Domains of the Chosen Systems Remastered

Here is some of the stuff that I have been working on lately for my Domains of the Chosen series. These will be going to the appropriate sub-pages on this site, but here they are for now. I am going through and rationalizing the systems within the book for a special reason that I will be announcing later this year.

Structure of a MatchGladiators enter the Arena where they pass through several check-points including having their weapons and armour, weight, and attunements examined by deliberative officers. If the checks are passed the Gladiator attunes to the Keystone and proceeds to their arming room.In higher end games there will be series of matches, with special entertainment, political speeches, advertisments prior to each match.The Gladiator readies themselves in an assigned arming room. Each group of Gladiators is kept apart and well guarded.The first trumpet, the call to arms, sounds. Each group pf Gladiators moves to their entrance gate.The second series of trumpets, the call of the people, sounds. Gladiator groups enter the arena in ascending order of popularity. The direction from which they enter is determine dby match. The Gladiators are announced as they enter, and in high end matches there is often some sport’s centre style announcing. With multiple teams this can actually last some time and involve several calls to the people.Entrances are heavily emphasized by many Gladiators.In a standard Hunter’s Match the Gladiator enters first and the monsters are released after the salute to the crowd (6). Gladiators come in from the East (Krass) and monsters from the West.In a Gladiator’s Match the most popular Gladiator enters from the South and comes on last, alternating entrances (N, W, E, S) as required.In a Gladaitor’s Match all Gladiators now salute the crowd.In a Gladiator’s Match a short time is given over to banter so that the Gladiators can show off their wit and insult each other. Banter ends when one of the Gladiators does not answer or draws a weapon or enough time passes. The more prestigious the fight the more time is allowed for banter.The fight begins with another trumpet blast, the call to battle. Fighting continues until one participant wins or a pre-determined time limit expires. If a victory by KO/Kill/Clear win is not achieved then points are awarded depending on the match type. The side with the most points wins. Ties are are determined by appeal to the crowd.In a deathmatch a gladiator who is defeated but not killed may survive if they win an appeal to the crowd. In most leagues Gladiators are rarely killed this way, although executions are often talked about.The match ends with a call to the ancestors, a final Trumpet blast. Deliberatove officers leash the Gladiators, stopping them from fighting, often mid-swing.Gladiators go back to their arming room, and then to the baths.Naming Conventions for the Gifted in the Domains

Arenabound (Gladiators): Gifted who choose to fight in the arena. They are leashed by the Watchbound. Master Arenabound do not necessarily have to fight in the Arena to maintain their status; many of them teach or provide other services, still bound be the laws that regulate Gladiators.

Domainbound (The Chosen): The Chosen are occasionally referred to as the Domainbound, in that they are bound by oath to serve the Domains of the Chosen. Their Thaom is enhanced by the collective oaths of the Domains, particularly the Oathstone of Krass.

Taskbound (Includes Taskbound Serfs and Vassals, as well as Free Taskbound): The Taskbound are those who have had their Gift Girded so that they cannot draw on magic quickly or weave certain types of spells.

Lifebound (Replacing hearth and heartbound): The lifebound are Gifted who are bound to a Chosen. Their Thaom is enhanced by connection to their Chosen.

Scornbound (Replacing Heretics): The Scornbound are Gifted who exist outside the system imposed by the Covenant. Their very existence is illegal. Scornbound refer to both Gifted living illegally in the Domains and the Gifted of nations outside the Domains.

Warbound (Includes fighting Warbound, Blackcloaks, and some Legion Taskbound): Gladiators who reach veteran rank can become Warbound. The Blackcloaks swear to a banner as well, and function like Warbound. Warbound can draw on additional Thaom from their Oath and the Legionnaires who swear on the same banner.

Watchbound (Grey-Robes, but not Black-Cloaks): Initiates and Taskbound can all become Watchbound, often later in life. Watchbound have some of their Thaom restored and can leash Gladiators and Taskbound to them.

Gladiatorial Terms

Rank: Gladiators are ranked from 1 (Novice) to 10 (master), which denotes their relative experience and how many ranks of training they have. To qualify for ranking the Gladiator must partake in at least 5 official matches, one of which is a special ranking match.

A Gladiator is allotted a training advancement every rank.Ranking tests occur every 5 ranked matches and have special requirements and grades.

Ranked Match: A match that is entered into a Gladiator’s permanent record.

Technique Rating: Techniques, the physical moves that Gladiators are trained in are also given ratings based on how powerful they are, what level of skill they require to use and counter, and any special requirements they have.

A rating 1 technique gives a slight situational advantage, rating 10 or higher is a technique of incredible strength.Skill ratings are novice, adept, veteran, and master.Example: Wall Running: Movement 5, Adept, Sui-Thaiune 1. Allows wall running at full speed.Example: Bulwark School Technique: Defence 6, Adept, Sui-Thaiune 1. Allows spell-blocking.

Training advancement: Training is heavily regulated for all Gladiators save for masters. The allotment of training that a Gladiator is allowed each rank is called a training advancement. Obviously different Gladiators learn at different rates and some pick up certain techniques better than others, but a training advancement is only allocated when a certain competency in the school is achieved. Gladiators learn special techniques during training, many of which are semi-magical and require use of Sui-Thaiune while others require mastery of difficult mundane skills.

Master Gladiators and Chosen are not bound by training advancements, but there is a limit on how much anyone can learn and retain.Chosen Mazurin is said to have mastered the teachings of no less than twenty schools.Magic Glossary

Bodysculpting (Formal Term: Sui-Thaiune): Gifted in the Domains, especially Gladiators, are able to permanently alter their own bodies. This is different that spells and power that transform the Gifted Temporarily, like those exhibited by Riritaka and other shapeshifting Gifted. Bodysculpting is a permanent change in the character’s physical form at the pattern level. It is very slow, but very stable, nigh impossible to unweave, dispel, or disrupt. Gladiators use bodysculpting as part of their physical conditioning, becoming even stronger, tougher, and faster than a regular Gifted. Many also make changes in their appearance, from the sublime to the monstrous, based on personal taste or lack thereof.

Cosmetic Bodysculpting requires a negligible amount of Sui-Thaiune. Even horns, gills, or claws require less than 1 Sui-Thaiune.Thaom/Thune Investment: Functional Bodysculpting requires a great deal more investment. Each level of Sui-Thaiune turns a potion of the Gifted’s Thaom and Thune inward (The exact proportion varies by Gladiator, but remains the same once established). It is possible for a Gifted to Gird themselves if they push it too far.1 point of Sui-Thaiune requires 2 points of Invesment.Krassian Gladiator Training involves a lot of Sui-Thaiune at a very basic level. Even the Krassian  Taskbound have more Sui-Thaiune invested than the Gifted from other cultures.

Girded: Taskbound and Watchbound exchange their freedom for service and having their Gift Girded which weakens the Thaom and makes using certain uses of Thune very, very difficult. Gladiators, especially novices, look down on any Gifted who has been Girded, possibly because they fear it.

Limitations: While the Girded still enjoy the basic benefits of the Gift, they do not heal as fast and eventually die from old age, usually very suddenly as age catches up to them all at once.

Spell-Weave/Spell-Pattern: All things have a magical pattern, made up of strands of Thune. The more stable the thing the stronger the weave. A spell is made up of Thaom energy pushed through a spell-weave that the caster makes from their own Thune. A caster who has strong Thune can keep a pattern stable even after casting a spell, reusing that pattern by directing more Thaom through it.

Disruption: A Gifted who is strong in Thune can disrupt patterns. This can destroy spells or interfere with their casting. The stronger a pattern is, the harder it is to disrupt. Enchantments are harder than spells, with body-sculpting being difficult and natural patterns being very difficult.

Thune:  Thune is a rating of a Gifted’s ability to weaving spell pattern. Thune applies to all forms taught in the Domains of the Chosen and most pre-reckoning forms of magic. Gifted with high Thune can weave complex spells faster. Some spells are simply impossible for those without a developed Thune. Thune is woven. Thune is more difficult to rate than Thaom, especially since some Gladiators show special aptitude for certain spell patterns that lets them cast at a much higher Thune, but there are certain benchmarks.

Thune 1 allows for only simple spells or have to take a long time to weave higher Thune spells while a complex spell can be rated at ten or more. Gladiators are said to have achieved a certain Thune rating when they can cast any spell of that rating 19 times out of 20 in their primary form.

Multiple Weaves: High Thune Gifted can maintain multiple spell-weaves, one at Thune 10 and another at Thune 25. Some Chosen can do more.Multiple Casts: Some High Thune Gifted can weave multiple spells at once. This almost always requires special training for all but The Chosen and is never seen below Thune 18.Example ranksAverage Novice Gladiator Thune 5Average Master Gladiator Thune 15Average Chosen Thune 25Some of the more complex spells, such as Antidilluvius’s void magic orb, require Thune 70 or more.Gavin in book 10 is Thune 105 able to weave at least four spell-patterns at once and maintain four non enchantment spells while casting another.

Thaom: Thaom is a rating of how swiftly a Gifted can call on magical power. Most spells require a set amount of Thaom to cast. Thaom is rated by a Gifted’s average time to cast the prime spells of the mystic form. All Gifted can sense Thaom and channel it to use magic. Thaom is channelled.

Thaom 1 is the lowest rating and can gather enough Thaom for the required spells no faster than three seconds. Thaom 1-2 usually indicates Girding or a lack of training. The minimum Thaom rating for a Gladiator is 3 (1 sec) with most Rank 1 Gladiators measuring at least 5 (0.6 sec)

Thaom Math: Snap spells cost 3 Thaom. Thaom rating is the amount of Thaom a Gifted channels in 1 second.Ur-Thaom: The maximum amount of magical power that a Gladiator can channel at once. This is highly subjective and theoretical for each Gifted since it can be pushed to the point where it can harm or kill the wielder.Benefits of High Thaom: healing factor, senses, and physical prowess increase slowly as Thaum increases. Even the least physically capable Gladiator is much stringer than a normal person and can regenerate from near fatal wounds while a Chosen or a Master Gladiator are super-heroic. Other benefits can accrue based on the forms the Gifted relies on.Example ranksAverage Novice Gladiator Thaom 5Average Master Gladiator Thaom 25Average Chosen Thaom 100Upper levels of Thaom are harder to gauge.