Parry Retribution
Level 3 Thaumaturgical Metamagic, based on Hermetic and Kabbalistic Principles.
Description: This metamagic ritual is designed to protect its user from spells (sometimes called counter-curses) triggered by his own castings. It must be cast in conjunction with another magic, and may even, if the caster is willing to take the time and spend the blood, be cast multiple times on the same original ritual, though with decreasing effect.
Material components: A magnetite magnet, a thin sheet of mica inscribed with the name of an Angel who's bailiwick is defense, one or more points of the caster's blood, and a small piece of beeswax, and a rare mix of incense.
System: Before beginning to cast a ritual or invoking a path power, the caster may protect himself with Parry Retribution. He starts by inscribing a Kaballistic rune of protection on a small (about 5 inch diameter) circle of Mica, and binding a polarized piece of magnetite to the other side of the circle with beeswax mixed with his own blood. The ritual is enacted by passing the creation back and forth through the smoke of a rare mix of incense while intoning a chant invoking the Angel. If the ritual is even marginally successful, the incense will be unable to pass the mica circle once the ritual is complete. To use the magic thus created, the mica circle must be incorporated into the casting of the primary ritual. The Primary Ritual, or other metamagic designed to modify the primary ritual must be begun immediately upon completion of Parry Retribution. Parry Retribution can only modify “standard” rituals and paths, not metamagic.
If Parry Retribution is being used on a ritual rather than a path, the caster may enhance this protection at the cost of additional blood and time and difficulty: The first time the ritual is cast, it takes 15 minutes and one blood point. The second time, it takes two blood points, double the casting time, and is cast at +2 difficulty. The third time it is used to modify the same primary ritual, it costs 3 blood points, takes an hour, and is cast at a total of +4 difficulty. Each subsequent casting takes an additional blood point, double the last casting time, and an additional +2 difficulty over the previous instance. During the casting, the ritualist binds another ring of mica to the original creation.
The mystic shield created by Parry Retribution deflects incoming magic targeted by the ritual it is attached to. Each success on Parry Retribution removes one success from such retributive magic. An example of such magic is "Caller ID." If the incoming magic is defeated entirely, the mica disc vibrates. If the counter-curse is stronger than the shield, the mica shield shatters. If the caster has taken the time to cast Parry Retribution multiple times, the weakest layers of mica break first. In the case that multiple counter-curses are activated by the primary ritual, the highest level magic is blocked first.
Parry Retribution may be cast in conjunction with other metamagic rituals to modify a single primary ritual for no enhanced difficulty or cost.
Failure has no effect, but botching Parry Retribution causes a failure of the Primary Ritual, as well as automatically activating any counter-curse that the Primary Ritual would have normally activated.
Metamagic Series
