[ ART CREDIT ]
━━━─── • ───━━━
Magic changes with time, usually in small ways but sometimes in great cataclysmic changes. With the renewed apotheosis of She Who Was Beyond Names, a new cataclysmic change has taken place. Works once easily achievable are now only possible through the work of masters or through bargaining with higher beings.
While once magic was earned through the enlightenment of other mages and that alone, magic now can be drawn from many sources. Some people find an innate power they did not know they had manifested. Some people submit themselves to ancient beings which retain their power from before in exchange for a paltry sum granted from them.
══════════════════════════════════
[ BASE MECHANICS ]
-= Sparking =-
The mages of Altera are not born but have instead been induced through a severely brutal and life-threatening process referred to as ‘Sparking’. The prospective mage is introduced to a life-or-death scenario where they must manifest arcane abilities or die. In guided sparking cases, the mentor can tailor this process to draw the desired arcane response from their prospect. A mage of the third echelon can perform a Sparking to induce an apprentice into the arcane. Someone can only be sparked into the school (not just branch) of the mentor; a Formist can spark someone into either branch of Formistry but not into either branch of Eviscism.
You can apply to be sparked by following this thread for details: [ x ]
A character should be at least two OOC months old before being eligible to be sparked (be it through a mentor or event of Faustian Bargain).
-= Sparking Mechanics =-
In a life-or-death situation related to the arcane school the prospective mage wishes to manifest, the player must roll Mind/Soul + Resilience 5 times against a DC 15. The player must succeed at least 3 of these rolls to result in a successful sparking. If they only pass 2/5 rolls, the sparking fails, and the prospect loses a limb of choice. If they only pass 1/5 rolls, the sparking fails, and they lose two limbs of choice. If they fail all rolls, the sparking fails, and the prospect loses two limbs of choice and dies. If sparking is unsuccessful, two OOC weeks should elapse before the prospective mage can attempt again.
Note: Focus dice cannot be used while Sparking.
-= Sparking Sickness =-
Induction into the Arcane affects everyone in a manner relevant to their school and branch for a week, but these effects might vary significantly from individual to individual.
Animancers: They manifest this as suddenly feeling extremely cold, hearing incoherent whispers, or seeing shadowy figures in their peripherals.
Cogimens: They could suffer from headaches, hallucinations or temporary lapses in memory.
Eviscists: They would experience the sensation of sections of their skin being burned (hot or cold), muscle spasms, extreme bouts of vertigo or disruptions of their balance.
Formists: They find that they are out of breath more often, dehydrate quicker, occasionally stumble as their feet briefly catch on solid surfaces or they get sudden phantom pains.
-= Faustian Bargains =-
Sometimes, a Mage might not be content with what they are. They need something more, and they need it now. Power comes at a cost, be it accumulated over a period of time through practice or incurred at once due to a Bargain. These Mages look towards the otherworldly in the hopes of accelerating their progress by entering a bargain with an entity of power. Such a bargain may be initiated with Figments, Fiends, greater Elementals and other denizens of the Planar willing to bargain, which unfolds through a DM’ed encounter or Forum Ticket.
Elementals: Animancy, Eviscism & Formistry
Fey: Animancy, Cogimency & Formistry
Fiends: Animancy, Eviscism, Cogimency
Figments: Cogimency
Needless to say, calling upon an entity so much greater than yourself is a dangerous practice that might leave one dead or wishing for such. Mages that are inherently lucky, know what they are calling upon and what it might desire are often more likely to successfully bargain with said entity. The best way to start would generally be by first stating ‘Please do not raze me and everything I value to the ground!’.
Some examples of suitable entities can be found here [x]. This is a non-exhaustive list.
-= Arcanic Reconstitution =-
The path a mage walks need not be their final one. A mage who once craved destruction may wish to give it all up in pursuit of healing, a mage of the mind may wish to tie themselves to the spiritual. For those mages, a single option presents itself: Arcanic Reconstitution.
By sacrificing their magic in a Faustian Bargain, the mage can elect to switch to a new school entirely. A cogimens could bargain with a fearsome fire elemental to gain the powers of fire and cold, or the fey may purge wicked magic and substitute it with their own.
A mage who does this will be sent back to the metaphysical starting line: they will be as though freshly Sparked. All magical progression they had accrued under their old school will not carry over. The mage will not, however, have to suffer the hardships of Sparking again (there is no rolling, nor any Sparking Sickness).
The cost of doing so is, however, extreme on the mortal soul of the mage. It is a process that is agonizing in nature and one that a person may safely undertake only once in their lifetime.
- Any character of any Echelon may choose to switch their school.
- To do so, they must make a ticket with the magic team and ask for the switch.
- A short IC summary will then be provided for this happening within the created ticket.
- The mage loses all progress they had in their original school and it does not carry over.
- Their custom slots are reset. The mage can make new customs equal to the amount they had. Their old custom spells remain on the custom grimoire but the player loses the ability to cast them, permanently (even if a new mage character is made by the player, that character is also unable to use those customs).
- A character may only do this (safely) once. They may attempt it a second time, but there are catastrophic consequences to doing so.
-= Fragmented Reconstitution =-
A mage may also elect to forego a portion of their own magic, sacrificing it in a similar fashion without giving up the totality of their being. Suited to a more senior mage, this process allows a person to keep some of their original magic, while also carving out a path forward into new territory.
- A mage can elect to sacrifice an Echelon of their power to gain room for a new rebirth, in the form of a new Cantrip. For example, if an Echelon Four mage of pure Cogimency wishes to branch out into Eviscism, they can move down a tier to Echelon 3, losing all their accumulated progress up until that point (mechanically, it will be as though they were starting over at their new level). This will allow the mage to select a new Cantrip when they next rank-up.
- A mage must drop down to either Echelon 2 or Echelon 3. If they wish to go further, they will require full Arcanic Reconstitution.
- Any customs that the mage loses the ability to cast are refunded, but will be moved to the Legendarium. The mage will never be able to learn them again. If the mage maintains the ability to cast a custom spell after undergoing this process, they retain the custom as normal.
- When undergoing this process, the mage must make a ticket requesting the change. They must post all of their customs to date in the ticket, as well.
- A short IC summary or small event IG will then be held.
- A mage may only do this (safely) once. For mechanical purposes, Fragmented Reconstitution counts as the mage's one attempt at full Arcanic Reconstitution.
-= Multiple Mage Characters =-
No current limitation exists to the number of mage characters a single individual can possess, as a player's enjoyment of the system is paramount.
There now exists a limit to ensure there is not an overwhelming amount of custom requests coming from a single individual.
Every player can submit one custom spell monthly for up to two mage characters.
══════════════════════════════════
[ SPELLS ]
A spell is a manifestation of Essentia to some effect, an active manipulation of the raw forces present in or beyond our world. It is casting into reality something that was not as such before, and they can manifest themselves in the form of Cantrips or one of five levels of spells.
-= Cantrips =-
Cantrips have no associated cost and can be cast infinitely, yet their uses are generally limited and on par or slightly beyond a generic mundane action. Cantrips are used to determine one’s Specialization, which will be discussed in its own section later on.
-= Spell Levels =-
While cantrips have no cost associated and their application or effect is limited, actual Arcane spells are more useful but more taxing on the mage. The amount of spell points a mage possesses each day is listed under ‘Echelons’, with spells costing an amount equal to their level. A level two spell costs two spell points, while a level four spell costs four in turn. Level four is the pinnacle any mage can cast on their own, boasting great strength at a great cost to the mage’s spell points.
-= Spells Learning & Creation =-
A mage can learn a new spell if:
}{ They have enough relevant cantrips to cast it (specialization matches).
}{ They know more spells of the level below the new spell than they do spells on level (can’t have more high level spells than lower level spells).
}{ They have an available slot to learn it (count remains within spells known).
When a mage is capable of learning a new spell, they have four options:
}{ They can learn a spell from an existing mage willing to teach them. This takes one OOC day per Spell Level. Level One spells take one day to be taught, but Level Four spells take four days.
}{ They can learn a spell from the general Grimoire. This takes two OOC days per Spell Level. Level One spells take two OOC days to be re-learned, but Level Four spells take eight OOC days.
}{ They can research an entirely unique spell of their own making. To do this, create an Arcane ticket with a spell concept in the same spell format. Arcane team will then accept it, propose revisions, or decline it if the concept simply does not work. Once accepted, the spell may be considered learned. This can be done once per OOC month. At most 8 custom spells can be submitted per mage.
}{ A Mage can re-discover a previously created spell that has since been lost. To do this, a Lore ticket must be made in a similar format to custom spell creation. This process also takes one OOC month but does not count as a custom spell created by you.
-= Legendarium =-
Spells that were created but have since been lost might resurface from time to time, re-created by another Mage. Forgotten spells are added to the Legendarium, a public repository for spells that have been created but are no longer in use. Through some effort, these can be learned by anyone willing to put the work in through a Discord or Forum Ticket with Lore Team.
-= Concentration =-
Concentration is the act of focusing and harnessing magic in a prolonged fashion. While ordinary spells only require a brief moment of thought, some require maintained and continuous stream of consciousness. There are caveats to using spells such as this.
Concentration is maintained during the action economy. Characters can still take other actions (e.g., dodging, making a melee attack), at a step of disadvantage. Only one concentration spell can be cast at a time. Casting another spell (of any kind) immediately ends the effects of the Concentration spell.
If a character sustains damage inflicted by another party (be it an event mob or another player), the mage must roll a CA + Resilience check to maintain the effects of the spell in question. A mage must beat the spell level + 10 to hold Concentration (e.g., to keep a level four spell, the mage must roll against a DC 14). Losing consciousness automatically ends a Concentration spell.
══════════════════════════════════
[ ECHELONS ]
Mages are gauged on a spectrum from Echelon One to Echelon Five. This both represents the raw power (spell points and spell levels accessible) of a Mage and their in-character knowledge of magic’s practical applications (spells known). The Echelons and their respective amounts of Cantrips, Spell Points, Spells Known and Points required to advance are listed in the table below.
Echelon | Cantrips | Spell Points | Spells Known | Minimum time required (Months) | Progression Point Prerequisites |
1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | - | - |
2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 1 |
3 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 3 |
4 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 6 | 8 |
5 | 4 | 15 | 25 | 11 | 14 |
-= Progression Mechanics =-
Increasing in echelon requires a certain amount of time spent at each rank, a certain number of total spells cast, and the completion of alternate flavorful goals.
Progression Goals:
}{ Create a custom spell [Repeatable]
}{ Raise a protegé to at least Echelon 2, and teach them at least one spell. Protegé only counts for up to two teachers [Repeatable]
}{ Raise a protegé to at least Echelon 3 and teach them at least two spells. Protegé only counts for up to two teachers [Repeatable]
}{ Raise a protegé to at least Echelon 4 and teach them at least three spells. Protegé only counts for up to two teachers [Repeatable]
}{ Teach a custom spell of your creation to at least three other mages [Repeatable for unique customs]
}{ Create a sanctum [Once]
}{ Plunder a sanctum [Once]
}{ Sacrifice an artifact of at least Fabled quality to a higher power capable of granting arcane growth or two of Commonplace. Divine trinkets and non-blessed artifacts can be sacrificed like Fabled artifacts to similar entities once the Divine Team has been made aware. Do note that Charity artifacts aren't accepted. [Repeatable]
}{ Destroy an artifact of at least Fabled or Divine quality (or two of Commonplace) independently or as a sacrifice to a non-Arcane entity, researching how it was constructed as part of the destruction process. [Repeatable]
}{ Permanently sacrifice part of oneself [Repeatable]
}{ Work together with other mages to create and perform a Gestalt [Once]
}{ Other: Significant acts relevant to magical research or related themes [Repeatable for unique acts]
Echelon 1:
}{ N/A, achieved when sparked
}{ Provide a situation or use for the spells learned this Echelon in which they led to a significant impact and/or a memorable moment.
Do this for every spell learned since your latest rank-up.
Echelon 2:
}{ 1 month elapsed since Echelon 1
}{ Fulfill at least one alternate progression goal
}{ Provide a situation or use for the spells learned this Echelon in which they led to a significant impact and/or a memorable moment.
Do this for every spell learned since your latest rank-up.
Echelon 3:
}{ 2 months elapsed since Echelon 2
}{ Fulfill at least two alternate progression goals since reaching Echelon 2
}{ Provide a situation or use for the spells learned this Echelon in which they led to a significant impact and/or a memorable moment.
Do this for every spell learned since your latest rank-up.
Echelon 4:
}{ 3 months elapsed since Echelon 3
}{ Fulfill at least five alternate progression goals since reaching Echelon 3
}{ Provide a situation or use for the spells learned this Echelon in which they led to a significant impact and/or a memorable moment.
Do this for every spell learned since your latest rank-up.
Echelon 5:
}{ 5 months elapsed since Echelon 4
}{ Fulfill at least six alternate progression goals since reaching Echelon 4
}{ Provide a situation or use for the spells learned this Echelon in which they led to a significant impact and/or a memorable moment.
Do this for every spell learned since your latest rank-up.
-= Arcane Grimoires =-
At its simplest, a grimoire serves as an object in which a mage can record their completed notes on the spells they know; whether they be complex formulae, shorthand ramblings, or personalized instructions for the casting of spells. They are not required, but it is common for mages to use a Grimoire as a means of documentation. Most often, grimoires take the form of books; thick leather-bound tomes. However, any object that can hold legible notes would be suitable; a collection of scrolls, a clutch of carved stone tablets, or an article of clothing with the text embroidered inside.
-= Arcane Sanctum =-
A Mage is not required to create a Sanctum but is rewarded in their Progression for making the necessary workspace for them to research and practice their magic in. Sanctums can take many forms; a life Formist may have a hidden garden where they practice on plants, grown to be magically altered; whereas a spiritualist Animancer may have a small hut in the corner of a graveyard, surrounded by the spirits they commune with.
The requirements for what constitutes a sanctum are kept vague to allow for creativity; any safe and secure area in which the mage is able to practice their magic and commit themselves to research is eligible to qualify as a Sanctum. The location of the mage’s sanctum should be kept up to date on the mage’s arcane profile. Sanctums can be shared by up to two mages as long as the space and facilities allow for it.
By conquering another mage’s Sanctum and holding it for one OOC week, they can gain unique insights into the Arcane that they may use for their progression once. The raiding mage should have unfettered access to the sanctum for the duration of the week.
══════════════════════════════════
[ GESTALTS ]
Sometimes, a specific effect can only be acquired through collaboration with other Mages. Be it through the use of Mages from the same or different Specializations, Gestalts might provide an answer where there was none before. Gestalts are when two Mages of specific Specializations combine their talents into a unique Magical effect. This could be a Mage specialising in Runes and a mage specialising in Volatile Magic making an explosive glyph. Still, it could also be two Mages of the same Specialization working together for a more powerful effect than would be possible on their own.
Like with bargaining, performing a Gestalt requires a Discord Ticket. It has to contain:
}{ Who is participating, and their Specializations.
}{ What effect they are trying to achieve, and why this Gestalt should work.
}{ How the Gestalt would work if approved.
══════════════════════════════════
[ KNACKS ]
Mages are often shaped by their experiences and often reflect their abilities in their outward appearance. Upon entering the magic system you can submit an idea for a 'knack,' an aesthetic or otherwise flavorful effect that helps make their arcane nature apparent. This can manifest in many ways, and can be anything from an aesthetic boost to their specialty to a unique reflection of their personal origin.
The ultimate goal is to help the idea of the character be realized; soot might drift from a pyromancer as he looks at a world aflame through burning coal eyes, a demonologist might sprout horns, or the scars borne by one unwillingly sparked in dark experiments might glow when he casts. The intensity of this effect can progress at the mage's discretion, i.e. it may appear in a minor way at Echelon 1 and become more apparent as they advance, and the idea submitted at the start should be general enough to work to this end. Knacks are primarily for aesthetic and narrative function, and should not provide any mechanical benefit.
══════════════════════════════════
[ SPECIALIZATIONS ]
Specializations are a way to describe what particular type of magic a mage practices. When a cantrip is chosen, it represents a specific affinity or interest in that subject matter selected by the Mage. The combination of all cantrips that a mage knows determines their ‘specialization.’ The core specializations are given names, but the other potential specializations are left nameless for the mage to decide upon for the myriad combinations.
Specializations provide no additional mechanics and are used only as a name to describe a type of magic; any effects common to a particular specialization are described in the spells themselves. Cantrips are the key factor in determining if a mage can learn a spell; each spell has a list of required cantrip types and can be learned if the sum of all the mage’s matching cantrips is greater or equal to the spell level. Any effect may be proposed for custom spells so long as the mage’s cantrips can justify it.
-= Core Branches =-
Stable: Energy that can be safely channelled through one’s body.
These include magnetism (push & pull), penumbral (light & darkness) and kinetic (force & limited sound)
Volatile: Energy that cannot be safely channelled through one’s body must be manipulated in the environment, most commonly through a Focus.
These include thermal (temperature, both hot and cold) and electrical.
Telepathy: The ability to reach out to the minds of others to exchange information and imagery or alter a target's senses.
Illusion: The ability to craft illusory objects, persons or scenes and affect a target's dreams.
Matter: A manipulation of Forma pertaining to matter, like stone, wind or water.
Life: A manipulation of Forma pertaining to organic material, such as the bodies of creatures and people or the form of plants.
Spiritualism: Spells influencing emotions and reaching out to or communing with shades and souls.
Occultism: Spells drawing upon the realms beyond and/or calling forth their powers.
-= Example Specializations =-
Summoning. Occultism and Telepathy allow the Mage to summon things from beyond.
Evisral. Stable and Volatile energies allow the Mage to utilize crimson Evisral energies.
Mindweaving. Telepathy and Illusions allow the Mage to master minds.
Golemancy. Life and Telepathy to allow the Mage to create golems of flesh.
Last edited by a moderator: