RITUAL CASTING RULES
RITUAL CASTING RULESET
CLASS ACCESS: MAGE (and certain subclasses or rare items that grant Ritual Casting)
TYPE: Out-of-Combat Magic (Non-Instant Casts)
PURPOSE: Long-form spellcasting used to perform major magical feats outside standard battle spells.
I. WHAT IS A RITUAL
A Ritual is a magical act requiring preparation, focus, and time.
Unlike normal spells, Rituals cannot be cast in combat and require deliberate effort.
They are often used for:
Summoning creatures or entities
Reviving lost or sealed artifacts
Opening ley-sealed doors or vaults
Restoring ancient wards
Binding or unbinding souls, spirits, or objects
Scribing permanent enchantments
Large-scale elemental alterations (weather, terrain, etc.)
II. TIME & COST
Minimum Duration: 3 Hours
Standard Ritual Time: 3–12 Hours
Grand Rituals: 12–48 Hours
Ancient or Forbidden Rituals: 3–7 Days
Ritual Cost Components:
Material Cost: Spell level × 100 CP × Duration (hours)
Mental Cost: Roll 1d20 vs WIS every 3 hours of casting; on failure, lose 1d4 HP from strain
Assistance: Up to 5 assistants may contribute to reduce total time by 10% per helper (rounded down)
Catalysts: Rare reagents or ley-charged materials are required for high-tier Rituals (set by DM)
III. HOW TO CAST A RITUAL
Declare Intent
The Mage must clearly state the purpose of the ritual (summon, revive, bind, reveal, etc.).
Prepare the Area
Create a safe casting circle (chalk, blood, ley dust, candles, etc.).
Environment should be stable and uninterrupted for the full duration.
Gather Components
All components listed in the ritual’s description must be available.
Begin the Casting
Roll 1d100 vs INT at the start. Success allows continued progress.
Failure requires 1 hour of re-focus before retrying.
Sustain the Cast
Every 3 hours, roll 1d20 vs WIS to maintain focus.
On a fail, the caster takes mental backlash (1d4 HP loss or concentration failure).
Finalization Roll
When the ritual is complete, roll 1d20 :
20+ Perfect success (ritual completes flawlessly)
15–19 Success (minor side effects possible)
10–14 Partial success (reduced or unstable effect)
5–9 Failure (no effect, components wasted)
1–4 Catastrophic backlash (summoning failure, ley distortion, or mental collapse)
IV. RITUAL MEMORIZATION
A Mage may memorize one ritual at a time.
To memorize a ritual:
Spend full casting uninterrupted hours studying a ritual scroll, tome, or sigil circle.
Success is automatic with all materials present.
Memorized rituals stay in the mind until used or replaced.
Replacing a ritual requires a new full casting-hour memorization session.
V. RITUAL TYPES (examples)
| Ritual Type | Description | Time | Cost Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summoning | Calls forth a creature, spirit, or elemental | 6 hrs | 600 CP |
| Binding | Locks or fuses energy, spirits, or magic into a form | 8 hrs | 800 CP |
| Reconstruction | Revives or restores old artifacts or broken relics | 12 hrs | 1200 CP |
| Revelation | Reveals hidden paths, ley lines, or illusions | 3 hrs | 300 CP |
| Restoration | Heals or re-energizes land, people, or ley tears | 10 hrs | 1000 CP |
| Opening | Unlocks magical seals, ancient vaults, or ley doors | 6 hrs | 600 CP |
| Transformation | Alters physical or magical form of an object | 9 hrs | 900 CP |
VI. BACKLASH TABLE
When a ritual fails catastrophically, roll 1d10 on the Ritual Backlash Table:
| Roll | Backlash Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | The caster’s mind fractures; lose 1 INT permanently |
| 2 | Local ley field destabilizes; area becomes hostile to magic for 1d20 days |
| 3 | A minor spirit manifests, attacking the caster |
| 4 | Magical surge-random spell cast at maximum level |
| 5 | All components disintegrate violently (1d8 fire/energy damage x level of ritural) |
| 6 | The caster is drained-cannot cast for 24 hours |
| 7 | False success-ritual completes but causes unintended effect |
| 8 | Effect of cast or Entity summoned becomes hostile |
| 9 | Spatial distortion; nearby items teleport or shift location |
| 10 | Cataclysmic ley rupture-DM determines effect (usually area-wide damage) |
VII. RESTRICTIONS
Rituals cannot be performed during combat.
The caster must remain conscious and unmoving for the full duration.
Leaving the ritual circle before completion cancels the spell and even causes distortion and possibly a backlash.
Some Rituals require moon phase, location, or bloodline prerequisites.
VIII. OPTIONAL RULE - GROUP RITUALS
Multiple mages may combine efforts to perform greater feats.
Each additional mage after the first adds +2 to final success rolls.
Total time is reduced by 10% per mage (max 50%).
On failure, all involved take backlash equally. (fully rolled d10 for each caster)
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