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With the exception of the changes made to skills, magic is largely unchanged. There are however a couple of things unique to this game.
Astral Projection
In the world of Gilon, astral projectors are incapable of entering or crossing any large bodies of water. It is unknown why this is, but water essentially functions as an astral barrier to those on the astral plane. There is a notable exception to water spirits, who are instead unable to leave the bodies of water they are summoned from, except through the astral plane.
Teleportation
This ability may be taken as a metamagic feat by those who initiate. This allows one to transport their physical body to the current location of their astral form. This requires the astral form to be in an area that the body can fit (otherwise the magician dies in the attempt). It is otherwise treated the same as returning to one's body. The magician is unable to bring anyone else with them, nor can they transport any nonmagical equipment, all of which is left behind where the magician's body was. If the magician happens to have any cyberware, they must make a pure magic check vs the number of essence points lost to cyberware. Any fractions of essence count as 1 for the purposes of this check. If the check fails, the magician leaves all of their cyberwear behind, suffering 2 DV physical damage for every point of essence lost. Bioware is unaffected by teleportation.
Magicians who do not wish to arrive at their destination naked either make use of illusion spells, or purchase special clothing/armor that can be imbued with magic. Such clothing costs 10x the cost of standard clothing/armor and requires the magician to spend 1 karma to attune it to themselves.
Blackrock
This mineral is so called because it is literally a black rock. It has the ability to absorb magical energy and is often used to restrain magic users. Magic users who are in contact with blackrock feel immediately ill, similar to being in a toxic environment. Any magic they attempt to use is then absorbed by the blackrock. If too much magic is absorbed at once, the blackrock explodes, which is often lethal to the person wearing it. If ground down and injected into the body, it can possibly remove magical potential in the subject (lowering their magic score). Those without any magical abilities suffer no ill effect from exposure to the stone.
Mentor Spirits
The mentor spirits listed in the book do not exist culturally in the area this campaign takes place in. Each culture has its own, but those in the Desu Island Chain who have a mentor spirit are most likely to follow Shinto spirits. For a list of these mentor spirits, look at the Mentor Spirit post in world info.
Initiation and Magical Groups
Sooner or later, most awakened want to push the limits of their skills beyond what they are currently capable of. This is done through initiation. The time it takes to complete initiation is determined by an Magic + Intuition [Astral] (initiate grade, 1 month) Extended Test. What one actually does during this time depends on the tradition of the awakened. A hermetic may spend time researching a thesis, a shinto may spend time building relationships with spirits and an adept martial artist might spend time practicing their skills in the wilderness. The exact nature of how this time should be spent should be discussed between the GM and the player.
Once you have completed the amount of preparation time required, then you must spend karma. After you’ve finished your preparations, spend the appropriate Karma and you’ve got yourself a shiny new initiative grade and all of its benefits.
Your initiate grade can never exceed your Magic attribute. If your Magic is reduced below your initiate grade, you lose an initiate grade right along with it.
It is possible to lower the costs of initiation by joining a magic group, attending a magical school, or performing an ordeal. The base cost of initiation is 10+(Grade x 3). If an ordeal is performed, the cost is reduced by 10%. If initiation is performed through a magical group or with the aid of schooling, the cost is reduced by 20%. This leads to a maximum combined discount of 30%.
Schooling
Someone looking to initiate can join a school to aid them. The cost is 10,000 nuyen for a 5 week course, which is not included in the time required to actually initiate. Once the course is completed, the cost of initiation is reduced by 20%.
Magical Groups
Sometimes awakened like to form groups to aid each other in initiation as well as other pursuits. To do this, the members of the group must perform a group bond ritual. To do this the group needs a few things:
1) a magical lodge to perform the ritual (This lodge must be of a force equal to or greater than any initiate grates the members plan on gaining the group benefit from)
2) a copy of the ritual itself (this can be picked up at any talismonger shop for 2,000 nuyen.
3) someone needs to learn the ritual (this normally is a spellcaster, but it can possibly be an adept, see adepts and rituals below. In any case, it takes the normal 5 karma and time to learn, though a group can help split up this karma cost by paying 2,000 nuyen per point of karma so the loss is not all up to the leader of the ritual)
4) The group must have at least 3 members.
Assuming you have all of the above, your magic group is ready to be formed through the group bond ritual! The ritual and it's details are outlined on pages 129-131 of Street Grimoire. The summary of it is you are casting a force 12 ritual whose force is lowered as your group makes more rules. The force goes up if the members are of different traditions or members of other groups. If you succeed in the ritual without killing yourselves, each member joining the group has to spend 5 karma.
Once the group has been formed, there are a few effects (other than the initiation discount):
- the bond can be seen astrally by any other members of the group
- members can sense any member who has violated individual strictures (though not how or which ones) with a simple Assensing + Intuition [Mental] (3) Test (assuming they can astrally perceive)
- members of the group cannot bond to another group whose strictures conflict with one another
- A member may permanently sever his bond to the group by successfully performing a ritual similar to the one used to join the group and paying 1 Karma.
Adepts and Rituals
There are various rituals available to the adept, where the adept’s relevant skill or attribute fulfills the role of ritual spellcasting (steps 4 and 5). Examples: Animal Handling for Attune Animal and Imbue; Armorer, Artisan, or Automotive Mechanic for Imbue Item. The gamemaster has final say on what skill the adept can use in substitution of Ritual Spellcasting. There is a fairly extensive example of tattooing on page 131 of Street Grimoire, but other appropriate skills can be used as well.
Astral Projection
In the world of Gilon, astral projectors are incapable of entering or crossing any large bodies of water. It is unknown why this is, but water essentially functions as an astral barrier to those on the astral plane. There is a notable exception to water spirits, who are instead unable to leave the bodies of water they are summoned from, except through the astral plane.
Teleportation
This ability may be taken as a metamagic feat by those who initiate. This allows one to transport their physical body to the current location of their astral form. This requires the astral form to be in an area that the body can fit (otherwise the magician dies in the attempt). It is otherwise treated the same as returning to one's body. The magician is unable to bring anyone else with them, nor can they transport any nonmagical equipment, all of which is left behind where the magician's body was. If the magician happens to have any cyberware, they must make a pure magic check vs the number of essence points lost to cyberware. Any fractions of essence count as 1 for the purposes of this check. If the check fails, the magician leaves all of their cyberwear behind, suffering 2 DV physical damage for every point of essence lost. Bioware is unaffected by teleportation.
Magicians who do not wish to arrive at their destination naked either make use of illusion spells, or purchase special clothing/armor that can be imbued with magic. Such clothing costs 10x the cost of standard clothing/armor and requires the magician to spend 1 karma to attune it to themselves.
Blackrock
This mineral is so called because it is literally a black rock. It has the ability to absorb magical energy and is often used to restrain magic users. Magic users who are in contact with blackrock feel immediately ill, similar to being in a toxic environment. Any magic they attempt to use is then absorbed by the blackrock. If too much magic is absorbed at once, the blackrock explodes, which is often lethal to the person wearing it. If ground down and injected into the body, it can possibly remove magical potential in the subject (lowering their magic score). Those without any magical abilities suffer no ill effect from exposure to the stone.
Mentor Spirits
The mentor spirits listed in the book do not exist culturally in the area this campaign takes place in. Each culture has its own, but those in the Desu Island Chain who have a mentor spirit are most likely to follow Shinto spirits. For a list of these mentor spirits, look at the Mentor Spirit post in world info.
Initiation and Magical Groups
Sooner or later, most awakened want to push the limits of their skills beyond what they are currently capable of. This is done through initiation. The time it takes to complete initiation is determined by an Magic + Intuition [Astral] (initiate grade, 1 month) Extended Test. What one actually does during this time depends on the tradition of the awakened. A hermetic may spend time researching a thesis, a shinto may spend time building relationships with spirits and an adept martial artist might spend time practicing their skills in the wilderness. The exact nature of how this time should be spent should be discussed between the GM and the player.
Once you have completed the amount of preparation time required, then you must spend karma. After you’ve finished your preparations, spend the appropriate Karma and you’ve got yourself a shiny new initiative grade and all of its benefits.
Your initiate grade can never exceed your Magic attribute. If your Magic is reduced below your initiate grade, you lose an initiate grade right along with it.
It is possible to lower the costs of initiation by joining a magic group, attending a magical school, or performing an ordeal. The base cost of initiation is 10+(Grade x 3). If an ordeal is performed, the cost is reduced by 10%. If initiation is performed through a magical group or with the aid of schooling, the cost is reduced by 20%. This leads to a maximum combined discount of 30%.
Schooling
Someone looking to initiate can join a school to aid them. The cost is 10,000 nuyen for a 5 week course, which is not included in the time required to actually initiate. Once the course is completed, the cost of initiation is reduced by 20%.
Magical Groups
Sometimes awakened like to form groups to aid each other in initiation as well as other pursuits. To do this, the members of the group must perform a group bond ritual. To do this the group needs a few things:
1) a magical lodge to perform the ritual (This lodge must be of a force equal to or greater than any initiate grates the members plan on gaining the group benefit from)
2) a copy of the ritual itself (this can be picked up at any talismonger shop for 2,000 nuyen.
3) someone needs to learn the ritual (this normally is a spellcaster, but it can possibly be an adept, see adepts and rituals below. In any case, it takes the normal 5 karma and time to learn, though a group can help split up this karma cost by paying 2,000 nuyen per point of karma so the loss is not all up to the leader of the ritual)
4) The group must have at least 3 members.
Assuming you have all of the above, your magic group is ready to be formed through the group bond ritual! The ritual and it's details are outlined on pages 129-131 of Street Grimoire. The summary of it is you are casting a force 12 ritual whose force is lowered as your group makes more rules. The force goes up if the members are of different traditions or members of other groups. If you succeed in the ritual without killing yourselves, each member joining the group has to spend 5 karma.
Once the group has been formed, there are a few effects (other than the initiation discount):
- the bond can be seen astrally by any other members of the group
- members can sense any member who has violated individual strictures (though not how or which ones) with a simple Assensing + Intuition [Mental] (3) Test (assuming they can astrally perceive)
- members of the group cannot bond to another group whose strictures conflict with one another
- A member may permanently sever his bond to the group by successfully performing a ritual similar to the one used to join the group and paying 1 Karma.
Adepts and Rituals
There are various rituals available to the adept, where the adept’s relevant skill or attribute fulfills the role of ritual spellcasting (steps 4 and 5). Examples: Animal Handling for Attune Animal and Imbue; Armorer, Artisan, or Automotive Mechanic for Imbue Item. The gamemaster has final say on what skill the adept can use in substitution of Ritual Spellcasting. There is a fairly extensive example of tattooing on page 131 of Street Grimoire, but other appropriate skills can be used as well.
