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Here are some walk-throughs, to give you a peek into the Other Court system.

Tutorial III: Ritual Magic

Rituals are the most exacting of the Gifted's reality-bending techniques. The more powerful the Ritual, the more demanding the requirements, in terms of Skill level required for success, temporary Focus, Components and Situation Requirements, and time for casting. Failure in Ritual Magic is dangerous, as well. However, Rituals can have potent results in the world, and also are easier to learn than many Special Abilities.

Rituals belong to discrete Schools, each with its own associated Ritual Magic Skill.

Each Ritual has the following parts:

  • Level:
  • Range:
  • Duration:
  • Casting Time:
  • Components:
  • Situation:
  • Investment:
  • Difficulty:
  • Effect Type:
  • Effect Power:
  • Effect Area:
  • Effect:
  • Effect Level:
Step #1: Components

If the character is missing any of the listed Components, the Casting difficulty increases by whatever is listed.

Step #2: Situation

Like Components, if the character can't fulfill any of the listed Situation requirements, the Casting difficulty increases by whatever is listed.

Step #3: Spend Focus

The amount of temporary Focus is listed as the Investment of the Ritual.

Step #4: Make Casting Check

Roll the appropriate Ritual Magic School Skill. Don't worry about the number listed in parenthesis; just use the second number.

Step #5: Believability, and Paradigm Modifiers

The Ref assigns a difficulty based on the Ritual's observable effects, based on the local reality's general belief in what is possible.

Step #6: Concentration Check

The caster makes a Concentration check against the difficulty from Step #5.

Step #7: Results

If both the Casting and Concentration checks are successful, the listed Effect takes place on the intended target, provided they are within the listed Range. The Effect lasts for the Duration listed.

Note that a Ritual may have no Components or Situation Requirements actually listed.

An example Ritual is Sense the Astral Presence. It belongs to the Hermetic School of magic.

Sense the Astral Presence
  • Level: 4
  • Range: Self (1)
  • Duration: 15 seconds (2)
  • Casting Time: 2 minutes
  • Components: Candle (Helpful, +1), Sharp incense (Useful, +2)
  • Situation: None
  • Investment: 1
  • Difficulty: (11): 7
  • Effect Type: Mental Control, Modifying
  • Effect Power: Basic (2)
  • Effect Area: Small target (1)
  • Effect: This Ritual gives the magus a +3 to Mystic checks to notice Astral forms.
  • Effect Level: 4

Example #1: Casting Sense the Astral Presence

Step #1

Georgio has both the candle and the incense, so his difficulty doesn't change.

Step #2

There are no Situation requirements, so this is skipped.

Step #3

Georgio spends 1 temporary Focus.

Step #4

Georgio rolls Creativity + Occult: Ritual Magic Hermetic, and ends up with a 9. The Casting portion is successful. The Ritual takes 2 minutes to perform.

Step #5

The Ref decides that the Ritual has no observable effects, and gives a Believability difficulty of 8. Paradigm modifiers for Hermetic magic for the area come up as +1, +2, and +0, respectively, so the Concentration difficulty is set at 11.

Step #6

Georgio gets a 12 on his Concentration check, a success.

Step #7

Both checks are successful, so Georgio is granted a +3 to Mystic checks for sensing Astral beings. This small bonus lasts for 15 seconds.