.
Detect Poison	Sp:	Dur:	Range: Item
This fob emits a type of warning if the drink contains poisons dangerous to the drinker. Unfortuantly this fob will activate if the drinker puts certain types of poisonous, yet still drinkable, products into them. An example of thisflaw would be if the owner filled his mug with Absinthe, an alcohol created from Oil of Wormwood, a known toxic substance. Similar Hemlock liquors and other exotic drinks are frequently found in Black Zone worlds.
Heat/Chill pads or fobs.	Sp:	Dur:	Range: Item
This is a fob item or a mat, like a pot holder. Drinks in mugs with this fob, or pots placed ontop of a pad will heat, chill, boil, freeze, according to the specifics of the hex charm.

Many of the hexes on this page were scoured from the Webpage Hucksters & Hexes maintained on Marshal Lambert's Deadlands Website. This is for a game called Weird West. Now I had never heard of this game or it had passed under my radar during my game store days but it looks really bizarre and really fun. I wouldn't mind taking a run at playing it sometime but until then I'll just kype the hex stuff. Take a look at the original forms of these spells before I adapted them to Jeweled Amber.