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In the Archipelago, magic comes from Spirits. It is always granted and never owned. To request a spell of a Spirit you must first show you are like the Spirit, and of the place that the Spirit has dominion over. This “likeness” is shown via Devotion Traits. A character can gain and improve their Devotion Traits by performing tasks for the Spirit, building shrines, visiting new shrines, and defending the Spirit and its followers.
Every ecosystem, biome, and collection of living things has a personification, or does the personification have a collection of followers? The more of a thing there is the larger and more powerful the associated Spirit. Nothing fascinates Spirits more than the creation that humans can perform. A Spirit’s act of creation is always iterative and sequential. Evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
Spirits have dispositions, associated domains, and a Grade. Narratively the Spirit’s Grade determines their power and reach. Mechanically the Spirit’s Grade determines the bonus they get to all Rolls, the maximum level of Spell they can grant, and the maximum Grade of an associated character’s Devotion Trait.
Grade: 10 Global. Overwhelming. Unreachable. Heat, Cold, Water.
Grade: 9 Continental. Overwhelming. Unreachable. Earth, Protection, Sculpter
Grade: 5 Regional. Powerful. Unreachable. Plants, Necromancy
Grade: 1 Local. Extraordinary. Unreachable. Water, Healing
Spirits grant Traits to their followers. A character can encounter Spirits on their travels and be granted a Devotion Trait by said Spirit. Each Devotion Trait grants the follower three random Spells of the Trait’s Grade. A character can create Talisman or Pray to cast those Spells.
The Grade of Traits related to Spirits represents a Character’s devotion to an individual Spirit. Grades determine bonuses to relevant Rolls, allows the character to learn Spells of a Domain relevant to the Spirit and of Spell Level equal to or less than the Trait’s Grade.
Spirits have domains, these are their areas of origin and interests. Domains determine the Spells that the Spirit can perform on behalf of their devoted, as well as the Spirit’s interests. Domains should be specific and local, the larger/vaguer the Spirit the less interest they have in other beings. A Spirit’s domains can change over time as they interact more with humanity.
Currently I am using the magical schools from The Nameless Grimoire as my Domains, with added Domains to fit Pilgrim’s Passages better.
| 1D66 | Domain |
|---|---|
| 11 | Abjuration Banishment/Exile |
| 12 | Air |
| 13 | Alteration Growth |
| 14 | Animals |
| 15 | Autumn |
| 16 | Astral |
| 21 | Battle |
| 22 | Chaos |
| 23 | Correspondences Travel |
| 24 | Darkness |
| 25 | Divination Vision |
| 26 | Earth |
| 31 | Enchantment Charm |
| 32 | Enhance Improvement |
| 33 | Entropy |
| 34 | Evocation Creation |
| 35 | Fire Heat |
| 36 | Healing |
| 41 | Illusion Misdirection |
| 42 | Law |
| 43 | Manipulation |
| 44 | Mind Knowledge |
| 45 | Necromancy Death |
| 46 | Plants |
| 51 | Prophecy |
| 52 | Protection |
| 53 | Quintessence Spirit |
| 54 | Radiance |
| 55 | Revelation |
| 56 | Spring |
| 61 | Summer |
| 62 | Summoning |
| 63 | Transmutation Change |
| 64 | Wards and Runes Language |
| 65 | Water |
| 66 | Winter |
Locations where Spirits dwell. These do not necessarily have to be created by worshipers, they could just be a space the Spirit calls home. Characters can commune directly with the patron Spirit at Shrines. Characters go on pilgrimage to Shrines to gain/improve a Trait, to take tasks from Spirits, and make sacrifices to clear debt to a Spirit. Characters can improve a Devotion Trait by visiting a new Shrine for a Spirit they already have a Devotion Trait for.
Like any other objects, Shrines can have Grades. The Grade of a Shrine can be applied as a bonus to relevant rolls, including Prayers. The bonus granted to rolls is:
Bonus = Shrine Grade - Miles away from Shrine. To a minimum of 0.Magic is the craft of Spirits. Precants can trade Spirits favors and Talisman of their own in exchange for the casting of spells. The knowledge of specific spells is tied to a Trait, and that Trait’s Grade, that represents devotion to a Spirit. Devotion to a Spirit grants a character a Trait which includes 3 different Spells, equal to the Trait’s Grade. Every time a character improves a devotion Trait they get three more spells of a level equal to, or less than, the Trait’s new grade.
Devotee of Altor the Red Sun, Second to One
Grade: 1
Spells: Conjure Elemental (5), Light (1), Levitate (2)
You hiked to the top of Altor’s Rest in the arid savanah hills of Goldwan and spoke with a reflection of the Second Sun.
The act of a precant petitioning Spirits to cast Spells for them is called Spellcasting.
Any crafted item can function like a Talisman. Items that were harvested do not qualify. For example a shovel forged of iron and wood can function as a Talisman, but the unworked iron and wood cannot. They are representations of human ingenuity and creativity, the Spirits are interested in that no the materials of nature.
The Talisman must have a Grade equal-to or greater-than the Level of the spell. Then the precant must destroy the Talisman. The Spirit will then cast the spell for you.
Talisman are Crafted like any other objects.
A character can attempt to petition a Spirit to cast a known spell at any time, this is called Prayer. To Pray make a Roll. Pay the cost of 1 Stamina to roll dice, then pay an additional amount of Stamina equal to the Spell’s Level. Then roll, add relevant Justifications for the Roll, and subtract the Spell’s Level from the results of the Roll. Compare the final results of the roll to the Uncontested Conflict Table, a 10+ means the Spirit casts the Spell as expected, a Partial Success means there might be negative feedback, and a Failure means the Spell fizzles.
1 Stamina + Spell’s Level = Stamina Cost to Roll
2D6 + Justifications - Spell’s Level = Final Result. Compare to Uncontested Conflict Table.Back to Crafting
On to Travel