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Chaosium Digest Volume 26 Number 08
Chaosium Digest Volume 26, Number 8
Date: Sunday, September 20, 1998
Number: 1 of 1
Contents:
House Rules for Elric! Magic (Andrea Rocci) ELRIC!
Editor's Note:
Howdy. This week an article for Elric! detailing some variant rules
for Elric! magic. Send those articles in for the next digest!
Shannon
--------------------
From: andrea_rocci@iol.it
Subject: House Rules for Elric! Magic
System: Elric!
These are some simple house rules on magic that I am playtesting in my
current campaign. They aim at reintroducing into the magic system the
element of randomness and chaos and the cosmic proportions that
characterized the old Stormbringer RPG. Although the new Elric! system
is more balanced, I think it lacks some of the chaotic element that
made the old Stormbringer so fun.
Some simple rule variants can reintroduce the best of the old system
without the flaws -- I hope. The main feature of these rules is that
they reintroduce the Summoning skill and employ it in new ways, taking
advantage of the extended use of "criticals" that characterizes the
Elric! rpg.
1. SPELLS
Spell casting is too reliable; to add a little uncertainty to it, a
POW x5 roll (Luck roll) is required to cast a spell.
FUMBLE (99-00)
GM should come up with a suitable mishap: e.g. spell backfires,
double MP spent and no effect, spell has normal effect but caster
loses all MP and faints, jealous Chaos Lord strips the knowledge of
the spell from caster.
FAILURE
No effect. Magic points spent.
SUCCESS
The spell is cast with the normal effect. Magic points spent.
2. SUMMONINGS
2.1 THE SUMMONING SKILL
The summoning skill is reintroduced. This skill represents the
sorcerer's general knowledge of the rituals, chants, and runes used to
bring otherworldly creatures to the plane of the Young Kingdoms. The
base chance for a character with sorcerous background and training is
INT+POW. If a character without any previous formal sorcerous training
acquires a summoning spell (e.g. the summon demon spell) from a
grimoire or somehow else, his/her base chance will be equal to
characteric POW.
Experience is gained normally when using the summoning skill.
2.2 USING THE SUMMONING SKILL FOR SUMMONING DEMONS AND ELEMENTALS
In order to summon a demon or elemental a character must know the
appropriate spell and roll her/his summoning skill. The skill roll
substitutes for the Luck roll.
FUMBLE
Magic points are spent. Roll on the Summoning Fumble Table.
FAILURE
Magic points are spent. Make a Luck Roll; if it fails roll on the
Summoning Fumble Table.
SUCCESS
The entity manifests in 1d8 hours or 1d6 rounds as appropriate.
CRITICAL
The entity manifests in 1 hour (demons) or 1 round (elementals). Add
25% to any one communication skill roll while negotiating. Add 5 to
adventurer's POW in the POW:POW struggle if the sorcerer attempts
binding. The sorcerer learns the name of the demon breed.
Bonuses to Summoning Skill roll:
The following bonuses could apply at GM's discretion:
* the demon belongs to a demon breed known to the sorcerer (because
he/she already summoned it or did scholarly research on it): +10%
* the sorcerer knows the True Name of the demon or elemental: +20%
2.3 INSTANT SUMMONING
When a sorcerer knows the True Name of a demon or the name of a demon
breed, he can attempt to summon the known demon or a specimen of the
known breed in 1d8 rounds. To accomplish this exceptional deed of
sorcery the player must declare his/her intentions and roll a CRITICAL
SUCCESS in his/her summoning skill.
If the player rolls a simple success the entity does not manifest, the
MP are gone, but he/she need not make a Luck Roll to avoid a fumble.
2.4 SUMMONING THE BEAST AND PLANT LORDS
The chance of success in summoning the Beast/Plant Lords is no longer
the ridiculous 01 percent; a CRITICAL SUCCESS in the Summoning Skill
is required instead. If the summoning spell succeeds the character's
soul is taken to the half-world where the Beast Lord resides. There
the character must plead for its help. The fact that the Beast Lord
answered the summoning does not mean that it is willing to aid the
character or is benevolent towards him/her.
Pleading his/her cause before the Lord should be a good role-playing
opportunity for the character.
The outcome of the bargain could be influenced by Communication skills
and by the deeds of the character on behalf of the Balance (the GM
might ask the player to roll less than the character's alliegiance
points in the Balance box on a d100).
Success in poetic and singing skills, as well as the knowledge of rhymes
that praise the lords may increase the chance of success of the summoning.
However the cumulate bonus should never exceed +10%.
2.5 NECROMANCY
"There is sorcery here. She is no reincarnation. You'd bring your lost
love's spirit from the nether world to inhabit this girl's body. Am I
not right?"
-Elric to Earl Saxif d'Aan in _Sailor on The Seas of Fate_ II, 5
It is assumed in these rules that the foul arts of necromancy described in
the _Bronze Grimoire_ supplement always involve the summoning of a
spirit from limbo or from some other plane of existence (see the
"Afterlives" section, page 17, of the _Bronze Grimoire_).
If you use the rules in the _Bronze Grimoire_, note that the following
spells involve a Summoning skill roll that substitutes for the Luck
roll: Animate Skeleton, Create Abomination, Lure Spirit, Raise Mummy,
Raise Zombie, Summon Ghoul. A Summoning skill roll will be necessary
also for the "Speak with the Dead" spell; the cost in MP for this
spell will be equal to the dead person's POW.
Whether or not you adopt the _Bronze Grimoire_ necromancy rules you can
always employ this general purpose spell:
2.5.1 SUMMON SPIRIT SPELL
In general the summoning of the spirits of the dead -- for the purpose of
questioning them, binding them or luring them in someone's body -- could
be ruled as follows when not otherwise specified:
* a successful Summoning Skill roll is required to summon a random
spirit; a critical success is needed to summon a particular individual.
* If the result is a Failure a convenient mishap occurs. GMs can
either use the Necromantic Mishaps Table (_Bronze Grimoire_, page 19)
or devise their own tables of ghastly events.
* the cost in magic points equals the spirit's INT+POW.
* required casting time is 1d6 hours.
2.6 UNUSUAL DEEDS OF SORCERY
"You were successful, lady," he said, "in conjuring up a demon?"
"A demon? I think not, though he looked to us like a demon with his
slanting eyes and his pointed ears -- a face not unlike your own, Prince
Corum -- and we were at first afraid for he stood in the centre of our magic
ring and he was furious, shouting, threatening in a language which I could
not, in those days understand."
-Michael Moorcock, _The King of the Swords_
The summoning skill is a useful measure of the general magic
proficiency of a character and can be used in a simple way to deal
with the summoning of creatures that are predefined as coming from
another plane, such as the Creatures of Matik, the Elenoin, the Steeds
of Nirhain, or even a Vadagh from Corum's world, an Eldren from the
ghost-worlds of Erekose's Earth, or a traveller of the spheres like
Wheldrake the poet.
Creature summoning procedure:
* The character must have some information on the target creature and
its plane of existence. She/he should also figure out the proper
summoning ritual (which will count as a spell against free INT). This
can be done in two ways:
1: The sorcerer has found the relevant spell in a grimoire.
2: The sorcerer creates a ritual based on his/her knowledge of the
multiverse (success in the Million Spheres skill), library
research, or information that is given during play.
* The character must roll a CRITICAL SUCCESS in his/her Summoning
Skill and the creature will appear. The duration of the ritual is up
to the GM and players to determine.
* The cost in magic points is 1d8 + the POW of the creature summoned.
* If the creature summoned has human or near-human intelligence the
sorcerer can negotiate its services. Otherwise he can always attempt
to dominate the creature with a POW:POW struggle: if the sorcerer
succeeds he/she can give orders to the creature for a number of rounds
equal to the sorcerer's POW.
* Predefined creatures from other planes cannot be bound.
NOTE: Normal inhabitants of other worlds cannot be dismissed like
demons or elementals. They remain on the plane of the Young Kingdoms
unless a demon or a special spell (such as Chaos Gate) is used to send
them back to their home world. Obviously this might cause trouble to
imprudent summoners.
3. INVOKING THE LORDS OF THE HIGHER WORLDS
In the Stormbringer RPG servants of the Cosmic Forces could invoke
divine intervention rather easily, probably too easily.
In Elric!, on the contrary, characters allieged with a Force have in
principle no chance of succeeding in an invocation but the minimal 1%. I
think this is less fun and contrasts with the cosmic high fantasy feeling a
moorcockian rpg should have. Therefore I propose to modify the rules as
follows:
* The chance of success in invocation for an allieged character is 1/10
(round up) of his/her alliegiance points.
* The chance of success for Champions remains unchanged (POWx3)
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