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.