[UA] Commumancy

[Stuart Kenny]

Greg Stolze wrote:

> <snip>
> Offering a shiny new No-Prize to the best proposal for Commumancy --
> paradox, random magick, taboo and effects.

Commumancy (My take on it...)

Commumancy is an obscure school, poorly understood in much of the occult
underground, due largely to the general Americanization of the OU.  There are many
misconceptions of Commumancy.  In fact, it did not start in the USSR.  It is not
popular in either China or the former Soviet Union.  It is not specifically at war
with Plutomancy.

Commumancy in fact doesn't thrive in communist states, but rather in states with
movements to bring in communism.  It is not communism that attracts them, but the
build-up to the revolution.  Once the revolution is successful, it is time to move
on.  If the communist dream of global communism were ever achieved, Commumancy
would cease to exist.

Commumancy is currently in decline.  It was created in the 1930's, apparently
simultaneously in France and the USA and reached its height in the 1950s.  It was
in a slow decline until the collapse of the USSR, which put it into a tailspin it
is only now starting to pull out of.  Some expect Commumancy to disappear in the
next 20 years.

Commumancy focuses on their version of Utopia, an idealized world with no rich and
poor.  Where the population lives in total equality, free of oppression, bondage,
possessions and religion.  It is this vision of a better world that drives them,
and they'll lie, cheat, kill and oppress to achieve it.  Their magic is focused on
freeing the downtrodden, rising up the workingman and bringing about "Utopia".
Their path to this, as well as their source of charges, is the destruction of
existing system.  You must tear down, before you can build up.

Commumancy’s central paradox is that while it deals with the struggle to bring
about communism, once the revolution is complete it is powerless.


Commumancy Blast style:
Fire.  Communancers burn away the old to make room for the new.  Victims of blasts
burst into flames.


Stats
Generate a Minor Charge:
Destroy a symbol of the current state; burn a flag, blow up a mailbox, topple a
statue – with witnesses.  It doesn’t matter how many witnesses there are, as long
as at least one has never met you before.

Generate a Significant Charge
Destroy an object of oppression; burn down a factory owned by a rich man that pays
poor wages, or blow up city hall or a police station.  Alternately, kill an
oppressor, such as a slumlord or the above owner of the factory or the mayor.  In
either case, there must be at least 100 people oppressed to count.

Generate a Major Charge
Take part in a successful communist revolution.


Taboo:
Commumancy has several taboos.  First, you may not improve the system by working
within the system.  Accepting a promotion, campaigning to get minimum wage raised,
or convincing a factory owner to improve working conditions all violate taboo.
Instead the Commumancer can quit the job, organizing a general strike or burning
down the factory.

Second, the Commumancer must avoid any "collaboration with the enemy" (i.e.
capitalism, religion, and non-communist governments).  Having a job is okay, as
long as it is low paying and unglamorous manual labour.  Having a good job,
reading a verse from the bible, saying, "bless you" to someone that sneezes,
serving on jury duty or even calling a cop all violate taboo and cause you to
loose your charges.

Finally, wearing a top hat, even for a second, causes you to loose all your
charges.


Random Magick Domain:
Commumancy is about equality.  “From each according to his ability, to each
according to his need.”  It can strengthen those that are weak and weaken those
that are strong.


Starting Charges:
Communancers begin with 4 minor charges.


Selected Commumancy Minor Formula Spells

Down With The Capitalists
Cost: 2 minor charges
Effect: Commumancy minor blast.  One part of the target, such as an arm, bursts
into flame.

All Are Equal
Cost: 2 minor charges
Effect:  Target of spell has all his stats changed to 50 and all skills to 15.  In
addition, the target gains all “mundane skills” at level 15.  Mundane skills
include all those that might appear on a resume, such as auto mechanic, heart
surgery, nuclear physics, etc., but nothing supernatural or illegal.

Some Are More Equal Than Others
Cost: 3 minor charges
Effect:  Caster may make his next die roll for any skill (except adapt or avatar
skills) using the skill level of another willing person.  For the purpose of this
spell, willing includes anyone who expressively consents or anyone in the same
country that is committed enough to communism to be willing to sacrifice for the
cause.


Selected Commumancy Minor Significant Spells

Eat The Rich
Cost: 1 significant charge
Effect:  Commumancy Significant blast.  The target is engulfed in flames.  “I like
my capitalists well done
”

Communist Propaganda
Cost: 3 significant charges
Effect:  As Cliomancy Urban Legend

The People’s State
Cost: 4 significant charges
Effect: A group of up to 1000 people that share a common oppressor all feel one
another’s anger and hurt received from the oppressor.  For example, a company
closes a plant to improve its profit ratio and throws several hundred people out
of work.  This spell takes all the distress of the guy that needed the money to
pay his mother’s medical bills, the shame of the woman forced to pull her kid from
the all star team because she now couldn’t afford it, and the fear of the man who
feels he’s too old to find another job – and gives them to everyone laid off,
creating outrage and anger.  This spell is great for starting riots.


Commumancy Major Effects
With a major charge a Commumancer could whip up the dissatisfied of an entire
country into a revolutionary frenzy.  If the revolution succeeds, it generates
another major charge.  Domino theory anyone?


Comments?

Stuart


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