Medieval Astral Magic for TTRPGs - Part Six - Venus
Previous posts have detailed the operations of Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and the Sun as well as the more general principles of astral magic. We continue with an exploration of the power of Venus.
As with all aspects of astral magic discussed in these posts, the intention is not to provide a hard and fast set of mechanics but only suggestions for how these elements can be introduced into particular systems and settings.
The Months, Days and Hours of Venus
Venus is at its most powerful (in Dignity) in April and September and is somewhat less influential in February (in Exaltation). In August Venus’ authority is reduced (at Fall) and is at its lowest point in March and October (in Detriment).
In Dignity: Taurus (April) and Libra (September)
In Exaltation: Pisces (February)
At Fall: Virgo (August)
In Detriment: Aries (March) and Scorpio (October)
Venus’ day is Friday.
The hours of Venus are as follows.
Saturday - 5th and 12th hour after sunrise or sunset
Sunday - 2nd and 9th hour after sunrise or sunset
Monday - 6th hour after sunrise or sunset.
Tuesday - 3rd and 10th hour after sunrise or sunset
Wednesday - 7th hour hour after sunrise or sunset
Thursday - 4th and 11th hour after sunrise or sunset
Friday - 1st and 8th hour after sunrise or sunset
The Qualities of Venus
Nature: Cold and wet, fortunate.
Image: A woman standing, holding an apple in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand inscribed OAOIOA; a man with the head and feet of an eagle; a naked woman wearing a necklace bearing the sigil of Mars; a woman riding a stag, an apple in her right hand and a bunch of flowers in her left.
Influence: Grammar, poetry, rhyme, song, games, painting, power, discretion, sex, the worldly, cleanliness, neatness, dreams, vanity, lust, the making of potions and tinctures.
People: Women, artists, those addicted to vice, servants.
Places: Those of vice and luxury, eating, drinking, dancing and music making, brothels.
Crafts: Painting, illustrating, perfumery, music, singing, dancing and performing.
Organs: Right nostril, genitals, stomach.
Animals: All females, camels, beautiful beasts, sheep, gazelles, rabbits; all birds with beautiful singing voices - larks, nightingales; all insects that are iridescent and colourful.
Trees, Herbs and Spices: Crocus, roses and all those with beautiful blooms and sweet smells, balsam, mint, nutmeg, ambergris.
Stones, Metals and Minerals: Pearls, azure, coral, malachite, beryl, magnesium, lapis lazuli, litharge, red bronze, copper, silver, glass.
Colours: Sky blue, gold, pale green.
Vestments: White, pink silk.
Suffumingation: Rose, violet, green myrtle.
Talismans of Venus
To ease all female ailments - With Venus in Dignity (April and September) and on the day and hour of Venus (Friday on the 1st and 8th hour after sunrise/sunset) inscribe on a sheet of beaten silver an image of a naked woman wearing a necklace on which is a medal depicting the sigil of Mars. A woman in possession of this amulet shall be cured of all diseases that afflict her sex.
The terms of the powers of this talisman are expressly confined to maladies that affect women. In many ways this can be simply interpreted as providing a cure for or relief from biologcal symptoms associated with pregnancy, childbirth, menstruation and menopause. This is easy to express mechanically using a system’s rules around medicine and curing disease. However, in settings that reflect pre-modern European beliefs about the sexes possessing distinct qualities of personality and temprament, this talisman can be employed to ‘cure’ alleged ‘defects’ attributed to women such as inconstancy, a predeliction for gossip, sexual incontinence and deceit. Instantiating these powers may be more easily achieved through a narrative by which NPCs in possession of such an amulet will not engage in the behaviours attributed to their sex and PCs should roleplay the appropriate consequences. Mechanically, penalties and bonuses can be applied to both PCs and NPCs to reflect the talisman’s powers such that a woman attempting to deceive others does so at a penalty or must pass some form of save to defy the powers of the amulet.
To improve sexual performance - On the day and hour of Venus (Friday on the 1st and 8th hour after sunrise/sunset) when she is in dignity (April and September), engrave upon a piece of mirrored glass the image of a man with the head and feet of an eagle (if the beneficiary is male) or a woman riding a stag (if the recipient is a woman). The owner of this talisman shall be gifted with great facility in the arts and techniques of pleasing his or her lover(s).
Individual tables will, of course, have their own views about the limits of depicting sexual acts in play and, for some, this amulet will possess little more than narrative consequences behind a dicreet veil. Of course, it is also possible that the off-screen employment of this artifact can have real in-game mechanical consequences such as the owner holding his or her paramour enthralled or charmed or simply profoundly well-disposed towards them. The expression of such an effect are easily handled by rules around magical or mundane influence. GMs who wish mechanically to limit this power can do so by ruling that it is only effective in the context of a monogamous relationship. A complication that could arise from the use of this device is that the owner will be the subject of extreme jealousy or resentment from his lover(s) if his or her attentions are directed towards another.
For the esteem of all - Make an image on a topaz of a woman with the head of a bird and the talons of an eagle holding an apple in her right hand and a tablet inscribed with the symbols OAOIOA in her left hand. The owner of this stone shall be esteemed by all.
It is for GMs to determine, based on their preferred rules’ set, the mechanics and magnitude of this effect. At its most basic, this can be manifested as a permanent bonus to some statistic or attribute that determines social interactions or awarding an ‘advantage’ to any such tests. The magnitude of this bonus will be decided by a combination of the role and influence of magic in the setting and the power of the magician. Where a game has a separate mechanic for social encounters - such as a ‘reaction’ system - then the possessor of this talisman will benefit from a bonus as defined by the mechanics of that system. In keeping with the general theme of the influence of Venus, a GM could also decide that this power only works on those of the opposite sex to the one who possesses this object.
To dispel melancholy - Under Libra (September) one the day of Venus (Friday) inscribe on a white stone the image of a woman holding an apple in her right hand and a comb in her left. The bearer of this stone will always have a cheerful and pleasant demeanour and all melancholy will be banished.
In humoural theory, melancholy - defined as an affliction characterised by lassitude, sadness and indolence - was a malady that women were particularly vulnerable to, hence the association between Venus and the curing of melancholic disorders or, viewed another way, promoting the virtues of energy and good cheer. It follows from this that, mechanically, the owner of this amulet can be cured of any magical or mundane effect that imposes a relevant mental or psychological condition. Conversely, in someone not so afflicted, the talisman might award bonuses to appropriate attributes, skills and checks that reflect the owner’s enhanced vitality and pleasant demeanour.
For winning over a woman - At the hour of Venus draw upon a lapis lazuli the figure of a naked woman with a chain around her neck, behind her standing a small boy with a drawn sword and facing her the figure of a man. The bearer will win the heart of any woman he or she desires.
Narratively, this amulet can be viewed as possessing one of two possible effects. Some groups may be happy to allow that the owner of this talisman is capable of compelling erotic love of women. Others might prefer that the ‘love’ that is inspired has the quality of devotion, loyalty and emotional attachment but not necessarily sexual desire. The mechanics of this can be handled using any system’s rules for social interactions and reactions such as applying a bonus to Charisma or some other statistic or calling for the target to make an appropriate save against magic. Note that implicit in the description is the fact that only a single woman can be subject to the object’s power at any given time. If a GM wishes to limit the power of this amulet, he may rule that the subject receives periodic saves to recover their autonomy. Once freed from the power of this amulet, the woman can never again be ensnared by the same power. Note well that those who become aware that they have been subjected to this manipulation might not take kindly to the asault on their free will and will perhaps react with deep hostility towards the talisman’s owner.
Against poisonous bites - When Jupiter is in exaltation (June) on the day and at the hour of Venus (Friday on the 1st and 8th hour after sunrise/sunset) on crystal or beryl draw a snake below a spider with water beneath. The bearer will never be bitten by a snake and, if the stone is steeped in water or wine, the person who drinks this liquid will be cured of any poisonous snake bite.
Mechanically, this is a straightforward amulet, although its precise implementation may vary. Some GMs might rule that the owner will be attacked by snakes as usual, but that he receives a bonus to avoid the attack, while others might decide that all serpents will simply ignore the character, even when they attack the snake. As always, GMs are free to rule that the use of the word ‘cure’ is literal (the successful countering of snake venom is total and automatic) or somewhat metaphorical (granting bonuses to save against or recover from the toxin). In many systems and settings, the precise effect will scale with the power of the magician.
To charm children - On the day and at the hour of Venus (Friday on the 1st and 8th hour after sunrise/sunset), draw an image of Venus on parchment. The bearer of this document will be beloved by all youths.
Who exactly qualifies as ‘a youth’ is probably best handled by the setting’s assumptions. Most pre-modern European societies tended to assume that youths were defined less by calendar age (though that can be a consideration) and more by their role in society, being in some way dependent on a relative or employer for the necessities of life or lacking any financial or social responsibility for others. Mechancially, the power of this talisman can be instantiatied using rules for social engagement or magical influence over others, the owner of the amulet receiving bonuses to stats or reaction rolls or the targets required to make saves to escape its effect. The power and duration of the effect will depend on the game setting and tone and the relative power of astral magic and the magician.
To travel safely - When Venus is in exaltation (February) and at her hour, inscribe on a beryl or crystal the image of a winged woman, her hair drawn back into two tresses and in her left hand two children. The bearer of this stone shall always travel in safety.
GMs might wish to consider what counts as ‘travel’. A working definition might be any journey during which the character spends more than one night not sleeping in his or her own home. In games that have rules for travel, this amulet can be given expression with relative ease, allowing the bearer to possess some positive mechanical ability to adjust the result of any travel event or encounter. Where the system lacks abstracted travel rules, the GM can award bonuses to any attribute or skill enployed directly to facilitate travel - such as navigation to choose the best path or survival skill checks to select a suitable campsite. It would be an extremely powerful object that awarded broader bonuses to any activity undertaken during a journey, but there is, in principle, no reason why this should not be the case in appropriate settings.
For profitable commerce - Inscribe on a crystal the figures of three people arm in arm. Do this on the day and hour of Venus (Friday on the 1st and 8th hour after sunrise/sunset) when Jupiter is in exaltation (June). The bearer shall always have good fortune in business.
This amulet can have two forms of expression in play. On one level, it can be used in standard encounters where an (N)PC who possesses the talisman is engaged in some commercial activity or negoatiation with another (N)PC. In these cisrcumstances, it bestows a mechanical bonus applied to whatever stat, attribute or skill that governs the social mechanics of negotiation. In systems that allow for some form of domain play or down-time activities in which characters can make money, then the owner of this amulet will enjoy some advantage based on those rules.
To drive away rodents - When Venus is in exaltation and at her day and hour (a Friday in February on the 1st and 8th hour after sunrise/sunset) draw on a piece of coral an image of two male cats and between them a rat or mouse. Any building in which this object is placed will be free of all rodents.
To ward off flying insects - Inscribe on a carnelian the figure of a fly when Venus is in dignity (April and September) and at her hour. The place where the stone is shall be free of all flying insects.
To drive off leeches - With Venus is exaltation (February) and at her hour, draw upon one half of a piece of malachite the figure of a single leech and, on the other half, of two leeches forming a circle. Use this to impress each face of the stone into wax to form the two faces of a seal and cast that seal into any body of water to drive away all leeches dwelling there.
The above three talismans can all be treated as functioning in the same broad manner. In some games, it might be enough to allow that they have a strictly narrative effect as described. But note that this is only really meaningful in settings where vermin have been established as present in the game as irritating facts of life and so the power to be rid of them is concomitantly impressive. GMs who favour a more mechanically functional role for these amulets might allow that that they provide their possessor with some degree of protection from (and perhaps even immunty to) swarms of rats and insects and the attentions of leeches.
To be beloved of women - When Venus is in dignity (April and September) and at her hour, make upon a beryl crystal the image of a woman standing before a mirror. Whoever carries this stone will be beloved by all women.
Here is another example where the claimed powers of magical amulets and talismans could differ markedly from their actual effects depeding on the setting and style of play. In high fantasy, high magic games, this object might do precisely what it claims - to compel all women to love the possessor - with appropriate narrative and mechanical consequences. However, in grittier worlds, the hyperbolic use of the word ‘love’ can be interpreted to mean ‘affection’ or simply ‘positive predisposition’ and manifested mechanically as a variable bonus to any social attribute or skill check made to win the favour of a woman.
To cure infant colic - On the day and at the hour of Venus (Friday at the 1st or 8th hour) and with her in dignity (April or September), carve an image into a carnelian of a woman with a folded parchment in one hand and an apple in the other. Make a seal from this image impressed in to beeswax and feed the wax seal concealed in food to a child to cure it of colic.
Colic is a place-holder word for any unspecified malady suffered by infants after they have been weaned. As such, this amulet can, depending on the setting, system and GM’s preference, automatically cure any such disease or award a more or less substantial bonus to any save to recover. In some cases it may be that a child will need regularly to consume one of these talismans in order to remain healthy.
For a peaceful stomach - With Venus is exaltation (February) and at her hour, carve in to a carnelian the image of an ass’s head around which a fly buzzes. Impress the stone in to wax to make a seal. Whoever carries the seal will be protected from all gastric ailments.
As has been mentioned in previous entries in this series on astral magic, one glaring difference between actual medieval magic and its expression in fantasy settings is the enormous concern in the former case with the ubiquitous reality of chronic disease. In most quasi-medieval fantasy settings this is swept away either because of the desire not to get bogged down in the mundane details of ill health or an assumption that, in a world with Cure Disease spells, no-one who matters need suffer for long. In games where disease is a meaningful thing, this talisman which, according to GM preference, can offer a bonus to any recovery roll or save needed or simply establish by narrative fiat that the patient is cured.
To Call Down Venus
The magician must dress in white clothes with a white headdress and white silk veil, wearing a gold crown decorated with pearls and a gold bracelet on each wrist. These clothes should be suffused with perfume and nutmeg. He shall carry a silver mirror in his right hand and a comb in his left. The magician should travel to a place favoured by Venus and there set down a pitcher of wine and, employing a gold and silver censer, disperse a suffumigation made of equal parts aloewood, saffron, mastic gum, poppy husks, willow leaves and lily root mixed with rosewater. He shall entreat Venus twice - the first time laying face down upon the ground, the second standing and facing her in the sky. Afterwards, he shall decapitate and burn a dove and a turtledove, saving their livers to eat. The ashes of the creatures can be retained and fed to another to make them love the magician.
As previously discussed in earlier posts, the act of calling down the influence of Venus should be a ritual proportionately onerous to the magnitude of the resulting power sought. If using some form of Vancian ‘levelled’ magic system, the act of summoning the power of Venus should either be regarded as a high level endeavour with appropriately impressive results or with a difficulty and results that scale with the level of the magician.
Also as before, no attempt has been made here to provide a list of effects that can be conjured through calling down the planet. Instead, GMs and players are encouraged to construct ad hoc powers derived from the Influences, People, Places, Animals, Crafts, Organs and so on associated with Venus. Thus a magician can employ the influence of Venus to - for example - grant preternatural skill and talent in making music or other performance, to expunge (or impose) the qualities of lust and vanity in others, to cure or inflict disease of the genitals and stomach, to secure the friendship and obedience of songbirds and irridescent insects. The duration, reversibilty and scope of these effects will be adjusted according to the demands of the setting and system. In some circumstances, the influence of Venus will allow the magician to secure the favour of a single song thrush while, in others, all songbirds will attend on the caster at his command, communicating intelligence to him and even carrying out any service of which the bird is capable.
The Ring of Venus
Craft a ring of red copper. Carve onto a rose quartz crystal an image of a woman standing upright and holding a comb in her right hand and set it into the ring. All of this work must be conducted on Fridays under Libra (September) during the hours of Venus (the 1st and 8th hour after sunrise or sunset).
Women, kings, flying animals, forest creatures, cocks, locusts and all birds with gay plumage will be well-disposed to the wearer and all the works of Venus will be advanced.
The bearer of the ring must never have sex with any woman who no longer menstruates. If ever they do, the ring will lose all of its enchanted qualities.
The power of a ring of Venus will be determined by a number of factors derived from the preferred rules, genre and setting. The common consideration will be the balance to be struck between the scale of the ring’s powers and the difficulty of its manufacture. In a high magic, high fantasy, game the creation of a magical ring might formally be an arduous process, but one that is dealt with more or less narratively or as a ‘down time’ activity. In other games the GM might insist that a truly magical artifact can be created only after clearing a number of in-game and mechanical hurdles such as acquiring the materials in play, succeeding at various skill checks and so on. These factors can decide, in turn, the mechanical powers of the ring.
A truly powerful ring of Venus could be deemed capable of making the owner always and automatically favoured by rulers and women, treated narratively and mechanically as the trusted ally of such figures. It could summon swarms of insects that can be directed to obey the wearer’s commands to the best of their capacity; to subdue and pacify any forest-dwelling creature or cause them to serve the ring-bearer as a familiar. The works of Venus being ‘advanced’ can equate to a substantial mechanical bonus to any attempts to employ her astral magic in systems that have ‘casting checks’ or skill rolls to create magical effects. Of course, if a GM wishes to allow that less powerful astral magicians can attempt to craft the ring of Venus, the power of the object could be suitably reduced in magnitude, but with the corresponding opportunity for the ring’s potency to increase as the magician improves in competence - whether that is measured through ‘levels’, ‘skills’ or whatever metric for character advancement the system allows.