Magical Rituals

For this bronze age fantasy world...

Magery 0 is inborn.
Magery 1-2 is obtained when your master binds your soul to a silver dagger by casting Magical Imbuement.
Magery 3 is obtained by casting either Magical Imbuement or Create Magi.
Magery 4+ is a gift from the Gods and can be obtained through divine quests.

Magical Imbuement (VH) Enchantment; Resisted by Will + Magery

When cast upon a person with Magery 0-2 it gives them an additional level of magery.  A solid silver dagger is required for the spell and the recipient's soul is bound to that dagger as if Soul Jar had been cast; this dagger also gains the Staff enchantment with the Limit enchantment (can only be used by the person whose soul is trapped in the soul-jar.

On a critical success, two levels of magery are granted; on a critical failure one level is removed.  A critical failure on a recipient with Magery 0 gives five levels of Magic Resistance.

Magical Imbuement cannot be cast upon oneself; this is a master to apprentice sort of spell.

Duration: Permanent.
Cost: 250  per level.
Prerequisites:  Restore Mana, Soul Jar, Staff.

Create Magi (VH) Enchantment; Resisted by Will + Magery

When cast upon a person with Magery 2+ it gives them an additional level of magery and changes the effect from that of Soul Jar to Soul Stone; if the spell fails, the recipient dies.

Duration: Permanent.
Cost: 800.
Prerequisites:  Magical Imbuement, Soul Stone.

The above describes the process of becoming a mage.  If the character is a mage from the start of the game, purchase the desired levels of magery normally (5 for 0 and 10 each for 1-3).  The silver dagger is $400 for a plain one but ornately decorated is more the norm.

Someone who got to Magery 3 using Create Magi should also purchase Resistant (Metabolic Hazards, Immune) [30]; Unaging [15] and Unkillable 2 ( [100].

Status within the guild:  Magery 1 is an apprentice, Magery 2 is a journeyman, Magery 3 is a master and Magery 4+ is a grand master.

Magical Rituals on Magic p. 8-9 are modified as follows:
Skill 9 or less - Use of the soul dagger is mandatory.  It must be drawn and used in the mage's weak hand.
Skill 10-14 - The dagger must be on the casters person.  -4 penalty unless an item with Staff enchantment is used as part of the gestures.
Skill 15-19 - The dagger must be on the casters person.  -2 penalty unless an item with Staff enchantment is used as part of the gestures.

Skill 20-29 - -2 penalty unless an item with Staff enchantment is used as part of the gestures.  +2 bonus if the gestures are made with the soul dagger.

Skill 30 or more - No penalty for not using a staff enchanted item.  +4 bonus if gestures are made with the soul dagger.

While mages are free to wear armor they are penalized to the sum of the holdout number for the pieces they are wearing until skill 15+.  For skill 15-19 they are only penalized by hand armor and at skill 20+ there is not penalty for wearing armor at all.

Beware the man in full head-to-toe armor carrying a mage's staff!

This is a recreation of a post I foolishly deleted at the "Pay Attention To Me" swing of the drama whore pendulum (the other side is ever more elaborate creation of purity tests).

Hey, I'm binary and explosive, keep me away from myself...

;)