Post by Lorekeeper on Mar 3, 2007 2:20:25 GMT -8
Naming (Runecasting)
This rare and powerful Art is the fae answer to the magicks of Egypt and Scandinavia, teaching the caster power over the names of things. However, while many prodigal wizards concentrate on learning vast lists of names of power to work their magicks, the fae are far more pragmatic and intuitive towards the project. Their understanding of Realms allows most fae to easily grasp the names of things enough to enhance them with rune magick, and the masters of this power can divine the full names of subjects and, eventually, use this leverage to fundamentally alter their targets. The effects of this Art are often subtle, but rarely ineffective.
Seek ‘n Spell (Primeval Tongue) •
A runecaster first learns to find the common bonds amongst all written languages. When enacting this power, the caster can decipher almost any text, provided she has an idea what it is about. Each success translates one page of a book, or a similar amount of text, though truly complicated ciphers or languages with little basis in the Ur-tongue (such as Basque) may require extra success.
Realm: The Realm used determines what kinds of texts can be translated. Nature allows the caster to understand any kind of text on the natural world, Scene translates works on places, Craft translates discussion of innovations, and so on. If a work contains multiple Realms, or digressions to higher levels than the Realm level used, only the applicable portions will be translated. Because of this, many runecasters perform a large ritual to incorporate all Realms for the first few pages of a new text, and then perform simpler castings when they have figured out the Realms involved in the text.
Rune (Rune of Excellence) ••
The next skill a runecaster learns is to inspire excellence with the runic alphabet. By inscribing this rune on a subject and suggesting what is being inspired, the next action of that type gains bonus dice equal to the success on the rune’s invocation, with a cap of 5 successes. A weapon might be inscribed with a rune of keenness or deftness, a person might be inscribed with a rune of strength, skill, or stamina, and so on. A rune lasts until used, but each subject can only have one rune of excellence at a time, total. Each future casting on the same subject is at a cumulative –1 success until the subject has had no runes for an entire week.
Realm: The Realm used determines what can be affected.
Runic Circle (Rune of Protection) •••
A further trick of runecasters, this power protects against magicks, drawing their power into its writing and destroying it. The runic circle is the focus of the power, and destroying it weakens and possibly destroys the power. Each success on the invocation is a success that can be countered on fae magicks that target the subject, or one half of a success from non-Dreaming based magicks (such as those of Prodigals). There is no upper limit to the successes that can be accrued, save that casting override one another and do not stack. The circle lasts until its successes are used up in countering or its bearer or caster destroys it. As successes are used up the circle becomes less and less complex, so it is easy for even non-runecasters to tell when it is being worn out. Friendly as well as harmful magicks are negated by this circle, making it less useful for those that like to have magical boosts, either from themselves or from others. Powers that are activated without a roll are unaffected.
Realm: Realm is what is protected. Only a Space-inscribed circle protects things inside it, a Craft protects just that Craft.
Saining (Name Casting) ••••
This power is largely why fae runecasters are so respected and feared by the supernaturals that know of them. By invoking Saining a fae may puzzle out a subject’s True Name. This crucial piece of information, besides being necessary for the mastery power of Naming, gives a character significant leverage and bargaining power over those that are in the business of names.
Casting this power is rarely done without a ritual, as it requires large numbers of successes to achieve all but the least complex names. Successive castings may come up with different parts of the name that overlap with previously learned sections, making getting lots of successes in one go a must.
Typically, divining a sentient subject’s True Name requires one success for every half decade of a character’s life, and extra successes for complexity of the character and if she is unwilling to be Sained. Inanimate objects are typically much less complex, unless they are incredibly old and/or feature heavily in legend or in the doings of sentient characters.
All subjects will get a nagging feeling when they are being Sained, and if this is being done via Space it is possible to trace via other divinatory magicks. It is unwise to attempt to Sain powerful targets without strong protections.
Realm: The Realm used determines what can be Sained.
Reweaving (Rune Changing) •••••
The most potent power of the Naming Art allows the caster to literally alter the runes of a subject’s True Name in order to work changes in the subject’s existence. The only limitation on the power is that it cannot change the subject of one Realm into another, and that substantial changes take a lot of successes and are rarely of extensive duration.
Simple names can be changed drastically with a few successes, but most names require five or more successes for more than the simplest changes. The storyteller will set just how hard it is to alter a certain thing with a casting of this power.
Generally, the duration of the change is dependent on its extensiveness. Minor changes to unimportant things can be made permanent with a success while minor changes to sentient characters or important subjects require several successes for permanency. In most cases, changes will stay in effect for one hour per success spent into duration, with small changes eventually reaching a number of successes where they can be made permanent. Large changes will always revert eventually, though using the Time Realm and a blessing or a curse might make this period quite extensive.
Realms: The Realm indicates which target will be affected by the Reweaving. The caster must have the True Name of the subject as well as the appropriate Realm, or the casting automatically fails.
This rare and powerful Art is the fae answer to the magicks of Egypt and Scandinavia, teaching the caster power over the names of things. However, while many prodigal wizards concentrate on learning vast lists of names of power to work their magicks, the fae are far more pragmatic and intuitive towards the project. Their understanding of Realms allows most fae to easily grasp the names of things enough to enhance them with rune magick, and the masters of this power can divine the full names of subjects and, eventually, use this leverage to fundamentally alter their targets. The effects of this Art are often subtle, but rarely ineffective.
Seek ‘n Spell (Primeval Tongue) •
A runecaster first learns to find the common bonds amongst all written languages. When enacting this power, the caster can decipher almost any text, provided she has an idea what it is about. Each success translates one page of a book, or a similar amount of text, though truly complicated ciphers or languages with little basis in the Ur-tongue (such as Basque) may require extra success.
Realm: The Realm used determines what kinds of texts can be translated. Nature allows the caster to understand any kind of text on the natural world, Scene translates works on places, Craft translates discussion of innovations, and so on. If a work contains multiple Realms, or digressions to higher levels than the Realm level used, only the applicable portions will be translated. Because of this, many runecasters perform a large ritual to incorporate all Realms for the first few pages of a new text, and then perform simpler castings when they have figured out the Realms involved in the text.
Rune (Rune of Excellence) ••
The next skill a runecaster learns is to inspire excellence with the runic alphabet. By inscribing this rune on a subject and suggesting what is being inspired, the next action of that type gains bonus dice equal to the success on the rune’s invocation, with a cap of 5 successes. A weapon might be inscribed with a rune of keenness or deftness, a person might be inscribed with a rune of strength, skill, or stamina, and so on. A rune lasts until used, but each subject can only have one rune of excellence at a time, total. Each future casting on the same subject is at a cumulative –1 success until the subject has had no runes for an entire week.
Realm: The Realm used determines what can be affected.
Runic Circle (Rune of Protection) •••
A further trick of runecasters, this power protects against magicks, drawing their power into its writing and destroying it. The runic circle is the focus of the power, and destroying it weakens and possibly destroys the power. Each success on the invocation is a success that can be countered on fae magicks that target the subject, or one half of a success from non-Dreaming based magicks (such as those of Prodigals). There is no upper limit to the successes that can be accrued, save that casting override one another and do not stack. The circle lasts until its successes are used up in countering or its bearer or caster destroys it. As successes are used up the circle becomes less and less complex, so it is easy for even non-runecasters to tell when it is being worn out. Friendly as well as harmful magicks are negated by this circle, making it less useful for those that like to have magical boosts, either from themselves or from others. Powers that are activated without a roll are unaffected.
Realm: Realm is what is protected. Only a Space-inscribed circle protects things inside it, a Craft protects just that Craft.
Saining (Name Casting) ••••
This power is largely why fae runecasters are so respected and feared by the supernaturals that know of them. By invoking Saining a fae may puzzle out a subject’s True Name. This crucial piece of information, besides being necessary for the mastery power of Naming, gives a character significant leverage and bargaining power over those that are in the business of names.
Casting this power is rarely done without a ritual, as it requires large numbers of successes to achieve all but the least complex names. Successive castings may come up with different parts of the name that overlap with previously learned sections, making getting lots of successes in one go a must.
Typically, divining a sentient subject’s True Name requires one success for every half decade of a character’s life, and extra successes for complexity of the character and if she is unwilling to be Sained. Inanimate objects are typically much less complex, unless they are incredibly old and/or feature heavily in legend or in the doings of sentient characters.
All subjects will get a nagging feeling when they are being Sained, and if this is being done via Space it is possible to trace via other divinatory magicks. It is unwise to attempt to Sain powerful targets without strong protections.
Realm: The Realm used determines what can be Sained.
Reweaving (Rune Changing) •••••
The most potent power of the Naming Art allows the caster to literally alter the runes of a subject’s True Name in order to work changes in the subject’s existence. The only limitation on the power is that it cannot change the subject of one Realm into another, and that substantial changes take a lot of successes and are rarely of extensive duration.
Simple names can be changed drastically with a few successes, but most names require five or more successes for more than the simplest changes. The storyteller will set just how hard it is to alter a certain thing with a casting of this power.
Generally, the duration of the change is dependent on its extensiveness. Minor changes to unimportant things can be made permanent with a success while minor changes to sentient characters or important subjects require several successes for permanency. In most cases, changes will stay in effect for one hour per success spent into duration, with small changes eventually reaching a number of successes where they can be made permanent. Large changes will always revert eventually, though using the Time Realm and a blessing or a curse might make this period quite extensive.
Realms: The Realm indicates which target will be affected by the Reweaving. The caster must have the True Name of the subject as well as the appropriate Realm, or the casting automatically fails.