Call of Cthulhu Spells

[Paul_Va]

Is magic in Call of Cthulhu based on the Sorcery mechanic from BRP?

[rust]

Is magic in Call of Cthulhu based on the Sorcery mechanic from BRP?

No, Call of Cthulhu uses a very different concept of magic, it actually

does not have a real games mechanic for magic.

[Chaot]

If you're looking at publishing timeline and similarity, you could draw the conclusion that CoC spells are probably influenced by RQ battle magic. Actually looking at CoC spells, they vary wildly in power and effectiveness and very much evolved as writers needed for their scenarios. They are generally written to be effective only in very limited circumstances and also have a heavy sanity aspect that limits their appeal.

The BGB draws it's Sorcery mechanic from Elric!, which again, I think, is inspired by RQ battle magic. It is more designed to be an integrated part in an adventurer's career, toning down the extent of the spell's effects while giving them a broader range of usefulness. Again, no insider information or anything, it just seems to me that that is where the precedence lies.

[Paul_Va]

I actually really like the magic system in CoC in that it treats magic as I've always felt it should be treated: as something that is very difficult to do, and should only be used in extreme situations. With that being said, is there an exorcism spell in any of the Cthulhu books? Does the spell in the main CoC book, "Cast out Devils" an exorcism spell?

[1d8+DB]

Mechanically I would say they're not. Conceptually I would say that they are, as both 'sorcery' and COC magic treat their subject as an arcane science, with rules and principles which must learned through long study. This is particularly emphasized in The Laundry where Mythos magic is a kind of non-Euclidean mathematics.

I don't believe that there is a 'blanket' exorcism spell in COC.

[seneschal]

You're gonna try to "cast out" one of the Great Old Ones? Good luck!

Cthulhu "magic" is supposedly humans trying to use badly misunderstood alien technology. Which is why nasty things tend to happen to poor idiots who try to use a "spell" they researched from a dozen ancient sources. It's like your cat trying to drive an SUV; scary even thinking about it.

[Gollum]

Does the spell in the main CoC book, "Cast out Devils" an exorcism spell?

According to the adventure Bordering on the Darkness of the fifth Call of Cthulhu edition (sorry if it is not the good title: I just translated it from my French book), the only manner to cast out a Dimensional Shambler is to reverse it's summoning spell (that is to make as if you wanted to summon the monster but to read the spell back to the beginning). So there is no generic exorcism spell. Each summoning spell may also become an exorcism spell.

[seneschal]

Paul_Va, presumably your question was in preparation for the eldritch horror campaign you are planning. Have you had a chance to run a session yet? If so, how did it go? What did your players have to say afterward?