On the Variants of Magic

Bsir Glavjanesson
Scribe of Caer Camrish

Tenth year after the Opening

Introduction

In this world are known many varieties of magic. In this treatise, I hope to examine how each system of magic is perceived: by its practicioners, by the communities in which it developed, and by the Horrors which still ravage our land.

Those types of magic which I shall examine are inborn Knacks, the bound spell-Horrors of the Dondragrists, the magical poems known as Cantrips, the rune-magic of the Artificers, Horror-inspired Blood Magic, the variant spirit-magics of Elementalists, Shamans, and Nethermancers, the mental powers of Illusionists, and the name-rituals of the Wizards.

Knacks

Though I address this issue first, it is perhaps the least well understood. Magical knacks are, to their users, as natural as arms, legs and eyes are to mundanes. The work of centuries of isolated breeding populations within the Caers has apparantly brought to light certain little-used portions of the hereditary Name-giver pattern. Perhaps it is mere chance; perhaps it is the work of the Horrors. Either way, the result is clear: children of certain lines are born with threads already tied to pure concepts. One child might be born able to speak with clams, while another can walk through earth as if it were air. Still another might be able to make anyone fly except a member of his family.

System: Knacks are purchased at a cost of one percent of the energy cost of the equivalent magic item; whether or not such an item would be ``usable only by mages'' is not relevant. The fatigue cost of a knack may be reduced: each 100% of the cost of the knack halves the fatigue cost, to a minimum of 1. Using a Knack is a M/E skill, which defaults to IQ - 2. As always, add the margin of success on a Will roll to any results. A 1d Fireball knack will do 1d + (Will Margin).

Each use of a Knack generates causes one point of Taint to accrue to the user per Taint Level in the area. (0 = clean, 1 = open, 2 = corrupt, 3 = recent horror presence, 4-10 = horror present)

Bound Spells

Though we have not yet addressed proper spell-magic, suffice it to say that, on occasion, a magician fails to properly complete the casting of a spell. On most such occasions, the spell vanishes into the ether. In very rare situations, however, the spell remains as a purely astral being: a very small, very weak newborn Horror. Like all of its kind, it feeds on pain and misery.

Some magicians have learned to control these tiny Horrors, using them to battle their larger cousins. There is only a single order of such magicians which is legal in this part of the world: the Dondragrists, who may be identified by the necklace of Horror-teeth which they wear around their necks.

The Horrorlets are summoned with an array of complex diagrams and symbols, then bound to the Pattern of the summoning magician. While bound, their Horror-nature is largely suppresed; they are effectively unconscious. Most of the training of a Dondragrist goes into the mutation of the natural Pattern to produce these Horror-hooks, and into the understanding of the secret language in which they write their summoning-books.

Dondragrists are notoriously prone to Taint and corruption, and as a result are frequently mistreated.

System: A set of spell hooks is purchased as a variable power pool with the limitations:

Takes 10 minutes to reconfigure. (-25%)
Must have Spellbook and roll against summoning skills (-25%)
Single-use Knacks only (-25%)

This gives a total cost of . Thus, for a pool of 12 points, the player pays 18 CP. In order to change the contents of the pool, the character spends ten minutes studying his spellbooks, then rolls against the skills of the books. These summoning spells are too complex to memorize, but are fairly quick and easy if the appropriate prop-diagrams are available. In general, a copy of a summoning spell costs $1 per point of (minimum/base) energy cost per point of skill. A cost-4 spell at a summoning skill of 12 would thus cost $48. Once the summoning spell is successfully cast, the spell in question is hooked to the magician's pattern. The magician may spend a second of concentration to release it at any time. From that point, it maintains itself for a number of maintainance periods equal to the success margin on the summoning roll.

While the spell is bound, the magician is treated as if he has one point of Taint per point of energy necessary to cast the spell. When the spell is released, one point of Taint accrues to the magician, and again each maintenance period. Developing a spellbook for this sort of use is roughly comparable to inventing the spell in the first place: the character needs a very high Thaumaturgy skill level. Start thinking about weeks of research and Thaumaturgy-15 rolls.