Stormbringer:Sorcery
Sorcery
Sorcery in the Young Kingdoms is not spellcasting. It is domination. The sorcerer does not create power. He compels it. Every working follows the same pattern:
Summon → Bind → Command → Endure
There are no spell lists. All effects come from bound beings.
The Sorcery Roll
To summon and bind a being:
2d6 + Mind + appropriate Career
The Career must reasonably apply (Sorcerer, Witch, Priest, Demonologist, etc.).
Difficulty is based on Magnitude:
| Magnitude | Being | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| I | Elemental / Minor Entity | 9 |
| II | Demon (Minor/Lesser) | 12 |
| III | Greater Demon / Named Power | 15+ |
Success — The being is summoned and bound Failure — Something arrives, but is not controlled
Time and Ritual
Sorcery is never instant.
| Magnitude | Time Required |
|---|---|
| I | 3d6 minutes |
| II | 1d3 hours |
| III | Hours to days |
Rushed Working
- Reduce time by one step
- Gain +1 Penalty Die
- Increase Doom risk
Extended Ritual
- Increase time by one step
- Gain +1 Bonus Die
- Reduce Doom risk
Interruptions force an immediate roll at +1 Penalty Die.
Binding vs Pact
Once summoned, the sorcerer must choose:
Binding
Requires a second working:
| Demon Type | Binding Requirement |
|---|---|
| Minor | Magnitude I |
| Lesser | Magnitude II |
| Greater | Magnitude III |
Failure means the demon is loose.
Bound demons obey—but resent.
Pact
No roll required.
The demon agrees to serve in exchange for a price:
- Blood sacrifice
- Taboo restrictions
- Service or corruption
- Ongoing offerings
Pacts are always costly, degrading, or dangerous.
Demons (BoL Integration)
Demons are built using the standard BoL framework.
| Type | Attributes | Combat | Powers | Lifeblood | Damage | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 2 pts | 2 pts | 1 | 10 + STR | d6L | Rabble |
| Lesser | 6 pts (max 4) | 6 pts | 2 | 20 + STR | d6 | Tough |
| Greater | 12 pts (max 6) | 12 pts | 4 | 30 + STR | d6H | Villain |
Instead of Careers, demons possess Demonic Powers.
Common powers include:
- Armor / Heavily Armored
- Enhanced Weaponry (+1 Bonus Die to attacks)
- Destructive Attacks (higher damage tier)
- Regeneration
- Poison
- Telepathy
- Sorcery (Arcane Power)
- Non-Corporeal
- Special Knowledge (Career Rank 6)
Demons are not tools. They are personalities.
What Sorcery Does
Sorcery grants capability, not fixed spells.
Effects are expressed as:
- +1 Bonus Die to actions
- +1 Penalty Die to opponents
- Or enabling the impossible
Common Uses
Sorcerous Weapons
A Demon of the Blade may grant:
- +1 Bonus Die to attack
- Ignore armor
- Life-draining or fear effects
Cost: hunger, whispers, compulsion
Personal Enhancement
- +1 Bonus Die to Strength or Agility
- Increased resilience
- Heightened senses
Risk: mutation, obsession, instability
Elemental Command
- Fire, wind, stone, water
- Environmental manipulation
- Movement or destruction
Protection and Warding
- +1 Bonus Die to defense
- Damage reduction
- Reactive shielding
Knowledge and Divination
- Ask questions
- Gain insight
- +1 Bonus Die to informed actions
Answers are partial, cryptic, or misleading.
Influence and Domination
- Fear, charm, compulsion
- +1 Bonus Die to social actions
- Impose Penalty Dice on resistance
Magnitude III Effects
Storms, devastation, transformation.
These are narrative events, not precise mechanics.
Binding Limit
A sorcerer may maintain:
Mind + Sorcerer Career Rank bindings
Each active demon or effect counts as one.
Exceeding the Limit
For each excess binding:
- +1 Penalty Die to Sorcery rolls
- +1 to Escape rolls
- Doom triggers on 1–3
This is how sorcerers destroy themselves.
Escape and Strain
Demons constantly resist.
At intervals (GM discretion), roll:
2d6 + Magnitude
On 13+, the binding strains:
| Roll | Effect |
|---|---|
| 13–14 | Strain (twisted obedience) |
| 15–16 | Partial break (independent action) |
| 17+ | Escape |
The sorcerer may attempt control:
2d6 + Mind + Career
Failure worsens the result.
Doom
After each working:
1d6 → Doom on 1–2
Modifiers:
- +1 (Magnitude II)
- +2 (Magnitude III)
Doom represents attention.
Effects of Doom
- Nightmares, whispers
- Physical marks
- Recognition by demons
- Unwanted summoning
- Collapse of bindings
- Fate closing in
Doom is not spent.
It accumulates.
The Nature of Sorcery
Sorcery is not fast.
It is not safe.
It is not clean.
A sorcerer does not cast spells.
He holds shut a door.
And something on the other side is always pushing.
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