Copy out the glyph onto a sheet of paper. Then, experiment with your copy to find out how you easily can change the ritual without breaking it. Use it to get some practise before trying it out for real.*
As was mentioned earlier, we don't know how to cast an illusion in the first place, and I somehow doubt copying the ritual circle down would make another copy of the book. As such, we wouldn't be able to get it working in the first place to see if our changes would be effective. This feels like a time-waster option to me.
Search in the textbook for a rune or symbol which is designed to siphon magical energy from the air. Weave this rune into the 'energy storage' section of the glyph.
High risk of damaging the illusion if we screw up. It's been mentioned before that the outcome of damaging a ritual can be anything from "fizzle" to "catastrophe". I doubt this would hurt us, but there's just too big a chance of fizzle.
Next to the existing glyph, draw out a new ritual circle designed to absorb magical energy. Then, draw a 'funnel' to channel magical energy from your ritual circle into the glyph.
The new ritual circle would be separate, which is good. We would just need to hope the funnel works and doesn't work TOO well because I doubt we'll be quick enough to shut it down before it overloads the original ritual.
If there was an actual penalty to failing, this would be enticing, but I think this challenge IS the lesson. Experimenting and failing teaches far more than being told the right answer.
As a mage (even though you're just a novice), you have the innate ability to gather and channel magical energy. Why not use it? Pour magical energy into the glyph directly.
We would have the most control over the amount of power we're adding this way, but the teacher already hinted that we don't have much personal power, and we don't know how thirsty the illusion is. Not to mention we would invest our magic in this instead of other things, and if this textbook is supposed to last us the entire year…
[x] Next to the existing glyph, draw out a new ritual circle designed to absorb magical energy. Then, draw a 'funnel' to channel magical energy from your ritual circle into the glyph.
[X] Copy out the glyph onto a sheet of paper. Then, experiment with your copy to find out how you easily can change the ritual without breaking it. Use it to get some practise before trying it out for real.*
[X] Copy out the glyph onto a sheet of paper. Then, experiment with your copy to find out how you easily can change the ritual without breaking it. Use it to get some practise before trying it out for real.*
As was mentioned earlier, we don't know how to cast an illusion in the first place, and I somehow doubt copying the ritual circle down would make another copy of the book. As such, we wouldn't be able to get it working in the first place to see if our changes would be effective. This feels like a time-waster option to me.
Not quite, what we are doing is in essence duplicating a working machine and fiddle with the components to see what makes it tick; no casting is involved.
Not quite, what we are doing is in essence duplicating a working machine and fiddle with the components to see what makes it tick; no casting is involved.
Except the "machine" isn't complete without the illusion. What, do you think we can copy down the ritual circle, give it a bit of magic, and low and behold we'll have another textbook?
The ritual, to my reading anyway, binds an illusion (the book) to a physical object. Without being able to cast an illusion TO BIND, all you're going to have is a fancy design on a piece of paper. You won't be able to see "what makes it tick" because it won't tick in the first place. If you just want to know what the pieces are supposed to do, well, that's already mentioned in the chapter.
Pretty much. A fancy design on a piece of paper that is supposed to store magic (according to the rune), but can not expend it since we can not recreate the illusion spell. We may be able to draw some other, easier spell if the textbook has the runes for it. Perhaps the glowing one?
Then we need to figure out a way to charge the paper with magic, and then redo the same thing with the original.
[X] Next to the existing glyph, draw out a new ritual circle designed to absorb magical energy. Then, draw a 'funnel' to channel magical energy from your ritual circle into the glyph.
I'm voting for this, just because it was my contribution
[x] Next to the existing glyph, draw out a new ritual circle designed to absorb magical energy. Then, draw a 'funnel' to channel magical energy from your ritual circle into the glyph.
I'm going to veto that one on that grounds that Dorian currently has no Ritual Magic skill. At best, he's limited to copying things out of the textbook. Unless someone gave it to him ready-made, he's not going to be able to use even the most rudimentary magical photocopier until he gains a few levels.
Pretty much. A fancy design on a piece of paper that is supposed to store magic (according to the rune), but can not expend it since we can not recreate the illusion spell. We may be able to draw some other, easier spell if the textbook has the runes for it. Perhaps the glowing one?
In the lesson, Professor Glossoloria already showed you a very basic ritual you could use to alter the glowing lights cantrip slightly. Maybe you could do something with that?
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Jul 24, 2019 at 10:30 AM, finished with 16 posts and 11 votes.
[X] Copy out the glyph onto a sheet of paper. Then, experiment with your copy to find out how you easily can change the ritual without breaking it. Use it to get some practise before trying it out for real.*
[x] Next to the existing glyph, draw out a new ritual circle designed to absorb magical energy. Then, draw a 'funnel' to channel magical energy from your ritual circle into the glyph.
[X] Search in the textbook for a rune or symbol which is designed to siphon magical energy from the air. Weave this rune into the 'energy storage' section of the glyph.
[X] Search for a Ritual in your textbook that does the opposite of the one Professor Glossoria showed you in class. Add it to the part of the Ritual that pulls in fuel to make the illusion, make it so that you can turn that on to reduce energy consumption when the textbook is not in use.
[X] Search in the textbook for a rune or symbol which is designed to siphon magical energy from the air. Weave this rune into the 'energy storage' section of the glyph.
[X] Next to the existing glyph, draw out a new ritual circle designed to absorb magical energy. Then, draw a 'funnel' to channel magical energy from your ritual circle into the glyph.
In the lesson, Professor Glossoloria already showed you a very basic ritual you could use to alter the glowing lights cantrip slightly. Maybe you could do something with that?
That ritual only seems to increase the effect though. So we would have to reverse it to make it more into a dampening effect and put it on the part that drains energy for fuel to add in a sleep mode to conserve power.
It makes more sense as a solution for one reason. Professor Glossoloria said she'd be impressed if a student could make the textbook last until next week. Recharging the battery or adding on a ritual to let it draw energy from the air would be solutions that would conceivably last much longer. Even adding another battery storage could potentially work for longer depending on how much space is available to keep adding batteries.
But something like this, that adjusts the flow without increasing the available power in the battery, wouldn't be a permanent solution.
[X] Search for a Ritual in your textbook that does the opposite of the one Professor Glossoria showed you in class. Add it to the part of the Ritual that pulls in fuel to make the illusion, make it so that you can turn that on to reduce energy consumption when the textbook is not in use.
The "Copy out the glyph onto a sheet of paper" and "Next to the existing glyph, draw out a new ritual circle" options each have four votes. It has occurred to me that these options don't need to be mutually exclusive. Either way, you're probably going to want to practise first, just to make sure that you can draw the symbols accurately, so that's what I'll start off with.
I've begun writing the next update, which is mainly going to focus on the first meeting of the Gardening Club, but I think you've got just enough time to squeeze in a bit of writing/drawing practise before that.
Also, I'm going to use this post to roll the dice for some skill checks which Dorian will tackle during the next update:
Literacy check: 2d6+3 = 9
Insight check: 2d6+2 = 8
'Do you want to go to the Gardening Club with me, Isolia?' you ask.
She carefully considers the question before giving you a nod. 'Yeah,' she mutters.
You checked the timetable earlier; you know when and where the club is supposed to meet. 'All right then,' you say. 'See you outside the main greenhouse at six o'clock tonight.'
After that, you don't have to wait much longer before the bell rings to signify the end of 'study hall' for the day. It seems like most of your classmates rush off as quickly as they can, glad to be released from confinement. You're still pondering the homework Professor Glossoloria gave you this morning, thinking about how you're going to tackle it. By now, you're fairly sure that either you need to add an extra rune to the glyph or you need to set up a whole new arcane circle to gather magical energy and then funnel it into the pre-existing glyph.
You have less than an hour before dinner, not enough time to finish working on it, but enough time to practise drawing a few shapes and runic symbols. Before you attempt to alter the glyph or make one of your own, you want to be sure that you can copy the designs from the textbook as neatly and accurately as possible.
At this point, I rolled 2d6+3 for Dorian's Literacy skill check and got a total of 9, slightly below average.
Twenty minutes later, the product of your hard work is a page full of crude scribblings which vaguely resemble the symbols from the textbook. You're fairly sure that you'll have to do better when the time comes to do this for real, but… oh well, you've made a start, at least.
Putting your quill, bottle of ink, and parchment away, you head to the dining hall for a meal which tastes reassuringly of nothing in particular. Then, you go outside, walk across the grounds, and meet Isolia outside the main greenhouse. There are a few other first year pupils waiting there, but not many. Evidently, the 'Gardening Club' isn't glamorous enough to attract a glut of new members.
Over the next few minutes, the older members of the Gardening Club arrive at irregular intervals. They give perfunctory greetings, but don't stick around to chat. It's not like they're being deliberately rude or unfriendly; rather, they're moving with single-minded purpose, intent on what they're doing and seemingly oblivious to everything else.
Before you have time to get bored, you're greeted by a chunky young woman with somewhat bovine facial features, hair like freshly cut straw, and thick, muscular arms. Seriously, if the 'becoming a wizard' business doesn't work out, she looks like she'd make a good living as a professional boxer. 'Hey,' she says, glancing around at you and the other new pupils. 'Here to join the Gardening Club, are you?'
There are a few nods and a general mumble of assent.
'Good. I'm Fenella Ortens. Call me Fen. I'm the president of this here club. But I don't like the word "president". It sounds very, erm…' Her voice trails off as she squints into the middle distance, looking for something that isn't there.
'Presidential?' you suggest.
'Yeah, right.' She gives a snort. 'Anyway… congratulations on getting here early. I'm guessing you haven't had any Alchemy lessons yet, hmm? Well, later on, when new pupils realise that being part of the Gardening Club means they can grow their own rare ingredients for cheap, there's usually a rush to join. And by then it's too late. We've only got a limited number of plots available, so there's a waiting list. But you got here just in time. Last year's pupils have just gone, cleared out, so we've got plenty of space.' She does a quick headcount. 'Enough for each of you. And if you've got any friends who might want to join, tell them to hurry up.'
'So… we each get a small plot of land to cultivate? Out here in the garden? Or in one of the greenhouses?' asks one of the new pupils you don't know: a furtive-looking fellow with lank brown hair.
'Either. It depends on what you're planning to grow,' says Fen. 'Let me show you.' She beckons you and the other first years to follow her into the nearest greenhouse.
At this point, I wanted Dorian to make an Awareness check. He doesn't have the Awareness skill, so I rolled an Insight check instead: 2d6+2 and I got a total of 8. Considering that the difficulty is higher because he doesn't have the right skill, that's pretty bad.
Inside, you're hit by a blast of heat and humidity; it feels as if you've been transported halfway across the world, to one of the tropical regions of the far south or west. And the smell! A rich mélange of different scents: some are like sweet perfume; some are heady and intoxicating like you'd imagine a fine wine to be; some are bitter, spicy, or pungent; and some are deeply unpleasant, reminding you of a rotting dung heap on a hot day. It's an almost overwhelming experience, and that's before you've even taken a good look around.
'Each greenhouse contains its own sealed environment. This one's for tropical plants,' Fen explains, gesturing around at what looks almost like a small forest, with verdant foliage growing so thick, so tall, and so vigorous that it almost seems to be threatening to burst through the ceiling above. There are bright flowers, strange fruits, and a dizzying variety of leaves of every shape and size imaginable. And there are some very unusual-looking plants: there's one with flowers like pink fluffy tails hanging down from its branches; and there's one with an enormous flower which… ah, seems to be the source of that stench of rotten meat.
'Oh, right… I should warn you: many of our plants are poisonous, so don't be putting anything in your mouth. If you need to touch any of them, it's probably best to wear gloves,' says Fen. 'Ugh, I shouldn't need to warn you about taking anything away and trying to smoke it, but… don't do that.' She puts on a disgusted expression and shakes her head. 'Don't be stupid, basically.'
Along the path, at the other end of the greenhouse, there is an area of cleared space: rich, dark soil, spread flat, ready for someone to plant something new.
'I reckon we could fit two, maybe three of you in here. Tell me if you like the sound of that. First come, first served,' says Fen. 'And… we've got a bunch of other greenhouses, but I won't show you all of them now. There's another tropical environment, one that simulates a dry summer climate, one we keep magically cool – it's supposed to be like a mountainous environment – one that represents a freshwater swamp and one that's more like a saltmarsh. We also have a selection of different soils. There're some plants which like rich soil, some prefer acidic soil, some prefer sandy soil – well, there's all sorts – it depends on what you want to grow.'
'But… I don't know what I want to grow!' wails one of the new girls. 'How are we supposed to know which greenhouse to choose? Or else, if we want a plot that's outside in the garden… well, how can we know what's best for us?'
'For your first year, I'd recommend you get a plot outside or in one of our tropical greenhouses. Or maybe in the "dry summer climate" greenhouse. That's if you just want a wide selection of plants that'll be useful as ritual components or alchemy ingredients. The other environments are rather more specialized. But… uh, whichever you choose, you can make it work. There's a boy in the fifth year, same as me, who only grows rare swamp plants, but he's able to trade them for anything else he needs. They're very much in demand, see.'
She pushes open the door nearby. 'Come on, I'll show you outside.'
I rolled another Insight check for Dorian's Awareness. This time, I rolled 2d6+2 and I got a total of 11. That's a bit better.
The gardens outside are much neater, well-ordered and uncluttered. Also, you're on more familiar ground, here: you recognise some of the plants on display. Common herbs such as rosemary, basil, and peppermint. Dandelions, for some reason. A whole bed of lavender – you stand next to it and savour the sharp, floral scent, for a moment – it's a welcome relief. And catnip. Quite a lot of catnip. Oh, and there are plenty of other plants you don't recognise, but you feel proud that you've been able to identify as many as that.
'You don't have a cat, do you?' you ask Fen.
She glowers at the catnip plant as if it had personally offended her. 'No. It's a mild sedative. Good for toothache. Also, insect repellent.'
'Can we smoke it?' you ask cheekily.
'I'd rather you didn't. Nevertheless… people have smoked it, sometimes, for medicinal purposes. It probably won't do you any harm,' Fern grudgingly admits. 'But those plants aren't yours, so hands off!'
'Just kidding,' you say, smiling at her.
'Pretty,' says Isolia, leaning over to sniff the heady, sweet scent of a plant with arrowhead-shaped leaves and white trumpet-shaped flowers.
'That's datura,' Fen says warningly. 'Or thorn-apple, some call it. Very, very poisonous, but with a lot of uses both alchemical and ritual.'
'So… don't smoke it?' you ask.
She gives a heavy sigh. 'Goblins say it's a sacred plant, one of the gifts of the dream goddess. They smoke it all the time, with no ill effects. Or they chew it, or brew a tea from it. So, if you've got goblin blood, you'll probably be fine if you smoke it. But if you don't, it'll make you hallucinate, it'll paralyse you, it'll give you a bad fever… and, if you're unlucky, it'll kill you.'
'Why are you growing medlars?' asks one of the other pupils, pulling a revolted face. 'Ugh. Fruit you've got to rot before you can eat it…'
'Well… it's a symbol of prostitution, forced poverty, and lost youth, which can be useful for certain rituals. Especially if you want to curse someone,' says Fen. Almost as soon as she's said that, she looks like she wishes she hadn't. 'Also, it's used in a charm which is supposed to ward off demons. Dunno if it works, though.'
'What's "prostitution"?' asks the boy who asked about the medlars, putting on an expression of wide-eyed false innocence.
Fen huffs and rolls her eyes. 'It's what your mom does. Sorry about that.'
'Don't you say that about my mom!'
'Well, don't you be asking stupid questions!' Fen fires back. She pauses, takes a deep breath, and looks around at you and the other new pupils. 'All right, I think we're nearly done here. If you still want to be part of the Gardening Club, let me know. I'll set you up with a plot of land, some tools, and a few seedlings. Membership costs one silver shard per month, but the first month is free. After that, if you don't pay, we'll give your plot to somebody else. That's fair, right?' She shrugs her massive shoulders. 'Also, even if you pay the fees, if you don't show up and do some gardening from time to time, we'll give your plot to somebody else. Not that I think you'd do that, just… we've had some problems in the past.'
She glances around as though waiting for someone else to speak. No one does. Finally, she folds her arms, grunts, and says, 'If you've got any questions, ask away. If you want to join the club, tell me. Otherwise, good evening to you.'
You've gained 1 experience point towards gaining the Awareness skill and 1 experience point towards improving Dorian's Knowledge* skill.
*With the 'Botany' speciality, maybe?
What do you want to do? (Choose a maximum of four options)
[] Agree to join the Gardening Club.
-[] Ask for a plot of land in the garden outside.
OR
-[] Ask for a space in one of the greenhouses with a 'tropical' environment.
OR
-[] Ask for a space in the greenhouse which simulates a 'dry summer climate'
OR
-[] Ask for a space in one of the other greenhouses. (Write in: which one?)
[] Ask Fen some questions.
-[] "Why does the Gardening Club meet three nights a week?"
-[] "It's the end of summer now, moving into autumn. What effect will that have on the plants we can grow?"
-[] "You said you'd give us some seedlings. But what if I want more seeds? What if I want to grow some rarer plants? Where would be a good place to get them from?"
-[] "Why do you keep such dangerous plants out here where anyone could grab them?"
--[] "I mean, we're probably lucky we haven't all been poisoned already."
-[] Ask her about plant magic.
-[] Ask her if it's okay for you to sell the plants you grow here. You've got to make enough money to pay the membership fee somehow, right?
-[] Say something else (write in).
[] Talk to Isolia.
-[] Ask her if she's enjoyed herself.
-[] Ask her if she wants to join the Gardening Club.
-[] Ask her if she thinks you should steal some datura and give it to Venta.
-[] Say something else (write in).
My plan to join the club shouldn't surprise anyone. Physical work is good for the body and the mind, plus we can use the plants in class as well as trading.
[X] Plan Gardening
[X] Agree to join the Gardening Club.
-[X] Ask for a plot of land in the garden outside.
[X] Ask Fen some questions.
-[X] "It's the end of summer now, moving into autumn. What effect will that have on the plants we can grow?"
-[X] Ask her if it's okay for you to sell the plants you grow here. You've got to make enough money to pay the membership fee somehow, right?
[X] Talk to Isolia.
-[X] Ask her if she's enjoyed herself.
[X] Agree to join the Gardening Club.
-[X] Ask for a plot of land in the garden outside.
[X] Ask Fen some questions.
-[X] "You said you'd give us some seedlings. But what if I want more seeds? What if I want to grow some rarer plants? Where would be a good place to get them from?"
-[X] Ask her if it's okay for you to sell the plants you grow here. You've got to make enough money to pay the membership fee somehow, right?
[X] Talk to Isolia.
-[X] Ask her if she wants to join the Gardening Club.
Yay, gardening club! Yay, getting in at the ground floor and actually getting a plot!
The obvious reason the gardening club would meet three times a week would be to give gardeners the flexibility to come on a day or days that suit their schedule, so I'm really not eager to waste a question getting that confirmed.
he obvious reason the gardening club would meet three times a week would be to give gardeners the flexibility to come on a day or days that suit their schedule
Once you've got your own plot of land, you'll get access to the 'gardening' standard action which you can use to fill any free slot in your timetable. After that, so long as you keep paying your monthly fee and spending some time each week cultivating your little garden space, you won't need to attend 'Gardening Club' sessions ever again if you don't want to.
The Gardening Club has sessions three nights a week because those are times when it's guaranteed that older and more experienced club members will be there to help out or to answer questions. If it's not Fen, it'll be someone who's almost as knowledgeable about plants as she is.
Like, you might want to ask questions about where to get certain plants, how to grow those plants, what those plants are useful for, or which plants are in demand and what people are willing to trade for them. That sort of thing.
Or, if you've bitten off more than you can chew, you can go and ask for help with your little plot of land and, most of the time, the other members of the Gardening Club will help out. Especially if you're one of their younger and less experienced members. So long as they can see that you're making a sincere effort to look after your plants, they'll usually be willing to cut you some slack.
Otherwise, most of the people in the Gardening Club do their own thing and tend their plants whenever they feel like it. It's not a very formal club.
Well, yes... there are a lot of plants which need careful attention if you're going to try to grow them, so this is a bit of a commitment. Each week, you'll need at least a couple of slots dedicated to gardening. However, you can fit them into your schedule anywhere you like. (Because the 'gardening' action isn't just limited to when the Gardening Club is supposed to meet.)
[X] Ask Fen some questions.
-[X] Ask her about plant magic.
-[X] Ask her if it's okay for you to sell the plants you grow here. You've got to make enough money to pay the membership fee somehow, right?
[X] Talk to Isolia.
-[X] Ask her if she's enjoyed herself.
-[X] Ask her if she wants to join the Gardening Club.
It sounds like at the very least we have a week to make a decision. Considering we haven't even been to Alchemy yet, I think I'd like to hold off. I would like to better understand how exactly it works in this universe before I pick a club to supplement it. So far Ritual magic has been pretty interesting, I think I might want to focus more on that.
[X] Agree to join the Gardening Club.
-[X] Ask for a plot of land in the garden outside.
[X] Ask Fen some questions.
-[X] "It's the end of summer now, moving into autumn. What effect will that have on the plants we can grow?"
-[X] "You said you'd give us some seedlings. But what if I want more seeds? What if I want to grow some rarer plants? Where would be a good place to get them from?"
-[X] "Why do you keep such dangerous plants out here where anyone could grab them?"
-[X] Ask her if it's okay for you to sell the plants you grow here. You've got to make enough money to pay the membership fee somehow, right?
[X] Talk to Isolia.
-[X] Ask her if she wants to join the Gardening Club.
[X] Agree to join the Gardening Club.
-[X] Ask for a plot of land in the garden outside.
[X] Ask Fen some questions.
-[X] "It's the end of summer now, moving into autumn. What effect will that have on the plants we can grow?"
-[X] "You said you'd give us some seedlings. But what if I want more seeds? What if I want to grow some rarer plants? Where would be a good place to get them from?"
-[X] "Why do you keep such dangerous plants out here where anyone could grab them?"
-[X] Ask her if it's okay for you to sell the plants you grow here. You've got to make enough money to pay the membership fee somehow, right?
[X] Talk to Isolia.
-[X] Ask her if she wants to join the Gardening Club.
