The discipline and lore of the Shek-Pvar (Pvaric sorcerers) is the
dominant form of magic among the "civilized" nations of southern
Hârn (well, the Triadic nations, anyway) as well as in the
Triadic nations on the Lythian mainland adjacent to Hârn.
The Shek-Pvar are divided into six schools of magic, or
Convocations, organized around a metaphorical Great Wheel
as the illustration at the top shows. From "just after twelve
o'clock" and going clockwise, the convocations are:
- Lyahvi, of Light and
Illusion.
- Peleahn, of Fire and Force.
- Jmorvi, of Metal and Artifice.
- Fyvria, of Life and Death.
- Odivshe, of Water and Stillness.
- Savorya, of Mind and Spirit.
There is also the realm of Neutrality, at the centre of the Wheel.
Shek-Pvar use basically standard GURPS magic rules, with a few
alterations: The various spells are divided among the six convocations
and Neutrality. A Shek-Pvar belonging to a given Convocation (as
nearly all Shek-Pvar do) has a somewhat reduced ability with spells of
the two neighbouring (or Secondary) Convocations, a greatly reduced
ability with spells of the two Tertiary Convocations (the neighbours
of his Secondary Convocations), and only rudimentary ability with spells
of his Diametric Convocation (the one opposed to his own).
The most accomplished sorcerers of each Convocation are able to climb
with great effort to the pinnacle of the Pvaric arts,
which lies at the centre of the Great Wheel, where the differences
between the convocations fade. Such sorcerers are known as Grey
Mages, and only they may originate new spells within the realm of
Neutrality (indeed, they regard all magic as Neutral, and may
originate spells of any type).
Pvaric Magery
Creating a character
To generate a Shek-Pvar character, select a Convocation; you'll be
stuck with it until you die or become a Gray Mage. It is not
recommended that Gray Mages be created as new PCs, although it's
possible. The total cost of Convocational attunement is 28 pts;
this counts as "Magery 3" within your Primary Convocation and with
Neutral spells, as "Magery 2" within your two Secondary Convocations,
as "Magery 1" within your two Tertiary Convocations, and as "Magery 0"
within your Diametric Convocation (the last means that you can learn
and cast spells that do not "require Magery", and gives no skill
bonus). This is, in effect, "Magery 3" with a -20% limitation.
Option: It's possible to have "weaker"
Pvaric mages. For an effective "Magery 2" in your Primary
Convocation, and similarly lower levels of Magery with the other
convocations (which means no ability with Diametric spells),
pay 20 points. For an effective "Magery 1" in your Primary
Convocation (and Magery 0 in the Secondary Convocations, and
no ability in the Teriary or Diametric
Convocations), pay 12 points.
The "standard" beginning Shek-Pvar PC has recently finished
apprenticeship and started on his "journey" -- such a character should
have about 10-20 points in spells, and is only allowed to know Primary
and Neutral spells. Also, some other things should have been studied:
All Shek-Pvar should be Literate, and have a fair general education in
such skills as Theology (Triadic), History, Philosophy (Pvaric),
Thaumatology, and probably a bit of Heraldry and Savoir-Faire. Since
Mavari usually have to lend a hand in housekeeping (to teach humility
as much as to get the housekeeping done; Mavari are largely drawn from
nobility and the upper crust of the guilded class, which are not likely
to be accustomed to manual labor from childhood), they might have a
point or two in skills such as Cookery or Agronomy. Also, the
different Convocations have separate "recommended" (i.e., almost
required) skills:
- Lyahvi: Astronomy, Astrology, Glassblowing, Jeweler.
- Peleahn: Fire Eating, Running, Shortsword.
- Jmorvi: Metallurgy, Blacksmith, Armorer.
- Fyvria: First Aid, Herbalist, Naturalist, Agronomy.
- Odivshe: Any "nautical"-type skills, Stealth.
- Savorya: Psychology, any other "knowledge"-type skills.
The colleges from GURPS Magic are divided among the Convocations thusly:
- Lyahvi: Elemental Air, Illusion (but not Creation), Light (but
not Darkness).
- Peleahn: Elemental Fire (but not "Cold"), Movement (but not
Teleport and its descendants).
- Jmorvi: Elemental Earth, Making/Breaking, Armor/Weapon
Enchantments.
- Fyvria: Animal, Plant, Food, Healing.
- Odivshe: Elemental Water, Darkness, Sound, "Cold" spells.
- Savorya: Communication/Empathy, Mind Control.
- Neutral: Creation, Knowledge, Gate, Meta, Protection/Warning,
general Enchantment.
Also, every Convocation has its own versions of the spells Enchant,
Powerstone, and Manastone. These are named (Convocation) Enchant,
(Convocation) Sourse, and (Convocation) Reservoir, respectively.
The (Convocation) Enchant spell is used for enchanting items with
spells of that Convocation only. The Source and Reservoir spells
function like Powerstone and Manastone, except that
- a "pure" elemental object of the convocation is used instead of
a gem, and
- they can only be used to power spells of that convocation.
Similarly, there is Neutral Enchant, Neutral Source, and Neutral
Reservoir instead of (not in addition to) just Enchant,
Powerstone, and Manastone; these only function with Neutral spells
(any old item will do to enchant as a Neutral Reservoir or Source).
In order to enchant an item with multiple spells of different
Convocations, the Enchant spell of each Convocation involved
must be known, and the Power of the item is equal to the lowest skill
level of all involved spells. Remember that Gray Mages regard all
spells as Neutral, and therefore use Neutral Enchant, Source, and
Reservoir with all spells.
To become a Gray Mage, you need a thorough schooling in all
Convocations; the requirement is that you have put at least one point
in each of at least 10 spells in each Convocation (and Neutrality),
requiring at the very least 70 points in spells. When this
requirement is met, the candidate must find a Gray Mage to help him
across the threshold (or somehow improvise another way -- there must
have been a first Gray Mage, at least), which boils down to receiving
7 points' worth of private tutoring (equating to 1400 hours, or 175
full eight-hour days). Once this is done, the character is a Gray
Mage, with global Magery 3.
Social Organization
The organization of the Shek-Pvar is rather complicated. Suffice to
say that they have four basic degrees: Mavari, Satia-Mavari, Shenava
and Viran. These may be translated as Apprentice, Journeyman, Master
and Honored Doctor. Apprenticeship usually begins no earlier than at
age 14 (cases are known of apprentices well above 50), and concludes
after about seven years, at which time custom dictates that the new
Satia-Mavari leaves his place of apprenticeship and spends at least a
year travelling in the world and doing further studies and research
on his own. If the Satia-Mavari later returns and shows himself to
have made a significant contribution to the Art (usually in the form
of newly researched spells or otherwise relevant knowledge gathered
by his own efforts), he is elevated to the rank of Shenava; only about
half of all Satia-Mavari ever qualify. The rank of Viran is a purely
social one, a sort of "inner circle" into which one is only admitted
by invitation. It is reserved for those Shenava who over the years
have built an exceptional reputation for skill and wisdom; only about
ten to twenty percent of all Shenava ever make it to Viran.
The Shek-Pvar are not numerous; there are perhaps two hundred
Shenava and Viran in all of Hârn, and maybe twice that many
of lower than Shenava degree; these numbers seem to be fairly stable
over the generations. Most Shek-Pvar are found in Chantries, which
are a sort of almost monastic magical college; most Chantries are
somewhat isolated from the outside world, but there are some which lie in
the middle of towns. There is a significant minority of Shek-Pvar who
live and work on their own, however, and some keep their location or even
existence secret from their brethren. The greatest concentration of
Shek-Pvar is in Melderyn, where almost all Hârnic Chantries are
located; there is a similar concentration in Emelrene (which is
Melderyn's "twin kingdom" on the Lythian mainland).
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Last modified: Wed Apr 30 16:46:36 DST 1997