Spellcasting Traditions

Thousandfold Spirit (Embodiment of the People) - intelligence bard
Renovate me. Consider focusing this entirely on a solipsist approach to the nature of the Self, with dramatically different effects from the mutable Self of the Empty Self.

Inspiration: A mesmerizing mirror; social chameleon; metaphor-driven telepathy; mindbard.

Chugenka (Elemental Shaman) - charisma cleric
An adherent of a sealed god, to some degree. Each shaman specializes in the focus of their deity and performs magics of that theme with great aptitude. Each deity has their own means by which they heal the sick, but has many more means by which they inflict harm upon, condemn, deceive, or outright destroy their enemies. Each chugenka also has some ability to directly embody traits of their deity. A shaman of Verac, for example, might assume a form of darkness and the tendrils of the deeps; a shaman of Raloc might assume a form of radiant, burning light; a shaman of Ulla might become a great direbeast or wyrm-of-the-earth; a shaman of Irrach might become an Unknowable Form; a shaman of Shaamti might assume the form of a many-limbed steel woman; a shaman of Tcera might become a dark figure of perfect poise and great prowess with a sword. While a chugenka is typically a devotee of their deity, the power they wield is truly their own. The chugenka is also pretty much the shugenja class, hence the name.
 * Verac - spells of darkness and deep waters.
 * Raloc - spells of incandescent, searing, radiant light.
 * Ulla - spells of beastly or monstrous aspects and disease.
 * Irrach - spells of the heavens and divination.
 * Shaamti - spells of steel, assayment, and analysis.
 * Tcera - anti-spells and spells of empathic/sympathic transference.

Incarnate (Embodiment of the Way) - intelligence cleric
A tradition of the society below. They are similar in principle to chugenka, but serve more as warrior-clerics of the dragon to whom they devote themselves. Each dragon affords their own tableau of 'masteries', these being purely arcane effects, ultimately eldritch in nature, that these incarnates wield. As with chugenka, despite being draconic devotees, the power of an incarnate is their own.

Subsurface magic cannot be detected by the surface traditions, and vice-versa. Their operating principles are fundamentally different.

Incarnates are truly more well-trained for martial combat than any of the surface traditions. An inherent quality of an Incarnate's abilities is the principle of contact. Even an Incarnate whose sphere focuses on the mind will need physical contact to affect the mind most potently. While many Incarnates are capable of healing the sick or wounded or imparting their blessings upon their comrades, their hands or weapons serve as the medium for these effects.

Any continuous effect the Incarnate applies to an individual is effectively sustained. While contact is required to impart the effect, the Incarnate incurs the effect's maintenance cost upon herself until she simply decides to stop maintaining it. This can last as much or as little time as the Incarnate desires - as long as that cost is maintained, the tether of effect is indefinite. This level of decision-based permanency is rarely seen in other traditions.

Incarnates of O, the Dragon of Void more often create mind-effecting effects than they do anything else. As a general rule, only Calculators are capable of creating disintegratory effects from the Void element.

The Voice of Vaato (Peace-Singer, Cleric of Unity, once The Voice of Thunder) - charisma wizard
Peace and community. Vaato urges togetherness and pacifism, for he himself conquered his empire not through force but through unity.

As such, the clerics of the living god study a form of sorcery that causes harm only with great difficulty, and clad themselves in armour and take up arms not to kill, but to protect and subdue.

Their magic is highly ritualized and hermetic, manifesting through inscription and song. The songs are codified and bound in several holy books, notably the Canticles of Democracy and the Homilies of Peace. As the cleric sings, they trace arcane gestures into the air, leaving illuminated tracings of their will. For longer rites and ceremonies, often multiple clerics will form a ritual circle.

Prior to Vaato's ascension as a living god, scholars of this hermetic order held many killing ways and gestures and many curses and horrid callings. The tomes and scrolls cataloguing these spells and rituals have since been collected into vaults in the long descent to Vaato's living tomb, should they ever prove to be needed. Some may survive elsewhere in the world.

Wicce (Primordial Magus) - wisdom wizard
A wicce is, effectively, a hedge wizard, a primordial caster of unrefined and enigmatic magical power. However, the wicce also has a broad array of rituals and curses they can manifest; the purview of the wicce is the liminal intersection of natural and unnatural worlds, the summoning of animals and 'dark beasts', and the ability to heal or hex individuals.

Wicce are both spontaneous casters and pre-prepared casters; this depends on the spell. Functionally, a wicce has two spell lists: dweomers, which they must pre-prepare ritualistically and carry with them in an unguent or other concoction, and orisons, which they meditate upon in advance and carry with them until reconfigured.

Dweomers are typically hexes, creature summons, more potent healing effects, and any effect that makes a grand change in the natural world; erecting a wall of stone or causing an earthquare, for example, would be a dweomer.

Orisons are typically energy effects or simple spells, such as temporarily imbuing a length of wood or fruit with magic, spurring health in plantlife, or striking a creature with a powerful chill or lightning.

The wicce is a most conventionally wizardlike and hermetic caster. The practice of witchcraft involves experimentation and care.

Arcane Engineer (Dharmathematician, "Calculator") - intelligence sorcerer
'Draconic primal forces'. Calculators cast mystic signs into the air reordering the local fabric of draconic elements: force, void, rate or means of change, and time. Calculators can only draw upon these elements if they are initially present; thus, calculators often create a small force, and then amplify or rearrange it. Similarly, if in an area where no time passes, a calculator cannot affect time. 'Void calculations', despite being a proscribed draconic element, are considered unstable, unreliable, and not to be used. A void calculation, used improperly (that is to say, most of the time) has extremely destructive undesired effects. Terrible things. (Disintegrate is a void calculation.)

Calculators carry 'dharmathic abaci', devices usually in a cube or tiered disc format, that serve as analytical koans. Through these objects, or eventually transcending these objects, a calculator is able to assess the 'fabric' of local elements to determine their ability to radically change these equations. Additionally, these abaci are the manner by which a calculator discovers new theorems. Calculators are able to uncover theorems written by their peers, and once they capably understand the root of the theory, the effected reality permutation is added to their repertoire.

When a calculator assesses local elements, they perform an array of potential recalculations creating an equalized series of engineered arcane effects. These effects are composed of three components: Effect vector (indicating effect area or target), primal effect seed, and effect tendency (indicating effect seed intent and directionality). A calculator's book of formulae provides them additional vectors and sometimes more specific tendencies.

In play terms, a calculator's book of formulae provides them with a deck of effect fragments that, when recalculating, they arrange into formal and final effects. They must absolutely produce all potential fragments within their deck, and once they have used one effect from their array, they must commit to using them all. All equations must be so balanced.

Calculators begin play with a relatively small scope of recalculations they can array at a time.

Khmi (Material Shaper) - wisdom sorcerer
Renovate me. Transmutation without immediately making people think of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Consider this the matter-driven parallel to Thaumaturgy. Amulets, talismans, rings, chains, beads and scarabs. One of two spellcasting traditions capable of 'resurrection', though this more in a Promethean sense.

Scrivener (Shandu Necromancy)
Devised by an enigmatic, immortal figure named Khamidoon, the art of Scrivening is said to be metaphysically the forming and parting of divisions. To build both walls and doorways, Scribes claim, is the lynchpin of reanimating or reviving the dead.

Scriveners are not just necromancers, however, as they also have mastered the ability to transport or transpose the self and others through space and create permanent doorways between locations.

Very little of Scrivening is performed rapidly or spontaneously; it is a highly ritualized form of magic, reliant on its ritual tools - the blade and pen - and its ritual components - salt, chalk, blood, bonemeal, ash, and soil samples. Rather than ritual circles, as a Thaumaturge might employ, a Scribe instead writes impassioned, arcane prose. To one versed in the highly-specific lingua the practice employs, these rituals can often be very powerful, very moving, as they often call to the souls of the dead directly, speaking to their personal experiences and emotional ties to the world. It is not uncommon for a Scrivened ritual to coat a prepared chamber entirely in text - often these rituals are confused for the crazed writing of a madman. With a knife and a supply of blood (such as one's own) and other components, a Scribe is ready virtually anywhere, however; while many have preferred rooms or chambers, that tends more toward personal preference.

The combat potential of a Scribe is through the ability to infuse and invoke magic through mortification or illumination of the flesh - to prepare the body as a ritual vessel and then call upon that proscribed magic via the scars and inks that bind it to the vessel. Through practice, Scribes are also often masterfully apt with daggers and other lightweight blades or knives. Some have been known to wield specialized ritual pens whe pressed. It is said Khamidoon carried a long-stem, spadelike pen as his tool and weapon of choice.

Casting from rituals emblazoned on the body does not mystically heal any wounds inflicted during the preparation of that magic. Rather, the inks and other materials used to illuminate that ritual sublimate immediately, vanishing from the surface.

Scribes are commonly clad in only a kilt or loincloth, given the need to mark their magic upon the self. Often they are writ upon with scars, blood-inks, and fresh wounds, from preparing their magics in case of emergency.

Thaumaturgy (Rashasthani Pyromancy) - intelligence warlock
Fundamentally similar to 3.5/Pathfinder Warlocks, thaumaturges ritualistically prepare foci in ceremonies involving arcane circles inscribed upon the ground in various materials (blood and sulphur are common), infusing those foci with a specific invocation as determined by the ritual to be performed.

Thaumaturgy is a tradition of fire, magical control, and blood. As such, its effects - while varied within these two themes - do not exit these themes. Thaumaturges are known for being eminently destructive on a battlefield, and able to erect potent wards versus the magics of other schools. Blood thaumaturgy is a dangerous sport, apt at both healing the sick and directly, physically, damaging the body or causing an individual to act against their whim.

Unlike a Warlock, a Thaumaturge's foci are not indefinitely able to be invoked. Each focus must be 'charged' ritualistically, and retains only the number of charges a Thaumaturge is able to invest per their level. Additionally, any invocation with a variable effect has its potency determined by the charges remaining in the focus.

The only focus that a Thaumaturge can call upon indefinitely is their tradition's symbol, which permits them to cast a bolt of fire from it at their leisure. This effect is identical to a Warlock's Eldritch Blast, save that the damage is of the fire type.

The foci a Thaumaturge can invest with magic are typically hung from a belt or otherwise worn on the person, within easy reach of the hands. A thaumaturge can have as many foci invested at one time as a warlock of their level can have invocations known. This gives them some flexibility over the warlock, in exchange for their invocations depleting with use.

Thaumaturges invest their magics into the following foci:
 * Rod or ankus - Fashioned of iron or bronze, the rod's invocations are projected in a direction. Bolts of fire or witchblood or other ray effects are invested into the rod.
 * Talisman or ritual shield - Fashioned of bronze or bone, the talisman affects a circular area. Invocations of creation, summoning, or area blasts are invested into the talisman.
 * Chain or bangle - Fashioned of iron or bronze, the chain's invocations affect an individual directly. Invocations invested into a chain either have a personal range, touch range, or sight range of one creature.
 * Wand or fork - Fashioned of iron or bone, the wand is used to engrave. Invocations invested into the wand leave symbols with various effects upon creatures or surfaces. Typically, these are triggered by a contingency, but often instead brand a curse upon what they mark.
 * Furnace staff - Carried only by the most powerful thaumaturges, a furnace staff carries its own internal fire. The staff is the only focus into which greater invocations can be invested; as such, a furnace staff's only limitation is that it can carry no lesser effect. Attempting to invest anything insufficient into a furnace staff will only anger the spirit of fire that dwells within its core, and is often hazardous to the thaumaturge's wellbeing.

Empty Self (Embodiment of the Other) - wisdom warlock
A tradition of the society below. Through ritual consumption, the empty self learns to permanently extract the fundamental essence from some monsters, or siphon essence from certain powerful sites in the world, enabling them to shackle that essence to their own beings. The empty self consumes the physical matter of a creature's source of power, or a prepared tea from plants or minerals taken from a powerful site, and 'distills' that physical quanta into a pure, semisolid energy form - a magatama - that they then are able to swallow or cough forth at a moment's notice. Loosed entirely into the world, magatama are prone to discorporation, and thus they must be sealed into specialized urns.

An empty self can initially only have one creature shackled at any given time. Each shackled essence provides its own abilities and qualities; some essences grant their originator's mystical attacks, whereas some essences simply grant the tough hide of the original creature, or the ability to pull the skin away from your face in an instant.

Binder's Urns are a generic term for a variety of prepared vessels that a empty self uses to store essences they do not presently have shackled. Whether these essences are segregated and organized by utility, or all stored together in one urn, is the purview of the empty self in question. Despite the note of preparation required of a binder's urn, they are not intrinsically magical artifacts. Instead, they are limned with a prepared unguent and sealed with wax; their pure purpose and function is the ability to contain a magatama without its energies dissipating into the surrounding area.

Empty selves commonly suffer from mental illness, hence the "empty" - the practice self-acknowledges this. Thus, learning the trade is itself usually a psychologically damaging experience.

Self-binding is tightly controlled among the People. Its practice is far freer and more commonplace among the Kav.