SHR Main Page | Opera Propria | Vestiges in Sand Introduction
Blood and Sand originally included rules for both Sufi rituals (see Blood and Sand, pages 57-8) and everyday incantations used by Muslims. These were removed because it was felt that the Sufi rituals were a potential plot-revealer, and thus a nightmare for storyguides, while the use of magic by common folk made some players uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I present them here for general consumption.
As mentioned in Blood and Sand, Sufis practice forms of mysticism called dhikr (mentioning (of the names of God)) and sama' (listening). In a dhikr session, they form groups and intone the names of God, accompanied by certain bodily movements (sometimes dance) until they achieve a feeling of closeness with Him. In a sama' session, they listen to music or poetic recitation to achieve the same goal. Exactly which form of mysticism is practiced varies according to each individual tariqa. Through these rituals they attempt to achieve mystical insights into God's nature and the world around them. Dhikr may be performed either on an individual basis or in groups, although as will be apparent below, being in a group is preferable. Sama', by its very nature, requires more than one participant. Anyone may attend a session, but it must be led by either a zahid or a character with the Sufi Virtue (Blood and Sand, pages 46 and 77-8). Thus only Sufis or zahids may perform individual dhikr. The ritual begins, and gradually increases in fervour until a mystic understanding is reached. The actual duration varies according to each tariqa, but for game purposes, 10 minutes per participant should be assumed. Each character should make a Fatigue roll every 10 minutes against an ease factor of 6. A failed roll results in a lost Fatigue level, a botch results in the loss of two Fatigue levels. At the end of this period each player with a character present and conscious asks the storyguide a short question, and generates a total, which is calculated as follows:
Zahid or Sufi: Stress die + ((Intelligence + Perception) ÷ 2 (round up)) + total Faith points of all present
All others: Stress die + total Faith points of all present
The total should also be modified by any Fatigue penalties. The basic ease factor for zahids is 9+. For all other characters it is 19+, but the difficulty is reduced by the number of people taking part. The ease factor may not be reduced below a minimum of 9+, even if a very large number of people take part. Every character who rolls successfully may receive an answer to his or her question. Answers should be no more than a sentence, and are often cryptic. A failure gives no answer, whereas a botch gives incomprehensible or misleading information. No more than 3 questions may be asked by a character about a single topic.N.B. If these rules are to be used in a saga, the cost of the Sufi Virtue should be increased to +4.
The Qur'an is not merely a holy book telling Muslims how to live piously - it is a recitation from God, and as such it has power. Recitation of parts of the Qur'an is regarded not only as being meritorious, but also giving benefits in this life. Recitation of the first sura, for example, is said to be effective as a cure for a scorpion's sting, whereas the last two verses of the second sura are said to give protection from Satan for the night. These beliefs are known as khawass al-Qur'an (special properties of the Qur'an), and use of them is known as ruqya (incantation). In Ars Magica a pious Muslim character (one with an appropriate Personality Trait who is roleplayed as such) may attempt to cast protective or healing incantations that take advantage of these properties. The player should specify the effect desired, which should be approved by the storyguide. The character recites the appropriate part of the Qur'an, and the player rolls a stress die + the character's Personality Trait score + Faith (if possessed). If the character is in an Islamic dominion aura, the aura is also added. The result is the maximum level of the ruqya, calculated using the appropriate spell guidelines from the Ars Magica rulebook.
For example, while hunting for firewood, Hamid is stung on the foot by a scorpion. He attempts to cure himself by reciting the first sura of the Qur'an. The storyguide decides that Hamid's player will need to roll a 5 or more (as Alleviate the Serpent's Bite (PeAn(Co) 5)). He rolls a 3 on a stress die, which along with Hamid's Pious Personality Trait of +2 and the local dominion aura of 1 comes to a total of 6. Hamid feels the pain recede, says "al-hamdu li'llah" (praise be to God), and resolves to watch his step in the future!
Copyright © Niall Christie 2003.