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Tribnian World Laws, Take 2

Tribnia, a cosm for TORG


Overview
Tribnia is a world of discovery, conquest, and danger. Five “empires” compete for fame, fortune, and glory on a playing field that consists of their New World, and the continent of Africa on Core Earth. Along the way, adventurers from Tribnia may have to face magical beasts, strange and arcane temples, evil wizards, cursed items, greedy pirates and plunderers from other empires.
The setting has the feel of Core Earth’s 17th and 18th centuries. Tall ships set sail for distant lands, financed by merchants who expect to be repaid with the riches of the newly found territory. Others travel to make a new life for themselves, trying to be free from the restrictions of their government. Still others simply explore, looking to be the first person to visit an area and bring back proof of an area’s existence.

Unlike Core Earth, Tribnia has the capacity for powerful magic. The wizards of the areas, known as incanters, are able to cast their spells through recitation of the proper magical incantations, possibly augmented by other actions, gestures and props. The magic is so powerful that it is able to supplant the standard miracles (although the Spiritual Axiom still limits what effects are possible), and can augment the Technology and Social Axiom ratings when incantations are used in conjunction with those tools.

Axiom Ratings (using the Jasyn Jones system)
Magic 19
Magic in Tribnia is powerful, although only those who are trained in its uses can produce effects with an Effect Value higher than 0. Everyone else uses minor “cantrip” effects almost subconsciously, not realizing that the nursery rhyme a person recites to keep bedbugs out really works or that the tune that the maid whistles while sweeping is really a spell to move the dirt out of the house.
To use more powerful effects, characters need incantation magic skill, based on Charisma. None of the standard Torg magic skills and arcane knowledges are supported; they all are considered contradictions in Tribnia. Incantation magic may be supported in other realms, if so, it requires a Magic Axiom of 19. The rules for using incantation magic to create spells are found in the “Magic of Tribnia” article.

Social 11
From the “Storm Knights” site: “The nation-state is possible; while a city or province may rule a nation, the nation as a whole has some say and representation in forming policy. A federal system of government is possible.” Four of the five empires of Tribnia are large nation-states run by monarchs. The last one is a loose confederation of smaller nation-states. By the world laws to be detailed later, the main territory of the five empires is largely fixed, and the only real conflict occurs over the newly found territories.
Within the empires, a rigid social structure exists, to the point where a person of a “higher” standing instinctively orders around people of “lower” standing. The exact rank a person has depends on the empire, but the principle is found in all of them.

Outside of the traditional imperial borders, however, the world laws have not had time to enforce the boundaries of class and social rank. Here, new orders can be formed (and often are), and the possibility of social advance exists.

Spiritual 13
“Independent action taken by spiritual agencies can occur on a sporadic basis. Such action includes the existence of locations or items which are capable of performing miracles. Such miracles only affect the community of the faithful.” In Tribnia, each empire has a religion it follows, which may have items or locations of religious significance attached to it.

Such items, however, are most often produced using incantation magic, not through any divine agency. Magic and Spiritual are linked in Tribnia, and spiritual devices are often used as props for magical rituals.

In addition, standard miracles are not found in Tribnia. Instead, the effects of miracles are done through incantation magic. Effects that are normally performed as miracles may be done if they do not violate the Spiritual Axiom.

Technology 14
“Metallurgical advances allow precision machined parts; Industrial Revolution may begin. Efficient steam engines possible if energy source better than wood available. Pocket watches, bifocals possible. Muskets invented. Primitive rifling possible. Hot-air balloons may fly. Velocity of light recognized as finite. Gravitation and tides understood. Plant extracts and essences possible; inoculation invented. Anesthesia introduced into surgery.”

Tribnia is on the verge of major advances, both technologically and socially. The discovery of the New World has awakened some incanters to the possibility of using magic as a means to enhance both these axioms. The drive to tame these new lands and bring them into the fold of one of the five empires is leading the push for new technology. The biggest pushes currently are in astronomy, physics, nautical technology, building construction, and industry.

World Laws
Incantation Magic: Standard magic, including standard spellcasting, is contradictory in Tribnia. Instead, all magic with an effect value, range or duration of more than 0 is handled through incantation magic. In addition, miracles are not supported here, their effects being duplicated by similar uses of incantation magic. When used to create effects that are normally handled by miracles, the effect requires a Magic axiom of 19 in addition to whatever Spiritual axiom rating would normally apply.

Possession of Objects: The unliving in Tribnia grow attached to their owners. When an object leaves the owner’s possession, that attachment begins to fade over time. If that attachment has not vanished by the time another attempts to take possession, the object will curse the “usurper” until he or she either gains legitimate ownership or the attachment to the previous owner fades. When either of these happens, the object will attach to its new owner.

The strength of the attachment aura begins at 12, and increases by the time value that the object has been in “continuous possession.” Continuous possession refers not only to the time the owner has had it; if the object was legitimately transferred to another person’s care, the time begins from the moment the first legitimate owner first obtained it until the last one stopped possessing it.

Example: Mulroy has an ancestral sword that has been in his family for 400 years. Because it has never left the family’s possession, the attachment aura has strength 63 (time value 51 + 12 base).

If the object leaves the current owner’s possession, such as by becoming lost, or if the owner dies and no provision for its inheritance is given (even by law), the aura fades. The time value that the object has been away from the owner is subtracted from the aura strength.

Example: If Mulroy died 15 years ago and no heir has claimed the family sword in the meantime, the attachment aura would lose 44 strength (time value of 15 years) and be at a value of 19.

When a new person tries to possess the object, if that person was not identified by the previous owner in some way as a legitimate heir to the object, the new person must make a Charisma check with target number equal to the aura’s strength. If he succeeds, he becomes the new owner and the attachment aura resets to him, starting at base level. If not, the person trying to claim the object suffers a curse which imposes a negative to all die rolls equal to the amount by which the roll fell short. This is removed when the object is returned to either the place it came from, or a legitimate heir, or if the aura fades to a strength equal to the Charisma check obtained.

Example: Mulroy’s sword is discovered by a group of adventurers 15 years after his death. Seeing it as treasure, Captain Jacko tries to take it. He rolls well, but he only gets a 17 Charisma check. He will be at -2 to all die rolls until he either returns it to the tomb, he finds and gives the sword to Mulroy’s lost cousin (who is a legitimate heir to the sword), or 25 more years pass. (After 25 years, the sword will have been out of Mulroy’s possession for a total of 40 years, which is a time value of 46. That would reduce the aura from 63 to 17, which is equal to the Charisma check Captain Jacko obtained.)

Territory is also affected by this world law. However, when the “commander” of the force that tries to take the object makes his Charisma check, he gets a Many-On-One bonus based on the size of the force he is using to take the land, even if they would have insufficient Charisma to coordinate normally. (This is counterbalanced by the fact that an invading force usually tries to take the land immediately, thus preventing the aura from having time to fade.) If the check fails, the curse falls upon all of the invaders.

Example: The nation of Cafren (of the Aropans) conquers the city of Verdo, which has been in the hands of the Langdenese (also Aropans) for 1,000 years, and sends 10,000 troops into the city. The strength of Verdo’s attachment aura to the Langdenese is 65, but the commander gets a +20 to his Charisma check. He gets a 33 result after modifiers, which curses all of the troops, giving them a -32 to all die rolls! However, the aura will begin to fade almost immediately, and after one month (time value 32), the penalty will be removed and the city will begin to attach itself to Cafren. Of course, if the Langdenese can assemble a force before that month is over, they are virtually guaranteed of reclaiming Verdo, as the invaders will be in no position to do anything strenuous.

This situation makes it difficult to conquer an established area. However, the New World is generally populated by nomadic civilizations that don’t stay in one place long enough to build a high aura strength for it. This has enabled the Five Empires to begin conquests in areas that impose few if any curses upon them for taking the land. (Individual items, such as the Staff of the Great Warrior Chief Ahasuerus, which has been in the hands of the chiefs of Viliakshi for generations, are a different matter.)

Magical Augmentation of Social Justice and Technology: Incantation magic can be used to simulate tools from the social and technological axioms. If this is done, the effective rating of the simulated axiom is raised by 1. Tools made this way require both their original axiom and the Magic axiom to avoid contradiction.

Rank Has Its Privileges: Members of the Five Empires have been born into a social hierarchy that is fixed by the empire they live in. A person who has been in an empire for more than a few days will instinctively know his place in the empire. The higher person receives a bonus to interaction skill values (such as charm and persuasion) and Approved Action skill values (test, taunt, etc.) equal to the difference in ranks, and the lower person receives an equal penalty.

Social rank can change, although it is difficult within an empire. A person who learns that a particular empire places member of his class in a higher rank than his current empire does may find a way to get sent to that empire for business. In most empires, the rank is fixed based on race or position, but natives of the empire are usually considered more trustworthy than foreigners.