The Northern Star
Role Play of the Seas
Fascination
Many sorcerers earn a good living using this Praxis, brewing the
common love-spells of unrequited suitors and forging more potent chains
of dominion over political rivals. This art skirts the border between the
light and the dark, bending the will of the people affected to the desires
of the caster. Bewitchment takes many forms, from the subtle attraction
one person has toward another to the feelings of fealty or submission that
turn people into playthings. Though legend exaggerates the powers of
this art, most spells do not need to last forever to achieve their effects.
Beware, though - such things do come with their downsides. An
individual with extra charisma may find herself the recipient of unwanted attention. An entrapped woman might start to obsess over her
“beloved,” and everyone knows that hell hath no fury.. . .
Supernatural creatures are well aware of powers that affect emotions, and
they may make a Willpower test to ignore you for one scene. In addition, thevampiric power of Presence, the Garou Gift: Rollover or the changeling Art: Sovereign may be unaffected by certain levels of this path. As with all forms of sorcery, you must specify the magical style you employ to bring about these effects. Most styles involve some form of binding or sympathetic magic.
Basic
Entrancement
The simplest form of allure is friendship. This spell evokes that emotion, toward either the sorcerer or some other individual. Though this does not allow you to command the target like a puppet, he will at least be open to reasonable suggestions and be polite to you. This power requires a Social Challenge and lasts for a single scene. If you attack the target, insult him or otherwise treat him rudely, the enchantment fades. Vampires with Majesty, Garou with Rollover and changelings using Grandeur are not affected.
Awe
This spell creates an aura of attraction and respect around you, influencing everyone you encounter. By spending an appropriate Social Trait, you gain a free retest on any Social Challenge for the remainder of the scene. The benefit does not apply to any sort of intimidation or fear-based powers and drops immediately if you exhibit any violent behavior. Vampires with Majesty, Garou with Rollover and changelings using Grandeur are not affected.
Intermediate:
Voice of Passion
You are able to instill any single emotion in acharacter. For example, you could force an individual to feel uncontrollable fear, extreme exhaustion or intense lust. This is normally done through your voice.
Though you may dictate a target’s feelings, how he responds to them is another matter. Thus, if you invoke terror in your opponent, he may choose to run away, freeze in place or even cower in a corner. He would not be able to attack, however, as that is not an appropriate response. A Narrator has final say over which actions are allowable, taking into account the victim’s Nature.
The duration of this effect is determined by an Extended Social Challenge. One success evokes these feelings for a scene, whereas two successes increase the duration to an hour. Three or more successes cause this emotion to manifest for the remainder of the game session, though the target may spend a temporary Willpower Trait to ignore the effects for a single scene.
Advanced:
Glory
Your mere presence is enough to cause heads to turn and hearts to race. This spell surrounds you with an aura of grandeur and majesty that make it difficult for others to act in a hostile fashion near you. Anyone within 30 feet of you who can see you is affected and must defeat you in a Social Challenge or spend a Willpower Trait before initiating an aggressive or hostile action. If a would-be opponent fails in this challenge, he may not attempt to circumvent this spell again for the remainder of the game session. Vampires with Majesty, Garou with Rollover and changelings using Grandeur who encounter Glory have both effects cancel. In other words, a vampire’s Majesty and a sorcerer’s Glory cancel each other out and both characters interact normally. Once you cast this spell, you should hold your arms out to the sides to let other players know about this effect. These benefits apply for the remainder of the current scene, though the spell immediately fades if you take any hostile actions.
Master:
Captive Heart
This potent rite binds an unlucky victim, body and soul, to the regent. The thrall gains the Negative Social Trait Submissive x 2, though only the regent may call upon it.
While this binding is in place, the regent may force the thrall to perform any single action by defeating him in a Social Challenge. Of course, given the Negative Traits in the regent’s favor, this rarely proceeds to a test. The effects are similar to a vampiric blood bond. Once cast, the bond remains in place until one of the pair dies, though the caster may specify a set of circumstances which will release this compulsion. This may be as simple as the sorcerer or regent speaking the words “You are free” or it may last as long as the regent (or thrall) possesses a particular item. The Storyteller has final say over the boundaries of the bond and what termination conditions may be set.
A Note to Players:
The regent’s player should take the thrall’s player’s feelings into consideration when commanding him. Being degraded, abused and humiliated, even in game, isn’t fun for anyone, and only an asshole would trample another person’s feelings deliberately. The Storyteller has every right to deny this spell in game or to revoke a bond if the regent’s player is getting out of control or the thrall’s player is suffering. This is supposed to be fun for everyone.