Pacific Shamanism

Pacific Shamanism

These spells are indigenous to White Leviathan’s fictional Pacific Islands, including Kith Kohr and the Vokoan Islands. They are shamanistic in origin, and many require the caster to be marked with a tattoo. While these spells have their roots in the Mythos, like witchcraft, the shamans who use them vary widely in belief and moral alignment. Some of these spells are unique to White Leviathan, and some are variations of standard spells found in the “Grimoire” of the Call of Cthulhu Rulebook, and assume the players have access to those descriptions. Those marked with an asterisk are adapted from spells found in Chaosium’s Grand Grimoire of Cthulhu Mythos Magic.

Bond with Blood Brother

• Cost: 10 magic points
• Casting time: 3 hours

This ritual forges a close spiritual connection between two men. Both must be willing participants, and both men must have: (1) eaten together, (2) been intoxicated together, (3) hunted and killed together, (4) struck each other in anger, (5) embraced in friendship, (6) wept together in joy or sorrow, and (7) presented each other with gifts. Once these “Seven Bonds of Brotherhood” have been established, the ritual can be enacted. Each man must cut his flesh deep enough to scar, collect the blood, and offer it freely to the other to drink. (At this point, 1 Power percentile is permanently “traded.” See below.) They must eat the flesh of an animal they have hunted and killed together, and must drink a special intoxicating beverage. Both the specific animal and the beverage vary by region. The ritual is consummated through sex: both men must have sex with the same woman, or with two sisters. These women must consent to the act, but the sex does not have to be simultaneous. Again, there are regional variations.

Once the ritual is complete, the blood brothers are permanently linked—they have “exchanged” Power. They are now obligated to defend and protect each other. Neither can refuse the request of his brother, no matter how difficult or outrageous. If one brother receives 5 hit points in damage or loses 5 Sanity points within a single day, the other brother becomes aware that his partner is in trouble. This brother may “lend” his partner 1D6 hit Points and/or 1D6 Sanity points by cutting open the scar created during the ritual; however he suffers these losses himself. This may only be done once per day.

A man can have as many blood brothers as he feels appropriate, and some elite warrior groups bond to each other during elaborate ceremonies. In less ethical cultures such as the Nukavokoans and the Kát, Blood Brother ceremonies may be less wholesome and more coercive, particularly regarding the hunting, killing, and sexual aspects of the ritual.

Breaking the Bond
If a blood brother is killed, his partner loses 1 Power percentile and suffers a 2D4 Sanity loss. The bond may be willingly dissolved by cutting across the grain of the scar and abjuring the forsaken brother; this also results in the permanent loss of Power, but the Sanity loss is reduced to 1D4. The bond may also be broken if one partner refuses to behave according to the oath, but this is up to the Keeper.

Cast Out Evil Spirit (Cast Out the Devil*)

• Cost: 10 magic points
• Casting time: 1D3+1 hours

This ritual has two uses: it may be used as an exorcism, or it may protect a person against possession. Both require the shaman to tattoo a “blessing” on the back of the recipient’s neck. The recipient may be willing or unwilling, and may need to be restrained. The ritual involves a chant that must be intoned without pause, and the tattoo ink must be blended with the spittle of the shaman, the blood of a sea turtle, and ink from an octopus that was consumed by the shaman while still alive. Creating the tattoo requires a successful Art/Craft (Tattooing) roll. If this roll is a failure, the ritual is still effective, but the shaman permanently loses 1 Power percentile. Depending on the host’s culture, this tattoo may have an impact on his Appearance: usually –5 percentiles for “civilized” Westerners.

1. Exorcism
Upon completion of the tattoo, the exorcist invests 10 magic points and makes an opposed Power roll against the Power of the possessing entity. A success casts out the spirit, which cannot possess that host again unless the tattoo is damaged. If the shaman fails, the victim remains possessed, and the shaman loses 1D6 Sanity points. The ritual may not be repeated. The shaman may be aided by willing assistants, who must chant in unison while each spending 10 magic points. Each participant adds a +1D10 bonus die to the shaman’s Power roll, to a maximum of +3D10 bonus dice.

2. Blessing of Protection
A person tattooed with a preventative blessing receives a +1D10 bonus die against any attempts at possession. The shaman must “seal” the tattoo with the investiture of 1 Power percentile. There is a downside to such preventative measures. If the “blessed” person does become possessed, a shaman may only retrace the tattoo, which is less effective than inking a new tattoo. The same rules as described under Exorcism are in effect, but the shaman suffers a –1D10 penalty die on his opposed Power roll.

Note: Evil Spirits
Typical “possessing entities” include aboriginal trickster spirits, invasive sorcerers, and supernatural beings such as ghosts and demons. It is also effective against lesser Mythos creatures such as Elder Things and the Great Race of Yith; however the Keeper must decide whether it’s effective against gods like Y’golanac. In the context of White Leviathan, Cast Out Evil Spirit is effective against Chant de Possession, Dream Dislocation, and Mind Transfer, but can only help prevent the Rite of Investiture, which destroys the vessel’s mind upon completion. The ritual may be used to attenuate the Call of Dagon, reducing it by one stage if the shaman successfully opposes the Call’s current Power. It also protects against the Fenstraal, the tattoo adding a permanent +1D10 bonus die to any roll resisting this ill wind.

Call Upon Ancestors (Chant of Thoth)

• Cost: 10 magic points; 1D4 Sanity points
• Casting time: 30 minutes

This spell is similar to the standard Chant of Thoth spell, however the shaman is understood to be calling upon his ancestors for guidance. The ritual requires a wooden ancestor totem, a specially-prepared mixture of incense, and a chant that must be repeated continually for a half-hour. Alternatively, the shaman may be tattooed with a special symbol that replaces the wooden totem and incense. Such a symbol must be traced continually during the chant, usually by the finger bone of an ancestor.

Command Shark (Command Animal*)

• Cost: 1-9 magic points; variable Sanity points
• Casting time: 1-9 rounds, plus 2D6 rounds for the shark to appear

This spell allows the shaman to summon and command a shark. The shaman uses a shark tooth to trace his shark tattoo and chants the Song of the Shark. Each round of tracing costs 1 magic point and increases the chance of success by 10%. The chance cannot be increased past 90%. The spell must be cast where sharks naturally dwell—a shark cannot be summoned from a freshwater pond. The shark may be given a simple command, but it must be something it can understand and achieve. Asking the shark to do harm or to place itself in danger costs 1D3 Sanity points. Some shamans are able to summon and command other cartilaginous fish such as rays, skates, and sawfish.

Spiral of Protection (Flesh Ward)

• Cost: 1-6 magic points
• Casting time: 1-6 rounds

This spell is similar to the standard Flesh Ward spell, but takes the shape of a spiraling tattoo. To activate the spell, the shaman must chant a short phrase and trace the spiral with a designated fetish, usually the finger bone of an ancestor, a piece of greenstone, or a mummified turtle claw. Each round of tracing costs 1 magic point and provides 1D6 points of armor. Unlike the standard version of the spell, there is no corresponding Sanity loss; but the shaman may only invest a maximum of 6 magic points.

Talk to Birds (Command Animal*)

• Cost: Variable magic points; variable Sanity points
• Casting time: 1 round

This spell allows the shaman to summon and command birds. The shaman uses the leg of a seagull to trace his bird tattoo, loudly imitates the sound of birdcalls, and spends 1 magic point for every bird he’d like to summon. These birds must be nearby, and cannot be specific birds. (In other words, if the caster spends 5 magic points, the nearest five birds show up.) Each bird may be given a simple command, but it must be something they can understand and achieve. They may also be induced to work together. Asking the birds to do harm or to place themselves in danger costs 1D3 Sanity points.

Tentacles of Kith-Vloo’a (Grasp of Cthulhu*)

• Cost: 1D6 magic points/round; 1D6 Sanity points
• Casting time: 1 round

This spell allows a shaman to immobilize a target with crushing pressure, like they’ve become wrapped in the tentacles of a giant octopus. Casting this spell is similar to a Māori haka: the shaman slaps his octopus tattoo with his hand, stomps his feet, thrusts out his tongue, grunts menacingly, and wiggles his fingers at his enemy. The range of the spell is ten yards, and the shaman must win an opposed Power roll against his target. A success partially immobilizes the victim and forces him to make a Sanity roll for a 1/1D6 loss. Depending on the target’s belief system, he may actually see the tentacles, be they spectral appendages, tendrils of mist or water, or monstrous tentacles bursting from the ground! The spell costs 1D6 magic points per round, but complete concentration must be maintained as the stomping and whetero continue. Each round of “grasping” reduces the target’s Strength by –10 percentiles and his Dexterity by –20 percentiles. Once either of these reaches zero, the target falls unconscious. Both characteristics return to normal when the spell ends or the target regains consciousness. Multiple targets may be attacked by the spell, but each victim requires the expenditure of 1D6 magic points per round.

Throw of the Seventh Suitor (Impeccable Throw*)

• Cost: 3 magic points plus 1/round
• Casting time: 3 rounds

By tracing a serpent tattoo on the shaman’s arm and chanting the Song of the Seventh Suitor, the shaman is granted a 99% Throw skill—he may throw objects and have them land precisely where he desires! The spell lasts for an many rounds as the shaman invests magic points. This spell increases accuracy but does not affect range, and the force of impact remains unaltered. The spell gets its name from a Rokovokoan story about a beautiful maiden who promised to marry the man who could throw a spear through a small hole in a tree. Apparently the seventh suitor picked up a snake, whispered in its ear, stretched it to a rigid spear, and flung it directly through the hole! If this spell is cast prior to throwing a harpoon, it grants a +1D10 bonus die to the Fighting roll, but does not guarantee a hit—after all, the whale is a living, moving target.

White Leviathan > Auxiliary Materials > New Spells
[Witchcraft | Cult Sorcery | Eldritch Magic | Pacific Shamanism]
[Back to New Occupations | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Kingsport Cult Degrees]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 23 August 2021
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]