Magical societies are arranged, for the most part, into different Houses that promote or focus on different aspects of magic. These Houses are separate from any nationality or government, though they can and do exert power in political spheres, and their influence generally spans across countries and cities without prejudice for heritage, class, or caste. What matters to mages is the ability to do magic.
- House Bjornaer. (Mystery Cult.) This house deals primarily with beasts and the animalistic side of human nature. Mages from this house cannot bond familiars, but they have the unique ability to take on the form of an animal, called a heartbeast.
Pronounced “BYORE- nayr.”
- House Bonisagus. This house, founded by the creator of the Hermetic theory of magic, is split into two strands. The theoretical group strives to advance magical science and technique, while the political side works on relations between it and other houses.
Pronounced “BOH-nee-SAH-goos”
- House Criamon. (Mystery Cult.) Mages from this house concern themselves with philosophy, mysticism, and esoteric magic. They often mark their skin with arcane symbols.
Pronounced “KREE-ah-mone”
- House Ex Miscellanea. This disparate house’s mages have little in common, without any unified philosophy or tradition.
Pronounced “EKS mis-kel-LAH-nay- ah”
- House Flambeau. Mages from this house often specialize in fire or annihilation magic, and are often volatile in temperament.
Pronounced “flahm- BOH.”
- House Guernicus. Members of this house are the judges of the magical orders, investigating wrongdoing and magical crimes.
Pronounced “GWAIR-nee-kuss.”
- House Jerbiton. This house, which has many members from nobility and aristocratic classes, deals closely with governments and temple politics.
Pronounced “YARE-bih-tahn.”
- House Mercere. Unlike other houses, this house contains both members with the Gift and those without, with little distinction between the two. They often serve as messengers to other magi.
Pronounced “mare-KAY-ray.”
- House Merinita. (Mystery Cult.) Mages from this house focus their studies on faeries and the fae.
Pronounced “meh-rih-NEE-tah.”
- House Tremere. This house concerns itself with matters of form and protocol, and is considered a strict, if respectable, group of mages concerned with hierarchy and respect for authority.
Pronounced “tray-MARE- ay or tray-MARE.”
- House Tytalus. The belligerent magi of this house are constantly embroiled in contests of all kind, both martial and magical. They take pride in testing themselves and respect strength and skill.
Pronounced “TIE-tah-loos.”
- House Verditius. (Mystery Cult.) This house deals with the creation of enchanted and magic items. However, its mages are restricted: they cannot cast formulaic spells without tools.
Pronounced “ware-DEE-tee- oos.”
Belonging to a house is strictly optional, as with any of the available factions in the Forgotten Realms. Being initiated into a Mystery Cult grants the mage the Outer Mystery associated with that house. See 'Mysteries' in the 'Rules for Magic' section.
Mysteries
Bjornaer: The Heartbeast. Initiates of the Bjornaer outer mystery gain the Feature Heartbeast. This ability cannot be gained by any character that has not been initiated into that mystery.
Heartbeast [Mystery: House Bjornaer]
This feature allows the mage to take the form of a single mundane living animal, bird, or plant, chosen when the mage gains the ability. Ze can only change into one type of animal. That form cannot be changed, even by magic, and remaining in that form does not count as being under an active mystical effect, any more than being human does. While in animal form, the character is affected by Animal spells, not Corpus or Mentem spells; however, spells already cast on the character remain in effect.
Transforming takes a a bonus action and only a moment, but none of the character’s possessions are transformed with hir. While in this form, the mage can still cast spells but cannot speak nor make the appropriate gestures. They suffer the appropriate penalties.
Criamon: The Enigma. Characters initiated into the outer mystery of House Criamon find themselves falling to Wizard’s Twilight more often, but they also find it easier to comprehend.
Enigmatic Wisdom [Mystery: House Criamon]
A far-reaching perception of strange and baffling phenomena that helps you understand their nature, though you may seem peculiar or even ludicrous to the uninitiated. Your score in this Knowledge helps interpret dreams and riddles, and to understand phantasms and arcane or mysterious situations. Thanks to this Ability, Criamon magi go into Wizard’s Twilight more often, but survive it better than most.
Merinita: Faerie Magic. Only characters touched by the Fae may be initiated into this mystery. Furthermore, the magic of characters with this ability counts as fae power for all purposes, so anyone that gains a Warping Point from one of their spells is eligible for induction.
Faerie Magic [Mystery: House Merinita]
Characters with this ability gain access to additional Ranges, Durations, and Targets.
- Road. (Range, same level as Voice.) The mage can target anyone on the same road or path as hirself. Ze need not be able to see her target, but ze must be able to sense it somehow, unless the spell is an Intellego effect intended to find out if something is there.
People are only on a road if they are actually between the edges of the path, at least partially. Buildings are on a road if the primary access to the building is from that road. Plants and small objects must be between the edges of the path.
- Bargain. (Duration, special.) A spell with Bargain duration can only be cast on someone who has just made a bargain or agreement with the mage. The Penetration total is doubled, and if the spell penetrates the target’s magic resistance, nothing happens unless the target breaks the bargain. If he does, the spell takes effect automatically. Bargain spells have a second duration which determines how long the spell lasts after it takes effect.
To calculate a Bargain spell’s Level, figure the level of the spell that takes effect when the bargain is broken, and add three magnitudes. The spell can only enforce a bargain for a maximum of a Year.
- Fire. (Duration, same level as Moon.) Spells with this Duration must be Ignem or Imaginem spells targeted on fires and last until said fire goes out, even if the fire is maintained.
- Until (Condition). (Duration, same level as Year and requires a ritual spell.) The spell lasts until the condition, which is determined at the time of casting, is met. It cannot normally be dispelled by magic, but it ends if the caster or the target dies or if the caster succumbs to Twilight, even temporarily.
- Year +1. (Duration, same level as Year and requires a ritual spell.) The spell lasts until sunset on the day after a year has passed. It’s determined by actual time, rather than the passage of the seasons.
- Bloodline. (Targets, same level as Structure.) The spell targets everyone already born or born within the Duration of the spell that is descended by blood from the target. Only the target needs to be within the spell’s range, but all parties feel the effect immediately. As usual for spells with multiple targets, each target applies Magic Resistance separately.
Verditius: Verditius Magic. Characters initiated into Verditius Magic can incorporate craft abilities into their magic.
Verditius Magic [Mystery: House Verditius]
When the character creates an enchanted item from raw materials using tools with which ze is proficient, ze can add hir Proficiency Bonus twice: once for the tool proficiency and again for the magic proficiency.
The character can also forge items from raw materials without any craft proficiencies, although it’s uncommon to do so. Finally, ze can craft items that would be impossible to make by mundane means, like setting a gem inside a piece without any seams or openings. However, the piece must be able to sustain its own weight without magic.
However, this ability comes at a cost. Verditius mages cannot cast Formulaic spells without casting tools. They make these themselves, in a form that appeals to them, and it only takes an hour or so to make a new one. However, if they lose or cannot reach their tools, they cannot cast their Formulaic spells. Spontaneous spells do not require casting tools.