[UA] old-style magic in UA

[Royal Minister of Stuff]

--- Saul Peers <rexmundis at hotmail.com> wrote:
> I had one idea for old school magic; hear me out,
> though my thoughts are 
> largely incomplete.

"Old style magic" was mostly memorization and
tinkering with certain set themes, as I understand it.
 It was a lot like D&D spells, you either new a spell
or you didn't.  Ritual A produced demons, Ritual B
gave you love philtres.  In a way, that's what
Authentic Thaumaturgy is from the Sleeper's book,
"Hush Hush" (which I finally got ahold of.)

To put it in Ars Magica terms, just to offset UA a
little, old style magic uses formula spells almost
exclusively and postmodern magic is all about making
it up as you go along, creating significance instead
of relying on research.

In the old days, you followed the instructions and
prayed that you'd got everything just right.  Now you
can just assume everything's connected and pump
yourself up with whatever you think power really is.

So your ideas are interesting, but I think they fit in
better as a jumbled attempt to resurrect or validate
old-style occultism by some newbies to scene, or maybe
some oldsters feeling a little put out.

> 
> A
> devotion is something 
> that you have to do all the time while gaining or
> using charages.  Wearing 
> white, or praying three times a day; these allow you
> to slowly regain minor 
> charges.  A taboo is something you cannot do, or
> else you loose all powers.  
> If you possess a taboo, then you slowly regain
> charages, but loose all 
> charges if it's broken. 

Mechanics-wise, this the only part I wouldn't do to
people.  It's like getting them coming and going.  

The beauty of the UA magic system is that you gain
magic powers by a fairly clear and personal method:
getting drunk, having ritual sex, burning other folks
cherished belongings, smearing passerby with shit,
whatever.  Once you've got the charge, all you have to
worry about is breaking taboo, which is hard enough. 

In the case above, you've got two taboos: not wearing
white often enough and another, more personal geas. 

On the other hand, if old-school magic does have more
taboos, that would explain why it's much harder to
keep it working.

Also, speaking as a man who's had many disappointments
helping friends cast spells, talk to the dead, change
shape (project their consciousness into an animal on
another plane), administer (hahaha) love philtres and,
in one case, setting fire to a small but valuable
ornamental table during a handfasting ceremony, old
style magic seems really funny or really pathetic when
it goes wrong, which it often ought, in UA, at least.

=====
-- Rp Bowman, Royal Minister of Stuff
The Electronic Nation of Yokeltania:
http://www.geocities.com/yokeltania/

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