Elementis: The Power
The Elementis Power
Elementis, is a Neutral Power, and thus contains elements of both Order and Chaos. There is also a significant ritual magic element to it, which can be accessed by its initiates. There does not appear to be a Bloodline element to initiating to it.
The Power comprises four different but linked Iterations. Each can be walked individually, and all give their initiates some abilities. Walking them isn’t necessarily as easy as it sounds, however, as for all but the Earth Iteration, the geography around them is challenging, so at least four-forms shapeshifting is required to walk them.
Prerequisites
Walking the individual Elements gets successively harder as you try to balance their abilities within you, and for any Element other than Earth (the only one with ‘normal’ geometry and geography), then at least ICM + four-forms shapeshifting is required.
- To initiate to a single Element, you need to have at least Chaos Psyche and Chaos Endurance.
- To walk a second Element, you need at least C+5 for both Psyche and Endurance.
- To walk a third Element, this rises to Amber for both stats
- To walk the fourth needs at least A+5 in both Psyche and Endurance.
- To become a full Basic Elementis Initiate requires at least A+10 in both Psyche and Endurance and full shapeshift.
Powers conferred by the individual Elements can be invoked in two ways: on the fly, which is quicker, but not always as effective; or in a ritual setting, which takes longer but is likely to have better success. That said, the individual Elemental abilities are likely to lose in a direct battle of Powers against either an active Pattern or Logrus defence. For example, an investigative ritual would still be fooled if the person being targeted used a major Power to hide their tracks.
When buying the initiation over a period of time, initiating to one Element costs 10pt; two costs 15pt; three costs 25pt; and four costs 35pt. To take the final step towards full Basic Initiation is another 20pt, for a total cost of 55pt. This is handy for candidates who do not initially have all the prerequisite stats and shifting ability for full initiation.
If they do have the required stats and shifting, however, they can walk each of the elements in short succession to acquire full Basic Initiation for 50pt.
Individual Elemental Initiations
When traversed, all the Iterations confer an understanding of ritual magic, at the equivalent of Ritual Assistant, so even single-Element initiates can contribute positively to a ritual in which they participate, especially if that ritual is linked to the element they have initiated to. In addition, they can instinctively use simple rituals to access the abilities given by the Elemental initiations.
Initiates gain an instinctive feel for the health of the land on which they find themselves and overall climate of the world in question (e.g. healthy, struggling, polluted, dying). This improves with successive initiations to other Elements.
Air – 0° (“east”)
Taking the Air iteration confers powers related to truth reading, an improved ability to learn new skills and an ability to notice things that are out of the ordinary.
It sometimes also gives the initiate unexplained hunches that prove to be right more often than might normally be the case (albeit still not infallible).
Fire – 90° (“south”)
Initiating to the Fire iteration confers powers related to understanding the basic safety and solidity of buildings and other structures (“Is that broken down cabin going to fall on my head in the night?”).
It also gives insight into unexpected connections between Shadows or partial Shadows.
In addition, it protects the initiate from being burned by natural fire.
Water – 180° (“west”)
Traversing the Water iteration confers powers related to healing and communications. Initiates can purify up to five pints of water once an hour.
They can also take this further, and can take roughly a pint of water and, after a specific incantation, can give it healing properties to improve/heal wounds or, if drunk, to slow/cure the effects of poisons. It can’t return people from the dead.
With respect to communications, it is easier to establish (consensual) mental links with other people Moreover, Initiates also gain an instinct for whether someone trying to Trump them is friendly, neutral or hostile.
Earth 270° (“north”)
Walking the Earth iteration confers powers related to personal wards. When bringing up a ward on themselves, the initiate needs to specify if the protection is mental or physical (or both). Initiates can only offer physical wards to other people. A place/area ward can also be drawn if done so in a ritual setting.
In addition, further protection comes from a greater aptitude for hand-to-hand combat (equivalent to an extra 5pt on warfare, or Amber level, whichever is the higher) in any discipline, armed or unarmed (excluding ranged weapons).
Basic Initiation (50pt)
Basic initiation incorporates all of the above individual Elemental Powers. It is of the same approximate strength as both the Sable Pattern and the Aurellis Logrus.
Additional abilities that come with full basic initiation are:
- When bringing up protection wards, both personal and ritual, the Power of the Elementis is automatically incorporated within them. Basic initiates don’t have to specify whether a personal ward is mental or physical: it is assumed to be both unless they say otherwise. Place/area wards will only be physical, although the caster can decide if they act as a barrier, a boundary effect, etc.
- Immunity to fire improves to include magical fires.
- Personal defence is improved to the equivalent of an extra 10pt above the initiate’s base warfare (or Amber+5, whichever is the higher) in any hand-to-hand discipline (armed and unarmed, but not ranged weapons).
- If the initiate concentrates, they can get a feeling for the “truth” of a conversation, or the written word. (“Is that person is hiding something?”, “That article doesn’t feel right, or isn’t telling the whole truth”.) This needs to be invoked, otherwise always seeing the lies in the world could cause problems for the initiate.
- The ability with ritual increases to the equivalent of Ritual Leader. In addition, they can devise slightly more complicated rituals related specifically to the abilities conferred by the four Elements.
- Basic initiates gain the ability to travel through Shadow. They can also seek for items of desire, although these cannot be specific items or items of Power. For example, the initiate can look for “a sword”, but not “the sword I left in my bedroom” or “Greyswandir”, unless those items have points paid for them. They are not able to Hellride.
- Initiates can lead others through Shadow, to a total of half their Psyche number of people or animals.
- The intrinsic link with the Land means that initiates will always know how fast a world is going compared to a known other baseline (e.g. Elementis itself, Sable, Aurellis, etc). They will also be able to have a deeper feel for the health of the land than given by the Elemental initiations.
- Buildings and other structures can be strengthened if the initiate wishes them to be, although this has a duration limited to a number of days equivalent to half their Psyche. In addition, if a building is empty or abandoned, the initiate can tell how long ago the occupant(s) left unless steps were taken to hide this information.
- Initiates are able to spot how Shadows are arranged in reaction to each other with more discernment than a Fire initiate: gates to elsewhere, likely boundaries in unexpected places, etc.
- When receiving a Trump call, the initiate will know the identity of the caller if it’s someone they’re familiar with.
Advanced Initiation (100pt)
Advanced initiates are better than basic ones at all the abilities listed above. In addition they gain:
- Manipulating the stuff of Shadow on the fly (e.g. finding the right coins in their pockets) and simple probability manipulation (“the door is unlocked”, not “my arch enemy will now walk around the corner”).
- They gain the ability to reach out a tendril and move themselves to an alternative location. The initiate can look and listen down the tendril to make sure that the place they intend to jump to is safe. This is a short-term effect: you can’t spy down a tendril for an extended period of time. Only the initiate can travel by this method: they can’t take anyone else.
- Tendrils can be sent out to find items and bring them to the user. This this only works for generic items not specific ones or Power items (“a sword” not “the sword I left in my bedroom” or “the Jewel of Judgement”), unless those items are points paid. It cannot be used to grab people.
- They also become able to seek for specific non-Powers items, and can manipulate the chances of them being found, points paid or not. (“That sword I left in my bedroom…oh look, there it is”).
- Initiates can judge the Reality of a person or place by concentrating on the Power. They also know when any other Power is being used in their vicinity.
- The ability with ritual increases to the equivalent of Ritual Designer. This means that complicated rituals related to both abilities conferred by the Elementis and more generally, can be created and enacted.
- The rules of the Shadow an initiate is on can be changed (e.g. time flow, magic levels, basic climate information, etc.). This isn’t a quick process, although it can be sped up if done within a ritual setting
- Buildings and other structures can be strengthened if the initiate wishes them to be. This is permanent, rather than having a duration. The initiate can also get a feel for the age of a building.
- Initiates can be taught how to build small Ways, by collecting bits of worlds from here, there and everywhere. The number of Shadows from which elements can be incorporated is limited to half the Psyche of the Waysbuilder.
- People and creatures can be led through Shadow up to a number equivalent to the initiate’s Psyche.
- When receiving a Trump call, the initiate knows who is calling if its someone they’ve ever met before.