ARS ARCANUM
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Long ago, the secrets of The Mystery were unveiled to Mortal eyes and nothing has been the same since. The use of magic ushered in a golden age and later brought The Sphere to its knees as the Elder Gods stirred from their slumber beyond space and time. Many a mage has achieved unbelievable feats only to be brought low by hubris, grasping at powers they could scarcely contain, let alone wield. Other have been corrupted or outright devoured by demons drawn to their unnatural power. Yet for all its manifold dangers, for all the social taboos surrounding its use, the lure of power still draws Mortals to the practice of magic.
There are many types of individuals who use The Mystery, each approaching its study through methods as varied as mages themselves. Some study the language of creation, speaking as the gods do to rearrange reality around their commands. Others learn the secrets of the unseen world through dreams and visions, acquiring their power through a spirit guide called a Familiar who leads them on a journey of arcane discovery. Still others gain their powers through pacts with beings fair, foul, and far beyond the scope of Mortal comprehension. Whatever their origin, the mage is able to command the forces which undergird the Cosmic Machine, reshaping the world around them according to their whims. The more overt these changes, the greater the Echo of power which sounds out which those sensitive to the reverberations of magic can feel. The Echo produced by powerful spells invariably draws the attention of demons, making overt mages a target for both the monstrous beings their power calls to and vigilant Mortals who wish to keep such evils at bay. Thus, the practice of Ars Arcanum is, at its core, a means for the magically gifted to use their powers in ways that are inherently practical and yet safe from easy detection; none of the Arcanum assembled here produce Echo, giving the mage an arsenal of tools and weapons without the need to resort to the constant use of dangerous Spells. |
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prime arcanum
arcane theorum
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Through careful study and meticulous practice, you've gained an understanding of The Mystery. Your knowledge allows you to cast a number of Spells from a particular field of study called a THEORUM.
Decide which THEORUM you studied and learn a total of three Spells of your choice from any of the Mysteries the THEORUM gives you access to. You learn a new Spell from any one of these Mysteries every third Level (Levels 3, 6, 9, 12, etc.). Upon completing a Full Rest, you gain an amount of Mana for spellcasting equal to your Rank in Ars Arcanum. |
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tHEORUMS
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Eldritch pact
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You've made a bargain with a supernatural being, signing a contract in blood in exchange for great power. Your PATRON is always watching, ever interested in your comings and goings, patiently waiting to collect on their investment when the time comes.
Decide who your PATRON is and work with the GM to determine the general terms of your contract. So long as you remain in your PATRON's good graces, you receive from them three Rotes of your choice and a total of three Spells of your choice from any of the Mysteries they offer access to. You learn a new Spell from any of your PATRON's Mysteries every third Level (Levels 3, 6, 9, 12, etc.). Upon completing a Full Rest, you gain an amount of Mana for spellcasting equal to your Rank in Ars Arcanum. |
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Your PATRON also gives you a Key. If you answer "yes" to this Key when you take a Full Rest, you lose access to the Rotes, Spells, Mana, and all other beneficial effects of your Eldritch Pact until you are able to answer "no" to your PATRON's Key when you take a Full Rest.
patrons
Archfey
One of the oldest and most powerful Medicon, an emperor who presides over a vast domain of nature and an impressive court of elemental spirits.
Key: Did I break my Oath*?
Mysteries: Ecologism, Glamour, Transmutation
* A bargain with an Archfey comes with an Oath one must make, which includes three specific (and perhaps strange) commands or prohibitions such as "you shall not sleep beneath the shade of a tree" or "you shall sing when in the presence of a black dog" or "all the words of thy honey-tongued mouth must rhyme as a poem when you speak them aloud". Work with your GM to decide the three commands/prohibitions of your Oath.
One of the oldest and most powerful Medicon, an emperor who presides over a vast domain of nature and an impressive court of elemental spirits.
Key: Did I break my Oath*?
Mysteries: Ecologism, Glamour, Transmutation
* A bargain with an Archfey comes with an Oath one must make, which includes three specific (and perhaps strange) commands or prohibitions such as "you shall not sleep beneath the shade of a tree" or "you shall sing when in the presence of a black dog" or "all the words of thy honey-tongued mouth must rhyme as a poem when you speak them aloud". Work with your GM to decide the three commands/prohibitions of your Oath.
Broodmatron
A queen mother of monsters, birthing legions of hungering beasts deep underground. She visits the violent in dreams, seeking to turn the Mortal monstrous.
Key: Did I resolve a battle peacefully or avoid bloodshed?
Mysteries: Conjuration, Ecologism, Thaumaturgy
A queen mother of monsters, birthing legions of hungering beasts deep underground. She visits the violent in dreams, seeking to turn the Mortal monstrous.
Key: Did I resolve a battle peacefully or avoid bloodshed?
Mysteries: Conjuration, Ecologism, Thaumaturgy
Curator
One of twelve ancient (possibly divine) AI, whose sole purpose is to collect and horde all knowledge in the cosmos, both in and outside the Cosmic Machine.
Key: Did I give a secret away?
Mysteries: Artifice, Augury, Confluence
One of twelve ancient (possibly divine) AI, whose sole purpose is to collect and horde all knowledge in the cosmos, both in and outside the Cosmic Machine.
Key: Did I give a secret away?
Mysteries: Artifice, Augury, Confluence
Endwalker
A being of entropy and decay, an apocalyptic god who embodies chaos, violent change, and the eventual ending of the present to birth the future.
Key: Did I preserve the old at the expense of the new?
Mysteries: Animancy, Confluence, Thaumaturgy
A being of entropy and decay, an apocalyptic god who embodies chaos, violent change, and the eventual ending of the present to birth the future.
Key: Did I preserve the old at the expense of the new?
Mysteries: Animancy, Confluence, Thaumaturgy
Godslayer
A sentient weapon developed (but never used) during the Second Epoch. Buried for an Age, it longs to do what it was made for: to destroy the gods and their servants.
Key: Did I show deference, fear, or respect to any of the gods or their faithful?
Mysteries: Artifice, Thaumaturgy, Transmutation
A sentient weapon developed (but never used) during the Second Epoch. Buried for an Age, it longs to do what it was made for: to destroy the gods and their servants.
Key: Did I show deference, fear, or respect to any of the gods or their faithful?
Mysteries: Artifice, Thaumaturgy, Transmutation
Maleficati
One of the Nine Hells, dead gods who serve Oblivion and long for the nothingness at the end of all things as the only respite from their pained existence.
Key: Did I reduce the amount of Mortal pain and suffering in the world?
Mysteries: Animancy, Conjuration, Transmutation
One of the Nine Hells, dead gods who serve Oblivion and long for the nothingness at the end of all things as the only respite from their pained existence.
Key: Did I reduce the amount of Mortal pain and suffering in the world?
Mysteries: Animancy, Conjuration, Transmutation
Naraka
One of the thirteen Underkings chosen by Setharkis, ghostly tyrants who steward the realm of the dead with an iron, undead fist.
Key: Did I intentionally save a non-ally from death?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Animancy, Vitae
One of the thirteen Underkings chosen by Setharkis, ghostly tyrants who steward the realm of the dead with an iron, undead fist.
Key: Did I intentionally save a non-ally from death?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Animancy, Vitae
Outsider
One of the Old Ones from outside the Cosmic Machine, an abberant monstrosity who wishes to find a way into the Mortal realm to unleash madness and chaos.
Key: Did I complete my task*?
Mysteries: Augury, Conjuration, Glamour
* Each day, your Patron will give you a seemingly random task (decided by the GM) that may seem strange or arbitrary ("leave the horn of a goat outside the inn", "give 13 silver coins to the woman who lives beneath a green roof"). Your Patron commands this because the ripple effect of this action will eventually serve to facilitate their entry into the Mortal realm.
One of the Old Ones from outside the Cosmic Machine, an abberant monstrosity who wishes to find a way into the Mortal realm to unleash madness and chaos.
Key: Did I complete my task*?
Mysteries: Augury, Conjuration, Glamour
* Each day, your Patron will give you a seemingly random task (decided by the GM) that may seem strange or arbitrary ("leave the horn of a goat outside the inn", "give 13 silver coins to the woman who lives beneath a green roof"). Your Patron commands this because the ripple effect of this action will eventually serve to facilitate their entry into the Mortal realm.
True Dragon
One of the few remaining True Dragons who watches over Creation, ensuring Mortals never attain the capacity to overthrow the Celestial gods.
Key: Did I avoid resisting someone powerful?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Thaumaturgy, Vitae
One of the few remaining True Dragons who watches over Creation, ensuring Mortals never attain the capacity to overthrow the Celestial gods.
Key: Did I avoid resisting someone powerful?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Thaumaturgy, Vitae
Vagrant Domain
A sentient pocket-dimension that roams Creation, seeking out interesting individuals, treasures, and locations to copy or fold into itself.
Key: Did I tell a lie?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Artifice, Confluence
A sentient pocket-dimension that roams Creation, seeking out interesting individuals, treasures, and locations to copy or fold into itself.
Key: Did I tell a lie?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Artifice, Confluence
World Tree
An ancient, sentient tree intimately tied to the ebb and flow of life throughout a planet. Each world has just one enormous World Tree who regulates its flow of Mana.
Key: Did I kill a living thing?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Ecologism, Vitae
An ancient, sentient tree intimately tied to the ebb and flow of life throughout a planet. Each world has just one enormous World Tree who regulates its flow of Mana.
Key: Did I kill a living thing?
Mysteries: Abjuration, Ecologism, Vitae
fAMILIAR
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Through dreams and visions, you have attained a deep, personal understanding of The Mystery. Your guide on this spiritual quest has been an otherworldly spirit called a FAMILIAR, which accompanies you at all times in the form of a talking animal.
Choose three Rotes you know, through which you shape The Mystery to your liking. Learn a new Rote of your choosing every third Level (Levels 3, 6, 9, 12, etc.). At the completion of a Full Rest, you gain Mana for casting Spells; the amount of Mana you gain is equal to your Rank in Ars Arcanum. Decide what Form your Familiar takes (a bat, cat, dog, frog, hare, lizard, owl, rat, raven, or snake). Your Familiar can speak and perform any action its animal form permits, but it cannot attack or deal damage and is immune to all damage forever. |
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Once during your turn each round, you can perform one of the following as a Half Action so long as your Familiar is within line of sight:
- Move your Familiar up to 3 meters
- Teleport your Familiar into a space adjacent to you
- Teleport into a space adjacent to your Familiar
- Perceive through any number of your Familiar's senses but lose the corresponding senses from your own point of reference (this lasts for as long as you maintain Concentration).
Your Familiar is a faithful friend and ally and is controlled by the GM. It knows a great deal about history, the arcane, and the true nature of the cosmos, but is rarely willing to give you any information that isn't vital or that you couldn't dig up on your own. Your Familiar is FAR more interested in your growth as a magician and the fulfillment of your heroic destiny than your personal comfort or safety and will rarely (if ever) intervene to help you do something you could feasibly do for yourself.
Arcane Sensing
Every Spell leaves a trace. But if you have any of the above Prime Arcanum, your attunement to magical forces gives you the ability to sense when The Mystery is applied nearby (within 100 meters) in the form of Spells, enchanted items, creatures and engines powered by magic, or other enduring effects of a Mysterious nature. The more powerful the Spell, the easier it is to sense. The inverse is also true; the more subtle a Spell is, the more difficult it is to trace.
You may use an Action to make an Awareness Feat in order to ask the GM the following questions:
If the magical effect is a Cantrip (0 Mana), you may ask one of the above questions for every 3 Awareness Bumps you roll. Note that you can't sense Cantrips (or Ars Arcanum Arcanum for that matter) passively; you must be specifically sniffing out magic to suss out the presence of Mysteries expressed as a Cantrip.
You can automatically sense when Level 1 Magic (1 Mana) is present if your Awareness + Ars Arcanum is 10 or higher. Regarding Level 1 Magic, you may ask one of the above questions for every 2 Awareness Bumps you roll.
You can automatically sense when Level 2 Magic (1 Mana) is present if your Awareness + Ars Arcanum is 5 or higher. Regarding Level 2 Magic, you may ask one of the above questions for every Awareness Bump you roll.
Level 3 (3 Mana) Magic is hard to miss. Even non-magical beings can sense the strangeness of reality bending around them, feeling the effects of such a powerful Spell from miles away. Regarding Level 3 Magic, you may ask two of the above questions for every Awareness Bump you roll.
You may use an Action to make an Awareness Feat in order to ask the GM the following questions:
- Which Mystery is this magic connected to?
- What is the intent of this magic - what does it do?
- How long will this Spell last?
- Who cast this Spell?
- Is this Spell's caster nearby and if so, where?
If the magical effect is a Cantrip (0 Mana), you may ask one of the above questions for every 3 Awareness Bumps you roll. Note that you can't sense Cantrips (or Ars Arcanum Arcanum for that matter) passively; you must be specifically sniffing out magic to suss out the presence of Mysteries expressed as a Cantrip.
You can automatically sense when Level 1 Magic (1 Mana) is present if your Awareness + Ars Arcanum is 10 or higher. Regarding Level 1 Magic, you may ask one of the above questions for every 2 Awareness Bumps you roll.
You can automatically sense when Level 2 Magic (1 Mana) is present if your Awareness + Ars Arcanum is 5 or higher. Regarding Level 2 Magic, you may ask one of the above questions for every Awareness Bump you roll.
Level 3 (3 Mana) Magic is hard to miss. Even non-magical beings can sense the strangeness of reality bending around them, feeling the effects of such a powerful Spell from miles away. Regarding Level 3 Magic, you may ask two of the above questions for every Awareness Bump you roll.
Arcanum
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Chaos Beam
The target of Chaos Beam... 1: Recovers (Ars Arcanum)d6 HP 2: Becomes Invisible for the next hour 3: Becomes Shielded at the start of their turn every round until the Scene ends 4: Flies into a rage, gaining a +(Ars Arcanum) bonus to all attack rolls and base Damage. However, they lose their ability to reason and distinguish between friend and foe. Each round for the next 10 minutes, their top priority is to attack the nearest creature 5: Becomes totally bald, all the hair on their body instantly falling out 6: Changes into a monster of the GM's choosing which best reflects their personality 7: Is Weakened and Slowed (Save ends both) 8: Is stripped of all clothing, items, and equipment, which is teleported to a pocket dimension and returns to their possession after an hour has passed 9: Is Immobilized and Silenced (Save ends both) 10: Takes damage at the start of their turn each round. This damage is equal to the total damage they dealt since the start of their last turn and can't be ignored, reduced, or negated. 11: Changes into a weak animal of the GM's choosing which best reflects their personality 12: Falls prone after every movement until the Scene ends. 13: Changes to the opposite sex until the next full moon 14: Is Dazed and Confused (Save ends both) 15: Is Blinded, Deafened, and Staggered (Save ends all) 16: Is Stunned (Save ends) 17: Instantly falls asleep, remaining unconscious for the next 1d6 hours or until damaged 18: Is turned into a stone statue for the next 24 hours. 19: Gains a random Trauma 20: Loses all memory of the past 24 hours and their Bias towards you is raised to Friendly. |
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