Divination bones
Recall
First created by the shamans of the Arid Steppe as a means to scry the future, carved and enchanted bones have been used for countless years and are among the oldest known type of divination tool. Part astrology, and part mysticism, there are some Nomads who believe that the power of the bones lies in their connection with the dead while others insist that it is the enchantment process, through which the bones are imbued with magic properties, that gives them their unique properties.
When a prophet casts the bones forth with intent, probability will tug and twist the bones about in a reflection of the future. How strongly the Krr-tich bone is drawn towards the prophet reflects the potency, just as the lay of the Sek-rith reflects the extent. The domain is addressed by the Moon Sphere while the Sun Disk sets the tone for the reading.
Divination bones are known for their uncanny ability to stir the life-force within, a trait generally attributed to the once living nature of the bones. Skeptics note that even non-traditional bones carved from stone or wood display this trait and attribute it to ontological symbolism. Whatever the reason, the domain of survival is unquestionably ruled by bones.
Properties
- Sect Affinity: Nomads of the Arid Steppe.
- Domain: Survival. Bones grant a slight bonus to potency and duration when predicting on the Survival skillset.
- Prediction Affinity: Skill alignment. Divination bones have a slightly higher base physical quality for alignment than other tools.
Availability
The following table includes all known sources of bones, with some example wares. Any other wares from the same source will be of the same quality as the example(s). The quality listed in the table is overall craftsmanship, so take care to shop around. In particular, The Future is Now is known for offering bones that are strong on one bone and weaker on others, and the Grey Raven Commissary has one set that is strong overall except for a very weak Sun Disk.
Use
Note:See Prediction for complete details on the general process of prediction. Only details specific to divination bones will be covered here.
Prerequisites
- A set of bones that have been INVOKEed to bond them to you.
Syntax
- ROLL BONES to perform a prediction on yourself. (10 seconds Roundtime)
- ROLL BONES AT <TARGET> to perform a prediction on another player. (10 seconds Roundtime)
Qualities
ANALYZE bones to see their qualities.
See Prediction for detailed general information about divination tool qualities, how they relate to each other, and how they increase or decrease.
Physical qualities
Potency and duration damage
Potency damage is indicated by the balance of the Krr-tich bone. Duration damage is determined by the balance of the Sek-rith bone. The more balanced they are the less damaged they are.
- exceptionally well-balanced
- very well-balanced
- well-balanced
- fairly well-balanced
- balanced
- slightly off-balance
- off-balance
- slightly lopsided
- lopsided
- horrifically, unapologetically lopsided
Alignment damage
Alignment damage is indicated by the weighting of the Moon Sphere as well as the readability of its symbols. The more detailed the symbols and the better weighted the sphere is the less damaged it is.
- The symbols on the Moon Sphere are meticulously detailed and the weighting of the bone is fair.
- The symbols on the Moon Sphere are elegantly detailed and the weighting of the bone is fair.
- The symbols on the Moon Sphere are well detailed and the weighting of the bone is fair.
- The symbols on the Moon Sphere are easy to distinguish and the weighting of the bone is fair.
- The symbols on the Moon Sphere are poorly rendered though the weighting of the bone is fair.
- The symbols on the Moon Sphere are muddied though the weighting of the bone is fair.
- The symbols on the Moon Sphere are nearly impossible to differentiate though the weighting of the bone is fair.
- The Moon Sphere is slightly mis-weighted.
- The Moon Sphere is significantly mis-weighted.
- The Moon Sphere is really more of a Moon Ovoid.
Polarity damage
Polarity damage is indicated by the balance of the Sun Disk as well as how evenly it is coated with lacquer. The more balanced and evenly coated it is the less damaged it is.
- The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is exceptionally well-balanced.
- The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is very well-balanced.
- The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is well-balanced.
- The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is adequately balanced.
- The lacquer smoothly and evenly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.
- The lacquer smoothly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.
- The lacquer unevenly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.
- The lacquer on the Sun Disk is chipped and cracked.
- The lacquer on the Sun Disk easily flakes away, leaving several bare spots.
- Only a few specs of black and white lacquer differentiate between the sides of the Sun Disk.
Bond qualities
Bond quality is indicated by the strength of the conduit through its respective bone. Potency bond is determined by the conduit running through the Krr-tich bone, the duration bond by the Sek-rith bone, the alignment bond by the Moon Sphere, and the polarity bond by the Sun Sphere. All four use the same messaging for conduit strength:
| Anomaly | Level |
|---|---|
| lone strand | 0 |
| delicate conduit | 1-3 |
| narrow conduit | 4-7 |
| small conduit | 8-11 |
| modest conduit | 12-15 |
| wide conduit | 16-19 |
| substantial conduit | 20-23 |
| massive conduit | 24-27 |
| torrent | 28-29 |
| raging torrent | 30 |
Age and construction qualities
These are identical for all types of tools. See Prediction for a list of both.
Example
- The Krr-tich is slightly lopsided.
- The Sek-rith is slightly lopsided.
- The Moon Sphere is slightly mis-weighted.
- The lacquer unevenly coats the Sun Disk, which is slightly off-balance.
- The bones are over a decade old.
- They appear to have seen great use.
- The overall craftsmanship is below average and the bones should prove slightly susceptible to damage.
- Recognizing the investiture as your own, you cautiously probe the bones with your prophetic talent.
- A small conduit of probability flows through the Krr-tich.
- A small conduit of probability flows through the Sek-rith.
- A small conduit of probability flows through the Moon Sphere.
- A delicate conduit of probability flows through the Sun Disk.
These bones are well used and not in great repair, nor were they likely well-made to begin with. Each of the bones is rather below average in quality, which means they are not as likely to grow their conduits any further. The conduits are small, meaning the bones will not perform as well at predicting. These bones are best at power (Krr-tich), duration (Sek-rith), and hitting the correct skill (Moon Sphere), and not as good at getting the desired positive or negative prediction (Sun Disk).
Prediction interpretation
Potency
The direction the Krr-tich bone points determines the potency. The closer it points to you the greater the potency.
Disclaimer: The power cap is known to be 20% of the ranks of the predicted skill. However, beyond that all ranges listed are estimates only.
Furthermore, the significance of any bouncing, rolling, or tumbling of the bones is unknown, but it could possibly be an indicator of degree of success. For example, if the Sek-rith bounces several times before pointing away from the seer, it might indicate a result closer to 30 minutes, the high end of that range, rather than 15 minutes, the low end. Then again, it might be nothing.
| Direction | % |
|---|---|
| It points directly away from you. | 1-4 |
| It points away from you. | 5-8 |
| It points off to one side. | 9-12 |
| It points towards you. | 13-16 |
| It points directly towards you. | 17-20 |
Duration
The direction the Sek-rith bone points determines the duration. The closer it points to you the greater the duration.
| Direction | Minutes |
|---|---|
| It points directly away from you. | 1-15 |
| It points away from you. | 15-30 |
| It points off to one side. | 30-45 |
| It points towards you. | 45-60 |
| It points directly towards you. | 60-75 |
Skill
The image on which the Moon Sphere lands indicates the skill.
Defensive skills
| Skill | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Brigandine | several tiny scales |
| Defending | pauldron in front of a shield |
| Chain Armor | several linked rings |
| Light Armor | piece of leather |
| Parry | two crossed swords |
| Plate Armor | suit of armor |
| Shield Usage | shield |
| Endurance | Gor'Tog |
Lore skills
| Skill | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Alchemy | flask |
| Appraisal | gemstone |
| Enchanting | wand |
| Engineering | catapult |
| Forging | anvil |
| Mechanical Lore | gear |
| Outfitting | paintbrush |
| Performance | musical note |
| Scholarship | open book |
| Tactics | three figures surrounding a fourth |
| Bardic Lore | shattering glass |
| Empathy | two clasped hands |
| Trading | donkey |
Magic skills
| Skill | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Arcana | rune |
| Attunement | prism |
| Augmentation | imposing figure |
| Debilitation | cowering figure |
| Primary Magic | spellbook |
| Targeted Magic | lightning bolt |
| Sorcery | bat-winged skull |
| Utility | moongate |
| Warding | cage of slender lines |
| Astrology | several stars |
| Summoning | guinea pig |
| Theurgy | woman in prayer |
Offense skills
| Skill | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Bow | bow and arrow |
| Brawling | fist |
| Crossbow | crossbow |
| Heavy Thrown | spear |
| Large Blunt | morning star |
| Large Edged | longsword |
| Light Thrown | throwing dagger |
| Melee Mastery | crossed sword and mace |
| Missile Mastery | arrows and a spear |
| Offhand Weapon | pair of parallel daggers |
| Polearms | pike |
| Slings | sling |
| Small Blunt | club |
| Small Edged | small sword |
| Staves | quarterstaff |
| Twohanded Blunt | maul |
| Twohanded Edged | greataxe |
| Expertise | face distorted by rage |
Survival skills
| Skill | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Athletics | mountain |
| Evasion | acrobat |
| First Aid | drop of blood |
| Locksmithing | lock |
| Outdoorsmanship | mushroom |
| Perception | eyeball |
| Skinning | bear hide |
| Stealth | dark cloud |
| Thievery | coin |
| Backstab | skull |
| Scouting | paw print |
| Thanatology | n/a |
Polarity
Polarity is determined by the Sun Disk. If the Sun Disk is white then it is a bonus. If it is black then it is a curse.
Special messages
Special messages usually indicate either damage to a bone or an increase in conduit. Damage messages may be general, or it's possible that they refer to specific aspects of the bone (e.g., the Moon Sphere's detailing or its weighting). More testing is needed. One message may also indicate "turning" a prediction due to Astrology skill, a full prediction pool, or a powerful Sun Disk conduit. It is currently unknown which, if any of these, is the true cause of the turn.
- The threads of prophecy respond sluggishly to your efforts, as if already strained.
- You already have a prediction on that skill. Your two predictions are now averaged.
- You feel the planar boundary weaken as the flow of probability increases through the [bone].
- The conduit of the given bone increased.
- You notice a small chip in the [bone] that wasn't there before.
- Damage to the given bone.
- A small chip flew from the [bone] as it impacted.
- Damage to the given bone.
- The Moon Sphere didn't sound right when it landed and inspection reveals that one of the edges was damaged during the roll.
- Damage to the Moon Sphere.
- Another bone collided with the Moon Sphere during the roll, damaging one of the faces.
- Damage to the Moon Sphere.
- Another bone rolled across the Sun Disk's surface, scratching the lacquer.
- Damage to the Sun Disk.
- The Sun Disk bounced hard on its edge, leaving a flat spot.
- Damage to the Sun Disk.
- The planar boundary shudders as a wave of probability gushes wildly through your bones.
- Critical success. All bond qualities have a chance to increase slightly, and guaranteed to be a potent bonus.
- A small chip flew from the Krr-tich as it impacted. You also saw a small chip fly from the Sek-rith as it impacted. You think it collided with the Moon Sphere, damaging one of the faces. As a final insult it must have hit the surface of the Sun Disk, scratching the lacquer.
- Critical fumble. All physical and bond qualities have a chance to decrease slightly, and guaranteed to be a nasty curse. Capped bond values are immune.
- The Sun Disk teeters on edge briefly. Probability surges through it, tipping the white side up.
- Polarity inversion prevented due to polarity bond.
- The Sun Disk teeters on edge briefly. A gentle tug through your prophetic connection tips the white side up.
- Polarity inversion prevented due to prediction pool.
Example
- The Krr-tich bounces twice and lands pointing directly away from you.
- The Sek-rith stands on end for a moment before falling over, pointing directly away from you.
- The Moon Sphere coming to stop with the top face depicting a rune.
- The Sun Disk lands black side up.
- You notice a small chip in the Krr-tich that wasn't there before.
- You feel the planar boundary weaken as the flow of probability increases through the Sek-rith.
- You gather your bones back up.
This is a very weak, very short, negative prediction (curse) on the Arcana skill. The Krr-tich bone was damaged, reducing its quality, but the conduit of the Sek-rith increased.
Verbs
- Everyone: BABBLE, BREAK (destroys bones), CLEAN, COUGH, GASP, HUG, PAT, PRAISE, PULL, PUSH, SHAKE, TAP, TOUCH, TURN, and WAVE.
- Nomads: CLEAN, KISS, PRAISE, and RAISE.
Creation
Creation of divination bones is currently disabled, pending the release of the Enchanting skill.
Variations