CORE RULES ~ CHAPTER VII
VII. Magic and spellcasting
Magic in this game has two forms. The first is dedicated to wizards and druids: Eldritch magic is based on the essence of things and is open in its use. The second is for clerics (or druids in case they opt to be channeling casters): Channeling magic is a form of prayer that follows ancient rituals and invokes the powers of the worshipped Patron. It is based on the tight alignment between the caster’s and the Patron’s Paths. Every form has a different substance of magic.
VII.1. Eldritch magic
Eldritch magic is known as Secret Sorcery (or SS) and it is the way a spellcaster can master everything with his powers and make a spell out if it. This kind of magic does not require the use of materials or ingredients, it is manipulation of the original essence by means of the ‘true names’ of the things the caster wants to use in a spell.
An eldritch spell is based on two words: a concept and an action. All magic words are either concepts (elements) or actions (principles). The caster selects a mix of words (concept + action) and defines an effect: this is an eldritch spell.
The magic words referred to concepts belongs to either physical or metaphysical elements. Those referred to actions belong either to state or reaction principles. The 4 groups are the following:
Physical elements: the materials that make up the physical world.
Metaphysical elements: the non-physical things.
State principles: the state of things or their evolution.
Reaction principles: the way things react.
For each group above here there are 3 sub-groups of words called Magic Circles: any ‘true name’ (i.e. magic word) is allocated to one of these.
Each Magic Circle is associated with one of the Morality Paths (see Character's Morality and faith) because of an eschatological key that leads eldritch magic to these Paths. This detail is useful to explain the counterspell mechanics.
The Magic Circles of the elements are the following:
The Magic Circles of the principles are:
A character can learn any word belonging to a non-opposite circle of the ones he already knows:
VII.2 Magic Circles of Secret Sorcery
This paragraph lists the Magic Circles, which are defined as follows:
Group: the group to which it belongs (see Eldritch magic)
Description: the nature of the words belonging to a Magic Circle
Path: the Morality Path to which the circle is associated
Words: a non-exhaustive list of words (which can be expanded by the GM, proposed by the player or replaced with the ones of the game setting)
Magic Circle Change
Group: State principle
Description: any word that is linked to the way something can be changed or transformed.
Path: Destruction
Words: to adapt, to adjust, to alter, to diminish, to divide, to evolve, to grow, to lengthen, to merge, to modify, to mutate, to reconfigure, to redefine, to reduce, to reform, to reframe, to regenerate, to renew, to reshape, to revamp, to revise, to shorten, to shrink, to stretch, to transmute, to turn, to update, to upgrade, to vary, to widen.
Magic Circle Chaos
Group: State principle
Description: any word that is linked to the way something does not follow an order or the way in which anarchy permeates something.
Path: Power
Words: to absorb, to confuse, to disarray, to disjoint, to disrupt, to disturb, to forbid, to fracture, to fragment, to inhibit, to jumble, to mess, to mismanage, to muddle, to overturn, to overwhelm, to randomize, to ruin, to sabotage, to scatter, to scramble, to shatter, to spoil, to spring, to tangle, to undermine, to unleash, to unravel, to upend, to upset, to wreak, to wreck.
Magic Circle Consciousness
Group: Metaphysical element
Description: any word that is a rational concept, linked to the mindfulness of a living being.
Path: Sacrifice
Words: attention, balance, clarity, concentration, freedom, harmony, idea, insight, intention, intuition, knowledge, light, meditation, motivation, mind, memory, patience, presence, reality, reflection, resilience, silence, space, sense, stillness, thought, transformation, trust, voice, wisdom.
Magic Circle Energy
Group: Reaction principle
Description: any word that is linked to the way something reacts when its energy changes (either increasing or decreasing).
Path: Sacrifice
Words: to accelerate, to activate, to amplify, to appear, to augment, to blur, to boost, to contract, to deplete, to depress, to drain, to empower, to energize, to enervate, to enlighten, to escalate, to expand, to fall, to flash, to inflate, to intensify, to invigorate, to obscure, to regulate, to revitalize, to rise, to shade, to suspend, to weaken.
Magic Circle Gaseous
Group: Physical element
Description: any word related to a material which is in a gaseous state.
Path: Destruction
Words: air, atmosphere, blow, breath, bubble, cloud, exhaust, foam, fog, fumes, gas, haze, mist, plume, puff, smell, smoke, steam, vapor, whiff, wind.
Magic Circle Liquid
Group: Physical element
Description: any word related to a material which is in a liquid state.
Path: Power
Words: blob, blood, drop, fluid, gel, juice, liquor, liquid, mixture, marsh, mud, ooze, oil, pool, resin, solution, solvent, spill, spray, stream, tear, water.
Magic Circle Order
Group: State principle
Description: any word that is linked to the way something follows an order or the way in which a rule subordinates something.
Path: Sacrifice
Words: to align, to arrange, to assimilate, to categorize, to command, to comply, to control, to conform, to compose, to coordinate, to discipline, to enforce, to follow, to form, to govern, to guide, to harmonize, to integrate, to monitor, to obey, to organize, to prescribe, to purify, to sequence, to standardize, to stiffen, to structure, to supervise, to synchronize, to systematize, to tailor, to tie, to uniform, to unify, to uphold.
Magic Circle Shape
Group: Reaction principle
Description: any word that is linked to the way something transforms its state into another.
Path: Glory
Words: to condense, to convert, to diffuse, to disperse, to drip, to evaporate, to exchange, to exhale, to flow, to fluctuate, to interchange, to metamorphose, to melt, to molten, to morph, to pass, to pour, to shift, to solidify, to spin, to splash, to spread, to sublimate, to sway, to transfigure, to transform, to translate, to ventilate.
Magic Circle Solid
Group: Physical element
Description: any word related to a material which is in a solid state.
Path: Glory
Words: alloy, ash, bone, clay, crystal, dust, earth, glass, gravel, ice, metal (iron, lead, copper, and so forth), mineral (salt, coal, quartz, and so forth), rock, sand, shell, snow, stone, wood.
Magic Circle Subconsciousness
Group: Metaphysical element
Description: any word that is an irrational concept, linked to the subconscious of a living being.
Path: Power
Words: angst, anxiety, belief, compulsion, dread, dream, envy, fixation, guilt, havoc, hope, hysteria, impulse, insecurity, mania, melancholy, mirage, nightmare, nostalgia, panic, paranoia, passion, phobia, persuasion, regret, sleep, suspicion, temptation, vice, vision, yearning, worry.
Magic Circle Temperature
Group: Reaction principle
Description: any word that is linked to the way something reacts by producing either hot or cold.
Path: Destruction
Words: to boil, to burn, to chill, to cool, to excite, to freeze, to frost, to grill, to heat, to ignite, to incinerate, to make hoarfrost, to refresh, to scorch, to sear, to stimulate, to warm.
Magic Circle Time
Group: Metaphysical element
Description: any word that is linked to the flow of the time and the development of events.
Path: Glory
Words: age, beginnings, chronology, continuity, cycle, deferral, destiny, duration, evolution, flashback, flux, frequency, future, growth, history, infinity, moment, occurrence, omen, past, progress, quest, recurrence, succession, suspension, transition, trend, velocity, vortex.
VII.3. Secret Sorcery spellcasting
Eldritch spellcasting is free form, there are neither predetermined spells nor limits in the number of spell cast. The spellcaster uses two words: one element and one principle (concept + action) and declares the effect he wants to obtain by brewing the two words together in a spell.
Casting a SS is an action which requires at least the use of the voice and concentration for the duration of the casting, otherwise the spell has no effect. With reference to the concentration, the caster cannot do any other action which requires his attention (e.g. anything which needs a die roll) or to be targeted with actions that may disrupt concentration (e.g. being hit).
To cast a SS, the caster needs to know the two words (i.e. ES SS with a score of 1 or higher). The caster declares the dominant word of the spell between the two: this word is the reference in all spellcasting checks.
The SS caster defines the spell duration (or SD), spell range (or SR) and spell target (or ST); each spell component has a table below which shows a corresponding Spell addend (or SA) of the spell shaped by the caster. The ‘default’ Spell cost (or SC) is the sum of the 3 addends. It is not possible to cast a spell if one of the 3 components (SD, SR, ST) is missing.
There are no constraints in the definition of a SS; a 1st level caster could define a spell with maximum duration, range and target. The drawback is that the caster the caster may incur damage to himself.
The duration of the spell (SD) is measured in time: the lowest rank is an instantaneous spell which takes place in the same turn of the casting; otherwise, the spell can last as long as the caster keeps the concentration on it (here the same prerequisite of concentration applies); lastly the spell can have a predefined duration (in turns, minutes, hours or days).
The range of the spell (SR) is measured in distance from the target: the lowest rank is a spell on the caster; otherwise, the spell can work on a target which has to be touched by the caster and the touch is an action similar to an attack where the level of the weapon (i.e. the hand of the caster) is equal to 0 (see Melee attacks); then the spell can have a predefined maximum distance in meters or at sight and in this case the spell's target should be visible to the caster; lastly it is possible to cast a spell on a location by knowing it and without necessarily being able to see it.
The following table shows the Spell addends for SD and SR:
The target of the spell (ST) can be either an area, an item or a being. The area can vary from 10cm. of diameter up to 1km. of diameter; the same works for an item as target: this can be of 100gr. of weight up to 1 ton.; for both area and item the most ‘expensive’ option in terms of Spell addend is ‘Any at sight’ which means that the caster can freely choose anything in his sight. With reference to the creature as a target, this can be either voluntary (i.e. the creature accepts to be a target of the spell) or not (marked as ‘opponent’ in the table, this also includes unaware targets). In addition, the creature can be single or multiple and can be targeted in 3 ways: with a hit, which implies an attack either melee (in case of SR touch, by using ES Brawl with a weapon level 0) or ranged (by using ES Throwing Weapons with a weapon level 0); with a magic ray which does not require any check to hit, the presence of the creature in sight of the caster is sufficient; with a mental attack which works regardless the position of the target (i.e. the target can also not be in sight); the following table shows the Spell addends for ST:
In case of creatures as a target, the size of the creature affects the total amount of beings: a large creature counts as 2 medium ones, a huge creature counts as 2 large ones and so forth. The maximum number of creatures for a single spell is defined according to the score in IN of the caster as follows:
A wizard is walking along a road and sees in the distance (between 200m and 300m) a group of 4 horsemen that are charging in his direction waving their swords in the air. The wizard decides to cast the following spell: he uses the words ‘mud’ (circle liquid, Path of Power) as the dominant word and ‘to molten’ (circle shape, Path of Glory). He wants to turn a portion of the road from earth to mud to block the charge and avoid the blows of the 4 swords: the spell components are SD instantaneous (SA +1), SR less than 300m (SA +6) and ST area of 10m (SA +4). The Spell cost is therefore 11 (the sum of the 3 SA).
The SS caster needs first to perform an ARCT on the ES Secret Sorcery of the dominant word he has chosen; the threshold is defined by the GM. In case of success the spell is cast, in case of failure the spell does not take place but it counts as if it has been cast.
Keeping the same example, the caster’s stats are: IN 7, ERU 3, ES SS ‘mud’ 3, ES SS ‘to molten’ 1. The ARCT is therefore 7+3+1d6 (and no other adjustments). The roll of the die is 1. The value of the ARC for this spell is 7+3+1=11.
The GM defines the threshold starting from the ‘default’ SC of the spell. The evaluation is up to the GM and it is based not on the components of the spell (SD, SR or ST – the spell cost is the element which measures these features), but on the magnitude of the spell the player wants to achieve in his description according to the following table:
The GM asks the player how deep he wants the pit of mud and the player replies that 1m of depth is sufficient. The GM estimated that the magnitude is neither low (it could have been if the player was looking to create a very large puddle of mud just to scare the horses rather than to block them in the mud) nor high (this case would have occurred if the player wanted a semi-sphere of 10m of effect under the ground); for a default magnitude the GM sets the threshold at 11 (the SC). The ARCT is at the end failed (tie). In case of low magnitude, the ARCT would have been successful because the threshold was 5 (half of the SC, rounded down).
The damage of a SS spell is up to the GM evaluation; however it should be defined according to the following constraints:
The max amount of damage is the Spell cost (including magnitude multiplier).
The GM determines the exact amount: rolling 2 dice where the SC is the max value (if the SC is 11, it’s 2d6 rounded up) for a ‘default’ magnitude; rolling 1 die only for a low magnitude (1d6) or rolling 4 dice for a high magnitude (4d6).
The player defines which kind of damage the spell does (i.e. the affected US/KS) based on the effect he has described. The GM applies changes for inconsistencies between description and damage (e.g. a burning arrow cannot damage IN/ERU).
The magic damage follows the same logic of the combat damage in case of a difference in size (see Melee attacks).
The GM can apply further modifiers or effects to the damage based on context (and not referred to the spell itself).
A wizard casts a bolt of electricity at a target who is fighting in the middle of the river in close combat. The default SC is 12 (+1 SD instantaneous, + 5 SR less than 100m. from the wizard, +6 ST opposing target with a ray). The standard damage should be 2d6 but the GM decides to apply 12 damage to the target because he has his feet in the water, thus a full damage. The GM might also assign 1d6 of damage to any creature in the river near the target in that moment (a kind of side effect of the spell considered with low magnitude). If the player is looking for a faint effect of the spell, the GM could assign a low magnitude, thus either a 1d6 of damage or decide that any creature in the water is stunned.
The casting time does not follow the standard rule for an action in Performing an action; a cast lasts according to its Spell cost (including magnitude multiplier) and it is detailed as follows:
The spell, whether it succeeds or not, can have consequences on the caster: if the Spell cost (considered as the sum of the three SA, excluding any multiplier due to its magnitude) is higher than the sum of the caster’s KS and US, the caster will suffer 1d10 damage of backfire on the relative US and KS (as described in Recovery and healing). The GM can double the damage if the difference is double than the sum of the caster’s KS and US or in any other outstanding situation.
Back to the spell ‘mud’+’to molten’: the sum of KS and US of the caster is 10 while the Spell cost is 11. This brings to 1d10 damage. The GM rolls and gets 5: the updated stats of the character are IN 5 and ERU 0. The situation is critical since the spell hasn’t stopped the horsemen…
The backfire damage can be recovered according to the normal rules of recovery (see Recovery and healing) or 1 point per hour with meditation. This can be achieved under precise circumstances: a silent and quiet place, complete immobility and no interruptions whatsoever.
VII.4. Secret Sorcery counterspell
A SS can be countered with an action of counterspell by another eldritch caster. The caster who wants to counter a spell, needs to select one word as the counterspell word (there is no need to use the same word of the spell or to define SD, SR, ST). The counterspell can have effect if the counterspell word belongs to the same Path of the spell’s dominant word, otherwise it is ineffective (no counterspell takes place, the spell produces its effect).
With reference to the spell with the words ‘shock’ (circle subconsciousness, Path of Power) which is the dominant one and ‘to unleash’ (circle chaos, Path of Power): the features of the spell are SD instantaneous (+1), SR less than 100m (+5), ST one opponent creature with a ray (+6). The GM defines a low magnitude threshold, therefore it is 6 (half of the SC). The counter caster can use any word he knows from the circles liquid, subconsciousness or chaos (i.e. the circles linked to the Path of Power) to try to effectively counterspell.
Once it has been ascertained the Paths are matching, an ARCT on the ES SS of the counterspell word is required with a threshold equal to the one defined for the spell (see Secret Sorcery spellcasting). If the check succeeds, the effect of the spell does not take place or it stops if it was cast beforehand (and is still having effect). The counterspell action always lasts 1 turn.
Keeping on with the previous example, the counter caster has chosen the proper word (from the Magic circle liquid, for instance): the ARCT has threshold 6, the same of the original spell to counter. In case the ARCT succeeds, the lightning bolt will not land on the target because the spell has been countered.
A caster can counterspell with no chance of error of the counterspell word by performing an ARCT on ES Lore SS with a threshold equal to the one defined for the spell by the GM (see Secret Sorcery spellcasting), thus detecting the precise Magic Circle and Path of the spell’s dominant word. The check on ES Lore for this purpose lasts 1 turn and if it is successful, the caster who wants to counter the spell avoids problems of mismatching Paths.
Completing the previous example, the threshold for the ARCT of the counter caster in ES Lore SS is 6. Assuming that the ARCT is successful, the counter caster is now able to detect the exact circle of the spell dominant word. In the following turn he will be able to properly counter the spell with no risks of using a wrong circle. Unfortunately, the Spell cost is 6 therefore the casting time of the spell is 1 turn. The counter caster is unlucky and won’t be able to counter an instantaneous spell with a casting time of 1 turn. If the Spell cost was 7 or more, he would have been in the position to counter it as it’d have taken effect in the second turn.
VII.5. Channeling magic
Channeling spells are also called Clerical Canons (or CC) and they are tied to a divine entity (called Patron). By means of the intercession of the Patron, the CC caster manages to obtain a part of his Patron’s power and to channel it into the world in the form of magic.
A channeling spell is the effect of a prayer addressed to the Patron. Each patron allows his adepts to use predefined CC and every CC produces an effect based on the knowledge of the caster (i.e. the ES score).
Any CC belongs to one or more Paths; some CC are open to all the Paths, while others have a restricted access (usually to 2 out of 4 Paths).
A channeling caster accesses to CC allowed by his Patron’s Morality and learns and casts CC aligned only to the Path of his Patron. Both patron and worshiper Paths are bound (i.e. they must be the same).
A CC is a spell which has effects on living beings only.
A channeling caster, with a CC, should target with negative effects only characters with different Morality and should favor with positive effects anyone except those with an opposite Path. Cases where these rules are broken should be evaluated by the GM: such situations could impact the character's Morality score.
VII.6. List of Clerical Canons
The following paragraph lists all the Clerical Canons of the game; these are defined by:
Knowledge 1-4, 5-7, 8-10: the level of knowledge is the ES score in that CC (for details, see Clerical Canons spellcasting). The caster is able to select any effect available up to his ES score in that CC.
Access: the required Path(s) of the caster to access to that CC.
Anthem of Pain
Knowledge 1-4: the target of the CC suffers 1 damage per turn in any KS/US defined by the caster.
Knowledge 5-7: as above except that the damage is 2 per turn.
Knowledge 8-10: as above except that the damage is 3 per turn.
Access: Power, Destruction
Anthem of Relief
Knowledge 1-4: the target of the CC recovers 1 point per turn in any KS/US defined by the caster; the stat cannot exceed the character’s score.
Knowledge 5-7: as above except that the rate is 2 points per turn.
Knowledge 8-10: as above except that the rate is 3 points per turn.
Access: Glory, Sacrifice
Canticle of Enlightenment
Knowledge 1-4: the target of this CC is surrounded by an aura of inspiration and gets a +2 modifier on any ARC related to a single ES.
Knowledge 5-7: the target receives an inner force which makes any decrease in SOM impossible or any other effect of fear during the spell.
Knowledge 8-10: the target is blessed by the spell and this grants a temporary +1 modifier on a stat defined by the caster.
Access: Glory, Sacrifice
Canticle of Sorrow
Knowledge 1-4: the target has a -1 modifier on any reaction check or ARC related to a single ES.
Knowledge 5-7: the target is imbued of horror and loses 1 point of SOM per minute.
Knowledge 8-10: the caster bestows a curse on the target, granting an overall -1 modifier which ends either at the end of the spell or upon accomplishing a request within the curse (i.e. a condition set by the caster).
Access: Power, Destruction
Carol of Purification
Knowledge 1-4: the target is healed of a disease; the spell recovers 1 point of stat lost due the disease per turn; the disease requires all lost points to be recovered to be fully removed (see Non-combat cases).
Knowledge 5-7: the target is purified from the effect of a natural poison; the spell recovers 1 point lost due to poisoning per turn.
Knowledge 8-10: the target is purified by any negative effect (also alchemical or magical); the spell recovers 1 point lost per turn.
Access: Glory, Sacrifice
Carol of Senses
Knowledge 1-4: the target is not able to hear as long as the spell is active.
Knowledge 5-7: the target is not able to speak as long as the spell is active.
Knowledge 8-10: the target is not able to see as long as the spell is active.
Access: Power, Destruction
Chant of Shield
Knowledge 1-4: the caster creates a magical barrier which prevents any physical contact between the target and any being with opposite Path; in case the target is not the caster, he must have the same Path of the caster.
Knowledge 5-7: as above except that the target can have any but the opposite Path to the caster’s one.
Knowledge 8-10: as above but not limited to the target; the barrier works on a sphere with a radius of 3m centered on the target.
Access: any Path
Entreaty of Obliteration
Knowledge 1-4: the caster resets from the target 1 positive status per turn.
Knowledge 5-7: the caster resets from the target 1 point per turn of positive modifier in his SOM up to the baseline value of EM.
Knowledge 8-10: the caster resets from the target 1 point per turn of positive modifier in his Morality up to the baseline value of [2,2].
Access: Power, Destruction
Entreaty of Renewal
Knowledge 1-4: the caster resets from the target 1 negative status (any but those that are directly tied to KS/US decrease) per turn.
Knowledge 5-7: the caster resets from the target 1 point per turn of negative modifier in SOM up to the current score (if above the baseline).
Knowledge 8-10: the caster resets from the target 1 point per turn of negative modifier in Morality up to the current score (if above the baseline).
Access: Glory, Sacrifice
Glory of the Patron
Knowledge 1-4: the target gets a +1 modifier on the level of the wielded shield or armor.
Knowledge 5-7: the target gets a +1 modifier on the level of the wielded weapon.
Knowledge 8-10: the target gets a +1 modifier to be allocated on both the shield, armor and weapon.
Access: any Path
Hymn of Fortification
Knowledge 1-4: the target has a +1 modifier on any ARCO/ARCT.
Knowledge 5-7: as above with a +2 modifier.
Knowledge 8-10: as above with a +3 modifier.
Access: any Path
Invocation of Major Discernment
Knowledge 1-4: the target understands and communicates with animals; in this context the stats of IN and EM of the animal are not affected by the spell; one spell works for one kind of creature.
Knowledge 5-7: as above except for the fact that the target understands and communicates with magical/mythological beasts.
Knowledge 8-10: as above except for the fact that the target understands and communicates with any being (i.e. extraplanar, undead, and so on).
Access: any Path
Invocation of Minor Discernment
Knowledge 1-4: the target understands and speaks one human language.
Knowledge 5-7: as above and the target also reads and writes.
Knowledge 8-10: the target understands, speaks, reads and writes one secret/crypted human language (i.e. a cant or similar).
Access: any Path
Laud of Baleful Eye
Knowledge 1-4: the caster detects any misaligned (i.e. opposite Path) creature; the spell lasts 1 turn per detected creature.
Knowledge 5-7: as above and in addition the caster makes the misaligned creatures flee; the spell lasts 2 turns per creature.
Knowledge 8-10: as above and in addition the spell deals 1d10 damage on a misaligned creature; the spell lasts 2 turns per creature.
Access: Power, Destruction
Laud of Benevolent Gaze
Knowledge 1-4: the caster detects any aligned (i.e. same Path) creature; the spell lasts 1 turn per detected creature.
Knowledge 5-7: the caster scries an aligned and known (in advance) creature regardless of its location; the spell lasts 1d4 turns per creature.
Knowledge 8-10: the caster teleports an aligned and known (in advance) creature at his presence; the spell lasts 1d4 turns per creature.
Access: Glory, Sacrifice
Litany of Control
Knowledge 1-4: the caster mentally gives a simple order to the target and the latter executes it in his next turn; the target must be an animal and the order works mentally (no communication required).
Knowledge 5-7: as above with the exception that the target is a human.
Knowledge 8-10: as above without any constraint on the target.
Access: Power, Destruction
Litany of the Twilight
Knowledge 1-4: the target is granted a stop in the fatality countdown (see Injuries and death); until the spell is active, any state where a KS is 0 is not permanent.
Knowledge 5-7: as above with the exception that the target can act as if he had a score of 1 instead of 0 or negative (the target therefore is active).
Knowledge 8-10: as above and in addition the target is not seen by any other creature but the caster.
Access: Glory, Sacrifice
Panegyrize of Liberty
Knowledge 1-4: the target cannot be affected by any negative effect that decreases or slows down the soul (either Morality or SOM).
Knowledge 5-7: as above with the exception that the negative effect is directed to the body (either BU or CO)
Knowledge 8-10: as above with the exception that the negative effect is directed to the mind (i.e. IN or EM).
Access: any Path
Prayer of the Glyph
Knowledge 1-4: the caster creates a magic glyph of warding; the caster selects the condition necessary to activate it and the effect it will have; the condition must always be foreseen as a direct action of a living being and the effect is never harmful (e.g. ‘any creature that will pass through that window activates a noise loud enough to be heard anywhere in the castle’).
Knowledge 5-7: the caster creates a magic glyph of confusion; as above except for the effect: the creature which activates it is stunned (see States of the character).
Knowledge 8-10: the caster creates a magic glyph of weakness; as above except for the effect: the creature which activates it gets a negative modifier (up to -3 defined by the GM and not by the caster) in one of his stats.
Access: any Path
Psalm of Inner Sight
Knowledge 1-4: the target understands the intentions of one creature in his sight.
Knowledge 5-7: as above with the exception that the target knows one stat (any but US) of a creature.
Knowledge 8-10: as above with the exception that the target knows the level or one power (if any) of a creature.
Access: any Path
Psalter of Truth
Knowledge 1-4: the target detects any physical and non-magical manipulation that affects the sight (usually performed with ES Deceive) and realizes without error the truth hidden by the deceiver.
Knowledge 5-7: as above except for the fact that the target detects any mystification that affects the dialogue or non-verbal language.
Knowledge 8-10: as above except for the fact that the target detects any magic mystification.
Access: any Path
Song of the Universe
Knowledge 1-4: the target identifies one creature; the spell requires 1 turn per creature; the target knows everything of the creature (but the stats) as if he has studied it from a book extensively.
Knowledge 5-7: the target banes to the original plane of existence a creature; the spell requires 1d4 turns per creature and then the creature disappears and appears in its native plane. In order to cast this spell, the target has to identify the creature (i.e. the above CC can be previously cast).
Knowledge 8-10: the target summons from its original plane a creature; the spell requires 1d4 turns and then the creature appears. In order to cast this spell, the target has to previously identify the creature.
Access: any Path
VII.7. Clerical Canons spellcasting
Channeling spellcasting is similar to SS but it is not as free as SS. The caster intones a litany to the patron to gain his divine favor as CC magic.
Casting a CC is an action which requires the use of voice and at least concentration for the casting time. The spellcasting is a prayer addressed to the Patron: the character is granted the invoked magic and once channeled, it is sufficient to keep on continuing the litany to prolong the spell without concentration (the SS instead requires it).
The caster’s score in the ES CC defines the maximum effect of the spell, which is described in each CC description (see List of Clerical Canons). The caster is free to select any effect allowed by his ES score.
The CC caster, similarly to eldritch magic, is called to define the spell according to the duration (or SD), the range (or SR) and the target (or ST). In this sense, the tables with Spell addends and Spell costs already defined for SS are valid with two exceptions:
in the SD (see below) the concentration is not effective as it is replaced by the prayer’s persistence (once the CC is cast); the interruption of the prayer is like the loss of concentration in SS;
the target table for the CC refers only to creatures (area and item are not applicable for CC, as defined in Channeling magic).
The CC caster must confirm the success of the spell with an ARCT on the ES Clerical Canon. The threshold is equal to half of the SC when the spell cast is based on knowledge 1-4, the SC in case it is based on knowledge 5-7, the double of the SC when the knowledge level is 8-10; in all cases the Morality Index of the caster is applied as a modifier in the result of the ARC within the ‘Other Adjustments’: if positive, it results a bonus, if negative, a malus.
The CC caster suffers 1d10 damage in case the SC is higher than the sum of the KS and US of the caster, exactly like for SS. The damage recovery can be done by using meditation as for SS (see Secret Sorcery spellcasting).
The time required to cast a CC does not follow the standard rule for an action in Performing an action but it follows the same rule of SS (see Secret Sorcery spellcasting).
If not defined in the CC description, the damage of a CC follows the same rule of SS damage (see Secret Sorcery spellcasting) and in any case it is affected by the difference in size between caster and target like for SS.
VII.8. Clerical Canons counterspell
A CC can be countered with an action of counterspell by another channeling caster. The caster who wants to counter a spell, needs to select a CC as the prayer used to counterspell: the CC must be the same as the one to be countered (there is no need to define level of ES knowledge, duration, range and target in this case). In addition, the counterspell can have effect if the countercaster’s Path is not opposite to the caster’s Path according to the same pattern detailed in Secret Sorcery counterspell.
In case of match between CC prayers and non opposition between the Paths, the character who wants to counterspell needs to succeed in an ARCT on the ES CC of that prayer. The threshold is the same defined to cast the CC (see Channeling magic). In case of success, the effect of the spell does not take place or it stops if it was cast beforehand (and is having a prolonged effect). In line with SS, the counterspell action lasts 1 turn.
A caster who wants to counterspell with no chance of error can perform an ARCT on ES Lore Clerical Canon with the same threshold of the spell to be countered to understand the precise prayer to be countered. The ARCT on ES Lore lasts 1 turn and if it is successful, the caster knows this piece of information and in the following turns can act adequately.