Seepage
Seepage Levels and Seepage Points work as in the ConX rulebook, pages 151-3.
Focus Invocation
When a Focus chooses to make an invocation, they roll their Focus
skill. The GM may assign penalties; however, the highest chance a Focus
may have is 70%. A success indicates Focus control of the invocation;
failure hands it to the GM. As in the Conspiracy X system, one
Seepage Point is drawn from the area to power the manifestation. Also
as in the system, the Focus may customise their Invocation Table, but
the GM has final say on whether a given table is allowed – and the
result Astral Conjunction must remain at a table extreme.
Corruption
When the GM deems that an event causing corruption has taken place, he
may call for a Soul check. A failure for a normal human results in the
character gaining a level of corruption; the GM assigns the
Incarnate/Forsaken type according to his judgement of the character,
and assigns a trait from their table by either choice or random chance.
In the case of behavioural traits, the GM is encouraged to penalise any
character who does not begin to show these traits; however, PCs are
assumed not to begin with any traits.
There are six potential stages of corruption; assume that a character
can withstand one stage for every fifteen points of Soul. When the
character has no stages left – or, if they are a Focus, when they first
gain corruption – the character becomes the Forsaken or Incarnate in
totality, gaining all remaining stages. At this point the character
becomes an NPC.
Manifestation Rules
Divination: Treat as one
successful use of Clairvoyance, Retrocognition, or Precognition. The
controller of the manifestation chooses which discipline and how it is
used. Note that the situation may render certain uses inappropriate.
One Seepage Point indicates a Lesser Discipline effect, two indicates a
Greater. Note that Voids or Psinks may not be aware of this.
Telepathic Illusion: The
controller of the manifestation describes the illusion through its
lifespan. None can inflict direct harm and all affect only the minds of
those around them. These illusions can take one of three basic forms:
Apparation: The illusion
appears to be a being or beings.
Mirage: The illusion is
connected to the environment around the Focus.
Vortex: The illusion acts to
distort the senses. The GM should impose penalties to tasks as they see
fit.
One SP indicates a duration of one round, two of D6 minutes, and three
of a full hour. Note that Voids of Psinks may not be aware of this.
Phenomenon: There is a 10%
chance any TI will be accompanied by a Phenomenon. They can also, of
course, be invoked separately. Phenomena will never be undetectable by
either Voids or Psinks, as they involve physical manifestations.
The majority of Phenomena can be represented with the rules below:
Teleportation: Another Focus
roll is made. Successful Foci may choose what is teleported into the
area, where those who failed find the object dictated by the GM. Next,
the controlling side chooses exactly where it emerges. Low Seepage
areas permit only small objects/creatures to be teleported; highly
supernatural areas may transmit much larger subjects. The larger the
object teleported, the longer the translocation may take – this,
however, is left to the GM's discretion.
Ball Lightning: This works as
per the rules on page 164. Damage is treated as firearms damage.
Telekinesis: The controlling
side may use the lesser two levels of Telekinesis, lasting for D6
rounds per Seepage level.
Levitation: The controlling
side may levitate any object they choose, though the size restrictions
on Teleportation apply here too.
Pyrokinesis: The controlling
side may use the Thermokinesis level of Telekinesis, treating any skill
for combat purposes as 50% (or the Focus skill, whichever is lower, in
the case of Focus control).
Circle: This works as per the
rules on page 165.
Rituals:
The Ritualist skill must be taken as detailed in the character creation
section. Ritualist characters begin the game with one ritual per ten
per cent of their skill; afterwards, they may learn new rituals at a
10XP cost per ritual. Characters are encouraged to design their own
appropriate ritual actions and rename their ritual in accordance with
their character. Note that rituals affecting the Luck stat no longer
exist; it is not possible to learn these.
If the criteria for the ritual are met, the lead ritualist rolls his
skill; for especially powerful rituals, the GM may impose penalties as
he sees fit. In particular, those rituals with variable Df prevent the
author from attempting to provide a comprehensive list of penalties.
(The following criteria in the Forsaken
Rites list, p. 34-5, are unchanged: Threshold, Range, Duration,
Area, Length, and Participants. Note that the Conspiracy X rules mean D6 by D.)
The target must be symbolically present; this can be something of
emotional or physical significance to the target acting as a
representative, or the spell can be bound into a charm; a user can then
discharge the spell into the target by touching it to their flesh. The
target may also, of course, be present in the flesh.
Failures are adjudicated by the GM according to the magnitude of the
failure and the amount of Seepage in the area, but guidelines are given
in certain of the Forsaken Rites
basic descriptions.
Basic Ritual Effect Rules:
Rituals like Cure Corruption, which do damage to the subject and/or
caster as a side effect rather than an intentional effect, do D10
damage. Willpower tests are replaced with Soul rolls; whether these
have penalties is up to the GM to determine according to the
circumstances.
Other than the notes above, the following Rituals can be used as
presented in Forsaken Rites.
General Rituals
Cure Corruption (the Void skill is gained at 15% or replaces their
highest Seepage-related skill, whichever is higher)
Hasten Corruption
Defuse Seepage
Ritual of Sacrifice
Divinations
Questioning
Scrying
Reading the Past
Prophecy
Visitation
Somatic Rituals
Immortality
Physical Rituals
Call Weather
Teleport
Natural Disaster
Blessings and Curses
Protection from Magic
Psyche Rituals
Mind Riding
Possession
Oath-Binding
Send Emotion
Amnesia
Infection
Emotional Aura
Illusions
Disguise
Invisibility
Vortex
Major Illusion
Spirit Rituals
Summon Human
Summon Ghost
Ghost Possession
Summon Demon
Bind Spirit
Warding Circle
Banish Spirit
Spirit Bottle
Bind Zombie.
New Rules: Altered Rituals
General Rituals
Dispel Magic: If the ritual is
successful, the caster makes a Soul test. The GM imposes a penalty
based on the power of the ritual to be dispelled. A successful Soul
test dispels any ritual cast on the subjects.
Somatic Rituals
Stabilize Wound: A successful
roll heals 2D10 wound points, with a maximum of half the wound points
the character is currently suffering.
Induce Adrenaline Surge: The
subject gains a +20 to his Initiative for the Duration.
Enhance/Diminish Body: The
subject gains or loses 10 to all Body and Speed skills for the
Duration. This can push them above the stat limit.
Cause Wound: This functions as
a significant blast.
Induce Cardiac Arrest: Treat
as a significant blast; however, the target makes a Body check; on a
crit, he suffers no ill effects. A success indicates he loses only half
the wound points indicated A fumble indicates instant death.
Physical Rituals
Malfunction: Functions as the
Greater Psychokinesis power Jinx.
Repair: A successful check
gives a 50% chance of the target device working perfectly thereafter.
Strengthen: The GM is left to
adjudicate according to the nature of the target object.
Spontaneous Combustion: This
functions as Lesser Thermokinesis.
Blessings and Curses
Blessing of Prosperity/Curse of
Poverty: A successful roll adds or subtracts 15 to the Influence
skill for the next Influence check or funding roll made by the target.
This does not affect the number of Pulling Strings available to the
character.
Blessing of Skill/Curse of Ineptitude:
A successful roll adds or subtracts 15 to the target skill for the next
appropriate check made by the target. May not be used on Psychic
Disciplines.
Blessing of Protection/Curse of
Vulnerability: A successful roll subtracts or adds D10 Wounds to
the amount taken the next time the target is successfully attacked.
Psyche Rituals
Insanity: A successful roll
triggers a rank-10 check on a gauge of the caster's choice.
Domination: The caster must
first make his Ritualist check, then a Soul check. The target then
makes a Soul check; if this final check is failed, the caster may
implant a sentence into the target's psychological makeup.