TEXT:  
   
  by J ustin Bacon 
  Art by Rob Nemeth and colored by Philip Reed 
  Art used by permission of Atlas Games  
  Unknown Armies, designed by Greg Stolze and J ohn Tynes and published by Atlas 
  Games, features a unique system of magick. Magick is practiced by adepts, each of 
  which subscribes to a specific school of magick. Based on what school the adept 
  belongs to he builds up "charges" in various ways - -  members of the school of 
  Pornomancy, for example, build up charges by engaging in ritualized sexual acts; 
  members of the school of Dipsomancy, on the other hand, build up charges by 
  being drunk. These charges (which can be classified as minor, significant, or major 
  based on what the adept did to gain them) can then be expended to create 
  magickal effects. 
  Magick is, above all, affected by three laws. First, the Law of Symbolic Tension 
  demands that all magick be based on some form an underlying paradox. Hence the 
  adepts of pornomancy gain charges by engaging in sexual acts, but can't gain 
  pleasure in those acts. Adepts of dipsomancy, in contrast, surrender control over 
  their bodies (by getting drunk) in order to gain control over the universe (in the form 
  of magick). 
  Second, the Law of Transaction says that you can't get more out of magick than 
  what you put in. Therefore you get minor effects from minor charges and major 
  effects from major charges. 
  Third, the Law of Obedience states that adepts can only subscribe to a single 
  school of magick. The schools are mutually exclusive, despite all being based on 
  the same underlying truth, because they each involved interpreting that truth in 
  different ways. 
  Each school is possessed of standardized rituals which can be cast fairly 
  automatically and also random, improvised magick -  which is more difficult and less 
  powerful. All magick cast within a specific school, however, must be based on the 
  principles of the school. 
  This article details a new school of magick for Unknown Armies, Emotiomancy. It 
  uses the same format as the schools described in the main rulebook. 
  Emotiomancy (Emotion-
  
  Based Magick) 
  Emotions are the primal essence of humanity. Thoughts may define us, but it is 
  emotions which make us what we are. They are a window into the soul and a way by 
  which people may be manipulated and controlled. But emotions are also tools which 
  may be used for good, they are - -  after all - -  the source of happiness and love 
  and joy. 
  This is the domain of the emotiomancer, an expert at the unnatural control of man's 
  emotions. By creating and harnessing emotions in others, the emotiomancer uses 
  those emotions to create and manipulate others. 
  The advantage to this for many is that the emotiomancer possesses an immense 
  understanding of human thought, emotion, and interaction. This type of 
  emotiomancer is usually extremely popular with others and capable of getting almost 
  anything they want. The drawback, however, is that the emotiomancer slowly ends 
  up distancing themselves from others. Having to manipulate others in order to gain 
  power which allows them to manipulate others, the emotiomancer slowly finds 
  himself valuing others less. They run the risk of either disconnecting so completely 
  with other people that they lose their ability to create charges, or to succumbing to 
  dark impulses. 
  Other emotiomancers simply begin with dark impulses. They excel at creating fear 
  and hatred; at controlling and creating the darker emotions. They indulge in their 
  alienation from humanity. The emotiomancers who embrace the brighter side of life 
  generally despise these "dark emotiomancers" for the bad reputation they give to 
  their school of magick. Dark emotiomancers do have the advantage of being able to 
  perform some forms of magick which other emotiomancers cannot. 
  Emotiomancy Blast Style: Only dark emotiomancy charges (see below) can be used 
  to generate a blast effect, taking the form of an intense pain which rips through the 
  victim's mind. Like the pornomantic blast, the damage which it does cannot be 
  explained by medical science, but unlike the pornomantic blast the emotiomantic 
  blast is always possessed of some secondary physical effect - -  some form of 
  stereotyped emotional reaction taken to the extreme. Examples would be flushes 
  which are strong enough to burst blood vessels or nosebleeds for lust. 
  Stats 
  Generate a Minor Charge: Emotiomancers can generate two types of charges - -  
  one from generating positive emotions, the other from generating negative 
  emotions. In most cases these emotions can be used interchangeably, but in some 
  cases powers are only available to those who have generated dark charges. To 
  generate a minor charge the adept must create a situation which creates an 
  emotional reaction in someone they do not know. The emotion must be the result of 
  actions specifically planned by the adept in order to create the charge (so you can't 
  make someone laugh at an impromptu joke and get a charge from it, although 
  planning an elaborate situation in which to tell the joke would do it) and can't be 
  beneficial to the adept (so you can't seduce someone and then have sex with them, 
  although you could seduce them and then leave). This isn't really all that difficult 
  (helping someone across the street or buying them flowers can often generate a 
  positive emotion and a minor charge), but the fact that the emotion must be coldly 
  and manipulatively created makes it difficult from the standpoint of the adept. 
  
  Generate a Significant Charge: Significant positive charges are formed by creating 
  extremely positive emotional reactions in people who you do not know, following the 
  same restrictions as those for minor charges. Significant negative charges, on the 
  other hand, are made by creating extremely negative emotional reactions in people 
  who are close to you and in such a way that they know you are responsible for them 
  feeling that way (nor are they allowed to know that it is merely in the interests of 
  generating a charge for you; that "taints" the emotion through selflessness - -  unless 
  of course that makes them feel even worse about it). 
  Generate a Major Charge: Generating a major charge requires the character to 
  create an emotional situation of a severity which will be remembered by the person 
  effected for the rest of their lives. The adept himself will be forced to remember the 
  event for the rest of their lives, as well. As with significant charges, positive charges 
  must be generated with strangers while negative charges must be created by 
  effecting those close to the adept. 
  Taboo: While it is generally easier for emotiomancers to gain charges than other 
  schools, it is also easier for them to lose them: Emotiomancers can lose their 
  existing charges if they do anything to ruin an "emotional moment." Specifically, if 
  they interrupt a positive emotional moment (talking during the end of a romantic film 
  or telling people to "get a room") they lose their negative charges. If they interrupt a 
  negative emotion (by cheering somebody up or even saving someone from torture) 
  they lose their positive charges. As a result of this dichotomy emotiomancers often 
  find themselves treading a dangerous line - -  people who are generally nice can 
  create positive charges fairly easily, but will lose them if they stop other people from 
  feeling bad; people who are nasty can generate negative charges easily, but they 
  can never do anything even marginally positive. 
  Random Magick Domain: Emotiomancers control peoples emotions and, through 
  them, their thoughts. They are the masters of manipulation. Their skills lie entirely 
  within the realm of effecting how others think and feel. 
  Starting Charges: Newly created emotiomancers start with four minor charges. 
  Emotiomancy Minor Formula Spells 
  Charm 
  Cost: 1 minor charge 
  Effect: Using this spell allows the emotiomancer to subtly play upon another 
  person's emotions, binding them to him. If a positive charge is used, whoever they 
  are and whatever their normal reactions towards the emotiomancer would be, they 
  will feel as if he were their best friend in the world. If a negative charge is used the 
  spell makes them act in zombie- like obedience to the character (the advantage is 
  that they are willing to do more; the drawback is that they won't be capable of much 
  intelligent, complicated, or conceptually difficult action). The spell only lasts for a 
  number of minutes equal to the emotiomancer's skill in magick. Afterwards the 
  victim will remember everything which has transpired, although they may be unsure 
  of the reason why it happened (members of the Occult Underground, of course, will 
  immediately suspect magickal influences of some sort). 
  Minor Suggestion 
  
  Cost: 1 minor charge 
  Effect: This spell allows the emotiomancer to make a single suggestion to another 
  person. The other person will be extremely receptive to the suggestion made by the 
  emotiomancer and will act on it unless it is completely contrary to their normal 
  behavior (loyal security guards won't abandon their posts, but might be willing to 
  give someone a security tape even though it was against regulations). The victim 
  cannot leave the presence of the emotiomancer or the spell will be broken. 
  Afterwards the character won't remember the suggestion or the action taken. 
  Confuse 
  Cost: 1 or 2 minor charges 
  Effect: With a single charge cast of Confuse the emotiomancer can target a single 
  person and batter them with conflicting emotions. The character will still be able to 
  take actions, but will do so at a slower rate of speed (in combat conditions this 
  translates to halving successful initiative checks and only allowing characters to take 
  actions on every other turn). Using two charges allows the emotiomancer to target a 
  group of up to five people. The spell lasts until the effected person or persons 
  makes a successful Soul check at - 15% (one check can be made every turn of 
  combat or once every minute). 
  Overwhelm 
  Cost: 2 minor positive charges or 1 minor negative charge 
  Effect: Overwhelm has a similar effect as Confuse, forcing emotions upon its victim. 
  In this case only a single emotion -  one of the emotiomancer's choosing (but 
  consistent with the type of charge used) -  is forced, and that one completely 
  overwhelms the person's ability to take any action which isn't ordained by that 
  emotion. This reaction will not always be what the emotiomancer may have expected 
  or even wanted, but can be resisted with a successful Soul check at the time of 
  casting. If the check fails the spell's effects will last about fifteen minutes. 
  Example: J effrey, an emotiomancer, has been confronted in a darkened alley by his 
  arch- nemesis, Chameleon. J effrey uses two positive charges and casts Overwhelm 
  on Chameleon, choosing to strike her with lust. She immediately drops the gun and 
  goes off looking to satisfy her urges. J effrey, on the other hand, is more than a little 
  insulted that she didn't like his looks. 
  Empathy 
  Cost: 1 minor charge 
  Effect: With this spell the emotiomancer can read the emotions of another person at 
  the time of casting. With a successful Soul check the emotiomancer can also get a 
  vague impression of what caused or is causing the emotion. 
  Numb 
  Cost: 1 minor charge 
  Effect: This spell will numb the emotions and feelings of anyone, including the 
  emotiomancer himself. For the duration of the spell - -  equal in minutes to the 
  emotiomancer's skill - -  the recipient will feel nothing, including physical pain 
  (although the physical damage will still occur). 
  
  Affect Mind 
  Cost: 3 minor charges 
  Effect: This temporarily effects a person's mental abilities - -  either raising or 
  lowering it by an amount equal to half of the emotiomancer's magickal skill. The 
  effect lasts for about ten minutes and isn't capable of granting knowledge which the 
  recipient didn't possess before, only of improving the character's mental aptitude. 
  The emotiomancer cannot use this spell on himself. 
  Emotiomancy Significant Formula Spells 
  Control 
  Cost: 2 significant charges 
  Effect: Control allows the emotiomancer to, effectively, completely enslave the 
  target of the spell for a number of minutes equal to his Soul plus his magickal skill 
  (although the victim can make a Soul check at - 20% every five minutes). As with 
  Minor Suggestion the person will still resist any commands completely repellent to 
  his nature (so you can't have him kill his friend), but can follow multiple commands 
  during the duration of the spell and can even leave the emotiomancer's presence to 
  carry out the orders. 
  Significant Suggestion 
  Cost: 1 significant charge 
  Effect: Like Control, Significant Suggestion is a more powerful version of Minor 
  Suggestion (as the name implies). Like Minor Suggestion, Significant Suggestion is 
  only able to give a single suggestion to another person and that person must remain 
  in the presence of the emotiomancer while carrying it out. However, a Significant 
  Suggestion completely overrides a person's inhibitions -  with it the emotiomancer 
  can convince the person to do anything. If the action is contrary to the person's 
  belief systems (i.e., something which wouldn't pass as a minor suggestion) the 
  person gets a chance to resist, making a Soul check. If it's a particularly serious 
  transgression (such as killing their own mother) the GM may modify this check in the 
  victim's favor as he sees fit. 
  Warp 
  Cost: 3 significant charges 
  Effect: With Warp the emotiomancer temporarily simulates the effects of the House 
  of Renunciation, absolutely switching the most important elements of the victim's 
  personality to its polar opposite (so that a cruel person becomes kind, a person with 
  a vendetta instead finds ways to help her former target). When the spell is first cast 
  the person gets to make a Soul check to see if they are effected by the spell. If that 
  fails the person can make an additional check every hour at - 50% until they throw 
  off the effect of the spell. 
  Phobia 
  Cost: 1 significant negative charge 
  Effect: With this spell the emotiomancer instills a great fear of a specific item, 
  animal, individual, or situation in his target - -  an intense phobia. Whenever the 
  victim encounters the stimulus from that point forward they will suffer a paralyzing 
  
  fear until the stimulus has passed. Whenever this phobia inflicts itself the victim can 
  make a Soul check at - 20% as they attempt to resist what they subconsciously 
  realize is an unnatural impulse. If they are successful, the phobia will no longer 
  effect them. 
  Fixation 
  Cost: 1 significant charge 
  Effect: In many ways the exact opposite of the emotiomancer's Phobia spell, 
  Fixation allows him to specify a goal which the victim must attempt to fulfill. If the 
  goal is something which is theoretically achievable (anything from "eat a hot dog" to 
  "steal the Mona Lisa" would be acceptable) then there is no way for the victim to 
  remove the spell's effects (without other unnatural influences) unless they succeed 
  at achieving their goal. If the goal is something which is impossible ("eat all the hot 
  dogs in the world" or "steal the Eiffel Tower") then the victim can make a Soul check 
  at - 20% once a day to overthrow the effects of the fixation (although they must 
  attempt to fulfill their fixation up until that point). The fixation cannot be something 
  which would be immediately deadly to the character ("throw yourself off a cliff" or 
  "shoot yourself in the head") or completely alien to their belief system (you couldn't 
  convince a nun to sleep with someone), but other than that things are wide open. 
  Finally, the degree of intensity for the fixation depends on its complexity. If the 
  fixation was to "eat a hot dog" then the person would probably immediately drop 
  what they were doing and go out to find a hot dog. If, on the other hand, the fixation 
  was to "steal the Mona Lisa" they wouldn't just walk into the Louvre and try to pick it 
  up -  they would be allowed to research and concoct a plan before proceeding. All 
  of this is at the GM's discretion. 
  Empathic Connection 
  Cost: 1 significant charge 
  Effect: With this spell the emotiomancer can create an empathic connection 
  between any two minds (not necessarily including his own). By expending minor 
  charges he can add additional people to the link (one charge per person, up to a 
  total of six). Anyone who is a member of the link will feel the emotions of the other 
  people through the link, identifying who the emotion actually belongs to). Typically 
  the nature of the link allows the recipient to distance themselves from the emotions 
  of others, but for particularly intense feelings (such as the pain of being tortured or 
  the heartache of seeing a loved one leave you) other members of the link must make 
  a Soul check or be overwhelmed. At no point in time do other members of the link 
  know what caused the emotion - -  only the emotion itself. The link lasts for twenty-
  four hours, but can be extended for another twenty- four hours if the emotiomancer 
  expends a minor charge for every member of the link. This can be continued 
  indefinitely. 
  Mind Link 
  Cost: 3 significant charges 
  Effect: A more powerful version of the Empathic Connection, the Mind Link allows 
  the emotiomancer to connect the minds of up to six individuals (using the same 
  procedures as for Empathic Connection, with each additional person in the link 
  above two costing a single minor charge). In this case, however, the members of 
  the link will be able to see, feel, and hear everything which the other members of the 
  link experience by focusing on that individual. However, a person can only focus 
  one such set of sensory inputs at once - -  so if you're focused on someone else, 
  
  you don't know what's happening to you. The emotiomancer, through his magickal 
  training, can attempt to process multiple "feeds" at once - -  including his own. To 
  do so, he makes a Mind check with a - 10% penalty for every additional link above 
  two he attempts to process (so he would have a - 10% penalty for three links at 
  once - -  including his own - -  and a penalty of - 40% if he attempted to process all 
  six members of a link at once). If he succeeds, he successfully processes the 
  multiple feed for a single combat round or for a minute, having to make the check 
  again every minute or combat round after that point. If he fails, he is paralyzed for 
  five combat rounds or minutes from mental overload. 
  Emotiomancy Major Effects 
  When you create a major emotiomancy effect you are toying with the basic elements 
  of human existence as if they were mere whims. Emotiomancers are capable of 
  driving men beyond the brink of insanity; causing massive, permanent shifts in 
  personality; enslaving entire populations to their will (although the larger the 
  population the less likely it will be a permanent effect); or even fundamentally 
  altering the emotional responses of people (instead of just polarizing their 
  compulsions, for example, you could have people hate those they have always loved 
  and love those they have always hated). In short, the emotions and thoughts of man 
  are your playthings and you are capable of doing anything with them you wish. 
   
  Article publication date: May 12, 2000 
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