Manteia (Spellslingin’)

“Now listen here, young man. No, you cannot be dealt in. You look at us and see merely a game. A game of chance and a game of skill, yes, but just a game. Your eyes and mind are as weak as a two-day old babe. We are playing a game against an opponent you cannot begin to fathom. We stand at the crossroads of our world and gamble against Fate herself. We wager for access to the primal forces that make up this here world. Now don’t you give me your sass, young’un. I know full well I’m sittin’. It's a figure of speech. Now scurry along before you get hurt, or if you think you can manage it, stand over there and hold your tongue. If you watch real close and aren’t too stupid, you just might learn something.”

— An accounting of the start to Phil Seymour’s apprenticeship to Laughing Kate

Cultures-Settler Gambler

  • Practitioner: Spellslinger
  • Ritual: Hand of Fate
  • Resource: Fate Chips/Luck
  • Effect: Hex
  • Focus: Damage, Escape, Utility
  • Source Tagline: Hexin'

Manteia, colloquially referred to as Spellslingin’, is the practice of performing rituals in the form of a game of chance called a Hand of Fate, or a Hand. The Spellslinger wagers their Luck against a poker hand detailed in the ritual in a game of Seven Card Stud. A winning hand will gain power from Fate itself, power that is stored in a mystic Focus for later use.

For each level of Manteia purchased, the character will gain an increasing number of Fate Chips equal to their Luck. Additional Fate Chips means greater ability to play more hands, as well as to play hands for higher stakes.

Each character will begin game with 3 Hand of Fate rituals. Any additional rituals must be discovered in-game. Purchasing Fate Chips only increases the character’s power, not the number of rituals known.