INTRO

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There are five different types of magic within the world of Rozetta, three being Core Magics, and two being Aberrant Magics. The Core Magics are (likely to be) more relevant when crafting your character.

The three Core Magics are Loop, Soul Magic, and Rosary Magic. Out of the three, Loop is believed to be the most powerful and versatile magic (note: while this is believed in-universe, it is not necessarily true). No individual has the ability to be able to use more than one of the Core Magics. The Core Magic that an individual possesses is determined from birth and is not chosen by the individual.

The two Aberrant Magics are Lesser Alchemy (oftentimes just called Alchemy), and Contract Magic. These types of magic have more niche uses and are typically considered to be lesser or less reliable compared to the Core Magics.

WHO CAN USE MAGIC?

Earthlings

Earthlings can only use Lesser Alchemy and Contract Magic, the Aberrant Magics. All earthlings are able to use either of these magics from birth. The Core Magics are considered to be the magic of Mythicals, and therefore, only Mythicals and Fels have access to them. These magics are part of why Mythicals and Fels are considered to be so powerful. Mythicals however, will always have greater magical prowess than Fels, even with the same magic.

Fels

Fels have access to Contract Magic and one of the three Core Magics. Strangely enough, upon becoming a Fel, an Earthling loses their ability to use Lesser Alchemy.

The one exception is Lycanthropes and/or Lycanthrope Aberrants. Being full or part Lycanthrope allows a Fel to retain their ability to use Lesser Alchemy, the trade off is that they will not be able to use one of the Core Magics if they do retain their Alchemy.

Mythicals

Mythicals have access to all kinds of magic. Every Mythical has access to the Aberrant Magics, as well as one of the three Core Magics.

Each Mythical species has a propensity towards one kind of magic (Dragons with Soul Magic, Unicorns with Rosary Magic, and Griffins with Loop). They are, of course, not limited to the norm.

Lycanthropes do not have an affinity for any kind of magic. While they will possess one of the Core Magics, they are less likely to use it.

AETHER

Aether is the word used to describe the magic that exists within the fabric of reality. It is believed that all usable magic is simply the ability to manipulate Aether. Each magic type channels Aether differently, which is what creates their unique effects.

MAGIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE CAMPAIGN

Players will get to decide what type of magic their character begins with, but the way it develops will be up to the campaign mods! This adds a layer of mystery and intrigue while also allowing the players to have some control over the general vibe of their character’s magic.

Lesser Alchemy, Loop, Soul Magic, and Rosary Magic will all upgrade and diversify as the campaign progresses. Check the section for each kind of magic to get a general idea of how this progression will work. It will be different for each kind of magic!

Please be advised that the starting spells do not currently represent the full scope of how certain magic types will act throughout the campaign! In order to add a sense of mystery and discovery, the application of the next level of spells has purposefully been kept hidden. Each section here will try to offer an idea of what you can expect as magic develops, however you will not fully find out until new levels of spells are unlocked!

CONTRACT MAGIC

The All and the Anything

Contract Magic is one of the two forms of Aberrant Magic. What is unique about Contract Magic is that it can be used by Earthlings, Mythicals, and Fels, regardless of what other kinds of magic they possess. Despite its accessibility, Contract Magic is rarely used due to its unpleasant qualities. In Earthling society, the use and study of Contract Magic is outlawed. Mythicals rarely (if ever) use Contract Magic, despite their ability to do so.

Scholars are individuals who dedicate their lives to the study of Contract Magic in secrecy, hoping to one day uncover the Magnum Opus of Contract Magic, and reveal the template engraved on the Rozetta Stone.

HOW CONTRACT MAGIC WORKS

The principle of Contract Magic is simple— one creates a ‘contract’ that outlines a specific demand, and by channeling Aether into the contract, one hopes to make that wish become reality. Contract Magic is the key to any Earthling’s deepest desires.

The issue with Contract Magic is in how it manifests— it requires seemingly infinite specifications— all of which must be met, or the contract is considered failed. No Contract in all of recorded history has ever fully succeeded without consequence.

If one might imagine, for example, a Contract constructed to create a rock from nothing (simple, right?) How could this contract be written? It might seem simple, ‘create rock’, is all you need. The unfortunate reality of Contract Magic is that it will do everything within its power to create the worst possible outcome (by the spell caster’s standards) while also abiding by the rules laid out in the contract. If a contract was written to simply ‘create a rock’, it’s possible that the rock could be massive, and manifest above you and crush you. It could manifest inside of your body, disrupting your organs. It could be radioactive or explosive— the possibilities are endless and often impossible to predict. All of these outcomes must be accounted for and circumvented in the crafting of a Contract.

In order to counteract these side-effects, Scholars have invented a new language called Contract Code which allows them to achieve higher specificity in their Contracts. Using the rock from the previous example, a Scholar would want to define the weight and density of the rock, its dimensions, and where it manifests in space, just to name a few Clauses. With all the Clauses in effect, Contracts can easily become thousands of words long. With every specific Clause outlined, newer and more obtuse Loopholes emerge. This is the infinite paradox of Contract Magic— magic that requires endless specificity in order to be successful. Many believe that a true successful Contract is impossible to create, but others remain optimistic. The true properties of this magic is still poorly understood.

AETHERIC EQUIVALENCE

As one might imagine, testing Contract Magic can be quite the challenging task. Many Scholars do not survive their first attempted Contract, as errors are often fatal. Many never even attempt to activate a Contract, and simply prefer to dabble in the theory of Contract Magic out of pure fascination.

The principle of Aetheric Equivalence sometimes allows scholars to attempt Low-stakes Contracts. By channeling only a small amount of Aether into a spell, Scholars can sometimes avoid many of the more severe Rebound Effects of a failed Contract. This, however, is not always true.

The idea is that if the Contract has less power channeled into it, it has less of an ability to do damage to an individual— a charred body could be lessened to a charred hand. This, however, depends on the outline of the contract— a small amount of poison may still be lethal, afterall.

High-stakes Contracts aim to make large scale changes for not only the individual, but the world around them. High-stakes Contracts are very difficult to manifest, and often cannot be done by accident. They have only been manifested by extremely talented Scholars. High-stakes Contracts channel large amounts of Aether which allows them to have far-reaching outcomes. The few that have been attempted are theorized to be thousands of pages long and outline tens of thousands of specificities. Examples of side-effects wrought by High-stakes Contracts are the Fel Curse and the creation of Wellspring Forest.

PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL CONTRACTS

While no true successful contract has ever been documented, some have been given the title of ‘partial success’. Partially successful contracts achieve results that are considered to be at least somewhat in alignment with the scholar’s original intentions. It could be the creation of a non-harmful rock (for example), but at the cost of one of the caster’s limbs. The result has been achieved, but at a heavy cost, or in a way that wasn’t fully intended. There is some debate over whether the Fel Curse should be considered a partial success, as it seems to align with the caster’s desired intentions.

THE ROZETTA STONE

The Rozetta Stone is said to contain a template that can mitigate all negative side-effects of Contract Magic, allowing the caster to fully channel their will into their spells with no risk to themselves or others. There is debate amongst scholars over whether such a thing truly exists. Many have tried to recreate this fabled template, but there has been little success. Some have searched their entire lives to find the stone. Who could have created such a thing, and why did they hide it from prying eyes?

CONTRACT-TOUCHED ITEMS

Like Alchemy, Contract Magic can create items that have special properties or abilities. These abilities can fall outside of the spectrum of known magical abilities. They can allow for a wide range of things to happen, but are sometimes unpredictable.

Contract-touched Items do not appear to run out of power, that or they run out of power very slowly.

Contract-touched Items are very rare, and not many are known of. Those who own them often try to keep their existence secret.

Some good examples of Contract-touched Items would be Animus enchanted items from Wings of Fire! So e.g. a bowl that can duplicate items, or a charm that can allow you to read others minds or peer into their dreams, or a statue that animates to protect a given object.

CONTRACT MAGIC AND CHARACTERS

Characters and NPCs are free to utilize contract magic during the campaign and through their histories! While this is allowed, please be mindful of the applications and caveats of Contract Magic.

Characters and NPCs cannot:

Have achieved any successful contracts.
Have attempted any high-stakes contracts with far reaching implications.
Achieve partial success high-stakes contracts.

Characters CAN achieve the following things, provided they have dedicated many years and time to the ways of a scholar. These cannot be achieved by individuals without being experts in their field:

Creating a partially successful low-stakes contract.
Attempting a high-stakes contract and surviving (with localized effects). Can have some minimal success, but not enough to be considered partially successful (perhaps just a bit of the desired outcome was achieved).
Create multiple contracts and survive.

Other things characters can do:

Inexperienced characters can still attempt Contract Magic! It can be written in any language and doesn’t need to utilize Contract Code. Oftentimes, this results in a generalized failure, meaning nothing happens, or very little happens. Ironically, this is often because amateur contracts aren’t specific enough to allow the spell enough information on how to mess it up. Children or young adults often produce generalized failures too as they are not experienced enough with channeling aether.
Inexperienced characters can also still create failed contracts if they are creative enough. These are often made by those who have an unrealistic sense of their own abilities and create shoddy contracts that have disastrous consequences.

High Stakes Contact Examples:

Creating an entire city.
Making large changes to reality (e.g. making every living thing purple, or making it so a past event didn’t actually occur).
Any attempts to change large swaths of land.

Low Stakes Contract Examples:

Reviving the dead.
Changing small areas of land (probably up to the size of a house).
Undoing localised events (e.g. changing a failed test score).

LESSER ALCHEMY

Transmutation and Transposing

Oftentimes just called Alchemy. Lesser Alchemy can be wielded by Earthlings and Mythicals, but not Fels, unless they are a Lycanthrope or a Lycanthrope Aberrant. Is is the main magic of Earthlings.

CONCEPT

Alchemy is the ability to repurpose residual magic stored in Mythical creature parts. A Catalyst (any non-living object) is used to capture and store the magic. The magic can then be released through the Catalyst. The Catalyst can be used by any individual to harness the magic it possesses. Catalysts eventually run out of magic and decay once their stores have been depleted.

INSPIRATIONS FOR ALCHEMY:

Pokemon Type Inspirations: Normal, Fighting
DND Class Inspirations: Fighter, Barbarian, Artificer
Superpower Inspirations: The ability to imbue items with magical properties, magical weaponry crafting

PROGRESSION

Upgrades will be rotational and utilize a durability system.Characters will be given the choice of a few different Catalysts to craft each event— these Catalysts will eventually decay after a set amount of uses. Over time, Catalyst options will unlock. You may choose which ones you want to use from the given set at any time.

Leveling is expected to be even with one big upgrade on the horizon.This means that new options will simply be given to the player at each upgrade opportunity, except for one particular upgrade.

PLAYSTYLE

The Alchemy user’s playstyle is intended to focus on coordinated bursts of action.Users of Alchemy magic have flexibility in what their playstyle may look like each event, but they will need to focus on their resource management. They can have the vibes of a sorcerer, or that of a melee fighter! Their Catalysts are their strength and their biggest advantage.

Alchemy may feel a little weaker than the other core magics.If this is something you’re not sure about, this magic may not be for you or your character! If you don’t mind playing a slightly weaker/specialized character, there may be some story rewards later down the line…

NOTES / FAQ

The power and abilities of a Catalyst often corresponds to the parts used in its crafting.

Larger parts often add more magic stores.
Dragon parts harness Soul Magic qualities.
Unicorn parts harness Rosary Magic qualities.
Griffin parts harness Loop qualities.
Lycanthrope parts add extra durability, intensity, and/or ease of access.

Any part of a Mythical can be used to create a Catalyst! This includes scales, fur, and feathers.

Some individuals like to practice ‘ethical Catalyst crafting’, meaning they only use parts of Mythicals that can be obtained without killing or injuring them
Parts of long deceased Mythicals can also be used, such as bones and mummified tissue. These can sometimes be found through excavation.
Newer and more prominent parts of Mythicals bodies tend to have higher magic stores. (think claws, teeth, horns, etc.)

Other Notes

Any parts of a Fel’s body CANNOT be used to create a Catalyst.
A commonly made Catalyst is Power Cores. These are used to power Severethian Technology.
Outside of events, characters are free to experiment how they wish with Alchemy. Item durability will not decrease if characters use their Catalysts outside of events.

CHECK OUT THE AVAILABLE ALCHEMY CATALYSTS HERE!

LOOP

Mathematics and Physics

One of the Core Magics— considered to be the most powerful and versatile form of magic. It is most common amongst the Griffins, the most powerful of magic wielders.

CONCEPT

Loop Magic allows one to channel Aether into temporary matter, to apply and alter force, and/or mess with many aspects of physics and properties of mathematics. The range of applications gives Loop Magic a high skill ceiling.

The Magnum Opus of Loop is to uncover the truths of Loop Theory, which delves into the science behind the inner workings of Aether and its properties. It harkens back to the idea of infinity and the ‘infinite loop’, delving into ideas about parallel universes and the eternal repetition of history.

INSPIRATIONS FOR LOOP:

Pokemon Type Inspirations: Psychic, Normal, Steel
DND Class Inspirations: Ranger, Wizard, Monk, Rogue
Superpower Inspirations: Particle manipulation, spatial manipulation, Matter-based powers, Molecular Manipulation

PROGRESSION

Loop will evolve through the campaign by giving characters access to new magic applications every event!

Upgrades will be ADDITIVE, meaning that you will get to keep every previous iteration of Loop spells that your character learns. There will be a large pool of different spells characters can learn, meaning that each character will have a unique set of Loop spells, with some overlap with other characters. (e.g. your character and another character may share the same spell, but your character may have other ones that they don’t have!)

Leveling will be steady throughout the campaign.This means there will be no power-spike moment that doesn’t coincide with other magic-types.

PLAYSTYLE

Loop’s playstyle is intended to be adaptive. Loop is a jack-of-all trades or a support style type of magic. It gives your character flexibility over immediate power, however each skill set will be unique and may lean into different strengths and weaknesses. Loop is good for characters who like to be creative and flexible, and for those who like to be able to adapt to different roles depending on the given circumstances.

CHECK OUT THE AVAILABLE LOOP SPELLS HERE!

SOUL MAGIC

Expression and Spirit

One of the Core Magics— considered to be the most raw form of channeling Aether. It is most common amongst the Dragons, who wield the power in the form of devastating displays of Aetheric energy.

CONCEPT

Soul Magic allows for the user to channel Aether through expression of emotion and passion, manifesting in a burst of power that mirror’s one’s self. It is sometimes thought of as elemental magic, as it often mimics the elements ( fire, water, air, and etc.). Despite sometimes acting like these elements, Soul Magic is still composed of Aether, and therefore, it has its own unique properties. An example would be Soul Magic that appears to be the raw manipulation of fire, however the fire may be a different colour, or move in ways that seem a little different from real fire.

The Magnum Opus of Soul Magic is to achieve Nirvana. It is said that an individual who achieves Nirvana will unlock the ability to use all elements of Soul Magic at will. This feat has been said to be achieved by an ancient being called Moon Circle, a Mythical with traits from all five species of Mythical.

INSPIRATIONS FOR SOUL MAGIC:

Pokemon Type Inspirations: Fire, Water, Flying, Ground, Electric, Dragon, Fairy, Ice
DND Class Inspirations: Sorcerer, Monk, Warlock
Superpower Inspirations: Elemental manipulation, ‘bending’ (Avatar The Last Airbender), energy manipulation

PROGRESSION

Soul Magic will change through the campaign by evolving into new forms of itself, replacing older iterations

Upgrades will be TRANSFORMATIVE, meaning that every upgrade will change the nature of a character’s Soul Magic, making it stronger, but different each time.

Leveling will spike early in the campaign.This means the biggest upgrades will come early on, with a trickle of smaller ones as time goes on.

PLAYSTYLE

Soul Magic’s playstyle is intended to be DPS. Soul Magic is straightforward damage dealing without much fluff. The way Soul Magic evolves will add specific perks and flavour. Soul Magic is a good pick for characters who like to harness magic for its raw power potential. It may be fun for characters who need to look inward as the magic is supposed to be connected to one’s sense of self.

CHECK OUT THE AVAILABLE SOUL MAGIC SPELLS HERE!

ROSARY MAGIC

Biology and Physiology

One of the Core Magics—Rosary Magic is the only magic that has the ability to heal organic lifeforms. It is most common amongst the Unicorns, those who have the most advanced healing qualities of any creature. While this magic has a focus on healing, it deals with all things biological and physiological. Some believe it may even extend beyond the confines of the body.

CONCEPT

Rosary Magic (sometimes called Greater Alchemy) allows one to manipulate or interpret aspects of biological creatures. This can come in the form of healing injuries and illnesses, creating poisons and sensations within the body, creating illusory effects, and giving temporary buffs. Rosary magic can also be used to manipulate and control plant matter and microorganisms.

The Magnum Opus of Rosary Magic is to synthesize the Philosopher's Stone. The Philosopher’s Stone is said to grant one eternal health, and eternal life. Some even believe the stone can make one immortal, and impervious to any physical ailments.

INSPIRATIONS FOR ROSARY MAGIC:

Pokemon Type Inspirations: Grass, Poison, Ghost, Normal, Psychic
DND Class Inspirations: Cleric, Bard, Rogue, Paladin
Superpower Inspirations: Blood Bending (Avatar The Last Airbender), telepathy, extra sensory perception, predictive powers, healing, life-steal powers, Light Manipulation, Umbrakinesis

PROGRESSION

Rosary magic will have a few different skill-tree ‘streams’ that characters will go down as the campaign progresses. Some streams may share spells. Rosary magic users will accumulate spells that also work passively, meaning that they give benefits to the entire team without having to be activated.

Upgrades will be PROGRESSIVE, meaning that older spells may receive buffs, and newer passive abilities will be added. New spells may also be added to a character’s pool depending on which stream they end up on.

Leveling will spike late in the campaign.This means the biggest upgrades will come later on, with some more minor ones happening early in the campaign.

PLAYSTYLE

Rosary Magic’s playstyle is intended to be that of a healer, support, or tank.Rosary Magic is designed for characters who intend to weather the elements and give passive support to the team. They can play a healer role, but also a support or even a tank-like role. The users of Rosary magic will excel at redistributing resources, staying alive, and wearing down opponents' resources. Over time, they may also gain more offensive options as they learn more about this magic…

CHECK OUT THE AVAILABLE ROSARY SPELLS HERE!