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2.00 Introduction

Sicarius  is a role playing game and as such has many features common to other role playing games, or RPGs for short. The two main differences between Sicarius and most other RPGs is first that Sicarius was designed from the very beginning to be a Base RPG, meaning that it was designed to allow the players to role play in any environment they wished. If you wish to play a Nordic Saga, Sicarius will suit your needs. A Space Opera, no problem. Something based upon a fantasy environment from novels, comic books, movies, or your own imagination, have at it.  works as well for a Wild West RPG as it will for a jaunt through pre-historic battles with dinosaurs. Being that the Sicarius system was created to allow RPGing anywhere, anytime, it makes cross over games as seamless as possible. Create a character and play him in the Wild West, then through some twist of physics and space, launch him through time into the Middle Ages . From there, who knows. The base remains the same, and a sword blow here is the same as a sword blow there.

The second major difference between Sicarius and most other RPG's is that the Sicarius Base Role Playing System Version 0.9 is FREE to use. That's right, it costs you nothing and is yours to use and distribute freely. All that is required is that you make no modifications to the material, distribute it in it's original, complete, and unaltered form, and enjoy the use of it. You may make copies for yourself and friends, just don't sell the Sicarius BRPS.  
See the Copyright for a detailed explanation of how you may use and distribute Sicarius 0.9.

Old gamers may find Sicarius to have more basic "stats" for each character than the average game, yet they generate quickly and all find use within the system. Once characters are generated, I think that you will find the system simple to play and logical enough to fit into any setting with any character or creature that you may desire. Unlike many other games where creatures must be created differently than characters, Sicarius is designed so that a bear, dragon, human, or frog may be defined by the same set of "stats and characteristics", thus allowing easy porting of any creature or species into your game. Creatures and species thus ported will fit instantly and seamlessly into the game mechanics. Fast, strong creatures will benefit in combat from these qualities. Slow, huge creatures will find a disadvantage in number of attacks and how easy they are targeted, yet their size will give them a Life point advantage as well as the ability to inflict greater damage.

I created Sicarius for several reasons.

First, I wanted too.  is my personal "house" game, and I'm just making it available to anyone who might like it.

Second, I felt that nothing on the market really suited my needs.

Third, I feel that most games today are either overwhelming in their sheer volume of guidelines, to the point of being discouraging, or built upon older guidelines and hacked into a new and "improved" version which has many inconsistencies and forms an illogical system when spliced together. Ten versions of the same game is kind of ridiculous, each being another twenty bucks or so. Not to mention, you often need several different sets of guidelines if you like to play in more than one game setting, and woe to the players who wish to port characters from one game environment to another. Woe to the player who needs to purchase the many sets of guidelines, expansions, and other add-ons. Woe to the game master whose rules are outdated.

When I created Sicarius I had several goals in mind.

The first of these was to design a system that while complete and realistic, would not be "oppressive" by the weight and volume of it's rules. To this end I have streamlined the system to what I feel is an acceptable level.

I also wished to do away with the character class conception which stuffs characters into similar molds. Although I feel that each character should have a background, or profession, I do not like the concept that a Sorcery using character cannot learn how to pick pockets from his friend the thief. Although it should normally be more difficult for an accountant to learn a new weapon skill than for an active warrior, it should be possible. With this in mind, Sicarius does include character backgrounds which determine how difficult it is for the character to cross-train, yet their are very few absolute limitations as to what a character may learn.

Another aspect of many RPG's is the character "level" concept. In many RPG's a character gains experience by doing things, and upon accumulating a certain amount all of his skills and abilities rise at once. I think that it is silly for a character who has never drawn a bow to shoot it like a master just because he is a high level character. In Sicarius , the only way of getting better at doing something is to do it. If your fighter never uses his sword, he won't get much better with it.

With the Sicarius system, only the player and the Arbiter limit what a character may become, not some arbitrary limitation. If you want to be the best assassin around, you will only succeed by practicing and using the skills of an assassin. Although most assassins will have many skills in common, just as doctors have many skills in common, each will have greater or lesser abilities with various skills. Each will develop his own preferences in practicing his trade. Each character will be an individual.

I allow the free use of Sicarius BRPS V 0.9 , and anyone who wishes to design game settings, new skills, more weapons, creatures, sorcery, or whatever is both welcomed and encouraged to do so.

Last and most importantly, Sicarius is for your enjoyment. I hope you enjoy it.

I plan on releasing Sicarius 0.9 in several formats. The first of these shall be several paper editions. These may be photocopied if you can find one. I also will release it over the web in two formats. One being in .html format, and another being something nicer. The files will be named "sicar20.xxx" where xxx is the format of the file.  The number portion affter sicar will indicate the version.  10 = 1.0.

If you would like to write and distribute any material for Sicarius, please contact me and I will give you a Sicarius File Identifier.  This is not so much for control as it is to keep everything organized.  I would like keep a list of all modules available for Sicarius, and avoid any duplicate file names.  This is helpful for everyone involved.
Modules for Sicarius should be given file names as follows:

s2 w xxxx y . zzz where...  ( this format is used for people whose systems require 8-3 file types )

An example of such a file might be s2rakhn2.htm

s2 indicates a Sicauius V 0.9 module.

w indicates the module type based upon the following list.
a = alternate core rules
b = beasts, creatures, and other critters
c = corrections to core rules
d = stand alone adventure for Sicarius
o = occult and sorcery
p = player character types ( new species or backgrounds for players )
r = realm or game settings
s = skills
t = technology
w = new weapons
x = new rules which do not alter the core rules  ( equipment price lists, weights and measures, etc; )
z = corrections to a specific module, ( the module matching the xxxxy.zzz section of the file )

xxxx indicates the Sicarius File Identifier .  akhn might be for Akhnoora, a specific world setting. 

y indicates the file sequence number.  This is for files which build upon a previous module.  s2rakhn3 would most likely require s2rakhn1 and s2rakhn2 to be complete.  Otherwise it should have a file identifier other than akhn.

zzz = is the file format.  ( doc, htm, etc;. )

As a note, Sicarius was designed with an eye towards the world of Tamoor, ( which explains its stress upon fantasy settings ), whose particular background and development required a set of guidelines unlike most others.  Many fantasy and fiction worlds cannot be easily spliced together with existing game systems, especially where the occult is concerned.  Sicarius was originally designed to fill this role.

3.0 What you need to Play

First, you need the Sicarius BRPS, and if your reading this, you should have it.

Next, you need at least one player who understands the game mechanics and one or more players who are willing to play and learn.

Third, you need 10 sided dice. You could do with one die, yet I would recommend at lease two dice per player. These are found at most any hobby shop and some bookstores. As an alternative, you can use a standard deck of playing cards.

Last, paper and pencils.

That's about it! Everything else is just glitz and glamour. Oh, you should all have some imagination.

The players are divided into two types. One player is known as the Arbiter. His job is to set up the gaming world, provide a setting for the other characters to play in, and control the background characters and the world(s) at large. He is an overseer of the game, yet he often has at least as much if not more fun than the other players. All of the other players will develop a persona known as a character. These characters will have Stats and Skills which will allow the player to interact within the game world. The character is more than the sum of his Stats and Skills, he is a projection of the player.  is designed mainly for those who understand how RPG's work, and as such may lack information in the area of basics. If your new to the scene, it might be in your best interests to find an old hand at any RPG and play a game to see how it is done. That's just a suggestion.  is for fun, so do as you will.

I am here to tell you that there are many great games on the market and Sicarius is neither an attempt to displace them or to take their place. In many instances, it could not. I have found every game to have it's own unique flavor, and that is usually the main attraction to the system in question.  is just something different, an attempt to allow players a stable and universal system upon which to allow their gaming to unfold. It is for those players who are creative enough to develop their own adventures, yet will lend itself to others who would rather play someone else's fantasy setting.

Little effort has gone into appearances, grammar, and such. I am simply offering what I feel is a logical, simple, and open-ended option for players who feel hemmed in by their current RPG systems.

Please note that this is Version 0.9 , the first public release. The game will undergo some changes and refinements by the time I release version 1.0. Whatever changes I deem necessary will reflect ease of play, corrections of errors, or just plain better methods. I will not alter the system so much that moving from 0.9 to 1.0 will be to much of a headache or screw up the logic of the system. Ex Mortis Version 1.0 was the true "house" rules, and only 10 copies were printed. These are flawed in several areas, and the Sicarius 0.9 rules are Ex Mortis 1.0 expanded, revised, yet not quite finished.  I will release Sicarius 1.0 when I feel that the game is fully tested and works fine.  Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

4.00 Dice Rolls And How To Use Them

This section will cover the use of dice and several different types of die rolls which will be used within the game.  uses 10 sided dice exclusively, and most any hobby store now carries these dice.

Sometimes the Arbiter may wish to hide a roll from a character, or not let him know what the Difficulty of the roll is. This should not be to harm the character, yet to make the game more interesting or realistic. For example, if a character were searching for a clue in a given area, the Arbiter may choose to make the Search Skill roll for him, or at least not let him know the Difficulty factor, ( DF for short ), he has assigned to finding something. This will keep the character wondering if he just failed to find the clue or if one does not exist. In a space game, rolling to locate a cloaked vessel in the area around you, the Arbiter tells you to roll a 50 or less. You roll a 38. The Arbiter then tells you that you detect no cloaked ship. This tells you that no ship is around. A better way is for the Arbiter to just say, "Roll your Sensor Skill." You have a Sensor Skill Rank of 66 and roll a 37. You have no idea what DF the Arbiter has assigned to the task, so you don't know what you need to roll to be successful. The Arbiter says, " Sensors do not detect any cloaked vessels in this area." The character is left to wonder if he failed to detect a vessel, or if there is just none to detect. A little bit more fun and realistic, wouldn't you say? This also allows the Arbiter to fudge a little if he feels that it will make a more interesting game. Keep them on their toe's, attempt to be realistic where possible, and by all means have fun. If you hide rolls just to be a jerk or for a sense of power, then you should give up gaming and become a traffic cop, or better yet a judge. If your a power monger out to slam others, your players will soon give up on you. Unlike a real life judge, a player can just say "up yours" to an unfair Arbiter without giving up Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness.

4.01 d10 Rolls

A 10 sided die is labeled 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, and 0, with 0 being a 10. The die is referred to as a die 10, or d10. By using a single d10, a number from 1 to 10 is randomly generated.

Sometimes a die roll may be designated as a 2d10 roll, 3d10 roll, etc. This indicates 2 or 3 dice rolled and added together. A 3d10 roll will generate a number from 3 to 30.

4.02 ID Rolls

Another type of die roll made is the Infinite Die roll, or ID Roll. As it's name implies, the ID roll may go on into infinity in either direction. Although unlikely, the ID roll may generate any number from an infinite negative to an infinite positive. The ID Roll uses 2 d10's, one die being the "one's" die and the other being the "ten's" die, These two dice may be rolled separately, first the "ten's" die then the "one's" die, or two dice of different colors may be rolled simultaneously. The first die, or "ten's" die generates a number from 0 to 9, as does the "one's" die. In combination this results in a number from 1 to 100. 01 = 1, 37 = 37, 00 = 100. Most games would call this a percentile die. What turns the percentile die of other games into the ID Roll of Sicarius is that generated numbers of 01,02,03,04, and 05 indicate that the roll is "going low". The player must then makes another ID Roll, subtracting the second ID Roll from 6. Thus, if the player rolls a 03, he must make another roll. If the second roll is a 37, then he subtracts 37 from 6, giving him a result of -31. If the first roll was a 05, and the second roll was a 01, then 6-1 = 5. In this way, any number may be generated.

When a roll is "going low", if the "going low" ID Roll is 96 - 00, ( 100 ), then a second "going low" ID roll is made, subtracting from -89. This can continue to infinity.

If the first ID Roll is a 96,97,98,99, or 00, ( 100 ), than the roll is "going high". Now make a "going high" ID Roll and add it to 95. If the "going high" roll is from 96-00, then make a second "going high" roll and add it to 190.

The chart below will give you a base number from which you are able to determine your final ID Roll. Using the format of this chart, any number may be generated.

Study the mathematics used to determine the base of any given roll. The first roll has no base if it falls within 06-95. If the first roll is 01-05, "going low", then a base of 06 is established. If the first roll is from 96-00, "going high", then the base is 95.

Remember, 00 is equal to 100.

Note that any ID Roll modifiers must be implemented after the final result of the ID Roll is determined. Thus, if you receive a +15 to the ID Roll, first make the ID Roll, going low or high if necessary. Once the roll is complete, then add the +15. Modifiers should never keep a roll from going low or high, they merely adjust the final result of the roll.

Using ID Rolls it is possible for a character with a 230% chance of success to still fail. It is also possible for a character with a -300% chance of success to succeed. In real life even the blind dog gets the bone, sometimes. It is very unlikely to roll these extremes, yet it is possible. The ID Roll was devised because I feel that there is no absolutes in life, and using a 1 to 100 system inherently has limitations and absolutes. The Infinite Die roll allows any number to be generated, yet most numbers will fall in the 1 to 100 range.

All dice rolls in Sicarius will either be d10 , Percentile, or ID Rolls. ID Rolls being the most common.

IF : First ID Roll is 06-95 = Final result of roll

IF : First ID Roll is 01-05 = Roll again.. Going Low Roll

      1st "going low" ID roll is...

      2^nd "going low" ID Roll is ...

         01-95 = -89 - 2nd going low roll.
         96-00 = roll 3rd going low roll.

      3rd "going low" ID Roll is...

         01-95 = -184 - 3rd going low roll
         96-00 = roll 4th going low roll.

      etc;

IF : First ID Roll is 96-00 Roll again.. Going High Roll

         01-95 = 95 + 1st going high roll.
         96-00 = roll 2nd going high roll.

      2nd "going high" ID Roll is..

         01-95 = 190 + 2nd going high roll.
         96-00 = roll 3rd going high roll.

      3rd "going high" ID Roll is..

         01-95 = 285 + 3rd going high roll.
         00-00 = roll 4th going high roll .

      etc;

For rolls "going low", the base is 6, with each consecutive lower base being 95 less than the previous base. 6 - 95 = -89. -89 - 95 = -184, -184 - 95 = -279, etc;.

For rolls "going high", the base is 95, with each consecutive higher base being 95 more than the previous base. 95 + 95 = 190, 190 + 95 = 285, 285 + 95 = 380, etc;.

4.03 Skill Rolls

Sicarius uses Skill Rolls as a way of determining whether or not a character is able to accomplish a feat covered by the Skill in question. Skills are generally something that requires both some level of ability as well as knowledge. Lifting something is merely using one's Might, yet throwing it with accuracy is a Skill, namely Throw.

Each character will have varying degrees of abilities with different Skills, representing their level of ability to achieve things. Their level of ability is known as Skill Rank. Each action has a degree of difficulty determined by the Arbiter, and this is known as "Difficulty". Difficulty is usually from +50 to -50, with +50 being quite simple and -50 being very hard. Thus if a character has a Swim Skill Rank of 70 and the Arbiter determines that this particular river has a difficulty of -10 due to it's current, the character has a modified Skill Rank of 70 - 10 = 60. SC, ( strike chance or skill chance ) = 60, for this particular action. The character makes an ID Roll, with a result of 60 or less indicating a success. 61 or over indicates a failure. Most things we do are not all or nothing. We achieve varying degrees of success and failure. For each 1 point under the SC result required, assume that the character has achieve 1% better than average. For each 1 point above the SC needed, the failure is 1% worse. Thus if a character needed to Jump a cliff with an SC of 56 and he rolls a 11, he not only jumps it, but in a flashy and elegant manner, maybe stunning onlookers long enough for him to get a "jump" on them. If he rolled a 61, he failed the jump, yet the Arbiter might allow him to cross the gap, then fall on his face at the other side. If he rolls a 70, the Arbiter may decide that he was able to catch the side of the cliff, not falling to his doom just yet, ( he still has to climb to safety). An 80, well, lets just say he didn't do so well.

Be creative and have fun, Sicarius is a game.

Although it will be covered in detail in the Combat section, combat in Sicarius kind of goes like this. The attacker has an SR of 84 with his sword, ( his MEL Skill 31 and his Sword Skill Level 53, 31+53 = 84 SR). The defender parries with an SR of 68, ( DEF Skill 38 and Sword Parry Skill Level 30, 38+30=68 SR). The attacker must roll 84 or under to hit with his sword. He makes an ID Roll, rolling a 08, a good roll! He hits by 76 points, ( 84-8=76 ). The defender must roll a 68 to parry. He rolls a 21. He makes it!  This means the the attack failed.  If the defending character had missed his parry, then the attacker would have inflicted damage equal to his success score, ( 84 - 8 = 76 ), times the DM of the Sword, ( 3 ), for 76 x 3 = 228 points of LIF damage!  As you can see, it's a good idea not to get hit by a sword.

If the attacker had rolled higher than an 83, ( 1 less than what he needs to hit ), then the defender would have no need of parrying, as the attack simply missed.

If you are confused, don't worry. Just keep on reading, and come back again if you need to.

Some idea of Difficulty Factors and what they represent are given here.

4.031 Difficulty Factor Guidelines

The above guidelines should help you to determine what Difficulty Factor to apply against any given task. Remember that the Tech Level can also effect your chance of doing something. This is covered under 5.10 Tech Level and suffice here to say that a Thief raised in 16th century England would have an easier time opening a simple 16th century lock than a simple 20th century lock. Once again, let common sense be your guide.

It is possible for DF's to be any number, the above is a simple guideline.

As a last note on Skills...

Skills fall under one of several possible types such as MEL, DEF, ACA, etc;.

Each individual Skill will have a Skill Level, normally between 0 - 100. This is the SL of the Skill in question.

Skill Rank, or SR, is the Skill Level + the characters stat value for the type of Skill, ie MEL, DEF, etc;.

Strike Chance, Skill Chance, or SC is the SR - all modifiers and DF's. The final result that one needs to roll under with an ID Roll.

 4.04 Stat Rolls

At times a character may need to make a Stat Roll. This is simply an ID Roll that must be equal to or under one of the character's Stats, possibly reduced by some Difficulty. A character may be attempting to avoid panic during a frightening situation, one where most mortals would flee. The Arbiter makes the character roll a Stat Roll vs Resolve with a Difficulty of -35. The Character has a Resolve of 71. 71-35 = 36. The character must roll 36 or less to avoid running in fear. The Difficulty of -35 would indicate a very frightening or disgusting occurrence, possibly a Hillary Clinton campaign speech.

Another character may come into contact with a level 33 poison. This means he must make a Stat Roll VS his EN. If his EN is a 68, reduce it by 33 for the level of the poison. He must make an ID Roll of 35 or below to avoid the effects of the poison. Note, he may still get quite sick. Use the level of success or failure to determine the exact effects and the length of time it takes for the poison to do it's work.

Stat rolls are used when something relates more directly to a character's basic physical, mental, or spiritual abilities than it would to a learned skill. The Arbiter has the final judgment on weather or not something falls under a Skill roll or a Stat roll.

4.05 Stat vs Stat Rolls

If two characters were arm wrestling, the Arbiter can determine the winner by having each roll a Stat Roll vs his Might, no difficulty. The character who makes the roll by the greatest amount wins. Close results means quite a battle, while results separate by several points means a clean victory. This is known as a Stat vs Stat Roll. Stat vs Stat Rolls can be quite common. Use ID Rolls for Stat VS Stat conflicts.

Example: Joe has a MI of 66 and Hagar has a MI of 82. An arm wrestling contest ensues. Joe rolls a 34. His MI of 66 - his roll of a 34 = 32. Hagar rolls 62. His MI of 82 - 62 = 20. Joe win's by 12 points. The match was quite a battle, yet Joe managed to win.

4.06 Luck Rolls

Luck rolls are used for several purposes. They can be used to save a character from a fatal blow, to happen upon something they might otherwise overlook, or just about anything that would be a "Lucky" occurrence could be determined by a Luck Roll. The Luck Roll is either called for by the Arbiter or the character's player. The player makes a Percentile roll. This is not an ID Roll. See 4.07 Percentile Rolls.

If the roll is less then the players current Luck Stat, then he has good fortune, equal to the amount of his Luck less the result of the roll. In other words if his Luck Stat is currently a 61 and he rolls a 30. He has been granted 31 points of Luck. One point of Luck is good enough to get the job done. 31 is almost overkill. A player who makes a Luck roll against a killing blow and receives 1 point of Luck may be merely knocked out. 10 points would reduce the blow to the point of being minor, and 20 points would mean that the blow glanced off with only minimal damage. Be creative.

A successful Luck roll reduces the Luck Stat temporally by the amount of the success. In the example above, the character's LU would now be a 30. As you can see, your LU will last longer if you are successful by just 1 point.

If a character fails a Luck roll, he merely has no Luck advantage on the matter, and his Luck Stat is temporally reduced by 1d10 points.

Only one Luck roll can be made against a single occurrence, such as a wound, yet the character may try his Luck once per hour against a static thing, such as locating something he has dropped. The Arbiter must use common sense. If the character is using Luck rolls to find something that was dropped elsewhere, the character should be given a memory of where he lost the item, and not the item itself. He needs to go to where he lost it. The character should first use skills that would apply, Luck should be reserved for something the character would not think of, or if all else fails. Use your head.

Luck regenerates by one point per hour for humans. No more than 24 points of Luck may be regained in a 24 hour period through normal means. The characters Luck will regenerate only to his normal Luck Stat.

A character with a LU of 46 will only regenerate to a max of 46.

In Sicarius, characters take some time to generate, yet they die rapidly when abused.   The Luck roll is the greatest tool of the Arbiter to avoid killing all his player characters when they screw up.  It is also the second best tool for the players to survive mistakes.  The best tool for avoiding the mistakes that get characters killed is intelligent play.

As a last word on Luck, the Arbiter has final word. Some things just go beyond Luck. A man strapped to an atomic bomb when it explodes has already run out of Luck. As Arbiter, feel free to deny a Luck roll if the character can not come up with a good reason or a plausible way that Luck might fall in his favor. People have bad luck, people do die, characters are people too.

4.07 Percentile Rolls:

Although percentile die rolls are less common in Sicarius , you will run into one on occasion. The format is given here. A percentile roll is a die roll that generates a number from 1 to 100. Roll 2 ten sided dice, with one die being the one's die, and the other being the ten's die. A roll of 4 on the tens die and a 2 on the one's die would indicate a 42. A roll of 0 on each die is 100, and a roll of 0 on the ten's die and 1 on the one's die is a 1. That simple. Do it a couple of time's and you will get it.

Percentile rolls are mainly used to determine character and creature Stats. For example, if a human has a MI from 01-100 as a normal possible score, than use a percentile roll rather than an ID Roll. In most case you will use more than one roll to determine a Stat. For a human you might add the results of 3 percentile die rolls together and divide by 3. While this still gives the Stat a range of 1-100, it insures that most humans will fall towards the middle range, rather than the extreme ends of the scale. This is good for "averaging" a races Stats.

4.08 Card System:

If you find yourself without ten sided dice and would like to play Sicarius, you can use the following card system. Get a normal deck of playing cards and remove the jacks, queans, and kings. Separate the remaining deck into two equal packs each with 2 cards of each value, meaning 2 twos, 2 threes, and so on. This will make two decks each of 20 cards ,one being the black Ace's to 10's, and the other being the red Ace's to 10's. The Ace is considered a 1, and the 10 a "0".. Shuffle the two decks, and generate ID Rolls by drawing two cards. An Ace, 3 would be a 13. A 10, Ace would mean a 01, going low, so draw again. If the second draw was 4,6, then the final result would be 6 -46 = -40. The two 20 card decks are only good for 1 Roll, then the drawn cards must be replaced and shuffled. Any Sicarius "roll" can be made with the card system, and although it is more time consuming than rolling dice, some players may find it an enjoyable or necessary alternative.

4.50 Background:

Each character or being within Sicarius needs to have a Background. Background is similar to a profession, and indicates what "basic" path that the being has chosen to follow.

The Background will allow the being to develop certain skills faster than others, while limiting the development of less appropriate skills.

Most Warriors will not trouble themselves over much with learning social graces, and those who do will find it more difficult to tame their basic "fighting" instincts than would a politician. Note that I have not included politician as a Background due to the fact that I am trying to produce a clean and wholesome game. If you really want to be one, just focus on the Thief Background and spend most of your points on STE and SOC.

The Background of a character will not keep him from learning any skill, it will just make some skills more or less difficult than others. If this were not the case, than everyone would be a true Jack of All Trades.

When a character starts the game, he will be given a certain amount of Starting Points to buy Skill Levels, normally 800 points.

He may spend these points any way he wishes, yet his Background will dictate how many points each Skill Level will cost for any given skill.

The number on the chart not only indicates the cost of assigning skills ranks at the time of creation, but also which Skill Increase Chart is to be used when rolling for Skill Increases.

The Backgrounds listed here are primarily for introductory purposes, and it is assumed that many Arbiters will wish to create more world specific backgrounds for the setting in which he games. Although these Backgrounds are fully functional and should suite many settings quite well, feel free to use or disregard them as you see fit

4.501 Background Skill Costs

Combat These skills, ( MEL, MIS, and THR ), have the values assigned by the individual character. Thus a Knight might assign 1 to MEL, 2 to MIS, and 1 to THR, or however he wishes.

^ MA is for Magna Artium. If a single #, then all components within MA have this increase number. If multiple numbers, ( 3,4,5...2,5...etc; ), then assign 1 component the first number, a second component the next number, until the last given number, which is assigned to all remaining components.

* These Backgrounds use the charts below for OCC Skills.

4.502 The following chart is used for Backgrounds which tend to deal with Occult Forces.

* Each Component within the Magna Artium Skill is assigned one of the Skill Increase numbers. The player must choose which component will get a certain increase number at the time of character creation, weather he assigns any skill points to that component or not. If there is less than 9 numbers in the list, than the highest number is assigned to all remaining components.

On the following page is a short description of each of the basic Backgrounds given in Sicarius V 0.9.

4.503 Example Backgrounds

Weapon Master

A warrior who has spent his life in the pursuit of martial excellence. This character should spend most of his time learning martial skills, for more than anything he desires to master as many weapon skills as possible. He is often a duelist or the living blade of a lord. Normally he will have one or two favored weapons and he strives to be the best.

Warrior

A professional fighter. This character is the soldier, martial artist, or mercenary of his world. He has chosen to live by the sword, yet he is normally not such a fanatic as the Weapon Master.

One of the best characters in a knock down drag out fight, yet not the most rounded.

Knight

A noble warrior. Although he has chosen a martial existence, he endeavors to serve and ultimately rule. He is usually better educated than your average warrior, both in social graces as well as overall academics. The Knight often has the best in equipment, as most all Knights have a benefactor or Lord who they work for. The Knight usually also has some police type powers in their area of influence, and normally have a duty to protect their people.

Assassin

The assassin is trained to kill. He is the hit man, the executioner, and the knife in the dark. Some are trained by and work for a specific organization, while others are independent agents. Always feared and loathed by people in general, the assassin is not always evil, sometimes he is just getting rid of people who need to go.

Rogue

Something between a thief, ranger, and warrior, the Rogue is a sort of Jack-of-all-trades who is mainly just out for himself or whatever may currently be his cause. The Rogue normally has no lord, and often lacks employment in general. He is most often found getting into trouble, adventuring, carousing, or in general just having a good time.

The Rogue feels that the Law is just fine, just not for him. He doesn't vote, he doesn't command, and he just wants to be left to his own designs. "Get Bent" is his motto.

Thug

Your basic highwayman or street bully. He makes a good strong-arm, yet lacks direction in most cases. He is the guy in the alley with a baseball bat or the bully in the bar. You basic hired thug.

Thief

The thief can be anything from a petty robber to a master jewel thief. He has some degree of fighting prowess, yet mainly excels at sneaking in and getting the goods. He also can make a good spy.

Ranger

A cross between a spy, scout, and fighter, the Ranger is a good overall adventuring character. He dabbles in the Occult, if available within the Realm, and in general supports a cause or has a mission.

Paladin

He serves the church and his god, yet the church is the middle man. The Paladin gains his Occult Powers, or Devine as he would call them, from the favor of his church and his god. He can be good, evil, or whatever, as long as it suits the needs of his church. Whereas the Neferia works directly for his god, ( at least he says so ), the Paladin is the holy guardian and crusader of his church.

A Paladin must accept the orders of a Priest of his church, unless he has conflicting orders or more immediate duties to a higher Priest. Failure to follow the dictates of his church may result in the lessening or loss of his mystical powers. The Paladin is quite often well equipped, and often carries a holy weapon on loan from his church. There is usually tension between Paladins and Neferia of the same god. Paladins look at Neferia as wayward scoundrels who are at best minor heretics, and Neferia think of Paladins as the yes men of the Priests. In most cases they will avoid outright fighting, ... in most cases.

Neferia

The Neferia is a warrior of god. His god. He may or may not adhere to the normal faith of his religion. The recognized priests of his god he may follow or ignore. In other words, his relationship to his chosen god is quite personal and independent. Others of his religion may admire or fear him. They may think him a saint or a sinner, yet he rarely cares. As long as he feels that he is serving his god in the best way he can, he cares little for what others think.

Neferia are often at odds with the Priests of their god, for the Priests desire power over the minions, whereas the Neferia desires only to further what he feels is the goals of his god, and he often believes that Priests are out for themselves. Its not to say that he would never follow the dictates of a Priest, if he felt he were a godly figure and his dictates were in the best interest of his god, it just that he serves the god alone, and no man is his master.

Neferia gain their occult powers from the favor of their god, and if the Arbiter feels that the god is angered by the Neferia, he may lessen or remove his powers entirely until the Neferia has repented.

The Neferia may follow any god, yet only one god. The Neferia may be truly evil or saintly good, as befits a minion of his god. His Magna Artium skills should somewhat mimic his gods sphere of influence. A Storm God would grant powers of energy before powers of time. The Arbiter may wish to assign specific components to specific gods.

Priest

Priests are characters who follow the belief system of a god. Where Sorcerer type characters draw their power from knowledge and the universe itself, Priests draw power directly from an extremely powerful entity, believed to be a god by it's worshipers.

The Priest is supposed to further the ends of his god, and thus his god grants him the ability to draw occult power from it's own being. If the Arbiter decides that the player's character has offended his god, ( based upon the principles and desires of the particular god in question ), then he may decide to temporally or even permanently disable the Priests occult abilities to some greater or lesser extent. A Priest who commits direct heresy or rebellion against his god may loose all his occult abilities as well as his status with the god's worshipers.

The main benefit that a Priest character has over an occult character is the following of worshipers who will aid him to various degrees, as well as the possible backing of a "church". The main drawbacks are a somewhat limited ability to change his personality without risking loss of faith and the god's favor, as well as being under the control of his superiors. Priests are often left to themselves in distant or rustic areas, yet near large centers of their god's worship, they are usually both public figures as well as tools of the church.

Warrior-Priest

The Warrior-Priest is the religious fighting force of a god and or church. He is basically a battle field Priest with limited Priestly powers blended with the fighting arts.

The Warrior-Priest is sometimes the only type of Priest associated with a warrior god or death cults.

Sorcerer

The Sorcerer is the ultimate Occult character. Based upon the C/O Level of the world and the availability of training, the Sorcerer is often the most powerful character that a player can be.

While the road to mastery is difficult and fraught with peril, the character who becomes a mighty Sorcerer will rise head and shoulders above the rest.

Magi

Less specialized than the Sorcerer, the Magi is a good blend between fighter and occultist. This gives him an edge over pure Sorcerer characters while skill levels are low to medium, yet as the character advances, the pure Sorcerer will normally become the greater of the two.

5.00 Primary Stats:

Each character has several Primary Stats which help to define the physical and mental make-up of the character. From the Primary Stats, several Secondary Stats will be determined. These Secondary Stats will be described in another section.

Normally, Primary Stats will range from 1, the lowest score, to 100, the highest normal score. This 1 to 100 range is for human characters, other species may range higher or lower.

In Sicarius, each human character begins by rolling a 3d100 for each of the Primary Stats. This results in a number from 3 to 300. Divide the result by 3 and round it to the nearest whole number. The final result will be from 1 to 100, with the majority of results being in the 40 to 60 range. This allows for the majority of Primary Stats to be average, with only an occasional exceptional Stat. To get a 100 for a Primary Stat, the character would need to roll either 99,00,00 or 00,00,00. The Arbiter may wish to allow characters bonus points which may be used to raise the Primary Stats, yet with none to be raised above 100 for a normal human. This allows characters to play above average characters. Stats in the lower 20% for a species are considered handicaps, while those in the upper 20% are considered exceptional. If your a good gamer, don't necessarily give up on a character with poor Stats, you may have a great time attempting to use good playing to overcome natural character deficiencies. Other game environments may require characters with higher than normal Stats. If the Arbiter has set up the game around a group of Ninja's, than your character should have Stats which allow him to be a Ninja. Once again, common sense should always come before dice rolls.

Optional generation method.  You may wish to allow characters some other method of Primary Stat generation.  I like the 3d100 / 3 method, and then allowing 5 straight 1d100 rolls for 5 Primary Stats of his choice.  He may then choose between the averaged roll or the straight roll for each of the 5 chosen stats.  This often allows for a high grade character who still has some flaws.. 

Certain species will have Stats differing from humans. After the Stats are determined, add any species modifiers unless another method is given with the species description.

For example. If Species A has a average MI of 100, you could just add 50 to the MI determined as usual. This would be given as MI (3d100/3)+50. If Species B has a normal MI of 25, you could divide the 3d100 by 6 instead of 3, this would be MI 3d100/6.

Players should be allowed to make rolls for all 9 Primary Stats, ( Tech Level is assigned by the Arbiter ), and then assign them to his character's individual Primary Stats as he desires, using common sense and his chosen Background as a guideline.
 

5.01 Might: ( MI )

Might represents the physical strength of the character. Not only the amount of muscle that the character has, it also reflects his ability to use his muscle to its greatest advantage. Might is an important Stat for fighting characters, yet it is no replacement for skill and intelligence. Combat in Sicarius can be quite quick and deadly. Very few characters will suffer ten sword blows and shrug them off. Characters who insist on blazing into every fray will most likely not remain in the game for long.

Any action which requires the use of brawn will benefit from a good MI stat.

5.02 Endurance: ( EN )

This is the character's ability to resist pain, damage, and fatigue. It is physical staying power. Characters with low endurance will need to rely heavily upon defense skills if they choose to enter combat, for their bodys will not withstand much punishment. In reality , a single well placed knife slash may kill any person.  is no exception.

5.03 Agility: ( AG )

The characters innate control over his body movements. A person is naturally either fluid and accurate in his motions, or he is not. Agility represents overall body control, where intricate hand movements are covered under Dexterity. A good dancer has high agility, usually. Although AG has quite an impact upon speed, or Movement Rate, a species modifier is also required. A sloth is quite an agile creature, yet he is quite slow.

5.04 Dexterity: ( DX )

When a character wishes to disarm a trap, perform slight of hand tricks, or pick a lock, Dexterity is a factor. Dexterity represents hand eye coordination and sensitivity.

5.05 Intelligence: ( IN )

The ability to learn, grasp new concepts, and notice things less than obvious will depend greatly upon a characters Intelligence. Although it is difficult to separate the player from the character, the Arbiter of the game should make information more readily available to high Intelligence characters than to those who reside upon the dim wit level. Sorcerer characters will require a decent level of Intelligence to grasp the higher concepts. Beings with low IN will find it difficult to increase their Skills. OCC Skills which are learned, rather than "natural" for a species, may never reach a SL more than the beings IN + 10. Natural OCC Skills based upon species may raise higher at the Arbiter's discretion.

5.06 Resolve: ( RE )

Along the same lines as will power. This is the characters ability to stick with something and see it through. Although it is hard to impose this upon a player, the character with a low Resolve will find it more difficult to perform many skills relating to one's mental staying power. Bravery in the face of fear is an act of Resolve

5.07 Spirit: ( SP )

Spirit is a measure of the characters "non-physical" presence. It represents the his potency of soul if you will. More detailed information on Spirit, Chaos, and associated topics will be given in the Occult section.


5.08 Personality: ( PE )

More than just good looks and manners, Personality represents how the character's Aura effects those around him. Adolph Hitler was neither good looking or a nice guy, yet he had a remarkably high PE. The Arbiter and player should determine what gives the characters his high or low PE. Is he charming yet unattractive? Good looking yet shy? Maybe he reeks of internal strength?

5.09 Luck: ( LU )

A measure of the characters subconscious ability to manipulate Chaos and thus reality without really trying. The character may make Luck rolls to avoid major damage, find a lost item, or just be in the right place at the right time. Luck rolls are covered in section 4.06 The Arbiter has the final say on whether or not a Luck roll can be made, and how much a successful rolls effects reality.

5.10 Tech Level ( TL )

Tech Level is different from the other Primary Stats in that it is neither rolled for nor does it truly define a characters innate ability. TL represents the technological level of the culture in which the character was raised. This is quite useless in a game such as a Wild West setting where the character will never see anything more complex than a watch or a gun, yet in crossover games where a man is transported from the Wild West into the year 2010, well...

TL is also useful when a character may come into contact with alien tech or tech from a distant future, or past. Space Games use tech quite a bit, from species to species, and planet to planet.

The Arbiter must set the TL of the character. This is the Tech Level of his home planet, and more specifically his environment. Even in the 20th century, there are throw-backs on the earth who live in lower TL societies and have no knowledge or understanding of higher human achievements.

For game purposed, your native TL affects your skills. For each TL an item is above your own, your Skill Level is reduced by 2. In other words, if your TL is 50 and you have the Navigation skill at level 61, you could use TL 50 Navigational equipment at skill level 61. If you attempt to use a TL 70 piece of Navigation Equipment, your SL is 21, ( 20 x 2 = 40 , 61 - 40 = 21 ). This represents the difficulties of grasping higher technology. Use your head though. A TL 40 sword and a TL 60 sword are pretty much the same, just differing in qualities and materials. A TL 30 lock and a TL 80 lock would be quite different.

When a character attempts to use lower Tech, he receives a -1 per TL that the skill is below his own. That is, if a TL 60 medic attempts to use TL 35 medicines and surgical tools, his skill is reduced by 25 due to his unfamiliarity with the equipment. Again, use your head.

Also note that when a character becomes familiar with a certain tech, such as archaic guns, the penalty will cease to apply. The Arbiter and player should agree upon when the character has overcome the tech differences.

The following list of Tech Levels and the appropriate technologies are very vague, yet should be used as a base guideline. A culture that has not yet left it's planet, normally a TL of 59 or less, might yet have achieved Bio-Tech, which rates then at TL 80. The culture may fear leaving it's planet, or merely be disinterested. Much is left to the Arbiter when deigning his world or universe. Yet remember that a culture able to achieve Matter Transport, would likely be able to achieve FTL Travel, ( Faster than Light, which might be a misnomer ), even if they decided against it. Some cultures may prohibit cloning, yet that does not mean they can't do it.

As a last note, Tech level also is a good basis for something we will call Law Level. Law Level is the set of written and unwritten laws and guidelines which a people follow. High Tech levels usually are stricter than lower tech levels. 1999 USA is closer to a police State than it was in the 1800's. There are always exceptions, yet they are exceptions. Some cultures would like to have a crushing legal system, yet it is easier to escape 13 ^th century justice that 20^th century, simple for the reason of surveillance and control technology.

TL 100 appears to be Magic. No devices are needed, as mental powers are completely evolved. It may be far beyond normal tech or never required it. In most cultures, TL 110 is merely a hypothetical level, as it is not really considered to be possible, except for angels and gods.

 5.101 Technology Guideline Chart

5.11 Stat Potential

The values of the Primary Stats as determined above are known as the "normal" Stat. Each character also has a Potential Primary Stat which determines the maximum value the Stat may reach through normal, or non-occult or chemically induced means.

The Potential Stat is determined from the beings "initial" Stat value as follows:

( Species Maximum of Stat - Normal Stat Value ) / 2 + initial Value

Thus if Thomas has an MI of 71 and being human he has a Species Max of 100 for MI....

( 100 - 71 ) / 2 + 71 =

29/2 + 71 =

14.5 + 71 = 85.5 Rounded down to 85

The most that Thomas could ever increase his Normal MI to would be 85. This is through exercise and such. Chemicals and occult effects could possibly increase it past these levels.

The formula above is based upon a creature whose age is at about 25%-50% of it's normal life span, or 20 to 40 years for a normal human. Younger creatures will not have a "base" Normal Stat, as they are still growing and maturing.

Tech Level is excluded from this section.

5.12 Increasing Primary Stats

A character may choose to work on raising up to 2 Primary Stats at a time. He must devote 1/2 hour per day to each Stat that he is attempting to increase. At the end of five days he must make a Stat Roll vs RE with a DF of 0, for each of the Stats he is attempting to increase, ( max of 2 at a time ). If he makes the roll, then it shows that he has maintained his training properly for the past 5 days for the Stat in question. This allows him to make a Stat Increase Roll. The character rolls an ID Roll, attempting to roll ABOVE his current Normal Stat value. If the roll is higher than the Stat, than it increases by 1 point.

Thus if Thomas desires to raise his MI of 71, he must state that he will be training it. At the end of 5 days, he makes a Stat Roll vs RE. His RE is 66 and he rolls a 42. This is good and indicates that he has maintained his training schedule. He then must make an ID Roll, attempting to roll ABOVE a 71. He rolls an 86. This is good enough. He adds 1 point to his MI, which makes his new Stat Value 72. He is slowly on the way to his potential of 85. As you can see, it is difficult for a character to reach his potential.

For species whose maximum Stat value is higher than 100, adjust the ID Roll by + 1 per point over 100. For species whose max Stat is less than 100, adjust the ID Roll by -1 per point below 100. Thus, if a giant has a max Stat value for EN of 160, then add 60 to the ID Roll when rolling to increase the Stat.

If the ID Roll is 100 points or more below the current Stat, then the character has somehow harmed his Stat, reduce it by 1 point.

Stats may never be raised higher than their Potentials by this method.

Note that when Primary Stats are increased, ( or decreased ), they will most likely effect Secondary Stats and Primary Skills. Recalculate these and adjust if necessary.

TL is excluded from this section.
 

6.00 Secondary Stats:

Secondary Stats are named such because they are mainly determined from the Primary Stats. Mass being the exception.

6.01 Mass: ( MAS )

MAS is a measure of the character's physical size. This is a somewhat chosen number and is used to determine how large a character is. A character with a High MAS and a low MI would most likely be either tall and skinny or overweight. A character with a high MAS and a high MI would either be bull-like or very muscular. The player and Arbiter should decide.

Normal human MAS ranges from 40 to 70. 30 is a small child or a midget, 50 a average woman or slight man, 60 an average man or slightly large woman, 80 very hefty man or huge woman.

I chose to make the average adult human MAS range 40 - 70 rather than 1 - 100 so than smaller creatures, such as cats and dogs, could still have their MAS given as a positive value. An adult human head has a MAS of 10, and a mouse has a MAS of 1. Smaller items can be given a MAS in the negative range, yet this does not mean that they have less than "no" MAS, as the negative number is simply a value on a scale.

MAS is used not only to give a idea of size and weight, but also to determine how much damage the character may sustain and how large of a target he/she is in combat. It is easier to attack a larger target than a small, a broad side of a barn is easier to hit than an apple.

Note that an average dog might have a MAS of 30, a cat of 12, and a bird of 2 to 10. An elephant might be about 500 to 800. Figure a MAS of 60 for a normal human form and multiply or divide from there. MAS is the amount of space that a creature takes up, and something that requires 10 times the space of a man would have a MAS of about 600. A snake 6 inches in diameter yet 20' feet long might only have a MAS of 70 to 100, as is length is averaged with it's diameter. Once again, use your head. Sicarius is only a game, have fun.

Roll a d10 for MAS, and use the result to determine MAS based upon your character's species. 1 is the smallest end of the spectrum, with 10 being the highest. You may need to kind of fudge this roll based upon species. If the Arbiter allows, you might just want to choose a MAS within your species range.

Your MI will help to determine your appearance. High MI with low MAS is a sleek and muscular form, while high MI and MAS is big and powerful. Low MI and High MAS would indicate an overweight condition, while low MI and MAS is skinny. Think about it, using species average as a guideline.

6.02 Life: ( LIF )

Life is a measure of the characters resistance to physical damage. When a character is damaged through combat or an accident, LIF will be temporally reduced by a determined amount.

When a character's LIF reaches "0" points, he is unconscious. When LIF is reduced to a negative value equal to one-half his normal LIF score, he is dead. Thus, if a character has 240 LIF points when healthy, he will die if his LIF is reduced to -120 or less.

Most characters regain LIF points at a rate equal to 10% of there EN per day, assuming adequate rest and food. Damage caused by heat or cold normally takes twice as long to heal, ( 5% per day ), and broken bones and nerve damage might take 10 x, ( 1% per day ), or longer to heal with proper care. See 9.70 Recovering from Wounds for exact details on healing.

Life is calculated as follows:

EN x 2 + MI + MAS

6.03 Power: ( POW )

Power is a measure of the characters ability to harness the raw forces of Chaos and use them to effect reality. POW is not a representation of the character's knowledge, just his potential. It also indicates the reserve of "energy" which binds spirit to matter. Without Occult knowledge and training, ( Occult Skills, known as PSI or Psionics in some cultures ), POW mainly lies dormant.

POW is used throughout the game by certain characters and species to perform various actions, and will be temporally reduced as a result. Temporary POW loss is normally regained by sleeping. A character will regain POW at a rate equal to his ( SP + EN ) for every 6 hours of undisturbed sleep that he receives. He may regain no more than twice this amount in a 24 hour period. Thus a character with an SP of 80 and an EN of 64 would regain ( 80 + 64 ) or 144 points of POW by sleeping 6 hours. He could regain 288 points in a 24 hour period by sleeping 12 hours of the day. The character may only regain enough points to bring his POW back to it's normal level. Two 3 hour sleep periods can be equal to a 6 hour period, yet any sleep period that does not last at least 3 hours is wasted in terms of regaining POW. A run down sorcerer could be held powerless by denying him less than 3 hours of sleep at any given time.

If a character's POW score is reduced to 0 or less , he will fall unconscious, into a coma like sleep until it is restored to 10% of it's normal value. If POW is reduced below 0 by an amount equal to 1/2 his normal POW value, than his spirit will depart his physical body. He becomes a disembodied spirit, and his physical body will deteriorate at a rate of 1 LIF point per CT unless put into some form of cryogenic suspension. This really does not matter unless you are running a game where a spirit may reanimate a corpse. For games where "disembodied spirits" are simply dead, than the character with a POW of - 1/2 it's normal value is simply dead.

POW for most beings is calculated as follows. Some beings may use a different formula. If so, it will be stated with their description.

SP + PE + LU + 1d100

 

6.04 Quickness: ( QIC )

Each character is able to perform a different number of actions during a given period of time, depending upon what he is attempting to do. QIC is the basic measure of that ability.  breaks time into Combat Turns, or CT, and Combat Pulses, or CP. Each CT is made up of 20 CP. Each CP is 1 second of time. Thus a Combat Turn is equal to 20 seconds. CT and CP will be covered fully in the section on Combat.

( MI - MAS + AG x 6 + DX x 3 ) / 10

6.05 Fatigue: ( FAT )

The beings Fatigue is equal to his Primary Stat - EN, ( at least Humans ). As a character expends energy any tires himself out, he becomes fatigued. Fatigued characters will have various modifiers to all Stat and Skill Rolls based upon how fatigued they currently are. Highly fatigued beings will find it difficult to think straight, fight, defend themselves, or even have an intelligent conversation. Use the chart below to determine fatigue and it's effects upon the being.

6.051 Fatigue Chart

Each CT of running, melee combat, or otherwise expending energy results by the being receiving a minimum of 1 point of Fatigue, ( use the Carrying Capacity chart below for exact amount ). The being's EN is the max amount of Fatigue he may accumulate before he begins to feel the effects of Fatigue. Thus, a being with an 84 EN would begin to feel Fatigued when he has accumulated 85 points of Fatigue. At 168 points, he is completely Fatigued and will collapse.

The chart below is used to determine how much that Fatigue is reduced by for resting, based upon how Fatigued the being currently is.

As you will see, characters who expend great energy in short bursts, then rest for several minutes, will avoid the harsher effects of Fatigue and be better off in the long run.

The chart is devised for Humans. Other creatures may regain fatigue at a lesser or greater rate.

6.052 Fatigue Recovery Table

Humans who rest for more than 15 minutes will have a chance equal to their current % of fatigue - 100 of automatically falling asleep if they have been awake for more than 6 hours. The being will sleep for 1d10 hours unless disturbed.

Humans who sleep a full 8 hours will have Fatigue reduced to 0%.

6.06 Carrying Capacity: ( CC )

Carrying Capacity is not a Stat, yet is derived directly from MI. The being's CC is equal to his MI x 1.5. Use the chart below to determine how much the being can lift and the applicable penalties. Add the total amount of pounds carried by the being and use the chart to determine how it effects Fatigue and Movement.

Weight in pounds is equal to or less than : refers to the amount of weight that the being is currently carrying, expressed as a % of his total current MI in pounds. A being with an 80 MI, or CC of 120, would be carrying 10% if he were burdened by 12 pounds of weight.

Base Fatigue Cost per CT based upon activity level : refers to the Fatigue Cost in points based upon what the being is doing, and how much weight he is carrying. Stand -indicates just standing around, no real movement. Moving-indicates a normal type of activity, from Creeping to Dashing, as long as other activity remains normal for this type of movement. Exerting-includes Combat activity, climbing for creatures whose normal type of movement is not climbing, swimming for land based creatures, etc;. Anything which is a major exertion for this type of creature.

Max %of normal Movement Rate allowed : shows the maximum % of the being's normal MR which he is able to move based upon the weight he is carrying. Thus, a character carrying 51-75% of his max CC is able to move no faster than a Jog.

Fatigue multiplier CT if moving at this speed : refers to the amount that the Basic Fatigue Cost is multiplied by if moving at this speed. The amount in parenthesis is the minimum fatigue cost for this level of movement if the Base Fatigue Cost is listed as 0. Thus, a man carrying 10% of his CC who is under Normal activity, ( 0 base fatigue cost ), yet is Fast Walking will expend 1 Fatigue point per 5 CT's. The same man in combat, ( Exerting ), has a Base Fatigue Cost of 2, a max pace of Dash, and would spend 2x 4=8 points per CT if he were Fast Walking during the combat. A man carrying 80% of his CC has a max pace of Fast Walk, and if moving at this speed while under Normal activity will expend 2 x 4 = 8 points per CT. He would expend 8 x 4 = 32 points per CT if Exerting while Fast Walking, this could mean a "fast" climb up rock face.

Normal movement during combat, ( not Running, etc; ), is considered "Not Moving" for Fatigue Purposes .

Armor can be heavy, yet it is evenly distributed and is not considered with "normal" weight being carried or lifted by the character. See the section on Armor for MR penalties.

6.061 Carrying Capacity Table ( CC= MI x 1.5 )

* Base Fatigue Cost per CT based upon this level of activity

x means that lifting the weight is all you are able to do.

6.07 Movement Rate: ( MR )

Movement Rate is the maximum number of feet that a character is able to move each CT, ( 20 seconds of time ). It is simply calculated by dividing the beings AG by 2, adding 25, then multiplied by the Species Stride Factor , (SSF ), given in the species description. Humans have a SSF of 10. Some creatures may have other special modifiers, as the Arbiter sees fit.

MR = ( AG / 2 + 25 ) x SSF

Flying creatures can normally move at 3x this speed, and swimming creatures at 1/4 this speed unless otherwise specified.

Creatures who are attempting to cover ground during combat will have a -DF applied against all MEL, MIS, and THR skills that they attempt. This does not include the normal obvious motion necessary during combat, it is for motion intended by the being to cover distance. See next section.

Moving During Combat

For each 1 % of a creatures maximum movement that he moves during a CT, he receives a similar penalty against all skills. Thus a creature who moves 50% of his max Movement Rate during a CT will receive a -50 DF against all skill rolls. A being moving 30% would receive a -30 DF.

Combat Fatigue Considerations:

Activity levels for normal, "non-moving" combat are as follows. Non-moving means nothing more than is normally necessary for combat purposes, vs sprinting while fighting.

Melee Combat- Exerting

Thrown weapons- Exerting

Missile combat from a distance - Exerting, at ½ cost, ( 4 points would be 2 points ).

Spell / Occult use during Combat - Exerting, at ½ cost, ( 4 points would be 2 points ).

7.00 Primary Skills:

Primary Skills are categories under which all Skills in the game of Sicarius will reside. For example, the skill Knife falls both under MEL, for hand-to-hand combat use, and THR for throwing.

The skill Sword falls under MEL for attacking in hand-to-hand combat, and DEF for parrying an attack.

Each Primary Skill has a Skill list that will describe each Skill within the category. New Skills may easily be added by an Arbiter to existing lists if no suitable Skill exists.  has been designed as a Base RPG system and thus lends itself quite well to additions.

Each Skill has a Level from 1 to 100, and the individual Skill Level is added to the Primary Skill to get a Skill Rank. Thus if a character has a MEL of 24 and a Skill Level of 34 with the MEL Skill Sword, his Skill Rank is 58.

Primary Skills are calculated as follows, and may change due to gains or losses in the associated Primary Stats

For every 25 Skill Levels that a character gains with Skills that fall under a particular Primary Skill, he gains 1 point with the Primary Skill as well. In other words, if Milo has a MIS Primary Skill of 32, and he has the Skills Bow, Crossbow, and Pistol, and through game play these skills raise enough to total a 25 point increase amongst them, he gets to add 1 point to his MIS Skill of 32, now making it a 33. This also in effect raises each individual SR by 1 point, ( when the SL is added to the MIS Primary Skill for a total SR ). The reasoning here is that learning a familiar skill helps with any similar skill. An egghead has an easier time picking up new egghead stuff than would someone whose brain is never academically exerted. The same applies to athletics, combat, defense, and everything else.

This can be done once during the initial character creation process, adding the total levels of all skills under a single heading, then dividing by 25 for a total Primary Skill increase. This increase can then be applied to the SL of each individual skill for the final SR. Thus, a character who initially "purchased" 200 SL's worth of MEL skills would be able to add 200/25 or 8 points to his MEL Primary Skill.

7.01 Melee: ( MEL )

MEL is used to determine a characters base chance to attack with a melee, ( hand-to-hand ), weapon or with his body.

( MI x 3 + AG x2 ) / 10

7.02 Missile: ( MIS )

MIS is used when a character chooses to attack with missile weapons, which include any weapons propelled under their own power. Bows, crossbows, guns, rockets, and the like.

( DX x 3 + AG x 2 ) / 10

7.03 Throw: ( THR )

THR is used to determine a characters base chance to attack with thrown weapons, such as thrown knives, spears, rocks, etc. Anything physically tossed by a character is covered under THR.

( MI x 2 + AG x 2 + DX ) / 10

7.04 Defense: ( DEF )

DEF is the characters innate ability to defend himself from attack. Skills suck as sword parry, shield parry, and Evade fall under DEF.

( AG x 3 + MI + IN ) / 10

7.05 Academics: ( ACA )

Scholarly abilities fall under ACA. Reading, writing, math, science, and most other intellectual pursuits use ACA as their Primary Skill.

( IN x 3 + RE x 2 ) / 10

7.06 Stealth: ( STE )

Hiding, sneaking, ambushing, and other forms of physical deception use STE as a Primary Skill.

( AG x 3 + RE x 2 + IN  - MAS  ) / 10

7.07 Acrobatics: ( ARB )

ARA is used when Jumping, running, or making use of one's "gymnastic" type physical abilities.

( AG x 5 + MI x 2 - MAS x2 ) / 10

7.08 Social: ( SOC )

The skills used to mingle with others or fit in with diverse cultures stem from SOC. Politics and relationships have their root in SOC.

( PE x 4 + IN ) / 10

Note: Some Secondary Skills may not apply to certain beings. Snakes cannot throw anything, henceforth, you may forget the THR Skill! Use your head and some common sense.



7.09 Occult: ( OCC ) - also used for Magna Artium

Skills which require the manipulation of Chaos use Occult as the Primary Skill. Most Occult skills could fall under several other headings, Sorcerous, Quantum, or PSI abilities.  combines all "unnatural" abilities which tap Chaos as Occult in nature. Chaos is the raw potential of the universe and will be explained in detail in sections 8.09 and 10.00

( RE x 3 + IN + SP ) / 10

7.10 Control: ( CON )

Skills which require hand to eye coordination or manipulation by feeling and the use of ones hands.

( DX x 3 + RE + IN ) / 10

7.11 Sensitivity: ( SEN )

Skills dealing with one's awareness of his surroundings and the situation at hand.

( SP x 2 + LU x 2 + IN ) / 10

7.12 Development Skills

  has two special "skills" known as Development Skills. These are Life Development, or LD, and Power Development, or PD. These two special skills allow the character to increase his LIF and POW through use and training.

Unlike other Primary Skills, LD and DP have no sub-set of skills. These skills are only used to determine the beings innate ability to increase his LIF and POW Stats.

Certain circumstances will allow a being to attempt a LD or PD roll, and if the roll is greater than his LD or PD, as the case may be, he then is able to make a "Skill Increase Roll" based upon his Background. The amount indicated by the Skill Increase Roll is the amount that his LD SR or PD SR increases by, and his LIF or POW will increase by this amount multiplied by the being's species LD or PD Multiplier. As the characters LD and PD get higher, it will be more difficult to make the Skill Increase Roll, and thus harder to increase his LIF or POW.

The being does not need to make a Stat Roll vs IN for a LD or PD increase.

Thus, if a being has a LD of 56 and makes an ID Roll of 57 or greater, he gets a SIR. Being a Warrior, he uses uses Skill Increase Chart 1. He rolls a 6 on a 1d10 for a result of +5, ( 56 LD cross referenced with 6 ). His LD is now 61, and his LIF increases by 5 x his Species LD Multiplier, which for humans is a 2. This means that his LIF has increased by 10 points.

7.13 Life Development: LD

This Development Skill determines how capable the beings physical make-up is for increasing his bodies overall toughness. It also incorporates the beings ability to mentally overcome the effects of physical punishment through will power and resolve. We've all met people who would faint at the sight of blood or howl when they get a sliver, we've also met people who break a leg yet are able to grim and bear it.

Note that a lower score is preferable for LD, as it becomes harder to increase ones LIF as the LD Skill increases.

Each time that the being undergoes one of the following circumstances the Arbiter should allow him a LD Skill Increase Roll. Take the amount, if any, determined by the skill increase roll and multiply it by the species LD Multiplier given with the description of the species. Humans have a LD Multiplier of 2. Each of the following circumstances may be rolled for a maximum of once per game week, ( a week in the life of the character, not the player). Thus if at the end of a hard week of physical training the character were to sustain a Grievous wound causing 20% or more than his total LIF in damage, the Arbiter should allow him 3 LD Skill Increase Rolls. 1 for the Grievous, 1 for the wound being over 10% of his LIF, and 1 for the training.

1: Each time the being sustains a LIF wound which causes at least 10% of his total LIF in damage.

2: Each time the being survives a Grievous Wound.

3: For each 1 week of strenuous physical labor or physically pushing oneself. ( Adventuring - must be approved by Arbiter ). This should include combat / endurance type training, not just lifting weights.

LD = ( Species Max EN + Species Max RE ) - ( Beings EN + Beings RE )

7.14 Power Development: PD

This Development Skill determines how capable the being is of increasing his non-physical presence.

Note that a lower score is preferable for PD, as it becomes harder to increase ones POW as the PD Skill increases.

Each time that the being undergoes one of the following circumstances the Arbiter should allow him a PD Skill Increase Roll. Take the amount, if any, determined by the skill increase roll and multiply it by the species PD Multiplier given with the description of the species. Humans have a PD Multiplier of 5. Each of the following circumstances may be rolled for a maximum of once per game week. Thus if at the end of a hard week of Occult training the character were to enter Occult combat, sustain a POW attack causing 25% or more than his total POW in damage, and expend at lease 60% of his total POW in Occult workings, the Arbiter should allow him 3 PD Skill Increase Rolls.

1: Each day that the being expends at least 60% of his total POW through Occult workings or Skills.

2: Each time a being suffers a POW attack which drains at least 25% of his total POW.

3: Each 1 week of intensive Occult Study and practice.
 

PD = ( Species Max RE + Species Max SP ) - ( Beings RE + Beings SP )

8.00 Skills

Skills are abilities which are learned and practiced. Unlike Primary Skills or Stats, which are the character's innate ability, Skills give a value to how far he has progressed in honing these abilities along specific lines. Primary Skills give a strong indication of where a character's talents may lie, yet he may choose to develop any Skill which is made available to him. Skills start at level 0, meaning no skill and increase up to and possibly past 100. Skills are rated as Skill Level X where X is a number from 0 on up. Primary Skills are rated as MEL X, where X is a number from 1 up, and MEL would indicate the Primary Skill MEL. If a character has a MEL 35 and a Blade SL 41, his Skill Rank, or SR for Blades is a 76. The SR is then modified by other factors dependant upon the situation or task at hand, known as Difficulty. The final result is the Skill Chance, ( sometimes called Strike Chance, it really does not matter ), known as the SC. The character must make an ID Roll vs the SC, with a result equal to or lower indicating a success.

Character's will normally begin with a number of Skills rated at levels greater than 0, indicating their background and Tech Level. It would be unseemly for a character born and raised upon a TL 20 world to possess the Electronics Skill.

Occult skills should be reserved for species who posses these talents naturally, or for special characters. These characters might be considered psionics in some cultures and Sorcerers in others. This should be left up to the Arbiter and the game environment in general. A galactic psionic warrior would be trained in occult skills, the exact ones based upon the characters teacher and the tradition he was following. A middle ages game could have wizards and witches. It would be unlikely for a New York cop to be trained in occult skills, yet a New York vampire hunter?

It is also possible to have a game entirely devoid of Occult skills. The section on Chaos will describe a point system of +50 for absolute Chaos to -50 for absolute Order, ( meaning the opposite of Chaos ). Worlds in the negative range, towards Order, will be less likely to generate characters with natural Occult skills, as the Order factor is used as a Difficulty when performing Occult actions. This Earth, the one I live in anyhow, exists currently at a level of Order -25. Thus all Occult skills have a -25 Difficulty right off the bat. This makes it extremely difficult for someone to develop a working skill. Once again, Sicarius is designed as a universal game, and as such must inherently encompass all possibilities. Realms of a Chaotic nature would give an automatic Occult bonus, such as +30 for example. In a Chaos +30 realm, all Occult skills would receive a +30 bonus.

As a guideline for determining Starting Skills....

Normal humans should start the game at 25 years of age and have the following skills.

Speak ( their native language ) at SL 60

In addition to their Speak Skill,  800 Points which may be used to buy Skill Levels.

These 800 Points should use the following formula to buy Skill Levels.

To buy Skill Levels up to...

Thus, if Milo the fighter, ( Background Weapon Master ), wishes to have the Blade Skill at 85%, he would need to spend 50 points to get it to SL 50, then 60 more to get it to SL 80, ( 30 levels from 50 to 80 at 2 points per level ), then 15 points to get it from 80 to 85, ( 5 SL's at 3 points per level ). For a total of 50 + 60 + 15 = 125 points. This is then multiplied by his Weapon Master Background Skill Increase Chart # for MEL, which is 1, for a grand total of 125 points.

If he was to buy a Skill which fell under the OCC heading, he would multiply the points by 5 for the Weapon Master Background Skill Increase Chart # for what the character is. Why does he have these Skills? What is his background?

If the character wishes OCC Skills, ( 5 ). So 85 SL's with an OCC skill would cost 125 x 5 = 625 points! As you can see, Occult Skills are best left to Sorcerers and Occult type characters.

Wise players will attempt to buy moderate Skill Levels with a variety of Skills, rather than starting as masters with just a couple. Skill Levels will increase as they are used in the game, yet characters who are very specialized will often fall quicker than a good all around character. You should also attempt to make some sense of to start the game at an age younger than 25, he losses 30 Points per year below 25 , taken from any skills. Thus, if he wishes to start the game at 18 years of age, he losses 210 Points.

If the character wishes to start the game at an age older than 25, he gains 40 Points per year up to age 40, then 30 Points up to age 65, then 15 Points up to age 80. After that, he is just attempting to hang on to what he's got. Note also that age can effect Primary, and thus Secondary Stats, which will in turn effect skills through Primary Skills.

See the Species Description that should accompany any Sicarius Universe module. Note that the above effects of starting age are for normal human character's, and some Species learn at different rates, age differently, or are raised in cultures that demand more or less of their people. Ninjas for example, should start with higher than normal skills, most being combat, stealth, and assassination oriented. Individual Sicarius modules and the Arbiter will have to determine the specifics of starting Skills for any given species or character type.  is, after all, a universal game system and must by necessity remain vague on some points.

Use the chart below to get an approximation of what a particular Skill Level represents. This should be helpful when porting characters from a different game system into Sicarius, or when defining characters pulled from literary sources.

8.001 Skill Level Approximate Representation Chart

Each character also gains 1 level of primary skill for each 25 levels of skill that a character has within that category. Thus if a character has a total of 300 skill levels with MEL Skills, his MEL would be raised by, ( 300 / 25 = ) 12 points. This is due to the fact that characters who learn many similar skills will have an easier time using related yet unlearned skills. If you are a master with blades, swords, and axes, you won't necessarily be a master with staves, yet you will have very good basic melee knowledge, which will help you with the staff.

This includes adding all of the character's starting skill levels for a specific primary skill and adjusting the primary skill level by the 1 to 25 ratio.

8.01 MEL Skills

Strike:

The ability to use ones hands, tentacles, tail or whatever as weapons. A punch, chop, jab, etc. Various creatures will do different amounts of damage with their "hands". Human fists will inflict less damage than bear claws. The attack must be made within striking range of the arm, plus one step. In other words, if the character can take one step forward and then reach out and touch the target, then he is within range.

Kick:

As the Strike skill yet using ones foot, hove, or whatever he walks with.

Bite:

Most humans males do not go in for biting their foe's, yet some creatures rely upon this form of attack. The range of a bite will vary with creatures. Snakes strike out 1/2 of their body length, wolves jump their body length upon their pray, humans need to be touching the foe. Some bites are poison and many are filthy and may carry disease. Most people know about Vampire bites.

Grapple:

Wrestling, pinning, and throwing one's foe to the ground. A grapple attack is usually less damaging than it is restraining upon a foe. Some creatures such as bears and boa constrictors use grappling to crush their pray's bones. A grappling attack will vary depending upon the creature employing it, yet for most creatures a successful grapple will reduce the opponents AG, DX, MEL, MIS, THR, DEF, STE, CON and ARB levels by the success of the Grapple, ( after the opponents defensive roll is applied ). The opponent must then make a Stat VS Stat roll using MI against the attacker to break the hold. If the hold is broken, then the defender may immediately attempt to return the grapple attack, or he may disengage. Until the hold is broken, the defender has the above Stats and Skills reduced by the success amount of the Grapple. Once the hold is broken, all Stats and Skills immediately rise by 5 points, and then 5 points per CP, ( Combat Pulse ), thereafter until they reach their normal value. If the opponent fails to break the hold, the attacker may then attempt to tighten the grip on his next available CP. He rolls a Grapple attack again, with a greater success indicating better hold, and a lesser success meaning that he is losing his grip. This second roll should be easier, as the opponents DEF is already reduced by the previous attack. If the defenders AG is reduced to 0, then the attacker may manipulate his body, such as directing him out a door like a bouncer at a bar will do to a drunk, or using him to shield his escape, as so many villains do in the movies, using a captured opponent as a human shield. If the defenders AG and DX Stats are both reduced to 0, the attacker may then begin to suffocate or crush the life out of him at a rate equal to the attacker's MI/2 points of LIF per CT, ( Combat Turn ). If the defender's DX is reduced to 0, then the defender is at the attackers mercy.

Example: John has a SR of 80 with Grapple and his opponent has an Evade SR of 70. John rolls an ID Roll of 24., giving him a 24. He scores a 56, ( 80-24=56). His opponent uses Evade to defend himself and makes an ID Roll of 60,....giving him a 60. His score is, ( 70 - 60 ), a 10. The attack of 56 minus the defense of 10 gives a 46 success. The defenders AG, DX, MEL, MIS, THR, DEF, STE, CON and ABR all reduced by 46 points. Johns MI is a 61 and the opponent's is a 73. A Stat VS Stat roll using MI is made. John rolls a 72 giving him a -11 result. ( 61-72 = -11). John's opponent rolls a 73 giving him a 0 result. ( 73 - 73 = 0 ). John's foe wins and breaks the hold, he may either choose to make an immediate return Grapple attack or disengage. He chooses to disengage, leaping out of John's grasp and looking at him down the length of a hastily drawn blade.

Knife:

Any edged implement from a dagger to a kitchen knife to a piece of broken glass may be judged a knife. The weapon must be no longer than 14" to be considered a Knife. Each weapon will do it's own amount of damage, and the range is the same as for Strike , with the addition of the weapons length past the handle.

Blade:

Single edged cutting weapons over 14" fall into this category. The Katana, Saber, Scimitar, and similar weapons. Single edged weapons are separated from double edged weapons as fighting styles can be quite different between the two, The single edged weapon usually employs more finesse and may have the back of the blade supported during a blow with either the opposing arm or part of the attackers body. Such as resting the back of the blade upon his body and twisting into the foe.

Sword:

Double edged cutting weapons over 14" are covered by the Sword skill. Broadswords, Viking Swords, Roman Short Swords, and similar weapons.

Fence:

This skill is used for fencing weapons such as foils, rapiers, and epees. Fencing weapons are those which rely upon thrusting more than upon slashing. Use the Fence skill for thrusting weapons longer than 14".

Force Blade:

This skill covers the use of weapons which emit a continuous beam of energy not to exceed 4' in length. Such as Laser Swords, Force Blades, Sun Swords, etc. Although similar to swords, blades, or knives, the use of such weapons is quite different. The user of a metal blade may support the weapon's business end, or accidently brush himself with it and suffer no ill effect. Force Blades are not so forgiving. Force Blades have a contained beam of energy which is incased in a "deflector shield". The shield allows the blade to lightly touch something without causing harm. If the user exceeds approximately 5 lbs of pressure upon the contained and focused energy beam of a Force Blade, the local shielding will part, allowing the "blade" to slice and burn. If you attempt to brace a Force Blade, when the beam hits something, the resulting pressure will collapse the shield are damage not only what you have struck, but also your hand. When attacking with a Force Blade, if you fail by more than 50 points, you will have damaged yourself. For each point of failure beyond 50, the user will inflict the DM of the weapon's damage upon himself, regardless of the type of Force Blade used. Thus if a character fails an attack by 66 points, he not only fails to harm his opponent, but also inflicts 16 x DM points of damage upon himself. Although Force Blades are among the most powerful melee weapons in the universe, they also are among the most unforgiving.

If the Force Blade is Blocked or Parried by a weapon other than another Force Blade, it will most likely destroy the Blocking/Parrying weapon. If the Block/Parry causes the attack to fail by 50 or more points, than it has survived, otherwise, it is destroyed and is now useless for attacking and blocking/parrying. Assume that a failure of 50 points or more allows the block or parry to occur without full contact with the Force Blade.

Club:

Clubs come in all shapes and sizes, yet for the purpose of Sicarius anything like a sap, chair, club, mace, tree limb, etc; is a club. Although not a skill of finesse, it is quite useful in a pinch where a more standard weapon is unavailable. Use this skill anytime the character wishes to smash something or someone with an object not covered under another skill.

Staves:

Staves differ from clubs in that they are slender poles of varying length from about three feet on up. Staves are used for tripping, jabbing, striking, and all kinds of fun stuff. Where the Club is somewhat makeshift and brutish, Stave usage brings Clubbing to a fine art. Warriors who wish to thrust with their spears or javelins use the skill Staves.

Axe:

From small hatchets to war axes. This is more than just chopping. The Axe-man swings in figure eights, uses the weapons handle to good effect, and generally proves himself more than just a lumber-jack with an attitude.

Bash:

Smashing an opponent with your body is considered a Bash. If a Bash is successful than you make a MAS vs MAS Stat Roll with the attacker gaining a bonus to his MAS equal to the success of his Bash attack. The victor of the Stat vs Stat roll inflicts damage in LIF points upon the defeated equal to ½ the amount he won the roll by. The Victor suffers 10% of the targets MAS in LIF damage himself. If the Stat VS Stat roll is equal, both parties suffer damage equal to 20% of the others MAS. If the damage inflicted is equal to 25% or more of your MAS, then you will be knocked back 2d10 feet and will fall down. Make a Stat Roll against your EN each CP thereafter, with a successful roll allowing you to get back to your feet. If should be clear that Bashing is better performed by characters and creatures with a higher MAS Stat than their opponent.

If the attacker fails in a Bash attempt, then the defending character is allowed an immediate return attack with whatever weapon he has ready. This attack is in addition to any other attacks he is allowed, and is given a +10 SR advantage, ( as the attacker has basically rushed his weapon ), yet may be defended against normally.

Dual Weapon:

The character chooses two types of weapon that he will fight with in pairs, such as Knife/Knife, Blade/Knife, Sword/Sword, etc. The weapons must both be usable single handedly. He must add the MM rating of both weapons, and have the MI to use them together, of suffer the penalty.

When he successfully Parries or Blocks a blow with either weapon, he has a chance equal to his Dual Weapon SR of immediately responding with an attack by the other weapon. For example, his Dual Weapon Skill Rank with Sword/Knife is 57. He is attacked and manages to Parry the attack with his Sword. He now has a chance equal to his Skill Rank, of 57, to make an immediate return attack with the knife. He rolls a 14, allowing the attack. At this point he can make a normal knife attack using his Knife Skill.

The character using the Dual Weapon skill has a MQ as determined by the weapon that would most penalize him, or for Sword/Knife, use the QM of the sword.

The character's return attack must be made with the weapon that was NOT used to parry. Thus, if he parried with his sword parry skill, he would return attack with his dagger, ( assuming that he was using a sword / dagger combination ). Return attacks due to successful Parries or Blocks are in addition to normal attacks if they fall upon a CP that the character normally cannot attack on.

The draw back is that if he misses the return attack roll, then his opponent gains an advantage on his next attack equal to 1/2 the amount the return attack was missed by, for the character has left himself open. Thus, if you have a Dual Weapon SR of 61 and roll a 90, then the opponent gains a 29/2 = 14.5, or +15 on his next attack against you. If you make the roll, then fail the attack, no penalties apply to either party.

Note, you do not have to make a return attack. It is up to you.

You cannot make a return attack against a return attack. Thus if two characters with Dual Weapon skills are fighting, they may only make return attacks against normal attacks, not against return attacks.

8.02 MIS Skills

Bow

Allows the skillful use of the bow and arrow. Covers all makes of bow's with the exception of crossbows. Most people know what a bow and arrow is, so no explanation should be necessary.

Crossbow

A crossbow is a device which incorporates a small bow mounted horizontally across a rifle like handle. The bow is either drawn back by leverage from hand and foot, or is cranked by a mechanism. A small arrow called a quarrel is placed in the bow on top of the rifle-like stock. Then aim and fire. The skill Crossbow covers all types of crossbows from small pistol versions to the largest infantry type weapons.

Pistol

Anything from an old single shot black powder pistol, a wild west Colt 45, to a futuristic laser pistol or blaster.

Rifle

Any rifle or carbine. Also shotguns. Once again, anything from a single shot blunderbuss to a sub-machine gun or laser rifle.

Light Artillery

The skill Light Artillery should be used to cover weapons which are normally tripod or vehicle mounted, yet may be removed for infantry application. This skill requires some form of military background or training by someone who has such a background and access to these weapons.

Heavy Artillery

This skill covers weapons which are non-portable by humans. Tank mounted turret guns, ship mounted weapons, and the like. The player and Arbiter should decide upon which weapons the character may use his skill with. A player who has spent time as a submarine torpedoes officer may not understand the launching of a ground based missile, yet he will have a greater chance than someone who is completely ignorant of Heavy Artillery.

8.03 THR Skills

Rocks

Rocks, baseballs, bottles and just about any non standard weapon which can be heaved single handed by a character is covered by the skill Rock.

Heavy Objects

Objects which normally would require the character to throw with two hands should be covered by the Heavy Objects skill. This would include bar stools, bedroom doors, bicycles, and other unwieldy objects.

Knives

Any knife type implement up to 14" in length.

Axes

The THR Axes skill is used when throwing an Axe.

Spears

This would cover throwing attacks by traditional spears, pool cues, broomsticks, and any other similar object. The "spear" should have a length no greater than 1 1/2 the height of the attacker, and must be of a reasonable weight. If the object is too long, heavy, or unwieldy, the Arbiter may feel free to judge it a Heavy Object, covered under the skill of the same name.

Disks

A throwing star, frisbee, or hubcap is a disk. Anything that is similar to a saucer or plate is a disk.

Bolos

A Bolo is two weighted objects connected by a length of flexible cord or chain. A Bolo should be matched to the MAS of the character throwing it, and if the target is from 25% to 200% the MAS of the thrower, a successful attack may also cause the target to become entangled. When a target has been struck by a Bolo, and his MAS is from 25% to 200% that of the thrower, then their is a chance of entanglement equal to the amount that the attack was successful by. Example: John with a MAS of 63 attacks Hector with a MAS of 65. Any target of John's with a MAS between 16 , ( 25% of 63 ), and 126, ( 2 x 63 ), is subject to Bolo entanglement. John will need to make an ID Roll of 56 or less to make a successful attack, and rolls a 35. This attack is successful by 21 points. Not only is normal damage inflicted, but if another ID Roll of 21 or less is made, then the target is also entangled.

An entangled target immediately suffers a penalty to DX and AG. Both are reduced to 1/2 of their normal value. This also will effect all Secondary Stats and Skills. The character must make a Stat Roll vs his adjusted DX on his next available AP, and if successful he is no longer entangled. If he fails the first roll, he must roll again each CP thereafter that he has an AP available until he is disentangled. Another character may lend him a hand, making a Stat roll of his own vs DX.

Entangled characters suffer not only their loss of DX and AG and associated Secondary Stats and skills, but also receive an additional Difficulty of -40 on any physical actions they may attempt other than to disentangle. This includes attacking, defending, walking, or any other physical activity.

Note that the MAS parameters given reflect the size of the Bolo that may be employed by the character. A human could throw a Bolo capable of entangling a man, a dear, or a cat, yet throwing one big and strong enough to entangle an elephant is quite out of the question.

A characters DX and AG are immediately returned to their normal value if the target is disentangled.

Nets

Nets are woven cords, often weighted at various places along the outer edges. A net is cast upon it's pray with the sole intention of entangling the victim. A net is for entangling purposes only, and nets in and of themselves will inflict no damage, though a person wrapped in a net may suffer damage by falling, or drowning if in the water. If a person is struck by net, then he is entangled. All Nets must be rated for MAS. The net may capture an amount of MAS equal to 20% of it's MAS rating to 400% it's MAS rating. The MAS rating of a net does not indicate the true size of the Net, just what MAS range it may be successfully employed against. If a Net is rated as MAS 10, then if may effect creatures from a MAS of 2 to a MAS of 40. If several creatures are close enough, ( Arbiter's discretion ), than several may be effected by the Net. The Net may capture several creatures, as long as their combined MAS does not exceed 4x the MAS rating of the Net. Creatures whose MAS is less than 20% of the MAS Rating of the Net are simply to small to be caught in the Net. Note that the Nets covered by this skill are combat style Nets, and not fishing nets.

The degree of entanglement depends upon the success of the attack. For each point below the required number to hit with the net attack, the target temporally loses 1 point from DX and AG. All associated Secondary Stats and skills are effected. For example, if Joe needed to roll a 81 to hit with his net, and rolled a 23, then the targets AG and DX would be reduced by 58 points each. If a targets AG and DX are reduced to 0 or less, then the target is totally trapped by the net and will fall to the ground. On each AP available to him, ( QIC is also effected by the AG and DX loss ), the target may make a save against his adjusted DX. A successful roll will allow him to escape. A failed roll failed by less than 26 points will caused no further entanglement, and a roll that fails by 26 or more points will cause further entanglement, which will reduce his DX and AG each by another 1d10 points.

AG and DX loss will be immediately restored when released from the net. If a targets AG is reduced to -50 through initial entanglement or by repeated failures to escape, then he will begin to suffocate at a rate of 1 LIF point per CP until he is either released or manages to escape.

As a target struggles to disengage from a net, you can see that he is quite likely to cause further entanglement if he is already badly tangled. Animals often struggle to the point of death or escape, yet some cease to resist and await their captor. Humans who are thoroughly entangled are more likely to await their captor than to struggle to the point of suffocation.

Another un-entangled individual may help an entangled person to escape. This is done by the helper making a Save vs his DX. Each point that he succeeds by will reduce the amount of entanglement by 1 point. He make this attempt on each AP available to him, yet may do nothing else. A failed roll by the helper will not cause further entanglement, and the helper may choose to cut the net, reducing the amount of entanglement by the amount of damage inflicted to the net. Wire nets would require wire cutters! A failed "attack" against the net would inflict damage upon the entangled creature equal to the amount the "attack" was missed by x ½ the DM of the weapon. Thus if the helper needed a 60 to hit the net, and rolled a 20 with a knife with a DM of 2, then he would reduce the amount of entanglement by 40x2 = 80 points. If he had rolled a 90, then he would inflict 30x1 = 30 points of damage upon the entangled creature. Consider the net to have a DEF equal to 1/2 the amount of it's current entanglement value.

Wise helpers will take their time cutting someone loose from a net, thus raising their chance to "hit" the net.

Explosives

Weather a stick of dynamite, Molotov cocktail, or a hand grenade, the Explosives skill is used when tossing exploding weapons. The main difference in throwing a rock or bottle and throwing an explosive is that the thrower must judge his minimum safe throwing distance as well as the amount of time he has. A grenade tossed to late can be a problem for the one throwing it.

8.04 DEF Skills

Defensive skills are covered by DEF. Note that although a parry skill generally means that the character has deflected his opponents blade with his own, it also reflects how difficult he is able to make it for the attacker to get an opening. It should be understood that not all parries or blocks actually intercept the other For example, if a wolf attempts to bite you, you may decide to parry with a sword. If the wolf fails to make good on his attack, this does not mean he bit your sword, it means that by interposing your blade between yourself and the wolf, he was unable to get a sufficient opening to make a successful attack. Using this logic, we can avoid the problem of figuring out how many wolf teeth Broke. This being said...

Most all weapons have a PB rating. When a weapon is used successfully to parry or block another weapon, their is a chance that either one or both of the weapons will break. Use the chart below to determine the chance of breakage for each weapon.

8.041 PB Ratings of weapons and the chance of Breakage:

Thus if Kogar has a 67% chance to hit with a weapon that has a PB-3, and Jak has a 58% chance to parry with a weapon that has a PB - 1......

Kogar rolls a 56, hitting by ( 67-56 ) = 11 points. Jak parries and rolls a 45. His parry is successful by, ( 58 - 45 ) = 13 points. 13 for the parry - 11 for the attack = a parry successful by 2 points.

Looking at the chart be see that Kogars PB of 3 is 2 points higher than Jaks PB of 1. Kogar's weapon survives, as the parry was successful by more than 1 point, there is no check for weapon breakage. Jak's weapon with a PB of 1 is 2 points less than Kogars PB of 3. Any parry that is successful by 5 points or less may destroy this weapon. As the parry was only successful by 2 points, his weapon is may be broken. The chance is 40%. Jak must make a %Roll, with a 40 or less indicating that his weapon has broken and is now useless. The Arbiter may allow weapons such as swords to retain something like 50% effectiveness, ( double QIC penalty and reduce attack chance by ½ ), yet weapons like bows would be totally useless. Occult or special alloy weapons might have high PB factors.

Evade

This is the ability to be where the attack is not. Using anything from sidestepping to ducking, to outright hitting the dirt, the character simply attempts to avoid the blow. Evading requires nothing other than the defender being able to move, and having some room to do it in. If you are trapped in a bathtub, Evading is quite difficult! When a being Evades, his next attack or action is modified by -10 if the Evade was performed within the last 3 CP's.

You may use Evade against MEL, MIS, and THR attacks. Against MIS attacks, Evade is at 1/4 SR. It is hard to Evade an arrow or bullet.

Armor

The Armor skill allows a character to use armor without suffering as great a penalty as someone without any training in the use and wearing of Armor. See the Armor Chart in the section on Combat for details.

Sword Parry

The ability to interpose and deflect using edged weapons such as Swords and Blades. The weapon must be 14" or larger to parry with at full parry SR. If less than 14", then the parry is at ½ normal SR. If your weapon is a knife, you may find it preferable to use the Evade skill rather than a parry, ( assuming that your evade SR is more than ½ your Sword Parry skill.

You may parry against MEL, THR, and MIS attacks.

Parrying THR attacks is done at 1/2 SR.

Parrying MIS attacks is done at 1/10 SR.

Stave Parry

The same as Sword Parry, yet using pole weapons, staves, spears, etc.

Block

The same as Parry, yet for use with smashing weapons. Clubs, and axes use the Block skill, as do Rifles and other similar items which may be interposed between the defender and the attacker. Shields use the Block skill, with an added bonus due to their design.

Main Gauche add +5, Small shields add +10 to Block SL, Medium Shields add +20, and Great Shields add +30. See the Combat section and Weapons Stat Chart for more information on the use of shields in combat.

Blocking with weapons less than 14" is done at ½ Block SR.

8.05 ACA Skills

Speak

The ability to converse with others using sound generated from one's body. Humans expel hot air from their mouth to speak. Each language that a character wishes to speak requires a separate Speak skill. You also understand any languages that you Speak at the same SR. A SR of 10 or 20 will get you by, most of the time. This is like a new immigrant. SR of 50 and 60 are the normal levels of education for most native adults. Higher degrees allow one to use nuances of the language, as well as understand most of it's various dialects, archaic forms, and vulgar forms.

Read / Write

The Read/Write skill allows one to Read and Write a specific language. The SR comparisons are the same as for Speak. A person who learns to Read/Write a language also has the ability to Speak it at 1/2 of his Read/Write skill level. Archeologists can often read, write, and understand a dead language, yet they often do not know exactly how words were pronounced, thus the 1/2 SR if attempting to speak it.

Math

The ability to perform mathematical functions without the aid of a calculator. SR 10 addition, subtraction. SR 20 multiplications, division. SR 30 fractions. SR 40 algebra. SL 50 geometry. SR 60 trig. SR 70 Calculus. SR 80 and higher are the esoteric forms of mathematics. A good engineer should have a high Math SR.

Cartography

The ability to draw maps and depict actual forms, directions, and distances upon paper. The SR of the Cartographer represents the quality of Maps that he may make, as well as his ability to read them. A SR 50 Cartographer with an ACC of 30 would produce Maps of 80% complete accuracy, assuming he knew the area he was mapping.

Navigate

The ability to use devices at your TL to determine where you are, where you want to be, and how to get their safely. The Navigator uses maps, stars, sextants, GPS devices, or whatever is available to him and within his ability to grasp, ( his TL ), to safely plan and direct a passage. A good Navigator with no map or a poor map will have difficulty in making an accurate passage.

Physics

The study of how the universe works. The character is limited to his TL, with characters having a SR above 100 being able to easily grasp concepts of the next higher TL, and Grand Masters often are the ones to develop the next generation of technology. Einstein was a Grand Master, he gave us atomic energy, and began a new TL era.



Metaphysics

The study of paranormal events and sciences. Quantum Reality studies as well as esoteric philosophy fall under this heading. This helps one to understand events that defy "normal" reality and physics.

Chemistry

The chemist understands how basic chemical building blocks may be bonded together to create something different. The chemist depends on chemicals and various devices to mix something up. If the chemist wishes to develop something totally new, than the Arbiter should impose a high difficulty. If the chemist has a recipe for something, all he needs is the chemicals and necessary tools to create the substance.

Biology

The study of living organisms and how they function. The biologist can get a good idea of what a creature is capable of just by studying it. They are also able to detect sickness and know how to cure it, sometimes. The Biology skill includes Doctor in Sicarius.   See 9.70 Recovering...

Mechanics

The ability to repair mechanical devices. This will be affected by the TL of the device and it's complexity. The mechanic also will need the proper tools and materials.

Engineering

The ability to design devices which use current or outdated tech. The engineer must also have a knowledge of Math, and his Engineering skill may only be 20 levels higher than his Math skill. The engineer who wishes to create electro-mechanical devices would need some skill within these areas. A Engineer with Biology skill would be a Bio-Engineer, if the tech is available.

Electronics

The ability to understand and repair electronic devices. Tools and materials will be required.

Programming

The ability to understand, write, and hack computer programs. The programmer should have a Math skill of at least 40 to be any good.

History

You have learned the history of you world, or in worlds that have yet to become global communities, you know the history of your country and it's neighbors.

Lore

Lore is similar to History, yet it deals more with mythology, religion, and folk-tales.

Interrogate

The ability to get information out of someone by talking with him. It does not involve physical abuse, it is basic question and answer sessions. Often, you can get info from someone without him even knowing that he gave it to you. If the one you are interrogating is actively defying you, the Arbiter should imply a high difficulty. A high difficulty is also reasonable if you do not want the target to know that he is being interrogated.

Torture

This is Interrogation by means of inflicting pain. Each "Torture" session will require a Stat Vs Stat roll, using the SR of Torture against the target's RE. If the Torturer wins, than the Target temporally loses 1d10 points of RE. When RE reaches "0", the tortured individual will spill his guts. Each time the roll is made, the target will suffer 1d10 points of LIF damage. Torture usually end's with the victim spilling his guts, or spilling his guts! Torture is an ugly business, and it takes time. Each Torture roll requires 3 CT, and if the Torturer fails his roll by 30 or more points, than he has driven the victim to unconsciousness, caused 2d10 LIF damage and it will take 1d10 CT to revive him. If the torturer fails a roll by 100 or more points, he has accidently killed the victim. If the Victim fails his roll, he will let slip with some information. If he fails it by 25 or more points, he will talk. Note that characters may decide to talk to avoid torture. This is up to the player if it is his character, or to the Arbiter if the victim is a non-player character.

Note also that some expert torturers just choose to torture a victim until his RE is reduced to "0", to insure that the information given is correct. A victim whose RE is reduced to "0" will always tell the truth.

Poison

The skill allows the character to create and nullify poisons. Use the Level of the poison to determine it's Difficulty, as a " - " number,( both to create and nullify ). Thus, a Level 60 poison has a DF of -60. Poisons levels are as follows.

It takes the proper ingredients and a number of hours equal to the level of the poison minus the SL of the Poisoner to create a poison or it's antidote.  Up to 10 doses may be created at this time if the ingredients are available. It helps to have antidotes on hand. An antidote will reduce the damage of the poison to 1/4 of it's normal value, or awaken one from unconsciousness or coma.

The above list is just a basic foundation, and the Arbiter may allow other poisons with specifics if he wishes. The Arbiter may decide that the character needs Chemistry and Biology to develop any exotic poisons, like a virus.

Beings should get a EN Stat roll with a -DF equal to ½ the level of the Poison. A success indicated damage is reduced by 1/2. Killing poisons which are resisted should cause 2d100 LIF damage and unconsciousness for 2d10 hrs.

JOAT

Jack of all trades gives the character a basic skill with most anything that requires knowledge. He is the proverbial handy-man. If a character with JOAT wishes to attempt something requiring technical skill, driving, piloting, fixing, etc;, and he has no skill, he may use JOAT. JOAT is always used at 1/2 level, and his Primary Skill of ACA should also be at 1/2 it's normal value when using JOAT. Thus a character with an ACA of 16 and a JOAT of SL 50 would have an SR of 66, reduced by 1/2 to an SR of 33. The Arbiter may also feel free to not allow the use of JOAT in situations where it would be impossible for the character to be able to perform the action. A 13th century Knight should not be allowed to use JOAT to fly a spacecraft and disarm a nuclear weapon, yet a 20th century military jet pilot might use JOAT to get moving in an alien spacecraft and disarm a missel. As always, use your head and remember, it's just a game. James Bond is a JOAT Grand Master. The character should also be able to give you a half way reasonable explanation as to why he might be able to use JOAT. If it seems that the character would be lucky to perform the action without true skill, then feel free to make him roll his JOAT roll, and if it is successful, then make a Luck Roll. If the Luck roll fails, so will the attempt. JOAT is not meant to replace normal skill, but to help fill in for areas where one's common knowledge may be enough to suffice. RPG characters are usually a cut above the norm, otherwise they would be working a nine to five and watching TV. They should be able to out perform the average man.

JOAT is never used in place of an Occult skill.



8.06 STE Skills

Hide

Allows the character or something that the character wishes to hide, to avoid being noticed by others. The Arbiter will assign a difficulty based upon lighting conditions, terrain, and so forth. If the character makes the roll he will remain hidden until he moves from his hiding spot, or some very through search is made. The search should be a successful Locate Skill roll, with the success of the characters Hide roll being used as the Difficulty.

Stalk

Allows the character to follow someone without being noticed. Use is similar to the Hide skill, yet allows movement. The character must periodically roll his Stalk skill, based upon the Arbiter's judgment. Use the movement as a -DF, so that a being Stalking while moving at ½ his Max MR would receive a -50 DF.

Bushwhack

Bushwhack allows the character to wait in ambush for something to come his way. He must choose the right location for the Bushwhacking to occur, and if the target comes his way, a successful roll will give the Bushwhacker the first action. This first action will be against Unaware opponents, ( See Combat ). His foes will be unable to retaliate for a number of CP equal to the success of the Bushwhack Roll.

Cloak

The ability to hide one's appearance and blend in. This is a most useful skill for spies. The character makes his roll, and the amount of the success is the Difficulty one must overcome using the Locate skill to identify him as being out of place.

8.07 ARB Skills

Jump

When a character needs to jump car to car on a moving train, he should hope for a high Jump skill. This would be about a Difficulty of -30 to -50.

Roll

If a character falls he can use Roll to lessen the damage. For each point of success the character is able to reduce the damage by 1%. Be real though. A character cannot use Roll if he falls from a plane!

Climb

Humans need to calculate a Movement Rate for climbing, as do most "non-climbing" creature. This MR is equal to their normal Movement Rate divided by 10.

Climb MR = Normal MR / 10

The DF of the surface to be is added or subtracted from this amount, thus a -20 DF wall would subtract 20 from the MR.

The character must roll his SR with Climb each CT of part thereof which he makes a climb. A failure indicates that he cannot make and movement this CT. Second failure indicates that he slips and falls. Any failure, even the first, which is 100 or more points over what he needed to succeed, indicates an instant fall.

Use the Fatigue Chart, 6.06 Carrying Capacity , to determine the -DF applied against the characters Climb SR based upon the weight he is carrying and the speed he is moving.

Climbing is considered Exerting. Thus a being carrying 51 - 75% of his CC who is "Fast Walking" during a climb has a -DF of 6 x 4 = -24. ( 6 for Exerting multiplied by 4 for Fast Walking).

If he were to slow to a Crawl, it would be just a -6 DF.

If he dropped all but 10% of less of his CC in weight, he could "jog" the climb with a 2 x 5 = -10 DF.

Remember to apply Fatigue points against the character's Fatigue as normal.

Swim

Humans are able to Swim at a rate of feet per CT equal to 1/4 of their normal Movement Rate - the DF of the liquid he is swimming in. ( Oil is quite hard to swim in, so is an icy, rough sea. The DF for an average river is 0. A still, warm pool is +50 to +75 or so.

A failed Swim SR roll means that the being makes no headway. If he fails by more points than his EN, than he will go under, suffering 3d10 points of drowning damage.

Use the Fatigue Chart, 6.06 Carrying Capacity , to determine the -DF applied against the characters Swim SR based upon the weight he is carrying and the speed he is moving.

Swimming is considered Exerting. Thus a being carrying 51 - 75% of his CC who is "Fast Walking" during a swim has a -DF of 6 x 4 = -24. ( 6 for Exerting multiplied by 4 for Fast Walking).

If he were to slow to a Crawl, it would be just a -6 DF.

If he dropped all but 10% of less of his CC in weight, he could "jog" the swim with a 2 x 5 = -10 DF.

Remember to apply Fatigue points against the character's Fatigue as normal

Dance

Allows the character to wow the opposite sex with their dancing abilities. If they are good enough at it, that is.

8.08 SOC Skills

Charm

Use this skill to make people like you. The level of success or failure of this roll will determine the reactions of those you are using it on. Difficulty should be based upon the circumstances. Meeting someone at a party for the first time is an average DF. A thief trying to win over a cop might be a little tougher.

Seduce

The same as Charm, yet this is use to get someone sexually interested in you. Take if from there.

Persuade

This allows you to get others to see it your way. It is similar to Command, yet without using intimidation.

Discourage

This helps you to stop someone from doing something you don't want them to do. It may be through intimidation and does not necessarily require speech. Someone might be Discouraged from attacking you just by the way you "appear" to him.

Blend

Allows one to fit in with the crowd. This is not hiding, but the ability to bring yourself into the social level and culture of the people around you. A master of Blend gets along just fine with crooks, kings, saints, or bums.

Command

Use the Command skill to intimidate others into doing your will. The DF should be equal to the, ( RE x -1 ), of the person you are trying to command. The Arbiter can modify this based upon your role playing of the situation, as well as what you are attempting to get the other to do, how well he, she, it understands you, and how they would normally feel about doing such a thing. A failed Command may cause the commanded person to act in the opposite manner, just to irritate you.

 

8.081 CON Skills

Pilot

The character must choose one of the following. Animal, Auto, Motorcycle, Boat, Sub, Prop Plane, Jet Plane, Space Ship, Star Ship, etc as necessary. You must not choose to be a Pilot of something beyond your accessible TL. You may learn to have several different Pilot skills, yet each is a separate skill. The Pilot Skill allows you use the vehicle covered by your skill. It lets you start, move, and steer it. Knowing where your going is another matter altogether, as that is covered by the Navigate Skill. A Star Ship Pilot needs an Astrogator to set his course, and he either needs this Skill, which is a sub-skill of Navigate, or he requires the services of someone who does possess it.

Slight-of-hand

The character is able to make small items seem to disappear, pick - pockets, cut items loose from a passer-by, and other petty thief tricks.

Card Tricks

The character is able to manipulate cards for fun, entertainment, or profit. A failed roll means that someone has detected your manipulation of the cards. You've been caught.

Lock Picking

The Ability to use small tools and or bits of wire and such to open locks and crack safes. Better pick sets will help, whereas trying to use a stick might be a waste of time.

 

8.082 SEN Skills

Locate

The ability to find someone or something that is Hiding or Hidden. The character must be searching in the general area of the Hidden object or person, and Difficulty should be based upon the degree that the object was successfully Hidden.

Touch

Allows the character to gain a degree of information by merely feeling an object with his hands. Blind people can often identify people by feeling their faces.

Sense Mood

The ability to get a feeling of the emotional state of your surroundings. It is a form of empathy. Hostile people will "feel dangerous" to you, friends will "feel good". Not 100% reliable, yet it can help. This is not a mystical ability as such, it requires a degree of social interacting, looking at facial expressions and body language, etc. It would be harder to get the feeling in the dark than it would in the light. Use common sense.

Taste / Smell

A Skill which allows the being to gather information through the sense of smell and taste. Watch what you put in your mouth though!

Hearing

Using your sense of hearing to gather information. Listening at doors, eavesdropping, and all that good stuff.

8.09 OCC Skills

See the section on Chaos to fully understand the following skills and their possible applications. When a character uses an Occult Skill, he will be required to expend some amount of Pow. The costs given with each skill are for successful uses of the Skill. An attempt to use a skill which fails, will drain the character of only 1d10 point of Pow, unless otherwise noted.

Example: If Joe wished to use Shield, and needed 70 Pow for the base Shield and wished to enhance it by 50 points, it would cost him 120 points of POW if the roll was successful. A failure to raise the Shield would cost him only 1d10 points of POW.

Occult skills can be very powerful and the Arbiter has the right to limit or not allow the use of Occult skills if he feels it will unbalance his game, or if it has no place. He may also make characters who wish to become Occultists search out the knowledge while playing the game. It is up to the Arbiter and the design of the Realm he is playing in. On the other hand, the Occult aspect of the game can also make for some of the wildest and most interesting play.

Note that all Occult Skills and Abilities are affected by the C/O Level of the Realm where they are used, even if it is not mentioned in the description of the Skill or Ability. If the Realm has a + Chaos Level, than that + value is added to the Skill Rank. If the Realm has a - Order Level, than the - value is subtracted from the Skill Rank. Use these basic guidelines unless some other method of using C/O Level is given in the Skill or Ability description.

8.0901 Meditate:

This skill allows the being to focus his mind upon one thing, thought, or goal. It normally requires about 15 minutes of relative calm before one can relax enough to enter the state fully. Once entered it will last for 1d100 minutes, and if interrupted, it's benefits are lost.

If the Meditate Skill roll is successful, then the next 1d10 actions he is meditating on will have a +DF modifier equal to 1/2 the amount of the success of the roll. Thus if he were gearing for combat, he would meditate upon it, then after 15 minutes make his Meditate Roll. If he succeeds, he will enter Meditation for 1d100 minutes. If his SR were 67 and he rolled a 31, ( a success ), he would modify the next 1d10 combat actions by, ( 67 - 31 = 36, 36 / 2 = 18 ), 18. In this case adding 18 to his Skill Chance. The actions must all be within a similar "field", such as physical combat, Occult Use, Social Graces, etc. Only one "field" of things may have this bonus at a time. The Arbiter has final say as to weather an action fits within the "field". The practitioner of Meditate cannot store up bonuses by Meditating several times about several different areas of expertise. One "field" at a time only.

If a Meditate roll is failed, one can try again after another 5 minutes of relative Calm.

Remember, the Meditative state will last for 1d100 minutes once entered, and if interrupted, it's benefits are lost. Thus, you must prepare in advance. One is able to meditate the night before a series of actions, as the bonus lasts until the actions are performed, or 24 hours later.

When Meditating upon a Rune, no advantage on Merging is given, for you MUST be in a meditative state just to Merge.

8.0902 Mutate :

All beings, ( if the Arbiter allows ), have the possibility of being able to Mutate. What this means is that the character has the ability to alter his physical form as well as it's functions.

The basic chance that a being has the ability to Mutate is equal to -50 + 3 x C/O Level of his birth Realm. Thus a being with born to a Chaos +20 Realm has a, ( -50 + 3 x 20, or -50 + 60 = +10 ), 10% chance of being able to Mutate. The being is also known as a Lycanthrope, or Shape Shifter.

A being born to an Order -30 Realm would have a -50 + 3 x -30, ( -50 + -90 ), or a -140% chance of being a Lycanthrope.

As you can see, it is much more likely that creatures who have birth ties to Chaos will be able to Mutate than beings whose birth ties stem from Order.

This is a one time chance, at the time of character creation. This is not a skill, as such, and the being must have the genetic ability. Arbiters may feel free to give the character a second chance to gain Mutate if he Merges with Anark or Abyss, as these Runes are highly Chaotic in nature and may activate the Mutate ability which lies dormant in all beings.

If a being has the ability, then it is considered a Skill, and he must either allow for if during character generation, or it will begin the game at a Skill Level of 1.

Mutate allows the character to redesign his body as he sees fit. It could be as little as his appearance, meaning the color of hair, eyes, and general physical characteristics, or as much as becoming a completely different thing. The main rule that applies, is that MAS will remain the same. If a normal human, about 5'10" weighing 165 lbs wished to become 10' tall, he would still weigh 165 lbs.

It would be impossible for him to become a mouse, unless it was a giant 165 lb. mouse.

The degree of skill that a character possesses will form a guideline of how radically he may change and how capable he is at Mutating.

See the Mutate chart.

8.09021 Mutate Chart

When changing to another form, the character retains all his normal Stats, yet he can move like and is limited by the form he takes. If a character becomes a shark, he is for all intents and purposes a shark. The Pilot Skill won't do him much good in this form, yet his Bite Skill will. Note that while changing to a form you are unfamiliar with, you will experience some difficulties getting use to the form. A human becoming a bear, will not be as good of a bear as the real thing, and he will most likely be a small bear. After spending some time training as a bear, he will get better. This is why many beings with the Mutate ability stick with one of several forms in most cases, reserving other forms for when absolutely necessary.

Creatures from deep in the Chaos Realms, ( +40 or more is considered Deep Chaos ), often have a preferred form that they like to consider their own, most look like demons. Some like angels.

When a character wishes to alter his form, he must make a Mutate Skill Roll using the C/O Level of the Realm he is currently in as a DF.

If he makes the roll, then he begins to alter his form.

He may alter his form 1% to 100% of it's current form, based upon what the Arbiter decrees the desired change will require. Changing your fingernails to claws would only be about 1 to 5%, yet changing your entire body would be 100%.

A normal speed change takes about 1 CT per 1% of change desired. At this speed, the character can heal body damage equal to the % of the change. Thus, a 50% change will heal up to 50% of his LIF in damage. This also requires 1 point of POW per 1% of change, and during the change the character will suffer any inconveniences brought about by the change. Changing from a human to a Shark will require quite a bit of time where the character can really do little but await the change in a source of water.

A fast change takes about 1 CP per % of the change. This costs twice the POW of a normal change and no healing is allowed.

A near instantaneous change takes 1d10 CP, costs 3x the POW of a normal change, and actually causes a % of LIF damage equal to 1/2 the % of the change, ( a 50% change would inflict 25% of the beings total LIF points in damage ), with no chance of a bleeding, stunning, or Grievous wound ). It hurts like hell, as the bones literally twist, snap, and mend themselves into the new form. Flesh and muscle rends ands rips, tendons snap and tear. The instantaneous change is almost always reserved for extreme emergencies, and has been known to cause death if the being is not up to it.

Whenever a Mutated being encounters extreme Occult forces or is greatly damaged, he may find himself slipping into his "preferred" form. The chance of this is equal to the C/O Level of the Realm + the amount of change he is currently in as compared to his normal form. Thus if a human in a Chaos +20 Realm is currently in a 25% altered form, his chance of a "Stress Change" is equal to +20 + 25 = 50. Thus under circumstances of extreme Occult usage, life threatening damage, or other similar occurrences there is a 50% chance that he will begin a normal change back to his preferred form. In an Order -30 Realm, the chance for a 25% altered being would be -30 + 25 = -5. It is easier to retain one's altered form in a Order Realm, for the nature of the Realm itself will resist the change. A Stress Change costs no POW and it will result in the normal healing due to Mutating. It is a form of self preservation natural to Lycanthropy.

If a stress change begins to occur, the being may attempt to stop it, using his Mutate SR - the C/O Level of the Realm he is in as a DF. A success will halt the change for 1 CT, and he must continue each CT to resist the change until he removes himself from the situation causing the Stress Change. It costs the being 1d10 / 2 POW per CT to resist a Stress Change.

It is said that in some Realms which periodically display a full moon, that a Stress Change may occur naturally. It is possible that some Realms may have other natural phenomenon which could induce a Stress Change.

Summoners who successfully use the Command Skill upon a being they are Summoning may order them to their Preferred form, or some form more appealing to the Summoner. This is also considered a Stress Change. If the creature fails to resist the Command, ( see Summoning ), then he will begin the change.

8.0903 Link

Occult using character's often need to Link themselves to people, places, things, or Events in order to effect them through the use of occult forces. The Link is a connection between the Sorcerer, ( or Priest ), and the target which acts as an anchor for the desired effect. Without a Link, it is easy for the desired effect to go astray and simply dissipate like so much wishful thinking.

Link is measured in a value from 0 to 100 points, with 100 being the best possible Link. Links may be established in several ways. Use the chart below to determine the basic Link to a person or place, then go from there. If a Link calculates to more than 100, than it remains at 100. A Link can never fall below 0.

Once a basic Link exists, then you are able to increase the Link through a Link Skill roll. You Meditate for 30 minutes, ( 90 CT and it requires a successful Meditate Skill roll ), upon the target you wish to increase the Link to and make a Link Skill roll. A successful roll will increase the Link by 1 point. It also costs 1d10 POW . You must have at least a Link of 1 to attempt to increase it.

An established Link will normally remain the same until the circumstances change, such as the a sighted target removing itself from your line of sight. Normal Link adjustments may be altered under certain circumstances. For example, if you had lost touch with your brother for a number of years, enough time and experiences may have changed him to reduce your normal Link bonus of +25. He has become someone other than you remember. The Arbiter may reduce the Link by some amount, possibly bringing it quite low.

8.09031 Basic Links and Modifiers:

The basic Link may be modified in several ways

8.09032 Basic Link Modifiers

The Link may never raise above 100 or fall below 0.

8.0904 Sense Aura

The ability to sense the energetic field given by any living being or system. In actuality, all things have auric fields, yet most inanimate objects are too alien or low in frequency to be readily noticeable. The character gets an empathetic feeling for the aura. How it is feeling, what it's mental and physical condition is, etc;. The ability works in a radius equal to the characters SP in feet, and can be used to get a general overall feeling of the area or be targeted against a specific area or individual.

Cost is 10 POW and allows continuous use for a number of CT equal to the characters SR. Sense Aura normally has a difficulty of +20 if in physical contact, 0 if the target can be seen, and -30 if the target cannot be seen. The ability may be used to "scan" a dark area or help you "feel" for others if blinded. If the person is concealed behind metal or covered by metal, ( metal armor ), then a DF -50 is used.

The success of the Sense Aura roll will determine the accuracy of the Sorcerer's information. Often the "origin" of something occult can be determined. Meaning Chaos, Order, Prime, Abyss, etc;.

8.0905 See Aura

As Sense Aura, yet the target must be seen by the user. Accuracy will diminish with range, -1% per foot. Metal encasement will raise the DF to -50, as for Sense Aura. Each individual has his own Auric Signature, and can be recognized by this. If you are familiar with someone's auric pattern, you can recognize him even if disguised. The auras color will also give the character a good idea as to the mental state, feelings, and physical condition of the target.

Used in darkness, it allows the character to see as if using infra-red sights. The range is approximately 60 feet.

Cost is 10 POW and lasts for a number of CT equal to the character's SR. The character must view his target for at least 2 CT's to recognize someone's auric signature, keeping in mind the accuracy of range, -1% per foot. Close scrutiny is always better.

The success of the See Aura roll will determine how accurate the information about a target is. Often the "origin" of something occult can be determined. Meaning Chaos, Order, Prime, Abyss, etc;.

8.0906 Cloak Aura

Allows a character to alter or hide his aura from others. He may even use the skill to alter his auric signature to appear as someone else if he has had time to study his signature, ( 10 CT using Sense or See Aura successful ). Note that this use only mimics the others Aura, not his appearance. A character who is attempting to hide his aura will cause a -DF equal to the success of his roll to be inflicted against anyone using Sense or See Aura against him. A character masking his aura might use Cloak Aura to appear well disposed towards his intended pray, or to completely blank his Aura.

Cloak Aura costs 2d10 POW and last for a number of CT's equal to 1/2 his SR.

8.0907 Sense Chaos

When an event occurs upon a Physical Plane, it is proceeded by a similar event upon the Etheric Plane. An example of this is that to take a drink, one must first decide to drink. The mental act of deciding causes a preclusive drink of the liquid upon the Etheric Plane before the drink is taken upon the Physical Plane.

A Sorcerer who is sensitive to the Etheric Plane is able to sense the flow of Chaos into a recognizable pattern which then will manifest upon a Physical Plane. This is a form of clairvoyance. The ability to see the future.

Sense Chaos works best when applied to the immediate future, such as the next blow in a combat situation, yet also lends itself to events in the more distant future. The reason for better accuracy with close proximity in time is that specific events located farther along the time stream have a larger probability of being distorted or blocked completely. As an example, in melee combat, a person decides to swing, then immediately will do so. The situation leaves little time for rethinking one's decision. On the other hand, a man may decide to ask his lover to marry him at a dinner date planed for the next day, yet between the time of the decision and the date, anything could happen to alter his decision or his ability to follow through on it, such as her dumping him at lunch.

When using Sense Chaos, the Sorcerer usually will pick up on the most probable future, that event which is most likely to occur. The more variables which come into play, the less accurate the information will be.

Sense Chaos may be used in several ways.

Often the "origin" of something occult can be determined. Meaning Chaos, Order, Prime, Abyss, etc;.

Sense Chaos - Intuition:

Used as Intuition, Sense Chaos allows the character to act upon a gut level to immediate situations. In combat, diplomacy, choosing the correct path or time to attempt to run past a guard, it becomes quite useful. The character ceases to think on a rational level, and begins to act on Intuition.

Intuition costs 20 + 2d10 points of POW per CT, and if successful it will effect the DF of ALL his actions for the next CT by an amount equal to the ½ the success of the Sense Chaos roll. Thus, if a character has a SR of 73 and rolls a 31, then for the next CT he is able to effect the DF of all actions, ( combat, defense, skills, etc ), by 21. ( 73 - 31 = 42, 42 / 2 = 21 ). Effectively this reduces his opponents ability to hit him, ( by adding 21 to his DEF skills. ). It increases his chance to strike an opponent, ( by increasing his MEL, MIS, and THR by 21 ), and his use of all other skills.

Intuition must be rolled for each CT that it is used.

As you can see, Intuition is a very powerful way of using Sense Chaos, and is a prime Occult skill used by many occult warrior traditions.

When an opponent is using Cloak Aura, the amount of his success is used as a DF verses the characters Intuition DF Bonus. Thus, if your opponent is using Cloak Aura, and his success is 35 points, and your Intuition bonus was 43 points, you would only gain an 8 point advantage while performing actions against him. Occult warriors often use Cloak Aura to "hide" their immediate intentions from their targets. Cloak Aura tends to confuse Etheric manifestations.

Cloak Aura may only be used up to the point of negating any Intuition advantage, it will never cause you a punitive DF. Thus, if your Intuition is giving you a 34 advantage, and your opponent uses Cloak Aura and receives a 53 point success, you will not be penalized 19 points, you just receive no advantage until his Cloaking wears off.

Sense Chaos - Far Sight:

The ability to perceive distant happenings. This is really not so much the ability to perceive something that is occurring somewhere else as it is the ability to decode etheric patterns which are causing an event to occur. It just so happens that the event is taking place elsewhere. Characters who are familiar with the etheric soon realize that time and distance have little meaning upon the Etheric Plane. Close your eyes and think about a childhood event that occurred at some distant location. The speed at which your mind traveled to that physical location and distant past gives you a good indication of distance and time constraints upon the Etheric Plane.

The greater the success when using Far Sight the more accurate the vision. Many people have had premonitions of doom and then received a visit or call informing us that something bad has happened. This is an aspect of Far Sight. Sometimes the "sight" is really more of a feeling. The trick is the ability to accurately pick up on and decode the information available to us. Far Sight often occurs without pre-meditation by the character. The Arbiter may just inform him, " You have a bad feeling about this.", or "For some reason you just thought about your brother and you feel that he might be in danger."

Active use of Far Sight allows the character the opportunity to reach out and monitor some distant event of his choosing. He may tell the Arbiter, " I am using Far Sight to see how my strike force is doing." The Arbiter decides upon some DF based upon possible outcomes, impact of what the team is doing, and anything else he feels appropriate then calls for the roll. He then gives the character information based upon the level of success or failure or the roll. He may just say that the character really feels nothing if the roll is a failure, or if the failure is bad, he might give him bum information.. Dynamic events such as the destruction of an army are pretty easy to feel, as are situations involving someone intimate. Events such as how is John's sister's pet turtle doing may be more difficult to latch upon. Some people would refer to Far Sight as remote viewing, clairvoyance, clairaudience, oracles, etc;. Even Tarot reading is a form of Far Sight.

Be wary of Far Sight, for the future is undetermined and the past holds all probabilities, somewhere, in some Realm.

The POW cost is 2d10 per use and requires 1d10 CT's of concentration. The chance of gaining any info from Far Sight is equal to ..

SR - ( 100 - Link ) + or - C/O Level + or - Arbiter assigned DF.

Sense Chaos - Feel:

When an Occult operation is occurring or has occurred, ripples form in the stuff of Chaos itself. A sensitive creature is able to detect these pattern's and locate their source if successful. The DF of successfully "feeling" the disturbance is equal to -50 + the Success of the ID Roll of the Occult operation. Thus, an OCC skill used with a roll successful by 30 points would have a DF of, -50 + 30 = -20 for anyone attempting to use Feel.

If the Feel skill roll is successful by 20 points or less, then he knows that something has occurred. If successful by more than 20 points, than the character also can feel what has occurred. If the roll is successful by more than 50 points, the character establishes a Link with the Sorcerer who is altering the Event equal to the success of the roll - 30. See Occult Skill Link. Characters may only sense Events which are occurring within a radius of their SP x 3 feet. This range may be increased by their SP in feet for each additional 10 points of Pow they expend. Past Events may be also be detected. The character may reach into past up to their SP in days x each additional 10 points of Pow spent. This is a good way to do occult detective work to determine if something occult occurred upon the premise.

Sense Chaos requires 1 CT of concentration and 1d10 POW to begin and 1 point of Pow per CT to maintain it.

8.0908 Shield

This skill is used to place a protective energetic shield around a person or object. The shield is undetectable by normal means, yet those who are able to Sense Auras will be stoned walled when attempting to get a feel for the shielded object. They will know that a shield is in place. A character who can See Auras will notice a silver glow about the character which will make it impossible for him to read his aura or get a signature.

The Pow cost of placing a shield upon someone or something is equal to it's MAS.

Thus, it would cost 60 points of Pow to raise a Shield around something with a MAS of 60. This basic Shield is enough to block attempts to read and see aura, yet will collapse under a PSI Assault or if physical damage is inflicted upon the Shielded object. The basic Shield may be enhanced to repel both physical and PSI Assaults. To enhance the Shield, the character must charge it with additional Points of Pow when it is placed upon the object. The amount of additional Pow over the minimum required for the objects MAS, divided by 5, is the defensive strength of the Shield.. This is the amount of total physical, ( LIF ), and occult, ( LIF or POW ), damage that the Shield will be able to deflect before it collapses.

Example: Tanya wishes to place a shield about herself. She has a MAS of 50, . The Shield requires 50 Pow points to raise due to her MAS, and she decides to expend 110 points, or 60 above what is necessary. If the roll is successful, then the shield is in place, and will also disperse the first 12 points of LIF or POW damage. The Shield will normally loose 1d10 points of protection per hour untill only the Auric shielding remains.

Aura shielding lasts about 24 hours.

A character or object may only have one shield active around it at a time.

8.0909 PSI Assault

The PSI Assault is the ability to blast someone or something with PSI, or occult energy. The character focuses his will upon the target and delivers a mental blast. This may appear as if the target is shocked, hit, chocked, blasted by fire from the Sorcerer's hand, or whatever. Let the Sorcerer decide, although Priests may follow a set pattern based upon belief. Fire worshipers would use brimstone, smoke and flames.

To use a PSI Assault the attacker makes an ID Roll with a -DF equal to...

( Link - 100 ) - ( Targets SO - 50 ) .

A character wishing to use PSI Assault against a character with a SO of 54, and having a 32 Link to him, would have a DF of...

( 32 - 100 ) + (54 - 50 ), = -68 - 4 = 72. For a final DF of -72. SR - 72 = chance of success.

When an animate target is attacked by PSI, he has a chance equal to his SO of knowing who his attacker is, (assuming he cannot see the attack! ). He gets a mental flash of the attacker, and an approximate location, ( if the attacker is at a distance or hidden from his sight ).

The PSI Assault is directed against either the targets POW or his LIF, and if successful will do damage equal to 2 times the success of the roll.

Example, Rex uses PSI Assault against the POW of an opponent. He has a SL of 81 with PSI Assault, and his Link to the target is 70. The target has a SO of 65. This gives a DF of -45.

( 100 - 70 ) - ( 65 -50 ) = ( 30 - 15 ) = 45

Rex needs a 36 to be successful. ( 81 - 45 = 36 ) He rolls a 16. The Assault is successful by 20, meaning that it did 40 points of LIF or POW damage. The Sorcerer must decide which type of attack is being made before the roll is made. Armor is no defense.

POW cost for the Psi Assault is equal to ½ the amount of success, or a minimum of 20 points. A failed Psi Assault costs only 10 POW.

If the roll is failed by 50 or more points, than the character pays 10 + 2d10 POW.

If the roll is failed by 100 or more points, than the character pays 10d10 POW.

If the attacker is reduced to 0 POW or less, then he will fall unconscious. It is possible for a character using PSI Assault to accidentally rip is own spirit loose if the attackers POW falls to - 1/2 it's normal value, ( see POW ).

PSI Attack's are made quickly, and have a QM of -10 for Combat purposes. See the section on Combat.

The attacker must be within his SP in feet, or be in mental contact, as through a Channel. This means that he can attack an unseen target with no mental contact if within hi SP in feet, yet most likely his Link won't be so good.

8.0910 Mind Grapple

The character attempting the Mind Grapple must first make a successful roll of his Mind Grapple skill with a DF of -100 + his Link to the target. He must be in within SP in feet from the target or in some form of mental contact, ( channeled, glyph, communication, even a telephone call will do ). If the roll is failed, then nothing other than a 1d10 loss of POW occurs. If it is successful, then the attacker and the target enter a Stat vs Stat roll each using their combined SP + SR with Mind Grapple. If the attacker wins, then the target is held for that CT and each of them expends 1d10 POW. If the target wins, then he may hold the attacker or disengage from the Mind Grapple.

If someone is being held, then the holder chooses on each additional CT if he will hold or release the target. If he chooses to hold, then roll again the Stat rolls, you do not need to roll the Mind Grapple skill again, for contact has already been established.

Neither the attacker or target may perform any action either physical or mental other than the Mind Grapple while holding or being held. The one being held may be attacked without breaking the hold, yet if the holder is physically or mentally attacked and suffers some form of damage or impact, then he will loose the hold.

Once again, you must be either in mental or physical contact to Mind Grapple.

Mind Grapple has a MQ of -20 for combat purposes.

8.0911 Channel

Channel allows the character to open a POW path to another character or thing. It is a mental contact, and can be used for communication. It can also be used as a conduit through which the Channeler's POW will flow into the target, enhancing it in some way. The most basic form of Channel is for communication, with boosting another's POW, ( either regenerating it or pushing it past it's normal level ), to be secondary effect. ( sometimes used to help a Sorcerer perform actions which have high POW costs ).

The Channeler must be able to see the target or be Linked to it in order to open a Channel. The success of the roll x 5 is the amount of POW that the character may directly transfer to the target. Each 1 point of POW sent costs the sender 1.5 points POW. The transfer may be made by either party, yet to send POW, one must have at least some skill with Channel. This additional POW must either be used immediately, or it will drain off at the rate of 1d10 points per hour.

The DF of the roll is his -100 + his Link to the Target, with the following special modifiers. These modifiers are additional to the basic Link and Link Modifiers.

Special Channeling Modifiers:

* The above modifiers are cumulative, thus if you attempted to Channel to someone who was in a Realm 21 Chaos/Order levels different from your own, it would be -20 for not seeing him, -20 for a different Realm, and -21 for the C/O level difference. This is a final DF modifier of -61. You better be skillful and have a good basic Link!

A character may receive from POW from several Channelers, yet if the POW received is too great, he may suffer a "burn". If the POW received is greater than his normal POW level x 5, then a chance of "burning" occurs. For each additional Point of POW transferred, there is a 1% chance of "burn". The "burn" roll is an ID Roll. A "burn" causes the character to receive none of the POW channeled, and causes a POW loss equal to the amount the "burn" roll was "successful" by. Thus, if there was a 64% chance of burn, and a roll of 08 was made, then the character would loose 56 points of POW.

A Burn also has a chance equal to the amount of the Burn to stun the target for 2d10 CT's. ( see Combat for effects of a Stunning Wound ). In the example above, there is a 56% chance of Stunning for 2d10 CT's.

Opening a Channel requires 1d10 CT's and costs 30 points of POW. For each CT that the Channel is left open, it costs 1 point of POW from the one who opened the Channel. While the channel is maintained, communication is possible between the two. It is a mental dialog. Additional POW may also be transferred at any time at the rate of 1.5 to 1. The opportunity to engage in a Mind Grapple or PSI Assault is also available to both parties, with the Link being equal to the amount the initial Channel Skill roll was made by or the normal Link if one is established, whichever is higher. Several people may Channel to each other at the same time, yet it is like three way calling. Thus if Joe and Jack were Channeled to Tom at the same time, then Joe and Jack would also be connected.

The person opening the Channel must expend some degree of concentration to maintain it, thus he acquires a -10 DF on all actions not involved with the operation of the Channel, such as swimming, fighting, etc.

A Sorcerer with the Channel skill may also attempt to block a Channel. When someone attempts to Channel you, a feeling like a itch within you mind occurs. At this time you may attempt to block the Channel. You do this by making a Channel skill roll. If it is successful, take the amount of the success x2 and use it as a DF modifier against the Channeler. Thus if your SR with Channel is 67 and you wish to avoid contact, once you feel a Channel attempt begin you would make a Channel skill roll.

If the roll was a 36, then 67 - 36 = 31. 31 x 2 = 62. This would apply a -62 DF Modifier against the Channeler attempting to Channel you.

Note that you cannot know who is attempting to Channel you just by the feeling, thus you may be blocking out a helpful call.

It costs 1d10 POW to block a channel.

8.0912 Web

A Web is a reserve of POW or "Spells" that can be called upon at will or may be activated by some external action. A Spell is defined as an Occult Effect than was previously "Cast", yet it's effect has not been realized. This might be a character who creates a Fire Ball Spell, spends the required POW, and leaves it "hanging" in the Web until it is needed. This way he is able to activate the Fire Ball when needed at a minimal POW cost or possibly none at all. It might be a Defensive Spell which activates when someone enters a door or uses an Occult Power within a certain area. Many applications are possible.

Only the occult arts of Magna Artium. May be hung in a Web, thus this skill is useless to Sorcerer's who do not have any skill with Magna Artium.

Web is divided into several types and sections. By combining these sections with normal Magna Artium effects known as spells, Hung Spells are created.

All Webs must have a Web Type, Trigger, and Power Source.

First the Web Skill Roll is made, with a success indicating that the Web was formed. This costs 20 points of POW if successful, 1d10 if a failure. Once a success is made, than the Occult Spell desired is "Cast", ( see Magna Artium ), and if successful the POW cost is calculated as detailed below, and then spent. The Sorcerer is always considered to have a Link of 100 with the Web for this purpose. The Spell that was Cast, rather than being released immediately, is now Hung in the Web, awaiting use at a later time.

In the section on Magna Artium, a factor known as ASR will be explained. A Sorcerer always has an ASR with any spell that he devises through the use of Magna Artium. It is very important to record the Sorcerer's ASR for the hung spell at the time the spell was hung in the Web. Whatever the ASR was at the time the spell was hung will become the HSR for this particular hung spell when it is used. This is the Hung Spell Rank.

When a hung spell is released it has a chance of success, ( Strike Chance ), equal to the following equation.

SC = HSR - ( 100 - Link ) +/- C/O Level

This means the Link that the user of the Web, or the Web itself, has with the target at the time the spell is used and the C/O Level of the Realm where the spell is used.

This equation in effect takes the place of the BCC equation normally used with Magna Artium.

Rolling under the SC for the hung spell indicated that the spell is successfully released from the Web. The amount of the success will determine how effective the spell actually is. See Magna Artium. If successfully cast, than the spell has been spent and is no longer available as a hung spell.

If the roll against the SC is a failure, there is a chance equal to ½ the amount of the failure that the spell is no longer available, otherwise you simply failed to activate the hung spell. You may try again on your next available AP. ( Or for automatically activating spells, the next occurrence which would normally trigger the spell ).

Webs created by Sorcerers with a low ASR at the time of creation will be finicky devices at best.

Each Web has a specific cost to create, and some have a cost to maintain. The cost is always the normal POW cost of the Occult Spell hung within the Web multiplied by a factor determined by the Web Type, Trigger, and Power Source.

To calculate the Pow cost multiplier, add the Fx numbers listed next to the Web Type, Trigger, and Pow Source. Multiply the total of the Fx numbers x the normal POW cost of the Spell being hung. This is the amount of POW required.

As you will see, some Webs will require a large amount of POW. To accomplish this Sorcerers often use channeled POW from other Sorcerers, and or they "invest" it in the Web. To invest POW in a Web, you must first define it, then calculate it's POW cost. Each day or whenever convenient the Sorcerer invests some amount of POW into the Web. Once the total amount has been invested, then the Spell being placed within the Web is rolled for. A success will charge the Web, it is now complete and ready for use. A failure will reduce the POW investment into the Web by the amount of the failure. The Web then needs to be brought back up to the required POW amount to attempt the roll again. Each day, the investment will "bleed" off 1d10 points of POW until it is completed. POW used as a Web investment is forever lost for any other purpose than the specific Web it was intended for.

The main drawback to Webs and their hung spells is that the dimensions of the spell are set at the time of hanging. See Magna Artium for rules on Spell Dimensions. A x4 EM Healing Spell hung in a Web will always have an EM of x4. It cannot be raised or lowered as dictated by the situation.

8.09121 Web Type

Personal ( Fx .5 )

A Personal Web is a way of preparing Occult skills for future use, yet paying the POW cost of the skill when it is prepared, rather than when it is used. The Web exists within the etheric and resides within the Aura of the Sorcerer who created it. This type of Web is only available for the use of the Sorcerer who created it. It is a Personal Web. These are very handy, in that a character might prepare a defensive shield, fire ball or two, and a reserve of POW, ( assuming he has the required skills with Magna Artium ). This way when he enters combat, he will have Spells at his disposal without having to pay the POW cost. The character might use a "Shield" Spell with an EM of x 5. When he wishes to use the Shield, he makes a normal SR vs the SC formula given above. The amount of the success x the EM of 5 would equal the protection value of the Shield.

( Success of 25 = 5 x 25 = 125 points of Shielding ).

Personal Web Spells are ready at a moments notice, ( 1 AP to Cast ), and for combat have a QM of +10.

Spells which are ready for use are known as "hung" or "hanging" spells. A character may have a number of Personal Web Spells equal to 1/2 his normal SP stat. For each Personal Web, or "hung spell", that a character has, 1 point of POW per day is required for the hung spell to remain active and ready. This POW cost is reduced from what he regenerates every morning. Every good Occultist should have a couple of Hung Spells handy. A failure to sacrifice this POW will cause the loss of hung spells. If he had 10 hung spells, yet could only sacrifice 6 points of POW, then he would loose 4 of these hung spells. Let the sorcerer choose which ones he will let go. This POW needs to available for sacrifice once each day at the time of awakening, ( in the morning, or let the Sorcerer choose a specific time each day when this POW must be available and sacrificed. Any time is allowed, yet once chosen, this will always remain the "sacrifice" time for the character's Personal Web Spells. He need not be awake, nor even conscious. He need only have the POW to sacrifice ).

Device ( Fx 1 )

A Device is similar to a Personal Web, yet it may be used by anyone who knows how and is able to trigger it. A flaming sword which ignites upon swinging will automatically activate when the sword is swung. An amulet which requires a verse or hymn to a god to activate requires one to know the verse or hymn and to use it. The Web must be attached to a physical device, such as a ring, staff, or any other object.

Area ( Fx 1.5 )

Similar to a device, yet it is localized about an area, such as a room. The maximum size of the area which the spell can be activated in is a diameter in feet equal to the SP of the Webs creator when the Web was created, + 1 foot per 1% of POW added to the "original" POW cost of the spell before it is multiplied by the Power Cost Multiplier of the Web. The Area of the Web is not associated with the Area of the Spell, the Area of the Web indicates how large an area that the Spell can be activated in, whereas the Area of the Spell determines how large of an area the spell effects . This is good for traps, or maybe having a "community" Cold Ball Spell available for use within a section of a castle by any of the guards who know how to Trigger it.

The Web's creator may also choose a lesser activation area than the basic diameter. He could make it one inch if he wished, which might be good for Toms who would choose to peek through a booby trapped hole!

Failure to Cast Web spells does not mean that the spell is used up, only that you failed to "release" it. You may try again. If a spell's trigger fails to Cast the spell, it may be triggered at a later time. Sometimes, spells such as traps fail to spring correctly the first time around.

8.09122 Web Trigger

Time ( Fx .5 )

The spell will trigger at a specified time. It will trigger at that time, not before, nor after.

Event ( Fx 1 )

The spell will trigger when and if a simple event occurs. Such as, the lights are turned on, someone sits in this chair, this door is opened, I die. The exact event must be specified, and it must occur for the spell to trigger. Additional event Triggers add 1 per additional event to the Fx multiplier. This means that 3 separate events which will trigger the spell generates an Fx 3.

Verbal ( Fx 1 )

A word, sentence, song, chant, or noise must be made to trigger the spell. The person saying the Verbal trigger need not know that it is a trigger, yet he must be within the area of the Web, if it is an Area Web, or must be holding or touching the Web if it is a Device Web. Personal Web's exist within the Auric Field of the Sorcerer, and as such are always with him.

Spells with a duration are allowed a "shut off" command which if known will end the spells effects immediately.

Combination ( Fx 2 )

Any combination of two Triggers, such as a Time and Event. Example: At sunrise if someone is present. At midnight if the clock fails to chime 12 times. If someone sits on this throne and say's, "I am King".

Conditional ( Fx 2 )

This is an "unless" type trigger, such as if someone enters this room without first kneeling.

8.09123 Web Pow Source

Drain ( Fx 1 )

Web is usable only once and requires 3d10 points of POW to activate. Only applicable to Web types which require a willing user to activate.

Single ( Fx 2 )

The Web is good for a single use of the spell, and requires no POW to activate. Great for traps or personal hung spells.

Cell ( Fx 10 )

The Web was designed as a battery, and may be recharged by use of the Channel Skill. By Channeling POW into the Web, the spell is recharged to that amount. Thus a Shock Bolt wand created with a Shock Spell with a 200 POW cost, ( before the Web Power Cost Multiplier is factored in ), could be recharged by Channeling 200 points of POW into the Web. It may be charged and used as often as you are able. Not all the POW need be Channeled at one time, it may be slowly charged over time. Any amount of power over that which is necessary to give the device one charge is simply lost. The item may only hold enough POW for a single charge.

Anyone with the POW and sufficient skill with Channel is able to charge the item once he knows what it is.

Regenerating

( Fx 100 per regeneration per day)

A Regenerating Web is usable once per day, and will be usable exactly 1 local day from the time of it's last use. By using an Fx 200, the device can be used twice per day, Fx 300, three times per day. Multi - regenerating Webs regenerate at a rate equal to 1 day divided by the # of times per day that they regenerate. Thus, a Fx 300 Regenerating Web is able to regenerate the Spell once every 8 hours on a world where a day is 24 hours long. The Regenerating Web is keyed to Chaos, and draws it's power from the same. On some level, the Regenerating Web is a form of living spell, although it has no self-awareness.

Another Web option is the Multi Web

8.09124 Multi-Web

A Multi -Web is a Device or Area Web, ( never a Personal Web ), which contains more than one spell. It might hold a Shield Spell, a Climbing Spell, and an Aura Cloaking Spell. It is created first as a blank Web capable of holding X amount of spells, each of a different type. The POW cost to form the Multi Web Matrix is equal to the amount of spells it may contain raised to the 3^rd power, multiplied by 100. Thus a ring with a Multi-Web capable of holding 6 different spells would cost 6 x 6 x 6 = 216 x 100 = 21,600 points of POW to create. You will either need a hefty POW source or have to "Invest" it over time. Once the Pow is available or Invested, roll your Web SR, a success means that the blank Multi-Web has been formed, a failure means the Multi-Web has failed and one ½ of the Invested POW is lost, and you must start again. If the roll is successful is a blank Multi-Web Matrix is now formed. It currently has no Spells or POW within it.

Now it must be given a POW Bank. The POW Bank is the amount of POW that the Multi-Web has available to it. It expends POW as would the Sorcerer if normally casting the Spell. It regenerates at a rate of 10% per local day. You may give it any amount of POW as a bank, yet it costs 20x that amount to infuse it. Thus, to have a regenerating POW Bank of 100, it would require an investment of 2,000 points of power. After the POW has been invested, ( remembering the 1d10 POW bleed per day ), roll your Web SR again. A success means that you are ready to add Spells to it. A failure means that the Multi-Web has been corrupted, and you must begin again from scratch. A Multi-Web is a fussy thing.

Once a POW Bank is successful created, adding Spells is as simple as Casting the Spell. The POW cost, however, is 2x normal

Once the Spells have been added, up to the number allowed by the Multi-Web Matrix, then it is complete. Anyone can add spells to a blank, charged Multi-Web, yet once added, they will forever remain the same. You cannot change the Spell once it has been added.

Only the Spells placed in a Multi-Web can be Cast with the Multi-Web.

The main benefit of a Multi-Web is that the Sorcerer can mix and match the Spells available in the Web to fit his needs. As long as the POW is available, he can Cast the Spells. This allows rapid casting of several high POW spells.

Each spell hung in a Multi Web requires a specific trigger. It is fine to mix and match trigger types. Defensive spells might activate when attacked, a healing spell might activate when the user is wounded to a certain % of his LIF. An attack spell might be activated when you point a Multi-Web Ring at a target and say ..."Die, Ye Filthy Swine!" Use common sense and your imagination. Sorcery is an art form after all.

8.09125 Examples of Web devices

Pyris - A Flaming Long Sword which ignites up to five times per day with a duration of 1 hour whenever the user says, " Pyris, I summon your power!" , and returns to normal when the user says, " Pyris, sleep now.", or 1 hour has passed.

The chance of ignition upon command, ( HSR ), is normally 80% +/- C/O Level. ( Link to Blade while holding would be 100% )

When the blade strikes, it causes normal Long Sword damage with a +2 DM for the flame.

Web Properties:

Device = Fx1 ( a sword )

Verbal = Fx1 ( command to activate )

Regenerating 5 = Fx 500 ( useable 5 times per day )

___________________

Total PCM = 502

Hung Spell = Flaming Blade

This is a spell which causes the blade of a sword to ignite while allowing the weapon itself to remain cool to the touch.

Omnis Vis level 30 ( Summon ) for the flame.

Materia level 25 ( Alter ) to allow the blade to remain cool.

Casting Level = 55

Sorcerer would need an ASR of 80% with the Flaming Blade Spell to allow Pyris's 80% HSR chance of ignition upon command

Dimensions: Factor:

Range = Touch 0 ( only the blade ignites )

Area = Self 1 ( the blade is small )

EM = x2 2 ( for the x2 flame damage)

Duration = 1 hr 3 ( for 1 hr )

__________________

SDM = 6

POW cost for Web is...

SDM x CL x PCM...

6 x 55 x 502

POW Cost = 165,660 POW

It would require 165,660 points of Pow to create Pyro. This is quite an investment, which is why one does not find flaming swords in every house!
 

Belt of Haste - This simple looking tan leather belt allows the user to perform all actions at twice his normal speed. He is in effect operating as if time runs twice as fast for him as it does for others. When activated, everything he does, including normal body functions, ( breathing, sleeping, etc ), will be 2 times normal speed.

The belt may be activated up to 3 times per day by placing your left hand palm down on the buckle and saying, " God Speed ". The belt will remain activated for 1 hr or until the wearer places his left palm upon the buckle once again and says, " Cease ".

The belt has a 95% chance of working upon command, ( HSR ), is normally 95% +/- C/O Level. ( Link to Belt while wearing would be 100% )

Web Properties:

Device = Fx1 ( a Belt )

Verbal = Fx1 ( command to activate )

Regenerating 5 = Fx 30 ( useable 3 times per day )

___________________

Total PCM = 302

Hung Spell = Haste

This is a simple spell of a single component of Tempus. Tempus level 25 ( Haste )

Casting Level = 25

Sorcerer would need an ASR of 95% with Tempus to allow the belts 95% HSR chance of activation upon command

Dimensions: Factor:

Range = Touch 0 ( must wear the belt )

Area = Self 1 ( only wearer is effected )

EM = x2 2 ( for x 2 Haste )

Duration = 1 hr 3 ( for 1 hr )

__________________

SDM = 6

POW cost for Web is...

SDM x CL x PCM...

6 x 25 x 302

POW Cost = 45,300 POW

It would require 45,300 points of Pow to create the Belt of Haste.


Globe of Far Being - a small dark globe approximately 3 inches in diameter which is made of some sorcerous crystal. It is much harder than glass, nearing that of metal. The Globe allows it's user to behold distant areas as if he were there himself. In other words, his 5 senses are able to be remotely located to a place of his choosing. He may scan over areas or focus upon a single area. He must either know the area that he wishes to view, or start from a known area and then "travel" in a direction of his choosing. He may fly across the scenery as fast as he wishes, yet if he travels very fast, the view will be blurred like landscape passing under a jet fighter. He may only perceive areas within a single Realm of existence. ( The Realm where it currently resides ). Range is a 100 mile diameter around the globe, with perception actually covering up to a 20 foot diameter at a time. Each time a user activates the globe, he must expend 3d10 POW. Once activated, the viewer may continue to use the globe until he turns away from it. Once his attention returns to anything other than the globe, the spell enters remission and the session is over. The globe may be used as often as one wishes, yet the 3d10 POW must be spent each time the device is activated.

The chance of successful perception, ( HSR ), is 80%. He must also Link to the specific Target if he wishes to find it out right. If he is looking for John, use his Link to John in the SC equation..

( SC = HSR - ( 100 - Link ) +/- C/O Level )

If he begins looking at his current surroundings and then moving away from himself in a search pattern of some kind, the Link is 100.


Web Properties:

Device = Fx1 ( a Globe )

Combination = Fx2 ( looking into globe and desiring to view an area )

Drain = Fx 1 ( each "session" drains 3d10 POW )

___________________

Total PCM = 4

Hung Spell = Durable Globe of Far Being

This is a spell which causes an item made of crystal or glass to become as hard as iron, thus rendering it nearly indestructible, while imparting the Materia ability of Perception upon the object.

Exemplaris level 10 ( Perception ) allows remote sensing Materia level 25 ( Alter ) hardens crystal to iron

Casting Level = 35

Sorcerer would need an ASR of 80% with the Durable Globe of Far Being Spell to allow the 80% HSR chance of remote perception.

Dimensions: Factor:

Range = 100 miles 8 ( center of perception out to 100 miles )

Area = 20' dia 6 ( perception covers 20' at a time )

EM = 0 0 ( none)

Duration = permanent 1,000 ( once activated, user can perceive indefinitely until attention diverted from viewing )

__________________

SDM = 1,014

POW cost for Web is...

SDM x CL x PCM...

1,014 x 35 x 4

POW Cost = 141,960 POW

It would require 141,960 points of Pow to create the Globe of Far Being. To create this device is quite an undertaking, yet think of its value to a King who wished to keep tabs on his foes.

8.09126 Example of a Personal Hung Spell

Fire Bolt- a Personal Web Spell. This a an example of a Personal Web, or a hung spell which a Sorcerer might have prepared in advance.

It strikes the target with a bolt of Flame from the sky when the sorcerer says, "Burn ye Pig!"

Range from sorcerer is SP in feet.

Area is single being or up to 1.5 of sorcerers MAS

Damage is 5 x success of SC Roll

Duration is instant.

Web Properties:

Personal = Fx .5 ( hung spell )

Verbal = Fx 1 ( command to attack )

Single = Fx 2 ( useable 1 time, no POW cost )

___________________

Total PCM = 3.5

Hung Spell = Fire Bolt

This is a spell of two of Omnis Vis components. It calls fire from the sky, ( or above the target ), and forms it into a striking bolt which assails the target.

Omnis Vis level 30 ( Summon ) brings fire from the sky

Omnis Vis level 40 ( Shape ) turns fire into a bolt

Casting Level = 70

Using the rules for Foundation Spell Points, this particular version of a Fire Bolt spell uses the following components for it's Foundation. This is only for the initial casting of the spell. Once Hung, only the Trigger is required. Sulfur is rare, ( S3 ), for this spell casters Realm.

Component Code FSP Time

Chanted verse V2 25 5

Live Firefly S2 20 1

Pinch of Sulfur S3 25 1

___________________________________

Totals: 3 70 7 AP's

Determine Casting Chance as normal when this hung spell is released upon a target.

Dimensions: Factor:

Range = SP in feet 3

Area = 1 being 1

EM = 5 5 ( 5 DM )

Duration = 0 0 ( instant )

__________________

SDM = 9

POW cost for Web is...

SDM x CL x PCM...

9 x 70 x 3.5

POW Cost = 2,205 POW

Personal Hung spell are more costly than simply casting the spell, yet they are quite handy as one has already invested the POW and requires no or little POW at the time of use. The above spell cast directly, ( not from the web ), would have a POW cost of 630 POW points. This would exceed the normal POW of most beings.

8.0913 Magna Artium - Great Sorcery

In Sicarius there are very little in the way of "ordered" spells, or spells which have specific and set patterns of use. Instead of specific spell lists which are common and available to every Sorcerer, there are several disciplines, known as Components. Each Component allows the Sorcerer a degree of Mastery over a single aspect of the universe. Used singly, the Sorcerer is able to work within the boundary of a specific "physical law" of the Realm where he currently abides. Thus, a Sorcerer who is a Master of Materia, or the physical Matter of the world, would be able to work with existing physical matter, shaping it to his needs. By combining two or more Components, the Sorcerer is able to transcend the natural laws of the Realm. Thus by using Anima, the Spirit of Life, and Materia the Sorcerer could actually create an inanimate object with a spirit or soul. This is a form of spirit, or daemonic binding. The possibilities are endless yet do have practical limits.

The Sorcerer must have sufficient skill mastery with each Component necessary to get the effect he desires, and he must also have the POW. With enough mastery and POW at his disposal, a Sorcerer could topple the heavens or empty the oceans of a Realm, yet the POW necessary would be godlike at a minimum. As the POW cost increases, so does the risk. The Realms follow the law of the conscious masses, and one who would defy these laws risks punishment. As a Sorcerer performs his art, he acquires Karm , which is simply a form of pressure which reality asserts against the act of defying it's laws. As the pressure against the Sorcerer increases, the likelihood of a Collapse increases. Collapse is when the pressure of Karm breaks through the etheric layer of reality and bears down upon the Sorcerer. A Collapse may manifest in many ways, from small oddities, physical damage, mental instabilities or burnout, to outright assault from an entity, usually a Dweller , ( Dwellers are entities from the Void who posses no true and stable form, they are best described as daemons who are quite aggressive towards the upstarts of creation. Dwellers may be an Arbiter's hit men ).

The Sorcerer who pushes the laws of a Realm too far or too fast is often rewarded by a slap, or beating, from Reality.

Magna Artium is truly an art form, as well as a science. Not only must the Sorcerer understand the underlying principles of what he wishes to accomplish, he must also have the creative ability to see it done well. Although many painters exist, some can only paint walls, while other create masterpieces. Without the creative flair and skill, a Sorcerer's efforts will lack color and depth.

The Sorcerer will often need to prepare his effects in advance by way of creating spells and placing them in a Web. Many of the effects, especially those requiring multiple Components of higher levels, will require an extended period of time as well as a large amount of POW. Very few Sorcerer are able to whip up multiple effects of anything more than minor feats. Most will have several previously prepared spells hung in a Web for immediate use when needed. This causes Sorcerer to not only think and prepare in advance for situations that they believe might occur, it also keeps most occultists closer to mortals than gods.

Many of the great Sorcerers have guardians or hide their abilities, for even a great worker of the Magna Artium can fall to the hand of an assassin or skilled opponent.

The Make-up of the universe as applied through Magna Artium is broken down into three sets of three Components. By combining several of these components the Sorcerer in effect becomes a minor deity, or creative life force. These three sets of Components are the Force Triad, Physical Triad, and Life Triad.

8.09131 The Triads

The Forces Triad consists of the following Components...

Chaos - Creation Potential

Omnis Vis - Energy, generated by "pressure" between creation and destruction

Corruptio - Destruction, or decay of order back towards chaos

The Physical Triad consists of the following Components...

Materia - Matter, and the building material of physical reality

Exemplaris - Space, and form.

Tempus - Time, as a measuring device between creation and destruction within material Realms.

The Life Triad consists of the following Components...

Conscientia - Mind, the reasoning and thinking aspect of the life wave.

Corpus - Body, the physical vessel of the life wave

Anima - Soul, the emotional and immortal spark of the life wave.

Normally, a Sorcerer will spend most of his effort learning one of the Triads, with Priest type Sorcerers studying the Life Triad, Artificers the Physical Triad, and Wizards the Forces Triad, yet this is not always the case. There are many types of Sorcerers, and different "schools" focus on different Components.

Within the Sicarius system, Magna Artium is as fluid and expressive as any other art form, and thus it is impossible to list all the possible ways the a Sorcerer might combine various components to create a spell. A spell is a specific "formula" that results in a specific effect. In this way, a spell is actually very similar to a recipe. By adding and proper amounts of the proper components, the end result will always be similar. Each Sorcerer will have basic components to work with, and from these he is able to combine and create effects of his own choosing. Sorcerers normally will design spells based upon the components available to them, then spend the necessary time and effort to master, or "Learn" the spell that they have designed. Once the spell is learned, the Sorcerer is from then on able to produce the effect of the spell if he has the available POW. He is also able to mix and match the dimensions as necessary, as long as they do not exceed the value of the spell when learned. Thus if he were to make some spell with a Range of 3, Area 6, EM 4 and Duration of 2, he has learned how to cast this spell with these dimensions or any lesser value. He could cast the spell with Area 1,2,3,4,5, or 6, yet to raise the Area to 7 would require learning this new more potent spell. None, any, or all of the dimensions may be altered when cast without relearning the spell. He is merely limited to a max value of the original dimension. Some Sorcerers prefer to learn spells created and detailed by others. These spells are often found in the Grimories of other Sorcerers or taught by specific schools of the Occult. The benefit of this is that it is much more simple to learn a spell developed by another Sorcerer than it is to create one for yourself. Much as it is easier to pick up a recipe book and follow the instructions to whip up some cookies than to just experiment until you get it right.

The benefit of creating your own spells is that the effects are exactly what you need and desire, verses simple generic effects that you use to "blanket" any given situation.

The following is a list of the various Components of Magna Artium, and the Level of Mastery needed to use a type of effect. The Components are given in alphabetical order.

Note that all descriptions of skills given at a specific level for each component are meant to be general. Arbiters and players are encouraged to build upon these basic examples, with an eye to the skill levels. In other words, make sure that the effect you dream up is placed within the proper level, and not to high or low.

8.09132 Anima - The Spirit of Life ( Spirit )

The life force which binds consciousness to flesh is known as the Anima. Those Sorcerer who specialize in Anima are able to communicate with the dead, animate corpses, and in general make contact with the spirit world.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer is able to see and sense the presence of spirits around him. He can detect and determine the basic nature of souls both embodied as well as disembodied. He can see and sense Auras as if he had the skills See and Sense Aura at his SR with Anima. Spirits also may include those entities who are invisible, ( he can see and sense auras ), as well as those beings who have no physical form.

10 Etheric Sight

The Sorcerer is able to see the etheric realm around him. He is able to peer into the Realm of the dead and the unformed possibilities. This gives him a form of clairvoyance, as he is sometimes able to see that which may come to pass upon the material Realm. He only see the most likely possibilities, and this "witch sight" is far from completely reliable.

20 Communicate with spirit

The Sorcerer is able to communicate with spirits who are aware of the physical Realm. Spirts who are completely involved with the Etheric will not be aware of the Sorcerer. Becoming friends with a spirit can give one great knowledge, for if the spirit is able to move freely within the physical Realm, he can easily gather information for the Sorcerer. At this level, the Sorcerer may only communicate with spirits that he finds or comes in contact with, he cannot locate a specific spirit unless he has been told where to find it.

30 Speak with the dead.

The Sorcerer may now communicate with spirits who dwell wholly within the Etheric Realm. These are the dead souls who normally have no ability to enter or perceive the physical Realms. This often includes long dead souls who have not reincarnated.

40 Find Spirit

The Sorcerer enters a trance and looks both through the Etheric and the Physical Realms for a specific spirits. His chance of locating the spirit is equal to his Animus SL - ( 100 - Link to spirit ). Once he finds the spirit, he may then communicate with it. It requires 200 - the Sorcerer's SO CT's to attempt to locate the spirit.

50 Spirit Walk

The Sorcerer is able to free his spirit from his physical body and move through out the etheric realm. While in this state, sometimes called astral projection, his body is comatose.

60 Freedom

Similar to "Spirit Walk", yet the Sorcerer's spirit is able to move freely between the physical and etheric realms. This is a good way of spying. If combined with Exemplaris, the Sorcerer's spirit would be able to traverse great distances, for he understands that all is interconnected.

70 Command the Dead

The Sorcerer is able to compel the spirit into some form of service, or a binding. He may also force the spirit to leave or cease and desist some action, which is a form of exorcism, being able to drive an invading spirit from another body.

80 Summon Soul

The Sorcerer is able to call a soul back from the dead. He may reanimate a freshly dead body with it's original spirit or the spirit of another if the body is capable of holding it, ( not below -150 LIF ). This is definitely a form of Necromancy, and although some priest's of "holy" type orders use this ability, many would consider it to be a transgression against "god". If the body was reanimated by it's original soul, it would be much easier to accept than if some long dead soul was summoned and forced into a new body.

Some souls have never been incarnated in the flesh, and these are true daemons, or as close as it gets. See the section on Daemonic Summoning for details on this subject. There are also souls which are loosely bound to a specific material form, ( Mutate ability of Chaos). These are the "common" daemons if summoned from other Realms, or shape-shifters if natural inhabitants of the sorcerers realm. The distinction between these two classes of daemons is covered in the section on Daemonic Summoning.

90 Bindings

The Sorcerer is able to bind a soul into matter that would normally be incapable of containing a spirit. Thus he could put a soul into a corpse, a scarecrow, or a wagon. Although the spirit is bound within the "object" for the duration of the spell, it really couldn't do much unless another component such as Chaos - Animation was combined to allow the soul to manipulate it's physical form.

See the section on Daemonic Summoning for specific on what a bound soul might be capable of. Normally, the most grim of all sorcerous weapons and talismans are those which have a soul.

100 Destruction / Rite of Black Eternity

Destruction allows the Sorcerer to permanently destroy a soul. It can never reincarnate or manifest in any Realm. The Rite of Black Eternity allows the Sorcerer to permanently lock a soul upon the physical plane. It will never pass into the etheric or reincarnate. It becomes a Parasitic Soul, as described in the section on Daemonic Summoning. The soul will abide in objects, bodies, corpses, or what have you. Liches, wraiths, mummies, and other types of high undead are most often created through the use of this Occult precess. Some Necromancers use this rite along with other components to create themselves an undying body upon the physical plane. Both of these effects must have a permanent Duration, otherwise the effects are not permanent.

8.09133 Chaos - The Primal Source ( Creation )

The primal patterns which determine how raw potential coalesces into material forms are created within chaos. A Sorcerer who understands how to weave new patterns within Chaos itself becomes a master of the creative forces, or Creation.

These are often the artificers of the Occult world, for they are able to impart bonuses to weapons and armor by altering the very nature of the material in use. The Sorcerer is able to make "+" weapons and armor. The Sorcerer can make weapons which have a built in modifier to their attack and / or parry chances. This bonus maxes out at their SR with Chaos / 5. Thus a Sorcerer with a SR of 65 could create weapons with attack and / or parry bonuses of +13, and armor which would reduce attack chances by -13. The SR used for the bonus determines the level of the effect, and duration, MAS, and other factors apply. Attack would be one spell, and parry would be another.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer is able to feel the flow of creation around him. He can sense when another Sorcerer is working in the area, knows if there is a Web, Portal, or hung spell within the effect of this spells range. Items of an occult nature he can detect and sometimes unravel their secrets. If the sorcerer has a SR with Chaos equal to or above the highest SR of any component used in a spell that he senses, he may attempt to Decode or Dispel it. See Volume Two - Tome of the Occult.

10 Pseudo Creation

At this level the Sorcerer is able is cause base materials to come together and form simple patterns. He could cause sand and debris to gather into a mound or wall. He could cause metal fragments to become a spike or ball. He cannot form machines or anything with moving parts, yet he could create simple repairs, such as patching a tire, ( by filling in the puncture or tear ). To form a windshield from sand, the Arbiter should have him use an Omnis Vis component of Minor Control of Fire. ( Super-heating the sand and then forming a simple glass pattern.)

20 Web Working

The Sorcerer is capable of creating Webs even if he had no prior skill. He has a SR with the Web Skill equal to his Chaos SR. The Sorcerer's Web SR will never be lower than his Chaos SR, yet his Chaos SR may be lower than his Web SR. The Sorcerer's understanding of basic occult principles has increased substantially.

30 Minor Creation

The Sorcerer is able to summon basic forms and shapes out of thin air. He uses the creative forces of the universe to cause physical objects to manifest. He cannot create complex devices, only solid shapes with immovable parts. In order to create a bow, he would need to first create the wooden bow, then create the bow string, and then an arrow, ( the feathers could be created with the arrow, as they are fixed, unmoving parts).

40 Destruction

The Sorcerer understands the basics of the creative process, and thus he gains some ability of undoing it. He is able to directly tear at the creative bonds which bind a thing together. This level effect is simply a way of directly inflicting damage upon a thing. The object or being attacked will be wounded as if he were unraveling or being torn away at.

50 Animation

The Sorcerer is able to cause inanimate or deceased objects to move. A corpse could walk, yet has no mind or soul. He could cause a bicycle to "ride" on it's own, or a wagon to roll. He cannot make objects move in ways not normally possible unless he combines the spell with the Materia component Alter Mater. He is able to "pre-program" a simple pattern of motion into the Animate spell, yet the object were given a Mind or Soul, ( spirit ), it could act on it's own. Animated corpses are zombies, animated corpses with a mind are Undead type Vampires, animated corpses with a soul might be mummies, and animated corpses with a mind and soul are Liches. The reason that corpses and skeletons would need animation if they were endowed with a soul is that these bodies are normally beyond normal functioning capacity. A healthy body would not need animation to work properly. Liches and mummies are usually bodies beyond normal functioning ability. Both these creatures often have had vital organs and fluids removed and the body preserved in some manner against rotting. This is hard to fix even with a high level Corpus component.

60 Creation

The Sorcerer is able to create moderately complex forms from thin air, so to speak. He could create something like a bicycle or a wind up clock, yet devices requiring a form of fuel or external power are usually beyond his ability at this level.

70 Repair

At this level the Sorcerer is able to repair anything that he can comprehend that is non-living. He needs no material, as he creates the repairs from the raw stuff of Chaos. He could fix a broken car engine, a defective TV or Siege Engine. Remember that the repair will only last for the duration of the spell.

80 Major Creation

The Sorcerer is able to create any thing which is non-living from raw Chaos. A boat, train, car, or even a computer. If he understands it, he can create it.

90 Guide Creation

The Sorcerer is able to alter the normal growth and or evolutionary process of life. He could cause a child to grow functional wings as it matured, and entire group of animals to evolve in a different direction than was intended by nature, or a fish to begin to develop legs and air breathing lungs.

100 True Creation

The Sorcerer is able to create new forms of life. They will have no mind or soul unless other such components are added, yet it will be able to function on an entirely instinctive level. Reproduction is possible if the Sorcerer gives his creation that ability. As for all spells, the creation will only live for the duration given to the spell.

8.09134 Conscientia - The Thoughts of Life ( Mind )

All that is self-aware has a degree on consciousness. The Occult Master of Consciousness learns to work with and through conscious to further his ends.

1 Sense

At SL 1 and above the Sorcerer is able to sense the consciousness of others around him. He is able to discern approximately how aware something is, as well as it's basic surface emotions.

10 Repel

At SL 10 and above the Sorcerer has mastered his own mind to the degree that his is able to put up defenses against attacks to his mind and his reasoning abilities. He is a darn good psychologist for he knows how minds work. Although other Sorcerer can sense his mind, knowing that an awareness is near, they cannot Penetrate it as easily.

20 Penetrate

A Sorcerer of this level can actually pear into the thoughts of another being. He is able to read the current surface thoughts and emotions. Deep probing is not possible at this level.

30 Manipulate

The Sorcerer is now able to influence the minds of other conscious beings. Through mental suggestions, illusions, and other methods he can fool, persuade, and influence others. He can also send calming and soothing thoughts and feelings to those who are enraged or frightened.

40 Call

The Sorcerer is able to communicate on a one way basis with other minds. He does this through images and feelings rather than actual words, thus he may communicate with others who would not normally understand him, including animals. Although the being will understand the idea, he may or may not respond, unless he is otherwise compelled to do so. The being receives the communication, yet is unable to transmit his owe thoughts.

50 Shape

The Sorcerer is able to cause changes within the mind of others. He can cause fears, phobias, and with some effort insanity. He is also able to induce love, adoration, and other emotions.

60 Communicate

The Sorcerer is able to communicate directly to the minds of others. His communication is both more accurate than speech, and he is able to express himself to those whose language is unknown, or who lack a spoken language. This form of communication is works both ways.

70 Destroy

The Sorcerer is able to destroy the minds of others. He in effect is able to clean the memories as well as all emotions from the mind. What is left is a living zombie. By doing more damage than the being has IN + RE, the Mind will be wiped clean. Lesser amounts of damage will cause partial effects. Note, that this effect must also have a Duration. It is possible that the being could be reeducated if the duration were long enough to be effectively permanent.

80 Heal

The Sorcerer is able to heal and repair damage done to the mind, not the physical brain. This is form of insanity brought upon by fear or emotional overload, and damage or memory loss due to occult processes. Corpus must be used to heal the physical brain, yet will rely upon Conscientia to replace the lost or stolen memories.

90 Geas

This is a means of commanding or causing an obsession within the mind of another. The Sorcerer is able to simply control the mind, or he may implant it with a "goal" that comes first and foremost for the being. This is known as a Geas, and the being will drop all other matters in pursuit of this goal.

100 Create / Transplant

The Sorcerer is able to infuse a child-like consciousness into any given "vessel" which currently has no form of self-awareness. Although it thinks, it lacks any real emotions, yet if taught enough, it may develop a soul and thus emotions. He may either teach and train this new mind as he would a child, or leave it to it's own means. Many Holy Weapons have a consciousness that has been trained for a purpose, and wielders of the weapon who do not follow this path will find that the weapon will often choose not to perform at it's potential.

Transplanting is a way of forcing the mind of a being into the background, while the mind of the Sorcerer assumes control of the beings physical form. By doing twice the amount of IN + RE in damage, the Sorcerer in effect possesses the being's body for the duration of the effect. It requires an Anima Command the Dead effect to force the possessing mind from the body. If forced from the body, it will return to it's previous body or vessel if it still exists intact, or will enter the etheric Realm if not.

8.09135 Corpus - The Organic Body of Life ( Body )

The Sorcerer works with the physical buildings block of life. Animal and plant matter is his field, both the repair and destruction, as well as the shaping.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer is able to sense the flow of the life wave around him. He can see the auras of living things, and determine the state of health that something is currently in. This includes it's basic emotional state.

10 Repel

The Sorcerer can shield his body from harmful effects. This is a form of physical Shield, yet works only for LIF damage, not for POW damage or draining attacks.

20 Control

The Sorcerer can cause the vessel of life, ( body, tree, plant ), to move or grow in a specific way, as long as it is within it's normal ability. He can slow the bodily functions, staunch bleeding, and quicken healing.

30 Shape

The Sorcerer is able to Mutate as if he had the Mutate skill at the same SR as he possesses with Corpus. He can also repair damage to other living tissue. ( wounds up to the EM x the success of the Casting Roll in LIF damage ). At this level he cannot cause the regeneration of completely destroyed organs or missing limbs.

40 Call

The Sorcerer is able to summon local living begins. He could cause an animal to come closer, make a herd stampede, or send out a summons which would bring any local life in the area, ( and he can get specific as to what type of species is called ). They are not controlled by him, they just come his way.

50 Destroy

The Sorcerer can inflict damage upon the body. He can cause boils to appear, limbs to begin to rot. He can inflict diseases and other debilitating sicknesses.

60 Healing

The Sorcerer is able to heal wounds upon the body, yet many not cause the growth of missing limbs that would not normally regenerate.

70 Cure

Offsetting the effects of poisons, diseases, and other "physical curses" is possible at this level.

80 Regenerate

The Sorcerer is able to repair the most drastic damage to living matter. He could cause a missing limb to grow back, repair a tree that had been busted in half by lightning, repair a completely destroyed organ. He can also bring life to normally lifeless material it he has the skill to Create Materia into a suitable physical form. Although the Sorcerer can repair destroyed vessels of life or even create new ones, it takes Animus or Conscientia to bring life to the vessel.

90 Alter Living Pattern

The Sorcerer can Mutate, ( as per the OCC skill Mutate ), others for the duration of this effect. The being(s) will retain a similar MAS, yet it's form may be completely altered. With other components, such as Materia, the actual MAS of the being(s) could be altered.

100 Immortality

The Sorcerer can stop the normal decay process of a living vessel. He now has the power to grant immortality. The vessel can still be damaged, yet will regenerate at the rate of 10% of it's LIF per CT. If the body is cut into separate pieces, the largest will be the one to regenerate, or the one containing the brain. Disease and poisons will have little effect on the body. If the body is burned 3 or more times it's LIF in damage, it will not regenerate. If kept in a condition that will cause death upon regeneration, it will still attempt to regenerate. In other words, an immortal body buried in an airless chamber would heal all damage, yet will die each time it revives, suffocating to death again and again for eternity. If the largest piece of the body is contained within something that would not allow it to regrow to it's normal living size, it will remain in a state of suspended animation until it can complete it regrowth process. Upon regeneration, a body requires a lot of food and water, or it will rapidly starve to death, and continue to do so until it is given food and water. Their is a story of an Immortal buried deep within a chamber who rises for death every day, only to starve again and die. It is said he angered his lord, and thus was this great punishment laid upon him. These powers last for the duration of the effect.

8.09136 Corruptio - The Way of Decay ( Destruction )

Control of the natural course of physical dissolution is know as Corruptio. It is basically an ugly business. The cleaner side of Corruptio deals with odds and potential, as decay determines how a thing will be altered along the flow of time.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer can sense death in the area. He not only feels that which has died, he also can feel when death and destruction are near in terms of time. If a building he was in were about to burn, he would get an impending sense of doom, yet might now know why. He understands how things decay, and thus can sense weaknesses in things and beings around him. He might be able to determine how best to attack a thing, or where it's vulnerabilities lie.

10 Odds

The Sorcerer understands why things fall towards a certain statistical end, and thus the mysteries of odds and chance begin to become clear to him. He does not perceive the future as such, yet he can see how things are most likely to fall in any given circumstance.

20 Repel

The Sorcerer is able to ward off creatures who would be considered undead. He can also slow the death process of things around him. He cannot stop it at this level, yet he can slow it somewhat. If he were in a collapsing house, he might be able to slow it's demise enough to get out intact.

30 Alter Decay

The Sorcerer is able to use existing weakness to his advantage. He can cause a small crack to rapidly grow larger, old bones to become more brittle, and diseases to accelerate. Anything that is working towards the decay of something can be hastened along or slowed to a crawl. At this level, the Sorcerer is able to slow the natural decay of his own body to the point of being unnoticeable, yet it still suffers from external wounds and effects.

40 Effect Potential

The Sorcerer is able to alter the chance that something that might occur will occur, or vice-versa. The amount of success when casting the effect is basically the amount that he is able to alter the odds of a thing occurring.

50 Form Decay

The Sorcerer can cause new avenues of decay. A sound structure will begin to rot, a healthy body can be diseased or weakened. He turns that which is sound into that which is flawed.

70 Massive Decay

The Sorcerer can bring a state of near ruin upon that which was sound, or he can cause a failing thing to fail. A new car might suddenly develop a rod knock, which if not rapidly repaired will lead to complete engine failure. A leak will become a broken pipe. A bruise will fester and burst in a matter of moments, and a damaged heart will instantly fail.

90 Destroy

The Sorcerer is able to bring about the rapid and total decay of a object or being. A body will rot into mush before his eyes, a car or sword will rust into dust.

He is able to create weapons which will slay a specific target, such as a sword of dragon slaying or a bullet to kill a werewolf. The object would have only one use unless permanence was placed upon it.

Beings who view such "Slaying Weapons", ( also known as "Banes" ), will feel a great sense of dread if they are of the targeted species. A dagger of Human Bane, or Human Slaying, will instill a sense of dread into any human who views it. It takes a Stat Roll VS RE for a creature to use a Bane weapon designed to kill his species, ( the first time it is used ), and creatures who face a Bane weapon that is turned upon them require a Stat Roll vs RE with a - 30 DF or they will flee for 1d10 CT's. Once the save has been made once, they may face that particular weapon again at any time without having to make a Stat Roll .

100 Infernal Word

The Sorcerer can cause otherwise "immortal" or everlasting things to begin to decay. He creates destruction where it previously could not have occurred.

8.09137 Exemplaris - The Pattern ( Space )

All that is adheres to some form of master plan or pattern. All forms that exist, and distances that are perceived, and dimensions that can be reached or dreamed, are merely expressions of Exemplaris, or Space. The Sorcerer who understands Exemplaris shall be unfettered.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer gains an acute awareness of the shapes, dimensions, and distances around him.

He knows how far he has traveled, what the degree of a slope or angle is, and has an awareness of relations between objects and areas around him. This automatically imparts the engineering and mechanics skills at a SL equal to his level with Exemplaris.

10 Perception

The Sorcerer understands that distances are but illusions of the perceptions and is thus able to extend his awareness, ( his five senses ), across distances.

25 Perceive Other Realms

The Sorcerer is able to extend his senses through the veil which separates one Realm from another. The amount of his success indicates how far in "steps", ( see Shifting Occult Skill ), that he is able to perceive.

40 Gateway

The Sorcerer is able to shift, ( see Shifting ), to an adjacent Realm. Each EM of the skill allows one Shift of 1 step. The Duration indicates how long the Gateway remains open, Area indicates the largest single object that can pass through. The Gateway operates in both directions unless the Sorcerer wishes otherwise.

50 Transport

The Sorcerer is able to transport thing from his location to another within a single Realm. The starting point must be where he is currently located. Duration indicates how long the Transporting portal is open, Area indicates the largest object that can pass through it. It is a one way transport.

60 Alter Size

The Sorcerer is able to shrink on enlarge anything. The being or object will remain intact and functional, just of a differing size. Use the Effect Multiplier to determine by what amount the object is enlarged or shrunk by. Effect Multiplier 5 indicates either 5 x it's normal size, or 50% of it's normal size. 10 is 10 times it normal size, or less than 1% of it's normal size. In other words, each 1 EM either increases it's size by a factor of one, or reduces it's size by 10% of it's original size. At EM 11, the object is at .1% of it's normal size. It's weight will reflect it's new size.

80 Side Step Space

The Sorcerer is able to exit normal perceived space, entering a "place" that exists to none but himself. For all intents and purposes, whatever he moves from normal space ceases to exist until the effect's duration is over. When the duration is over, the object returns to exactly where it exited normal space. While outside of normal space, time ceases to exist for the being or object.

100 Alter Dimensions / MAS

The Sorcerer is able to create more or less space than truly exists. He could create a room that measured 10' square externally, yet 1' mile square inside. These are known as "Pocket Realms". He can put a square peg in a round hole, make a bag which can hold something larger than the bag. He is also able to alter the weight of things. Using the Effect Multiplier as for Alter Size, he can adjust the weight of anything either up or down, without altering it's size.

8.09138 Materia - Physical Substance of the World ( Matter )

Masters of Materia understand the very building blocks of the material world. They create and manipulate forms and adjust these to their desires.

These are often the artificers of the Occult world, for they are able to impart bonuses to weapons and armor by altering the very nature of the material in use. The Sorcerer is able to make "+" weapons and armor. The Sorcerer can make weapons which have a built in modifier to their attack and / or parry chances. This bonus maxes out at their SR with Materia / 5. Thus a Sorcerer with a SR of 65 could create weapons with attack and / or parry bonuses of +13, and armor which would reduce attack chances by -13. The SR used for the bonus determines the level of the effect, and duration, MAS, and other factors apply. Attack would be one spell, and parry would be another.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer understands what physical material has gone into a thing. He knows what type of soil is beneath him, what metal and properties have gone into an artifact. The boiling point of a liquid and the molten point of metals. He senses the physical world around him.

10 Shape

The Sorcerer is able to manipulate the form of material around him as if it were clay. He cannot manipulate living tissue, yet other substances are open to his will. Complex forms, such as mechanism must be manipulated a piece at a time. The effect is mainly used to turn something into a basic form, like a lump of metal into a sword, or a tree branch into a staff, or chair. He must have an amount of base material equal to the MAS of the object that he is attempting to form.

25 Alter

The Sorcerer is able to manipulate the physical properties of a material, thus making glass that is a hard as iron, or iron that is as soft as paste.

40 Transmute

The Sorcerer is able to cause one lifeless substance to become another. Thus, he could turn lead to gold, sand to water, wood to bread, and rock to mud.

60 Destroy

The Sorcerer reduces a material non-living thing down to it's most basic components. In other words, it falls to a pile of chemicals.

80 Create

Allows the Sorcerer to use any base material to create truly complex physical forms. He could even create a physical body, functional in all ways, yet he needs Anima to infuse it with life, otherwise, it is but a body. He can create anything that he can comprehend and understand.

100 Banish

Similar to destroy, yet the substance is returned to the Chaos from whence it sprang. If a permanent Effect, it forever ceases to exist. If not, it will reform at the end of it's duration. Time is non-existent while returned to chaos. This effect can be used upon any mater, even living tissue.

8.09139 Omnis Vis - the Powers ( Energy )

The tension between creation and destruction, positive and negative, and all other dualities results in energy, which can be expressed as a force. The Master of Omnis Vis is able to call upon this energy and shape it to his ends. He may control the classic elements, Air, Earth, Fire and Water. He may also manipulate the weather and it side effects, lightning, (electricity ), cold, rain, winds, etc;.

Sound is energy, as is light, and the absence of these things is merely a reduction of energy to the zero point.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer gains an acute awareness of the forces around him, both natural as well as conjured. He not only senses the power released by other occult workers, he also has a good feeling of what forces are being manipulated. He would be able to determine that a powerful Anima working had recently taken place if he used this ability where a soul had been permanently been restored to a body. He senses nature and has a good idea what pattern the weather will be taking.

10 Repel

The Sorcerer is able to erect a shield that will directly oppose energetic attacks. In effect, this includes any form of attack that involved direct energy, heat, cold, electricity, kinetics, or what have you. In effect, the shield will absorb a number of LIF points in damage equal to the success of the casting Skill Roll x the Effect Multiplier. This protection lasts for the duration of the spell, or until it is reduced to 0 through "attacks" made against the protected object, being, or area. Note that over the years, hail, lightning, and the general effect of weather would "attack" a building thus exposed to the elements. Only one of these shields may be in place upon a given thing at a given time.

Diseases, mind and PSI assaults, and other similar attacks are outside the scope of this effect.

20 Minor Control

The Sorcerer is able to cause an existing force to increase or decrease in intensity. He could cause a light to grow dim, a fire to burn brighter, and an electrical outlet to go dead or increase in voltage. He can not cause the energy to do something completely unnatural, such as shooting a flame bolt from the tips of his fingers, he merely is able to alter what is available by a factor equal to the EM x it's normal intensity, either up or down. He can effect the brightness of the day, the darkness of the night, the intensity of sound, etc;.

30 Summon

The Sorcerer is able to bring a single force into being where it currently does not exist. He can cause a pile of wood to burst into flame, a pool to suddenly freeze, or objects to levitate.

40 Shape

At this level the Sorcerer is able to shape existing or summoned forces into unusual forms. He can create bolts of energy, lightning, fire, cold, etc;. He could cause a fire to leap from a fireplace, move across water, and strike a boat. His ability allows him to create and shape energy into forms beyond those which nature intended.

50 Call Weather

The Sorcerer has the ability to directly effect the weather patterns. The Effect Multiplier he uses with this effect determines by how many steps he is able to alter the weather up or down. For wind, it might be no wind, light wind, strong wind, storm force wind, gale force, hurricane force. ( EM x current conditions ?)

60 Destroy

In an instant the Sorcerer is able to bring the energy level of one type of energy down to the zero point. A fire will instantly die, a cold object will instantly assume room temperature, an object in motion will suddenly stop. The rapid cessation of a single force might cause some other force to suddenly rise up. The sudden stopping of a car in traffic would likely cause cars behind it to slam into it. This effect can even be uses to drop a beings body temperature to room temperature instantly. This would usually result in instant shock, if not death, yet why not just stop the heart? The intensity level of the force should be rated from 1 to 10, with 10 being a earthquake and 1 being a shovel of flung dirt. The Effect Multiplier must match the level of the force which is to be dispelled.

80 Master of Forces

The Sorcerer is able to master all forces within the area of effect for the duration of effect. This is similar to Minor Control, yet instead of controlling a single form of energy, the Sorcerer controls them all.

100 Banish

Within the area of this spells effect, all forces, whatever their level, will cease to exist for the duration of this effect. This would even banish the effects of a nuclear explosion. Biological functions will not be effected, only sources of non-biological energy. If the area of effect were to cover the point of detonation, it would effectively banish the entire explosion. Any force active within the area of effect when the spell is cast can remain active if the Sorcerer so desires, thus a certain form of energy could still function, yet any new forces which attempt to enter the area will be immediately banished. This is an incredibly potent effect.

8.091391 Tempus - The Path of Reality ( Time )

A master of Tempus understands the dimension of time and how it relates to matter, space, and perception.

1 Sense

The Sorcerer has an acuity awareness of time. He can tell exactly when a blow will land, how fast something is traveling, how many seconds of time elapsed between to points.

15 Perceive

The Sorcerer is able to look along the time stream both past and future. Although the past is static and will be quite accurate, the future is not fixed and his vision may digress wildly from what will occur upon this Realm, especially if he actively attempts to alter future events. Without another component, he is only able to view time as it applies to the physical area which he can see. Using Exemplaris with Tempus would allow the Sorcerer to view great areas and time within them.

25 Haste

The Sorcerer is able to accelerate the function of a thing so that it effectively moves or operates at a higher level. Each effect multiplier add 10% to the objects rate. Thus, EM 4 = 140% of normal functioning speed. Used on a man, his QIC would be 140% norm, he would heal at 140% norm, and in all ways function 140% of normal time, ( including ageing ).

30 Hinder

As haste, yet instead of each EM adding 10%, it reduces the activities by 10%. A hindered opponent will attack slower, and a wounded comrade will bleed to death slower. For some reason, it is harder for Sorcerer to stall time than it is for them to speed it.

50 Alter

The Sorcerer is able to alter time within the area of effect. The time passage is equal to the Effect Multiplier times itself, either faster or slower. Thus, this effect used within an area at EM level 3 would cause time to move either 9 times faster or 9 times slower, ( 3 x 3 = 9 ), as the Sorcerer desired. He could effectively shut himself away and slow local time around him to 1/25th normal time, ( EM 5 ). When he exited the area 1 yr later, the outside world would have aged 25 years. The duration of this effect should be based upon the Realm's Normal Time flow. Note, that the Sorcerer cannot travel backwards in time.

65 Halt

The Sorcerer can cause time to actually cease to flow within the area of effect. The area will appear as a frozen picture, and anything entering the area will cease to move, ( it is frozen in time ).

80 Future Travel

At this level of mastery the Sorcerer is able to jump to a future moment in time equal to the EM cubed, ( EM x EM x EM ), in days. Thus using this effect at EM 4, he could travel up to 4x4x4 or 64 days into the future. At the end of the duration, he will return to the moment of time that he departed from, yet the place of his return will be parallel to where he physically exited the future from.

90 Exit

The Sorcerer is able to remove himself from normal time, and he now exists within an area between two moments of time. All that is seams frozen. In the state he is unable to alter the physical universe, yet he may watch, look or move about. If he attempts to move or in any way alter something that exists within normal time, he will meet with absolute resistance. Opening a normal door would be like attempting to move a mountain. Beware though, there is said to be being who exist or are trapped between the moments of time, and these beings may be dangerous. Think how good flesh would taste to a meat eater who could not eat those statues of men and beasts about him. It is said that there are certain beings who exist between the moments of time and are able to travel both forward as well as backwards between these moments. Beings existing between the moments of time can effect one another. All within the effect area at the time of casting exists outside of normal time, thus a Sorcerer can bring useable food, water, and goods. At the end of this effects duration, those effected by it return to normal time.

100 Past Travel

The Sorcerer is able to move backward in time. He may move himself or any area a number of days equal to the EM cubed, ( EM x EM x EM ). Most believe that the changes he would make in reality are splitting a Realm into a separate parallel Realm. Thus, he could go back in time and save his mother. In reality if his mother has died in his "normal" Realm, he has entered or created a Realm where this possibility was avoided. If he then brings his mother forward in time to the point of his departure to the past, he would in reality be bringing a double of his mother from the past of a parallel Realm into his own Realm!! Think about it. In other words, the past is written, and changing the past is really not possible, just an illusion.

8.091392 Terms of Magna Artium

Magna Artium has several special terms which must be understood for a character to use the art. These terms are listed an defined as follows.  Volume Two - Tome of the Occult is an in-depth study of how the occult and Magna Artium works within the Sicarius game system. This is highly recommended for Arbiter's who wish to run a game with more than minor occult usage. Player's who have occult using characters should also become familiar with this work.

Spell

One or more component of Magna Artium shaped by the Sorcerer into a desired Effect.

Cast, Casting, Spell Caster:

Casting a Spell means to be the one who releases the Effect. A Sorcerer casts Spells through knowledge, POW and art, while another may Cast a Spell by "using" an Occult object or device.

Casting Level ( CL ):

Each Spell has a Casting Level which is calculated by adding the level of each component that is required to get the effect.

Effect:

Each Spell produces some desired Effect, weather that be putting a being to sleep, igniting an object, levitating something, or healing a friend. Whatever the Spell is supposed to do is called the Effect.

Dimensions:

Each Spell has several Dimensions, they are Range, Area, Duration, and Multiplier.

Factor:

Each Dimension of a Spell has a Factor. These Factors are added together to get a Spell Dimension Multiplier.

Spell Dimension Multiplier ( SDM ):

The SDM is multiplied with the Casting Level of the Spell to determine how many points of POW are required to cast the Spell. POW = SDM x CL

Range:

Range indicates how far the Effect of the Spell may be from the Sorcerer who Casts the Spell. For spells with an Area effect, this indicates the center of the area effected.

Area:

This indicates the coverage area of the spell either determined by footage or MAS. If using a sleep Spell to knock out several opponents, the Sorcerer can only affect a number of targets whose total MAS is no more than the MAS of the Area Effect given to the Spell. These targets must also be within the footage listed for the Area given to the Spell. In other words, one spell with a Area Effect of 20' dia / up to 15x Sorcerer's MAS could affect up to 15x the Sorcerer's MAS, by they must all be within a 20' diameter.

Duration:

How long the Effect of the Spell will last for under normal circumstances. Other Spells could be used to negate the Effect of this Spell before the Duration ends. Instant is used for spells such as healing or damaging. An instant sleeping Spell might put the target under, yet he will wake up "instantly".

Multiplier:

When a Effect needs to be expressed in terms of points for healing, damaging, or some other reason, then an Effect Multiplier is required. The amount of success that the Caster made his ID Roll by when Casting this Spell is multiplied by the Effect Multiplier, or EM, to get a point total. Thus is a Sorcerer has a Casting Chance of 68 with a lighting bolt spell and rolls a 32, he would have been successful by , ( 68 - 32 = 34 ), 34 points. If the Lightning Bolt Spell had an EM of 5, he would do, ( 34 x 5 = 170 ), 170 points of damage to the target, ( although he will get a resistance roll ).

Base Casting Chance:

The BCC is the number that the Sorcerer is required to roll equal to or order on an ID Roll to successfully Cast the Spell. The BCC is determined by taking the ASR minus the Casting Level of the Spell - ( 100 + the Sorcerer's Link to the target ) + or - the Chaos / Order Level of the Realm that the Spell is being Cast in. Note that the BCC will often result in a negative number. Such Spells are doomed to fail if the Sorcerer simply attempts to Cast it. He must first Learn the Spell.

BCC = ASR - CL - ( 100 - Link ) +or- C/O Level.

Average Skill Rank ( ASR ):

For a Sorcerer to use a component in a Spell, he must be skilled with that component. For each component used in a Spell, the Sorcerer must add his SR with each component used and divide the total by the number of components used. Thus, if he were Casting a Spell with 3 components, he would add his SR with each of the three components and divide the total by three. This results in his Average Skill Rank.

Casting Chance:

Often the Base Casting Chance will be very low if the Spell uses high level components or if the Sorcerer is not greatly skilled with any of the components used in the skill. By expending time, ( Action Pulses ), and additional POW the Sorcerer is able to increase the Base Casting Chance to a more reasonable level. Whatever the BCC is at when the Sorcerer attempts to Cast the Spell is known as the Casting Chance.

Learned Spell:

When a Spell has been "Reduced to 0", then it is a Learned Spell for the Sorcerer. He is now able to Cast the Spell if he has sufficient POW at his disposal. A Sorcerer need only Learn a Spell once. After Learning the Spell, he can produce the exact same Spell anytime he wishes as long as he has the POW available and makes a successful Casting Roll.

Casting Roll:

When a Sorcerer wishes to produce the Effect of a Spell he has Learned, he needs to make a Casting Roll. He makes an ID Roll vs the Casting Chance of the Spell. A success indicates that he successfully Cast the Spell.

Karm:

Resistance of the Realm to tampering with it's basic laws. Karm is actually a measure of a build up of this resistance when Magna Artium is used.

Spell Formation:

Each spell of Magna Artium has several basic requirements in terms of cerebral, verbal, action, or sacrificed items which help the character to visualize the effect and cause it to manifest. These are known as Foundational Components.

Foundational Components:

The various cerebral, verbal, action, or sacrificed items on an individual level. Each one used in a spells Formation is a Foundational Component.

Foundation:

The Foundational Components which make up a particular spells "Spell Formation". In fact, this is basically another term for Spell Formation.

Foundational Spell Points:

The amount of FSP which each individual Foundational Component of a spell contributes to the spells Foundation.


Spell Dimensions:

Each spell of Magna Artium requires certain dimensions, known as Spell Dimensions.

Listed below are the Dimensions which each spell requires.

Creating, Learning, and Casting Spells of Magna Artium

To create and learn spells the Sorcerer follows the guideline below.

1) Determine what you want to do. What Effect is the Spell to produce, and what are the required Dimensions to produce this effect.

2) Break down the Spell into its necessary components and dimensions, ( area, duration, range, and effect multiplier).

3) Determine if you have the necessary skill level with all of the components. If you do, then you may continue, otherwise you cannot cast this Spell.

4) Add the levels of all the necessary components together to get a "Casting Level" for the Spell.

5) Add all the required Dimensions together, ( this is the SDM ), and multiply the total by the Casting Level to determine the POW necessary to cast the Spell. POW = SDM x CL

6) Now you must determine your ASR, ( Average Skill Rank ), for the Spell. Add your SR with all the components necessary to cast the spell, and divide this total by the number of components. Thus, you are getting an average SR for this Spell.

7) Determine the Relative Level of the Spell. Take the Casting Level of the Spell minus the ASR of the Sorcerer.

If the Relative Level is "0" or less, then the Sorcerer can attempt to Cast the Spell without first Learning it. ( Go to 9 ) If the Relative Level is above "0", he must Learn the Spell before he is able to Cast it.

When a Spell has a Relative Level that is more than "0", the Sorcerer must first reduce it to "0". He does this by the following method. Assume that a Spell has a Relative Level of 80. The Sorcerer must drop the Spell by 80 points to get it to 0. The Sorcerer "studies" the Spell for 1 CT then makes an attempt to reduce the Relative Level. He makes an ID Roll vs his ASR for this Spell - the Spell's CL and expends 1d10 POW. If the roll is successful, the Relative Level is reduced by the amount of the success. If the Relative Level were quite high and the ASR - CL quite low, it could take quite a long time and a lot of POW to bring the Relative Level down to "0". It sometimes takes a Sorcerer many moons, ( and dam good ID Rolls ), to learn a specific high level Spell.

8) Once the Relative Level is at "0" or below, it is considered a learned Spell. All that a Sorcerer need now do to Cast the Spell is have the necessary POW and make a successful Casting Roll.

  normally places a limit of how many Spells that a Sorcerer may have stored in his memory, and additional Spells, ( over that limit ), he writes in a book, known as a Grimorie. If this book is available, he is able to trade spells from memory to the book, and back, simply by reading the Spell he wishes to have in his memory, and allowing one residing in his memory to "fade out" until reread from the book. He chooses which Spell to commit to memory, and which ones to leave stored in the book. This is merely a way of memory management, as hardly anyone could memorize an infinite number of Spells. If the book is lost, all Spells not currently held in his memory are no longer considered Learned Spells. He must relearn them, or retrieve his book or a copy of the Spell from another book.

The Maximum number of Spells that a being may commit to memory is equal to his ( IN + RE ) /4. That's really quite a lot of spells.

Moving a Spell from the Book to memory takes a number of CT's equal to the Casting Level of the Spell. If the Spell is one that was developed by another Sorcerer, it must be Learned to commit it to memory. See "Once a Spell is Learned", below, for Learning Spells from another Sorcerer's Grimorie.

9) A Spell with a Relative Level of "0" or below is considered a Learned Spell. To Cast the Spell the Sorcerer need have the necessary POW available and make a successful Casting Roll. You must now determine the Base Casting Chance of the Spell as follows: ( see Base Casting Chance ).

. BCC = ASR - CL - ( 100 - Link ) +or- C/O Level.

You must also have the Foundational Components as detailed in the section titled Spell Formation available or the BCC will be aversely affected.

10) To Cast the Spell the Sorcerer needs to make an ID Roll vs the BCC of the Spell. The BCC is often a negative number, and thus the Sorcerer will often need to raise the BCC, which results in a final " Casting Chance" CC. For each Action Pulse, ( AP, see Combat ), that a Sorcerer spends preparing the spell, he is able to raise the BCC by 1 point. If he spent 50 AP's preparing the Spell, he would raise the BCC by 50. Thus if the BCC of a Spell were a -30, he would raise it to +20. He would then need to roll a 20 or below to successfully Cast the Spell. You can spend as many AP's as you desire in preparation of Casting a Spell, yet you may do nothing other than moving up to 25% of your Max Movement Rate while doing so, and the BCC may never be raised by more points than you RE Stat with this method. Thus, if you RE is 78, you cannot raise the BCC more than 78 points in this manner. You also need to concentrate. If you stop concentrating, you need to make a Stat Roll vs IN during each AP that your concentration was disturbed to avoid losing your concentration. If you loose your concentration, the Casting Chance rises back up to the normal BCC.

11) Once you feel that the Casting Chance is acceptable, make a Casting Roll. This is an ID Roll vs the current,

CC - ( 100 - Link ) +/- C/O Level .

A success indicates that the Spell was successfully Cast and the desired Effects are produced. You Expend the necessary POW,

( POW = SDM x CL ), and GO TO 13 below.

12) If you fail the roll, the Casting Chance is increased by the amount of your failure, ( up to a maximum of the original BCC ), and you expend 10% of the total POW necessary to Cast the Spell. You may attempt to Cast the Spell again on the next AP available to you, using the new CC, or you may spend more time, ( AP's ), preparing the Spell for the next attempt. You must make sure that you have enough POW left to Cast the Spell, as you just spent 10% in the failure.

13) Once a Spell is successfully Cast, the Effects will occur. If the Spell is used directly against a conscious, living being, it may attempt to resist the Spell if it so desires. The chance of doing so is equal to ½ of it's SP. The being makes a Stat Roll vs ½ SP. If the roll is successful, than the effects of the Spell are reduced by a percentage equal to the amount of the success. Thus, a roll successful by 16 points would result in a reduction of the Spell's effectiveness by 16%. This is only for Spells directly effecting a being, like sleep or a lightning bolt. Spells which cause a wall to fall, which happens to then crush the being, cannot be "saved" against The being instead needs to "dodge" or move out of the way in time. Spells which cause an area of effect, such as a magical fire, which are then entered by the character can not be saved against. In order to make a saving roll, the spell must be directed "at" the being itself. Each being directly effected by the Spell may elect to make a Resistance Roll. Making a Resistance Roll uses up the beings next available AP. A target does not have to resist a spell. Who would resist a healing spell? Possibly an animal, child, or very Superstitious being!

Spell Formation:

Each spell created must have a basic formation. A spell is built based upon the particular dogma or belief pattern held by the sorcerer. The belief system of the sorcerers class, training, or Realm will determine which methods he is most likely to use. A practitioner of Voodoo uses a system of belief quite dissimilar from a psionic practitioner. One holds belief in the power of the gods, while the other honors his own mind. The voodoo practitioner often uses props, chants, and charms, while the psionic uses concentration, meditation, and possibly physical gestures.

It is up to the Arbiter to decide what a particular sorcerous type within his game system might believe in, yet should follow common sense. If your a priest, you will believe in the power of the gods. A necromancer might rely upon ancestor worship or worship of devils and spirits. Ancient beings will often believe in the power of the basic elements of a living world.

Whatever the case, without some consistent form, it is much more difficult to align ones mind to the task of sorcery.

A spell must have Foundation Spell Points equal to it's CL, ( Casting Level ), or the sorcerer will suffer a penalty to his BCC.

Thus, a spell with a CL of 85 must have at least 85 Foundation Spell Points or the sorcerer attempting to cast it will suffer a penalty.

The spells Foundation is assigned when the spell is devised, and recorded in the mind or grimorie of the sorcerer who created the spell. When he wishes to cast the spell, he must either supply the required Foundational components or suffer a penalty equal to the value of the missing Foundational Components.

Relax, this is not as difficult as it sounds.

First, there are four classes of Foundational Components.

Cerebral

Verbal

Action

Sacrifice

A minimum of one of the first 3 Foundational Components must be used or the spell has no chance of success. Thus, the sorcerer must at lease one component from Cerebral, Verbal, or Action foundations. Sacrifice is supplementary to any of the other foundations.

Within each of these classes, there are several levels which are worth varying amounts of Foundational Spell Points. When the spell has a number of Foundational Spell Points equal to or greater than the CL of the spell itself, then it is a completely formed spell and will suffer no penalties due to lack of a good foundation. If the sorcerer is unable to perform or supply any of the required Foundational Components he will suffer a negative modifier to the BCC equal to the CL level of the spell minus the total Foundational Spell Points of the available and used components. Thus, a Word supplies 10 FP, ( Foundation Spell Points ). If the sorcerer were unable to speak the word, the spell would suffer a -10 to the BCC, ( assuming that the original FP of the necessary components were exactly equal to the CL of the spell, which is usually the case ).

Foundational Components are broken down as follows. Use the code associated with the Foundational Component to find the amount of Foundation Spell Points it is worth, and the amount of time required to use it within the casting of the spell.

Cerebral

C1: A simple mental image

C2: An ordered state of mind

C3: Completely altered thought pattern

Verbal

V1: A single specific word

V2: A short verse

V3: A lengthy chant, charm or song

Action

A1: A simple gesture

A2: A series of movements

A3: A complex dance or ritual form

Sacrifice

S1: A common non-living substance

S2: A common living substance

S3: An expensive substance

S4: An uncommon living substance

S5: A living animal

S6: A living being of rare form

S7: A living being of ones own species

S8: A living being of very specific qualities.

( A baby, virgin, etc. )

Foundational Component Chart

Code: The code associated with the Foundational Component.

FP: The Foundational Spell Points given for a single use of this component.

Time: The number of APs required to use this component.

#: The number of this particular component which may be used in any given spell. Thus, 5 would mean that this component type can be used 5 times in a particular spell, as long as each component is different from the others. Thus, sacrificing 2 different "common living substances" counts for 40 FSP.

Once a Spell is Learned :

The Sorcerer may write his Learned Spells to his spell Grimorie, or his Book of Spells. If he wishes, he may then teach these spells to other Sorcerers with the necessary SR's. By placing this spell in a book or by teaching it to others directly, the Casting Level is reduced to 25% of it's normal level for learning purposes. This makes it much easier to learn spells that were created and Learned by other Sorcerer's. This is why Sorcerers will seek out and often pay big bucks, ( or kill ), for the Grimories of other Sorcerers. A Great Sorcerer could also make a good some of money by training students in the use of particular spells.

Once a Spell has been Learned, meaning that it's Relative Level was reduced to "0" or less, than the Sorcerer has it memorized and may attempt to Cast it in the future as long as he has enough time and POW available.

He is also able to mix and match the dimensions as necessary, as long as they do not exceed the value of the spell when learned. Thus if he were to make some spell with a Range of 3, Area 6, EM 4 and Duration of 2, he has learned how to cast this spell with these dimensions or any lesser value. He could cast the spell with Area 1,2,3,4,5, or 6, yet to raise the Area to 7 would require learning this new more potent spell. None, any, or all of the dimensions may be altered when cast without relearning the spell. He is merely limited to a max value of the original dimension.

Creating effective Spells can be difficult as well as consuming in POW and time. In Sicarius, the art of Magna Artium is powerful, yet limited. Most Sorcerers learn the Web Skill. By "Hanging" a previously Learned and Cast Spell in a Web, the Sorcerer is able to release it at will. See the OCC Skill Web for complete details.

Sorcerers who take the time to learn and hang a decent array of Spells will be quite effective at a moments notice, while those who fail to prepare in advance will often be quite limited in what they can accomplish. Sorcerers who run with warriors and armies often take considerable time to prepare for up coming battles.

Many Sorcerers rely on external POW sources so that they have the ability to cast Spells without having them Hung in advance. While casting time can still be considerable, having an external POW source is often a life saver.

Most of the truly potent Sorcerers of a Realm will rely heavily upon such sources.

Their a certain areas within a Realm, such as where Lay lines cross, or certain sacred or cursed ground. Sometimes these areas will only supply POW for specific types of Spells, such as necromantic spells gaining POW from an ancient graveyard. Sometimes the bones of saints, the teeth of martyr, or the toes of a powerful Sorcerer might provide regenerating POW sources.

It is up to the Arbiter how much POW might be available, whether per day or in total. Sometimes the area or object might be a POW multiplier, such as a x3 POW Ring. The Arbiter should also determine how the Sorcerer becomes attuned to this POW source, and how long it takes. This could be a Skill in itself for each individual source which becomes available to the Sorcerer. Volume Two - Tome of the Occult contains guidelines covering external POW sources. Originally set as a second volume in the Sicarius system, I have chosen to include it at the end of Sicarius V 0.9 , which is this release.

Karm: The Sorcerer's Bane

All Sorcerers fear Karm, that which causes a collapse in the etheric membrane of reality and allows random occult forces to leak through. Whenever a Sorcerer uses Magna Artium or any other Occult skill which lists Karm as a side effect, the Sorcerer must calculate the number of Karm Points generated by the Occult skill used and what effect, if any, comes about.

To calculate Karm, take the total amount of POW required to use the spell and divide by (50 + or - the C/O Level of the Realm the spell was cast in). Thus a spell using 300 points of POW cast in a +20 Chaos Realm would be... ( 300 / 70 = 4 points of Karm.

Results less than 1 indicate no Karm is accumulated.

Each time that a Sorcerer with Karm points attempts a Karm inducing skill he has a chance equal to his total Karm that a Karm Anomaly Check must be made. The Arbiter makes an ID Roll, with a result less than his Karm indicating that the etheric collapse, and an Anomaly Check must be made. If a Anomaly Check occurs, reduce the Sorcerer's Karm back to "0", and make a Percentile Roll on the "Anomaly" chart below. If an Anomaly Check fails to occur, then add any new Karm points based upon the spell he just worked to his existing Karm.

Karm will naturally be reduced by 1d10 point per day, yet will never be below "0".

High POW spells will almost always causes a Karm Anomaly Check.

See the Karm chart below.

 Karm Anomaly Chart

The chart above is a guideline, be creative and have fun. An Anomaly can often be used as an adventure in itself. Feel free to disregard the chart and use your imagination as Arbiter if you so desire. The Anomaly is the basic structure of the Realm, or it's "reality", fighting against tampering. When a Sorcerer messes with the basic fabric of the Realm, he is tempting fate. All Sorcerer's should have a healthy fear of pushing Reality to far.

8.0914 Summoning

This is the Greatest Art of Chaos. It may only be learned by someone who has a parent who was born in a Chaos Realm of at least +45, or a grandparent who was born in a Chaos Realm of at least +47, or a great-grandparent who was born in a Chaos Realm of +49. The character also needs to Merge with Anark, the Rune of Chaos, if he wishes to become a Summoner. ( See Runes below ).

Summoning involves reaching into another Realm and "summoning" something from that Realm to you. This may be a person, thing, or event. The Summoner pictures what he wishes to appear, then reaches out through the Infinite and searches for his desire. Once he locates it, he attempts to summon it into the Realm where he currently exists. In other words, he causes the person, thing, or event to leave there and come hither.

For example, if the Summoner wished for a storm, he would visualize it, reach out through the Infinite until he found it, them attempt to relocate it to this Realm. If the weather conditions are good for a Storm, then a Realm near by with a full blown storm in progress is likely. If it is a perfect day, then he might have to reach a bit farther. If he wished for his opponent to slip and fall, he might visualize a patch of ice, reach for it, and then attempt to place it under the feet of his opponent. He could also reach through the Infinite to summon forth a being, be it another character, creature, or demonic force.

Summoning Beings

People, creatures, and other sentient beings may be Summoned into the Summoners Realm. Their are two types of "Being" summons. Summoning a Specific being, such as Fred Johnson or Laddy the dog, and summoning Unspecific beings, such as a human or a dog.

To summon an Unspecific being the Summoner pictures the being, ( or beings ), in his mind and then reaches into the Infinite. His mind searches for a Realm where these beings exists and then opens a portal connecting the two Realms. He then attempts to draw the beings through.

In games terms, the Summoner might tell the Arbiter he wished to summon a Dragon. The Arbiter decides that the closest Dragon fitting the Summoners description is a creature existing only in Realms of Chaos +10 or less. The Summoner is currently in a Realm of Order -5. The C/O Level difference between the two Realms is 15. This gives the Summoner a -15 DF, costs 30 POW, ( 2x the C/O Level difference ), and requires 15 CT of concentration, ( 1 CT per C/O Level of difference). He reduces his Summon SR by 15 and makes an ID Roll. ( Note that while I am only mentioning C/O Level difference here, Realms may also be separated by appearance. Two Realms may have the same C/O Level, yet be so dissimilar as to be many "steps", or points away. See the section on Chaos for a better understanding. Each "step" should also count as a C/O Level. ) If the ID Roll is equal to or less than his adjusted Summon SR, than he has made contact with the desired Being, Beings.

At this point, he attempts to Summon the being, beings into his Realm. He automatically establishes a mental contact with the being, beings, and either attempts to persuade him/them, to cross over, or may use the SOC Command Skill to command them into coming. The Summoner may enhance his Command Skill by a number of points equal to his Summon SR, yet this costs 2 POW for each point he increases his Command Skill by.

Increasing his Command Skill is a basic part of Summoner training, and one he is able to use even when not performing a Summoning.

Note, that sometimes he may even "lure" something across, such as using a piece of meat to attract a dog to him, or offering gold to a warrior. Beings contacted by the Summoner will see into the Summoners Realm as if looking through a door. Remember that while some beings may understand the nature of Summoning, others will find the act quite disconcerting. Play it out.

Note that a Summoner is able to Command beings that would not normally understand him, such as animals, due to the fact that the Command is given mentally through a Summoning.

A Summoner must expend 1 POW point per CP that the door remains open, and it is possible for unwanted beings to cross. If an unwanted being attempts to cross, the Summoner may attempt to Command him back.

For each being that the Summoner wishes to cross, he must also expend an amount of POW equal to 10% of their MAS. So to bring across 10 creatures each of 50 MAS would require, ( 50 x 10 = 500, 500 x .1 = 50), 50 more points of POW, and about one CP of time for each creature, or 10 CP's.

As you can see, it would almost definitely require Channeling to move large amounts of MAS through a Portal. Summoning can normally only be done from one Realm to another. You cannot summon a being from Africa to Michigan, unless they are from different "Earth" Realms. To Summon within the same Realm requires that there be a Summoner present at "both ends" of the process. In other words, if you wished to summon five thugs from Detroit to New York, the thug would need a Summoner on their end to help anchor the Portal. The Summoner in New York would open the Portal by performing a Specific Summoning to the Summoner in New York. Once opened, the thugs may cross. The Summoner who opens the Portal, the one in Detroit, must pay all of the POW costs.

The Summoner is able to send the being/beings back by reversing the process, yet he need not do so.

Note that Summoning a creature from an entirely different Realm with different physics will affect him upon the new Realm. A creature requiring fire to breath would quickly die on Earth unless placed in an inferno. A gigantic flying creature dwelling in a low gravity Realm might find it impossible to fly on Earth, or even to move if the gravity difference were great enough. The Arbiter must make the final decisions.

Summoning a Specific being is basically the same, yet the Summoner must either know the exact Realm upon which the being currently resides, or he must make an ID Roll equal to or less than his Link with the being. If he makes the roll, then he has located him/it, and may now attempt the Summoning.

Summoners are able to resist a Summoning by several means. They may first expend 1d10 points of POW per day, and make an ID Roll vs their Summoning Skill, with NO modifications. The result of their success is applied against the Summoning SR of anything attempting to open a portal to them for the next day. This may only be done once per day, and will resist any summoning of the Summoner, no matter from what source. This is a method of hiding. If contact is made with the Summoner, he may resist a Command with a bonus to his RE equal to his Summoning SR, at a POW cost of 1d10 points. It is hard to compel a Summoner.

Note that just because a being is Summoned, he may not wish to serve the Summoner. He is not bound, yet many Summoned beings will agree to some form of service if the Summoner will promise to return him/it at the end of the service. This is a form of "binding". Summoning can be a dangerous business.

Note that a portal is in effect a "one way" door, and the Summoner or things from the Summoner's Realm are unable to cross into the other Realm unless the being contacted on the other end allows you entrance. Any being may invite the Summoner, ( and any of his guests ), across, yet this involves the Being reaching forth and "pulling" the Summoner to him. This is only possible if the Being agrees to it. The one who "Summoned", pays the POW costs. The only exception to this is that beings are "coded" to the Realm from which they were Summoned, and this is what allows the Summoner to send them back if he so desires. The Summoner may only send someone back to the Realm from which he Summoned them from .

Summoning Things

Summoners are able to bring objects from another Realm. As for Summoning Beings, the Arbiter must determine how far into the Infinite the Sorcerer must reach to find the Item he desires. Common objects such as a hand gun in 1980 New York would be just a Realm away. Locating a flying broom might take a little more reaching, and bringing it into our Realm would effect it's performance based upon the C/O Level.

The C/O Level, and/or appearance difference between Realms is the DF applied to the Summoner's Summon SR, as detailed in Summon Being. All POW costs and times are the Same as for Summon Being.

If the Summoner succeeds in his skill roll, then he has located the object, and now may bring it across. It costs 1 point of POW per point of MAS that the object(s) has.

It the summoner wishes to Summon a Specific object, such as "the" sword he left in another realm, he must Link to it. This is the same as Summoning a Specific Being. Note that in most cases he could just get a similar object from a similar Realm, yet sometimes only the original will do, such as a "Web". You cannot summon "generic" flaming swords, you have to get the real McCoy.

If the object is currently held or in use by another being, then the Summoner must enter a SP Stat VS Stat contest with the other being assuming that the being would not wish to part with the item. This battle of wills costs both parties 2d10 points of POW, and requires 3d10 CP's during which the Summoner must pay POW to keep the portal open. While the Summoner is engaged in this SP vs SP battle, he will be unable to stop anything that may wish to cross through.

The Summoner may also spirit something away from his Realm into another Realm. He opens the door to a Realm of his desire, then forces the object through. This acts exactly the same as a normal Summoning, yet in reverse.

Summoning Events

A Summoner is able to bring a Event from another similar Realm into the one he occupies, and send the event from his Realm into the Realm he Summoned the event from. This is one way that storms, lightning, earthquakes, etc; are Summoned. It is an extremely potent form of summoning, and often requires quite a bit of POW. The POW spent in Summoning Events will incur Karm points, as per Magna Artium. See Magna Artium for effects of Karm.

The Summoner determines what he would like to occur, and the Arbiter must decide how probable such an event would be upon this Realm. He might determine that the possibilities of an earthquake in a stable area would be Rare, while an eruption of an unstable volcano might be Common or Likely.

The Arbiter should assign a POW cost of 100 - the DF, ( 100 - -30DF = 100 + 30 = 130 ), of the Event Probability. This would be for a small area effect. Use the Area Effect Multiplier chart below to determine the final POW cost of summoning such an event. It takes 1 + ( 100 - DF ) CT of concentration for the effect to appear.

So if the Daemon Katuah wished to strike a land with a stable town with an earthquake that would have a diameter of 1 mile, the Arbiter might assign an Event Probability of Extremely Rare. This gives it a DF of -40.

Katuah has a SR of 76. 76 - 40 = 36%. He concentrates for 1 + ( 100 - -40, or 100 + 40, = 140 ), 141 CT's , ( which is 47 minutes ), and then makes his roll. He rolls a 15! The quake will hit if he has enough POW. The POW cost is 100 - ( -40 ) = 140 x 5 for the Area of 1 mile = 700 POW.

The charts on the following page will help to determine basic Event Probability and POW costs for affecting them.

Event Probability Guideline

Area

8.0915 Shift

This is the Greatest Art of Order. It may only be learned by someone who has a parent who was born in an Order Realm of at least -45, or a grandparent who was born in a Order Realm of at least -47, or a great-grandparent who was born in a Order Realm of -49. The character who wishes to be a Shifter must also Merge with Prime, the Rune of Order. See the section on Runes.

A Shifter is able to move through the various Realms at will. He may thus decide upon a Realm he would like to journey to, visualize it, then begin to walk, ride, drive or in some other way become involved in movement. As he travels, he mentally adds and subtracts from his surroundings until he reaches the place of his desire. As all possibilities have or will manifest within the Infinite, anyplace that can be conceived by the Shifter can be reached. Although all possibilities manifest "somewhere" within the Infinite, each Realm, no matter how similar, will have some differences. Personalities of individuals physically similar from Realm to Realm will be different. No two Realms can be exactly alike, otherwise they would not have split from each other.

Shifting is a great way to get things. You could travel to a Realm where all the girls were cute and they just happen to dig guy's that looked like you. You could find a Realm that believed that a Devine savior would come to lead them into battle against the forces of evil, and he just happens to look like you. You could find a dead world where an atomic missile just happened to be functional and waiting. Just remember that you can't control all the details, some are bound to slip you. We all have hidden desires, fears, and phobias. Sometimes Shifter's are faced by realities from the darkest recesses of their subconscious terrors. The loftier one's goals, often the greater the subconscious fears and apprehensions. A good Arbiter should capitalize upon this without being cruel or unjust. Moving to a Realm just to get some "lost" cash or finding a "mundane" weapon that just happened to be left in an unoccupied building is fairly simple, it could happen anywhere. Fetching an Atomic bomb or finding a Realm where you were worshiped as a god compels the destiny of an entire Realm, and thus many more details slip through your fingers.

The more different the Realm is from the one he started from will indicated how much effort, expressed in time, movement, and POW cost, it will require to reach.

Moving from a -11 Order Realm to a -11 Order Realm which is almost a mirror image of the other is fairly easy. Moving from a -25 Order Realm such as our Earth to a +45 Chaos Realm resembling some kind of "Wonderland" would be quite a bit more difficult.

When a Shifter decides to travel through the Realms, their is two major ways that he may accomplish this.

The first is known simply as Shifting. He gets a mental picture of a place either known or unknown. He attempts to visualize it with the greatest possible clarity. He begins movement of some type. Let's say he decides to walk. As he walks he begins to mentally add and subtract slowly from his surroundings. Sights, sounds, smells, etc. For example, if he wishes to travel to a Realm with a purple sun, he would slowly visualize the sun changing from it's current color to that of the desired color. It is kind of like erasing and adding to a picture until one redesigns the picture to suit his image. It is up to the Arbiter to determine how different, and thus how long and difficult it shall be for the Shifter to reach the Realm of his desire.

To begin the Shift, the Shifter must first make a Shift skill roll using the C/O Level of the Realm he is currently in as a modifier to his ID Roll. It is much easier for a Shifter to move through Order Realms than Chaos Realms. This is due to the fact that Chaos Realms are much more fluid and thus more difficult for the Shifter to "grab onto". Thus, if the Shifter had a Shift SR of 57 and wished to begin a Shift in an Order -32 Realm, then he would make an ID Roll and subtract -32 from it. A Roll equal to or less than his Shift SR allows him to begin the shift.

Each attempt to Shift costs 1d10 POW and requires 1 minute, ( 3 CT's ), of concentration and movement, weather successful or not. He is able to talk while Shifting, yet mainly he must focus on changing his environment. If the attempt is successful, then the Shifter is able to shift into a Realm 1 step away from the one he was just in. This means that he could move from a Order 32 Realm to either an Order 31, or 33 Realm, or he could remain at the same C/O Level, but alter the appearance of the Realm. This may be difficult at first to understand, yet I will try to explain. A Realm appearing much like the 1920's here on Earth might be at the same C/O Level as our 1990's Earth, yet vastly different in culture and technology. Thus when a Shifter in 1999 America wishes to travel to a Realm resembling the Earth in the 1920's, he adjusts the "appearance" rather than the "physics" of the Realm. The Arbiter has the final say on how may steps it would take to enter a Realm with a C/O Level the same as the one he left, yet with a different "appearance". 1 "step" per Tech Level of difference might be a good guide, yet factors other than Tech Level must be taken into account, such as culture, landscape, etc;. I would recommend not making it more than 100 steps in most cases, 500 in the extreme. Moving from a 1990 Earth to a Realm resembling a prehistoric age with dinosaurs is quite a leap, yet I would make it about 200 steps away. Moving from our Earth to a similar Earth where Hitler won the war might only be several steps away, assuming that the Shifter desired the same C/O Level. Moving along the C/O Level of Realms might allow the Shifter to move into a similar "appearing" Realm, just with different physics, ( defined by the C/O Level ). These Realms would be near mirror images of the Realm he had just exited, just with a higher or lower C/O Level. The Shifter will often wish to traverse both "appearance" and "physics" to reach his desired Realm. If can cost quite a lot of POW to move from high Order to high Chaos. Note that each step farther into Chaos will cause more difficulty in the Shifting. A Chaos +20 Realm would add 20 to the ID Roll vs his Shift skill. Shifting is an ability gained from merging with Prime, the Rune of Order, and each step away from Order lessens the force that Prime exerts upon the Infinite.

The Shifter is able to bring others along with him, in fact, he can move an army. It costs no more POW to Shift for 1 than it will to Shift for 1,000, yet the Shifter must lead the way. If anyone loses sight of the Shifter or those that follow him, this means visual sight through eye contact, or by being lead or carried, then he loses the trail and will be stuck where he lost the trail. Don't stray behind when your following a Shifter.

A Shifter may attempt to follow the trail of another Shifter. If he knows where he departed from, then he has a chance equal to his Shift SR -15 of picking up the trail. The trail grows to cold to follow after about 1 day. He then must follow the Shifter exactly, with a -10 on each Shift. This continues until the tracker catches up, or fails to make the Shift 3 times in a row. If he fails 3 times in a row, he has lost the trail for good. If he doesn't know exactly where the Shifter departed from, before he can even start to follow, he must find the trail, and his chance to do so is equal to 1/2 his Shift SR. He must also be within 1 mile of the location that the Shift began in, otherwise he cannot feel the disturbance. Every time a Shifter passes through a Realm, he leaves an imprint. Another Shifter happening across the area of the imprint, ( 1 mile ), has 1/2 his Shift SR chance of detecting that a Shifter has passed this way. At the end of about a day, the imprint has weakened to the point of being undetectable.

The second, and more dangerous form of Shifting is known as Breach, Rend, Fracture and several other terms that indicate anything but delicate manipulation. The Shifter may use this method when time is a consideration. He blasts his way through the Realms at an accelerated rate. Where in normal Shifting the Shifter's mind grabs hold of the Etheric and uses it to guide him through the normal intersections between the Realms, when Breaching, the Shifter actually moves into the Etheric, the "stuff" that interconnects the Realms, and rapidly molds it into the pattern of his desire. Once it becomes as he desires, he steps into the Realm. Rather than adjusting small details of reality, he warps the image at an accelerated rate.

This allows the Shifter to move at a rate of 2 steps per CT assuming that he makes a successful Shift Skill Roll, and this suffers an additional -10 DF. It also costs him 2d10 POW per attempt, succeed or fail.

The real problem is the Shifter has little control over the "details" of his movement. During a Breaching, the land, sky, and creatures thereof are often in a state of flux and thus dangerous. Terrain can be tricky. Creatures may come out of nowhere and attack. Also, it is possible to attract the attention of an Etheric Spirit. See Chaos below.

For each CT that the Shifter is involved in a Breaching, there is a 3% cumulative chance that something unwanted will occur. Thus, on the first CT, 3%, on the second CT 6%, on the third CT 9%. This is if the Breach is successful or a failure. Running a long Breach without stopping is not only costly in POW, it racks up a good chance of some nasty encounters.

Note that Shifters must maintain a degree of concentration while Shifting or Breaching, and if attacked physically or mentally, they must stop the Shift where they are to defend themselves.

The section on Chaos will help the character grasp the idea of the Infinite, Chaos, Realms, the Etheric, and in general the Cosmic Conception of Sicarius.

8.0916 Runes:

Runes are special symbols that are infused with Occult energy. In most cases they are both ancient and primal, heralding from the dawn of time. Although Mastery of a Rune will convey great power in most cases, their use is also limited by genetics. Normally creatures require a genetic tie to either deep Chaos or deep Order, and without such will be unable to master the Runes Anark or Prime. Creatures who have a degree of Mastery with the occult will often be head and shoulders above characters who do not. The case is ten fold for characters with Mastery of the more potent Runes. I felt that the Runes were necessary to allow my conception of the Sicarius universe to be complete, yet I advise Arbiters to consider how their use can upset the game balance.

Many games have beings who can "do that" just because they can, and the game system itself has no mechanics to explain how such abilities are derived. I wanted to lay a groundwork within Sicarius that would cover special abilities and items. Most games have some awesome occult weapons or creatures, yet no mechanics on how a fully developed character within the game might create these items or develop these powers. Although I cannot cover all such occurrences, I have tried to install some basic foundations upon which Arbiters might allow characters to follow in the footsteps of the legends. By using Magna Artium and the Web Skill an Arbiter could easily incorporate characters who could create occult weapons, such as a +10 Sword, or Holy Weapon. Using existing Runes, Occult Skills, and improvised Spells, the Arbiter can simply slip anything into his game in a logical and workable fashion. I always hated the fact that no matter how powerful my Sorcerer became, he could never come up with a true talisman, amulet, or other occult device that could invariable be found in any "dungeon". I feel that in most cases it should require time, effort, and great knowledge to create anything lasting and powerful, yet it should be possible. Otherwise, man is at the total mercy of the gods, and why would the gods leave such powerful devices just laying about within the grasp of mere mortals?

Characters who have Mastery with Prime, Anark, or Abyss will have powers verging upon demonic or angelic, and in reality, Daemons and Angels are nothing more than beings with a high degree of Chaotic or Order power. Feel free to allow the use of Runes, yet an Arbiter can also deny them merely by having their Realm and the characters falling somewhere between the extremes of Chaos and Order. Limit the characters genetic ties to Chaos and Order, and you can easily keep the powerful Runes out of their "hands". It's up to you, choose wisely and have fun.

Rune Masters are Sorcerers who are skilled in the use of Runes. The Rune Master is able to call upon Runes that he has Merged with.

It is believed that Runes were the first forms created in the Ancient Void, and that all of the Infinite sprang from the first Rune. See the section on Chaos for a better understanding of the history of Runes.

To Merge with a Rune, the Rune Master must first behold and meditate upon an existing Rune. A mere representation of the Rune is not enough, it must be a true Rune infused with Occult power.

He Meditates upon the Rune for 2d10 minutes, then mentally projects himself onto the Rune. He must make a successful Meditate Skill Roll. If successful, he will enter a state similar to a Shaman's journey, one where he enters a place dominated by the Rune. He expends 1d100 POW, and assuming that his POW does not drop below 0, he then attempts to Merge with the Rune.

The character must make a successful Stat Roll vs his ( RE + SO ) / 2 in order to successfully Merge with a Rune.

If the Merge roll is successful, then he gains a level of Mastery over the Rune equal to the amount of the success. Example. Jacob wishes to Merge with the Rune Anark. He contemplates the Rune in all it's churning glory. He relaxes, then makes his Meditate Roll. Assuming that it is a success, after meditating for,( roll 2d10 = 6,8 ),14 minutes he feels that he is ready. He projects himself mentally into the Rune and as he does so feels POW drained from his soul, ( roll 1d100 = 67). He expends 67 POW. He then makes a Stat Roll vs his averaged RE of 71 and SO of 67, ( 71 + 67 = 138. 138 / 2 = 69 ). He receives no bonus for Meditating when attempting to Merge with a Rune. He rolls an ID Roll and gets a 31. 69 - 31 = 38. Jacob has achieve a level of Mastery of 38% over the Rune Anark.

At this point, the character now has Rune Mastery with the Rune in question at this Skill Level. He increases this skill just like any other occult skill.

If the Sorcerer fails to Merge three times in a row, he is unable to ever try again.

Rune Masters become highly attuned to Occult forces and can detect Occult workings and their forces within a distance equal to their SP + their SR, ( highest SR with a Rune ), in yards. They will not be able to determine the exact nature of the working, yet they will know it's basic direction from him, as well as the nature, ( chaos, abyss, sorcery, etc; ), of the force being used. It is more like a feeling that something is happening, than knowing what it is. It is kind on an "alert" system, which could give you a chance to use other Occult skills to determine the nature of the detected disturbance.

8.0917 Anark: Rune of Chaos

Anark is said to have been created by rebel Dwellers in the Void. It is said to be the first Rune created. These Dwellers revolted against the seething Chaos of the Void and wished for a more stable universe. Anark was created. An area was separated from the Void, and within it all was constantly in a state of creation and destruction. The beginning of the Infinite was formed, with the Rune Anark as it's core.

The true Anark Rune can only be found in Realms of Chaos +50 or greater, as Realms of a lesser Chaos level are too distorted by the Rune Prime to enable Anark to exist for any length of time.

Merging with Anark allows the Rune Master to become a Summoner. If the character attempting to Merge with Anark fails three attempts to Merge with the Rune, he is ripped into the Void, or at least that is what the Rune Masters think. Not a good thing.

Anark may only be Merged with by someone who has a parent who was born in a Chaos Realm of at least +45, or a grandparent who was born in a Chaos Realm of at least +47, or a great-grandparent who was born in a Chaos Realm of +49.

Others who attempt so will fail, and are assumed to be swept into the Void.

As soon as a character has 25% or more Mastery with Anark, he gains an instant SL of 10% with Summoning.

If a character attempts Summoning with less that a 100% Mastery of Anark, he must make a Percentile Roll vs his level of Mastery. A success allows him to perform the Summoning as usual, ( yet I would think that his Summon SR would be quite low ), yet a failure will cause some odd twist in the fabric of reality. Leave the exact result to the Arbiter, but it should be somewhat nasty, and have something to do with Chaos gone wild.

Note that all of the known Anark Runes are guarded by the agents of Chaos, for they know that the Dwellers in the Void ever seek it's destruction, hoping for a return of total Void. It could be an adventure in itself just to get the opportunity to Merge with Anark.

Anark appears as a circle twisted 180 degrees at the center, or similar to a figure 8. It is said to swirl, undulate, and rotate. The Rune is said to be gigantic, maybe 50 yards at it widest point, floating several yards above the surface where it resides. The most learned on the subject seem to agree that only 5 versions of the Rune Anark are in existence, yet who knows.

A character who has a Mastery of Anark may use the Rune exactly like the Mutari Rune, at the SR he has with Anark. The only reason for a character who knows Anark to learn Mutari is that their may be times he would rather use Mutari to avoid tipping someone off as to the full extent of his powers. On an Occult level, Mutari is a watered down version of Anark. Whereas someone might be cautious of a Mutari Rune Master, they should be down right respectful of an Anark Rune Master. A Master of Abyss might not take offence at Mutari, yet Masters of Anark are sworn enemies.

Once a being Merges with Anark, he gains a degree of mastery at transporting himself through the Realms. This is sort of like Shifting, yet instead of moving until one reaches his desire, a Master of Anark visualizes his desire and "pulls" himself to it.

In game terms, the being must state the location of his desire. The difference in steps between where he is and where he would like to go is the DF. Thus, if the Arbiter were to decide that the Realm where he would like to go is 56 steps away, he would have a -56 DF against his Anark SR. He concentrates for a number of CT's equal to the number of steps, in this case 56. He then makes his Anark SR with a -56 DF. If he fails, he loses 2d10 POW, and then may make another attempt each CT there after, as long as he has enough POW and does not loose his concentration. Each attempt costs another 2d10 POW. If he loses concentration, he must begin again. If, or when he succeeds he expends an amount of POW equal to the steps away, in this case 56, and then feels himself drawn through the Realms towards his goal. It takes 3 CT's per step away, and the being has no control over the direction through the Realms that the journey will take. It is always the most direct, and often the most difficult. Their is a chance equal to 1/2 the steps, that some encounter will occur along the way that will cause the being to loose concentration and have to stop and deal with it. If such a thing occurs, roll 1d100 with the amount equal to the % of the journey crossed when the event occurs. After dealing with the event, the being may begin again from where he is. Thus when traveling 56 steps, their is a 28% chance of some event stopping the Journey. The Arbiter rolls, getting a 21. An event has occurred. He makes a 1d100 roll, getting a 75. This means that 75% of the way into the journey, or 42 steps, the being loses concentration, stops in a Realm 42 steps away from the one he left, and must deal with the event. This could be an earthquake, fire, war, personal attack, or whatever the Arbiter decides. After dealing with the event, the being can continue his journey, if he is able to do so, with 14 steps remaining. This is just like a new "shift' only this time with a -14 DF, and all that this implies.

Although this power of Anark is similar to Shifting, it is not the same.

The being using Anark to travel through the Realms many only transport himself and an amount of MAS equal to 3x his own MAS. This could be goods, people, a beast that he is on, etc;.

It requires quite a bit of concentration just to begin a journey.

He cannot lead others as Shifters do.

Much of his journey borders close to the Void, and events directed from the Void are often encountered.

It is believed that in some +49 Chaos Realms there are "twisted" versions of the Anark Rune. It is said that those who Merge with a Twisted Anark gain the same abilities as a being who has Merged with Anark, however, there are some drawbacks. It seems that the POW cost involved with all skills derived by the use of the Twisted Anark are 1.5 x the normal cost. Also, a failure to use a Twisted Anark derived skill will have a chance equal to the amount of failure that some "backfire" occurs. The backfire should basically be something opposite to what the Sorcerer intended.

Beings with Mastery of the Abyss Rune will loose such Mastery if they choose to Merge with Anark. Anark forces the Abyss Rune Imprint from the being. The same MAY not hold true for the Twisted Anark.

8.0918 Prime: Rune of Order

Sometime after the rebel sons of the Dwellers in the Void created Anark, another rebel is said to have arisen from the new order of Chaos. He desired a form of permanent stability rather than the ever shifting, changing nature of Chaos. It is said that he somehow split a version of Anark down the middle, creating a new Rune, Prime. The Rune is said to resemble Anark, yet with one more twist. Rather than being ever in motion and undulating, Prime is said to be still and two dimensional. Prime is as large as Anark, yet it lies still upon the ground of it's creation. It is also rumored that being created form the image of Anark, if Anark should be destroyed, than Prime would fall as well. Who knows?

When Prime was created, the Infinite realm of Chaos split into Infinite separate Realms, with Chaos +50 on one "end" and Order -50 on the other. This is not an accurate description of the Infinite, yet it will do for now.

The true Prime Rune cannot exist for long in anything other than an Order Realm of -50, for anything closer to Anark disrupts it's existence.

Merging with Prime allows the Rune Master to become a Shifter. If the character attempting to Merge with Prime fails three attempts to Merge with the Rune, he is ripped into the Void, or at least that is what the Rune Masters think. Not a good thing.

Prime may only be Merged with by someone who has a parent who was born in a Order Realm of at least -45, or a grandparent who was born in a Order Realm of at least -47, or a great-grandparent who was born in a Order Realm of -49.

Others who attempt so will fail, and are assumed to be swept into the Void.

As soon as a character has 25% or more Mastery with Prime, he gains an instant SL of 10% with Shifting.

If a character attempts Shifting with less that a 100% Mastery of Prime, he must make a Percentile Roll vs his level of Mastery. A success allows him to perform the Shifting as usual, ( yet I would think that his Shift SR would be quite low ), yet a failure will cause some kind of bad Shift. Leave the exact result to the Arbiter, but it should be kind of nasty, and have something to do with a Shifting, maybe a bad trip or a partial Shift which traps the Shifter in some limbo like Realm, or a trip to into the Void.

Note that all of the known Prime Runes are guarded by the agents of Order, for they know that the Agents of Chaos as well as the Dwellers in the Void ever seek it's destruction, hoping for a return of Infinite Chaos or total Void as the case may be. It could be an adventure in itself just to get the opportunity to Merge with Prime.

The most knowledgeable of the Prime Masters seem to agree that their is only 5 versions of Prime in existence.

A character who has a Mastery of Prime may use the Rune exactly like the Unity Rune, at the SR he has with Prime. Unity is actually a watered down version of Prime, at least at an Occult level. The only reason for a character who knows Prime to learn Unity is that their may be times he would rather use Unity to avoid tipping someone off as to the full extent of his powers, or his origins. Whereas someone might be cautious of a Unity Rune Master, they should be down right respectful of a Prime Rune Master.

It is believed that in some -49 Order Realms there are "twisted" versions of the Prime Rune. It is said that those who Merge with a Twisted Prime gain the same abilities as a being who has Merged with Prime, however, there are some drawbacks. It seems that the POW cost involved with all skills derived by the use of the Twisted Prime are 1.5 x the normal cost. Also, a failure to use a Twisted Prime derived skill will have a chance equal to the amount of failure that some "backfire" occurs. The backfire should basically be something opposite to what the Sorcerer intended.

Beings with Mastery of the Abyss Rune will loose such Mastery if they choose to Merge with Prime. Prime forces the Abyss Rune Imprint from the being. The same MAY not hold true for the Twisted Prime.

Although it may appear at first glance that Prime falls somewhat short of Anark, the ability to lead troops through the Infinite cannot be overestimated. How could one not fear a Shifter who is able to locate a Realm where the inhabitants worship him, then lead them through the Infinite and into battle?

8.0919 Unity: Ward against Chaos

This Rune is a triangle inscribed within a circle. It is said to have been created by the same rebel who created Prime. Its stands as proof against chaos.

The Unity Master inscribes the Rune upon some surface, maybe even using a stick to draw it in the sand. He then stands within the triangle and calls the Image of Unity into his mind's eye. Any being may attempt to master Unity.

He expends an amount of POW based upon the size of the circle, with 1d10 points of POW per 10' of diameter. He now concentrates for 1d10 CT's and makes an ID Roll against his level of Mastery with the Unity Rune. A failure indicates that the Rune was not created correctly, and he must expend the POW again and try his Rune Master skill roll again.

It the roll is successful, then the circle is complete. It will stun all creatures of Chaos who attempt to enter it for 1d10 CP's. They will stop dead at the edge of the circle and be unable to move until the 1d10 CP's stun time is over. At this point they may enter the circle if they so desire and are able to make a RE Stat Roll with a DF equal to the success of the roll which created the Rune. Thus, if the Rune Master had a Unity SR of 70 and rolled a 41 then the DF would be, ( 70 - 41 = 29 ), -29. Chaos creatures are any beings who were born in a Realm of Chaos, +1 or more.

Creatures of Chaos can sense a Unity Rune, and will feel great fear if they do not understand it, or will just have a healthy respect if they know what it is. They will begin to get this sensation about 10 diameters away from the Rune, and it will intensify as they get closer.

The Rune Master may also infuse the Unity Rune with killing POW. The amount of POW added times the Success of the skill Roll is the Killing Power. Thus if he has a Unity Mastery of 56 and rolled a 21. He would have a multiplier of 35. If he added 5 points of POW to the Unity circle, then 5 x 35 = 175 points of killing power would be infused in the circle. This POW must be added at the time of creation.

Each time a chaos creature attempted to enter, he would not only be stunned, he would also receive an attack by the circle. The circle will hit him with any or all of its POW, up to the amount of it's killing potential, yet will not expend more than enough to bring the beings POW below -50% of the creatures normal value. Thus if a creature had 200 POW, a killing circle of 175 would expend all 175 points, bringing it's own killing power value to 0, and the creatures POW to 25. If the circle had a 500 point potential, it would expend 300 points, to bring the creature to -100, and still have 200 left for the next fool. When the killing POW wears off, it still has it's stunning potential.

The creator of the Unity Rune may be a creature of Chaos, yet he needs to dispel the Rune before he can leave the circle, or he will come under attack. The creator of the circle may also invite Chaos creatures into the circle, and they may gain entrance unharmed.

Creatures of Order or creatures from a C/L Level 0 Realm are unaffected by Unity.

The Rune will stand for 1 day, then it will collapse unless the creator adds an amount of POW equal to the amount of the previous day. He must stand in the center of the Rune to infuse it with this POW.

It is said that at least 3 of the 5 known versions of Prime dwell within a Unity Rune, warding off attacks by Chaos.

The Unity Master may also spend 1d10 POW and 1d10 CP's to bring the image of Unity to his mind. If his roll is successful, then he has achieved See Aura, Sense Aura, and Sense Chaos at a level equal to his success. These abilities will last for 3 CT's, then require an additional 1d10 points of POW to retain for the next 3 CT's.

He may also bring the Image of Unity up against any form of Occult attack if he makes a successful Skill Roll. It takes 1 AP to bring up the Image, and once up it helps to shield against all Occult operations brought against the Rune Master. Each CT that the Image is up before the Rune Master, he must allocate a number of POW to the Image. This is added as a -DF against all Occult forces which are used "against" the Rune Master. Thus, if he were to allocate 20 points of POW, then for the next 20 CP, ( 1 CT ), all Occult forces brought to bear against him would have an additional -20 DF. Each CT he may allocate more POW, or he may let the Image drop. He must allocate at least 1 POW per CT or the Image will fade away.

This use of Unity will also help ward off the killing effects of Mutari. Each point of POW that the Unity Rune Master has devoted to the Unity Shield will drain a similar amount from the Killing Power of a Mutari Rune. Thus a 100 point Unity Shield will drain the first 100 points of Killing Power from a Mutari Killing Rune.

8.0920 Mutari: Ward against Order

 Mutari is a pentagram inscribed within a circle. It is said to have been created by a great warrior of Chaos who attempted to destroy the Rune Prime. Its stands as proof against Order, and any being may attempt to Master Mutari.

The Mutari Master inscribes the Rune upon some surface, maybe even using a stick to draw it in the sand. He then stands within the pentagram and calls the Image of Mutari into his mind's eye.

He expends an amount of POW based upon the size of the circle, with 1d10 points of POW per 10' of diameter. He now concentrates for 1d10 CT's and makes an ID Roll against his level of Mastery with the Mutari Rune. A failure indicates that the Rune was not created correctly, and he must expend the POW again and try his Rune Master skill roll again.

It the roll is successful, then the circle is complete. It will stun all creatures of Order who attempt to enter it for 1d10 CP's. They will stop dead at the edge of the circle and be unable to move until the 1d10 CP's stun time is over. At this point they may enter the circle if they so desire and are able to make a RE Stat Roll with a DF equal to the success of the roll which created the Rune. Thus, if the Rune Master had a Mutari SR of 70 and rolled a 41 then the DF would be, ( 70 - 41 = 29 ), -29. Order creatures are any beings who were born in a Realm of Order, -1 or less.

Creatures of Order can sense a Mutari Rune, and will feel great fear if they do not understand it, or will just have a healthy respect if they know what it is. They will begin it get this sensation about 10 diameters away from the Rune, and it will intensify as they get closer.

The Rune Master may also infuse the mutari Rune with killing POW. The amount of POW added times the Success of the skill Roll is the Killing Power. Thus if he has a Mutari Mastery of 56 and rolled a 21. He would have a multiplier of 35. If he added 5 points of POW to the Mutari circle, then 5 x 35 = 175 points of killing power would be infused in the circle. This POW must be added at the time of creation

Each time an Order creature attempted to enter, he would not only be stunned, he would also receive an attack by the circle. The circle will hit him with any or all of its POW, up to the amount of it killing potential, yet will not expend more than enough to bring the being's POW below -50% of the creatures normal value. Thus if a creature had 200 POW, a killing circle of 175 would expend all 175 points, bringing it's own killing power value to 0, and the creatures POW to 25. If the circle had a 500 point potential, it would expend 300 points, to bring the creature to -100, and still have 200 left for the next fool. When the killing POW wears off, it still has it's stunning potential.

The creator of the Mutari Rune may be a creature of Order, yet he needs to dispel the Rune before he can leave the circle, or he will come under attack. The creator of the circle may also invite Order creatures into the circle, and they may gain entrance unharmed.

Creatures of Chaos or creatures from a C/L Level 0 Realm are unaffected by Mutari.

The Rune will stand for 1 day, then it will collapse unless the creator adds an amount of POW equal to the amount of the previous day.

The Mutari Master may also spend 1d10 POW and 1d10 CP's to bring the image of Mutari to his mind. If his roll is successful, then he has achieved See Aura, Sense Aura, and Sense Chaos at a level equal to his success. These abilities will last for 3 CT's, then require an additional 1d10 points of POW to retain for the next 3 CT's.

He may also bring the Image of Mutari up against any form of Occult attack if he makes a successful skill roll. It takes 1 AP to bring up the Image, and once up it helps to shield against all Occult operations brought against the Rune Master. Each CT that the Image is up before the Rune Master, he must allocate a number of POW to the Image. This is added as a -DF against all Occult forces which are used "against" the Rune Master. Thus, if he were to allocate 20 points of POW, then for the next 10 CP, ( 1 CT ), all Occult forces brought to bear against him would have an additional -20 DF. Each CT he may allocate more POW, or he may let the Image drop. He must allocate at least 1 POW per CT or the Image will fade away.

This use of Mutari will also help ward off the killing effects of Unity. Each point of POW that the Mutari Rune Master has devoted to the Mutari Shield will drain a similar amount from the Killing Power of a Unity Rune. Thus a 100 point Mutari Shield will drain the first 100 points of Killing Power from a Unity Killing Rune.

8.0921 Abyss: Rune of the Void

The origins of Abyss are unknown. Some think that it is the beginning of form which was then twisted into Anark, others feel that it was the first attempt of the Dwellers in the Void to twist Chaos back into Void. Whatever the origin, Abyss is powerful.

Normally, only Dwellers, ( see the section on Chaos ), are able to Master Abyss, yet it has been found that beings who have a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent born in a Realm with a C/O Level of 0, or who were themselves born in such a Realm, are able to Master the Abyss Rune. It is believed that this is do to with the negation effect between Anark and Prime at these locations. Those born or genitally linked to such a Realm are "closer" to the Void than any beings other than the Dwellers in the Void. Realms of C/O 0 Level are at the exact "balancing" point between Chaos and Order, and the Void finds entrance to the Infinite Realms easiest at these conjunctions. The Etheric Veil which separates the Infinite from the Void is weakest at these points.

For a being to Master the Abyss Rune, he must also be able to Mutate or he will forever exist in some altered form. See the skill Mutate. Calling upon Abyss opens the being to the entropy effect of the Void, and without the ability to Mutate he would be stuck in whatever shape Abyss imposed upon him.

The being may only Merge with the Abyss Rune in an area of the Void, yet once in the Void, any Master of Abyss can call the Rune. This means that you need an Abyss Rune Master to summon the Rune so that you might attempt to merge with it. Note that summoning Abyss draws the attention of the Dwellers in the Void, and their is a 25% chance that one will respond by appearing with Abyss. If a Dweller appears, he will offer a position as an Agent of the Void to the being seeking Mastery of the Abyss Rune. Failure of the Being to agree to such terms will often lead to the wrath of the Dweller. If the being agrees to becoming an Agent, yet fails to Merge with Abyss, the Dweller might show his disdain by somehow tormenting the being.

To Summon the Abyss, the Abyss Rune Master spends 1d10 CT's and 2d10 POW, makes a Skill Roll vs his Abyss Rune SR, and a success indicates that Abyss appears. Abyss is a circle, nothing more, nothing less. The strangest thing about Abyss, is that no matter what angle you view it from, it always appears as a hole leading nowhere. It is similar in appearance to the popular image of a black-hole in space. It may arrive in any size, yet will usually accommodate the area or the desire of the Abyss Master.

Follow the standard rules of Merging with a Rune, yet while Merging, your form will Mutate. This is up to the Arbiter how you will appear, yet should be about 33% per attempt to Merge. The only way of returning to your original form is by using the Mutate Skill. Three failures to Merge with Abyss will rip the being into atoms. He must not fail a third attempt.

Characters who are Masters of any other Rune will instantly loose such Mastery. Abyss will tolerate no other Rune Imprint upon the being.