Arcana Levels and Practices
Nobody is born a master, least of all masters of the arcane. In the old days of the Age of Mythos, bloodlines with affinity for it were numerous. After the Sinista civilization collapsed in the Worldbreach and the decimated remnants dispersed throughout the worlds, many of these bloodlines disappeared, leaving a dwindling number of those who were given the luxury of innate power. In the Age of Resurgence, only a precious few remained.
Starting on the path
Regardless of the events that trigger the awakening of the character's connection to the Arcana, or the events during their first vision quest, a newly awakened practitioner starts with two Arcana that originate on the same Plane: Prime and Force, Fate and Time, Mind and Space, Spirit and Life, or Death and Matter.
A newly awakened practitioner starts with one Arcanum already on 2nd Level and one on 1st Level. They player is free to choose which of their Arcanas should be which.
Improving control of an Arcanum is a slow process; it gets more difficult and time consuming with each Level of mastery the character attains.
In order to enable and track this progress, we implemented additional resource: Arcane XPs, which are separate from Character XPs. The character gains a certain amount of Arcane XPs each level, and these can be spent towards either learning a whole new Arcanum or towards improving mastery of an already known one.
Tables below detail both the cost of learning and improving Arcana, and the amount of Arcane XPs gained with each character level.
| Progression | Arcane XP required |
|---|---|
| (none) 1 | 6 |
| 1 2 | 3 |
| 2 3 | 6 |
| 3 4 | 12 |
| 4 5 | 24 |
| 5 6 | 48* |
*Note: Attaining the status of Archmage (6th level of mastery) is not a simple matter of study and practice. Those who want to achieve it must undergo a difficult and dangerous spiritual quest with an uncertain result.
| Character Lvl | Arcane XP gained |
|---|---|
| 1 | +1 |
| 2 | +2 |
| 3 | +3 |
| 4 | +4 |
| 5 | +5 |
Note: Each level adds amount of Arcane XP equal to the level. This approach makes it easy for both GM and players to determine Arcane XP gain, even if the GM decides to run an epic campaign for levels 20+.
Arcane Practices
There are 13 Practices of the Arcane arts, categorized into 5 Levels of Mastery based on the scope and power of their effect. In general, a Practice has one of four possible purposes: Information gain, affecting a pre-existing subject, destroying a subject, or creating a new subject.
Practices of higher Levels are significantly more powerful than those of lower levels; a practitioner's powers begin with only being able to sense basic information in the Arcanum's purview and perform minuscule changes in pre-existing subjects. Contrary to that a master of the Arcanum can create out of thin air, execute full control of their subject, or cause total annihilation without a trace.
Mastery Level 1: Initiate
Practice of Unveiling
Gain sensory perception of phenomena.Unveiling is one of the simplest classifications for new spells. If a mystic effect imparts sensory perception of the phenomenon in question to the mage, then it is an Unveiling effect. These magics are very much extensions of Mage Sight and include the ability to communicate and interact directly with otherworldly beings and the like.
While Unveiling magics don’t actually lead to universal understanding or any other such lofty objective, they do help to reveal basic truths about the world and the people, places and things in it. Unveiling magics are practical magics, which help the practitioner to discern truth from lies.
Practice of Knowing
Gain knowledge and understanding of phenomena.Knowing magics reveal subtler information than those found within the Practice of Unveiling. Spells from the Practice of Knowing impart information directly to the mage, rather than allowing her to perceive the environment) and are, likewise, almost always covert in their casting. Knowing magics specifically do not bestow sensory information upon the mage; the Practice of Knowing deals in facts, not the senses.
By casting magics of the Practice of Knowing, a willworker can discern the health of a human soul, detect the presence of conscious thought or even learn the qualities of an unknown relic of sorcerous power.
Such spells not only answer questions for the practitioner, but also help them to discover the right questions to ask. Such magics are equally useful to spies, investigators, socialites and warriors, bestowing awareness beyond the ken of ordinary thought. What the practitioner makes of that knowledge, however, is up to them.
Practice of Compelling
Execute elementary manipulation of phenomena, enough to activate and/or impart direction.Compelling magics, which are almost always covert in their aspect (subtle and hard to notice at all), can actually be a bit tricky to categorize at times. In general, if a given effect subtly influences a simple phenomenon without harming it, granting it the ability to directly cause harm, or fundamentally altering its nature, then the effect is quite probably a Compelling effect.
Such spells can almost always be written off as natural or probable by a casual onlooker, even if the spells’ effects are directly witnessed. This Practice is a very useful one because its covert nature doesn't attract attention of the Nightmare or its agents; it doesn't reshape the world or break natural order of events, it simply nudges them towards the desired outcome.
Mastery Level 2: Apprentice
Practice of Ruling
Exert elementary command and control over phenomena.Ruling magics are typically elementary manipulations that do not necessarily stray into the realm of obvious magic. With a bit of forethought, the Practice of Ruling can usually remain covert, not attracting attention from the Nightmare.
With Ruling spells, a mage can accomplish basic feats that fall under the purview of an Arcanum: subtly sculpting basic forms of energy, imparting a few quick telepathic words of warning, nudging probability a few degrees in a desired direction. While a few Ruling spells create somewhat grander effects, these are the exception, rather than the rule.
Perhaps the best way to discern if a given spell should belong to the Practice of Ruling is to ask if the spell’s effects manipulate a person, place or thing in some small way. Does the spell suggest, rather than force? Does the spell affect cosmetic change, rather than any true alteration or act of creation? If so, then the spell probably belongs to the Practice of Ruling.
Practice of Veiling
Conceal, camouflage or hide phenomena from scrutiny.Veiling effects conceal the phenomena encompassed by a given Arcanum, or use such phenomena to grant camouflage or concealment. At this level, when first learned, the mage’s scope of effect is small and/or otherwise limited. With greater Mastery of the Arcanum, the practitioner can increase the scope and distance.
It’s usually harder to cast Veiling spells on a moving car than on a stationary chair, and easier to cast them on a houseplant than on a human being. These limitations are more a matter of complexity and scope than the actual effect being insufficient.
These spells are also subtle in aspect as well as meant to be used for secrecy. This twofold subtlety serves to make Veiling effects especially popular among spies, thieves and even assassins.
Practice of Shielding
Protect a target against attacks or effects by manipulating the phenomena.The Practice of Shielding, which is almost always subtle, is also quite simple and straightforward. If a magical effect bestows protection from harm armor of whatever sort, or otherwise subtracts deleterious effects from an incoming hostile effect, then the spell belongs to the Practice of Shielding.
Any mage who engages in combat on a regular basis or deals with powerful supernatural phenomena has a use for Shielding spells. Some of the most treasured of Artifacts and Imbued Items are enchanted with Shielding magics in addition to their normal Armor Class.
Mastery Level 3: Disciple
Practice of Weaving
Alter the capabilities or functions of phenomena.Some mages describe the Practice of Weaving as the art of touching one’s environment with will alone and leaving the environment changed by one’s passing. In many ways, this is the primordial dream of magic, the idea that a person can change the world, in ways both great and small, simply by wishing it so.
In terms of mechanics, spells that alter capabilities or somehow otherwise change the function of a thing without fundamentally transforming the nature of that thing are Weaving spells. An intelligent mage can find a multitude of uses for almost every Weaving spell in his repertoire.
Practice of Fraying
Rip at the outlying threads of the phenomena to injure or damage a target.The Practice of Fraying is where the offensive magics truly begin. Some lesser hurts can be caused by magic before this point, but Fraying is the least refined Practice almost wholly dedicated to the art of destruction.
While this Practice doesn't have the immediate impact of its more powerful versions Unraveling and Unmaking, a creative mage can use a Fraying effect to erode the welds holding part of a large jagged metal sculpture together, dropping it onto the head of an opponent, instead of attacking them with a direct effect.
Although Fraying spells inflict relatively minor damage when used to cause direct injury, they rank among the most useful of offensive magics especially at times when death or destruction of the target isn’t the desired goal.
Practice of Perfecting
Fortify, bolster or improve phenomena.Perfecting effects are used in the process of refinement and, often, of mending. Essentially, spells intended to make a thing better (improving functionality or in terms of repair) usually belong to the Practice of Perfecting.
Perfecting spells restore health, mend broken objects, or expand upon the natural capabilities of creatures or things.
Mages who focus on Perfecting magics often tend to be far-thinking and/or supportive types. They see the value in shoring up what exists, and in crafting better building blocks for the future.
Mastery Level 4: Adept
Practice of Patterning
Transform the form of the phenomena, shape it, or replace capabilities or functions with different ones.Patterning is probably the most versatile of all of the 13 Practices. Patterning spells can alter phenomena between roughly related types, or redefine the parameters of said phenomena, sometime even into configurations not normally found in the world.
Memories can be altered, inert materials changed in shape or quality or the flow of time itself made to skip forward suddenly or to cling to an individual, causing her to temporarily “lag” behind its normal flow. Such spells represent the greatest possible degree of facility in manipulating objects, entities or other phenomena without actually being able to create such things out of nothingness, or to reduce them to the same.
Making and Unmaking spells may be superior, in terms of raw power, but Patterning effects are more helpful under a greater range of circumstances. Why make an object out of nothing when it’s usually just as easy to transform another item into the one that you need?
Practice of Unraveling
Untangle the phenomena on a greater scale, cauing significant injury or damage to a target.Unraveling magic is more than merely destructive — that is the province of the Practice of Fraying. What Fraying does with a blunt instrument, Unraveling does with a scalpel.
Unraveling can work on a finer scale, creating nuanced forms of harm that don’t necessarily rely purely upon pure stopping power. Unraveling spells can hurt the knowledge or ability of others, or the capacity of a phenomenon, as well as simply inflict damage. For the most part, if an Unraveling spell creates an effect that would be perceptibly impossible without magic, the spell is vulgar in Aspect.
Because of the lethality, several Unraveling spells often take the place of mundane arms among mages with sufficient skill to possess them. Why go to the trouble of carrying a knife or another, even more cumbersome weapon when the Practice of Unraveling is just as deadly, can’t be anywhere as easily disarmed and leaves less evidence for authorities to follow up on?
Mastery Level 5: Master
Practice of Making
Create or materialize phenomena out of nothing.Spells from the Practice of Making give a willworker nearly godlike power. Such mages can craft phenomena out of nothing, and can generate things that otherwise cannot exist within the rude confines of the material world.
In some cases, the Practice of Making enables mages to generate phenomena (such as thaumium) that simply do not otherwise exist within the Material Plane. The ability to create a thing from nothingness is not one to be taken lightly, and never to be used without thorough forethought and a full appreciation of the consequences of doing so.
There is a danger in creation, a desire to remake the world that is less and less apparent to those who treat this amazing power with anything other than the utmost respect and caution. Furthermore, those who display great facility with the arts of Making and a willingness to use them are often hard-pressed to find a moment’s peace.
Other, less powerful willworkers tend to flock around these skilled mages, imploring them for potent enchantments, items of power and other favors.
Practice of Unmaking
Completely disentangle the phenomena, obliterating the target.Spells from the Practice of Unmaking are terrifying to behold. They eradicate matter, dissolve fl esh and rend asunder the very threads of space and time. More destructive in a way than even the most powerful nuclear bomb, Unmaking effects cause things to completely cease to exist.
These frightening magics are almost always vulgar in their Aspect, since the physics and metaphysics of the world abhor the utter destruction created by such spells. More often than not, they cost Mana, as the caster is attempting to push something out of existence by the force of his will alone.
More dangerous still is the fact that most Unmaking spells can be cast upon a target at range, meaning that the willworker can devastate his foe without ever exposing himself to the threat of hand-to-hand or melee combat.
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