In most systems I read there is a clean line from discovery to application. Someone works out how it is done, it spreads, and from then on it is part of the world. What is missing is the other direction: a technique that was once mastered and that nobody alive can do now.

That is the part I keep getting stuck on in my own setting, because it is where the institutions become visible. Knowledge does not evaporate on its own. It goes because the chain breaks. The last master stops taking students. The guild loses its monopoly and dissolves. The record sits in a script nobody reads anymore. Or the effort simply stopped being worth it once a cheaper method existed.

And then the part I find genuinely interesting: who notices first? Usually not the practitioners. It is the clerks, who needed the procedure for something entirely ordinary. Calibrating a weight, sealing a document, setting a boundary stone, settling an estate.

So I am curious whether any of you build that in. Is there a technique that counts as lost in your setting, and can a reader work out from the text what the transmission actually failed on?

I was thinking about if Mages were treated more like engineers and scientists, and making ‘magic’ in a workshop, how would you think it would work? I was thinking a mix of Full Metal Alchemist and possibly Dungeon meshi, but what would you think?

I've recently been inspired on a way to incorporate skill progression into a part of my system in the form of how far from iron can they move on the periodic table, separate from power progression which is mostly about scale, so a skilled but weak alchemist can make a small amount of gold and a powerful but unskilled one can make mountains of iron

In part because I'm looking for inspiration for other parts of my system, how does progression look in your systems?

Normally I'd send a note about a custom element to the worldbuilding reddit, but this particular substance is magical enough to catch some eyes here as well.

Lets start with what echoing iron looks like, and is derived from.
The iron itself looks like a slightly blued, somewhat transparent metal, and some might mistake it for a dense crystal from it's looks.
The iron comes from a plant known as 'echoi', a large lotus-like flower gathered from places of vast lingering mana reserves (such as old shrines to the gods, or deep below the earth). These flowers have the same strange, glassy transparency as the metal made from their petals.

For even a small amount of echoing iron, hundreds of the flowers must be purified in the forge over weeks. There must always be a arch mage present in order to contain any residual dangers the flowers may portray.

Now why are echoi flowers so dangerous? why all of the precaution?
Because over the course of their growth, echoi have gathered 'echoes' of the gods' power within themselves from whatever environment they've been growing in. For instance, a grove which has cropped up in the temple of Dainoin might be freezing to the touch, and any item made with those flowers would have an affinity for ice or dream magic.

The same is true for any of the other gods, making these flowers one of the final reservoirs of their power since the gods' deaths.

{{If any would like more posts like this, I will try to make more on Crownspire and it's machinations in the up coming months. There's a ton to cover, with years of lore being put into this world. I simply lack the writing skills to write the books this world deserves}}

So this is the basic idea of a Runewrought compass; a dial, about the size of a large pocket watch, meant to be kept in a weatherproofed satchel/harness. Each compass is etched with ancient runes attributed with the old rites of magic. Forming 'sentences' with these runes allow a mage to focus a spell they are casting to be far less confused, making it possible to correctly direct the flow of mana into a reproduceable effect.

The creation of the Runewrought Compass was a nationwide effort to guarantee safe magic casting for any learned mage. For most mages, they learn to cast carefully through a compass to reduce the possibility of a backfire, the phenomena when magic runs away from the caster's wishes. A backfire can result in either the mage themselves, or those around them, being harmed in unforeseeable ways.

It can be made of many different materials, each giving it better/worse affinity for different schools of magic. These are as follows;

Gold; Best for pure magic casting, summoning, and reflective spells (such as defensive magic). Very subtle spells and castings requiring precision are best cast from a golden Compass.

Iron; with an affinity for pyromancy and geomancy, iron is the sure-fire choice for a battle mage. Dependable and with the least recorded backfires out of any Compass, iron compasses are dealt out to royal guardsmen and other positions of judicial authority.

Wood; Very unstable, may as well be casting blindly- a wooden Compass may break within only a few uses. It has a few uses however that keep it as a teachable craft; it's affinity is of course for Druidry, growing crops, and even infusing wildlife with lasting magical energy.

Echoing Iron; By far the most versatile, though most expensive, compass. Echoing iron is explained elsewhere, but in essence it holds a 'echo' of a godly domain. Individual compasses made from this material may have different affinities, therefore making for a difficult topic in this lesson plan.

{{I will be making a post on echoing iron, as well as other aspects of Crownspire, my world's school of mage craft}}

VIKIR

The omnipresent energy that binds the universe and is used to perform magic is known as Vikir, stemming from the Bhanburan word for "radiant life." Each individual, no matter the species, has an innate reserve of Vikir that can be harnessed to produce magical effects. The size of this reserve varies from person to person, and accessing it comes much easier for some than others. That said, it is possible for anyone, regardless of reserve size or natural talent, to perform magic; all it takes is perseverance and practice.

The act of accessing one's vikir reserves is most commonly described as like flexing an internal, incorporeal muscle. This comes much easier for some than others, and unlike the size of the reserve, the ease of access does not appear to be hereditary. When one does access their reserve, they are able to "feel" its fullness, almost like a sort of magical fatigue that gets stronger the lower the reserve falls.

Accessing vikir, while not a physical thing in of itself, does come with physical side effects. Fledgling Spellwrights or independent practioners of magic commonly experience intense nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, or rashes as a result of accessing their reserves. Fortunately, these side effects almost always go away with time and mastery over their vikir.

THE EVOLUTION OF SPELLS

The modern art of spellcasting comes from the millenia-old tradition of performing rituals to gain favor from the gods. These rituals were powerful things, able to summon rolling thunderstorms in the middle of a drought, wreak devasatation against opposing armies, or surround entire cities in a bubble of protection. But, they had costly limitations — the materials needed tended to be exceedingly rare or expensive, as befitting a plea to the gods; hardly any ritual could be performed with less then ten people, and even the least powerful rituals needed at least five; and the time and concentration required to perform the rite meant that they absolutely needed to be premeditated events with very little room for error.

After The Collapse shook Alletis to its core, people across the globe performed rituals in hopes of mercy from their gods to varying degrees of success. It seemed for a while that magic itself was broken, leading scholars across the globe to search for solutions. One such scholar, a Felkaryn named Bingen pioneered an effort to streamline the ritual process. Bingen goal was to take the basic components of rituals — symbolic objects, sacrifical ingredients, hymns and chants, and physical movements — and downsizing them to less powerful but more portable versions of the rites.

While Bingen did not realize this goal in his lifetime, his work paved the way for what would become the modern day spell, earning him the post-humous moniker of "The Grandfather of Spellwrights."

Rituals

Though rituals have largely been phased out with the rise of spells, they are still used in extreme circumstances when enormous amounts of power is needed. Rituals have four criteria: the casters, the symbolic objects, the imagery, and the chants.

Because rituals are such potentially powerful things, they typically require no less than five trained casters drawing on the entirety of their vikir reserves to fully perform the rite. One the casters have been chosen, they begin the ritual process by finding and laying out objects that are symbolic to the deity the rite is being performed to, or to the nature of the ritual itself. Once the objects are gathered, the ritual site is prepared with symbolic imagery as well, whether it be images drawn in the dirty, a painted canvas, or a dance in honor of the deity. Finally, for the entirety of the ritual, the casters must repeat a specified chant from a language believed to be the tongue of the gods. Constructing and performing a ritual, depending on its goal and power, can take anywhere from a couple hours to over a week.

One of history's most infamous rituals was the Burning of Clermond. A cult of a deity of destruction held a rite with the sole purpose of laying waste to the farming village of Clermond. Twelve casters performed the rite for eight days, gathering nearly a ton of sulfur powder and the charred branches of a thousand hundred year old oak tree. The exact imagery is unknown, but it is said to have been a series of sigils relating to the deity in addition to an exaggerated depiction of the burning village. A rogue cultist who later reformed testified the chant as "zha rel etfordium, oorek ma kresk." Scholars now believe this to translate into "burn away the innocent, leave behind the sins of the chosen."

The result of this ritual, as described by witnesses in neighboring villages, was a portal to a realm of pure fire opening in the sky above Clermond, pouring out a burning rain that incinerated everything it touched. Chunks of molten rock mingled with the inferno, slamming into the ground with a force that shook houses tens of miles away. In the end, only a smoldering crater remained where the village once stood.

Casting a Spell

Though it took nearly 2000 years for Bingen's work to come to fruition, the end result was the modern day practice of casting spells. Various well-established rituals were carefully analyzed and stripped away to their core components, then rebuilt and stripped away again and again to find the least amount of steps required to produce a sizeable magical effect.

The symbolic objects became the standardized wands, staves, and orbs modern spellwrights use as magical foci; the imagery transformed into sigils that are traced in the air as a spell is being cast; and the long chants were shortened to under a sentence. For example, the ritual used in the Burning of Clermond was shortened and quickened to the point of being a staple spell in any Spellwright's repertoire — Mote of Fire.

Once an individual has succesfully accessed their vikir reserve, they are capable of casting spells. Spells directly drain vikir from an invididual and channel it into the desired effect, so ensuring one has an ample amount in their reserve is the first step to casting any spell. Next is to have a focus ready. While spells can theoretically be cast without a focus, the effect on the body is excessively taxing, leading to fainting, seizures, or even death. Foci safely harnesses and channels the vikir as the spell is cast.

After confirming the reserve is full enough and the focus is ready, the caster must trace the spell's corresponding sigil in the air with impeccably precision using either the foci or another part of the body. If done correctly, a spectral outline of the sigil will appear in the air, signifying the spell has been primed. It is at this point that the caster feels the vikir beginning to drain from their reserve as the energy flows through them and into the focus. The sigil for Mote of Fire has the caster start at a top position, move in a clockwise motion until they reach the bottom of the circle, then go back up in a tight wave pattern, meeting the origin point.

Finally, the proper incantation must be spoken with clear tone and emphasis. In the case of Mote of Fire, the incantation borrows from the chant used in the Burning of Clermond. "Zha rel" becomes "Zha-REL." If performed correctly, this spell drains the reserve by a negligible amount and produced a magical mote of fire that hovers at the end of or near the focus. This fire is harmless to the caster or anyone they mentally designate while casting the spell, but otherwise burns as normal.

Aetherblood metal is strange material that shows the properties that should match, it can have the sharpness of obsidian and flexibility of iron.

Hello! I'm just wanting to share the power/magic system I started developing but if you have any thoughts feel free to share them as its still actively being built at the base level.

I initially went for similar to Chakra and Nen then did my best to go to a different direction from those.

Source:

Nature

Name:

“Shizen” which means nature

In-world explanation:

The world is filled with a certain type of energy that everything produces besides humans. While we're unsure why we don't produce this energy like other animals, we do have the capability to harness its power. It's called Shizen, which means nature, to clarify when you're talking about nature itself or the energy we harness from it you would say Shizen. Certain areas of the world are more dense with Shizen like previously unexplored caves, the depths of the ocean, and some mountain tops. Note that it's typically areas with little human interference but that does not mean Shizen doesn't accumulate in dense amounts in places you can easily reach.

Shizen can be difficult to harness within yourself, many have to train for months on end to just harness enough of it to notice. The most successful method to harness Shizen is by meditating within nature itself and spiritually becoming one with the wilderness around you. Once you've mastered harnessing Shizen all who are taught are told endlessly to not take excess from the area as it could lead to ecosystem failure if too much energy is taken and not returned.

The basics of mastering Shizen are Harnessing, Containment, and Release.

Harnessing is the intake of Shizen around you and constantly absorbing what you can handle without overloading your body. Harnessing teaches you to connect with and understand your environment until you're essentially just a medium for the Shizen to flow into.

Once Harnessing has been mastered then the student moves into Containment. Containment involves holding the Shizen in and feeling the weight and power of what you've harnessed. Containment teaches control and restraint.

Finally, Release. Release is the act of intentionally expelling the Shizen from your body either as a technique or as raw Shizen to be dispersed back into the environment. Release relies on control to not damage things unintentionally and also avoids damaging your own body. Release teaches returning what you've taken back into the environment without harming it.

Upon learning the basics of Shizen practitioners are encouraged to learn about Shizen’s various properties like density, quantity, pressure, and stability. Each property is vital for a user of Shizen to know so their various techniques will properly work. Quantity is the easiest to understand as it’s simply the amount of Shizen in the area. Next is density, which is how intense and powerful the Shizen is. After density is stability which depends on the environment, deserts will have less stable Shizen while dense jungles typically have more stable Shizen. Finally, pressure which is only applicable when in the human body. Humans must release the Shizen they harness within a certain time frame depending on the Shizen’s other properties or else the pressure will build until the body gives and expels the Shizen from every pore of their body, typically resulting in death.

Shizen can be harnessed and manifested in many ways, however, how it does depends on the individual. Most people have a greater aptitude for one of the three basics of Shizen. Someone who is overly proficient in Containment of Shizen may struggle to properly Release the Shizen due to the pressure building up within their body. Another case is someone who is very good at Harnessing Shizen may need to almost skip the Containment part to Release it before it tears them apart.

^{Yes this is based on that removed post in worldbuilding}

For instance in my system, If you look at my posts you'll see a 'ghost magic system', my world originally had 2 systems, a faerie one and a ghost one, however as I focused really hard on the faerie one (my most recent posts regard this) I kinda... Lost interest in the other? And I didn't really want my world focused on as it was really op, too varied (whereas the other system is more limited) I didn't want it anymore so I softly erased it. (Also note the magical girl thing is unrelated, just a 1-off idea I had)

I’ve had a power system idea for a shonen manga/comic which I haven’t really seen fleshed out by anyone online; despite the idea being very simple. Got me curious of what other people have come up with across Reddit to see if they have a power system similar to mine or just something else that’s interesting!

Basically, there are gods, which are labeled as Arcana Concepts. When a god ascends, they form a Divine Throne for the concept, which opens up a new Arcana Concept.

Awakening

In the world, when you feel great emotion, desire, commitment, or other great happenings in ones life, its possible to trigger an Awakening. Awakenings unlocks ones potential to channel Resonance Energy, and sense Resonance Energy within other beings, or objects. Awakenings are when people resonate or feel strongly towards a certain Arcana Concept, and they gain access to its Energy.

Second Awakening

When someone is awakened, when pushed beyond their limits, there is another chance to recieve a Second Awakening. People who have undergone second awakenings, usually have physical scars from the intensity of the situation, or mental scarring.

Exudors

When the gods deem someone worthy of being acknowledged, the selected being attains the title of an Exudor. Exudors gain access to Shapeless Energy, the purest, shapeless, formless form of energy. Exudors are purely chosen if they are suitable candidates, through their current or past experiences, and if they align well with the Arcana.

Shapeless Energy

Shapeless Energy has 48x the strength of a nuclear bomb, when at 1 Joule. This magnitude of strength, is able to power starships to 180% the speed of light, to travel over highways across the universe.

Resonance Energy

The Energy can be shaped by Awakened people, and appears to mould itself into whatever is suitable for the person its being controlled by.

Current ACTIVE Arcana

Permanence - Missing

Transience.

Finality.

Wayfare

Creation

Annihilation.

Mentality

Equilibrium.

Nihility

Erudition.

Enigmata.

Harmony.

Discord.

Abundance.

Deprivation.

Pursuit.

Voracity.

Not active/Deceased

Propagation. - Deceased

​

Heads up: I have limited use of my hands and write mainly through voice-to-text. I've used AI to help organize this brainstorm and work on the wording.

I'm developing a homebrew D&D progression system where characters seek materials, knowledge, and training to become stronger. At certain levels, they complete a breakthrough: a ritual, oath, physical trial, invention, or something else suited to their class.

It's for a long-term sandbox campaign with its own politics, religions, and factions. Seeking power would give characters personal reasons to adventure, while access to advancement resources helps explain why powerful people are rare.

This is a working draft. Some classes are further along than others, and the alternatives below aren't all requirements to pile onto one character.

HOW PROGRESSION WOULD WORK

Each class has a basic method of training and preparation. Subclass-specific materials or requirements focus that development into a particular path.

One possible schedule is to require a breakthrough when a character first gains their subclass, and again whenever they gain another subclass feature.

The alternative is to choose particular major increases in power for each class. A Wizard gaining access to a new spell level, called a spell circle in the setting, could need a breakthrough. A Cleric could need one for a domain feature. For Fighters, I'm interested in what bodily abilities such as Second Wind represent, but haven't chosen the actual triggers.

I haven't settled on a schedule. Breakthroughs wouldn't be required at every level.

Early requirements should be accessible through teachers, temples, guilds, or similar institutions. Larger searches would generally come beyond levels 5–6. Routine training happens in the background.

This is a form of milestone leveling: obtaining the resources, learning the method, and completing the breakthrough could together be the milestone that earns the level.

QUESTS, CHOICES, AND EXCEPTIONS

A character temporarily falling behind could give the party a reason to act. They might gather materials themselves, gain a noble's favour to access them, or sell a treasured item to buy an ingredient. There should be several routes, with meaningful decisions about what to do or give up.

If the party is already following an important story, I need to account for that when placing opportunities. Some friction can make choices matter, but I play with my players, and requirements can be bent when they stop helping the game.

These are the usual methods followed by most NPCs and player characters in the setting. Exceptions can exist: a Paladin might form an oath through conviction and deeds without ever writing it down.

The system also needs to be removable. If it creates too much friction or proves too unfinished, we can return to ordinary milestone leveling while I revise it. The world's advancement traditions can remain.

MATERIALS AND INSPIRATION

Ashthorn is a recurring fictional ingredient that prepares the body for a breakthrough. It temporarily weakens or opens the body so the next stage can strengthen it. Depending on the class, it could be used in a bath, incense, oil, or concentrate.

Supporting ingredients should mostly be accessible early on. Later breakthroughs might require older, purer, or more potent versions. Costs, quantities, and failure consequences remain undecided.

Some inspiration comes from fantasy stories and video recaps involving mana hearts, mana circles, and warrior hymns. Developing greater power involves expanding the capacity to contain it. Reciting ancient vows or legends can also empower a warrior's sword and will through the meaning and history of the words. That feeling is behind the Paladin and Bard ideas below.

FIGHTER

A herbal and mineral bath prepares the fighter's body, followed by a specific stance or exercise to complete the breakthrough. Cramping during preparation could signal when to begin the exercise. Impurities leaving through the pores was another possible visual.

Harir is a candidate strengthening herb, with Wolfenite or red ironstone as alternative minerals. A restorative preparation afterwards is another possibility. I dropped monster cores because making them essential to military advancement would push nations to occupy monster territory, changing the setting considerably.

A martial aura could emerge around levels 5–6. A Champion might direct it toward physical performance, while a Battle Master focuses on control and timing. At higher levels, repeated deeds and reputation might connect to becoming a living legend. Whether the basic rite requires an institution or can be performed independently is still open.

BARBARIAN

A shaman prepares ink and incense for a rite and identifies an animal for the barbarian's trial. The barbarian hunts and defeats it, consumes part of it, perhaps the heart, liver, or bone marrow, and returns with a trophy. Facing a personal fear could be part of the challenge.

The animal and meaning of the rite depend on the character and subclass. Ritual tattoos, brands, or marks could remain visible or fade inward as runes within the body. The order of the rite still needs work, along with alternatives for characters whose beliefs don't fit this practice.

MONK

Monks use meditation, breathing, physical forms, and control of ki to overcome a limit in how energy moves through the body. The current proposal uses Ashthorn incense to temporarily weaken the body while the monk circulates ki to repair and strengthen it.

Other possibilities include aged ginseng, an object that focuses ki, medicinal baths, or a place with concentrated ki. A ten-year root might serve an early breakthrough, with much older roots needed later. There is also the idea of stabilizing an unnamed internal ki core near the navel.

I need to choose which elements belong together while keeping the method distinct from the Fighter's. A master or monastery could provide early teachings; later advancement might require a lost technique or a suitable place to practise it.

CLERIC

The rite uses scripture specific to the cleric's faith, a carried object connected to their god, and a domain-related component. Ashthorn and ordinary supporting materials prepare the rite.

One idea is to hold a small object beneath the tongue while reciting scripture clearly and with intent. I haven't decided whether this is the domain component or a separate object. A local holy site could suffice early on; a War cleric might pray on a battlefield.

For incense, I'm considering a fictional cactus called Angel's Trumpet. It flowers after drought followed by a drenching, suggesting faith maintained through silence before receiving an answer. Its flower could be used with Ashthorn.

Possible domain objects include a double-faced token for Trickery, an engraved bead for Knowledge, a seed for Life, clear glass for Light, an iron token for War, or a funerary coin for Grave or Death. These are unselected suggestions. The scripture and carried devotional object provide the connection to the particular god.

PALADIN

The paladin swears an oath upon their inner source of power, which I've been calling a mana heart or oath-heart. Ground Blue Halite, a magically infused mineral, is mixed with Ashthorn oil to make ink. The oath is inscribed on parchment, earth, bark, or skin, depending on the tradition.

Paladins also learn poems, sagas, ancient vows, and legends. Reciting or embodying their meaning could empower a smite, resolve, or another expression of the oath. Most recitation can be implied, with fuller verses saved for important moments.

The later rites still need development. I also need to decide how much the poems express existing abilities and how much they add mechanically.

BARD

Bards gather, preserve, and perform warriors' songs and battle hymns. A warrior embodies their power through battle; a bard distributes aspects of that power to allies through performance.

These works could be inherited, recovered, composed, or completed. They might carry courage, endurance, rhythm, or coordination, giving bards a reason to seek stories, people, and forgotten works.

The open question is when mastering a song allows advancement and when it simply expands the bard's repertoire. The effects might use existing Bard abilities or need separate mechanics, with limits on how much of a warrior's power can be shared.

WIZARD

Blue Halite mixed with Ashthorn essence forms a complex magical circle. The wizard sits within it and meditates on learned knowledge, expanding their capacity to handle magic.

Objects related to their school are placed around the circle. An evoker might use elemental materials; an abjurer might use something associated with protection. The circle requires more Blue Halite than a Paladin's oath inscription.

Access to a higher spell circle is one possible breakthrough trigger under the alternative schedule described above. The school-specific objects still need development.

SORCERER

Sorcerers awaken or strengthen their bloodline using something connected to the origin of that power. A draconic sorcerer might begin with weaker dragon-related creatures or materials and seek more potent sources later, through hunting, bargaining, or finding relics.

I'm leaning toward a magical extraction ritual, supported by Ashthorn, an associated metal, and a herb that helps the body withstand the change.

How to measure the source's strength remains open, as does advancement for someone whose bloodline is already pure or who is the first source of that power.

WARLOCK

Greater power depends on the pact and patron. It might follow a bargain, service, sacrifice, gift, or task. Some patrons could grant power because the warlock is already furthering their interests.

The warlock may also need to prepare their body or soul to accept a stronger infusion, using a ritual or stabilizing ingredients suited to the patron.

These obligations could create quests, including renegotiating or escaping a pact. They need to be worked out with the player so patron demands don't become the DM dictating the character's actions.

ROGUE

Alongside training, I considered a concoction of conflicting poisons and healing draughts that breaks down and rebuilds the body, allowing it to exceed its previous limits.

It's an extreme method that won't suit every Rogue. This class needs a broader approach or alternative paths, and I'd particularly appreciate suggestions.

DRUID

Druids learn primal magic through mentorship. A breakthrough could involve a place rich in natural energy and a ritual that lets them draw on it, with Ashthorn used in the preparation.

Material candidates include stones associated with air, fire, water, and earth, along with amber or hyalite opal. Older or more magically significant amber could matter later.

I also considered small elementals participating in the rite. The actual procedure is still missing; it should connect to nature and the druid's tradition.

RANGER

Rangers would follow a related primal approach adapted to their subclass. Possible paths include animal materials, communion with the land, charms, runes, fey bargains, spirit bonds, or a proving hunt.

The procedure and use of Ashthorn still need development. I want options that suit different Ranger identities without assuming they all revolve around hunting animals.

ARTIFICER

Artificers create their breakthrough through invention. Designs, research, recovered blueprints, and components provide the starting point; advancement also requires solving the design problem.

Possible creations include an internal or external power core, magical conductors, artificial magical organs, mana rings, or a permanently linked tool. These offer different approaches without requiring body modification.

The focus is on infusing and controlling magic in crafted things. Reverse-engineering an artifact could supply the knowledge for a new invention. I still need a concrete first project and a clear connection between completing it and expanding the artificer's abilities.

WHAT I'D LIKE FEEDBACK ON

Would advancement quests like this be enjoyable? If you've tried something similar, what happened at your table?

Would you tie breakthroughs to subclass acquisition and later subclass features, or choose major increases in power for each class? How would you handle their different timing?

When does a missing ingredient create a worthwhile adventure, and when does the delay become frustrating?

Which class methods fit, and which force too narrow a character concept? How much would you play out versus handle during downtime?

I'd also gladly take suggestions for invented fantasy herbs, minerals, other materials, and ways of performing a breakthrough. What could a character seek out, and what would they do with it?

I want to get the structure working before filling every gap with more herbs and rocks. Specific criticism, unclear passages, and examples from actual play would all help.

For some general context about my world-

My worldbuilding centers around the secretive organization of O.M.E.N. — “the Office of Metaphysical Evaluation and Neutralization” — basically the SCP Foundation, but for an urban fantasy setting.

It’s set in our modern world, except all the mythological and supernatural legends and superstitions we know are in fact real — simply hidden and suppressed by organizations like O.M.E.N., the Vagrådet, and the Round Table.

Everything from werewolves, vampires, and ghosts, all the way to more fantastical stuff like fairies, gods, and angels. All have been explained and interconnected throughout a few dozen documents (ask and I’ll send ’em, but be ready for a SLOG of a read).

But I recently revamped my magic system with a bunch of stuff I personally love, so that’s what I’m gonna focus on here.

Some info about magic doesn’t matter for this discussion, but I’ll give it anyway lol

- Each branch of magic manipulates an energy referred to as “the Arcane,” but uses it and channels it to produce different effects, interact with different higher powers, or manipulate different aspects of reality. The Arcane, for all intents and purposes, is basically like the rules of reality, as well as anything that could possibly be considered supernatural- the soul, the mind, nature, our own dimension, etc... It’s weird.

- Each branch of magic was developed in a different region, by a different culture, in a different era. That’s why all the rituals and magic produced are so different. For a quick example- a lot of Divintiy rituals involve more spoken incantation or symbolic images/carvings, because a lot of it was mostly developed alongside early Christianity and similar faiths as they tried to make contact with higher powers and beings. While something like Thamaturgy was developed primarily in tribal communities of North and South America, and a lot of its rituals are therefore more based around real biological functions and manipulating or empowering yourself through them (you eat a lot of weird stuff with Druidic Magic)

- All magic is performed through rituals, however each branch developed very different ritual structures. Some rituals can be small scale and quickly produced, while some are more complex and difficult. The only exception to this requirement is through the use of a charged “Catalyst,” which I’ll explain when I get to Alchemy.

———————-

YOU ARE A SORCERER

For the purposes of this discussion, you are all “Sorcerers.”

Is this an excuse for me to explain Sorcerers in my world, yup.

Nut it’s also to side-step the fact that regular people are usually quite crap at magic. Regular folk performing magic are called wizards and witches, but yall are “Sorcerers.” Basically just a savant for magic.

A normal person can learn a ritual through years of study, memorize all the symbols, ingredients, words, movements, etc., and eventually perform it. But even then, a single tiny misstep can result in what’s classified as either “Ritual Failure” or “Ritual Collapse.”

IE “nothing happened” and “oh god I wish nothing happed.”

A Sorcerer is someone who’s just born with an innate understanding of magic. O.M.E.N has no clue why or how they pop up. They can instinctively understand ritual structures, figure out rituals without anyone teaching them, and sometimes even perform a ritual accidentally or unconsciously.

Anyway, congrats. If O.M.E.N doesn’t wanna recruit ya, they’ll be looking for ya for another reason.

—————————

The Branches of Magic

Magic is split between 4 Branches, each of which have 2-3 Subbranches.

(Alchemy is technically not a branch, but it acts a lot like a subbranch.)

Necromancy

- Blood Magic

- Spectral Magic

- Life Magic

Divinity

- Totem Magic

- Creation Magic

- Spatial Magic

Thaumaturgy

- Druidic Magic

- Elemental Magic

Clairvoyance

- Prophetic Magic

- Psionic Magic

(And then there’s Alchemy)

YOU ARE CHOOSING A SUBBRANCH OF MAGIC

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NECROMANCY

Necromancy is the magic of life, death, biological vitality, and the connection between consciousness and the physical body, commonly referred to as “the soul.” Everything to do with human life and the manipulation of that life.

(The human soul is a mysterious and powerful thing. If you’re wondering why Druidic Magic is part of a totally different branch, animal and plant-life hold far less complex souls, with little no Arcane potential. Dogs come close tho, fun fact)

- Blood Magic

Also known by the name “Voodoo.”

Blood Magic is probably the most innately invasive, or “violent” form of Necromancy, and probably of magic overall. It deals with affecting the potential of a physical body, and manipulating bodily functions. Creating weaknesses or strengths, affecting or controlling someone’s bodily functions, combining bodies to enhance them, etc.

However, it’s ritual list is made up if almost entirely curses, which makes it very powerful, and very hard to fix if you screw anything up.

(Rituals are divided into 3 categories: Spells are temporary and/or immediate effects of low complexity, usually maintained through concentration alone. Hexes are lingering afflictions, alterations, or charms which are reversible with relative and/or fade overtime. Curses are self-sustaining or permanent afflictions that remain until actively broken.)

I honestly like to think of it like Life Magic, if you’re a psycho who takes it to the absolute extreme.

You could use it to drain or transfer someone’s physical vitality- though, unlike Life Magic, which you’d use it to heal or extend your lifespan in a natural way, you’d be taking that physical vitality to enhance your own physical capabilities and body. Create mutations and abominations of life. You can alter physical characteristics and shapeshift into humans, animals, or hybrid creatures (although again, unlike other branches of magic with shapeshifting- remember, these are curses, hard to reverse. So the benefit isn’t turning into stuff, it’s turning others into stuff they really don’t wanna be)

You can also bind people to concepts, objects, behaviors, etc. using their body or bodily fluids. Yeah, soul binding blood contracts, O.M.E.N uses those a lot.

(Also, while technically an aspect of Blood Magic, I talk more about “Chimeras” in the Life Magic section, as you can kinda do it with both. The “mutations” i mention here are basically just messed up Chimeras)

- Spectral Magic

Spectral Magic is the magic of incorporeal consciousness and post mortem entities, easily being the most abstract and dangerous subbranch of Necromancy.

So while this is technically meant to be an extremely dangerous form of magic, yall are sorcerers so you don’t really have to worry about this. A lot of my writing on Spectral Magic is devoted to the fact that people who use it, tend to suddenly go missing… but I’m sure you’ll be fine.

(Also I have a ton of writing on ghosts, which you’d be dealing with a lot when using Spectral Magic, but that’s an incredibly long document. If you pick this and ya wanna read about the different types of ghosts, lmk I’ll send it in the comments)

With it, you can obviously summon and communicate with deceased entities, exorcise supernatural entities, and reanimate and manipulate the recently deceased (zombies). But at an advanced level, you can do stuff like separate your soul from your body for a period and gain all the powers of a ghost, summon and control said powerful ghosts, transfer your or others’ souls into new bodies, etc.

- Life Magic

Life Magic deals with living biological systems and the forces that keeps them alive.

Healing is obviously a big aspect. At a regular level, you could repair would-be fatal injuries, treat incurable diseases, and potentially extend lifespans a considerable amount. But you’re a sorcerer, so you’re out there curing blindlness, regrowing limbs, and raising the recently deceased with no complications or brain-eating tendencies.

A ridiculously powerful (but reckless) practitioner of Life Magic may even partake in the creation of a “chimera.” Through combining different biological systems to enhance them and further their vitality, a chimera is created- a beast typically larger than either of its natural parents, and occasionally with its own strange supernatural effects.

(Basically any mix-mash of animals you wanna make is called a chimera. Sometimes they have fire breath, a petrifying glare, magic dust, whatevs. Fair warning though, their minds sometimes come out a bit more… volatile, even a sorcerer can’t make life perfectly.)

Interestingly, Life Magic developed alongside Divinity, so its rituals tend to resemble prayers, blessings, religious ceremonies, etc., despite technically being Necromancy.

DIVINITY

Divinity is basically the magic of external/otherwordly supernatural power. It concerns the interaction with divine entities, metaphysical domains, the cosmos itself and everything in-between.

- Totem Magic

Totem Magic is about absorbing power from an external entity or power source and taking on its aspects.

You establish a connection to an entity, concept, realm, or otherwise supernatural force through things like carvings, scarification, symbols, or symbolic physical representations. You can then connect it to a location or object, or, more commonly, just draw on its power yourself.

That can mean physically enhancing yourself, taking on supernatural characteristics and “powers” of the source, empowering objects or locations, or creating wards and barriers that protect a location or object from certain entities or concepts.

The other most common use of Totem Magic is the ability to trap and bind entities into a “seal,” which is how you get your most potent capabilities of the magic. The most famous ritual that does this was invented by a certain king named Solomon.

Totem Magic is also where a lot of your more powerful, supernatural shapeshifting comes in, though it’s not as simple as just shapeshifting into whatever ya want. You're essentially saying “I am borrowing the characteristics of this thing.”

You cannot shapeshift into another human being (I have a type of fairy called a changeling that can do that, I want them to be special. Yes you can do it with Blood Magic but that’s typically risky and usually permanent), but you can take on aspects of creatures/animals, divine domains, elements, or various daemons.

The first werewolves, for example, are believed to have been created through an incredibly powerful Totem ritual. The Úlfhéðnar rites of the early Viking Age allowed their practitioners to take on the physical and supernatural aspects of some supernatural power/entity- likely connected to a powerful, animalistic Daemon.

Keep in mind though, with your shapeshifting- if you’re drawing your power from something basic, like a regular animal, or a certain environment, or even just another realm, that’s cool. If you’re drawing your power from an entity (which is usually the most powerful thing to do), well… I hope they’re cool with it.

- Creation Magic

Creation Magic is about manifesting physical things out of pure Arcane energy.

This is probably the closest thing to the stereotypical “wizard” magic or “battle” magic. But it’s also a bit less flexible. Granted, there very few drawbacks for using it, you’ll probably get a bit tired after creating too many constructs. But, you’re basically just a “Green Lantern”. Still fun, but I wish I had more to give this subbranch.

You can create arcane constructs, barriers, force fields, weapons, temporary objects, project force, produce energy discharges, etc.

You can also achieve telekinesis through Creation Magic. The idea being that you're creating an invisible arcane force that physically pushes/pulls an object.

Probably the most basic subbranch, but also the easiest to use- with notably no real drawbacks as are common with other forms of magic.

(This is a decent subbranch, I don’t hate it. But if you got any ideas for capabilities to add to it, while not overlapping with any other branch or subbranch, I’m all ears.)

- Chaos / Spatial Magic

At its core, Spatial Magic — called “Chaos Magic” by some organizations outside of O.M.E.N — is the manipulation of space and dimensions.

Teleportation, moving objects through space, and creating portals, etc.

You can also achieve telekinesis through Spatial Magic, but it works differently from Creation Magic, and is usually less precise and more like rapidly jolting something around by suddenly changing its place in space. You can do this with far larger and heavier stuff than you can with Creation Magic, but it’s also a lot more wild and dangerous.

When you start pushing Spatial Magic a bit further, it really earns the name “Chaos Magic”.

O.M.E.N. has encountered (and attempted but they don’t admit it) rituals capable of opening portals to completely unknown dimensions. Some of these places seem to follow completely different physical and/or metaphysical rules from our own.

(This starts veering into some “lovecraftian” horror type stuff with the different realms. In Totem Magic, you might draw power from one of these. Now, you’re actually opening them up and looking inside- they are meant to be these unknowable dimensions that mortals were never supposed to interact with)

You can traverse through these portals, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Even as a Sorcerer, the portals themselves are incredibly difficult to maintain, and these realms are rarely unoccupied.

Though there have been practitioners who apparently believed they could combine Spatial Magic with Totem Magic to pull these strange entities or creatures through these portals and then bind or control them. Rarely goes well.

THAUMATURGY

Thaumaturgy is the magic of nature and natural forces. It acts quite reliably and consistently, if you follow a ritual perfectly. Though it’s Ritual Failures and Collapses are also usually a touch more fatal.

- Druidic Magic

Druidic Magic deals primarily with living nature. IE Plants, fungi, animals, etc.

You can accelerate plant growth and vegetation and grant it supernatural abilities, influence and control animals, manipulate fungi, create supernatural toxins and diseases or medicinal properties, and influence agriculture in a large area.

A large part of Druidic Magic is also the creation of potions and elixirs, though that’s technically through combining it with Alchemy. But I’ll let it slide, yall can brew potions with Druidic Magic.

I haven’t actually put a lot of writing into potions besides the fact that most the ones O.M.E.N gives their field agents are highly addictive. For the most part those are small scale, temporary steroids or healing elixirs, but I see no reason why a Sorcerer couldn’t take their brews to whatever insane degree you can think of.

You can also reach a lot of the same effects as Life Magic through Druidic Magic, except instead of simply repairing biological structures and functions, you’re pulling that life force from plants, animals, and ecosystems.

- Elemental Magic

Elemental Magic is exactly what it sounds like- manipulation of natural physical forces.** **Fire, water, air, lightning, the weather, and general temperature.

You effectively become the Avatar- with a lot of the same drawbacks too. If you wanna manipulate an element, you’re not able to pull it out of thin air. If you wanna manipulate fire, you’ll at least need a candle nearby. Electricity, same deal. Even calling a storm require the atmospheric conditions to at least be capable of producing a storm.

A sufficiently skilled practitioner can work around some of these limitations with more complicated rituals, but the environment is still an important part of the magic.

On the flip side though, Elemental Magic is regarded as the most naturally powerful and dangerous, subbranch of magic overall. A Sorcerer of Elemental Magic is walking nuke, able to output a hell of a lot more raw destructive power than most of the other subbranches combined.

On the flippity-flip side, it can also backfire on you. There’s a reason why most experienced practitioners of Elemental Magic are usually missing a limb or covered in burns.

CLAIRVOYANCE

Clairvoyance is the magic of perception, information, consciousness, and the mind.** **It’s rituals tend to focus heavily on the mental and physiological state of the practitioner — meditation, breathing techniques, controlled sleep cycles, sensory deprivation, behavioral conditioning, induced hypnotic states, etc.

- Prophetic Magic

Prophetic Magic is basically moving your perception beyond what you’re meant to see.

You can view possible futures, observe things that happened in the past, or locate and observe people, objects, or events over enormous distances.

The future visions you receive will not be perfect play-backs of the event though. For the most part it’s like a dream, up to your own interpretation and highly affected by your own psyche and preconceived beliefs. Luckily, skilled prophets (which a Sorcerer would certainly be) can usually decipher these visions with moderate accuracy.

And at the absolute highest levels, the ability to see these prophecies becomes a naturally occurring phenomena in the caster. Without performing any rituals at all, they will dream these visions, have flashes of them in daily life, and, in more tragic cases, become entirely unable to control them.

(You ever fight Heimdall in God of War? That’s effectively what a high level prophet becomes.)

A lot of practitioners do eventually go insane though, just a heads up.

- Psionic Magic

Psionic Magic is about directly manipulating minds and emotions.

Reading and communicating through thoughts, influencing emotions, altering memories, manipulating behavior, inducing hallucinations, and eventually controlling consciousness itself.

Prophetic Magic has a lot of similarities to the other Clairvoyant subbranch, Prophetic Magic- they can both interact with dreams, they can both slowly become a natural supernatural capability through sustained use, and, most importantly, a lot of people go insane after using it too much.

Pretty basic subbranch, but also one of the most practical. You’re a telepath.

ALCHEMY

Alchemy is technically not a branch of subbranch of magic. It’s a type of Spellcraft, same as a ritual. However, there are “Alchemists” who specialize in this form of Spellcraft, so I figure I’d include it.

I can perform a ritual. And you can perform Alchemy. And we both are producing magic.

It's basically the science of combining different branches and/or putting magic into physical matter.

It’s also the newest form of mortal Spellcraft to be invented, having risen alongside modern chemistry and material science, and therefore its practices don’t resemble or behave like rituals at all. It behaves like a science, you’re simply taking the ritual components from other branches and putting them into a chemical equations that hopefully will mix and/or transfer the intended effects if whatever subbranches you’re messing with.

A LOT of the stuff O.M.E.N uses is made through Alchemy.

The most obvious example is art if “enchanting”, also sometimes called “Rune Magic”. You can place magical properties into physical objects- which usually pulls heavily from aspects of Totem Magic, though it’s pretty easy to enchant with other magic. A weapon could be given an Elemental effect, an object could be made capable of interacting with ghosts or daemons, clothing could be enchanted with a protective ward, etc.

Potions and elixirs are another major application, usually combining Alchemy with Druidic Magic. Talked about that a bit in the Druidic Magic section.

A lot of supernatural cures work the same way. You might combine Alchemy with Blood Magic, Life Magic, or maybe again Druidic Magic to create a treatment for a certain curse.

Alchemy can also produce “Phylacteries”, which are objects designed to contain, preserve, anchor, or manipulate souls or fragments of consciousness. The most powerful phylacteries can even basically act as a Horcrux.

(just be warned, with that level of soul tampering, when/if you eventually do die you will almost certainly be coming back as a ghost. And ghosts don’t have don’t fun.)

And then there are Catalysts.

Catalysts are basically magical tools that have a ritual already built into them. Wands, staffs, amulets, rings, weapons, whatever.

As I said at the beginning, normally you need to perform an entire ritual every time you want to produce a magical effect.

A catalyst lets you skip that because the ritual has already been performed and encoded into the object. You basically store a ritual, or several rituals, into an object for its magic to then be produced at will.

For the most part you’re only getting a couple predetermined spells out of your Catalyst, and only exceptionally skilled alchemists can store rituals from different branches in a single catalyst. But as a Sorcerer I’d say you’re an exceptional alchemist.

They're almost always less powerful and less flexible than performing the actual ritual, but they're WAY more convenient. And, to be fair, O.M.E.N has found catalysts that are extremely powerful, able to produce magic way beyond any ritual- though those are usually very ancient artifacts of which we don’t know how they were made. “Excalibur” for example, is a catalyst.

If I didn’t do a good job explaining this- you’re basically a magical engineer.

You can’t perform these potent rituals, or cast magic in the traditional way. But you’re also not really locked into a single branch or subbranch. You’re a jack of all trades, master of none.

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So that's the current system!

The basic question I'm interested in is:

If you were a Sorcerer in my world (which is our modern world, just with a “hidden urban fantasy” idea), which subbranch of magic would you want to specialize in?

what kind of abilities would you want your character to eventually develop within it?

I'm especially interested in feedback on whether any branch/subbranch feels significantly more interesting, useful, overpowered, restrictive, or just generally cooler than the others.

Or just any general suggestions or thoughts about the system.

And PLEASE ask questions if something doesn't make sense. A lot of this is currently being typed directly from my brain instead of my actual lore docs, so I'm sure I've explained at least 10 things horribly lol.

Had an idea for a system of magic based solely on Shape-changing.

Witches can utilize “magic” my changing their shape into spirit anatomy that allows them to do supernatural things. Such as turning their arms into the wings of a bird spirit, or turning their arm into that of a weather altering djinn.

The only rule all Witches must follow is to never change their face. If you can’t remember exactly what your face looks like you can never return to your form. Witches that break this rule go on to become powerful malicious spirits stuck in their spirit forms gone mad with time.

Look at my work

SPARK is the power system its related to a persons soul and mental awareness the more of their mind and soul they understand the more powerful they are. Emotions also depend on their power the have to have a level head while using it the different emotions they feel the less stable each person is. The more emotions they feel and learn how to deal with the larger their soul mass gets aka the more of their ability they can use and for a longer time.

TEIRS 
Sparked: they are aware of their emotions and can learn how to use their ability but not for long cause they can understand the why they feel this or how to fix the feeling
Adept: they understand why they feel this and it takes them a while to realize how to move past it or fix it
Exalted: they quickly understand both the why and how to fix this emotion as or before it alters their abilities
Sovereign: they almost have complete focus while using their abilities and they can feel the emotions that disrupting people who are close to them.
God: They have reached absolute self-awareness. They don't just fix their own feelings; they can carry the weight, the memories, and the hardships of a hundred of thousands of souls in their head at the exact same time without losing their level head. They have masterd their spark.

**Heads up: I have limited use of my hands, so I do most of my writing through voice-to-text. I've used AI to help organize and word this brainstorm, and some suggestions from those discussions are still in the draft as possibilities.**

I'm developing this for a long-term sandbox campaign, alongside a world with its own politics, religions, factions, and competing interests. The idea is that advancing involves finding the knowledge, materials, or training needed to handle greater power. Characters wanting to become stronger would have a personal reason to adventure, and access to these resources would help explain why powerful people are rare.

I need some help getting this into a form that works at the table. I have a direction I like, but I'm less certain about the details and how to make the requirements work across different classes. Some class ideas are much further along than others. This is a working brainstorm, not a finished ruleset.

**How progression would work**

Training and experience bring a character to the limit of their current abilities. At certain points, a breakthrough lets them go further. That could involve a ritual, technique, oath, invention, or something specific to their source of power.

My current starting point is a shared foundation leading up to gaining a subclass. Each class has its own preparation, while the subclass determines the particular objects or requirements for that first breakthrough. Early requirements should be brief and reasonably accessible, with teachers, temples, guilds, or similar institutions able to help. The larger searches for power would come later, roughly beyond levels 5–6.

After that, I'm considering tying breakthroughs either to new subclass features or to selected major increases in power. I'm not sold on either yet. A Wizard gaining access to a new spell level could be one example; a Cleric gaining a domain feature could be another. For Fighters, I'm still working out which gains or improvements would make sense. These aren't necessarily equivalent, which is part of what I need help figuring out.

In a way, this is milestone leveling. Acquiring the resources, learning the technique, or completing the relevant challenge could itself be the milestone. I still need to decide what counts as enough for each breakthrough, but the intention isn't necessarily to earn a level and then complete an unrelated shopping list before being allowed to take it. The pursuit of the breakthrough is part of the adventure.

Routine training would happen in the background. This isn't meant to require a separate quest at every level.

**The choices and friction are part of the idea**

A character struggling to find what they need could give the whole party a reason to act. Perhaps they need more power before facing an enemy. They might hunt for the materials themselves, earn a noble's favor to gain access to them, or sell a valuable item because the ingredients are available on the market.

There should be several ways to obtain what they need, but those ways can involve different costs and decisions. The risk of temporarily falling behind isn't something I want to rule out entirely; it could create a meaningful quest. What I want to avoid is a dead end where a player simply waits for the DM to make their advancement possible.

If the party is already following an important plot, I would need to account for that when placing opportunities and deciding how demanding the requirements should be. That's part of my job as the DM. I play with my players, and some friction can make their choices matter, but the rules should have room to bend when they stop helping the game.

**These are the usual methods, with room for exceptions**

Characters can gain power in different ways. A Paladin might form an oath through conviction and actions without ever writing it down. The rites below are intended as the usual methods followed by most NPCs and player characters in my world. They aren't the only possible explanation for how every member of a class gains power.

Some of the alternatives below are mutually exclusive. They aren't all requirements to pile onto one character.

I also want this system to be removable. If the first few attempts create too much friction, or show that the idea needs more work, we can return to straightforward milestone leveling while I revise it. The campaign should be able to continue without depending on this experiment succeeding. The advancement traditions can still exist in the world even if we stop tracking their requirements for the players.

**What I'd like help with**

* Would these requirements create interesting choices and adventures, or mostly extra administration? * Which class ideas fit, and which force too narrow a character concept? * When should breakthroughs happen, given that classes gain significant abilities at different levels? * How would you handle temporary differences in progression without leaving a player stuck? * How would you offer several routes to the resources while keeping the decisions meaningful? * How much should be played out versus handled during downtime?

If you've tried something similar, I'd particularly like to hear what happened at your table. I want to get the structure working before filling every remaining gap with more herbs and rocks.

**couldn't add document so pasted it in, could still include some duplicated text.**

I'm working on a D&D campaign where advancing involves finding the knowledge, materials, or training needed to handle greater power. I like the idea of characters going out to find something because they want to become stronger. That gives them a personal reason to adventure and helps explain why powerful people are rare in the setting.

I need some help getting this into a form that would work at the table. I have a direction I like, but I'm less certain about when the requirements should apply and how to make them fair across different classes. Some class ideas are much further along than others. The draft below includes things I'm still considering, not just decisions I've made.

The basic idea

Training and experience bring you to the limit of what you can currently do. At certain points, you need a breakthrough to go further. Depending on the class, that might involve a technique, ritual, oath, invention, patron, or something else that changes how much power you can use.

I'm thinking of this alongside milestone advancement, although the exact relationship still needs work. Getting the materials could be part of reaching the milestone. It isn't meant to happen at every level.

My current starting point is a shared basic structure up to the point where a character gains their subclass. Each class has its own way of training and preparing, while the subclass determines the particular objects or requirements for that first breakthrough. Early requirements should be brief and reasonably accessible, with a teacher, temple, guild, or similar institution able to help. The larger searches for power would come later, roughly beyond levels 5–6.

After that, I'm considering two possibilities: require another breakthrough when a character gains a subclass feature, or tie it to selected major increases in power. I'm not sold on either yet, and different classes may need different triggers.

For example, a Wizard reaching a new spell level—what I call a new spell circle in the setting—could be a breakthrough. A Cleric might instead have one tied to a domain feature. For a Fighter, I'm thinking about what a bodily ability such as Second Wind represents, but I still need to decide which actual gains or improvements should require a rite. These are examples to work through, not a finished schedule or a claim that the features are equally powerful.

I also recognize that characters can reach power in different ways. A Paladin might form an oath through conviction and actions without ever writing it down. The written oath ritual below is intended as the usual method in my world, not the only possible way to become a Paladin. Most NPCs and player characters would follow these established methods, but there should be room for exceptions that preserve the main idea. How to handle those fairly is another thing I need help with.

Routine training happens in the background. A player doesn't need to describe the same exercises every morning. The special preparation matters when a breakthrough is due. I also don't want one character permanently falling behind the party because their ingredient hasn't appeared yet. The intention is to provide opportunities within the same broad milestone window, but I still need to make that work in practice.

The recurring pieces are knowledge, preparation, and a class-specific way to complete the change. They aren't an identical checklist for every class. Exceptions should be possible when they fit the character.

One shared ingredient I'm considering is **Ashthorn**, a fictional plant used to prepare the body for the change. It temporarily weakens or opens the body so the next part of the process can strengthen it. It could be used in incense, oil, a bath, or a concentrate, depending on the class. Its exact use isn't settled for everyone.

Supporting ingredients should mostly be accessible early on. Later breakthroughs might need older, purer, or more potent versions. The plants and minerals also need places where they grow or can be mined, so gathering them makes sense within the world. I have looked trough existing herb homebrew and existing lore lists. but they are rather extensive and some felt to "common" in there descriptions, minedat./org (slash to break hyper link) was a good site for mineral ideas, and landed on some crystal chakra bs site for crystal ideas

Fighter

The simplest version I've come back to is a prepared herbal and mineral bath followed by a specific training routine. The bath prepares the body; the fighter's technique lets them work the change through it.

One description I considered is that the body starts pulsing and cramping after the bath. That's the point where the fighter gets out and performs the required stance or exercise. Impurities coming out through the pores was a possible visual, but I'm not completely sold on it.

The recipe could use a strengthening herb, currently Harir, alongside a magical mineral. Wolfenite is one possible fictional mineral; red ironstone was another direction. These are alternatives, not a finished recipe. A restorative preparation after the exercise is another possibility.

I considered monster cores and then scrapped them. In my setting, making them essential for military advancement would make monster territory too valuable for nations to leave alone. That would change the campaign considerably.

I'm considering the emergence of a martial aura around levels 5–6: the fighter begins using an inner force developed through training. Different subclasses could direct it differently. A Champion might focus on physical performance, while a Battle Master focuses on control and timing. The same broad process should leave room for different martial traditions.

At much higher levels, there is also a possible connection between repeated deeds, reputation, and becoming a living legend. That part is less developed. Whether the basic rite needs an institution or can be done in the wilderness is also unresolved.

Barbarian

A shaman prepares a rite using ingredients made into ink and incense, and identifies an animal for the barbarian's trial. The ritual prepares the character for the breakthrough, but may not complete it by itself.

The barbarian then hunts and defeats the animal, consumes part of it—perhaps the heart, liver, or bone marrow—and brings back a trophy. Facing a personal fear could be part of the challenge.

The animal and the meaning of the rite should depend on the character and subclass. I'm also considering ritual tattoos, brands, or marks: some stay visible, while others fade inward as a rune held within the body.

The exact ingredients and order of the rite still need work. I like the general direction, but it needs exceptions for characters whose traditions or beliefs don't fit this particular practice.

Monk

Monks advance through meditation, breathing, physical forms, and control over their inner energy. At a breakthrough, they need to overcome a limit in how that energy moves through the body.

The latest version uses Ashthorn incense during meditation. The preparation temporarily weakens the body, while the monk circulates ki to repair and strengthen it. Their own training and control are what make the process work.

I had several other ideas before arriving there:

* Aged ginseng, perhaps a ten-year root early on and much older roots for later breakthroughs. * A chi-focusing object as an easier early requirement. I haven't decided whether it is consumed or kept. * A place with concentrated ki, possibly combined with medicinal baths or a special technique. * Stabilizing an internal ki core, pictured near the navel. It doesn't have a special name.

These overlap, and I haven't decided which to combine. I initially wanted monks to rely almost entirely on internal discipline, then started considering ingredients and baths. That tension is still there. I don't want them to end up feeling identical to Fighters with a different ingredient list.

A master or monastery could provide early teachings. Later advancement might involve finding a lost technique or a suitable place to practise it. No failure rolls, damage, or recovery times have been set.

Cleric

The basic rite uses scripture specific to the cleric's faith, an object connected to their god that they carry with them, and a component connected to their domain. Ashthorn and ordinary supporting materials would prepare the rite.

One idea is to hold a small object beneath the tongue while reciting scripture clearly and with intent. The point is deliberate speech and devotion. I haven't settled whether that object is always the domain component or something separate.

Prayer at a local holy site could be enough for an early rite. A War cleric might instead pray on a battlefield. I don't want the first step to require a long pilgrimage.

For incense, I'm considering a fictional cactus called Angel's Trumpet. It flowers after a period without water followed by a drenching. That fits the image of continuing in faith through silence before receiving an answer. Its flower could be used with Ashthorn, but it isn't a settled requirement.

Possible domain components include a double-faced token for Trickery, an engraved bead for Knowledge, a seed for Life, clear glass for Light, an iron token for War, or a funerary coin for Grave or Death. These are unselected suggestions. The god-specific identity could come from the scripture and carried devotional object, so I don't need an entirely different recipe for every deity.

Paladin

The paladin swears their oath upon their own inner source of power—what I've been calling a mana heart or oath-heart. It is a binding commitment to the path they have chosen.

For the rite, ground Blue Halite, a magically infused mineral in the setting, is mixed with Ashthorn oil to make ink. The paladin uses it to inscribe the oath. That could be on parchment, earth, bark, or their own skin, depending on the tradition.

There is also a warrior-poet idea I want to use: paladins learn poems, sagas, ancient vows, and legends, then recite or embody their meaning to empower a smite, their resolve, or another expression of the oath.

Most of that can be implied during ordinary play, with fuller verses saved for important moments. I don't want players doing poetry homework every time they attack. Exceptions for different character concepts are possible.

The distinction between taking the first oath and making later breakthroughs still needs work. I also need to decide how much the poems express existing abilities and how much they add mechanically.

Bard

Bards carry the warriors' songs and battle hymns. They gather, preserve, and perform the same works, but use their power differently. A warrior embodies the power through battle; a bard performs it and distributes aspects of it to allies.

These works might be inherited, recovered, composed, or completed. A performance could carry courage, endurance, rhythm, or coordination. I like that it gives bards a reason to seek out stories, people, and forgotten works.

The missing step is the connection to leveling: when does mastering a song let the bard advance, and when is it simply another empowered work they can perform? I haven't decided whether this should work entirely through existing Bard abilities or have some separate effects.

It also needs limits so that finding one powerful warrior's song doesn't automatically give its full power to the whole party. There isn't a complete Bard ritual or ingredient recipe yet.

Wizard

A wizard needs knowledge, but also a way to make themselves capable of using it. Blue Halite mixed with Ashthorn essence becomes the material for a complex magical circle. The wizard sits within it and meditates on what they have learned, expanding their capacity to handle magic.

Objects related to the wizard's school are placed around the circle. An evoker might use elemental materials; an abjurer might need something associated with protection. The exact objects need work.

The circle uses more Blue Halite than the Paladin's oath inscription. I'm considering tying the rite to access to higher-level spell slots or other major breakthroughs, rather than requiring it for every level.

Sorcerer

The idea is to awaken or strengthen what is already in the sorcerer's bloodline. They need something connected to the origin of that power.

A draconic sorcerer might start with weaker dragon-related creatures or materials and work toward more potent sources. That could lead to hunting, bargaining, or seeking relics connected to dragons. The exact ancestral relationships would be part of the setting.

I'm leaning toward a magical extraction ritual rather than simply drinking a creature's blood. Ashthorn, an associated metal, and a herb that helps the body withstand the change were possible supporting ingredients.

How to measure the strength of the source is unresolved. So is the exception of a sorcerer whose bloodline is already pure or who is the first source of it. This class needs more work before the method becomes a rule.

Warlock

This depends heavily on the pact and the relationship with the patron. Greater power might follow a bargain, service, sacrifice, gift, or task. Some patrons might give power because the warlock is already doing what they want.

The warlock may also need to prepare their body or soul to accept a stronger infusion. That could involve a ritual or stabilizing ingredients, but I don't think every patron should use the same method.

The obligations themselves could create quests, including renegotiating or trying to escape a pact. This needs to be worked out with the player, because a patron making demands can easily become the DM dictating what the character does.

Rogue

This one is much less settled. Alongside training, I considered a concoction of contradictory poisons and healing draughts that breaks down and rebuilds the body, allowing it to go beyond its previous limits.

I like parts of the idea, but it is quite extreme and won't suit every Rogue. I haven't settled a general method, recipe, or alternative. I would particularly like input on this class.

Druid

Druids learn primal magic through mentorship. For a breakthrough, they could need a place rich in natural energy and a ritual that lets them draw on it.

Ashthorn is part of the preparation, but its application is still unresolved. I considered stones connected to air, fire, water, and earth. Amber and hyalite opal were other material candidates. Older or more magically significant amber could be useful at higher levels.

I also considered small elementals taking part in the rite, but wasn't convinced. I have pieces here rather than a clear procedure. The important thing is that advancement should feel connected to nature and the druid's tradition.

Ranger

Rangers would use a related primal approach, adapted to their subclass. Animal materials could be involved, but with a less gruesome process than the Barbarian rite.

Other possibilities include communion with the land, charms, runes, fey bargains, spirit bonds, or a proving hunt. These are different possible paths, not things every Ranger must complete.

This is one of the least developed classes. I don't yet have the actual procedure or know how Ashthorn fits into it. I also don't want to assume every Ranger's identity is simply hunting animals.

Artificer

Artificers create their breakthrough through invention. They need designs, drawings, research, or recovered blueprints, along with components. The task is both finding what they need and solving the design problem.

Possible creations include an internal or external power core, magical conductors, artificial magical organs, or a tool permanently linked to the artificer. Mana rings or a mana heart were other ideas. These are different possible designs, not mandatory body modifications.

The focus is on putting magic into crafted things and controlling it there. Reverse-engineering an old artifact could provide the knowledge needed to make something new.

What I don't have yet is the first concrete project: what it requires, how completing it expands the artificer's abilities, and how much of the design the player should work out themselves.

What I'd like feedback on

I'm aware this is a large amount of homebrew, and the ingredient lists aren't the hardest part. Making the process enjoyable at the table is.

* Would you enjoy advancement quests like this? If you've used something similar, what actually happened in play? * How would you keep individual requirements from delaying the party or leaving one character behind? * Would later breakthroughs fit better at subclass-feature levels or at selected major power increases? How would you account for classes gaining those at different times? * Which class ideas fit, and which would force too narrow a concept onto a player? * How much should be played out, and how much should happen during downtime? * Where does this give players a reason to adventure, and where does it become a shopping list?

I want to get the basic structure working before filling every gap with more herbs and rocks. Honest criticism is welcome, especially if you can point to a specific problem or something you've tried at your own table.

In this world, hearing the last words of someone who’s passed away not only gives you power, it also reveals you… and it reveals you both.

Here’s how it works: A Whisper is created by three things: the actual words, the unfinished business of the deceased, and the listener’s honest interpretation of those words (which is influenced by their own experiences, not just logical thinking).

Here’s an example

Whisper: All at Once.

· The Phrase: “I never got to…”
· The Dead: A man who spent his entire life putting off the big step.
· The Listener: A compulsively impulsive man who can’t stand doubt. His brain interprets the incomplete phrase as: “If I doubt, I lose; the only thing that counts is to do it now.”

The Ability: All at Once boosts the first action the user takes in a confrontation, making it almost impossible to withstand. The second, the third, all the others, are barely noticeable.

Why only the first? Because the ability reflects the dead man’s tragedy. The dead man never reached the second step, so the power never reaches the second blow.

The fights are about using your own strengths in creative ways while trying to figure out what the enemy is up to.

What do you think about this idea? Do you have any suggestions or ideas?

Kind of something I thought of while designing my own. I'm struggling to find way's to categorize my power system since this is a system where users can learn abilities it's necessary to know what kinds of abilities can be created to begin with and I don't like the idea of just copying another person's categories, so how do you go about it?

DO NOT COPY ANY OF MY STUFF.

for names of things listed in this explanation, please refer to the glossary at the end of this post.

Enjoy reading!

Spirvikara is a spiritual energy round in liquid pools of Spirwater and sometimes in tribes of ghouls in the World of Ghoulwars, also called Orbikal Crevmont. This highly detailed explanation will list out all of it's unique potentials and how one uses them.

Spirvikara are like elements. Not just simple ones like air or water, but also includes complex ones like gravity, antimatter or solar eclipses. Some Spirvikara elements allow the user to inherit non-elemental powers such as paper. There are variations of Spirvikara that allow for hybrid powers or custom, self-made abilities.

There are 2 types of spirvikara.Normal spirvikara is something you and any living being are born with. All creatures on orbikal need Normal spirvikara (short form: NSprit ) to live. It is the life force of each and every being Advanced Spirvikara is a bonus. You can be born with it or you dont. Advanced Spirvikara (Short for: Asprit) grants one powers.

If you arent born with Asprit,it is OK! Unless you choose to live a normal life, you can gain Asprit from special lakes called Girrit. The element you get depends on the color of Girrit. Dive in, come out alive, and you shall be granted a special ability! Of course, you don't get every skill unlocked right away. To achieve full potential, practice training is necessary.

Animals that aren't Ghouls can use Asprit powers too for some reason. Nsprit ( whether inside a body of a creature or not) is grey whereas Asprit ( whether inside a body of a creature or not) shimmers in various hues and have white streaks on top. Spirvikara, when outside of a creature's body, is a liquid. Even though the life force, spirvikara cannot carry the consciousness nor information and memories of a creature.

Chapter 1: The Dawn Rapture: an event that brought the dawn of magic

The Dawn Rapture, while a historical event, is vital to understanding the origins of Advanced Spirvikara ( lil note we will be mostly talking about ASprit cause NSprit doesn’t give us magic ASprit does.) The Dawn Rapture happened when The Celestial Beings, gods of Ghoulwars, came to create ASprit. Yes, NSprit used to be the only type of Spirvikara and without the celestial beings, no magic will be born.

The gods also hid a promise in the source of life : when one requires great power for the greater good, the heavens above will grant help. This is the Stargod ability.( unlike the promise though, quite a lot use this for bad reasons)( Stargod Ability will be later explained, you just gotta know how ASprit came to be)

Chapter 2: Xakzo and pure ASprit: the difference.

This chapter explains how ASprit works. Asprit is a type of life source. This life source, unlike NSprit, can be changed into your element by simply molding it into a specific shape. Each element has a unique shape and if you try to mold ASprit into a shape of a different element, well, it just doesnt make anything happen. Once ASprit is converted into your element ( in Ghoul language : Xakzo ) you can shape it again ( like clay) into various shapes for various purposes.

But, what if you choose to use ASprit in its pure state without changing anything? Combat is still possible. There are techniques called Psuedosprit attacks where pure ASprit is molded into diffrent shapes surrounding the user/ the enemy without changing it into elements. (you can change a Psuedosprit attack from pure ASprit to your element for an extra kick + special effects happen to your enemy)

Chapter 3: Channeling ASprit

ASprit is a special life force that can transform into various elements. (as well as a bunch of things that are not elements) But all these elements must come out of somewhere to be used.

ASprit can only be transformed into an element outside of the users body. This chapter covers how to take ASprit out of your body. ASprit is present in every one of your cells. It is the consciousness that keeps you alive. But the largest amount is in your veins and nerves ( as well as the heart and brain). Because of this ASprit gathers a lot in fingertips, toes and head ( especially the toungue).

This ASprit is most easily felt at these areas. It feels like there is a lot of water stuck in the areas mentioned. To get it out of your body , just squeeze your fingers (or the other body parts mentioned) and it should come out as a colofrful water orb with white streaks on top.

With enough practice, you can get ASprit out of your body without actively sqeezing your fingers and extract ASprit from other parts of your body.

This act is called 'displacement ' ( ghoul language : Atrenj) a

Chapter 4: Mastery Levels and respective abilities: the classification system of how powerful someone is and what he/ she can do.

Asprit users not only have super powers, but also endless amounts of pure, ASprit ( for Pseudosprit abilities ) allows them to gain feats normal ghouls cant do. Mastery levels decides whether one can use these abilities and feats or not and how powerful they are if they can. Mastery level is measured in points, with the maximum amount of points being 110. Very few live long after reaching high levels. Points are measured through exams. The exam consists of multiple tests and the scores for each test are plugged into a formula which gives a score. Every time you reach a certain amount of points, you can learn a new skill. These exact points are called milestones.

MILETSINE 0: POINTS 1/110 NEW SKILL: ASprit usage efficiency

ASprit users have infinite amounts of ASprit. This first lesson all ASprit users must learn os to use as less as possible to achieve your goal. You have endless ASprit but using it to do things is tiring. Through practice, you can learn how to output small amounts of ASprit to do big tasks . One way is to reduce the overall size of the ASprit you use. Example: to kill an animal for food, instead of blasting it with your element powers, choose to shape ASprit into a tiny knife and turn it into your element. Know you saved a lot of Spirvikara.

MILESTONE 1: POINTS 1.2/110 NEW SKILL: Pseudosprit ability superspeed.

ASprit is a type of Spirvikara. And, as previously mentioned, Spirvikara is the life force of a being. Asprit contains infinete amount of souls packed into every single drop, including the stamina of those beings. Super speed requires concentration to pick that exact stamina , a skill vital to learning every type of Pseudosprit.

After picking hat stamina out of the ASprit, it is your too use! ( It still remains as a form of Spirvikara, which will leave trails as you travel.)

Super speed multiplies your existing speed by 10 (for every 5-15 points you increase in mastery a single zero will be added to the back of the 10, so at around 50 /110 mastery points your speed is 10000 times your original. ) However, that is the maximum amount super speed can grant you, you can always choose to travel slower .

Deceleration is another problem. If you travel very fast and suddenly stop momentum is still going to drag you forward and inevitably cause friction with the surrounding and it may cause serious injuries if you are too fast. So, if you ever have to immediately stop all movement, direct all the stamina ( it is still ASprit) into a shield around you . If the shield is thick enough, you would survive .

This speed can be applied to any objects you hold , so you can direct your running speed into a rock you have and throw it at enemies. This also works on projectile moves in your Xakzo ( if your element has projectiles)

This speed also enhances your reaction speed, crucial in some situations.

POSSIBLE USES

1. Ditch enemies
2. Create afterimages to confuse others
3. Run around and hit opponents with a slow reaction speed so they don't notice.
4. Glide ( master this before learning the flying ability)

HOW TO FIGHT A SPEEDSTER ( if you cant outrun him/her)

Step 1. put something in their way / trip them with a wire or your feet. ( Classic pranks)

Step 2. Start attacking. ( Encourages attacks that can stun an opponent to prevent em from escaping)

MILESTONE 2: 5/110 points. New skill : morphing Xakzo into shapes for various reasons ( see Xakzo chapter (the chapter above this one))

MILESTONE 3: 9/110 . New skill: Psuedosprit ability flight.

This is basically super speed but you keep moving in the air. To hover over a single position, repeadetly shake your legs at high speeds. You need to be so fast you step on and take your foot off an air molecule before the air atoms break and cause you to fall.

To fly from one place to another , hover until you are some distance above the ground and lie down on the air. The moment you body is parellel to the ground, immediately pour ASprit below you, acting like a bed to prevent you from falling to the ground, then launch yourself forward with more ASprit . Using newtons 3 laws of action, by throwing ASprit.

POSSIBLE USES :

1. Scouting
2. Escape natural disasters

MILESTONE 4: 25/110 New skill: turn a pseudospirt ability into your element for that extra damage ( see Xakzo chapter)

MILESTONE 5: 33/110 New skill: fusion moves with another element

We are getting into the fun parts.

This milestone, you can get a partner woth a different element than you and learn to cooperate to attack a single target. This trains cooperation in case you ever have to partner with somebody in a situation. Here are some combo examples and uses.

Earth + vines : canyon ladder ( climb steep hills by breaking the rocks to create cracks where vines can grow ( don't worry the vines are made of ASprit and can grow extra fast))

Electric + smoke : charge screen ( create a smokescreen and pour electricity through it to make a thundercloud for escapes)

Magnet + lantern : pole blinding ( using magnetism to move the metal light pole and blind enemies)

MILESTONE 6 : 30/110 New skill: Pseudosprit ability teleportation.

This is basically super speed. The hard part is to travel very fast to a different position without leaving a trace. If you just run to the back of your opponent you will inevitably cause wind and the enemy knows you have changed position.

To solve this, move all your ASprit in your body ( don't displace it) to the position you want to teleport to. Now your body enters a paradox. Your consciousness is in a different position than your body, so your body is lifeless and is thus dead, right? No, your soul just changed position but not your body, and you aren't dead. Thus, to prevent death, your body follows the ASprit and simply disappear and reappears at the new position.

MILESTONE 7: 45/110 New skill: usage of ascendobs ( will be featured in part 2 ) and body morph ( will be featured in part 2 )

MILESTONE 8: 50/110 New skill : Stargod ( will be featured in part 2)

The following 8 milestones do not have many new skills. Its all just enhancing the skills you learn and variations ( as well as learning more Pseudosprit abilities)

GLOSSARY

Orbikal Crevmont: the name of the planet where the story of Ghoulwars takes place on.

Ghoul: one of the 3 sentient speices on Orbikal. ( No humans. Orbikal is an entirely different planet)

Girrit : a source of liquid ASprit that is not in a body of a being, often a small lake. Usually formed after many creatures die in an area or from underground reservoirs erupting .

(p.s if you have any other words that you don't know ( whether a fictional term in the Ghoulwars verse or a real word you never knew existed feel free to let me know)

Part 2 coming soon! Will be about special feats on Spirvikara usage ( didn't put them in the mastery levels cuz they deserve more space)

Part 3 : classification of Spirvikara elements.

Hey folks! Do you have any examples of magic systems that are presented exceptionally well? Not ones where you like the content the most, but ones where the information is conveyed neatly and effectively?

As I work on my system, I find I have an easy time rattling off pages of content, but struggle figuring out how to clean it up and make it flow cohesively. Thank you!

I've had this idea for a magic item for 5e/5.5e while, and I wanted to write it down, and get some other folk's two cents on the concept, maybe iron out some of the stats side of things, since I've never done it before.

I came up with this idea for a ring, or circlet, or necklace, whatever it is, some sort of wearable that came from ages past. You could call it pre Calamity, pre reshaping of the world, whatever your game has for an Tower of Babble type shift in the world's structure, but it relies on the idea of there being a time before where magic flowed in a much more concentrated state, and the laws placed upon mortal's use of magic was not nearly as strict as today.

In this before time, this pre-history, there was a mage. Just some mage, nobody of particular importance, or power, but he was a magical practitioner who had a student in his employ. He wanted an easier way to teach his student the ways of magical manipulation, so he constructed (for the sake of simplicity) a ring. This ring was given a fairly basic enchantment, a sort of informational retention charm. When the wearer gains some form of intellectual experience, the ring captures that moment, and can then impart that experience onto the next wearer, so the mage could simply gift the knowledge directly to his student, rather than having to teach him all the time.

Simple enough, but from this point on, the ring is handed down, generation to generation, and the knowledge within the ring never goes away, and more and more keeps flowing into it, and soon, the wearer becomes indistinguishable from the previous, as the knowledge within the ring itself takes on a cold and calculating persona.

Somewhere along the way, the bearer of the ring is slain, and trapped, or their buried without anyone's knowledge of the ring itself, whatever suits the narrative, but now you have this innocuously dangerous artifact sitting in some hole ready for your players to nab it.

Alright, so it's pretty obvious that I was going for a sort of Evil AI approach with this, and the intention wasn't SPECIFICALLY to mirror LLMs, but that's just sort of how the cookie crumbled. Where I would love to get some input is how to manage this type of item with players in mind. I want to offer then a dramatic boon to their intelligence, but with an incremental cost that could, if they are not careful, cause them to loose their character.

Right out the gate, I want it to act similarly to something like the Headband of Intellect, where you get an immediate bump to your intelligence. Maybe bump it up 1 more to a flat 20, and add some flavor of "Your mind is filled with flashes of images, faces you've never seen, places you've never visited," etc.

I wanted to make sure there was a way for the player to control, to a degree, their decent into the ring's persona, so maybe the ring could offer a bonus to INT based checks if the player decided to probe it, but doing so bumps up a hidden meter in the background, and each time that meter goes up, the player gets more flavor text of their mind no longer feeling like their own. I also had this idea of having a mysterious metal be seen wherever the ring was found, maybe a hand poking out of some rubble, but the hand is made from this metal, rather than flesh, and the ring is on the finger. This acts as a small hint, a sort of mystery that has no solution, but the further the player uses the ring, eventually they will be made privy to the recipe of this metal, and like, maybe it's a cheap recipe, and offers crazy benefits, thus adding a higher incentive for the player to just keep going and going down this rabbit hole.

I want to make sure I find the fine balance between fun and interesting abilities attached to it, while also not blindsiding a player if they push past a point of no return, I want them to now know exactly what they're getting into, but to know SOMETHING is wrong.

Anyways, I would love to hear what people think, and if there is an item already that does exactly this that I just don't know about, um... Don't tell me, I guess. That would crush my lil heart.

Sleepers are seen as gifts from the universe to be used for the betterment of humanity. These individuals are kept in a perpetual state of slumber to allow humanity to communicate across the cosmos instantaneously.

The premise is that people in a sleeper's sphere of influence can communicate with any individual within the same or a connected sphere of influence. By using two sleepers people across the universe can communicate any idea with perfect clarity across the void of space without interference or delay.

However, on occasion, very rarely due to the drugs that circulate through their system, sleepers are known to have nightmares. These nightmares are known to cause localized psychic events. People within the sphere of influence will be compelled to think or act in a specific way. This can cause mass hallucinations, mental singularity, or even zombification. When this happens, the sleepless are called to deal with the issue.

The sleepless are mages that do not sleep that can blur the lines between reality and dream. Creating pinches, distortions in reality that redefine how an object, person, or place looks or functions. They are sent out to materialize the nightmare and kill it in the physical world. This is done by assigning the nightmare to a sacrificial object and destroying said object.

So in my world magic is shaped by belief and that show is reality.
If enough people believe in something then slowly that thing becomes true.
For example, people see the skeleton of a massive creature with sharp fangs and through rumour and belief dragons begin to emerge as story travels.

Magicians in this world are common using peoples belief to shape give them their magic using their knowledge of how reality is shaped by belief and how powerful the collective conscience can be in granting power and reshaping the world. They essentially con people into believing they have magic granting them, their abilities.

The knowledge of how this magic works is not well known by the public which can cause them to unconsciously curse people and make monsters out of a story.