Formulaic Rituals

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Consecrate

  • Element: Any
  • Power: 1 or 3
  • Thaumic Refrain: No
  • Requires a Ref: No, with exceptions.

Consecrate a small area, creating a roleplaying effect of your choice in line with an element, such as:

  • Creation: You feel energetic, confident and dismissive of consequences.
  • Destruction: You feel focused and decisive and inclined to ignore distractions.
  • Order: You feel driven to achieve your goals and any feelings of guilt are muted.
  • Chaos: You feel inspired and creative, and inclined to buck convention.

This ritual creates an EFFECT on the location as an area up to a 5m diameter circle that causes anyone in the area to feel the effect while they’re there. The area should be delimited in some way. A 5 minute consecration can be created with 1 poncelet of power. With 3 poncelets the consecration lasts until sunrise.

If you're creating a roleplaying effect you've created before, this can be done without a ref. If you're trying something new, you must consult with a ref.

Alteration

  • Element: Chaos
  • Power: 3
  • Thaumic Refrain: Yes
  • Requires a Ref: Yes, with exceptions.

You can weave magic to temporarily change the appearance of a willing person. This can be used apply an EFFECT to alter appearance to conceal, change or add an elemental touch until sunrise This changes appearance only; the benefits and drawbacks of concealed touches remain. The EFFECT can also disguise a person to make them look different to their normal appearance, but not like a specific person. This will make them unrecognisable to many, but it notably doesn't work on people who've met the target before and can Sense Magic.

Alternatively you can enchant the target to appear shadowy and indistinct, making it harder to hit them in vital areas. This use of the ritual doesn't require a ref. They gain EFFECT: Take an elemental stress WOUND. You RESIST all non-EPIC damage to SINGLE for the next encounter. The EFFECT ends after you take a MAGIC call (even if fully RESISTed). You must wear a Mundane Resistant tag when using this.

Transference

  • Element: Chaos
  • Power: Varies
  • Thaumic Refrain: No
  • Requires a Ref: Varies

Moves an EFFECT or COMPEL from a character, item or location to a target item or willing character. Transferring a non-EPIC EFFECT or COMPEL reduces the duration to 5 minutes if over that. Transferring an EPIC EFFECT or COMPEL will diminish it in some way. The power required depends on the EFFECT or COMPEL’s level.

  • non-EPIC: 3 poncelets
  • EPIC: Variable

Transferring non-EPIC EFFECTs and COMPELs from characters to characters or items to similar items will always work as described and doesn't need a ref. Transferring EPIC EFFECTs, or transferring to a target of a different type requires a ref.

Abjuration

  • Element: Order
  • Power: 2+
  • Thaumic Refrain: No
  • Requires a Ref: No, with exceptions.

Prepares repulsive magical energy to be thrown at enemies. Upon success the ritual lead gains one charge of MAGIC REPEL per two poncelets of power. If the ritual lead moves from the ritual site the charges are discarded. The ritual lead may not attack or use other active skills until the charges are used or discarded (but they may block and parry). Holding the power of this ritual and for more than 5 minutes may be hazardous to your health. You can’t be the target of this and a similar ritual like Ruination at the same time.

This ritual can potentially be used to set up an EFFECT on an area to try to contain or exclude certain creatures, especially elementals. This use of the ritual requires a ref.

Attune

  • Element: Order
  • Power: 0+
  • Thaumic Refrain: No
  • Requires a Ref: Yes

Allows the contributors to attune their psyche to an unknown EFFECT, COMPEL or item to get information about its thaumaturgic properties and potentially history and other alchemical properties. More power may yield more information. You can expect stress and consequences, shared between the participants. Curiously, this ritual will never yield information about the alchemical partials of a substance.

Ruination

  • Element: Destruction
  • Power: 1+
  • Thaumic Refrain: No
  • Requires a Ref: No, with exceptions.

Prepares destructive magical energy to be thrown at enemies. Upon success the ritual lead gains one charge of MAGIC DOUBLE per poncelet of power. If the ritual lead moves from the ritual site the charges are discarded. The ritual lead may not attack or use other active skills until the charges are used or discarded (but they may block and parry). Holding the power of this ritual for more than 5 minutes may be hazardous to your health. You can’t be the target of this and a similar ritual like Abjuration at the same time.

Ruination can potentially be used to destroy things that can’t normally be destroyed. This use of the ritual requires a ref.

Conviction

  • Element: Destruction
  • Power: 4
  • Thaumic Refrain: Yes
  • Requires a Ref: No, with exceptions.

A willing target gains an enhancement allowing them to push on despite horrific injuries. The target gains EFFECT: Take an elemental stress WOUND. Until sunrise you can CURE ALL and CURSE yourself once. The CURSE will cause you a mortal wound. This can be used while healthy or within 10 seconds of incapacitation.

This ritual could potentially help a target to endure other physical trauma, such as dangerous surgery or painful wounds and poisons, but will not help to heal them of it. This use requires a ref.

Amplify

  • Element: Creation
  • Power: Varies
  • Thaumic Refrain: Varies
  • Requires a Ref: Yes, with exceptions.

This ritual targets an EFFECT or COMPEL and strengthens it, causing it to have a much greater effect or duration than before and potentially to change the effect to be more comprehensive. This may cause unexpected side effects. If the EFFECT has drawbacks, expect them to be amplified more than the benefits.

For example, an emotion effect caused by Hearts and Minds could be amplified to encourage a lasting change in behaviour. Side effects may include the effect spreading to those casting the Amplify ritual, or the entire interactive.

There are some known applications with defined outcomes. These can be performed without a ref, and can benefit from thaumic refrain:

  • Extending a 5 minute emotion EFFECT on a person to last until sunrise - 1 power.
  • Increasing the effect of the Inspire ability - 3/6/9 power for +1/2/3 additional RESISTs.

Empower

  • Element: Creation
  • Power: 3
  • Thaumic Refrain: Yes
  • Requires a Ref: No

A willing target gains an enhancement allowing them to push themselves further in combat. The target gains EFFECT: Take an elemental stress WOUND. Until sunrise you gain one Hit or a combat resource.

  • Rogue: Gain Quick Wits if you don’t have it.
  • Warrior: Gain one stamina.
  • Invoker: Gain one energy.