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Skip Navigation LinksContent>Magic>Magic Systems>Validus Familiaritas>Piedragemas>Variations
Piedragemas Variations
Validus Familiaritas

Piedragemas

Piedragemas System Piedragemasi Piedragemas Variations
Gemstone Power Sets Piedragemasi Package Deals  
The basic model of Piedragemas can be easily altered or expanded upon for a number of uses with minimal effort.
EXPANSION
This Magic System could be greatly expanded upon by a GM adding more Gemstone Power Sets (six examples of this are given in the Gemstone Powers document), expanding Gemstones to have more Powers, or extending the "Power Tree" one or more levels out. However care should be taken to remember that characters are paying 2 point for a 15 AP Basic Power, effectively 5 points for a 30 AP Advanced Power, and effectively 10 points for 45 AP Signature Powers.
NAME
A GM could always change the name from Piedragemas to something else, or have several groups of Magic Users based on this mechanic but with social or "flavor" differences and different names.
Example: Bob the GM has determined that Piedragemas as practiced by the mainstream is called Jcien (JEH-see-ahn) and is generally looked down upon in more civilized lands as a primitive, weak sort of magic. Jcien does not include the extended Gemstone sets.
However, there is a subgroup in Bob's setting that has extended mastery, having access to the extended Gemstone sets presented in the Powers document. As a campaign groundrule Bob declares that a practitioner must learn all the abilities of two of the normal Gemstone sets before they can learn one of the extended sets. Once a practitioner of Jcien has learned all of the abilities of at least one of the extended Gemstone sets they are called Dtreon (DEH-tray-own).
SUBSTITUTION
The basic mechanic at play here could be switched out for some other focus, replacing the Gemstones and Gemstone Powers with something else.
As a point of reference see the similar Totemic Shamanism Magic System, which is Animal Totem based, and Troubadourus Magic System which is Musical Instrument based.
Example: Bob the GM later decides he wants a kind of minor magic for an organization of mystics and thinks the Familiarity model of Piedragemas would work well for them. However, he wants their magic to be associated with emotions instead of Gemstones, so he makes up a new system which he calls Yuena (YOU-eh-nah); practitioners of which are called Yuen (YOU-en). The Gemstone Lore Skill is renamed Emotic Lore but is used the same way.
Yuena is a form of Arcane Magic, and all Yuen Powers require a evocative foci symbolically representing a particular emotion. Each of the Gemstone Power sets are simply relabeled with emotions instead; Ruby becomes Aggravation, Diamond becomes Acerbic, Sapphire becomes Calm, and so forth.
CONSTRICTION/REGIONALISM
This Magic System could be made very pervasive but narrow in a given setting simply by stating that all characters of a certain group or type must have one (and only one) Gemstone affiliation.
Piedragemas might also be used differently in different Regions. This could range from different lists of Gemstones used in different areas, to different focuses on Gemstone Powers among similar cultures.
Example: In the World of San'Dora Piedragemas is practiced by an older race of mankind called the Eldfolk. Long ago many tribes of mankind betrayed their Haelfinan creators to join the Var; those who remained loyal were the ancestors of the Eld. When the Haelfinan were inexorably pushed to the edges and wild lands of the world, the Eld were pushed along with them.
Three subgroups of Eld exist in the modern day along the western edge of Danoshorvas. In the days of their flight, the Kaer-Na crossed the northern mountains and settled in the then mostly vacant north lands, the Chur'An took refuge in the inhospitable fire lands, and the Gaer'An took to the sea and settled on an island cluster off the coast.
Eventually the Gaer'An became seafarers and over time a colony was established on a more distant and particularly large island that they named Aruthol. In time the once humble frontier colony grew to be the most powerful and least primitive holdfast of the Eldfolk; however the Cataclysm submerged most of the island nation, leaving it just a fraction of its landmass and correspondingly national identity. Refugees took to the sea again and survived to settle three small colonies on the northeastern coast of the southern continent, while others traveled to ports far distant.
Prior to the Catalclysm a new form of Arcane Magic involving the use of gemstones was developed in Aruthol and has survived into the modern age. Peidragemas is practiced in Aruthol, and its three colonies of Bor'dush, Villima, and Zishka. All of the basic gemstones are represented in each place, but Villima tends to emphasize Ruby, while Bor'dush has a tradition of Opal mastery, Zishka favors Sapphire, and Aruthol practioners typically learn Amethyst first. 
Additionally from the extended set Howlite is known and practiced in Bor'dush, Spinel is known and practiced in Zishka, Azurite is known and practiced in Aruthol, and Agate is known and practiced in Villima.
A community of Arutholese descent survives on the island of Worfinal and the practice of Piedragemasi has morphed a bit over the centuries among them. Amber is basically lost to them but they have developed Alabaster and Bloodstone.
NEW PACKAGE DEALS
Another method for altering the feel of this type of Magic is to create custom Package Deals that are tied directly into a setting.