Magick!

Conjuring

Conjuring: Contracts, Relationships, and Spiritual Power

Conjurors deal with spirits.
Unlike spells which are just tools, spirits have minds and motivations of their own.

Nature and Powers of Spirits

Spirits are virtually always defined by their Hooks. Weak spirits might not even have a Level, and be represented almost exclusively as a Hook — a ghostly apparition unaware of its own existence, just a tragic impression left on a desolate property.

Practically all spirits of any power have a Role that is their nature as a particular type of spirit, with all the thematically attendant attributes and abilities. As they become more powerful and make pacts and bargains among themselves they will often begin to accumulate other Roles, expanding their portfolio of abilities.

The Spiritual Realm

Spirits can retreat to their native spiritual realm, vanishing from the physical world completely. They are utterly gone, not subject to any effect that is limited by physical space or distance. Unless they are bound they can do this as a free action, but it removes them from the scene and severs their connection to the material world; they cannot come back without an anchor or a summoning, both of which take time and rolls.

Most can also just become incorporeal but remain, and generally prefer to exist in this state; they are still present and subject to effects that can bridge the veil, though only mental and spiritual powers can do this. They are usually still able to faintly perceive the physical world, and those with appropriate powers or gifts can perceive and interact with them. What most spirits "see" of mortals is the shadow of their aura as it impinges on the spiritual realm, which represents to them as stylized self-images of how we see ourselves. This is why they so often seem to know things about us that we keep most desperately secret, since those things manifest in our aura as our darkest fears, greatest regrets, and fondest hopes.

The skills of a Conjuror attune their souls to the presence of such entities, and they have a chance to notice them even without actively trying.

The Nature of Spirits

Spirits exist primarily in an incorporeal state within their native spiritual realm, where they can retreat completely as a DL0 action (unless bound or Warded), becoming utterly gone and not subject to any effect limited by physical space or distance. This removes them from the scene entirely and severs their connection to the material world — they cannot return (ever!) without an anchor or summoning, or some special thinning of the veil.

Most spirits prefer to remain present but incorporeal, perceiving the physical world dimly while staying connected to events. What spirits "see" of mortals is the shadow of our aura as it impinges on the spiritual realm — stylized self-images representing how we see ourselves. This is why they so often seem to know our deepest secrets, since those manifest in our auras as our darkest fears, greatest regrets, and fondest hopes.

Spirits are virtually always defined more by their Hooks than conventional statistics. Weak spirits might not even have a Level, existing almost exclusively as a Hook — like a ghostly apparition unaware of its own death, just a tragic impression left on a desolate property. More powerful spirits have Roles that define their nature as particular types of entities, and as they grow in power through pacts and bargains, they often accumulate additional Roles expanding their capabilities.

Halflings represent a special category — entities that exist fully in both physical and spiritual worlds simultaneously. Many powerful monsters fall into this category, as do most goblinkind. Halflings cannot be bound like pure spirits due to their physicality, but they can enter into binding contracts. Their dual nature grants them unique abilities — goblinkind can function in complete darkness because they perceive with both physical and spiritual senses simultaneously.

Spirit Classifications and Specialization

The Dead encompass all forms of mortal spirits — ghosts anchored by unfinished business, shades lingering from violent deaths, ancestral spirits watching over bloodlines. These spirits retain memories and personalities from life but are driven by powerful emotional states that transcended death. They often possess intimate knowledge of mortal affairs and can serve as invaluable sources of historical information or warnings about current dangers. Examples of Halfling Dead might be Zombies, Ghouls, or Revenants.

Elementals are spiritual representatives of fundamental forces — fire, water, earth, air, lightning, ice, metal. These beings embody pure concepts given consciousness, often finding mortal concerns fascinating but alien. They operate on scales and priorities that don't naturally align with human needs, thinking in terms of geological time, seasonal cycles, or the raw physics of their chosen element. Purely Elemental Halflings are usually associated with Earth — Rock Trolls, Forest Dryads — though others are not unknown.

Fae entities come from the realm of dreams, stories, and impossibilities. These spirits embody narrative concepts and trade in meanings, metaphors, and symbolic significance rather than crude material exchanges. They're bound by strange rules and taboos — they cannot lie but delight in misleading truths, must honor bargains but interpret them through utterly alien logic. Conversations with Fae require thinking in riddles and stories, recognizing symbolic importance in seemingly trivial details. Fae Halflings include Spriggans, Merrows, and various Hags.

Demons embody corruption, temptation, and spiritual destruction. They offer immediate gratification in exchange for long-term spiritual debt, always seeking to corrupt individuals and entire societies. Halflings are sometimes Cambion offspring, but others include the Rakshasa; while some Dragons are considered Fae, more are Demons.

Angels serve higher powers as divine messengers, guardians of cosmic order, and embodiments of transcendent virtues. These entities appear when mortal actions threaten fundamental balances or great injustices demand intervention, and can be terrible in their perfect certainty, judging mortals by impossible standards. They offer miraculous aid but often demand correspondingly pure motives and methods. Halfling Angels are very rare — the fabled Grigori "Watchers", or the crossbred Nephelim.

Other categories exist — nature spirits, urban spirits, location-specific entities, alien intelligences, fragments of dead gods. Each require their own cultural knowledge, relationship networks, and understanding of extremely dangerous otherworldly entities.

The Accords

All spirits are bound by The Accords. Few mortals know how they were established or why they were so called, but the rules of the Accords are universal. Faeries cannot lie, ghosts cannot cross an unbroken circle of salt, all spirits are bound to their agreements, and anyone can bargain on behalf of another's debt if they are willing to pay the price themselves.
The Accords also formally state these rules:

• An established Agreement precludes the Participants directly harming each other.
• A Debt or Contract Accepted constitutes an established Agreement.
• A favor Accepted implies a Debt Accepted unless explicitly excluded.
• Payment Accepted precludes future litigation or revenge.
• Proper Payment Refused implies a Continuance of the Agreement.
• Improper Payment offered may be freely Refused without Consequence.
• An Agreement Concluded is wiped clean.
• Breaking these Accords by one Participant Absolves the other from all Obligation.
• No further Agreements may be made by the Participants until Restitution is made.
• A substitute Agreement May be Accepted as Restitution.
• Spirits and Agreements are likewise Bound to the Form they Assume.

A Contract established by Compulsion weakens these.

Spiritual Interaction with the Physical World

From their incorporeal state, most spirits can manage only minor effects similar to an Adept's trivial powers. However, a few common Maneuvers allow them to interact meaningfully with the material world:

Display allows spirits to project shadows of their power across the veil into the material realm. At low ranks, this enables only the most basic effects — ghostly images, spectral sounds, temperature changes, sudden smells. Powerful spirits use Display to create complex Glamours that seem completely real to mortal senses. Any direct harm from Display creates only Complications, and wounds directly caused by Glamours vanish when the illusion is removed — though spirits can absolutely use deception to trick victims into real danger. Virtually all spirits have some of this ability, even if they do not spend Maneuver ranks on it.

Manifestation creates genuine physical forms and effects inhabited by the spirit. The medium varies by spirit type and their specific Hooks — fire elementals manifest from flames and ash, demons from bone and spilled blood, ghosts from ectoplasm generated by strong emotions. While successfully Manifest, spirits can apply all their Manifestation ranks to Display effects (making them more substantial) and all Display ranks to Manifestation (making it more accurate). However, the physical form is subject to physical Harm, and if brought Down the Manifestation dissipates and shocks the spirit back to the spiritual realm. Most spirits have at least some small ability to Manifest if they want to, even without the Maneuver, but many avoid it as an uncomfortable vulnerability.

Manifestation is also generally a spirit's primary means of interacting physically. Even if they don't become physical, a fire elemental can usually create actual fire. A wind spirit can make real air currents. How effective these are depends on the strength of the spirit and their skill at manifestation, but the more they Manifest, the more vulnerable they become to mundane actions being able to affect them in return.

Possession requires seizing control of existing physical beings through the Possession Maneuver. This isn't simple takeover — spirits must slowly familiarize themselves with their target's emotional "strings," synchronizing with their motivations until host and possessor become indistinguishable. This process works primarily through the victim's Hooks, with spirits battering emotions through these exposed vulnerabilities. Most mortals are too spiritually oblivious for possession except by the most powerful entities, and it works poorly against those who can perceive and rebuff spirits like Conjurors and Halflings. Possession is less common, and spirits cannot even attempt this without at least one rank as a Maneuver. It is most common among Demons and the Dead, least common for Elementals, and impossible for Halflings.

Spirits may also have any other Maneuvers the GM feels appropriate. The Dead may have any Roles and Maneuvers they had in life; Fae and Elementals will often have Maneuver ranks similar to an Adept of their underlying type. Demons often have ranks of Performer and are consummate liars.

Reaching Across the Veil

A few particularly dangerous entities can reach across from their nearly invulnerable incorporeal state to torment mortals, but the best most can manage without a physical presence are minor effects similar to the trivial powers of an Adept.

Those with a Display Maneuver can focus their spiritual power at the veil, projecting a shadow of it across into the material realm perceptible to common mortals. At low ranks this gives them the ability to be seen and heard, if not clearly, resulting in ghostly images, spectral moans, changes in temperature, and sudden smells, perhaps so faint a mortal cannot clearly identify what is disturbing them. A subtle spirit might use these to frighten or sometimes deceive, but they must have some other skill to accomplish anything with actual points of effect unless the mortal has an appropriate Hook they can use as a bonus. This is the most common Maneuver spirits have; powerful spirits use it to warp mortal perceptions with complex Glamours that seem completely real.

Direct Harm from Display is always Hindrance or explicit Complication; a wound directly caused by a Glamour is a Glamour, and will vanish when the illusion is removed. On the other hand, the spirit can absolutely use its ability to deceive to make victims subject themselves to real injury — walking out a high window still hurts when you fall.

Achieving Physical Presence

If a spirit wants to affect the physical world beyond illusion and misdirection, they must have a physical presence. Many do this with Display to trick mortals into doing things for them, or sometimes just to ask, but when they want to do it themselves they have two primary methods for achieving it.

Possession

Spirits can seize control of something or someone that already exists in the physical world, but this is not an easy thing to do! To possess a mortal, a spirit must have the Possession Maneuver and use it to create a connection and insinuate themselves into the mortal's psyche. Mortals are less like suits and more like complex marionettes, and to possess us they must first find and familiarize themselves with enough of our "strings" to understand what moves us, and then synchronize themselves with those obscure motivations until we cannot tell where we end and they begin. This is a slow and tedious process, but spirits are not subject to the passage of time as we are, and can be diabolically patient.

This doesn't work very well against those who can perceive and rebuff them such as Conjurors and Halflings, and most mortals are just too oblivious to the spirit world to be valid candidates for any but the most powerful and terrifying spirits. Emotion is the engine that drives mortal behavior, so most spirits who achieve possession do so through our Hooks. They batter our emotions through these raw, exposed gears. They wear us down and make us think the only peace is to surrender, to succumb, by which time they have acquired enough mastery of our hearts and minds to become the puppet masters of our thoughts and actions. Once in possession of a mortal it requires a careful exorcism to extract a spirit without harming the host.

Note that even a willing host isn't enough for a spirit to possess without time and effort, but some mortals have gifts that lend themselves to a contractual opportunity. Specially enchanted items can facilitate Possession of the item itself, and rare natural Anchors can form for this.

If the doll isn't where you left it, be suspicious.

Manifestation

Another Maneuver spirits use to acquire physicality is Manifestation. This doesn't require mortal assistance, but it certainly helps.

The medium of Manifestation is entirely up to the GM, but it generally aligns with the type of spirit and their specific Hooks. A fire elemental would most likely manifest from a great fire, composing themselves from the fuel, the ashes and soot, and the smoke. A demon might draw their substance from the spilled blood of a great slaughter. Ghosts often use ectoplasm, a transient material spontaneously generated from strong emotions, and so easier to disrupt, but immensely flexible in form and presentation.

A Manifestation is a real, physical form created and inhabited by the spirit, acting much like a mortal body, though its appearance and attributes are somewhat arbitrary. While Manifest a spirit may apply all ranks of their Manifestation Maneuver to any Display in order to make it more substantial, and all their ranks in Display to their Manifestation to make it more accurate.

The drawback is that no matter how real it seems the physical form is still limited to what the spirit can generate and manage, and it is now physical, which means it is subject to physical Harm. Once the Manifestation has taken enough Harm to be Down, the spirit can no longer maintain its integrity and it will dissipate; the shock of this drives them back to the spiritual realm, from whence they cannot return without the assistance of summoning or an anchor…

There is another critical truth of the Accords that all Conjurors know:
A Manifest spirit must obey the rules of the form it has chosen.
If it Manifests as a man, it is subject to the same Harm a man takes.

Spirits are seldom new, however; having been around a while, they usually know a few tricks. A fire elemental will Manifest a form that is dynamic, composed largely of flame and smoke that are very difficult to Harm with conventional weapons. An earth elemental will likely create a form composed of crystals and living, growing vine that has low vulnerability for different reasons. Accordingly the GM will very often assign any Manifestation its own "armor" as part of their description, complete with the same Hook-style disadvantages suitable to their type. They can use these to resist damage the same way a Warrior wearing armor with appropriate Maneuvers would apply them, or any character deferring damage to their gear.

Physical Manifestation is difficult. The physical form a spirit creates is typically the persistent Boost resulting from a Wagered roll, meaning its integrity is the number of points they wagered. Conjurors who understand this can attempt to directly counter the Boost to disrupt the Manifestation.