Metal Magic, A Heavy Metal Magical Tradition Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Outline Switch to: Standard Switch to: Linear+

[Weldûn]

A while back I had started working on a tradition of magic based on modern bards, musicians who pour their very essences into their music as the basis for working magic. However, I came up against a wall based on the fact that music comes in so many different styles and tastes that I felt that a single tradition cannot contain them all. If nothing else, what is music to one person is just noise to another. (I, for example, believe that there are two words that are antonymous with music. “Doof” and “Wub”.)

So I started working on traditions that each embodied a broad category of music, but RL happened and it fell by the wayside. Then Brütal Legend hit the shelves, I finished it and, well, this came out. I originally posted this on the Jackpoint foums, but I’m curious to see what Dumpshocker’s make of it.

METAL MAGIC

Concept: The sounds and themes of Heavy Metal speak to the soul and call through astral space to the spirits. Through the elements of Metal, Noise, Blood and Fire, the modern bard can unleash the power of the beast within.
Type: Metal magic is both a summoning and possessing tradition. The difference come with the magician's view. Is the magic of metal something that flows into the listener, or is it something that surrounds and lifts them up?
Combat: Fire (Fire)
Detection: Beasts (Blood)
Health: Guidance (Noise)
Illusion: Man (Man)
Manipulation: Earth (Metal)
Drain: Willpower + Charisma¹

Mentor Spirits: Conceptually, certain mentor spirits can work really well for this tradition. Adversary, Artificer, Bull, Dark Goddess, Dragon, Sky Father, Dark King, Dragonslayer, Firebringer, Seductress and Wise Warrior all fit due to Metal drawing much of it's symbolism and themes from European legends.

And the following is courtesy of CanRay on the Jackpoint Forums²

Mentor Spirit: Spirit of Metal
The Spirit of Metal is often depicted as a beast apparently made of chrome and engine parts, with exhausts that burst fire with every roar that seems to drown out all of existence. He sometimes instead appears as a Metalic Skeletal Centaur, with the hind-quarters of a motorcycle. Regardless, he demands of all of his followers to perform in the most audacious and powerful way possible, eschewing subtlety as a weakness of body and soul that should be avoided at all times. Go loud or go home!

Advantages: +2 dice for Combat Spells, +2 dice for Fire or Earth Spirits (player must choose one)
Disadvantages: A Spirit of Metal magician must make a Willpower + Charisma (3) Test to avoid doing something in a way that is not overt, loud, and audacious. Why cast spells from the safety of the vehicle when you can car surf with a Watcher Spirit blaring out DragonForce to all who have ears to hear, and bleed from the volume.

Adepts: Many Adepts also follow this tradition, and while the Artist’s Way are heavily represented, so are the Warrior’s Way, who practice a blend of Capoeira and out-an-out street-fighting. Surprisingly, some “metal adepts” follow the Invisible Way, blending into the seething crowds and weaving effortlessly through the chaos of the mosh pit.

Mundanes: Metal, in all it’s varieties, has weathered the awakening and two crashes quite well, and is often a favourite of troll and ork gangers, making metal and rap the two most prevalent street-level sounds in the sixth world. Additionally, some Technomancers can be found amongst the followers of this tradition. As one once said, “Not all Idoru are pop-singers.”

¹: I was originally going to make Intuition their drain stat, but as Artisan runs off of Intuition, I felt that it was better to spread the love around a little.
²: I’m personally not happy with the bonus to damage resistance, so I went with combat (fire) and Fire or Earth (Fire, Metal)