We've had a few chapters from this book made available to backers already, and we'll have our next coming this Tuesday. It's going to be all about Cat Magic, and I've got a sneak peek preview for you today.
Mancers, Ministers, and Mystics
Among the Monarchies, the three main spellcasting approaches are those practiced by mancers, ministers, and mystics. A handful of others do exist, most notably dabblers, but their numbers are very small. The only thing tying all the disparate types of spellcasters together is their command of magic. Their means of accessing it and working their will on the world are all very different.
Mancers
Mancers rely on a focus to bring about the abrupt, chaotic changes in the natural order that their magic produces. Always made of bone, these foci are both a means of refining the energies the mancer calls upon and the source of the spell. A mancer must be touching their focus when they cast a spell, in addition to any incantations or ritual gestures the spell calls for. The spell’s effects emanate from the focus. For example, strands of sticky web burst from the empty eye sockets of a rodent skull and lighting bolts flash from the runes carved into a femur used as a walking stick.
The focus need not be the entire item — skulls are often mounted on staffs or necklaces, for example — but they are always made of bone.
Each house initiates its mancers differently, and some have more demanding requirements surrounding the freshness of the bone used as a focus than others, but all involve the destruction of a masterwork, whose energies awaken the latent magical talent of the mancer-initiate.
A mancer gains a focus when they take the Mancy trick. Although they’re extremely resilient to damage, if a focus is lost or destroyed, the mancer may find or create a new one by the start of the next story.
Starting mancers know the three basic spells listed here:
Chill Touch: Your magic hurts your enemy and stops them healing.
Eldritch Blast: Pure magical force strikes your enemy.
Prestidigitation: Minor magical tricks are yours to command.
Ministers
Ministers compel the chaotic magic around them to change the world with the power of their voice. Some sing bawdy songs, others recite a soliloquy, or simply command the magic to manifest, but ministers’ magic comes from them, pouring from their mouths and hands in a barely restrained display of power. A minister must vocalize their spells. If they are unable to speak, they cannot work their will upon the world around them.
The details of the secret rituals surrounding a minister’s creation vary, but all involve a convocation of cats surrounding the minister-elect and reciting a ritual chant that infuses the new minister with magic.
Starting ministers know the three basic spells listed here:
Friends: You magically compel another character to trust you for a short time.
Thaumaturgy: Minor wonders spring into being.
Vicious Mockery: Your insults damage your enemy’s psyche, momentarily distracting them.
Mystics
Mystics are spellcasters, often cats, who roam the wilds and journey across the Acid Sea. Their magic relies on using materials found in the natural world to fuel the spells they wish to cast.
Mystics share many spells with both mancers and ministers, but their ability to cast them comes from intuition and the world itself, rather than what are now seen as traditional methods of study: the consultation of arcane tomes or repositories of songs. As such, classically trained spellcasters often look down on them, but none can deny the effectiveness of a mystic’s ability to summon a fireball with a bright red leaf or call forth a giant worm with nothing but a piece of string.
Traveling mystics keep an eye out for promising apprentices and, when one is found, tutor them in the mystic’s arts. This process is dangerous for both apprentice and teacher, and can take a long time, but the apprentice gradually learns how to use whatever they can lay their paws on to enact their will. Because of the danger, most mystics live in the wild places of the world — leading some to call them feral — and make their own clothing and jewelry from natural fibers, bones, and shells.
Starting mystics know the three basic spells listed here:
Animal Friendship: You compel an animal to trust you.
Mystic Power: You manifest small, nature-themed wonders.
Nature’s Might: Your magic strengthens a weapon you are holding.
Eager to learn more about the unpredictable and sometimes volatile nature of Cat Magic? Backers will have access to the current draft of Curious Cats of Mau chapter 3 on Tuesday! All backers of this project will be able to download the entire manuscript before the end of this campaign - before any pledges are processed or payments collected. So join in if you haven't and check it out and see if this game is for you before you commit!
If you're a Curious Cat, I know you've likely already signed up! But let's keep recruiting new backers and see if we can't unlock another Stretch Goal in the upcoming days!
