The College of Black Magics is played somewhat differently from other colleges in that its knowledge is available only to those who make various pacts with the powers of darkness. There are three pacts which a mage can make. They are organized in order of importance:
1. The First Pact: Upon entering this college, the mage swears an oath of allegiance to the powers of darkness. This is the first pact. In exchange for this oath, the mage is given all of General Knowldege spells and rituals of the College of Black Magic at rank 0 and may achieve up to rank 15 with that knowledge. He may not achieve rank above 15 or learn any of the Special Knowledge spells or rituals of this college.
2. The Lesser Pact: In order to learn the higher EXP multiple spells and rituals of this college, the mage must make the Lesser Pact. This pact consists of reaffirming the adept's allegiance and giving up a token of that allegiance to the powers of darkness. The DM and the Mage’s player must arrive at an agreement in advance as to what must be given up. The mage may offer anything. The DM should insist on something that the player is particularly proud of or has found to be a strong point in his character. The price should be stiff, but not totally crippling. It could include reducing the characters PB by 10 points or more, taking the characters eyesight, taking the characters shadow and/or reflection, or any price that involves some sacrifice. Once the pact is agreed on, the mage may learn most Special Knowledge spells and rituals at rank 0 and may progress to rank 15 with special Knowledge spells and rituals and to rank 20 with General Knowledge spells and rituals of this college. If the character is 10th level or higher when this happens the character will be reduced by D4+2 ranks in all known spells, if a character is 7-9th level he will be reduced by D4 ranks, if 5-6th level he will be reduced 2 ranks and if 2nd-4th he will stay the same, but an adept which makes this pact when initially starting out will gain one rank immediately in all spells, and will start with 2500+(500 X D5) experience points. In addition a mage who has sworn the lesser pact will be given a familiar in the form of a small animal (cat, bat, dog, etc.). The familiar will be devoted to the adept and will serve him faithfully, but the adept must always feed the familiar or it will die.
All adepts who swear the Lesser Pact will receive a witchmark, an invisible mark somewhere on the person through which the familiar will feed by sucking the Mage’s blood. Only the blood of the mage will sustain the familiar and it will lose 1 Fatigue (Endurance if no Fatigue) per hour if it is not fed. It must be feed 3 times a week. The mage suffers a loss of 4 FT every time he feeds the familiar. The familiar regains all lost FT upon feeding.
Familiar's are minor devils who's description follows
Minor Devil
Description: Minor Devils appear as small muscular humanoids with massive bat wings, horns, and fangs. They tend to have carmine skin and green eyes. Their tails are sharp and barbed and contain a poisonous sting.
Talents, Skills and magic: Minor Devils are members of the College if Black Magic. They can only be damaged by weapons of silver or magic. They have no skills but possess at rank 5 a number of spells of their college equal to their intelligence. They know a little of the past, present (3% chance of accuracy), and future (1% chance of accuracy), and will speak truthfully to the best of their knowledge.
Characteristics:
- STR = 12-15
- DEX = 9-12
- CON = 7-12
- INT = 15-18
- KNOW = 15-18
- WP = 12-14
- MA = 13-20
- LUCK = 11-14
- CHA = 2-3
- PER = 13-20
- TMR = 10 (on foot) or 24 (flying)
Special: their skin absorbs 3 points of damage per blow # of ATT=4 (Horn, Base Chance 45% DAM D8 or bite Base Chance 40% DAM D6, also +5% to hit for bite attacks, plus 2 claw attacks Base 40% DAM 1-8 each. Their tail Base 35% Does a D4 damage but also does nerve damage which is 3-5 points per pulse for a D20 pulses unless victim saves.
Familiars will always appear in animal form unless required to adopt their natural form by the mage. The mage may only receive 1 new familiar every 5 years and only if his old familiar has died. It is important to note that while a Black Mage's familiar can cast spells and attack it will rarely ever do so. About the only time a familiar will use his abilities is when he is directly under attack or ordered to do so by his master. The frequency a mage orders his familiar to use its abilities will reflect the familiars willingness to do so. The more often he is ordered the more likely it is that a familiar will just ignore his master, or in cases where a master is frequently ordering his familiar around it may just leave permanently. The familiars attitude can be modified by gifts and other favors a mage may do for him. The more things a mage does for his familiar the more often it will be willing to do things for him.
3. The Greater Pact: If the mage wants to learn those spells and rituals that compose the part of this college that he has been denied access to, he must make the Greater Pact and sell his soul to the powers of darkness. A character who has sold his soul in this manner may never be resurrected. However he attains access to all knowledge of the College of Black Magics and can then attain unlimited ranks in this college (MAX rank 22 as are all other colleges).
Once made, a pact of this college, other than the first pact, may never be renounced. A mage who has made only the first pact may always quit the college. losing all of his magic knowledge and abilities. However neither the lesser or the greater pact can be totally renounced. If a mage attempts to renounce them, he immediately loses all knowledge and abilities acquired as a result of membership in this college and suffers a curse of the DM's choice from the Damnum Minatum. He may join another college, but will never achieve higher than 15th level.
Mages of the College of Black Magic may only practice those talents, skills and rituals permitted them by the pact they have made.
The base chance of performing any ritual is modified by the following numbers.
1. It is daylight -10
2. it is nighttime. +10
3. The mage has made the lesser pact +5
4. The mage has made the greater pact +10
5. It is a high holiday of the powers
of light -10
6. it is a high holiday of the powers
of darkness +10 |