| CJ Carella's WitchCraft | |
| Designer: | C. J. Carella, M. Alexander Jurkat |
| Publisher: | Eden Studios, Inc. |
| Date: | 1996 |
| Genre: | Horror, Contemporary Fantasy |
| System: | Unisystem |
CJ Carella's WitchCraft, or more informally WitchCraft, is a modern horror role-playing game published by Eden Studios, Inc. It is based on the Unisystem game system and had been previously published by Myrmidon Press.[1] In both cases it was designed and written by C. J. Carella. WitchCraft was the first RPG to use the Unisystem game system.[2]
Player characters can take on the role of various types of magic-using humans known as the "Gifted".[1] Other characters can be "Lesser Gifted" (less magically capable, but have more mundane skills), the "Mundane" (non-magical humans) or even various supernatural races such as Vampires, Spirits, or Bast (intelligent shape-shifting cats). There are several different associations (called Covenants) described in the main rulebook, and several more in the supplements. Some of the Covenants, such as the divinely inspired Sentinels, fight centuries-long battles, both in open war and more subtle battles of intrigue and magic. Other Covenants, such as the Rosicrucians and Cabal of Psyche are mutual aid societies, but even these neutral societies are being drawn into the fight to stop or delay the "Reckoning". Precisely what the Reckoning is no one can say, but more and more Gifted and Supernatural beings are rising with every passing year, and what is at stake may well be the whole of reality.
WitchCraft draws heavily on modern Neo-Paganism and its practices, with the caveat that while it does this, it in no way espouses one belief system over the other. WitchCraft features a creator deity, although the exact nature of the creator is left undefined. The WitchCraft setting includes dreamworlds,[3] fae creatures, versions of werecreatures and vampires and many other things inspired by a wide range of mythology.
WitchCraft, like all Unisystem games, is quite dangerous in combat,[4] and as such the game promotes more of a thinking approach to problem solving than some other RPGs. The magic system breaks into several types of metaphysical arts including Magic, Seer (psychic) powers, Necromancy, Divine Miracles, and others which are defined in supplements.
Many comparisons have been drawn between WitchCraft and the World of Darkness games,[2] in particular Mage.[4] Both games feature magic using creatures in a horror influenced contemporary setting, though there are many differences. The system used in Eden's Buffy the Vampire Slayer RPG is heavily modeled after WitchCraft. The Buffy core book even gives advice on how to convert Buffy characters to WitchCraft characters.
There are various associations or "Covens" to which the player characters can belong, but this is not required of any character.[2]
Two other Associations that are not Associations are:
See main article: Unisystem. WitchCraft was the first Unisystem game published. Like all Unisystem games, WitchCraft uses a point-buy system to generate characters. Points are then spent on Attributes, Skills, Qualities and Metaphysics. Drawbacks can then be used to gain extra points.
Attributes represent the character's main six abilities, which in this case are three physical attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution; and three mental attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Willpower. Characters also have a variety of skills, and Qualities and Drawbacks to give the character added perks or faults (respectively). Other Qualities and Drawbacks are of a Supernatural sort and are used to designate a character as a particular type of character (Gifted, Bast, Spirit, and so on) or detail what sort of magic they can do.
Actions are resolved by adding together a player's relevant attribute and skill to a ten-sided die roll and any modifiers for difficulty; if the total is nine or greater, the action succeeds.