So here it is, my RPG project

The Grace
The Grace is a representation of the known universe and all the realms found within. It is said that beyond the outer boundary of the Grace lies yet another boundary where the influence of the gods ends and the influence of other free souls begin. Within these realms lie the creations of these other gods, as similar or vastly different from our own as they desired it to be, but beyond this, the gods will not say, and the magi who vow to venture there never return to describe what they’ve found, so we are left only to speculate. What we do know for certain, however, is represented by the Grace.

When drawn, the Grace begins with a diamond, representing the world of life, our bodies, and the soulless plant and animal life that share our world with us. Within the diamond is then drawn a series of dots starting in the center and going out in larger and larger circles, representing all the souls in the world, trapped within the cycle of life. Around the diamond but not to touch it is next drawn a circle, representing the border of the Physical Realm, or Boundary of Life, and the fact that the world of life cannot interact with this boundary as it can only be perceived by our souls. All that our eyes can see, ears can hear, nose can smell, tongue can taste and hands can touch is contained within the Physical Realm, from the ground beneath our feet to the furthest reaches of skies the seraphim can soar. Bordering the circle is then drawn a square, the Boundary of Mind, containing the Realm of Dreams, molded and shaped by our subconscious desires and imaginations. An artificial realm collectively created by our souls while subdued and contained within our bodies, subconsciously manipulating the tempered spirit the gods placed there to trick our souls into believing it’s real. Bordering this square, another circle is drawn, the Boundary of Spirits, the space within representing the Gaian Plane. As all things are created from spirit, and spirit exists everywhere, all things are connected through spirit. The Gaian Plane is the result of that connection all things within the Physical Realm have to each other and to the spirit around them, even though they appear to be separate and distinct from each other. Animated spirits of matter, both living and dead, and lesser elemental servants of greater spirits reside here and help aide the gods in forging spirit into matter and breaking down matter back into spirit again, maintaining the balance of the physical realm and helping it to grow and change as spirit flows into and out of the physical universe. This flow is further assisted by two realms, existing side by side, represented by an eight-pointed star. The inner points of the star touch the Boundary of Spirits, representing the Spirit Realm, where the animated servants of the gods temper pure spirit flowing into their realm into its desired spiritual form before passing it onto the gaian plane. The outer points of the star represent the Ancestor Realm, through which decaying spirit removed from the physical realm is broken down. Filled with spirits tasked with doing so, the remnants of souls departing the world of the living, and the memories of things that once stood in the Physical Realm but have since been destroyed, these remnants remain so long as there are souls left in the world of life that remember their existence before fading away completely and passing through the final circle drawn, the Boundary of Souls, touching the star’s outer points and representing the boundary between the physical universe and the spiritual universe, more commonly referred to as our world and the spirit world. Finally, lines are drawn from the spirit world, through each inner point of the star, all the way to the diamond in the center; then from the diamond, out through each outer point of the star, and back to the spirit world, representing the flow of spirit into and out of our world.

In magic, many magicians will use part or all of the grace in their castings to help represent just what they want to accomplish. Each realm and each boundary, even the world of life and the soul, all represent a different type of spirit, and each different type of spirit can be manipulated and used in different ways for different types of magic. The most common form of the Grace is known as a barren grace. A barren grace is drawn almost the same as a normal Grace, but in the diamond is drawn only a single dot in the center, representing a single soul, and the lines flowing in and out from the inner and outer points of the star are also left out. Drawn this way, the grace represents a single person who has yet to Ascend. Ascension is shown by drawing an arrow from the diamond to the realm or boundary that a magician’s soul can reach, and if able to draw the spirit back to the physical realm, a double pointed arrow is drawn. There are twenty magical arts in all, but these arts are not all that determine what kind of magic the Ascended can do.

Ascension
To Ascend is to become aware of the spirit around you. Ascension is the moment a soul breaks through its material shell to touch a different kind of spirit. It almost always happens as an act of desperation, when all else has failed in a dire situation. Seers and prophets will often Ascend with visions of impending danger or solutions to problems they’re desperately trying to solve, but most who Ascend often face more immediate situations that in some way threaten themselves or those they care about. Sometimes, no matter how hard one tries, no matter how much one wishes to succeed, she fails, whether she’s physically incapable of rising to the challenge, or untimely circumstance ruins the opportunity. No matter the reason of failure, when one knows she must succeed at all costs but fails, her soul is driven to act, lashing out towards whatever it can find to aide the situation. The more desperate the situation is, the more vital it is that she do something, the more vested she is in succeeding, the more powerful the push from the soul through the Grace to find a way to come to her aide, and though sometimes her soul fails to answer the call, when it does, it calls forth whatever power is necessary to fulfill her will. From this moment on, she has awakened to her Art, though it is often far less powerful than the magic she first called forth. Any respectable teachers of the Magical Arts hold sacred to the rule: “Ascension is a personal calling.” Only those of the most dubious of characters would agree to help, or otherwise try to force someone into Ascending, as more often than not such scenarios are fatal. But once the soul answers the plea for aid by bringing forth magic, nothing short of the most powerful of mages or a god can take her Art away from her.

System: When a character has spent an Active Willpower Point to add a Quality to a roll but it still fails, and the Storyteller deems the situation important enough to the character to warrant Ascension, she can allow the character to roll her Passive Willpower + any applicable Qualities + 1 to 5 dice determined by the Storyteller depending on the severity of the situation against a Difficulty of her Discipline + Humility. If the roll succeeds, the player can decide any type of magical effect that allows the character to accomplish her desired outcome. The number of successes determines what type of Magical Art the character can craft and with how many Elements her magic can be woven. If the roll fails, nothing happens and the character will have to wait for another opportunity to attempt to Ascend, but if the roll botches, the character will never be able to attempt the roll again. This roll must be attempted, the player cannot opt to take automatic successes instead.

Successes Magic Art (Elements)

1. Seer (1)
   
2. Prophet (1)
   
3. Dream Walker (1)
   
4. Dream Walker (2), Telepath (1)
   
5. Telepath (2), Illusionist (1)
   
6. Illusionist (2), Mind Bender (1)
   
7. Mind Bender (2), Seeker (1)
   
8. Seeker (2), Medium (1)
   
9. Seeker (3), Medium (2), Conjurer (1)
   
10. Medium (3), Conjurer (2), Enchantress (1)
    
11. Conjurer (3), Enchantress (2), Priestess (1), Shaman (1)
    
12. Enchantress (3), Priestess (2), Shaman (2), Summoner (1), Necromancer (1)
    
13. Priestess (3), Shaman (3), Summoner (2), Necromancer (2), Cleric (1), Reaver (1)
    
14. Priestess (4), Shaman (4), Summoner (3), Necromancer (3), Cleric (2), Reaver (2), Wizard (1), Witch (1)
    
15. Summoner (4), Necromancer (4), Cleric (3), Reaver (3), Wizard (2), Witch (2), Sorceress (1)
    
16. Cleric (4), Reaver (4), Wizard (3), Witch (3), Sorceress (2), Mage (1)
    
17. Sorceress (3), Wizard (4), Witch (4), Mage (2)
    
18. Sorceress (4), Wizard (5), Witch (5), Mage (3)
    
19. Mage (4)
    
20. Mage (5)

The Elements
As spirit was tempered to create the physical world, it was divided into five elements, each element representing not only a state of material spirit (matter) but the five senses, major bodily functions, and directions.

Fire: The element of energy, Fire represents the sense of sound, the heart and circulatory system, and the center direction. Pure energy is the closest thing to spirit found in the physical realm, and just as all things are made of spirit, all matter is made of energy. As all other elements flow from and back to Fire, Fire represents the central direction. It also represents the sense of sound, as sound waves are a type of energy all their own, and second only to the sense of sight as our most important and relied upon. This also makes Fire the second-most used and expressed element in the magical arts. As Fire flows through all other elements, it also flows through the body in the form of our blood, pumped by the heart, representing the blood’s role in transporting energy, oxygen and vital nutrients to all parts of the body.

Air: The element of gas, Air represents the sense of smell, the lungs and respiratory system, and the direction north. From the air we breathe, to various kinds of vapors and more, Air represents them all. As Fire burns, heat causes vapors to rise, placing Air in the northern direction, and various scents and aromas are carried by the winds, causing Air to represent the sense of smell. In medicine, Air represents the respiratory system and the lungs, taking vital oxygen in and releasing carbon dioxide. In the seraphims’ case, it represents their ability to internally convert oxygen to carbon dioxide and back again, allowing them to breathe without needing to take a breath. This tends to be the most common use of Air, the denying of oxygen, or replacing it with another type of gas to suffocate or poison, or to add needed air when someone is unable to breathe properly.

Water: The element of liquid, Water represents the sense of taste, the liver, kidneys and bladder and the system through which waste is removed from the body, and the direction east. One of the most abundant elements on the planet, Water also tends to be one of the least used elements in magic, especially as it also represents the sense of taste which by itself serves rather limited practical uses. As vapors rise, they collect in the air, eventually condensing and falling back to the earth in the form of rain, giving Water the eastern direction. In terms of the body, it represents its ability to remove useless or harmful matter from the system, which is where it sees its most practical uses, as a means to flush out poisons.

Metal: The element of solids, Metal represents the sense of sight, the stomach and the system that breaks down external energy sources, and the direction south. All solid matter, from the ground beneath our feet, to the various metals and gems found within, to mountains and most man-made objects, Metal is the most valuable element in magic and holds the southern direction. Representing the sense of sight makes it all the more valuable, being the main sense through which we interpret the world around us. It also represents the stomach, and the body’s ability to break down food into usable energy and nutrients, or the seraphims’ ability to convert sunlight into the energy they need.

Wood: The element of life, Wood represents the sense of touch, the skin, muscles and nervous system, and the direction west. Microscopic single-celled organisms, the diverse plant life, the smallest creatures, and the largest beasts, Wood is the realm of animated matter, from their birth, through their growth, and even after death. This puts Wood in the western direction, growing from, and eventually returning to the earth. It also represents the sense of touch, making it perhaps the most powerful element in magic, able to bring pleasure or pain. In regards to medicine, it represents both our outer shell, and the system that allows us to move and feel.

Whereas what boundaries and realms one's soul can touch determines what kind of magic a willworker can wield, the elements one's soul is open to determine how that magic can be expressed and interpreted. The further through the Grace a soul reaches, the more Elements a soul can master. Through each boundary, or circle (as three of the four boundaries are represented by circles in the Grace), a character passes in her pursuit of magical knowledge, a new element can be learned.

The Arts
When a soul Ascends, it awakens to the spirit around it, creating a small fracture through its mortal shell and the physical realm in order to perceive that spirit. How far this fracture reaches determines the Arts a soul can learn, while what elements a soul can use determines how the spirit can be perceived and manipulated. There are twenty Arts in all, going in order of how many boundaries or realms are touched, and the ability to only project to the realm or boundary, or draw the spirit back to the physical realm as well.

The First Circle
The First Circle of magic encompasses the Boundary of Life. The most rudimentary of magic, it includes the Arts of the seers and prophets, known as the Visionary Arts, as well as the lesser gifts that some are born with, giving a thin link to the spiritual, such as those who have premonitions of impending danger or memories of past lives. Those who have only a link to the First Circle can craft their Art through only a single Element.

Seer
A seer is the weakest of all willworkers. In terms of the Grace, their line goes one way from the world of life to the Boundary of Life, showing that they have only a tentative link to the boundary and cannot consciously control their power. Instead, the soul feeds the conscious mind dream-like images of past, present, or future events as a warning, if not intended for the seer, then for the person who triggered the vision.

A seer's magic taps into the whole of the physical realm itself, allowing her to “see” more than her normal senses can perceive. It is said that within the Grace, the gods and our souls are able to perceive all that goes on, past and present, and can see where the present may lead to if certain actions are taken. To see all things at all times, however, is even beyond the ability of a single soul or god and can drive a mortal mind insane. Instead, the soul is able perceive things like the history of a place or object or the past actions and future potential of a certain soul, or what is happening presently which involves those a soul cares for. As a soul is able to perceive these things, if some event is important enough, it will trigger a vision, transferring the information from the seer’s subconscious to her conscious mind.

Visions are often powerful ordeals that a seer has no control over. It tends to come with no warning, and fully immerses the seer within it, lasting as long as it takes to convey all the information a seer’s soul wants her to know. Though the soul often avoids triggering visions in deadly situations, there have been seers who’ve died in one way or another while in the midst of a vision, and those who’ve collapsed from exhaustion when a vision sapped the rest of their strength. It is for these reasons that a seer’s power is seen as both a blessing and a curse, for a magician who cannot control her power is a magician who is at the mercy of her power, yet a useful power it remains.

The way a seer’s vision manifests itself depends on the element(s) the seer possesses. Most seers have the element of Metal, allowing them to see the vision, or Fire, allowing the vision to be heard, if not both together. Less common and often much less useful are the elements of Air, which would allow a seer to smell a vision, though it can often provide useful information to those attuned to using their nose, especially slaugh or garou, and to a lesser extent, orcs and elves, Water, which would interpret a vision through taste, or Wood, interpreting a vision through touch. A seer without the element of Metal is known as a “blind seer” whereas a seer without either the element of Metal or Fire is known as a “dumb seer” meaning that they lack the elements necessary to properly interpret what exactly their vision is telling them, and can only interpret it as some kind of sensation, a strange smell, taste, or feeling, and must usually spend years learning how to distinguish one sensation from another to know the nature of a vision, and even from there, must further investigate what exactly it means, and is often only useful to let the seer know that there is something she must discover.

System: As a Seer does not have conscious control over her magic, the Storyteller decides when her Art is triggered and what information she gains from it. Because of this, no Willpower is spent, nor Ritual performed, nor roll required as in conscious uses of magic.

Prophet
A prophet is much like a seer, but the link to the first boundary is strong enough to be directed by the conscious mind instead of the soul, enabling clearer visions of the willworker's choosing. Though she is still prone to random visions much like a seer, a prophet is able to sense when one is coming and hold off on receiving it, or even try to take control of it to attempt to gather more information. She can also place herself in a trance to be able to try to trigger a vision of what she wishes to know herself.

When in these trances, prophets are also completely immersed within their visions, making them perhaps even more vulnerable than Seers, as the visions last as long as the Prophet chooses, but they have the advantage of not being taken by surprise and ensuring their safety before entering the trance. Once immersed, a prophet is able to act as if a spectral witness of the vision. She is able to change her point of view and go backwards and forwards in time to the limit of her magical casting. The vision will last until the prophet ends it, or until the prophet is touched by something in her physical presence.

The elements work the same for prophets as they do for seers, but there are no “dumb prophets” as those without the either Fire or Metal, even if they do exist, cannot learn to control and understand their visions to a high enough degree to be considered prophets, and are only considered dumb seers.

System: To use a single Element in order to sense something beyond a prophet’s normal senses that is occurring in the present within 100m of the prophet, or in order to sense an event within a day past or present that the prophet could have witnessed from where he is at the time, the Base Difficulty of the casting is 5, +1 for each additional element used, if it occurs both beyond the prophet’s normal senses and in the past or future, and for every 5km away and 5 years into the past or present the event is taking place (+1 if it’s between a day to 5 years in the past or future or between 100m and 5km from the prophet, +2 if between 5 and 10 years in the past or future or 5km and 10km from the prophet, etc). Remember that the further into the future an event takes place, the less likely that event will actually happen as at any point, an event may alter the course the future takes, and it would take multiple castings to trace each major decision that must be made in order for that particular event to happen, and all future events are to be treated as an if/then statement. If this action is taken, this will be the result. In order to view multiple results of multiple possible actions, it is a further +2 Difficulty per potential outcome and only for the same event. The amount of successes determines the clarity of the vision. Multiple castings are not cumulative.

The Second Circle
From beyond the Dream Realm to the Boundary of Mind, the Second Circle contains the Mental Arts, those of the dream walkers, telepaths, illusionists and mind benders, able to invade the mind of others and conjure illusions from the depths of their own. Disciples of the Second Circle, are limited to only one or two Elements through which they can weave their mental magics.

Dream Walker
A dream walker passes the first boundary into the Dream Realm, allowing her consciousness to visit and influence the realm and through it, the dreams of others, whether she is asleep or awake. If asleep, a dream walker remains fully conscious as she begins to dream and is able to shape and control her own private dream. She can then cast a spell to beckon others to her own dream or travel beyond to the sub-realms or the dreams of others. If awake, she can enter a sleep-like trance to achieve the same result, the only difference being, when she chooses to end the dream, she will awake, whereas if asleep, she will continue to sleep until she awakes by normal means and may dream again. In either case, if she is disturbed while dream walking enough to be brought out of a deep sleep, she will awaken and the casting will end as any normal dream.

When trying to enter the dreams of others, or bring others to her dreams, a dream walker must first know her intended targets, and preferably, have a way to connect herself to them if not be in close proximity to them. This is not necessary, but does make the casting more difficult, as does the number of targets. Once she pulls her targets to her dream, or invades someone’s dream, she can then begin to alter the dream in various ways based upon the elements she possesses. When in a dream controlled by a dream walker, those who experience it become consciously aware of the dream as well, believing it is real no matter what happens within, and able to remember it vividly once they awaken, which will only happen when the dream walker decides to end the dream, or if they die within the dream. For this reason, dream walkers are greatly feared, as they can hold their victims captive within the Dream Realm, giving others the opportunity to kill or capture them in their sleep. However, a dream walker cannot affect the dreams of another dream walker or of greater will weavers than themselves unless they willingly allow it.

Sub-realms are the solid backbone, so to say, of the dream realm, created by common themes shared by different souls, these realms range from common nightmares filled with a wide range of monsters and faceless phantoms and more, to realms that defy the laws physics, to realms of real locations, altered by distorted perceptions and what might have been, and more. Dream walkers of lesser ability tend to favor these realms to bring others to so that they do not have to create the dream themselves, as they offer more than some dream walkers can create themselves, with the only draw back of not being able to alter these realms as they could the dreams of others or realms they created. It is also through exploring these realms that a dream walker learns more of her art, and can find a way to the second boarder.

The elements determine what aspects of a dream a dream walker can control and manipulate. Metal being the most common, allows a dream walker to change what can be seen. The second most common is Fire, allowing a dream walker to control what can be heard within a dream, setting the atmosphere so to say, by adding sounds, dialogue, or even music of her choosing. Least common, but most unnerving and memorable is the element of Wood, allowing a dream walker to add the illusion that those within her dream can feel what happens to them, whether a simple touch, or the pain of more sinister intentions. Such dreams tend to remain firmly in the mind of those who experience them for quite some time, whether it was a pleasant experience, or one promising their own demise. Air allows a dream walker to incorporate smells to entice or further horrify those she is weaving her dreams for, while water allows them to taste. Wood, Air, and Water especially tend to linger on those who experience such dreams for a short time after they wake, further reminding them of the dream crafted for them, and often times causing them to take even longer than usual to distinguish their dream from reality, whereas sights and sounds, though much more vividly remembered after waking than normal dreams, are more familiar and easier to dismiss.

System: For a dream weaver to travel to the Dream Realm alone, it is a Difficulty of 5. It is a +1 Difficulty to bring up to 5 people who are sleeping in the same general area, and another +1 for each additional 5 people. If the targets are not within 100m of each other, it is another +1 for each person/group brought to the Dream Realm, and if the targets are not within 100m of the dream weaver and she does not have something to connect her to the targets, it is an additional +1 Difficulty for each group of up to 5. This can be something as simple as an army’s banner to connect the dream weaver to all the soldiers fighting in that army, or a flower grown near where the targets are sleeping. Once the spell has been cast, the dream weaver and those she brought to the realm with her are at the mercy of the particular dream realm she brought them to. Such castings last for one hour per success. Multiple castings are cumulative but at a +1 Difficulty of the previous casting.

When entering someone else’s dream, it is a difficulty of that person’s Willpower, and no one can be brought to the dream except the target and the dream weaver. For the dream weaver not to appear as herself or to not appear at all, it is +2 Difficulty, and to actively alter the dream, it is a +2 Difficulty per Element used to alter the dream, while if the target is not near the dream weaver and she has nothing to connect herself to the target, it is another +2 Difficulty. Each success can be split between duration of the casting for one hour per success and how many aspects of the dream the weaver can alter based on the Elements used in the casting, at one change per success. Multiple castings are cumulative but at a +1 Difficulty of the previous casting.

When creating a dream realm to bring people to, the Base Difficulty is 2 per Element used and follows the rules above for bringing other people to the realm with a minimum Difficulty of 5. Successes determine the duration of the casting at one hour per success, but castings are not cumulative, however, the character can control all aspects of the dream based on the elements used to create it for its entire duration.

Illusionist
While dream walkers can control and explore the Dream Realm, illusionists can bring the Dream Realm to the Physical Realm, creating dream-like illusions that appear to be real. Like a dream walker’s dreams, an illusionist’s creations give no sign of being illusions save the lack of certain elements the illusionist does not possess. An illusionary wall created only with Metal will look like an ordinary wall, until someone tries to touch it and realize he can walk right through it.

A skilled illusionist can actually pass herself off as a mage until her illusions are discovered for what they are. Seemingly just as able to create something out of nothing, it can be a pretty unnerving sight to watch her creations come to life, especially an illusionist that possesses both Metal and Wood. Only, unlike a mage, an illusionist’s creations are made of tempered spirit and will eventually fade away back to its original state within the Dream Realm. She is also able to learn to do all the things a dream walker can, as she must first venture to the Dream Realm to be able to pull illusions from it, making her able to harry her victims day and night, sending nightmares to haunt them whether asleep or awake.

When an illusionist weaves her craft, she does not have to put herself in a trance unless she wants to actively control what the illusion does. When this happens, the illusionist’s consciousness is projected into the illusion, allowing her to see what the illusion would see and act as if she was the illusion itself, leaving her body as vulnerable as a dream walker, waking from the illusion as if from a dream, which dispels the illusion. Otherwise, she can summon the illusion with basic instructions upon which it will function, and the illusion will take on a life of its own from there. Once these instructions are set, they can only be changed with a new casting, but it will last for up to a number of days depending on the strength of the casting or until dispelled by the illusionist or someone able to counter her spell.

As with the previous three Arts, the Art of Illusion is most commonly expressed through the elements of Metal and Fire, but the most sought after illusionists express their Art through Metal and Wood. Metal allows the crafting of visual illusions, whether animated creatures, doppelgangers, alluring fantasies, clever disguises, or imaginary objects. Fire allows audible illusions of seductive promises, hidden dangers and strange noises, cries of battle, or whatever else the illusionist wishes others to hear. Air allows any kind of scent, aroma, or stench to drift across the noses of those such a casting is intended. The least favored, and easiest to dismiss as an illusion is the element of Water, though adding a foul taste to go with a foul stench presents a powerful deterrent, and can be used in other creative ways that prove useful. The most favored, however, is the element of Wood, allowing the illusion of feeling. An illusionary wall created with Metal only needs to be touched to discover it’s but a trick, but one reinforced with Wood, has both the look and feel of being real, and is much harder to dispel as a simple illusion. An illusion wielding a sword must simply be met by a real blade to know that it is no threat, but with the element of Wood, not only does a real blade meet resistance from the illusionary one, but those feeling the cut of such an illusion truly believe they are injured, and if “killed” will lose consciousness from the mental distress caused by the imagined pain.

System: To create an unmoving, single Element illusion, the Difficulty is 5. Each additional Element used is +2 to the Difficulty, while creating a moving illusion is a further +1 difficulty for each different command the illusionist gives the illusion to do. Illusions that incorporate Wood and are commanded to attack people have a minimum Difficulty of 10. Taking control of an illusion is +3 Difficulty for unlimited control for as long as the casting’s duration, but once the illusionist stops controlling the illusion, the casting ends. Successes determine how long the illusion lasts. Opponents can also attack illusions that are created using the Element of Wood. These illusions are considered to have no soak pool and a number of health levels equal to the amount of successes rolled. Multiple castings are cumulative, but are at a +1 Difficulty to the previous casting.

1 Success – 1 Minute
2 Successes – 1 Hour
3 Successes – 1 Day
4 Successes – 1 Month
5+ Successes – 1 Year for each Success over 4

Telepath
Touching the Boundary of Mind between the Dream Realm and the Gaian Plane, a telepath can slip from people’s subconscious dreams into their conscious minds, becoming a passive observer of another’s inner dialogue and hidden thoughts. It also allows a telepath to dig further into a person’s memories and pull out information, making telepaths the perfect spies and interrogators.

As with previous Arts, if a telepath is to see what her victim is thinking, or wants to search through her memory for past information, she must put herself into a trance to do so. This trance is like a lighter version a dream walker’s trance in that any kind of sudden noise or the slightest touch will bring the telepath back to her body. However, if the telepath has the element of Fire and only wishes to hear the thoughts of someone she can see, she does not need to enter a trance, and will hear the thoughts as if being spoken aloud by someone standing next to her.

The Boundary of Mind is also home to the Astral Planes, composed of realms of thought, from philosophical to scientific. These are realms created not by subconscious dreams, but conscious thoughts and beliefs. There are realms of all kinds, created by common subjects and interests people from all over the world actively pursue, these realms are strengthened by each person who gives serious thought on the subject for extended periods of time, and especially by the writing of books, giving telepaths and others experienced in traveling this boundary access to a wealth of information, assuming they can learn to understand the way the knowledge is presented.

What elements a telepath possesses determines both how she interprets thoughts, which comes to her in the same way as a seer or prophet, and what kind of memories she can search for in someone’s mind. A telepath with the element of Fire can hear another’s thoughts, and discover things they have heard in the past, while one with the element of Metal can see the thoughts of others and what others have seen in the past. Air allows a telepath to smell what her target has smelled, Water to taste what has been tasted, and Wood to feel what has been felt. In order to listen to past thoughts of a target that has never expressed them, the telepath must use Fire, Water and Wood to bring the thoughts to the surface, make them tangible and listen to them.

System: Simply hearing the thoughts of someone a telepath is already speaking with is a Difficulty of the target’s Willpower, to use Fire or Metal to hear or see someone’s thoughts that is within sight, it is an additional +1 Difficulty per Element used. Each person beyond the first is an additional +1 Difficulty to the highest Willpower Rating among those targeted. If the target is out of sight, the telepath needs something to connect her to the target and is at a +1 Difficulty with an additional +1 Difficulty for each kilometer the target is away from her. If the target moves out of sight or travels over a kilometer away from telepath before the duration ends, the telepath will not be able to hear or see their thoughts unless recasting at a higher Difficulty, or the target moves back into the range before the duration expires. One success must be rolled per additional target beyond the first, the remaining successes determine the duration of the spell. Multiple castings are not cumulative.

Duration
1 Success – The next thought, no more than a sentence in length.
2 Successes – 1 minute
3 Successes – 10 minutes
4 Successes – 1/2 hour
5+ Successes – 1 hour per success over 4.

When searching someone’s mind for past memories, the telepath must have a specific time or event she is trying to find and it is a base Difficulty of the target’s Willpower, for one Element +1 per additional Element used, the telepath experiencing the sensations of the Elements used in the casting that the target experienced in the memory. The telepath must enter a trance, so does not necessarily have to see the target, but if the target is more than 100 meters away from the telepath, she needs something to connect her to her target, and it is an additional +1 Difficulty for each kilometer. Only one person can be targeted at a time. The amount of successes determines the vividness and accuracy of the memory the telepath experiences. Once again, multiple castings are not cumulative.

Mind Bender
A mind bender takes the art of telepathy beyond that of passive spying to active manipulation of a person’s conscious mind, reaching in and altering memories, or making someone interpret their senses differently, even controlling their bodily functions and actions. One of the more powerful and widely feared Arts, mind bending is the lowest Art that is potentially fatal and able to cause permanent mental and even physical effects upon those touched by such magic.

As with an illusionist, a mind bender can cast an instructed spell to make mental alterations without entering a trance, but the more complicated the commands, the more difficult this is to pull off. Commands to ignore certain words or phrases or ignoring certain people or other things seen, slight touches or strange smells are relatively simple, but the more elements used, or the more complex the command, the stronger the spell must be to carry out all the instructions. She could also send out a series of simpler commands in separate spells. Otherwise, a mind bender can instead put herself into a trance and enter another person’s mind, feeding her victim instructions at a whim.

With the element of Fire, a mind bender can cause certain words or phrases heard by her victim to be ignored or replaced by something else entirely, and can control her speech, the heart and flow of blood, causing her victim to lose consciousness by denying blood to the brain, or have a heart attack or stroke. With Air, scents smelt by the victim can be changed from one to another and the lungs and airways can be controlled. Water allows tastes to be ignored or altered and control over the urinary tract, bladder, kidneys, and liver. Metal can alter a person’s vision and control the digestive tract, from the esophagus all the way to the bowels. And most dangerous of all, Wood allows a mind bender to turn pleasure into pain or create either at a whim, alter emotions, and by controlling the skin and muscles, control the actions of another person like a puppet who is fully aware that they are no longer in control of their own body. Finally, whereas with telepaths, it only takes Fire, Water and Wood to read past thoughts of a victim, it requires the use of all five Elements in conjunction to truly alter someone’s mind, allowing the mind bender to radically alter someone’s personality, mental state, or to make suggestions that the victim will carry out believing it’s of his own free will.

System: The minimum Difficulty of a casting is the victim’s Willpower, but this would only be for the simplest of manipulations, a single cough or sneeze, a stumble or muscle twitch, enhancing an emotion the victim is already experiencing, the hiccups, or other things that are known to happen spontaneously. From there, the more complex and out of character for the victim, the more difficult the casting, but it is ultimately up to the Storyteller to decide the Difficulty. Mind bending is a powerful art that has the potential to completely alter a character’s personality or otherwise affect them for the rest of their lives, and major, long lasting changes should require both a high Difficulty and multiple successes to accomplish.

The Third Circle
Stretching from the gaian planes to the Boundary of Spirit, the Third Circle contains the Astral Arts, allowing the disciples to interact with the spirits of the lower hierarchy, to bind them into material objects and to move through the astral planes from one location to the next through the Arts of the seekers, conjurers, mediums and enchantresses. Magicians of the Third Circle are able to express their Arts through up to three different Elements.

Seeker
A seeker can send her consciousness to the Gaian Planes, tapping into the spiritual consciousness of the Physical Realm. This is a realm of ideas and awareness and where the spirits of all things that exist in the Physical Realm but lack a true soul reside, giving a seeker access to an incredible wealth of information. The entire world is represented within the Gaian Planes, broken up into realms by major changes in terrain or population density. Information on the lay of the land, types of wildlife and materials, and general information on what can be found within the physical location represented by these realms can be gleamed from such astral exploration. The true wealth of knowledge, however, is gained from realms created by the collective consciousness of entire races, tribes, towns, kingdoms, and even philosophies. In these realms, a seeker can discover the general attitude and thoughts of likeminded people, or of people living under the same laws. Within a kingdom, feelings of nobles to commoners and vice versa, or of rebellious intent, and a wide variety of other things can be discovered. And with enough exploration of both her self and the Gaian Planes, a seeker can also manage to discover ways beyond them, furthering her magical ability to become a medium, or even a shaman or priestess.

The Gaian Planes can be a hostile place, even more dangerous as the Physical Realm as seekers venturing there are rarely with their full abilities and senses, exposing a seeker’s very soul to attacks from all sorts of spirits. These attacks assault the will of the soul directly, sapping it until the seeker has no will left and dies. Not only that, but once in a trance to journey to the Gaian Planes, a seeker’s consciousness goes beyond the Boundary of Mind and nothing will bring her back to her body except herself which is a journey in itself, making it even more vulnerable than a seer or prophet. The elements she possesses determine just what of herself she has access to. The element of Fire allows her to hear and speak to spirits, and gives the seeker a Willpower-based attack against spirits. The element of Air allows her to fly and move at x20 the normal rate when traveling the Physical Realm and allows her the ability to dodge attacks. The element of Water allows a seeker to move over the spiritual earth and water at x10 the normal rate and allows her the ability to block attacks. Metal allows the seeker to see the Gaian Planes, block attacks, and a better ability to soak damage. Most valuable of all, Wood allows her to bring a spiritual shell of her own body, giving her full access to her physical attributes and abilities when confronted with spirits, however, Wood only allows a seeker to move at the normal speed of travel, and Fire is still needed to speak to and understand spirits, and Metal to see.

Astral projection to the Gaian Planes is not the only use of a seeker’s power, however. With the element of Wood and Fire, a seeker can communicate directly with soulless life forms, such as animals and plants. Metal and Fire allows direct communication with inanimate objects, whether it is things that were never alive, or the remains of things once living. Water combined with Wood and Fire allows a seeker to hear the collective consciousness of an assembled crowd, allowing her to know the general feeling and mindset of those gathered and how best to manipulate the crowd to her advantage. And with Air, a seeker can scatter her senses to the winds, greatly increasing her sense of smell and the sense of any other element she possesses.

System: Work in Progress.

Conjurer
A conjurer’s art establishes a connection to another location in the Physical Realm through the Gaian Planes, allowing the conjurer to pull something from one location to another, or allowing her to move through the conduit created and appear at the other end. Such magic can also allow her to pull something partially into the Gaian Plane for a period of time, causing the target to move faster or slower through the Physical Realm. The simplest of tricks is to make something a conjurer can see appear in her hand, or to move herself to another position within her sight, or to speed or slow the movement of people or objects within her sight, but with enough effort, and a bit of seeking, a conjurer could create a connection on the other side of the planet or beyond. If the object or location a conjurer seeks is not in sight, she must place herself into a trance and journey to the Gaian Planes to find it, and once found, can then bring herself out of the trance as the conduit is created. Conjurers, however, have the luxury of being able to see her body at will, temporarily losing sight of the Gaian Planes when she does so, and is able to instantaneously return to it, unlike seekers.

What a conjurer can establish a connection with depends on the elements possessed. Fire allows the conjuring of energy, taking it away from one place and moving it to another. Air allows gases to be moved, and is one of the most important elements of the Art, as it allows a conjuring to move an object into a space occupied only by air, the quickest form of travel through the Gaian Planes to find what the conjurer seeks, and to slow or speed objects moving through it, whether running or in flight. Water allows liquids to be moved, and for objects moving through water to be slowed or hastened. Metal allows solid objects to be moved and a conjurer to see within the Gaian Planes, making it another extremely valuable element. Finally, Wood allows a conjurer to move people and other life forms with her Art.

A conjurer needs not only the element of what she wishes to conjure, but the element of what occupies the space it is moving to as well. If a conjurer wishes to move a person into water, she must have both Wood and Water. If a conjurer wishes to move a rock from one place to another, she must have both Metal and Air to move the air occupying the space the rock is moved to. If a conjurer wishes to replace a stone with a frog, Metal and Wood would be needed. The only exception to this rule is if the conjurer wishes to move herself, in which case she’d only need the element of what is occupying the space she wishes to move to, or if she wishes something to appear in her hand, in which case she’d need only the element of the object.

System: Work in Progress.

Medium
Within the Boundary of Spirits reside the spirits of the recently departed, the elementals, and the spirits of life and death. A medium can communicate with these spirits, and often preside over funeral rites to pass final messages between the living and the dead, giving loved ones a more intimate way to pay their dues and allow the departed spirit to pass through the boundary into the Ancestor Realm. Elementals, on the other hand, are considered the middle management of the spirits, passing on dictates of higher spirits from the Spirit Realm to the lesser spirits of the Gaian Planes, ensuring a balance is maintained between the flow of spirit into and out of the Physical Realm, each managing tasks involved with their particular elemental realm found within the boundary. The spirits of life and death, finally, are responsible for guiding new souls to and from their bodies.

In most cases, a medium must try to summon a specific spirit before she can interact with it, but with the element of Air, a medium can project herself to the Boundary of Spirits much like a seeker can to the Gaian Planes, exploring the elemental realms, or the realm of lost souls. The element of Metal allows these spirits to be seen, and mental images passed from the spirits to the medium. With Fire, a medium can speak with these spirits and with Wood, can physically interact with them. It is the element of Water that is most revered in a medium, however, as it allows a medium to project what she sees or hears to others around her.

The elementals reside within their own realms, one for each element. Traveling to these realms or summoning an elemental is relatively easy to a medium that has the element of the elemental they are summoning or the realm she is visiting. Those without the element of the realm they visit, however, cannot survive within the realm without the aide of an elemental, and must make offerings to convince an elemental to answer a summoning. Once a medium has been granted such an audience, she can then try to have the elemental teach her its element.

The realm of lost souls is the gateway to the Ancestor Realm, where those who have died go to have their souls separated from the spiritual shells that bound them to their recent life. The spiritual essence, with the mental impression left by the life lived, then passes into Ancestor Realm as an ancestor spirit, or remnant, while the soul goes on to the Boundary of Souls, where the gods decide its fate. It is called the realm of lost souls, as until the soul is separated from its shell, it wanders the realm, lost in a haze of death, searching for its body. When a funeral rite is held, a spirit of death is drawn to the rite and finds the lost soul the funeral is being held to, but those who do not have a funeral rite held for them can often spend years within the realm before found and released. When a medium oversees such a rite, she can summon the lost soul and the spirit of death to the same place, and allow those attending the rite to pass on their last words.

System: Work in Progress.

Enchantress (Enchanter)
Able to bind spirits from the Astral and Gaian Planes and the Boundary of Spirits to a physical vassal, enchantresses have the power to enchant various items and people with spiritual powers. Known by many names depending on the physical vassal, these enchantments until the vassal is consumed, broken or dies and have a nearly unlimited range of effects, from temporary to permanent. The type of spirit bound determines the kinds of powers can be imbued into the vassal, but the spirit must be willing to enter the vassal, which requires some negotiation on the part of the enchantress to convince the spirit to do so. This could be as simple as asking a favorable spirit to do so to upholding a request from the spirit for the rest of the enchantress’s life depending on the spirit being bound, the length of service, and how close the physical vassal is to the spirit’s own nature.

The lesser spirits of the Gaian Planes tend to be the easiest to bind. These are spirits of inanimate objects or plant-life and other lesser organisms of limited consciousness. As easy as they are to bind, they are also of limited use beyond imbuing a vassal with slightly enhanced properties of the spirit’s physical counterpart. Water could be imbued with the healing properties of a medicinal herb, or a healing salve made even more effective by the same, while a spirit of a poisonous plant could make a real poison even deadlier. A suit of armor or sword could be made more durable with the spirit of a rock or some kind of metal (not to be confused with a Metal Elemental). However, spirits of simple living matter cannot be bound into solid matter and vice-versa as a spirit of solid matter would kill whatever living vassal it was bound to and a spirit of simple living matter would have no way to take root within solid matter.

Most commonly used and almost as easy to bind are the spirits of the astral planes within the Boundary of Mind. These are spirits of emotions and concepts created by the souls within the Physical Realm. Anger, Fear, Desire, Love, War, Peace, Wealth, Perception, Strength, Insight, Courage, and a myriad of other spirits with no real physical counterpart exist within the astral planes, and being creations of mortal souls, make them rather favorable to being bound to physical objects by an enchantress that understands the nature of the spirit. A charm can be imbued with a spirit of desire to make the wearer more appealing to the opposite sex, or a spirit of strength can be bound into a potion to temporarily increase the strength of the one who drinks it. A spirit of war could be bound into a sword to make it more likely to cause grievous injuries, or a spirit of peace bound into a ring to make those around the wearer less inclined to react hostilely towards her. Astral spirits have no limitations upon what they can be bound within, but enchantments using such spirits only have a certain number of uses and any effects last but an hour before wearing off.

Next comes the spirit of animals, from insects to great beasts. Spirits accustomed to being free, animal spirits offer a range of powers when bound into physical vassals but often request some kind of favor in return to being bound. Such favors could range from requests to never harm one of its own, to leaving food for them a certain amount of times, to raising and caring for a certain number of them among other requests of aid to the spirit’s kind. A weapon can be imbued with a spiritual poison of a venomous animal spirit, or a charm can be imbued with the ferocity of a raging bull spirit. Animals can even be imbued with the spirit of another animal, causing it to act as if it was the animal of the spirit bound into it instead. Though more difficult to bind than astral spirits, the effects of such enchantments last a day when called upon and can be called upon a certain amount of times agreed to by the spirit, or until the vassal is consumed, dies, or is broken.

The most difficult spirits to get to agree to be bound, and the ones within the most powerful of enchantments are spirits of the Boundary of Spirits. The most difficult to bind are the spirits of life or death. Either kind of spirit, if such an agreement can be made, will only be bound for a single use. A spirit of death can be bound into a weapon to instantly kill the next person it strikes, or a spirit of life can be bound into a potion to instantly revive a gravely injured or fallen companion if used within a minute or two after death. Almost as difficult to bind but much more versatile are the Elementals. Enchantments made with Elementals are either permanent, or are always in effect for as long as the Elemental agreed to be bound for, and can do pretty much anything a spirit of the Gaian Planes can do. A sword can be imbued with the quickness of an air elemental, or the searing pain of a fire elemental, or armor can be strengthened with a metal elemental, or the durability of a wood elemental.

The elements possessed by the enchantress determine what kind of enchantments can be created. With the elements of Air or Water, bottled vapors or liquids can be enchanted as magical potions. With the element of Metal, charms or talismans can be made out of solid objects, ranging from clothing or jewelry to weapons, to a wide variety of objects. With the element of Wood, familiars can be made by binding spirits into living animals, or with the addition of Fire, spirits can be bound directly into a vassal that already possesses a soul, known as direct enchantments.

System: Work in Progress.

The Forth Circle
As disciples enter the Forth Circle, encompassing the Spiritual Arts, they split into two different schools of magic, the School of Growth and the School of Decay. The School of Growth passes through the Spirit Realm where new untempered spirit passes into our world to fuel, maintain and renew its creation and contains the Arts of the priestesses, summoners and clerics. The School of Decay passes through the Ancestor Realm where old decaying spirit passes from the Physical World back to the Spiritual World to become pure spirit once again as spirit can only be tempered for so long before regressing back to its original state and contains the Arts of the shamans, necromancers and reavers. Clerics and reavers may then attempt to cross the Boundary of Souls into the Fifth Circle or to find their way through the opposite realm, combining the power of both schools to become a sorceress. Disciples of this circle are able to master up to four Elements through which they can express their Arts.

Priestess (Priest)
Reaching directly into the spirit realm, a priestess deals directly with the upper reaches of the spirit hierarchy, and through them, the gods. A priestess is able to travel to the spirit realm the same way a seeker is able to travel to the gaian planes, or can summon a specific spirit associated with the element(s) possessed by the priestess, appearing as an apparition in front of the priestess. A spirit does not have to answer this summons, and the more powerful the spirit, the less likely this will be unless the priestess goes to great lengths to praise and appease the spirit, or the priestess has had personal dealings with the spirit in the past.

System: Work in Progress.

Shaman
Whereas a priestess reaches into the spirit realm, a shaman reaches into the ancestor realm, traveling there or summoning ancestor spirits or spirits of death and entropy to her. The former works like a seeker traveling to the gaian planes, but unlike a priestess, a shaman can summon any spirit of the ancestral realm, the elements granting these spirits their ability to interact with the shaman. Fire grants such spirits the ability to hear and speak. Air brings them further out of the ancestral realm and gives them better clarity of the physical realm, without it they are easily distracted and confused. Water connects them to others than just the medium, letting them interact with the spirit as well. Metal grants the spirits the ability to see the physical realm, and wood gives them a body, immaterial though it may be.

System: Work in Progress.

Summoner
Also known as a high priestess, a summoner can force any spirit to answer her summons, but what’s more, a summoner can grant the more powerful spirits a physical vassal with which they can interact directly with the physical realm or create permanent enchantments with elementals and spirits of the gaian planes. Unlike with enchantments of lesser spirits, where the physical vassal takes on a property of the spirit bound within, the more powerful spirits transform their vassal into their own body, and can even take control of a body from a weak willed soul, using it to fulfill their own ends within the physical realm.

System: Work in Progress.

Necromancer
Able to pull spirits of the ancestral realm into physical vassals, a necromancer can animate dead flesh or curse the living, either directly or by binding such spirits into various objects. Curses involve spirits of entropy, causing various destructive or negative effects based upon the nature of the curse. With wood and water people can be cursed to live alone by severing the emotional connections they have to others and preventing new ones from being formed. With metal weapons or other items can be cursed to affect the skill of the user, or be cursed to break upon its next use. With wood and metal dead flesh can also be reanimated by such spirits, creating mindless zombies bent on death and destruction. A necromancer can also summon spirits of the departed back to the physical realm if she has a personal connection to the spirit, either through blood, having known the spirit during their life, or having a personal possession once belonging to the spirit. Such spirits can only be reunited with their original body if wood is used to do so, and though the spirit is returned, the soul is still vacant and the decay of the body is not halted, and depending on the level of decay already happening, senses beyond touch may not be available unless other elements are used. In lack of a habitable body, an ancestor spirit can still be summoned and use what elements save wood, possessed by the necromancer to interact with the physical realm.

System: Work in Progress.

Cleric
A cleric reaches all the way through the spirit realm to the boundary between our world and the spirit world, the realm of the gods. With the finite amount of almost pure spirit existing in this boundary, a cleric can pull it to the physical realm and use it to build upon what already exists. Armor can be made stronger with metal, wounds made to heal quicker with wood, heat intensified with fire, moisture in the air turned to drinkable water with water, and wind compacted and accelerated to such a degree as to cut a man in two with air.

System: Work in Progress.

Reaver
A reaver is the opposite of a cleric, able to weaken something in the physical world by breaking down into pure spirit and returning some of its physical essence to the boundary at the edge of our world. Wood can cause wounds to fester and rot, cause someone to become more susceptible to illness by weakening their immune system, or sap their strength and vitality from them, but on the other hand, it can also weaken an infection, helping someone to fight it off. Metal can cause stone to age and crumble, weapons to dull or sharpen or become brittle and frail. Water can cause liquids to evaporate before a reaver’s very eyes. Air can deprive one of oxygen faster than it can be taken in. And fire can cause heat to cool, electricity to momentarily stop its circuit or reduce its voltage, and slow the speed of objects in motion, such as arrows.

System: Work in Progress.

Sorceress (Sorcerer)
A sorceress has the magical ability of both a cleric and reaver.

System: Work in Progress.

The Fifth Circle
Breaching the Boundary of Souls to enter fully into the Spirit World, the Fifth Circle contains the three Material Arts of the wizards of the School of Growth, witches of the School of Decay and magi who have mastered both schools. Touching the realm of the gods and the raw, pure spirit found there, disciples of the Fifth Circle can master all five Elements.

Wizard
Whereas a cleric can only add to that which already exists by pulling spirit from the boundary between worlds, a wizard can tap into purely untempered spirit from the realm of the gods and summon it to the physical realm, tempering it to her will and creating something out of nothing at all.

System: Work in Progress.

Witch (Warlock)
The opposite of a wizard, a witch is able to banish something from the physical world completely, instantly transforming it to pure spirit and sending it to the spirit world.

System: Work in Progress.

Mage
The rarest and most powerful of all, a mage has the ultimate command of magic, able to do anything and everything any other Art can do.

System: Work in Progress.

The Ritual
While the Arts determines where and how spiritual energy can be manipulated and drawn and the Elements determine how the spiritual energy can be perceived and expressed by the Ascended, the Ritual bridges the gap between physical and spiritual, creating the channel through which the act of will realizes its desire. There are three elements of the Ritual: The Act, the Word, and the Prop, but only one of the first two is necessary. The Ritual is some sort of action that links the caster’s will to physical reality. The more complicated the Ritual, the stronger the link, the easier to channel the spiritual energy required for the casting.

The Act: The Act is quite simply any action done for the magical casting. A hand gesture, body position, movement of any kind specifically made to convey the intended casting.

The Word: The Word is a spoken word, command, chant, or recited spell done for the magical casting.

The Prop: The Prop is any kind of physical object used in the casting. A piece of chalk, blood, quill and parchment or book, a sword, staff, or wand, a brewed concoction or crafted item, material component that can be used in some way in conjunction with an Act.

The Result: The Ritual determines the difficulty modifier of the casting. The lowest difficulty possible on a magical casting is 5 with or without modifiers unless the casting targets another’s mind (such as any spell using the Arts of Dream Walking, Telepathy, or Mind Bending), in which case, the lowest difficulty possible is the highest Willpower of those targeted. The most the difficulty can be modified by the Ritual is 3 unless the difficulty is set higher than 13, in which case, the difficulty can be lowered at most to 10 (difficulty 8, at least 3 successes needed).

If the caster is looking for an instantaneous affect, a single word or quick gesture is enough, but adds +3 to the difficulty determined by the Storyteller for the desired effect. If an Act is combined with a Prop or a Word, there is a +2 difficulty modifier, and if all 3 are used in conjunction, there is a +1 difficulty modifier.

If at least a minute is spent on the Ritual, there is an additional -1 difficulty modifier (+2 difficulty for a Ritual that only involves one element, +1 for a Ritual that involves two, and no modifier for a Ritual that involves all three). An hour long Ritual lowers the difficulty by -2. If the Ritual lasts from Sunrise to Sunset or vice versa, the modifier is lowered by -3, and if it lasts a day, it is lowered by -4, for a total of a -3 modifier on a Ritual that uses all three elements, -2 for one that uses two, and -1 for one that only uses one. The difficulty can be lowered further if a week is spent on the ritual, then again for a month and each additional month after that for up to a year (for a total of a -14 difficulty modifier for a year long Ritual that utilizes all three elements, -13 for one that uses two, and -12 for one that uses one), after that, there is an additional -1 modifier for each year.

If the Ritual is to last a minute or an hour, it must be a process that involves the caster performing an Act or Word for the entire duration of time. If it is to last half a day or longer, it must involve a prop that is specially prepared in someway for at least an hour, the prop can then be left alone until it is time to finish the Ritual (if it is only to last half a day), or until the next time period, at which point a new Act, Word and/or Prop must be introduced to the Ritual in a process that lasts at least an hour to continue it, while in order to complete it, a final Act or Word lasting at least a minute must be done in order initiate the Casting.

For example, special ingredients could be mixed into pastes and applied to an empty cauldron with a brush, drawing special symbols or words, then filled with liquid while an invocation is spoken over it and set over a fire, at which point more ingredients are added to the concoction and stirred in, the pot continuing to be stirred as it is heated until the hour has passed, at which point the cauldron is removed and left to cool over night. In the morning, a final invocation is spoken over the cauldron to invoke the desired magic. If it was to last a day, the same Ritual could be started at daybreak and heated until nightfall; then in the final hour of heating, a special place is prepared to leave it to cool over night, and in the morning, the final invocation is spoken. If it was to last a week, upon cooling, the concoction could be filtered through a specially prepared cloth and what was caught squeezed into a bottle, which is then sealed until the end of the week, at which point the bottle is opened after speaking the invocation to release the desired magic. For a month-long Ritual, the contents of the bottle could be opened and applied to a specially prepared parchment, writing out the final invocation, which is then spoken aloud after the parchment has been left to dry until the end of the month. For a two month long ritual, the invocation could be spoken while the parchment is burned and the ashes mixed into sand which is used to fill a box in which a specially prepared wand was placed, and closed for another month, at which point the box is opened, and one last invocation is drawn in the sand, transforming the wand into an enchanted item.

High Ritual
High Ritual is a special ability that allows for extremely specific, complex, and precise rituals to be created that if done wrong in anyway, ruins the entire spell and it must be started over at the next opportunity, as many require the Ritual to be done on a certain day of the year and/or at a certain time of the day. Every requirement for a High Ritual must be specified before it is performed and requires at least three different Acts and/or Words and one Prop to be used per difficulty modifier due to time duration (at least three Acts/Words and one Prop used for one minute, six and two for an hour, nine and three for half a day, twelve and four for a full day, fifteen and five for a month, eighteen and six for two months, etc) in addition to the requirements for a normal Ritual. Once a character writes and uses a High Ritual for a certain spell, the character receives a +3 difficulty modifier on the casting of that spell if used with any other Ritual.

The difficulty of the High Ritual roll is 7. If the duration of the High Ritual is a minute, only one success is needed, for an hour, two successes are needed. If the High Ritual lasts longer than an hour, it becomes an extended roll, one roll required per additional duration (half a day gets 2 rolls, a day 3 rolls, a week 4 rolls, etc), in order to successfully execute the High Ritual, each roll must gain at least 1 success, and the total number of successes gained must equal 2x the number of rolls made. Discipline can be used on a High Ritual roll just like any other roll requiring intense concentration or extended roll, however, if used to avoid a failure, instead of getting a number of extra rolls per level of Discipline, the Quality must be rolled by itself at difficulty 7 and at least 1 success must be made on the roll in order to continue on to the next roll or to be able to add all the successes together to determine if the High Ritual succeeded.

If a roll fails at any point, whether because Willpower was already spent on the roll or the Discipline roll also failed, or if enough total successes are not rolled by the last step of the High Ritual, it fails, and the casting cannot be made unless the High Ritual is started over from the beginning. If a roll botches at any point, either a component not easily replaced is destroyed, the caster is somehow injured, or some other unfortunate mishap occurs.

There are three benefits of using High Ritual. First, it allows Discipline to be added to the roll like any other Quality can be added to a magical roll instead of having to use it per the special rules of the Quality. Second, for every 2 successes gained on the roll beyond what was required for it to succeed, the difficulty of the magic roll can be lowered further, up to -3 (the difficulty can still not go below 5, or the highest Willpower of the targets of the magic). Finally, High Ritual allows for the creation of Constructed Magic.

Constructed Magic
Constructed Magic is magic created through a High Ritual to be activated at another time under specified conditions. Any kind of magic can be constructed, and the creator can specify the process necessary to invoke the magic and who is allowed to invoke it. If the difficulty of the spell constructed is reliant upon a target’s Willpower, the caster has the option of either declaring a specific person or type of person for the spell to be used on or that it could be used on anyone. If a specific person is named, their Willpower determines the difficulty, but if the target of the spell is not a specific individual, but a type of individual or a spell that can be used on anyone, the difficulty is 10. The player can choose to lower the difficulty from 10, but anyone with a higher Willpower than the difficulty used cannot be affected by the spell and the casting is wasted if used on them anyways.

The most common form of Constructed Magic is Written Spells, which can be created by any of the Ascended save Seers. A Written Spell requires the caster to write the desired effect, the process to activate it, and who is allowed to do through a medium that’s been invested with the caster’s blood. The process can be as simple or complex as the caster desires, and those allowed to do so can be a specific person or list of people, anyone including the Unawakened, or someone of a specific Art or higher, up to the caster’s own Art (I.E., a Prophet could only specify anyone who is Ascended, or anyone who is a Prophet or higher, he could not deny someone of a higher Art than him the ability to invoke the spell). Once the spell is activated, the caster’s blood will begin to glow as the magic is released, and dissolve when the desired affect has run its course, preventing the same Written Spell from being used more than once. For this reason, the most common practice is to use simple parchment and either write the instructions in blood, so that they completely dissolve upon use, never to be read again, or to place a seal upon the parchment in blood, so that if the seal is missing, it is known that the magic is inert. However, others will mix their blood into the ink used or find other ways to make it difficult to tell whether or not the spell is still viable.

The other form of Constructed Magic is an Invested Prop. Instructions as to what the spell does, how it is invoked, and who can invoke it must still be written somewhere before the High Ritual is started, but even if the instructions are destroyed after, the magic still remains invested until used. Invested Props can be created as potions in the form of vapors or liquids sealed in a bottle by casters who possess the Element of Air or Water respectively, but these forms can only involve the process of the bottle being opened and the vapors breathed, or liquids drank in order to invoke the spell. If the person breathing or drinking the potion is not one who was allowed to invoke the spell, nothing happens and the spell is wasted. If the castor possesses the Element of Metal, however, any solid physical object can be invested and need not be destroyed upon use. Invested Props of this kind can be invested with the same spell as many times as the caster desires and used just as many times, so long as the spell invested does not destroy the vassal upon being invoked.

Although quite similar to Enchanted Items, Constructed Magic has the limitations of the caster’s magical ability and are always limited to a certain number of uses whereas Enchanted Items depend upon the spirit bound and how long it agreed to be so. However, Enchanters find them most useful in preparing a Ritual to create an Enchanted Item before they secure a spirit willing to be bound, getting the time consuming process of the Ritual out of the way, so that the spirit does not change its mind before it is completed. Wizards and Mages who possess all 5 Elements, however, are an exception. Masters of creation, they are able to create Written Spells and Invested Props that can be used indefinitely.

The Casting
When a character decides to cast magic, the player first describes the desired magical affect and the Storyteller assigns a difficulty based upon the complexity of the effect. The player then performs the Ritual to modify the declared difficulty, spends a point of Active Willpower, and declares what Qualities he will use to fuel the magic (the Storyteller is the final judge whether or not all declared Qualities are applicable to the situation). The Qualities are then added to the character’s remaining Active Willpower and the total is rolled against the modified difficulty, the number of successes determining how powerful the effect of the Casting.

Work in Progress

Attributes: Starting chars get 17 points to raise between them, but level 4 and 5 cost double points. To raise an attribute to 2 would cost 1 point, to 3 would cost another point, to 4 would cost two more points for a total of 4 points, and an attribute of 5 would cost 6 of 17.

Abilities: 30 points are given at character creation to divide between Abilities, but any Ability raised over 3 costs 2 points.

Privileges: 10 points in addition to Citizenship 4 to buy privileges.

Willpower: A character’s starting Willpower is his Pride + Discipline before customization points are spent. If customization or experience points are spent to raise Pride or Discipline, it does not raise Willpower.

Qualities: The number of Qualities used on a roll determines the amount of karma generated. Players get 15 points to divide between Qualities at Character Creation, but Discipline and Pride cost 2 points.

Intelligent Mentality Character Sheet

Instinctive Mentality Character Sheet

Dual Mentality Character Sheet

Character Sheet Page 2

Character Sheet Page 3

And here's a character sheet I've been working on so you can have an idea of what it looks like filled out:

Kalipera (Unfinished)