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Sorcery is, sadly, kind of nerfed in IN. In fact, it's nearly impossible to build a viable PC Sorcerer, and most of the rituals are...well, less than useful, particularly considering their obscene Essence costs and painfully high CP costs to have any sort of useful TN. I'm slowly rewriting the Sorcery system for my own games, as well as adding some other human variant rules, to make humans as a whole more balanced without being overly beefy.
Here's some of what I've been thinking about so far, tweaking Essence costs and changing the way Sorcerers are built. (NOTE: These rituals /do/ make Sorcerers more powerful and more of a threat to celestial characters (particularly demons). So if that's not something you're interested in, these variants are definitely not for you.
Cost: A Sorcerer who gets their Sorcery ability from an Infernal Pact with Hell pays only 5 CP for the attunement, and /gains/ 10 CP which can be spend to buy Sorcerous Skills and Rituals. Of course, they’re also damned for all eternity, and because they’ve received their primary learning from Hell, their Infernal Masters will know what rituals and skills they start out with, and are unlikely to bequeath any which might prove inconvenient to Hell later. This means that they typically will be restricted to Summoning Hell-friendly Ethereals, to sacrificing for Essence and creating temporary Reliquaries, and Suggesting. Wards are less likely to be taught by Hell (because they don’t affect angels, and /could/ be used to trap a demon), and it’s a rare Hellsworn Sorcerer who is permitted to learn any of the rituals to bring demons under his control.
Independent Sorcerers are wildcards…they must pay the full costs for all the benefits they receive, but because their sources are uncontrolled, they may know any of the many rituals of Sorcery, or even have come up with some of their own through trial and error. This makes the courting of independent Sorcerers by Hell (or much more rarely, Heaven) a dicey proposition, because you never know what the human might be capable of. And he’s probably insane and powerhungry, of course.
The very rare White Sorcerers may also purchase the Sorcery attunement for 5 points IF they have been inducted by a Heavenly source (Ignis or the Catholic Church, typically), and they receive 10 points to spend among Banishment, Exorcism, and Focus rituals and skills /only/. White Sorcerers are expected to not learn Summoning Rituals, have any sort of congress with demons or ethereals (except to cast them out), are strictly watched by Heaven, and never entirely trusted. A White Sorcerer who strays from the path of righteousness will be eliminated by angels with extreme prejudice.
Common: Common Rituals are those which have been the most widely propagated and have, for one reason or another, escaped purging by the forces of Heaven and Hell. Common Rituals can be found in a variety of places, and form the bulk of most Sorcerer’s grimoires. Common Rituals all cost one Essence, and rarely take more than an hour to complete. Common Rituals are also easy to learn, making them popular among novices. They cost 1 character point each.
Suggest (Monitium) (Command/1)
Effect: As per CPG
Time: 1 minute
Essence: 1 Essence, but the Sorcerer may spend additional Essence to reduce the ability of the subject to resist. For every additional Essence he spends, the TN to Resist is lowered by 1, to a maximum of the target’s Celestial Forces.
Astral Walk (Animus Ambulato) (Focus/1)
This ritual allows the sorcerer to have an 'out of body experience'. In normal IN terms, this allows the sorcerer to take Celestial Form for a short amount of time. If successful, the sorcerer's spirit is separated from his body, which remains inert and in a coma-like state while uninhabited, for minutes equal to the CD of a successful roll. At the end of that time, the sorcerer is automatically pulled back to his body, wherever he may be. He may return prematurely with a successful Will roll. The ritual will also end prematurely if someone attacks or disturbs his body.
Unlike when Celestials leave their vessels, this ritual does not cause Disturbance and the body remains in the same spot. While Celestial, the sorcerer may do anything normally associated with Celestial Form (including Celestial Combat), /except/ ascend to either Celestial plane on his own. As per the rules, however, the sorcerer may follow a demon who is descending to his Heart, or down a Tether to Hell.
While in Celestial Form, the sorcerer's spirit is connected to his body through a 'silver cord'. Anyone who makes the Perception roll to spot the spirit may make another at -2 to spot the cord. Once seen, the cord may be targeted with a called shot in celestial combat; it has Soul Hits equal to half the sorcerer's normal Soul Hits. If the cord is severed, the sorcerer's body goes into immediate cardiac arrest. If the Sorcerer is within eyesight of his body, he may re-enter it immediately with a Will check, otherwise, he must make a Perception roll to be able to find his body again, and then a Will roll to re-enter.
Note: Having a Celestial Connection gives a +3 to the TN of this ritual.
Time: 1 hour
Essence: 1 Essence
Simulacrum (Command/1)
With the knowledge of this ritual, the Sorcerer can use stolen physical parts of an individual to create a small simulacrum of the target, which he can then use to torment and torture his victim. The Sorcerer requires a full lock of hair, or a thimbleful of flesh or bodily fluids in order to make the doll, and if he succeeds an Artistry (Dollmaking) roll, he can add the CD to his performance roll for the actual ritual. With this ritual, he can use the doll to inflict one physical attack from any distance on his victim, with an impact equal to the amount of the doll the Sorcerer destroys during the ritual (1/6th to 6/6ths, declared by the Sorcerer at the time of the ritual). The victim may resist with his Will. If he fails the resist roll, he will take 1 to 6 Body Hits, with the damage closely resembling the method the Sorcerer used against the doll. If the doll was burned, hideous burns will spontaneously show on the victim’s skin. Crush the doll, and the victim’s bones snap.
The doll may be used in multiple performances of the ritual, but once it is destroyed, the Sorcerer must get fresh tissue from the victim to continue his sadistic harassment. If a celestial is the target of this ritual, the celestial will only be affected if he is currently wearing the vessel from which the tissue was harvested. Otherwise, the ritual is wasted. However, because this Ritual targets the flesh and not the spirit, it is one of the few rituals that affect angels and demons equally, but an angel gets an automatic Perception roll to realize that he’s been the target of a Sorcerer, and a Cherub whose attuned is killed by this ritual gets an immediate opportunity to make a Nemesis Attunement to the Sorcerer, even if he doesn’t know who he’s attuning to.
Time: 10 minutes (not including the time spent making the doll)
Essence: 1
Cleanse (Banish/1)
This ritual is a very common one, having been unearthed again by one of the modern neo-pagan movements, and passed around widely throughout that community. Of course, most of those who possess it are incapable of making it work, but the few Sorcerers who hide out in those circles have eagerly latched upon it.
Cleanse allows a Sorcerer to suppress otherworldly influences in a closed space, or if the influences are particularly weak, banish them entirely. Within the defined area (marked by walls, stones, or Wards), a number of things happen at the successful performance of this ritual:
1. Demonic resonances with a CD of 1 are suppressed. This does not cause the resonance to ‘bounce back’ on the demon, and if the resonance effect lasts longer than the ritual, it returns on the subject full force. In addition, any demonic resonance attempt is assumed to take effect as if it were one point less on the CD. Angelic resonances are unaffected.
2. Songs with a CD of 1 are cancelled (if instant) or suppressed for the duration of the ritual. All other Songs have an effect penalty of one CD less than their actual roll.
3. Finally, changing vessels, entering or leaving the corporeal plane, or going celestial requires 1 more Essence to do successfully.
The ritual lasts for 10 minutes times the amount of Essence spent on it. A successful performance gives any Aware character in the area of effect an instant Perception roll to recognize that the area has been Cleansed, but new characters entering the area of effect after the ritual is cast do not receive a roll, although they may recognize the effects of the ritual as they run into them. This ritual is a common preparation for a Will War, but as many demons consider it offensive, if the Sorcerer cannot win the subsequent War, he is likely to find himself in the hands of a /very/ angry demon.
Time: 1 hour
Essence: Minimum of 1.
Repel (Repulsio) (Exorcism/1)
This comparatively simple ritual is also known as ‘the Sorcerer’s Shield’. It creates an aura around the Sorcerer which repels demons, undead, ghosts, and ethereals. Once it has been successfully cast, any demon, undead, ghost, or ethereal within a range of the Sorcerer’s total Forces times the CD of the performance roll in yards feels an unconscious but persistent need to leave the area. The targets may resist this with a Will roll. If they fail, then they find themselves unconsciously moving away, in as close to a straight line as the terrain permits, from the Sorcerer’s presence. If they succeed at the Will roll, they may then make a Perception roll to identify the center of the ‘ick’ field…the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer does not know who is affected by his ritual except by watching their movements.
Time: 1 minute
Essence: 1
Summon Random Ethereal Spirit
Effect: As per CPG
Time: 30 Minutes
Essence: 1
Here's some of what I've been thinking about so far, tweaking Essence costs and changing the way Sorcerers are built. (NOTE: These rituals /do/ make Sorcerers more powerful and more of a threat to celestial characters (particularly demons). So if that's not something you're interested in, these variants are definitely not for you.
Cost: A Sorcerer who gets their Sorcery ability from an Infernal Pact with Hell pays only 5 CP for the attunement, and /gains/ 10 CP which can be spend to buy Sorcerous Skills and Rituals. Of course, they’re also damned for all eternity, and because they’ve received their primary learning from Hell, their Infernal Masters will know what rituals and skills they start out with, and are unlikely to bequeath any which might prove inconvenient to Hell later. This means that they typically will be restricted to Summoning Hell-friendly Ethereals, to sacrificing for Essence and creating temporary Reliquaries, and Suggesting. Wards are less likely to be taught by Hell (because they don’t affect angels, and /could/ be used to trap a demon), and it’s a rare Hellsworn Sorcerer who is permitted to learn any of the rituals to bring demons under his control.
Independent Sorcerers are wildcards…they must pay the full costs for all the benefits they receive, but because their sources are uncontrolled, they may know any of the many rituals of Sorcery, or even have come up with some of their own through trial and error. This makes the courting of independent Sorcerers by Hell (or much more rarely, Heaven) a dicey proposition, because you never know what the human might be capable of. And he’s probably insane and powerhungry, of course.
The very rare White Sorcerers may also purchase the Sorcery attunement for 5 points IF they have been inducted by a Heavenly source (Ignis or the Catholic Church, typically), and they receive 10 points to spend among Banishment, Exorcism, and Focus rituals and skills /only/. White Sorcerers are expected to not learn Summoning Rituals, have any sort of congress with demons or ethereals (except to cast them out), are strictly watched by Heaven, and never entirely trusted. A White Sorcerer who strays from the path of righteousness will be eliminated by angels with extreme prejudice.
Common: Common Rituals are those which have been the most widely propagated and have, for one reason or another, escaped purging by the forces of Heaven and Hell. Common Rituals can be found in a variety of places, and form the bulk of most Sorcerer’s grimoires. Common Rituals all cost one Essence, and rarely take more than an hour to complete. Common Rituals are also easy to learn, making them popular among novices. They cost 1 character point each.
Suggest (Monitium) (Command/1)
Effect: As per CPG
Time: 1 minute
Essence: 1 Essence, but the Sorcerer may spend additional Essence to reduce the ability of the subject to resist. For every additional Essence he spends, the TN to Resist is lowered by 1, to a maximum of the target’s Celestial Forces.
Astral Walk (Animus Ambulato) (Focus/1)
This ritual allows the sorcerer to have an 'out of body experience'. In normal IN terms, this allows the sorcerer to take Celestial Form for a short amount of time. If successful, the sorcerer's spirit is separated from his body, which remains inert and in a coma-like state while uninhabited, for minutes equal to the CD of a successful roll. At the end of that time, the sorcerer is automatically pulled back to his body, wherever he may be. He may return prematurely with a successful Will roll. The ritual will also end prematurely if someone attacks or disturbs his body.
Unlike when Celestials leave their vessels, this ritual does not cause Disturbance and the body remains in the same spot. While Celestial, the sorcerer may do anything normally associated with Celestial Form (including Celestial Combat), /except/ ascend to either Celestial plane on his own. As per the rules, however, the sorcerer may follow a demon who is descending to his Heart, or down a Tether to Hell.
While in Celestial Form, the sorcerer's spirit is connected to his body through a 'silver cord'. Anyone who makes the Perception roll to spot the spirit may make another at -2 to spot the cord. Once seen, the cord may be targeted with a called shot in celestial combat; it has Soul Hits equal to half the sorcerer's normal Soul Hits. If the cord is severed, the sorcerer's body goes into immediate cardiac arrest. If the Sorcerer is within eyesight of his body, he may re-enter it immediately with a Will check, otherwise, he must make a Perception roll to be able to find his body again, and then a Will roll to re-enter.
Note: Having a Celestial Connection gives a +3 to the TN of this ritual.
Time: 1 hour
Essence: 1 Essence
Simulacrum (Command/1)
With the knowledge of this ritual, the Sorcerer can use stolen physical parts of an individual to create a small simulacrum of the target, which he can then use to torment and torture his victim. The Sorcerer requires a full lock of hair, or a thimbleful of flesh or bodily fluids in order to make the doll, and if he succeeds an Artistry (Dollmaking) roll, he can add the CD to his performance roll for the actual ritual. With this ritual, he can use the doll to inflict one physical attack from any distance on his victim, with an impact equal to the amount of the doll the Sorcerer destroys during the ritual (1/6th to 6/6ths, declared by the Sorcerer at the time of the ritual). The victim may resist with his Will. If he fails the resist roll, he will take 1 to 6 Body Hits, with the damage closely resembling the method the Sorcerer used against the doll. If the doll was burned, hideous burns will spontaneously show on the victim’s skin. Crush the doll, and the victim’s bones snap.
The doll may be used in multiple performances of the ritual, but once it is destroyed, the Sorcerer must get fresh tissue from the victim to continue his sadistic harassment. If a celestial is the target of this ritual, the celestial will only be affected if he is currently wearing the vessel from which the tissue was harvested. Otherwise, the ritual is wasted. However, because this Ritual targets the flesh and not the spirit, it is one of the few rituals that affect angels and demons equally, but an angel gets an automatic Perception roll to realize that he’s been the target of a Sorcerer, and a Cherub whose attuned is killed by this ritual gets an immediate opportunity to make a Nemesis Attunement to the Sorcerer, even if he doesn’t know who he’s attuning to.
Time: 10 minutes (not including the time spent making the doll)
Essence: 1
Cleanse (Banish/1)
This ritual is a very common one, having been unearthed again by one of the modern neo-pagan movements, and passed around widely throughout that community. Of course, most of those who possess it are incapable of making it work, but the few Sorcerers who hide out in those circles have eagerly latched upon it.
Cleanse allows a Sorcerer to suppress otherworldly influences in a closed space, or if the influences are particularly weak, banish them entirely. Within the defined area (marked by walls, stones, or Wards), a number of things happen at the successful performance of this ritual:
1. Demonic resonances with a CD of 1 are suppressed. This does not cause the resonance to ‘bounce back’ on the demon, and if the resonance effect lasts longer than the ritual, it returns on the subject full force. In addition, any demonic resonance attempt is assumed to take effect as if it were one point less on the CD. Angelic resonances are unaffected.
2. Songs with a CD of 1 are cancelled (if instant) or suppressed for the duration of the ritual. All other Songs have an effect penalty of one CD less than their actual roll.
3. Finally, changing vessels, entering or leaving the corporeal plane, or going celestial requires 1 more Essence to do successfully.
The ritual lasts for 10 minutes times the amount of Essence spent on it. A successful performance gives any Aware character in the area of effect an instant Perception roll to recognize that the area has been Cleansed, but new characters entering the area of effect after the ritual is cast do not receive a roll, although they may recognize the effects of the ritual as they run into them. This ritual is a common preparation for a Will War, but as many demons consider it offensive, if the Sorcerer cannot win the subsequent War, he is likely to find himself in the hands of a /very/ angry demon.
Time: 1 hour
Essence: Minimum of 1.
Repel (Repulsio) (Exorcism/1)
This comparatively simple ritual is also known as ‘the Sorcerer’s Shield’. It creates an aura around the Sorcerer which repels demons, undead, ghosts, and ethereals. Once it has been successfully cast, any demon, undead, ghost, or ethereal within a range of the Sorcerer’s total Forces times the CD of the performance roll in yards feels an unconscious but persistent need to leave the area. The targets may resist this with a Will roll. If they fail, then they find themselves unconsciously moving away, in as close to a straight line as the terrain permits, from the Sorcerer’s presence. If they succeed at the Will roll, they may then make a Perception roll to identify the center of the ‘ick’ field…the Sorcerer. The Sorcerer does not know who is affected by his ritual except by watching their movements.
Time: 1 minute
Essence: 1
Summon Random Ethereal Spirit
Effect: As per CPG
Time: 30 Minutes
Essence: 1
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