Ritualized Magic

Ritual Magic

[Based on: https://pillarofworms.blogspot.com/2025/12/these-bygone-words-ritual-magic-for-glog.html]

A Ritual is a type of magic separate (but not dissimilar) from a regular Spell. Rituals are defined by the following:

• They are slow to perform, requiring hours at a time to be completed, making them better suited for periods of downtime.

• They are big, able to create long-lasting or even permanent effects, or affect a large area.

• They are powerful (which is different from just being big), having a higher [sum] on average and a lesser chance of Mishaps or Calamities if performed with more [dice].

Rituals cannot be performed using MD. Instead, they use Ritual Dice, or RD:

• Unlike MD, RD are d8s, and are always spent upon casting a ritual (since they don't belong to anyone in particular).

• Like MD, RD can still cause Mishaps and Calamities, which affect everyone who takes part in the Ritual. Use the Ritual Mishap Table below.

Note: Since RD are d8s and not d6s, the chance to roll doubles or triples is lower compared to MD. This should make the idea of performing a Ritual with more [dice] more enticing.

Each Ritual requires certain Components to be performed at 1 RD. It is assumed that all listed Components are consumed by the Ritual unless stated otherwise, in which case the Component will have "(reusable)" next to it.

Additionally, each Ritual requires [dice] hours to be performed, and at least one person to conduct it. While multiple people may take part in a Ritual, only one of them is considered to be the main ritualist.

Finally, while Rituals don't accept extra MD like Spells do, their power can be increased by completing certain ritual Preparations. All preparations should symbolically align with the intent of the ritual.

Ritual Preparations

For each of the following that's true, +1/2 RD may be added to the Ritual:

• A ritual participant has spellcaster templates* (+1/2 RD per template, applies for all participants)

• The ritual is conducted on hallowed or desecrated ground (e.g. temple, plague pit)

• The ritual is conducted under the light of a full moon, or the dark of a new moon

• The ritual is conducted at a significant natural landmark (e.g. mountaintop, heart of the forest)

• The ritual is performed as part of an important festival or holy day

• Candles, incense, or other ceremonial fires are lit and maintained around the ritual site

• Glyphs and runes are etched into the floor or drawn in chalk or charcoal

• At least 6 people other than the ritualist are present and take active part in the ritual

• At least 1 slot of silver arcane implements is set up (e.g. bell, dagger, mirror)

• At least 1 slot of mystically significant animal parts is set up (e.g. tiger skin, bat wings, newt eyes)

• At least 1 slot of ritually preserved body parts is set up (e.g. human skull, heart in a jar, severed hand)

• The ritualist dons purpose-made and elaborate ritual garb (e.g. robe, mask, ceremonial paint)

* to account for half-caster classes, any template that grants +1 MD is considered a spellcaster template

For each of the following that's true, +1 RD may be added to the Ritual:

• The ritual is conducted during a solstice, equinox, eclipse or other major astronomical event

• The ritual is conducted at a place of power, like a circle of standing stones

• A living animal of mystical significance is present (e.g. white raven, horned hare, three-eyed toad)

• At least one entire skeleton belonging to a human, monster, or large animal is set up

• A truly rare and genuine arcane implement is set up (e.g. crystal ball, scrying mirror, cast iron cauldron)

• At least 1 slot of unique natural material is set up (e.g. chunk of meteoric iron, ancient fossil)

• At least 20 people other than the ritualist are present and take active part in the ritual

• The name of a powerful being you've established contact with before is invoked, like that of a demonic patron (the being might refuse to contribute unless an agreement is reached first)

Multiples of any specific Preparation don't count unless mentioned explicitly. A single ritual Preparation cannot count for multiple entries (e.g. a skeleton and its skull, a living animal and its parts).

Neither of the above lists is exhaustive and other ways to gain RD may exist in the world.

Conducting a Ritual

Firstly, the ritualist must have access to the Ritual itself, by either having it in written form or by learning it like you would a Spell. In fact, Rituals can be found in most places you'd expect to find a Spell, like dusty old grimoires and ancient clay tablets.

Then, all required Components must be gathered and desired Preparations made to determine the number of available RD (rounded down). It should then be decided how the available RD will be used.

Instead of adding RD directly to the Ritual, you may instead do the following per 1 RD left unused:

• Stabilize the Ritual, ignoring 1 potential Mishap (but never a Calamity)

• Decrease the time required to perform the Ritual by 1 hour (to a minimum of 1 hour)

At last, once the Ritual is completed, all added RD are rolled like you would roll MD, determining [dice] and [sum] and causing Mishaps on doubles and generating Bane Points on triples as usual.

If a Ritual is interrupted before completion, it harmlessly fizzles out, its Components still consumed.

Ritual Mishap Table

#	Ritual Mishap Effect
1	The Ritual has no effect.
2	The main Ritualist takes [sum] damage and has a splitting headache (-1F on checks for an hour).
3	All participants take [exploding d6] damage.
4	Accidentally summon one of the 99 Entities, it is uncontrolled. Make a Reaction Check.
5	A [sum] HD Devil is unintentionally conjured, it seeks to destroy those who called it forth.
6	All participants gain a Corruption Die and immediately roll it as part of this ritual.
7	All participants must Save or gain [dice] Doom Dice.
8	All participants are Doomed and the ritual goes wrong (roll on the Random Drawbacks Table).

[Mishap 4: https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/04/osr-100-entities-you-can-summon.html]
[Mishap 5: https://xenophonsramblings.blogspot.com/2020/11/glog-week-ritual-magic.html]

Rituals  

Key of Darkness
Components: A large iron key that’s been buried in the ashes of five desecrated temples for five weeks (reusable). Alternatively a golden key (500 sp) that has touched the lock of a High Temple, the Gates of Dream, the Gates of the Abyss, the door to an Ancient Necropolis, and the lock on a king’s Treasure Vault can be used instead (reusable).

Summons Death's Master Key. Cumulative 1% chance each round that Death notices the theft and investigates. If the golden key was used it becomes a cumulative 1% chance per day instead. One of the Key's powers can be invoked each round:

• Hellgate: Open or close a portal to the Netherworld.
• Nighthief: All locks and traps nearby are disabled.
• Corpseye: 2d6 creatures are blinded for 3 rounds.
• Nightmare: 2d10 creatures fall asleep for 3 hours.
• Demonwrack: One infernal creature takes 3d10 damage. 
• Contrition: The key returns to the abyss. 

Charnel Pit
Components: A diseased sheep’s blood, a lead tablet inscribed with a curse, a coffin nail.
A demonic fissure opens in the earth. Each hour d6 nearby creatures become infected with a wasting disease. Anyone who sacrifices bread, meat, and blood into the pit is immune. Duration: [dice] days.

Binding the Foot
Components: Consecrated hammer (reusable) and coffin nail.
The caster hammers a coffin nail into the footprint of their victim while praying to the infernal powers. The target is cursed and cannot willingly leave the area. So long as the nail is in place the victim must make a Will Save each time they try to move more than a mile away from the nail. If they fail they become lost and wander back, unable to escape the bound area. The victim may make another attempt each hour. If they succeed on their check or remove the nail from the ground the curse ends.

Blackening the Egg
Components: Chicken Egg.
An egg is rubbed on the afflicted portion of the patient’s body to absorb an evil influence. The egg is then burned to ensure the influence is destroyed. Heals [dice] HP. Allows the patient to make an additional Save against an illness or poison at +1F.

Commune with Infinite Spiders
Components: A live spider, a mirror with an unbroken spiderweb draped over it.
Ask the DM [dice] questions. If any spider, from mundane arachnids to monster spiders or spider gods know the answer you can learn it by listening to the telepathic web that connects all spider consciousness together. Pulling knowledge from the Spidermind can lead to madness, use this Mishap table instead of the regular one:

Arachnid Mishap Table

d8	Arachnid Mishap
1	Non-Reification: The Ritual has no effect.
2	Spellsickness: The main Ritualist takes [sum] damage and has a splitting headache (-1F on checks for an hour).
3	Cerebral Aberration: The alien thoughts scramble your mind. You’re Confused for d3 days.
4	Arachnid Salvation: The main Ritualist falls into an ecstatic trance and believe they’re the spider messiah. They spend the next d3 days preaching to any spider they see.
5	Devil God’s Brain: You enter telepathic communion with a terrifying existence. Make a Reaction Check. If it likes you it may answer a question or grant you a boon. If it dislikes you, you are instantly Doomed. It may inflict further punishment if it feels so inclined.
6	Mental Fracture: All participants must Save or permanently lose a point of Cunning.
7	Aracanthropy: All participants make a Will Save, if they pass they’re wracked with pain, taking [sum] damage and passing out for an hour. If they fail they contract Aracanthropy, cursed to transform into a Chaos Spider each Dark Moon.
8	Atavistic Regression: All participants make a Will Save. If they fail they devolve into an insane monstrosity, becoming a Chaos Spider.

Mallus Sanguinis
Components: Consecrated anvil (reusable), consecrated hammer (reusable), victim’s blood.
This is a blacksmith’s curse meant for enemies or very disrespectful customers. The smith smears the victim’s blood on their anvil and beats it with their hammer nine times, then spits in the fire and calls on the forge devil to make them suffer. The victim takes [dice] damage and gains a Doom Die. This stroke of misfortune can occur anytime the DM chooses within the next three days.

Poppet
Components: Small doll (clay, wax, or wood), sympathetic link to the victim.
The Maldight incorporates a sympathetic link into an image of the victim, baptizes it in their name and proceeds to torment it as if it were the person. Each cruelty inflicted on the doll takes one action. The victim makes Will Saves to resist. Poppet curses last as long as the doll exists and is suffering in any of the following ways:

• Pins in the Arms: [dice] damage and paralyzed in one arm until the pin is removed. Two pins may be stuck in this location (one in either arm). If both are pinned they become paralyzed in both arms instead.
• Pins in the Legs: [dice] damage and half move speed until the pin is removed. Two pins may be stuck in this location (one in either leg). If both are pinned they are paralyzed in both legs. Their movement is reduced to 5’ of crawling per round.
• Pins in the Torso: [dice] x2 damage. Multiple pins may be stuck in this location.
• Pins in the Head: Burn [dice] / 2 of the victim’s MD and the Maldight’s choice of Confused, Shaken, Dizzy, or Stunned. Multiple pins may be stuck in this location.
• Pins in the Eyes: [dice] damage and partial blindness until the pin is removed (-2F to actions requiring sight). Two pins may be stuck in this location, resulting in Blindness (-4F to actions requiring sight).
• Pin in the Generative Organs: [sum] damage and sexual impotence until the pin is removed. Only one pin may be stuck in this location.
• Pin in the Heart: If the victim fails a System Shock Check, they immediately die from a heart attack. Only one pin may be stuck in this location (though it can be removed and stabbed in again).
• Cord tied around the throat: 1 damage per hour and the victim has a hoarse voice (-1F on casting checks and can’t speak above a whisper). This effect lasts until the cord is removed. As a separate attack, the cord can be tied very tightly, inflicting 1 damage per round, chocking the victim to death.
• Striking the Poppet: The full damage from one melee attack against the poppet is transferred to the victim. This destroys the doll and ends the ritual.
• Submerged in Water: [dice] damage per hour as the victim’s lungs slowly fill with blood. They are Weakened. No new effects may be inflicted while this one is active.
• Burning the Poppet: [sum] of damage per round for four rounds. This destroys the poppet and ends the ritual. Removing the poppet from the flames stops the damage immediately.

Skull Dreaming
Components: Human skull.
This ritual attempts to exorcise spirits or witches that are hag-riding the patient and inflicting nightmares. The patient must sleep near a human skull for a full week, kissing and licking it seven times each night before they retire to bed. During this time they gain a +[dice] bonus to all Saves against having their dreams magically influenced or being possessed in their sleep.

Defixio
Components: Lead Sheet, Nail, Stylus (reusable), Hammer (reusable).
The ritualist inscribes a petition to the Infernal Powers on a sheet of lead, folds the sheet in half and hammers a nail through it. This defixio is then buried in the grave of a freshly executed criminal, and the ghost compelled to carry the curse down into the underworld. Once you’ve completed the ritual roll to see how excited the demons are to execute your curse:

2d6	Demonic Response
2-3	The demons like your victim more than they like you. You gain an extra Doom Die and the ritual fails.
4-10	The demons send misfortune to torment your victim. The target of the ritual gains [dice] Doom Dice.
11-12	The demons take delight in making your enemy suffer. The target of the ritual gains [sum] Doom Dice.