Fortune Telling questions

New Players
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Hi, I am new to larping and have been reading the wiki for character idea inspiration, when I came across astronomancy and runes. Along with hearth magic traditions, I thought it might be an interesting idea to create a type of fortune teller character.

  • Does fortune telling exist in Anvil? If so, is it quite common?

  • Is it frowned upon by religious or magical practises?

  • Are there any physrep methods that could be used? (E.g: tarot cards of the 18 constellations, reading of runes, palm reading)

  • Would there be any character skill requirements I would need to take to be able to tell fortunes?

  • Are there any particular nations that would be more inclined to be fortune tellers?

Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated, I could imagine this idea being quite fun to roleplay and give other people jumping off points for their own stories.

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I play a character who reads rune from time to time. Rune reading is a thing, but be aware that ā€˜fortuneā€™ telling can get a little close to heresy as the Way (the Imperial faith) teaches that there is no such thing as destiny. Humans are responsible for their own actions.

So when I read runes for people, itā€™s more advice for the future, not fate.

As for methods, it depends on the nation. Runes are a popular choice however (see the empire runes below).

https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Rune_Overview

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For technical reasons Iā€™d say ā€œpredestinationā€ rather than destiny, since the Rune of Destiny and the Doctrine of Human Destiny both exist, but Iā€™m nitpicking pretty hard.

The idea that things are connected and looking at one might reveal something about another is a legit form of magic and mysticism, but the idea that the future is fixed will get into big problems.

Riffing off that, it might be worth considering framing it as what choices are going to be important in the near future, rather than what is definitely going to happen - ā€œyou will have to choose between love and dutyā€ rather than the traditional "youā€™ll fall in love with a tall, dark stranger, maybe.

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All of your ideas sound great and very Empire-thematic. Thereā€™s a character in play who uses a standard tarot deck as a diagnostic tool for Physick :slight_smile: . As a non-mechanical skill, fortune telling is what you make of it.

I would probably look up cold reading tricks and work them into some mechanical mysticism. Iā€™ve used rune drawing for magic before as ā€œthis is what is going on now, that we cannot see directlyā€.

For example Signs and Portents is a Night Magic ritual that gives each participant a vision. That needs 2 minutes of wizarding.

Insight divines the nature of spiritual effects, Detect Magic divines magical ones. These would be great roleplay for the ā€œat least 30 secondsā€ requirement on either of these skills.

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[quote=ā€œIsaac, post:1, topic:3086ā€]
Does fortune telling exist in Anvil? If so, is it quite common?[/quote]
Skein Reading is a big deal in Wintermark and has a lot of similar concepts to runic divination in real life, where you examine a personā€™s past and present to predict where their current path will take them.

[quote=ā€œIsaac, post:1, topic:3086ā€]
Is it frowned upon by religious or magical practises?[/quote]
Yes and no. Much like the real world, some mages will regard it as nonsense but harmless, some priests will think of it as heresy, where others will think of it as old-fashioned. The only thing of notes is that the Empireā€™s religion is the Way, and the worship of other religions is heresy. So most fortune-tellers will have adapted fortune-telling to be compliant to the way. This means there is no ā€œfateā€ and the future is not set in stone, claims otherwise are heretical. Even magical divination does not show the future, only the present and past.

[quote=ā€œIsaac, post:1, topic:3086ā€]
Are there any physrep methods that could be used? (E.g: tarot cards of the 18 constellations, reading of runes, palm reading)[/quote]
Whatever you like, though some may suit some nations more than others. I use rune tokens, some have made their own Empire versions of Tarot cards, some do tea-reading, others Iā€™ve seen have just used a selection of random objects that were ā€œsignificantā€ to the reader. You may also want to look up the concept of totemic magic that was recently added if you decide to be a magician.

[quote=ā€œIsaac, post:1, topic:3086ā€]
Would there be any character skill requirements I would need to take to be able to tell fortunes?[/quote]
Nope, though there are some skills that you could use to complement it. Some religious skills or magic rituals might be of interest. Religious skills like dedication or anointing could compliment a reading well to help the recipient on their path. There is magic divination as well - rituals like Signs and Portents (cryptic visions of things happening in the present or recent past) and Skein of Years (psychometry - seeing visions based on the past of an object).

Wintermark Mystic tradition for sure. Iā€™m less familiar with other nations but Iā€™m sure there are other hearth magic equivalents.

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On skills: Insight would be a fantastic religious skill to use with a fortune-telling style, letting you see any spiritual effects on someoneā€™s soul. This includes Testimonies - permanent soulmarks of a couple of words that a priest can lay on people.

(Testimony might also be a fun one, with a kind of reverse fortunetelling style where you make your spread and declare it to be a description of them as they are, to be reflected on their soul.)

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I think each nation has a space for ā€œfortune tellingā€.
For the Urizen it would bee seen more as reading the ā€œnet of heavensā€ https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Net_of_the_Heavens

For Wintermark, as said Runes, Bones, feathers.

For varushka, they tend to be quite superstitious (with good reason). Runes, Tarot, Tea leaves, Smoke from a candle, anything you think that could work. Look at the archetype for an ā€œOld Oneā€?

The league, Tarot is your best bet than casting runes. Palm reading also. Maybe using insight to read their spirit. Possibly lean on some roma gypsy stereotypes?

Brass Coast, Something with fire, Maybe have the person sacrifice something to the flames and read how it burns.
The marchers. It should involve mud somewhere (A joke, but there is some through there). Poppets are important, and most people carry one, some maybe read theirs as a glimpse on what is to come?

Highguard, I dont really know enough, but be careful as this could skirt heresy.

For Dawn, palm reading, Maybe read a piece of cloth, pulling the threads apart bit by bit. commenting on missing stitches or such? Also something with flowers?

Orcs., erm, make them fight? (Seriously)

Navaar, Erm, Blood. Probably. Drop of (fake) blood in water or on fire?

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In a certain part of the northern Brass Coast, sutannir (priests) attempt to make predictions by leaving valuable pieces of hardwood outside and interpret the way the harsh wind and dust weathers it.

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I was about to get sniffy about the Orc option and then I realised that the much more detailed thing I was about to say has, as its easiest method of getting in touch with the spiritual, ā€œmake them fight.ā€ Well played. :smiley:

Navarr itā€™s gotta be a Great Dance thing not a blood one, though, right?

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As others have mentioned, the closest relevant skill is the ā€œSigns and Portentsā€ Night magic ritual
https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Signs_and_Portents
If you want a skill to back up some of the roleplay.

Which includes this interesting bit:

[quote]Members of the Imperial Synod has expressed concern about the use of this ritual, and have pointed to it as proof of heresy among many magicians. By attempting to scry the future, it has been claimed, magicians are dabbling in the false virtue of hope, denying human primacy in favour of submission to fate. The mystics who bother to engage with this accusation have repeatedly pointed out that the future is not fixed, and that all this mysterious ritual allows one to do is explore the skein, the great dance, the Net of the Heavens or what-have-you. By looking ahead, they can see the pitfalls that may befall them or their allies, and strive to prevent such unpleasant visions becoming reality.
[/quote]

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Also, if you donā€™t want to be a magician and spend a bunch of points for Signs and Portents, you can get a Goosewhisper potion off a trained Apothecary to provide the same experience.

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haha, I did mean it in the best way.

And navarr is another nation I know little about. I could just remember a mate of mine going out to the navarr woods and coming back covered in (Fake) Blood and bandaged up. He said something a hes now an official navari or something.