Rising Sun Eternal: Magic

Learning a Ritual

Exactly how long it takes to study a given ritual depends on its complexity – that is, whether it is considered Simple , Complex or Elaborate. Typically, the more powerful the potential effects of ritual, the more complex it will be. Simple rituals take research of order of hours or days to learn; Complex rituals can only learned through the application days or weeks of study; Elaborate rituals can take weeks, months, or years of time investment does not have continuous block can be split across periods of intense

There are rituals which, if correctly performed, can create a supernatural effect. Rituals typically involve (potentially complex) patterns of action, chants, and associated paraphernalia. The manifestations created through rituals can be significant, but unlike magic in most tabletop roleplaying games such supernatural workings are laborious. They are typically time-consuming and may require the coordinated actions of a group of people to have any chance of succeeding.

Despite such inherent limitations, supernatural rituals represent perhaps the most powerful source of otherworldly influence which Protagonists (or their human adversaries) are ever likely to have under their control. As such there are some individuals who scour the world searching for tomes or teachers which can instruct them in such rituals.

When a Protagonist has successfully read a tome in its entirety you as Game Moderator should provide him or her with a list of any rituals it contains. Not every account contains rituals, and not every description of supernatural effects in an account is detailed enough to allow it to be reproduced. But for those that are present in such form, you should provide a sketchy description of what the ritual seems designed to do. This should be a description in vague game-world terms rather than in terms of game mechanics.

A Protagonist might decide to attempt to study the specifics of a ritual described in a tome. If so, he or she will need to devote time and effort to that endeavor. This is in addition to the time spent researching the account itself and represents study that can only begin when its information has been consumed in full.

Exactly how much time is needed to study a given ritual depends on its complexity – that is, whether it is considered Simple, Complex, or Elaborate. Typically, the more powerful the potential effects of a ritual, the more complex it will be.

Simple rituals take research of the order of hours or days to learn; Complex rituals can only be learned through the application of days or weeks of study; and Elaborate rituals can take weeks, months, or years to master. The time investment to learn a ritual does not have to be a single continuous block of research but can be split across many shorter periods of intense study.

Rolling to Learn A Ritual

If the Protagonist invests the requisite time, he or she will still need to make a roll at the end of the period to see whether the time invested paid off. The Protagonist must attempt a roll of the relevant skill - usually Occult or Magic, but occasionally other skills such as Alchemy - to learn the ritual.

The Protagonist also faces a penalty based on the complexity of the ritual:

• Simple: No modifier
• Complex: -20%
• Elaborate: -40%

If the roll does not indicate a successful learning of the ritual, it means the Protagonist does not grasp the nuances required to master it. He or she can try again but will need to start from the beginning and again invest the same amount of time again before re-attempting the test.

If, on the other hand, the roll indicates the Protagonist fumbles the ritual, he or she loses SAN. For Simple rituals, the Sanity loss should be modest (e.g., 1 point, 1D4, or 1D6); for Complex rituals a more substantial loss is warranted (e.g., 1D6, 1D8, or 1D10), while fumbling Elaborate rituals risks severe damage to Sanity (e.g., 1D10, 1D12, or 1D20 point loss).

Once a ritual has been successfully learned, the Protagonist may attempt to perform it (see below).

Performing Rituals

The specific actions, chants, and paraphernalia required to successfully perform a ritual are particular to each and should be designed as part of the ritual’s description.

Any attempt to carry out a ritual without the necessary knowledge or components is doomed to failure … although it is possible that flawed ritual activities might still generate some kind of supernatural effect, just not the one intended by the person conducting the ritual. The Game Moderator should use his or her judgement to determine any such random supernatural side-effects; they should almost always be dangerous and detrimental to those involved.

In terms of game mechanics, the successful performance of a ritual (once the correct pieces are in place) is achieved via an investment of time/effort, the sacrifice of points in one or more game attribute (usually Willpower Points), and a successful Ritual Activation Test (see below). If all these steps are successfully achieved, the supernatural effects of the ritual will manifest.

Time Invested in the Ritual

The amount of time required to perform a ritual depends on its complexity rating – Simple, Complex, or Elaborate. ∙ Simple rituals are relatively quick to carry out, requiring somewhere between a turn and a minute. ∙ Complex rituals are more time-consuming, needing somewhere between a few minutes and an hour. ∙ Elaborate rituals are serious undertakings, consuming anything from a few hours to a day or maybe more.

During the time taken to perform a ritual, assume that all participants are completely occupied (chanting, carrying out prescribed actions, using paraphernalia in particular ways). A short interruption might not destroy the momentum of the ritual but a longer break likely will.

Powering the Ritual

The description of a ritual should outline the type and number of personal attribute points that must be sacrificed to provide mental energies that fuel the supernatural effect.

The most common form of sacrifice is Willpower Points – to create relatively minor effects might only require 5 or 6 WPs; a substantial effect might require 15; a vastly powerful effect might require 30; and a truly cosmic-level effect might need 100 or more WPs.

When a Protagonist makes a deliberate sacrifice of WPs, check to see whether the new total carries any effect upon him or her. In particular, remember that reaching a WP total of 1 or 2 indicates a mental collapse of some kind, and reaching 0 WP causes unconsciousness.

Whenever a sacrifice of WP is called for, a participant in the ritual may always choose to sacrifice points of permanent POW instead – each such point is equivalent to 10 WPs for the purposes of fueling a ritual. Such sacrificed points do not refresh, but Protagonists can attempt DOWNTIME activities to try to get some back.

Some rituals also call for a sacrifice of Hit Points, either from the participants or from elsewhere (animal, human, or other living entity). Note that Protagonists who knowingly harm another person, or even cruelly harm or kill an animal are likely to be subject to Sanity loss due to VIOLENCE (see page 66). So are any other participants in the ritual - if they are from cultures that do not accept the principle of sacrifice of living beings to deities or spirits.

Depending on the nature of the specific ritual, it may be possible for several people to cooperate in the performance. For especially large effects this may be the only way to generate enough mental energies. While the leader of the ritual must have learned it in full (using the process described in the previous section), helpers can be instructed through simple notes and rote learning. Each assistant chooses for themselves how many points of attributes they will sacrifice.

The Ritual Activation Test

If the requisite amount of time has been devoted to the ritual and the necessary number of attribute points sacrificed, the individual leading the performance may make a roll to see if the effort was ultimately successful. Successfully activating a ritual depends on the ritual leader passing a skill test, but success is more likely the lower that number. The Ritual Activation Test is a skill test that must be passed for the ritual to work as planned. Usually the skill is Occult or Magic, but exceptionally may be something else. There are potential bonuses and penalties to apply to the Ritual Activation Test, depending on the setting and the various other applicable factors, and definite penalties depending on the complexity:

• Simple: No modifier
• Complex: -20%
• Elaborate: -40%

Needless to say, this means that the most powerful magical effects are likely to require even more preparation and paraphernalia in order to offset the penalties. If the roll indicates the ritual did not work, all the chanting and ceremony has been for naught. The ritual leader has two options – he or she can either:

• Abandon the ritual: nothing supernatural happens at all, and half of the sacrificed points are returned to all participants; or
• Force a connection to the supernatural: this involves the leader personally sacrificing 1 POW permanently to turn a failed roll to a successful one. The ritual effects happen after all, despite the roll.

Sanity Costs to Ritual Participants

If a ritual was fumbled, it will inflict Sanity damage equal to the damage inflicted by fumbling the learning roll - on the character leading the ritual, and all other participants.

On the other hand, if the ritual succeeds and the supernatural effect is generated it is quite likely that the experience of witnessing something bizarre created by one’s own actions will damage each participant's Sanity. The precise losses should reflect the effect that is created, as described by the spell description. As a guideline, a minor supernatural effect might warrant a SAN loss of 1 point, a substantial one might be worth 1D8, a vast effect might lead to a loss of 1D12, and a truly cosmic manifestation might cause a Sanity loss of anything up to 1D100.

Objects with Unnatural Power

As Game Moderator, you may wish to include in your game items with the power to create supernatural effects reminiscent of those wrought through rituals. Using such an item does not require any special training or learning, and no Ritual Activation Test is needed - although the purpose of the object may be to improve the success chances of a Ritual Activation Test. The user of an object with supernatural powers may, however, still need to sacrifice attribute points to fuel the effect (as per the GM’s description of the item) and might suffer SAN loss from the experience.

Magical Effects

There are lots of weird, supernatural things that can happen in your game. In most cases, the style of weirdness and its scope of effect should be tied to the specific setting, or the current adventure/campaign/plotline being played out. Effects should relate to significant plot points or elements of the setting rather than being generic RPG ‘spells’. The following guidelines may be helpful to Game Moderators inventing custom supernatural powers for their own game.

Calculating the Scope of the Supernatural Effect

The manifestations associated with a supernatural effect can be virtually anything the Game Moderator can imagine. Where such effects require game mechanics, these can be designed on a case-by-case basis.

For determining the attribute cost of a ritual, it is useful to gauge the overall ‘magnitude of the effect being generated – this is termed the scope of the effect. For convenience, a scale of eight scope ratings (from least to greatest) is shown below, along with a representative Willpower Point cost for fueling effects at each rating.

• Minor: 6
• Small: 9
• Significant: 12
• Substantial: 15
• Major: 22 (or 12 WP + 1 POW)
• Vast: 30 (or 10 WP + 2 POW)
• Sweeping: 45 (or 15 WP + 3 POW)
• Cosmic: 110 (or 10 WP + 10 POW)

The scope of an effect is based on how sweeping a change it causes to the physical (or mental) world. The sections which follow give guidelines regarding how specific types of effects might be rated using this scale.

One basic factor for consideration is the range of the supernatural effect (i.e., how far from the ritual site the effect manifests). Generally, it is much easier to create effects nearby and harder to influence reality a long distance away. The table below gives a rough guide.

• Nearby (10 m away): Minor
• Local (100m away): Small
• Line of Sight (1km away): Significant
• Distant (100km away): Substantial
• Global (anywhere on Earth): Major
• Beyond earth, but within our galaxy: Vast
• In another galaxy: Sweeping
• In a separate dimension: Cosmic

Use these base scope ratings as a starting point, adapting them according to the criteria specific to different effect types as shown on the next page. Wherever multiple criteria apply, always pick the greater of the two possible scope ratings (e.g., if one criterion suggests a Significant rating and another a Vast rating, the scope of the effect is actually Vast).

Common Types of Effects

As Game Moderator you’re free to invent any type of supernatural effect that complements your game world. A few common categories of effects may prove useful starting points for broader invention.

Summoning Supernatural Entities

In many settings there exist a family of rituals designed to compel a supernatural being to manifest at the location where the ritual is performed. The specific details of the chants and actions that must be performed to achieve this outcome vary according to the type of creature to be summoned. In determining the Scope rating for this supernatural effect, the most pertinent factor is the POW characteristic of the supernatural creature summoned.

• 1—8: Minor
• 9—12: Small
• 13—16: Significant
• 17—20: Substantial
• 21—30: Major
• 31—40: Vast
• 41—60: Sweeping
• 61—150: Cosmic

Binding Supernatural Entities

Another category of rituals found in many settings are those compelling a supernatural creature to obey the will of the ritual leader (at least for a period of time). This control is called binding. As with summoning, the Scope of such an effect is governed primarily by the POW of the creature – use the table above. Binding spells which have a long duration (more than a day) may warrant a higher Scope rating than that mentioned on the table.

Mental Contact With Gods

While many settings include numerous races of supernatural creatures, the major Powers are often more properly thought of as individual ‘gods’. . Certain sorcerers have at different points in history devised rituals to make mental contact with one of these intelligences. In determining the rating for the scope of such an effect the primary consideration is the potency of the God.

• Minor (e.g., local spirit): Substantial
• Major (e.g., angel, demigod): Vast
• Significant (e.g., god of element): Sweeping
• Cosmic (e.g., Creator): Cosmic

Opening Physical Conduits to Gods

Some sorcerers are not content with communing with such entities, but instead wish to open conduits for their physical avatars to enter our reality. Again, the primary consideration in determining scope is the potency of the God, although the act of opening a physical conduit is at least one step greater in scope than merely communicating telepathically.

• Minor (e.g., local spirit): Vast
• Major (e.g., angel, demigod): Sweeping
• Significant (e.g., god of element): Cosmic
• Cosmic (e.g., Creator): Cosmic

Dimensional Traversal

Settings often incorporate the idea of extra-dimensional locales, whether remote parts of our own universe, realms created by the collective human unconscious mind, or entirely different dimensions. Stories set in such worlds may involve a myriad of different supernatural effects that permit mere mortals to cross the barrier between the normal world and one such outside region.

In determining the scope of an effect which allows dimensional traversal, consider the distances involved. Use the range table provided above, re-imagining the range values as referring instead to the distance traversed.

Cursing and Damaging

Although far less common than in traditional tabletop roleplaying games, supernatural effects may exist in some settings which directly inflict physical harm on individuals. The scope for such an effect can be estimated by considering the amount of physical damage which may be potentially inflicted, usually represented by a dice value or Lethality rating.

• Minor: 1D4
• Small: 1D6
• Significant: 1D8
• Substantial: 1D10
• Major: 1D20
• Vast: 2D20
• Sweeping: 10D10
• Cosmic: 10D100

Warding and Protection

As counterpoint to supernatural effects which may cause physical harm, it is equally possible for supernatural effects to exist which protect individuals from such harm. When estimating the scope of such an effect, consider the worst or most-serious type of damage the effect is likely to mitigate and consult the table from the previous section.

Magical Schools in Japan

These are the types of magic, and the types of practitioner, available in Japan. A practitioner of one discipline cannot take up another.

Folk Magic

This is the traditional, time-honoured type of magic practised by wandering aruki miko shamanesses, or ateji mediums. It was almost always practised by women (or transgenders) and was primarily associated with shamanism and the summoning or invocation of kami in the Shinto pantheon, chiefly minor kami and local spirits, or ancestors. The government historically tried to control these figures by registering them through shrines and temples, and many religious houses would have such miko attached. However, many also wandered independently and carried out other roles, such as healing, minstrelry, dance, or even prostitution. (Much rarer, male shamans were known as geki.) Ateji and aruki miko traditionally learned through intensive apprenticeship to a senior shaman, often a family member. They would learn to call the kami and spirits and be possessed by them to communicate with the living and to perform magic. Typically, an aruki miko/ateji initiates mental contact with a kami or spirit, which will then answer what questions or give what prophecy it has been asked to do, or perform magic. Denied the power and authority of the shrines and temples, an aruki miko/ateji can rarely if ever contact any spirit or kami above a Major magnitude, and the magic performed by the summoned entity is commensurate, as well as highly localized to the entity’s particular location or area of power.

Buddhist miracles

Buddhist monks, nuns and priests can perform divine miracles by contacting, summoning and binding the saints, Wisdom Kings, gongen (Buddhist deities appearing as local kami), Bodhisattvas, and actual Buddhas of the Japanese Buddhist pantheon. Exceptionally, they may even open a way for the entity to manifest itself. The entity will then perform or channel the appropriate miracle, to a strength commensurate with its Scope.

Koso - Buddhist saint, protective spirit: 13—16 (Significant)

Gongen - Buddhist spirit manifesting as kami: 17—20 (Substantial)

Tenbu (Deva) - Buddhist minor deities: 21—30 (Major)

Myōō-bu (Vidyārāja) - Wisdom Kings: 31—40 (Vast)

Bosatsu-bu (Bodhisattvas) - 41—60 (Sweeping)

Nyorai-bu (Buddhas): 61—150 (Cosmic)

All of these entities will only act consistently with Buddhist teaching; however, their individual characters and roles vary widely, and so will the miracles they can facilitate.

Shinto miracles

Shinto priests, shrine maidens, and exceptionally, gifted and pious lay persons can perform divine miracles by contacting, summoning and binding the kami of traditional Japanese Shinto. Exceptionally, they may even open a way for the entity to manifest itself. The entity will then perform or channel the appropriate miracle, to a strength commensurate with its Scope.

Ya-o-yorozu no kami - the eight million kami, minor kami, ancestors: Major

Kunitsukami - earthly, local kami: Sweeping

Amatsukami - heavenly kami: Cosmic

Sorcery

Sorcery is the attempt to manipulate the divine powers of the cosmos through human will. Much of it is derived from Chinese cosmology and Taoist philosophy. Sorcerers often learn these by studying ancient Chinese texts, or by bargaining for rituals from strange beings.

A sorcerer chooses a particular phase or movement (element) to achieve a particular magical effect. The manifestations and materials for the ritual have to be appropriate to the right movement. The sorcerer then constructs the appropriate ritual, based on complexity and desired scope. Environmental factors (season, direction, planet in the sky, etc.) can affect the chances of success of the Ritual Activation Test.

Once a particular ritual is formulated, it cannot be changed, only increased in scope, etc. A new ritual will have to be formulated for new effects.