Alliance New Hampshire will be allowing characters with access to Celestial High Magic the option to purchase the following LCO HM ability for our 2025 Lands of Mer season:
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Evocation Ascendency (Celestial)
2 High Magic per purchase, may purchase up to 9 times.
Passive
Purchasing this High Magic ability allows the user to recover their expended Evocation Bolts that were cast from memory and thrown (not touchcast) or used in conjunction with the Combined Strike skill, of a level equal to or lesser than the number of ranks of Evocation Ascendency this character has purchased. The user must complete a full Meditation cycle for each spell they recover, and these Meditations cannot be performed while under an active Rapid Recollection ritual effect. A single spell may be recovered multiple times using this ability. The character may only use this ability on spells they expended while they had the appropriate number of ranks of this ability prepared.
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We're excited to bring this limited-run LCO ability to the Lands of Mer campaign as a way to further empower Celestial casters. We recognize this HM ability is a bit different from other ones and may raise some questions, so we've put together a brief FAQ to help clarify how Evocation Ascendency works in practice:
FAQ
Q: If I wish to have my character purchase this ability, how do I do that?
A: If you plan to start the event with this ability purchased, leave the appropriate number of HM free on your card when you pre-logist in the CMA. During check-in logistics, you may write it in on your battleboard and our logistics team will verify your purchase(s) of it with an initial. If you wish to instead purchase it sometime during a logistics period, you may write it on your battleboard and have a rules or crafting marshal initial it.
Q: Do I need to track which spells I expended while I had this ability active?
A: Yes. When you recover a spell using Evocation Ascendency, we ask that you mark it with an "A" on your battleboard.
Q: How does this differ from the regular meditation rules for signature spells?
A: Normally, signature spells can be meditated back if thrown and missed, result in a "no effect" call, or if defended against (such as with a "Resist"). Evocation Ascendency expands this option to include Celestial signature spells (Evocation Bolts) which were thrown and taken (e.g., "got it"). In other words, so long as the user is expending them offensively, either by casting from memory and throwing or by using them with Combined Strike, they can endlessly "recharge" their Evocation Bolts by performing a full meditation session for each spell recovered.
Q: Can I recover the same spell multiple times with this ability?
A: Yes, so long as each subsequent use meets the criteria listed above (e.g., thrown or Combine Strike'd), a user with sufficient ranks can continue meditating back their Evocation Bolts indefinitely.
Q: Can I recover my evocation bolts that were absorbed into a Spell Store or expended via some ritual such as Battlemage's Strike, Couterspell, etc.?
A: No. Touchcast Evocation Bolts (whether they be into a Spell Store or onto a target) are not eligible to be recovered using Evocation Ascendency. Likewise, evocation bolts which were expended to fuel ritual effects like Battlemage's Strike, Counterspell, Duplicating Evocation, etc., or ones that were expended for any skill other than Combined Strike are not eligible to be recovered.
Q: What does "equal to or lesser than the number of ranks" mean?
A: If you have purchased, for example, 3 ranks of Evocation Ascendency, you may recover 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level Evocation Bolts that were cast from memory or used with Combined Strike. If you instead purchase 4 ranks, you can do up to 4th level, and so on up to 9th level if 9 ranks are purchased.
Q: Is this ability only available for the 2025 season?
A: Currently, yes. We plan to monitor the use of this ability during the 2025 season and will be soliciting feedback throughout. After the year ends, we will be re-evaluating its continuation moving forward.
Q: What if I travel to other chapters?
A: Evocation Ascendency is an LCO ability specific only to the NH chapter, so you will not be able to purchase it when attending an event at any other Alliance LARP chapter.
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Evocation Ascendency (Celestial)
2 High Magic per purchase, may purchase up to 9 times.
Passive
Purchasing this High Magic ability allows the user to recover their expended Evocation Bolts that were cast from memory and thrown (not touchcast) or used in conjunction with the Combined Strike skill, of a level equal to or lesser than the number of ranks of Evocation Ascendency this character has purchased. The user must complete a full Meditation cycle for each spell they recover, and these Meditations cannot be performed while under an active Rapid Recollection ritual effect. A single spell may be recovered multiple times using this ability. The character may only use this ability on spells they expended while they had the appropriate number of ranks of this ability prepared.
------------------------------
We're excited to bring this limited-run LCO ability to the Lands of Mer campaign as a way to further empower Celestial casters. We recognize this HM ability is a bit different from other ones and may raise some questions, so we've put together a brief FAQ to help clarify how Evocation Ascendency works in practice:
FAQ
Q: If I wish to have my character purchase this ability, how do I do that?
A: If you plan to start the event with this ability purchased, leave the appropriate number of HM free on your card when you pre-logist in the CMA. During check-in logistics, you may write it in on your battleboard and our logistics team will verify your purchase(s) of it with an initial. If you wish to instead purchase it sometime during a logistics period, you may write it on your battleboard and have a rules or crafting marshal initial it.
Q: Do I need to track which spells I expended while I had this ability active?
A: Yes. When you recover a spell using Evocation Ascendency, we ask that you mark it with an "A" on your battleboard.
Q: How does this differ from the regular meditation rules for signature spells?
A: Normally, signature spells can be meditated back if thrown and missed, result in a "no effect" call, or if defended against (such as with a "Resist"). Evocation Ascendency expands this option to include Celestial signature spells (Evocation Bolts) which were thrown and taken (e.g., "got it"). In other words, so long as the user is expending them offensively, either by casting from memory and throwing or by using them with Combined Strike, they can endlessly "recharge" their Evocation Bolts by performing a full meditation session for each spell recovered.
Q: Can I recover the same spell multiple times with this ability?
A: Yes, so long as each subsequent use meets the criteria listed above (e.g., thrown or Combine Strike'd), a user with sufficient ranks can continue meditating back their Evocation Bolts indefinitely.
Q: Can I recover my evocation bolts that were absorbed into a Spell Store or expended via some ritual such as Battlemage's Strike, Couterspell, etc.?
A: No. Touchcast Evocation Bolts (whether they be into a Spell Store or onto a target) are not eligible to be recovered using Evocation Ascendency. Likewise, evocation bolts which were expended to fuel ritual effects like Battlemage's Strike, Counterspell, Duplicating Evocation, etc., or ones that were expended for any skill other than Combined Strike are not eligible to be recovered.
Q: What does "equal to or lesser than the number of ranks" mean?
A: If you have purchased, for example, 3 ranks of Evocation Ascendency, you may recover 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level Evocation Bolts that were cast from memory or used with Combined Strike. If you instead purchase 4 ranks, you can do up to 4th level, and so on up to 9th level if 9 ranks are purchased.
Q: Is this ability only available for the 2025 season?
A: Currently, yes. We plan to monitor the use of this ability during the 2025 season and will be soliciting feedback throughout. After the year ends, we will be re-evaluating its continuation moving forward.
Q: What if I travel to other chapters?
A: Evocation Ascendency is an LCO ability specific only to the NH chapter, so you will not be able to purchase it when attending an event at any other Alliance LARP chapter.