Wield the gun, rule the world. Ballistomancers harness the threat of violence, the desire to be alpha male or to obey an alpha male, and the sexy blued steel of a big fucking gun. There’s a monkey in every head, and they want to follow orders.
The gun is more than a weapon. It is a symbol of power, of domination of the strong over the weak, of the bully over his fellow man. To wield a gun is to wield power over others. To point a gun is a threat. Ballistomancers know this and have turned the symbol into reality, using the gun to manipulate people through fear, dominance and violence.
Born in the USA, Ballistomancy stems from the fetishisation of firearms and the accompanying culture of violence that it breeds. From the days of the Old West the gun has been viewed as a tool to dominate others, to insure one’s independence and, in time of need, to bring down those in power. The heart of the magic is the use of a gun as a tool to dominate and manipulate others, and to empower oneself.
Ballistomancy Blast Style: Ballistomancers have no blast. Guess why?
Stats:
Generate a Minor Charge: Discharge a firearm in front of witnesses. It need not necessarily be fired at someone but there must be people present. Witnesses are required to fulfil the domination aspect of the magic. It doesn’t matter how many people are present, just that there be more than one. The charge can only be generated if the witnesses aren’t directly involved with the Ballistomancer. That is, he has to threaten passers-by and other innocents to gain a charge.
Generate a Significant Charge: Discharge a round from a famous firearm, such as Oswald’s rifle, the gun that killed Lincoln, Jesse James’ Colt .45s and so on. Again this must be in front of witnesses who aren’t directly linked to the Ballistomancer (i.e. neither his friends nor his enemies). Alternatively, a single critical roll with a gun-based skill, other than Ballistomancy itself, will generate a significant charge.
Generate a Major Charge: Change history with a single bullet.
Taboo: Be hit with a firearm. Bullet or pistol butt doesn’t matter. You’re supposed to be in control of the weapon; if the gun is turned against you lose all charges. Similarly if the Ballistomancer backs down when faced with the threat of violence by firearms he loses all charges.
Random Magick Domain: Ballistomancy deals with magic of control through superior firepower. Waving a gun around can sometimes deliver unexpected results, such as cooperation from strangers, enhanced charisma and attention getting oratory.
Starting charges: Ballistomancer PCs begin play with 3 minor charges.
Ballistomancy Minor Formula Spells
Feelling Lucky?
Cost: 1 minor charge
Effect: Gesture with a firearm and gain +20% to any skill test to convince or persuade someone to cooperate.
Quick Draw
Cost: 1 minor charge
Effect: A successful Ballistomancy roll places your firearm in your hand instantaneously. No need to draw the weapon from a holster, or get it out of your waistband. For an extra minor charge you can bring a gun to your hand that wasn’t on your person to begin with. This will not steal a gun from another person, only draw one to you that you already have owned and handled.
I’m the Boss
Cost: 2 minor charges
Effect: Allows the Ballistomancer to flip-flop any roll involving intimidation or threat backed up with a firearm. The weapon need not be actually used just visible to the target. May be used after the relevant skill roll. Example: Tory Grunt is a Ballistomancer shaking down his informer, Michael Pus, in an booth in a bar. He rolls against his 45% Shakedown Weasels skill and gets a 53. Pus isn’t convinced, despite the Desert Eagle pressed lovingly against his femoral artery so Grunt casts “I’m the Boss” and gets a 35 on his Shakedown roll. Pus bursts like a zit and spills all the info Grunt needs.
Cost: 2 minor charges
Effect: While this spell is in effect the Ballistomancer is remarkably attractive to the opposite sex in a sort of sexy but dangerous sort of way. Those individuals affected are still in control of their actions, they’re just keen to get closer to this sexy machine of love and death. The spell ends if the Ballistomancer drops the front of lust-violence and shows any emotion other than animal desire or cool disdain. It ends at sunrise in any case.
Cost: 3 minor charges
Effect: The Ballistomancer must give the target of this spell a firearm. If he accepts and the Ballistomancy skill check is also a success the target will cooperate with the Ballistomancer for the duration of one well- defined task. The target remains conscious and in control of himself, but is willing to go along with the adept’s plan. The proposed plan cannot forseeably take more than about 12 hours. If the target fails a madness check while cooperating with the Ballistomancer’s plan he may make a Soul roll to allow him to quit and run.
Ballistomancy Significant Formula Spells
Bullet in the Head
Cost: 1 significant charge
Effect: Ignore the madness effects of one action on the violence meter. You simply do not have to roll, and treat the event as though you were already hardened to it.
Shot Heard Round the World
Cost: 2 significant charges
Effect: With this spell the Ballistomancer can send a message to any person in the world. The target and the adept must have met previously, but this can have been just a brief face to face encounter. To cast the Ballistomancer fires a round from a firearm and whispers his message. Instantaneously the message is heard by the recipient. If asleep the recipient wakes and has the memory of the message as though part of a dream.
Homage à Woo
Cost: 2 significant charges
Effect: Allows the Ballistomancer to treat his firearms skill as an obsession skill for the duration of one combat.
Power Comes from the Barrel of a Gun
Cost: 3 significant charges
Effect: By gesturing with a firearm the Ballistomancer can control a crowd and sway its mood. A number of people up to the number on the dice (remember flip-flops) can be directed by the adept for a number of minutes equal to the sum of the dice, or a number of rounds if in a combat situation. The Ballistomancer must first get people’s attention and spend a couple of rounds whipping up the crowd. Example: Our man Grunt is an illegal boxing match and spots the promoter coming for him with a pair of heavies. Knowing they’re not looking for a quiet chat Grunt draws his gun and shouts at the people seated nearby that the gorilla goons and their boss are here to stop the fight. Grunt rolls 34 and has a big gang of contact sports enthusiasts (34 of them) on his side for about 9 minutes, or 9 rounds if it gets violent. And, of course, it does.
Natural Born Killer
Cost: X significant charges
Effect: The Ballistomancer renders himself hardened to all Madness checks for the duration of the spell. He must pay one significant charge for each Madness check so avoided. At the end of the spell he must take a hardened mark in one of the categories challenged during the spell. The duration is one day. If the adept has insufficient charges to pay for the spell in progress he automatically fails any Madness check for the remaining duration.
Ballistomancy Major Effects
Rule armies with a gun, kill anyone with a single shot from a firearm. Change someone’s personality entirely, for good, with a threat. Order people to their certain deaths, and so on.
Very well thought out… I may have to add this to my campaign in progress.
All of the spells seem (at least on a cursory glance) well balanced, and the charging conditions and taboo create a nice paradox.
I especially like “Join the Posse”.
I think it’s fantastic; the idea of a gun being sexy and deadly is just so appealing that I would add this into my game, only that it is set in Singapore. Oh well. =/ However, there seems to be a lack of paradox that is so common to the other schools; perhaps Ballistomancy’s central paradox could be that though the world knows a gun is a deadly tool of destruction, they can’t help but love its sleekness? I dunno…
Thanks for the comments. I agree that it’s a bit paradox-free. I meant for it to be a bit surprising that you use the firearm to control others, without necessarily using the firearm to inflict harm on others.
Perhaps the charging should be changed to gain charges only when coercing others with an empty gun, making it more about confidence and threat?
Cheers,
Myles
This will go nicely with another thing that I am working on that was inspired by the link that was given in the gunkata ritual.
On the minor charge an idea I had was gaining one when you displayed the gun to witnesses. Normally having to be done in a ‘cool’ manner, such as pulling back a trench and revealing a pair of twin pistols on your sides, doing a spinning show off with the guns ala Romeo and Juliet modern remake. Stuff like that.
Ah well just me thinking again.
You missed a couple of spells…
6 Shots Or Only 5? (1 minor)
To cast this spell, the Gun Nut must have been keeping track of the ammo he’s been expending, as it only works once the gun is empty, but before the trigger has been pulled and the ‘click’ of an empty chamber has been made. One last bullet appears in the chamber, ready to go. This only works on a gun that discharged all its shots in view of witnesses (so no bringing an empty gun somewhere and mojoing a bullet into it… you gotta use the bullets before you get your bonus).
Way Of The Gun (4 Significant)
Use this spell to charge up a gun that you’ve used for illegal purposes (yes, this means you could use it to bust a window while breaking and entering). Remove a bullet from the gun and encribe the target’s name onto it. Keep the bullet, toss the gun. Within a week, the gun will come into the possession of the target, who will be compelled to use it in their next violent act and then get rid of it. A week later, it’ll return to you. Put the bullet back in, and the gun will tell you what the target did and where, when, and why they did it. (Methods may vary. Some people claim to hear a voice from the barrel, others fire the gun at a vase and read the fragments.)
I like the spells, but I think that “Way of the Gun” is probably a little outside the domain of the school. The compulsion to use the gun is cool, but the divination aspect doesn’t ring true to me. “6 Shots Or Only 5?” is sweet and is in keeping with the macho bullshit line that Gun Nuts cultivate. Thanks for the ideas.
Myles
I think “6 Shots” works but might be a little too cheap. 1 minor charge for an extra bullet?
Maybe there should be a spell that mojos a gun to need to be used..if it is used, it get bonuses..but can rack up some self checks.
Borrow a page from Feng Shui and make a spell that gives yuou bonuses to firewarms after a turn spent ritually preparing the gun (i.e. slapping in the clip, pumping the shotgun slide, doing a Wild West butterfly spin)
I think the taboo should also include a proviso for having to have a gun on you at all times instead of the getting shot thing. If power comes from having the gun, doesn’t it mean not having it renders you powerless?
The power comes from using the gun symbolically to control others. I’m cool with there being one or two spells that make you a better shot, but basically the school’s about using macho/alpha male power to boss people around. The gun is only a focus. That’s why I chose the taboo I did. You control the gun, not the other way around, and if a gun is turned against you or you back down before a gun, you lose it all.
Myles
Really good stuff, for an action based campaign.
It is also cool not to use a gun only for a deadly purpose.
It reminds me a bit of “Snatch”, which my favorite character is “Bullet Tooth Tony” 🙂
Pierre
Okay, along the lines of the ‘alpha male’ bit…
“I cannot shoot my friend…” (2 Significant)
If you are about to perform an action with a gun that would cause you to make a Self or Violence check, you may cast this spell. You can then give the gun to a friend, ally, minion, whatever (they can’t be a complete stranger, and must have some reason to see you as superior) and they will perform the action for you in the next round or two. You don’t have to make the check, they will.
Inspiration: The movie Sneakers, where the main villain has the hero (ex-college-buddies) captive. “I cannot kill my friend.” The villain turns to his henchman. “Kill my friend.”
I’m still not entirely sure about the paradox component. Perhaps it would be better to place more empahsis on the gun than it’s capabilities?
I’d almost consider a re-vamped version that allows charges from using the gun as a symbol, but making the use of it as a projectile weapon a taboo. The idea being that Gun Nuts get their power from the threat of the gun, not the use of it.
Or possibly keeping it loaded. No more bullets, no more charges. (This can also lead to a proliferation of guns on a person..as long as they have one loaded gun on them, they are good to go.)
The getting shot thing seems self-feating..what’s the point of having a cool john Woo-esque gun fu school if you can;t suck a bullet hit and look tough?
Speaking of spells:
High Caliber Diplomacy: 3 minor
People are usually more cooperative facing down the barrel of a gun. This is a little insurance policy the Cowboys use. When this spell is evoked, the caster can ask one question for each bullet left in his gun. The target must tell the truth or make a Rank 7 Helplessness check.. If he fails, he still blurts out the answer before stressing out. This doesn’t keep the target from fighting back or attempting to escape, but it will keep him honest.
It Shoots Through Schools: 2 significant.
This spell causes one bullet to do its maximum damage to a target on a successful roll. It ignores armor, cover, and anything that might be blocking the target. Once a gun is mojoed with this spell, it can never be used by a Gun Nut again. Attempts to do so will be…messy.
Andrew Ellis wrote
“The getting shot thing seems self-feating..what’s the point of having a cool john Woo-esque gun fu school if you can;t suck a bullet hit and look tough?”
That’s a good point, I’d suggest a spell that allows you to shrug off firearms damage for a time. I like the taboo as it stands, though, with the Gun Nut’s balancing act: using the gun to rule others but losing everything if the tables are turned, even symbolically.
I can see the school evolving into two sub-schools, the Gun Nuts who fetishize the gun and develop l33t gun skillz (paradox is a problem here though), and another group who wield the gun to rule others but cannot actually fire a gun in anger.
Myles
Alternate Taboo:
Since the whole gun shtick is about domination, how about this:
the Ballistomancer must always act from a dominant position towards anyone who isn’t packing a firearm. So, you can be polite to a Arkansas State Trooper or another Ballistomancer, but Alex Abel and the Freak are wimps, screw ’em.
I just want to congratulate the author on prompting an unprecedented amount of discussion.
Nice one. Very well thought out, and ideal for the setting.
I’m wondering about the charging. It seems difficult enough to get charges, while the taboo is a real danger, especially considering the ballistomancer has little control over it. I think PeterAmthor has the right idea for the minor charge: display the gun to witnesses in a “cool” or threatening fashion (less chance of the police arriving every time you try to get a minor charge). Significant charge could be firing weapon in front of witnesses in threatening manner (the current minor charge). The current significant charge could become the major charge (possibly just owning the gun and having fired it at least once? There are only so many historically significant guns out there; seems a harsh one for a significant charge).
More feedback, great!
I can see where you’re coming from with the minor charge. The suggested change is perfectly in keeping with the tenor of the school, so I would allow it. I think that the significant charge should still be hard to get regularly, so I wouldn’t go for the variant. Gang-bangers would rake in sig charges very quickly.
I now have my doubts about the historically significant firearm powering charges. Like the dipsomancer this seems too discrete. Either you have the special item (famous gun or drinking vessel) or you don’t, and getting sig charges is bloody hard if you don’t. I’d prefer sig charges being available, if hard to get, for every ballistomancer. I’m not sure what I’d suggest in its place, however.
Major charges have to remain extremely rare, so I’d leave that alone too.
Thanks for your comments.
Myles
I agree that major charges should be hard to come by, next to impossible even. Going with my idea for minor charges, you can charge up fairly quickly and easily. And there isn’t much of a downside (though those who see the gun will react in *some* fashion) In that case, a strong taboo could help. I like the current one, so maybe another one (even something relatively easy, like maintaining your weapon or having to fire it (even at a target) often) to go with it. Maybe the current sig charge ain’t so bad. It’s very similar to the dipsos (easy to get minors, kinda difficult to get sigs). I was thinking of the biblios’ major charge, but should have been thinking of the dipsos. Historically significant guns aren’t a dime a dozen, but considering how many famous people have owned guns (and often several) it’s possible to get a hold of one with some trying.
Perhaps some compromise on the charging system could be reached: for a minor charge you must either display a gun in a threatening manner, or alternatively discarge a gun in a non-threatening manner, both in front of at least ten witnesses. If you can get membership of a gun club of some sort, this would give a good bonus to charging up. Aside from that, keep the sig and major charges.
Have a nice day!
That could work, though I think I’d rework the school to cover two philosophies. One dealing with controlling others through dominance, with the paradox of being unable to use the weapon behind the threat, and the other based on the fetishization of the gun and its perceived contribution to freedom and self-reliance. As I pointed out above, paradox is a problem with this take on the school. Perhaps in making oneself more deadly, more self-reliant, through firearms the adept becomes more vulnerable in other ways. Practically invulnerable to a bullet, but as tough as wet tissue paper when it comes to emotional matters?
Myles
An idea has come to me as to how the Symbolic Tension in this school could be realised. All it would take is a re-writing of the taboo.
Taboo: The Ballistomancer loves their Gun, and indeed all Guns, with a passion. Firearms of any description are simply the best things in existence. As a result, if the Ballistomancer proposes or endorses by word or deed any solution to any problem that is not Gun-related – that is, if there is a Gun-related course of action available – they violate taboo. Thus, if you want to kill someone, don’t let your Epideromancer friend pull their heart out – shoot them! If you want to get some information from someone and you think they might spill it if threatened, don’t try to charm it out of them – put a Gun to their head! Want to force a man to do your bidding? Sure, kidnap his wife and children, but make sure you threaten to blow their heads off with your Gun.
Also, if the Ballistomancer ever acknowledges that anything does a Gun’s job better than a Gun (hurting things, defending your home, threatening people) they will violate taboo again.
This leads onto the school’s Symbolic Tension. The Ballistomancer refuses to acknowledge that anything is superior to a Gun, but in practising this school they use the Gun to give them something which must be more powerful – magic. If a Gun is all they need, why practise Ballistomancy?
Thanks Regis2001, I think that version of the taboo works elegantly for the Gun Nut tradition of the school. I’d keep the original taboo for those who control through dominance, and use your taboo for those who place the gun above everything else.
I like the idea of schools splintering and evolving into separate traditions. I’d emphasize it in any UA campaign I’d run, if only I could get some players together who wanted to play UA. 🙁
Okay MylesC, you want to divide it into two schools? Howsabout this:
Gun Nuts
I loves mah gun… Loves mah gun…
This is the Gun Fetishist school.
Generate a Minor Charge: Discharge every bullet from a fully loaded firearm for no good reason. Shooting at somebody in combat, taking target practise to improve one’s aim or engaging in some sort of contest for money will not yield a charge. Just shooting at a bottle on a wall is fine. Note that each gun will only yield one Charge per day, when the day is assumed to start and end at dawn.
Generate a Significant Charge: Fire a bullet for any reason from a historically significant gun. This gun must have been fired at least once for it to be chargeable.
Generate a Major Charge: Change the course of history with a single gunshot.
Taboo: The Taboo for Gun Nuts is as listed in my earlier post.
Also, a Gun Nut must always carry at least one functioning, loaded gun on them at all times. The gun must contain live ammunition.
Gun Controllers
Sure I believe in gun control. I’ve got the gun, so I’m in control.
This is the ‘guns as a symbol of authority’ school.
Generate a Minor Charge: Compel a group of ten people to do something they would not do of their own free will using an unloaded gun as a threat.
Generate a Significant Charge: Compel somebody to act blatantly against their nature using the threat of an unloaded gun. Causing an Adept or Avatar to break Taboo would be a good one, but one can charge up off anybody.
Generate a Major Charge: Cause a person of tremendous importance, either temporal or spiritual, to act entirely contrary to their basic nature in a truly spectacular way in front of a large audience using nothing but the threat of an unloaded gun, e.g. forcing the Godwalker of the Mother to murder her child live on television, or making President Bush shake hands and declare his undying respect for Osama Bin Laden on a stage in Times Square.
Taboo: The Gun Controller may never fire a round of live ammunition or even carry a gun with it in. It’s as simple as that. If they wish to fire a gun for effect, blank rounds may be used as long as nobody is hurt by them.
Sound good?
Also, further to my earlier comment, there would have to be re-writing of the spell lists. Each school would have a seperate list of its’ very own. They might share some spells, but a lotf of them would fit very well for one school and not the other.
Otherwise truly cool idea, but I would change the charge structure and taboo to:
Gain Minor Charge: Buy a gun you don’t own already. Any kind of firearm qualifies, but many Gun Nuts concentrate on particular type of guns(Rifles, semiautomatic handguns, revolvers…)
Gain Significant Charge: Design and create a new, working gun. If you only design it, you get only minor charge.
Gain Major Charge: Posses unique, one-of-a-kind firearm you haven’t made yourself, and have not ordered anyone else to make or historically significant firearm. Examples include Oswalds rifle, first prototype of Kalashnikov, pistol used to shoot Franz Ferdinand and so on.
Taboo: First, Gun Nut must always be armed. Wherever he goes, he must always carry at least one firearm with him. Second, he may never sell or willingly give away any of his guns. Third, he must always keep his guns in good shape, oil and maintenance them regularly and so on.
Symbolic Tension: By giving up any interest towards humans and turning it towards guns, Gun Nut gains power over humans.
Once again, I see a difference between those who fetishize the gun and those who use the gun as a symbol of power to control others. The charging mechanisms you propose are nice, but more suited to a gun fetishist, and I don’t see the symbolic tension as being that strong. Maintaining your guns and carrying one with you is a far cry from “giving up any interest towards humans”.
I do like the taboo but I wonder if it doesn’t place a lot of power in the GM’s hands. It’s easy for the GM to make it difficult to hold on to a gun in the right circumstances. This isn’t unique to this taboo obviously.
What about limiting the charges stored to the number of places-where-a-bullet-should-be-but-isn’t within arm’s reach?
For example, if you have an unloaded 20-shot pistol in a holster, and a six-shooter loaded with one bullet on the table in front of you, that’s a maximum of 26 charges: five on the table, twenty in the empty mag, and one in the chamber.