Sorcery
Sorcery is the most dangerous of the Sources and draws its power from realms beyond the natural world known as the Outer Planes. This power is difficult to control, resulting in flamboyant outbursts of magical energy barely harnessed by the spells of it's practitioners. Sorcery wields the primal power of the universe known as Seeds.
Sorcery Casting Roll
Casting Stat: Willpower + Sorcery Skill + Highest Seed Rank
Choosing a Planar Source
When selecting the Sorcery Source, players must select where in the Outer Planes they draw their powers from - Pandemonium, Arcadia, Aaru, Stygia, or The Outer Wild in between. Details on these realms can be found in the Brilliance & Shadow Campaign Guide. The Sorcerer’s powers will resemble their chosen plane, and summons will draw from that plane's native creature type. Additionally, each plane gains at least one Favored Seed, a power which is particularly potent when drawn from that region. Once selected, the character may not change their chosen plane.
| Plane | Favored Seeds | Creature Type |
|---|---|---|
| Aaru | Creation, Ward | Angels |
| Arcadia | Scry, Compel | Arcadians |
| Pandemonium | Energy, Summon | Demons |
| Stygia | Animate, Slay | Undead |
| The Outer Wild | Transform | Abominations |
Sorcery Powers
Seeds
Seeds are the fundamental building blocks of planar magic. When selecting the Sorcery Source, players select a Rank 2 Seed. Additional ranks or new Seeds may be purchased at the cost of 5 GXP per rank.
| Seed | Description |
|---|---|
| Animate | Animate corpses you control. |
| Create | Create equipment from planar energy. |
| Compel | Dominate minds. |
| Conceal | Hide within a cloak of magic. |
| Conjure | Summon and control planar materials. |
| Drain | Drain energy from nearby targets. |
| Energy | Unleash destructive waves of energy. |
| Scry | Reveal targets or find hidden knowledge. |
| Slay | Slay living targets. |
| Summon | Summon and bind Outsiders. |
| Transform | Changes casters form. |
| Transport | Use the planes to travel. |
| Ward | Damage preventing shield. |
Pushing
Sorcerers train to alter their spells through pure willpower, reaching beyond the normal limits of a spell. Sorcerers call this technique "Pushing". When selecting the Sorcery Source, players gain a Rank 1 Push Training Benefit for free. Each form of training offers a different benefit, and may not apply to all Seeds. A Sorcerer may push a maximum of once per Rank of the Seed they are pushing per cast.
Training
| Name | Rank | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Push Area | 1 | Increase a spell's area or number of targets. |
| Push Duration | 1 | Increase a spell's duration significantly. |
| Push Damage | 2 | Damage dealing spells deal additional damage per push. |
| Push Potency | 2 | Adds bonus dice for spells which don't deal damage. |
Backlash
Pushing is dangerous and can result in damaging backlash. Each push used on a spell adds a Backlash Dice to a pool rolled against the caster as the spell is cast. Each success rolled on these dice deals a point of Backlash as non-lethal damage to the caster. If the caster has no Vigor remaining, Backlash is treated as regular lethal damage.
Fusion Spells
Seeds are the building blocks of planar magic, and they can be combined to create powerful new spells. A Fusion spell will have a Primary Seed Rank, and a Secondary Seed Rank. To learn a Fusion spell the sorcerer must have the required ranks of both Seeds. Learning a Fusion spell costs 2 GXP x the Primary Seed Rank.