Grimoire Creator

Create mechanically valid, thematically rich Grimoires for M20. Source: Prism of Focus: Grimoires by Charles Siegel.

What is a Grimoire?

A Grimoire is a magical instructional text (book, scroll, flash drive, etc.) that teaches magical practices. Unlike Talismans that produce effects, Grimoires teach: Practices, Spheres, Abilities, Rotes, and potentially Awakening (as a Primer).

Core Mechanics

Rank and Points

Points Available = 3 × Rank

Free Content (Every Grimoire)

• 1 Practice (up to Rank)
• 1 Ability (associated with that Practice)
• 1 Sphere (up to Rank)

Point Costs

Critical Validation Formula

Content Count Rule:

Rotes + Practices + Spheres + Abilities + (1 if Primer) = Rank + 3

Free content counts toward this total.

Example (Rank 2): Required = 2 + 3 = 5 pieces

• 1 Practice + 1 Sphere + 1 Ability + 2 Rotes = 5 ✓
• 2 Practices + 1 Sphere + 2 Abilities + 0 Rotes = 5 ✓

Creation Process

1. Concept: Faction, purpose, narrative role
2. Set Rank: 1-2 beginner, 3 established, 4-5 masters
3. Choose Faction: Query practices via mage-rules-reference skill
4. Select Free Content: 1 Practice + 1 associated Ability + 1 Sphere
5. Purchase Additional Content: Stay within point budget
6. Verify Content Count: Must equal Rank + 3
7. Add Merits/Flaws: See references/grimoire-merits-flaws.md
8. Describe Physical Form: Medium, language, appearance
9. Design Rotes: If included, use rote-creator skill for full mechanical detail
10. Validate: Run all checks

Reference Data

Shared M20 Data (via mage-rules-reference skill)

Query faction/practice/ability associations:

# Get practices for a faction
python /path/to/mage-rules-reference/scripts/lookup.py \
  /path/to/mage-rules-reference/references/faction-practices.json "Order of Hermes"

# Get abilities for a practice  
python /path/to/mage-rules-reference/scripts/lookup.py \
  /path/to/mage-rules-reference/references/practice-abilities.json "High Ritual Magick"

# Get languages for a faction
python /path/to/mage-rules-reference/scripts/lookup.py \
  /path/to/mage-rules-reference/references/faction-languages.json "Order of Hermes"

Grimoire-Specific References

• grimoire-merits-flaws.md: Merit and Flaw tables
• output-template.md: Standard output format

Validation Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• Rank 1-5
• Points spent ≤ (3 × Rank) + Flaw points
• Content count = Rank + 3
• No trait taught above Rank (except Advanced Insights: one trait at Rank+1)
• All Abilities associated with a Practice in the Grimoire
• All Rotes use only contained Practices, Spheres, Abilities
• Flaw points ≤ 7
• Faction-Practice alignment is thematic

Point Validation Block

Include in output:

Base Points:           [3 × Rank] = X
+ Flaw Points:                    + X
= Available:                      = X

Spent:
- Practices (N × 2):              - X
- Spheres (N × 2):                - X  
- Abilities (N × 1):              - X
- Rotes (total dots):             - X
- Primer:                         - X
- Merits:                         - X
= Remaining:                      = X (must be ≥ 0)

Content: Rotes(X) + Practices(X) + Spheres(X) + Abilities(X) + Primer(0/1) = X
Required: Rank + 3 = X
Status: [VALID/INVALID]

Rote Integration

When a Grimoire contains rotes, use the rote-creator skill to design each with full mechanical detail. Rotes must use only Practices, Spheres, and Abilities contained in the Grimoire.

For multi-document projects, link rotes:

| Rote | Spheres | Link |
|------|---------|------|
| Silver Conduit | Prime 3, Corr 2 | [rote file](../rotes/silver_conduit.md) |