From: "Geoffrey Fagan" To: gurpsnet-l@io.com Subject: Hedge magic (long; feedback requested; S. John?) Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 03:31:52 -0500 Howdy Folks, Introduction, or why I'm writing this article Pursuant to a recent thread, I've been looking through Lothar's Codex Arcanum lately. Lots of good stuff there, by the way. Also lots of stuff in which no one would spend a precious character point. Case in point? A spell which creates a rainbow, but only under conditions in which a rainbow is likely to occur naturally. You spend the fatigue, but you can't prove you did it. What does that sound like? Hedge Magic, per S. John Ross (appearing in GURPS Russia and on his website, the Blue Room). I like the idea of mages being able to do things like that, and I want them to be able to do it without spending a character point (that's 200 hours of drill) on every little trick in their bag. I also want them to be able to do it without introducing the full improvised magic system, and the limitations of Hedge Magic seem perfect. That leaves me with the question of how hedge magic fits into a game with normal magic, which leads me to this article as the answer: Hedge Magic defined (for purposes of a campaign with standard magic too) True magic is the direct manipulation of reality in accordance with will. Anyone one can manipulate reality indirectly, with his hands, but a mage wills a change in the world and so it happens. More on this below, under Language of Creation. Some fantasy authors describe the gifted mage's true talent as an ability to perceive magic, i.e., it is not the strength his will, but the feedback that shows what his will has wrought, that enables him to perfect his technique. In any case, powerful magic is the province of those born with (or who cultivate) a special, inherent talent. Hedge magic, on the other hand, makes use not of inherent talent but of external magical phenomena which occur naturally in the fantasy environment. As such, it is a matter of knowledge, not talent, and in so defining it, I second a suggestion made previously on this list (I forget the author) that hedge magic be treated game mechanically as a skill or set of skills, rather than an advantage. In fact, several skills already in the game system are appropriate to most aspects of hedge magic, to which list I will append one: Occultism: Common knowledge of magical phenomena Alchemy: Knowledge of the magical properties of materials Omen Interpretation, of which Astrology is a specialization Language of Creation, which I will define shortly A hedge magician may learn any or all of these, typically at a low level but with a specialization appropriate to his craft. For example, a healer might neglect Omen Interpretation but would learn Occultism specialized for magical maladies and their folk remedies, Alchemy specialized in medical elixirs, and those words of the Language of Creation which encourage a body to heal itself. Of course, true magicians can learn hedge magic, and the degree to which they do, and the relationship they have lesser practitioners, is a matter for campaign design. Hedge magicians are distinguished by their inability to use any other kind of magic. Occultism and hedge magic An extremely broad skill, Occultism is knowledge of the forms of magic, i.e., the ability to recognize magical phenomena by their physical effects. To take a simple example, a hedge magician might recognize a vampire because he has no reflection in a mirror. More subtley, an occult physician would be able to distinguish between a disease and a curse, symptomologically. Along with recognition of magical phenomena comes knowledge of standard countermeasures, if any there be: garlic for vampires, silver for werewolves. Recognition of the forms of magic includes knowledge of human magical traditions. In addition to his excellent article on Hedge Magic, S. John Ross has given us enhancements and limitations on spells; refer to his article in the Blue Room. The short version is that most enhancements and limitations available for advantages could be applied to spells as well, each -10% equating to a +1 bonus to cast spells. A clever world-builder can design magical schools, each with a couple of standard limitations across the board, such as pyrotechnic side effects for one school, material fetishes for another, and secret initiation for a third. The GM may impose a -1 penalty when overcoming spells from an unknown school, as applied for martial arts style. Mr. Ross's suggestion thus extrapolated adds flavor to a magic system known as "functional but joyless" and overcomes the stereotype of the mage with IQ 14 and Magery 3. In such a campaign, the occultist can identify a wizard's magical tradition by the accessibility limitations on his spells. For this aspect of Occultism, the GM may allow a default from Savoir-Faire in the community of Wizards. As a magical professional skill, Occultism also includes knowledge of the conventions of wizardry. Confronted with a magical door, the occult thief might try "Open Sesame" and a dozen other common code phrases. This is the chief skill of those hedge magicians known as "mechanics" who pretend to be wizards by using enchanted items to cast spells; they make a study of the common command words. Appropriate optional specializations for Occultism include various forms of magical phenomena, such as Occultism (Undead) or Occultism (Wizard Schools). To the +5 bonus, some on this list prefer treating optional specializations as average maneuvers (i.e., 2 points buys a +3 bonus). The chief drawback of Occultism is its accuracy, or lack there of. Occultism is essentially a body of hearsay. "I've heard the priest claim that vampires are repulsed by holy symbols, but I've never heard a vampire confirm it." Alchemy and hedge magic Although its description in GURPS Magic focuses on the preparation of elixirs, Alchemy as a science includes all knowledge of the inherent magical properties of elements in the environment of a fantasy world (including things which appear mundane in ours but magical in the presence of mana). For hedge magicians, I would like to nominate a new skill, Practical Alchemy (M/A), which relates to the scientific skill Alchemy as First Aid relates to Physician skill. Where an alchemist knows the subtle properties of magical ingredients in the right combination, brewed at the correct temperature, a hedge magician with a bit of practical alchemy can utilize ingredients whose magical properties are simple and direct. This includes elixirs, by the way; a hedge magician can't brew them, but he can recognize and use them. Practical alchemy is the crafter's hedge magic, although the GM must determine what natural magic is available in the campaign. I refer you to the master, JRR Tolkein, for a few examples: Ropes, made extraordinarily light but yet strong, which stand fast against tension but which unknot with a slight wave. Bread made of certain herbs which sustains as well as a hearty meal. Cloaks dyed with a pigment of uncertain color which is ever hard to pick from its background. Soil of which a bit planted around a seedling will inspire it to extraordinary growth in its first year. Mithral, of which mail may be made light yet extraordinarily strong, or of which weapons may be made which can strike creatures of enchantment. As another example, how 'bout floating metal? A sword of such metal dropped in water will float for easy retrieval. Armor made of such metal will not encumber a swimmer; indeed, the metal has enough excess flotation to carry the cloth padding, leather straps, etc. Elixirs of Moly (MI1) seem to have but one ingredient and should perhaps be within the province of Practical Alchemy, with Cooking skill. For game mechanical purposes, I suggest treating such items as fine or very fine swords, giving a +1 or +2 bonus to relevant skills, at 4 or 20 times the cost of a normal item of good quality. No memorization of formula is necessary; practical alchemy covers knowledge of the magical properties of a material, and the relevant craft is used to work it into a useful item. Omen Interpretation and hedge magic Divination by a true mage or a specialist with Divination Talent not only includes the ability to recognize an omen under appropriate circumstances (tea leaves, entrails, the heavens), but the ability to encourage one to occur. Small events may not trigger a portent without a little help. A hedge magician cannot give that encouragement, but he can learn to recognize omens which occur on their own without help. Divination by a true mage is a spell; divination by a hedge magician is a skill, Omen Interpretation (M/H). Specialization is required, and Astrology is one such specialization. (Alternatively, you may allow a more general skill as M/VH). For game mechanics, refer to the Oracle advantage (p. CI42), substituting Omen Interpretation skill for IQ and imposing a penalty of at least -5 for portents of small events. The coming of a major war involving many nations, or a natural disaster on the order of a hurricane or volcanic eruption, warrants a roll with no penalty. The Language of Creation and hedge magic S. John Ross refers to it: "...speaking a word known only to horses..." or something like that. Certain words and phrases, and even gestures, have an inherent power over the universe; that's how true mages cast spells. The good ones work magic merely by thinking of those words and gestures. Some scholarly wizards believe these words to be part of a language, sometimes called Enochian, used by the gods to create the universe. The notion of True Names derives from this theory, that knowing the name of something in this special language gives absolute power over it. A true mage can sense how changes in the inflection and cadence of his speech in the language of creation affects his spells, so that he can direct them. He can sense how different words fit together into phrases to cause different magical effects. A layman has no sense of the subtleties of this language, but he can use individual words whose effects are direct. This includes the names of the Powers which might be invoked for success in (or countermeasures against) an action which those Powers govern. (Game mechanically, perhaps a +1 bonus.) Anything in the universe will respond to words of the language of creation to the extent to which it is able, and to which it lacks the wit and will to oppose. By this means does a hedge magician calm and dominate an animal. A healer can speak in the language of creation to a patient's own body, even if the patient sleeps. Plants respond slowly, but a gardener who encourages his crops daily will find them hale at the end of the growing season. However, speaking the "true name" of an inanimate object is generally pointless, except for its ruin (-1 DR, ST, or HT against attacks or other attempts to cleave, melt, bend, etc.; critical success in a high fantasy game may rend an item immediately - think of the ritual of desecration in Stephen Donaldson's chronicles of Thomas Covenant). The chief limitation of hedge magic, that it applies to natural rather than artificial things, comes from the fact that the artifacts of man were not evoked by the language of creation, but came after. No word of the language of creation can affect a machine as a whole. A true mage can utter a phrase to do so, but the best a hedge magician can do is affect a single part of the machine. He could encourage fuel to burn faster, but he could not affect an engine as a whole to make it more efficient. The Language of Creation is a Very Hard mental skill, defaulting to Thaumatology at -4. Hedge magicians typically specialize; the GM determines which optional specializations are available but could use spell colleges as a guide. Game mechanically, LoC covers every use of hedge magic in Mr. Ross's original article which does not fit neatly into Occultism, Alchemy, or Omen Interpretation. Evoking that rainbow in my introduction would be a use of this skill. Theoretically, a single word should be able to cause an immediate effect, to dominate an anmimal for instance, but that's how true mages do it. Hedge magicians don't get the feedback from magical perception, so they must chant the words they know over and over, hoping it will eventually take. Craft skills and hedge magic You didn't think I'd forget 'em, did you? In the case of Practical Alchemy, the relationship between hedge magic and crafting is direct - use the lower skill. For the others, the relationship is indirect - roll for both skills. For example, roll once to interpret the omen ("A flood is coming; build an ark.") and once to perform the indicated deed with your craft. Successful use of the Language of Creation will give a bonus to any related craft roll (see the original article). Summary I want to play a decent hedge magician, focusing on healing, so I plunk down a couple of points in Occultism (IQ level), and a couple more to specialize in magical maladies & remedies, as an average maneuver (IQ+3). I hope to recognize a werewolf even when he's in human form and to tell the difference between demonic possession and mundane insanity. I also pick up some Practical Alchemy, again for 2 points, plus 2 to specialize in medical applications (same skill levels). I can't brew medical elixirs, but I can buy them and not get gypped, and I can use magical herbs in teas and poultices to hasten healing. It's not strictly necessary, but I learn Omen Interpretation because I want to know if my patients will live, and because they all want to know if their kids will be boys or girls. I choose tea leaves as my required specialization, a good personal form of divination and appropriate since half my cures involve tea, anyway. Now I plunk down 4 points (IQ-level) and still don't have a high enough level to reliably defeat that -5 penalty for small events. Finally, I learn a few words of the Language of Creation, for 2 points (IQ-2), specializing in those words to which the human body responds with accelerated healing, for 2 more points as a hard maneuver (since LoC is Very Hard to begin with, total IQ-level). I've spent 16 points for hedge magic, focused on healing, generally useful at the IQ-level or higher, and the points in Occultism I'd probably have spent even if I bought Hedge Magic as an advantage. Personally, I think breaking hedge magic down into these 4 skills gives me a slightly better idea of how to handle consistently in a game, but what do y'all think? Are there other skills that should embody certain hedge magic? Geoffrey E. Fagan