11 KiB
Overview
Pact Magic is the art of binding oneself and a spirit to a mutual agreement. Unlike Blood Sorcery or Spirit Binding, it cannot summon, compel, or consume. A pactmaker’s power comes from reciprocal exchange:
- The pactmaker asks a spirit for a favor, blessing, or power,
- In return, the spirit receives a concession, service, or sacrifice.
The bigger the act the pactmaker offers, the greater the spirit’s support. Pact Magic requires skillful negotiation, knowing how much to offer without destroying oneself, and surviving the consequences of a bad deal.
- Codified Pactwrights treat it as law: contracts are airtight, true names are leveraged, and Spirits are cornered with clauses.
- Wild Pactmakers form kin-like bonds through visions, offerings, or ancestral ties.
Mechanics
1. Negotiating a Pact
Pact Magic is used only when a spirit is already present and listening.
- Roll Cunning + Attune as a contested roll against the spirit’s Spirit Tier + Dominion Influence.
- Each side states what they want and what they offer.
- The pactmaker must put forward something of value or the spirit will refuse.
- You get -1 die on this role for every simultaneous pact you currently maintain.
Reciprocity is the engine: The pact feeds the Magic. The more costly the offering, the more the spirit is willing to give.
2. Outcomes
- Success:
- The pactmaker secures favorable terms.
- The spirit delivers what was promised for the determined Volume.
- Calculate the Pact Volume as described below.
- Failure:
- The spirit secures terms more in its favor or refuses outright. It may offer a twisted pact, claiming a Favor one level higher for a Service one level lower.
- If you accept, the pact is binding; if you refuse, the spirit is free to act as it wishes (usually leaving or seeking revenge).
3. Reputation Among Spirits
Your Reputation is a persistent measure of how Spirits view you, tracked on a slider:
- Slider Range: –5 to +5
- Reputation modifies all bargaining rolls and affects the Volume granted by the spirit:
| Reputation Level | Dice Modifier | Volume Modifier | Spirit Attitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| +5 (Legendary) | +5 dice | +2 Volume | Spirits approach you with offers; even Greater Spirits respect you. |
| +3–4 (Trusted) | +3–4 dice | +1 Volume | Spirits are generous and open to concessions. |
| +1–2 (Respected) | +1–2 dice | +0 Volume | Spirits trust your word but expect balance. |
| 0 (Neutral) | ±0 | ±0 | Spirits treat you like any other mortal. |
| –1 to –2 (Distrusted) | –1–2 dice | –1 Volume | Spirits are cautious, offering less or demanding more. |
| –3 to –4 (Notorious) | –3–4 dice | –1 Volume | Spirits may refuse pacts unless heavily compensated. |
| –5 (Hunted) | –5 dice | –2 Volume | Most spirits refuse to deal; some actively seek to sabotage you. |
4. Shifting Reputation
- Broken pacts: Immediately shift the slider –1 level (or further for egregious betrayals).
- Fulfilled pacts: At the conclusion of the spirit’s service, roll Cunning + Attune (difficulty = Spirit Tier).
- Success: Reputation shifts up one level.
- Failure: Reputation stays the same.
- This roll only occurs if the pact was fulfilled honorably; tricking or abusing the spirit removes the chance.
Reputation does not shift on every pact, only when a spirit’s service ends. This keeps the system meaningful and prevents whiplash.
5. Determining Volume
Volume = Favor Level + Margin of Success (+/- Reputation Volume Modifier)
- Favor Level: The scale of the offering (see table).
- Margin of Success: Net successes from the bargaining roll (0–5 typically).
- Reputation Adjustment: Apply the Volume Modifier from your Reputation level.
Pact Volume Table
[!aside|right show-title] Ongoing Benefits and Volume> Some pacts grant continuous effects—flight, invisibility, protective auras, or other benefits that persist instead of triggering once. These ongoing effects slowly drain the spirit’s energy over time.
Rule:
An ongoing effect consumes 1 act for every scene in which it is relevantly used.
If the effect does not play a role in the scene (no challenge, risk, or narrative weight), it costs nothing for that scene. Example: You bargain with an air spirit (Volume 5) for the ability to fly.
You fly during a chase (1 act), bypass a canyon (1 act), and later use flight to infiltrate a fortress (1 act).
Three scenes where flight mattered = 3 acts spent, leaving 2 acts for other requests.
Why:
- This makes ongoing effects scale naturally with play: the more you actively benefit, the more of the spirit’s “Volume” is drained.
- It also discourages abuse without punishing downtime or scenes where the benefit doesn’t matter.
| Favor Level | Examples of Offering | Base Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – Small | Minor service, small gift, token blood sacrifice, brief labor | 1 |
| 2 – Significant | Valuable item, painful concession, week-long service, small magical debt | 2 |
| 3 – Major | Limb, vow of servitude, powerful relic, year-long debt, risking life | 3 |
| 4 – Monumental | Permanent loss: a soul, entire community’s wellbeing, mortal future | 4 |
Volume Outcome (Favor + Margin)
| Volume Total | Spirit Service Granted |
|---|---|
| 1 | The spirit performs exactly 1 act (one dominion ability at lesser tier) or serves you for 1 scene (approx. 10–30 minutes). |
| 2 | The spirit performs exactly 2 acts at its full tier or serves you for 12 hours. |
| 3 | The spirit performs exactly 3 acts at its full tier or serves you for 24 hours (1 day). |
| 4 | The spirit performs exactly 4 acts at its full tier or serves you for 3 consecutive days. |
| 5 | The spirit performs exactly 5 acts at its full tier or serves you for 7 consecutive days. Spirits of Greater tier may use their dominion abilities at full strength. |
| 6 | The spirit performs exactly 6 acts at its full tier or serves you for 14 consecutive days. |
| 7 | The spirit performs exactly 7 acts at its full tier or serves you for 30 consecutive days. While serving, the spirit may fully manifest in the mortal world. |
| 8 | The spirit performs exactly 8 acts at its full tier or serves you for 60 consecutive days. While serving, it may manifest and act independently on your behalf. |
| 9+ | The spirit is bound to ongoing service: it performs exactly 10 acts at its full tier or remains until the pactmaker fulfills their side of the bargain. While serving, it may escalate its powers by +1 tier when performing its dominion abilities. |
6. Breaking a Pact
- The spirit may take what the pact requires immediately and violently.
- All effects granted by the pact end immediately.
- Broken pacts always shift Reputation –1 level and permanently stain your name in the spirit world.
Abilities
![[Pact Magic – The Oathbound Path]]
Ongoing Costs
The greatest ongoing cost of Pact Magic is what you must do to keep pacts going:
- Time, resources, and sacrifices to fulfill your promises can strip away relationships, wealth, and security.
- As obligations stack, pactmakers are often forced into increasingly drastic trades to maintain their web of promises.
There is no separate Corruption track or injuries; the Reputation Slider replaces this. Your word is your currency.
Roleplaying Pact Magic
- Every pact has weight. Each favor must feel real, and each spirit service is earned.
- Your Reputation among Spirits is everything. Honoring pacts builds respect and generous terms; betrayal makes every deal harder.
- Mortals often seek pactmakers as intercessors, but few fully trust them.
[!hint] GM Guidance