8.4 KiB
“Every place, oath, and heartbeat whispers into the Veil. Some whispers are loud enough to answer back.”
– Creed of the Veil, Fifth Psalm
What Are Spirits?
Spirits are living echoes of meaning. They arise where belief, memory, natural forces, or emotion saturate the world so deeply that they take shape. Spirits are not gods or ghosts, though they may be mistaken for either; they are concepts made animate.
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A battlefield soaked in grief might birth a spirit of mourning.
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A long-tended hearth might house a spirit of warmth and welcome.
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An ancient forest could be guarded by a spirit of growth and decay.
Because the Veil seals Vaelora from the outer cosmos, all spirits are trapped in the mortal world. They cannot reincarnate or ascend, and this makes them both desperate and dangerous.
Tiers of Spirit Power
Spirits vary wildly in power and scope. For clarity, we use Power Rating (PR), a scale from 1–6.
| Tier | Power Rating (PR) | Scope & Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Imprint | 1 | Barely conscious echoes. Affect only atmosphere and subtle impressions. Cannot act intentionally. |
| Lesser Spirit | 2 | Narrow influence. Can manifest small effects or interact with mortals through ritual or strong emotion. |
| Simple Spirit | 3 | Self-aware and mobile. Can influence its environment and interact with mortals regularly. |
| Complex Spirit | 4 | Broad influence over its dominions. Can impact communities or whole regions. |
| Greater Spirit | 5 | Mythic entities tied to vast concepts or ecosystems. Can rewrite reality within their dominions. |
| Archspirit | 6 | Legends given form. Shape nations and spirit-ecologies; rarely interact with mortals directly. |
[!hint] GM Note: Most spirits encountered by player characters will be PR 1–4. PR 5–6 spirits are rare, narrative-defining forces.
Dominions: What Spirits Control
Every spirit is tied to 1–3 dominions, which define the forces, ideas, or elements it embodies.
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Dominions are not territory. They are the metaphysical “roots” of the spirit’s existence.
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Examples: Fire, Memory, Oaths, Weather, Hunger, Growth, Grief, Stone, Ambition, Rot.
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A narrow focus (one dominion) makes a spirit exceptionally strong in that domain. Multiple dominions give versatility but dilute potency.
Dominions determine:
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What abilities the spirit can use.
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What offerings or rituals resonate with it.
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How magical traditions (binding, pacts, melding) can interact with it.
Example: A PR 3 Spirit of Storms might command Weather and Fear. It can call lightning or terrify enemies, but it struggles to harm those who do not fear it.
Spirit Abilities
Each spirit can manifest abilities tied to its dominions. These are active expressions of its power.
Ability Slots
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A spirit has a number of Ability Slots equal to its PR.
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Each slot is filled by one ability. Abilities scale in potency with PR.
Manifestation Dice (MD)
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A spirit has a pool of MD = PR.
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Each use of an ability spends one MD. Spirits regain MD through:
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Time and rest.
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Feeding on belief, offerings, or emotional resonance.
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Achieving their goals.
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Ability Types
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Environmental: Alter terrain, weather, or emotional atmosphere.
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Offensive: Direct harm, curses, possession attempts.
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Defensive: Wards, concealment, bolstering bonded mortals.
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Utility: Healing, visions, blessings, information gathering.
We’ll define dominions and their ability menus in the following section (Almanach).
Interacting with Spirits
Most mortals live with spirits through small rites and superstitions: offerings at boundary stones, whispered prayers at hearthfires, silence in the misted woods. These gestures keep the unseen at ease.
Common folk cannot command spirits, but they can sway them:
- Offerings or respectful acts may grant a single minor favor (GM discretion): calm weather, safe passage, hidden knowledge.
- Offense or neglect can provoke small curses or hauntings: milk sours, nets tear, whispers stalk them in dreams.
Those who wish for more than this must turn to one of the magical traditions—binding, pacts, or melding—each with its own methods and costs. These are described in their respective chapters.
Corruption and Overreach
Most spirits are volatile when pushed beyond their limits.
- Each time a mortal forces a spirit to use an ability against its will or beyond its MD pool, add a Corruption Die.
- Corruption Dice (see Corruption) can:
- Backlash against the mortal (injury, possession, dominion contamination).
- Warp the spirit, twisting its dominions into void-tainted expressions.
This danger is why even seasoned binders and pact-mages treat spirits with fear and reverence.
Using Spirits as the GM
Spirits are not monsters to be fought until dead (though that can happen). They are narrative forces.
- Tie spirits to local meaning: history, oaths, natural cycles, places of power.
- Let their dominions color every scene: weather, dreams, whispers, allies and enemies.
- Reward players who discover what the spirit wants and how to satisfy or subvert it.
Building Spirits
When you create a spirit for your story or encounter, think of it as building a living piece of the setting. Spirits are not just stat blocks—they are embodiments of meaning.
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Pick Power Rating (1–6)
- This determines the spirit’s strength, influence, and durability.
- PR 1–2: Ambient or minor spirits, encountered often.
- PR 3–4: Significant threats or allies with clear goals.
- PR 5–6: Greater Spirits or Archspirits—narrative forces, not regular encounters.
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Choose 1–3 Dominions
- Dominions define the spirit’s essence. They can be elemental (Fire, Stone), conceptual (Oaths, Fear), natural (Hunger, Growth), or cultural (Hospitality, Memory).
- Narrow dominion focus = deeper mastery; multiple dominions = versatility but weaker in each.
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Fill Ability Slots
- A spirit has Ability Slots equal to its PR. Each slot should be filled with a dominion-based effect:
- Environmental: change weather, warp emotions, reshape terrain.
- Offensive: deal harm, curse, possess.
- Defensive: heal, protect allies, obscure itself.
- Utility: grant visions, reveal secrets, bless objects.
- Scale abilities with PR:
- PR 2–3: small, immediate effects.
- PR 4–5: large-scale or ongoing effects.
- PR 6: mythic influence, reshaping regions or fate itself.
- A spirit has Ability Slots equal to its PR. Each slot should be filled with a dominion-based effect:
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Define Personality, Goals, and Behavior
- Spirits are driven by their dominions: an Oath-spirit lives to see promises fulfilled, a Fire-spirit to burn or purify.
- Give each spirit a personality quirk or goal that makes it unique.
- What does it want? (To be remembered? To spread fear? To guard a place?)
- How does it react to mortals? (Curious? Hostile? Transactional?)
- Decide how it escalates: does it lash out, retreat, negotiate, or call for aid from its dominion network?
Tips for the GM
- Tie the spirit to its environment. A Forest-Spirit should warp the woods around it; a Spirit of Sorrow might linger at battlefields or ruins.
- Give mortals hooks. Spirits respond to meaning: songs, offerings, true names, sacred items. Players should be able to interact beyond combat.
- Let dominions shape the scene. When the spirit is present, its dominion colors everything: weather, sounds, NPC behavior.
Quick Example: Lesser Spirit of Oaths (PR 2)
- Dominions: Oaths, Memory
- Abilities:
- Seal Pact: Imposes a binding geasa on an oath; breaking it causes 1 Injury.
- Recall Guilt: Target relives a past betrayal, suffering –1 die on social rolls for the scene.
- Personality: Stern and silent. Lives to ensure promises are kept.
- Behavior: Seeks mortals willing to swear oaths; punishes betrayal.
- Interaction Hooks:
- Spirit Binding: requires etched names of those swearing an oath.
- Pact Magic: willing to bless a sworn vow in exchange for a drop of blood.
- Melded Souls: the host becomes unnervingly obsessed with loyalty.