A dying school of metallic currency

An ancient and dying sister school to Plutomancy, Lamniamancy emphasizes the importance of intrinsic value, rather than wealth. They are a school obsessed with the value of metal. In ancient times they were common, and often quite similar to Plutomancers. Now they’re guys who walk around with socks full of dollar coins and quarters to pay for everything. Their school is nearly dead.
While they are no less obsessed than Plutomancers, they can spend more freely, as long as they have beautiful, metallic currency around to admire and feel. Prior to the ending of the gold standard they got by fairly well, keeping a lot of changed stashed away in their home, but also being able to spend bills backed by gold. Now, that doesn’t work anymore, and the de-emphasizing of the value of metal is draining their school of power.

Nicknames: Goldbugs

Note on charges: All Lamniamancy charges must be carried in valued metal carried on the person. If the amount drops below $25 all charges are lost, although the Lamniamancer is free to add to and take away from the pile, so this is generally just the money they have to carry on them to get by anyway. This cannot be a ring, jewelry, or tool. Anything that serves the function of decoration or usefulness ceases to be currency.

Charging tips: Cover your bed with coins and sleep in on the weekends. Also, if you should be lucky enough to come into contact with a sufficiently valuable single coin, tape it to your body.

Generate Minor Charge: Be in physical contact with at least $100 in valued metal for no less then 12 hours (in the old days, it was only 3). You do not have to be physically touching every coin at all times, but you must be in constant physical contact with a single pile of money. You cannot reuse the same money.

Generate Significant Charge: Be in physical contact with at least $1,000 in valued metal for no less then 12 hours (in the old days, it was only 3). You do not have to be physically touching every coin at all times, but you must be in constant physical contact with a single pile of money. You cannot reuse the same money.

Generate Major Charge: Be in physical contact with at least $100,000 in valued metal for no less then 12 hours (in the old days, it was only 3). You do not have to be physically touching every coin at all times, but you must be in constant physical contact with a single pile of money. You cannot reuse the same money. However, it should be noted that there are recent reports that even this has stopped producing major charges, and the ability to make them may have faded altogether.

Taboo: A Lamniamancer can never spend any form of currency that doesn’t derive value from metal. If he gets a paycheck, he can cash it for coins. If bills come into his possession, he can get change for them. But all actual spending must be in coins. No checks, credit/debit cards, or bills. If he should come into possession of gold-backed bills, those can be spent…good luck on that.

Symbolic Tension: While not yet as weak as rhabdomancy, the symbolic tension of Lamniamancy has greatly diminished over the last century. It used to be that, if metal is being used as currency rather than to make something, it’s intrinsically worthless.

Random Magic Domain: This deals with value and perceived value. Sometimes it can also allow you to make things more or less shiny.

Blast Spell: Add 15% to a sock full of coins, coin knuckle duster, or other coin melee weapons.

Minor Spells:

Color Code
1 minor charge
In the old days this was one of the Lamniamancer’s most useful spells. It allowed him to affect the way light reflected off of any objects within his line of sight, and lasted until he withdrew it. While the objects would still appear the same shape, they could be made more or less shiny, and appear to be of any color he wanted. Many a Lamniamancer has thwarted thieves by making their gold appear copper and vice versa. Now a days, the spell can affect one object, which the Lamniamancer must be touching, and lasts for around 6 hours.

At a Glance
1 minor charge
Be able to quickly approximate value of anything. This doesn’t take into account personal sentiment of the owner or potential buyer, or tell you exactly what to offer or ask for it to get the best deal. It just tells you what the average person who knows anything about the object would consider a fair price.

Fist Full O’ Dollars
3 minor charges
The Lamniamancer’s blast spell. The name probably made more sense a long time ago.

Re-appraise
4 minor charges
Affects someone’s perception of something’s value. Can be used to get a better deal. Long ago, they’d likely never realize it. Now, don’t give them your number, you can expect them to have the epiphany that they’ve been cheated within the hour.

Significant Spells
Golden Opportunity
1 significant charge
Sometime in the next week you will come across metal worth at least $1000. You cannot use this for a charge. This can be anything from lots of coins, to a single valuable coin, to jewelry (even though you can’t store or get charges with jewelry, it is valuable metal, and this would actually be the preference since any jewels themselves don’t count for the value for the purposes of this spell, and would instead be a bonus). This spell does not help you in cashing in whatever you find. You have to negotiate for yourself.

Re-value
2 significant charges
Something actually does become permanently more or less valuable. In most cases this will mean it becomes/appears newer, works better, etc. This has the added effect of a permanent Re-appraise spell, so others don’t notice that the object has changed. So, wait until after you buy something to make it more valuable.

Golden Charm
3 significant charges
Cast this spell on a coin or other piece of valued metal, and give it to someone. For as long as they keep the coin, they will feel emotionally indebted to you, and not be sure why. This will make them more likely to do you favors, tell you the truth, and in general go out of their way for you. This spell does not make them value the metal any more, and it does not pass on to the coins next owner. If they put it in the bank, the spell will last for as long as that specific coin remains in the vault of that specific bank. So, don’t count on this being long-term.

Pot O’ Gold
6 significant charges
In the old days this spell would allow a Lamniamancer to take any pot, and cause it to be filled with gold coins. Sometime in the 19th century the purity of the gold began to drop. The last recorded instance of anyone actually getting gold out of this was 1946. It now just creates a pot filled with loose change, that can’t be used to create charges.

Major Spells:
Effect value on a global scale. Make gold as worthless as dung, bring back the gold standard, or make a snow globe so valuable that wars are fought over it.

What You’ve Heard:
There’s a crazy guy who drags around a sock full of coins, who occasionally shows up in Occult Underground hangouts. He’s usually told to get lost.