Tree Magic
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Mechanics and Requirements
There are basically four questions to be answered in order to cover all the in-game mechanics regarding Tree Magic. Who can Enchant a Tree and what methods are available to him? How can the Character be better at Tree Magic if he wants to make of this area a specialization of his? How much does it cost, in terms of personal Essence, to Enchant a Tree? How long does it take for the magic to be fully ingrained in the Tree and be 'operational'? This chapter addresses each ot them thouroughly and lists all the answers and the options available.
Spells from the Plant Realm
The most obvious way to go about when Enchanting a Tree is to use one of the several available spells within the Plant Realm of magic. There are four such spells, forming a ladder, starting with Enchant Tree I up to Enchant Tree IV. Each spell, upon its completion, gives the Character a certain number of Tree Levels (see Chapter on costs below) that he can use to put an effect into a tree.
Magical effects to be imbued int trees are belong to one of four different categories: Sentience, Aura, Enhanced Bloodline and Health/Life. When a Character is casting an Enchant Tree Spell, all the Tree Levels that the Character gets upon completing the spell shall go toward one or more effects belonging to the same category. That is, one cannot cast a Spell that gives 4 Tree Levels in order to imbue an Aura effect that costs 3 Tree Levels and a Sentience Effect that costs 1 levels as well. In order to work effects coming fomr different categories into a tree, different Enchant Tree Spells must be cast, and the Tree Levels obtained can be used only for the effects within a single category.
If the spell you are casting gives you more Tree Levels than you need for the effect you intend to work into the tree, you use only those needed (and pay Essence costs only for those Levels used); all the remaining Tree Levels are lost.
Specific Lore
Just as with Familiars, a Character can pursue a magical act without ever learning the appropriate spells frome the Plant Realm. Instead, a specific Lore (name of the lore here) exists which allows the Character to bypass the need for those spells and focus and specialize on the Tree Magic aspects he is most interested in.
Enhancing Powers
Sometimes being able to do something is not enough for a Character. Sometimes the Character concept requires him being particularly well versed at some specific aspects, because that's where his life led him to and that's where his interests lie. Tree Magic has two related Powers that allow a Character to be better than a 'standard tree magician' along two different lines.
TreeBrother
The TreeBrother Power entitles a Character to ES discounts when Enchanting trees, so that he will usually be able to Enchant more. It comes into three levels. The first is TreeBrother I (tree type name). This halves the Tree Levels for all the rituals regarding a specific type of tree (e.g. all oak trees, all plums trees, ...). See the section on the Essence Costs for a better understanding of how Tree Levels works. The result is that the Character will find Enchanting a specific type of tree particularly cheap (and will probably do most of his Enchanting on said type of tree as a result). The second level is TreeBrother II. The benefits gained from TreeBrother I (specific), that is the halving of Tree Levels, is extended to all trees, regardless of their type. The final level is TreeBrother III: in addition to the discount provided by TreeBrother II, this level allows the Character to pay much less when Preparing a Tree (see dedicated section below). In particular, the Tree Level cost for the various Prepare rituals is reduced by one and then halved, so that Prepare I is free (0 levels) and Prepare II and III are heavily discounted.
| Power Level | Discount | Special |
|---|---|---|
| TreeBrother I | Halves the Tree Levels for a specific type of tree | |
| TreeBrother II | Halves the Tree Levels all trees | |
| TreeBrother III | Halves the Tree Levels all trees | Tree Levels for Prepare rituals are reduced |
Fast Enchanter
How to calculate Essence Costs
Tree Levels are an abstract way to measure how much Essence is required to imbue a given effect permanently within a tree. The conversion factor from TLs to Essence is fixed: one Tree Level costs 0.2ES for each Character. Specific Powers (TreeBrother) can then be selected in order to decrease the number of Tree Levels needed to achieve a given effect. This has two consequences: the obvious one is that a Character uses up a smaller amount of Essence to achieve the same effect. Also, for Characters using Plant Realm spells to Enchant a tree, lower level Spells are required to get the necessary number of Tree Levels (the higher the spell level, the more Tree Levels it gives the Character upon its completion), thus decreasing the overall Fumble chance in the process.
In order to find out how much Essence your planned magical tree will end up costing you, simply tally all the Tree Levels for the Rituals involved, applied all relevant discount and then convert it to Essence cost using the Conversion Factor indicated above. In terms of Essence cost, effects belonging to different categories don't impose any additional restriction or requirement. The Tree Levels needed are tallied and converted to Essence, regardless of the category the effects belong to. Just remember that effects from different categories each need its own dedicated Enchant Tree Spell to be cast.
Growth Time Interval
Enchanting a Tree is not a fast process. This type of magic is not suited to fast tactical challenges, as it takes moons, sometimes years, to develop and bear fruit. As such, planning ahead becomes very important. The basic measure of how long it takes for a certain effect to grow magical into the tree is called Growth Time Interval (GTI). Its standard span is three years, but the Character can develop specific Mysticisms to modify it (see the section on Faster Magic above). The GTI is used in three Rituals, the first of which is a mandatory step in all Tree Enchanting Process.
- Preparing the Tree base duration is one full GTI.
- Enlarging a Tree base duration is one full GTI per Size (so that a Size VI Enlargment base duration would be 6 GTIs).
- Awakeining a Tree base duration is five full GTIs.
The indicated base duration can be reduced by spending more Essence and taking the Speed Up I or Speed Up II options. Both options are available in all the aforementioned three rituals, but their cost (in additional Essence) depends on the Ritual being worked. All costs are detailed under the relevant section. Taking the Speed Up I option divides the duration by 6; taking the Speed Up II option divides the original duration by 36. Thus, for an average Character, whose GTI is unmodified (3 Years), taking the Speed Up II option to Prepare a Tree means that he can complete the step in 1 moon instead of 3 years (3 years divided by 36).
Steps to Enchant a Tree
Preparing the Tree
Enlarging (Optional)
Effects
Sentience
Life-related Effects
Radiance Effects
Fruits
Advice
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Please note
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The world
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The Ärth setting
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Design Notes
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Quick mini-glossary
Tree Level (TL)
Growth Time Interval (GTI)
See also
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