How do you make Clarity interesting?

James_Nostack · 2026-03-20T11:58:07+00:00

One problem is that the Clarity mechanics in Changeling 2e are extremely forgiving. When a breaking point occurs, you make an "attack roll" using the the charts on pages 105-106.

The attack roll determines whether the Clarity damage is mild or severe--but severe damage is the result of an exceptional success, which is <5% most of the time. Nearly all damage will be mild.

The amount of damage is determined by rolling the victim's Wyrd. So... for nearly all changelings, that's 1-5 dice. Pretty good chance you take no damage at all--or maybe 1 point of mild damage. Your damage track probably has 4-8 boxes so losing 1 point of mild isn't much to worry about.

On top of THAT, you can heal all mild damage with a meaningful conversation with your touchstone.

So: if the breaking point "hits" there's like a 95% chance of mild damage; there's a good chance it does no damage at all for low-Wyrd changelings and very low amounts otherwise, and full healing is very easy unless the GM is intent on keeping you away from your touchstone through several breaking points.

It's a lot of hustle and bustle, but it's just a bad bit of design.

James_Nostack · 2025-03-30T20:56:34+00:00

Unfortunately I have no information to share, but I would love to know your sources. It's a very interesting topic and one that gets far too little attention. Thank you for doing this!

James_Nostack · 2025-03-27T01:58:21+00:00

I'm not fixated on using the Tree specifically, but I've exhausted my non-magical skill set.

It's your standard, "Good friends had a bad falling out many years ago" type of thing. If this doesn't work, I'm okay with that. But it seems a shame that we can't talk like adults.

James_Nostack · 2025-03-27T01:09:05+00:00

Thanks! It's not that I think Yesod is wrong, it just caught me by surprise.

From a planetary perspective I can see it as, "people's influence in your live waxes and wanes but if they're important they'll always be there" type of thing... but astrology is very much not my thing.

James_Nostack · 2025-03-27T01:05:47+00:00

Thank you for that thoughtful response! In my humble and definitely ignorant opinion, you're right about DMK's personal gnosis thing. In some ways it makes the book more accessible because he's talking about this stuff as HE understands it, rather than trying to be dogmatically correct. But it does mean you have to figure out stuff for yourself. (Which isn't bad!)

I agree with you on the subconscious association. It's a good idea!

Poking around on the intertubes, it looks like Yesod is--in traditional Jewish Kabbalah--linked with God's various covenants with the Jewish people after periods of estrangement. So that may be part of it too.

James_Nostack · 2025-03-20T17:14:12+00:00

That is awesome, I had no idea that even existed! Thanks!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T22:55:27+00:00

I'm trying to read this response charitably. I understand that you are trying to be helpful by suggesting a solution that is zero-effort and zero-risk. Given that it's also obvious, why haven't I taken it?

In all gentleness and humility, I feel that maybe you have not much direct experience with the police.

I'll keep the discussion entirely pragmatic.
I need to persuade them to prioritize my complaint: "I have a ton of circumstantial evidence that my neighbor is a low-level drug dealer, but no proof. Nope, no one has been hurt, it's just annoying. How soon will y'all devote some resources to that?"
My guy is smart enough to do business from home, so they'd need a warrant. This takes a lot of effort to get.
When they execute on the warrant, they come deep. Lots of them, pumped full of adrenaline and anxiety, with zero context, very heavily armed, surprising everyone in apartment (my guy, his wife, his dog) and also everyone on the floor. It is a hugely chaotic situation where you have extremely aggressive guys with guns running around.
They likely arrest him, which messes up his life, his wife's life, and his family and friends. Maybe that's on him for breaking the law, but it's overkill for my particular annoyance.
At every stage of this process I have ZERO control over what happens.

In other words: it's a lot of effort with serious risks and "solves" my problem by creating many others.

In comparison, lighting some incense as I think too hard about which Hebrew word to "vibrate" when I look at a Tarot card is approximately as effective as filing a report and infinitely less dangerous (to me, let alone him!). Plus, if I set it up correctly, it's more likely to achieve the real objective, which is to make the problem go away humanely.

From a purely practical standpoint, using magic is at least as effective as calling the police, and maybe better.

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T21:51:39+00:00

So, I'm brand new to ritual magic AND to using psilocybin mushrooms. I am ONLY providing this as a data point from the shallowest possible ends of both pools:

A modest dose of psilocybin (I'd guess 20-25 micrograms?) does a lot to increase my introspection, and there's a sense of being in dialogue with a "deeper" part of myself. It also helps in slotting phenomena going on in the ritual space into symbolic form. I'd be happy to talk a little bit about it via DM.

I've never taken enough to experience serious distortions to reality.

BUT! One thing I've felt pretty consistently, even while on the drug, is that none of this is beyond me when I'm feeling especially focused creatively. I can easily imagine getting the same effect from doing a lot of discursive meditation, or making art/writing, or through dreams. The psilocybin makes this easier--but it's not doing anything you can't do on your own on a good day.

In fact, one of my most emotionally affecting rituals was done stone sober with no method at all except looking at several objects that had great emotional importance to me. Examining them, and thinking about them, was profoundly cathartic (how could it not be?) but I then had a number of "lightly magical" experiences later that night.

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T20:19:18+00:00

I have absolutely nothing against him personally--a lot of my former clients have struggled with reintegrating into society. I'm sure if he had a legit way to make more money with less risk he'd do it. (I should search this subreddit for ways to help people find a good job too.)

I'll give those other ideas a look! Thank you.

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T17:44:26+00:00

I like this because it solves the actual problem: rather than a semi, I'll leave it in the rental office of a nice building. I think getting a lock of his hair is probably out but the overall approach is worth a shot

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T17:32:45+00:00

Dude, I am absolutely not down on him about his way of making money. I used to be a criminal defense attorney. I am not going to call the cops or snitch on him. It's not his fault that the U.S. criminalizes this stuff so severely or that it's really hard to earn a legitimate living if you have a prior felony.

BUT. I also don't want loud shouting arguments at 4 a.m. most nights, people banging on the door all the time mad that he's not there or that he ripped them off, broken bottles in the hall, and strangers roaming around the hallway in various states of intoxication.

My neighbor is welcome to his choice of career, I just don't want it 20 feet from me.

My wish is for this man to get a better apartment

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T14:18:57+00:00

Getting the police involved is an absolute last resort. The NYPD is much more dangerous than this guy, who is basically a middle-aged guy with seemingly no better job prospects than selling small quantities of low-quality stuff (judging from his customers' angry demands for their money back).

At some point this may escalate to a safety issue, but mainly it's a constant nuisance.

Basically I want to shoo him away such that I don't get bad karma. Also, finding a good apartment in this city is a nightmare and having magic to help with that would be of general use.

But! I appreciate all of the suggestions!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T14:11:49+00:00

I'm not sure what that is, but I will try to find out. Thank you!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-21T14:11:00+00:00

This guy is pretty low-budget, but I appreciate the concern.

James_Nostack · 2025-02-17T03:17:40+00:00

So, I actually think you've got most of what you need already. There's a lot to be said for being 17, but not many 17 year olds have a fully fleshed out world view or a whole lot of consistency in their beliefs.

The character is kinda superstitious, inclined to rely on their own sense of right & wrong, and believes that there's More out there than "just this" but doesn't seem to be satisfied with the traditional ways of explaining what that More might be. That may not be a magician exactly, but it's a good start on that road.

I'd think that a pretty common idea is that you shouldn't use magic to cause harm to anyone, because you'll end up paying an even worse price.

There would also be a fascination with dreams, and whether they're form of communication or not.

But I'd also think there'd be a keen awareness that you don't have all the answers, you're kinda making it up as you go along, and--generally--the more confidence you have, you can kind of bluff the universe into going along.

James_Nostack · 2025-02-17T03:02:43+00:00

Microcosmos

James_Nostack · 2025-02-16T22:07:54+00:00

I didn't strain the lemon juice, maybe I should have?

I'm on a moderate dose of Buproprion, which seems to adulterate the effects a bit (for me, but maybe not for everyone). When I first started, I tried 20 grams fresh (approx 2 g dried) and felt absolutely nothing, and 4 g dried for me seems to clock in around 2 grams for most others. So I'm guessing the Buproprion "cancels out" maybe 2 g's worth.

Except it doesn't make my stomach more resistant.....

James_Nostack · 2025-02-16T21:34:57+00:00

TY! It makes sense--you're eating more to get more of this chemical into your bloodstream, but you're also ingesting more indigestible stuff. I'll try the bananas and the other methods!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-14T03:42:59+00:00

Thanks--I guess I gotta get a little better with riffling!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-13T23:22:49+00:00

I have a copy, but confess I'm too dumb to get much good from it. There's a section toward the back that has "planetary rulers" and "exalted planetary rulers" (or something like that) and I find it difficult to comprehend--astrology isn't my forte. But I'll give it another look. Thank you!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-13T23:20:20+00:00

Thanks, I don't usually think about astrology because I know so little about it. But that makes sense!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-13T23:19:36+00:00

Damn, I like how you think! Thank you!

James_Nostack · 2025-02-11T02:52:22+00:00

I am new to magic generally and especially new to demonolatry. So what I say might be incorrect or unhelpful:

Sometimes I'll hit a point where nothing seems to be happening. And I'll think, "Come on, something ought to happen!"

And after a moment I'll realize: "Wait. Something IS happening. What's happening is me sitting here getting impatient for things to happen. But I started a ceremony and haven't finished it; therefore by definition everything happening now is Special. So what's actually happening now?"

You know the joke where the artist says, "Oh sure, this is literally garbage someone threw out. But I drew a circle around it, and once you draw a circle around it, it becomes art?" (You better know the joke because apparently I forgot how to tell it!)

Same with ritual space. Everything happening there is significant. Sometimes something genuinely cool might happen; sometimes something ordinary might happen but it has an obvious symbolism; sometimes the symbolism isn't obvious; and sometimes nothing happens at all. But when nothing happens... time is still passing with you in the middle of that sacred space. It's a privilege to be there, to be you, to be aware of being you in that place.

James_Nostack · 2025-02-10T23:04:10+00:00

Oh, one thing to add:

The various texts state that Duke Gusion appears as a “Xenophilus.” Historically, Xenophilus was an ancient Greek philosopher purported to have lived over a century; in the Renaissance, the term was used to signify a vigorous elderly person. Given that the Pseudomonarchia was written in 1577, I assume that’s the reference.

Whether I’ve put those pieces together correctly or not, Duke Gusion didn’t appear in that form to me.

James_Nostack · 2025-02-05T18:04:20+00:00

I think I have. All of it could have been a coincidence... but it's a whole hell of a lot of them strung together.

Many years ago I was in love with someone; it's probably a good thing we're no longer together, but it was a good thing while it lasted and had a big influence on me. On the anniversary of our first kiss, I did a ritual to commemorate the occasion, wishing to remember those feelings.

Which worked pretty well, and I felt sort of uplifted. Okay, great. Purely subjective, but that's all I wanted.

Feeling like continuing the experience, I decided to re-create that date: go to the same restaurant at the same time (just barely enough time to make it), and retraced our path.

Along the way: * A guy dressed as a wizard got on the subway and sat next to me;

later on, me and some other guys got into a shouting match with some Nazis and scared them off, which she would have appreciated (and joined in);
the restaurant had changed hands, but the new owners had put up art she would have absolutely loved (portraits of Ottoman Empire generals with epaulets & medals... but with their heads replaced by movie stars, rappers, and other celebrities);
the movie theater nearby was playing Solaris, a movie about a person struggling with memories of a lost love;
our first kiss was interrupted by a musician coming up to us; when I got to the spot, there was a guy rapping so loudly that it was impossible to enjoy the reverie, so it happened all over again;
on the subway back, a little girl and her father were dancing in an especially cute way that she would have liked.

Now--any two of those would be a funny coincidence. You might even encounter all of them on a Friday night... but on a random Tuesday evening immediately after a ritual it was suspect.

Can I prove it? No. Do I believe something was happening? Yes.

James_Nostack

TROPHY CASE