The Vancian Spell Canon

No, not a spell cannon. The Spell Canon. As in a collection or list of works accepted as genuine and official. What, you were hoping for a cannon? Well skip to the end and scurry along then.

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Still here? Let's talk Vances.

If you just want to see the cool new spells and skip the rant and analysis, click here!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FJ1XSF41WipSw2brUEBUH1y540ccqTLNHv_77fTPwkE/edit?usp=sharing

Vances initially struck me as one of the most interesting orders flavor wise, since I love the whole wizard college vibe and how rooted they are in the setting. In a game with such a vast setting, most elements are detailed in brief. A certain city in Silver might have only a sentence or two in all the books. But for the Vancian order, they found space enough to give us history with named characters, sub organizations, and a real sense of community, which is a bit more than most Orders get. They feel like a present fixture in the world. You can imagine what they'd talk like, walk like, look like.

And yet... mechanically it felt they got a bit less than most Orders get. Each Order in Invisible Sun has their "special thing," which is what the whole Order spins around. Something that is both RPG subsystem and in fiction philosophy/relationship to magic. It should make you want to play that Order.

• Goetics - Summoning! You get to have a spirit pet, sic demons on your enemies, and talk to dead people!
• Weavers - Weaving! You get to create custom magic effects based on themes you select. How creative!
• Makers - Crafting! You can make literally anything, from one use throwables to permanent gear!
• Apostates - Freedom! You get to have no master, go your own way, and get a million spells cheaply! You can also hit stuff good if you want! Do whatever!
• Vances - Spells! Wait, everyone has that. No, I mean special spells nobody else can cast. You can only access a few at a time. You can cast them for free! ...but then you loose access to them till you rest. And we have a strict hierarchy. You will have to--wait, don't go!

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like Vancian spellcasting. I get that it's the whole theme of the Order. It's just... in a game full of spellcasting classes you gotta stand out. Take D&D 5E, a game I typically enjoy far less than Invisible Sun (IS henceforth). It's up to its gills in spellcasting classes too. Heck, there's an analogue for pretty much every IS Order.

• Goetic = Warlock
• Weaver = Sorceror
• Maker = Artificer
• Apostate = Arcane Trickster or Fighter
• Vance = Wizard

But in D&D, Wizards are actually one of the best classes to play, and don't at all feel drowned out by the other classes. Why? Their spell list. They have the most spells, and the best spells. Wish, anyone? In Invisible Sun though, there's this thing called the general spell list. It's amazing. Pretty much everything is in there. And everyone has access to it (especially Apostates). Now, I think the intention in IS is that the general spell list is doled out over time. Maybe all spells with a facet and all spells above say, level 8 are held in reserve (not made available to starter characters) and discovered through play. I'll do another post on the general spells I start campaigns with at some point. Even with these restrictions though, the general spell list is still wider and deeper than the Vancian spell list. Yet we are told Vance spells are so special that vislae of other Orders sometimes go to great lengths to sneak into Vancian classrooms and learn their methods. But with the default Vancian spell list... I find that hard to believe. Let me show you.

Many Vance spells have general spell equivalents, often multiple, that do pretty much the same thing, sometimes even better or cheaper. Here's a sampling:

• Buella’s Lamp - Eyes of the Cat, Illuminating Glow
• Eyes of the Overworld - Watchman Watching
• Lastra’s Charm - Sign Against the Evil Eye
• Lastra’s Neutral Color - good
• The Master’s Blessing - Emerald Blessing
• Mirrored Flesh of the Glass Emperor - Escutcheon, Lorica Curiass
• Moridiv’s Egregious Etiquette - Voluble Acquaintance
• Norham’s Sea of Words - Caliginous Raptor, Calligraphic Display
• Pallent’s Mouthpiece - good
• The Perilous Leap of the Desperate - Aerophilous Desire, Godspeed
• Protecting Hand of the Divine - Conjured Casement, Flesh Mail, Involucrum, Lorica Curiass
• Thelassin’s Eager Grasp - Crown of Chains, Fetch (cantrip!!!)
• Watti’s Quick Servant - Starlight Servant, Invigilator, Summoned Sycophant, Servant of Stone
• Zamrah’s Bolt of Sorrow - Savage Cleave, Thamaturgic Strike
• Zuil’s Profuse Admiration - good, but should be a cantrip
• Uzuskora's Quadripartite Assault - Fingersnakes

So that's problem one: uniqueness. Problem two is power. Now I'm not saying every Order needs to be "balanced" in the same way that D&D classes try to be, far from it. I think the somewhat open ended nature of IS is a strength, and it's part of what makes Weavers and Makers so fun to play. But this is still a game with levels where spells cost sorcery points to cast. There are restrictions that hold the game together. And it is precisely because of those restrictions that Vances feel underpowered. Vances trade away a lot of flexibility that the other Orders enjoy, and inherit mostly restrictions. At first degree (eg. right after character creation) a Vance knows six spells (good!) but at any given time only has access to two, or even just one if it's a Beta spell (not good). Compare that to the other Orders, who pretty much all have access to their full arsenal all the time. Especially damning for Vances are Apostates, who can start with six spells (by picking Extra Spells x 2 as their starting abilities) and have them on hand at all times. Now, I hear you say, "But Vances can cast for free!" Yes, once per spell. And then it's gone. That bit of extra longevity 1) can't make up for the shortcomings on its own, 2) is best suited to expensive spells you won't need multiple times in a scene, and 3) is not that big of a benefit in a game where refilling your Sorcery pool can be as quick as one action and combat/action mode isn't all that frequent.

So what to do? Well, there are a few solutions. We could make all the other Orders weaker/more restricted but blegh, that's no fun. We could make Vancian spellcasting less restricted, hopefully without destroying the structure of the Order. Let's give that a shot: Quantum Preparation
Masters of deep magics, Vances have learned how to both "do" and "do not" when it comes to spells. When you prepare spells as a Vance, simply take note of the total space in your mind. All spells you know exist there in superposition. When you decide to cast a Vance spell, simply pick a spell you know and cast it. Place the card on your mind map. You had this spell prepared all along. If you cast this spell for free flip it upside down but leave it on the map. That space is now dead until you next prepare spells. If there is remaining space on your map the same process applies. Any spell you know that fits can be cast, and your mind resolves to fill the space with that spell.


This change is simple, but makes Vances feel totally different to play. Now it's a game of saving space and deciding which spells you want to commit to rather than trying to guess what spells might be useful later. Still, it doesn't fix everything and I know it won't sit well with some folks because it kind of betrays the spirit of Vancian casting, which is pretty fundamental to the design of the Order.

Well, what could we do instead? Give Vances a kick ass spell list. Rewriting the list would take a lot of work relative to the above approach, but hey, it'll be fun! While I'm at it there are a few other things I can accomplish in the process to make the list feel unique and indicative of the spirit of the Order. It needs to feel Vancian. What makes the Vancian spell list different from the general spell list in fiction? Well one is peer reviewed, curated, agreed on at the Conclave of Iov, and the other is effectively a crowdsourced, incomplete listing of spells that exist. Those should feel different. Let's lay out some design goals:

---Design Principles (and musings)---

• Vancian spells should seem like the kinds of spells Vances would make
• They should implicitly express the values of the order.
• Some Vancian terms: Telemeric Court, Conclave of Iov, Paresaad, the Campus
• There should be minimal overlap in functionality between spells
• Vances would simply adopt the spell that best performs a given function into the canon.
• All spells should feel solid and well thought out, as to survive this long they have been tried and tested.
• Most spells should be named after an individual, since it's a huge accomplishment to make it into The Canon and Vances sign their work.
• The few that aren't should feel like made-by-committee "institutional spells."
• It would be nice to have a good spread of names to make "Vance patrons" work. More on that later.
• Higher level spells should seem like the masterwork of specific Vances and thus be very idiosyncratic and unique to their research.
• Vances invented the classification system of “levels” that Invisible Sun the RPG uses as a way to formally describe spells and creatures.
• Their spells should freely treat levels as diegetic.
• The Key, The Way, The Path, and The Gate are Vancian textbooks
• They comprise the core curriculum for journeymen to reach first degree.
• They are some of the few Vancian books publicly available for vislae of other Orders to read.
• Vances quote or cite them often.
• Vances are the Order most interested in institutional power and advancing the collective knowledge of vislae as a whole.
• Apostates typically couldn’t care less about institutions
• Weavers are family/small group centric
• The Goetic Order is largely a hierarchy of often self interested warlocks enmeshed in personal power deals
• who mostly hang out together to keep an eye on each other
• We can't trust what Makers say, and we're not sure what they're really working on, or who they're working for
• Only Vances give much thought to sustainability and the collective deposit of vislae knowledge
• which they’d of course love to shape in their own image
• Numerology is important to vislae, and especially the analytical Vances.
• 8 - error, missing the whole truth, change, next steps
• 17 - divine, perfection
• 9 - magic, Invisible, Visla
• 13 - mortality, peak of physical achievement, also humility
• 4 - balance [The philosopher Niul Rellistas first said that a vislae has three centers (no, four). He defined the heart as the vislae’s emotional core, while the order represents the intellectual core. Forte is the spiritual core. And of course, there is the secret soul. (The Key, pg. 65)]
• Spells should have multiple ways they could be creatively used if possible.
• The classic D&D spell "Arcane Lock" is a good example of this. What happens if you cast it on something that isn't a door?
• Spells that do nothing but deal damage are boring, and not really the point of the Vancian Order.
• Nobody wants six different subtly different versions of "set a thing on fire."
• At most there should be one solid, scalable damage dealing spell available early on, and maybe an AOE one available later.
• Spells that deal damage indirectly, or where that isn't the only use are fine.
• There should be a fair few interesting spells with no direct analogues in the general spell list.
• Some spells can be a bit more powerful than their level and the effects-by-level table (Book M) might suggest.
• Vances invented the system of levels. They know how to subvert it.
• This is one of the major reasons Vance methods are coveted. They are economic with their sorcery expenditure.
• This fits with the theme of casting for free. Vances are less flexible but they get bang for their buck.

Alright, with aaaaall that said, let's jump into the list!!!

THE VANCIAN CANON
>https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FJ1XSF41WipSw2brUEBUH1y540ccqTLNHv_77fTPwkE/edit?usp=sharing<

Now, that "Vance Patrons" thing I mentioned. I like the implementation of Patrons in IS with their ask/aid structure, but becoming a warlock is such a Goetic thing to do. I'm sure most Vances would be uneasy about serving two masters (their Patron and their Order) whether or not it's expressly forbidden. But what if your Patron could be a powerful Vance?

Mentors

Getting a spell of your creation accepted into The Canon is a mark of excellence and prestige among Vances. It is different than having a spell approved by the Telemeric Court, which all vances must do to attain the rank of Magister (3rd degree). Having a spell in The Canon typically means you replaced an existing spell on the list (since the numbers in each tier are fixed) and improved the Vancian Order as a whole. This guarantees all Journeyman Vances will have to learn your name in class, and is basically Vanican immortality. It is a vanishingly rare feat for anyone below Cantral (4th degree) to achieve. Vances that have achieved this status often mentor other Vances. In game terms this is similar to Patronage. The usual structure is as follows:

Ask - complete some research for your mentor relevant to their field of study
Aid - learning spells with my mentor's name in the title costs one less Acumen and only takes one day per level rather than the usual three

Below is a list of all the Vances in The Canon, how many spells they have, and their area of study/dissertation topic. Zamrah and Orrod are not included as they are ancient Vances that are likely dead. In Orrod's case irretrievably so. Perhaps Zamrah could be visited in the Pale, but I'll leave that as a question mark for your table.

1 - Lastra - metamagic

1 - Yavom - wards

1 - Levin - charms

1 - Thelassin - decisiveness

1 - Vorkapić - elision

1 - Camerata - curses

1 - Surah - stam/renn

1 - Ommato - resurrection

1 - Taramoc - classification

2 - Furnour - teleportation

2 - Moridiv - etiquette

2 - Rajimal - time manipulation

2 - Orabavon - locks and wards

2 - Otiven - space manipulation

2 - Abra - biomancy and mutation

2 - Subuchin - the element of surprise (their detractors say "mischief")

2 - Buella - linguistics

2 - Norham - conjuration

2 - Chesnor - glass (Chesnor has been missing for some time, last seen in a leech world of their own creation)

2 - Pallent - leadership (their detractors say "cowardice")

2 - Haxel - hands

2 - Baaroth - the nature of pain

2 - Maitlan - the mind

2 - Novinin - memory

2 - Styzen - telekinetic force

2 - Watti - improvisation

3 - Aothrasal - scrying

3 - Karko - truth

On the subject of names, I like the idea that Vances take legacy very seriously and often name their children after famous Vances. Here's a bunch of Vancian names you can use for your character:

---Vancian Names---

BUELLA, LASTRA, MORIDIV, NORHAM, PALLENT, THELASSIN, WATTI, ZUIL, ABRA,
AOTHRASAL, FURNOUR, HAXEL, MAITLAN, SUBUCHIN, URIALE, UZUSKORA, ZAMRAH,
KARKO, LASPI, LEVIN, MELITIZOR, NOVININ, ORROD, STYZEN, BAAROTH, JAURO,
JEREMGON, ORABAVON, RAJIMAL, YAVOM, CHESNOR, CAMERATA, SURAH, RANGOLD,
YUROV, VORKAPIĆ

A few other resources I aggregated from various places in the books and elsewhere which you might find useful if you want to create your own spells:

• Level 1–3: alpha class
• Level 4–5: beta class
• Level 6–7: gamma class
• Level 8–10: omega class

• Level 1-7: +1 Die
• Level 8-10: +2 Dice
• Level 11-13: +3 Dice
• Level 14-17: +4 Dice

COLORS (The Way, pg. 10)

Spells and other magical abilities are almost always tied to color, just like the suns. Thus, a spell can be blue, green, red, and so on. This association has to do with the nature of the color. In this instance, the natures are defined in these ways:

Silver: Creation. Practices that create something from nothing are silver.

Green: The Quickening. This broad category includes any practice that involves motion and, by association, anything alive, at least as it pertains to the essence of its life. Thus, a spell that moves an object, a spell that grants levitation, and a spell that closes a Wound are all green spells.

Blue: The Mind. Telepathy, mindreading, memory alteration, dream modification, most emotional effects, and similar effects are blue. Blue practices never directly impact the physical world.

Indigo: Truth. Divinations, revelations, and effects that improve the senses fall into the indigo category. This also includes spells of communication and translation.

Grey: Illusion. Any practice that hides, deceives, disguises, confuses, or otherwise involves falsehood is grey.

Pale: Piercing the Veil. As the living travel to the Pale when they die, pale effects are those that physically reach beyond the normal bounds. This includes such things as conjurations, banishments, or restoring a soul to a dead body.

Red: Ruin. Red effects are those that harm something else, be it living, dead, inanimate, spirit, or anything else.

Gold: Transformation. Practices that physically change one thing into another thing, or that simply modify the physical substance or shape of a thing, are all gold. This includes more abstract transformations, such as changing the weather.

Invisible: Protection. In a sense, all magical practices are connected to the invisible. In another, by its very nature, invisible represents nothing. Still, vislae consider invisible practices to be all those that grant protection of any kind because they are some of the most fundamental of all magical effects. (Legends say that protection spells were the first spells.)

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Below are a few screenshots of the Discord conversation that started me on this mad path, preserved here for posterity:

Oh, hey! You made it to the end! Here's a spell cannon:

SPELL CANNON
Level 11
Change a number on a spell card to a 11 until the end of your turn, then cast that spell for free as part of this action. This can be the level, but can not be the number of dice added to the spell.
"Everything's better with more gunpowder!"
Facet: Metamagic
Color: Invisible
by ChickenCoup#9465