While I'm working on my follow-up post to "Some Changes For Last Things Last", I thought I'd tide things over with a few rituals I've recently put together. The N@TO Discord server is currently running its annual Alphabet Contest (albeit as a "Jam", due to it lacking a panel of judges this year). These rituals are for my scenario entry, "H is for Heliophobia" - set in 2000s Greece and involving a bevy of factions in the European and Near Eastern occult undergrounds.
I'll likely post some play-reports when I get round to playtesting it, along a link to the full scenario's Google Docs page when I'm done. In the meantime, here's some new rituals:
CONSORT OF ENLIGHTENMENT
Complex ritual. Study time: weeks; 1D4 SAN. Activation: an hour; 12 WP, 1 SAN.
This ritual, often appearing in relation to Tantric traditions, uses prayers to Tsathoggua and lengthy, exhausting acts of ritualistic sex to align the operator’s mind with the higher mysteries of existence. Despite the nature of the ritual, this act of sex appears as a purely utilitarian method of achieving spiritual enlightenment. Attraction between the operator and any assistants is not required.
Whilst listed as requiring sexual congress between two individuals, this ritual can be performed in a masturbatory form - but the ritual will count as Flawed, incurring a -20% to the Ritual Activation roll.
Additionally, the ritual being performed with an assistant has an additional benefit - the operator can share the WP cost with their sexual partner/s (albeit this costs 0/1 SAN to the Unnatural for the assistant, as the operator bellows and chants inhuman prayers to the “Sleeper of N'kai” mid-coitus). Theoretically, this ritual can be performed with up to three assistants, reducing the cost to 3 WP each.
If all of the assistants involved have learned this ritual, this grants a +20% to the Ritual Activation roll.
If the ritual succeeds, the operator gains great insight into hypergeometry. They receive a +20% to any Ritual Activation or Unnatural rolls for 1D4 + 2 days. This ritual’s bonus can be “stacked” to a +40% by performing it again before the duration expires. However, this does not extend the duration of the bonus.
Alternate Names: Karmamudrā, Maithuna, Invoke The Tumescence Of The Horned Toad.
OPINT - QUESTION OF CONSENT
The original version of this ritual, or at least what inspired it, was the “Keenness of Two Minds Alike” from Call of Cthulhu 6e, which was explicitly incestuous and frequently seen used in an abusive context. It is up to the Handler’s discretion whether this ritual can be used non-consensually. If your players are comfortable with such topics, perhaps it can. But it can just as easily require the consent of assistants.
OPINT - CRITICALS AND FUMBLES
On a critical success, the operator doubles the duration of the ritual’s bonus. Additionally, any assistants who participated in the ritual learn how to perform it in a bout of spiritual communion with the operator.
On a fumble, the operator attunes too deeply with Tsathoggua and suddenly vomits up a torrent of foul-smelling, black bile. Any assistants participating in the ritual lose 1/1D4 SAN to Helplessness, while the operator loses 1D4 CON and becomes sexually impotent until they heal back to their original CON score via “Improve Stat or Skill” Home Scenes or other methods (such as the Healing Balm ritual).
HE WHO OPENS THE WAY
Simple ritual. Study time: days; 1D6 SAN. Activation: varies; 6 WP, 1 SAN.
This ritual shifts a section of stone, rock, brick, concrete, rubble or similar material to open a passageway. It can also seal off an existing passageway if enough loose material is present (especially if this ritual was already used to create the passageway in question). Despite the volume of material being moved by this ritual, it is disconcertingly quiet - creating only the rasp of rock softly scraping against rock.
The archetypal example of this ritual is the Tomb of Jesus or Polyphemus' Cave, where a large rock is "rolled" in front of a tunnel - sealing it closed or opening it. However, it could also be used to excavate a collapsed mine shaft, bore a hole through concrete or seal a doorway with a pile of loose bricks.
To open a passageway with this ritual, the operator must first carve a series of geometric designs into the surface they wish to "open". With the advent of modern power tools, this only takes a proficient operator around five minutes. Else it’s an hour’s work with a chisel, halved with a Craft (Masonry) roll. Once the carved shapes are present, even if from a prior use of this ritual, the operator prays to Yog-Sothoth, the Opener of the Way for two rounds and shifts up to ten cubic metres of material. Passageways have excellent (but mundane) structural integrity, commiserate with the material used.
To seal a passageway, the operator prays to Yog-Sothoth as they gesture the geometric configurations in the air. Similarly, this takes two rounds and shifts up to ten cubic metres of material to create the seal. Additionally, once the blockage has formed in the passageway it has the exact same geometric designs already carved onto its surface.
Anyone with Unnatural 20%, or who succeeds a roll, understands the nature of the carvings the ritual leaves behind, and the existence of a passageway behind it. The Voorish Sign ritual also reveals this. Someone with the Elder Sign ritual can deface the carvings (at the cost of 4 WP and 2 SAN) immediately causing the blockage to crumble into dust and revealing the passageway hidden behind it. (of note, defacing the ritual’s geometric designs without the use of the Elder Sign ritual has no effect, beyond forcing the operator to carve them all over again to reopen the passageway).
Alternate Names: Unseal The Saviour’s Tomb, Entrap The Nemean Lion, Folly Of The Cyclopes (particularly devious Handlers could also rename the ritual “Create Stone Gate”).
OPINT - NAMES TO SAY, WAYS TO PAY
For operators who don't wish to spend a full 12 WP to open and close a passageway, they can substitute HP for WP. This HP can come from a willing participant, such as the operator or an assistant, or from a human sacrifice. The operator must carve the geometric designs into the sacrifice and use their blood to paint the same shapes onto the passageway, or gesture them in the air with a bloody hand.
OPINT - CRITICALS AND FUMBLES
On a critical success, the operator creates a far more efficient and permanent passageway that now only costs 3 WP (and 0/1 SAN to the Unnatural) to open and unseal. Additionally, defacing it now requires a permanent version of the Elder Sign (necessitating a Craft (Type) skill of 20%, 1D6 SAN and 2 POW).
On a fumble, the operator seals their hand in the wall. Freeing the operator requires re-casting the ritual, amputation (2D6 DMG, halved with a Surgery roll) or a chisel and a DEXx5 roll or Craft (Masonry) 20%.
CONTAGIOUS MALEDICTION
Simple ritual. Study time: days; 1D6 SAN. Activation: two turns; 20 WP, 1D8 SAN.
This ritual is malicious contagious magic, in which the operator ingests a sample of DNA from their target, such as a clump of hair, tooth or cup of urine, and inflicts a powerful and deadly curse upon them.
The ritual takes two turns, with the first being the ingestion of the DNA sample (such as eating a piece of skin, breathing the smoke created by burning hair or swallowing a powdered tooth), and the second being loud chants invoking the destructive wrath of Azathoth, the Daemon Sultan. These chants can be joined by up to three assistants, who must pay the full 1D8 SAN cost along with 5 WP each.
Irrespective of distance, the target loses 1D20 HP and 1/1D8 SAN to the Unnatural as they undergo multiple organ failure. If the target survives, any CONx5 roll made against Permanent Injury is at -40%.
The only way the target can protect themselves from this ritual, short of avoiding having a sample of their DNA obtained by the operator, is to be in the vicinity of an Elder Sign. This is one of few situations where an Elder Sign tattoo would be useful - permanently protecting the target against the ritual.
Alternate Names: Foulest Kolossoi, Corp-Criadhach, Ox-Hour Shrine-Visit.
OPINT - NAMES TO SAY, WAYS TO PAY
This ritual is particularly useful as an “insurance policy” - getting a piece of DNA from your target gives you a permanent kill-switch to use against them if they ever try to double-cross you. However, it’s difficult to prove the efficacy of this threat, short of killing or crippling your target with it.
As such, a variant use of this ritual is to drive the point home by hurting, but not killing, your target. This still requires the consumption of the DNA sample, but only costs 9 WP and 1D4 SAN. Meanwhile, the target loses 1D6 HP and 0/1D6 SAN to the Unnatural from agonising abdominal pains and migraines.
Subsequently, it’s useful to “stockpile” several samples of your target/s DNA in cold storage for multiple uses of this ritual. Especially as it’s possible they could feasibly survive your “kill-switch” if they’re lucky.
OPINT - CRITICALS AND FUMBLES
On a critical success, the target either loses the maximum amount of HP or, optionally, suffers from of the Other Critical Hits (Agent’s Handbook, pg 22), such as being Stunned, Disarmed or knocked Prone.
On a fumble, the operator and all assistants are targeted by the ritual instead, as the Blind Idiot God misinterprets their prayers as a desire for annihilation - so that they may join his Court forevermore.
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