Just do whatever comes naturally.
Note: whenever I write here “unnatural” I mean something that simply is not by the nature of humanity, it doesn’t have to be something ‘magickal’.
Humanomancers or Homomancy, a.k.a. Purists.
Ever heard someone say that technology makes us forget our roots? You’ve heard a purist. Ever heard someone say that we are humans, and humans were meant to use tools and technology? You’ve heard another purist. Doesn’t make sense? Than you’ve missed the creation of one the biggest magick schools, or the ensuing war between the two different kinds of its followers.
Humanomancy is the magick of pure humanism. The magic of being human. Being pure, uninterrupted natural human. But what is human? This question caused the wide rift between the two schools of purists, the technophobes (a.k.a. apes) and technophiles (a.k.a. cyborgs). The first school believes that we should return to our roots- live in nature, hunting/gathering or growing merely the required amount of food for their own consumption, and food should be wild animals and vegetables (they might be nature freaks, but they know that a human is an omnivore. Actually, being Vegan is taboo for them) and not genetically modified food. They don’t live in crowded cities but in natural small communities, and they live life the way it was meant to be, before society and technology interrupted and changed everything. Basically, they want humanity to return to its roots in the earthly paradise as in olden days, before mankind started corrupting itself. Return to the ancient way of living, the natural one.
The later, on the other hand, says that using complicated tools and creating advanced technology IS being human- why else would we get a mind capable of doing it, anyways? But they too lament modern society, the way that people sacrificed their humanity for power, money and social influence. Ambition is one thing, obsession quite the other. So they’re fighting against every unnatural tendency- from the wide array of “acceptable” mental disorders, like anorexia or neurosis to practices that do not fit the natural way of living – from drug use to monogamy to veganism. They also object to unnatural behavior, like the worshipping of anything- from animal totems to monotheistic deities and even the worship of technology. They allow the use of computers and TV and such like, but as the means and not as the end. Democracy and communism are also unnatural ways to live by, for another example. (Most of the things said about technophiles are the same for technophobes, and vice versa- they only differ in their relation to technology and advanced tools).
Naturally, purists of both types are quite against most kinds of adepts- alcoholism, self mutilation, book obsession, etc. are all unnatural behaviors. Liking something is one thing, but committing your life to is simply unnatural. On the other hand, purists are extremely pro avatars and they frequent a lot of Ascension cabals, such as the Big S cabal. They like avatars because they think that the archetypes are the ideals, the building blocks of humanity, so being an avatar is trying to get to be a pure and concentrated piece of humanity. Exceptions are mostly that Cyborgs are against avatars of the savage and that Apes are against techie archetypes, and also the fact that they share a serious similarity and some goals with annihilomancers. Also, they have mixed feelings toward new ascensions- they’re not sure if they signify changing humanity, better defining it or redefining it. Also, Apes must never use a technological object (they share taboo with The Savage) and Cyborgs can never decline to use a tool- after all, we’re meant to use tools, no? A Cyborg has to use as many tools as he can, but not forget not to rely on them to much- he might become addicted…
The paradox of being purist is that they strive to achieve ultimate naturality, whatever that is; by means which most of humanity view as extremely unnatural means and that they achieve humanity by limiting their natural impulses. Simply- they’re obsessive about being non-obsessive.
Taboo: a purist can never do something which he sees as unnatural for a human being to do- be it use drugs, go to the theater or do it in doggy-style.
Also, the purist must always concede to his natural impulses and at the same time abhor his unnatural impulses, as with encourage natural behavior in others while stopping them from committing to their unnatural impulses.
Generate a minor charge- stop a significant unnatural occurrence- be it and-eat-all-you-can contest, a large fund raising for the poor, fashion show or a role-playing convention, or rid a single person from an unnatural habit. Also, stopping the casting of a spell or a ritual will do, as destroying a minor or significant artifact. One of the fun things that purists like to do is heal epideromancers- not only do they make them break taboo; they also get a charge, if they didn’t use magick!
Generate a significant charge- stop a major unnatural occurrence, especially a major spell or ritual or destroying a major artifact, but it can also be a battle (not for territory, but for ideals) or a big rally (if you believe that it’s unnatural to protest in peaceful means). Also, curing a serious addict from his addiction, healing someone from a serious disease (“returning to him his human form”) or the whole of society from an unnatural tendency would do it.
Generate a major charge- this one’s hard. It might be achieved by creating an ascension, curing every person with AIDS or the destruction of a worldwide unnatural organization. Or, maybe that won’t do it. It might be something as simple as the adept completely curing himself of every affliction he suffers, or maybe killing himself in the way, when he removes everything inhuman from himself- from fillings to the good bacteria in the stomach.
Random Magick Domain: healing and restoration, changing behavior and also anti-magick, and, well, humanity.
Blast style: not for purists, sorry.
Minor formula spells:
This Can’t Be Happening!
Cost: one minor charges
Effect: This spell is one of the favorites of the sleepers. Simply put, if someone fails an unnatural stress check that was because of an unnatural effect, this spell uses that person’s disbelief and lack of ability to believe and comprehend, in order to change reality and remove that magickal effect from it. This changes history, as the last seconds actually never happened. The caster has to be present when the stress check is failed and cast the spell right there and then.
If the caster knows what is the source of that disturbance, than he can add two significant charges and drain that source from magickal energy- artifacts will become useless, adepts will lose all of their charges and avatars will lose their connection to the stratosphere, for a number of days equal to the tens digit of the roll.
A Mother’s Kiss
Cost: one minor charge
Effect: This spell heals a single boo-boo. One hit that caused no more than a fifth of the target’s hit points will completely disappear. This will heal only the effect of SINGLE hit, so it’s mostly useless in a fight, but it’s quite good if you just sprained an ankle during a game.
This spell can also be used as a painkiller- instead of healing an injury, the target of the spell won’t feel the pain, even from several injuries. The hit points thus removed are equal to the sum of the dice in hit points, and they disappear for a number of minutes equal to the highest of the dice.
Swing on a star
Cost: two minor charges
Effect: This spell will cause the target to want to better himself, and strive to achieve perfection. Basically, this changes that person’s noble impulse to “strive to perfection”. The effect last for a number of days equal to the tens digit of the roll (or until that person will reach perfection), during which the target will have to live with the feeling that everything he does should lead to his betterment and that he’s not living up to his standards and potential, unless he really is.
Primal urge
Cost: two minor charges
Effect: This spell causes its target to want to satisfy his very basic urges- food, survival, sex, etc. the target wouldn’t be able to think about higher things, as long as his basic needs are not met. If he’s hungry, he’ll have to find food. If he feels unprotected, he’ll have to find shelter, etc. This spell can only be used by the technophobes. With the addition of one minor charge, the adept can choose which basic urge to trigger instead of letting the target’s own instincts rule him.
A Mother’s Touch:
Cost: two minor charges.
Effect: This spell is the occult equivalent of taking a deep, long breath. It just calms people easily and quickly. If someone is excited, scared or angry, it’ll calm him down to rationality, though the target will still be pissed off, cautious etc. he will think before he acts. This doesn’t negate a feeling, simply reduces the its extremity.
If this spell is cast on someone during a stress check, he will automatically succeed in it AND he won’t get a hardened notch. But this has to be EXACTLY during the stress check- which means, usually, that the window of opportunity is a second or two. The spell can be cast to reduce the fight or flight instinct of a failed check, but it won’t erase the failed/hardened notch.
If a group of people are experiencing the same extreme emotion at the same time, the spell can calm them all, at the addition of one minor charge per calmed person.
Tell Me About yourself…
Cost: three minor charges
Effect: This spell causes one person to tell the caster many details about himself, but only the things that the person will tell are things that he considers to be important at the moment. So even the Comte de saint germain might just start babbling about the keys he lost five minutes ago.
Significant formula spells:
Calm Down!
Cost: one significant charge
Effect: This spell is the stronger brother of ‘A Mother’s Touch’. This spell is like a serious dose of Ritalin, Prozac and probably also shock treatment. This spell will instantly calm somebody down, almost to complete apathy- it’ll negate any emotion that person is feeling at the moment. The recipient of the spell will feel completely apathic to anything around him, sometimes to such an extent that the target will forget things that happened a couple of seconds ago, as the brain will pass a quick process of denial.
This spell can undo the damage of a failed stress check, but not of a successful one.
The effect of the spell doesn’t last beyond the round that it is cast on, so the target could be wound up again. Also, the extreme change that the spell causes just might trigger its own self check.
This spell cannot be cast on multiple targets.
The Pure Imperative
Cost: one significant charge
Effect: This spell force its target to act according to the purist’s beliefs. If the caster is a technophobe, the target won’t want to use advanced tools for the rest of the day, and if the caster’s a technophile, the target will have to use the most advanced and complex tool to solve anything. Trying to resist this spell will cause a self check.
Human Form
Cost: two significant charges
Effect: This is a more potent version of ‘A Mother’s Kiss’. This spell will heal completely on serious, non permanent wound (so a shattered bone will reform, but a decapitated arm won’t regrow), or it’ll enable the target of the spell to completely ignore pain, until he will stop to rest, in which case he might collapse and die from the accumulated wounds that he didn’t notice he received.
By the addition of another significant charge, this spell will heal any natural, genetic and/ or permanent non significant affliction- eyes would see perfectly, nose cartilage would realign, hearing damage or herpes will disappear, but it won’t heal serious permanent diseases and defect, such as asthma or brittle bones.
The Power of Christ
Cost: three significant charges
Effect: One of the things that Purists hate the most is demons. Demons are perverted human souls, who seek to pervert living humans. This spell is exactly the countermeasure- it’s basically an all around exorcism spell. This spell removes any harmful magickal effect that affects the target of this spell. This includes curses, rituals, tilts, demonic possession of any kind, etc. in case of someone proxied to the target of the spell, the spell will affect the proxy, but after removing any effect from the proxy, it’ll also sever the proxy connection. This spell will also drain an adept from all the charges he holds, and will prevent an avatar from channeling for a number of days equal to the tens digit of the casting roll.
Human Incarnate
Cost: three significant charges
Effect: once this spell is cast, the adept will channel one archetype of his choice for a single day. This gives him access to that avatar’s channels, as if he was an avatar in the same level of his Humanomancy skill, while still retaining his adepthood. When the adept casts this, he should remember two things- first, if the casting is successful, then it will be obvious he’s channeling that specific avatar. He will have an aura of “savagehood” or “masterlessiness”, and his appearance will change by a small degree to signify the change. Also, if he fails, than the archetype will be aware of the failed attempt at channeling him, and probably will act accordingly.
An adept that already channels one archetype can switch archetypes for the duration of the spell, but it’s probably smart to do it in a covert way. Also, an adept that channels an avatar can cast this spell in order to bolster his avatar skill, so it’ll equal his Humanomancy skill + 10%.
Tell Me a Story, Tell Me a Dream
Cost: three significant charges
Effect: By casting this spell, the adept taps directly into the collective human unconsciousness. The adept can draw any piece of information that is unconsciously known by any significant part of the human race, whether it is knowledge based on race, history, customs or even occult things- this is the best learning tool about the invisible clergy. This doesn’t allow the adept to learn anything that is specific to a single person, but only mass knowledge, even if it is a knowledge held by the masses, but not believed, or known in an obvious or active way (such as- McDonalds’ an evil corporation, and the elected officials aren’t really there for your benefit first.)
This spell can be used against specific groups, such as a mob, in order to find their true driving motives, their real leaders, etc.
Major Spells
Major spells for purists will give them the power to put their mark humanity, in the way of restoring it. Completely healing a single person from every affliction he suffers from, removing a specific human-centric disease from existence, changing the public unconsciousness, and maybe even tempering with the invisible clergy.