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View Full Version : Dark Heresy: Learning Sorcery (PEACH)



Surrealistik
2011-03-19, 11:01 AM
Learning or developing new Arcana is an iterative process that typically requires painstaking prolonged study, research and experimentation.

Difficulty Modifiers: The Difficulty of all Tests described below is increased by 1 step per 5 points of the Threshold of the Arcana to be learned, and by an additional 1 step if that Arcana is Major. While anyone may learn Arcana in this way, only Daemons, Warp Entities, and those with the Sorcerer and/or Master Sorcerer Talents (Disciples of the Dark Gods, Page 117) may actually utilize learned Arcana. Characters with the Sorcerer Talent reduce the Difficulty of these Tests by 1 step, while those with the Master Sorcerer Talent reduce their Difficulty by 2 steps, reflecting the impact of their superior skill, knowledge and mastery over the Dark Arts; only the highest of these reductions from the Sorcerer Talents applies.


Costs: When you set out to learn an Arcana, you must pay its XP cost as normal. If you abandon learning the Arcana, you regain this XP. If you successfully learn the Arcana, this XP is gone forever. If you learn an Arcana after a total number of Tests as below equal to half its Threshold value / 5 or fewer (round down), or equal to this number if learning a major Arcana, you regain half this XP cost due to your effortless mastery.


Learning Arcana: In order to fully and successfully learn an Arcana, the character must accumulate a total number of successes and degrees of success from Easy (+30) Forbidden Lore(Warp) and/or Routine (+20) Scholastic Lore(Occult) Tests which equal or exceed that Arcana's Threshold divided by 5 (round up). If the Arcana being studied is Major, double the total required. Subtract each failure and degree of failure on these Tests from the total successes and degrees of success accumulated towards learning an Arcana to a minimum of 0. At the GM's discretion, certain useful referential materials, such as Malefic Codexes (Disciples of the Dark Gods, Page 120) may provide a bonus to these Tests. With the completion of this step, the Arcana is learned and may be used as normal by the character.


Time Required: For every 5 points of the Arcana's Threshold, either Test requires 1d5 hours of study to complete. If the Arcana being studied is Major, the Test requires double the normal amount of time to complete. The duration of either Test may be spread out over any number of days, but at least 1 hour of continuous study must be completed each day. The character subtracts his Intelligence Bonus, and the number of degrees of success on the Test from the total number of hours required to complete it, to a minimum of 1 hour.


Consequences: Whether or not a Forbidden Lore(Warp) or Scholastic Lore(Occult) Test made towards learning an Arcana is successful, at its conclusion, the character must make an Easy (+30) Willpower Test as the baleful nature of the knowledge gained through the character's malign scholarship exerts a corrosive effect on his psyche and soul. The Difficulty of this Willpower Test decreases by 1 step per degree of success on either of these Skill Tests, representing his astute mastery of the profane and the slight measure of protection this extent of understanding affords. On a failure, and for each degree of failure on the Willpower Test, the character gains 1 Corruption and Insanity Point, doubling this amount if the Arcana is Major.

Ranos
2011-03-20, 09:51 AM
Under those rules, I understand that all the sorcerer needs to acquire every power in the book is some time ? Seems pretty damn powerful.

Or is this in addition to having to pay XP to buy arcana talents from your career path ?

Surrealistik
2011-03-20, 10:33 AM
Yeah, I should probably clarify that.

You have to pay the XP costs as normal. However, I think there should be a reward for performing exceptionally well on these tests; perhaps halving the XP cost of the Arcana.

What do you think of the time required to make a test? Should it be longer? Shorter? 1d10 hours per 5 Threshold? 1d5 days? What?

Ranos
2011-03-20, 01:02 PM
My first impression was to say it was probably a bit shortish, especially considering that the Rogue Trader rules for sorcery in Edge of the Abyss require 2d10 weeks - Int mod.

But then, the rogue trader rules do seem to take an excessively long time to me. Plus, the doubled study times and increased difficulties for major arcanas in your rules make them appropriately harder to acquire. Yeah, the time seems fine.