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Rituals 101

Working Together To Make Magic Happen

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What Is A Ritual?

  • A way for mages to roleplay doing magic and have a mechanical effect on the world
  • Usually requires a team of mages working together
  • Rituals can have lots of different effects; which ones you want to perform or have performed on you depend on your circumstances & character
  • Rituals consume Aether Crystals when they’re performed

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How Do You Perform Rituals, part 1

  • Gather up enough other ritualists and the necessary Aether Crystals to actually perform the ritual
    • You need at least one ritualist who has Mastered the ritual in order to perform it
  • Gather up whoever/whatever you’re casting the ritual on
  • Find a ritual site or circle of holy ground (or make one via the Hallow ritual)
  • Spend the necessary time & roleplay performing the ritual
  • Congrats, you just did a ritual!

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How Do You Perform Rituals, part 2

  • You need to register the ritual with Wheelhouse
    • Either before or after you perform it
    • This is necessary to both make sure that you can do the ritual with the ritualists you have available, and to make sure that any effects the ritual has will be taken into account by the GM team
    • Bring the Aether Crystal cards you’re consuming for the ritual with you when you go to Wheelhouse to “pay” for the ritual
  • If you do a ritual during a Skirmish or Battle, don’t worry about registering it with Wheelhouse beforehand, just make sure you tell us you did one after you get back
  • There will be an area of Hallowed ground available for everyone to use in Veilguard
  • The Mystics of each god will also be given 5 Aether Crystals to create their own area of Hallowed ground at the start of the event

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Aether Channeling

  • You can only push so much magic into a ritual without hurting yourself and losing control of the ritual
  • This limit is your Aether Channeling attribute
  • i.e., the maximum amount of Aether Crystals you can consume during a ritual
  • Mystics start with an Aether Channeling of 2
  • Arcanists start with an Aether Channeling of 1
  • Every level of Mana Well increases your Aether Channeling by +2
  • Elixirs, magic items, and rituals can increase it as well

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Ritual Power

  • Every ritual has a required Ritual Power that’s needed to perform it
  • Some rituals have variable Ritual Power depending on what you’re doing
  • For every Aether Crystal you consume during a ritual, you add +1 �Ritual Power to the ritual
  • If you’ve Mastered (i.e. learned) the ritual’s Ritual List, all Ritual Power you contribute is doubled
  • Give any consumed Aether Crystals to Wheelhouse when you report the ritual; you do not need to tear them first

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Overcharging

  • Some rituals let you overcharge them
  • Spend more Ritual Power during the ritual to get increased effects
    • Target more people
    • Increase the duration
    • Increase the magnitude of the effect
  • Usually this involves some sort of efficiency boost compared to doing the ritual multiple times
  • Some rituals have very high efficiency when overcharged
  • Can allow you to avoid hitting your Ritual Fatigue cap by applying a single ritual to multiple targets

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Ritual Fatigue

  • Channeling Aether into a ritual wears away at the body, placing a limit on how many rituals you can do in quick succession
  • Your Ritual Fatigue attribute is the maximum number of rituals you can perform in a day (resetting at sunrise)
  • Your Ritual Fatigue starts out at 2
  • Every level of Ritualist you have increases it by +1
  • Elixirs, magic items, and rituals can increase it as well

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Ritual Lists

  • You learn how to perform rituals by mastering their Ritual Lists
  • Each Ritual List consists of an Arcanum (the kind of rituals contained in it) and the deity associated with it (Druathan Salutaria, Bakharan Auguria, etc.)
  • (Plus the Astral Codex and Celestial Codex)
  • Arcanists can Master any Ritual List except the Celestial Codex
  • Mystics can only Master the Ritual Lists of their deity; they automatically Master the Celestial Codex, and can never Master the Astral Codex
  • When you Master a Ritual List, you master all of the rituals contained in it

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The Lists

  • Celestial Codex
  • Astral Codex
  • Arcanum Vitae
  • Arcanum Salutaria
  • Arcanum Sanguis
  • Arcanum Potentia
  • Arcanum Progenia
  • Arcanum Bellator
  • Arcanum Strategos
  • Arcanum Factoria
  • Arcanum Maledictae
  • Arcanum Anathemae
  • Arcanum Auguria
  • Arcanum Prismatica

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Sorceries

  • Any buffs applied to a target by a ritual are called Sorceries
  • Sorceries don’t stack; only one can apply to a target at a time
  • Sorceries can be applied to a character, Enterprise, Army, Region, Province, or Nation
  • Sorceries are applied immediately after the ritual is completed
  • Some may not have an immediate effect, however; Enterprise Sorceries (for example) that boost an Enterprise’s level only give extra income in subsequent Downtime

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Curses

  • Any negative effects inflicted by a ritual takes the form of a Curse
  • Multiple Curses can stack on the same target at a time
  • The same Curse cannot be applied to a target multiple times
  • Cursing someone or something has a specific process to make it happen
    • Go to Wheelhouse, inform them of your intent to perform the ritual, get a Referee and a Curse Card
    • Perform the ritual with the Ref present
    • You have 30 minutes after you complete the ritual to hand the Curse Card to its intended target
  • Breaking a Curse requires the Unravel The Threads Of Malice ritual, which is in both the Astral & Celestial Codexes

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Divination

  • Divination rituals let you seek out information via magic
  • This runs into problems if you’re asking questions the GMs don’t already have answers for
  • A lot of Divination rituals will give you information during Downtime or at the start of the next event, if the Wheelhouse team needs to think out and write down the answers
  • If you ask a question the GM team does have an answer to, you may get that answer immediately or sometime the next day, but we make no guarantees

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Example: Circle Of Reconstruction (part 1)

  • Alin’dea, an Arcanist, and her team are in the field, but the cultists they’re fighting have managed to Shatter the magical Standard her team needs to complete their mission.
  • None of the team knows the Word Of Repair spell, but Alin’dea has mastered the Oruunari Salutaria Ritual List, which contains the Circle Of Reconstruction ritual.
  • If she can perform the ritual while her team keeps the cultists off her back, she can Repair the Standard and get the mission back on track.

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Example: Circle Of Reconstruction (part 2)

  • Circle Of Reconstruction has a Ritual Power requirement of 4 for 1 target.
  • Alin’dea has Mastered the Ritual List; all Ritual Power she contributes is doubled.
  • Alin’dea is an Arcanist and has 1 level of the Mana Well ability, giving her an Aether Channeling attribute of 3, which lets her consume up to 3 Aether Crystals during a ritual.
  • Alin’dea consumes 2 Aether Crystals as part of the ritual, contributing 2 Ritual Power, which is doubled by her mastery for a total of 4 Ritual Power.
  • Her contribution of 4 Ritual Power equals the amount required by the ritual; the ritual succeeds, and the Standard is Repaired.
  • Now, the team just needs to finish the mission and get out alive…

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Example: O-Del’s Ironbound Focus (part 1)

  • Julian, a Mystic of Bakharos, and his Order of Fabricae want to cast the O-Del’s Ironbound Focus ritual to allow one of them to craft a magic item overnight.
  • Julian rounds up his Order-mates Augusta and Mattias to help him perform the ritual.
  • Julian and Augusta have mastered the Bakharan Factoria, which is the Ritual List that contains O-Del’s Ironbound Focus; Mattias has not Mastered this list.
  • This means that either Julian or Augusta will need to lead the ritual, and that any Ritual Power they contribute to the ritual will be doubled.
  • Julian and Mattias both have 1 level of Mana Well, giving them each an Aether Channeling attribute of 4
  • Augusta, a Mystic without any levels of Mana Well, has an Aether Channeling attribute of 2

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Example: O-Del’s Ironbound Focus (part 2)

  • O-Del’s Ironbound Focus has a Ritual Power requirement of 15, so Julian and his Order-mates will need to contribute at least 15 Ritual Power in total in order to successfully perform the ritual.
  • Julian consumes 4 Aether Crystals, contributing 4 Ritual Power, which is doubled by his mastery of the ritual to equal 8 total Ritual Power contributed
  • Augusta consumes 2 Aether Crystals, contributing 2 Ritual Power, which is doubled by her mastery of the ritual to equal 4 total Ritual Power contributed
  • Mattias consumes 3 Aether Crystals, contributing a total of 3 Ritual Power; because he has not Mastered the ritual, his contribution is not doubled
  • 8 + 4 + 3 = 15, which equals the necessary amount of Ritual Power
  • The ritual succeeds, and the Enchanter they cast the ritual upon spends the next night crafting an item with supernatural speed.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Conjure resources!

To Bargain Within The Nexus

  • Ritual Type: Miscellaneous
  • Ritual Power: 20
  • Casting Time: 2 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Druathan Factoria

You can only perform this ritual within Veilguard. It automatically fails if attempted on the material plane.

You conjure the following resources: 2 units of Dragonbone, 2 units of Felweyr, 2 units of Arachne Silk, 2 units of Gryphon Feathers, and 4 units of Heartswood.

A character can only perform or participate in the performance of this ritual once per event.

The beings who dwell within the Primal Wilds may become more interested in your affairs after you perform this ritual, for good or ill.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Improve Enterprises!

Dreams Glimmer Within The Earth

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Enterprise)
  • Ritual Power: 20 or more
  • Casting Time: 5 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Oruunari Factoria

You target one Enterprise with this ritual, the owner of which must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

This ritual can only target a Mine.

The target Enterprise gains +8 Levels.

The effects of this ritual last until the end of the next Round of Downtime or another Enterprise Sorcery is placed on the target (whichever comes first).

You can overcharge this ritual; for every +18 additional Ritual Power you use when you perform the ritual, it can affect +1 additional target.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Reward you for holding an event!

Anselt’s Bounteous Hearth

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Enterprise), Prismatic, Event
  • Ritual Power: 10 or more
  • Casting Time: 2 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Druathan Prismatica, Vallarian Prismatica

The cost of this ritual is tripled if it is performed outside of Veilguard.

You must hold a feast or potluck after this ritual is performed and before the end of the current event; if you do, and nobody dies in the process, one character who helped coordinate or prepare the feast (or a target chosen by the ritualists as the guest of honor at the feast) gains +6 Levels to their Enterprise for the next Round of Downtime, or +8 if the feast served food to at least 40 people.

The leader of this ritual must report the target(s) who gain this boon to Wheelhouse once the feast has been concluded. After a target is chosen to receive this boon, the effects of this ritual last until the end of the next Round of Downtime or another Enterprise Sorcery is placed on the target (whichever comes first).

You can overcharge this ritual; for every +8 additional Ritual Power you use when you perform the ritual, it can affect +1 additional target. Any additional targets must be chosen from amongst those who helped coordinate or prepare the feast.

Prismatic effect: If the mages performing this ritual have amongst their number mastery of both the Vallarian and Druathan Prismatica ritual lists, the bonus Levels to the targeted Enterprises are increased by +2.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Buff your allies!

Burn Brightly As The Sun

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 35
  • Casting Time: 5 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Alethian Vitae

You target one character with this ritual, who must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

This ritual can only target a character with the Mystic or Arcanist Abilities.

The size of the target’s Mana Pool is increased by +2.

The target’s maximum Hit Points are increased by +2.

The effects of this ritual last until the end of the event or another Personal Sorcery is placed on the target (whichever comes first).

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Buff your allies!

Majesty Of Flowing Steel

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 6 or more
  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Ritual Lists: Vallarian Sanguis

You target one character with this ritual, who must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

This ritual can only target a character with the Warrior Ability.

The target gains the Armsmaster Ability.

The effects of this ritual last until the next sunrise or another Personal Sorcery is placed on the target (whichever comes first).

You can overcharge this ritual; for every +2 additional Ritual Power you use when you perform the ritual, it can affect +1 additional target.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Buff your allies!

Somber Shroud Of Creeping Dread

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 10 or more
  • Casting Time: 2 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Bakharan Potentia

You target one character with this ritual, who must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

This ritual can only target a character with one of the Mystic or Arcanist Abilities.

The target can cast the Repulsing Curse Spell as if they knew it.

One time per day the target can cast the Repulsing Curse Spell without spending any resources.

The effects of this ritual last until the end of the event or another Personal Sorcery is placed on the target (whichever comes first).

You can overcharge this ritual; for every +8 additional Ritual Power you use when you perform the ritual, it can affect +1 additional target.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Buff your allies!

Abyssal Blade Of The Graveknight

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 10 or more
  • Casting Time: 2 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Bakharan Sanguis

You target one character with this ritual, who must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

This ritual can only target a character with the Warrior Ability.

The target gains the ability to spend 2 Valor when they strike an enemy with a Light or Medium Weapon to call Weakness on their target.

The effects of this ritual last until the end of the event or another Personal Sorcery is placed on the target (whichever comes first).

You can overcharge this ritual; for every +8 additional Ritual Power you use when you perform the ritual, it can affect +1 additional target.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Area effect spells!

Deathly Peal Of The Shepherd’s Bell

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 60
  • Casting Time: 5 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Druathan Potentia

You target one character with this ritual, who must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

This ritual can only target a character with one of the Mystic or Arcanist Abilities who knows how to cast the Turn Evil Spell.

Once before the end of the event, the target can call out “By My Voice, Mass Turn” to inflict the Turn Call effect on any enemies who can hear their voice. The Turn effect is centered on the target, if there is any kind of effect based on the location of the person making the Call relative to its target(s).

It is highly recommended that the target inform the Referees and Wheelhouse team of which Skirmish or Battle they intend to use this ability in, so that they can have a chance to brief the opposing side and let them know to expect the call and respond appropriately to it.

The effects of this ritual last until the target uses the granted ability, the end of the event, or another Personal Sorcery is placed on the target (whichever comes first).

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Artillery spells!

Meteor Strike

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 8 or more
  • Casting Time: 30 seconds
  • Ritual Lists: Astral Codex

You target one of the casters of this ritual when you cast it. Once within the next 30 minutes, that character can call “Meteor,” throwing a large projectile (i.e. a dodgeball) that explodes on impact. This effect fades immediately if the target passes through the Godscore Gate.

The projectile immediately drops any humanoid creature it directly hits to 0 Hit Points, and any humanoid creatures within 2 yards of its impact point are knocked to the ground as if by a Crush effect and take 1 Hit Point of damage. Non-humanoid creatures affected may take more or less damage, depending on what they are. Shields and weapons do not stop the effect of the projectile if they are hit.

You can overcharge this ritual; for every +6 additional Ritual Power you use when you perform the ritual, it affects +1 additional target. All additional targets must be chosen from among the casters of the ritual.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Curses!

Mirthful Fae Malice

  • Ritual Type: Curse (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 4 or more
  • Casting Time: 1 minute
  • Ritual Lists: Arcanum Progenia (all deities’ lists)

Only a character of Fae Lineage (Spring Fae, Summer Fae, Autumn Fae, Winter Fae) can perform this ritual.

You place a minor Curse upon someone, chosen from the following possible roleplaying effects:

  • Fishlips: Every time the target kisses someone it will feel like they are kissing a cold, dead fish.
  • Llama Mouth: The target can only speak with the bray of a llama. They cannot say any words; anything they attempt to say (other than the Calls for non-Spell effects they use) comes out as a llama’s bray.
  • Crabfist: The target cannot spread their fingers, and must pinch things instead of grasping them.
  • … and many more

Each additional +3 Ritual Power you spend when casting this ritual increases the number of characters you can Curse with it by +1.

Unlike most Curses, this one can be applied to a character multiple times; each new application of the Curse must have a different effect on the target, chosen from the list above. You can only apply this Curse to a given character once per casting of the ritual, however.

A character can remove this Curse from themselves by spending 15 minutes inside an area of holy ground created by the Hallow ritual.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Crafting stuff!

O-Del’s Ironbound Focus

  • Ritual Type: Sorcery (Personal)
  • Ritual Power: 15 or more
  • Casting Time: 2 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Bakharan Factoria

You target one character with this ritual, who must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

This ritual can only target a character who has the Enchanter ability.

The target can craft an item they know the formula for overnight. The item crafted while under the effects of this ritual has charges remaining as if it were crafted during the previous Round of Downtime.

A character can only benefit from either this ritual or Anvil, Forge, And Grindstone once per event.

The effects of this ritual last until the end of the event, another Personal Sorcery is placed on the target, or they successfully craft an item overnight (whichever comes first).

You can overcharge this ritual; for every +12 additional Ritual Power you use when you perform the ritual, it can affect +1 additional target.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Lore dumps!

Harmonious Chorus Of Order

  • Ritual Type: Divination
  • Ritual Power: 20
  • Casting Time: 2 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Alethian Auguria

Choose a city, town, village, or other settlement or population center. You can choose to target a specific region within a settlement, such as a district or quarter, if the settlement is of a sufficiently large size.

You learn up to three pieces of information that are not commonly known about the chosen target, either it’s history or any interesting current events taking place within it.

You can instead choose to learn a detailed overview of what is commonly known about the target, though this may overlap with information that is obtainable elsewhere through less-magical means.

The information you gain from this ritual will take the form of dream visions shared by all participants in the ritual, delivered over the next few months (i.e. during the next Round of Downtime). If you specify what kind of information you are seeking during the ritual there is a higher likelihood of receiving it, though doing so does tend to reduce the number of pieces of information you receive.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Intelligence gathering!

Misano’s Cunning Vision

  • Ritual Type: Divination
  • Ritual Power: 30
  • Casting Time: 5 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Vallarian Auguria

Choose an enemy force that you know will be involved in a conflict (i.e. a battle or skirmish) during the current event.

You gain a summary of that force, it’s capabilities and weaknesses, and any known objectives it has for the coming conflict.

This information may not be immediately available when you register the ritual with Wheelhouse; if you know before an event that you will be performing this ritual targeting a specific force, you are encouraged to inform the Wheelhouse team beforehand in order to give them time to write a proper summary for you to receive during the event.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Uncover secrets!

Zur’s Whispering Birds

  • Ritual Type: Divination
  • Ritual Power: 30
  • Casting Time: 5 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Oruunari Auguria

Choose an NPC character or organization.

You learn up to three pieces of information about the chosen target, in the form of overheard conversations or spied-upon events that occur over the next Round of Downtime.

The information you gain from this ritual will take the form of dream visions shared by all participants in the ritual, delivered over the next few months (i.e. during the next Round of Downtime). If you specify what kind of information you are seeking during the ritual there is a higher likelihood of receiving it, though doing so does tend to reduce the number of pieces of information you receive.

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So What Can Rituals DO?!

  • Quest Prompts!

Selenir’s Guiding Star

  • Ritual Type: Divination
  • Ritual Power: 30
  • Casting Time: 5 minutes
  • Ritual Lists: Druathan Auguria

You target one character with this ritual, who must be present for the entire performance of the ritual.

You petition Selenir, the Saint of Exploration, to aid the target in finding a new path towards their goal. After you register this ritual with Wheelhouse, one of the following things will happen:

  1. The target will receive a map in their packet at the start of the next event, giving information that may be useful to them in some fashion.
  2. The target will receive a map in their packet at the start of the next event, detailing the location of something interesting and/or lucrative, which they can send a Military Unit to perform the Delve Action to retrieve in a subsequent Round of Downtime.
  3. During the next event, the target will receive a quest to explore an area via a special Skirmish, receiving a reward upon successful completion of the quest.

The target may specify which of the three options they would prefer when you register the ritual, but is not guaranteed to receive their preferred outcome. If the target has some specific interest that they would like the result of the ritual to focus on, please include that information when you register this ritual with Wheelhouse.

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Recap

  • Rituals are powerful and versatile, but require planning and teamwork
  • Double check your math!
  • We’ll have references available if you’re not sure of what you can do
  • If you’re uncertain, check with Wheelhouse before you perform a ritual
  • Work together with other ritualists to achieve your goals
  • Enjoy the roleplay of being a mage!

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Fin