Disclaimer: No canon here. Based on the works of Diane Duane.
Datclaimer: Don't kill me.
"In Life's Name and for Life's sake, I say that I will use the Art for
nothing but the service of that Life. I will guard growth and ease pain.
I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and
I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that
of the system of which it is part, are threatened. To these ends, in the
practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage and death for life,
when it is right to do so - till Universe's end."
This variant is based on Diane Duane's _So You Want To Be A Wizard_ series.
There are, roughly, around 5 times ten to the ninth power humans alive today.
Of these, roughly one in every one hundred posesses the natural ability to
achieve six forces and awaken with (relatively) minimal effort. Of these
natural six forcers (i.e. Soldier material) it is further estimated that one
in five hundred is born with the ability to become a Wizard, for a total
"chance" of one in fifty thousand. Thus, there may be as many as ten thousand
potential Wizards on earth at the present time.
A Wizard (and only a Wizard) may develop two special skills:
The Speech (Perception)(2 pts. per level) and
The Knowledge (Intelligence) (2 pts. per level)
See the separate message "The Speech and The Knowledge".
A Wizard speaks (rather than sings) Songs with The Speech skill. He may use
any Song he has Prepared (effectively, retained in ready-to-use form in the
front of his attention/memory). Each Realm of a song counts as a separate entry,
and the Wizard may hold (Intelligence) separate Songs Prepared at one time.
A Wizard may have extra "slots" for preparing Songs, bought at 1 pt. each.
A Wizard may buy "phantom" forces for the purposes of Wizardry only (see below).
These cost 4 pts. each and increase the Wizard's Essence (and Mana) pool. They
may be lost in Celestial combat, should such occur.
Wizards may also Master Songs that they use and practice regularly, this costs
1 pt. per Maximum lvl. the Song may be performed at, and covers all three realms.
Note that such songs are still rolled under the Wizard's skill in The Speech.
Wizards always use the Mana(q.v.) rules, even if others do not.
Wizards may not be granted Songs in the normal method, as these "dissapear into
the background".
See also the messages "Errantry" and "Mana and other enhancements", following.
No Wizard has ever been known to possess an Attunement. It is unknown whether
Wizards can possess rites, but they may not start play with them.
Some notes:
Wizards are not Sorcerers, and an Awakened Wizard may not initiate nor
be initiated into Sorcery. Wizards _may_ learn Socerous Skills, but may not
use them if the Socrery Attunement is required.
Wizards are (always and only) fully human, possessed of six forces or more
and Awakened. Though see below. Wizards may not become Undead, and vice-versa.
Wizards do not go to the Lower Heavens, and so do not become Saints and no
Saint has ever Awakened into Wizardry.
No Wizard has ever been known to manifest any other form of Celestial or
para-Celestial power.
Wizards, while active in their Wizardry, may gain Forces as a Celestial would,
although their lack of Superiors makes this difficult. In practice, they must
either boost a Force peicemeal, by Characteristic increase, or burn the reward
gained from an Errantry-6.
Wizards do not create disturbance if they expend Mana (or Essence) to boost
a die roll.
No Angelic resonance will detect the fact that a particular person is a Wizard,
nor will any information gathered by such resonances about Wizardly activities
stand out in any way, CDs which would so indicate will be subtly fuzzed.
Wizards double their Will roll against Demonic resonances, and no Celestial or
Ethereal may ever possess a Wizard.
No Wizard may be made a Servant within the meaning of that rule. A newly
Awakened Wizard who had previously been a Servant would have that status
cancelled by the Awakening.
Wizards say that Ignorance brings Power, while Weakness brings Wisdom. Stripped
of its poetry, this saying reflects the fact that younger Wizards, who have not
yet learned which things are impossible, tend to greater power, while those elder
Wizards who have mastered their Art tend to have difficulty with the more
potent workings thereof.
In game terms, a Wizard may buy "phantom" forces for 4 pts. each, such forces
adding themselves to the Wizards relevant Forces (or adding twice their value
to the relevant statistic) _for the purposes of Wizardry only_. These extra
forces also increase the maximum level at which a Wizard may use a claudication,
(i.e if the Wizard had 2 "phantom" forces, Cel Forces 3, Perception 6, The
Speech 4 and was holding a Song of Thunder Prepared at CD 6, the Wizard could
Sing a Song of Thunder-8 at CelForces5, with a base skill of 14) and provide
extra Essence.
Note, however, that a "starting character" Wizard may not have a Speech or
Knowledge skill greater than 6-"phantom" forces, that one "phantom" force is
lost when skill in The Speech or The Knowledge reaches 6, and at (for Humans)
the ages of 10, 14, 18, 25, 35 and 50, or thereabouts.
On the other end, Mastery (q.v.) of either The Speech or The Knowledge reduces
the maximum level at which a claudication may be performed by 1, and Grand
Mastery (q.v.) in either skill reduces it by 2.
Wizards are Awakened by and empowered for the purposes of the Symphony itself,
and not generally by Celestials, although it is suspected that Yves, Micheal,
Kronos and Lucifer, at least _could_ Awaken a Wizard suitable candidates were
to present themselves. It is known that the potential for Wizardry can _not_
be discerned by either Divine Destiny or Fated Future. At least, not by the
Servitor's version. There is no Angel of Wizardry.
A ready-to-be Awakened potential Wizard will suddenly acquire a source of
The Knowledge in some apparantly coincidental fashion. This source will
inform him or her of tha nature and purpose, powers and duties of Wizardry as
a career; granting him or her a (non-functional) skill in The Speech and The
Knowledge of 1 (one), each. At this point the postulant will be challenged to
take the Oath of Wizardry (see above). If/when he or she does, a period
of extremely rapid instruction in the Wizardly skills will follow, typically
culminating in a beginning skill of 2 to 4 in each area, depending on
the Wizards level of power.
A Wizard's Awakening is followed closely by an Errantry (q.v.) called the Ordeal
of at least the strength of the Wizard's "phantom" forces. As Errantrys are
always tailored for specific Wizards, or sets thereof, it is suspected that a
Wizard with no appropriate Errantry in the offing would simply be impossible
_to_ Awaken. If someone has evidence otherwise, they're being very quiet about it.
A Wizard who uses his Wizardry for purely selfish reasons, or who ignores an
Errantry takes a kind of psuedo-dissonance as a result of being "crosswise to
causality": 1 Point per mana spent purely selfishly, 1 point per level of an
Errantry per day it is ignored (ignoring an Errantry also tends to having
other bad effects, like the end of the World, or similar). This "psuedo-
dissonance" works itself off at unpredictable times as "bad luck";
reducing a skill roll _and_ adversely affecting the CD on a point per
point basis. GMs option as to when. Be brutal.
A Wizard may turn Renegade, accepting his Fate. Such a Wizard will carry no
dissonance but will tend to become the subject of Errantry for every true Wizard
within reach. And Wizards have long arms.
A Wizard who sincerely wishes to return to the fold may do so. No redemption is
necessary, but he must relearn his skills from scratch, starting at level 1.
A Wizard may renounce his Wizardry at any time. It goes away. Forever.
A Wizard who neither renounces her Wizardry nor turns Renegade _will_ die in
harness, thus achieving her destiny. Guaranteed.
Wizards who die in harness do not go to Heaven, but to "Timeheart" where
"everything that has ever been loved leaves an echo". Timeheart is suspected
to be a part of the Higher Heavans.
No-one knows where Wizards who meet their Fate go when they die. It isn't Hell.
None have ever been seen or heard of again.
Wizards say that every race of the Earth has brought forth Wizards, including Fish,
Whales, Trees, Cats and so forth. This may or may not be true. Certain Celestials
have claimed to encounter Wizardry among Cats, Ravens (and their kin), Parrots
(and _their_ kin), and Sharks.
For Game purposes, the ratio of Supernormal to Normal individuals among most
Animal species is between one in one thousand to one in one million (In most
cases, only Jordi would be able to accurately tell the difference. Or care.).
The ratio of potential Wizards among Supernormal Individuals is between one
in five thousand to one in fifty thousand, leading to a total "chance" of
between one in five million to one in fifty billion. Except for the species
mentioned above, where the overall "chance" is similar to that in humans: one
in fifty thousand.
Anyone who manages to explain these factors will gain great recognition. Or
immediate and utter oblivion, depending.
Micheal and Yves love Wizardry and Wizards with nearly unreserved passion, one
of the (very) few things they actually agree on. Most other angels regard them
in person with the same feelings as a human would have for a personable, helpful,
benevolent member of the IRS (or, for non-.us reader, member of the Looming
Governmental Entity of your own choice). That a Wizard will occasionally
commandeer one for service in some god-awful adventure or other doesn't
help matters.
Lucifer and Kronos take an active and malignant interest in Wizardry and attempt
to suborn or kill every Wizard they can find. A new Wizard can expect about a
thirty-five percent chance of meeting one or both at some time in his working
life. That a (bare) majority of Wizards survive this meeting uncorrupted says
all that needs to be said about their capabilities.
Other demons regard the sudden discovery that Wizardry even exists as merely
another proof that the Symphony is an actively malevolant and malignant place;
similar to the average human's reaction to sudden discovery that his basement
is home to a colony of six-inch-long, poisonous, biting cockroaches.
Wizards tend to address Micheal as "The Winged Defender" or "Bright Champion".
Wizards address Yves as "Grandfather".
Wizards call angels "the Powers" or "The Powers That Be", and will tend to adress
them by name or by Word.
Wizards call Lucifer "The Lone Power", his formal address is: "Fairest and Fallen;
greetings and defiance." Most of them are rather sorry for him.
Wizards call Kronos "the Sorrowful" and will refuse to speak of or to him if at all
possible.
Wizards consider demons to be minor adjuncts of Lucifer and will address them
as such, which tends to torque the demons in question off.
For game purposes, a Wizard should be considered to be about equal to a Celstial
of two or three Forces higher.
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EDG <[email protected]>
In Nomine Collection Curator