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18th Century, Ancient Folklore, evocation, folk magic, Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothick, Historical Gaming, Medieval Folklore, Medieval Magic, occult, Occultsploitation, Romantic Horror, traditional magic
Magical Rituals usable by anyone have always been intended to be an integral part of Ghastly Affair, but there are only a few actually detailed in the Player’s Manual. This was by design. I was frankly concerned about such a list becoming some kind of ersatz grimoire of bastardized medieval magic. However, in an age of ubiquitious online occultism, it probably doesn’t matter any more.
The following system allows Presenters to quickly create Magical Rituals. My intention is for it to evoke historical magic without replicating “actual” spells. The Generator Tables create Rituals that feel authentic, but are well-short of being authentic!
Magical Rituals are meant to engender a sense of magic as something dangerous, difficult, and utterly wondrous. To an average person, the experience of Flying by magic for even a single night would be the peak experience of their life, worth perhaps endangering their very soul. An entire Affair can revolve around obtaining the necessary materials for a Magical Ritual, traveling to the right place, performing the Ritual itself, and dealing with the aftermath.
See Chapter 4 of the Ghastly Affair Player’s Manual for a discussion of Magical Rituals in the game.
Making a Magical Ritual
To design a Magical Ritual using the Generator Tables, first determine its Sphere and equivalent Effect Level, which will be the same as the corresponding Pact (as detailed in Chapter 7 of the “Ghastly Affair Player’s Manual”), or Preternatural Power (whichever is higher).
- For Example, the Magical Ritual to Animate Dead is equivalent to a 3rd Level Evocation, because Animate Dead is a 3rd Level Pact, and its Sphere is Evocation.
After you determine the Ritual’s Effect Level and Sphere, roll on the Generator Tables with the die type that corresponds to the Ritual’s Effect Level:
- For a 0 Level Ritual, roll a d4 on each table.
- For a 1st Level Ritual, roll a d6 on each table.
- For a 2nd Level Ritual, roll a d8 on each table.
- For a 3rd Level Ritual, roll a d10 on each table.
- For a 4th Level Ritual, roll a d12 on each table.
- For a 5th Level Ritual, roll a d20 on each table.
For example, rolling a d6 on each Table of the Evocation Ritual Generator Tables we get the following description of a Ritual to Animate Dead:
“The Ritual lasts [10 minutes], and is to be performed [between sundown and midnight] by [1] Ritualist [under the open sky], wearing [a black robe or chasuble], while they [burn an inscribed black candle] and [burn incense], as they say [a prayer to God in corrupted Arabic]. As a Drawback, the Ritual causes [1d3 points of Lethal Damage to a Ritualist].”
As you will see, the higher the Effect Level, the more likely the Ritual is to require expensive, difficult, or even disgusting things.
- Most 0-Level Rituals are barely bothers – the sort of things likely to become folk magic practiced by hedge witches and midwives. More powerful Rituals, however, can be quite frightening and onerous.
- On the other hand, is even quite possible – though unlikely – for a powerful 5th Level Ritual to consist of little more than waving one’s hands around and saying a prayer.
As with a Magical Ceremony, a Magical Ritual can affect a Recipient or target that is not within sensory range of a Ritualist, even if the Effect normally requires them to be.
- To affect a living (or once living) Recipient outside of sensory range, a Ritualist must have a piece of the Recipient’s body (hair, blood, fingernail, flesh, etc), or something they wear (or wore) regularly (such as a jacket or ring).
- To affect a place that is not within sensory range, a Ritualist must have previously been there, and have a something from it (such as brick, or a flower that grew there).
- For example, to use the Magical Ritual of Animate Dead on the corpse of a specific person now buried in their grave (turning it into a Mindless Reverent) a Ritualist must hold something of the dead person’s – such as a lock of their hair. To have a Lightning Bolt strike the castle of a disliked rival, a Ritualist must both have been to the castle, and have taken a piece of it.
Note that it is quite possible for these Tables to create a Ritual that involve both wearing the medal of a Christian saint and saying a prayers to a pagan god – or even to the Devil! Such bizarre syncretism was actually a fairly common feature of historical magical practices.
A Ritual’s Drawback could be randomly determined each time the Ritual is performed, emphasizing the terrible unpredictably of magic. In the case of Rituals that require multiple Ritualists, each one might even suffer a different Drawback!
I suggest that any Magical Ritual which involves a prayer to a spiritual power is 25% likely to make that power take a personal interest in a Ritualist, for good or ill. (See Appendix II of the “Ghastly Affair Presenter’s Manual”) If the Ritual requires a prayer to the Dread Name of Demogorgon, however, the chance becomes 100% – the Demon God will always take notice of a Ritualist and thereafter involve itself in their life.
Evocation Ritual Generator
- For a 0 Level Ritual, roll a d4 on each table.
- For a 1st Level Ritual, roll a d6 on each table.
- For a 2nd Level Ritual, roll a d8 on each table.
- For a 3rd Level Ritual, roll a d10 on each table.
- For a 4th Level Ritual, roll a d12 on each table.
- For a 5th Level Ritual, roll a d20 on each table.
|
Die Result |
The Ritual lasts… |
|
1 |
Just a minute,… |
|
3 – 6 |
10 minutes,… |
|
7 – 8 |
20 minutes,… |
|
9 – 10 |
30 minutes,… |
|
11 – 12 |
40 minutes,… |
|
13 – 15 |
50 minutes,… |
|
16 – 20 |
1 hour,… |
|
Die Result |
…and is to be performed… |
|
1 |
whenever desired… |
|
2 |
whenever desired… |
|
3 |
whenever desired… |
|
4 |
any time at night… |
|
5 |
in twilight (either dawn or sundown)… |
|
6 |
between sundown and midnight… |
|
7 |
between midnight and dawn… |
|
8 |
at sundown… |
|
9 |
at midnight… |
|
10 |
on an odd-numbered day of the month… |
|
11 |
during a waxing moon… |
|
12 |
only on a Saturday… |
|
13 |
during a full moon… |
|
14 |
during a dark moon… |
|
15 |
when the star Betelgeuse is visible in the night sky… |
|
16 |
when the star Aldebaran is visible in the night sky… |
|
17 |
when the star Arcturus is visible in the night sky… |
|
18 |
when the star Regulus is visible in the night sky… |
|
19 |
when the star Antares is visible in the night sky… |
|
20 |
when the star Algol is visible in the night sky… |
|
Die Result |
…by [1d4] Ritualist(s)… |
|
1 – 2 |
within a drawn circle,… |
|
3 |
standing in front of a window,… |
|
4 |
standing in front of a mirror,… |
|
5 |
standing atop a mountain or hill,… |
|
6 – 7 |
under the open sky,… |
|
8 – 9 |
in a dark chamber,… |
|
10 – 11 |
underground,… |
|
12 – 14 |
in a graveyard or burial ground,… |
|
15 – 16 |
next to a blasted or dead tree,… |
|
17 – 18 |
in an ancient ruin,… |
|
19 – 20 |
inside a tomb or catacombs,… |
|
Die Result |
…(each) wearing… |
|
1 – 3 |
nothing in particular,… |
|
4 |
a black stole,… |
|
5 |
a black robe or chasuble,… |
|
6 |
a crown of holly,… |
|
7 |
a prayer to God inscribed on a parchment scroll,… |
|
8 |
a specially inscribed parchment wrapped around their head like a crown,… |
|
9 |
a medal of Saint Peter,… |
|
10 |
a medal of the Three Magi,… |
|
11 |
a necklace of bones,… |
|
12 |
a black bishop’s miter,… |
|
13 – 14 |
no clothes,… |
|
15 |
no clothes, but smeared with ashes,… |
|
16 |
no clothes, but painted with strange sigils,… |
|
17 |
no clothes, but smeared with blood,… |
|
18 |
a crown of hellebore and nightshade,… |
|
19 |
an inscribed onyx,… |
|
20 |
the face of an executed man,… |
|
Die Result |
…while they (each)… |
|
1 |
stand barefoot… |
|
2 |
blow a brass whistle… |
|
3 |
burn an inscribed white candle… |
|
4 |
burn an inscribed black candle… |
|
5 |
trace signs in the air with a forked branch of hazel wood… |
|
6 |
trace signs in the air with a sword… |
|
7 |
write their desire on virgin parchment… |
|
8 |
write their desire on a wax tablet… |
|
9 |
pour a libation of wine on the ground… |
|
10 |
dance in a circle… |
|
11 |
beat a drum… |
|
12 |
play a tune on a flute… |
|
13 |
make strange signs with their hands… |
|
14 |
draw a design on parchment in blood… |
|
15 |
write a magical sigil on their body in ink… |
|
16 |
drink grave dust dissolved in water… |
|
17 |
rub themselves with dirt from a grave… |
|
18 |
cut themselves… |
|
19 |
hold a human skull… |
|
20 |
sacrifice a goat… |
|
Die Result |
…and… |
|
1 – 2 |
burn incense,… |
|
3 |
strike a bell,… |
|
4 |
spit on the ground,… |
|
5 |
stamp on the ground,… |
|
6 |
spin around until they fall down from dizziness,… |
|
7 – 8 |
burn a piece of virgin parchment inscribed with a symbol,… |
|
9 |
leap into the air,… |
|
10 |
scream,… |
|
11 – 12 |
sprinkle holy water,… |
|
13 – 14 |
hold a human femur bone,… |
|
15 – 16 |
take holy water in their mouth and spit it on the ground,… |
|
17 – 18 |
burn a consecrated Communion wafer,… |
|
19 – 20 |
flog themselves,… |
|
Die Result |
…as they say… |
|
1 |
absolutely nothing (and must remain absolutely silent) |
|
2 – 3 |
apparent nonsense. |
|
4 |
a prayer to God in corrupted medieval Latin. |
|
5 |
a prayer to God in corrupted Hebrew. |
|
6 |
a prayer to God in corrupted Arabic. |
|
7 |
their desire fifteen times. |
|
8 |
their desire twenty seven times. |
|
9 |
a strange poem. |
|
10 |
a strange poem in Old Norse. |
|
11 – 12 |
a prayer to a Planetary Angel of Saturn. |
|
13 |
a prayer to the god Saturn. |
|
14 |
a prayer to the goddess Hela. |
|
15 |
a prayer to Pan. |
|
16 |
a prayer to Mater Tenebrarum, Our Lady of Darkness. |
|
17 |
a prayer to the Arch-devil Belphegor. |
|
18 |
a prayer to the Dread Name of Demogorgon. |
|
19 |
a prayer to Satan. |
|
20 |
a prayer to Life-in-Death. |
|
Die Result |
As a Drawback, the Ritual causes… |
|
1 |
a Ritualist to suffer 1 point of temporary Strength damage. |
|
2 |
a Ritualist to suffer 1 point of temporary Constitution damage. |
|
3 |
a Ritualist to suffer 1 point of temporary Dexterity damage. |
|
4 |
a Ritualist’s Perversity to increase by 1 point. |
|
5 |
1d3 points of Lethal Damage to a Ritualist. |
|
6 |
1d3 points of Lethal Damage to a Ritualist. |
|
7 |
1d6 points of Lethal Damage to a Ritualist. |
|
8 |
a Ritualist’s Perversity to increase by 2 points. |
|
9 |
a Ritualist to suffer 2 point of temporary Strength damage. |
|
10 |
a Ritualist to suffer 2 points of temporary Constitution damage. |
|
11 |
a Ritualist to suffer 2 points of temporary Dexterity damage. |
|
12 |
a Ritualist to make all Saving Throws with a 1 Point Penalty for a month. |
|
13 |
the death of the favorite (or most valuable) animal a Ritualist owns. |
|
14 |
a Ritualist’s dwelling to be infested with vermin for a week. |
|
15 |
horses to bolt from a Ritualist for one month. |
|
16 |
dogs to hate and become aggressive to a Ritualist for one month. |
|
17 |
one of a Ritualist’s Social Contacts (or friends) to turn against them. |
|
18 |
a Ritualist to attract the attention of a zealous Demon Hunter or Inquisitor. |
|
19 |
a Ritualist to suffer a randomly determined Affliction for a week. |
|
20 |
the death of a Ritualist’s next child. |
The Engine of Oracles 
This is great stuff!
And it might come in handy for me soon – I’ll be running a scenario where finding or reconstructing an exorcism ritual to get rid of a demon will be an important plot point, and it’ll be good to have some more flavour for it.
Out of curiosity, would an exorcism spell/ritual count as a Fascination by the Ghastly Affair magic rules? Or a reverse Evocation?
This is great stuff!
And it might come in handy for me soon – I’ll be running a scenario where finding or reconstructing an exorcism ritual to get rid of a demon will be an important plot point, and it’ll be good to have some more flavour for it.
Out of curiosity, would an exorcism spell/ritual count as a Fascination by the Ghastly Affair magic rules? Or a reverse Evocation?
Thank you! Under the rules, Exorcism is actually a Blessing. Those tables are coming soon! But, it could be interesting to have a Exorcism ritual that actually works like an Evocation, and requires doing some pretty nasty stuff to work. You get rid of the demon, but now Mater Tenebrarum has decided to take a personal interest in you.