Ritual Casting Rules

Elros

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Minnesota Staff
So I always hear people saying that if you lose focus during a ritual casting, that it automatically fails. Is that an LCO thing for Minnesota, or is there a rule that I'm misinterpreting? I just ask because I haven't seen anything about it in the rulebook
 

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I believe the "focus" in question refers to possession of or ability to read the ritual scroll. The caster should be role-playing the ritual for the duration of the casting time, and that role-play requires them to have access to and ability to make use of the ritual scroll. If they are, for some reason, distracted to the point where they are clearly not able to read the ritual scroll because their attention is somewhere else entirely, that would violate
The caster loses possession or sight of the ritual scroll or any of the components.
By the rules, looking up and away from the scroll and components can cause a failure with backlash. Personally, I allow for about 4 seconds of clearly distracted behavior, as 5 seconds is the magic number for breaking line of sight. You should check with your marshals to see how they feel about it.
 
The terminology is in the book somewhere, though I don't remember where specifically.

Defining focus on the ritual can also be interpreted quite differently from place to place. For example, you've seen me cast rituals and for example when I looked up at the sky to call forth lightning to fuel my ritual. In some places where sight of the ritual is defined more strictly I would backlash it. But in our chapter it's defined more loosely for more theatrical expression.

By and large it's at the discretion of your local marshals and staff what constitutes breaking focus of a ritual.
 
As a MN ritual marshal Im pretty loose when allowing for RP and theatrics. If you can clearly see the scroll and are actively RPing the ritual youre good. If you look up but are holding it youre fine.

What I will backlash someone for is if they have a conversation with someone outside the circle for longer than a few seconds. If their eyes and attention arent there, its a cause. Same if someone else is in the circle with them and they talk in a way that isn't in regards to the casting happening.

Again, its loose, but still has guidelines to follow. That being the case Ive only ever once backlashed a ritual because of this.
 
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Thanks guys! It wont be too long now before I start doing rituals and I just wanted to know what to watch for, and if I was gonna get backlashed if I sneezed or something d:
 
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