Gieden Character Sheets

Here is the character sheet for the Gieden RPG:





The quality isn't great, and the edges of the pages aren't showing, but hopefully this will work for reference, at least for the time being.

Magical Benefits and Taints

Just to keep everything organized, today I'm going to skip around through the sourcebook and gather the side effects of magic, beneficial and otherwise.

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Beneficial Magical Side Effects

Anyone who works magic for a long time runs a chance of developing a magical side effect. If your character has a dot in three or more magical disciplines, or has five dots in any one discipline, then the Game Master may assign a magical benefit. These are fairly rare in the world of Gieden, and often, they are assumed to be another form of Taint. This can cause trouble for the character if others discover their abilities. If a magical side effect is part of your character concept, then that should be discussed as early as possible with your Game Master; in some cases, a magical side effect can take the place of a Weak Advantage (or even a Strong one, depending on the effect).

Examples of magical side effects are:
Seeing auras, feeling the energies of people or places, occasional uncontrolled telepathy, prophetic dreams or trances, an unnaturally strong connection with another individual, a gift for palmistry or other methods of divination, past-life memories or occasional out-of-body experiences when sleeping.

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Taints

A person’s body can only withstand so much magic coursing through it; if it surpasses that limit, it is destroyed. In game terms, that means when a player’s Magical Resistance score falls below zero, their character loses a body part or is destroyed entirely.

The first time a character uses magic, a bond is formed with a Nuameii. As the character loses more and more of itself, more of the Nuameii comes through, until eventually the character is gone and a new Nuameii is born.

At the beginning of the game, each player assigns a certain number of dots to the stat called Magical Stamina. This number, times two, decides the character’s Magical Resistance score. Each time magic is cast, a number of dots equal to the rank of the magic used are deducted from the character’s Magical Resistance score. Each night as the character sleeps, its Magical Resistance score returns to its maximum.

Magical Resistance is represented on your character sheet by the small circles in the outer ring of the large wheel. (See my last post.)

There are only three other things to keep in mind.

The first is the character’s attitude towards the destruction of its body. Most people resist this, for obvious reasons. They may roll their determination score (vs. 7) to avoid losing body parts upon their Magical Resistance score falling below 0. However, this can only be done once per day, and it costs one permanent Determination point, whether or not it succeeds. If they fail their roll, their body takes damage and they get -5 to all rolls for the remainder of the day. If their body is ever completely destroyed by magic, the resulting Nuameii will be an entirely separate creature with no ties to or memories of the character’s life.

Some people accept that they will eventually be destroyed by the magic they wield. These characters can not roll determination to avoid body parts being destroyed, but if they ever are destroyed entirely, then they can roll a Determination check (vs. 7), to take over the body of the Nuameii that they summon. If they succeed, then they have all the memories of their previous life, but they now have the statistics of the Nuameii body that they inhabit. All is not rosy, however. Being destroyed by magic is not easy on body or soul; just like those who resist destruction, losing a body part causes the character to take a -5 penalty to all rolls for the rest of the day.

The second thing to keep in mind is that the magic the character is summoning when they receive their first Taint determines the color of that Taint--and all other Taints that follow. For instance, if a character receives their first Taint by using Fury magic, the Taint will be red. All further Taints will be of the same color and type, regardless of how they are gained.

Finally, the part of the body that is destroyed depends on how the character was focusing the magic. If it was through an outstretched hand, they may lose the hand, or even the entire arm. Some characters allow the magic to merge with their breath and scream it into the world; they may lose their tongue, or worse, their voice. Some characters simply focus their intent on the target of the magic--this may destroy their eyes, or in a truly bizarre twist, their head. The amount of damage to the body depends on how badly they overstep their magical resistance score.

So, for example:

Andrew is playing a character named Finnius, whose specialty is Destructive magic, but who also knows a little Healing. Andrew decides that Finnius resists the idea of his body being destroyed. He also assigns Finnius 3 dots of Magical Stamina, giving him a Magical Resistance score of 6.

During a major battle, Finnius uses Destructive magic twice; once at rank Three (which deducts 3 points from his Magical Resistance score), and once at rank Two (which deducts 2). This leaves him with only 1 point of Magical Resistance. After the battle, he realizes that he must heal himself or die. He wants to do it quickly, using rank Two Healing, but his body cannot withstand that amount of magic (his Magical Resistance score would end up at -1). He decides to chance it and hope he succeeds at his Determination check. Andrew describes Finnius focusing the magic onto his body through his hands.

Unfortunately, when he rolls his Determination none of the dice show 7 or above, so Finnius loses a piece of himself. The attempt also costs him one permanent Determination point. Since he is channeling through his hands, they take the brunt of the damage, but since his Magical Resistance is only at -1, the Game Master decides that only one of Finnius’s hands is lost. Since it was Healing magic that destroyed Finnius’s hand, and this is his first Taint, the new hand is white. At the beginning of the game, Andrew said that Finnius's personality meant that his Nuameii was a wolf, so now the Game Master describes Finnius’s left hand as a white paw. Now, any future Taints will be white wolf parts, regardless of what kind of magic creates them. And if Finnius dies using magic, a new Nuameii will be born; a white wolf with no ties to Finnius whatsoever. For the remainder of the day in which Finnius loses his hand, the trauma causes him to make all rolls at a -5, although his health level is unaffected.


On the other hand, Marcus is playing a character named Art, who specializes in Elemental magic. Marcus assigns him 4 dots of Magical Stamina, giving his character 8 Magical Resistance points, and he decides that the character is accepting of the fact that his magic will one day destroy him.

Art gets into a particularly bad situation, and although he normally would not be so reckless, he decides that he will win at any cost. He uses Elemental magic three times; once at rank Four and twice at rank Three. This last spell puts his Magical Resistance score below zero (8 - 4 = 4; 4 - 6= -2). He was channeling the magic through his eyes, by focusing on his targets.

Marcus may not roll Determination, because Art is accepting that he may one day become a Nuameii.

The Game Master decides that Art loses both eyes. The trauma of this loss will cause Art’s rolls to be at a -5 penalty for the rest of the day. The color of Elemental magic is green, and Art is linked to a Werewolf, so the Game master describes Art's new eyes as green, glowing, and highly unsettling.

If magic ever destroys Art’s body entirely, he will roll Determination to gain control over the Werewolf Nuameii that will be left in the aftermath, and if he succeeds, all his statistics will be that of a Werewolf but his mind will remain unchanged. If he fails, the Werewolf will have no memories of, or associations with, Art’s life.

To simplify:
*Magical Stamina score x 2 = Magical Resistance score
*Subtract the rank of any magic used from the Magical Resistance score (Fury Magic and Protection Magic are special; read those sub-sections for details)
*If the Magical Resistance score falls below 0, then a Taint may be received
*The Taint’s color is determined by the type of magic used to receive the character’s first Taint
*Those that resist being destroyed may roll Determination vs. 7, and then spend 1 permanent Determination point to avoid a Taint. Those who accept it roll Determination vs. 7 to gain control of the Nuameii they summon if they are destroyed.

Using the Magic Circle

This is from the Gieden character sheet. If you wanted to give your character one rank in a magical discipline, you would fill in one of the slots in the outer ring of the symbol for that magic. Your Magical Talent and Magical Resistance scores are decided during character creation, but you would mark them here, too. For Talent, you would fill in one or more slots around the Talent circle in the middle; for Resistance, you would fill in the appropriate number of "donuts" in the outermost ring.

Your Magical Talent score tells you how many slots you can fill in around the magical disciplines. It's a one-to-one ratio. If you have four dots of talent, you can fill in four slots around a magic symbol; you can spread these out around multiple disciplines or focus exclusively on one.

The pointy, star-like symbol in the Magic Circle represents Pure Magic. Moving around the wheel clockwise, you will see the symbols for Destruction, Fury, Elemental, Anti-Magic, Artifice, Subterfuge, Protection, and Healing Magics.

You fill in twice as many donuts (outer ring only) as you have dots in Magical Resistance. Then you use the center of the donuts to keep track of how many Magical Resistance points you've used up for the day.

Gieden, Chapter Two, Magic

Ok, so now that I've given all nine magics, this is how you use them. From the original text:
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Let’s skip ahead for a minute and pretend you’ve already built your character. You have a good understanding of your character’s views on magic, and you’ve assigned the magic type and magical resistance scores. Now what?

When a situation arises that causes you to call on magic, you will:

* Decide what it is your character needs to do.
*Decide how much magical power this task requires (identify what rank of magic you’ll be casting).
* Describe the scene to your Game Master. Include what magic you’re calling upon, how you’re focusing the magic, and how you wish the magic to appear.
* To determine success, roll one die for each dot you have in the magical discipline being used (regardless of what Rank you are currently using).
* Finally, you subtract the Rank of the magic you used from your Magical Resistance score. (Fury magic, Protection magic, and special circumstances may alter the magical cost.)


For Example:
It’s been a long hard battle, and Stephanie’s character, Alise, finds herself surrounded by the cries of the wounded and dying. She traverses the battlefield, healing those she can, but being careful to use her magic sparingly; her goal is to save as many lives as possible before her magic threatens to consume her.

Stephanie is using Healing magic, but in most cases she decides to only use the Rank One ability. She has 4 dots in Healing, so she gets to roll 4 dice each time she tries to heal someone, regardless of the magic’s Rank.

The first person Alise comes to isn’t mortally wounded. Stephanie describes Alise bending over the person, placing her hands on their wound and channeling white magic into them. She tells the Game Master that Alise is using Rank One Healing and then she rolls 4 dice, scoring 2 successes. Rank One Healing heals ½ box per success, so she hasn’t helped this person much, but they will survive. Stephanie marks 1 box off of her Magical Resistance score.

The next person that calls out to Alise is in very poor shape; one of their arms has been severed. Stephanie grimaces. She knows that she will have to use at least Rank Three Healing. She describes Alise locating the severed arm and bandaging it into place, then placing her hands over the bandages and channeling magic. Again she rolls her 4 dice, this time scoring three successes. Rank Three Healing heals 1 box per success and can re-attach severed limbs, so for this poor soul, Alise has truly worked a miracle. Stephanie marks 3 boxes off of her Magical Resistance score, and Alise moves on, continuing her mission of mercy…


Special Situations:

Magic will almost always work as listed above, but there are several situations that bear mentioning.

Extended Actions – If you only have one dot in a magical discipline, then you would normally only be allowed to roll one die when using that magic. It may seem strange, then, that Rank One magics often do not damage or heal a full box. If your magic only heals ½ a box per success, and you only get to roll one die, how can you ever actually heal anyone?

The answer is that you must use an extended action. You spend one or more rounds building up the magic. During this time, other Gieden may notice a slight glow or light gathering around your character. This glow will be the color of the magic you are summoning. You must concentrate fully on the magic, and cannot walk, fight, or dodge while calling the magic forth. For every round that you spend building up the magic, you gain a number of dice to roll equal to your highest rank in the magic you are casting.

For instance, if Tyra, a Rank One Healing magic user, concentrates a full round before casting, then she may roll 2 dice instead of 1. Three rounds of concentration would give her 3 dice to roll. If Tyra was able to use Rank Three Healing, then she would gain 3 dice for each round that she concentrated.

KEEP IN MIND:
1)Because this could be misused by those who have attained a high number of ranks, and because a caster can only summon so much magic at a time, once a caster has 10 dice available to them to roll, they have summoned the maximum amount of magic that they can handle. Concentrating for more rounds has no effect or will backlash, possibly causing a Taint (see Chapter Five).

2) At the end of each round of concentration, the caster must spend a number of Magical Resistance points equal to the rank of magic they are summoning.

3) A caster who is summoning a protective barrier or using magic in some other sustained way is actually using the magic each round and they get no extra dice to roll. They still pay the Magical Resistance points at the end of each round.

Interrupted Casting – When gathering magic in an extended action, or when using magic in a way that is not automatic, such as sending a black ball of destructive energy from the caster to its target, it is possible for magic to be interrupted. If a person is attacked, knocked unconscious, or otherwise prevented from casting, completing, or controlling their magic, then the magic fizzles and fails. The player must still subtract the rank of the magic from their character's Magical Resistance score, even though nothing happened.

Joining Forces – Two or more characters that use the same form of magic may choose to cast simultaneously and join their magics together. (In this case, harming magic that affects an area around the caster will not harm either caster.) The casters receive information about each other via their magical link; they will know what general direction the others are in, whether or not the other person or people are injured, and get a general ‘feel’ for the others, as well as a one-word description of the others’ dominant emotion, for example, ‘fear’, ‘determination’, or ‘anger’.

Keep in mind that Joining Forces does not multiply the magic. For instance, Rank One Healing heals ½ box of damage per success. Imagine that Marcus and Stephanie are both playing characters who can heal, but their characters are not working together. They are both casting Rank One Healing, and on the same target. Marcus has 2 successes, healing 1 full box, while Stephanie gets 3 successes, healing 1 ½ boxes. The target of these actions is healed 2 ½ boxes, which will get rounded down to 2. Now imagine that their characters are working together. They get the same number of successes, so the target is still healed a total of 2 ½ boxes, and it’s still rounded down to 2. The only difference is that Marcus and Stephanie’s characters get a ‘link’ with one another that transmits certain information, as listed above, and casting simultaneously means the recipient gets the full healing instantly (instead of Marcus having his character cast, then saying ‘Ok, Steph, it’s your turn’, and then Stephanie doing the same).

The main benefit of joining forces happens when one caster knows how to use magic in a way the other does not; for instance, one subterfuge user knows telekinesis, but needs more power. There's another subterfuge user in their group, so the second user can lend the first power, even though they don't, themselves, know how to cast telekinesis.

Fighting for Control – If a character wishes, they may join forces with another caster, as listed above, but then attempt to wrench total control of the power from the other. This process sometimes takes several rounds, but it can pay off big. For example, Joe’s character Tal sees a black ball of destructive energy heading for him. He does not have the Anti-Magic or Protection disciplines, and he fears that he cannot dodge in time. He calls forth his own destructive energy and joins it to the energy already heading his direction. This gives him several things: he now knows some things about his attacker (see Joining Forces, above), and if he’s lucky, he may be able to wrest control of the magic from his attacker.

To fight for control, Joe would first tell the Game Master of his intention. The Game Master would then have both Joe and the attacker roll as many dice as they had dots in the applicable magic; in this case, in the Destruction Discipline. The attacker would begin 2 ‘points’ ahead. Each success he rolled (vs. 6) would give him one more ‘point’. Each success rolled by Tal would subtract one ‘point’ from the attacker. This goes on, round by round, until one of the two casters is hit by the magic or gives up and flees. If the point total gets to 10 points, the energy hits Tal, doing as much damage as if Tal had Joined Forces with the attacker. If the point total gets to -10, then the energy hits the original caster with the same strength as if Tal and the caster had Joined Forces. Until the total reaches either 10 or -10, the energy would hover in the air between them, nearing Tal as the point total raised and nearing the attacker as the point total fell. Each round that this went on, Joe and his attacker would have to subtract the rank of the magic they were using from their magical resistance score. If someone’s magical resistance hit zero or below, they would instantly lose control of the magic, as well as receiving the usual penalties.


Magical Resistance Falling Below Zero: See Chapter Five, The Tainted.

Gieden, Chapter Two, Magic

The final three of the nine magics in Gieden:

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*******************Artifice*****************

The art of Artifice allows the caster to revive and control Artifacts that were created before The Breaking. Its color is gold, and its use is as powerful as it is rare.

* By laying their hands on an Artifact and channeling magic into it, they can gain a very basic (2-3 word) understanding of the object’s purpose or abilities. They can also cause a very simple repair to be made. Old oil or gas can be made new, small cracks can heal, and screws can tighten seemingly of their own accord.

** At rank Two, an Artifice user can cause complex repairs in Artifacts, ranging from metal that suddenly ‘heals’, to small missing pieces (but not bullets) reforming, to gas or oil suddenly appearing. At the Game Master’s discretion, the Artifact may function in any non-magical way that the caster believes that it should, regardless of its previous abilities. This only happens if there is residual “energy” left in the item; it should be something that someone loved dearly or truly hated, or else the item itself should have some mystical property.

*** At rank Three, Artifice allows the caster to imbue the item with magic effects (see Weapons Chart, Part Two for specific damages). As mentioned in rank two, not all items can be given special abilities. The Game Master has final say in what items can or cannot be augmented. Also, the item will have a duration. This may be described as an amount of time or a number of uses, and it is determined by the Game Master. The Artificer may or may not know the item’s duration, but the duration will always be short; no more than one week, ten shots, or twenty uses. The Game Master should give the Artificer slightly more information about an item's past uses.

***** At rank Four, the item may be imbued with more powerful magical or non-magical effects, and the duration is longer.

***** At rank Five, the item has a permanent duration, although ‘bullets’ or ‘charges’ may have to be renewed, at a cost of 4 magical resistance points (more or less, at Game Master’s discretion). Casters with five ranks in Artifice may also manipulate Artifacts at a distance.


With this magic, you may also: get a ‘feel’ for what another character’s Artifact at a distance, slightly modify a piece of metal or wood in order to make it function as a tool, locate necessary parts, or find your way through a ruined city, among other things. The Game Master may choose to allow an Artificer to achieve results equivalent to one rank higher than their normal abilities if the Artificer combines non-magical mechanic work with their magical skills and are willing to spend significant time on the working.






*******************Subterfuge*****************

The art of Subterfuge is the art of deceit. It has no color, leaves no traces, and creeps into every crevice; even into the minds of the caster’s targets.

* At rank One, the character may cast basic Subterfuge; this remains active for two turns per success rolled (vs.6), during which time, anyone attempting to spot the caster will have their Perception and Reflexes scores halved for that roll. The caster may move or do other actions without giving onlookers a second chance at their Perception rolls, but they cannot cast (because they are already casting). Attacking anyone or anything nullifies the effect.

** At rank Two, the caster can expand their rank One ability to cover anyone in an area 5’ diameter around themselves. They may also manipulate people more effectively than normal; they may raise either their intimidation, etiquette, or manipulation statistics by two dots for one roll by expending 2 magical resistance points.

*** At rank Three, the caster is almost unnoticeable. Their rank One ability is constantly activated (without any magical resistance points being spent, and without counting as casting) unless they decide to drop it, attack, or speak to someone. When this magic is dropped, it may be dropped for just one individual or for everyone present. It returns whenever the caster leaves the sight of those for whom it was dropped or when the caster purposefully reactivates it (spending the usual MR points to do so). By expending three magical resistance points, the caster may extend their ability to everyone within 5’ of them for two rounds, or they may simply lower the chances of anyone noticing the caster even further. If they lower the chance of detection for themselves alone, anyone attempting to notice them must roll two D10 and roll 7 or better on both of them.

**** At rank Four, a master of Subterfuge is completely unnoticeable; their Rank Three ability gets considerably stronger, and onlookers no longer get chance to recognize them through Perception or Reflexes checks. Casting takes away from the ongoing magic, however; when casting, observers may roll vs. half of their Perception score in order to see the Subterfuge user. Rank Four Subterfuge users can read the surface thoughts of any one target within 10’ of them.

***** At rank Five, the caster can raise their intimidation, etiquette, or manipulation statistics by 4 dots for 2 rolls, or they can make everyone within a 5’ radius of themselves completely unnoticeable, as described in their rank Four power. If anyone within the group attempts to cast anything other than Subterfuge magic, they are instantly noticeable.

This magic can also: manipulate the emotions of others (causing joy or anger, fear or recklessness), detect lies in others, or make the caster’s lies undetectable by magical means. At rank four, some casters may get telepathy or telekinesis. All other abilities should be worked out between the Game Master and player.






*******************Anti-Magic*****************

Anti-Magic is capable of overpowering any other magic. Its color is purple, and it is prized by rulers as well as outlaws.

* At rank One, the caster can reduce the number of the opposing caster’s success at a 1 to 1 ratio. For every success rolled vs. 6, the opposing caster loses 1 success.

** At rank Two, the caster retains the same amount of power but may roll more dice.

*** At rank Three, the caster may reduce an opposing caster’s number of successes by 1 and ½ for every 1 success rolled (vs.6). Alternatively, they may form an Anti-Magic shell around themselves. This shell is up to a 5’ radius, and no magic whatsoever may enter into it. They may also deal damage to any Nuameii that has not been “pulled-through”. They do 1 box of damage per success rolled, vs. 6.

**** At rank Four, the Anti-Magic shell repels any magic or magical creature, and it may be up to a 10’ radius around the caster.

***** At rank Five, the caster may dispel all magic inherent in an area of up to 50’ diameter, making casting impossible (roll vs. a 7, four successes needed, though it can be an extended action if necessary). A rank Five Pure Magic user must make at least 4 successes at a difficulty of 7 to call magic back into the area, although they may use a continued action to achieve this.


Anti-magic has other uses as well, such as: temporarily sealing the magic of another caster, hiding the fact that someone is Gieden, making a Taint disappear for a short time (though this doesn’t replace the body part), or temporarily barring all Gieden from an area. Other uses are up to Game Master discretion.

Gieden, Chapter Two, Magic

These are the next three magics in the Gieden system. For those of you who never intend to play the game, these sorts of posts are less than exciting, I'm sure.

Sorry 'bout that. I'll get to novels, novellas, and shorts when the RPG is done. :)

As always, this is the unedited work from several years back.


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*******************Destruction*****************

The magic of death and pain. Its color is black, and its users must be able to kill without rage or remorse.

* At rank One, the caster can wound one target ½ a health box per success rolled, vs.6.

** At rank Two, the magic becomes stronger, wounding the target 1 full box per success.

*** Rank Three Destructive magic creates a black bubble that starts within the caster and then rapidly expands to a 5’ radius circle, with the caster in the center. Anyone hit by the expanding bubble receives ½ a box of damage per success rolled by the caster, vs. 6.

**** At rank Four, the caster may form a large ‘ball’ of attack magic that flies through the air and hits an area of 5’ diameter. Anyone in this area takes 1 box of damage per caster’s success. Alternatively, the caster may form a black bubble as in rank Three, but the bubble now has a 10’ radius.

***** The magic strengthens again at rank Five, making the ‘ball’ attack do 2 boxes of damage per success and the ‘bubble’ attack do a full box instead of ½.



This magic can also cause other types of destruction, such as: causing decay in crops or machinery, causing poison or sickness to become worse, causing pain without actual injury, or causing everyone within a certain vicinity to feel momentarily sickened; whatever the Game Master and player agree upon as balanced and appropriate.







*******************Fury*****************

Some people channel the magic of rage, with incredible, devastating results. Red is the color of Fury, and this magic demands sacrifice; it will destroy the caster faster than any other type of magic. The caster must give in to rage before channeling Fury magic.

* Rank One Fury magic costs two magical resistance points to cast, but it is more powerful than destructive magic, doing a full box of damage to its target per caster’s success.

** At rank Two, Fury magic costs 3 magical resistance points and grants the caster two options. They may either wound a single target for 1and1/2 boxes of damage per success (vs.6), or heal themselves for ½ a box per success. This healing, however, comes from the caster’s rage, and when the rage dissipates, half the boxes of healing that were created abandon the caster.

*** At rank Three, the caster calls forth a red ‘bubble’ of rage that begins within the caster’s heart and then quickly expands, causing damage to anyone it contacts (other than the caster themselves). This bubble either expands to a 5’ radius and does a full box of damage per success, or it expands to a 10’ radius and does ½ box of damage per success. This costs the caster 4 magical resistance points.

**** At rank Four, Fury magic costs 5 magical resistance points, but the ‘bubble’ mentioned in rank Four becomes even larger and stronger. If it has a 10’ radius, it does 1 full box of damage per success; if it’s radius is 15’, it can do ½ a box of damage (per success, of course).

***** Rank Five Fury magic costs 7 magical resistance points. It can cause a massive explosion anywhere within the caster’s vision that does 2 boxes of damage (per success rolled vs.7) to an area up to 10’ in diameter. Alternatively, the caster may heal themselves 1 full box per success rolls, vs. 6.



This magic is often dramatic, more showy than any other form. It can be used to do such things as levitate the caster or a specified target, cause pain without actual injury, cause a swirling wind around the caster (perhaps even hard enough to part water), or grant temporary immunity to a natural element, such as allowing the caster to walk through fire (note that this will not work against a direct attack from an Elemental magic user). The Game Master should work with the player to generate a list of specific spells, but should also allow some leeway when the caster is particularly enraged. In extreme cases, the Game Master may even allow certain Fury users to cast at a level higher than they have actually earned; in such cases, the magic costs its usual resistance points plus two.






*******************Elemental*****************


The magic of the natural world, the color of Elemental magic is green. This magic allows control over the elements and grants an affinity for plants and animals.

* At rank One, the caster chooses one element (fire, wind, water, or earth) to gain control of. The caster is resistant to this element in its natural state; for example, it will take them much longer than is natural to drown in water, be smothered by earth, or be burned by fire; if they have chosen wind, they can withstand a hurricane or tornado unharmed. They can also control the element in a natural way (a way that the element naturally behaves). If they wish, they may call upon nature itself to do direct damage to an opponent, doing 1/3 a box of damage per success. The Game Master should determine this attack’s appearance.

** At rank Two, the caster becomes immune to Elemental magic of the same element. They can also cause plants to grow at a tremendous rate, and animals to become larger, stronger, and healthier.

*** Rank Three allows the caster to conjure up to one square foot of their element per success. They also gain an affinity with green Nuameii and Nuameii that have been ‘pulled through’. This does not necessarily mean the Nuameii will not attack them, it only means that they are more inclined to recognize the caster as friendly. At this point, the caster can cause all plants within a 10’ radius to develop to maturity, become healthy, or wither and die.

**** At rank Four, the caster may conjure their chosen element and then manipulate that element in any way that they see fit, unconstrained by the ways that the element normally behaves. See Weapons Chart, Part Three for damages.

***** At rank Five, the caster gains a resistance (as listed in Rank one) to all four elements. The caster also gains an affinity with all natural animals, and the ability to sense disease in plants or animals. They can attack using their chosen element, and because they have such an affinity with nature, they gain one extra dot in one of the following Skills: herbalism (either type), animal handling, or hunting/gathering.

Special: if the player wishes, they may replace one or more other types of magic with Elemental, eliminating access to the replaced magic and giving them the chance to master a second, third, or fourth element.

This magic also allows the caster to do other “nature” type magics, such as: magically locating edibles, reading the stars (get cryptic hints from the Game Master), calling rain, or causing the weather to change slightly.

Specific magic abilities for each element should be agreed upon by the Game Master and player.


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Next time, I'll give the final three magics; Artifice, Subterfuge, and Anti-Magic. See you then. :)

Continuation of the Gieden story...

The Gieden RPG sourcebook had a short story in it, broken up through several chapters. Each part was meant to introduce readers to the concepts explained in that portion of the book.

A few days ago, I posted the first section, meant to give the reader an idea of the relationship between the Gieden and the Roian. Here are two more bits from later chapters; the first on additional magical abilities, the second explaining Taints. Together, they make a decent bit of flash fiction...

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Hope House was an orphanage of sorts, where Roian parents dropped off their magic-using children and never looked back. We never bathed, we slept three or more to a bed, and we got up before the sun, hoping to get a bite of breakfast before it disappeared. The elderly couple that ran the place couldn't even remember all our names; they did the best they could by us, but it was never enough.

It was a hard life, but it was there that I learned the art of Healing, honing my skills on the bumps and bruises of my new brothers and sisters. I had other talents, too; I could feel the emotions of those around me, and knew when someone was lying to me. I could see auras, and sense the presence of others in the dark. None of the others could do these things, and when they discovered that I could, some of them stopped meeting my eyes. Some even worried that it was a Taint.

***

As word of my abilities spread, people from across Unity City came to visit me. Most were Gieden who were unable to use Healing magic; some of them had injuries so minor that I turned them away rather than exhausting myself over a cut toe. But there were Roian, too, who came to me when death was the only other option, or who came bearing the dead in their arms. The latter of those were turned away as well. There were some things that even I could not heal.

There were many times when I cursed my ability to sense the emotions of others, but none so much as when the dark-haired mother of a dead baby boy showed up on the front steps of Hope House. Her anguish found me even before the door was opened, and by the time she came to make her plea, I was a sobbing mess, kneeling on the floor of my room. I couldn't imagine how she managed to stand.

She begged me to save him, and I knew it was too late, but looking down at his lifeless body, flooded with empathic grief, I couldn't say no. I came to him, and put my hands on his chest, and summoned the magic up through the ground and into my body. I could feel it burning like electric fire as it travelled through my shins, my knees, my thighs…The magic flowed through my abdomen and welled up in my chest, forcing out all air and causing my heart to pound so hard it nearly burst, so hard my throat throbbed with it, and then I channeled all that power down my arms, through my hands, and into the baby boy.

His body shuddered. And then, nothing. My healing was so tiny compared to what he needed; I felt like I'd thrown a tiny pebble into a gaping black well, and would never even hear the splash.

I knew what I had to do. I pulled upon the magic until my whole body shook and the mother was forced to leave her baby in order to hold me upright. She knew my body was suffering, but I felt no sympathy from her, no remorse, just need, as deep and unending as that well.

I channeled the magic through my fingers, tempering it as I released it into the body of the infant; it felt as though I were slowly reaching into a fire to grab the burning logs within. My fingertips were melting away to the bone. I closed my eyes and screamed through the pain, and channeled until I collapsed, unconscious on the floor.

I woke to the sound of a baby crying, and the feeling that my baby was alive. I pushed myself onto hands and knees, and I reached out toward him, but his mother recoiled, horrified. She threw a blanket across her son's face and scurried out of the room, glancing back only once, a quick, wide-eyed look over her shoulder. I stared at my outstretched hand. The fingers were translucent and faintly glowing. I was Tainted.

I never even knew his name.