Wednesday 6 April 2016

Magic: a Few Examples

I. The Magician
Before I start!

OK, listen. Chariot's crowdfunder has fewer than 72 hours to run. At the time of writing, it's only £12 short of its first stretch goal (which would mean my being able to pay Malcolm Sheppard to write more material for the game, a catalogue of supporting cast members for your games) and therefore £1012 short of making its second stretch goal (rich background on the science and society of Atlantis, as written by Stew Wilson). Let's be honest: I don't think somehow I'm going to make it on the second goal at this stage, but stranger things have happened, and Stew deserves your love as much as Malcolm. If you've supported Chariot already, please share, support, tell folks. Because you never know.

[Edit: OK, so it made its stretch goal a half hour later and Malcolm's already been told he's good to go.]

It's still at http://igg.me/at/ChariotRoleplay  

So the magic system I wrote about here and here is pretty simple. You spend the points, you do the magic, and there are some things you just can't do, but pretty much anything else you can. But what can you do? Sometimes "anything" just doesn't tell you quite enough. So here are some examples...

Some example magic workings
It might not be immediately obvious what you can do with magic. Here, in no particular order, are some examples of things a magician can do... and the resources you need to do them.

Unleash destructive energy rays
Unleashing of Tejas (Wands 1)

Create warmth
Harnessing of Tejas (Wands 1)

Power a Sky-Chariot for a journey
Harnessing of Prithivi, big (Wands 1, Pentacles 2)

Fly (or make someone else fly)
Harnessing of Vayu (Wands 1, Swords 1)

Make several people fly
Harnessing of Vayu, big (Wands 1, Swords 2)

Make enough rain to end a drought
Precipitation of Apas, creating, lasting, very big (Pentacles 2, Cups 4)

Dry up a lake or end a flood
Dissolution of Apas, lasting, very big (Pentacles 2, Cups 3)

Poison a river
Withering of Apas, lasting, very big (Cups 4)

Breathe under water
Precipitation of Vayu (to make an air bubble, Pentacles 1, Swords 1)
or Nurturing of Apas (to grow gills, Cups 1)

Stop an avalancheHarnessing of Prithivi, big (Wands 1, Pentacles 2)

Stop an earthquake
Harnessing of Prithivi, very big (Wands 1, Pentacles 3)

Cause an earthquake
Unleashing of Prithivi, very big (Wands 1, Pentacles 3)

Reverse the effects of an earthquake
Nurturing of Prithivi, lasting, very big (Cups 2, Pentacles 3)

Stop a tsunami
Harnessing of Apas, very big (Wands 1, Cups 3)

Change your shape
Nurturing of Apas (Cups 1)

Turn someone into a small amphibian
Withering of Apas, lasting (probably), opposed (Cups 1, 2 if lasting)

Read thoughts
Clairvoyance of Vayu, opposed if subject is unwilling (Swords 1)

Work out if someone has the plague before the symptoms show
Clairvoyance of Apas (Swords 1, Cups 1)

Know who last held a murder weapon
Clairvoyance of Prithivi (Swords 1, Pentacles 1)

See the last image in a murder victim's eyes
Clairvoyance of Apas (Swords 1, Cups 1)

Recall the last conversation held in a room
Clairvoyance of Vayu (Swords 1)

Find who sent an anonymous message
Clairvoyance of Vayu (Swords 1)

Astral travel
Projection of Akâsha (Swords 1 + 1 from any other Suit)

Turn someone to stone
Withering of Prithivi, lasting if you don't want them to turn back at the end of the scene, opposed (Cups 1 or 2, Pentacles 1)

Turn someone petrified into flesh again
Nurturing of Prithivi, lasting unless you want them to turn back again shortly (Cups 1 or 2, Pentacles 1)

Force someone else's movements
Harnessing of Apas, opposed (Wands 1, Cups 1)

Call up a whirlwindUnleashing of Vayu, big or very big (Wands 1, Swords 2 or 3)

Inflict pain
Withering of Apas, opposed (Cups 1)

Create maddening hallucinations
Projection of Vayu, opposed (Swords 1)

Create a mechanical intelligence
Vril of Vayu, lasting, creating (2 from any Suits, Swords 2)

Create a new living being
Precipitation of Apas, lasting, creating to make the body (Pentacles 2, Cups 2)
and then Vril of Apas, lasting, creating to give it life (2 from any Suits, Cups 2)

Create an Elemental or a spirit servitor
Vril of Akâsha, lasting, creating (3 from any Suits)

Incarnate an Elemental in a soulless living body
Vril of Akâsha, lasting (2 from any Suits)

Destroying a city wall
Dissolution of Prithivi, very big (Pentacles 3)

Destroy a spirit or soul forever
Qlippoth of Akâsha, lasting (2 from any Suits)

Make a corpse do your bidding
Qlippoth of Apas (1 from any Suit, Cups 1)

Shielding yourself and your friends from harm
Harnessing of Tejas (Wands 1)

Heal an injury or cure a disease
Nurturing of Apas, lasting (Cups 2)

Making someone younger
Vril of Apas, lasting (2 from any Suits, Cups 1)

Making someone older
Qlippoth of Apas, lasting (2 from any Suits, Cups 1)

Sending a precipitated letter
Precipitation of Vayu, creating, lasting (Pentacles 2, Swords 2)

Sending a thought message
Projection of Vayu (Swords 1)

Making a fire with no fuelPrecipitation of Tejas (Wands 1)

Making an object
Precipitation of Prithivi, creating, lasting (Pentacles 3)

Making a book from nothing
Precipitation of Vayu, creating, lasting (Pentacles 2, Swords 2)

Making food
Precipitation of Apas, creating, lasting (Pentacles 2, Wands 2)