Conviction
Plants a memory that never happened, and lets the world wear it down
Conviction plants the memory of something that never happened. The victim makes a Will Save when the spell reaches them. On a failure, they remember the event as something they have always known.
The spell plants facts, not feelings: a debt, a letter received, a face at a window or an errand already run. You owe me five hundred gold can become a memory; you love me cannot. Feelings and loyalties belong to Phantasm. The victim remains free to decide what the memory means and how to act on it.
Contradiction
Each time the world contradicts the planted memory, the victim immediately makes another Will Save. The bonus rises with every contradiction.
| Contradiction | Bonus to the Will Save |
|---|---|
| First | +5 |
| Second | +10 |
| Third | +15 |
| Each one after | +5 more |
A contradiction is anything that cannot be true alongside the memory. A grimoire supposedly returned by a mercenary might still be lying on its owner's desk. Even a small contradiction grows stronger when it happens again.
On a successful Save, the false memory dissolves and the victim knows they were enchanted. When a limited duration simply expires, the memory disappears without revealing the spell; anything the victim did while they believed it still stands.
A planted memory that conflicts with a true one causes a contradiction as soon as the spell is cast. Forget can first remove the real memory and leave a gap for Conviction to fill.
Spell Scaling
| Spell Level | The memory | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | A small detail about a subject the victim does not know well. Nothing violent or dangerous. | 1 day per caster level |
| 5 | A small or medium fact, even about someone the victim knows. It may carry real stakes, such as a debt, accusation or promise. | 1 week per caster level |
| 7 | A memory of medium complexity. | Permanent |
| 9 | A complete story: a season of life, the history of a relationship or a person who never existed. It may concern the victim. | Permanent |
| 10 | Contradictions grant only +5, no matter how many occur. | Permanent |
Breaking and Hiding the Spell
Dispel Magic ends the memory at every level, including permanent castings, on the ordinary caster level check. The victim then knows the memory was planted. Magic Aura hides the enchantment and is permanent from level 3.
Conviction changes only the victim's memory. Red mana still holds the spell memory of a place, and a divination of the past reveals what happened there.
Psychic and Alchemical Castings
A Psychic casting places the memory directly, without speech or gesture. An alchemical dose carries one memory fixed when it is prepared; the drinker acquires it moments after emptying the cup.