Badger Magic

Melesmancy is the magic of badgers. It’s a bit of a throwback, and was never very popular, but badgers and the way humans relate to them carry enough paradox and symbolic tension that those who truly care about them can eke out just a bit of magical power from the whole thing.

Melesmancers tend to be shy and reclusive, keeping to their homes (which are often near the woods or at least a city park) and staying out of trouble. When the need comes, though, they can be vicious and resourceful opponents.

It’s tempting for melesmancers to become park rangers, since it allows them to be alone with animals most of the time and have a lot of the reclusive autonomy they need. However, many melesmancers who go this route lose their jobs or face legal action after some reckless camper refuses to clean up their litter and the melesmancer escalates the conflict past the usual expected social and legal bounds. Just as often, melesmancers end up homeless, living in a dug-out squatter entrenchment.

Unlike a lot of adepts, Melesmancers can’t rely too heavily on their magic skills. They all tend to need some other skills as well. This is mostly skills with wilderness survival, but over time most melesmancers find they need to learn some fighting skills as well.

Melesmancers often stay out of the Occult Underground for years at a time, not really needing to do much magic until something important comes up. They typically keep to themselves, preferring to be alone. Once they’re drawn into something, though, they see it through to the last bitter end.

Most in the Occult Underground haven’t heard of melesmancy, and treat it like a quaint and mostly harmless mageekian school. This is perfectly accurate and probably best for all involved.

This school of magic only affects true badgers. Other than the Wind in the Willows formula, other related animals (such as weasels, wolverines, and ferrets) are not affected.

Gain a minor charge: Antagonize a badger (wild or tame) for an hour, or until it bites you or runs away. This requires a major skill check against a skill like Animal Handling. On a failure, you take 3 damage from a nasty bite or scratch. On a matched failure or botch, that’s probably going to get infected, or you may even lose a finger.

As a minor school, melesmancy does not generate significant or major charges. You want big magic? Don’t pick badger magic.

Taboo: You cannot back down from a conflict. You don’t need to start a fight, and you can (and usually should) walk away from one before it begins, but once the fight starts you lose all charges if you withdraw or accept defeat. This includes everything from an argument to a gunfight.

Symbolic tension: Badgers are known for their tenaciousness, but are usually quite shy and docile until pushed. In some way, they are docile because they’re so tenacious: if they fight back they commit everything to it, so usually they avoid a fight entirely. The paradox of melesmancy is that aggression causes shyness.

Random domain: The natural properties of badgers, but especially aggression and seclusion. By interacting with badgers in a confrontational way, a melesmancer takes on some of their traits.

Blast: None. Melesmancers rely on other skills for their fighting.

Charging tips: Most melesmancers keep one or more pet badgers for easier charger, or live in the woods. It’s quite easy to gain five or six charges in a single night, but you’ll probably mess up your hands in time.

Starting charges: 5 minor.

Minor Formulas

Wind in the Willows
1 minor charge
You can converse with badgers and other burrowing woodland animals as if they were humans. As you talk with them, they will tend to pick up simple human mannerisms and caricature-like personalities. If you need to get one to do something for you, you’ll need to make an Animal Handling check. On a success, they’ll understand that task and perform it well, for up to a week. On a failure, though, you get bitten and take 3 damage (or more on a matched failure or botch). You can talk with multiple animals at once with this power, but you’ll need to bring plenty of food for that – tea parties are common. This formula lasts for a single social occasion or conversation, usually a few minutes but sometimes up to an hour.

Burrower’s Instinct
1 minor charge
Use this formula when you’re searching for something underground. Any attempt you make to dig it up (whether by hand or with equipment, but alone) will locate what you’re seeking quickly if it’s there. The amount of time it takes to dig something up varies by how deep it is, where it’s buried, and what equipment you’re using. This is a pretty potent divination, but the magical costs are cheap because it’s so specific.

You can’t find another melesmancer’s Sett with this formula. Sorry.

Fierce Hunger
2 minor charges
Badgers in the wild are known for their ability to eat things most others can’t or won’t, like porcupines and poisonous snakes. While under this effects of this formula, you take on some of the same traits. For the next day after using this formula, you cannot be killed by anything you eat, and you’ll completely recover from any damage or harm caused by something you eat — it may hurt at first, but you’ll be fine after an hour or so. This formula doesn’t allow you to eat things which are otherwise inedible.

Aggressive Harassment
4 minor charges
Use this formula when you’re already following someone to continue the pursuit. You magically overcome one physical, mental, social, or magical obstacle blocking your path, or you learn their location if you’ve lost them (as long as you knew their location when you started chasing them).

Furthermore, you can ignore fatigue, and any abilities that make you unable to follow or attack the target for the next hour. This includes Stress Checks and defensive powers that sway you from attack (like the top level Merchant channel). However, once you use this formula, you cannot turn away until you find and confront the target. What you do after that is up to you.

Sett
6 minor charges
Sett is the name for a badger’s burrow. To use this formula, you must enter an underground home that you dug for yourself without magic. Mundane tools are fine, but no one else can help you. If the sett is big enough, you can bring family along with you — any committed spouse or close blood relative (first cousin or closer, in-laws are fine too) can come along too and benefit from protection as long as they stay inside.

This formula doesn’t make the structure any more solid, but while this formula is in effect, the home is considered to be an Otherspace: Outside forces cannot find or affect anyone inside. Unfortunately, this means you’d best pack plenty of supplies, and you won’t get any cell phone reception down there. If you leave, the formula ends, but you can cast it again the next time you return. If someone else leaves, they won’t be able to find their way back.