Thaumaturgy, post 1
Oct. 9th, 2006 07:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leticiaFor the Heroic Mortals game; I'm not done yet, but I wanted to get this up here so you know I'm not ONLY spinning my wheels and going nowhere. (You all can thank Brian for me managing to get this much done so far.)
(Obligatory links to older posts:
1) Initial concept
2) "Aww, gee, let's do it pickup style."
3) All the gory setting info; really, the other two posts are covered in this one.
The bulk of thaumaturgy's function is from 2e, informed by 1e. The content of this post is still subject to tweaking, but will probably go.
The Arts are:
Demon Summoning
Spirit Summoning
"Creature" Summoning (Humans, animals, ghosts. Can work on Exalts.)
Geomancy
Enchanting
Exorcism
Alchemy
Weather Working
Astrology
Warding
Each Art has a body of knowledge which falls into four categories: Apprentice, Initiate, Adept, and Master. Numerically, they have degree requirements of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Apprentice level acts can be done with straight Occult rolls, with no requirement for purchased procedures or degrees, and no inherent penalties (though there may be various situational die or difficulty penalties of course, as with anything), but keep the bonus for known degrees in the Art. All more advanced techniques require at least the appropriate degree, and of course, get the bonus of their degree level.
Those with high occult can generally get by without properly studying an Art; with Occult at least twice the level of the required degree, a ritual may be attempted anyhow, but all associated rolls will be at a penalty of the required degree. Any known (but insufficient) degrees do not decrease the require Occult, but I may permit them to decrease the penalty (currently undecided). However, to bluff your way through Master level rituals, you will need an Occult of 6, and, well, yeah. Probably NOT any of this game's PCs.
Costs are as per 2e: All rituals have both a cost in disposed of ingredients which cost Resources, and require a lab of a certain Resources level. Essence can be used to substitute, 2 motes per level of Resources, with both lab cost and ingredients cost being bought down separately, and as in 1e, Essence can be gathered by several means even by mortals unable to access their own spiritual power. Note that these methods of generating Essence /only/ work on Thaumaturgy. Charms and Sorcery do not function with the slow generation of Essence; only true spiritual energy can power them.
Exertion: As in 1e, exertion involves serious effort on the part of thaumaturge. This may take the form of vigorous dancing or other ritual behavior, but it must be so intense as to cause bashing damage; for each level of bashing taken, 1 mote of Essence is generated to be spent on the ritual. This damage is unsoakable and unavoidable.
Blood: Blood must be human blood; for each health level worth of blood (unsoakable and unavoidable) shed deliberately by ritual means (combat does not work; if a donor is unwilling, they must be somehow restrained), 2 motes of Essence are generated. If the donor is particularly thematically linked to the ritual in process, or the thaumaturge themselves, 3 motes are generated. (The descendant of a ghost to be summoned would count as thematically linked; GM's call, of course.) I'm /considering/ letting the two bonuses stack, so a thaumaturge calling their dad's ghost up would get 4 motes per HL of blood shed, but I'm still undecided there.
Will: Temporary willpower can be spent for 4 motes per wp. Up to Highest Virtue - 2 dots of temporary willpower can be spent on one ritual, not counting the obligatory willpower required by all thaumaturgical rituals. All this Essence must be spent on the same ritual; the four motes can not be divided.
Will, again: For drastic measures, a thaumaturge can scar her own mind; burning a dot of permanent willpower (which will only be regained through experience expenditure) will always provide enough Essence to fuel any one ritual. Only one permanent willpower can be spent in a scene.
Rolls as per 2e: Attribute+Occult+Degree. Limited cooperation rolls, as per 2e, when more than one thaumaturge is working.
What do I still need? Mostly actual rituals/procedures, I think?
(Obligatory links to older posts:
1) Initial concept
2) "Aww, gee, let's do it pickup style."
3) All the gory setting info; really, the other two posts are covered in this one.
The bulk of thaumaturgy's function is from 2e, informed by 1e. The content of this post is still subject to tweaking, but will probably go.
The Arts are:
Demon Summoning
Spirit Summoning
"Creature" Summoning (Humans, animals, ghosts. Can work on Exalts.)
Geomancy
Enchanting
Exorcism
Alchemy
Weather Working
Astrology
Warding
Each Art has a body of knowledge which falls into four categories: Apprentice, Initiate, Adept, and Master. Numerically, they have degree requirements of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Apprentice level acts can be done with straight Occult rolls, with no requirement for purchased procedures or degrees, and no inherent penalties (though there may be various situational die or difficulty penalties of course, as with anything), but keep the bonus for known degrees in the Art. All more advanced techniques require at least the appropriate degree, and of course, get the bonus of their degree level.
Those with high occult can generally get by without properly studying an Art; with Occult at least twice the level of the required degree, a ritual may be attempted anyhow, but all associated rolls will be at a penalty of the required degree. Any known (but insufficient) degrees do not decrease the require Occult, but I may permit them to decrease the penalty (currently undecided). However, to bluff your way through Master level rituals, you will need an Occult of 6, and, well, yeah. Probably NOT any of this game's PCs.
Costs are as per 2e: All rituals have both a cost in disposed of ingredients which cost Resources, and require a lab of a certain Resources level. Essence can be used to substitute, 2 motes per level of Resources, with both lab cost and ingredients cost being bought down separately, and as in 1e, Essence can be gathered by several means even by mortals unable to access their own spiritual power. Note that these methods of generating Essence /only/ work on Thaumaturgy. Charms and Sorcery do not function with the slow generation of Essence; only true spiritual energy can power them.
Exertion: As in 1e, exertion involves serious effort on the part of thaumaturge. This may take the form of vigorous dancing or other ritual behavior, but it must be so intense as to cause bashing damage; for each level of bashing taken, 1 mote of Essence is generated to be spent on the ritual. This damage is unsoakable and unavoidable.
Blood: Blood must be human blood; for each health level worth of blood (unsoakable and unavoidable) shed deliberately by ritual means (combat does not work; if a donor is unwilling, they must be somehow restrained), 2 motes of Essence are generated. If the donor is particularly thematically linked to the ritual in process, or the thaumaturge themselves, 3 motes are generated. (The descendant of a ghost to be summoned would count as thematically linked; GM's call, of course.) I'm /considering/ letting the two bonuses stack, so a thaumaturge calling their dad's ghost up would get 4 motes per HL of blood shed, but I'm still undecided there.
Will: Temporary willpower can be spent for 4 motes per wp. Up to Highest Virtue - 2 dots of temporary willpower can be spent on one ritual, not counting the obligatory willpower required by all thaumaturgical rituals. All this Essence must be spent on the same ritual; the four motes can not be divided.
Will, again: For drastic measures, a thaumaturge can scar her own mind; burning a dot of permanent willpower (which will only be regained through experience expenditure) will always provide enough Essence to fuel any one ritual. Only one permanent willpower can be spent in a scene.
Rolls as per 2e: Attribute+Occult+Degree. Limited cooperation rolls, as per 2e, when more than one thaumaturge is working.
What do I still need? Mostly actual rituals/procedures, I think?
