Way of Spirit

The Way of Spirit is based on the manipulation of souls, spirits and their dimension of reality – Limbo. This Way upholds the soul – the only eternal substance – as the most real component of existence and, as such, that which is at the basis of everything. Enlightenment, therefore, lies in grasping the soul of all things. This pursuit invariably leads to the exploration of Limbo, the Realm In-Between and passageway of all souls, as well as of the free spirits that inhabit it and the secrets of life and death. For this, those who practice the Way of Spirit are known as necromancers.

At low levels, the Way of Spirit manifest as communicating and even controlling lesser spirits, using them to gather information and even aid the necromancer in combat. This contact furthermore grants them the ability to employ auras of cold and decay to corrode living matter. Control of the soul – their own and those of others – also allows necromancers to reanimate and control the dead. At high levels, necromancers can employ soul energy in devastating attacks, or attack the souls of others directly. They may even open gateways to Limbo, becoming a living embodiment of the grave, allowing them to store and unleash hordes of undead and employing the chill of the grave against their targets. Those at the pinnacle of the Way of Spirit may even cheat death, either through resurrection, or by splitting their soul into new vessels.

## **Spell Effects**

### **Ordinary**

At ordinary attainment, you gain the ***Grave Sight***, allowing you to peer into the realm of *Limbo* at-will. While your ***Grave Sight*** is active, you will perceive the world as gray, devoid of color, but you will be able to see in the dark as if it were dimly lit. You will be able to see through the {Intangibility} of Spirits, as well as the remnant energies of those who recently died as dense, colorful mist. The mist will appear denser if the death was more recent and grow in size with the number of people who have recently died at that location. If a creature has only been dead for 6 seconds or less, you will instead be able to see their soul. The soul will be a Spirit version of said creature, retaining all the memories and mental attributes. It will be in a state of stupor, being unable to lie, but may still resist certain lines of questioning. In such cases, so long as the soul can speak the language used to question it, they will be able to answer one question before departing from Limbo.

Additionally, you gain extra Gambit Slots.

**Casting Time:** 1 Action
**Range:** Sight
**Duration:** Instantaneous

You mystically lock unto the soul of a target that you can see. Make a 2C Spell attack against Glamour. On a hit, you lock onto the soul of a target, allowing you to treat them as a Spirit for the purposes of targeting them with your spells and abilities.
**Duration:** 2 Turns
***Enhancement Effect***

A spell with this effect inflicts living creatures with the dread of true death. Make a contest, using your Spell-Casting Attribute, against the target’s Glamor. If you win the contest, the target is infected with ***Fear*** of you, becoming unable to willingly come closer to you and having disadvantage on any Draws performed against you. An infected target is entitled to repeat the contest at the end of every turn.
**Casting Time:** 1 action
**Range:** Touch
**Duration:** Instantaneous

You employ the chill of the grave against a target within range, dealing 2C freeze damage against Physique.
***Enhancement Effect***

A spell with this effect is imbued with a corrosive power, dealing an extra 1C necrotic damage against Physique to creatures and objects within its range. Organic matter will rapidly decay and wither when in contact with a spell with this effect. When applied to a non-instantaneous spell, it will deal damage at the beginning of every turn to creatures within the boundaries of said spell.
**Casting Time:** 1 action
**Range:** Sight
**Duration:** Instantaneous

You imbue corpses within range with a mimicry of life, reanimating them as mindless undead, hostile to the living. If you target a corpse with this effect, it will have the same physical Attributes and abilities it had when it was alive, plus those added by either the {Zombie} or {Skeleton} templates (your choice), but will have its mental attributes set to 0. If a special template exists for that creature, the GM may allow you to use that one instead. If you target a messy pile of remains, you may instead create a number of undead creatures or undead horde of your choice whose total Size does not exceed that of the pile. You can only affect a volume of remains that would fit within a 2-meter square. This effect cannot target (-Purified-) remains.
**Duration:** 1 day
***Enhancement Effect***

A Spirit or Undead creature that is affected by a spell with this effect must win a Glamor contest against the caster’s Spell-Casting Attribute or become ***Charmed*** for duration of this effect, seeing them as a master to whom they are wholly devoted. Unless the target is mindless, they are entitled to repeat the contest at the end of every turn.
If a spell with this effect creates an Undead, the effect instead renders the creatures under the control of the caster – it will follow your mental commands, issued as an Action. If you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one. You may also issue a general command, such as to move to a particular location, or perform a basic task. Once given an order, the creature will continue to follow it until its task is complete. If a creature has remained under this effect for the entirety of its duration, you may cast this effect on its own to reassert your control over them.
***Enhancement Effect***

A spell with this effect exorcises entities that are (-*Possessing-)* a creature or object within its range. The possessing entity is entitled to a Glamor contest against your Spell-Casting Attribute, resisting this effect on a win, and being ejected from its host on a loss. Furthermore, upon losing, the entity is projected up to a distance equal to two times your Spell-Casting Attribute in meters, and is then weakened until the end of their turn, losing half of its movement and gaining a -1 malus on Draws and Contests. If a target wins a contest against this effect at any point, they gain immunity from further attempts by that caster for the next three hours.
***Enhancement Effect***

A spell with this effect seals *Restrained* Spirits within an object in its range, imprisoning them. While sealed, the entity will be unable to use Actions and cannot move from their seal. You must stipulate conditions for the sealing, and for its release. These may be as convoluted and specific as you want, but must be equally so.

### **Master**

At master attainment, you gain the ability of speak the ***Language of the Dead***. This is a Mystical Language that can be understood and spoken by the Spirits and Undead This allows you to command the residual energies of the dead and exert authority over weaker Spirits, giving them orders which they feel compelled to follow. This can include minor tasks, such as fetching an object, interacting with a lever, cleaning, or spying information. More active uses include ordering them to grapple or attack a certain target. When controlling minor spirits or remnant energies in this fashion, these use your Glamor for any Draws that are called. When using them to gather information, or perform complex tasks, you may instead perform a ***Visionary Divination***. In any case, you may only give one order at a time, as an Action, using the ***Language of the Dead***, but you may do so to any number of creatures under your influence that can hear and understand you. Spirits of equal or higher Stratum are entitled to a Glamor contest against you to resist this effect every time it its attempted. If a creature is already under the control of someone else, you may wrest control over them by winning a Glamor contest against their controller.

Additionally, you gain additional Gambit Slots.

**Casting Time:**  1 Action
**Range:** Self
**Duration:** Concentration

You release a [Spiritual Aura], which is emitted up to 0 meters from you.
**Casting Time:** 1 Action
**Range:** Touch
**Duration:** 1 minute

You summon a spiritual projection of a deceased creature within range, creating a Shade of the target. The Shade will retain its special abilties, but will lack Intellect. Additionally, they will retain most of the target's memories, but will be unable to recall minucia or specific details, unless these left a deep impression on them. They will not possess any memory of the after-life. The Shade will maintain the allegiances the target had in life.
***Enhancement Effect***

***Enhancement Effect***

**Casting Time:** 1 Action
**Range:** Touch
**Duration:** Instantaneous

**Casting Time:** 1 action
**Range:** Touch
**Duration:** 1 hour

You imbue a deceased corpse, of someone who has died less than (3) days ago, with a shadow of un-life, allowing you ask them (3) questions. The corpse must answer truthfully, but has no knowledge of anything that happened after its death. However, it will recognize questions about things it has no awareness over, such as the future, and will attempt to respond. In doing so, you must perform a Q&A Divination. If you fail, the corpse is destroyed. After answering your questions, the coprse is destroyed.
**Casting Time:** 1 Action
**Range:** Touch
**Duration:** 1 minute

For the duration, you can probe and extract the memories of certain creatures. You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature - what is most on its mind in that moment. As an action, you can probe deeper into the creature's mind, making an Intellect contest against the target. If you win, you gain insight into a memory regarding its last thought. If the target succeeds on any of these contests, the spell ends. Questions verbally directed at the target, and presenting them with certain information or mementos, naturally shape the course of its thoughts. If the target knows that you are probing into its mind, they can use an action to make an Intellect contest against you, if it succeeds, the spell ends.
**Duration:** 1 minute

***Enhancement Effect***
Make a Spell-Casting Draw against the Glamor of a living creature targeted by a spell with this effect. On a hit, the target will be *paralyzed* for the duration. At the end of each of its turns, the target can attempt a Glamor contest against your Spell-Casting Attribute to free themselves from this effect.
**Upcasting.** The duration of this effect increases by 1 minute for every two extra Numen expended.

### **Grandmaster**

At Grandmaster attainment, you become a ***Gatekeeper***, enhancing your abilities and authority over Limbo:

* **Grave Sight.** Whilst your ***Grave Sight*** is active, you may *Concentrate* to activate a {Death Gaze} on a specific target that you can see. Whilst being targeted by your {Death Gaze} the target will take 8 necrotic damage at the beginning of every turn. You may expend Numen, as an Action, to perform an attack against the target of the {Death Gaze}, dealing 2C necrotic damage against Glamor for each Numen expended in this way. A target of lower Stratum that suffers a Critical Hit from your {Death Gaze} will instantly die.
* **Language of the Dead.** You may issue a single-word command using the ***Language of the Dead*** to a number of creatures you can see, making a Spell Attack against their Glamor. On a hit, a target will be forced to obey your command. A creature will automatically resist this effect if the issued command would obviously result in their death.
* **Authority.** Spirits and Undead will recognize your authority over Limbo at a glance, seeing you as someone noble, or of great importance. They may or may not aquiesce to your requests. Mindless Spirits and Undead will simply *Fear* you.

Additionally, you gain additional Gambit Slots.

***Enhancement Effect***

A spell with this effect will bear pale, ethereal flames that burn both flesh and spirit, dealing 2C mystical burn damage to Agility to a target on-contact. For every 10 damage dealt, the flames will continue to burn for an extra turn (minimum of 1) following contact, burning the target for 8 mystical burn damage against Physique at the beginning of every turn. If a spell bears a [Mystical Area], the flames will fill the entire area and remain for the duration.
***Enhancement Effect***

***Enhancement Effect***

A spell with this effect will cause the target to temporarily forget a particular fact, the existence of an entity, or the events that occurred during a set span of time if certain conditions are met. You must set the conditions to forget and to remember said event, entity or span of time during the creation of a spell with this effect. These can be as contrived and specific as you want, but must be equally so. It is recommended to set these to be complete opposites for simplicity (i.e. "not seeing the entity" being the condition to forget it, and "having the entity in sight" being the condition to remember it), or to make them related in some fashion (i.e. "drinking a specific liquid" as a condition for forgetting, and "returning to the source of the liquid/where the liquid was drank" as a condition to remember).
1. When this effect would force a target to forget a specific fact, they will behave as if the notion or piece of information does not exist, but will still recognize it when directly presented with it.
2. When this effect would force a target to forget the existence of an entity, the target will be unable to perceive it directly, but will be able to notice the effects of its actions and recognize that it is being attacked if they are damaged by the entity.
3. When this effect would force a target to forget the events that happened during a span of time, they forget everything that happened in the last 8 hours. In any case, the target is entitled to a Glamor contest against your Spell-Casting ability to resist this effect.

**Casting Time:** 1 Action
**Range:** Touch
**Duration:** Instantaneous

You restore the condition of a target's soul, healing any damage inflicted on it. If the creature is being affected by a curse or a mind-altering effect, they may attempt an imediata contest to be freed from it, with advantage. If the creature's soul is not damaged, or they are not affected by a curse or mind-altering effect, their Condition is instead restored by 2C + your Spell-Casting Attribute.
***Enhancement Effect***

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### **Scion**

At scion attainment, you gain t

Additionally, you may add an Empyrean Card bearing at least one Numen symbol to your Gambit.

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