Mindcraft

On Mindcraft

A Lesson in History

In ancient times, there were but three types of magick: that of the priest, that of the sorcerer, and that of the runist. Then demons brought dark magick into the world - but that is another tale altogether - and upset the balance of the whole thing. Nobody likes balances if they're not, well, balanced, so dark magick was all but extinguished in a great crusade. But it had introduced interesting concepts to the world of magick. Dark magick employed a variety of new methods to do its work. It drew mainly on energy which the caster himself produced through exercising his darker passions; it fed on and manipulated emotion, and was geared primarily to subtly influencing other sentient beings.

In the end, dark magick diverted from this path - again, another tale - but its principles gave scholars of magick all sorts of interesting thoughts. One of these thoughts was to fight fire with fire. Although attempts to teach people dark magick in order to fight the traditional practitioners of that art succeeded only in delivering more people unto darkness, several important mages of the time theorized that a new style of magick could be built upon the dark art's principles, thus creating an effective weapon without the drawback of actually dealing with demons and defilement. Thus, the idea of mindcraft was born.

Nobody is completely sure how the style came into being in the end - apparently, demon fae came into it somewhere, but nobody knows why - but any scholar of magic can tell you how mindcraft was instrumental in defeating the users of dark magick and banning its use from Tazlure. Afterwards, the style was all but abandoned as a relic of the holy war, a successful experiment that had outlived its novelty and usefulness. But scholars and universities of magic kept its memory and practice alive, and one important group of people on Tazlure adopted the style as its own: the bards. This is how, slowly, mindcraft came to be known as Bardic Sorcery.

It is this obscurity and lack of tradition that prevents the practice of mindcraft from becoming so popular. Think of magick, and the average Tazlurian will automatically assume you speak of sorcery; discuss it with an elf and he will find his mind wandering towards runic magic. Bards themselves are notoriously silent on the subject, preferring their little edge to remain mysterious and secret.

Nevertheless, practice of mindcraft still exists. In recent years, it has even been flourishing; while this trend is inexplicable to most, some believe that the old guardians of mindcraft's lore fear the return of dark magick and the forces of darkness, and have begun training a new generation of mindcraftsmen in order to form a line of defense. Most people don't see it quite so bleakly, though, and figure that the relative unobtrusiveness of the magick style is the main reason why people are once again flocking to its practice.

ADVANCED

Demon Fae, Indeed

History whispers of the involvement of demon fae in the inception of mindcraft. And indeed, bards often warn their apprentices, before passing the mental art along, that demon fae will somehow be involved if they ever abuse their power. And as if that wasn't enough, rumours of disappearances and grisly deaths follow the practice of mindcraft around like a beggar would a sack of gold. The truth is that demon fae were indeed involved in the creation of mindcraft - very closely so, even. When the demons first spread the art of dark magick around Tazlure, they infected a group of otherwise peaceful fae with their tainted energy. Growing hideously twisted, these fae turned to dark ways but never joined the forces of darkness; it was one thing to defile their surroundings, quite another to outright destroy them. To be honest, the fae, now possessed of a malignant mischievousness, would rather torture the world and prolong its suffering than end it in what could even be explained as an act of mercy.

At the same time, scholars of magick were experimenting with dark magick, attempting to understand its principles in order to defeat it. Every time they got close, though, one of their own would succumb and actively start practicing the dark art, which invariable resulted in prosecution and always involved fire, oil, and a form of cleansing that left its recipient little more than a pile of ashes on a marble floor. One of the scholars eventually found out about the fae, and a bargain was made: the fae would lend their understanding of dark sorcery to the scholars.

Of course, as with all things demonic, there was a bargain involved - a very dark one, indeed. With their newfound understanding, the scholars eventually developed mindcraft. It was, as they had hoped, a powerful weapon against the followers of darkness, but it had one lethal flaw: its very nature tied it to the demon fae. They could exercise their wicked ways on mindcraftsmen, who were by nature now susceptible to them; a demon fae who could find someone trained in the art of mindcraft could look through his eyes, hear with his ears and taste with his mouth, and, if the taint in the person was great enough, could even control that person's thoughts. They had to find such a person, though. And a mindcraftsman whose mind isn't tainted in a demonic way is just like any other ordinary person to a demon fae, unless his mind is very closely scrutinized.

Over time, of course, the knowledge of this curse faded; today, the bard's warning of misuse being subject to the attention of demon fae is the closest anyone is to knowing the true nature and extent of the art's taint. That warning of misuse of the craft is perhaps overly dramatic; but rest assured, any who defile themselves enough will find that their use of mindcraft had an unexpected price, indeed.

The Variety of Practice

Of course, with mindcraft traditionally having two very different and separate groups of practitioners, interesting things are bound to occur. Bards are no sorcerers. Certainly, they can learn to employ mindcraft, but it is only to augment their ability as information gatherer and propagandist. Bards are by their very nature entertainers who value social skills and musical talent above scholarly matters. That's not to say they don't appreciate a good book; it just means they want to be able to have an interesting story to tell out of or about the book after they work it through. That a bard might learn mindcraft at all is simply because his skills and talents make them naturally suited to its art.

Traditional mindcrafters, however, are a far cry from the bard. Grim and disciplined, they have had to develop their minds and willpower to a great extent; because they can read and influence thought and emotion, they have no use for social skills; because they view meditation as a way of strengthening the mind, they lack the bard's drive for being among crowds and finding out all sorts of interesting things. Mindcrafters are silent, contemplative figures who often ponder the gray areas of morality and promote the development of the mind in general.

Imagine the look on one another's face, then, if a traditional bard meets a traditional mindcraftsman and the two find out what they have in common. The mindcraftsman will undoubtedly wonder how on earth such a frivolous character could ever learn his art and might even be worried about possible misuse on the bard's part; the bard, by contrast, will see the craftsman as extremely limited, learning the magick style without having the position or the wit to use it appropriately. It is exactly because their worlds are so different that the two groups rarely interact. Indeed, younger mindcraftsmen are often unaware that the bards sometimes use the same type of spellcraft. And similarly, many bards are unaware of the existence of the mindcrafters.

For the purpose of clarity, this document will from now on speak of the two groups as factions, and keep to set names for them. The rigid mindcrafters who practice the purer form are called the traditionalist faction, or traditionalists; those practitioners who come from the bardic side are called the bardic faction, or bards.

Basic Mindcraft

Mindcraft is the art of using one's mind and possibly one's voice in order to weave certain types of spells. While speaking is an important part of mindcraft, its use differs fundamentally from the way the voice is used in sorcery and faith magick. Additionally, mindcraftsmen practice their art in a much subtler way than any of the other types of magick: gestures are often minimized, and because the amount of energy used in a weaving is low and because most of it is generated by the crafter's own mind, practitioners of the art do not need to center, ground, or shield themselves.

Therefore, the definition of a mindcraftsman is: a spellcaster who employs energy from his own mental faculties to empower a spell using his will and mental prowess, and who delivers the spell by use of voice or eye contact. This means that, in order to be able to cast a spell, a crafter must either be able to make eye contact, or speak clearly and directly to his target.

And The Skills Are...

Magic: Mindcraft - The basic skill for the usage of mindcraft, and the only one actually required for casting. Basic mindcraft gives its user the power to perform minor readings and give one-word commands or suggestions, with each level improving the complexity of reading or suggestion. Additionally, Apprentice level allows the use of telepathy and telekinesis, and starting at Journeyman level, a mindcraftsman may employ eye contact instead of his voice to deliver the spell.

Magic: Manipulation of Energy - Being able to do mindcraft is fine and dandy, but unless the character is aided by an experienced mage, he cannot see the flow of energy around him. Mindcraftsmen who gain the Basic level of Manipulation find that they can perceive the flow of energy; a skilled practitioner of mindcraft can then use strands of human mental energy to power some of his spells, saving strain on his own mind.

Political Skills - Especially handy for bards, the political skill category contains such useful skills as conversation and public speaking. Nothing is more effective than someone able to weave the use of mindcraft into a normal conversation; when applied properly, the skills can keep uses of mindcraft from being detected and thus hide the true extent of the crafter's powers. Singing is another way of hiding mindcraft use.

Aura Perception - Often, being informed of a person's mental state allows for far more effective use of mindcraft on that person. Many crafters find that this skill comes naturally to them, since they are already quite in tune with the minds of men. Higher levels of Perception also allow the crafter to affect his target more profoundly in cases of suggestion or command

Empathy - Similarly, skill in empathy is a logical extension of the mindcraftsman's magick. Once your own mind is attuned to mental energies, picking up subtle signals from other people's mind is a very small step, indeed. Aside from aiding in appraisal of a person, higher levels of Empathy increase the effectiveness of a crafter's telepathic abilities.

Mental Resolve - Perhaps the most useful complementary skill for mindcraft, mental resolve raises a mindcraftsman's resistance to corrupting influences or the workings of other crafters. Higher levels also increase the effectiveness of any telekinetic abilities the crafter might have.

Faction Difference in Use

Returning to the two main factions who employ mindcraft, it should be noted that each have a different emphasis on which skills should be used to augment mindcraft. Bards clearly emphasize its power in the use of social situations. Few bards ever develop mindcraft to such an extent that it gives them telekinetic and telepathic powers; if they do, then they seldom use the telekinetic part of it. Instead, bards teach ways to augment the use of mindcraft in gathering information and convincing people. This means that, in addition to the mindcraft skill itself, they focus on political skills and, at the most, learn aura perception on the side.

Oddly enough, the one skill that both factions practice to an equal degree is Manipulation of Energy. Seen by both groups as a useful ace but not essential, Manipulation is often possessed by tutors and those who have advanced to the higher levels of mindcraft. The former group requires it to explain the flow of energy to young pupils of mindcraft; the latter often finds it handy to have a reserve of mental energy, since they are able to perform multiple weavings of draining spells.

The traditionalists, who as mentioned earlier keep to a much more rigid approach, often downplay mindcraft's social potential in favour of more practical uses. Reading minds, mental communication and telepathy are the hallmarks of a traditionalist crafter; when it comes to command and suggestion, they rarely attempt to hide their use of mindcraft, and tend to favour command over suggestion.

General Words on Duration

Most uses of mindcraft are instant. They take effect, and then dissipate. Sometimes though, the effect lingers on; illusion and telepathic link are but two examples. In that case, duration needs to be determined. And this is where one of mindcraft's weak spots kicks in. By its very nature, mindcraft magick is low-key and subtle. Because not much energy goes into its weavings, durations suffer. At basic level, duration effects last a minute if the caster is lucky, probably less. This may climb up to half an hour at best if the caster is a Master at mindcraft, but that's already pushing it.

Only support skills can improve duration. Mental Resolve aids in extending a spell's duration. Especially at the highest level, it can improve the duration to as much as a scene, or the equivalent of an hour or so. If the GM judges the caster to be particularly strong-willed, this time may even yet be expanded a little, but only a handful mindcraftsmen have ever been able to extend their weaving's duration even a few minutes over two hours.

ADVANCED

A Closer Look

Because mindcraft is such a subtle art, its effects are limited. That is to say, its powers can, in contrast to the other types of magick, be summed up under a small number of categories. Mindcraft is as powerful as any type of magick, as long as one realizes that part of that power lies in the fact that, of all magicks, it is the most subtle and possessed the most potential to be augmented by supporting skills. Each type of application of mindcraft will be looked at separately, with a few words on limitations, possibilities and hidden flaws and merits. The true extent of the powers is intentionally left vague, though; while I have tried to give a good idea of how powerful the application roughly is, it is my intention to leave some room for an (A)GM to work with. Customizing might, after all, be necessary to make the story fit the players. But that part is up to you.

Reading Minds

One of the most basic applications of mindcraft is reading minds. This option is already open to the beginning apprentice, who at Basic level gains the ability to read surface thoughts. As the mastery of mindcraft grows, so does the complexity of thoughts open to reading by the crafter. Indeed, the highest level of mindcraft almost makes the psychology skill irrelevant, since the complete depths of someone's mind may be read.

Do not think, though, that the ability to read deeper into a mind doesn't mean you can do it in the same time you could do a reading of surface thoughts. Digging deeply into someone's mind requires a great deal of time; digging all the way to the bottom might, especially for complex characters, take whole days or even weeks to achieve.

One aspect of mind reading that is easily overlooked is its use as an overture to the application of other uses of mindcraft. Especially powers such as suggestion and telepathy function much more effectively if the mind being affected isn't completely alien to the caster; especially in the case of lower levels of suggestion, it helps to make sure that the target isn't in the kind of mindset that would make the suggestion completely illogical - say, suggesting to a hedonist to leave the building just as he's starting to believe that the incredibly hot girl across the dance floor might be interested in him.

Also not to be underestimated is the crafter's own ability to augment this application without actually having to develop skills for it. If in conversation with the subject of the reading, a user might steer the conversation towards the subject he intends to read about. Often more effective than using mindcraft to outright force the target to speak the truth, a crafter can have the target think about the truth, and then read it while it's still conveniently on the surface. Because thought-reading is relatively simple and low-key in terms of energy usage, it doesn't require the use of voice at Basic or Apprentice levels of use. This means that almost always, the casting can be done by simply looking (or staring, in case of more powerful weavings) at the target. Only when employing mind reading at the very top of Master level does the caster find the need to employ his voice, in which case he must often whisper soothingly to his target, coaxing him to open his mind.

Suggestion and Command

Without a doubt the most useful tool in the repertoire of a mindcraftsman, suggestion and command give him the ability to directly influence another's actions. While both techniques work in about the same way, there are subtle differences between the two, which mainly come down to obviousness and outright potency.

Suggestion is the milder of the two. While targets are just as likely to perform a suggestion as they are a command, a suggestion doesn't impart a sense of urgency; instead, it weaves itself into the target's thought patterns, emerging as the most logical course of action. While this will seem natural to the target, it also means that he might ponder his options at his own leisure, which takes time. Also, unless this is incorporated into the suggestion itself or into the nature of the suggested activity, the target will never feel the need to hurry. If, for example, someone receives the suggestion to take a boat to the Western Kingdom, he will calmly consider his options, decide that the boat to the west is indeed the best idea, and book passage at the next convenient time. Unless that boat is going to leave in half an hour for the last time this century; in this case, the target would feel a sense of urgency, but that urgency is really just natural - the same he would feel if he realized that, five minutes before the shops close, he still needs to shop for Christmas.

The higher the level of mindcraft that the crafter possesses, the longer and more complex the suggestion might be. One confusing thing might be that the Basic level of mindcraft allows the caster to give one-word suggestions. How can you make one-word suggestions? Aren't they just commands? The answer here lies in the tone. If the word is pronounced much like a question, it becomes a suggestion, while if it was just said in a straightforward way, it becomes a command. Consider this example: if you were standing at a bar and your friend wanted to suggest having a drink, he would say: "would you like a drink?" This can be shortened to "drink?", which basically conveys the same suggestion in only one word. Now, if that friend had instead said "drink!", the message would not have been "would you like a drink?" but rather "you must finish your drink now." Thus, the tone in which the one word is said makes a difference between command and suggestion.

As said, command adds a sense of urgency to the request. Someone who has received a mindcraft command will immediately do what is asked of him, but will also realize, at that moment or later, that he is being manipulated. In some cases, the use of command is inevitable; the best example being that "Shouldn't you speak the truth" won't get you the truth (it will only give you a "yes" or "no"), while "Speak the truth!" will be a far harder request to put down beside you. As with suggestion, commands may be more complex and longer as the caster's skill in mindcraft progresses. "Go upstairs" can become "Go upstairs without being seen by the guard", and might ultimately become "Go through the door on the right, then wait fifty breaths, go to the back of the building, climb the wall and open the window three-quart of the way, then leave through the eastern gate." Players should never be allowed to push this, and incredible commands or daft ones should be rewarded accordingly.

Aura Perception is the skill that increases effectiveness for suggestions and commands. A character that has at least the level of Aura Perception that corresponds with the power level of the command or suggestion he is going to use finds that suggestions are followed up on faster and less easily doubted; commands become more effective and, if duration is an issue, last longer. Aura Perception affects this application of mindcraft because it allows the caster to sense the state of his target and fine-tune his command or suggestion to it.

One last word on command and suggestion: plausibility should always be a factor. Suggestions are dismissed outright if they don't seem at least remotely plausible, and commands might be ignored if the target truly feels that he couldn't perform that command. This doesn't mean that you can't command a mother to slay her own child (although you'd be a monster if you did), it means that you can't, for example, order someone to walk through a wall or swim over the great ocean. Also, suicide suggestions or commands are dismissed outright unless the target was already contemplating just that. You can't order someone to kill himself or do something that will very likely get himself killed. This doesn't mean you can't order someone to murder, though. As it stands, suggestion and command can stretch the boundaries of plausibility, but each time you go against likelihood, there are risks.

Telepathy

At Apprentice level of mindcraft, the caster gains the ability to perform telepathy-related weavings. He is now not only able to read another's mind, but to project thoughts or words into them. Starting at Journeyman, he can also use his mindcraft skill to open a telepathic link to anyone whose mind he is familiar with, thus allowing for two-way communication that was not possible on earlier levels.

Telepathy in general is used for communication, but the ability to channel not just words but thoughts, images and emotions is a power that should not be underestimated. Being able to talk to someone who is across the room without anyone else being able to listen in is a nice thing, but many traditionalists have found that projecting images of a foe's grisly death into their minds can often cause them to flee instead of skewer the crafter. It is also the most ranged of powers available to a craftsman.

While most other powers (with the exception of illusion) require physical proximity - at least to such a level that eye contact can be made - telepathy can be unleashed on anyone within line of sight, without actual eye contact. Again, this can be done when Empathy is used to augment the skill. If the caster must still use his voice to deliver the spell, he must still make sure that he is within hearing range of the target before the telepathy takes effect. Afterwards, however, he may move back out of hearing range; proximity is not required to maintain the spell. At Master level, and if the crafter possesses at least Journeyman level in Empathy, the caster may actively channel commands and suggestions directly into his target's mind. This has one advantage: he may do so from a greater distance, and without the use of eye contact.

Telekinetics

Crafters only use mind, eye and voice. It can be considered odd, then, to say the least, that one use of mindcraft requires a form of gesture. And that use is telekinetics. In order to employ a weaving that involves telekinetic activity, the caster must gesture towards the object he wishes to affect - he must 'reach out', so to speak - in addition to the normal prerequisite of voice usage or eye contact. In the case of the latter, eye contact is of course simply looking at the object; it has been scientifically proven that it is neigh impossible to get eye contact with an inanimate object, let along maintain it.

Crafters whose telekinetic ability has been enhanced by mental resolve can do all sorts of interesting things. Persistent rumours speak of a sculptor who mastered mindcraft and no longer required tools, instead carving the rock piece by small piece with only the will of his mind. Even though such applications are unlikely, characters should realize that empowered telekinesis isn't as limited as some of the traditional books and films would have it; anything that can be achieved through shaping, bending, and accelerating, could also be achieved by higher levels of a mindcraft / mental resolve combo. With the aid of the Resolve skill, casters can also lift more weight and apply more force, or they can keep a normal object floating for an extended period of time.

Astral Projection

A far less obvious use of mindcraft is the ability of astral projection. By going into a trance, the crafter may create a sort of spirit representative of his consciousness (often called an "avatar") that has a number of advantages, always including invulnerability to normal weaponry, the sharing of senses with the caster, and being under full control of the caster.

A mindcraftsman may weave spells related to astral projection starting with the Apprentice level of mindcraft. Note that an astral projection can be detected through any magic that detects spirits or invisible beings, and is subject to wards that are targeted against such things. If an avatar is destroyed, the caster is shocked out of his trance and will have a solid headache for the next few hours. At Apprentice level, the control of an avatar is still shaky. It may travel (and fly) at running speed, without tiring the caster in any way; it may pass through walls, floors and ceilings, and is invisible to the naked eye. It can see clearly, but misses the sensations of smell and touch. The projection hears things a little distorted. At Journeyman level, the avatar may travel at twice running speed, and now has full sense of hearing, and muted sense of smell. With extra effort (and expenditure of personal energy) the caster can make his projection physically affect something few about a second; enough to knock over a light vase or tap someone on the shoulder. At Master level, the avatar travels at four times running speed, and has the full range of senses as if he were a normal person. With the expenditure of energy, the caster can make his projection tangible for a minute or two. While the projection is tangible, it is still not effectible by mundane weapons, but might be susceptible to the casting of spells on it.

Note that Astral Projection is not augmented by any skill.

Illusions

No magickal effect is so well suited to the mind as illusion. The affecting of another's senses to make real what isn't there is a very powerful method of deceit; mindcraft, which in its most natural form deals directly with the mind, is without doubt suited for illusion as few other styles of magick are. Illusions are already an option at Basic level, where the crafter can cause someone to hallucinate, hear whispers or smell something that isn't there. The powers only increase over the levels, until finally, at Master level, the craftsman can submerge targets into their own imaginary world, where nothing they experience is real, but everything is real to them. As a rudimentary way of measuring illusion-related power, one can assume that at Basic level of mindcraft, the caster can simulate one sense, with two at Apprentice, three at Journeyman, and all five at Master level.

In all cases, the mindcraftsman can only affect one mind per casting. One specific exception to this is the magical disguise. Starting at Apprentice level, the caster can magically disguise himself; the higher his mindcraft skill, the better the disguise holds up. This illusion is not limited to one target, but to any who see the disguised caster. If any situation allows the caster to choose more targets for his weaving, then he may simply disguise more people with this variation of illusion.

Additionally, if a character with Master level in mindcraft also possesses Journeyman level in public speaking or another crowd-related skill, he may extend the illusion so that it affects more people in the same way; if he possesses at least two crowd-related skills at Master and mindcraft at Master level, he may extend the illusion to the whole of the crowd.

Illusions can be used in unexpected ways. Everyone is familiar with the example of a mage creating monsters which people run away from; less well known applications include paying a shopkeeper with illusionary money (mind that he'll find out later, though), summoning an illusionary cat to convince the magistrate that you really are an animal lover, or making yourself invisible to someone.

Self-Healing / Regeneration

The last of mindcraft's specific applications is that of self-healing. With an attitude of mind-over-matter, the crafter is able to affect changes in his body. While it lies outside mindcraft's subtle abilities to increase strength, speed, and other physical aspects of the body, he may use his will to close wounds and at later levels cleanse himself of toxins and infections. His recovery rate can also be improved; special healing trances are taught to traditionalists and will come intuitively to some bards. As a rule of thumb, mindcraftsmen can heal minor wounds and afflictions with a spell at Basic level, and slowly climb the scale until they can heal all but deathblows and insta-kill poisons at Master level. Their natural healing rate also improves as the skill does; recovery time is reduced by a small amount for every * that a character possesses, where a normal level counts for five *'s.