Creative Thaumaturgy

This thread is where you should post your ideas for new spells that the published canon doesn't cover or perhaps variations of them.  I will definitely strive to provide critique and ideas of my own.

Before you post, you might want to check out the the list of published spells first to see if a published spell might not do what you want to do already.

I believe someone has also saved all the work we had on the former incarnation of the forums.  If whoever it was could volunteer a link, that would be great.

Let's make some magic!

Note:  Let's keep everything constructive, ok?  Criticism is good, as long as it's explained, but let's keep the pointless arguing to a minimum.

Here's links to some of my spells.  I'll get more organized later and maybe try and get everyones'

Prescient Alacrity (Time ••••) - Act before your Initiative
Swift As Thought (Time •••••) - Make an extra Instant Action reflexively
Usurp Spell (Prime ••••) - Take control of another mage's spell
Inviolate Threshold (Fate ••••, Space •••) - Protect one's home from interlopers
Guardian's Eye (Time •) - Danger Sense
Isolate Ingested Substance (Life ••) - Keep ingested substance from interacting with the body
Contact High (Life ••) - Transfer ingested substances to touched target
Protean Flesh (Life •••••) - Become a blob of animate flesh
Inflict Agony (Mind •••••) - Cause terrible pain and incapacitate target
Reinforce Armor (Matter •••) - Strengthen the defensive capabilities of armor
Create Willpower (Mind (•••••) - Create Willpower points
Reverse Entropy (Fate ••) - Keep a room ordered and tidy
Node Link (Prime •••) - Relinquish an imbued item into a node

I'll start with a contribution of my own.

Prescient Alacrity (Time ••••)

The Adept of Time's reflexes are aided by knowledge of time's flow, reacting to attacks almost before they happen.

Practice: Patterning
Action: Instant
Duration: Prolonged (one scene)
Aspect: Covert
Cost: 1 Mana

Each success allows the mage to perform one action at any point of Initiative, even before her own Initiative score, as long as she has not taken an action yet that turn.  One additional Mana must be spent if casting a spell before one's Initiative score.  In addition, the mage cannot be the victim of a surprise attack while under the effects of this spell, retaining her Defense against all applicable attacks.  Unused successes are lost at the end of the Duration.

Adamantine Arrow Rote:  Action in Stillness (Wits + Composure + Time)
The Adamantine Arrows know the value of being able to act in time and have a reputation for warriors who are able to dodge blows and counterattack with supernatural ease.

Bonus Factors:  Having sat zazen for at least an hour (and succeeding on a meditation roll) before casting the spell. +1 Potency

Create Locus (Spirit 5)
Werewolves and spirits covet these fountains of Essence, and a wise - or tactically-minded - mage understands that these are places from which Essence can be drawn and - with the right spells - converted into Mana.
Practice: Making
Action: Extended, special
Aspect: Vulgar
Cost: 2 Mana
The natural formation of a locus is a long and drawn out process, requiring a week and prodigious amounts of identically resonant Essence. During this process the Essence must be allowed to pool in the area, and after a week has passed it collects in an object within the area and a new locus is born. This is a dangerous process, however, and can easily fail by means of any given spirit sucking away any of the accumulated Essence.
This spell cuts out the time, and requires only one success to create the locus. A mage must still provide 150 points of Essence per dot of the locus to be created (so 150 for a 1-dot, 450 for a 3-dot), and the use of Medicine Bags is permitted for the spell. They must be arranged about the area in the form of an Atlantean Rune describing the spell.
The spell requires one hour, regardless of the caster's Gnosis.
An exceptional success allows the caster to choose the specific object the locus will be created.
Mysterium Rote: Forge the Ephemeral Flow
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Spirit - Gauntlet Strength
Some mystagogues use this spell to create feeding grounds for their familiars, or simply to aid in their research regarding the behaviors of spirits. The Adamantine Arrows use a similar rote (Wits+Occult+Spirit) to forge an alternative to a Hallow for their fellows who possess the proper knowledge, or to assist their spiritual allies.

askariknight:

Create Locus (Spirit 5)

I think I wrote a version of this that was an exact copy/past of Prime 5's Create Hallow.  Question, what's the duration on this spell?  It sounds like you're making it Lasting?

Oops...I knew I was forgetting something...it's Lasting duration.

askariknight:

The spell requires one hour, regardless of the caster's Gnosis.

Is this one hour per roll, or just one hour total?  I think you should leave it as the required time per roll based on the caster's Gnosis.

Honestly I don't think it should be too easy for a mage to whip up a permanent Locus.  Yeah I know about the huge Essence cost, but I'm still a little uneasy at stepping on the toes of a Werewolf game.  I dunno.

Ah, may as well just return it to normal...

Create Locus (Spirit 5)
Werewolves and spirits covet these fountains of Essence, and a wise - or tactically-minded - mage understands that these are places from which Essence can be drawn and - with the right spells - converted into Mana.
Practice: Making
Action: Extended
Duration: Lasting
Aspect: Vulgar
Cost: 2 Mana
The natural formation of a locus is a long and drawn out process, requiring a week and prodigious amounts of identically resonant Essence. During this process the Essence must be allowed to pool in the area, and after a week has passed it collects in an object within the area and a new locus is born. This is a dangerous process, however, and can easily fail by means of any given spirit sucking away any of the accumulated Essence.
This spell cuts out the time, and requires only one success to create the locus. A mage must still provide 150 points of Essence per dot of the locus to be created (so 150 for a 1-dot, 450 for a 3-dot), and the use of Medicine Bags is permitted for the spell. They must be arranged about the area in the form of an Atlantean Rune describing the spell.
An exceptional success allows the caster to choose the specific object the locus will be created.
Mysterium Rote: Forge the Ephemeral Flow
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Occult + Spirit - Gauntlet Strength
Some mystagogues use this spell to create feeding grounds for their familiars, or simply to aid in their research regarding the behaviors of spirits. The Adamantine Arrows use a similar rote (Wits+Occult+Spirit) to forge an alternative to a Hallow for their fellows who possess the proper knowledge, or to assist their spiritual allies. Even members of the Silver Ladder find use for this rote (Presence + Occult + Spirit) when seeking to harness the assistance of the Forsaken.

(Better?)

Ophidimancer:

I believe someone has also saved all the work we had on the former incarnation of the forums.  If whoever it was could volunteer a link, that would be great.

My friend (and podcast co-host) Ryeran/Aeneru maintains the Creative Thaumaturgy wiki... but I can't remember the URL off the top of my head.  I'll see if I can get a hold of him.

Followed by the higher level version:

Swift As Thought (Time •••••)

A Master of Time can make thought and action as one.

Practice: Making
Action: Reflexive
Duration: Lasting
Aspect: Vulgar
Cost: 1 Mana

The mage can take one Instant action as a Reflexive action.  This action cannot be spell casting, since this spell has already been cast for the turn.  If an extra action is not taken, the benefit is lost at the end of the turn.

Mysterium Rote:  The Hand of Chronos (Wits + Occult + Time)
Swift action has been the saving grace of many a Mystagogue in over his head.  The Guardians of the Veil also know how effective sudden action can be and have their own version of this spell.  Dexterity + Occult + Time

What do you guys think of my Time spells?  Overpowered?

I don't think the Mana cost is necessary.

I disagree, especially with the Time 5 version of the spell, and the vulgar nature of it, the mana seems quite necessary, at least in my eyes. I can't really think of anything wrong with them, they seem pretty well balanced to me.

To celebrate the new boards, I'll kick things off with a bunch of rotes I've been stewing up for my own version of The Virtual Adepts. You must tell me what you think.

Digital Directory (Forces •• + Space •)

Practice: Knowing
Duration: Prolonged
Range: Sensory
Aspect: Covert
Cost: None

This simple spell takes search programs and puts them all to shame. Casting this spell on any computer system lets you instantly know where a given piece of data or file is located, regardless of security measures or hidden status, or even if it is located in an area not where data is usually stored for a long period of time, such as in the RAM. It does not allow you to bypass those security systems, although other spells can be employed to do so.

Free Council Rote: Googol
Intelligence + Computers + Forces
Many Libertines are (in)famous for their love of technological gadgets, and frequently use magic to pick up the slack when the current standards of the Fallen World don't measure up to theirs. Imbued and enhanced computers are unusually common, and unlimited memory is in high demand. However, this poses it's own problems, as it becomes increasingly difficult to find data stored.

Thus, Googol was developed.

The Guardians of the Veil wield their own version of this rote, instantly pinpointing where sensitive information is stored and extracting it with supernal accuracy.

Backtrace (Forces •• + Space ••)

Practice: Ruling and Knowing
Duration: Prolonged
Range: Special
Aspect: Covert
Cost: None

When harassed by anonymous calls, the first instinct is to trace those calls. However, it is possible to obscufate the origin by routing them through networks throughout the world. The Awakened can go one step further and dispense with the middleman altogether, placing calls without even a phone or a number, using Forces to send and receive signals. Clever mages can turn the tables on their tormentors with this spell, 'tagging' the return signal with Forces and following it it's destination with Space, revealing the endpoint as per the Space 1 spell 'Finder'.

Free Council Rote: Red Lines Across the World
Wits + Investigation + Forces
Although it is usually used to follow anonymous calls back to the origin today, it is sometimes used in the manner it was originally developed to: as a viciously effective method of tracking down your enemies. First using the rote 'Dialing the Lucky Number' to make the closest telephone ring, this rote is next used to see where that phone is. Now that nearly everyone carries a cell phone wherever they go, pinpointing your enemies has never been easier. With the increasing integration of the internet with everyday life, this rote has been used to track IM and VoIP conversations. E-mail only enjoys a moderate amount of success, however, since free e-mail accounts are common, and tracking e-mail to one of those addresses only reveals the location of a massive server farm.

Supreme Focus (Mind ••••) Optional Arcana [Space •• and/or Time ••]

Practice: Patterning
Duration: Prolonged
Range: Personal
Aspect: Covert
Cost: 1 mana

This potent spell allows for an unparalleled focus of mind, allowing the caster to perform up to 4 instant or extended mental actions at once in any combination. For example, someone might wish to read a book, try to remember a fact, listen to the radio for news, and mentally compose an essay all at once. This effect is not compatible with physical actions; an action strenuous enough to call for a roll typically prevents the use of the mind split.

However, cast conjunctionally with other arcana, this mind split can indeed be used to effectively co-ordinate physical actions, considering in an instant their consequences in the immediate future. With Space 2, defense can be applied against ranged attacks; with Time 2, defense does not decrease against multiple attacks; with both Space 2 and Time 2, the caster is considered to have the highest initiative at all times and act first.

Free Council rote: Five Dimensional Mind
Intelligence + Occult or Science + Mind

After it was first developed by members of the Awakening Gambit as an attainment, Mastigos who knew of the Legacy's third attainment sought to duplicate it's incredible multitasking capabilities. After much experimentation and numerous psychic brain boiling accidents, this rote was developed. All orders can find endless uses for the rote, but the Free Council currently lays claim to having the widest distribution. In particular, members of the Virtual Adepts Legacy can find the most use for it, surfing up to 4 different ways through the Matr-- Internet at once through the force of their enlightened will alone.

Recharge (Forces •• + Matter ••)

Practice: Ruling
Duration: Prolonged
Range: Touch
Aspect: Vulgar
Cost: None

If there's one thing that bothers people who have the ability to bend the fabric of reality to their whimsy, it's minor inconveniences that tangle up the business of getting things done. For people who live in the present day and age, changing dead batteries is one of these things. While there are many practical reasons for having batteries that never die or require recharging, it is a sad truth that this spell was first developed for the purpose of convenience.

While this spell affects any battery, it will recharge to full capacity and continue to provide the full charge it is normally capable of delivering up to it's normal limits. A basic success grants this quality to any off the counter battery, while more successes may be required to affect car batteries or larger devices designed to hold and discharge tremendous amounts of electricity.

Free Council rote: Neverenders
Presence + Persuasion + Forces

The imago of this spell involves imploring the luminous beings of the Watchtower of the Golden Key to descend to the Fallen World and bring a trickle of the Aether's unlimited energies to serve the cause of the mage. While physically, the spell reverses the chemical reactions that produce energy and makes it produce even more, metaphysically, the imago isn't particularly far from the truth.

One Mind, Two Thoughts (Mind •)

Free Council rote: HUD
Wits + Academics or Computers + Mind

Factor Bonuses - Wearing a transparent surface before the eyes: +1 factor

While there are many versions of this very basic rote floating around every Order's repertoire, the Free Council is the only order which has actually developed a rote with expanded factors in order to make it easier to use or maintain. Because the Virtual Adepts freely shares it's legacy with members of the Free Council regardless of Path, not all Virtual Adepts have Mind as a ruling Arcanum, and not all Virtual Adepts advance their Mind abilities as far as they could as a result.

Therefore, HUD was born. This rote makes it nearly trivial for anyone to activate the 'One Mind, Two Thoughts', which is all but required for Virtual Adepts, especially those who achieve the second attainment. For the purposes of the rote, nearly anything that stays in front of the eyes for the duration of the spell, such as sunglasses, contact lenses, or even a helmet visor will qualify.

I think they're both great - thematically appropriate, right dot level for the effect, etc.

Didn't anyone save the old one?

It's nice to have this thread back.