Kerisian Kult

What the #!$% is spellcasting components?

To be honest, I suddenly want to jump in to Indonesian TTRPG Blogwagon without myself feeling FOMO and have something to talk about. wkwkwk

"Wkwk" is how Indonesians saying LOL

This is also a reactionary and maybe additions to Isaac's thoughts on Indonesian Magic System. It's such a cool take to re-imagined how magic system work. Yes, a Spellcasting as an Adventure can be good way to "earn" magical abilities. (Tbh it's a good game jam title too wkwk)

I did some digging and found out that perhaps Whitehack can facilitate this type of magic. I never played it before, I just read it from Here and Here

The Spellcasting Component

I have to agree where D&D spellslot is a way to simplified magic and make it more instantaneous. But, the downside that it felt like superpowers rather than magic. So what can be used from D&D magic to feel more unique? Well, the spell components are interesting way to incorporate diegetic play.

Some of you might know what is V,S,M Components are

Is it more than that? How about the location when you want to perform a spellcasting? How about a behavior or attitudes in your daily life that need to be changed in order to cast spell? or maybe which deity to worship, to be praised and not be angered? and at what cost?

V - S - M - L - B - E - R - T

Verbal, Somatic, Materials, Location, Behavior, Entity, Risk, Time

Verbal... or Not.

Some spell requires you to recite mantras, incantation, or a magical language like rune or something. Some need to be perfectly uttered, some can be vague and just encompass the idea of a word or meaning. Some are perhaps just in other language that you might not understand.

Somatic

Hand gestures? What about performances? Some ritual is performed via dancing to summon spirits, some through the acts of showing off a move in martial art. (In Indonesia, They said that the spirit of a warrior or martial art practitioner can make a possessed person to move as they are showing off a combat stances)

Materials

Offerings, sacrifices, ingredients ranging from something easy like chicken feet or entrails, to things that are hard to acquire like a bamboo shoot that are sprouting on a full moon. To something that are TOTALLY ABSURD...

I would like to mention, you tried to buy this off in a shop but suddenly you realized the offering is declined by the entity during the ritual. Maybe the seller don't sell you the real stuff, maybe he just sell you the regular bamboo shoot instead wkwk. (This happened to my friend once)

Location

I do feel that Indonesian magic is performed on a very specific place. Rituals are taking place in graveyard, on a stone monolith at the mountains, under a banyan tree, inside a cave, etc. If you want something that are more urban, then perhaps an abandoned house where there's a murder that took place or maybe near the train tracks where accidents happens.

Sometimes the location is also symbolism to what you want to summon/called upon. If it sea goddess you want to do it at sea or beach, if it a wood spirits maybe under the banyan tree, if it fire and earth maybe on a volcano, and so on...

Behavior

Ah yes, why behavior? In Indonesian mysticism, magic is not something that you can cast and just called it a day. Go to sleep the next morning and performed again after. There's some strict rules, like fasting or Pantangan (Prohibitions).

Some rituals or spells sometimes requires fasting or fasting on particular food. for example, Puasa Mutih (White Fasting) is basically eating things that are considered "white", such as rice, water, egg whites, milk, and white bread.

Some is also behavior that contradictory to others types. Such as Puasa Wicara (Speech Fasting) that are abstaining from talking or avoid spoken communication altogether. Imagine that you cannot talk in order to attune to a spell, but locking you out from other spell that requires you to recite mantra.

Prohibitions such as lifestyle changes; cannot have sex, cannot drink alcohol, cannot be angry (maintaining emotions), or even cannot harm others. (it does have a bit of semblance to Hacksaw Ridge?)

And all of these behavior is often tied to the Time, how long should it be performed, etc.

Entity

Spellcasting is not yours, it is bound by the universe. You are borrowing the power from entities. Those entities have their own needs, agendas, likes, desires, dislikes, moods, personalities, etc. Maybe they also have power restriction, because they are just local spirits, or maybe they are highly powerful that their blessing works on any realms.

Some entities can also be rivals to other entities, imagine that the water spirits and fire spirits had a long rivalry. And they would not going to give you power if you side with their rivals. But yet, we can imagine that we could build a truce, or diplomatic resolutions between the two.

Risk

Oh boy, what happens if you don't fulfill the rituals? or what happens if you make pact with other rival entities? Is the risk is immediate, or not. Is it just a bad luck looming over your shoulder? or a grotesque death of your family / party member is something that had to do with the ritual?

Time

This is the duration of the casting or the ritual to take place. Can also lasts for a very long time maybe months or years, or even a lifetime.

Additional: Spellbreaking

If a spellcasting is performed for a long time, maybe there's a way to break it too. Maybe you know that there's this guy that never took a bath for a very long time, yet he is known to never bleed by being slashed or pierced. Maybe he was prohibited to wash himself? or avoids water? otherwise he will lose his magical ability. I do believe there's a weakness or a way to break the spell after all. Such hint can spark the players curiosity to try things and exploit.

Food for thought

I guess its hard to simplify this type of spellcasting, but i do agree that Zedeck Pact-Price-Procedure procedure is enough to convey players how the spellcasting/rituals should be done. The most gameable way that i can think of is maybe creating an adventure that revolves around spellcasting and make it as a Spellcasting as an Adventure / Module.