November 2025 Update
- Adam Donovan
- 10 minutes ago
- 10 min read
[November 2025]
It's a kind of magic...
Greetings all, and welcome to the November (2025) update for Roguelike Games!
For the last update blog of the year, we'll be looking into Magic in the world of Moralinth. What it is, how it works and is practised, and how it affects everything it comes into contact with.
As a force, magic used to be prevalent in the world of Moralinth in ages past, but has been absent from the world for over one thousand years, with its existence lost to legend and superstition.
Now magic has begun to return to the world, quietly and covertly reasserting its influence..
In the world of Moralinth, what is Magic?
Magic, like everything supernatural or paranormal in the world of Moralinth, is intrinsically linked with The Dark: an ever-present force that lurks just behind existence and permeates all things.
Specifically, Magic is the practice of weaving strands of The Dark into shaping reality in specific, fantastical ways that often twist or snap natural laws to create amazing outcomes. This reality-warping causes the effect to be shrouded in The Delusion, making Magic seem invisible, unbelievable, or rationalised as something else by the majority of the populace.
When the common imperial citizen speaks of 'magic', it is the parlour tricks and sleight of hand performers whom they speak of, peddling their illusions for entertainment. True Magic is wielded by The Uncanny, some Creatures of Darkness and the rare madman or savant who has been able to decipher ancient eldritch texts. A practice from a distant, lost age of the world, Magic is known by few and mastered by even fewer.
Though practised by a mere fraction of the populace, Magic is known to some factions outside of The Uncanny: Arcanum Magicka Obscura: also known simply as Arcanum Magicka, is a secret society of spell-casters, scholars, devotees and hangers-on who believe in the existence of Magic. Even though only a few members can actually cast magic, generations who believed in the power of magic have filled the ranks of Arcanum Magicka for hundreds of years. Their members obsess over claiming and safeguarding any magical knowledge or artefacts they can.
The Inquisition: This militant branch of The Church is taught to believe that Magic is not only real, but is a weapon used against mortalkind to deceive and corrupt. While there are some rare cases of Uncanny among the Inquisition, all Inquisitors are trained to root out and destroy heretical knowledge and practices, which include the study, use or teaching of Magical practices.
The Frontier Countries: Some of the countries in the farthest corners of the Empire have deep traditions steeped in magic, such as the lands of Etharn and Timicias. These countries still practice magical rituals as their ancestors did, treating them with a religious-like reverence. The average citizen in these countries observes and partakes of these traditional practices, but few truly believe in them or expect them to work. There are, of course, exceptions - mostly in the form of Uncanny spellcasters from these regions.
Spells & Rituals
In the world of Moralinth, magic is typically executed in one of two methods, allowing those skilled in its use to produce remarkable, albeit specific, reality-altering effects:
SPELLS
Spells are the most prevalent method for manifesting magic, though referring to them as such might be slightly misleading. Essentially, a spell is a formula comprising actions, recitations, and/or other activities to harness and manipulate the energies of The Dark to produce specific effects. Unlike rituals, spells can be "cast" relatively quickly, particularly when they are practised and memorised, and can even be adjusted slightly to create variations of the effect. Similar to rituals, spells are often documented but are also commonly transmitted orally across generations.
RITUALS are often intricate spells that demand significantly more time and resources to complete, making them distinct from other spells by their very nature. They frequently require multiple practitioners to follow a specific set of instructions. Rituals tend to be more powerful than spells but are also much more specific, lacking the flexibility to adapt to circumstances or personalisation by the caster. A ritual is almost always documented in some form, whether as a litany, a passage, a song, or a code. Due to their complexity, memorising even a single ritual is an enormous challenge.
Rituals are recited and performed rather than simply learned, necessitating precise execution of certain steps, or they will not materialise.
Wielders of Magic
In the world of Moralinth, magic—similar to many aspects linked to The Dark—is concealed, enigmatic, and largely dismissed as real by the general populace. If you were to inquire about magic with the typical imperial citizen, they would mention illusionists, magicians, and charlatans who employ magic "tricks" for entertainment and deception. True magic is a potent force that beings like the Uncanny, Creatures of Darkness, and others connected to the supernatural can harness to make minor, temporary changes to reality. These alterations often serve to advance their own objectives, though not invariably.
If Uncanny constitute only a tiny portion of the population, then those who can use magic are even rarer, making up about one-fifth of the active Uncanny capable of doing so, provided they have discovered this ability.
Most Uncanny magic users don't stumble upon their abilities by chance. Typically, their talent for casting magic emerges as a consequence of their Eldritch Event, which awakens The Spark within them. Alternatively, they uncover clues hinting at the presence of magic or learn under the guidance of an Uncanny mentor to master magical practices.
Individuals who use magic hold significant power; however, the source they draw from is perilous (refer to 'The Price of Magic' below). Consequently, even with the safeguard of The Delusion, most magic users access this power infrequently and with great care.
Magic in Moralinth: Uncanny Edition
In the Uncanny Edition of Moralinth, Magic most commonly comes as part of the character's Focus (being one of three defining parts of a character in the Cypher System). Although all characters can use The Sight and are Uncanny, the ability to actually create spells or spell-like effects lies in their choices at character creation. A Character's Type can also determine access to Magic or spell-like abilities. Beyond these, an optional part of character creation, called "Flavours", allows you to pick certain aspects and Talents to add to your character. The Magical Flavour specifically allows access to magic for Uncanny characters.
Magic through Type: Two of the Types available to play as a character in the Uncanny Edition of Moralinth, being the Adept and the Spiritualist, grant access to spells and spell-like Talents. The Adept is an occultist and magical scholar who possesses a wide selection of Adept Talents which have fantastical effects, much like spells. The Spiritualist is a medium who can connect directly to the land of the dead. Their magic comes in the form of Talents that allow them to speak with and coax spirits of the dead, or draw upon divine power and inspiration.
Magic through Descriptor: Some descriptors can give access to spells or spell-like abilities. For example, the "Dark" descriptor grants spell-like abilities to sense and interact with The Dark in ways similar to spells, the "Gloomed" descriptor can create portals to other dimensions, and the "Mystical" descriptor gives access to magical training and some spells.
Magic through Focus: Many choices of focus, such as "Awakens Dreams" and "Channels Divine Blessings", grant Talents that are spell-like abilities, whereas some choices grant the use of actual spells, such as "Casts Spells" and "Works Miracles", either cast spells directly or create magical effects that mimic spells.
Magic through Magical Flavour: The use of Flavours is an optional rule that allows Types to swap out some of their Type Talents for other ones. The Magic Flavour allows any character to swap out their Type Talents for magical Talents, giving combinations such as Combatant Types with magical Talents, Explorer Types with magical Talents, etc.
Cyphers: Another way magic can be used for those unable to cast spells is through the use of Cyphers - items or happenstance fused with magic, which can be used once and then expended. All Uncanny can harness the power infused in Cyphers and can have access to a few at any one time.
Magic in Moralinth: Enclave Edition
In the Enclave Edition of Moralinth, Magic is handled by way of practised formulas known as Spells. Although all Uncanny can use The Sight, only three of the Callings available to play can cast spells, being Mediums, Occultists and Priests. Each of these callings has a special resource called Willpower that allows them to fuel and augment these spells, which come in three ranks of approximate power. Magic in the Enclave Edition is normally categorised in one of several ways: Rotes: Focusing on spells that allow the Medium to connect with the afterlife, Rotes allow the Medium to augment their already potent Talents of communicating with the dead alongside powers of mental manipulation, divination and illusion: essentially anything that can modify perception.
Incantations: Occultists use spells written in grimoires, stored on scrolls or encoded with cyphers to recreate what they refer to as Incantations: powerful spells that focus on transmutation and control, or expanding their understanding of the world around them.
Miracles: The Church is an extremely old institution, and although most alive today would not be aware of it, it has used magic in the past to uplift, control and inspire the masses. Spells cast by Priests are referred to as Miracles, said to be unique gifts bestowed upon the faithful by the very Gods themselves. Miracles are varied in their application, but often promote healing properties, warding and binding, as well as a tool for combating the undead and other Creatures of Darkness..
Rituals: Most spells are fairly quick and easy to cast, having been honed over many years to weave The Dark in very specific, predictable ways. Some spells, however, are so complex and take so long to cast that they often require patience to prepare, and might require more than one person to complete. These complex spells are known as Rituals.
Enchanted Items: Some items are infused with dormant magical energy from ages past, hiding in plain sight among those who cannot sense their hidden properties. Uncanny possesses the ability to "reawaken" these items, making their magical properties usable once again. These Enchanted Items can be used by any Uncanny, regardless of whether they can cast spells or not.
The Price of Magic
Like all interactions with The Dark, the use of Magic brings with it an inherent risk of corruption and insanity, primarily because it is a practice not meant to be undertaken by mortal minds. Those who dare to engage in the arcane arts must understand that they are stepping into a realm that transcends the natural order of existence. Magic, in its essence, is a force that defies the very fabric of reality, and as such, it is fraught with dangers that can lead to dire consequences.
Any individual who uses magic to create fantastical effects and bend the laws of reality must accept the sobering truth that, at any moment, reality itself may react unpredictably. This unpredictability can manifest in a myriad of ways, from minor disturbances in the environment to catastrophic events that can alter the course of one’s life forever. The repercussions of such interactions can leave a caster not only with physical wounds but also with deep scars on their soul and psyche, which may haunt them long after the magical effects have faded.
Each use of a spell carries with it a chance to be tainted or corrupted by The Dark to some degree, and while the mechanics governing this corruption may differ between the Uncanny and Enclave editions of the game, the underlying principle remains consistent: the more one wields powerful magical effects, the greater the risk of succumbing to the insidious influence of The Dark.
In the Uncanny edition, the focus may be on the immediate consequences of casting spells, such as the potential for backlash or unintended side effects that can manifest during a spell's execution.
In contrast, the Enclave edition may emphasise the gradual erosion of the caster’s sanity, portraying a slow descent into madness as the character becomes increasingly entwined with the dark energies they manipulate. Regardless of the edition, the result is the same: the wielder of such power risks slipping further into the clutches of The Dark, which can lead to a loss of agency, a distortion of one's identity, and ultimately, a transformation into something unrecognisable.
This duality of power and peril serves as a cautionary tale for those who would seek to master the arcane. The allure of magic is undeniable, drawing in the curious and the ambitious alike, yet it is imperative to recognise the potential costs associated with its use. As casters navigate the treacherous waters of spellcasting, they must remain vigilant, aware that each incantation could be their last, and that the price of wielding such power may be their very humanity. In a world where The Dark lurks just beyond the veil of reality, the line between mastery and madness is perilously thin, and those who tread too close may find themselves ensnared in a web of their own making.
Roguelike Community
The Moralinth Official Facebook Group is the place to visit for quick and concise updates for those who only want the summarised details of what is happening with Moralinth and is a great place to see the artwork, lore snippets, and updates. We're looking to add more to it so that we can add extra information, but we need your help! What sort of things would you like to see included in the Facebook Group that isn't there already? Feel free to leave comments so we can know what is a priority for everyone, and make sure you tell your friends!
DISCORD:
For a more in-depth and interactive playground for all things Moralinth, you can head over to the Morlainth Official Discord Server. We're looking to foster the community and grow it out, and a few of the messages we've received of late have asked for more ways to interact with the game world, as well as an increase in setting information. We're looking to try and grant both requests simultaneously, so keep an eye on Discord for more information! Feel free to invite anyone who you feel might want to follow the project but please remember they need to verify their account when they first join the server (you need to click the little "tick" to be granted the Uncanny role and gain access to all the Categories, Channels and Events).
Future Plans
As usual, there will be no update blog for December as RLG shuts down over the festive period. We'll be right back in 2026 with some exciting news, though, so until then, happy holidays and have a great New Year!
....and that wraps up our update for this month! Feel free to drop us a message or come visit us on our Facebook page or our Discord Group if you'd like! Until our next update,
Happy Gaming!
- Adam
Comments