The Science of Theurgy - Magonomia Core Rules Preview

Magonomia® Core Rules is still open for late pledges until March 31. This week we’ll give a bit of a longer preview of the rule book. Characters in Magonomia each choose one of the five magical Sciences: Alchemy, Astrology, Sorcery, Theurgy, and Witchcraft. Each provides different spells and different strengths and weaknesses. Here is our most distinctively Renaissance European Science, the Science of Theurgy:

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Theurgy

Magonomia Core Rules preview

The Science of Theurgy

Theurgy is the study of names of power. By invoking the names of spirits or angels, the magician can control both the natural and supernatural sides of the world. Theurgy most excels at divination and combating supernatural enemies.

Most theurgists in Enchanted England are Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, but as a player you can also make a Pagan theurgist, or a Buddhist or Hindu theurgist from a distant land. A theurgist who doesn’t believe in religion at all can still be effective. Theurgy is magic, not religion.

According to theurgists, there is a divine order to the universe, and it can be discovered by supernatural means. In Magonomia, the divine order is maintained by a hierarchy of spirits that exert occult power over the world. They do everything from pushing the new grass out of the ground in the springtime to moving the sun across the sky. A theurgist learns the names of these spirits and learns how to give them direct orders, usually by invoking the name one of their superiors.

Theurgy can also command nature directly. This is called adjuration. For example, a Theurgy spell could say something like “O axe, in the name of [spirit] do not cut that tree” or “O bruise, in the name of [spirit] depart from my body.” Certain Renaissance theurgists believed they could use their power to reproduce the deeds of the Apostles in the Bible’s book of Acts: casting out unwanted spirits, curing diseases, speaking prophecies. Others believed they could perform the feats of the ancients, such as those performed by the Oracle of Delphi.

The challenge of Theurgy is that spirits and nature will only obey a mortal whom they deem worthy. Much of the practice of Theurgy therefore consists of rituals to build up the magician’s spiritual strength and authority. Theurgists meditate, pursue visions, and consult with spirits to advance toward enlightenment. Note that while such rituals have religious origins, they’re really about self-improvement, not necessarily piety. A theurgist’s practices don’t have to line up with anything from a real-world religion—indeed, because Theurgy is an esoteric Science, much of it is alien to established religious ceremonies.

You might think theurgists would be readily accepted by church authorities. Historically, however, theurgy could be quite controversial. Magicians’ inquiry into the divine order can lead them to challenge official religious doctrine. Remember that Europe in the sixteenth century was wracked by religious conflicts. Heresy is dangerous. Theurgy is nonetheless more likely to be accepted than Sorcery. For this reason, grimoires of Sorcery often intentionally mislabel their spells as Theurgy. The line between the two Sciences can be fine.

Playing a Theurgist

Theurgy is works similarly to Sorcery; both Sciences involve conjuring spirits to do the wizard’s bidding. The difference is that Theurgy involves mystically preparing the wizard to become an authority figure spirits have no choice but to obey. Sorcery, in contrast, strikes bargains with spirits by offering them something of value.

Much of a Theurgist’s offstage magical regimen consists of meditation, special diet, and other spiritual practices. A Theurgist doesn’t have to be pious. They just have to go through certain ceremonial motions—frequently and consistently. If you wish, you can choose a Trouble Aspect such as Austere Lifestyle or Taboo Against Touching Animals to represent mystical constraints on your theurgist. If you don’t, that’s a signal to your gaming group that you prefer to keep your wizard’s ritualistic side in the background.

Another activity that consumes a lot of a Theurgist’s offstage time is researching the names of spirits, their “offices” (jobs) and hence their powers, and their hierarchy. Some of this is recorded in esoteric tomes, often written in cipher or concealed by steganography. More can be learned by conjuring spirits and interviewing them, or through visions.

Strengths of Theurgy

Theurgy features the best selection of defensive spells overall, and is outstanding at protecting against spirits and Conjuration magic.

Theurgy is second strongest at divination, after Astrology.

It’s the only Science that can simply break other spells.

Limitations of Theurgy

Theurgy spells are individually not very versatile, and the overall spell selection is skewed toward fighting supernatural threats. In stories where your opponents are nonmagicians, you may find that not all of your spells are useful.

Reasons to Choose Theurgy

·         You want to fight supernatural opponents and break evil spells.

·         You enjoy taking the role of defender.

·         You want spells that will help you deal peacefully with humans.

Reasons to Avoid Theurgy

·         You want spells that are versatile.

·         You don’t want a character with a strong spiritual side.

·         Your adventures aren’t likely to contain supernatural threats.

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© 2021 Shewstone Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. This article is not Open Game Content.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs ... Spell Teaser for Magonomia

We’re working on finishing up the manuscript for Magonomia Core Rules. If roleplaying a wizard who uses Renaissance themed magic appeals to you, our crowdfunding campaign is accepting late pledges through March 31, 2021. Here’s an example of one of our 200 spells in the core book, inspired by Renaissance sources:

By the Pricking of My Thumbs

Degree 3 Sorcery; governed by Mercury

A Fetish temporarily grants (Good +3) Alert for Approaching Creatures.

By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes.

--William Shakespeare, MacBeth, Act IV, scene 1

Onstage Preparation: Fast

Augmentation: None

Components: A bag of animal parts, blood, incantations

Activation: Create an Advantage vs. 3

Duration: Until the next sunrise or sunset

A spirit you have evoked into an object—a Fetish—can be awakened with two drops of your blood (one from each thumb). It lends you its Aspect, (Good +3) Alert for Approaching Creatures, which you can use as a skill instead of Notice to detect people approaching.

The spirit gives a silent warning in the caster’s mind when a significant mortal creature approaches. What counts as significant depends on the spirit’s perceptions, not on human reason, though it only goes far off if the Activation failed. If you succeed with style at detecting creatures, the spirit tells you something true and relevant about the creature, as it did for MacBeth’s witch: “something wicked this way comes,” in her case.

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(c) 2020-2021 Shewstone Publishing LLC. The text of this article may be copied, reused, and modified under the terms of the Open Gaming License, version 1.0a.

Tales of Renaissance Wizardy: A Glass Half Full

by Chris Hopper

Tales of Renaissance Wizardry is a series of short adventure outlines for use in tabletop roleplaying games. ©2020 Shewstone Publishing LLC. You are permitted to use, modify, and redistribute this article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike (CC BY-SA) license.

Background

Thirty years ago, Cassio Perno and his associates were invited by Henry VIII to bring Venetian glassmaking to London. For far too long the English aristocracy had relied on continental imports, and with the new church of England, many Catholic glassmakers were now beyond their reach. It was the king’s intent that cristallo soda glass and decorative engraving be brought not only to his new church, but to the secular world. And as England grew, so did the demand for glassware.

Queen Elizabeth has a more practical concern. Her wizards regularly require pure, stout glassware for alchemical concoctions. The stained glass, window, and table trade is great for England’s burgeoning economy, but the steady demand of wood-fired kilns is an expensive undertaking. Jean Carre, a Norman glassmaker relocated to the industrial forests of Sussex known as the Waeld, claims to have revolutionized the industry. His glass is stout and sturdy and, more importantly, made with coal and ash instead of fresh wood. The wealth of coal available in England would free up precious hardwoods for boats and buildings.  But before the queen signs an exclusive contract with him she wants you, her wizards, to put his product to the test.

One of the other experts, Cassio Perno, is set on sabotaging Carre to maintain his hold over the industry. When the wizards presence makes his plan more difficult, he resorts to increasingly extreme measures to ensure the Norman falls out of favor of the queen.

Scene 1: Meet the Glassmakers

The characters are called to Oxford, where Jean Carre is to present his new glassware to the Queen herself.  She is fond of her visits to Oxford, and excited for the opportunity to witness these claims firsthand. After the characters are briefed on this summons, read or paraphrase the following:

A light rain falls over the Jesus College in Oxford, splashing against the thick bubbled glass of the plated windows. A galley of court attendants crowds around flustered academics in the lecture theatre as a young huguenot sets up a series of demonstrations before the Queen and her advisors.

Jean Carre, the presenting huguenot, is a conservatively dressed calvinist with a thick french accent. He wears murrey woolens and the flat topped hat of a woodland worker, and seems out of place in both the bright silks of the court and the black robes of academia. After a series of basic demonstrations, he explains that his process is made using the by-product of industries the queen has already engaged. No longer will she have to burn precious oak, when his glass can simply be made with the leftover ash and lye.

Queen Elizabeth is not so easily won over. After a brief consultation with her trusted advisor and court magician Dr. John Dee, she declares that her wizards will be joining the academics in putting his alchemical equipment to the test.

As the attendants file out, Dee will take the opportunity to ask the characters what methods they’d like to use, and recommend a few of his own. He warns that there are many established suppliers of royal glass that don’t wish a newcomer competing on their field, and encourages the characters to keep an eye on the proceedings.

The attending experts from Oxford are: 

• Cassio Perno, an elaborately dressed man in his fifties. He speaks with only the faintest italian accent. He’s friendly and polite as decorum requires, but cruel-eyed and clearly intimidated by the younger craftsman. Perno is an accomplished Alchemist, with stats to challenge the wizards if it comes to open combat.

• Giuseppe Regio, a young Venetian specializing in avertine (opaque, copper-treated decorative glass). He prefers academic dress and is especially interested in the magical applications of alchemy.

• Siegfried Messer, a German chemist whose expertise is in explosives and other reactants. He’s here as a reagents expert, but also out of academic curiosity. He’s in his mid-forties and dresses unremarkably. Of the three, he’ll be the friendliest to the wizards.

Scene 2: The Tests

If they have the appropriate backgrounds, the characters may take a few moments to devise tests of their own, otherwise the academics do so. Choose one or two examples below as opportunities for the characters to interact with the experts, or to catch an act of malicious intent. It’s important that Perno not blow his cover at this phase: the sabotage is in the setup of the test, not the action itself.

Heat tolerance. The glass is placed inside a crucible that is fed bit by bit until the heat causes it to shatter. Perno will sneak a hotter burning wood like oak, birch, or cherry into Jean Carre’s side of the crucible.

Stain. Egg wash and silver powder paints are used to fill etchings on vibrant window glass. While this is decorative, it serves an important purpose for a number of magical applications as well. The wizards may use the piece to attempt a scrying challenge. Perno will dilute the silver with cadmium, burning it to a flat black if successful.

Acid. Increasingly dense concentrations of vitriol (sulphuric acid) are roasted into oil of vitriol. Perno will swap it with the dangerous Aqua Regia to destroy the glassware outright.

Thermal Density. Glassware is heated in the same crucible as before, then doused in water to see if it will crack. This would also be difficult to sabotage, but Perno may have some clever means of weakening the glass prior to it being heated.

The glassmakers brought their best pieces to Oxford, but after the Trials the academics will want to see the glassmaking process itself. Carre’s Wealder glasshouse is two days away by carriage, outside Tunbridge, south of London. The academics will gladly offer to share a carriage with the wizards the next morning.

Scene 3: That Night

The wizards are given rooms at Oxford for the night. These are well-appointed, though the town of Oxford is clearly straining economically. Elizabeth’s reign has made university towns rife with conflict between religious reformers, Catholics, and various class issues. If the wizards decide to sneak out for whatever reason, they may find themselves rolled into a ditch for their finery.

Cassio Perno hopes to use this as cover to murder Carre. He talks the Norman (and anyone who wants to tag along) to a pint at the Bear, where he slips a bit of Monkshood onto his glass. This maneuver is well-rehearsed, and should be hard (but not impossible) for the wizards to spot, if they’re present. If using Magonomia, the Subtle Poison Alchemy spell should be used for this.

Wizards who spot the action must work quickly to save Carre, and detain Perno at the Tavern. If he realizes he’s been caught, he’ll call on the aid of a couple of hired toughs and slip out into the night, relying on alchemy and stealth to avoid being personally involved in the fight.

 If the wizards were not in attendance at the tavern, it’ll be up to their investigative skills to uncover Jean Carre’s murderer.

Scene 4: Investigating the Murder

If the wizards didn’t visit the tavern, or failed to detect the poisoning, they’ll wake the next morning to find the campus buzzing about the death of their guest. As the queen’s wizards, they’ll be in a prime position to aid the local constabulary in the investigation. Interviewing the other experts and staff will reveal the following: 

• Cassio Perno will be open and honest about befriending Jean Carre by treating him to an evening at Oxford’s finest alehouse. He will allow the characters to search his quarters, having disposed of the poison outside the Bear last night.

• Giuseppe Regio joined Cassio and Carre, but turned in after a single drink. He didn’t hear or see anything else that night

• Siegfried Messer is too old for that, and hadn’t left the campus. He heard Carre stumbling around the room.

• A witness at the bar, a commoner or servant, may have seen Perno slip the poison.

Characters with divination or medical knowledge may detect the poison around Jean Carre’s room, which looks to have been tossed a bit before he collapsed into bed. If they pursue the murder to the Bear, a servant named Emma Burgess will have witnessed the poison slip, but have no evidence beyond her word. Searching the grounds will find the vial, but magic will again be required to link it to Cassio Perno.

Wrapping Up

If the characters prevented Carre’s murder, he’ll compose himself and demonstrate his remarkable process with pride, impressing the remaining wizards and academic experts with his simpler method of production and clear results.

If Carre is murdered and Perno captured or killed, the Crown will commend the wizards for dispensing justice but express their regrets at a failure to prevent catastrophe. 

If Cassio escapes, he’ll slip away from Oxford to lay low until the whole business is forgotten. He’s well established in London, and continues to provide his Murano methods for years. The remaining academics will attempt to reassemble Carre’s methods, but never fully reproduce his methods.

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The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men …

We played this scenario as part of the Magonomia Actual Play video series: you can watch the entire game session using the YouTube link below. I thought the scenario played very well — though in our case it didn’t quite go as written. That’s a strength, not a weakness, of the scenario: we went a little off script but the concept of this adventure was clear and complete enough that I (the GM) never felt lost or stuck.

When we launch the Shewstone Podcasts, one of our episodes will be an interview with me, the GM, and Chris, the writer, talking about what went well and what was most helpful in the material he wrote. Until then, you can check out our actual play video and compare for yourself!

— Andrew Gronosky

Have More Fun by Embracing Failure in Fate Games

by Andrew Gronosky

This is a section of text from chapter 6 of the Magonomia® manuscript.

When I first read the Fate Core System book, I had a negative impression. It looked to me like Fate was designed so characters rarely fail. I'd spent most of my gaming years playing RPGs like Call of Cthulhu®, where having your character devoured by a monster is considered one of the better possible outcomes. "Young gamers these days are a bunch of crybabies!" I harrumphed. "Back when I started playing First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® (or AD&D® for short), one failed dice roll could get your character disintegrated beyond hope of resurrection!"

It did cross my mind that having a character you've been playing for two years blasted into ash on Round 1 of a battle might be considered a bit anticlimactic. In fact, I remembered, when I was a GM for AD&D®, I fudged dice rolls quite a lot just to prop up some semblance of a plot. The current (Fifth) edition of D&D® is a lot more forgiving, or perhaps I should say, less gratuitously harsh. And more fun.

If you’re coming from an old-school mentality of "make this dice roll or your character dies!" then you’ll probably have an impulse to apply all the narrative tools Fate gives you to avoid failure. You can sustain that for several game sessions, if you’re parsimonious with your Fate Points. I did. You'll be missing out on more than half the fun of Magonomia, because failure, setbacks, and complications add a lot to the experience.

The key insight that made me embrace the Fate system was when I decided, for the first time, not to Invoke an Aspect to prevent failure. I took the "success at a major cost" option instead. That's the anecdote [about the wizard hiding in a tree and dropping the potion they were planning to use, then having to think fast to get out of that tight spot ] . Tell me that's not better than succeeding on the Stealth roll, if you can!

Failure has a different meaning in Magonomia than it does in a game like D&D®. Magonomia becomes fun when you let go of your fear of individual failure. Step outside your character and realize the story won't get derailed if something bad happens to them. In fact, unless they face dangers and trials, there is no story. Internalize that mistakes and bad luck don't punish you, the player. Trust the GM to make failure a springboard to move the plot forward.

Frankly, I think Magonomia is more like real life, where mistakes are recoverable and your friends have your back.

In the end, I concede that the Fate system gives you many tools to avoid failure. I would add that it also gives you every reason not to be afraid of failure. In Magonomia, we mean it when we say "create a positive experience for everyone." One of the ways you can do that is to let your character fail.