In the Karmic Patron system, people can bind with spirits they have affinity for. The higher the affinity they have with their spirit, the stronger the abilities derived.
In this way, people are chained to the fate of their contracted spirit, pursuing ever increasing affinity by fulfilling their spirits requests. This quest for perfect affinity is a Sisyphean task that has no end.
However, users who are at the pinnacle of spiritual proficiency and affinity, can bind with a second spirit under niche conditions. These users will display feats far above even other spirit users, at the cost of additional restrictions.
I. Conditions
In order to bind with a second spirit, the user must:
Already be bound with a spirit
be extremely proficient with their current spirit
have a strong affinity with their existing spirit
Find a suitable second spirit that is
compatible with both the User’s Karma and their existing contracted spirit
This condition is extremely rare, as most spirits will have some incompatibility with one of the existing Karmas on the user. This results in Double Spirit Users being exceptionally rare.
II. Results
As Double Spirit Users have three spirits they can draw energy from, they will display further heightened strength, durability, perception, and healing.
Second Karma: Having a second spirit will unlock a second set of abilities tied to the new spirit’s Karma.
Evolved Abilities: Having a larger pool of energy allows the User to develop their current abilities even further.
In combat, the User may choose to utilize both their Spirit’s abilities to increase their versatility, or funnel all their power into one of their Karma’s to supercharge it.
III. Costs
Maintaining good affinity with one spirit is already fairly difficult, but being tied to two different spirits becomes a virtually impossible juggling act.
One action that can appease one spirit may be against the Karma of another
Temptations from two spirits may overwhelm even the most proficient of Spirit users. They will have trouble maintaining clear thought in the maelstrom of temptations that arise from their contracted spirits.
In general, contracting double spirits is only maintainable if:
The spirits are benign, and request mainly peaceful acts of their user
Human’s gaining the favor of a higher level spirit is an exceptionally rare occurrence in the world. When it does happen, the user will undergo a Metamorphosis, and a god-like being will emerge in the world. Through the extended lifespan granted through the transformation, these entities will persist in the world for many ages.
Disaster-Type Metamorphosis:
If a User completely succumbs to the temptations of the higher level spirit, they will lose rational thought and become a disaster that besets the world.
Daemon-Type Metamorphosis:
If a User is able to maintain some form of reasoning, their thinking process will transform in order to imitate the higher level spirit they obtained. In the vast majority of cases, their thinking will become malicious and their motivations will be beyond human understanding.
More than 95% of all spirits in the world belong to trivial spirits such as trees or blades of grass. However, beings gravitate towards Karmas similar to their own. Humans Spirit Users will mostly see the spirits of other similar beings.
Likewise, monsters have spiritual affinities toward other “lower-level” spirits, and can create their own spiritual bonds.
I. Beasts of Instinct
Like human society, the wilds have numerous beasts with no spiritual bonds of any kind. Wolves, wild dogs, giant rats, etc. make up the majority of threats in the world. To ordinary people, these still pose significant danger.
II. Beasts of a Covenant
Some beasts can develop spiritual bonds just like people can.
Most commonly, they make covenants with spirits of other beasts.
These covenants grant Karmic abilities just like a human’s karmic bond.
These bonded beasts are many times stronger than their unbounded brethren, and will usually require a Spirit User to subjugate them.
III. Beasts of Enlightenment
Spirits belonging to “higher levels” of Karma almost never bond with living beings from lower levels.
Ex. a wolf would have great difficulty bonding with the spirit of a human
However, on extremely rare occasions, a beast can attain a higher level Karma.
In these cases, the Beast will turn into an Enlightened Beast.
The power they gain is many times greater than a beast with a regular spiritual bond
Beasts who are enlightened will experience a physical and mental metamorphosis that brings them closer in-line with the spirit they inherit. They are forcefully molded into a form with high affinity for their newly acquired karma.
Most commonly, they gain cunning and intelligence equal to the spirit they inherit
Some believe that humans may have originated from ancient apes who attained higher level cognitive function by binding with spirits of sentient beings.
IV. Beyond Humans
Conventional wisdom states that humans as a sentient species lie at the pinnacle of the Cycle of Rebirth. However, some believe that there may be beings on a higher level.
If spirits from such beings exist, then the same transformation that occurs in Enlightened Beasts would occur when a human bonds with these higher level spirits. They would transform into something unrecognizable from man.
Their thought processes and ambitions would evolve, into a sentience beyond human comprehension.
After someone dies, their body will wither away. However, their spirit will return to the cycle of rebirth to await their next life. In this dormant state, spirits can wait hundreds or thousands of years in order to be reborn into a suitable life.
Beings currently alive in the cycle can link with these loose spirits, inheriting their Karma for themselves. These past spirits will grant abilities based on their Karma.
These inheritances are lifelong covenants. A child who links with a loose spirit in his youth is bound to its Karma until death, unless severed by a special circumstance.
I. Spiritual Aptitude and Awakening
Different people have different aptitudes for seeing and convening with Spirits. Those with innate talent usually develop the ability to see spirits around the age of 12. Those with high aptitudes can develop a spiritual sense earlier, and those with a poor sense can develop it in old age or never at all. A spiritual sense can be forcefully developed by guidance, training, or other means for all who are determined enough.
II. Properties of Karma
A. Common Abilities
Inheritors of Karma have two sources they can draw power from(their own spirit and the spirit they are contracted with). Because of this, with talent and training they can display a level of empowered feats by simple mastery of spiritual control.
Strength
Can display exceptional strength of equivalent to ~two people
Durability
Naturally more durable than the average person.
Perception
Displays keener senses than a normal person
Healing
Heals many times faster than the average person.
Manifestation
As a user develops affinity with their spirit, its consciousness will begin to manifest. This consciousness is a mere vestige; a shadow mirroring the personality of what the spirit was before its death.
This Spirit will display primitive thought, personality, and communication and will attempt to influence the user according to its will, sometimes forcefully.
These spirits will have high insight into the nature of other spirits.
B. Unique Abilities
Karma
Spirits will have lingering Karma based on their past life which manifests as unique abilities. Every Karma has its own unique systems of power.
The strength of a Karmic ability is dependent on the affinity between the User and the Spirit and the User’s spiritual proficiency. A user can improve their affinity to their Karma over time.
III. Cost of Karma
Because the power of a Karma is tied to affinity, a Spirit may tempt the user to act according to its Fate (Ex. If bound to the spirit of a charitable doctor, it may command the User to heal the sick. If bound to the spirit of a rageful spouse, they may tempt the user to kill unfaithful people). To unskilled Spirit Users, these temptations can be indiscernible from their very own thoughts.
IV. Artifacts for Inheritance
Having a weak, unknown, or unsuitable Karma is not a risk everyone has to take. Certain groups have developed methods to capture spirits and store them through artifacts. These captured spirits can be used to inherit Karmas with known properties. By collecting powerful Karmas and documenting their abilities, groups can accumulate power and gain a large advantage over those who inherit unknown Karma.
V. Artifacts as Weaponry
Artifacts can be used to manifest a portion of the Karma they are carrying.
A sword carrying a lightning Karma may have the ability to create electrical current.
A mask carrying a perception Karma may display the ability to see through walls.
Chains carrying a water Karma might be used to suppress high temperatures.
However, as Artifact Karmas are not bound by a covenant, they have caveats for use:
Their Karma is many times weaker than an inherited Karma
Their Karma is much less versatile in its usage
Their Karma requires many times more spiritual energy to manifest
The Artifact’s loose spirit cannot be used as a source of energy so must manifest its ability through external energy provided by the wielder
Despite all these drawbacks, unbound Karmas can complement a user’s natural Karma abilities and increase a user’s versatility by many times.
VI. Karmic Backlash & Rejection
When initially bonded with a spirit, the user must have affinity with the spirit’s Karma for the initial covenant to be possible. However, as a person grows and changes overtime, they can drift away from the Karma of their bonded spirit (Ex. a User binding to a violent Karma, but mellowing out over time). This misalignment will lead to increasingly severe consequences as the User strays further away from their contracted Karma.
Progression of Karmic Rejection
Degradation of Powers
The user’s powers are affected by how much affinity they have with their spirit’s Karma. The strength of the user’s power decreases as their affinity does.
Reversal in Spiritual control
The user will find it harder to access their contracted spirit as a source of energy.
Their spirit’s energy will become closed off to them, and eventually may start siphoning the User’s spiritual energy instead.
Karmic Backlash
Eventually, the misalignment between User and Spirit can become too much, and a backlash / rejection occurs.
A backlash can come in many forms. Usually the bond with the spirit forcefully breaks. As it leaves the User, it will cripple them without doubt. More commonly, they will be left dead.
Because of the adverse effect of Karmic rejection, Users of Karma will take great care in choosing a spirit they are naturally aligned with.
This also means that a large factor in what makes a Spirit sought after is not only how strong their powers are, but how easy it is to maintain Karmic balance with the spirit.
Ex. a violent Karma can manifest powerful abilities but requires a dark mind to be in alignment.
VII.How Karma Shapes the World
Military
Strong Karmas are collected, documented, and passed down.
A Militia’s might is heavily based on the capability of their Karma users.
Obtaining a strong Karmic ability may be reason enough for a campaign.
Culture
The knowledge of spirits has shaped religions and traditions around the world.
Karmas found in one area can vary greatly from Karmas found in another.
Ex. Spirits near a volcano town are more likely to be related to heat than spirits in a fishing town. Karma users from that volcano town more commonly have fire affinities as a result.
Having a different distribution of Karma abilities can greatly change the way of life in an area.
Karmas can gain infamy or renown from the exploits of its users. (Ex. A royal lineage can pass down right-to-rule through inheritance of a Royal spirit)
Industry
Karmas can allow users to participate in trade & industry and exploit their abilities to make a living.
Diplomacy
Artifacts containing unique / historical Karmas can also be used as diplomatic tokens of trade.
Countries / Organizations known for having certain Karma users may be sought out by others in times of need.
