Formulaic Rituals
From Obscura
Consecrate
- Element: Any
- Power: 1 or 3
Consecrate a small area an element, creating a roleplaying effect in line with an element, such as:
- Creation: You feel energetic, confident and dismissive of consequences.
- Destruction: You feel focused and decisive, and any feelings of guilt are muted.
- Order: You feel driven to achieve your goals and inclined to ignore distractions.
- Chaos: You feel relaxed, inspired and creative, and dismissive of convention.
This ritual creates an EFFECT on the location as a 5m diameter circle that causes anyone in the area to feel the effect while they’re there. A 5 minute consecration can be created with 1 poncelet of power. With 3 poncelets the consecration lasts until sunrise.
Alteration
- Element: Chaos
- Power: 4
You can weave magic to temporarily change a willing person. This can be used to alter appearance to conceal, change or add an elemental touch until sunrise for 4 poncelets of power. This changes appearance only; the benefits and drawbacks of concealed touches remain.
Alternatively it can grant an EPIC EFFECT until sunrise that can be activated to RESIST all non-MAGIC non-EPIC damage to SINGLE for an encounter. If the call contains non-damaging effects, those still apply. If you take a MAGIC call (even if RESISTed), this effect is nullified for the rest of the encounter. You must wear a Mundane Resistant tag when using this. The effect partially draws upon your vitality and while under it your capacity to endure mortal wounds is reduced by one. This ritual can benefit from thaumic refrain.
Transference
- Element: Chaos
- Power: 4 or Variable
Moves an EFFECT or COMPEL from a character, object or location to a target object or willing character. Transferring an EPIC EFFECT or COMPEL reduces to it to a non-EPIC equivalent with the same duration, and a non-EPIC EFFECT or COMPEL reduces duration to 5 minutes. The power required depends on the EFFECT or COMPEL’s level.
- non-EPIC: 4 poncelets
- EPIC: Variable
Transferring non-EPIC EFFECTs and COMPELs from characters to characters or objects to similar objects will always work. Transferring EPIC EFFECTs, or transferring to a target of a different type requires consultation with a ref.
Abjuration
- Element: Order
- Power: 2+
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.
Attunement
- Element: Order
- Power: 1+
Allows the contributors to attune their psyche to an unknown EFFECT, COMPEL, object or location. This synchronisation allows them to immerse themselves in the present and history of the target and gain a reasonable understanding of its mechanics, or allows them to gain some understanding about critical points in the target’s history. With more power comes more information. Each participant will each gain a slightly different view, possibly providing more information if they have a variety of skills and viewpoints. This causes stress and potential consequences of varying strength, shared between the participants. Nevertheless, this ritual remains one of the most effective ways of investigating unknown EFFECTS and magical items available. Analysing magical effects and objects will almost always yield some information. Analysing mundane objects and locations is much less likely to yield useful information (mundane Investigation is better at this).
Ruination
- Element: Destruction
- Power: 1+
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. See a ref for the magnitude required.
Conviction
- Element: Destruction
- Power: 6
The target gains an enhancement allowing them to push on despite horrific injuries. The target gains an EPIC EFFECT until sunrise that allows them CURE ALL and then WOUND themselves once. This can be used while healthy or within 10 seconds of incapacitation. This ritual partially draws upon the character’s vitality and their capacity to endure mortal wounds is reduced by one. This ritual can benefit from thaumic refrain.
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.
Amplify
- Element: Creation
- Power: Variable
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. The ritualists can guide the way in which it changes, but not reliably. 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 Inspire 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.
Empower
- Element: Creation
- Power: 4
A target gains an enhancement allowing them to push themselves further in combat. They gain an EFFECT until sunrise that allows them to gain a combat resource in a way dependent on their combat school:
- Rogue: Gain Quick Wits if you don’t have it. If you do then you can spend 5 seconds to regain your use of Quick Wits once per encounter.
- Warrior: Gain one stamina.
- Invoker: Gain one energy.
- None: No effect.
This effect partially draws upon the character’s vitality and while under it their capacity to endure mortal wounds is reduced by one. This ritual can benefit from thaumic refrain.