=====Preparing for Ritual Casting=====
Ritual casting is a complicated process. If every component, every element, and every action is not taken properly, the Ritual will fail. Any player seeking to cast a Ritual must follow the following steps and have the appropriate staff member(s) present:

**Inform Plot**: If possible, casters who intend to Ritual cast at an event should alert campaign staff well in advance that a Ritual may occur at the event. Some Rituals require the campaign’s Plot Committee be notified, especially if the Ritual requires Cast to perform actions, or if the Ritual requires a member of the Plot Committee to provide information or other support. Some [[Ritual Scrolls]] require the notification of the Plot Committee prior to Ritual casting, and failure to do so may mean that you will not be allowed to perform the Ritual that event or else that the Ritual will automatically fail.

**Gather Resources**: The caster should take the time to make sure all of the required resources are ready. Failure to have any of these prerequisites available at the time of Ritual casting means the Ritual cannot be conducted, and the [[Ritual marshal]] may confiscate and break one [[Ritual component]] in the caster’s possession. The caster is responsible for ensuring that the following items are available when a Ritual marshal is sought to officiate:
  * A physical representation for the [[Circle of Power]] (if the caster is not using a [[Greater Circle of Power]].)
  * A copy of the [[Formal Magic section]] of this Rule Book.
  * A 10-sided die.
  * The [[Ritual Scrolls|Ritual Scroll or scrolls]] to be used; the caster must have at least a one in ten chance of successfully casting the Ritual.
  * The [[Ritual components]] required for each Ritual Scroll.
  * Valid recipients for each Ritual, whether items or persons. Any item to receive a Ritual casting must already be approved for use (for example, Weapons must be safety checked before being the target of a Ritual.)
  * Any additional players or Cast required for the Ritual.
  * The caster’s Character Card, as well as the Character Cards of any Ritual casters aiding in the Ritual casting.

**Obtain Ritual Marshal**: A Ritual marshal is a staff member approved by the chapter in which the Ritual is to take place. It is important to remember that Ritual Marshals can be very busy, so it is the caster’s responsibility to take the time to make sure everything is ready to proceed before obtaining a Ritual marshal and to minimize the amount of time a Ritual marshal will be needed. Depending on the Ritual, the caster may also need to request a “Magic Item temporary tag” from the Ritual marshal. Players should be quick, professional, and courteous when conducting a Ritual. Especially when casting multiple Rituals in a row, players should schedule with a Marshal ahead of time; failure to do so may result in the Ritual Marshal being unable to stay for all Rituals in a batch.

**Get Ritual Ready**: Upon arrival, the Ritual marshal will take the following steps, with which the players involved should cooperate:
  * Ritual marshal identifies the primary caster and any additional casters who will assist in the Ritual
  * Ritual marshal reviews the casters’ Character Cards to note how many levels of the appropriate school of Formal Magic they possess. Note that a Ritual Caster may choose to not use all of their Ritual Levels when casting if they so desire
  * Ritual marshal reads the first Ritual Scroll thoroughly, asking relevant questions. For example, if the scroll cCast a more powerful form of the Ritual, the marshal should ask the player what level of the Ritual the caster is attempting
  * Ritual marshal confirms that all the required components and recipients are present within a valid Circle of Power
  * Ritual marshal calculates and informs the players of the Difficulty Rating of the Ritual
  * Ritual marshal calculates and informs the players of the chance of success of the Ritual as follows: The Success Number used for the Ritual roll is ten plus the primary caster’s Formal Magic levels minus the Ritual’s Difficulty Rating. If using secondary casters to aid in the Ritual, add one to the number of caster formal levels for each valid secondary caster participating
  * Ritual marshal repeats this process for each Ritual the players intend to conduct
  * Ritual marshal informs the players they may begin the first Ritual
  * The caster casts the [[Circle of Power]] spell if not already inside a Circle

**Conduct the Ritual**: The caster begins the Ritual casting by stating the words “Begin Ritual casting.” The caster must be able to read the scroll and must be able to use Game Abilities throughout the casting. The caster must touch a valid recipient for the Ritual within thirty seconds of beginning the Ritual, or the Ritual automatically Backlashes. So long as the target of a Ritual has been signified by touching it within the first thirty seconds of the casting, the target remains valid despite any other steps taken to prevent the caster from touching the target (such as the target suffering a Prison effect after being touched).

A dead body may be the target of a Ritual; however, if it leaves the circle before the Ritual is complete (such as dissipating to go Resurrect), the Ritual will Backlash.

Once touched, the caster may not designate a new recipient for the Ritual. During the Ritual casting, the caster cannot do much of anything but speak and fulfill the actions required in the Ritual Scroll.

No spells or [[Game Abilities]] may be used by the caster from the point the caster states “Begin Ritual casting” until the Ritual ends, except [[High Magic]], [[Educated]], and any Skill or spell specifically set forth on the Ritual Scroll.

If a person is casting a Ritual that stores a spell or ability, then a person with the ability to use that ability or cast that spell must, at the appropriate point in the Ritual, touch the recipient and declare the name of the spell or ability to be stored. The recipient is not affected by the spell or Ritual being stored and the person with that Skill or spell should only utter the name of the Skill or spell, not the verbal that invokes the effect.