Magic as Metaphor

[J C Lawrence]

http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~jay/nephilim/metaphor.html

Magic as Metaphor

An Alternative Magic System

by Jamie Norrish, 1995

Introduction

This document outlines an alternative magic system for the Nephilim
role-playing game. It is designed to supplement and in some places
replace the official rules for sorcerous magic. This system allows for
both the prescribed spells given in the Nephilim rulebook (and any
later supplements), as well as on-the-spot creation of new spells by
the players.

The basis of this system is given in the rulebook itself: Nephilim
think in analogies.

Magic as Metaphor

Sorcery is a general term which covers the processes by which Nephilim
change reality as they wish, by drawing on the power of Ka. The
individual procedures can also be generalised more descriptively by
examining how Nephilim conceive of these changes to reality. Firstly,
of course, the Nephilim must decide upon a change to effect. Then, as
comes naturally to Nephilim, an appropriate analogy for the situation
is thought of. This might either derive from their own experience, or
from an external source, such as a grimoire (this is essentially the
difference between inscribed and non-inscribed spells; see below,
Inscribing Spells). Having created in its mind the analogy, the
Nephilim then imagines the change it wants, and uses its abilities
(and the energy of its simulacrum) to effect that change in reality.
Essentially, the Nephilim forces reality to conform to the analogy in
its mind - magic is metaphor.

Important Note: Analogies cannot be based on magical effects; the
experiences must only involve the mundane, and never effects produced
by magic, either sorcery, summoning, or alchemy.

Determining Success

Like the official rules, casting a spell (changing reality through
magic) requires two successful rolls, one against the Nephilim's
techinique, and one against its Ka. The details of these rolls depend
on whether the three circle divisions (Lower Magic, Higher Magic,
Grand Secret) are maintained or not.

If the divisions are used: 

  The desired spell effect must be classed both as belonging to
  either Lower Magic, Higher Magic, or Grand Secret, and also as to
  which Ka element it primarily uses. 

  The first roll is made against the appropriate technique,
  modified by the suitability of the analogy (see below). 

  The second roll is made against the appropriate factor of the
  Nephilim's Ka element, as in the official rules.

If the divisions are not used: 

  The GM must class the spell as primarily using one Ka element. The
  first roll is made against the Nephilim's single technique
  (Sorcery), as modified by the suitability of the analogy (see
  below).

  The second roll is made against the appropriate Ka element, using
  some multiple of Ka (two or three, depending on the power level of
  the game).

Note that using the second system makes the analogy the vital part of
spell casting; as such, GMs should be strict in applying negative
modifiers to analogies which are not wholly appropriate. There is
nothing else which makes casting very powerful spells difficult,
unless the GM wishes to use different Ka multipliers for different
spells.

Analogy-Based Modifiers

It is the GM's task to determine how appropriate a given analogy was
to the situation, and thence to determine a modifier to the technique
skill roll. If the analogy were a natural one, then the Nephilim's
full technique value would be used. The more forced an analogy is, the
greater the penalty. As stated above, GMs using the second method for
spell resolution should not hesitate to impose large penalties to the
chance of success for analogies which are not perfect. In particular,
any spell which uses an external analogy (one not from the casting
Nephilim's own experience) should receive a hefty penalty.

By using modifiers in such a way, subtle distinctions may be drawn
between different uses of the same spell, as in the example below.

Exempli Gratia: Poti-pherah's experience of being burned as a heretic
during the Albigensian Crusade is judge by the GM to be an entirely
fitting analogy for casting the Pyretic Body spell on itself. Were it
to cast the same spell on someone other than itself, the GM might
impose a penalty, perhaps -30%; had Poti-pherah been the one who lit
the bonfires under heretic Cathars, this penalty probably would not
apply. Had Poti-pherah only been an onlooker, the penalty for either
version of this spell would be great, since the analogy would lack the
personal importance of the other experiences.

Negative modifiers may also be applied when a Nephilim is unaccustomed
to using a particular analogy for a spell; this is particularly so
when a Nephilim "inscribes" a spell (see below) for which it
previously used an external analogy. This penalty should last for
every casting of the spell until the GM judges that the Nephilim is
used to using the analogy.

Sample Negative Modifiers

  The analogy is not based on the personal experience of the caster

  The analogy has been rarely used to cast this particular spell

  Target of spell does not stand in the same relation to the caster
  as in the analogy That is, if the analogous effect acted on the
  caster, but the target is someone/something else, there is a
  negative modifier

  Target of spell is inanimate whereas the analogous experience
  effected an animate object, or vice-versa.  That is, if the
  analogous effect acted on a living being, but the spell's target is
  an unliving object, there is a negative modifier, and vice-versa 

  The analogous experience involved significant Ka elements other than
  the primary Ka element of the spell. 

  Exempli Gratia: An air-based levitation spell using the analogy of
  rising in a hot-air balloon might have a negative modifier due to
  the Fire Ka element involved in the analogous experience

  The analogous experience involved significant use of sophisticated
  technology to achieve the effect.  The analogous experience dates
  from current incarnation (or past incarnations, depending on GM's
  view of memory and experience)

  The analogous experience had effects which are not effects desired
  in the spell

Inscribing Spells

For creatures which are in many ways immortal and who can live in many
bodies over thousands of years, it is natural that experiences of the
past should play an even more important role in the thoughts of the
present than it does for humans. The best analogies are those that
come from personal experience, particularly experiences which deeply
affect the Nephilim involved.

Whenever a Nephilim uses a personal experience as the basis of a
spell, that spell is considered to be inscribed. That is, no focus is
required in the casting; there is no change to the Nephilim's aura or
suchlike, as there is under the official rules. There is also no
sacrifice of Ka made to inscribe a spell; the only disadvantage is
that the newly "inscribed" spell will have a negative modifier to
success until the Nephilim is used to using it with the new analogy.

If a Nephilim inscribes spells during past lives, it is necessary for
the player and GM to come up with an experience which provides an
appropriate analogy for that spell. This experience, as noted before,
should be of some personal importance and consequence for the
Nephilim.

Creating New Spells

If the GM wishes to allow it, this system offers players the
opportunity of creating their own spells relatively easily. The only
difficulties arise when deciding on such things as Range, Duration,
and Focus (if appropriate). My own feeling is that in many cases the
information for these can come directly from the analogy used.

Exempli Gratia: Poti-pherah wishes to cast a flying spell. Recalling
its previous experiences of similar phenomenon (which do not involve
magic), it rejects a flight it made in a 737 as being neither
personally affecting, nor at all like flying - it might have been
under the ocean for all it could tell from the trip. It chooses
instead the one short time it went hang-gliding. This is far more
suitable as an analogy, since it really gave it the feeling of being
in the air and not plummeting directly to terra firma.  However, the
GM rules that while the analogy is good for some aspects of flying, it
has its limitations.  Notably the analogy gives Poti-pherah no
guidance on how to make itself be high up in the air to start with,
since the hang-gliding started with it leaping off a cliff.

The duration of the spell might be as long as Poti-pherah concentrates
on maintaining it.

Given the extent to which modern technology allows effects to be
reproduced which would have been considered magic even a hundred years
ago, GMs might wish to place some restriction on using analogies drawn
from Nephilim's present lives. Perhaps the old ways really are best,
and more in accordance with the Nephilim's true nature, so that being
burned alive at the stake is a much better analogy for Pyretic Body
than putting on special clothing and setting it alight as stuntpeople
now do.

Consequences for Agartha

It is clear that using this explanation of magic there is no innate
reason for a division into the three circles of sorcerous power which
exist in the official magic rules. That is not to say that they cannot
be present under this system (although that creates headaches for the
GM when it comes to determining the power of newly-created spells),
simply that such a division is not inherent to the explanation of
magic given here.

If such a division is not imposed by a GM, then it becomes necessary
to rework the entry requirements for Agartha. With only one Sorcery
technique, increasing this to 90% is easy compared to increasing Keys
or Philosopher's Stone to 90%. Currently my only solution to this is
to adopt the view that the requirements for Agartha given in the
rulebook are only a minimum - perhaps even simply a guide to how a
Nephilim should be. That is, a natural and effective user of magic,
who has not only a practical but also a theoretical understanding of
magical fields and disciplines, with a Ka sufficient to act according
to its nature/Metamorphosis. Therefore it becomes once again up to the
GM to determine the exact point at which a Nephilim reaches Agartha,
without exact regard to specific requirements.

Using Magic as Metaphor in Play

Above all, this system is designed to encourage role-playing and add
atmosphere to the game.

One option for players is to write up brief descriptions of the
experiences on which their analogies are based, written from the point
of view of the Nephilim character. Whenever a spell using one of these
analogies is used as the basis of a spell, the player reads out the
appropriate description.

Exempli Gratia: Poti-pherah wishes to magically reassemble a broken
object to be as good as new. It has used this spell before, and its
player has prepared this short description, and reads it out to the
rest of the group: "I am sitting on a hillside, looking down at a
lakeside flock of geese. Spurred to action by the wind at my back and
the fire in my breath, I rise and race down the slope, windmilling my
arms and shouting my true nature to the whole world around me. The
birds, startled at my hasty approach, rise honking into the air, a
confused mass of wings and long necks. Soon, however, as I stand
beneath them, the individuals who so hastily went their own way now
seek out their companions; within half a minute they are a group once
again, heading as one to another resting place."


Email: jamie at kauri.vuw.ac.nz 
Last updated: 4 March 1997 

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J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
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