Wednesday, 14 October 2009
The Seven Hearts of Magic
Panjirei in the Western Sea, drowned in a Tsunami
Ossora of the Rivers - once a rich and powerful city, it was sacked by its enemies, and destroyed so thoroughly that it survives only in the afterlife
Frozen Kalikai - beneath the northern ice
Eightfold Pagoda of the Heavenly Way
Silent Ways - deep, deep underground
Ghoma - A floating city that wanders the seas
Savalia - a city built around a volcano in the deep jungle, inhabited by people with the heads of animals
The City of Ivory - exists in the Dreamlands
Monday, 12 October 2009
Another magical society
Description: Cults that can attract the rootless or directionless thrive in Susarra, and the Children are one of the most successful. Hailing from foreign lands, they teach a type of magic that preaches both an understanding of the body, and ultimately the mind. But it is the fact that they preach understanding of the body through the satisfaction of it's animal lusts that undoubtedly attracts the vast majority of their worshippers.
System:
Skill: Union of Body and Mind
Roll:
Child may attempt the following as a single round action (and they'll probably be used most often in combat):
- 7 - Beserker Power (ignore a single damage aspect)
- 11 - Beserker Fury (ignore a point of damage)
- 13 - Animal Magnetism (gain the 'intoxicating aroma' aspect)
The Ritual of Union: A Child may attempt the ritual, which takes approximately a minute or so. They gain the following aspects, depending on what they roll (and don't forget, the first invocation of each is free):
Botch - Epileptic spasms
7 - Uncontrollable fury
9 - Terrifyingly Fast
11 - Unyielding Endurance
13 - Engorged flesh - the Child swells up, their muscles doubling in size and gaining inches in height
15 - Ferocious Strength
17 - Unable to tell friend from foe
19 - Bestial Clarity (an aspect that's useful for seeing through illusions and deceptions)
The following aspects could be invoked during the Ritual of Union if the Child takes the time to indulge properly: 'Drunk', 'Pleasures of the Flesh'
Joining Requirement: To join the Children one must participate in one of their orgiastic rituals, indulging in wine, strange scented incenses and fruit bursting with sickly corruption and still be able to complete the ritual of rebirth at dawn, before they will be accepted.
Mechanically the Character must make two rolls - one of Toughness and one of Willpower, both with a difficulty of seven.
Membership Requirement: A Child who does not regularly participate in the rituals and social life of the faith, will find that they are taught no more of the cults secrets.
Inner mystery: The inner mystery of the Children is one of the mind. Characters must undergo a complex and demanding ritual that leads to an almost figurative rebirth, but in which they gain the same understanding of the inner mind as the outer body.
Sunday, 11 October 2009
A sample magical society
Description: One of the most open guilds, the flame society teach a destructive magic that allows wielders to fling fireballs with abandon.
Skill: Fire Magic is a skill that can be used to make ranged attacks against groups of opponents. Thus the Fire Magic skill is substituted for both the Weapon Skill and Strength Skill when attacking with this magic. There are two principle ways of using it: Fire Pilum (speed +0, attack +1, defence -2, damage +2) which targets a single person or Fireball (speed -3, attack +2, defence -3, damage +3) which can target a group upto 10 paces in diameter.
Roll:
Fire Magic is used as a combat skill. On a botch, the caster is damaged by their own spell and takes 1 hitpoint of damage.
9 - light a campfire (fine control does not come easily to the flame society)
Joining Requirement: The only requirement to join the Flame Society is to swear loyalty to Gerast Maximus, the leader and founder of the School.
Aspects:
Aspect - If a member of the flame society can spend roughly five minutes firewalking on hot coals, then they gain a bonus aspect of 'Friend to Fire' that lasts for approximately an hour. Like other aspects, the first invocation of this does not cost a fate point.
Also a member of the Flame Society may go through a ritual that involves permanent scarification with a heated iron. This grants an aspect 'Sacrifice of Fire' which can be used to boost the Fire Magic Skill, and may also grant fate points when the subjects scars are a disadvantage whether by horrifying onlookers or attracting attention.
Inner mysteries: It's rumoured that Maximus has access to deeper secrets of fire magic that he has only taught to those who have earnt his trust.