Transing your Gender (But in the stone age)

 Just having some fun with it. D12 table of stone-age ways to trans your gender. These will vary based on the culture and area, but there is generally no overwhelming transphobia, though modern terms might not apply to a few of these. Some of these will not address dysphoria, while others may exclusively address that.

If none of these fit with how your character desires to transition, other possibilities exist. In fact, what is possible outnumbers what is impossible Infinity to one.

1. Socially transition. Nothing else is required, as there is no division of labor, ritual or role between genders or sexes here.
2. Deep in the stranger groves in the forests of the world lie herbs with mysterious and impossible (perhaps unique to that grove) effects. These areas are often guarded by spirits, but so long as you address them properly and do not take more than you need, you should be fine.
3. Sorcerers and Healers of every kind exist throughout the world. Speak to one, and they are certain to have at least one answer.
4. Why rely on some other Sorcerer for aid? Learn magic yourself and develop a ritual of your own. Such a ritual will only last [Sum]+[Dice] days, at least until you learn how to bind a permanent effect to a person. If you are only making subtle changes, these may be permanent, allowing for gradual attainment of your ideal.
5. While rare herbs can produce sudden and dramatic effects, a mixture of common herbs can produce a slower, but no less dramatic, change. It will take some time, experimentation and skill with herbalism, but with time boundaries can fade to nothing.
6. Spirits possess power that might be termed "magical" by those who do not understand. Whatever the case, a deal, a quest, a trial, a request or even the simple personal favor of a spirit can grant you what you seek.
7. Take upon the social role of that which you truly are. In time, your old role will be forgotten. If your desires transgress the boundaries, you may have to distance yourself from your old society, but you would not be the first. There are others like you out there.
8. Magical artifacts exist in the world, and are either formed by the hands of skilled sorcerers, the machinations of spirits or the natural processes of the world. You have heard stories of one that can grant you what you seek. Sifting the truth from the rumors may take some time, but will be worth it.
9. Tricksters and underdogs are valued by many Kin cultures. If you trick a malevolent spirit into "cursing" you with what you desire, you may not just receive what you want but be whispered about as something to aspire towards.
10. Journey deep into the, or a, spirit world and speak to an intelligence of vast and indescribable potency. A risky proposition, but such a request is as trivial as any other wish to them. You will require preparations and significant mystical skill (or someone willing to do so for you).
11. Request a new name from either your parents, grandparents, leaders or Mystics of your tribe. Refusal may be grounds for challenging them, depending on your culture.
12. Mutation. Probably the riskiest option here. Honestly you should just go on some quest rather than try to do this one.

More are possible, I just can't think of any right now. Lmao.

Sympathy: "Real" Magic

 One of the details of my own game that I have changed from its inspiration is moving away from the idea that "All magic is a spirit" or "spells are alive."

That isn't to say those are a bad way to treat magic, it just doesn't quite fit with my game.

I was initially frustrated with how magic would work (both mechanically and in-universe) in Kith and Kin.

Then I found this video about "Sympathetic Magic." No need to watch it if you really don't want to, I'll summarize the points here.

European "Poppets." Used to curse, communicate, heal, protect and more.

The Principles Of Sympathy

There are more details to these, but the three main points of Sympathetic magic are as follows.

• Similarity: That which is alike something else may act upon it at a distance. An effect will resemble its cause. 
• Contagion: Things which have acted upon each other in the past continue to act upon each other from that point forward. A part of something can be used to affect the whole of it.
• Relevance: Concerning Contagion, the effectiveness of the magic is reliant upon the relevance, scale, intensity and frequency of the contact. Concerning Similarity, the effectiveness is reliant upon how similar the alike objects are.

Combining the principles is not only possible, but frequently necessary.

Magic takes the form of "Rituals" in my game, with physical and narrative components depending on the desired effect. A simple example would be using an effigy and a lock of hair to effect someone at a distance, and ritually destroying representations of eyes, to cast a blinding curse upon someone.

Mechanically though, how does this work?

"Voodoo doll." Voudou does not actually use them. The dolls nailed to trees
serve as guides to benevolent Lwa.

The Nitty Gritty

Some details about my system are necessary for this next part to make sense.

• Ability checks, skill checks and saving throws are all the same thing. This is because the things used in them can be improved.
• If the DC is equal to or below the ability score used, its auto-success.
• If the DC is above the ability score used, roll a skill dice and add the entire stat. Ranging from 1d4 (unlearned), 1d6 (beginner), 1d8 (trained), 1d10 (skilled), 1d12 (expert), 1d16 (master) and 1d20 (legend). You have to roll over DCs to succeed, and a roll of 1 is always a failure.
• No classes and no levels. I use the "X" based improvement as created by Meandering banter for "Die Trying" and adapted by Sofinhos "Pariah."
• Characters have differing sizes for their Hit Dice (d4s, d6s, d8s or d10s). Characters with higher hit dice can take and dish out damage better. Characters with lower hit dice start with more skills and are better at magic.
• Hit dice can be spent to do some things. They return to you when sleeping.
• Magic is mostly freeform, the effects determined by the [dice], [sum], magical skill and ritual performed, as determined by the ritual caster (and approved by the GM).

Okay with the relevant stuff out of the way, the mechanics.

To perform magic, the sorcerer must perform a ritual lasting at least one exploration turn (10 minutes). The sorcerer describes the magical effect they desire beforehand (which determines the ritual they need to perform), and chooses how many magic dice (d6s) they want to attempt to conjure (0 or more). This determines the DC of the magic check. At the conclusion of the ritual the Sorcerer makes a check using their Knowledge (intelligence) stat and the relevant magical skill. If they succeed, they cast the spell at the magic dice they choose. If they fail, see the failure section.

Another ability score may be used under certain circumstances, but will usually be Knowledge and always be a mental ability score (Knowledge, Charisma or Willpower).

This is mostly compatible with GLOG spells, but ideally these should be a bit more powerful, as you're casting them over longer periods of time, taking more resources to do so and probably in anticipation of a threat. Curses may last for several days (unless its bound to something with another ritual). The [dice] and [sum] are the important values still, just liable to provide more. Things may last for hours, days or even weeks depending on how subtle or blatant the magic is.

Outside of magical items, I would avoid directly-damaging magic. Unless its bound to an object

DCs are a base of 20 for a 0 dice "cantrip-like" effect, with the DC raising by an amount equal to the size of your magic dice for each magic dice you add. Thus a 2 magic dice effect would be either a dc of 28, 32, 36 or 40 depending on your hit dice size.

However, depending on what is used in the ritual, you gain bonuses to this roll. A roll of 1, regardless of bonuses, is a failure. This incentivizes you to improve your skill with the magical skill, and to also perform more complex rituals.

Bonuses as below. Not comprehensive, but it does cover a lot. "Relevant" means its associated with the effect through the above laws of sympathy. If you wish to affect someone at a great distance, a Taglock is required (an extremely good effigy, a lock of hair, etc). This is a lot but its not that hard to remember I think.

• +1 for a relevant Physical Components
• +2 instead if many of the same component is used (a sack filled with one type of flower for example), and +3 for truly ridiculous   
• For magical items used as ritual components, an additional +1 is used for every magic dice stored within. 
• +1 for each type of major action taken as part of the ritual (Dancing is one. Singing is another. Major means it happens across most of the ritual time).
• Additional participants of the ritual may add bonuses as above.
• Scaling bonus for additional time taken for the ritual.
• +0 For 10 minutes (base)
  
• +1 for 30 minutes.
• +2 for an hour
• +3 for 3 hours.
• +4 for 6 hours.
• +5 for 12+ hours.
• For each HD you spend in the casting, +1 (Hit dice return as normal when sleeping).
• For each HD of animal sacrifice in the ritual, +1.
• Scaling Bonus for altered states (ignore penalties).
• +1 for mild altered state.
• +3 for strong altered state.
• +6 for overwhelming altered state.
• Ingesting an entheogen (similar to altered states, but biased and doesn't require a roll except to avoid side effects).
• +2 for low dose (+3 instead if associated with magic being performed).
• +4 for powerful dose (+6 instead if associated with the magic being performed).
• Performing at sites dedicated to entities associated with the magic being performed.
• +2 if at a shrine.
• +5 if at a temple, megalithic circle or other impressive site.
• +9 if at a grand temple, immense megalithic complex or other extremely impressive site.

Oh Fuck Its a Wizard

I like this rule. So im adapting a version of it.

Magic doesn't always look magical. Certain spells will always be subtle, and certain ones will always be blatant, but if not otherwise specified by the sorcerer, spell or GM, then this scale can help out. Numbers are the amount of Magic Dice. 

• 0: Difficult to impossible to recognize as mystical, except to one who has used magic or can see auras or something similar.
• 1: So subtle that one might not even be able to tell magic has been cast.
• 2: Relatively meager and subtle, but noticeably magical. 
• 3: Obvious and somewhat impressive. People may be stunned for a moment.
• 4: Magnificent and impactful. Morale tests required by most. 
• 5: The area may seem to quake with their power for a moment. Even lesser spirits may hesitate for a moment.
• 6+: The area heaves as a mighty power forces itself into creation. The sky may darken in the area for a time, Major spirits will be impressed, and greater spirits may take notice.

Failure

Failing the check results in the magic dice instead being wild dice.

Roll the wild dice and check for doubles, triples etc to determine the type of failure. 0 or 1 magic dice effects obviously won't cause higher types of failure. Multiple doubles, triples etc count together, adding one less than their tuple to the largest one rolled (so two doubles counts as a triple, two triples counts as a quintuple, three triples counts as a quadruple, a triple and a double count as a quadruple etc).

Failures are as follows.

• Singles: Spell simply fails.
• Doubles: Spell rebounds in some way.
• Triples: Spell rebounds in some way, and the caster develops a superficial mutation.
• Quadruples: Spell rebounds and caster develops a mutation.
• Quintuples: Spell rebounds, caster develops a mutation and gains a curse template
• Sextuples+: Spell rebounds, caster develops a mutation and gains a curse template. Also reroll for another chance at failure.

Magic Items

Magic items come in two main types. Lesser magic items contain magic dice, until they are interacted with in a specified way (or destroyed), at which point they unleash their magic dice in a specific spell effect, either on the one interacting with it or to be used by the one interacting with it (as specified by the item and on creating them). These are essentially "potions" and "scrolls."

Greater magic items contain magic dice and either have a passive effect based on the number of magic dice within, or allow you to access the magic dice to create spell effects spontaneously. These are magic items, wands, staves etc. When rolling the magic dice bound to such a device, they return to the device except on a "6." When out of magic dice, they are still magical items, but can only create 0 dice "cantrip" effects. Rituals can be used to add magic dice back to them at this point. 

Binding magic dice to an object is effectively a ritual performed after the ritual used to conjure the magic dice. The caster must state beforehand that they are summoning the dice to bind them, and weather they are creating a lesser or greater magic dice. Ill post more details about that in the next post, which will give examples of rituals/effects.

Some magic items are created by spirits, or simply naturally occurring. These might be altered by human hand, but not too significantly. (Thanks GURPs ice age for the idea, even though you're outdated as hell).

Magic Skills

Non-comprehensive list of magical skills.

• Binding: Magical restrictions. Creation of magic circles, magic items etc. Binding spirits to things or people. Rendering effects permanent, or conditionally permanent.
• Charms: Beguiling the mind. 
• Conjuration: Pulling things from elsewhere. Summoning spirits. Can't be used to generate endless food or water.
• Divination: Reading randomness to gain true information.
• Dream weaving: Sleep, Dreams, Traveling through dreams, manipulating the dreams of others, inducing or preventing nightmares.
• Flames: Manipulating fire, creating, destroying, protecting against or divining with it. 
• Heavenly Arts: Weather manipulation, conjuring lightning, rain, sun or wind. Atmospheric effects.
• Illusions: Befuddling the senses.
• Necromancy: Power over life, death, undeath. Raising corpses as servants. Healing. Summoning and contacting spirits of the dead. Decay and entropy.
• Spiritualism: Channeling, Contacting, Exorcizing and Banishing spirits. Interacting with them in ways other than Summoning and Binding.
• Transformation: Becoming something else. Transforming someone else into something else.
• True Language: Being heard from great distances. Being understood without words. Understanding and being understood by animals. Does not necessarily convey details or important information that mundane means would.

Next up, a post with some examples of rituals, and some possible effects. 

Kith and Kin: "Races" Revisited

 My old post on the "races" (more accurate to say species) of my fantasy setting is a bit outdated at this point. This time I'm going into better depth, providing picture inspiration, and such.

First I gotta get some facts out about the setting.

Various Human Species, by Ettore Mazza

Important Bits

Technology was "discovered" much earlier in our evolutionary line in this setting. Stone tools and fire are older than bipedalism (cooking too), and Agriculture started to crop up about when Bipedalism started to become more common.

This is different than the real world, but not to the levels of unbelievability I think.

Metallurgy shows up just about when the genus "homo" (the Kin) splinter away from their fellow bipedal primates, but seems to get lost and rediscovered several times.

"Higher" technology crops up at a few points, before some cataclysm seems to knock technology back to stone tools. No one knows why exactly.

Wars are quite rare, though territorial disputes and violence aren't uncommon. "State" societies are the exception, not the norm.

Rather than cities people have what we would call "Proto-Cities," settlements with both urban and rural features, often lacking something we think of when we hear "cities" (such as roads or centralized planning).

Current technological level fairly anachronistic. Nautical travel is fairly advanced, but otherwise weapons and metalworking are "copper age" at best, late stone age at most. Clothing (when it is worn) is similarly anachronistic. Fabrics are fairly advanced and used for clothing and sails, but people frequently use hide and fur as well. The regular fluctuations in technology across history have led to this anachronism, though admittedly its not that unrealistic.

The world is animistic, and this seeps into all religions as a result.

Alright. With that bit out of the way. Lets talk species.

The Kin

The lines between the Kin and other people of the world is blurry at best. However most agree that the Kin are all capable of having children with each other. These children may have health issues and infertility, however this does not occur universally. The origins of at least one of the Kin is a result of continuous hybridization like this.

Human = Kin. These are all (inspired by) members of the Genus "Homo."

Homo Sapiens, By The Kennis Brothers

Youngfolk: Tall and frequently slender folk of the southern continent. Dark skin and complexion, though those that historically live in the norther regions of the continent trend towards more bronze complexions. Clever, though not beyond the realm of possibility for other species, and youthful in appearance. Tend towards nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles culturally, though River Valleys and contact with others have led to the development of significant sedentary cultures. Impulse control is higher than average for Kin as a whole.

Untitled, Probably a Neanderthal, By Tom Björklund

Broadfolk: Strong, physically broad people of the northern continent and peninsula. Skin tones range from bronze to porcelain complexion. Highly observant and very very skilled hunters. Asocial compared to the youngfolk, forming tight-knit but smaller bands as part of larger cultures. Tend towards nomadic hunter-gathering but some eastern broadfolk have begun to cultivate domesticated plants. Cold resistant, but struggle in warmer climates.

Homo Floresiensis, By John Gurche. Why does nobody cite him for this specific statue?

Smallfolk: Physically small people, but highly highly social. Towns are more like massive extended families, as are neighborhoods of urban Proto-Cities. The most urban societies are built by them, and their cultures are some of the only ones to have developed (somewhat) significant maritime power. The Cerulean Thalassocracy is mostly Smallfolk. Smallfolk also tend to avoid attempts at colonial power, preferring diplomatic arrangements over direct control or conquest. This is an extension of their highly social psychology, but Smallfolk "Empires" have existed in the past.

Homo Naledi, By John Gurche

Treefolk: Smaller than most, but not to the degree of the smallfolk. Able to walk, use stone tools and use fire like others, but are also adapted for arboreal movement. When not in settled villages they tend to weave temporary "nests" in the trees, much like other primates. The most distantly related of the Kin, able to trace their linage back to very near the beginning of the Kins existence. 

Homo Erectus Female, Also by John Gurche.

Elderfolk: Average in size for kin, not quite reaching the height of Youngfolk and definitely taller than the Smallfolk, dark of complexion and strange in their ways. The Elderfolk are a subspecies of the legendary First Wanderers who were the first of the Kin to step beyond the southern continent in significant capacity, and who built a society of incomprehensible tools and magic. While the Elderfolk have much less technology than their legendary predecessors, they do seem to be one step ahead of the curve compared to other cultures in general.

The Kith

Everyone else is grouped into the "Kith." While the Kin all have relatively the same body plan and statistics (mechanically only rerolling a stat and having a passive ability or two) the Kith significantly alter the playstyle of one who plays them. Kith are not guaranteed to be bipedal, able to speak, or able to make use of tools as effectively as other species. The only Kith species I'll put here is the Wildfolk, as I haven't gotten into much detail with the others as yet.

There are also the Underkin, a parallel genus to that of "Homo" that lives deep underground. I've figured out even less about them, and they deserve their own post.

Lucy, By the Kennis Brothers. An Australopithecus Afarensis

Wildfolk: A collective term for a number of different bipedal, furred primates. Technically Homo Habilis is a member of this, though they are a human species irl, in the world of Kith and Kin the thing we use to distinguish between australopithecines and members of our genus is available to almost all primates (fire). Thus, Wildfolk are distinguished by their significant covering of body hair. The settled wildfolk there are tend towards simple agrarianism or herding, but a significant number of them are nomadic hunter-gatherers.

Five Point Magic (Part 1)

 Alright this is like draft five, had to scrap the last one cuz it was getting to complex and boring to read about. We don't want that now do we?

This is part one. Later posts are gonna be about specific settings, mechanics and individual examples of the following.

Magic in my games almost always takes one or more of the following five forms.

1. Ritual Magic
2. Skill Magic
3. Rule Magic
4. Extrinsic Magic
5. Intrinsic Magic

Exactly how they function mechanically depends on which one it is, and the game. As do the more diegetic elements like what you need to do for the rituals.

All of these cross over a lot. They're not distinct categories, just sort of features of the games I run (and I enjoy tying mechanics together in ways that simplify the game).

In detail however...

Soulcatchers Aerie from Magic the Gathering. Thank theisticGilthoniel
for enabling me.

Ritual Magic

Typically works like this, in that they have specific costs and require specific actions to gain specific results. Often they require some special method of teaching or learning them, a grimoire, scroll or ancient tablet won't cut it, but might be your "key" into actually learning it if that makes sense.

Rituals with specific effects will have specific costs, while rituals with scaling effects will have the necessary cost scale proportionally.

Some rituals may be a bit more flexible or powerful than others, these ones are often especially costly.

Skill Magic

This is for anything from weird languages to divination methods. Mechanically this is usually bound up in the skill system, if there is any. If not then they're liable to have their own sub-system. Either way this is for skills which allow you do to weird things. They aren't spells, and there isn't really a limit to how often you can do these, but they do not guarantee an effect (imagine trying to convince a boulder to get up and crush some heads).

Rule Magic

This refers to the metaphysical rules that interact with magic. Think the metaphysics behind "true names" or the "paradigm" in Magical Industrial Revolution that lets you experiment with stuff. In my own games this takes the form of True Names bestowing a moderate amount of power over the being/person, The Law of Similarity (poppets), The Law of Contagion (using someone's favorite shoes to divine facts about them) and the law of Synecdoche (a lock of hair can be used to cast magic upon someone at a distance).

Generally this is a modification to the previous two forms of magic, mechanically its more of a "theme" that persists throughout my games. "Realistic" magic, that resembles actual magical practices (but with much of the ambiguity stripped away).

Extrinsic Magic

Anything that comes from the external world. In some games this is just magical objects (think the oddities or arcana of Into The Odd) but in many others this is natural things that can be found and have mystical applications. Possibly the most ambiguous, as healing herbs are often nonmagical but still count under this.

Entheogens (psychoactives/psychobotanicals taken for ritual purposes) count under here too. If it comes from things you find, its here.

Intrinsic Magic

Magical "powers." The simplest mechanically. Here is something you can just do. Not necessarily magical in nature, as above, but includes magical things in it. Can also be weird without being magical (psychic powers, pyroclastic glands, other stuff like that).

No Spells? What about wizards?

Nope. I find the traditional way magic is run in games to be fairly bland, and it often seems to try to count a number of different things under the mechanics that frankly shouldn't be under them. Some spells are blatantly rituals while others are implied to be supernatural-quality herbal remedies.

My games typically do not have classes anymore. I prefer to soft-specialize characters without totally removing their ability to do certain things. A "wizard" character would be a character who chose a starting package that granted them rituals or magical skills, who then improved or expanded their skills and knowledge in-game.

If you want some form of Vancian-like casting, some rituals provide temporary power, and while "Pacts" are not mentioned as a type of magic up there, thats because they're a function of several of the previously mentioned ones. A Pact or Covenant of some kind may be able to grant you power beyond your wildest dreams... At a price of course.

Because that's the prime rule of magic right? It always has a price.

Awakening: Modern Occult Horror

 It is time.

Gravity falls is a huge inspiration to me.

History

For nearly all of human history and prehistory, the mystic and the occult have existed alongside us. Those who understand and utilize mystical forces have been called many names, and inhuman entities always have and always will exist alongside our "mundane" reality.

In the past, this was open and blatant. However, as the Church grew in power, and as those in power grew suspicious of those with preternatural capabilities, repression and secrecy have been the norm for the last few centuries. Enlightenment era philosophy and strict control over society have forced the occult even further into the backdrop.

However, such things cannot last.

With the advent of computer networking and global communication networks, it was inevitable that something would happen that would finally shatter the dam of unbelief.

In 2005, something awoke. A series of protoplasmic lifeforms from the depths of an undercity emerged and wreaked havoc on the local population of continental Europe. Significant firepower, and occult bindings, were deployed to finally quell the menace, but not before several buildings, hundreds of lives and thousands of livelihoods were ruined.

That was sort of the final nail in the coffin of the "masquerade." Global communications weren't too advanced but they were good enough to finally burn that thin veil down.

Its believed the previous event is one of the main causes for the 2008 market crash, and other less mundane disasters.

It is now 2025. A mere 2 decades after the occult was fully revealed. This is where we are now.

Imagine if a sword and sorcery weird/dark fantasy world progressed to the modern age, and the enlightenment resulted in a repression of inhumans, occult practices etc. Then the internet (and weird Lovecraftian slimes) busted open that façade. That's the setting.

Scp Foundation too. Souce: "Sunny Clockworks"

Tone and Themes

The idea is to not be overly pessimistic about the innate evils of humanity, while also going full throttle into the horrors humanity can be.

"Humans are the real monsters" is boring, but some humans are certainly monstrous. So players will encounter some fucking evil people, but most people don't want to murder them in their sleep.

Most.

Magic isn't unilaterally 100% evil. It is, however, dangerous. The mechanics reflect this.

You can play as inhuman beings, but there are things much worse than you out there. There always will be.

Basically, its horror but its not judgmental about humanity as a whole. Just those with too much power, hatred or lack of care for other lives. Monstrous things still exist though so you're not off the hook.

B.P.R.D. too. Ogdru-Hem and Ogdru-Jahad are awesome.

The World

I'm sort of "Arkhamizing" the world. Cities and towns exist basically in the same areas, but renamed and shuffled a bit, culturally, due to differences caused by the weirdness.

Deep time is as real life, but weirder things are woven into the fabric of it.

The world is being generated with Silent Legions and Esoteric Enterprises methods. They're good books for that.

Other realities sort of exist "alongside" our own. These range from a room that shouldn't be able to fit into a house, to an earth sized (or larger) realm with its own rules and laws of physics. These are collectively referred to as earths "Shoals" (singular, Shoal) due to them not being full universes. At least not obviously, some definitely have things in the sky that imply there's more to them, but that's neither here nor there.

Otherwise the specifics of the world are up in the air. Different games can and should result in different plots and cults being uncovered, different threats and different gods.

My personal setting is going to take place in the deep south of the United States. Urban, Suburban, Rural and Wilderness shits all throughout there so it should be fun and variable. No reason characters can't go to places outside, but that's the "setting" for my personal game.

Trevor Hendersons old found footage art too. Gods this is cool.

The Mechanics

Heavily modified from Esoteric Enterprises, mixed with a number of mechanics found around the web. I'll link inspirations or direct sources for certain mechanics if I can remember them. A post for character creation will be up soon, and then magic.

I'll make a masterpost of all the rules at some point, for players and people wanting to run with the system.

Anyways, thats it for now. Just needed to get this out so I can move on to working on the nitty gritty of the system.

Lord Mountain-Roc: A pariah NPC

Lord Mountain-Roc was named for the mighty spirit of the mountains that exist close to his home jungle.

His exact age is unknown, as his troop does not keep track of moons or seasons, existing in a quixotic timeless state of mind.

Mountain-Roc was initially seen as the weakest of his many siblings, however he was clever beyond his fellows.

He learned that the other wandering people utilized strange plants to contact the spirits that his troop feared and did not understand, and so he found the Mystics Mushroom and the Sorcerers Vine and learned of the realms of Dawn and the ancestral There.

From the inhabitants, he forged a covenant, learning the secrets of sorcery in the process.

Lord Mountain-Roc is also a very very big Gorilla. Just like his family.

Among his peers, Lord Mountain-Roc is a legend already, a great culture hero. Among the settled people, he is a great forest demon who conducts raids against their food storage.

Lord Mountain-Roc has great ambitions, plans that would sound alarmingly human to anyone who heard them.

He has a Goal. It is the indefinite survival of his troop, and its expansion into a major jungle power. He does not want to be seen as a dumb beast. He is not a dumb beast. He wants his troop to become too powerful for the settled people and their ilk to consider threatening. He speaks softly, but he would like a much larger stick.

He has a Plan. It is alarmingly clever. He knows of the mystical properties of the Mystics Mushroom. He can be understood with its power. He will offer it. He will offer alliances. He will offer protectors and he will offer resources. They are bribes, he is honest about this. He wants to establish trade with other nomads as well as the settled people. He wants to incorporate other troops, and create a true culture. He does not revel in violence, but he considers it a tool as any other. Don't piss him off.

He has an Itch. His children are grown up, and he wants to pass on his knowledge of sorcery and mysticism. He wants his troop, his culture, his people to learn and know the arts he considers sacred. He is frustrated by their lack of interest. If any Pariahs can convince his children, or at least the children of his troop, to ignite their spark of curiosity, he would be deeply indebted to them.
He also desires to know of the other Realms. He is familiar with Dawn and There (as well as the Here and Now, clearly) but Sun, Moon and Dusk confuse him. If any Pariahs can share knowledge and access to these realms, he would be deeply indebted, but that knowledge could be quite dangerous...

The legendary Beast-King.

His troop count as a major nomad tribe, with the following Strengths, Weaknesses, Hopes and Fears.

• Strengths: They're god damn gorillas. They're strong and have a strong internal structure. One of them could take on several warriors and come away alive and ready for more. They also have a surprising willingness to negotiate.
• Weaknesses: They can't communicate without the Mystics Mushroom. Despite the troop having incorporated several other gorilla troops, it still has relatively low numbers, making establishing themselves difficult. They lack a certain amount of curiosity, and technology.
• Hopes
• To establish trade with settled people and nomadic people.
• To gain knowledge of (or at least access to) the Dusk, Sun and Moon.
• To incorporate the remaining gorilla troops throughout the region.
• Fears
• Internal struggles will tear them apart.
• External threats will remove their power.
• Violence will consume the humans, and them.

The following stat blocks are for Mountain-Roc and generic Gorillas. The first ones will be for Pariah as written, the second ones are for my own heavily edited system.

Note that "Mutant Pariah Clone" just refers to my house-ruled version of Pariah.

Generic Gorilla, Pariah

No Appearing: 2d6
HD: 4d10+8
Defense: 15
Attack: 1 Bite/ 2 Punches (16, 1d8/1d8/1d8)
Speed: 30' (90')
Morale: 9
Size: Humanoid
Mind: Bestial, Curious, Sapient, Social, Territorial

Treat as strength 18 skill 1d8 for grapple.

Generic Gorilla, Mutant Pariah Clone

No Appearing: 2d6
Flesh: 2d10+6
Grit: 2d10+4
Defense: +5
Attack: 1 Bite/ 2 Punches (+6, 1d8/1d8/1d8)
Speed: 30' (90')
Morale: 9
Size: Humanoid
Mind: Bestial, Curious, Sapient, Social, Territorial

Treat as strength 18 skill 1d8 for grapple.

Lord Mountain-Roc, Pariah

No Appearing: Unique, found among 2d6 Gorillas as part of a gathering/pathfinding party, or found among his tribe (Him + 45 gorillas, 5 of which have bound spell-spirits.
HD: 6d10+12
Defense: 15
Attack: As gorilla or bound spell-spirit.
Speed: 25' (75')
Morale: 7
Size: Humanoid
Mind: Curious, Sapient, Social

Lord Mountain-Roc is an NPC that you probably won't start out fighting. He's not unreasonably violent. He's likely to be a quest-giver or the like. Directly fighting him is unlikely. His tribe is immensely protective of him. He has a bound spell-spirit of the Dawn, a necklace with 5 stones, one of which has 3 bound spell-spirits of the here and now, another having 2 bound spell-spirits of There. The other stones are empty. He's saving them for other realms.

Lord Mountain-Roc, Mutant Pariah Clone

No Appearing: Unique, found among 2d6 Gorillas as part of a gathering/pathfinding party, or found among his tribe (Him + 45 gorillas, 5 of which have bound spell-spirits.
Flesh: 2d10+8
Grit: 4d10+8
Defense: +5
Attack: As gorilla or bound spell-spirit.
Speed: 25' (75')
Morale: 7
Size: Humanoid
Mind: Curious, Sapient, Social

This part involves actually hashing out my magic system, so until I get that done just use it as pariah.

Kith and Kin, 20 Questions and "Races"

This is meant to function as a Primer for both players and just people who wanna know about my fantasy setting. The exact genre is probably up for debate (I'm catching a "weird anachronistic bronze-age middle fantasy" vibe from it) but this isn't really concerned with genre. Anyways, I'm going to write about a few core things and then move on to setting/game questions posited by different lists.

People of the World

The people of the world are split into two rough categories, somewhat anthropocentrically. There are other sapient beings out there but these are the things you can play. The Kin and The Kith. The actual real-world versions are given in parenthesis at the end for each of the Kith and Kin.

The Kin can all interbreed with each other. They may have differing traits and adaptations, but they are not far enough away for it to be weird. They are all "Human," Not fantasy people. In fact they are fictionalized versions of various archaic human species. Hence the differing adaptations, but capacity for having viable children with each other.

They are:

1. The Alfun. Very small, often more dexterous folk. Three and a half feet tall average. Native islanders, and at least one of their cultures is a naval and economic superpower (the Cerulean empire, named for the Cerulean Sea and Cerulean Coast which it controls). Have a much more complex social structure and higher "Dunbar's Number" than other people. Their small size has given them an intense sense of honor. Best not to fuck with them outside of friendly teasing. Like most of the Kin, they have a sloped forehead and varying skin tone. (H. Floresiensis)
2. The Naedr. Tend to be around the lower half of Five feet, with women being shorter on average. Protruding brow is prominent. Native to the northern peninsula, where they are most densely populous, but have just as much (possibly more) individuals in the Polar region. Adapted to colder climates, suffering less than other Kin in such areas, but suffer more in Tropical regions (including the Equatorial sea, the center for trade in the continents). Have paler skin than most other Kin, due to their climate. Stronger and bulkier on average than the other Kin. (H. Neanderthalensis)
3. The Jada. Vary fairly wildly in height, but mostly taller than other Kin, at the upper half of five feet, even pushing into the lower half of six feet. Name means "Strider", both due to their taller form making them seem to stride everywhere and their mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles. Native to the Savannahs of the southern continent, but have a significant presence in the great Central Steppe in the northern continent. Voices are relatively baritone compared to other Kin. Their versatility is their strength but they pay for it with a higher rate of mutation. Jada sub-types are usually just people with dramatic mutations. (H. Sapiens)
4. The Sova. Native to mountainous regions. Comparable to Naedr in physiology and appearance, but darker skinned. Capable of holding their breath for significantly longer than other species, due to requiring less air overall. While adapted for a mountain habitat, they do not particularly struggle outside of it, though many have a mild hydrophobia due to being physically denser than other Kin, though their ability to hold their breath offsets this somewhat. (H. Denisovans)
5. The Adama. Archaic relatives of the other kin. While the Kin have diverged from their common ancestor culture, the Adama remain relatively unchanged from this base form, counting as a subspecies of that ancestral "Ur-Kin" rather than a descendant. Quite rare and mysterious, native primarily to isolated regions in the Southern Continent. Carry ancient wisdom and knowledge, they are favored by the Spirits of the World. Despite this they do not necessarily know Kinspeech, and must pay for it like any other language. (H. Erectus)

Other Kin exist, in isolated areas or in distant unheard-of lands. The world is vast, vaster than we may know, and many mysteries still abound.

The Kith are distant cousins of the Kin. The Kith are unlikely to be able to interbreed with each other or any other species. Kith vary wildly in sapience and sentience, though all are known to use tools and fire. Many cannot speak any form of Kinspeech, but can utilize sign language. There are many varieties of Kith but major intelligent ones are listed as follows.

1. The Giants. Primarily Knuckle-walking dwellers of the forests. While on their knuckles they stand easily at 6 feet tall, and when standing to their full height they average out at 10 feet. Isolationists, but will often form covenants with rural communities to protect them, in exchange for food and materials that they are incapable of gathering or forming on their own. Native to the eastern section of the Northern continent. (This is gigantopithicus)
2. The Goblinoids. A large variety of furry ape-creatures. Fanged, territorial and violent. Complex social structures but not at the levels of other Kith or Kin. Can be bargained with or pressed into service, but they are a violent and rowdy bunch. (These are baboons and mandrills)
3. The Bugbears. Larger than goblinoids. Have figured out more complex structures and tool use. Often raid settlements, but can be driven off with a loud enough display of aggression. Doing so may even make them subservient or allied to the community. Though peaceful communities may willingly choose to work with local communities. (These are Chimps and Bonobos)

Yet more Kith exist, far more than the Kin for sure. These are simply the most well known and numerous.

Culturally the Kith and Kin are both varied beyond number, even within their own species. Their vast numbers mean any single culture cannot dominate their species consciousness. There is just too many and over too much space.

Geography

I'll do this once I can actually figure out how to draw a map.

41(!) Questions

Taken from here and here. Might be shooting myself in the foot trying to answer all of these but eh.

Set the First!

1. What is the deal with my clerics religion? Religions vary, but in general they are all derived from the basic core of "Living correctly." In terms of figures of worship, they can be spirits (ancestral, saintly, natural or otherwise), Godlings (powerful spirits, but not utterly overwhelming) or Broad archetypical beings that don't interact with the world too much, or if they do through vague means, such as omens. I'm probably gonna just make a post about religion.
2. Where can we go to buy standard equipment? You start with some pretty standard equipment. Most settlements on trade routes have basic provisions and things you can buy. More rare and advanced things may require you to go to an actual city.
3. Where can we go to get platemail custom fitted for this monster I just befriended? Might be a bit of an issue, but a city smithery will probably be able to take custom commissions for extra pay.
4. Who is the mightiest wizard in the land? This is difficult to ascertain. Wizards are just one group of mystical people, and power between them is mostly a matter of available resources and/or sheer cleverness, and willingness to sacrifice. If we allow beings pretending to be wizards, then at least one godling often takes the form of one to enact mischief in the mortal world.
5. Who is the mightiest warrior in the land? Yet again, difficult to tell. Individual power is not as important as numbers and tactics. So in terms of this, perhaps a Jada Nomad-King. Raw individual power probably goes to a Naedr warrior somewhere. There are some spirits and godlings which take the form of warriors.
6. Who is the richest person in the land? Emperor Akapa Lahma the Third, who rules over the Cerulean Empire in the east (named for the Cerulean Sea and Cerulean Coast, which it controls). The Empire began as a series of disconnected Alfun island-nations, and has grown into a Mercantile union/Protectorate system. The vast coffers of the empire are fueled by its control over maritime trade (and underhanded agreements with pirates).
7. Where can we go to get some magical healing? Druids for explicitly magical stuff. Wizards could do it too, but druids have a specific cultural duty to. Herbalism can seem magical in what it can do, but it isn't considered magic by those in the world. Each town probably has a handful of local herbalists who can aid you.
8. Where can we go to get cures for the following conditions: poison, disease, curse, level drain, lycanthropy, polymorph, alignment change, death, undeath? So in order.
1. Poison: Many herbs are known to cure poisons, or draw them out. The Herbalism skill is probably one you want someone to have.
2. Disease: As above. Some cures require strange admixtures and unfortunate experimentation. Depending on the disease, a Druid or someone else trained in spiritual healing can probably help.
3. Curse: Gonna need magic for this one. Curses are powerful spirits or afflictions of the soul. Will vary. Some require hard fucking work to overcome. Some cannot be cured after a point. Some are placed by spirits and you will have to do something for them first.
4. Level Drain: N/A. Levels aren't a thing here.
5. Lycanthropy: A curse. Will have to make peace with the spirit that placed it or get a druid.
6. Polymorph: Probably just wait. They usually aren't permanent. It may be able to be undone with specific circumstances that you will know about somehow.
7. Alignment Change: Alignment isn't a thing like in other games. Closest thing is having a patron, which cannot be forcefully changed.
8. Death: There's probably something you can do here. Ghosts can be summoned and bound to things. Magic can animate stuff but that doesn't bring you back to life. Im sure you can think of some way to basically reanimate someone, but problems will probably still occur.
9. Undeath: Usually just wait for the corpse to drop dead again. All magic requires sacrifice and if it runs out then you're good. Some undeath is caused by a curse or a spirit possessing a corpse, which is far more difficult to unravel.
9. Is there a magic guild my MU belongs to or that I can join in order to get more spells? Its a prerequisite, actually. Sort of. Okay not a Guild specifically but initiation is required to gain access to magic. You probably have contacts if you know magic, even if they aren't Kith or Kin.
10. Where can I find an alchemist, sage or other expert NPC? Depends really. For the given examples, most cities have them. But nomadic groups will probably know stuff that city folk don't about herbalism, spirits and foraging. Ask around!
11. Where can I hire mercenaries? Big cities. Jada nomads will sometimes sell their service to someone with money, but those are for specifically warrior cultures.
12. Is there any place on the map where swords are illegal, magic is outlawed or any other notable hassles from Johnny Law? Openly carrying weapons in most public areas requires a license of some kind. Magic is looked down on in some cities and nations, but usually if people know you're a magic user they're just going to want to pay you to do shit.
13. Which way to the nearest tavern? Just down the road! Got the big sign. Can't miss it.
14. What monsters are terrorizing the countryside sufficiently that if I kill them I will become famous? Spirits and cursed people are sometimes sufficiently monstrous that you need to put them down, though that won't often stick (especially spirits. they don't die.) There are other monstrous things out there that aren't just "spirits" or "cursed people." The Northern Peninsula is famous for its strange chimeric abominations that frequently require slaying.
15. Are there any wars brewing I could go fight? The Cerulean Empire is butting a lot of heads. There is usually at least one war happening in the Northern Peninsula, though its relatively localized to just that small part of that subcontinent. Jada nomads aren't all good guys. Some are maurauders or raiders.
16. How about gladiatorial arenas complete with hard-won glory and fabulous cash prizes? Again, the Cerulean Empire has combat-sports. Most cultures have them. They aren't specifically arena-based and usually you're discouraged from killing your opponents but hey you probably weren't planning on doing that anyways, right?
17. Are there any secret societies with sinister agendas I could join and/or fight? Sure. And they might have magic. Mystery cults are a type of religion (they aren't usually evil, just mysterious).
18. What is there to eat around here? Depends! Lots of shit. Depends on the location or the culture.
19. Any legendary lost treasures I could be looking for? Oh yes. Plenty. Many cultures have arisen and fallen over the eons. Adama may be isolated and relatively technologically limited now... But this wasn't always the case.
20. Where is the nearest dragon or other monster with Type H treasure? A lot of things are called "dragons." From spirits to animals to sapient creatures to chimeras and much much more.

Set the Second!

1. Why were settlements founded here? Trade routes. Resources. Choke-holds. Holy-sites. Spiritual demands. The usual stuff.
2. What are the local funeral customs? It varies based on culture. Cannibalism isn't common but isn't unheard of. Cremation, burial, excarnation, anything you can think of can be found in this world. Not following it usually causes a ghost to emerge, but worse things can happen depending on the person.
3. How do settlements communicate with each other? Local settlements will slowly spread news through trade, courier or pigeon. Long range communication uses trade routes, but magic might be able to help.
4. How dramatically does your campaign location change from season to season? Again, location dependent. The southern continent has wet and dry seasons, the northern continent does too but its far north regions have winter. The northern peninsula does as well.
5. What are the three biggest local celebrations each year? The Festival of the Auroch is a common Kin celebration. Often accompanied by a manifestation of The Great Auroch. The Compact is also a common celebration, where dogs are thanked and pampered for a six day week. This is per agreement with the Wolf God. Lastly, there is a northern holiday, who's name translates to "Hearth-Consecration." Its celebration is said to consecrate the home on the darkest day of the year, to prevent it from being overrun by malevolent spirits. Farther north than that where the darkest day of the year is an entire lunar cycle, it is not celebrated in the same way.
6. Where is the safest place for someone to stash a considerable sum of coins and treasure? The bank. They charge per interaction. Certain types of dragons run the most successful banks, which is pretty good insurance it will be safe.
7. What is the local standard of medical technology in replacing missing bits and body pieces? Bio-alchemists can do wonderful things, but there may be side effects. Contact your bio alchemist if your arm begins to act on its own, spontaneously mutate, develop gigantism, atrophy or otherwise interfere with proper functioning.
8. What are some local superstitions? Oh a great many. Mostly boils down to "don't insult the spirits" but it varies based on the culture, local animals and other environmental factors.
9. What is the scariest local myth? The Jada have a great many, many of which are true. The Ghoul and its derivatives, the Demons of the Upper Air and other Dark beasties are all common. Of course, some Naedr worship/fear Bear spirits/demons, so it really depends on what you find scary.
10. Who collects tribute and taxes for the Powers that Be? In the Cerulean Empire there are tax-ships. In other places, usually just a tax collector, who may or may not just skip some small locations if there's barely anyone there. Jada nomads are self-sufficient and don't pay tribute to anyone.
11. What are the best places to get a drink around here? There are some larger enterprising taverns (especially in the Cerulean Empire), but every local area swears their drinks are the best. Its sorta just how people are.
12. Where can you buy animals around here? Anywhere animals can be found, really. As long as who you're buying from values what you're offering. Barter is more common in Jada territory, but various currencies abound.
13. What is the local settlement missing? Something is always missing, but not necessarily for long. Healers and herbalists tend not to live in most settlements, being that they often require natural environments that urban society does not provide.
14. What is the local mascot of the town or region? Many areas do not have mascots. The Cerulean Empire has the "Cerulean Serpent" which may be an actual draconic being, or just a metaphor for the Imperial Families power. Many beings use Dogs of Bulls, for hopefully clear reasons. Pigeons are popular, but not often used as a mascot. They're simply an omnipresent backbone of society.
15. Where is the best place to pick up a few hired Hands? People will do a lot for money, but not anything. Jada who are coming from nomadic clans and seek to settle in sedentary society will often be available for hire, but will not make significant sacrifices for it.
16. What's the local take on the end of the world? Not really a concept that comes up. Its possible some ancient godling of immense power is waking up somewhere, but the end of the world isn't a threat that this setting will face. Not truly. Not yet.
17. Is there a local hedge wizard, witch or shaman of no great power but one who cares for the locals who helps deal with their tribulations? Yep. Anywhere there are people who live in close proximity to nature there's bound to be at least one. In urban environments, it would be a hedge wizard, which is less common but not particularly rare.
18. What games do locals like to play? Wrestling is a common way to settle scores or disagreements. People don't want to die, so duels to the death aren't common. Its also a popular spectator sport. Dice games and card games are also common.
19. What crimes are punishable by death? Very few, but rape or murder are going to have it considered. Exile is more common, often with the addition of a tattoo or brand that marks you for your specific crime (and probably renders you unprotected by law).
20. Have any great disasters destroyed local settlements? A Cerulean settlement was recently swallowed by a volcanic eruption. They are trying to figure out exactly what happened, and why the local volcano spirit did so.
21. Where can you find maps of the local region? Cartographers are present in cities, and are sometimes present in towns if you're lucky. Local people probably know more about the "intuitive" geography of the place, so they could probably make you a map of sorts.

The Cost of Magic (Aka, Oh god another magic system).

Oh boy yet another god damn magic system

Magic sure is fun, isn't it? Doing things which would otherwise be impossible through whatever means. And there are a lot of really good magic systems out there.

There's the classic spell slots system, with its endless permutations within mainstream D&D and Retro-clones. That's a familiar system and one that offers a genuinely interesting system to work with, as long as the rules and rulings cover more than just "point at x to blow it up."

The GLOG has a wonderful magic system, as I'm sure 95% of people who read this will agree. The magic dice, mishaps and dooms all characterize magic as potentially extremely dangerous and unpredictable, as well as ensuring that the casters don't quite know how many spells per day they have, adding to the whole mystique.

Buuuut for my own personal system, these feel a bit inadequate. There are probably more magic systems out there (in any form of media) than there are species of beetle. Do you know how many species of beetle there are? If you guessed anything lower than 100,000 you're going to be terrified when you look it up.

Aaaanyways. The previously mentioned two magic systems are good, but mechanically they convey very different styles of magic. Magic mechanics occupy this weird space in game design where they can't just be an abstract mechanic. The way the rules operate is very tied into how it works, and I was kind of dissatisfied with the different systems presented in games.

I think magic should have a price, and I want anyone capable of using magic to be able to somewhat gauge what they can do, but I don't want players to spend an abstract easily-regained resource for huge dramatic effects, at least not within my current system.

Then, I found this post. Its like... Less than a hundred words and basically just musings on a topic, but I wanted to build off of this core idea. So I did. Quite a bit.

Some important details going forward.

1. My homebrew game system is classless and level-less (mostly. see below). Based off the lovely "Die Trying" and "Pariah" systems.
2. It also takes inspiration from Esoteric Enterprises. There is a Grit/Flesh/Horrible Wounds system. This is somewhat relevant.
3. I prefer freeform but somewhat intuitively understandable magic systems. Magic Words is good, but also not quite what I want to do.
4. Despite there being no classes in my system, there are Glog-Like templates. Δ Templates to be exact. Only Δ Templates. Its going to be extremely rare to start off with one in my games, and many things are locked behind these. This leads directly into the magic system.

I want to do the impossible.

Alright, first, you need a Delta Template. I'm going to come up with a list of these, and they all have conditions, but long story short you need to undergo a fairly rigorous initiation. It doesn't have to cause permanent damage, or be morally repugnant (though it can be), but it does have to be extreme. Like, drugging yourself into another dimension and half-burying your body under a tree for a few days.

Once you fulfill the requirements for the template, congratulations! You can do magic! Though you may have to perform some form of maintenance to keep it "active."

(Side note: Inactive templates within this system do not give certain benefits, but may still give others. It varies and is a mechanic I want to explore in more depth.)

So, in addition to some sweet perks, maybe a some required maintenance, you can now do the impossible!

Okay but what can magic do?

Anything!

Well kind of.

You see, all magic has a price. It can be personal, or it can be something else. It all depends on the context. Its a freeform system after all. The only real restriction I have is that they must be thematically linked to the desired outcome in some fashion.

Lets list out some examples.

• Summoning something requires a sacrifice of 1 flesh dice per flesh dice summoned. Whatever is summoned probably has grit dice equal to their flesh dice (or it may be broken between many summoned entities). Flesh dice can also be spent to give it magical abilities.
• Animating a corpse isn't extremely difficult. Bringing it back to full life is nearly impossible, but simple animation is fairly easy. Living things require food to survive (2 rations/day in my system, minimum). So by burning rations, you can animate a corpse. Each ration is 12 hours of animation, and the corpse may still perish.
• Animating parts of a corpse is easier. crawling hands are relatively easy to make.
• Animating constructs is similarly simple, requiring food.
• Permanent animation may require summoning a spirit of some kind. Binding a spirit will probably require a sacrifice equal to or more than its flesh dice, but you could just... Talk to the spirit. Its an NPC after all, and not totally unreasonable (barring some extreme examples).
• Grit is worth less than flesh, and so sacrificing it allows for only minor magics, often things you could already do but in impossible ways. Summoning a small flame, picking up a keychain, etc. These are basically cantrips.
• Time is also a sacrifice. Time spent performing rituals can be used to offset other sacrifices. I'd say an hour = A flesh dice but you can probably eyeball it.
• Like the example in the link above, digging a key into your hand (dealing 1 flesh damage and disabling that hand for the rest of the day) could unlock a door, but so could destroying a lockpick. (you might just want to use the lockpick on a door, but if it requires a passcode then the lockpick would still probably work)
  

And you can probably see the sorts of things this can do. Every impossible action carries a cost. I would probably come up with a table of relative costs and the sorts of things they can do. What dice equal how much time equal how much action and such. Generally thats going to vary from system to system though so I'll include it in the full document of my system or its own post.

But what about divination? Potion making? Artifice?

Urg, okay.

Divination is a skill in my system, using the same skill system as Pariah. Its not magic, at least not in the same way as the above system is.

In Pariah you roll a 1d6 and add it to your stat to see if you succeed at any given goal. If its over the target number you succeed. Skills just increase the size of the dice, up to a maximum of 1d12.

For divination you just roll the appropriate skill dice, no target number, and compare it to the following table (adapted from here). Each type of divination has its own separate skill dice.

    1-4: Vague, extremely cryptic and symbolic. Very very hard to interpret.
    5-8: Cryptic, but less vague and with obvious clues.
    9-12: Clear answer, but still a little bit mysterious. Details are vague, the rest isn't.
    13+: Clear as crystal. No need to interpret anything.

Certain things add bonuses to this, and some forms of divination require tools. I'll make a list of that later. Each time you do this, the maximum roll on your dice is reduced by 1. A full day without divining anything will clear this malus.

Herbalism, Brewery and other such things are also skills in my system, but how they work is a bit different. There are ingredients, with a variety of effects and interactions. I have a format for it in my head so I'll just make that its own post.

Artifice is just making real things. Swords and such. Making enchanted things or otherwise magical objects requires a sacrifice as above. Probably a long ritual too (which is a sacrifice, of time). Again, I'd eyeball it based on your system.

Other Ideas

Permanent magic powers require further initiation, or permanent sacrifice, or both. They're less versatile than the above system but they can be done basically at will. They may still have some freeform elements to them, depending on the ritual or sacrifice.

Restricting certain senses can expand other senses. Or a specific sense. Either improving them or adding supernatural ones.

Some monsters and forces may have an easier time with magic, especially Godlings.

Getting power from faith and religion requires an initiation rite (obviously, love me some initiation rites) and certain rites and devotions can do specific things. These are ritualized and often easier than the above system, but joining a faith comes with complications (both political and magical). Or you can just have religion work differently, like insulting a god giving a chance of being cursed. That works too.

Going into the Otherworld (or other worlds in general) requires drugs. Psychoactive entheogens. Taking lower doses of those can also count as a sacrifice.

The death of an entire town isn't because of the curse, it probably caused it.

This won't be the last I talk about this system, but this concludes my current thoughts on it. Ciao for now.

Magic User Origins

 The Clever Folk come from many walks of life and learn in many different ways, and are called many different names. Collectively they are feared and respected and beloved and reviled, though attitudes will differ from kingdom to kingdom, hell even village to village.

(If you couldn't tell by the Wikipedia link this is for my pre-Christian pseudo-European setting. Any anachronisms are either intentional or stuff I don't care about. these tables are sort of designed with that "kind" of setting in mind, but you could probably use a slightly reskinned one in any game.)

In terms of rules, I'm trying to keep this system-agnostic, but they are sort of designed with my own magic system in mind. these are things you add onto your magic user characters that provide an additional benefit.

Roll 1d6

1. You read a scroll and accidentally changed your perception of the world forever. Start with Wizard Vision.
2. You studied under a learned master. The specifics of your relation to the master are up to you and the referee (antagonistic? understanding? apathetic?), but you start off knowing of them and being able to contact them. They are level 3+1d6, if that ever becomes necessary.
3. You studied in a guild/college of magic. The total number of students any given year probably weren't higher than a few dozen and the passing rate is fairly low, so you know of a handful other Wizards. You probably have a debt though, which is probably why you adventure.
   
4. You are self-taught. Perhaps you were a servant sneakily stealing books from an incompetent noble or you found the ruins of another wizards stronghold and managed to learn the basics from there. Maybe you learned the way the first magic users did, whatever that is. You have a bit of a charm compared to other magic users. The distrust most feel regarding magic users doesn't touch you as much as anyone else.
5. You were born the seventh child of a seventh child (or the fifth child of a fifth child, or something else equally mystical.) This seems to be a bit of a big deal with certain entities and other magic users.
6. Someone or something meddled in your birth/conception. Weather you are a failed antichrist, the child of a strange creature or an experiment of some sort, you are distinctly "other" than most. Start with a mutation relevant to whatever it was, and a lingering sense of unease.

This is what i can think of for now. Whatever the final version of this table is will probably be bigger as I pour over different stories and superstitions.

Anyways check out these sick as shit magic users I found while procrastinating actually posting this.

You wish you were this cool. (Can't find the artist and a reverse image search brings up pokemon stuff.) 

Check out his sick as shit armor. Its useless I love it so much. (Adventure Time)

Thats all I found.