The Dark Art
Introduction
The Dark Art is a skill normally reserved for
creatures that live outside of the laws of the Illusion, or
for those who have mastered it. It represents a control
over the forces that have created our world, and allows
the wielder to manipulate the Illusion to form the shape
of his will. This practice can allow the caster to wield
great amounts of power, however it can also be at a great
cost.
The Dark Art in Kult represents a creature’s
ability to form the Illusion to his needs, but is capable of
achieving other feats as well. The Dark Art may allow a
caster to create portals to other worlds, enter into the
Dreamworlds, affect the very will of another being, and
change the writ of fate itself. The skill score represents
the harmony of the character’s natural willpower, his raw
understanding of the true world, and his knowledge of
how the Illusion fits into the truth of existence.
These things alone are unfortunately not
enough. As a person might be aware of the existence of
chemicals, and possesses an eager will to make them, a
practical understanding of the concepts behind their
creation is necessary before he can produce anything of
substance. To use the Dark Art, the practitioner must
have a rudimentary understanding of what he is
attempting to accomplish. Usually this is covered by the
Lores the character knows, but there may be
circumstances when the mechanics behind a particular
casting may require knowledge in a field before the feat
may be successfully attempted. This may occur when
the character attempts to create complex mechanical
machines, alter the physiology of an individual, create
electronic devices, and a myriad of other possible
scenarios. The GM determines the decision as to
whether or not a feat may require other knowledge.
As an example, a Conjurer of Madness finds
himself cornered in a warehouse by several
assailants, and decides that he must create a
firearm to defend himself with. He succeeds his
Lore of Madness roll, and his Dark Art roll,
signifying that he knows rudimentarily how to
create the object, and that he is capable of it.
However, in order for the firearm to work
mechanically, the GM decides that the caster
must make a firearms or motor mechanics roll
successfully, or the fashioned firearm is as
useful as a paperweight.
The Dark Art as a Skill
The Dark Art represents the marriage of your
innate strength of will and your personal understanding
of precisely what you can achieve with it. Your Ego is
the very strength of the nature of your being, and
provides a characteristic for how much you are capable
of imposing your strength of purpose on other people and
objects. A strong will is useless though without the
understanding of how to use it. Your actual skill level
for the Dark Art is a derivative of your Ego score, altered
by your Mental Balance. To determine your character’s
Dark Art skill, multiply his Ego by the character’s
Mental Balance as a real number percentile (i.e. a MB of
-50 would be 50%, a MB of 125 would be 125%, etc.).
For example, a character with an Ego of 12 and a Mental
Balance of –75 would have a Dark Art skill score of 9, or
75% of 12.
Application
Several variables come into play when
determining how successful a conjurer is. The most
important, due to the nature of the world and the Illusion,
is whether or not the caster had any Witnesses to his
casting. The very nature of the Illusion presupposes that
everyone contained within has the same common
concepts about
reality, and it is
the sheer
strength of
these concepts
that maintain
the Illusion in
its status.
Were humans
as a whole to
begin to change
their
understanding
of the nature of
the world, the
Illusion would
begin to falter.
Anyone who is
not aware of the true nature of the Illusion is considered
a Witness.
This categorizes the attempts of the conjurer to
use his Dark Art skill into two primary groups: Observed
and Shrouded. Magic that has been cast in front of
Witnesses is considered Observed, and can be very
dangerous. A Casting that was performed out of sight of
any Witnesses is considered Shrouded, and is much
safer. However, just because magic has been cast
without Witnesses does not assume that it is simple.
There are yet two more subclasses of magic,
Coincidental and Vulgar magic.
A conjurer may attempt to use his Dark Art skill
to very subtly manipulate the Illusion, in ways that may
not be apparent to those around him. This is considered
Coincidental magic. A conjurer uses his Dark Art skill
to will a stoplight to change to green as he approaches, or
to conjure money in his wallet as he reaches for it to pay
for a meal would be examples of Coincidental magic.
Coincidental magic applies to situations where any
Witnesses present would not know that the activity could
not happen naturally.
Vulgar magic assumes that the caster is
blatantly altering the Illusion in a way that cannot be
considered coincidental, i.e. a conjurer wills candles to
alight, or changes his physical appearance. Any attempt
to affect another person directly, either physically or by
forcing their will, is also considered Vulgar. Vulgar
magic is harder to perform than Coincidental magic, and
Observed Vulgar magic is the most difficult of all, where
direct changes in the Illusion in front of Witnesses may
result in dire consequences for the conjurer.
The Veil has become nearly an entity of its
own, a simple intelligence born of the sheer desire of the
humanity within to deny change and maintain a mundane
existence. Because of the near sentient nature of the
Veil, conjurers who attempt to shape it to their will and
fail will likely suffer the consequences of a Backlash.
A Backlash could occur from a failed attempt to use
the Dark Art. This may result in a variety of
unfortunate occurrences, including mild effects
such as exhaustion and dizziness for the caster to
physical damage and a rending of the veil for a
period.
The more powerful effect that a conjurer
attempts to create with his casting increases the
likelihood and strength of a Backlash. Additionally, the
more Witnesses aware of the casting attempt the worse
the Backlash results will be. Thus, a powerful Observed
Vulgar attempt that fails may result in the violent death
of the Caster, as the Illusion seeks to fix whatever
changes the Caster is attempting.
Lores
In order for a Conjurer to manifest some change
to the Illusion, he must have an understanding of what he
wishes to change. As with any skill, attempting to
perform some task that you are not really capable of can
result in dire effects. Therefore a solid understanding of
the realm you wish to master allows for greater and
greater feats with a lessening chance of danger to the
caster or those around him.
Each of the Lores in Kult governs a realm of the
Illusion, distinguishing one field of study from another.
The Lores are independent of each other, and an
understanding of one does not assume an understanding
of another. A student of the Occult may develop an
understanding of any of the Lores, although as the
character’s knowledge increases, he may find it to be
more and more difficult to find new resources of
information. The Lores listed below are not the totality
of possible Lores to study, but are the most common
fields studied by Conjurers.
Each of the Lores listed includes some possible
feats and their desired effect. The effect determines
whether or not the character is capable of the feat, as
well as how difficult it will be for them. The listed feats
are not exclusive, however, and the player is only limited
by the Lores their character knows and their own
imagination. Use the examples below to help judge
whether it would be in your interest to even consider
attempting a feat before asking the GM for a ruling on
the desired effect. Remember also that you can attempt a
feat beyond your control, although failure may be
painful.
Lore of Death
The Lore of Death is a very direct study of the
human Avatar, and the connection of the
physical body to the Soul. A student of this
Lore is able to affect the physical vessels of
those around him, effecting the body without
consideration of the Soul.
Effect Result
3 Sense life and state of health; heal
minor wounds on self.
6 Alter minor variations of own
appearance, such as hair and eye
color, pigmentation, etc, and may
affect other’s forms to the degree of
healing minor scratchs.
10 Temporarily enhance a physical
statistic by 10 points. Additionally,
the character may alter his own
form to within the limit of his mass.
15 The caster may now alter another’s
form within the limit of their mass,
creating wounds and lesions, or
altering appearance.
21 The caster has near total control of
the physical form, causing corpses
to animate, severing or connecting
sections of flesh from bodies, etc…
28 A caster may attempt to force
someone’s Soul to leave their body,
killing them instantly.
36 The caster may attempt to
reanimate a body by recalling the
soul to the form.
Lore of Dreams
A student of the Lore of Dreams is has managed
to control the subconscious wanderings of his
soul and can harness the power of the confusion
generated from the bonds between mind and
soul.
Effect Result
3 The Conjurer has learned to control
his own dreams, and is capable of
“watching” other’s dreams.
6 The caster can enter into another’s
dream, although he has not learned
to control them yet.
10 Control other’s dreams
15 Create waking dream
21 Create waking terror
28 Enter Dreamworld
36 Pull others into Dreamworld
Lore of Madness
This Lore is the study of the Illusion itself, and
how those within witness it. Using knowledge
garnered though this path allows the conjurer to
manipulate the very veil around them.
Although powerful, this Lore is also very
dangerous, as it may lead to violent backlashes
if the caster fails.
Effect Result
3 True sight through the Illusion,
6 Mild Coincidental magic
10 Major coincidental effects,
15 Mild Vulgar effects to illusion,
creation of small objects
21 Major Vulgar effects, doors, cars,
etc.
28 Heroic Changes to the Illusion,
localized earthquakes, lightning
36 Create tears in the Illusion.
Lore of Passion
This is a very powerful lore, although this is
often forgotten for its subtlety. The Lore of
Passion allows the wielder to affect the very
will of those around him, bypassing the physical
Illusion of the Veil and touching the Souls of
others.
Effect Result
3 Affect personal charisma, sense
other’s moods, sense MB
6 Affect other’s moods/reactions,
sense other’s conscious thoughts
10 Affect other’s thoughts,
15 Thought control,
21 Mind enslavement,
28 Soul containment
36 Possession
Lore of Time and Space
This lore is the most evasive of all, as those who
study its practices often no longer exist to the
rest of us. Practitioners of this art can step
around or outside of the boundaries of the
Illusion, whether physically or temporally.
Effect Result
3 Spatial awareness
6 Sense location of others and objects
10 Speed up own time for 1 round
15 Step outside of the Illusion
21 Appear in another location
 28 Stop time caster continues to attempt the feat, so long as the caster
36 Step into another time does not fail to roll under his modified Dark Art skill.
Mechanics
When a character attempts to apply his Dark Art Backlash Determination Table
skill during the game, many possibilities may result from 1-12 Veil Reflection
the chaotic release of power. The effects, however, may 13-19 Illusion Denial
not be within the realm of the caster’s desires. To gauge 20-25 Reality Lash
the level of success of the caster, first determine of the
feat is within one of the known Lores of the character. If Veil Reflection
so, tell the GM what you wish to perform, and get a 1-8 Caster begins to perspire with effort.
ruling for the desired effect and nature Effect was not exactly what the caster wants,
9-13
(vulgar/coincidental, etc) of the feat. Subtract the affecting someone or something else.
desired effect from the character’s associated Lore skill, The feat was cast, however the effect was
14-16
and add the result (even if it is negative) to the different from the caster’s desire.
character’s Dark Art score. This is the character’s The feat was cast, however the result affects
modified Dark Art score. The character now rolls 17-19
the caster.
against the modified Dark Art score, attempts to roll an 20-22 Caster suffers triple the endurance cost
effect higher than the desired effect of the feat. If the roll 23-25 Caster suffers quintuple the endurance cost.
generated is greater than the desired effect of the feat, the 26-27 Caster assaulted by rivulets of energy.
feat was a success. The amount the roll was over the 28-29 Caster suffers from Poltergeist.
desired effect determines the level of success. If the roll Caster cannot control forces, stunned with
did not meet the target effect, but was under the caster’s 30 power and loses END at normal rate until
modified Dark Art score, the feat was a failure, and will unconscious
incur a Backlash. If the roll was over the caster’s
modified Dark Art skill, the caster was not able to bend Illusion Denial
the Illusion to his will. In the latter two instances,
Caster is stunned for the duration of the
however, the caster may continue to try the feat into the 1-8
desired effect in minutes.
next round, at the cost of Endurance.
9-13 Caster suffers double normal endurance loss.
14-16 Caster suffers triple normal endurance loss.
17-19 Caster is knocked unconscious (END=0)
Backlash Caster is knocked into a coma for the # of
A Backlash occurs when the caster succeeds in 20-22
hours equal to the desired effect of the feat.
his modified Dark Art roll, but does not meet the desired
23-25 Caster suffers temporary amnesia.
effect for the feat. The caster has begun to channel
Caster is temporarily pushed outside the
magical energies for the task, but has not contained them
26-27 Illusion to a stasis state for duration equal to
yet to perform to his desires. When this occurs, a
the desired effect in hours.
Backlash roll is made, and
28-29 Caster’s soul is separated from body.
adjusted for the nature of
the casting. The caster 30 The caster doesn’t exist.
rolls against the Backlash
Determination Table, Reality Lash
adjusting the roll by the Caster is immersed in harmless mist-like
1-8
nature of the feat. If the ectoplasm.
casting is Vulgar, the roll Caster suffers 1 scratch for every round the
9-13
is modified by +5. The feat is attempted consecutively.
character then rolls on the Caster suffers 1 light wound for every round
14-16
proper Backlash table, and the feat is attempted.
modifies the roll by the Caster suffers 1 serious wound for every
17-19
number of witnesses that round the feat is attempted.
were present, adding 1 to the die roll for every 5 Caster erupts in white flame. 1 serious
20-22
witnesses, up to a maximum of +10. The Backlash is wound per round of conflagration.
then applied to the caster, and if the caster wishes and is 23-25 Caster undergoes physical change
able, he may attempt to continue the feat at a +1 bonus to 26-27 Caster absorbed into Illusion.
his effect. This +2 is cumulative for every round the 28-29 The caster explodes.
30 The caster explodes equivalent to C4.

Detection
When a caster attempts to use the Dark Art to
perform a task, there is always the possibility that the
attempt will be detected by other powers if the attempted
feat is Vulgar. The chance that an attempt will be
detected is equivalent to the desired effect score, as a
percentage, thus the more intense the feat the more likely
that something will have sensed it. Note that Shrouded
feats are not detected, as they don’t cause “ripples” in the
belief of the Illusion.
Protection
When a conjurer attempts to use his Dark Art
skill to perform magic, there will be times when others
near the caster may be able to sense the conjuring, and
desire to stop it. This may become crucial to the
character himself, as he may find himself on the wrong
end of a conjuring. In a case such as this, the feat is
attempted as normal. Anyone sensitive to magic in the
area may attempt to sense the forces of the Illusion
beginning to shift, and may attempt to will against it. At
this point begins a classic battle of wills, with the caster
and his adversary fighting a mental battle for domination
of the other. Note that this may occur even if none of the
participants can see each other.
To resolve such a conflict, each combatant must
roll an EGO roll, and may include any applicable
bonuses (meditation, Iron Will). The effects are
compared against each other, and the mage with the
highest effect has won the round. At this point, the
difference between the effects is referenced on the Force
of Will table, and the applicable result is applied to the
loser. The battle of wills may continue to the next round
if both participants are able and willing.
Either combatant may concede in a battle of
wills at the end of any attack phase. Each round in the
battle takes up one action for each participant. If a
combatant is forced from the battle or yields, his
opponent has succeeded in either foiling his conjuration
or may complete his casting. Each round in a battle of
wills costs each participant 5 Endurance points.
Difference Result
1-4 Loser may continue at a –2 penalty
5-8 Loser may continue at a –4 penalty
9-12 Loser may continue at a –6 penalty
13-15 Loser must roll vs. CON or be stunned for
1-6 rounds; may continue at – 6 penalty
16-17 Loser is stunned for 1-6 rounds
18-19 Loser knocked unconscious for d10
rounds
20 Loser’s mind becomes enslaved to winner.
Effect wears off once winner ends
concentration.
Duration
Depending on the type of casting the Conjurer
performs; he can expect some of his feats to last only for
so long until fading away into wisps of his imagination.
Although not a sentient entity, the Illusion does have a
form, and a quasi-conscienceness that will allow it to
“know” when it has been warped. Generally, effects that
have been directed onto inanimate object within the
Illusion are fairly permanent in nature, so long as any
changes made are within reason. Attempts to alter
another person’s will or form will generally be
temporary changes, and effects that change things
beyond the Illusion or the relationship of the Illusion to
other worlds (Lore of Dreams, gateways, etc.) will
usually only last for as long as the caster concentrates on
them. The ultimate decision as to how long any
particular effect lasts relies on the Gamemaster.
Endurance loss
Whenever a caster attempts to use magic to
perform any feat, the effort will be taxing on the caster.
The more difficult the task is, the more tiring the effort
will be. Because a character it limited to the properties
of his physical body, the body will begin to weaken with
the stresses of the caster’s efforts. The caster looses one
point of Endurance for every point of desired effect for
the desired feat. Therefore, if a caster were attempting a
feat with a desired effect of 10, the caster would expend
10 endurance points for every round he attempted to
complete the feat.
Ritual
Attempting to use the Dark Art to impose your
will on the world can be a very dangerous and taxing
task to undertake.
There have been
more than a few
Conjurers who found
that they could not
handle the power
they were wielding,
and were ultimately
consumed by it.
There are ways to
alleviate some of the
danger of a casting,
through ritual.
Ritual has
been used for as long
as memory persists,
and is a staple in human spirituality. The process of
ritual is normally meant to bring someone closer to their
deity, bind protective forces to the caster, strengthen the
caster’s power, and to disperse some of the workload of a
casting among many participants. One more role of
ritual, and perhaps the most important role or ritual, is to
transform the environment around a conjurer into
something surreal or celestial, in an attempt for the caster
to ignore many of the imprinted laws the Illusion binds
us all to. If a caster can forget the limitations of his form
within the Illusion, he will find an easier time trying to
perform tasks with his Dark Art.
Ritual can take many forms, from the ingestion
of hallucinogenic drugs, to the consecration of a temple,
and may include many props, such as incense, daggers,
crystals, blood, chalices, and a variety of sacrifices. The
essence of the ritual does not matter so much as the need
for the caster to believe in it. The protective circles,
runes, and tokens will have no real effect unless the
conjurer has faith that they will serve their task. The
character may make up his own rituals, or use those
developed by others, so long as the character believes in
the principal of their nature.
Rituals take many forms, from the Hermetic
traditions of protective circles and ceremonial swords to
the totemic nuances of developing tribal societies. The
content of the ritual is less important than the conviction
of its practice, and the consistency of its iteration. A
practicing conjurer should be able to define his system of
magic, be it a study of an existing tradition or an
independently crafted conception. Through the
repetition of key elements of rituals, the caster grants the
procedures coherence and meaning that bestow them the
endowment of faith, a necessary entity in any ritual.
Ritual adds strength to a conjurer’s power, but
only though practice and patience. Once a ritual has
been defined, the caster may develop the ritual as a skill,
adding experience points to it as he practices its complex
nuances for minute precision. Once the caster is
confident that he has the ritual well practiced, he may
attempt to perform it to completion.
When a ritual is performed, it does not mete
results until it has been completed. At the time of its
completion, the caster should roll his ritual skill, and
determine the effect. This number becomes a modifier
for the effect of the Dark Art roll for the actual feat. In
this way a ritual can greatly enhance the power of the
caster, and expand his realm of power, providing the
caster is willing to invest the time necessary to perfect
the ritual.
Example: Bob has determined that he is capable of
changing his physical appearance using the Dark Art and
his Lore of Death knowledge. Bob’s GM assigns him a
target effect of 10 for this feat, however Bob has a Lore
of Death of 15 and a Dark Art of only 8. Bob’s modified
Dark Art for this attempt is 13, meaning that Bob would
have to roll a 3 or less to succeed. Noting that the
Backlash probability is fairly high (50% chance), Bob
determines that he had best create a ritual to safely
perform this task. As steeped in sacrificial traditions as
Bob is, he creates a complex ritual that involves the use
of a victim with features similar to those he desires, and
practices the machinations of his plan with discarded
CPR mannequins for several months. Through the
investment of time, Bob manages to increase his skill
level in this ritual to 17, making him fairly confident in
successfully completing the ritual. One fateful night,
Bob gathers the necessary ingredients (including one
attractive female victim, as his ritual is closely related to
his sexual identity crisis), and successfully completes the
hour-long ritual. At the end of the ritual, Bob rolls a 7
against his ritual skill, and adds the effect of 10 to his
modified Dark Art skill for the casting, giving him a total
modified Dark Art for the feat of 23. At this point, Bob
only has to roll a 13 or less to successfully complete the
feat, giving him a 65% chance of success where
previously he only had a 15% chance.
Summary of Use: The character determines what he
wants to perform. If the activity is within the realm of a
known lore, a target effect is determined. The effect is
then compared to the Lore skill, and the Dark Art skill is
modified by the difference. The player then rolls against
his modified Dark Art score. If the resulting effect is
greater than the desired effect, the feat is successful. If
the effect is below the desired effect, but at one, the feat
fails, and the character rolls on the Backlash table, but
may continue attempting the feat if he can maintain his
concentration. If the roll is above the character’s Dark
Art skill, the feat fails, although the character may
attempt to continue the feat.
Arcane Powers
Although called by different names, spirits,
celestial beings, divine powers, demons, arcane powers
have consistantly played a role in the history of magic.
Artifacts
Artifacts may be used or created by ritual
Mediation
Throughout religion meditation has played a
part in bringing a worshiper closer to his god. Prayer,
vigils and incantations may all be forms of meditation
that serve the single purpose of putting the user in the
proper frame of mind for worship. When considering
ritual as an observance of faith, where unbelievable
things may occur solely because of the participant’s
belief that they will, it is fairly simple to see meditation’s
role in magical ritual.
 Because much of magic relies on the
concentration of the caster, it is essential that he be
prepared mentally and physically for his feat, be it with a
spirit cleaned with confession or a body cleansed by
fasting. There is no requirement to mediation or what its
practice must by, save the simple governing principal
that it help the caster to focus on the task at hand, and be
better prepared in mind, spirit, body, or any combination
of the three.
To derive benefit from mediation, the caster
must successfully make a mediation roll before the
attempted feat. For each consecutive hour of mediation
the caster benefits from a +1 effect to whatever the task
may be, up to a maximum of +5.