From: pfstrack@gibbs.oit.unc.edu (Paul Strack) Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf Subject: Magic Wards and other Rotes Date: 25 Jul 1994 20:00:51 GMT Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NNTP-Posting-Host: gibbs.oit.unc.edu Here are some Rotes I wrote up this afternoon on a whim. I'd appreciate hearing what people thought of them, especially the warding Rotes. ======================================================================== Laser Light (Entropy 3, Forces 2, optionally Forces 3 and Prime 2) This Rote enables the Mage to focus light energy into a laser beam. A strong light source is needed. A torch, good flashlight, light bulb or sunlight will do; candle flames are too weak. The Forces effect is used to intensify the light, and Entropy is used to polarize and focus it on the target. If the optional requirements are used, no light source is needed, as the mage creates light out of raw Quintessence. [The laser does 1 wound per success to its target. Higher levels of Force can be used to get a more intense beam, and higher levels of damage, as per the Forces chart, but this generally require the use of Prime 2 as well. Because of the heat effects, half the damage caused by the laser count as aggravated to vampires and werewolves. Because of the speed of the effect, it cannot be dodged.] ======================================================================== Irradiate (Forces 3, Prime 2) The Mage using Forces creates a burst of Gamma-Ray radiation. This radiation is invisible to the naked eye, but may be detected by any mage with Forces 1, or a radiation detector. The target will soon fall ill, and perhaps die. Temporary or permanent blindness may also be caused. [The mage does two wounds per success with this attack. The wounds can be soaked normally. The wounds inflicted do not take effect immediately; they appear at the rate of one per hour. If at least 4 wounds are inflicted (after soaking), the target is temporarily blinded. With 6 wounds, this blindness is permanent. This level of damage will also cause permanent infertility. Note: The wounds caused by this Rote are aggravated to Werewolves. When this rote is used on vampires, the damage is inflicted immediately, but is not aggravated.] ======================================================================== MagLev [Forces 3, Matter 3, Prime 2] This Rote can be used to create flying metallic objects. Only metal that can hold a magnetic charge may be used. The Matter sphere is used to charge the metal, while the Forces sphere is used to create and manipulate the magnetic energy needed to kept it aloft. The floating metal will support other objects whose weight does not exceed its own. In the past, a "carpet" of ringed metal (which was easier to make and store that large sheets of metal) were used for flying devices, especially in the middle east, where metal was common. The carpets were generally decorated with pad cloth for comfort. This rote is also used to propel some of the more improbable flying devices created by the Sons of Ether [The number of successes determines how quickly the metal can be moved. One successes give the speed of a slow walk, three successes that of a car, five that of a plane.]. ======================================================================== Fools Gold [Matter 2, Prime 2] This ancient ritual allows the Mage to create precious metals out of nothing. Because the magic is rarely powerful enough to be permanent, the mage usually rids himself of the metal quickly, and then leaves the area. This commonness of this ancient magic lead to the practice of coining, mixing and marking precious metal, something difficult to duplicate without more advanced magic (Matter 4). With the advent of the Technocracy, this magic became rarer, and people are less suspicious of "raw" metal (though they are more likely to think it stolen). The Syndicate rabidly hunts mages believed to use this effect. Modern mages use a number of interesting coincidences to "find" the precious metal: from lucky mining, to finding many gold fillings on recently killed victims. [The number of successes is the duration of the metals existence, as given on the duration chart on p. 175. It takes 5 successes to make the metal permanent.] ======================================================================== Lesser Ward (Prime 3, other Sphere 1) This common Rote is used to set up a barrier against a particular sphere's magic, either around an individual, or a place. The specific sphere to be blocked is the other sphere required for the Rote. Any effect involving the warded sphere is blocked. A separate ward is need for each sphere. Mages generally only raise wards about themselves when they know they are going into a dangerous situation. Wards are easily perceived by anyone with magical talent, and thus advertises the fact that someone is a mage. That, and the fact that wards are invariably Vulgar, make Mages leary of using them indiscriminately. Wards around sanctums are more typical. The most common wards are against Spirit, Prime and Correspondence (to prevent scrying). Only the most powerful of wards are permanent. Most mages settle for wards of a temporary duration, and renew them periodically. A failed warding ritual can be dangerous. The ritual cannot be attempted again for a least a day, leaving the sanctum temporarily without defense. [The number of successes determine the "strength" of the ward. This strength is added to the difficulty number of any attempt to cast magic involving the warded sphere across the barrier. Note that the ward is two way, and will prevent magic from leaving as well as entering. The number of successes also determine the duration of the Ward. Before the magic is cast, the mage must indicate the desired duration, off the effects chart on p. 175. At least that many successes are required, otherwise the ward fails completely. For example, if the mage wants the ward to last a day, three successes are needed. Wards are readily visible to the magically aware. Any mage within sight of a ward need only make an Awareness roll with a difficulty of 3 to notice it. Wards on sanctums are usually cast just inside the walls, so that the physical building will block the ward from sight. Additionally, wards never protect themselves. A ward can be attacked directly with Prime 2, Entropy 3, or the appropriate sphere at a level of 2. Each successes permanently reduces the ward's strength by 1, until it is destroyed. Many magely battles begin by stripping away the opponent's wards. Five successes are required to make a ward permanent. Permanent wards are magical entities, and require a constant flow of Quintessence to maintain. The Quintessence needed equals the ward's strength, per day. Wards may be deliberately weakened, to reduce this Quintessence cost. Permanent wards are rare unless a Node is backing them up. On the positive side, undestroyed permanent wards slowly regenerate damage, recovering one strength per day. Most chantries will create permanent Prime, Spirit and Correspondence wards around the Chantry house and their Nodes, preserving them from magical detection. If a Prime ward is cast around a Node, the "Node Bonus" that reduces the difficulty of magic rolls will not extend beyond that ward barrier.] ======================================================================== Greater Wards (Prime 3, other Sphere 3) Greater wards are a more advanced version of the lesser ward. Rather than blocking sphere magic, greater wards block the substance of the sphere itself. Thus, a Greater Matter Ward prevents objects from crossing it, acting like a force field. A Greater Prime Ward would block items or creatures containing free Quintessence, such as mages or talismans. A Greater Mind Ward will block any being with a mind. Greater Entropy Wards are used to block darker creatures or spirits, and is known to be sometimes effective against Nephandi. A Greater Spirit Ward can keep out (or keep in) disembodied spirits. A common practice is to summon a spirit, and trap it in place with a Spirit Ward. In this way, the spirit may be cajoled or threatened without fear of it attacking its summoner or escaping. The summoner should take care to make the ward strong enough, for powerful spirits can break through such wards with ease. The mage must also be quick, for the ward cannot be set in place until after the spirit has arrived. [Greater wards are created and can be destroyed like lesser wards. Greater wards can only be crossed by creatures of will. If a creature is prevent from crossing a ward, either by its nature, or by something it is carrying, they must make a Willpower roll, with a difficulty of 8. If they get a number of successes equal to the strength of the ward, they pass. Otherwise they are blocked. If the Sphere level used in the Rote is increased to 4, the greater ward will actually damage things failing to cross it. The creature or object takes one aggravated wound per level of strength in the ward, reduced by one for each success on the Willpower roll made to cross. This damage cannot be soaked (having, in effect, already been soaked by the Willpower roll). A Son of Ether once set up a damaging Matter Ward on the entrance to his lab, so that anyone coming in would be stripped naked as their apparel was blasted out of existence. Permanent greater wards require double their strength in Quintessence per day to maintain. If they inflict damage, they require triple their strength.] ======================================================================== Ward Keys (as Greater Ward, plus Mind 3 or a minor Talisman) Mages usually try to build "doors" through their wards, especially if they are permanent. There are two common ways to go about doing this. The first is to create some sort of "key word" allowing passage. Anyone speaking the word may cross automatically. To create a key word, the Mage must add Mind 3 to all the other requirements for the ward, giving it the "intelligence" necessary to recognize the word. Mages without the requisite mind, or paranoid about the password being stolen, may create a minor talisman known as a ward key. The ward key requires only 5 Quintessence, Prime 3, and a day to create. The "key" can actually be any object, so long as it is properly enchanted. The key must be created prior to erecting the ward. If the key is present when the ward is created, the ward can be "attuned" to the key, so that anyone carrying the key, or a duplicate of it, may cross freely. Duplicates of the original key may be created later, so long as a proper key is present to use as a template. The same key can be used for several wards, reducing the number of talismans that need to be created. ======================================================================== Ward Sensing (as Greater Ward, plus Correspondence 2) When a greater ward is created, the mage may open a Correspondence link to it, so that he will always be aware if anyone attempts to cross it. If the ward has a key, the mage will be able to tell the difference between a crossing with the key, and a crossing without it. Optionally, the mage can connect the ward to a Level 2 Correspondence talisman created specifically for that purpose. Anyone holding the talisman will be alerted to attempts to cross the ward. From: pfstrack@gibbs.oit.unc.edu (Paul Strack) Newsgroups: alt.games.whitewolf Subject: Re: Magic Wards and other Rotes Date: 26 Jul 1994 15:50:17 GMT Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NNTP-Posting-Host: gibbs.oit.unc.edu In article <312jcm$oki@golem.wcc.govt.nz>, wrote: > As regards wards, might I suggest alarm rotes be included ? > > An alarm rote woven into the ward will automatically warn the mage >when the ward is attacked. Various levels of sophistication will allow >for such warnings when the mage is on another plane, or allow the mage to >assense who is doing it. Actually, that was the origenal intent of Ward Sensing (bad name, I know). How about the following: Alarm Ward (Correspondence 2, Mind 1, Prime 2) This very simple ward alerts the mage of any attempt to cross or tamper with the ward. Any time a creature with a mind crosses the ward, the mage is alerted to this fact via Correspondence. [The number of successes to the magic roll give the duration of the ward. Unfortunately, the Ward may be easily noticed with Awareness. A "subtle" Alarm Ward can be created using Mind 3. This Alarm is difficult to detect. Any Awareness roll to detect the ward must get at least as many successes as the mage did when casting the ward.] > I've got to get to work and translate "A Book of Strategems" into >Mage terms and rotes. Keep watching this space... Sounds cool to me. You can even publish it in "installments" if it's not finished yet. -- Paul Strack So, this Zen Master walks up to a hot dog stand and says "Make me one with everything."