Medieval Astral Magic for TTRPGs - Part Five - The Sun
Continuing our series on medieval astral magic that has previously looked at general principles, Saturn and Jupiter, we now turn to the influence of the Sun.
The Months, Days and Hours of the Sun
The Sun is at its most influential (in Dignity) in July and is marginally less powerful in March (in Exaltation). In September the Sun’s authority is diminished (at Fall) and is at its lowest ebb in January (in Detriment).
In Dignity: Leo (July).
In Exaltation: Aries (March).
At Fall: Libra (September).
In Detriment: Aquarius (January).
The Sun’s day is Sunday.
The propitious hours of the Sun are as follows.
Saturday - 4th and 11th hour after sunrise or sunset
Sunday - 1st and 8th hour after sunrise or sunset
Monday - 5th and 12th hour after sunrise or sunset
Tuesday - 2nd and 9th hour after sunrise or sunset
Wednesday - 6th hour after sunrise or sunset
Thursday - 3rd and 10th hour after sunrise or sunset
Friday - 7th hour after sunrise or sunset.
The Qualities of the Sun
Nature: Hot and dry, balanced.
Image: A woman drawn by a four-horse chariot holding a mirror in her right hand and a staff in her left and, above her head, a tongue of flame; a man standing, holding a round shield in his left hand standing over a dragon; a king crowned and enthroned with a crow over his head.
Influence: Philosophy, divination, jurisprudence, eloquence, riches, avarice, creativity, spontaneity, health, vitality, music.
People: Kings, princes, soldiers, just and honest men, peaceful men, men of good reputation, humble men, officials, priests, physicians, philosophers, brothers, fathers, givers of gifts, honest men.
Places: Great, regal and beautiful cities, elevated places.
Organs: The heart.
Crafts: Rulership, medicine, music, painting, philosophy.
Animals: Humans, bulls, horses, camels, rams, cows, all those that are large and powerful, peacocks, bears, large vipers, birds posessed by princes - hawks, falcons and eagles, warhorses.
Plants, Herbs and Spices: Beautiful and fruitful plants, wheat, grain, olives, saffron, roses, aloe, sandalwood, lac resin (a product of an insect native to India and the Far East that can be ‘farmed’ by infesting plants with its larvae; it is the basic ingredient of the varnish shellac), all those spices that are hot and sharp.
Stones and Minerals: Diamond, ruby, garnet, red pearl, balas ruby, all shiny stones, yellow marcasite.
Metals: Gold, arsenic.
Colours: Ruby red and yellow gold.
Vestments: Yellow silk or cloth of gold.
Incenses: Aloewood, musk, amber and substances at once both sweet and bitter.
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Talismans of the Sun
A reminder that, where it appears below, the term ‘inscribe’ is employed rather loosely. It can indeed mean carving the required image into the surface of a gemstone or other substance; however, it can also mean the drawing of that same image using some substance such as oil, perfume, ink, water or even just the tip of one’s finger. Exactly what is needed in any particular instance can be decided by the GM based on his preference, the setting and any limit he might wish to impose on the ability of the astral magician to make a talisman. Remember, in this context, that, unless specifically stated, all amulets must be created by the magician with his own hands and this may require the performance of a successful skill check (such as Craft) in order to manufacture them.
For banishing the influence of evil men - With the Sun in Dignity (July) and on the day and hour of the sun (Sunday at the first and eighth hour after sunrise or sunset) inscribe on a red garnet the image of a king crowned and enthroned with a crow over his head. The one who bears this stone shall not be subject to the will of evil men.
Who exactly qualifies as an ‘evil man’ may be objective in systems that use alignment. In other cases, this may be a subjective judgement based upon the intentions of the person seeking to influence the bearer of this amulet. Anyone who, in the view of the GM, intends the magician harm, loss or damage might, for the purposes of this object, be considered an evil man. In terms of its mechanical effects, these can vary from a blanket immunity to all spells or powers that seek to impose any mental condition on the bearer to bonuses to any save against such effects. It might also make the owner of this talisman less subject to the mundane wiles of ‘evil men’, and therefore award a bonus to the bearer for any save or test needed to resist non-magical form of charm or persuasion. To make this object of more limited use, it could be interpreted as removing any curse, mental state or influence (magic or mundane) that afflicts a victim and, once cured, the amulet loses its efficacy.
To cure digestive ailments - Inscribe upon a sheet of beaten gold the figure of a man holding a round shield in his left hand standing over a dragon. Do this when the Sun is in Dignity (July) and on the day and hour of the sun (Sunday at the first and eighth hour after sunrise or sunset). He who receives this amulet as a gift freely given by magician shall be cured of all illnesses of the stomach and maladies caused by bad digestion.
As an aside, it is interesting to note just how much actual medieval magic and medicine was concerned with healthy digestion and how little time is spent in quasi-medieval RPGs worrying these questions of mundane bodily health. In settings that actually feature specific diseases (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying has some very interesting gastro-intestinal diseases) it is a simple thing for the GM to allow that this talisman cures such illnesses automatically or gives a substantial advantage on any roll made to overcome it. More generically, this amulet can function in much the same way as a non-specific Cure Disease effect similar to any appropriate spell, potion or ability or as an item that grants a bonus to cure or recover from a malady.
For a great man to triumph - Inscribe on a flawless ruby the image of a crowned man enthroned surrounded by the symbol of the Sun, with a crow at his feet. Set this stone in a ring fashioned of pure gold. Do this when the Sun in in exaltation (March), taking care to work only in the hours propitious for carrying out the work of the Sun (i.e. during the hours of the Sun). The man who carries this ring will conquer anyone who defies him.
The question of who is and is not a ‘great man’ should be defined with some sense of objectivity derived either from game mechanics (by imposing a level or Hit Dice requirement) or the setting (possession of some senior office within the game world). The power of this ring is, impliedly, very great and GMs who wish to retain this sense and some game balance might insist that its creation is a highly demanding process requiring great skill in gem-cutting and jewellery-making. In turn, the magnitude of the effects of this talisman should be adjusted, perhaps permitting significant mechanical bonuses to the possessor of the ring over a wide range of activities, although its power could be constrained by a stricer interpretation of the term ‘conquer’ to mean only those actions directly related to victory in battle or single combat.
For success - Under Leo (July) at the first hour of the day engrave upon a balas ruby the image of a lion. The bearer of such an image will successfully complete whatever they begin.
‘Success’ is a very fluid term and GMs should feel free to interpret it as best suits their preferences and the limits of the setting. In a high fantasy or high magic world this might result in the application of some almost universal mechanical bonuses for the posessor of this amulet. This might allow that all of the owner’s rolls are made at Advantage where the game includes such a mechanic. If a GM wishes to impose some limits on this effect, he could consider allowing that this talisman awards a certain number of re-rolls or rolls made at Advantage per day or week of game time or per game session for any task or test. Alternatively, any such bonus can be applied only to actions that are central to the method chosen to achieve success in a single defined and discrete goal at any one time. Thus where the aim is to achieve success in combat, the bonus will only apply to the appropriate mechanics for the duration of a single encounter; if the chosen method is a particular negotiation the reward will deal only with social mechanics of that activity and so on. A similar, but broader, effect can be instantiated by allowing the player whose character owns the amulet to select a single stat, attribute, skill or ability to benefit from any bonus when making a roll that employs the chosen mechanic.
To inculcate fear - Inscribe on a diamond the figure of a woman in a four-horse chariot, bearing a mirror in her right hand and a wand in her left. Do this when the Sun is exaltation (March) on the day and at the hour of Mars (Tuesday at the first and eighth hour). The bearer will strike fear into all men.
The implementation of this power is fairly straightforward: the GM can simply rule that the owner of the diamond possesses an aura that inspires fear in people and apply the necessary mechanical consequences. The question that will need to be resolved is the magnitude of this effect - whether it is a permanent feature (that perhaps cannot be applied selectively), whether the condition is imposed automatically or the victim receives some form of save and, if so, with a bonus or penalty.
For protection against imbalance of phlegm - With the Sun in exaltation, write on a hematite the figures of the sun. The bearer of the stone will be cured of all diseases or defects of character resulting from an imbalance of phlegm.
Phlegm (or mucus) was conceived of as having the properties of being cold and wet. Diseases that resulted from an imbalance of this humour include those affecting the lungs that manifest as an excess of fluid such as pleurisy and consumption as well as maladies that can be interpreted as swelling and discomfort caused by an excess of liquid such as dropsy and gout. However, in medieval humoural theory an imbalance of phlegm also led to defects of character - notably poor memory, shortness of temper and lack of concentration. A GM could, therefore, expand (or alter) the focus of this amulet so that it cures those ills or offers a corresponding reward. It could grant bonuses to actions that require memory and concentration such as spell-casting and the recall of information or to resist effects that impose conditions of irrational anger or rage.
To Call Down the Sun
The astral magician who would call upon the Sun should dress in yellow silk robes or cloth of gold, wearing a golden crown and a gold ring. He should enter a lonely house on a high place. This place must previously have been dedicated to the ritual through the burning of the incenses of the Sun - aloewood, musk, amber or any substance at once both sweet and bitter - on all four of the Sun’s hours (the first and eighth after sunrise and sunset) for three previous Sundays. There the magician must regard the Sun with reverence, his left hand always held above his right throughout the ritual. He must bring with him a golden censer and a cockerel. He should place in the censer a suffumigation of equal parts saffron, styrax gum, nutmeg, litharge, pomegranate flower, aloewood and saxifrage ground and mixed with excellent wine. After praying to the Sun for that which he desires the magician should then decapitate the cockerel and eat its liver raw.
I have discussed before the general rules that should apply to calling down the influence of the planets. Rather than creating a prescriptive list of defined powers, it is suggested that GMs and players work together to create individual, tailored, effects, building each one from the elements of the Sun’s qualities as set out above (Influence, People, Places, Crafts, Animals, Plants and so on). The power, duration and applicability of the influence of the Sun will be dictated by the constraints of the system and setting and the GM’s preferred style.
At one extreme, the power of the Sun could grant the magician a permanent (or year or month long) increase in health or vitality reflected in an increase in Hit Points, Wounds, Constitution, total immunity to disease or some other boon related to the maintenance of fine fettle. In other cases it could award the magician great influence over relevant people or a dazzling talent for the creation of pieces of art and music, either manifesting in automatic success by narrative fiat or bonuses to any mechanical attempts to carry out those activities. If it is desired that the magic be more subtle or of limited utility, perhaps the astral magician can call upon the influence of the sun to ensure that all animals owned by princes are well-disposed towards him, or that he has great power of eloquence, but only when talking with kings and princes. These powers can be automatic or can require some suitable test on the part of the magician or save on the part of others, depending on the combination of levers that the GM wishes to pull in order to establish his desired result.
The Ring of the Sun
On Sunday at the first hour of the day under Aries (March) inscribe a diamond with an image of the Sun and set it into a gold ring. The sons of men and all magnates will be well-disposed to the wearer and all men will obey the wearer’s commands. All the works of the Sun will be greatly facilitated. The bearer may never eat the flesh of birds nor have sex with a woman and, if he ever does these things, the power of the ring of the Sun will be utterly destroyed.
Generally, the potential of rings of the planets in astral magic were conceived of as second only to the direct calling down of the power of the planet. For this reason, if wanting to adhere to this conception, GMs should ensure that the hurdles to creating the ring of the Sun should be proportionately onerous. Diamonds are notoriously hard to cut and so the GM may insist that the ‘inscription’ must be an actual carving made with the aid of a second, diamond-tipped, stylus. Further, it could be that all the work of making the ring - the creation of the stylus, the cutting, polishing and fashioning of the diamond, the smelting of the gold and making of the ring itself can only be carried out on the first hour of each Sunday, thereby potentially stretching out the time needed to complete the object to weeks or even months. Of course, where the ring will have considerably less power, the GM may hand-wave all of these requirements.
The greater the effort required to make the ring of the Sun, the greater its capacity to work the magician’s will in the world. Here the obvious questions will be over how the ring’s ability to make princes ‘well-disposed’ towards its owner and what, exactly, is meant by men ‘obeying’ the magician. By now these variables should be familiar, ranging from permanent and automatic success in all dealings with princes to bonuses when making any social test dealing with the same class of figures; from narrative fiat that sees human NPCs do what the magician desires (subject to the common rules about not obeying calls to self-slaughter or reckless endangerment) to mechanical advantage when attempting the same. Note that, in principle, a GM can strictly interpet the terms of the object to exlcude its effectiveness against all women.