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Magic in Methoria
High Mana World
1) Casting Spells is not only restricted to Mages......
If a spell does not have magery as a prerequisite anyone can learn it as long as the other prerequisites are met
Spells that do have magery as a perequistie are restricted to mages only and spells that have magery 2, or magery 3 as a prerequisite may only be learned by a character with that level of magery.
Therefore, Mages have an advantage in being able to learn the harder spells.
2) Magic has a high influence on everything in Methoria and is intergrated into its technology. Magic is also studied as a science in the Universities. Each 'college' of magic is assumed to have a physical college conterpart.
As a result of this view of magic, spells are more readily available to be learned. Someone wanting to learn one of the more powerful spells would easily be able to find a teacher in one of the universities.
Of course knowledge has it's price, and courses have their prerequisites just like the spells. If prerequisite spells have been learned outside of a particular university, magery most often will have to be tested before one is allowed to enter the appropriate course. There are also some wizards in the universities that are reluctant to teach the high arts to those that haven't paid the price or shown respect for the art.
3) HOUSE RULE: Critical Successes and Critical Failures are more common. Any spell failure of more than 5 is considered a critical failure. Any spell success roll made by more than 5 is considered a critical success.
Backfire Results of Spell Critical Failures are determined by using the table on page 147 of the GURPS Basic Set or page 6 of GURPS Magic.
If a Critical Success is made then there is no cost for casting the spell and it may or may not have dramatic effects.
Aspected Magic:
[House Rule]
Mana in Methoria is aspected throughout most of the world. The favorable or unfavorable aspects towards different kinds of magic seem to wax, wane, and even move to different locations. Some believe that this is a result of the high sanctity level and the influence that the Church has. Many of the more educated mages at the universities have put forth Changing Aspect theories trying to explain this in other terms. These theories attribute the changing aspect to the unique flow of mana throughout Methoria, but no single theory has met the approval of every scholar to this date.
Aspected mana means that certain spells cast in certain areas or situations could receive a bonus or a penalty of from 1 to 5 points. Studies have shown the frequency that there will be an aspect to be:
| ±1 | ..... | 10% |
| ±2 | ..... | 5% |
| ±3 | ..... | 2% |
| ±4 | ..... | 1% |
| ±5 | ..... | 0.5% |
While this frequency chart is generally accepted in the universities, there are those mages that claim that in actual practice the percentages should be much higher or lower.
Characters with the magery advantage may roll versus IQ (plus magery) to sense this aspect in any particular location. All characters will be informed of the aspect before the an actual roll for a spell is called for.
High Sanctity World:
1) Casting Clerical Spells is not only restricted to Priests.
Certain characters of Devout status are granted the use of one spell by divine forces with the following restrictions.
a) The character must take a new advantage
Devout: 5 points
You are a devout follower of the church. You have strong beliefs in the doctrines of the church and perform all the religious duties expected of you. You have gained the respect of the church and its deity. You get a +1 bonus on all reaction rolls vs other devout followers and a +2 bonus vs the clergy.
b) Only one spell may be granted by devout status, but this spell may change over time.
c) All prerequsits for the spell must be paid for.
Non-Priest characters may also take the Blessed advantage listed on page CI 34 and chose a magical 'knack'.
2) Religion has a profound influence on everything in Methoria and is intergrated into its culture.
3) HOUSE RULE: The rule for Critical Successes and Critical Failures for Mages listed above is also followed for Priests.
Modifications to Clerical Magic:
(From page GURPS Religion page 104....)
Fanaticism: If the Cleric is fanatical about his religion, he gains a +1 modifier to all clerical spells.
Divine Favor: If the cleric is engaging in an activity that the deity particularly approves of, or for whatever reason enjoys extreme divine favor, the god may grant a bonus up to +5. This is rare and should only be used in extreme cases. (It is more commen in Methoria)
Divine Disfavor: If the cleric is engaging in an activity that the deity disapproves of, then it is most likely that the spell's effect will be muted, or will not occur at all.
Acquiring New Clerical Spells
New Clerical Spells may be acquired by two methods:
1. (Traditional Method) Among the priesthood, spells have traditionally been passed down by a special "laying on of hands" ceremony using a special form of the 'Consecrate' spell that can be cast on 'Others'. The spell can only be performed by a priest of a higher level of power investiture (in most cases) and is usually done only with the authorization of the church.
There are many among the clergy that have voiced the opinion that Ral's power should not be spent indiscriminately, but other's have argued that each individual case is unique and that one must follow the demands that Ral places on one's heart regardless of the consequences. Nevertheless, each priest is required to report any such exchange of spells to his superiors and the Church keeps a careful watch on the powers of their priests. The power to cast the spell 'Consecrate Others' has also become a closely guarded secret.
Not all spells are able to be successfully transfered using the laying on of hands ceremony, and some priests seem to have a natural block towards certain spells.
2. (Miraculous Method) Certain 'saintly' priests have been known to acquire spells directly from Ral or His angels through revelation. While each account is unique in itself, they have been classified into three categories: Divine, Angelic, or Saintly.
Divine Revelation: The holiest and rarest of all revelation comes from Ral himself, yet it is considered a common occurance among the most saintly and empowered members of the priesthood. The Lord Patrona, it is believed, is in continual contact with Ral and is able to perform miracles in His name, and there have been many saints of The Church that have had a special connection with Ral and received spells directly from him.
Even more rare are those that have been empowered by the 'ancient ones' known as the Arch-Ulmartha who are the guardians of the afterworld (Rhisspen) in which Ral resides. Ral draws power from His worshipers, but it is believed that the power of the Ulmartha is unlimited and eternal. Not much is known about the Ulmartha outside the afterworld except through the Elven Shamans and Ancient Scrolls of Wisdom which they guard closely.
Angelic Revelation: According to knowledge given by Ral, the Ulmartha exist in many forms and degrees of power. Some of them are lesser beings that only exist to serve the Arch- Ulmartha and may accomplish this by serving other powers. Some of these lesser Ulmartha exist to serve Ral Himself and come to Methoria as His messengers. These beings most often cloak themselves in forms that mortals can understand, from animals to humanoids, but knowledge reveals that even the least of the Ulmartha exists naturally in a form so glorious as to be overwhelming to mortal eyes.
These messengers have been known to bestow powers upon the worthy at the request of Ral. They are considered an extension of Ral's glory and power.
Saintly Revelation: The most common way that powers are bestowed upon the worthy outside of the traditional way is through the workings of Glorified Saints. Once a being passes into the Holy Halls of Rhisspen, he attains a Glorified Body which is believed to be a being's "spiritual essence made manifest". It is believed that many Saints are allowed to return to Methoria to perform miracles to glorify Ral. These beings appear to the worshipers and priests of Ral alike and perform many duties for the advancement of The Church. It is believed that the Glorified Saints are the main reason that the Church remains pure and true to the desires of Ral.
Magery vs. Cleric Magic
Clerical spells are in all effects the same as the magical spell of the same name, but they do not require mana to work. Clerical spells are powered by Ral and His Church.
While all of Methoria is a High Mana zone, not all of the world is a High Sanctity zone. All of the Human Kingdom of Methor is considered High Sanctity and for some distance past its borders. The Elven Forest is also High Sanctity. Part of The Badlands, the Jodiac Desert, the Underground Dwarven Kingdom of Fendor and most of The Marshlands south of The Elven Forest are considered Normal Sanctity. The southeastern part of The Marshlands and the southern part of the Orclands are considered Low Sanctity, while most of the Orclands are No Sanctity. There are areas in which the Sanctity levels are unknown such as the Dragon's Backbone and The Black Mountains. All of the Churchs, Cathedrals, and Shrines throughout Methor, Fendor, and The Elven Forest dedicated to Ral or the Ulmartha act as a Very High Sanctity zone.
Clerical spells are not restricted by prerequisites in the same way as the spells of the colleges of magery, however many times they follow the same progression. This is especially true of Clerical Spells acquired through the 'laying on of hands' method. In keeping an account of the powers of their priests, The Church commonly bestows the lesser form of a spell first. However, if The Church deemed it appropriate for a priest to know a particular spell, no prerequisites would be needed. This is especially true of spells given through the miraculous method. It is not uncommon for a Saint to know only one or two spells and those being of great power.
Clerical magic interferes with Magery in almost every person. In fact, those who have a low or no aptitude for magery are usually recruited into the folds of the church as Clerics and Priests at an early age. People having a magical aptitude that have become priests have found this divine connection to block any magical abilities that they may have. The only thing that has been found to restore the former magical abilities is a complete severing of the divine connection.
This relationship between the two kinds of magic has caused The Church to take a negative view of Magery in the past. At a time before the Age of Pendular, magery was believed to hold the disapproval of Ral. In this New Age of Wisdom, The Church has taken a very tolerant stance on magery among its members and have oftentimes encouraged its use, but in keeping with ancient tradition, priests are still forbidden to practice 'Secular Magic' as The Church designates it. The past 500 years have even seen an acceptance of the use of Secular Items among Clerics and Priests although it is customary that these items be consecrated into the service of Ral by ceremony.
Scrolls and Spellbooks
A mage who knows the spell 'Scroll' (M42) may record any spell that he knows on a piece of parchment (or other material) creating, in essence, a magical item which embodies the power of that spell. This scroll may then be read aloud by anyone able to read the language of the scroll, thus casting the spell once and causing the writing upon the scroll to vanish. No roll is required unless the spell is resisted, in which case the skill level of the mage who wrote the scroll is used.
In Methoria, anyone can read a scroll who knows the language of Magic, Haddin. This is a modernized form of the language of the ancients, Old Haddin, that has evolved through the ages through the scholarship of Magery. Haddin is an intensly symbolic and magical language that is impossible to master to the level of fluency because of its magical nature, yet due to its origin being in the language of Old Haddin, a basic understanding is elementary. Old Haddin forms the basis of the Human, the Elven and the Dwarven languages among others. Anyone who has learned to cast a spell, knows Haddin at the "IQ-4 + Magery" level. Thus a character with the Magery 3 advantage would know Haddin at the IQ-1 level. Having an aptitude for the language Haddin is essentially what makes up the advantage of Magery.
The writing of scrolls is restricted to those with the Magery advantage. The time required to write a scroll is equal to the base energy cost to cast the spell in days. The base energy cost is the cost required to cast the spell in its most basic form without any bonus for high skill. The spell embodied in a scroll takes twice the amount of time to cast than the spell would take normally for the mage who reads it. A scroll may be read silently without triggering the spell contained within, and a scroll may also be used to self-study a spell.
Scrolls are sometimes collected into a tome call a Spellbook. Spellbooks are created for the purpose of study and record-keeping. Although a spell may be cast out of a Spellbook as if it was an individual scroll, once cast the spell vanishes from the Spellbook leaving only empty pages where it had been written.
Most mages will probably have a number of spells 'in the works'. Scrolls can be obtained pretty inexpensively for most spells, especially in the larger cities, and most mages will soon acquire a large collection of them. Scrolls are carried by mages to help fasciliate any free time they might have towards study and to trade for other scrolls or for some fast cash. A mage with a Knowledge of the spell 'Scroll' has an quick source of income.
Clerical spells are not based upon knowledge of the language Haddin and can not be recorded in this manner. There have been instances in history of clerical spells being recorded in a silmilar way, but The Church's stance on the issue has supressed any such knowledge, stagnating the development of any such system. Any spell trading amoung the Priests of The Church would be admonished as not having the approval of Ral. Any individual record-keeping would be looked upon by The Church as lack of faith on the part of the Priest.