Magic of Albion

Magic Systems within the Island
Wizards and spell-slingers while not every day on the Island of Albion are definitely common enough for a commoner to have seen at least a mage within their lifetime. Many magical traditions and practices exist on the isle, with their own limitations and benefits, from the traditional styles of study and hard work stealing the secrets of the elves, to making pacts with spirits from the great beyond for great power.

Corinthian Magic (Traditional)
When most folk talk about Wizards within the Isles and increasingly in many other locations as well they are referring to Mages who specialize in translating the secrets of the past, left long ago by the elves of old to cast magical spells using their own energy. Known also as Arcane magic, and on the Islands as Corinthian because of its origin on Corinth, one of the larger Islands sister to Albion.

Corinthian Mages scour elven ruins for lost tomes and runes, searching for instructions for further spells, many of which have been cataloged and recorded within the Dorinsfield Magical College, the center of Magical Learning on Corinth and Albion as a whole. Corinthian Magics rules are as follows
 * Corinthian Mages use Magery for their spells, and may learn up to Magery 3 (Corinthian) without any extra requirements.
 * Corinthian Mages can use practically any spell except for the following (Bless, tbd)

Corinthian Mages in general treat other forms of magic as inferior, sneering at their lack of versatility yet many still dabble in Pact, Runic, or Grimoire Based magic within the privacy of their inner circles.
 * Corinthian Magic has an unfortunate habit of conducting to metal, Iron especially as such Corinthian mages use the wearing metal rules from GURPS magic. As follows: Any Iron within 6 Inches of the Casters skin imposes a penalty to the Mage. Add the weight of all Iron or Steel within this distance together and divide the remainder by 5 while rounding up to get the penalty to casting.                                For Example: A 0.5 Pound Iron Dagger imposes no penalty, where a 3 Pound Shortsword Imposes a -1, and an 18 pound Breastplate imposes a -4, together imposing a -5.

Divine Magic (Of the Gods)
Men of the Cloth, and wielders of otherworldly might, Divine casters devote themselves to one of the Gods or otherworldly powerful beings that bring their attention to the island. Divine Casters do their best to keep their faith first and foremost, guiding and caring for their flock. Some Gods are generous and willing for their representatives to help anyone in need, others are much stricter in their tenets, giving the option of conversion or death. The only sources most have for the origins of the Gods are religious in themselves, opposing religions holding opposing views to how a God came into being or truly is. Gods very rarely directly interfere with the world at large apart from investing power within those who keep to their tenets, which is the one true thing the pious know for sure. Divine Casters have the Following Rules.
 * Divine Mages use Power Investiture (Specific Deity) to learn and fuel their spells, and may take up to Power Investiture 4 in normal circumstances.
 * You must select a Deity to follow, each deity has a list of spells available to learn from them, many of which have no normal prerequisites save for having Power Investiture Levels equal to the Magery level requirement, save for certain spells.
 * Divine casters do not study for spells, instead they spend time in prayer, contemplation and meditation to acquire new spells or power. Deities will often times grant further power to those who further their goals, spread their name, or for the more darker of Gods sacrifice beings in their name.
 * While not subject to local mana levels or leylines, Divine casters are affected by Sanctity within the area. For example a Cleric of the God of Fire would be able to cast at a much higher ability at the foot of a volcano, yet would have an very difficult time casting at sea without preparation, or not be able to at all. As well, an especially good Cleric would be heavily suppressed within the belly of an Evil Gods Chapel, being much better off bringing a Holy Relic of his faith with him or burning it down from the outside.
 * Divine Casters Often take and are allowed to take the following Advantages (tbd)
 * List of Gods of Albion Here

Divine casters are the most respected within the Isles of Albion. Clerics of Gods within the main kingdoms are very rarely hassled, treated with respect even with more unpopular religions, and even Shamanistic Clerics of the Wild Gods are treated with care before being struck down. Worshipers of Demons and Dark Gods however are very rarely tolerated and put down as soon as identified.

Druidic Magic (Magic of the Forest)
The Wildland druids of Albion do not fear the denizens of the forest, for they themselves have unlocked the secrets lying within. Druids are taught Master to disciple, taking those in who are lost in the forest yet prove themselves able to handle the natural dangers within. Actual initiation is shrouded in mystery and changes grove to grove, yet the traditions and rituals passed between either are universal or at least not much of a secret between other druids. Druidic Magic has the following rules.
 * Druids use Magery and may buy up to Magery 3 within normal circumstances
 * Regular Druid Magic is Material and Talisman Based, while Druidic Traditions also Carry Many Path Magic Rituals, and Pact Magic with Local Spirits.
 * Base Druidic Magic uses the Tree Magic system Following the Ogham Alphabet (Thaumotology PG.42) while also requiring material components with every casting depending on the spell (and following the magic materials table from page 222. Certain spells are banned and further information can be found here:
 * Druids also have access to Path Magic Rituals, passed as traditions from Master to student generation after generation. With these Rituals Druids learn how to guide the environment and local magical beings to do their bidding, or how to safely conjure and make pacts with local spirits in the area. Further information on Druidic Pact Magic can be found here (to be made)
 * Druids may learn traditional magic, or even be divinely inspired yet they also must follow certain rules to keep the balance of nature, or risk losing their influence over nature. Druids are not allowed to teach non-initiates druidic secrets be they spells or the language itself. Druids are forbidden from wearing metal armors, or in general harming the natural order around them. Druids who stray too far from the path of nature may find their powers leaving them, and nature striking back with unbound fury.


 * Druids are known to have many other powers apart from spells, some of which they can learn via Rituals. The following advantages are available to Druids (tbd)

In the end Druids can channel a large amount of Raw Power, yet horrible consequences remain for the druid who strays from the path. Druids are also not well looked upon in most of civilization of Albion either. Seen as troublemakers at best or Witches as worse most Druids avoid other people for the very reason that they're not welcomed and the temptation to no longer adhere to the power that is nature.

Zerkithian Rune Magic (Symbol Mages)
Far from the south, Zerkithian Style Magic uses the Old Zerkithian Alphabet to form Runes and spells with which the caster channels to achieve their spell effects. Seen as foreign magic and usually inferior to Corinthian, Zerkithian Magic has a greater amount of flexibility but is restricted in its power due to it not having the same focus as Traditional spells, lacking their clout.
 * Rune Mages may buy up to Magery 2 (Rune Magic) for activating their runes. Rune Mages use Symbol Drawing as their main skill to make inscriptions of runes, and then their specific skills with their known symbols to succeed at a spell (with which they may add their Magery Bonus)
 * Rune Mages learn from the (x amount) of Runes from the old Zerkithian Alphabet, using their inner meaning to form spells and sentences to gain effects. To create the runes they first attempt a Symbol Drawing Roll for the inscription, or roll against their Skill with the Rune in question, whichever is lower. To cast the spell, the Rune caster must make another check against Symbol Drawing or one of the runes in the spell (whichever is lower) the spell takes one 1 second of concentration per rune, and is cast at the end (of which you then pay the FP cost of the spell)
 * Rune mages create their spells in many ways, They may use Rune Parchments, Rune Stones arranged in the order they wish, Tracing the Spell in the Air, or Inscribing the runes upon whatever object they wish.
 * Rune Magic is quite good at enchanting items with their effects, modifying their existing properties to fit the user and being much broader in scope. However it is impossible for runic magic to create objects from thin air, only able to modify and change its environment, rather than introducing brand new things to the area. For example a Zerkithian Mage could inscribe a rune on his sword to cause it to burst into flame, changing the heat of the air near the blade itself, but he could not conjure rocks from midair to fall on his enemies, or water from nothingness (he could however slowly gather water from the nearby air)
 * The Rules describing the Zerkithian Runes, and specifics on Rune Magic can be found here.

Flexible but Volatile and imprecise, runic magic is a useful tool for most mages to get under their belt but is especially useful to spellswords and spellsneaks who inscribe spells upon their weapons for later use. Preparation is key for rune mages by keeping the right parchments inscribed since using stones takes much more time, yet a talented Rune Mage can contend with a Corinthian Mage in many, many ways.

Pact Magic
To truly make a deal with the devil, Pact Magic is a dangerous tool available to all mages as either a shortcut to new knowledge, or a source for more power. Druids often use their rituals to draw safe spirits of nature to make pacts with, many happy to help out an already powerful and well standing Druid, yet other Mages of other styles may try attracting beings from the other side as well, yet do not have the filter of traditions to protect them.

Pact Magic works by summoning the attention of an Outsider with a ritual, some spells work in a similar fashion but the majority of the time you do not know what manner of being you are bringing forth without very specific methods. Using things like True Names, objects associated with said creature, and incantations tailored to draw said being in will certainly help but one can never truly be sure without direct testing that the Wood Sprite you summoned isn't really an Archdevil in disguise. Pact Magic has the following guidelines.
 * Pact Magic uses Ritual Magic as a base to work, the Ritual Magic Skill being used but similar to enchanting only requires one person to do the job (although more people may certainly be helpful. The caster can try and influence what outsider arrives, and may place down magic circles and wards to help protect themselves in case it is hostile, yet the fate of what arrives is left up to the GM.
 * Whether the being arrives hostile or not or order to gain any services from it a Mage must strike a bargain with the being. This might vary from the outsider requiring specific items or wealth, favors, or even bits of the caster and their soul upon death. Evil beings will most certainly try and use this to manipulate and corrupt the Mage.

At the end of the day Pact Magic is hugely risky and Taboo, but can become incredibly useful or powerful as stories of Insane Witches trading their souls away for devilish companions are not unheard of.
 * Once the agreement has been made the being may grant a number of things. It may give access to unknown spells for free or for cheaper, or extra power with which you may cast your spells in a pinch. Some more powerful beings may even grant physical changes or abilities to the Mage but be warned, all of these abilities are not truly learning or gaining said power, it is simply learning how to access the bond with your benefactor from beyond the veil, and if the line is cut for whatever reason you must relearn the spell from scratch. This does also give the Outsider a certain degree of influence over the mage, allowing them to shape them to their own plans.

Bardic Magic
The least disciplined and organized of magical styles in Albion, Bardic spells are incantations and performances that let out the innate magic within the user, traded like stories from bard to bard in taverns across the land or "overheard" from some Corinthian mage. Bards take from all and seemingly give nothing back since the main exception with their spells is simply that they are quite easy to learn. Nevertheless, there are quite a few bards within the island, and usually most commonfolks introduction to magic. Bards are quite able to cause a lot of trouble, dabblers in magic along with their lore Bards are also known to seek out further magic secrets in runic or traditional magic yet many are sitisfied with what they can accomplish with the tricks they pick up since they are so much easier.
 * Bards use Magery and may take up to Magery 1 (Bardic) all magic cast by bards either requires them to Dance, use an Instrument, or Sing to cast but no bard is reliant on more than once (though many still choose to do so) This means that Magery costs 40% less for those who dance or sing, and 50% less for those who have to use an instument. (40% = 3 points magery 0, 6 points magery 1. 50% = 2 Points Magery 0, 5 Points Magery 1) In addition all Bardic spells are considered Average or Hard, rather than Hard and Very Hard. (am considering this one just in case)
 * Bards gain access to the Enthrallment Skill and the following advantages (tbd)