Paradigm: True Magic

Battle the forces of Theocracy and Jyhad in this game of modern magic.

Mystery, Faith, and Power clash in a modern world where magic never left, it went underground. Witches, Prayer Warriors and Zen Monks match wits with the Theocracy and the Jyhad in a battle of belief for the right to exist in a world where the Crusades are the new Cold War. You play one of the Gifted, a select group that uses their varied beliefs, from ancient Egyptian rites to the power of prayer, to access True Magic and change the world. Pitted against Doctrinites and Fanatics out to cleanse the world of the immorality of free will, they must fight to save the world from conformity and corruption or risk losing Magic forever. Paradigm is a game about Individuality, Spiritualism and Corruption in the world around us now and throughout time. For every Power there is a Price...

Like calls to like, or so it is said. That is how I found you. I don’t want anything but a moment of your time. I’m only here to tell you what’s in store and give you the ability to make enlightened choices. Funny that word, enlightened…how we cast it about so casually, as if it were a destination instead of a journey upon which you are about to embark. But I get ahead of myself and time is short, so I will be as direct as is in my nature.
There are forces in this world that are beyond the perception of most people. Those forces are called by many names, God, Allah, Spirits or what have you. I have come to tell you that they are all real… in a sense the power of belief by the faithful makes it so. Therefore each is as real and true as any other in the eyes of the believer. Whatever path you choose to follow is as right for you as mine for me. It is in the conflicts between those paths that there is danger.
The world as you used to know it is a crossroads for these beliefs about the world, or paradigms. Where they intersect, a consensual reality is forged, based on mutual understanding about what is real. For example, Gravity pulls down, water is wet, fire hot and so on. Where these paradigms deviate from that reality is dubbed supernatural or paranormal, such as the power of prayer or divining with Tarot cards. There was a time when these paradigms could easily coexist. This is no longer true.
You have had those times where you have defied reality. Answering a phone that has not rung, knowing who is at the door, and experiencing Déjà vu are only the beginning of what you are capable of. You are only barely aware of the Gift. The ability to call on Powers to shape the world according to your beliefs is within you. Whether you use prayer, ritual, or sheer force of will to harness the Gift is of no consequence, only that your ability to do so is more powerful than those around you. You may not have consciously harnessed it yet, but it is there all the same. It is the power of the Gift that drew me to you and will bring others of our kind.
Outside the concepts of the Deus, the Latin term for the forces called on as gods, there are more general, more primal forces that exist in opposition. Some call them Good and Evil, some Light and Dark, and still others Life and Death, Creation and Corruption, ad nauseam. It is these Forces or Powers that permeate every paradigm and are therefore a component of reality. It is in the never ending struggle with these Powers that I have come to give my warning. I do not intend to tell you there is a right or wrong answer, as both sides of the coin are needed in balance, so choose your path well. Always remember, for every Power there is a Price.

Wickedness & Righteousness
The forces of Light and Dark are out there and they will try to convert the Actor’s to join them. An Actor’s actions will determine which side of the battle they find themselves on. The Realm itself is a vast shade of gray, however reaching either end of the spectrum has consequences. It is the difference between ascension and damnation. Reaching either state removes the Actor from the game.
Wicked Actions Score
Acting against your belief system w/o full knowledge, consent, and accidentally -1
Acting against your belief system with full knowledge, consent, or deliberately -2
Bringing harm to the forces of Good directly -3
Premeditated Murder -4
Premeditated Mass Murder -5
Righteous Actions Score
Deeds that promote the greater good +1
Acts motivated by no concern for oneself but for others w/o forethought of consequences +2
Bringing harm to the forces of Evil directly +3
Giving your life to save another +4
Giving your life to save a large group of others +5
Every Actor has a Wickedness/Righteousness score, for most it starts at 0 and ranges from -10 to 10 with negative reflecting Wickedness and positive as Righteousness. No points are placed in this score and it can not be ‘bought off’. It is assigned by the Operator as a measure of the ethical standing of the Actor and will be affected by their actions in the Realm. Above are examples of the actions that can affect the score and the number of points that it is affected.
Building Magical FX
The FX will have to be closely tied to your Actor’s belief system. EX: I’m an atheist that believes I can throw fire balls! NO, you’re a nut job that should pick up a Delusion. OR I’m a Catholic that believes God gives me the power to protect others from evil. Great! Here is your Defend the Flock.
Here are some ideas for good Markups & Discounts:
Only in Common Circumstance, Mystic effects OCC, Wicked, Requires Skill, Gestures, Constant Gestures, Incantation, Constant Incantation, Concentrate Full Turn, Special Defense, Righteousness, and Based on Will (Mental FX).
Many FX will require a test to affect the target. Some will be Skill tests such as Ritual or Focus and could be prepared before hand and others require combat actions (contact with the target or hitting at range).
Automatic Magic:
Blessing - a defensive magic that adds +2 to any test specified at the time of casting as part of the required Incantation. To use it the caster simply says a little prayer and touches the target (“May the Lord make your aim true,” Ranged +2). If the target resists it fails, otherwise it is automatic.
Ranged:
Ranged tests are required for some magic to hit a target. Others require a Skill test versus a set difficulty to function. In general an FX that “Requires Skill” will use a WILL+ Focus or Ritual versus the Qi Pool Cost of the FX divided by 10, unless another target number is apparent (i.e. Using a Reveal against an established Misknowing or Fade “My Fade result was 10, do they see me?”).
Sense Magic is a WILL plus Focus or Ritual versus Range (using Ranged difficulties for distance only) plus WILL minus levels of RuleBender to be sensed plus any Misknowing FX in use.
Voodoo Doll is a Ranged FX that uses special circumstances to hit its target. After a Token/Tether has been acquired (usually a Grapple or Disarm will do) the FX is able to directly deal damage without further tests, much like the Ranged maneuver Cover, it just takes lots of prep before hand (a doll making ritual and stealing the tether).
Magical FX with Tests:
Defend the Flock – is a straight WILL + Right versus WILL + Wicked of the Highest Wicked Actor each turn to provide its protection. Damage is assessed normally but is tracked by the caster until the end of the Combat Sequence when the test is made.
Ritual Magic:
Usually prepared in advance, Ritual magic is limited in the number of times it can be used by the number of rituals performed. However, it is less limited in the fact that groups can perform Rituals and all contribute Qi Pool to the cost of the final effect.
Here are the basic guidelines for Ritual Magic.
An Actor must have the Skill Ritual to serve as a Ritual Master. A Ritual starts with the Ritual Master’s Qi Pool contribution, which takes 1 minute per 10 points.
The other participants may contribute 10 Qi Pool per minute after that to the cost unless they also have the Skill Ritual, then they may contribute a number of points up to its level times 10 per minute.
Each Actor with the Skill can control the contributions of up to 3 other participants without the Skill.
When the cost has been met, the Ritual Master makes a WILL + Ritual test versus the Qi Pool cost of the FX divided by 10, where a +1 can be taken for every additional 15 minutes invested in the Ritual.
The Ritual Master defines the nature and requirements of the Ritual (with Ops approval) and should play them out in game if possible.
If the test fails, the time spent on the Ritual is lost and must be restarted IMMEDIATELY at -5 to the Ritual test, as with the Trying Again rules, 10 times the amount of time invested must be used or the Qi Pool gathered for the Ritual is lost. If the Ritual fails twice, third time is not the charm.
Focus Magic:
Some forms of magic are not confined to Ritual, they simply occur by force of WILL or strength of faith. If these require a skill the Focus skill is used to test versus the appropriate number (WILL+ Focus test versus the Qi Pool cost of the FX divided by 10) just as the Ritual skill, but usually without all the prep time so it is more immediate and can not be used for group FX as Rituals can.