Ritual Magic

The Foundation of Magic

Most magic is mediated through the intervention of spirits and similar entities. While all intelligent beings are capable of directly performing magic through Theurgy, it is hard for them to either focus enough will to produce only effects they want and not lose control. Over time, humans discovered ways to work spells and control magic as they wish, but the majority of these methods rely on spirits fulfilling their part of a Bargain. Even most Supernaturals will rely on the inherent benefits, the natural magics of their Powers, that come from their Bargain. Not everyone wants to or has the discipline to learn Goetia, the magic of the spirits. But those who still find the need to work magic or deal with the spirits have an option available to them, using the ancient practice of Ritual Magic.

A Ritual is a way to create a singular, specific Bargain with a spirit or entity. Unlike the Bargains that create the various Supernaturals, most Rituals form only a temporary connection. Rituals can be time-consuming—most take at least five minutes per Ritual test to cast—and generally involve multiple people. Every Ritual must have these parts: a spirit or entity that will be beseeched for aid, a form of payment, and a specific list of goals and possible consequences if the Bargain is not fulfilled.

New Focus

Intelligence (Rituals): This focus may also be used in additional to Magic Ability rolls to peform the Ritual, if the caster does not have the necessary Arcana Focus. Some GMs may also allow the Rituals Focus to be used with Communication when organizing or teaching the Ritual to participants.

New Talent

Requirement: None.

You not only have a basic understanding for how Rituals work, but you have a talent for designing, performing, or identifying Rituals. Even ordinary mortals with no notable magical ability can take this Talent.

Novice: When you make a roll involving Rituals–including casting them either as the leader or a participant–you may add +1. This only applies to the Ritual test, not to generating Threshold Successes.

Expert: When generating Stunt Points with a Ritual Test as the leader, you may add +1 SP. Or, if you are an effective Ritual participant (see below) and you roll to generate Stunt Points, you instead give the leader 1 SP.

Master: You may reroll 1s on any roll related to a Ritual, including the Ritual test.

Grandmaster: Each time you succeed in a Ritual test, you generate +1 Threshold Success

Apex: You may have +5 effective participants for every Ritual test. If you are casting the Ritual alone, you may spend +2 Mana for each additional Threshold Success you will receive for a single test.

Designing the Ritual

There are a few things you can try to accomplish when casting rituals:

• Recreate existing Spell or Power: Use the Spell’s base Mana Cost and Target Number for that ritual. If a Power, use a Target Number of 8 + 2 per rank in Power, and the Power’s listed Mana Cost.
• Modify existing Spell or Power: Note the modification rules below and on the Theurgy page, and apply the additional Mana Cost and Target Numbers appropriately.
• Blend multiple Spells or Powers together: Add +2 to Mana Cost and Target Number, and to +1 Threshold Success and +1 Backlash per additional effect.
• Something entirely novel: This allows you to create an effect that has no other known expression in existing magics. The GM will determine the relative degree of power necessary; use a base Target Number of 9 + (3 x degree of power), and at least half this number for Mana Cost.

The Ritual effect should either be taken from the existing Arcana or Powers rules, or modified from a base spell by using the appropriate rules from Theurgy. Note that Theurgy provides modification . Note that the Theurgy Talent is not required to modify Spells in this way: Rituals are the usual method by which other Supernaturals and people without significant talent for magic can cast strange or extraordinarily powerful spells.

Maximum Ritual Modification Parameters
Degree	Target/Area	Range	Duration	Mana/TN/ Backlash
Novice	Magic Ability + Focus targets, x5 area	Magic Ability x 1 km	Extended to Sun Cycle	+1/+1 1
Expert	Magic Ability + Focus x 2 targets, or x 10 area	Magic Ability x 5 km	Sun Cycle to Week	+2/+2 1
Master	Magical Force x 2 targets, or x 20 area	Magical Force x 10 km	Week to Month	+3/+3 2
Grandmaster	Magical Force x 10 targets, or x 50 area	Magical Force x 20 km	Month to Season	+4/+4 3
Apex	Magical Force x 25 targets, or x 100 area	Magical Force x 50 km	Season to Year	+5/+5 3

The overall Target Number Difficulty modification from the Theurgy rules is the same TN. or the Ritual leader to understand and cast the ritual.

Threshold Successes: The Ritual will need one Threshold Success for each rank of the original Spell (so a Master-rank spell is three Threshold Successes), +1 Threshold Success for each degree of modification within the normal ranges (see Theurgy rules for those ranges). Each rank in a Power adds +1 Threshold Success.

If the effect being created is novel–it has no Spell or Power that serves the same purpose–it has a base of five Threshold Successes, +1 Threshold Success based on degree of modification from the Effect Parameter from Theurgy rules. The GM may also impose additional costs and Threshold Successes for a truly novel or challenging Ritual effect.

Ritual target or area: If the Ritual is modified to reach more than the base area or number of targets of the original spell, using the Ritual numbers provided above, or in the Theurgy rules, add a base of +3 Threshold Successes, +2 TS per rank of modification.

Ritual duration: If you wish to create a long-lasting effect, calculate duration as usual. Using the maximum Ritual modification, add a base of +3 Threshold Successes, +2 TS per rank of modification.

Reach exceeds grasp: If no one involved in the ritual has the proper degree of Magical Talent to cast the original Spell, add +2 Threshold Successes for each missing rank up to Master rank. If the Ritual leader has the proper rank in a different Arcana, add only +1 Threshold Success. If the desired effect is Grandmaster rank, add +3 Threshold Successes, and +4 Threshold Successes to reach Apex. The GM may also decide that it is not possible to reach Grandmaster or Apex rank for certain kinds of Rituals regardless of the number of Threshold Successes achieved. Also add +1 Backlash for each degree of this gap.

Ritual Backlash: Every Ritual test comes with Backlash. Calculate the overall Backlash cost, using the above modifiers, added to the basic amount determined by the rank of Spell or Power that is the basis of the Ritual; Novice and Expert ranks give 1 Backlash, Master gives 2, Grandmaster gives 3, Apex gives 4 Backlash. A completely novel effect adds +5 Backlash on top of the highest rank of magic skill being used.  With every Ritual test, the total Backlash will be distributed between the Ritual leader–who always takes at least one point–and the participants.

Once all the basic parameters and modifications have been calculated, note the new Mana Cost and Target Number, the number of required Threshold Successes, and the Backlash.

Ritual Cost

The Mana Cost of a Ritual is determined when it is designed. The starting cost is the same as the Spell or Power that forms the basis of the Ritual. If the Spell or Power has multiple potential costs, or Power ranks that can be activated, the Ritual leader chooses which degree of power the Ritual will use, and that becomes the basic Ritual cost. This cost is paid each time a Ritual test is rolled.

Add  +1 Mana Cost for every +5 Threshold Successes required (round up). That means a Ritual that requires 20 Threshold Successes will add +4 to the base Mana Cost. For each Test, the leader or any and each effective participant (see below) must work together to pay the total Mana Cost. Other participants may also contribute to the Mana Cost, if they wish. Other costs may be added for specific modifications, as listed above.

If the Mana Cost for a Ritual test cannot be paid, then the test does not generate any Threshold Successes regardless of results on the roll. However, a Ritual may continue to be cast without paying any Mana Costs in order to keep the spirits enticed and listening while the Ritual leader or allies find a way to pay the required Mana Cost. The leader may make one “empty” test per point in Magic Ability, and can slow down the time required to an hour between each Test.

Once the Mana Cost is determined, the GM is encouraged to look at the rules for Careful Casting to see if other trappings, such as high-quality materials used in drawing symbols, candles, prepared locations, and so on, might be required as part of the necessary components of a Ritual test. Remember that all spirits are greedy, even those that like mortals and want to help them, and also that a fact of their existence is that everything must be a Bargain. For a spirit, every action is transactional; freely giving something might actually harm or kill a spirit. When offering milk to brownies or meat to wolf totems, it’s not so much about the food being sacrificed, but that the sacrifice takes place. 

The GM may also decide to add a Resources Test to a Ritual’s cost. A good rule of thumb should be materials, trappings, goods, or tools worth 1 Resources for every 5 Threshold Successes required (round up). These costs may be increased based on how unique or powerful the Ritual will end up being, and in most cases the precious objects must be present during each Ritual test. The GM may also decide whether the objects used in this way will be consumed by the Ritual or last for multiple Rituals (for +2 to the Resource value).

Understanding the Ritual

Before a Ritual begins, the leader must understand and lay out the steps of the Ritual for themselves and anyone else who is participating. Some existing Rituals are well-known and practiced, some are less understood, and some have to be designed from scratch by the leader. The GM is responsible for the final decision on how difficult it is to understand the Ritual, or to design it.

As a rule of thumb, the leader must roll Intelligence (Rituals) against the Ritual’s Target Number. Each roll should represent around eight hours spent designing or learning the Ritual. The GM may decide that powerful Rituals require their own Advanced Tests to understand; this should require no more than 2 Threshold Successes to understand a ritual for every 5 Threshold Successes required to cast it.

The GM may determine the TN to design Rituals based on Powers, although the lowest-rank Powers should have a minimum TN 11 to understand. The perceived commonality or strangeness of a Power should factor into the TN to understand it. For example, the Undying Power is relatively common since there are so many vampires, but its mechanisms are purposefully difficult to comprehend, and so it would be a TN 17 to base a Ritual around that Power.

These difficulties can add together, easily making complex or powerful Rituals too difficult for many leaders to properly design or understand. One way to improve the chances to understand is to find circumstantial bonuses from Investigation rolls, the use of arcane libraries, educated assistants, spirit guides, special tools, or simply taking extra time. The GM determines the overall value of such aides, and may simply decide that a given Ritual may take years to design, or is impossible for a human to ever learn. Just because there are dozens of Rituals that extend a lifespan by some amount, the GM is under no obligation to allow a Ritual that grants true immortality.

Ritual Participants

Once the Ritual is designed and understood, the leader must teach the other participants how to cast the Ritual. This often involves assigning specific roles to individuals, although some Rituals are large enough or well-known enough that participants can switch roles as needed. To teach the ritual, the leader can either make a Communication (Leadership) roll at TN 9, or an Intelligence (Rituals) roll at TN 11, and take note of the Stunt Die result. The participants must roll Intelligence (Rituals), with +1 bonus to their rolls for each point on the leader’s Stunt Die. If they reach the Ritual’s TN, they participants have learned their part. If not, they must try again after another study period. It is common to teach the Ritual and practice it several times until everyone grasps it, which means everyone involved can repeat this test each day until they know what they’re doing.

How many people should participate in a Ritual is open to debate: the leader cannot Threshold Successes help from more people than the larger number of the leader’s Intelligence + 2 (for Rituals Focus) or Communication +2 (if Leadership focus) effective participants. Every effective participant adds +1 to the Mana Cost of the Ritual, which is usually paid for by the participant themselves.

However, there can be more participants than the effective number, so long as they’ve learned the ritual and are performing the rites along with everyone else. Anyone who freely offers up one Mana point per test can add to the number of potential effective participants; if their Test results are not used, the Mana they paid may still be used to pay the total Mana Cost for that roll. The leader can sense who among the potential participants succeeded in the Ritual Test, and who had the best results on their Stunt Dice. The leader may then select from this group of potentials who will be the effective participants for the current Ritual test. (Note that the leader must always pay at least one Mana from their own pool, and count the results of their own roll whether it’s a success of failure, and must absorb one Backlash per Ritual test.)

If a participant has any Magical Talent or Power, they add +1 to all rolls involving the Ritual, including understanding it. If they have a related Magical Talent or Power they gain +2 to the Ritual rolls. If they have the Spell or Power that is used as the basis for the ritual, they gain +3 to their Ritual rolls.

While an effective participant’s result on the Stunt Die of a successful Ritual test adds to the total Threshold Successes, the participants cannot generate Stunt Points from their rolls. Only the Ritual leader may generate Stunt Points.

A Ritual participant will sense if they have been chosen as an effective caster for a Ritual test, and if so, may willingly contribute more than one Mana, up to half the total Mana Cost of the current test.

Casting the Ritual

Once the Ritual is designed and laid out and the participants know their parts, the Ritual is cast through an Advanced  Magic Test. Each roll in the Test takes at least five minutes. Increasing the casting time per test to 15 minutes per roll gives all participants +1 to their rolls. Increasing the time to 30 minutes gives +2 to their rolls, and an hour per Ritual test adds +3.

Decreasing the casting time to a Combat Encounter (10 rounds, or 150 seconds), adds +1 to the Target Number for each Ritual Test. Decreasing the time between tests to 5 rounds (75 seconds) adds +2 to the TN, and taking only one round between Ritual tests adds +3 to the Target Numbers. The GM may also impose other costs for reducing the time between tests, up to and including imposing more Backlash.

Every effective participant (see above) who succeeds in the Ritual test and pays at least one Mana then adds the result of their Stunt Die to the total Threshold Successes generated. When the Ritual reaches its required number of Threshold Successes, the Bargain is formed and the spirits will perform the Ritual effect. (The GM may decide a desired effect is impossible; however, many spirits will still allow humans to try to bribe them with Mana and other goods, and watch as the participants build up Backlash, before making it clear that the Ritual will not function as wished.)

Backlash and Consequences

Every Ritual test generated at least one Backlash, and often more (see above for the modifications and Backlash costs). The Ritual leader must take one Backlash for each Ritual test, but any additional Backlash generated may be distributed freely among anyone performing the Ritual, including those who are not effective participants. The leader chooses who gets how much Backlash, although an ethical Ritual leader will try to be fair-handed and even. In most industrial situations, a ritual is performed until everyone involved has taken two Backlash for the day, after which their ritual duties are fulfilled and they can leave to deal with the Consequences over time.

Example Rituals:

Agricultural Festival

Requirements: Healing Arcana (master) and Fate Arcana (master).   Cost per Test: 30 Mana.   Ritual TN: 9   Threshold Successes: 50.  Backlash: No one gains any, but Backlash effects may be observed during the ritual period.

This is a series of linked Rituals, and are among the oldest and most powerful Ritual magics known to humanity. There are traditionally three different Agricultural Festivals, but some cultures may have more, or have significant variations. The most common Agricultural Festival Rituals are the Planting, the Harvest, and Midwinter. This Ritual is unique in that it is rarely conducted with circles, candles, and similar trappings to speak to the spirits. Instead, the spirits ask that more than half the community in question take part in the festival, which must last at least three sun cycles at the proper times of the year. Unlike most Rituals, the leader’s knowledge does not limit the number of effective participants; up to 12 people can be considered effective for each Ritual test.

During the evening meal of each day, the Ritual participants may roll four Ritual tests. The Ritual may have up to three different leaders, one for each festival, although usually only one is preferred. The Rituals require some form of giving thanks for previous bounties, offerings for the coming seasons, and revelry despite individual hardships. People raised in a given society normally do not need to roll to learn the ritual; its techniques are embedded so deeply in the culture that even non-believers can recognize the practices. Outsiders to the culture need to spend time learning the Ritual, but in most cases it’s not hard to do, and the Rituals will probably feel similar to their own practices at home. The TN to learn the Ritual is only 9, despite the required degree of Magic or number of Threshold Successes.

In general, the Ritual leaders will usually have more than enough successes from the participants to cast the Ritual. Because of how accepted it is that miracles and signs may take place during these rituals, no one gains Backlash during the casting, although the Backlash that would normally take root in the bodies of the participants may instead create unusual circumstances, such localized snow even in a dry winter, someone randomly meeting their soulmate during the Planting season, or an increase in spooky but generally harmless encounters with various spirits, ghosts, or other creatures during the Harvest.

If done properly, these Rituals will guarantee that there is at least enough food to feed each person in the village all year long, even in the coldest parts of the year, that there will be enough drinkable water, that the weather will be tolerable to those with shelter, and that most people will be protected from disease. However, greed and refusal to help the community can break the precious balance these Rituals create. It should be noted that there appears to be an upper boundary for how many people can benefit from these festivals; currently it appears only 5,000 people can be covered by a community’s Rituals at a single time. The effects will probably not cover all parts of a large city, but if individual neighborhoods and regions within a city performs their own Rituals, in aggregate they can usually cover most towns, or even small cities.

Bend Space

Requirements: Power Arcana (expert), and either Movement Arcana (master) or Spirit Arcana (master). Cost per Test: 12.   Ritual TN: varies, minimum 10.   Threshold Successes: varies, minimum of 5.   Backlash:  2

You are able to create a bubble of distorted space where there’s more room inside than outside. The default size of the interior space will be 10 x the normal space, which is usually a minimum of 10 cubic centimeters (about the size of large male fist) after application of the Ritual. Increasing the base size to x 20 adds +1 TN and Mana cost, to x 30 is +2 TN and Mana cost, x 40 is +3 TN and Mana, and x 50 (the usual maximum) is +4 TN and Mana. A Grandmaster-level Ritual can go up to x 100, for +5 TN and Mana cost and +1 Backlash, and Apex-level Rituals can go to x 200, for +6 TN, Mana, and +2 Backlash.

The effects of this Ritual will last one Month, increasing to one season for +5 Threshold successes or one year for +10 TS. To keep the space bent longer than this, the Ritual either needs to be cast again or it needs to be the target of a successful Permanence ritual.

Consecration

Requirements: Power Arcana (master), Protection Arcana (master).  Cost per Test: 21 Mana.   Ritual TN:  15 Threshold Successes: varies, minimum of 25.   Backlash: 3

This Ritual allows a structure to be dedicated to the service of a powerful entity, from divine spirits to totems, even to Supernaturals of Grandmaster or Apex ranks. The casting must take place over a long period of time, usually several hours at least once a week, which most Ritual leaders turn into a full worship service. More than one Ritual test a day will not be accepted by the spirits in question, although that doesn’t stop congregations from having multiple services in a day.

When the casting is complete, a structure of up to the Ritual leader’s Magical Force x 10 cubic meters will be consecrated. The size of protected area can increase to the leader’s Magical Force x 20, x 40, x 60, x 80, and x 100 cubic meters (the maximum) for +1 Mana Cost and TN, and +3 Threshold Successes for each step. Every two steps in increased size adds +1 Backlash (round up).

A consecrated area provides +5 Health and Mana to any Action, Spell, or Power that allows recovery of these traits to anyone who is not hostile to the consecrated area’s faith, or has a Weakness to holy places. Once per combat encounter people who are active believers in the faith may take a Major Action to roll Willpower (Faith), TN 11, to recover 5  Health and Mana without using Powers or Spells.

Magical effects in line with the faith are at +2 to the Magic Test, against the faith are at +2 to the Target Number. Certain types of magical beings or spirits can be named during the consecration of an area; those entities will feel deeply uncomfortable and in pain while in the consecrated grounds. These beings will have to roll Willpower (Courage) vs. the Ritual leader’s Magical Force to remain in the area for more than a single round. Even if they succeed in this roll, the unwelcome beings will have +3 to all Target Numbers, always take +2 penetrating damage from any successful attack. Backlash effects against the faithful on consecrated grounds are always minimal and rarely damaging; Consequences against the unfaithful or enemies of the area add +1 to severity and often include damage.

The consecration lingers up to a year after the last casting of the ritual, although it can end more quickly end if the altar, keystones, or specific relics used in casting the ritual are removed or destroyed.

Enchant Item

While this is one of the most common Rituals in the modern world, the mechanics for enchantment are complex; refer to the Enchanted Items page.

Fortune-Telling

Requirements: Psychic Arcana (expert) or Spirit Arcana (expert). Cost per Test: varies, base 3.   Ritual TN: varies, base 9.   Threshold Successes: varies, base 1.   Backlash:  1

Through study of some medium, such as tarot cards, tea leaves, entrails, prepared bones, or other tools, the caster of this Ritual can glimpse the target’s past or future.  The base Ritual only provides one true answer about something that happened in the past three sun cycles, is happening right now without the target’s knowledge within 5 kilometers, or will happen in the next sun cycle.

To increase the number of answers, add +2 to TN and Mana cost, up to a maximum of one answer per point in the Ritual leader’s Magic Ability. These sorts of questions can be mixed—a Ritual leader with a Magic Ability of 5 may ask two questions about the past, one about the present, and two about the future if they have enough Threshold successes.

Add +1 to required Threshold Successes for each step into the past from three sun cycles to one week, two weeks, one month, the past season, a year, 5 years, or the past decade (the usual limit). Each Threshold Success into finding events in present time can find something within 10 kilometers, 100 kilometers, 1000 kilometers, 10,000 kilometers, or anywhere on the planet. Every+1 Threshold Success for the future can reveal information from three sun cycles to one week, two weeks, one month, the next season, the next year, the next five years, or the next decade (the usual maximum).

The “true answers” do not have to be easy to interpret, and may require additional rolls to understand. The GM may choose to reduce cost or provide an answer outside the usual parameters by making it more vague or potentially harder to decipher than usual. The GM may also allow a glimpse from much farther into the past or future than is normally permitted, although these moments should feel exceptional and rare.

In the Flow

Requirements: Psychic Arcana (expert) and at least one of Alchemy, Enchantment, Machine, or True Smithing Arcana (novice). Cost per Test: 1 per participant.   Ritual TN: 11.   Threshold Successes: 5.   Backlash: 1

You and the other Ritual participants can work together on a project with remarkable efficiency and speed. This is a commonly known Ritual, often used in factories and other industrial work to make make sure teams of people do their jobs well without major mistakes. While the usual limits on effective participants apply, up to 10 people per point in the Ritual leader’s Magic Ability + 2 (for Ritual focus) can receive the benefits of taking part. Afterward, everyone is treated as having the necessary Focuses in the proper fields to do the work, or add +1 to their rolls if they already have those Focuses. Each participant or the Ritual leader can spend two Mana to reroll any failed Test related to the group task, and can sense when a failure is about to happen.

The ritual lasts for until for one half a sun cycle (sunrise-to-sunset or vice-versa). Afterward, every participant rolls Stamina (Endurance) against a TN 13 or take a Fatigued level until they get a good meal and a full night’s rest.

Mana Battery

Requirements: Enchantment (expert), Power Arcana (master).  Cost per Test: varies, minimum 10 Mana   Ritual TN: 13   Threshold Successes: 10   Backlash: 2

The Ritual leader may place some amount of Mana within an enchanted vessel, from either the 10 Mana paid for the last Ritual Test, up to all the remaining Mana the leader possesses and half that amount paid by any Ritual participants who wish to contribute. If the battery does not have the capacity to hold this amount of Mana, the overflow will be absorbed by the spirits who helped perform the ritual.

The amount of Mana a battery can hold is limited by the kind of material and quality of work that has gone into it. The duration will last as long as the given default duration for each material; this can be increased by x 2, x 4, x 6, x 8, or x 10 (the maximum) for each +1 Mana Cost, TN, and Threshold Success.

Once a Mana Battery is created, any supernatural may use a Major Action to roll a Willpower Test, TN 11, to attune themselves to it. Thereafter, they may use a Minor Action to absorb up to their Magical Ability in Mana points from the battery, as long as they are in contact with the battery. The Mana goes to the individual’s Mana Pool and not directly into a Spell, Power, or Ritual. This means the caster can refill their Pool and cast a Spell, or vice versa, but not perform both actions at the same time. They cannot use the Mana in the Battery subconsciously, until it has been absorbed. The battery cannot be recharged until it is at less than half of its total Mana capacity, at which point the Ritual can be cast on it again.

If a Mana Battery is broken in some way, it will release all its Mana as if a Backlash Consequence of equal value.

Permanence

Requirements: Enchantment (master) or Power Arcana (master).   Cost per Test: 10, 13, or 15 Mana    Ritual TN:  13, 15, or 17  Threshold Successes: 15, 20, or 25.   Backlash: 2, 3, or 4

This Ritual used to make existing magical spells or enchantments last for long periods of time. In the world of industrial magics, a long-lasting or permanent duration can be added to the original Enchanting Ritual, but there are many reasons supernaturals and even industrial factories might not do that, including the cost, difficulty, and number of Threshold Successes required. 

Despite the Ritual’s name, the default result (the cheapest and easiest version) is to move the duration of an effect, usually some form of enchantment on an item, two steps up the Parameter Modification Chart, to a maximum of the Grandmaster level, Months to Seasons. If the intent is move up to the Apex level, Seasons to Years, use the second set of Mana Costs, TN, TS, and Backlash. Only by going to the maximum costs can an effect become permanent.

Part of the cost for this Ritual will be an object or item of at least Resources TN 10, 12, or 15, or something that was created as a masterwork, with a high TN and total Threshold Successes used in its construction (which should be anywhere from 10, 15, or 20 Threshold Successes). This provides the anchor point for the spirit that will be dedicated keeping the enchantment in place. Living beings cannot be given permanent enchantments with this Ritual, and undead beings may discover unexpected Permanent Backlash Consequences  when trying to gain a permanent enchantment. The GM may also decide that certain Spells or Rituals simply cannot be made permanent; for example, a permanent healing enchantment that keeps its owner alive forever has so far proven to be impossible to create.

Once the ritual is successfully cast, whatever magical effects had been placed on it will be given the extended duration or made permanent. Attempts to end an effect or enchantment targeted by this Ritual (such as with the Power Arcana Spell, Arcane Abatement) add the total Threshold Successes to the effect’s Magical Force to resist such efforts. At the end of the extended duration, the effect will lose 10% effectiveness and power each minute for 10 minutes (an enounter), or if used in combat, per combat round for 10 rounds (a typical combat encounter).

Permanent effects will not go away of their own accord over time unless they are in unusual circumstances or the anchor point item is damaged or destroyed. Some magical effects may temporarily suppress or borrow the enchantments, but not remove them entirely. Some Grandmaster or Apex-rank effects might be able to end a permanent Ritual, but those are rare indeed.

Presentation to the Spirits

Requirements: Spirit Arcana (master), Psychic Arcana (master).  Cost per Test: 10 Mana    Ritual TN: 13.   Threshold Successes: 15   Backlash:  2

This Ritual is primarily used by supernatural communities such as Dreamwalkers, Shapeshifters, and Vampires, who have their own individual variations. The Ritual allows these Supernaturals to draw the attention of their patron spirits to an individual or small group of people as the first stages of forming the Bargain that would make these candidates into Supernaturals. This Ritual is not guaranteed to create a Supernatural; the spirits will make their own judgments, and some people do not have the proper talent or force of will despite any accomplishments that led their community to attempt the Ritual. Nor is the Ritual required to create these Supernaturals; while it is rare, every generation has a story or legend of Supernaturals who gained their power by themselves. However, this Ritual greatly increases the chances that a likely candidate can be Supernatural, especially since candidates are rarely chosen unless they the potential for power.

Anyone who goes through this Ritual will know without a doubt if they are now Supernatural, whether they can become one after performing certain deeds or overcoming specific challenges (that will be revealed during the Ritual), or whether being Supernatural is not in their future. If they will not become Supernatural, the target of this Ritual will be given one Boon by the spirit; a one-time request for a Spell or Power effect (up to Master rank) that can be asked for within the next year.

Purification

Requirements: Alchemy (master), Healing Arcana (expert).  Cost per Test: 15 Mana  Ritual TN: 13  Threshold Successes: varies, minimum 20   Backlash:  2

This is another community-oriented Ritual that is often used to cleanse food and water sources of contaminants. This needs to be performed every moon cycle around food storage and water sources, whether those are rivers or wells. This covers a community of about 1,000 people; this can be increased by x 2 for +1 Mana Cost, TN, and +2 threshold successes per step, up to a maximum of x 10.

If successful, there might be some small cases of mild diseases that are not life-threatening, or creatures stealing food or water, but large-scale problems will be avoided. Unfortunately, this ritual can only be performed once a month and its protection is limited; negligence, failure to follow proper hygiene protocols, and active attempts to poison a well or food supplies can make the spirits’ protection vanish sooner than it should.

If successful, the Ritual will add +4 to any rolls to avoid disease or poison from community water or food, or give individuals within the area an additional +2 to rolls to overcome diseases or contamination. It will also provide a form of early warning if contamination has occurred anyway; anyone involved in the Ritual casting will be immediately alerted to an outbreak of serious disease or tainted water and food as soon as one of the community members encounters them.

Sacrifice

Requirements: Enchantment Arcana (novice), Power Arcana (expert). Cost per Test: 1.   Ritual TN: 11.   Threshold Successes: 3.   Backlash:  1

This is a ritualized and more potent form of using the Sacrifice method of channeling Mana, which among other things can be used to directly absorb or imbue a enchanted item, a Mana Battery, or Spirit Vessel with Mana, or be used to power another magical effect such as a Spell or Ritual cast right after this ritual is completed.

As with normal sacrifices, a tool must be prepared and remained charge each time the ritual is cast with one Mana from the ritual leader. The target must be attacked with this tool, at +4 difficulty to hit if in a typical combat scenario (due to the difficulty of maintaining both the mystic link as well as the ritual). If the target is helpless or a willing participant, no attack roll is necessary. Each point of wounding Health damage caused will free up two points of Mana, one in converted Health, one from the target’s Mana Pool. A successful attack will also convert one point of the target’s Constitution score to two points of Mana. When the target either reaches zero Health or zero Constitution, this releases all remaining Mana, as well as two  more Mana for each remaining point in Accuracy, Dexterity, and Strength.

Each attack and release of Mana requires another 3 Threshold successes.

Sanctuary

Requirements: Protection Arcana (expert), Psychic Arcana (novice). Cost per Test: 5+.   Ritual TN: 11+.   Threshold Successes: 3.   Backlash:  1

A sanctuary is an area where it is both mentally and physically difficult to commit violent acts. Sanctuary regions are valuable but also vulnerable; they can lose their protection through repeated resistance to the magics. This means that it’s rare to find any large or long-lasting sanctuaries, although a few do exist and are constantly renewed by dedicated casters.

The leader’s Magical Ability x 10 cubic meters will be protected for the next social encounter or hour. The size of the sanctuary can be increased to x 20 , x 30, x 40, and x 50 (the usual maximum) for each required +1 Mana Cost, TN, and Threshold Success. Increasing the duration of the Ritual can increase from an hour to a sun cycle, to a week, to a month, to a season (the usual maximum), for each +3 Threshold Successes. At the end of this duration, the ritual may be cast again in the sanctuary, and in fact many well-known sanctuaries have been supported in this way for decades or centuries.

Anyone within this region who wishes to commit a violent act against another living being must make a Willpower (Self-Discipline) roll against the ritual leader’s Magical Force in order to do so. Even if they are able to attempt the act, the target has+3 Defense.

Additional Threshold Successes can add +1 to the Magical Force of the Sanctuary, and to the Defense of any protected creatures.

Each time an attacker successfully breaks through the sanctuary’s protection, both by passing the Willpower check or successfully hitting and harming a protected individual, the sanctuary loses 1 Threshold Success, first from additional protection, then from duration, and finally from size.

Spirit Vessel

Requirements: Enchantment (master), Spirit Arcana (master). Cost per Test: 10+ Mana.  Ritual TN: 15.   Threshold Successes: 10+.    Backlash: 2

You can create a vessel that will hold a spirit entity of some kind. The entity has two choices; it can be held willingly, and thus will be generally able to perceive and affect the world, or it can be imprisoned and its abilities used against its will. The Ritual leader can continue casting this Ritual even after reaching the minimum Threshold Successes, adding +1 to effective Magical Force for each additional Threshold Success

To use the vessel, you must locate the entity, place the vessel within 1 meter per point in your Magical Ability + Focus, and call forth the spirit. Entities of exceptional power or ability may require different Mana Costs, Test TNs or Threshold Successes as determined by the GM. Spirits may negotiate their own additional costs or requirements so that they will agree to enter the vessel.

If the entity is unwilling, it may roll Willpower against the ritual leader’s Magical Force (+1 for every Threshold success beyond the minimum to cast the ritual) to resist the effect. If the vessel is meant for just any spirit, it is at -4 Magical Force. If it’s meant for the correct kind of spirit (for example, any kind of divine spirit), then the vessel is at -2 Force. If you have seen or encountered the spirit before, or found clear traces of its power, the Force is at its base value. If you have personally interacted with the spirit, injured or been injured by it, or otherwise retain some part of its essence, the Magical Force is at +2. If you know the spirit’s true name, the vessel is at +4 Force. On the final Ritual test, you must place as much Mana in the vessel as the total Magical Force value you want it to have.

Once the Ritual is completed, the entity must either destroy the spirit vessel or kill the Ritual leader to keep from being trapped within the vessel. The Ritual leader may choose to close the vessel and stop calling the entity at any time. More than one entity can be placed inside the vessel, but they can work together when attempting to free themselves.

A willing entity may add the vessel’s Magical Force to their own when being attacked or projecting their powers, and can freely absorb Mana as if a Mage, without the cost of Manifestation.

 An unwilling entity must make Perception rolls vs. the vessel’s Magical Force to perceive the outside world, and similar Communication rolls to speak with any being outside. They can only project their power as required by the Ritual leader; this is usually represented by other enchantments placed on the vessel or objects connected to it. They absorb Mana at the rate of an ordinary human while in the vessel.

If the vessel is shattered, the entities will take Magical Force x 5 damage and be released. There is always a proper procedure for opening the vessel which the maker must define at creation; using this method will open the vessel safely.

Trapped entities may only attempt to free themselves once per month.

Summon Spirit

Requirements: Psychic Arcana (novice), Spirit Arcana (expert). Cost per Test: varies, usually 5+.   Ritual TN: varies, usually 11+.   Threshold Successes: varies, usually 2+.   Backlash:  1

You can call a spirit to a prepared summoning circle in order to communicate with it. The circle does not have to be elaborate, although some spirits appreciate the effort more than others. The default assumption of the Ritual is that either the leader knows the spirit’s name or can describe its function, purpose, and duties enough to direct the magic toward the correct entity, or at least correct type of entity. The Ritual leader must then negotiate with the spirit normally, probably with a series of Social tests or similar means of persuasion.

Once the Ritual is cast, the spirit may make a Willpower roll against the ritual leader’s Magical Force. If the spirit chooses freely to be summoned rather than being required to appear, it does not have to make this initial roll and consequently has +3 to any future Willpower tests to overcome the summoning circle or other demands made of it.

If the spirit fails its Willpower test, the spirit must arrive within the summoning circle in the next minute, not fully manifested but present enough to bargain with the Ritual leader and perform small feats within the circle. When the spirit appears, it will drain the Mana spent on the Ritual immediately, and may request more in order to keep bargaining. If the spirit is hostile, it might try to escape the circle, and may roll Willpower against the leader’s Magical Force every minute. (If either the Ritual leader or the spirit becomes involved in a combat encounter, the spirit may then attempt to escape each combat round.)

Every time a spirit succeeds in overcoming the summoning circle, it may use a Power or Spell to affect the other side of the circle. The third time the spirit succeeds, the circle collapses. Alternately, if someone physically breaks the circle from the outside, the spirit can act freely.

The Ritual TN and Mana cost may be modified based on the leader’s knowledge. Some powerful spirits will only appear if there’s a large amount of Mana on offer and the leader may try to build up to this through multiple tests. The TN will go up by +1 if all the spirit’s name is unknown, +3 if all that is known is its general type, and +5 if being cast “blind” to any spirit that might help. The GM may also impose other Mana costs, TN modifications, or costs in materials or even specifics kinds of sacrifices, appropriate to the spirit’s nature and relative power.

Knowing the spirits True Name adds +5 to the leader’s Magical Force, knowing one of its use-names adds +3, and having some item and iconography important to it may add +1 for each item (to a limit set by the GM).

Each Threshold Success can increase the speed that the spirit manifests, add +1 to the leader’s effective Communication for the duration of the negotiation, or add +1 to the effective Magical Force. The GM may require many more than the default 2 Threshold successes to even catch the attention of more-powerful entities such as Totems, True Fae, or Demons.

Sunder Bargain

Requirements: Enchantment Arcana (master) or Power Arcana (grandmaster), and Spirit Arcana (master). Cost per Test: 18.   Ritual TN: 18.   Threshold Successes: 10.   Backlash:  2 (or 3 for grandmaster Power Arcana)

This Ritual is rare and in some areas is considered illegal or at least forbidden by tradition. However, it was not originally designed to cause harm, but to enforce formal codes of honor and justice between mortals and spirits. This Ritual allows one or all parties involved in a Bargain to leave freely without consequences. This can be used to deactivate a Mana Battery, Spirit Vessel, or other enchanted item, to acknowledge the completion of a quest or a geas, or to free a spirit that has been performing a service for some time. A few people have attempted to use this to permanently turn a Supernatural back into an ordinary mortal, but so far the most that has been accomplished was a temporary suppression of the Supernatural’s mystic abilities.

The Ritual must take place with one member of the Bargain present. If the other members of the Bargain are not currently involved, they will immediately sense that the Ritual is taking place and where it is happening. If the Ritual is successful, the individuals bound by the Bargain may willingly end the Bargain without negative consequences. However, if one or all members of the Bargain wish to fight to keep it in place, they must make contested Magical Ability (+ Power or Spirit Focus) or Willpower rolls  against those who wish to end the  Bargain. The GM may modify the rolls for one side or the other based on circumstances. For example, if the person wishing to leave has fulfilled all the requirement of the Bargain, they may receive +3 to their own rolls, while someone trying to end a Bargain without accomplishing any task may be facing Mana Costs and TN of +5 and need at least twice as many Threshold Successes to even make the attempt, and then the entity wishing to maintain the Bargain receives +5 to their roll anyway.

Ward

Requirements: Protection Arcana (expert) or Power Arcana (master).   Cost per Test:  3+. Ritual TN: 12+  Threshold Successes: 5+.  Backlash: 1 (or 2).  

This ritual covers a default area of Magic Ability +  Focus cubic meters with the effects of one or all of the Spells Arcane Shield, Spell Ward, or Missile Shield spells from the Protection Arcana, or the Arcane Circle spell from Power Arcana (all spells on page 99 in M:AGE).

The default Mana cost is based on the combined Mana cost for the Spells being used, +1 for each spell added to the ward. The default TN is based on the highest TN of the Spells being used, +1 for each spell involved. For example, a ward that includes Arcane Shield and Arcane Circle will have a Mana  Cost of 11 (for the Arcane Circle) +1 (to add in Arcane Shield), for a total of 12 for each Ritual test. The ward will have a TN of 13, because both spells have TN of 12, +1 for the additional spell.

The ward will last for one sun cycle.

You may increase the area covered to Magical Force x 1 cubic meters for an additional +1 Threshold Success, or Magical Force x 2, x 4, x 6, x 8 or x 10 (the usual maximum) cubic meters for an additional + 2 TS for each step. The duration may also increase from sun cycle to three sun cycles for + 2 Threshold successes, to one week for + 4 Threshold successes, or one lunar month (the usual maximum) for + 6 Threshold successes.

Additional Threshold successes can also be used to add to the effective Magical Force of the spells by +1 per success.