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Occult Rituals

Occult Rituals

It’s a common belief that only those initiated in the rites and practices of arcane, divine, or psychic magic can cast spells, but this is not strictly true. Hidden within dusty libraries and amid the ramblings of lunatics lie the mysteries of another form of spellcasting—occult ritual magic. These spells are rare, coveted by both those eager to gain their power and those wishing to hide their existence. Most traditional spellcasters consider these rituals dangerous and uncontrollable, something to be avoided or used as a last resort. They fear the power these ceremonies grant to the uninitiated, as the rituals allow those with only a glimmering of understanding the ability to interact with the underlying fabric of magic.

While anyone can attempt to cast occult rituals, the process is fraught with peril. The strange and intricate incantations are often challenging to perform with precision, and failure can weaken the casters or even unleash horrors upon the world. Even when successfully performed, each occult ritual has a price—a backlash that affects at least the caster leading the ritual, and often those assisting in its performance.
Click here for the full rules on Occult Rituals.

Breath of Forgotten Life

Source Disciple's Doctrine pg. 31
School divination [mind-affecting]; Level 6
Casting Time 60 minutes
Components V, S, M (a token of a past life), F (an elegant mirror), SC (up to 8)
Skill Checks Knowledge (history) DC 30, 2 successes; Knowledge (nature) DC 30, 2 successes; Spellcraft DC 30, 2 successes
Range primary caster
Duration 1 hour/character level of the primary caster
Saving Throw none; SR no
Backlash The primary caster takes 4d6 points of damage and becomes exhausted.
Failure A shade of one of the primary caster’s past lives manifests and attacks the casters. This shade functions as an animus shade (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 6 10) of the primary caster.

Effect

The primary caster channels the experiences of her previous lives into a vessel of her current life, gaining meaningful insight from her forgotten past. The breath of forgotten life ritual must be cast within a location of great significance to the primary caster, such as her childhood home or marriage shrine. The primary caster meditates on her current life by focusing on the mirror and recalling her past deeds in reverse chronological order, while any secondary casters act out the scenes she describes. After the casting time, the primary caster’s reflection in the mirror changes to an image of one of her past forms. This image describes its own deeds, which are relevant to the primary caster’s immediate future and grant her a +2 insight bonus to her Armor Class and on initiative checks for the ritual’s duration. The primary caster also gains the ability to cast legend lore as a spell-like ability once within the following week.