Astrology is a method of Divination that requires looking at the stars. To perform a divination based on astrology, the astrologer must be able to see the entire sky clearly, and it must be at night while the stars are out. Only one astrology check may be done per night.
The benefit of Astrology to other forms of divination is that through astrology, an astrologer may plot the course of several different actions to see what the best possible outcome may be.
To perform an Astrology check, the astrologer tells the GM that he is doing so, and what the subject of his divination is. Then, the astrologer rolls on his Astrology skill modified by Intellect. For example, upon meeting a new person that the astrologer is weary of, the astrologer would say “I want to look into the stars and find out more about our new friend.” He would then roll.
Upon succeeding at the roll, the GM may allow the astrologer to look into a certain number of houses in the sky. Houses are the realms of the major spirits in the heavens, and each has a specific area of the sky associated with them. On a Poor roll, the astrologer may look into only one of these houses. For each additional rank above Poor, the astrologer may look into an additional house. These houses indicate the path that the astrologer is wondering about. For example, looking into the house of Eras, which symbolizes Life, indicates what will happen if this person lives. Looking into the house of Keramis, who symbolizes death, will indicate what will happen if that person dies. The following list indicates the full meaning of each of the celestial houses.
The Celestial Houses[]
Each of the Celestial Houses is based on one of the major Great World Spirits, and has a different meaning. The astrologer can look into each house to see what will happen if the subject he has chosen to do his reading on is made to correspond with each house. The following list indicates what these houses mean and gives examples of when the astrologer may want to look into that house.
Eras: The house of Eras symbolizes life. One might look into
this house if they wanted to know what would happen if the
subject of the reading were allowed to live.
Sephyr: The house of Sephyr symbolizes Knowledge. This
may be where an astrologer would want to look if he wanted
to know what would happen if more information were sought
about the subject, or if he wanted to know what type of
information he may find.
Errianna: The house of Errianna symbolizes compassion.
This would be where to look if you wanted to know what
would happen if you showed compassion to the subject of the
reading.
Marinus: The house of Marinus symbolizes Justice. This
could be the place to look to find out what would happen if
the subject were brought to justice, or perhaps if you were
wondering exactly what Marinus thought would be just in the
given situation.
Alumina: The house of Alumina symbolizes bravery. The
astrologer may wish to look here if he were wondering what
the result would be if the party bravely forged ahead into the
situation which was the subject of the reading.
Sylph: The house of Sylph symbolizes truth. This is where
one might look if they were wondering what the truth was
about a particular situation.
Radia: The house of Radia symbolizes travel, and Radia is
the patron spirit of all those who are lost. Looking toward her
house in the heavens helps wanderers discover where they
should go.
Pyrus: The house of Pyrus symbolizes Combat. This
is where to look to find out what the outcome would be of
combat if the subject of the reading were involved.
Karkos: The house of Karkos symbolizes protection. This is
the house upon which to look to find out how to best stay safe
against the subject.
Keramis: The house of Keramis symbolizes death. This is
where to look to find out what would happen if the subject no
longer existed.
Outcomes of an Astrology Roll[]
Once the astrologer has found out how many houses he is permitted to look at, he may tell the GM which house he is choosing to look at, and the GM must honestly choose a constellation (from the list of Runes, as the runes correspond with the constellations) which symbolizes the truthful answer to the search of the astrologer. The GM may not use the same constellation more than once per night, since one star sign cannot possibly be found in two different houses. As much as that sign may correspond to the answer he wants to give, he must find a different way to get his point across.
For example, given the example of the previous section of the “new friend,” the astrologer would first roll. Let’s say he gets an Excellent. He could say “First I want to look into the house of Sylph, to see if the subject holds any secrets.” The GM may respond with “You see that Stagamensus the Warlord is in the house of Sylph.” Checking the Rune Table, we see Stagamensus is a symbol of war. Our new friend, on the other hand, seems to be a peaceful man. Obviously, there is something hidden about him.
Thus, the Astrologer asks “Let me look into the house of Sephyr, to find out more knowledge about this person.” The GM may respond “There you see Ardamir the Raven.” The Raven is a symbol of death, which indicates that this seemingly peaceful man has done his share of killing.
“So, what if I look into the house of Eras, to see what would happen if we allowed this man to live.”
“Sira is in the house of Eras.” Looking at the chart, this means to the astrologer that if this man is allowed to live, Ruin would follow.
“Okay then, I look into the house of Karkos to see how we can protect ourselves from him.”
“Eldamor the Falcon, the symbol of Long Flight.” This can only mean one thing… RUN!