Abilities & Attributes

There’s both an art and a science to a good rite. You’ve studied not only the techniques and trappings of ritual practices but also the symbolic, psychological, and metaphysical principles behind the big show. In general, this Talent reflects a familiarity with rituals appropriate to your spiritual or magickal pursuits; a Catholic priest understands the various Church ceremonies, whereas an Eleusinian priestess knows her way around Greek mystery rites. Beyond that knowledge, though, you understand not only the rituals of your chosen practice but also possess a gift for staging rituals in general.

Game-wise, the High Ritual Skill allows you to plan and execute rituals. A successful roll (typically Manipulation or Charisma + High Ritual) lets your character perform or support anything from a wedding feast to a mystic rite. This roll’s difficulty depends upon your character’s familiarity with the practice in question: simple rites in his cultural tradition would be easy, and elaborate rituals in a foreign practice would be pretty damned hard. A successful High Ritual roll might reduce the difficulty of a magickal working, whereas a blown one might add to the difficulty instead. (See below.)

Certain Effects that would probably be considered vulgar magick might be considered coincidental if performed during a successful and appropriate ritual. An Awakened evangelist, for example, could effectively lay on hands or drive out demons during a potent Christian rite – such a setting encourages belief in such events. Although this sort of thing should not be taken for granted, a skillful ritualist can expand the bounds of possibility and evoke apparent miracles. Note that this Talent does not “stack” with the Blatancy Talent. A character with both must choose one or the other, not use both at one time.

For the rules about modifying magick rolls with Abilities, see Mundane Skills and Magickal Effects in Chapter Ten, (pp. 532-535). For details about rituals and belief, see Coincidental Magick vs. Vulgar Magick, and Rituals, Rolls, and Extended Successes, also in Chapter Ten, (pp. 530-532 and 538-543).

• Novice: You could plan a wedding, call the corners, or recite the Stations of the Cross.

•• Practiced: Your parties and rites earn respect from your community.

••• Skillful: Beyond your familiarity with specific rituals, you’ve begun learning about other practices as well.

•••• Expert: An acclaimed priest or priestess, you’ve got a knack for powerful ceremonies and a broad understanding of specific ritual techniques.

••••• Master: You’ve mastered not only the rites of your culture but many ritual practices of other cultures too. So potent is your knowledge that you could make atheists into believers.

Possessed By

Clergy, Occultists, Entertainers, High Magicians, Showboating Frauds, Comparative Religion Specialists, Ritual Mages, Citizen Evangelists, Party Planners, Church or Funeral Directors

Suggested Specialties

High Mass, Obscure Rituals, Spontaneous Rituals, Secular Ceremonies, Music Concerts, Impossible Miracles, specific cultural rites (Jewish, Catholic, Satanic, Voudoun, etc.)