majiayu000 Grimoire Creator
Create mechanically valid, thematically rich Grimoires for M20. Source: Prism of Focus: Grimoires by Charles Siegel.
What is a Grimoire?
A Grimoire is a magical instructional text (book, scroll, flash drive, etc.) that teaches magical practices. Unlike Talismans that produce effects, Grimoires teach: Practices, Spheres, Abilities, Rotes, and potentially Awakening (as a Primer).
Core Mechanics
Rank and Points
| Rank | Description | Points | Max Teaching Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primer/Introduction | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | Journeyman Text | 6 | 2 |
| 3 | Advanced Manual | 9 | 3 |
| 4 | Master's Treatise | 12 | 4 |
| 5 | Legendary Tome | 15 | 5 |
Points Available = 3 × Rank
Free Content (Every Grimoire)
- 1 Practice (up to Rank)
- 1 Ability (associated with that Practice)
- 1 Sphere (up to Rank)
Point Costs
| Content | Cost |
|---|---|
| Additional Practice | 2 pts |
| Additional Sphere | 2 pts |
| Additional Ability | 1 pt |
| Rote | Sum of Sphere dots |
| Primer (Arete training) | 3 pts |
| Merits | Variable |
| Flaws | Grant points (max 7) |
Critical Validation Formula
Content Count Rule:
Rotes + Practices + Spheres + Abilities + (1 if Primer) = Rank + 3
Free content counts toward this total.
Example (Rank 2): Required = 2 + 3 = 5 pieces
- 1 Practice + 1 Sphere + 1 Ability + 2 Rotes = 5 ✓
- 2 Practices + 1 Sphere + 2 Abilities + 0 Rotes = 5 ✓
Creation Process
- Concept: Faction, purpose, narrative role
- Set Rank: 1-2 beginner, 3 established, 4-5 masters
- Choose Faction: Query practices via
mage-rules-referenceskill - Select Free Content: 1 Practice + 1 associated Ability + 1 Sphere
- Purchase Additional Content: Stay within point budget
- Verify Content Count: Must equal Rank + 3
- Add Merits/Flaws: See references/grimoire-merits-flaws.md
- Describe Physical Form: Medium, language, appearance
- Design Rotes: If included, use rote-creator skill for full mechanical detail
- Validate: Run all checks
Reference Data
Shared M20 Data (via mage-rules-reference skill)
Query faction/practice/ability associations:
# Get practices for a faction
python /path/to/mage-rules-reference/scripts/lookup.py \
/path/to/mage-rules-reference/references/faction-practices.json "Order of Hermes"
# Get abilities for a practice
python /path/to/mage-rules-reference/scripts/lookup.py \
/path/to/mage-rules-reference/references/practice-abilities.json "High Ritual Magick"
# Get languages for a faction
python /path/to/mage-rules-reference/scripts/lookup.py \
/path/to/mage-rules-reference/references/faction-languages.json "Order of Hermes"
Grimoire-Specific References
- grimoire-merits-flaws.md: Merit and Flaw tables
- output-template.md: Standard output format
Validation Checklist
Before finalizing, verify:
- Rank 1-5
- Points spent ≤ (3 × Rank) + Flaw points
- Content count = Rank + 3
- No trait taught above Rank (except Advanced Insights: one trait at Rank+1)
- All Abilities associated with a Practice in the Grimoire
- All Rotes use only contained Practices, Spheres, Abilities
- Flaw points ≤ 7
- Faction-Practice alignment is thematic
Point Validation Block
Include in output:
Base Points: [3 × Rank] = X
+ Flaw Points: + X
= Available: = X
Spent:
- Practices (N × 2): - X
- Spheres (N × 2): - X
- Abilities (N × 1): - X
- Rotes (total dots): - X
- Primer: - X
- Merits: - X
= Remaining: = X (must be ≥ 0)
Content: Rotes(X) + Practices(X) + Spheres(X) + Abilities(X) + Primer(0/1) = X
Required: Rank + 3 = X
Status: [VALID/INVALID]
Rote Integration
When a Grimoire contains rotes, use the rote-creator skill to design each with full mechanical detail. Rotes must use only Practices, Spheres, and Abilities contained in the Grimoire.
For multi-document projects, link rotes:
| Rote | Spheres | Link |
|------|---------|------|
| Silver Conduit | Prime 3, Corr 2 | [rote file](../rotes/silver_conduit.md) |