Magical Rituals 2.

The Magic Ritual skill is used to perform magical rituals. In its simplest form, a ritual is
a long magical preparation used to enable a caster to cast a higher level spell than he or she
usually would be able to. In its most complex form, it would enable the caster to tailor-make
his or her own spells without the lengthy research period required to learn how to cast them
in combat-time. These rituals contain the means to produce almost earth-shaking events
in a relatively safe manner. The advantage of Ritual or High Magic is the near certainty
of successes in the casting of mighty magics. Of course, some skill must be possessed in
order to evoke the desired result. The disadvantage of this method is the cost, in time, that
it requires to successfully complete even the simplest of spells. Ritual magic may not be
performed on a moment’s notice.
There are a number of different ritual classes, and skill in each class – beyond the first 5
ranks, which are common to all categories – must be developed independently.

Alchemical Covers the creation of items. This is frequently done in conjunction with
another type of ritual, as it is easier to invest an item with a ritual spell than to find
a high enough level spellcaster to help.
Alteration A catch-all type covering such things as transport spells, Telekinesis, magical
locks, disintegrations, etc.
Auxiliary Covers anything that will have an effect on another spell effect. This includes
such things as Extension, Spell Store, Permanence, Ranging, etc.
Clerical Covers direct acts of a cleric’s faith such as raising the dead.
Druidical/Natural Covers such things as herb enhancement, Weather control, Healing,
and Purification.
Elemental Covers manipulation of the elements through such spells as walls, balls, bolts,
etc. Ranks beyond 10 in this category are specialized into specific elements.
Influence Covers such things as Charm, Quest, Sleep, etc.
Informational Covers all forms or lore, detects, etc.
Summoning/Possession Covers the summoning of all forms of creatures, the possession
of people by summoned beings, and the control of summoned beings.

There are a number of factors that may influence the chance of success or failure for
a ritual. The final roll will be compared to the chart on page 27 or RMCIII.1 The use of
fate points during rituals may be restricted by the GM, but all of the rules and percentages
involved in any particular ritual will be clearly stated and placed in writing by the GM
before the ritual begins.

Ritualist Skill The ritual has a base chance of success equal to the skill bonus of the
ritualist for the class of ritual being performed. If a ritual falls into multiple classes,
then the average of the relevant skills is used, weighted by GM fiat.
1
Note: a 101+ succeeds completely, a 50–100 succeeeds with a backlash, and on less than a 20, the ritual
is perverted.
Effect Level The GM determines the level of the effect being generated. For some rituals,
the level of the effect is known and fixed, or is simply the level of the spell being cast
through the ritual. If there is more than one effect in a ritual, the level of the ritual is
the level of the highest effect plus half of the level of the other effects. The chance of
ritual success is lowered by 5 percent for every level that the effect is higher than the
number of ranks in the relevant ritual class possessed by the caster.
Known List If the spell effect is not a standard spell, or is on a list that the caster cannot
learn2 then the chance is modified by -20. If the effect is on a list that the caster could
learn but doesn’t know yet, the chance is modified by -5. If it is on a list that the
caster knows but not to a high enough level, the chance is unchanged. If the spell is on
a list that the caster knows to the appropriate level, but the spell is above the caster’s
own level, the chance is at +10. These effects are averaged according to GM fiat when
multiple casters or multiple spells are involved.
Foci If the caster has an appropriate focus, the chance of success is increased by the caster’s
BAR bonus. Creating a focus in itself usually requires an Alchemical ritual.
Time Spent The minimum time required to perform any ritual is the difference between
the effect level and the caster’s ranks in the ritual class in hours. One hour is the
minimum time required to cast any ritual. At the end of each eight hour block of time,
the caster must make an unmodified check on his or her ritual skill or “hand off” the
ritual to another ritualist. This check indicates the caster’s ability to use the power
contained within the ritual to remain upright, focused, and coherent for unnaturally
long periods of time. If this check is failed, the ritual will fail. If multiple casters are
used in a ritual, all of their relevant stats are averaged for the final ritual check. For
every extra multiple of time spent, the chance of success is increased by 10. If the ritual
is disturbed by outsiders, the ritualist must make his or her Ritual Class skill roll to
continue. The roll is at -20 for each round in which the ritual has been disturbed. The
only exception to this is Alchemy rituals. These may be left at will and restarted later
as long as none of the ingredients have been disturbed. Casters may only change once
every eight hours.
Power Invested (UPDATED) No ritual can succeed without a number of power points
equal to the level of the ritual being invested into the ritual. More than one person
can provide power; the points from persons that are not conducting the ritual are
spent at half efficiency. All people providing power to the ritual must have at least
one rank in the magical ritual skill. Spell adders provide a number of points equal to
the level of their user; power point multipliers act as normal. For every extra multiple
of the ritual’s base power cost invested, the ritual’s chance of success is increaced by
5 percent. Power spent in a ritual cannot be recovered the time spent in the ritual in
days has passed, rounding up to the nearest day. Casters are not required to expend
all of their power in a ritual; but they are guaranteed to be down the power expended
until at least two sleep cycles have passed. Power spent during a ritual can only be
regained through sleep.
Influences The GM determines a set of components or ingredients that will be used in the
ritual. Some may be required; others may add to the chance of success.

2
Lists that one could theoretically learn at astronomical costs don’t count as lists that the caster could
learn.