Spellcrafting
I. Prologue
"Within each rune lies a universe of possibilities, a whisper of the primordial forces that shaped all existence. To weave these runes into spells is not merely to harness power, but to converse with the very essence of creation itself.”The clash of iron and the lamentations of mangled flesh rent the air on the battlefield. Amidst the chaos, a footsoldier sought glory in the midst of the carnage. He swung his axe with fervor, his buckler splintered, yet he pushed on, deaf to the bestial cries of his companions' demise. "Onwards!" was the rallying cry that echoed in the soldier's mind, the only human sound amidst the savage roar of war. But it was short-lived, extinguished as quickly as it was ignited. The soldier's leader fell lifeless before him, a crude arrow piercing his throat. The soldier himself was struck with a mighty blow to the chest, collapsing as the impact of a warhammer shattered his plate armour. He saw nothing but the bloodlust in the eyes of his attacker, poised for the killing strike. Amidst the cacophony, a word rang out like thunder, and with it came a brilliant bolt of crackling azure lightning that struck down the soldier's assailant, reducing him to a limp, smouldering heap. As the soldier slipped into unconsciousness, he saw a robed silhouette with their staff aloft and a radiating aura of magical might, smoke billowing from their hand. It was power he had never seen before.
II. History [BC / AC]
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Runic power had lurked among the knowledge of mortal archivists for millenia. Although its potency and ultimately its harnessing through the art of Spellcraft had only been revealed in the few decades leading up to the Catastrophe. During these years archaeologists who had unearthed the primaeval runes of the ancients began to wield untold powers, of which the world had never known before. These archaeologists came to form the first of the Azure Order, a guild who became the innovators of the Spellcrafting art.
The Azure Order led the world through Spellcrafting and its teaching. As runes and their powers were scribed, spells also came to be discovered. Although when the Catastrophe struck the world so too did it devastate the guild. Countless knowledge lost to the sweeping tides of blight including many prominent members, unrecoverable as though it were just a speck of time. As the world rebuilt so too did the Azure Order, and though the damage had been done they came to redirect their purpose: to vanguard the world against the parasitic blight.
Not all modern Spellcrafters came to follow the Azure Order and some drifted across the land for their own purposes, while others pursued deeper knowledge of the magic as was the aspirations of the original guild. Regardless of what guided them, Spellcraft came to be known across the world and showed a glimpse into a universe before mortals roamed.
III. Abilities
Runes [Passive]
Runes are the foundation for Spellcrafting and provide each spell with a source of power. These runes are ancient relics that, when invoked correctly in specific patterns, can perform extraordinary feats of magic. Each rune has an archaic name associated with it and vocally expressing this name is known as runespeak. All runes have their own properties that affect essence and the world around in different ways, such as Hwaeran being responsible for heat and thermal conduction. When combined, these properties can create different effects. Although, these runes still have some basic, innate power when invoked on their own (represented as ‘one-word’ spells). However, there is also a drawback known as a ‘blowback effect’ which is when a primary rune (explained below under ‘Casting’) is invoked unsuccessfully and has its own unique consequence.Conduit [Passive]
The conduit is vital for a Spellcrafter to cast efficiently as it stabilises the user’s connection to essence and catalyses their rune invocation. Without it or with a damaged conduit, the Spellcrafter exposes themselves to the erratic volatility of raw essence which is often fatal for even the most experienced user. As such, it is crucial for the Spellcrafter to understand and care for their conduit as it remains susceptible to environmental and malicious damage.Casting [Active]
Each spell is composed of a primary rune and its component runes. The primary rune is the foundation for the spell and is the first rune invoked through its ancient name being verbally spoken to initiate the spell casting process and awaken the Spellcrafter’s conduit. The component runes succeed the primary rune and must be invoked by drawing their rune through motioning the runic pattern using either an awakened conduit or the Spellcrafter’s hand. Upon failing a spell, the Spellcrafter suffers the blowback effect (refer to ‘Runes’ above) of the primary rune invoked. While runes are exclusive to the knowledge of the Spellcrafter, the complexity of spells that can be successfully casted are limited by their skill. Complexity refers to the amount of runes used within a spell and success chance is dependent on the tier of the Spellcrafter. Using complexity, spells can be categorised into: one-word spells, two-word spells, three-word spells, and four-word spells. Spells exceeding four runes are highly dangerous and volatile due to the concentrated essence and generally are not practised or known; you may apply for special permissions to cast beyond this complexity. The following outlines how casting functions:
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CASTING ROLLS:
You can refer to the Combat System below to see the hit conditions and damage modifiers applicable to spells.
- Apprentice: At this tier, the Spellcrafter’s skill is limited. They can use one-word spells without requiring a roll, two-word spells with a roll of d20 beating 10, and three-word spells require a roll of d20 beating 15.
- Adept: At this tier, the Spellcrafter is becoming skillful. They can use one-word spells and two-word spells without requiring a roll, three-word spells with a roll of d20 beating 10, but four-word spells or above require a roll of d20 beating 15.
- Expert: At this tier, the Spellcrafter’s knowledge is vast. They can use one-word spells, two-word spells, and three-word spells without requiring a roll, but four-word spells and above require a roll of d20 beating 10.
You can refer to the Combat System below to see the hit conditions and damage modifiers applicable to spells.
Transfiguration [Active]
Transfiguration, also known as ‘enchantment’ or ‘runic imbuement’, refers to the intricate process of inscribing the power of runes to the material plane. This could be applying runes to an item or the surface of a wall or floor. In doing so, it allows specific actions to be performed by the inscribed runes without the need for a conduit or the caster to have knowledge of the runes. Although the power exerted by such runes are of less potency than if they were to be used through traditional casting, due to the absence of direct invocation of the runes’ powers from a Spellcrafter.Household Magic [Active]
As one’s attunement to the Meridian grows, and thereby their potency of essence invocation, then so too does their innate sense of magical mastery. With it comes boons of cantrips and wonder - the very ability to conjure and manipulate essence in a way that would not require direct runic tongue to be spoken. Be it only in lesser power, but enough to lighten the burdens of mundane tasks. Freedom of roleplay can be used with this, in that you can roleplay it how you would like - but do not exceed or abuse this to gain unfair advantages; some examples of how this can be used are below. Cantrips and household magics refer to a Spellcrafter’s ability to perform minor feats without requiring the use of specific runes or spells. This could be simply floating a book towards oneself, having brooms and pans perform mundane tasks, heating a stovetop with a mere fingertip, and so on. Cantrips are limited to basic functions, but are at the creativity of the individual. This does come with an expectation that the Spellcrafter’s cantrip is not to be abused. Such as, cantrips that are obviously telekinetic based would still require the caster to possess the Kinetic Rune, or that cantrips are not to be used to gain a significant advantage in events or combat. There is also an expectation that lower tier Spellcrafter’s do not possess the same level of cantrip mastery as later tiers. An apprentice may only suffice at lighting a candle, whereas an expert may have several brooms sweeping their house at once.
Description
Spellcraft is a discipline that focuses on the manipulation of essence, the very building blocks that mortals call magic itself. Practitioners of Spellcraft are known as Spellcrafters and are able to manipulate essence energy to create powerful arcane spells.To harness the power of Spellcraft, a Spellcrafter must use a magical instrument, known as a conduit, to focus their concentration. Without this instrument, the essence energy can become a chaotic and potentially destructive stream of uncontrolled magic. The Spellcrafter invokes the innate powers of ancient runes to cast, with different patterns and strings of runes creating different variations of spells. Some spells may have devastating effects, others able to manipulate the very world around them. However, Spellcrafting evokes rather than creates or manipulates, and it is all artificial. This means an evoked source of water cannot irrigate and cannot be used to subsist.
Progression
Apprentice: Apprentice can be gained by consuming the character's first rune, which can be learned from finding a runestone or being taught by an expert-level Spellcrafter, and crafting their first conduit. The player may then submit a special permissions application with proof of the rune consumption roleplay or teaching. Adept: Adept can be gained by evidencing the roleplay of learning at least 3 runes and have surpassed a period of at least 1 OOC months since learning apprentice. Once these prerequisites are met, the player can simply message staff to update their special permissions with the new progression. Expert: Expert can be gained by evidencing the roleplay of learning at least an additional 3 runes (excluding those submitted previously) and a period of at least 2 OOC months have passed since learning adept. Once these prerequisites are met, the player can message staff to update their special permissions.
