Exile Game Studio

[zombie1970]

Based on how the rest of the HEX system works, it has occured to me that Rituals should have creation rules similar to Artifacts. Like artifacts, and all other resources, it makes sense that there should be Rank 0 Rituals. The question was how to implement such rules?

Using the original Necormancy and Theurgy Rituals as a starting point, I have begun to create a set of rules. (I have not yet had time to look at the Shamaniism Rituals.) First I took the Rituals and broke them down into what they do. I them tried to determine Enhancements and Drawbacks for each. Using the same formula to determine the Level of an Artifact (Enhancements - Drawbacks/2) and comparing it to the chart I determined the Ritual rank. I had to back into the Enhancement costs based on the pre-determined Ritual Rank.

I was not sure how to address the basic Sorcery modifiers like range and area of effect so I did not try as of yet. I have also added some enhancements that do not map to the existing rituals but they made sense to include.

I will continue to chip away at this. I was looking for feedback. Below is what I have put together so far:

Ritual Level is calculated by subtracting Drawbacks from total Enchantments, then dividing the total by two (round up). Creations with a net Enchantment of 1 count as a Level 0 Ritual.

Rituals

Necromancy Tradition

Channel Dead – Rank 1
Enhancement: Attack Against Attribute (+2 Enhancement); Extra Sense (+2 Enhancement)
Drawback: Requires a Focus (-2 Enhancement)

Curse – Rank 2
Enhancement : Skill Penalty (+6 Enhancement)
Drawback: Modifier for Maximum Effect (-2 Enhancement)

Drain Life – Rank 3
Enhancement: Invisible Effect (+4 Enhancement); Life Drinking (+2 Enhancement)
Drawback: None

Raise Dead – Rank 4
Enhancement: Control Summoned Ally (+4 Enhancement); Summon Ally Level 3 (+6 Enhancement)
Drawback: Requires a Focus (-2 Enhancement)

Summon Horror – Rank 5
Enhancement: Attack Against Attribute (+2 Enhancement); Summon Ally Level 5 (+10 Enhancement)
Drawback: Requires a Focus (-2 Enhancement)

Theurgy Tradition

Bless – Rank 1
Enhancement: Skill Bonus (+4 Enhancement)
Drawback: Modifier for Maximum Effect (-2 Enhancement)

Healing Hands – Rank 2
Enhancement: Healing (+6 Enhancement)
Drawback: Requires Touch (-1 Enhancement); Single Target (-1 Enhancement)

Mystic Shield – Rank 3
Enhancement: Increased Passive Defense (+8 Enhancement)
Drawback: Modifier for Maximum Effect (-2 Enhancement)

Levitate – Rank 4
Enhancement: Force Attack (+2 Enhancement); Invisible Effect (+4 Enhancement); Skill at a Range (+2 Enhancement);
Drawback: None

Foretell – Rank 5
Enhancement: Prophetic Insight (+10 Enhancement)
Drawback: None

Ritual Enhancements

Attack Against Attribute
Cost: +2 Enhancement
Ritual measures its effect against one of the target’s attributes rather than Defense.

Caustic Attack
Cost: +6 Enhancement
Ritual inflicts an amount of caustic damage to target equal to the number of extra successes on your attack roll.

Control Summoned Ally
Cost : +4 Enhancement
Ritual allows the caster to command and control the actions of a summoned ally.

Extra Sense
Cost: +2 Enhancements per additional sense
The Ritual grants the ability to perceive the world in a new way. This can provide critical information, but it introduces new limitations. For example, seeing the infrared spectrum might allow a user to eliminate penalties due to darkness, but he might incur equivalent penalties due to the ambient temperature. The user makes a Perception roll when using his extra sense.

Force Attack
Cost: +2 Enhancement
Ritual inflicts an amount of nonlethal damage to target equal to the number of extra successes on your attack roll.

Healing
Cost: +6 Enchantments
Upon contact with a wounded creature, this Ritual heals one lethal wound or two nonlethal wounds per success.

Increased Attribute
Cost: +2 Enchantments per Primary Attribute point or +1 per Secondary Attribute point
This Ritual grants a bonus to a Primary or Secondary Attribute. These bonuses factor into all Attribute and Skill rolls, and in the case of Primary Attributes, are also calculated into Secondary Attribute ratings.

Increased Passive Defense
Cost: +2 Enhancement
This provides the target with a bonus of +2 to Passive Defense.
Advanced: This Enchantment can be added to a Ritual any number of times.

Invisible Effect
Cost: +4 Enhancement
The effect of the Ritual is not visible to normal senses. If the Ritual is an attack, the target cannot use her Active Defense against this attack.

Lethal Attack
Cost: +4 Enhancement
Ritual inflicts an amount of lethal damage to target equal to the number of extra successes on your attack roll.

Modify Attribute

Cost: +2 Enchantments per Primary Attribute point bonus/penalty or +1 per Secondary Attribute point bonus/penalty

This Ritual grants a bonus or penalty to a Primary or Secondary Attribute. These bonuses and penalties factor into all Attribute and Skill rolls, and in the case of Primary Attributes, are also calculated into Secondary Attribute ratings.

Life Drinking
Cost: +2 Enchantments
When attacking with this Ritual, the user can steal vitality from a victim. Each point of Lethal damage this Ritual inflicts on a living victim counts as if it were a success on a Medicine roll giving first aid to the caster (see First Aid in Hollow Earth Expedition, pp. 131-132).

Prophetic Insight
Cost: +10 Enhancement
This provides the target with special knowledge of their current situation. The information received and the form of delivery is at the discretion of the Gamemaster. The target number to receive knowledge is set by the Gamemaster. The more successes that the caster rolls, the more information that will be gained.

Skill at a Range
Cost: +2 Enhancement
Ritual allows the caster to use a skill at a range but his dice pool is limited to his modified Sorcery roll or his appropriate Skill roll, whichever is lower.

Skill Bonus
Cost: +1 Enhancement for +2 bonus to skill rolls, +2 Enhancement for +4 bonus to skill rolls, +4 Enhancement for +8 bonus to skill rolls
This provides the target with a bonus to all skills (including a Specialized Skill). The Ritual provides a teamwork bonus (see Teamwork in Hollow Earth Expedition, p. 50) for the duration of combat or until the end of the scene.

Skill Penalty
Cost: +2 Enhancement for -2 penalty to skill rolls, +4 Enhancement for -4 penalty to skill rolls, +6 Enhancement for -8 penalty to skill rolls
This Ritual inflicts the target with a penalty to all skills (including a Specialized Skill). The Ritual provides a -2 penalty to all skill rolls for the duration of combat or until the end of the scene.

Summon Ally
Cost: +2 Enhancement per level of Ally. +1 Enhancement for Level 0 Ally
Ritual calls an Ally to assist the caster.

Touch Attack
Cost: +2 Enhancement
The Ritual only requires a touch attack to affect an enemy (see Touch Attack in Hollow Earth Expedition, p. 126).

Ritual Drawbacks

Modifier for Maximum Effect
Cost: -2 Enhancement
Ritual can only achieve maximum effect by applying a -4 modifier. Half effect can be achieved with a -2 modifier and quarter effect may be achieve with no modifier.

No Range
Cost: -2 Enhancement
Attack cannot be performed at a range.

Requires Concentration
Cost: - 1 Enhancement
Ritual remains in effect as long as the caster continues to concentrate. While concentrating the caster may not use Active Defense.

Requires a Focus
Cost: -2 Enhancement
Ritual requires some special material to be cast.

Requires Touch
Cost: -1 Enhancement
Ritual requires the caster to touch the subject.

Single Target
Cost: -1 Enhancement
Ritual requires the caster to target only one subject.

[zombie1970]

Based on the rules above, I created some new Rituals.

New Rituals

Theurgy Tradition

Sense Magic – Rank 0
Enhancement: Extra Sense (+2 Enhancement)
Drawback: Requires Concentration (-1 Enhancement)

While under the effects of this Ritual, the caster is able to see magical auras and determine their relative strength and tradition. The effect lasts as long as the caster maintains concentration. While maintain concentration, the caster may not use Active Defense.

Sword of Light – Rank 1
Enhancement: Lethal Attack (+4 Enhancement)
Drawback: No Range (-2 Enhancement)

Caster performs the Ritual to create a sword of light that has the hardness of steel. Attacks made with the sword use the caster’s Sorcery roll or his appropriate Skill roll, whichever is lower. The blade remains for the duration of combat or until the end of the scene.

Bolt of Force – Rank 2
Enhancement: Force Attack (+2 Enhancement), Touch Attack (+2 Enhancement)
Drawback: None

Completion of the Ritual sends forth a bolt of force that targets the caster’s enemy. This is a touch attack that strikes the target with a concussive force. Compare the result against the target’s Defense. This force inflicts 1N damage to for each extra success on the caster’s Sorcery roll.

[Nestor]

Bravo! Well done, sir!

It's good to see you jump right into the spirit of things. You saw something you wanted from the game and stepped forth to create it, while keeping the intent and spirit of the game.

I would shower you with rep, but, alas, I can only give you one.
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"I've got a degree in kicking arse and I'd have a doctorate in not giving a damn if I'd bothered to attend the ceremony."

[CharlieBananas]

Very well done, this is exactly the pro-active response I love in gaming, repworthy!
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All the best
Mike Smith

[zombie1970]

Thanks for your encourgements.

This represents an afternoon's work. I will need to spend many more hours on this before it is fully baked. There are still many rough edges to knock off but I think it seems to be on the right track.

Does anyone know why a Bless and Curse are not the same Rank Ritual? They seem to be two sides of the same coin.

[Arizona Smith]

Indeed. Have a rep.
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Newest Hollow Earth Expedition product: Legacy of the Terra Arcanum. Navigate your way through Vencie to discover long-buried secrets that could alter the course of history!

[Nestor]

[Arizona Smith]

[Nestor]

[zombie1970]

Here are a few more.

Illuminating Orb – Rank 0
Enhancement: Modify Attribute (+2 Enhancement)
Drawback: Single Target (-1 Enhancement)

This ritual creates a magic orb of light in any color that the caster desires. This acts as a light source and grants the caster a +2 bonus to perception checks. The orb floats near the caster and remains for the duration of combat or until the end of the scene.

Invisibility – Rank 3
Enhancement: Modify Attribute (+6 Enhancement)
Drawback: None

This Ritual causes the target to disappear from the awareness of those around him. Impose a penalty of -6 perception to anyone trying to perceive the target.

[John Aynge]

In one of my attempts to work out further rituals I pushed for 0 Rank Rituals. I pushed again for them at this Gen Con, and I'll continue to push for them until we get them or I'm told to shut the hell up.

I like what you're doing here!

REP IT!
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[zombie1970]

I have done some more work. Rather than post it all on the forums I have put it out on my personal web site.

http://sites.google.com/site/zombiehomepage/Home/zombie-s-hex-page/modified-ritual-rules

Please take a look and tell me what you think. I think that it is rounding out quite nicely but I am open to suggestions.

[Gummy Bear]

That is very cool. To think I was just going to ask if there was a post like this one too Good work
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Nazis and Americans can fight for the hollow world. Gummy bears will take the rest...

[zombie1970]

I have posted some more Necromancy Rituals at http://sites.google.com/site/zombiehomepage/Home/zombie-s-hex-page/modified-ritual-rules/new-rituals.

[lightsenshi]

I know that it's been a while since anyone has posted in this thread but I was working on a character concept and stumbled across this thread.


New Ritual: Theurgy Tradition


Noble Phantasm - Level 3
Enhancement: Lethal Attack +4, Attack against Attribute +2
Drawback: Single Target -1

This ritual releases a blast of divine magical energy that targets the caster's enemy. Make a Sorcery roll modified for range verses an opponent's Body rating. Each success inflicts one point of lethal damage on the target. Alternately, this attack may also be used to damage an single object instead of an enemy.