Lure ancient spirits to bargain for their power.
Immerse yourself in the intricate rituals and legends of Goetian magic.Grab thick chalk, inscribe a geometric seal around yourself, and invoke the name of a terrible spirit to aid your quest. Behold!With a final intonation, you surrender to the spirit, and a quivering surge of power emenates from deep within. Are you ready?Embark on your journey, following steps once trodden by shivering demons and martyred titans, lost mortals and chastised gods. The vestiges of a hundred sundered souls lie at your fingertips, yours to command if you dare.
You will discover...
- Over 100 spirits to bind, including elemental, fiendish, and epic spirits.
- A rule for any spellcaster to try pact magic for a day.
- New races, plus base classes that allow your character to bind spirits the way you like.
- Dozens of feats, spells, prestige classes, magic items and creatures.
- Thirteen organizations that aid or hinder your cause.
- Adventure sites, from the Apocryphal Desert to the Outer Darkness and the Ravaged Sea.
- Tools to place pact magic into your campaign.
- Almost 100 unique, professional fantasy illustrations.
This guide opens gateways to perilous and exciting adventures. Mere mortals who risked all to bind spirits have ascended to heroes, and you will too!
For use in your fantasy d20 System roleplaying game. Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook, v3.5, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The 'd20 System' and the d20 System logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the Untied States and other countries and are used with permission.
Order a copy today for yourself and your gaming group!Read customer testamonials here!
Real-World Pact Magic
Secrets of Pact Magic is an inspired, fantasy role-playing version of real-world pact magic. This form of magic is described in various texts dating back to at least the 17th century in the Ars Goetia, which is the first section of The Lesser Key of Solomon. Spirits are also described in other cultures, such as the Moraccan legend of Kandisha. Pact magic typically involves the following features.
- Spirit types (demons, angels, jann, wronged mortals, ancient gods).
- A geometric "seal" that a spirit must heed.
- A legend, summoning ceremony, and possibly special requirements (Kandisha's summoners should be female, or suffer an ill fate).
- Ghost-like manifestation to those who can 'see' spirits.
- A pact is a form of possession.
- Mistakes may cause side-effects (personality change, illness, harm to allies).
- Granting of four to six powers that last from hours to days.
- A link to astrology (constellations or signs)
Originally associated with the seventy-two "names of God," modern-day practitioners might explain the ritualistic power of pact magic as activating and heightening different human mental functions, such as perceiving, judging, connecting to the unconscious, and healing.
You can read more about the history and interpretations of Goetian magic at wikipediaand delirium's realm.You can find related pact magic references at the Internet Sacred Text Archive.The Complete Book of Magic Science, available from The Philosophical Research Societyunder Alchemy and Magic, describes the necessary ritual to form a pact with the spirit of Jupiter. You can also find contemporary references to the use of pact magic by the Hereditary Barbarians.
Look for the upcoming 2008 film, Kandisha,which features a modern-day exploration of an infamous middle-eastern spirit that can be summoned and bound.
Note that Secrets of Pact Magic is a game rule book and not a theosophic or occult primer.
About the Author
Dario Nardi Ph.D., is a professor at University of California at Los Angeles, where he teaches computer modeling and simulation of social systems in UCLAs Human Complex Systemsdegree program. Friends introduced Dario to fantasy role-playing games over summer vacation in 1982. He has enjoyed RPGs ever since. Dario is author and co-author of multiple books about personality, organizational development, and learning and cognition, including 8 Keys to Self-Leadership. He received his degree in systems science from the State University of New York at Binghamtons Watson School of Engineering. Dario has lived in Barbados and Japan but calls Los Angeles his home. For more about the author, please visit www.darionardi.com.
Nar Williams of Nerdvana.Com interviews Dario at Strategicon Feb 2008.
Watch the video here!About the Publisher
Radiance House publishes in three distinct areas: role-playing, psychology, and systems analysis. The publisher's role-playing products strive to meet the following goals.
- d20-System Open Gaming Licenseand d20 SRDcompliant.
- High quality writing and artwork.
- Convenient 8.5" x 11" hardcover books and softcover booklets.
- Rigorous play-testing and professional proofing.
- Welcoming to writers, artists, videographers, and playtesters.
For details and contact information please visit www.radiancehouse.com.
Additional Links
For the latest fantasy role-playing news, events, advice, and products, please visit these sites:
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- GenCon Indy Annual Indiana convention.
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- Green Ronin Publishing 'Be Your Own Master'.
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- Kobold Quarterly Quarterly fantasy RPG print magazine.
- Mad Irishman Home of Castles and Crusades character sheets.
- Malhavoc Press The works of Monte Cook.
- Margaret Weis Productions Creators of Dragonlance.
- Strategicon Los Angeles RPG conventions.
- Mr. Magician Learn nonmagical magic tricks! For magical moments.
- Necromancer Games '3rd edition rules, 1st edition feel'.
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- Paizo Publishing Pathfinder adventure series and other fine products.
- Realms of Twilight A unique campaign setting by Daniel Marshall & Silver Crescent Publishing.
- RPGnet Reviews, forums, and columns.
- RPG Now Independent RPGs, comics, and fiction.
- RPG Resource A UK-based site dedicated to highlighting and reviewing RPGs.
- RPG Search Engine Find what you're looking for!
- Strategicon Los Angeles RPG conventions.
