Temporal Spells
Spell Colleges & Starting Credit
Spellcasters are assumed to have a number of spells already learned at game start at no cost. The DM is recommended to grant each magic user a starting credit: 150 Gold for Elves and Mages, 450 Gold for Wizards, Seers, and Chronomancers. Spell costs are indicated beside the Manna rating of each spell. All spells in this college with footnote markers were created by Karnov.
⚡ Immediate Reactions
Spellcasters who draw their power from Temporal Magic (Chronomancer & Time Mage) gain a special ability called an Immediate Reaction. These spells manifest outside of time — they may be cast at any moment, regardless of whose turn it is. If a player has enough Manna, they may simply declare the cast, even on Zargon's turn.
The majority of Immediate Reaction spells are designed to be cast on Zargon's turn to directly counter something that has just happened or is about to happen. The Manna cost is identical to other spells of the same level. Performing an Immediate Reaction does not affect the caster's own turn unless they choose to cast it on their turn.
Immediate Reaction spells are marked with the Immediate Reaction badge throughout this page.
The majority of Immediate Reaction spells are designed to be cast on Zargon's turn to directly counter something that has just happened or is about to happen. The Manna cost is identical to other spells of the same level. Performing an Immediate Reaction does not affect the caster's own turn unless they choose to cast it on their turn.
Immediate Reaction spells are marked with the Immediate Reaction badge throughout this page.
Chrono Pulse
Emits a pulse of temporal energy at one monster the caster can see, dealing 1 Body Point of damage and halving its movement on its next turn. The monster defends by rolling 1D6 — a 5 or 6 negates the effect.
Dark Matter ✦1
Creates a magical darkness in a 6-square radius. No normal light functions within this darkness, though magical light still works. Lasts 3 turns. While in darkness, characters cannot search or use ranged spells or weapons. Any character attacked gains 1 extra Combat Die in defense.
Dimensional Door ✦2
The caster opens a portal to another dimension in any space they can see. Anything on that space is immediately transported to a sanctuary (side board), where a portal exists on that side. The portal remains open for 10 turns. Anything in the sanctuary remains there until removed and may be accessed between games.
Flashback ✦3Immediate ReactionMM
The caster or any one Hero they can see replays their entire movement, ignoring traps and obstacles from the original move. May be cast after any Hero's turn. Casting this spell does not consume the caster's action for the turn, but does burn Manna.
Fortune's FavorUpdated
Cast on yourself or any Hero in sight. The Hero's actions blur with fortunate outcomes, granting 2 extra Combat Dice in attack or defense, or 1 extra Combat Die in both. Lasts 1D4 turns.
Gravitational Lock
Cast on any monster in sight. A gravitational field — visible as a shimmering distortion — locks the monster in place, preventing movement. The monster may still attack and defend normally. Monsters defend by rolling 1D6 per Mind Point; a 6 resists. Otherwise the spell lasts 1D4 turns.
Haste ✦4
Cast on any one Hero in sight. Lasts 3 turns. Each turn the recipient may choose one of three effects (and may change their choice each turn): add 2 Combat Dice to their Defend roll; add 2 Combat Dice to their Attack roll; or double their movement. When the spell ends, the Hero is winded for one turn and may not attack.
Parallel Realities
Cast on yourself or any Hero in sight. The target harmonizes with copies of themselves in alternate dimensions, their motions blurring as all versions move simultaneously. This creates an effect granting 2 extra Combat Dice in defense until the Hero takes 1 Body Point of damage.
Phase Shift
Bends space around one Hero in sight, allowing them to move through one wall or door to an adjacent empty square. The Hero may then perform an action normally. If the square on the other side is solid, they are ejected back to their original square.
Photonic Emission
A burst of magical light strikes any one monster in sight for 2 Body Points of damage. The victim rolls 2D6 — each 5 or 6 reduces damage by 1. In addition, the burst illuminates a 1-space radius for 1 turn, cancelling darkness.
Probable Attack
Cast on any one weapon the caster can touch — either one they are holding or one held by an adjacent Hero. For 1D6 turns that weapon defies probability and the wielder may reroll any shields rolled when attacking with that specific weapon.
Slow ✦5Updated
Cast on any monster in sight. Slowed monsters have their Attack Dice reduced by 2, their Defend Dice reduced by 2, and their movement halved. The spell lasts 1D4 turns unless resisted. Monsters roll 1D6 per Mind Point — two 6s (not necessarily on the same turn) resist the effect.
Stardust
Cast on any one weapon the caster can touch — either one they are holding or one held by an adjacent Hero. Stardust increases the weapon's combat strength by 1 Combat Die and illuminates a 3-space radius. Lasts 1D6 rounds.
Temporal Anchor
The caster marks one Hero they can see with a temporal anchor. If the Hero takes Body Point damage this turn, they roll 1D6 — on a 5 or 6, one Body Point is restored at the start of their next turn.
Time Wall
Cast on yourself or any Hero in sight. Creates a wall of slowed time that fully blocks spells and ranged directional attacks, while slightly slowing melee strikes. Lasts 1D6 turns. Doubles the target's defense against any incoming spell or directional attack. Lightning is excepted, as it travels at the speed of light. The target also rolls 1 additional Combat Die in defense against all melee attacks.
Undo Wounds
Cast on yourself or any one Hero in sight. The Hero's body Chronoshifts back in time, restoring up to 4 lost Body Points without exceeding their starting total.
Balefire I
The caster unleashes a searing beam of temporal energy, Chronoshifting a monster with 1 Body Point into oblivion. The monster's last turn is also erased — all actions are undone (restoring Hero Body Points, unsummoning monsters, resetting traps or doors, restoring consumed items, etc.).
Chrono Barrage
Unleashes a rapid flurry of temporal bolts at one monster in sight, dealing 3 Body Points of damage. The monster resists by rolling 3D6 — each 5 or 6 reduces damage by 1. If the monster survives, its next attack is delayed — it rolls only half its Attack Dice (rounded down, minimum 1) on its next turn.
Chrono Shield
Envelops one Hero in sight in a shimmering temporal field, granting +3 Combat Dice in defense for 1D4 turns. If the Hero takes 2 or more Body Points of damage in a single attack, the shield collapses — but the damage is reduced by 1 Body Point.
Devolve
Rewinds a monster's evolution, weakening it into a lesser form. The target loses 1 Body Point and 2 Combat Dice in attack and 1 Combat Die in defense (no stat may be lowered below 1). This spell can also automatically reverse the effect of the Warp spell on one target. Has no effect on Undead, Elementals, Chaos Forces, or Drow.
Dimensional ShuntImmediate Reaction
As an Immediate Reaction, the caster shunts an offensive spell (direct damage or negative effect) targeting them into an alternate reality, negating it completely. Roll 1D10 — on a 9, a parallel caster shunts an identical spell back at the original caster.
Gamma Ray ✦6
The caster emits a radioactive burst at one monster in sight. The target loses 1 Attack Die and 1 Body Point until the spell is broken or the monster is dead. Defend by rolling 1D6 per current Body Point — a total of 16 or higher defends. A monster reduced below 1 Attack Die cannot attack.
Presight
The Chronomancer peers through time, viewing the contents of a room from a future self's perspective — without opening the door or activating monsters. The door must be within line of sight.
Reverse Entropy
Reverses time's flow for one Hero in sight, restoring up to 6 Body Points and removing all poison or debuff effects. The Hero cannot exceed their starting Body Point total.
Reverse ProjectileImmediate Reaction
As an Immediate Reaction to any directional ranged attack or spell (except lightning) targeting a Hero the caster can see, the caster reverses time's flow, sending the attack back to its source.
Stop ✦7
Freezes one monster in sight in a temporal stasis, preventing all actions for 3 turns. The target may defend immediately or on a future turn by rolling 1D6 per Mind Point — a 6 breaks free.
Stop Time ✦8Immediate ReactionMM
As an Immediate Reaction, the caster stops the flow of time for everyone else on the board and immediately takes a full turn of their own. When their turn ends, time resumes normally.
Temporal Rift
Tears a rift in time across a 3-square line the caster can see, dealing 3 Body Points of damage to all occupants. Each victim rolls 3D6 — each 5 or 6 reduces damage by 1. The rift lingers for 1 turn, halving the movement of any character who enters or starts their turn within it.
Temporal Shunt
Fires a ray of temporal energy at one monster in sight. Swirling vortexes attempt to pull the monster forward through time — the monster must immediately roll 1D6 per Mind Point. Unless two 6s are rolled immediately, the monster is removed from the board and vanishes, reappearing at the end of the Chronomancer's next turn. Any Hero or Monster standing where the victim reappears takes 1 Body Point of damage and is shifted 1 space in a random direction. The monster is effectively invulnerable during its time-jump.
Temporal Wrinkle
Folds a temporal wrinkle around another spellcaster in sight. The next time that spellcaster casts a spell, they slip through the wrinkle and cast the same spell twice in one turn. Directional spells need not target the same character. This spell does not reduce the Manna cost of casting two spells.
Warp SummonImmediate Reaction
As an Immediate Reaction to any summon spell (Summon Undead, etc.), the caster warps time's strands, affecting each summoned monster individually. Roll 1D6 per monster:
1 — The monster is completely confused and takes no actions for 1 turn, then attacks whatever is closest.
2–4 — The monster doesn't recognize friend from foe and immediately attacks whatever is closest.
5–6 — Warp Summon has no effect; the monster attacks as the original spellcaster commands.
1 — The monster is completely confused and takes no actions for 1 turn, then attacks whatever is closest.
2–4 — The monster doesn't recognize friend from foe and immediately attacks whatever is closest.
5–6 — Warp Summon has no effect; the monster attacks as the original spellcaster commands.
Balefire II
The caster unleashes a searing beam of temporal energy, Chronoshifting a monster with up to 3 Body Points into oblivion. The monster's last three turns are also erased — all actions across those turns are undone (restoring Hero Body Points, unsummoning monsters, resetting traps or doors, restoring consumed items, etc.).
Chrono Mirage
Weaves a temporal illusion around one Hero in sight, causing enemies to misjudge their position. For 1+1D4 turns, all attacks against the Hero roll dice twice and take the worse result.
Meteor ✦9
The caster summons a large rock from space to strike one target in sight with 12 Attack Dice of damage. Cannot be defended.
Meteor Shower ✦10
Summons 1D4 smaller rocks from space. Each rock deals 3 Body Points of damage and may target the same or different targets. Targets defend per rock by rolling 3D6 — each 6 reduces damage by 1.
Paradox Pulse
The caster emits a pulse of paradoxical energy in a 2-space line (line-of-sight), causing one monster to attack itself with its own Attack Dice for 1 turn, believing it is targeting an enemy.
Phase Shift (Weapon)
Cast on any one bladed weapon or arrow. The item goes slightly out of phase with reality for 4 turns — phase-shifted weapons pass right through armor, and any damage rolled is automatically taken. May not be cast on Vorpal Weapons.
Temporal Casualty Loop ✦11Immediate Reaction
As an Immediate Reaction, the caster weaves the strands of fate, undoing everything that has happened back to the beginning of their last turn. When the new reality snaps into place, the caster and their entire party forget the spell was cast — all the caster knows is that they have lost enough Manna to cast a 3rd Level spell.
Wormhole ✦12
The caster may move any target — including themselves — to any other space on the board. If the character is unwilling, they may resist by rolling 1D8 per Mind Point; an 8 resists. A character who successfully resists still suffers 2 Body Points of undefendable damage from the gravimetric shear.
Big Bang ✦13
All characters on the board — including the caster — are struck with 3 Attack Dice of undefendable damage, rolled separately for each character.
Chrono StasisImmediate Reaction
As an Immediate Reaction, the caster freezes one monster in sight, trapping it in temporal stasis for 1+1D4 turns. The monster cannot move, attack, defend, or cast spells.
Flux
Puts one target into a state of temporal flux, dealing 3 points of undefendable damage as their form rips apart. The target then rolls 4 Combat Dice — each skull rolled removes 1 additional Body Point. If 3 or more skulls are rolled, the target disintegrates and is instantly killed. If the target survives, they lose 1 Combat Die in attack for the next 2 turns.
Repulsion Field
Surrounds the caster with a force field that raises their Defend by 3 Combat Dice and repels any directional weapon or spell — including lightning. Lasts 2+1D6 rounds.
Temporal EchoImmediate Reaction
As an Immediate Reaction, the Chronomancer creates an echo of one Hero's action from their last turn (line-of-sight), repeating it immediately. If the action was an attack, the Hero rolls 1 additional Combat Die. If it was an offensive spell, it deals 1 additional Body Point of undefendable damage. If the original target is dead, the action may be redirected to another monster. The Hero also rolls 4 movement dice on their next turn.
Black Hole ✦14
In a fit of madness, the Chronomancer rips a hole in space and time, creating a small singularity in one space they can see. Everything within a 1-space radius is immediately pulled toward it — furniture is destroyed with no defense (unless enchanted and quest-relevant). Each monster must roll 1D6 per Body Point; any result below 4 means they are sucked in and utterly destroyed.
Everything within a 4-space radius is also pulled 1 space closer (including furniture). Characters further out defend the pull the same way — 1D6 per Body Point, 4 or higher resists.
The singularity closes after 3 turns. While it is active, the Chronomancer is temporarily insane — stunned and unable to move, attack, defend, or cast any spells. For the rest of the game, the Chronomancer must roll 1 Combat Die whenever attempting to cast a spell — a skull causes the spell to fizzle, losing the intended Manna.
Everything within a 4-space radius is also pulled 1 space closer (including furniture). Characters further out defend the pull the same way — 1D6 per Body Point, 4 or higher resists.
The singularity closes after 3 turns. While it is active, the Chronomancer is temporarily insane — stunned and unable to move, attack, defend, or cast any spells. For the rest of the game, the Chronomancer must roll 1 Combat Die whenever attempting to cast a spell — a skull causes the spell to fizzle, losing the intended Manna.
NovaStar
Draws on the primal power of stars, dealing 2D6 Body Points of damage to all characters within a 6-space radius. Requires 2 Body Points to cast and reduces the caster to 1 Body Point. Characters defend by rolling 1D6 per Body Point — each 6 reduces damage by 1. This spell blows open any regular doors in range; characters behind barricades (closed doors, walls) defend by rolling 2D6 per Body Point instead.
Paradox Lash
Unleashes a lash of paradoxical energy at one monster in sight, dealing 5 Body Points of undefendable damage. The monster rolls 1D8 — if they do not roll an 8, they lose all actions for 2 turns.
Temporal Duplicity
The Chronomancer draws on their mastery of time to summon a Future Self into battle. This future Chronomancer arrives fresh for the fight with all the original's stats and full Manna Points. The future self may only remain in proximity for 5 rounds before their presence begins to corrupt the timeline and they are forced to return.
Time Gate
Opens a time gate in a room (or 3-space radius, line-of-sight), allowing all Heroes to glimpse future outcomes for 1+1D4 turns. For each action performed while under the spell's effect, Heroes may roll their dice twice and take the better result.
Winds of Time
Cast on any one dead Hero. The Hero is revived with their Body Points fully restored.
Footnotes & Design Notes
One change made to all of Karnov's originals: Manna values have been increased by a power of 4 to make them comparable to Wizard/Mage values. Slight grammatical corrections have also been applied throughout.
✦1 Rewording and clarification of the spell's exact effect.
✦2 Slightly altered. The portal always opens to a fixed 4×4 side-board room. Also significantly reduced in power — the effect is mechanically interesting but has effectively null impact on the main game.
✦3 Originally from Milton Bradley's Elf Quest Pack (The Mage of the Mirror, re-released by Hasbro and Avalon Hill). Originally an Elf spell, moved here as it fits the Chronomancer better.
✦4 Significantly weakened from the original, which was massively overpowered.
✦5 Minor rewording; no real mechanical difference.
✦6 Defendability of this spell increased.
✦7 Minor rewording; no real difference.
✦8 Minor rewording. Functionally identical to the "Timestop" spell in Milton Bradley's Elf Quest Pack (The Mage of the Mirror). Whether Karnov was influenced by that spell is unknown, though the similarity is undeniable. Like Flashback, this works better as a Chronomancer spell.
✦9 Minor rewording; no real difference.
✦10 Altered to allow separate meteors to strike one target or spread across multiple targets. Defense mechanic changed.
✦11 Minor rewording; no real difference.
✦12 A defense against the spell has been added given its potential for offensive use.
✦13 No change.
✦14 Significantly powered up. The singularity now automatically closes and re-seals at the end of its duration.