vaelora/Rules/Magic Traditions/_Magic Traditions.md

"The world is veined with spirits—restless, patient, cunning, and wild.
To practice magic is to reach into those currents and be changed by them."

Magic in Vaelora is neither casual nor safe. It is a constant negotiation with the unseen—spirits of fire, stone, memory, blood, and void that linger between worlds. Every tradition draws from this same source, yet each approaches it differently: some through force, others through devotion, others still through cunning craft.

This chapter introduces the core rules for magical traditions, laying out how they function in play and what they cost those who dare to wield them.

What Are Magical Traditions?

Magical traditions are structured paths of interacting with spirits. They define:

1. A Philosophy – A world view and method for engaging the spirit realm.
2. A Discipline – Codified practices, rituals, and techniques passed down through orders, lineages, or desperate survival.
3. A Cost – Every tradition exacts a price, from spiritual corruption to bodily harm, to the erosion of the caster’s very identity.

Examples include:

• Spirit Binding – Enslaving spirits to fuel power through coercion and runic seals.
• Chthonism – Attuning to the slow, immense spirits of earth and leyline.
• Soulforging – Shackling spirits into weapons and relics, turning them into tools of war.
• Alchemy – Coaxing the smallest spirits of matter to infuse potions and catalysts.
• Melded Souls – Becoming one with a spirit, blurring mortal and otherworldly essence.

[!info] Key Concept: Magic is never free. Every use alters the world, the spirit, and the practitioner. A wise sorcerer considers when to act as much as how.

Core System: How Magic Traditions Work

Magical traditions use the same Dice Pool system as other actions:

1. Choose the appropriate Attribute (often Focus, Spirit, or Wit) and Skill for the tradition.
2. Build a pool:
   Dice Pool = Attribute + Primary Skill
3. Roll the dice. Each 5 or 6 is a success. Compare your successes to the task’s Difficulty Rating (1–4).

Each tradition has:

• Primary Skill: The main skill used for its core actions (e.g., Binding, Alchemy, Rituals).
• Secondary Skill: A supporting skill for preparation, defense, or specialized applications.

Costs and Risks

Magic always demands a price. Each tradition defines specific costs, but the following universal consequences may apply:

Corruption Dice

When you push too far, you gain Corruption Dice—special dice that join your pool.

• If a 1 is rolled on a Corruption Die, you trigger the tradition’s backlash (e.g., spirit rebellion, self-injury, hauntings).
• If a 6 is rolled, it fuels a surge of unstable power.
• Corruption Dice linger until cleansed through rites or story milestones.

Fatigue and Wounds

Drawing on spirits saps the body as well as the soul. Some effects cause:

• Fatigue: Penalties to rolls until you rest.
• Wounds: Spiritual or physical injuries tracked as Injuries.

Long-Term Erosion

Repeated use of magic may lead to:

• Personality drift (adopting traits of the spirits you channel).
• Spiritual scars (hauntings, dream-echoes, cursed auras).
• Permanent Burdens or Traumas, if pushed too far.

Ability Trees and Advancement

Each tradition has one or more Ability Trees. These represent the practitioner’s deepening mastery:

• Tier 1: Foundational techniques. Unlocks the tradition.
• Tier 2: Greater reach and versatility.
• Tier 3: Advanced abilities that define your reputation.
• Tier 4: Apex powers with dramatic consequences.

To unlock abilities:

1. Meet the tradition’s Skill Rank requirement (usually Rank 2+ in the primary skill).
2. Spend Marks (earned when you fail or succeed meaningfully with the tradition’s skills) equal to Tier × 3.

[!note] Example:
A Binder with Binding 2 wants a Tier 2 ability. They must spend 6 Marks gained from Binding or Rituals.

Breaking a tradition’s codes, vows, or bargains may lock abilities until you atone.

Spirit Interaction

The way you engage spirits shapes your role in the world:

• Command: Force spirits into service (Spirit Binding, Soulforging).
• Appease: Offer sacrifices and service (Chthonism, Alchemy).
• Join: Merge and share identity (Melded Souls).

Spirits have personalities, grudges, and desires. A GM should treat them as active participants, not just resources.

The Role of Magic in the Story

Magic in Vaelora is a story engine. Each tradition comes with:

• Opportunities: Solutions mundane skills can’t match.
• Complications: Prices that twist or escalate the narrative.
• Mystique: A sense of danger and wonder that makes each act of magic significant.

Encourage players to describe how their tradition manifests—what it looks like, feels like, and how it leaves a mark. GMs should weave consequences into the fiction: a spirit’s whispers in dreams, scorched earth, tremors that draw attention.

Universal GM Guidance

• Make the cost visible: Even when rolls succeed, describe the toll on the caster and world.
• Escalate failures: Spirits hold grudges. Environments destabilize. A single misstep can spiral.
• Reward ritual and preparation: Quick magic is dangerous; careful practice should mitigate risks.
• Let spirits be characters: Give them motives, voices, and the ability to refuse or twist bargains.

Next: The Traditions Themselves

The following chapters detail each tradition’s philosophy, core mechanics, costs, and its unique Ability Trees. Players may specialize in one tradition, dabble in several, or eschew magic entirely—but in Vaelora, the influence of spirits touches everyone.