Enchanting

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Characters with the Enchanter quality can infuse objects with a portion of their Essence, thus granting them magical powers.

Artifact Fomulae

Below are listed all known artifact formulae. The cost attached to each Formula represents the number of character points that must be spent for the Enchanter to know it. Some Formulae have listed prerequisites, usually either specific skills or known formulae which the Enchanter must have in prior to being eligible to learn that Formula.

A few Formulae are listed as “Magnum Opus”, which signifies a major ability or discovery, and is usually the culmination of many years of study in a specific discipline of Alchemy. An Enchanter must have 5 levels in Alchemy before learning a Magnum Opus, and they may only start the game with up to one of them - any others must be acquired during the game.

After each formula are listed a number of Artifacts that can be made with that Formula. If an Enchanter wishes to know how to make an Artifact and own it at the beginning of the game, they must pay both costs.

The cost of owning an Artifact is doubled for anyone who doesn’t know its Formula.

Creating Artifacts

Creating an Artifact requires a certain amount of Essence to be infused into the item. This Essence must come from a living being, be it through Essence Channeling or an extended ritual.

Enchanting places a heavy tax on the souls of those who practice it: every Artifact permanently reduces the maximum Essence its Enchanter can hold. No known method can restore Essence spent this way, though Mediums or Enchanters with the Soul Channeler Quality may instead use the Essence of a willing or helpless human present at the time of the Enchanting.

If a certain Formula requires blood as one of its components, the Essence will be drained from whomever provided the blood.

Most Enchanting is done with a Simple Intelligence + Alchemy Test. If an Artifact refers to its Power Level, that is equal to the Success Levels on the Enchanting Test.

If an Artifact refers to its Enchanter’s Attribute and their Attribute is unknown, treat it as 2 (subject to change at the Director’s discretion).

List of Formulae

Ambrosia (1 points)

Known as “food of the gods”, Ambrosia is a powerful concoction with potent healing capabilities.

Ambrosia is made by combining the juices of any fruits (traditionally oranges or lemons, but recently pineapples, cranberries and lychees are rising in popularity), with small amounts of silver, gold, and the blood of a Gifted human or magical creature (2 Life Points worth is enough for a single dose of Ambrosia). The components are boiled together for 4 hours, while the Enchanter spends 10 Essence. Afterwards the metals dissolve into the mixture, and the whole thing takes on a cookie-dough-like texture. This reduces the Enchanter’s maximum Essence by 2.

A single dose of Ambrosia (usually a small bar, cupcake, or large cookie) instantly 5 Life Points plus the Enchanter’s Intelligence. Furthermore, after eating it, Life Point and Essence regeneration are doubled for the next hour (or one day for the purpose of natural Life Point regeneration).

If the Ambrosia is eaten by the same Enchanter who created it, they regain the maximum Essence that they spent creating it.

Artifacts:

  • Three doses of Ambrosia cost 1 character point. These don’t increase the Enchanter’s maximum Essence if consumed.

Attunement Crystals (1 point)

An Attunement Crystal can serve many purposes, but its primary use is creating a link between a person’s Essence and a mundane or magical item. Upon creation a Crystal is bound to a single person, called its Carrier. The Crystal functions only for its Carrier, and crumbles to ashes if the Carrier perishes.

Most Attunement Crystals are small quartz stones embedded directly into the item, or beaded onto a strip of cloth or leather that is then tied around the object. Creating an Attunement Crystal requires a 1 hour ritual, during which the Carrier must bleed a single drop of blood onto the crystal. This drains 10 maximum Essence, and is an exception to the rule that only the Enchanter may sacrifice maximum Essence.

An Attunement Crystal may only be attached to a single object at any given time, though it can easily be removed and moved to a different object.

An item may only have one Attunement Crystal attached to it. If two or more are attached, they all cease to function until only one remains.

Being linked to a large amount of Attunement Crystals weighs heavily on a person's body, mind, and soul. A person may safely have up to their Constitution or Willpower Attunement Crystals (whichever is higher). Each Attunement Crystal created beyond that imposes a -1 penalty on one of the Carrier's attributes of their choice.

If attached to a weapon, the Attunement Crystal causes the weapon to be in tune with its Carrier, shifting its balance and gently nudging towards foes. This gives the Carrier a +2 bonus on all attack and defence rolls. If an Attunement Crystal should be used to attack its Carrier, the attacker takes a -2 penalty as the blade attempts to dodge its Carrier.

If attached to a suit of armour, the armour flows more naturally with the Carrier, reducing its penalty on Dexterity tests by 2 (to a minimum penalty of 0). Additionally, the Carrier can don the armour or take it off with a mere thought, taking only a couple of seconds.

If attached to any tool (typically hammers, lockpicks, and the like), the Carrier gets a +2 bonus on any test which uses the tool for its intended purpose.

Artifacts:

  • An Attunement Crystal costs 2 character points.

Blasting Stone (1 point)

A Blasting Stone is probably one of the simplest Enchantments one can create, though it is not to be underestimated - almost every apprentice learns many tales of skilled Enchanters losing their lives mishandling these stones.

A Blasting stone is a small crystal infused with a large amount of volatile Essence - far more than it should normally be able to hold. Creating one requires a ritual during which the Enchanter may pour up to their Willpower in Essence into the stone. An Enchanter with the Essence Channelling Quality can forgo the ritual and imbue the crystal directly, though they may only use as much Essence as they can channel in a single turn. Alternatively, an Enchanter with Essence Channelling may perform a ritual to add their Essence Channelling level to their effective Willpower Level. Infusing a Blasting Stone reduces the Enchanter’s maximum Essence by 2.

A Blasting Stone can be thrown with Dexterity and Gun-Fu, with a -1 penalty for every 2 meters distance. Upon shattering, the crystal releases a burst of multicoloured light, dealing 4 damage for every point of Essence contained within it. Anyone near the blast takes damage as well, with the damage being halved for every meter of distance.

Afterwards, the released Essence flows back violently to the Enchanter. This corrupted Essence returns the maximum Essence lost when infusing the Blasting Stone (but not the rest of the spent Essence), and the backlash deals them 1 Life Point damage for every point of Essence contained in the stone.

Artifacts:

  • Two Blasting Stones cost 1 character point. Each of these may contain a number of Essence up to the Enchanter’s Willpower (plus any levels of Essence Channeling). If taken by someone who isn’t an Enchanter, the stones can contain up to 3 points or their Essence Channeling, whichever is higher.

Blasting Wand (1 point, requires Blasting Stone)

Immediately after the invention of the Blasting Stone, a race began among Enchanters and Alchemists around the world to see who would be the first to discover a way to control the volatile Essence contained in the crystal. The Blasting Wand is one such attempt.

A long, thin, stick of finely carved Purpleheart wood must be crafted and lined with a fine silver lace on the wand’s tip rests a small silver disc. Creating the wand requires 3 Success Levels on an Intelligence and Arts test. To complete the Wand, the Enchanter must smash a Blasting Stone directly on top of the Wand. This safely discharges the Stone’s Essence, but reduces the Enchanter’s maximum Essence by 10.

Once crafted, a Blasting Stone can be placed on the disc, the Essence in the Wand binding the crystal to it until the crystal is drained of its Essence or it’s forcefully pried off (requiring a Simple Strength test with a penalty equal to the amount of Essence in the Stone).

Once mounted, the Wand’s wielder may expend a single point of Essence from the Blasting Stone to release a multicoloured beam of light. The beam explodes violently upon contact with an opaque or Essence-based object or creature. This explosion deals damage to the struck entity equal to 4 times the number of Essence previously contained in the Blasting Stone (before the Wand was triggered). The beam can pass through transparent objects, and it can be redirected or even split by mirrors or prisms. It can’t penetrate an Essence-based barrier, instead discharging immediately upon contact with it.

Artifacts:

  • A Blasting Wand costs 2 character points. Blasting Stones not included.

Elixir of Life (Magnum Opus; 10 points, requires Philosopher’s Stone, Ambrosia)

Commonly seen as the final goal of Alchemy, an Elixir of Life’s rejuvenating properties are the subject of many myths and legends. Creating an Elixir of Life is an extremely difficult and never ending task, once the first dose is made, the alchemist can never rest and is always on a race against time to create the next.

Unlike popular belief, an elixir of life isn’t a mere potion that must be consumed, rather it’s a ritual that an Enchanter must perform at a time near a full moon. Each month, the alchemist must decipher the formula for the ritual that she must perform. The ritual can include almost anything, including but not limited to drinking wine from a specially made mithril goblet, or eating an apple infused with ambrosia, or other more mundane tasks. The window to perform the ritual is the 7 days around the full moon (so within 3 days of the full moon). This ritual is unique to every person, and is different every month.

Discovering the ritual requires 5 Success Levels on an Intelligence and Occultism test. This test may be attempted 4 times per month: at the new moon, first and third quarters, and during the full moon itself. If the alchemist managed to discover the ritual before the full moon, they can instead use that attempt to search for the ritual for the next moon (only the full moon attempt may be used for the upcoming month, the others can only be used for the current one).

If the alchemist fails to perform a ritual in the window, they begin to age rapidly, so that their body catches up with their real age by midnight of the next full moon. If the alchemist then fails to produce the next ritual on time, their real age catches up with them. If they would die of old age, they wither away at midnight of the full moon, otherwise they now become of their actual age, and resuming usage of the Elixir will henceforth maintain that age.

Artifacts:

  • An Enchanter who knows this Formula is assumed to have already discovered the ritual for the next full moon after the game begins.

Guiding Matrix (4 points, requires Summoning Rune)

Through careful study of the minds and bodies of Psychics, some Alchemists and Enchanters have begun to unravel the way they manipulate the world with their powers, and have used that knowledge to devise Formulae that allow anyone similar, yet limited, control.

A Formula for an Artifact allowing full telekinesis has not yet been discovered, though for now the closest that has been achieved is a Guiding Matrix. This isn’t an Artifact in and of itself, rather it’s an enchantment that can be added to an object to allow a pilot some control over it. Due to this still being in its very early stages, the Formula is currently only fit for creating vehicles, as the enchanted object must be rather large to fit the whole mechanism, and the operator keeps in contact with the item.

A Guiding Matrix is usually applied to a broom or carpet, though it could be put on a chariot, chair, or anything else that can bear the pilot’s weight. The Enchanter must first etch, engrave, embroid, brand, or otherwise produce a series of specific runes on the vehicle’s surface. The runes required are unique to every individual, so the first time developing the runes for a given pilot requires at least 3 Success Levels on an Intelligence and Occultism test.

To complete the construction, the Enchanter must attune the vehicle to the pilot. If the vehicle is to walk, roll, or otherwise move on the ground, one Attunement Crystal must be embedded into the vehicle. If the pilot wishes the vehicle to be able to hover or fly, the finer control requires two Attunement Crystals.

To operate the vehicle, the pilot places a hand on the Attunement Crystal (or one hand on each Crystal if it’s designed for flying). The vehicle then responds to the pilot’s will, moving freely as though it were part of the pilot’s own body. This doesn’t require a roll. If the pilot loses contact with the Attunement Stone, they lose control of the vehicle, and upon restoring contact a Dexterity and Willpower test may be required to resume control.

As long as the vehicle is in operation, the pilot is drained of 1 Essence every 10 minutes (6 Essence per hour), or double that if the vehicle is flying. This Essence cannot be regained until the pilot stops the aircraft and rests.

The vehicle can move at a speed of up to 20 km/h times the pilot’s Willpower. The pilot may choose to move at twice that speed, but that increases the Essence cost to 3 per 10 minutes.

Artifacts:

  • A ground vehicle with a Guiding Matrix costs 5 character points.
  • A flying vehicle with a Guiding Matrix costs 8 character points.

Imbued Object (2 points)

One of the simplest Enchantments to place on an object, Imbuing is also one of the most potent.

An Imbued object allows an Enchanter to empower a mundane object, called the Vessel, with an Invocation. When imbuing the vessel the Enchanter or another Sorcerer casts an Invocation, and decides all the Invocation's variables: its range, damage, and specific effects. The vessel gains an Essence Pool with a size equal to the Invocation's cost, though may choose to increase its capacity. The Enchanter loses maximum Essence equal to half of the item's Essence Pool.

Every Imbued Object has a Power Level, indicating its strength, and the Enchanter loses 3 maximum Essence for each Power Level to be created. If the Invocation depends on one of the caster's Attributes, treat it as equal to the Power Level. If the Invocation requires a Resisted Task, use twice the Power Level.

The Imbued Object regenerates 1 Essence per Power Level per hour.

Artifacts:

  • An Imbued Object costs 1 Character Point per 3 points in the vessel's Essence Pool, plus 2 points per Power Level.

Homunculus (Magnum Opus; 10 points, requires Philosopher’s Stone)

The creation of artificial human life is seen by many as the final goal of Alchemy. While not exactly “alive” and hardly “human”, a homunculus is perhaps the closest humanity has ever gotten to fulfilling that dream.

Creating a homunculus is a long and arduous process, even compared to other Artifacts.

  1. First, a proper vessel must be designed: the Alchemist molds a humanoid body out of clay or straw. The Alchemist must set two Attunement Crystals to serve as the being’s eyes. This whole process requires at least 3 Success Levels on an Intelligence and either Alchemy or Art test.
  2. Next, the body must be treated: for seven weeks and a day, the Alchemist must spend at least one continuous hour each day anointing the body in fine oils and cleaning it of impurities. The Alchemist must schedule the ritual so that the final day takes place during the full moon.

If more than seven days are missed, the Alchemist must begin this step from the beginning, though none of the materials are ruined.

  1. At noon on the last day of the ritual, as the final anointment takes place. The Alchemist performs an additional Intelligence and Alchemy test, requiring 4 Success Levels. Increase the required Success Levels by 1 for each day missed throughout the ritual. If this is failed, the Alchemist must begin this process anew.
  2. At midnight on the last day of the ritual, the Alchemist must douse the body in a liter of blood freshly taken from their body. The Alchemist must succeed on a Constitution and Willpower test or lose consciousness due to the exertion. If they succeed on the test, the Attunement Crystals permanently fuse into the homunulus’s body, as it comes to life. This drains the Alchemist of 20 maximum Essence.

If the Alchemist fails the test, the body begins melting the moment it touches the Alchemist’s blood. The body and Crystals are completely destroyed in the process.

A homunculus is an extension of the Enchanter’s own soul and Essence. As such, the homunculus shares many of its master’s supernatural abilities:

  • The homunculus may Enchant objects as though it were its master, though it can’t create a homunculus of its own
  • If homunculus’s master can use Invocations, the homunculus can perform them as well
  • If homunculus’s master is a medium, the homunculus may use any necromantic power they possess, except for Death Vessel

A homunculus can never use Seer Powers (as it doesn’t have a psyche) and it can’t perform Miracles (unless the homunculus was specifically Inspired by a deity, though such an event has never been recorded).

All Attunement Crystals and Philosopher’s Stones treat the homunculus as they would treat its master, and any Attunement Crystal created by the homunculus is attuned to its master.
If the homunculus’s master has Essence Channeling, the homunculus may channel 1 Essence per round, and it shares its master’s Essence Pool.

An Enchanter may only own 1 homunculus at any given time. Attempting to create a second homunculus causes the body to be destroyed during the culmination of the ritual, as though the creation process had failed.

If the homunculus is slain, its body and the Attunement Crystals used in its creation are destroyed and the Essence spent on their creation is not restored. In fact, the trauma of having a portion of their soul severed deals 10 damage to both the Enchanter’s Life Points and their Essence, though this damage may be restored as usual.

Artifacts:

  • An Enchanter who knows this Formula may begin the game with an homunculus for no additional cost.

Mithril (3 points)

Mithril is made by melting and mixing equal amounts of Mercury, Gold, Silver, and Copper, along with a small amount of blood and infusing it with 15 Essence. 2 Life Points worth of blood, along with 0.5 kg of each metal are enough to create 2 kg of Mithril, and this drains 10 maximum Essence.

Though not renowned for its hardness, Mithril has a powerful connection to Essence. Magical effects and creatures may treat Mithril as though it were silver. Ghosts and Spirits can’t cross into an area encircled by Mithril wire, and blades made of it deal full damage to them. Against undead, a Mithril weapon deals its damage as both Life Point damage and Essence damage. Against mortals, attacks from a Mithril weapon drain Essence equal to the wielder’s Strength (increased normally by the Success Levels on the attack roll), in addition to the normal Life Point Damage.

Armour made from Mithril has the same Armour Value as regular metal armour of the same type, but it also protects its wearer from Essence based attacks (including Invocations, or psychic, necromantic, or divine powers, as well as attacks from ghosts and spirits), giving them a +2 bonus to resist any supernatural power that can normally be resisted.

Artifacts:

  • Mithril weapons cost 2 character points.
  • Mithril arrowheads cost 1 character point for every 10 units.
  • Mithril armour costs 3 character points.

Philosopher’s Stone (2 points, requires Attunement Crystal)

Occasionally called “Sorcerer’s Stone” due to its great usefulness to sorcerers, a Philosopher’s Stone is a special Attunement Crystal that allows an alchemist to use their own Essence to create alchemical Concoctions.

Creating a Philosopher’s Stone works much in the same way as creating a regular Attunement Crystal, except the ritual must take place during twilight on one of the solstices, or equinoxes.

An Alchemist with the Essence Channeling Quality and a Philosopher’s Stone may channel 1 Essence point per Quality Level into the Concoction every minute, thus greatly reducing the time it takes to create them.

This great power comes at a cost, though. Any Concoction created using a Philosopher’s Stone temporarily reduces the Alchemist’s maximum Essence by an amount equal to the Concoction’s Power Level, though this is restored once the Concoction is consumed or expires.

A Philosopher’s Stone may be used as an Attunement Crystal, though that suppresses its Alchemical properties until one lunar cycle has passed from when it’s removed.

Artifacts:

  • A Philosopher’s Stone costs 3 character points.

Spatial Pocket (1 point)

The biggest struggle most Alchemists face in their careers is storage and transportation of their reagents and finished products. A Spatial Pocket is an attempt to solve that problem by expanding the space within a confined area.

To transform a room or container into a Spatial Pocket, the Enchanter must line its inside with a single strand of silk from a silkworm’s cocoon. The silk must be coiled tightly around a golden fibre, and the fibre must run across the room on its longest axis. Afterwards, the Enchanter an obsidian crystal carved to the shape of the container against the silk. The silk unwinds and fuses itself and the crystal into the container’s inner side, as it expands rapidly, becoming 10 times larger in each direction (for a total of 1000 times the volume).

If the crystal used to complete the ritual is smashed, the silk thread is torn, or a hole made in the container’s exterior (that wasn’t present during the Enchantment process), the Enchantment is destroyed. This immediately shrinks the container’s interior back to its original size, and it may burst apart if it is too full.

This costs 1 Essence per meter of coiled silk used (before it expands). All of this Essence is drained from the maximum Essence of whoever held the obsidian crystal against the silk.

Artifacts:

  • A bag, purse, or pouch Enchanted as a Spatial Pocket costs 2 character points.
  • A room Enchanted as a Spatial Pocket costs 1 character point per cubic meter of pre-expansion size.
  • A vehicle (either a wagon or a closed cart) Enchanted as a Spatial Pocket costs 6 character points.

Summoning Rune (1 points, requires Attunement Crystal)

A relatively simple enchantment, a Summoning Rune is a series of runes that are drawn or engraved on an object. As long as there is an Attunement Crystal attached to the object, the Carrier can choose to summon it to themselves by merely holding out their hand and willing it to come. This works as long as the item is within 100 meters per Willpower Level, and only if the object is not restrained. The item will attempt to fly along the shortest path towards the Carrier.

Creating a Summoning Rune doesn’t drain any maximum Essence.

Artifacts:

  • Adding a Summoning Rune to an item costs 1 character point.