Why keep that anger inside? Better to direct it…let everyone see your hate radiating from your enemy.
Cost: 4 Significant Charges
Ritual Action: Make a circle, approximately 3′ in diameter, of shed snake skins. These can be from any venomous snake, but rattlesnakes and cottonmouths are traditional. Place a serpent point (an elaborate, many-pointed stone arrowhead used strictly for ceremonial purposes) in the center of the circle. Spit on the arrowhead and shout an angry litany in Ojibwe, spitting repeatedly on the arrowhead whenever you pause to breathe. Between chanting and spitting, this process should soak the serpent point in saliva over the course of half an hour. After your chanting is complete, pick up the serpent point, visualize your target, and throw the stone arrowhead vigorously onto hot coals of burning cedar. The serpent point should snap, releasing the curse.
Note: This curse only works against someone the caster is truly angry with. Vengeful or spiteful individuals seldom have problems with this requirement.
Effect: All that anger you felt towards the target? It radiates from them now. That person is now percieved as extremely moody, at best, by everyone encountering them. Any social skill checks (such as Charm, Lie, Seduce and Destroy, etc.) are automatically Significant checks. Significant social skill rolls are at a 10% penalty. The ritual lasts for 7 days. Bring in the Self and Isolation checks.
I figure UA needed a good, Native American-flavored ritual, being as so much of the game material is set in the United States.
I’m for it. It’s clear, meaningful, and since a lot of people don’t know Ojibwe and it requires 4 sig, has a decent price.
Most of the time that kind of stuff is written down. the real question comes in is if it has to be spoken well or perfectly. A lot of native American languages are incredibly hard to speak well. Mostly because we as normal English speakers cant even hear half of the pitches and what not that are being said. Interesting psychology studies! All and all though, good spirit to it. I’d use it in a game!
game???
Something like this probably would be passed on orally. It could be written down–most Native American languages that still are spoken have a written version as well (created by missionaries, if nothing else).
I have this idea that Native Americans would take great offense to outsiders mucking around with their holy sites (Cliomancers, be warned!). Rituals like this would put teeth in their prior territorial claims. Authentic Thaumaturges don’t just have to be bookish Europeans, you know…
excellent work, a good bit of flavor and not over-powered, I dig it. I’ll have to tell my ritual collecting avatar of the Chronicler buddy.
I don’t think this really needs to cost four sigs. Minor-charge curses can have fairly potent effects (e.g. Angel of the Animals, Plague of Hiccups).
I would make this a minor ritual, perhaps adding some qualifier to let the victim break free of the curse.
What happens if the caster no longer feels angry towards the victim?
I agree, it can be a minor. It’s “only” social and it does just last a week and unlike Angel of the Animals, doesn’t probably kill the person.
A good “out” for the cursed might be simply to make the ritualist no longer angry. A sincere apology or reparation would probably work best for this, considering the terrible state of the target’s weaselly social skills.