The Magic of Things
“You are what you own”
Memerobiliamancy
Nicknames: Antiquers, Packrats, Nick-naks
People are materialistic. And I mean all people. Even if you don’t care how much something costs, you still care about it. See it’s the memories that give a thing its real value. The shirt you wore when your son was born, the back seat of the car you fooled around in high school. Anything can be important if something important happens with it.
Memorabiliamancers, called Packrats for short, are the practitioners of the magic of things, physical objects that gain emotional and spiritual significance over time. Packrats believe that as we live, the objects we use gain a life through us. They care little for the monetary value of an object, concentrating instead on its history and the people connected to it.
To a packrat people are more dependant by their things then the things depend on their owner. By gathering things of emotional value, the packrat can harness their spiritual power to control those around them.
The paradox of Memorabiliamancy is that the object is only as important as the owner feels it to be, and without the owner the object is nothing.
(a note on objects. For the purpose of this school “objects” are independent inanimate physical item. A body is only important if it was important after the person’s death, a house may be an object but never the land it’s built on)
Charging:
Minor Charge: Acquire an object of personal significance to a person or group. (examples: A class ring, someone’s first car, a wedding dress)
Significant Charge: Obtain an item that has been important to a group of people for at least 10 years. The less people attached to the object the longer it has to hold meaning.
(examples: a family heirloom of several generations, a churches alter, a towns charter.)
Major Charge: Obtain something that has been continuously honored by thousands for at least a hundred years.
(The Declaration of Independence, Golden Tables of the Mormons)
(note: in all cases the Packrat must know the things significance to gain the charge)
Taboo: Packrats believe that people invest themselves into everything they own. So anything you own long enough holds a part of you, and losing it means losing a bit of yourself. A packrat can never give ups, sell, or lose anything he/she has owned for over a year.
Because of this packrat typically get rid of possessions before they have a chance to gather emotional baggage.
(note: this only includes things the adapt know they own, but it does not matter how long they think they owned it.)
Random Magic Domain: People connection to objects.
Blast Style: Antiquers can only cast blasts as traps on objects, like the Surprise Delivery customization but without the extra cost. The blast causes no visible effect, but the subject is bombarded by painful memories and bleeds from the noise, eyes, ears, mouth and fingers.
Minor Formula:
Finder’s, Keeper’s 3 charges
The caster can find an item in the same room as him (or within 10 yard if outside or in a large enclosed area). If looking for something specific(my grandmothers wedding band) the caster must have a clear mental picture of the object. If looking for a general object (a screwdriver) this acts like the first channeled power of the Fool.
Butter Fingers 2charges
The target of this spell drops anything they are currently holding in their hands. The target can attempt to catch one object as it falls with a Speed check (minimum roll equal to the magic roll).
Universal Alarm 1 charge
The caster puts a ward on an object and will know instantly when someone else touches it. This spell does not reveal who touched it, or what was done to it. If left undisturbed the spell last a number of days equal to the sum of the dice rolled.
Out of Harm’s Way 1 charge
The caster preserves an object from deterioration. So long as it is out of obviously destructive conditions (fire, underwater, inside a demolished house) it is preserved as if in the ideal climate. This spell is broken if anyone, including the caster, handles the object.
Oww, Shiny! 2 charges
To cast this spell the Packrat must place an object in plain sight. Anyone passing the object pauses to look at and identify the object. The compulsion last only a few seconds, and the viewer is still aware of the world around him, though distracted (-10-20% shift to notice checks). The spell last for 1 hour, or until the object is hidden.
Identify 4 charges
The caster immediately learns about an object he is currently in contact with. This knowledge includes what the object is called, what is used for, how it is used, and who it belongs to. This spell also lets the caster use the object as if he had 20 points in the appropriate skill. The skill last for 1 hour, but the other knowledge is permanent.
Significant Formula
Needful Things 3 charges
The caster chooses a unique object he owns shows it to the target of the spell. For the duration of the spell the subject feels compelled to own, touch and look at this thing. A successful soul check (minimum equal to the magic roll) is needed to do anything other than try everything in their power to acquire it.
This spell can be dangerous for the caster, as subjects will resort to extreme and even violent means to acquire the desired object. The spell last a number of hours equal to the sum of the roll and cannot be ended prematurely.
Wet Paint 1 charge
The caster puts a powerful tracking spell on an item. The caster knows at all times where the object is. Moreover anyone who touches the object is invisible marked. The caster can detect this mark with a successful magic check, as can anyone with the Aura Reading skill though meaning of the mark is not revealed. This mark last for one day per hour of contact (round up).
This spell lasts 1 week but may be extended by spending 1 significant charge per extra week at the time of casting.
Pieces of You 2 charges
This spell allows the caster to learn the answer to one question about the previous owner of an object. This thing must have possessed some significance to the previous owner, and like most divination spells the answer is often short or vague.
Magic Pocket 1 charge
The caster can pull anything he owns from his/her pocket (purses work too), provided they know where it is and it would fit into the pocket.
Danger! Do Not Touch! 1 charge
This is the only Memorabiliamancer blast formula. The caster puts a trap on an object he owns, anyone who touches the object without the caster’s express permission suffers significant blast damage. This spell cannot be used in combination with any other Memorabliliamancer spell.
I’d lose my Head… 2 charges
The caster makes someone forget that they have something. Even if this thing is in their hands they have no knowledge of it. The subject will ignore remark about the object, and will not remember ever having possessed it. This spell last one hour unless the forgotten thing possess a danger to the subject, in which case it last only a minute.
Touchstone 4 charges
The caster turns an object into a permanent source of comfort and reassurance. So long they hold their touchstone they can flipflop all stress check. Also by spending time holding and concentrating on the touchstone, they can perform psychological first aid (as described in the book) on themselves using their magic skill instead of psychotherapy.
Major Effects: Preserve and protect a thing for all time, learn the entire true history of object, make everyone who sees an object want it forever
Hmmm… the paradox doesn’t quite work. Things are only as important as we think they are, well, I see noone arguing against you on that one. The taboo is much to easy to avoid, and it’s pretty much impossible for an outsider to taboo the caster (always a sign that a school needs work). The charging… well, it doesn’t specify wether the person must be alive and out of a home for the elderly and senile. It needs to talks about at what level the personal significance applies. 99% off all the stuff in my appartment holds some personal significance to me, including “yes, that was the wrapping around that marsbar I ate yesterday” That needs to be worked out. 10 items of PS max per person? Clashes pretty hard with stampcollectors, or bibliomancers for that matter. GM fiat? Opens up a can of arguing worms…
Blast: is this really natural for a school like this? It’s made as a trap, sure, but still…
No spell actually uses the items used for charging for anything (scrying, harming and otherwise affecting the person who owned it, and to whom it matters). That’s a waste.
Some of the spells are less than perfectly described.
What’s the feeling you want for and adept of this school? Someone shopping at fleamarket for charges? Or just a kleptomancer with a slightly different charging scheme? Or a rich asshole going around offering people money for their pants?
I was going to add that the minor charge item must have been owned and significant for a least a year, but was worried that might be to restrictive. I also assumed that GM’s would rule on the level of significance an object must hold. Having the person be alive seem like a good addition though.
Also and outsider can easily break the taboo, just steal something they’ve owned for over a a year.
I questioned the blast myself, which is why I only have a significant formula. I won’t have put one at all, but the “Special Delivery” customization seemed to fit the class well.
I didn’t want the items used for charging to be part of the spell. The spell create artificial connections, whereas charging comes from real connections.
The feel I was going for was someone taking on the lives of another by taking the things which ment most to them.
Hmmm. Ok, good points, only: “Taking on the lives of another by taking the things that ment the most to them.” Does it do that? In what way does the adept “take on the life of another”? All the spells deal with stuff and people’s reaction to it (except Pieces of You of course) But there is nothing in here about impersonating, knowing much about or “taking on the life of” another. I like the spells pretty much across the board (some needs clarification to become publishing quality, but the spirit of them works), but they don’t do much for the feel.
Just to be clear, I’m not trying to bash you here, just honest curiosity and critique:-)
And about outsiders breaking taboo: this does not work on any halfway sensible adept. They of course would, at a time they feel reasonably safe, have a large yard sale and sell or get rid of everything they own, and from then on only keep stuff for less than a year. Tadah – tabooproof!
Yeah, because it’s easy to get a new car every year.
and a new dress.
and a completly new wardrobe, and cloths hangers, and furniture, and wallet, and jewelry, and shower curtains, and….
For a NPC adept with a comy lifestyle, yes. For a PC character fighting for the ascension of the mystical hacker, who only wears thriftstore bargains and lives in a ratty motel, not so true.
I know a couple of people who change care every year. One who buys new cars that often (ok, he’s pretty rich, true), one who likes fixing cars and buys, fixes up and sells at a profit, and one who just buys old wrecks and drives them until they break down beyond cheap repair, usually 1-2 years.
exactly, You can avoid breaking the taboo. You just have to change you’re lifestyle to do so.
Works the same for a lot of other schools. (bibliomancy, urbanomancy, etc)
In a bout of shameless self-promotion, I give you a similar school of my own creation:
http://ua.johntynes.com/content_comments.php?id=3502_0_3_0_C1