Arcane Backgrounds

[gamedave]

There are three Arcane Backgrounds available to player characters in the world of Swashbuckling and Sorcery: Alchemy, Enochian Magic, and Witchcraft. Each has its own special requirements. All forms of magic tend to be subtle and low-key, usually requiring careful planning and preparation. A character with an Arcane Background won't be flinging lightning bolts, but may be even more effective by using such magical abilities cleverly.

Well, actually, an alchemist's abilities can (literally) be pretty flashy, but he must prepare his potions and powders ahead of time. In Circa 1646 Europe, alchemy is a well-known practice, but most of those who claim to alchemists are deluded or frauds. Only a few know the secrets of the art, and they guard their knowledge jealously. Alchemy is tolerated by the Church, but some Protestant sects (such as the Puritans) regard it as blasphemous, and commoners often (rightly) fear the often explosive results of both successful and failed experiments.

In the 1580s, the alchemist and astrology Dr. John Dee and the spirit medium Edward Kelly contacted "angelic intelligences" who taught them the Enochian language. Using this language, a skilled adept can call upon "Aethyrs" to aid him, reveal knowledge, and even perform tasks. Enochian magic does not use "spells", but rather invocations of specific Aethyrs who govern various aspects of the world. A proper invocation is tiring and time-consuming, but potentially extremely powerful. All Protestant sects condemn Enochian Magic as infernal sorcery, but the Roman Catholic Church is split on whether it is diabolic or angelic in nature. An Enochian Mage must tread carefully lest he be accused of heresy.

While Alchemy and Enochian Magic are skills learned by dedicated individuals, the scholars of the Invisible College agree that Witchcraft is an inborn ability. Some prefer terms such as "wise woman", "cunning man", "seer", or "spirit medium", but their abilities are identical. Witches usually carefully conceal their abilities unless they are in a secure position, since both Protestants and the Inquisition have a tendency to burn them as heretics and devil-worshippers. Interestingly, research by the Invisible College indicates that women are much more likely to manifest the abilities of a Witch (leading many witch-hunters to trace the "curse" of witchcraft back to Eve's original sin).

There is a fourth form of magic in the world of Swashbuckling and Sorcery, not available to player characters: Sorcery. The Invisible College continues to carefully research it, but much is still unknown about it. Sorcerers seem to be able to command much more overt power than the other three forms of arcana, to the extent of throwing bolts of lightning, and changing their shape or that of their foes. Most scholars of the College believe that sorcerers have made some sort of infernal pact for their powers. Others believe that Sorcery is merely another form of magic, albeit one that is quicker, easier, more seductive than the "white" magic practiced by the Invisible College. What is certain is that the Illuminati know far more about it than the Invisible College does, and many high-level Illuminati operatives are known to be Sorcerers.

[gamedave]

Arcane Background (Alchemy)
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Knowledge (Occult) d6+
Arcane Skill: Alchemy (Smarts)
Starting Power Points: 10
Starting Powers: 3
Alchemical Formulae: armor, blast, blind, boost trait, darksight, disguise, entangle, environmental protection, farsight, healing, invisibility, light/obscure, slumber, smite, stun, succor

Alchemy is the creation of magic through potions, salves, unguents, powders, or other concoctions. To create a potion, the alchemist needs access to at least a small lab (such as might be carried in a trunk) and one hour per formula Rank (a Novice power takes one hour to imbue into a potion, a Seasoned power takes two hours, and so on).

At the end of the required time, the alchemist rolls his Alchemy die and pay the relevant Power Points. These Power Points are not recovered until the potion is consumed or destroyed (poured on the ground, dispelled, etc.). At that point they return to the caster instantly.

If the casting roll is successful, the potion is complete. It can be used as a single action by any living being. The effects of the potion are the same as the power. This includes any additional effects from raises on the original Alchemy roll.

Range: Alchemists don't go around throwing balls of fire - they throw exploding potions. Any spell with a Range of Touch, Sight, or Self must requires the potion to be drunk or smeared onto the body, as deemed appropriate for the effect.

Spells with range brackets or based on an attribute usually require the potion to be thrown, depending on the effect. This requires a Throwing roll and ranged are 3/6/12 for all thrown potions.

Labs: Most alchemists have a portable lab, allowing them to create potions as and when needed. Access to a full scale laboratory grants a +2 bonus to Alchemy rolls, whereas using a portable lab allows an Alchemy roll with no bonus or penalty. If the GM rules it is possible to make an Alchemy roll with scrounged materials and jury-rigged instruments, it is done with a -2 penalty.

A character who begins play with the Arcane Background (Alchemy) Edge also begins play with an alchemist's trunk. It contains a small oil lamp, glass beakers and tubes, distallation vases, tweezers, pipettes, and a reference chart of common minerals and herbs. It weighs 15 pounds. If an alchemist needs to purchase a new trunk, it costs $1000. A full alchemical laboratory would cost at least $10,000, and would not be mobile, outside of the cargo area of a sailing ship.

Alchemic Backlash: Alchemists work their magic in laboratories rather than in the heat of combat - but those laboratories frequently become rather heated themselves. If an alchemist rolls a 1 on his arcane skill die, regardless of the Wild Die, or rolls a result of 0 or less (due to penalties), he must roll on the Alchemic Backlash table.

Alchemic Backlash
d20	Effect
1-10	Noxious vapors affect the Alchemist's ability to think straight. His Smarts and all linked skills are lowered by one die for an hour per Rank of the potion he was preparing
11-15	The power immediately activates, with the Alchemist as the target. While this may produce some unwanted beneficial effect, such as the Alchemist gaining armor while miles from any action, a blast potion is more deadly.
16-18	The alchemical reaction goes out of control, resulting in an explosion. Everyone within a Medium Burst Template centered on the Alchemist takes 2d6 damage.
19-20	As above, but the damage is 3d6 in a Large Burst Template.

[gamedave]

Arcane Background (Witchcraft)
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d8+
Arcane Skill: Hexing (Spirit)
Starting Power Points: 10
Starting Powers: 3
Hex List: banish, beast friend, blind, lower trait, confusion, darksight, deflection, detect arcana, disguise (requires an item owned by or closely associated with the person being impersonated), divination (requires a scrying device, such as a mirror, pool of water, or crystal ball, or divinatory tools such as a Tarot deck), elemental manipulation, farsight, fear (Large Burst Template is centered on the Witch, cannot be concealed), healing (requires herbs, cannot be concealed), mind reading, puppet, slow, succor (requires herbs, cannot be concealed), telekinesis (-4 to Stealth rolls to conceal)

Unlike Alchemists and Enochian Mages, Witches are born, not made. Although folktales insist witches gain their powers from deals with the devil, or that they are the children of a succubus or incubus, the truth is that some people are simply born with a "second sight". They are able to perceive the spirit world, and manipulate the luck, health, and even minds of others through "hexes". These hexes are not spells, but rather innate powers, and can be invoked merely through intense concentration, although most witches use personalized gestures, visualizations, and even vocal curses.

Hexes do not normally have any obvious trappings, but the concentration and rituals witches use can give them away. If a Witch attempts to hex someone without being detected, roll Stealth opposed by the Notice of anyone observing her. Some hexes (noted in the list above) cannot be concealed or may have penalties to conceal. Note that if the effect of a hex is not obviously supernatural, even an unconcealed hex may be mistaken for luck or skill rather than a magical ability.

Backlash: When a witch rolls a 1 on her Hexing die (regardless of the result of the Wild Die), she is automatically Shaken. This can cause a wound.

Second Sight: Some abilities come more easily to those born with the talents of a Witch. Whenever a Witch selects the Beast Bond, Beast Master, Danger Sense, or Healer Weird Edge, she may also select on of the other four for free.

[gamedave]

Enochian Magic
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Knowledge (Occult) d6+
Arcane Skill: Invocation (Smarts)
Starting Power Points: Special
Starting Powers: divination plus 3 others
Invocation List: banish, beast friend, boost/lower trait, darksight, deflection, detect/conceal arcana, dispel (unlike a standard dispel, this invocation suffers a -2 modifier if the target power is Enochian, but no penalty if it is of another type), elemental manipulation, farsight, fly, greater healing, healing, light/obscure, smite, speak language, succor, telekinesis, teleport, warrior's gift

Enochian Magic does not involve casting spells, but rather invoking the aid of Aethyrs and angelic intelligences, using the Enochian language of Heaven. This is a difficult and time-consuming process, and is rarely successful in the middle of a fight, but can have long-lasting effects in more conducive circumstances.

Enochian Mages do not use Power Points. Instead, their invocation roll has a penalty equal to half the Power Point cost (rounded down). They can also use invocations of any Rank, but suffer a penalty equal to the difference between their current Rank and the Rank of the power being invoked (a Novice mage would have a total of -5 to invoke divination, while a Heroic Rank or higher mage would only have a -2). Enochian mages also suffer the standard -1 penalty for each invocation they already have in effect. All of these penalties stack.

Using an Enochian invocation requires a Dramatic Task, but uses the power's casting penalty rather than the standard -2 modifier. The mage still has an additional -2 modifier for encountering a Complication. If he fails on a Complication, the invocation not only fails, he is automatically Shaken.

If an Enochian Mage fails an invocation, he must make a Vigor roll with a penalty equal to the casting penalty of the failed invocation or suffer a level of Fatigue. This Fatigue lasts for a period equal to the invocation's duration interval (see below). If the invocation succeeds, however, it is automatically considered to have succeeded with a raise.

Attempting a "quick casting" is stressful and dangerous. Enochian Mages generally prefer to work under more controlled conditions. An Enochian Mage may attempt to perform an invocation with a longer casting time, for surer and longer lasting effects. These longer invocations still require an Action Card for every casting interval, so there is still a possibility of encountering Complications - and Jokers! In the latter case, only the Enochian Mage benefits from the Joker's Wild rule.

The duration of an Enochian invocation cannot be extended, but is longer than other types of magic. The duration is a number of duration intervals (from the table below) equal to the listed duration of the power. For example, a invocation of boost trait with a casting interval of a minute takes one to five minutes to cast (depending on how quickly the mage can accumulate five successes), and has a duration of 3 hours.

Invocations
Casting Interval	Duration Interval
Round	Minute
Minute	Hour
Hour	Day

When making an invocation with a casting interval of a minute or an hour, an Enochian Mage may prepare a sacred space to aid in the invocation. This requires a Knowledge (Occult) roll, and takes an amount of time equal to the intended casting interval. It also requires a secure location and access to items such as candles, wine, chalk, and other occult trappings. Each success and raise on the roll gives a +2 bonus to a like number of invocation rolls, so a success gives +2 to the first invocation roll in the Dramatic Task, a raise gives a +2 to the first two invocation rolls, and so on. Successes and raises cannot be "saved" for a later invocation.

An Enochian Mage can have a single assistant for an invocation with a casting interval of a minute or an hour. If the assistant is skilled in Knowledge (Occult), he can assist in the Knowledge (Occult) roll to set up the sacred space for the invocation. If he is an Enochian Mage, he can assist with the actual invocation rolls. He suffers the full normal penalties as if he were invoking himself, but also benefits from any successful Knowledge (Occult) rolls to prepare the sacred space. He is Shaken by a failure on a Complication, but is not Fatigued by a failed invocation.

Special Invocations:

Beast friend has a duration of 1, and is one level greater than listed in the Invocation Table (a casting interval of an hour yields a duration interval of a week!).

Conceal arcana has a duration of 1, and is one level greater than listed in the Invocation Table (a casting interval of an hour yields a duration interval of a week!).

Divination always has a duration of one minute. It cannot be invoked with a casting interval of a round. If it is invoked with a casting interval of an hour, the Enochian Mage gains +1 to all invocation rolls during the Dramatic Task.

Greater healing cannot be used with a casting interval of less than an hour. Healing Permanent Crippling Injuries has a casting penalty of -10 (half the Power Point cost - ignore the -4 penalty listed in the second paragraph, and the listed casting time of 1d6 hours).

Light has a duration of 1, and is one level greater than listed in the Invocation Table (a casting interval of an hour yields a duration interval of a week!).

Speak language has a duration of 10.

Witchcraft and Divination: An interesting fact which has been discovered by the Invisible College is that Witches can aid an Enochian invocation of divination. A Witch may use her Hexing skill as if it were the Invocation skill to aid an Enochian Mage when he uses this invocation. Witches do not appear to be able to aid Enochian Mages with any other invocation, but research continues.