Treatise on Mysticism (Draft 1)

[Pescado Branch]

1 - Treatise on Mysticism (Draft 1)

Treastise on Mysticism
By Pescado Branch, Saurid Adept Mystic

Introduction:

Mysticism, one of the most hated, and distrusted arts of Arcana happens to be the art of the mind, filled with trickery, illusion, and disception. The mystics that practice this art use illusions and mind tricks to further their lust for power over others. They also help others discover more about themselves through the arcane energies within them.

Power:

Mind Control: Mystics have the ability to control the minds of others, either through suggestions, or through illusions, they are able to force others to bend their wills and whims to do as they wish. Mind control also allows mystics to read one's mind, as well as change their memories around, whether taking them, or adding in new ones.

Illusions: Mystics can create many illusions that people might see in their minds or in reality. These illusions are not real, but can be perceived as something very real to those whom they’ve been casted upon. At higher proficiencies, these Illusions can be made to be real, solid objects.

Time: Very experienced Mystics are able to control the very essence and flow of time through use of high powered arcane practices. They can slow time down, or at least one’s perception of time, as well as transcend through time to a different period. This power is granted to them generally through the Planetar of Time, Kalendryas. It should also be noted that one can use the powers of time even if not blessed by the planetar, though it is extremely rare.

Essense Plane of Thought:

The Essense Plane of Thought happens to be the plane where Mystics draw their energies from. On this plane, various entities that consist of pure energies of thought exist. This is where the mystics draw their energies from so as to be able to cast spells upon the mind.

Techniques:

Abjuration: The technique of abjuration is used in the movement of mana, or energy. In mysticism it might be used to move energy through somebody’s mind, or through their nervous system.

Alteration: The technique of alteration is used to alter the shape of the mana. By doing this, a mystic can create fields, matrixes, or other energy sequences that will help them to either transform something, or access the mind in different ways.

Divination: By using the technique of divination, the main technique that is the basis of most mystic spells, the mystics can access the mind, control it, and create a whole wave of spells that are based on the mind and mind control.

Conjuration: This technique is used to bring energy, or arcanic beings into reality, or the material plane. Some feel they can conjure the psions of the plane of thought into reality by using conjuration, or they could also use conjuration to bring animations to life.

Evocation: By using evocation, one can bring about raw energy into the material plane, and cause massive amounts of destruction to ones mind. Examples are using evocation to evoke a psionic pulse through someone’s mind and into their being, which in turn will cause a great disruption in their system functioning.

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[Marwin Luminarias]

Hey, it's an IC treatise, so it can be almost anything your PC would actually make Nicely done.

[Pescado Branch]

Apprentice spells are now done.

[Amber Brightwing]

I’d differentiate a bit more between mind control and illusions. Right now they sound very alike. For example:

Illusions: creating images with magic, so everyone looking at them sees them. These can actually be real (though perhaps requiring a higher level). I remember Duncan making solid objects with them.
Mind control: creating images in peoples mind, only the subjects of the spell see them. Plus mindreading, controlling and altering memories.

Awareness: wouldn’t it be more useful to sharpen the subject’s senses or so? Making him more aware of his environment instead of it being an Arcana detector (any mage in Clara can do that after all).

Oh, and I’d try and explain some of the spells differently. That’s a lot of alteration you have there Switching some for Conjuration or Abjuration wouldn’t look too bad.

Suggestion: people should be able to resist, the likelihood of said resistance probably depending on what is asked. Suggesting a friend to buy you a drink vs. suggesting your nemesis to take his own life.

Alliance: isn’t this just an applied form of Suggestion?

Animation: I’d add Divination for the command giving. You can have two techniques after all.

Cripple: so this is a shield dispelling spell? If so, any limits to what it can do (same level or below I assume)?

Illusion: how is this different from Objectify cast at a higher level (so just giving it a longer duration)?

Mind Shackle: isn’t this a watered down version of Mesmerize? Ditto for Regress.

[Pescado Branch]

Originally Posted by Amber Brightwing

I’d differentiate a bit more between mind control and illusions. Right now they sound very alike. For example:

Illusions: creating images with magic, so everyone looking at them sees them. These can actually be real (though perhaps requiring a higher level). I remember Duncan making solid objects with them.
Mind control: creating images in peoples mind, only the subjects of the spell see them. Plus mindreading, controlling and altering memories.

All fixed up!

Awareness: wouldn’t it be more useful to sharpen the subject’s senses or so? Making him more aware of his environment instead of it being an Arcana detector (any mage in Clara can do that after all).

this is true, but a mage in Clara can't necessarily detect every enchantment. By using the spell of Awareness it allows a mystic to detect any and all enchantments their proficiency or lower. They can sometimes detect enchantments that are their proficiency or higher as well.

Oh, and I’d try and explain some of the spells differently. That’s a lot of alteration you have there Switching some for Conjuration or Abjuration wouldn’t look too bad.

The reason i use alteration alot is that is how my character has always learned to cast the spells. And since he's the one "writing" this, it only makes sense for him to cast it the way he learned it. But i can change a few of them around if i can figure out how to make them work with the other spell shaping techniques.

Suggestion: people should be able to resist, the likelihood of said resistance probably depending on what is asked. Suggesting a friend to buy you a drink vs. suggesting your nemesis to take his own life.

I do not believe in people being able to resist mysticism at all unless they happen to be another mage, and have some idea of how the spells work, or if they have an enchantment, or racial ability that allows it. It would give everyone an excuse to "resist" mysticism if i write in that one spell can be resisted.

Alliance: isn’t this just an applied form of Suggestion?

It's an advanced form of suggestion yes, but it's considered one of the spells that someone learns... perhaps it should be removed from the spell list all together since it is an advanced form of Suggestion.

Animation: I’d add Divination for the command giving. You can have two techniques after all.

So noted and done.

Cripple: so this is a shield dispelling spell? If so, any limits to what it can do (same level or below I assume)?

Same level or below is correct.

Illusion: how is this different from Objectify cast at a higher level (so just giving it a longer duration)?

Yes, Illusion has a longer duration than Objectify.

Mind Shackle: isn’t this a watered down version of Mesmerize? Ditto for Regress.

Mesmerize stops them from acting all together. Mind Shackle just makes them want to continue fighting, and not run away. Regress is an advanced form of Enfeeblement.

[Amber Brightwing]

All fixed up!

Any thoughts on the differentiating between mind control and illusions? That seems to have stayed the same.

this is true, but a mage in Clara can't necessarily detect every enchantment. By using the spell of Awareness it allows a mystic to detect any and all enchantments their proficiency or lower. They can sometimes detect enchantments that are their proficiency or higher as well.

The current Awareness spell could be the same as my suggestion + Clara though And IMHO enchantments of a higher level should be easier to detect (not counting Mystics trying to hide it's enchanted) since more Mana is used.

I do not believe in people being able to resist mysticism at all unless they happen to be another mage, and have some idea of how the spells work, or if they have an enchantment, or racial ability that allows it. It would give everyone an excuse to "resist" mysticism if i write in that one spell can be resisted.

It's not people resisting Mysticism but rather the spell only being strong enough to give people a strong urge to do something. A suggestion, but not a command. I'd put inta-kill spells on Journeyman level (I was asked to tone down the insta-kill possibility of a Apprentice spell for the Sphere of Death myself ^^). I'd just make a Journeyman spell to show that at this point the Suggestion can be turned into a Command.

[Duncan Sythe]

Going to just reply to this in the context of Ambers stuff and some of Pescs, divided up by Ambers topics...sorry if its confusing.

Illusions: creating images with magic, so everyone looking at them sees them. These can actually be real (though perhaps requiring a higher level). I remember Duncan making solid objects with them.
Mind control: creating images in peoples mind, only the subjects of the spell see them. Plus mindreading, controlling and altering memories.

Yep, I agree here and I like the new description although i'll post fuller comments when I go through the entire thing later.

Awareness: wouldn’t it be more useful to sharpen the subject’s senses or so? Making him more aware of his environment instead of it being an Arcana detector (any mage in Clara can do that after all).

Awareness...hmm.... I'd debate the whole enchantment/clara thing. To me awareness is yeah, a divination that sharpens sense-related awareness rather than an arcana detector. I'd say a modified version would be needed to specifically search for Arcane constructs instead of merely heighten senses.

I could get arcanomechanical here as to why higher level enchantments are probably EASIER to detect than lower level ones.... but in the context of Awareness: It isnt really relevant, Awareness to me is a normal-sense-enhancement spell; better sight, better smell, heightened sense of surroundings.

It's not an arcane-search-spell.

I'm up for debate on it having arcane searching qualities though... certainly its a viable alternative initiate spell. Just not how I see awareness.

Oh, and I’d try and explain some of the spells differently. That’s a lot of alteration you have there Switching some for Conjuration or Abjuration wouldn’t look too bad.

Completely optional.... lots of ways to do things.

Suggestion: people should be able to resist, the likelihood of said resistance probably depending on what is asked. Suggesting a friend to buy you a drink vs. suggesting your nemesis to take his own life.

This is always a difficult one and is always going to be down to moderators – and also as Amber says the strength of the suggestion.

To me suggestion works by implanting a concept into the mind of the other, a very brief, simple concept at Initiate.
So we're talking 'heat' 'cold' 'shock'. Like the actual description in the wiki suggests – a natural reaction.

At higher levels yes, I think 'buy me a drink' is a possible suggestion. But I would think that would be more Apprentice level. (Which leads nicely onto the next point). Making someone kill themselves would require a Master most likely.

Beguile is level 3 and i've used it rarely to make people do odd things but never recently – but again i'm pretty sure you'd need level 4 to make someone kill themselves and even then theres a chance of them resisting, especially if they know they're being attacked by a mystic.

Alliance: isn’t this just an applied form of Suggestion?

Yeah i'd agree this could be removed quite easily enough. I'm also quite thoughtful on how strong this spell is...although again its all in the moderation. It would work less well on someone who really hates the mystic to start with.

Animation: I’d add Divination for the command giving. You can have two techniques after all.

Yup, I agree with Amber on that.

Cripple: so this is a shield dispelling spell? If so, any limits to what it can do (same level or below I assume)?

As Pesc said.

Illusion: how is this different from Objectify cast at a higher level (so just giving it a longer duration)?

It also allows a more detailed illusion... but yeah its a bit vague.


Now for Amber's last points:

As I said above Beguile is the Adept level decision-making-controlling spell. It's effectively the max-level Suggestion, although i'd think short of making someone kill themselves – depending who your trying to do it on.

Frankly in my experience there are far simpler ways to use mysticism to end a life than Beguiling them into jumping off a cliff, but i'm not saying its impossible heh.

More comments on Pesc's stuff to come, this was just catching up with all the points.

[Duncan Sythe]

Now my more general comments...

Introduction:

Accurate...yes. But I'm surprised it's Pescado's view heh. It's a very blunt view, also one sided towards power and control...for example Duncan wouldn't say he lusts for power heh.

But hey, your treatise, just curious rather than bothered.

Powers:

Mind control is good there.

Illusion, yep, like that description...i wasn't sure on the earlier ones but the new edits are less blunt.

Time: I'd edit this to 'Very experienced Mystic's are able to control....' since its the realm of Masters, Archmagi or extremely adventurous Adepts.

I'd also add a sentence at the end saying that some Mystic's can do this without access to the planetar.

Techniques:

I love the description for adjuration here. The general descriptions here are all good.

Spells:

I've already commented on my disagreement with Awareness as an enhancer not a spell/enchantment detector.

Enfeeblement. I'd include a note here about what the initiate level effects should be as well as what you've done about the later more powerful effects.

Objectify et al:

I utterly disagree with any mention in bending light here. Mysticism spells work on effecting mental perception of the mystic, not on light...thats the Sorcery version.

Theres some icky issue here as to how you divine the image you WANT in the spell and the SHAPE...but i think alteration + mental view kind of works and in the end we're limited to where the spells were put.

So yeah, probably just alteration...or maybe divining the Vis of the person to confuse what they look like.

Spell Nullify:

How many spells will this handle? I'd presume only one, maybe two?

Alliance:

I think your description is a little strong. It'd work for hostility but not hate. Dislike works too...

Cripple:

Possibly a small edit here to clarify this is cast against someone elses shield, its a little confusing.

Illusion

Divine and Alteration here. Altered into a shape then divined into what the illusion will look like....i'd think anyway.

Rest of the spells all look good....

[Pescado Branch]

Okay, i editted, lemme know if i missed anything, so that i can fix that up before i work on the Adept spells.

[Marwin Luminarias]

I always assumed that Nullify works like a pre-dispel.

So an Initiate level Nullify has a chance to 'auto-dispel' ONE initiate spell.

Apprentice level Nullify has a chance to 'auto-dispel' ONE apprentice level spell or has a better chance at 'auto-dispeling' 1-3 Initiate level spells.

Journeymal level Nullify has a chance to 'auto-dispel' ONE Journeyman level spell or has a really good chance at 'auto dispeling' initiate and apprentice level spells (less than 9 and 6 respectively)

Master Level Nullify has a 99.9% chance of dispeling initiate - apprentice spells ; good chance at dispeling Journeyman and small chance of dispeling 'foreign' master level spells. This is because at Master level weaves become REALLY complex. So a Master Mystic who has little knowledge of Elementalism may not be able to dispel a Master level elementalism spell.

Archmage level Nullify has a 99.9% chance of dispeling initiate-journeyman level spells; good chance at dispeling Master level and small chance of dispeling an Archmage level spell.

[Pescado Branch]

you are correct, should I add something about that in there?

[Marwin Luminarias]

Maybe as a footnote

[Pescado Branch]

Sure thing

[Pescado Branch]

multipage function added in now, perhaps a bit easier of a read with sectioning.