Because the site is down or lost I'm pasting the entire thang here for reference. Only managed to get it through some kinda back door.
Magic in The Dragonlands
[[[[[[[[[[[
Being a Mage is a 2 Point Advantage.
[[[[[[[[[[[
Most Guilds don't restrict what magic users do, preferring to let
players negotiate an outcome OOC. "Strict" RP is usually different
in that (normally) players may not "refuse to Consent" to
magic. I recommend that RP in the Dragonlands be Strict in order
to create a heightened sense of drama born of consequences
and surprises.
Strict RP means that plots don't utterly die and fail to happen
because somebody "didn't feel like doing it that way". (It's
considered acceptable to call Consent under Persona RP.)
To keep it full of surprises, and to introduce a fair element
of possible failure, this particular magic system is meant to
be used with dice. The value of a random dice element is that
when someone tells you a "war story" of something that
happened, and you know what rules they were using, you don't have
to wonder, did it happen because a player felt pressured, or was
it the rules of the game, the same for everyone.
The effects, and the chance of success or failure, are strictly described.
That will also lead to more drama, more surprises, because whether or not a spell
succeeds is somewhat up to chance.
This system limits the number of times an ability can be
used per RL period of time, so a mage gets tired--they can't
simply try over and over and over.
True, there are now limits to magic. But rather than making mages "wimpy", I
think this will actually lead to them finally having some real power. Many player's
character concepts of what a "mage" is will not fit into these narrow descriptions.
That's truly a shame, but it was a necessary trade-off. More "open-ended" systems are
too abusable for online use. With this well-defined system, wizards will finally get
the respect and effectiveness that is their IC due.
Mages tend to be specialized, rather than having every
power in the book at their disposal. They tend to have one
of four casting styles, those being gestures, writing, talismans and
cards. It is also well-known that mages
very very rarely raise their own children.
Other than that, the typical furre
of Drakoria knows that mages can live a long time, and
that sometimes a mage will set themself up as a living
incarnation of a god. Drakorian history is full of abusive
mages of this kind. A Drakorian mage is most likely to
be either from the College of Shadows, or a Wild Talent
(and therefore hunted by the College of Shadows).
The typical Olde Worlde furre is frightened
by them and has only fairy tales to draw on for what
they might be like. They are relatively unprepared for
the havoc that a coterie of evil mages might wreak.
The typical Kasurian knows that there are two factions,
the College of Elements versus the College of Shadows,
but generally doesn't know what abilities are possible.
They would know that the College of Elements is well-
thought-of in Kasuria but that it hardly exists in
Drakoria.
If you would like your character to start
with more than this much information, then you need to
send an application to the Sphere Wizard of Mages for
approval of your explanation. (It will need to be a
bit more interesting than "My mother was a mage," etc.)
(You may be refused because there are already enough
characters in play with "Mage Lore" already.)
Because this is Strict Roleplaying and you may not
call "Consent" to avoid the effects of a spell, magic,
from the OOC perspective, has been SEVERELY limited.
Rules for spell acquisition are here.
MAGE SPELLS
Magic in the world of the Dragonlands works by
visualizing symbols, generically together called
"Tokens", in a specific sequence and juxtaposition.
Concentration then energizes the construct.
Valid tokens are: hand gestures in the air,
runes, talismans (objects) or cards. The training of an
apprentice consists of memorizing each "token"
and the valid ways known to produce an effect.
Training also usually includes the ethical use of
spells and the many possible consequences of a mishap.
Mages tend to know quite a bit about mages throughout
history.
Once a Mage has learned a system, that becomes
their most comfortable method of spellcasting. It
is not possible to perform a dodge or other defensive
maneuver while casting a spell. Thus, those who are
taking the Turn to cast a spell are at -10 to their
roll if they are attacked that round.
[[[[[[[[[[[
Choose your Mage's favored casting method:
Gestures, Talismans, Runes, or Cards. When using this
method they receive a +3 to their Quickie Roll
when the spell is finally cast.
Choose a method to be the Mage's 2nd favorite.
They cast this with no modifier.
Choose a method at which they are least capable.
They must cast this at -10.
One method will elude them entirely.
[[[[[[[[[[[
a) Gestures (slow) This requires no tools, but if the
Mage is interrupted (by an actual combat attack, not
merely by being hit by a pebble), they lose their
concentration and must begin anew. Gesture casting
takes two full turns of preparation during which the
Mage can not move or take other actions, and a third
turn in which the effect occurs.
b) Talismans (medium) These are items at least as large as
a typical furre's palm that must be touched to be
activated. Talismanic magic is not interrupted by an
attack. Talismanic magic takes only one full turn of
preparation, and a second turn for the actual directing
of the effect. If runes are tattooed or scarified onto
a living furre, they technically become Talismans; they
must be exposed for use in casting.
c) Runes (fast) This requires some kind of writing tools.
It requires the completion of an inscription, some
kind of glyph, scroll or book. Rune casting takes
one full turn during which the Mage can not move or
take other actions. The advantage is that the spell
can be pre-prepared, even by someone else. The
down-side is that the chance for failure is greater
(-5 Quickie Penalty). The magical investment that
occurs while setting down runes fades after a while.
d) Cards (varies) Mages who use these are known as
"Cartomancers". Cartomancers work by creating (or
possibly capturing) Elementals and placing them
into a dormant form that looks much like an elaborate
playing card. This is the most unpredictable power-- a
Card entity can be anything from mostly-mindless to
fully intelligent. These entities can be killed in
the service of their master/mistress. They may also
have quirks, weaknesses, and goals of their own. Once
bound as a card, they may not, however, hold motives
secret from their owner. OOC, Cartomancers do not
get to choose what their next spell is; it is
random. There is also one more possible weakness:
some Cartomancers get so attached to their card-
friends that they no longer wish to risk them in
battle or other dangerous situation.
[[[[[[[[[[[
Buying Your Spells:
A starting Mage can automatically learn spells from
only one school, the one they started with. They must
learn new spells from any other school in the course of
IC play, from other player-character mages (only in the
tabletop version is this expanded to include NPC's.)
A starting Mage gets 10 "spell points" to spend on spells
for each time they buy the Mage Advantage. If they buy it
twice, they will have 20 spell points.
Any Apprentice Spell from your School costs 1.
Any Journeyfurre Spell from your School costs 3.
*You must know at least 3 Apprentice Spells from a school.
to buy a Journeyfurre Spell in that school.
Any Master Spell from your School costs 5.
*You must know at least 2 Journeyfurre Spells from a school
to buy a Master Spell in that school.
Spells from the Schools of Essence and Dark Bindings
cannot be bought during character generation. They are
only available to Masters and they are acquired through
exemplary IC service to your College. This is to represent
the fact that they are not taught to wandering loners;
the knowledge is only trusted to those who are still
members of the school in good standing who are willing
to teach-- and possibly discipline-- others. (The Rah,
or whoever is in charge of the Continuity controls this.
If you are playing without someone in charge, you're free
to do as you please, of course.)
[[[[[[[[[[[
"How often can I cast a spell?"
You may cast Apprentice Spells
once per RL hour. You may cast
each Journeyfurre spell up to once
per RL day. You may cast each
Master spell up to once per RL week.
[[[[[[[[[[[
The College of the Elements
The Elemental College is a Kasurian institution. They
work with the support of the King and the Council of Lords
and Ladies. Much of their good reputation comes from their
defense of the commoners against Vampfurres and Lycanthians,
and there is much enmity between Mages and those two groups
of Supernaturals. Faeriefurres, on the other paw, tend to
have a long ongoing friendly rapport.
The five Schools making up the College are Earth, Air,
Fire, Water, and Essence. Essence is not 100% equivalent
to "soul" or "spirit"; it is perhaps best translated as
"magical identity".
(ALL SCHOOLS)
APPRENTICE
Mage Sight- Before, during, and after
magic use, an image is left in the
air all around the Mage that anyone
with Mage Sight can see.
THE SCHOOL OF EARTH MAGIC
Earth magic is associated with minerals but also with
household crafts and chores. Earth magery is practical
and, well, "down to earth".
APPRENTICE
Mudslip- when they try to move, the ground
beneath the target will momentarily
becomes so slick that they slip.
The victim must perform their next
physical attack action that scene
at a -15.
Bladesharp- magically sharpen a metal tool.
Unsoil- cleanse dirt from all over a
3' cube of stuff (of clothes
for example).
Faeriefurre Affinity (Earth)-
Something about the Mage
makes it more pleasant for
Earth Elementals to be around.
They are more likely to listen to,
respect, and help this furre.
Earth Mages receive a +1
to earth-related abilities
when a friendly Earth Elemental
is present, and vice-versa.
Earthwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time underground: snakes,
WatchWyrms, Burrowing Owls, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Earthwhispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Earthwhisperers.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Earth Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of an Earth spell from
up to 24' away.
Refresh- This causes the subject to feel
less tired, replacing the need to
sleep for one sleep cycle.
Boneset- Specifically for healing broken
bones, this causes even nasty
complex fractures to be undone
painlessly, in a matter of hours.
Prospect- detect gems in a 6' cube
up to 6' away.
Stonewalk- pass thru up to
10' rock as if walking or
falling through glue
Refine- half a pound of metal can be
extracted from the appropriate ore.
MASTER
Earthbind- cause rock to swiftly encase
a Furre's paws in a crystal crust.
It takes 2 minutes to
free them. Requires rock beneath
the target to start with.
Stoneshift- temporarily turn 6 cubic feet
of stone to warm liquid rock (like
wet glue for a few minutes). After
it hardens, the stone is soft,
like perlite or foamy chalk.
Coldsmith- metal can be forged without
a fire. Note that this still
requires a hammer and anvil for
making a sword, etc.
Bladewarp- Metal up to 24' away can be
turned to the consistency of wet
leather. The spell will eventually
wear off but weapons such as swords
will be ruined.
Crystalcraft- make beautiful items
of softened quartz, using tools
as if sculpting clay or plasticine.
Crystal knives and crystal swords
are possible, but they are not
durable enough for parrying or
penetrating armor.
THE SCHOOL OF AIR MAGIC
Air Magic has to do with wind and weather but
it also has to do with thoughts. Gliding and
hovering but not true flight are possible, too.
APPRENTICE
Freshen- cools a room for
three hours. If performed
in an enclosed space, air will
remain oxygenated (as if it was
being recycled by a rebreather)
for that length of time.
Waft- lift a very light item
such as a single piece of
paper or a feather
and move it up to 6'.
Odor- This is a subtle ability that gets
better with practice. The caster
can simulate a particular scent,
faintly, in the air around them.
(Furres who exhibit this as a Wild
Talent may end up being brought to
the Elemental College after all.
Airwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time in the air: birds,
Dragonmounts, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Airwhispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Airwhisperers.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Air Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of an Air spell from
up to 24' away.
Glide- fall for up to a minute.
You can move the same
distance horizontally as
you moved vertically.
Windswift- You can run at 2X
the usual rate due to a
gentle push from behind.
Suffocate- For three minutes, the
victim can draw breath yet they
are still suffocating. (This is the
opposite of the Waterbreaghing spell.)
Cast at a range of touch, it does not
kill the victim but if they attempt
to fight under its influence, they
suffer a -5 penalty to die rolls.
Zephyrtalk- One breath's worth of words is
whispered and heard by someone up to
a mile away, as if it were being
whispered in their ear.
Calm- The mage can calm the mind of another
and even temporarily block a phobia.
The target feels soothed and is better
able to concentrate for an hour.
MASTER
Windstorm- A wild chaos of winds makes
vision and breathing very difficult
for all but the caster. Combat and
spellcasting both become impossible,
and communicating is reduced to loud
yelling.
Soar- The mage falls but goes twice their
horizontal distance as they fell
downwards.
Lift- A neat dust-devil lifts or lowers the
mage, as they please. This does
not confer flight, it merely grants
the mage a change in altitude. In
combination with Glide, the Air mage
can travel up to a mile effortlessly
in five minutes. With Soar, the
mage can travel two miles in that time.
Thoughtsend- The mage can send roughly a
sentence's worth of words to another,
who hears them as if they were a
whisper in their head. Range is up
to a mile away.
THE SCHOOL OF FIRE MAGIC
Fire Magic is concerned with energies, lightning
and life force as well as fire. By manipulating
that, amazing effects can be accomplished with
living plants.
APPRENTICE
Firestart- as if lighting a match. This
ability requires touching the
substance to be lit.
Harden- turn light weak wood into something as
heavy and strong as teak or ebony.
(This is usually how stakes for use
on Vampfurres are made...)
Woodmend- This ability was originally used to
get living branches to grow
together, but is also usable on
cut wood. With a bit of practice,
this ability can be used to
cause a wooden handle to grow
around other tool parts, or seal
a leak in a wooden bucket, etc.
Firewhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time near (or in) lava:
Volcano lizards, Dragonmounts, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Fire whispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Firewhisperers.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Fire Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of a Fire spell from
up to 24' away.
Gardenglory- make a 6'X6' area of
foliage burst into rich blooming
within the hour. "Herbaceous"
plants only; not usable on
"woody" plants, i.e. trees.
Treeshape- Living wood is grown to the
caster's wishes. The results are
somewhat crude and rough, and can
be used to make something the size
of a chair. This takes about
ten minutes. Fine details can not
be done with Treeshaping, however.
Dispel Zombie- This spell disrupts a magical
lichen that has invaded the zombie body,
and the corpse falls to pieces.
It can be cast from up to 24' away.
The interaction causes a flash of
daylight that will give any nearby
Vampfurres a painful sunburn if
they are within 2 tiles of the
target.
MASTER
Call Lightning- This is strictly an outdoor
ability. By connecting with the
roots underground, the mage can call
down lightning from the sky, even
from a clear sky, to strike a target
up to 24' away.
Firewalk- The caster is immune to damage from
fire for up to an hour, even breathing
dangerous, burning sulfurous air. In
this way they can even enter the lava
of a volcano.
Thornwall- a seed of some kind of thorny
plant is thrown down, and, in the
course of three turns, becomes a
fence 12' X 12' X 12'. Can only be
done outdoors.
Woodmastery -A whole tree's mass can be reshaped
over the course of an hour. Fine
artistic detail can be added by a
skilled practitioner.
THE SCHOOL OF WATER MAGIC
In addition to being about water and chemistry, this
kind of magic also has to do with health and emotions.
Incidentally, the College of Water teaches its initiates
sign-language.
APPRENTICE
Compress- causes a wound to stop
bleeding, and hurt much less.
The wound must be covered with
some kind of moist dressing.
Sweetwater- purifies a cup of water, making it
safe and delicious to drink.
Soothe Beast- This spell causes an animal that
is agitated or even angry to be quieted.
It does not make the animal more inclined
to tolerate the caster, it is only like
a mild sedative. A faint sound like
rippling water accompanies this spell.
a leak in a wooden bucket, etc.
Waterwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time near (or in) water:
fish, turtles, swimming snakes, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Water whispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Waterwhisperers.
Detect Bogblort - Bogblorts
have been such a
pain in the butt over the past century
that there is a spell to detect them.
Banish Bogblort -This spell is constructed to be
specific to that individual Bogblort. It
causes the Bogblort to flee until they are
at least 100 miles away from the site of
the spell!
JOURNEYFURRE
Healing Waters- The mage pours water with herbs
over the wound to heal it. Note that this
does not set broken bones, and will cause
them to heal askew if used first!
Disrupt Water Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of a Water spell from
up to 24' away.
Waterbreathing- This lasts three hours.
The furre still can't speak underwater.
Raindance- This spell doesn't actually require
any sort of dancing, but it is traditional
that the village in need of rain split the
cost of the mage's fee by throwing a dance
and calling for donations. A light drizzle
follows, lasting several days.
MASTER
Font- A spring of water appears, lasting three hours.
This must be done outdoors, and cannot be done
where the ground is solid rock. It does, however,
work in the desert.
Rise Up- Up to 300 gallons of water moves in a large
mass, up to 12' tall and 12' wide. The mage can
get it to flow slowly forty-five degrees uphill
but it cannot "climb" a cliff or flow up the side
of a house. Control lasts between a minute (for
difficult maneuvering such as combat) and fifteen
minutes (for simple maneuvering such as watering
a field).
Cleanse- The effects of a disease are washed away. (If
the victim was struck by the spell Plague, this
spell will restore their fur.)
THE SCHOOL OF ESSENCE MAGIC
This college's spells utilize the subjects' blood.
Members of this College must first master another
element, which is then used in conjunction with
Essence magics. Mages not in very good standing
with all the other colleges are not permitted to
be trained in this field. Unlike the other colleges,
it does not have an apprenticeship program, nor
are there Wild Talents in Essence.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Essence Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of an Essence spell from
up to 24' away.
Heartbond- (req. Air Mastery)
Two furres' essences are joined,
giving them the ability of mind-speech
with each other. If a third furre is
Heartbonded to the second, they do not
enter a "chat channel" but instead have
a separate link.
Heart Tree- (req. Earth Mastery)
A subject's aging process is
halted so long as a specific oak
remains healthy. The tree must be
adorned with runes via Woodmending.
Heart Blade- (req. Earth Master)
A subject's essence is linked to a
specific metal weapon. So long as
the wielder lives, the weapon is
unbreakable-- and can even resist
the ravages of the Drakorian anti-
metal effect.
Summon- (req. Air Mastery)
A subject is compelled to come to
the mage's presence within 3 days.
The subject will take every possible
action short of suicide-- including
killing a friend or relative-- to
answer a Summons. After three days,
a Summons dissipates.
Beastbond (any but Dragonmount)-
(req. any other Mastery)
The Pet and Master/Mistress are made
one in a ritual requiring the blood
of each. (If done IC, character
must have had Character Generation
points set aside in reserve).
Beastbond (Dragonmount)-
(req. any other Mastery)
The bonding ability of the Dragonmount
is locked and only with the performance
of their secret melody can a mage
perform this ritual.
(If done IC, character
must have had Character Generation
points set aside in reserve).
MASTER
Banish- (req. Air Mastery)
One subject is permanently compelled
to stay away from a location. They
cannot come within half a mile of it.
Ward- (req. Fire Mastery)
A type of subject is unable to
enter a location no larger than
240'X240'. Legitimate Wards are as
follows: Vampfurres, Lycanthians,
Faeriefurres, Wyrmmes, Phoenixes,
Gryffes. Blood of an appropriate
subject must be used-- and that
individual is unaffected by the Ward.
Resurrection- (req. Water Mastery)
Water from a shrine to a good Prime
is poured into the mouth of the
deceased. This can only be done
once per victim.
THE COLLEGE OF SHADOWS
This is not a legitimate Kasurian college, it is an underground
movement in Drakoria. It is made up of the Schools of Necromancy,
Shadows, and Corruption, headed up by the elitist School of Dark
Bindings, whose members are Masters in one or more of the other
Schools.
Individuals who possess "Shadow" Mage abilities
do tend to be loosely affiliated because of intricate networks of
loyalty. Vengeance is a passion amongst these mages. They will
avenge a minion or ally's death as a matter of pride. Those that do
not play "The Game of Shadows" are very vulnerable and must hide most
carefully.
Wild Talents of THESE abilities face severe prejudice amongst
Elemental Mages. They are likely to be exiled and imprisoned.
Shadow Mages slay Wild Talents out of hand unless they know they
can be controlled. They do not particularly want the competition.
THE SCHOOL OF NECROMANCY- Necromancers have always dominated
the College of Shadows. They form occasional uneasy alliances
with Vampfurres. They are reclusive and many a Necromancer
in Kasuria has a price on their head.
APPRENTICE
Deathwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
undead creatures: Vampfurres,
lichen zombies, skeleton furres, etc.
This also permits
magical speech with other
Deathwhisperers.
Last Sighs- This spell can only be cast upon a corpse
within a week of death. It can then be questioned
as a willing informant. This is not resurrection,
it is merely a playing-back of memories, so the
corpse will answer as truthfully as it can.
JOURNEYFURRE
Wandering Paw- The hand of a furre is cut off and told
the name of a victim. Magically, it will go in the
correct direction towards its quarry. If the paw
does not find its target within a month, it withers.
If it does, the hand will attempt to strangle the
victim. A Wandering Paw can jump 3' off the ground.
Screaming Head- This spell makes a corpse's head into
an alarm. At least one eye must be intact for it to see.
If it sees anyone besides its creator, it will scream
and scream until its creator touches it. It has no
need for lungs or vocal chords but must have a mouth.
If well-preserved, a Screaming Head can last up to a
year.
Animate Lichen Zombie- By rubbing the spores of an unpleasant
cave fungus on the corpse, the body is brought back to
a semblance of life, with no memory of its former life.
Provided that its head is intact, it can have the
intelligence of a five-year-old child. Lichen zombies
can only be commanded by their creator. They have an
urge to eat the flesh of sentients, and, afterwards,
that infected victim may also rise, usually in very
poor shape. Lichen zombies are destroyed by sunlight.
Mummy Assistant- A properly embalmed body can be
reanimated. The resulting creature has a mind of its
own. To Mage Sight, it appears to have just the
tiniest glimmer of life. Like the typical Vampfurre,
Mummy Assistants are cold to the touch. They begin much
like infants, but can be raised to be fully sentient
once again. Of their former life, they have only
the barest scraps. (This spell cannot be used to
create NPC's, it can only be used on PC's who have
died.) A Mummy loses all their special abilities,
and can never reacquire them. As a small consolation,
they do not need to breathe or eat, and do not need
to sleep. Sunlight does no harm, but they must be kept
dry because water dissolves them. Mummies cannot
heal back.
MASTER
Crematoria- This spell lasts a year and a day. If the
subject dies, they will burst into heatless green flames.
There will be nothing left to reanimate or question.
This spell is used to prevent information from falling
into enemy paws.
Command Vampfurre- It's no wonder that Vampfurres hate
necromancers. With this spell, the caster causes the
Vampfurre to do as they say (short of destroying them
self) for the next hour. The Vampfurre will be
unable to leave the necromancer's side unless ordered,
and they will have no memory of this time later.
THE SCHOOL OF DARKNESS- These are the warriors and assassins
of the College of Shadows. They are looked down upon by the
scholarly Necromancers, and feared by the Corrupters.
APPRENTICE
Dim- causes the victim to be surrounded by a dark haze
that moves as they move for the next 6 hours. They
can barely see, and, if they fight, suffer a -5 penalty.
(Note that this is a frightening spell because until
you have survived it, you do not know it goes away.)
JOURNEYFURRE
Hide In Dark- If there are shadows large enough to contain
the caster, they can become completely invisible while
they remain in that patch of shadow. If they leave the
shadow they become visible again. At night, this
functions as near-invisibility.
Blindfighting- This spell enables the caster to feel their
surroundings with every hair on their body, giving them
a picture as clear as if they had sonar. All penalties
from not being able to see are negated.
MASTER
Blind- causes the victim's eyes to turn pale blue,
stopping all vision. This lasts the next 24 hours.
Should they attempt to fight, they are at -15 on the
die roll.
Veil- the caster fills up to 60' X 60' with darkness.
This is not total darkness, but visibility causes all
those besides the caster to make their die rolls at
-10.
THE SCHOOL OF CORRUPTION- The Corrupters are the least
respected members of the College of Shadows. They choose their
apprentices from amongst the dregs of society. The magical
arts of Corruption are the most easy of all the magical arts
to know, thus, they are the most numerous. As despised as
they may be, their powers are still highly useful, and
Corrupters may parlay their advantages into considerable
"mundane" power. They are hedge wizards, beggar kings,
thieves with more than throwing knives up their sleeves,
and a thousand other things.
APPRENTICE
Blight- A 6' X 6' area of garden withers.
Spoil- Food within a 6' X 6' area is destroyed by a
sudden growth of mildews and molds within a few
minutes.
Nick- This spell makes the victim less wary, then
deadens their senses for a few minutes, making
pickpocketing very easy. To check if the theft is
detected, the victim rolls a d6 and the thief
rolls a d20. The thief is detected if the victim
beats or ties their roll.
Overhear- The furre's ears become very sensitive and they
can hear whispers not intended for them. (OOC,
this spell has special permission to be cast after
the fact of someone whispering if the caster can
beat the whisperer on a d10 roll.)
Cheat- Even Masters of Corruption don't understand just
how exactly this spell works. When playing cards,
the caster will find themselves in possession of
cards that are duplicates of other cards. So
long as the duplicate card does not turn up, they
are likely to get away with this. (OOC, the caster
rolls a d10 and a Staffer rolls a d6.
JOURNEYFURRE
Erase Writing- A scroll or book is wiped clean of its
contents, leaving an unusable mass of dark color in
its place.
Command Lichenthrope- The mage can issue a one-word
command that will be interpreted in the simplest
manner. For example, if told to "Guard!", the
Lichenthrope will wander a small area and attack
anyone besides the mage. If the Lichenthrope can
not understand the command (for example, "Calculate!")
it will assume it was told to "Guard!". The
mage can point to the object of the command, for
example, "Kill!" or "Fetch!" An illustration or
sculpture can't be interpreted to mean the person
or place depicted. Lichenthropes are DUMB!!!
Befoul Well- For four weeks, the water in the well will
be undrinkable, smelling foul and tasting worse.
MASTER
Dispel Magic- With a sound something like a huge dry
stick being broken, the Corrupters are the only mages
who can lift most spells. This is a very jealously
guarded secret. If a non-Corrupter is found to be
able to cast it, a large price is placed on their
head.
Plague- The victim is covered in painful boils,
and will cough phlegm as if they had a terrible
plague. The victim will probably survive but their
pelt will be spotted with half-dollar-sized bare
patches all over their body.
Lichenthopy- Castable only upon oneself, this spell takes
effect only if the mage should die. They become
a Lichenthrope but they retain their mind and ability
to speak and cast spells. They can learn no new spells
and can acquire no new abilities.
(more about Lichenthropes in general)
THE SCHOOL OF DARK BINDINGS- This is the evil counterpart of the
Elementalists' School of Essence Magic. Spells here are taught
only to those in thrall to the teacher (usually via Dark Seed).
MOST Binding Mages are Cauldruin-born.
Moreso than any other of the Shadow Mages, they are ALWAYS
in the service of a Dark Prime!
Dark Seed- Not affecting the subject's aura, and
therefore not visible to Mage Sight, this
enchantment causes the subject to be unable to
willingly, knowingly hurt the caster. The
subject will do everything short of sacrificing
themself to keep the caster healthy, safe, and
happy. The name of this spell comes from the
part of the ritual that involves swallowing the
black pit of a fruit, which grows into a strange
many-tendrilled mass inside the victim.
The Agate Ring- Appearing to Mage Sight as a milky
slightly bluish halo, the Agate Ring is the sign
of one who cannot disobey an order from the caster.
Casting it requires the subject to be in a state
of deep sorrow. Once cast, that sorrow can never
lift, even if the subject forgets the original
reason for their sadness. This spell is cast at
a range of touch. Only one order at a time may
be given, up to once per 24 hour period.
The instructions must be simple and clear.
Conditions such as "You may not speak of this to
anyone." can't be added in. Thus, a mage might
order their thrall to drop their sword, but
couldn't order them not to pick it up again
immediately.
The Jade Ring- Appearing to Mage Sight as a faint
green glow, this spell causes the subject to be
unable to resist multiple orders and conditions
from their master/mistress. This spell can only
be placed on a subject dislikes or hates the
caster. These feelings will be gone so long as
the spell is in effect, returning a hundredfold
should the spell be broken.
The Ebon Ring- The mind of the victim of this spell
is irrevocably destroyed, replaced with that of
a sycophant who worships their master/mistress.
It is called Ebon Ring because a black interruption
appears in the halo normally seen by Mage Sight.
To cast this spell, the mage must sever one of
their own fingers. Then the subject swallows it
whole. If this spell is broken, the victim
will be a catatonic wretch, lost to perpetual
internal nightmares until they die of dehydration.
========================================================================
ELEMENTALS ABILITIES
Earth Faeriefurre
Mage Affinity (Earth)-
Something about the Mage
makes it more pleasant for
Earth Elementals to be around.
They are more likely to listen to,
respect, and help the Mage.
Earth Mages receive a +1
to earth-related abilities
when a friendly Earth Elemental
is present, and vice-versa.
Feywalk- move through
grass and soil leaving no
visible traces (such as
disturbing the dew, etc.)
Herbolspeak- by communing with a
plant, the Faeriefurre can learn
what medicinal uses the plant
possesses.
Green Repose- The Faeriefurre can fuse
with either a mound of soil
sheltered by greenery, or a living
tree. While in this form, they
cannot hear what is going on about
them, and will wake up either 24
hours later, or if that tree/mound
is significantly disturbed.
[[[[[[[[[[[
WILD TALENTS
Wild Talents are Mages who don't require Tokens. Only
Apprentice-level spells can be performed this way. To those
with Mage Sight, they glow constantly with magic use. Wild
Talents are treated with mild suspicion by "traditional" mages
who were trained at a College, because wild talents typically
have little concept of what can go awry with their powers.
The young Wild Talent will often use their abilities without
realizing it-- even in their sleep. Wild Talents may lack
ethical instruction ("With great power comes great
irresponsibility."). The Wild Talent who joins the College
of Elements by finding a Journeyfurre or Master teacher who
is already a member may become a "normal" Mage after
three RL months of teaching, at which point they receive
9 more Spell Points (spent as above).
[[[[[[[[[[[
It costs 1 Advantage Point to be a Wild Talent. (You may not
have this Advantage more than 2 times.)
[[[[[[[[[[[
Magical Consorts
3 pt. Advantage
Consorts are not mages, but do fall under the Mages Sphere.
I don't necessarily expect to see many of them played as characters,
but they are an IC aspect of the world of the Mage. Consorts,
and their value to magical society, is not known to the common
furre, as Mages and Consorts themselves keep it private.
1. The child of two Mages is born a Mage (50% chance) or a Consort
(25% chance). 25% of the time, the furreling is stillborn, however.
2. The child of a Mage and a Consort can be either a Mage or a
Consort (50%/50% chance)
3. The child of a Mage and a non-mage has a 25% chance of being
a Mage and a 75% chance of being a non-mage.
4. The child of a Consort and a non-mage has a 25% chance of
being a Consort- and a 75% chance of being stillborn.
Consorts can't cast spells, but they are full of magical energy.
The value of the Consort to Mage society is their ability to "Gryth".
Through physical contact in an affectionate gesture,
energy is passed to the mage, who must use it within
five days and nights, else it dissipates. After five (RL) days,
the Consort is "recharged" and can do it again.
This ability to Gryth is lost should the Mage
Consort lose their virginity. (They are still
called a "Magical Consort", however, because the
term derives from the fact that they are sought-after
as brides or grooms to wed unto Mages.
Having once received energy from a Consort, the Mage cannot accept
energy from another Consort for five (RL) months. Consorts, however,
can do so with any Mage.
Grything is only possible if the Consort is happy. If they
are afraid or sad or angry, they cannot Gryth. In Mage society,
Consorts may be kept under lock and key in perfect gardens,
isolated from the toil and grief of the outside world. Their
existence is not secret but it is a highly personal matter
to Mages in general.
There is a rumor that it is possible for Mages and Consorts to be
born to two non-Magical parents. This is incorrect, though. The
story probably comes from the occasional child produced by an
affair.
Consorts are sought-after by Vampire Furres, who start to absorb a bit of
their life-like-ness. After having a Vampire Furre in their house, the
Consort starts to look more pale and corpse-like, and the Vampire Furre
starts to look and feel more alive. If a Vampire Furre attempts
to "turn" a Consort, the Consort perishes.
Lycanthians and Consorts are instinctively repulsed by each other. The
Consort cannot Gryth while a Lycanthian is present; the Lycanthian is
seized by a strong and undefined feeling of worry if a Consort is
present. Consorts are immune to becoming Lycanthians.
Faerie furres have quite the opposite reaction. Consorts grant them
a sense of ease and peacefulness. Consorts are sensitive but also
susceptible to Faerie powers. Consorts suffer a minus when attempting
to see through Faerie illusions or otherwise resist Faerie influences.
The life of a Magical Consort is a mixed blessing. They are valued
and kept safe by Mages, but they may be treated like little
children. (In Kosh, it is customary to dress
a Magical Consort in adult-sized clothes of a young child because
it is believed to protect them from evil spirits!)
This Advantage has been deliberately priced high to
keep them less common. When one is a Consort, one's whole
existence is very likely to revolve around that fact.
Should the Consort lose their virginity, they receive
2 Advantage Points which must be used immediately on
any Advantage(s) that can be taken after initial
character generation.
Magic in The Dragonlands
[[[[[[[[[[[
Being a Mage is a 2 Point Advantage.
[[[[[[[[[[[
Most Guilds don't restrict what magic users do, preferring to let
players negotiate an outcome OOC. "Strict" RP is usually different
in that (normally) players may not "refuse to Consent" to
magic. I recommend that RP in the Dragonlands be Strict in order
to create a heightened sense of drama born of consequences
and surprises.
Strict RP means that plots don't utterly die and fail to happen
because somebody "didn't feel like doing it that way". (It's
considered acceptable to call Consent under Persona RP.)
To keep it full of surprises, and to introduce a fair element
of possible failure, this particular magic system is meant to
be used with dice. The value of a random dice element is that
when someone tells you a "war story" of something that
happened, and you know what rules they were using, you don't have
to wonder, did it happen because a player felt pressured, or was
it the rules of the game, the same for everyone.
The effects, and the chance of success or failure, are strictly described.
That will also lead to more drama, more surprises, because whether or not a spell
succeeds is somewhat up to chance.
This system limits the number of times an ability can be
used per RL period of time, so a mage gets tired--they can't
simply try over and over and over.
True, there are now limits to magic. But rather than making mages "wimpy", I
think this will actually lead to them finally having some real power. Many player's
character concepts of what a "mage" is will not fit into these narrow descriptions.
That's truly a shame, but it was a necessary trade-off. More "open-ended" systems are
too abusable for online use. With this well-defined system, wizards will finally get
the respect and effectiveness that is their IC due.
Mages tend to be specialized, rather than having every
power in the book at their disposal. They tend to have one
of four casting styles, those being gestures, writing, talismans and
cards. It is also well-known that mages
very very rarely raise their own children.
Other than that, the typical furre
of Drakoria knows that mages can live a long time, and
that sometimes a mage will set themself up as a living
incarnation of a god. Drakorian history is full of abusive
mages of this kind. A Drakorian mage is most likely to
be either from the College of Shadows, or a Wild Talent
(and therefore hunted by the College of Shadows).
The typical Olde Worlde furre is frightened
by them and has only fairy tales to draw on for what
they might be like. They are relatively unprepared for
the havoc that a coterie of evil mages might wreak.
The typical Kasurian knows that there are two factions,
the College of Elements versus the College of Shadows,
but generally doesn't know what abilities are possible.
They would know that the College of Elements is well-
thought-of in Kasuria but that it hardly exists in
Drakoria.
If you would like your character to start
with more than this much information, then you need to
send an application to the Sphere Wizard of Mages for
approval of your explanation. (It will need to be a
bit more interesting than "My mother was a mage," etc.)
(You may be refused because there are already enough
characters in play with "Mage Lore" already.)
Because this is Strict Roleplaying and you may not
call "Consent" to avoid the effects of a spell, magic,
from the OOC perspective, has been SEVERELY limited.
Rules for spell acquisition are here.
MAGE SPELLS
Magic in the world of the Dragonlands works by
visualizing symbols, generically together called
"Tokens", in a specific sequence and juxtaposition.
Concentration then energizes the construct.
Valid tokens are: hand gestures in the air,
runes, talismans (objects) or cards. The training of an
apprentice consists of memorizing each "token"
and the valid ways known to produce an effect.
Training also usually includes the ethical use of
spells and the many possible consequences of a mishap.
Mages tend to know quite a bit about mages throughout
history.
Once a Mage has learned a system, that becomes
their most comfortable method of spellcasting. It
is not possible to perform a dodge or other defensive
maneuver while casting a spell. Thus, those who are
taking the Turn to cast a spell are at -10 to their
roll if they are attacked that round.
[[[[[[[[[[[
Choose your Mage's favored casting method:
Gestures, Talismans, Runes, or Cards. When using this
method they receive a +3 to their Quickie Roll
when the spell is finally cast.
Choose a method to be the Mage's 2nd favorite.
They cast this with no modifier.
Choose a method at which they are least capable.
They must cast this at -10.
One method will elude them entirely.
[[[[[[[[[[[
a) Gestures (slow) This requires no tools, but if the
Mage is interrupted (by an actual combat attack, not
merely by being hit by a pebble), they lose their
concentration and must begin anew. Gesture casting
takes two full turns of preparation during which the
Mage can not move or take other actions, and a third
turn in which the effect occurs.
b) Talismans (medium) These are items at least as large as
a typical furre's palm that must be touched to be
activated. Talismanic magic is not interrupted by an
attack. Talismanic magic takes only one full turn of
preparation, and a second turn for the actual directing
of the effect. If runes are tattooed or scarified onto
a living furre, they technically become Talismans; they
must be exposed for use in casting.
c) Runes (fast) This requires some kind of writing tools.
It requires the completion of an inscription, some
kind of glyph, scroll or book. Rune casting takes
one full turn during which the Mage can not move or
take other actions. The advantage is that the spell
can be pre-prepared, even by someone else. The
down-side is that the chance for failure is greater
(-5 Quickie Penalty). The magical investment that
occurs while setting down runes fades after a while.
d) Cards (varies) Mages who use these are known as
"Cartomancers". Cartomancers work by creating (or
possibly capturing) Elementals and placing them
into a dormant form that looks much like an elaborate
playing card. This is the most unpredictable power-- a
Card entity can be anything from mostly-mindless to
fully intelligent. These entities can be killed in
the service of their master/mistress. They may also
have quirks, weaknesses, and goals of their own. Once
bound as a card, they may not, however, hold motives
secret from their owner. OOC, Cartomancers do not
get to choose what their next spell is; it is
random. There is also one more possible weakness:
some Cartomancers get so attached to their card-
friends that they no longer wish to risk them in
battle or other dangerous situation.
[[[[[[[[[[[
Buying Your Spells:
A starting Mage can automatically learn spells from
only one school, the one they started with. They must
learn new spells from any other school in the course of
IC play, from other player-character mages (only in the
tabletop version is this expanded to include NPC's.)
A starting Mage gets 10 "spell points" to spend on spells
for each time they buy the Mage Advantage. If they buy it
twice, they will have 20 spell points.
Any Apprentice Spell from your School costs 1.
Any Journeyfurre Spell from your School costs 3.
*You must know at least 3 Apprentice Spells from a school.
to buy a Journeyfurre Spell in that school.
Any Master Spell from your School costs 5.
*You must know at least 2 Journeyfurre Spells from a school
to buy a Master Spell in that school.
Spells from the Schools of Essence and Dark Bindings
cannot be bought during character generation. They are
only available to Masters and they are acquired through
exemplary IC service to your College. This is to represent
the fact that they are not taught to wandering loners;
the knowledge is only trusted to those who are still
members of the school in good standing who are willing
to teach-- and possibly discipline-- others. (The Rah,
or whoever is in charge of the Continuity controls this.
If you are playing without someone in charge, you're free
to do as you please, of course.)
[[[[[[[[[[[
"How often can I cast a spell?"
You may cast Apprentice Spells
once per RL hour. You may cast
each Journeyfurre spell up to once
per RL day. You may cast each
Master spell up to once per RL week.
[[[[[[[[[[[
The College of the Elements
The Elemental College is a Kasurian institution. They
work with the support of the King and the Council of Lords
and Ladies. Much of their good reputation comes from their
defense of the commoners against Vampfurres and Lycanthians,
and there is much enmity between Mages and those two groups
of Supernaturals. Faeriefurres, on the other paw, tend to
have a long ongoing friendly rapport.
The five Schools making up the College are Earth, Air,
Fire, Water, and Essence. Essence is not 100% equivalent
to "soul" or "spirit"; it is perhaps best translated as
"magical identity".
(ALL SCHOOLS)
APPRENTICE
Mage Sight- Before, during, and after
magic use, an image is left in the
air all around the Mage that anyone
with Mage Sight can see.
THE SCHOOL OF EARTH MAGIC
Earth magic is associated with minerals but also with
household crafts and chores. Earth magery is practical
and, well, "down to earth".
APPRENTICE
Mudslip- when they try to move, the ground
beneath the target will momentarily
becomes so slick that they slip.
The victim must perform their next
physical attack action that scene
at a -15.
Bladesharp- magically sharpen a metal tool.
Unsoil- cleanse dirt from all over a
3' cube of stuff (of clothes
for example).
Faeriefurre Affinity (Earth)-
Something about the Mage
makes it more pleasant for
Earth Elementals to be around.
They are more likely to listen to,
respect, and help this furre.
Earth Mages receive a +1
to earth-related abilities
when a friendly Earth Elemental
is present, and vice-versa.
Earthwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time underground: snakes,
WatchWyrms, Burrowing Owls, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Earthwhispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Earthwhisperers.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Earth Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of an Earth spell from
up to 24' away.
Refresh- This causes the subject to feel
less tired, replacing the need to
sleep for one sleep cycle.
Boneset- Specifically for healing broken
bones, this causes even nasty
complex fractures to be undone
painlessly, in a matter of hours.
Prospect- detect gems in a 6' cube
up to 6' away.
Stonewalk- pass thru up to
10' rock as if walking or
falling through glue
Refine- half a pound of metal can be
extracted from the appropriate ore.
MASTER
Earthbind- cause rock to swiftly encase
a Furre's paws in a crystal crust.
It takes 2 minutes to
free them. Requires rock beneath
the target to start with.
Stoneshift- temporarily turn 6 cubic feet
of stone to warm liquid rock (like
wet glue for a few minutes). After
it hardens, the stone is soft,
like perlite or foamy chalk.
Coldsmith- metal can be forged without
a fire. Note that this still
requires a hammer and anvil for
making a sword, etc.
Bladewarp- Metal up to 24' away can be
turned to the consistency of wet
leather. The spell will eventually
wear off but weapons such as swords
will be ruined.
Crystalcraft- make beautiful items
of softened quartz, using tools
as if sculpting clay or plasticine.
Crystal knives and crystal swords
are possible, but they are not
durable enough for parrying or
penetrating armor.
THE SCHOOL OF AIR MAGIC
Air Magic has to do with wind and weather but
it also has to do with thoughts. Gliding and
hovering but not true flight are possible, too.
APPRENTICE
Freshen- cools a room for
three hours. If performed
in an enclosed space, air will
remain oxygenated (as if it was
being recycled by a rebreather)
for that length of time.
Waft- lift a very light item
such as a single piece of
paper or a feather
and move it up to 6'.
Odor- This is a subtle ability that gets
better with practice. The caster
can simulate a particular scent,
faintly, in the air around them.
(Furres who exhibit this as a Wild
Talent may end up being brought to
the Elemental College after all.
Airwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time in the air: birds,
Dragonmounts, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Airwhispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Airwhisperers.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Air Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of an Air spell from
up to 24' away.
Glide- fall for up to a minute.
You can move the same
distance horizontally as
you moved vertically.
Windswift- You can run at 2X
the usual rate due to a
gentle push from behind.
Suffocate- For three minutes, the
victim can draw breath yet they
are still suffocating. (This is the
opposite of the Waterbreaghing spell.)
Cast at a range of touch, it does not
kill the victim but if they attempt
to fight under its influence, they
suffer a -5 penalty to die rolls.
Zephyrtalk- One breath's worth of words is
whispered and heard by someone up to
a mile away, as if it were being
whispered in their ear.
Calm- The mage can calm the mind of another
and even temporarily block a phobia.
The target feels soothed and is better
able to concentrate for an hour.
MASTER
Windstorm- A wild chaos of winds makes
vision and breathing very difficult
for all but the caster. Combat and
spellcasting both become impossible,
and communicating is reduced to loud
yelling.
Soar- The mage falls but goes twice their
horizontal distance as they fell
downwards.
Lift- A neat dust-devil lifts or lowers the
mage, as they please. This does
not confer flight, it merely grants
the mage a change in altitude. In
combination with Glide, the Air mage
can travel up to a mile effortlessly
in five minutes. With Soar, the
mage can travel two miles in that time.
Thoughtsend- The mage can send roughly a
sentence's worth of words to another,
who hears them as if they were a
whisper in their head. Range is up
to a mile away.
THE SCHOOL OF FIRE MAGIC
Fire Magic is concerned with energies, lightning
and life force as well as fire. By manipulating
that, amazing effects can be accomplished with
living plants.
APPRENTICE
Firestart- as if lighting a match. This
ability requires touching the
substance to be lit.
Harden- turn light weak wood into something as
heavy and strong as teak or ebony.
(This is usually how stakes for use
on Vampfurres are made...)
Woodmend- This ability was originally used to
get living branches to grow
together, but is also usable on
cut wood. With a bit of practice,
this ability can be used to
cause a wooden handle to grow
around other tool parts, or seal
a leak in a wooden bucket, etc.
Firewhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time near (or in) lava:
Volcano lizards, Dragonmounts, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Fire whispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Firewhisperers.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Fire Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of a Fire spell from
up to 24' away.
Gardenglory- make a 6'X6' area of
foliage burst into rich blooming
within the hour. "Herbaceous"
plants only; not usable on
"woody" plants, i.e. trees.
Treeshape- Living wood is grown to the
caster's wishes. The results are
somewhat crude and rough, and can
be used to make something the size
of a chair. This takes about
ten minutes. Fine details can not
be done with Treeshaping, however.
Dispel Zombie- This spell disrupts a magical
lichen that has invaded the zombie body,
and the corpse falls to pieces.
It can be cast from up to 24' away.
The interaction causes a flash of
daylight that will give any nearby
Vampfurres a painful sunburn if
they are within 2 tiles of the
target.
MASTER
Call Lightning- This is strictly an outdoor
ability. By connecting with the
roots underground, the mage can call
down lightning from the sky, even
from a clear sky, to strike a target
up to 24' away.
Firewalk- The caster is immune to damage from
fire for up to an hour, even breathing
dangerous, burning sulfurous air. In
this way they can even enter the lava
of a volcano.
Thornwall- a seed of some kind of thorny
plant is thrown down, and, in the
course of three turns, becomes a
fence 12' X 12' X 12'. Can only be
done outdoors.
Woodmastery -A whole tree's mass can be reshaped
over the course of an hour. Fine
artistic detail can be added by a
skilled practitioner.
THE SCHOOL OF WATER MAGIC
In addition to being about water and chemistry, this
kind of magic also has to do with health and emotions.
Incidentally, the College of Water teaches its initiates
sign-language.
APPRENTICE
Compress- causes a wound to stop
bleeding, and hurt much less.
The wound must be covered with
some kind of moist dressing.
Sweetwater- purifies a cup of water, making it
safe and delicious to drink.
Soothe Beast- This spell causes an animal that
is agitated or even angry to be quieted.
It does not make the animal more inclined
to tolerate the caster, it is only like
a mild sedative. A faint sound like
rippling water accompanies this spell.
a leak in a wooden bucket, etc.
Waterwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
creatures that spend a large part
of their time near (or in) water:
fish, turtles, swimming snakes, etc.
(Invertebrates do not understand
Water whispers.) This also permits
magical speech with other
Waterwhisperers.
Detect Bogblort - Bogblorts
have been such a
pain in the butt over the past century
that there is a spell to detect them.
Banish Bogblort -This spell is constructed to be
specific to that individual Bogblort. It
causes the Bogblort to flee until they are
at least 100 miles away from the site of
the spell!
JOURNEYFURRE
Healing Waters- The mage pours water with herbs
over the wound to heal it. Note that this
does not set broken bones, and will cause
them to heal askew if used first!
Disrupt Water Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of a Water spell from
up to 24' away.
Waterbreathing- This lasts three hours.
The furre still can't speak underwater.
Raindance- This spell doesn't actually require
any sort of dancing, but it is traditional
that the village in need of rain split the
cost of the mage's fee by throwing a dance
and calling for donations. A light drizzle
follows, lasting several days.
MASTER
Font- A spring of water appears, lasting three hours.
This must be done outdoors, and cannot be done
where the ground is solid rock. It does, however,
work in the desert.
Rise Up- Up to 300 gallons of water moves in a large
mass, up to 12' tall and 12' wide. The mage can
get it to flow slowly forty-five degrees uphill
but it cannot "climb" a cliff or flow up the side
of a house. Control lasts between a minute (for
difficult maneuvering such as combat) and fifteen
minutes (for simple maneuvering such as watering
a field).
Cleanse- The effects of a disease are washed away. (If
the victim was struck by the spell Plague, this
spell will restore their fur.)
THE SCHOOL OF ESSENCE MAGIC
This college's spells utilize the subjects' blood.
Members of this College must first master another
element, which is then used in conjunction with
Essence magics. Mages not in very good standing
with all the other colleges are not permitted to
be trained in this field. Unlike the other colleges,
it does not have an apprenticeship program, nor
are there Wild Talents in Essence.
JOURNEYFURRE
Disrupt Essence Spell- The mage can
attempt to block the proper
forming of an Essence spell from
up to 24' away.
Heartbond- (req. Air Mastery)
Two furres' essences are joined,
giving them the ability of mind-speech
with each other. If a third furre is
Heartbonded to the second, they do not
enter a "chat channel" but instead have
a separate link.
Heart Tree- (req. Earth Mastery)
A subject's aging process is
halted so long as a specific oak
remains healthy. The tree must be
adorned with runes via Woodmending.
Heart Blade- (req. Earth Master)
A subject's essence is linked to a
specific metal weapon. So long as
the wielder lives, the weapon is
unbreakable-- and can even resist
the ravages of the Drakorian anti-
metal effect.
Summon- (req. Air Mastery)
A subject is compelled to come to
the mage's presence within 3 days.
The subject will take every possible
action short of suicide-- including
killing a friend or relative-- to
answer a Summons. After three days,
a Summons dissipates.
Beastbond (any but Dragonmount)-
(req. any other Mastery)
The Pet and Master/Mistress are made
one in a ritual requiring the blood
of each. (If done IC, character
must have had Character Generation
points set aside in reserve).
Beastbond (Dragonmount)-
(req. any other Mastery)
The bonding ability of the Dragonmount
is locked and only with the performance
of their secret melody can a mage
perform this ritual.
(If done IC, character
must have had Character Generation
points set aside in reserve).
MASTER
Banish- (req. Air Mastery)
One subject is permanently compelled
to stay away from a location. They
cannot come within half a mile of it.
Ward- (req. Fire Mastery)
A type of subject is unable to
enter a location no larger than
240'X240'. Legitimate Wards are as
follows: Vampfurres, Lycanthians,
Faeriefurres, Wyrmmes, Phoenixes,
Gryffes. Blood of an appropriate
subject must be used-- and that
individual is unaffected by the Ward.
Resurrection- (req. Water Mastery)
Water from a shrine to a good Prime
is poured into the mouth of the
deceased. This can only be done
once per victim.
THE COLLEGE OF SHADOWS
This is not a legitimate Kasurian college, it is an underground
movement in Drakoria. It is made up of the Schools of Necromancy,
Shadows, and Corruption, headed up by the elitist School of Dark
Bindings, whose members are Masters in one or more of the other
Schools.
Individuals who possess "Shadow" Mage abilities
do tend to be loosely affiliated because of intricate networks of
loyalty. Vengeance is a passion amongst these mages. They will
avenge a minion or ally's death as a matter of pride. Those that do
not play "The Game of Shadows" are very vulnerable and must hide most
carefully.
Wild Talents of THESE abilities face severe prejudice amongst
Elemental Mages. They are likely to be exiled and imprisoned.
Shadow Mages slay Wild Talents out of hand unless they know they
can be controlled. They do not particularly want the competition.
THE SCHOOL OF NECROMANCY- Necromancers have always dominated
the College of Shadows. They form occasional uneasy alliances
with Vampfurres. They are reclusive and many a Necromancer
in Kasuria has a price on their head.
APPRENTICE
Deathwhispers -The Mage can communicate
at a very very simple level with
undead creatures: Vampfurres,
lichen zombies, skeleton furres, etc.
This also permits
magical speech with other
Deathwhisperers.
Last Sighs- This spell can only be cast upon a corpse
within a week of death. It can then be questioned
as a willing informant. This is not resurrection,
it is merely a playing-back of memories, so the
corpse will answer as truthfully as it can.
JOURNEYFURRE
Wandering Paw- The hand of a furre is cut off and told
the name of a victim. Magically, it will go in the
correct direction towards its quarry. If the paw
does not find its target within a month, it withers.
If it does, the hand will attempt to strangle the
victim. A Wandering Paw can jump 3' off the ground.
Screaming Head- This spell makes a corpse's head into
an alarm. At least one eye must be intact for it to see.
If it sees anyone besides its creator, it will scream
and scream until its creator touches it. It has no
need for lungs or vocal chords but must have a mouth.
If well-preserved, a Screaming Head can last up to a
year.
Animate Lichen Zombie- By rubbing the spores of an unpleasant
cave fungus on the corpse, the body is brought back to
a semblance of life, with no memory of its former life.
Provided that its head is intact, it can have the
intelligence of a five-year-old child. Lichen zombies
can only be commanded by their creator. They have an
urge to eat the flesh of sentients, and, afterwards,
that infected victim may also rise, usually in very
poor shape. Lichen zombies are destroyed by sunlight.
Mummy Assistant- A properly embalmed body can be
reanimated. The resulting creature has a mind of its
own. To Mage Sight, it appears to have just the
tiniest glimmer of life. Like the typical Vampfurre,
Mummy Assistants are cold to the touch. They begin much
like infants, but can be raised to be fully sentient
once again. Of their former life, they have only
the barest scraps. (This spell cannot be used to
create NPC's, it can only be used on PC's who have
died.) A Mummy loses all their special abilities,
and can never reacquire them. As a small consolation,
they do not need to breathe or eat, and do not need
to sleep. Sunlight does no harm, but they must be kept
dry because water dissolves them. Mummies cannot
heal back.
MASTER
Crematoria- This spell lasts a year and a day. If the
subject dies, they will burst into heatless green flames.
There will be nothing left to reanimate or question.
This spell is used to prevent information from falling
into enemy paws.
Command Vampfurre- It's no wonder that Vampfurres hate
necromancers. With this spell, the caster causes the
Vampfurre to do as they say (short of destroying them
self) for the next hour. The Vampfurre will be
unable to leave the necromancer's side unless ordered,
and they will have no memory of this time later.
THE SCHOOL OF DARKNESS- These are the warriors and assassins
of the College of Shadows. They are looked down upon by the
scholarly Necromancers, and feared by the Corrupters.
APPRENTICE
Dim- causes the victim to be surrounded by a dark haze
that moves as they move for the next 6 hours. They
can barely see, and, if they fight, suffer a -5 penalty.
(Note that this is a frightening spell because until
you have survived it, you do not know it goes away.)
JOURNEYFURRE
Hide In Dark- If there are shadows large enough to contain
the caster, they can become completely invisible while
they remain in that patch of shadow. If they leave the
shadow they become visible again. At night, this
functions as near-invisibility.
Blindfighting- This spell enables the caster to feel their
surroundings with every hair on their body, giving them
a picture as clear as if they had sonar. All penalties
from not being able to see are negated.
MASTER
Blind- causes the victim's eyes to turn pale blue,
stopping all vision. This lasts the next 24 hours.
Should they attempt to fight, they are at -15 on the
die roll.
Veil- the caster fills up to 60' X 60' with darkness.
This is not total darkness, but visibility causes all
those besides the caster to make their die rolls at
-10.
THE SCHOOL OF CORRUPTION- The Corrupters are the least
respected members of the College of Shadows. They choose their
apprentices from amongst the dregs of society. The magical
arts of Corruption are the most easy of all the magical arts
to know, thus, they are the most numerous. As despised as
they may be, their powers are still highly useful, and
Corrupters may parlay their advantages into considerable
"mundane" power. They are hedge wizards, beggar kings,
thieves with more than throwing knives up their sleeves,
and a thousand other things.
APPRENTICE
Blight- A 6' X 6' area of garden withers.
Spoil- Food within a 6' X 6' area is destroyed by a
sudden growth of mildews and molds within a few
minutes.
Nick- This spell makes the victim less wary, then
deadens their senses for a few minutes, making
pickpocketing very easy. To check if the theft is
detected, the victim rolls a d6 and the thief
rolls a d20. The thief is detected if the victim
beats or ties their roll.
Overhear- The furre's ears become very sensitive and they
can hear whispers not intended for them. (OOC,
this spell has special permission to be cast after
the fact of someone whispering if the caster can
beat the whisperer on a d10 roll.)
Cheat- Even Masters of Corruption don't understand just
how exactly this spell works. When playing cards,
the caster will find themselves in possession of
cards that are duplicates of other cards. So
long as the duplicate card does not turn up, they
are likely to get away with this. (OOC, the caster
rolls a d10 and a Staffer rolls a d6.
JOURNEYFURRE
Erase Writing- A scroll or book is wiped clean of its
contents, leaving an unusable mass of dark color in
its place.
Command Lichenthrope- The mage can issue a one-word
command that will be interpreted in the simplest
manner. For example, if told to "Guard!", the
Lichenthrope will wander a small area and attack
anyone besides the mage. If the Lichenthrope can
not understand the command (for example, "Calculate!")
it will assume it was told to "Guard!". The
mage can point to the object of the command, for
example, "Kill!" or "Fetch!" An illustration or
sculpture can't be interpreted to mean the person
or place depicted. Lichenthropes are DUMB!!!
Befoul Well- For four weeks, the water in the well will
be undrinkable, smelling foul and tasting worse.
MASTER
Dispel Magic- With a sound something like a huge dry
stick being broken, the Corrupters are the only mages
who can lift most spells. This is a very jealously
guarded secret. If a non-Corrupter is found to be
able to cast it, a large price is placed on their
head.
Plague- The victim is covered in painful boils,
and will cough phlegm as if they had a terrible
plague. The victim will probably survive but their
pelt will be spotted with half-dollar-sized bare
patches all over their body.
Lichenthopy- Castable only upon oneself, this spell takes
effect only if the mage should die. They become
a Lichenthrope but they retain their mind and ability
to speak and cast spells. They can learn no new spells
and can acquire no new abilities.
(more about Lichenthropes in general)
THE SCHOOL OF DARK BINDINGS- This is the evil counterpart of the
Elementalists' School of Essence Magic. Spells here are taught
only to those in thrall to the teacher (usually via Dark Seed).
MOST Binding Mages are Cauldruin-born.
Moreso than any other of the Shadow Mages, they are ALWAYS
in the service of a Dark Prime!
Dark Seed- Not affecting the subject's aura, and
therefore not visible to Mage Sight, this
enchantment causes the subject to be unable to
willingly, knowingly hurt the caster. The
subject will do everything short of sacrificing
themself to keep the caster healthy, safe, and
happy. The name of this spell comes from the
part of the ritual that involves swallowing the
black pit of a fruit, which grows into a strange
many-tendrilled mass inside the victim.
The Agate Ring- Appearing to Mage Sight as a milky
slightly bluish halo, the Agate Ring is the sign
of one who cannot disobey an order from the caster.
Casting it requires the subject to be in a state
of deep sorrow. Once cast, that sorrow can never
lift, even if the subject forgets the original
reason for their sadness. This spell is cast at
a range of touch. Only one order at a time may
be given, up to once per 24 hour period.
The instructions must be simple and clear.
Conditions such as "You may not speak of this to
anyone." can't be added in. Thus, a mage might
order their thrall to drop their sword, but
couldn't order them not to pick it up again
immediately.
The Jade Ring- Appearing to Mage Sight as a faint
green glow, this spell causes the subject to be
unable to resist multiple orders and conditions
from their master/mistress. This spell can only
be placed on a subject dislikes or hates the
caster. These feelings will be gone so long as
the spell is in effect, returning a hundredfold
should the spell be broken.
The Ebon Ring- The mind of the victim of this spell
is irrevocably destroyed, replaced with that of
a sycophant who worships their master/mistress.
It is called Ebon Ring because a black interruption
appears in the halo normally seen by Mage Sight.
To cast this spell, the mage must sever one of
their own fingers. Then the subject swallows it
whole. If this spell is broken, the victim
will be a catatonic wretch, lost to perpetual
internal nightmares until they die of dehydration.
========================================================================
ELEMENTALS ABILITIES
Earth Faeriefurre
Mage Affinity (Earth)-
Something about the Mage
makes it more pleasant for
Earth Elementals to be around.
They are more likely to listen to,
respect, and help the Mage.
Earth Mages receive a +1
to earth-related abilities
when a friendly Earth Elemental
is present, and vice-versa.
Feywalk- move through
grass and soil leaving no
visible traces (such as
disturbing the dew, etc.)
Herbolspeak- by communing with a
plant, the Faeriefurre can learn
what medicinal uses the plant
possesses.
Green Repose- The Faeriefurre can fuse
with either a mound of soil
sheltered by greenery, or a living
tree. While in this form, they
cannot hear what is going on about
them, and will wake up either 24
hours later, or if that tree/mound
is significantly disturbed.
[[[[[[[[[[[
WILD TALENTS
Wild Talents are Mages who don't require Tokens. Only
Apprentice-level spells can be performed this way. To those
with Mage Sight, they glow constantly with magic use. Wild
Talents are treated with mild suspicion by "traditional" mages
who were trained at a College, because wild talents typically
have little concept of what can go awry with their powers.
The young Wild Talent will often use their abilities without
realizing it-- even in their sleep. Wild Talents may lack
ethical instruction ("With great power comes great
irresponsibility."). The Wild Talent who joins the College
of Elements by finding a Journeyfurre or Master teacher who
is already a member may become a "normal" Mage after
three RL months of teaching, at which point they receive
9 more Spell Points (spent as above).
[[[[[[[[[[[
It costs 1 Advantage Point to be a Wild Talent. (You may not
have this Advantage more than 2 times.)
[[[[[[[[[[[
Magical Consorts
3 pt. Advantage
Consorts are not mages, but do fall under the Mages Sphere.
I don't necessarily expect to see many of them played as characters,
but they are an IC aspect of the world of the Mage. Consorts,
and their value to magical society, is not known to the common
furre, as Mages and Consorts themselves keep it private.
1. The child of two Mages is born a Mage (50% chance) or a Consort
(25% chance). 25% of the time, the furreling is stillborn, however.
2. The child of a Mage and a Consort can be either a Mage or a
Consort (50%/50% chance)
3. The child of a Mage and a non-mage has a 25% chance of being
a Mage and a 75% chance of being a non-mage.
4. The child of a Consort and a non-mage has a 25% chance of
being a Consort- and a 75% chance of being stillborn.
Consorts can't cast spells, but they are full of magical energy.
The value of the Consort to Mage society is their ability to "Gryth".
Through physical contact in an affectionate gesture,
energy is passed to the mage, who must use it within
five days and nights, else it dissipates. After five (RL) days,
the Consort is "recharged" and can do it again.
This ability to Gryth is lost should the Mage
Consort lose their virginity. (They are still
called a "Magical Consort", however, because the
term derives from the fact that they are sought-after
as brides or grooms to wed unto Mages.
Having once received energy from a Consort, the Mage cannot accept
energy from another Consort for five (RL) months. Consorts, however,
can do so with any Mage.
Grything is only possible if the Consort is happy. If they
are afraid or sad or angry, they cannot Gryth. In Mage society,
Consorts may be kept under lock and key in perfect gardens,
isolated from the toil and grief of the outside world. Their
existence is not secret but it is a highly personal matter
to Mages in general.
There is a rumor that it is possible for Mages and Consorts to be
born to two non-Magical parents. This is incorrect, though. The
story probably comes from the occasional child produced by an
affair.
Consorts are sought-after by Vampire Furres, who start to absorb a bit of
their life-like-ness. After having a Vampire Furre in their house, the
Consort starts to look more pale and corpse-like, and the Vampire Furre
starts to look and feel more alive. If a Vampire Furre attempts
to "turn" a Consort, the Consort perishes.
Lycanthians and Consorts are instinctively repulsed by each other. The
Consort cannot Gryth while a Lycanthian is present; the Lycanthian is
seized by a strong and undefined feeling of worry if a Consort is
present. Consorts are immune to becoming Lycanthians.
Faerie furres have quite the opposite reaction. Consorts grant them
a sense of ease and peacefulness. Consorts are sensitive but also
susceptible to Faerie powers. Consorts suffer a minus when attempting
to see through Faerie illusions or otherwise resist Faerie influences.
The life of a Magical Consort is a mixed blessing. They are valued
and kept safe by Mages, but they may be treated like little
children. (In Kosh, it is customary to dress
a Magical Consort in adult-sized clothes of a young child because
it is believed to protect them from evil spirits!)
This Advantage has been deliberately priced high to
keep them less common. When one is a Consort, one's whole
existence is very likely to revolve around that fact.
Should the Consort lose their virginity, they receive
2 Advantage Points which must be used immediately on
any Advantage(s) that can be taken after initial
character generation.
Thank you, thank you for saving this information! This too was down!
I thought about posting this all in LJ's site so that it wouldn't be lost (I settled for important tidbits so as not to bore or beat anyone over the head with Magic), and here you are saving us all the trouble and inspiring me to use another thread to bore everyone instead! 8D
I just keep running into situations where I need to know what spells are out there...and the darn site is down. Thusly.. Voila the answer to my frustrations and hopefully to everyone elses. 
Moderators: Calliste Ahmose (played by FishyFi) Mikhael Solberg (played by minizeries)