Pattern Trump Art JofJ Trump Tricks Logrus
Power Words Sorcery Power and Fatigue Conjuration Inscription
Abyss Items/Artefacts   Chi Powers Shape Shifting

Shadowlands

Conjuration

Powers and Partial Powers

What is Conjuration

Conjuration is the art of enchanting things and creating things from nothing.  It enables you to mould shadow into new forms, create things from nothing, and imbue pre-extant items and creatures with new powers and qualities.

Its main subcategories are:

Conjuration requires familiarity with the Item Construction Rules. 

Conjurations are vulnerable to being dispelled by the use of some Logrus, Pattern, or Trump powers against them.

Casting Difficulties for Conjuration

This is the comparable difficulties for Creating Items, Shaping Shadow, Empowering Items, Compelling Targets, or for Summoning Creatures. Note the latter must be done as rituals using the correct form of pentagram.

Racking Spells

Weak spells are quick and easy. But most spells take long enough to cast that when you're under stress, you'll die before you finish them. That's what racked spells are for. Conjurers like Sorcerers can rack Conjuration spells (and only Conjuration category spells) in specially prepared items, casting them in advance, then storing them until needed.

A Conjurer with either Shadow Shape or Empowerment can create themselves up a spell rack when they need one. Mages with Logrus can hang spells on the Logrus. Broken Pattern Mages can do the same, although the Broken Pattern tends to warp their magics.  Crazy mages with Shapeshifting can rack multiple spells in their head, although this is dangerous.

Racked spells do have several disadvantages. They decay over time and you periodically will have to recast them if you don't use them fast enough. The stronger the spell, the quicker it unravels. This means you can't spend a few years in a quick time shadow racking spells, then bring them out to crush your enemies, because most of them will unravel by the time you finish the last ones.

Secondly, racked spells require a certain amount of fiddling with in order to actually be released somewhere other than where they were cast. Crucial components, called 'lynchpins', have to be reconfigured to make them work. The more powerful the spell, the more tweaking, in general. Still, this makes releasing them a matter of seconds instead of minutes, hours, or days.

Finally, don't forget you're still going to need a source of magic for them to draw on; racked spells won't work in a shadow with no magic or with magic which is too weak.

Contents

Basic Conjuration (05 points)

This allows you to create simple mundane objects, items, and materials from seemingly thin air. Small quantities of low atomic number elements are easy to do, whilst a simple wooden chair is far more complex, in fact wood is far harder to create than wine, stone, or a simple steel sword because of the complexity of organic materials.

The time taken to fashion the spell depends on the quantity and complexity of the item. Conjuring handfuls of a single element can be done in a few seconds, simple items  like mild steel, water, wine can be doen in a few minutes, whilst more complex compounds such as wood, cotton, wool, milk and be done in a few hours, beyond that it is up to the GM to decide. For example a good quality 3 course meal including wine could be conjured in 15-30 minutes depending on the psyche (average perception, intuition, empathy) of the caster and the maleability of the shadow (double or tripple times in Amber and the Golden Circle). At this level of conjuration it is not possible to create living organisms or creatures.

Items conjured with this power vanish instantly if taken out of the shadow they were created in.

Basic Shadow Shape(05 Points)

The ability to morph mundane shadow objects from one form into another object. These creations obey the rules for basic items but it is easier, less time consuming and less strenuous to morph similar objects than to conjure them from scratch. Thus water can become wine in a few seconds, wool becomes silk, timber becomes paper or furniture etc

Shadow Conjuration (03 points)

This is a more complex form of Basic Conjuration that allows items with Qualities and Powers to be created.  Created objects will fade away after a while (3 days out in Shadow,  a day or less  near Pattern, 5-7 days near Chaos) or instantly vanish if moved out of the Shadow they were created in.

Objects with Qualities and Powers take 10 minutes per point of Quality and 1 hour per point of Power to create. Such items can only be created where Shadow is malleable; this will not work in Amber and is difficult in the Golden Circle and Carnelian. On the other hand, Chaos Shadow is highly magically charged and easy to manipulate.

Qualities and Powers are limited to the 2 point level and to a total of 12 points maximum. At this level of Shadow Shape it is not possible to create living organisms or creatures, but mechanical automatons are possible.

Item Analysis: (05 points)

The character can analyse a conjured item by touch, slowly identifying its various abilities. It is possible to identify the creator of the item if you have experience with their style of conjuration.

Improved Item Analysis (05 points)

Analyse conjured items at a distance of several yards, enabling the examination of other characters' items from across the room without alerting them (unless your staring at the item in question is noticed).  Takes several minutes by sight, while analysis by touch is now a matter of brief moments.

Basic Empowerment (03 points)

This ability allows an existing shadow item to be temporarily implanted with Qualities and Powers. Attunement of the object takes an hour, with each point of Quality adding 1 minute and each point of power adding ten minutes. The power lasts ten times as long as a simple Conjured Shadow Shape would, but it also fades when moved across Shadow. The item is also vulnerable to being dispelled.

Qualities and Powers are limited to the 2 point level and to a total of 12 points maximum. At this level of Empowerment it is not possible to attune living organisms or creatures.

A basic Attuned item can be used to store magical power.

A mundane object can be temporarily implanted with magical power. This power may then be used to cast spells without racking up fatigue. Basic Attunement of the object takes 24 hours - 5 minutes per point of psyche:empathy - 1 minute per point psyche:will power. There after fatigue points can be racked up in the object, each point taking 1 hour  - 20 seconds per point psyche empathy - 10 seconds per point psyche:will power, with a minimum time of 10 minutes per point. The amount of power an object can hold depends on its size and the material it is constructed from.

Basic Compelling (03 points)

The ability to conjure memories, and emotions within a target. With enough time the target's memories or personality may be altered to whatever the user may wish, though a psychic impression of the new personality is needed. A Geas may also be given, though it's duration depends largely on how different the new behaviour would be from the targets usual attitude.

At this level of Compelling it is not possible to influence/manipulate creatures of more than low animal intelligence.

High Compelling (Basic Compelling+4, 05 points)

This extends Basic Compelling to allow creatures up to near human intelligence.

Complex Conjuration (Basic Conjuration+4, 05 points)

This extends Conjuration to allow the creations of complex allows, and larger more complex items. It also allows the creation of simple organic organisms such as plants, trees, algae, fungi, amoeba, etc.

Complex Shadow Shape (Basic Shadow Shape+4, 05 points)

This is basically the same as Basic Shadow Shape except that it increases Qualities and Powers to the 4 point level and the total item points to 32 points maximum. At this level of Shadow Shape it is only possible to create creatures of up to low animal intelligence.

Complex Empowerment (Basic Empowerment+4, 05 points)

This is basically the same as Basic Empowerment except that it increases Qualities and Powers to the 4 point level and the total item points to 32 points maximum. At this level of Empowerment it is possible to attune creatures of up to and including low animal intelligence.

Power Conjuration (05 points)

Power Conjuration lets you conjure items containing those powers, and backs up the item with some extra force, making it harder to dispel.  For example, Trump Conjuration can be used to conjure items with built in Trump Images.

Racked Conjuration (05 points)

This name is used instead of 'Sorcery Conjuration' or 'Power Word Conjuration', which would look silly.  You can now create spells which rack Conjurations (perform the Conjuration in advance, rack it like a spell, and trigger it quickly).  You can also imbue Power Words into objects if you have any.  And you can create items which can cast spells.

Advanced Powers and Qualities (10 points)

This extends the complex powers to allow up to the 8 point level Qualities and Powers to be incorporated. It also increase the points limit by 50%.

Exalted Powers and Qualities (10 points)

This extends the complex powers to allow up to the 16 point level Qualities and Powers to be incorporated. It also increase the points limit by 100%.

Quick Conjuration (05 points per ½ step)

Quick Conjuration changes the time frame for casting Conjuration magic.  Every 5 points spent, improves the complexity of casting by a 1/2 step, so with 10 points spent hard becomes challenging, challenging becomes difficult etc.  The lower limit is ½ petty.

True Compelling (Complex Compelling, 05 points)

This extends High Compelling to allow creatures of human intelligence and super human intelligence (including lesser demons) to be influenced.

True Conjuration (Complex Conjuration, 05 points)

This extends Complex Conjuration to allow the creations of high-tech alloys, and large and significantly complex items. It also allows the creation of living organisms of animal intelligence (including horses, dogs, whales, porpoise, and apes) and in ritual form the summoning of demons and their ilk.

True Shadow Shape (Complex Shadow Shape, 05 points)

This extends Complex Shadow Shape to allow the creation of permanent[1] items.

[1] Subject to them being dispelled by one of the major powers assuming the higher of the object’s or creator’s psyche can be overcome.

Pattern Trump Art JofJ Trump Tricks Logrus
Power Words Sorcery Power and Fatigue Conjuration Inscription
Abyss Items/Artefacts   Chi Powers Shape Shifting