Jeremiah 10:2 (GLoG Class: Geomancer)

Semjaza taught enchantments and root−cuttings, Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal taught astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon.

- Chare 3:13

"It is well known amongst the Tenebrae the art of Geomancy - that wicked art from the fallen. They cast stones to the earth, that they may interpret the signs, engaging in all forms of evil magics. Most afeared of all is the dreaded Rubeus, a sign of great anger and passion. When wrought in the presence of kings, nations fall. Let us consider: could the Second Fall be due to their workings? It is known that ever more fall to such heresies here under the earth. If we should dare to ascend to the surface world again, would we see such signs emblazoned in the heavens?"

- Cornelius of Lucerna, in "Treatise on Tenebrous Acts", AT 211

 

"Soldier's Casting Lots for Christ's Garments" by William Blake, 1800

While oft associated with the Tenebrous Ordines, those of Forbidden Callings appear regardless of spoken creed. This is most true in the case of the Geomancers - those who have studied the forbidden signs of the earth from the Watcher Araqiel. Plenty use the signs without cavorting with Watchers - they have been used in common (yet heretical) divination for centuries. Upon the Second Fall, however, some became the Geomancers. Using the same signs, they influence the very world itself, drawing the ire of the Heavens in the process.

 

"Saul and the Witch of Endor" by Philip James de Loutherbourg (1791)

(A brief note on relevant terms: Mens is equivalent to Head in BONES, Animus is equivalent to Soul, Corpus is equivalent to Meat, Mercy is equivalent to Ego)

Geomancer

Starting Equipment: A bag of pebbles (Geomancy Focus), robes, dagger.
Starting Skill: Exegesis

A: Forbidden Calling, Anima Mundi, +1 GD, +2 Figures
B: Talismans, +1 GD, +1 Figures
C: Watchful Eyes, +1 GD, +1 Figures
D: +1 GD, +4 Figures

Forbidden Calling: This calling involves actions that are illegal, in the eyes of the church and the law alike. If your true skillset becomes known, you may be arrested and tried.

Anima Mundi: You have been taught the signs of the earth by the Watcher Araqiel. Using the geomantic figures, you can enforce their powers upon the world around you. Gain a pool of Geomancy Dice (GD) equal to your templates of Geomancer. These dice are d6s. When rolled, they return to your pool on a result of 1-3, and deplete on a result of 4+. Your GD return at the end of a rest. If you did not take a full rest, you may make an Animus save at the start of a new day in order to recover them anyway.

While holding your Geomantic focus, you may use Figures. To use a figure, select one, invest one GD, and roll it. If you wish to invest multiple dice, you must combine figures.

To combine figures, choose one known figure for each GD you wish to invest. To combine them, look at the first line of two figures. If they are the same, the resulting figure has two dots in the first line, otherwise it has one. Repeat this process for each of the following three lines. Using the resulting figure, do the same for any remaining figures. Compare your result to the list of figures and use the corresponding one.

Roll all invested GD. Doubles cause Mishaps - minor problems as the figures' power takes its toll on you. Roll on the Mishap table. Triples draw the eyes of the judge Chare, causing Dooms. Immediately suffer the next entry on the Doom table.

When you gain Template A, roll 1d8 twice and gain the listed Figures. Template B, roll 1d10. Template C, roll 1d12. Template D, choose any 4 Figures. If you roll a Figure you already have, roll again.

Talismans: You may cast Figures from Geomantic Talismans, which have been made by geomancers past. When using a Talisman, invest any number of GD without combining Figures, then invest another temporary GD. The Talisman is then destroyed.

Watchful Eyes: The influence of the Watchers have changed your very senses. You can tell at a glance whether or not magic is at play, and may learn more specifics by testing Mens. You can tell by looking at someone whether or not they have been touched by the Watchers. This is not knowledge meant for mortal minds. Immediately and permanently lose 1 Mens.

Figures

1. Cauda Draconis
R: Touch T: Creature D: Instant
The Tail of the Dragon. Represents endings, completions, disruption, and loss. Deal {sum} damage to target; they make an Animus save with a {dice} penalty or suffer a Minor Injury. If 4 or more Dice are invested, they suffer a Major Injury on a failure instead.

2. Conjunctio
R: N/A T: A random Watcher of {sum} HD or less D: {sum} minutes
Conjunction. Represents interaction, contact, and union. Allows you to speak to a random Watcher. If you speak a Watcher's True Name (which is not the name they are known by), you have a 1-in-4 chance of speaking with that specific one instead.

3. Albus
R: 30' T: Creature D: Instantaneous
White. Represents peace and detachment, intellect and transcendence. All emotional effects of the target (fear, anger, sadness, pleasure, pain) end. Emotions slowly return in {sum} minutes, but subdued. You can target yourself. If this targets an unwilling creature, they may make an Animus save to resist this effect, adding {dice} to the result.

4. Puella
R: Sight T: {sum} creatures D: {dice} minutes
The Girl. Represents harmony, balance, and love. Up to {sum} creatures that can see you make an Animus Save (with penalty equal to {dice}) or is compelled to approach you. If they are hostile, they will approach you with hostile intent.

5. Laetitia
R: Self T: Self D: {sum} minutes
Joy. Represents happiness, success, health. Unfavorable when it comes to secrets. You create an area 30’ in diameter, centered on you, in which nothing can knowingly lie. Unwilling creatures may make a Mens Save to ignore this effect, with a penalty of {dice}.

6. Tristitia
R: Touch T: Area D: {dice} hours
Sorrow. Represents despair, illness, and failure. A pit {sum}’ deep and 10’ in diameter appears at the point you touch. The sides are smooth and difficult to climb. Anything in the pit when the duration expires is summarily disgorged.

7. Via
R: N/A T: Self D: Instantaneous
The Way. Represents change, movement, and journeys. Teleport {sum} x 5' in the direction you are facing. If you cast this spell while moving, make a Corpus Save to avoid falling prone.

8. Carcer
R: 50' T: Creature D: concentration, up to {sum} rounds
The Prison. Represents isolation, restriction, delay, and binding. Target creature is locked in place. While concentrating, you may move, but may not take any other actions. Target can breathe and move their eyes, but cannot swim, fly, or perform any other action. If the creature is particularly willful, blasphemous, or a spellcaster, it may make an Animus save each round to break free, with a penalty equal to {dice}.

9. Fortuna Minor
R: Touch T: Creature D: {dice} rounds
Lesser Fortune. Represents swiftness, inconstancy, and generosity. Target moves twice as fast for the duration. If at least 3 dice are invested, they can take any extra action each round instead, ignoring rules about action count.

10. Populus
R: 50' T: {sum} creatures D: {dice} minutes
The People. Represents stability, dispersal, and multiplicity. For the duration, targets cannot form any new short-term memories. They are always surprised and will forget anything they have seen the moment it goes out of sight.

11. Puer
R: Touch T: A non-magical weapon D: {Dice} hours
The boy. Represents war, energy, and direction. The affected weapon gains a bonus of {dice} to hit and becomes magical for the duration. The next time it would damage a target, deal an additional {sum} damage and the effect ends.

12. Caput Draconis
R: Touch T: Surface D: {dice} hours
The Head of the Dragon. Represents beginnings, opportunities, and new possibility. The opening of doors. A passage forms in the touched surface. The passage is large enough for a single file line of standard humans and goes up to {sum} feet into the surface. When the duration ends, the passage closes, dealing {sum} damage to creatures inside before ejecting them to the nearest unoccupied space.

13. Acquisitio
R: 100' T: Area D: Instant
Gain. Represents success, profit, and prudence. Buried or covered objects rise to the surface in area you designate, {dice}x10' in radius. If you cast this spell on the ground, coins, stones, and root will be pulled to the surface. If you cast it on water, sunken objects will rise to the surface and remain there until you take damage or another action. The total weight of dredged objects cannot exceed {dice}x100lbs.

14. Amissio
R: 30' T: One creature or object D: Instantaneous
Loss. Represents transience, loss, and generosity. Target turns to dust. Creatures with more than {sum} hit points are immune. An apple-sized object can be disintegrated with 1 die; cat-sized with 2 dice; human-sized with 3; and so on, proportionately.

15. Fortuna Major
R: 50' T: Creature D: {sum} rounds
Greater Fortune. Represents inner strength, power, and success. For the duration, if the affected creature would fail a roll, they succeed instead. After {dice} times, end the effect.

16. Rubeus
R: Touch T: Creature D: {sum} days
Red. Represents passion, worldliness, pleasure, and violence. Target makes an Animus Save. On a failure, for the duration, nothing seems like a bad idea to the target, any whim is indulged to recklessness. From an ordinary commoner, expect profligate violence, adultery, gluttony and embarrassment when the duration elapses. Against mercenaries, wizards and nobility, anything goes. If you possess hair, blood etc. of the target, range is 100ft. Spellcasters may attempt an Mens Save each day to end the effect early.

Mishaps

1. GD only return to your pool on a 1-2 for 24 hours.
2. Take 1d6 damage to your Mercy.
3. Random mutation for 1d6 rounds, then Save Corpus. Permanent if you fail.
4. Gain 1d6 Stress.
5. For 1d6 rounds, you are struck with the Fear of Chare. Flee as deep underground as you can until this effect ends.
6. Cannot use Figures for 1d6 hours.

Dooms

1. The Eyes of Chare cause the Watchers to flee from you. You cannot use Figures for 1 day.
2. The Eyes of Chare follow you. Any person of a Holy Calling knows of your calling by looking at you.
3. Chare catches up with you. Chains erupt from the earth and pull you to the Pit where the Watchers are bound.

"The Sons of God Saw the Daughters of Men That They Were Fair" by Daniel Chester Finch (1923)

 

While the Nephilim are most feared of those cavorting with Watchers, and while such fear is justified, kings fear the Geomancers even more. A random citizen is likely to survive meeting one of these enigmatic sorcerers (though they may not remember it), but those who work with the signs of the earth have toppled nations. Any king worth his crown has equipped his courts greatly to prevent Geomancers from entering his halls.

 

Luckily for most rulers, the Geomancers themselves are rarely prone to overthrowing entire kingdoms. Like their brethren the Nephilim, many find themselves drawn into the Wastelands in search of their masters. Most who remain in the civilized lands find themselves on the wrong end of an executioners blade long before mastering the most powerful of figures.

 

 

Okay I've never made a spellcaster and, while I've historically enjoyed playing them, designing them is so so hard forever. Looks at the time between posts. Would it have been prudent to run this by someone before posting? Maybe someone who knows how this works? Probably but consider these words of an ancient master: posting is fun.