So, I absolutely love the idea of Sorcerers being absolute multidisciplinary geniuses, but that does tend to make it out of the reach of most starting characters and tends to restrict the development of characters planning to head in that direction. I took a quick stab at rewriting the Sorcerer microtemplate, but I'm having trouble thinking of Merits that scaffold off of Ritual Sorcerer like, say, the microtemplates in Hurt Locker have. I'm also thinking of converting some of the rituals from the Greek Magical Papyri, Kemetic magical texts, and the Picatrix into Closed Rites. (I'm also toying with the idea of converting Werewolf Rites into Closed Rites)
Sorcerers: They are occult physicists, masters of the laws of resonance and symbology, sacred storytellers capable of persuading the world into changing, arcane mathematicians who use the vault of the heavens as their computation engine. A sorcerer doesn’t alter their soul, or attain enlightenment; they simply have more knowledge than most.Sorcerers are specialists in the unfathomable. They believe in secret energies that can be harnessed through study, ritual, and the practice of techniques not requiring innate supernatural power. Sorcery is the art of knowledge, ritual, and psychodrama. It is a shallow chthonic art, one made easier by access to those with mastery over the occult underpinnings of reality. Anyone could be a Sorcerer, if sufficiently motivated.
New Merits
Ritual Sorcerer (•••)
Prerequisite: Intelligence or Wits •••, Resolve •••, Occult ••, Academics or Science ••
Effect: The character is now a Sorcerer, capable of safely learning a number of Rites equal to Resolve. These “slots” can be filled with Open or Closed Rites, but once a slot have been filled, the Rites that fill them cannot be exchanged or replaced. They can learn additional Rites beyond the limitations of their Resolve by reducing their maximum Integrity at the rate of one per Rite.
Drawback: The minds of a Sorcerer are burdened with occult knowledge, unable to reach peace, exposed to too much of the mystery and horror of the Chronicles of Darkness. Sorcerers suffer from the Madness Condition.
Sorcerous Knowledge (•+)
Prerequisite: Ritual Sorcerer, Occult at dot rating or greater
Effect: Your character may learn (or create) a new Open or Closed Rite beyond the limits of the Ritual Sorcerer Merit. Such slots are already filled, as they represent specific studies or the development of a new ritual.
Open Rites: An Open Rite refers to a number of miscellaneous practices than anyone can attempt whether or not they possess the Ritual Sorcerer Merit. There are many such rituals, which might use wildly different systems. Many of them are also extremely dangerous. A malefic spirit listens to anyone attempting to summon it, but might tear apart mortals who mispronounce their names or skip an obscure honorific. Treat any action that a normal person without a supernatural template can perform that has a supernatural effect as an Open Rite, unless, as Storyteller, you decide it somehow doesn’t qualify. Example Open Rites include:
· Contacting, Summoning, Exorcising, Abjuring, Warding, and Binding Ephemeral Beings. Each is considered a separate Open Rite.
· Creating an Amkhat. Each being is considered a separate Open Rite.
· Creating sacred architecture. Each project is a separate Open Rite.
· Unveiling Omens
· Seeking Relics (including Seba)
· Creating minor occult trinkets using Equipment Building
Sorcerers do not distinguish themselves by being able to perform these Rites, but by being particularly skilled with them. Just being a Sorcerer tends to result in superior dice pools for Open Rites, but if you choose to fill a slot with Open Rite Mastery, you gain the following benefits while performing the Rite:
· The Sorcerer gains two Attribute dots either directly contributing to the Open Rite’s dice pool or to an Attribute thematically related to the Open Rite, such as boosting Presence to cow a demon once it’s been summoned. This can raise the Attribute above its normal maximum, and the Sorcerer may benefit from this boost for as long as a scene without focusing on their Rite.
· If a supernatural being contributes power to the Rite, add another two Attribute dots to the pool to spread around.
Note- Supernatural Support: By default, it is Sekhem, the stuff of life and memory and the soul, that can facilitate reliable, easy sorcery. However, with Storyteller discretion, any supernatural being may contribute to a Rite, empowering it and simplifying it. Contributing supernatural beings must have at least a dot of Occult, and must understand the basic gist of the Rite- its ultimate goal, theory, and symbolism -in order to contribute. Bear in mind that this means that supernatural beings practicing sorcery are more than capable of empowering their own Rites, while mortal sorcerers seek out patronage.
Note- Closed Rites & The Rule of Three: All Closed Rites must adhere to the Rule of Three, and demand at least three separate elements working in synchronicity to achieve the desired aim. There’s more to a ritual than the stars being in alignment or a dozen freshly removed hearts. Closed Rites require multiple components of different origins, symbolically related to the effect being sought, the creator’s culture, and elements of unique inspiration.
Sorcerers: They are occult physicists, masters of the laws of resonance and symbology, sacred storytellers capable of persuading the world into changing, arcane mathematicians who use the vault of the heavens as their computation engine. A sorcerer doesn’t alter their soul, or attain enlightenment; they simply have more knowledge than most.Sorcerers are specialists in the unfathomable. They believe in secret energies that can be harnessed through study, ritual, and the practice of techniques not requiring innate supernatural power. Sorcery is the art of knowledge, ritual, and psychodrama. It is a shallow chthonic art, one made easier by access to those with mastery over the occult underpinnings of reality. Anyone could be a Sorcerer, if sufficiently motivated.
New Merits
Ritual Sorcerer (•••)
Prerequisite: Intelligence or Wits •••, Resolve •••, Occult ••, Academics or Science ••
Effect: The character is now a Sorcerer, capable of safely learning a number of Rites equal to Resolve. These “slots” can be filled with Open or Closed Rites, but once a slot have been filled, the Rites that fill them cannot be exchanged or replaced. They can learn additional Rites beyond the limitations of their Resolve by reducing their maximum Integrity at the rate of one per Rite.
Drawback: The minds of a Sorcerer are burdened with occult knowledge, unable to reach peace, exposed to too much of the mystery and horror of the Chronicles of Darkness. Sorcerers suffer from the Madness Condition.
Sorcerous Knowledge (•+)
Prerequisite: Ritual Sorcerer, Occult at dot rating or greater
Effect: Your character may learn (or create) a new Open or Closed Rite beyond the limits of the Ritual Sorcerer Merit. Such slots are already filled, as they represent specific studies or the development of a new ritual.
Open Rites: An Open Rite refers to a number of miscellaneous practices than anyone can attempt whether or not they possess the Ritual Sorcerer Merit. There are many such rituals, which might use wildly different systems. Many of them are also extremely dangerous. A malefic spirit listens to anyone attempting to summon it, but might tear apart mortals who mispronounce their names or skip an obscure honorific. Treat any action that a normal person without a supernatural template can perform that has a supernatural effect as an Open Rite, unless, as Storyteller, you decide it somehow doesn’t qualify. Example Open Rites include:
· Contacting, Summoning, Exorcising, Abjuring, Warding, and Binding Ephemeral Beings. Each is considered a separate Open Rite.
· Creating an Amkhat. Each being is considered a separate Open Rite.
· Creating sacred architecture. Each project is a separate Open Rite.
· Unveiling Omens
· Seeking Relics (including Seba)
· Creating minor occult trinkets using Equipment Building
Sorcerers do not distinguish themselves by being able to perform these Rites, but by being particularly skilled with them. Just being a Sorcerer tends to result in superior dice pools for Open Rites, but if you choose to fill a slot with Open Rite Mastery, you gain the following benefits while performing the Rite:
· The Sorcerer gains two Attribute dots either directly contributing to the Open Rite’s dice pool or to an Attribute thematically related to the Open Rite, such as boosting Presence to cow a demon once it’s been summoned. This can raise the Attribute above its normal maximum, and the Sorcerer may benefit from this boost for as long as a scene without focusing on their Rite.
· If a supernatural being contributes power to the Rite, add another two Attribute dots to the pool to spread around.
Note- Supernatural Support: By default, it is Sekhem, the stuff of life and memory and the soul, that can facilitate reliable, easy sorcery. However, with Storyteller discretion, any supernatural being may contribute to a Rite, empowering it and simplifying it. Contributing supernatural beings must have at least a dot of Occult, and must understand the basic gist of the Rite- its ultimate goal, theory, and symbolism -in order to contribute. Bear in mind that this means that supernatural beings practicing sorcery are more than capable of empowering their own Rites, while mortal sorcerers seek out patronage.
Note- Closed Rites & The Rule of Three: All Closed Rites must adhere to the Rule of Three, and demand at least three separate elements working in synchronicity to achieve the desired aim. There’s more to a ritual than the stars being in alignment or a dozen freshly removed hearts. Closed Rites require multiple components of different origins, symbolically related to the effect being sought, the creator’s culture, and elements of unique inspiration.
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