Lychomancy Magic: The King's Way

I recommend starting with part one, and then reading part two if you haven't already.

Lychomancy is not merely a way of life. The tenants provide spells and bonuses, but most importantly they secure the Lychomancer's sanity. They keep the Lychomancer from destroying friends and loved ones. Lychomancy is an aberrant magic from an inconspicuous origin, so practitioners tend to be the desperately curious or those well adjusted to violence. There are of course Lychomancers who disdain the paths. But these damned souls live in brooding solitude with scarcely any humanity left at all.


Sanctity magic is called "The King's Way." To resist accidental frenzy against allies during demon form, every Sanctity Lychomancer must internally recite the mantra, "Walk lightly in the shade. Turn your eye from the moon so you may gaze inward." Magic is difficult to cast during demon form due to the mantra.

Sanctity Spell:
The Curse
Level: Lychomancer 1
Duration: Extended
Range: Melee attack
This is damnation in spell craft. The Lychomancer may declare this spell during a successful bite attack. The Lycomancer sacrifices a daily turning of demon form and rolls 1d3 on the table. Only three targets may be subject to the effects of The Curse per night. If a target is slain, the effects end and the spell may be cast additionally that night.
1. Target takes penalty to all attacks against the Lychomancer equal to the Lychomancer's level for 2d3 turns. The Lycomancer also gains an additional permanent +1 (during d6 roll) for tracking the target by smell.
2. Target takes penalty to all attacks against the Lychomancer equal to the Lychomancer's level + WIS modifier for 2d3 turns. Also, the target must make a will save, if unsuccessful, the target has till dawn to find the cure. If the will save succeeds, the target may pass the curse to an innocent before dawn instead of finding the cure.*
3. In addition to the effects of "2," the Lychomancer may add his WIS modifier to the duration of turns. Also, the target must make a will save, if successful, the target has 24 hours to find the cure. If the target fails to save, the curse manifests immediately.*

* Wolfsbane alchemically combined with the blood of the Lychomancer caster provides the cure. If it is not taken in time the afflicted target transforms into a "wolf knight." These wolf knight's maintain their intelligences but become utterly savage agents of chaos. They seek out the Lychomancer who transformed him and serve as retainers who seek only food and companionship as payment.

Even if a target had the opportunity to transfer the curse, they likely wouldn't know to do it. But to transfer the curse, the afflicted just needs to bite an innocent. In doing so, the curse will manifest in the innocent instead. A Lychomancer may only have one "wolf knight" per level + WIS modifier (maximum 3). Unscrupulous Lychomancers may choose to sacrifice wolf knights to empower the effects of the transformation table. Every sacrificed "wolf knight" adds a +2 bonus to the die roll on that table.

After the window of treatment passes, only the death of the casting Lychomancer can permanently transform the cursed target back to original form and mind.


Moon magic will be covered in upcoming posts.