Donnemeno In A Nutshell

The arcane art of Donnemeno was practiced by ancient civilization of Sinista during the Lost Age and, for a while, by their descendants the Erthenshoon, during the Age of Mythos.

Unlike modern magic, Donnemeno practitioners tap directly into one of the 10 Primal Sources that affect the world. Excessive use of that raw power drew attention of the Nightmare and its minions, and sometimes opened easy paths for them to invade the world.

As a result, Erthenshoon arcanists created a new system of magic, relying on Rote Spells which were carefully designed and perfected to avoid this problem - and hence the currently used magic of spellbooks and scrolls was created.

Spellcasting

Brief Theory of Spellcasting

A practitioner of Donnemeno uses raw energy of magic, Mana, to enact their will on the world. Mana is available to the practitioner from two source: a limited amount of Personal Mana they carry within, and a significantly larger pool of Peripheral Mana they can immediatelly siphon from their surrounding.

More powerful spells require the practitioner to spend more Mana than lower-tier spells. So-called Vulgar spells which significantly rewrite natural laws, probability, or effect entirely unnatural results, cost even more Mana. Spells which are Covert do not disrupt the natural order of things; they may tweak it or nudge it in the desired direction but do not go against the grain.

Consecutive use of Vulgar spells carries an increasing risk of Paradox which can manifest in different ways, up to and including inadvertently summoning a powerful minion of the Nightmare.

Primal Sources and the Arcana

Primal Sources, Wellsprings, and other names all describe locations somewhere in the neighboring Planes, which are the origin of the 10 Arcana:

• Prime
  Prime influences and controls the energy of magic in its raw and unrefined state. It can draw magic from or imbue objects, plants, and beings, store raw magic energy in crystallized form etc.
• Force
  Force arcanum controls all forms of energy and force, natural or artificial, found in the material world, including heat, light, electricity, radiation, gravity and kinetic energy.
• Fate
  Fate Arcanum covers all aspects of destiny and probability, though it cannot predict the future. Common uses are creating good or ill fortune, bestowing blessings and curses, etc.
• Time
  Time governs interactions with the flow of time as perceived by the practitioner. A practitioner can look back in the past or ahead into the future, alter time's flow around them or others, etc.
• Mind
  Time Arcanum lets the mage connect with the minds of all thinking beings, such as humanoids, animals, spirits and even ghosts or other supernatural creatures.
• Space
  It commands both physical and metaphysical space, useful not only for travel and viewing distant events, but for erecting wards and determining the connections between things.
• Spirit
  A mage skilled in the use of this arcanum can see into other Planes or enter them, summon spirits into objects, creatures, or directly into the material realm.
• Life
  The Life arcanum grants control over the physical forms of all living things; Life spells might heal wounds, transform the bodies of living creatures, spread disease or exert gross physical control over animals and plants.
• Matter
  Practitioners of this Arcanum can repair broken objects, transmute substances into other substances, shape solids, liquids, and gases as they please, annihilate matter, and even create matter out of nothing.
• Death
  As well as ghosts and the undead, this arcanum's effects include things metaphysically associated with death, including darkness, decay and, most horrific of all, the stealing of souls.

Practical Implications

• How is Donnemeno different from magic as we know it?
  

  Magic as we know it is a collection of prescribed formulaic incantations drilled into casters' memory. New spells are researched and perfected over the course of months, even years.

  Donnemeno, on the other hand, is magic freed of these limits. There are dozens of paths one can take from the initial state to the desired effect, and the practitioner is free to improvise, combine their Arcana into entirely new and unique spells.

• Are there limits to what I can do?
  

  In theory, no. In practice, you are limited by your knowledge and experience (expressed as your Level of Mastery) of a particular Arcanum. As you progress towards Mastery of the Arcana, your power will grow exponentially, and a Grandmaster's power rivals that of most gods.

  Beware, though - raw power is a beacon in the night for many powerful foes, and the more you exercise your power, the more likely you are to attract their attention.

• Is Donnemeno more powerful than traditional spellcasting?
  

  One does not simply walk into... I mean, one does not simply draw such a crude comparison. Traditional magic gives its practitioners a head-start by providing them with some signature spells like Fireball. Who wouldn't like a well-placed Fireball early in their career?

  Learning curve of Donnemeno is steep; your control of the world will grow slowly, and in the early phase you will not be able to compete with a traditional spellcaster in terms of flat-out destructive power. The key advantage of Donnemeno is its flexibility and versatility. While traditional spellcasters are limited to a choice from a few dozen spells, a practitioner of Donnemeno can literally invent spells in an instant, mix and match their Arcana, and create unexpected effects that are impossible to replicate using traditional spells.

  As far as raw power is involved, Donnemeno kicks it up a notch once you've attained Mastery of an Arcanum. A Master of Force can replicate the effects of a nuclear explosion. A Master of Time can travel through time to the past or future. A Master of Space can literally fold space onto itself or be present in multiple locations at once. This level of raw power is unprecendented in "traditional" spellcasting. But you must work your way up there.

• Is there a homebrew class to go with this ancient magic?
  

  No. You don't need to be a Wizard or Sorcerer to discover your connection to the Arcana. If you were given this opportunity, you may become a magic wielding Barbarian, if that is your Class.

  The only requirement imposed on your ability to wield the power is one of the three non-physical Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Your character will not be able to master Arcana higher than their Ability Bonus.

• How can my character gain connection to the Arcana?
  

  There are multiple ways. Your character may be one of the few very rare individuals whose bloodline goes all the way back to one of the old Erthenshoon bloodlines, granting you an innate talent for the Arcana. Your character might have inadvertently (or on purpose) interacted with an ancient artifact which has granted your character this connection. The Primal Sources themselves might have reached out to your character on their own for whatever purpose or agenda.

  There are many ways and many reasons. Not all of them are well-intentioned, but then again, Donnemeno doesn't care about good or evil. It just is; whatever you make of it is your choice.

• What if my character already has a spellcasting class?
  

  Nothing changes for them. Your character can use both "traditional" magic spells, and Donnemeno at the same time. Well, almost at the same time - they are still limited by the action economy, since casting most spells takes a Standard Action.

• Can I have active ongoing effects from Donnemeno spells while casting traditional magic?
  

  Yes. You can have up to your Character Level + your Spellcasting Ability Bonus levels of Donnemeno spells active as ongoing effects either on yourself or other targets.

  These ongoing spells don't count as Concentration, and as such they don't interfere with your "traditional" spellcasting.

• I want to improvise a spell which deals or heals damage and don't know how much it should be.
  

  There is a very clear system for determining this. The number of dice of damage or healing is determined by your Spellcasting Ability Bonus and your spellcasting roll. The type of dice used is based on the highest level of Arcana included in casting your spell:

  1. You cannot cause direct harm or healing to objects or beings using spells from 1^st Level of Mastery.
  2. You cannot cause direct harm to beings with Intelligence 2 or higher using spells from 2^nd Level of Mastery. Your 2^nd Level of Mastery spells cast onto valid targets deal or heal Xd4 hitpoints.
  3. You cannot cause direct harm to beings with Intelligence 6 or higher using spells from 3^rd Level of Mastery. Your 3^rd Level of Mastery spells cast onto valid targets deal or heal Xd6 hitpoints.
  4. Your 4^th Level of Mastery spells cast onto valid targets deal or heal Xd8 hitpoints.
  5. Your 5^th Level of Mastery spells cast onto valid targets deal or heal X×2d6 hitpoints.

• Donnemeno
• Arcana
• Spellcasting
• Example & Rote Spells
• Sources of Study
• Donnemeno In A Nutshell