Consortium Arcanism

AX.GAN.08.07

Lore

The Ekhari do not describe their magic in elemental terms. They describe it in commercial ones: arcane energy is a resource, working is production, formation is infrastructure, and the architecture of a coordinated working is the difference between a promising venture and the thing that held the World Gate open long enough for four peoples to pass through.

Consortium Arcanism is a Force-category tradition, it projects and directs arcane energy as physical causation, but it is not a natural-force tradition in the way that Fire or Earth is. There is no elemental entity whose service shaped the Ekhari. Their magic was developed, refined, codified, and improved over generations of deliberate practice, collective documentation, and competitive innovation between Houses. It reads as engineered rather than inherited. Other traditions have practitioners who are native to their magic. Ekhari practitioners have studied theirs.

The central principle of the tradition is not power. Any sufficiently motivated practitioner in any tradition can accumulate power. The Ekhari principle is architecture, the understanding that how force is structured determines what it can accomplish, and that properly organized collective force achieves outcomes that raw individual power cannot approach. A single Ekhari caster is capable. A Formation of Ekhari casters is something the history of Andrus has seen exactly once at full expression, and the evidence is a blast zone that is still visible and called the Blasted Reach.

The three Expressions of Consortium Arcanism correspond to how arcane force is applied:

Projection, arcane force directed outward as direct, kinetic effect. The combat-facing expression. What a solo practitioner uses most.
Architecture, arcane force applied structurally; persistent effects, barriers, and bindings that create the framework in which other work happens. The engineering expression.
Formation, arcane force organized cooperatively; amplifying allies, coordinating contributors, and directing the collective working that makes the tradition extraordinary. The leadership expression.

Most practitioners develop Projection and Architecture in parallel and develop Formation when their group's capacity rewards it. A solo Consortium Arcanist uses all three individually; an Arcanist operating with other casters shifts heavily toward Formation as the primary value they provide. All three Expressions draw on the same Odd Talent pool.

System Integration

Consortium Arcanism as an Odd Talent

Consortium Arcanism functions as an Odd Talent per Core Part 4. All standard Odd Talent rules apply:

The roll is: Governing Attribute + Consortium Arcanism (+ Focus if applicable)
Consortium Arcanism dice are purchased from the Talent budget at character creation, or improved through Advancement at the standard Odd Talent cost (Governing Attribute × 2 XP for a new Tradition at 1D; current value × 2 XP to improve)
Maximum Tradition rating: 5D. Maximum Focus rating: 3D
A character may use any of the three Expressions with the same Odd Talent pool

Governing Attribute

The governing Attribute is chosen at character creation and is permanent.

Expression	Common Choice	Reasoning
Projection	Wit (default)	Wit for calculated force projection, this tradition is mathematical, not instinctive
Architecture	Wit	Wit for structural arcane design and the precision required to hold a working in place
Formation	Wit	Wit for coordination, direction, and managing the architecture of multiple contributors simultaneously

Wit is the standard governing Attribute for Consortium Arcanism. However, the Channel universal Mystic profession uses "any Force tradition" and is Body-governed. A Channel who selects Consortium Arcanism uses Body as their governing Attribute. This produces a different practitioner, one who uses Projection heavily, has less architectural precision, and brings raw force to Formation work rather than coordination. A Body-governed Arcanism practitioner is not wrong; they are optimizing for different things.

A Speed-governed Consortium Arcanism practitioner (a Windcaster who selected this tradition) is rare enough to be genuinely unusual, the tradition's precision and Architecture emphasis does not pair naturally with kinetic practice. It can be done. It produces someone who moves through formations and delivers force on the pass, which is not how the Ekhari would describe proper technique.

Access

Ekhari Lineage: Consortium Arcanism is granted at 1D at character creation through the Ekhari Lineage Power Access perk (listed in the lineage as "Arcane Magic, Force Tradition"; standardized here as Consortium Arcanism). Choose governing Attribute at that time.

Consortium Arcanist Profession: Non-Ekhari who choose the Consortium Arcanist Profession receive Consortium Arcanism access at 1D through Profession Power Access. The Arcanist's Progression Track abilities (Channeling Position, Formation Working, Senior Director) are mastered Formation Expression applications that function as profession perks; they do not require separate Arcanism rolls for their activation conditions and are not subject to Arcane Load. Independent Formation Expression rolls represent the tradition's cooperative dimension used improvisationally or at scales the profession framework doesn't specify.

Channel Profession: The Channel universal Mystic selects any Force tradition. A Channel who selects Consortium Arcanism gains access at 1D with Body as their governing Attribute (Channel is always Body-governed). They receive no Formation amplification from the tradition's Architecture or Formation Expressions, their Progression Track (Controlled Surge, Full Burn) works identically regardless of which Force tradition they chose.

Independent Study: Any character may pursue Consortium Arcanism outside of Lineage or Profession. Requires a formal arrangement with an Ekhari House, not a mentor in the personal sense, but a House that has agreed to provide instruction. This typically involves a contractual obligation (paid instruction, a period of service, or a negotiated arrangement in House standing). Costs Governing Attribute × 2 XP for the initial 1D. A House that teaches Arcanism to an outsider expects something in return. The Ekhari document everything; the student should expect the terms to be enforced.

Duplicate Access: If a character is Ekhari and selects a Profession granting Arcanism access, they begin with 2D in Consortium Arcanism at no additional cost.

Lineage Perk Interaction

The Ekhari's Consortium Formation lineage perk provides +1D to Force tradition Odd Talent rolls when coordinating with another caster, and +2D when two Ekhari with the perk coordinate. The Formation Expression's active benefits (Formation Lock, Directed Surge) provide additional dice on top of these passive bonuses; they stack. The lineage perk is a baseline that Formation Expression multiplies.

Mechanics Summary

Feature	Detail
Tradition Category	Force, energy projection and physical causation
Default Attribute	Wit (most common; Arcanist archetype); Body (Channel archetype)
Action Type	Primary Action (most effects); Free Action (Channel Assist, Formation Anchor); Extended work (Resonance Channel, Formation Frame for large formations)
Signature Feel	Precise and structured; solo work is effective; Formation work is extraordinary; effects are designed, not intuitive
Power Access	Ekhari Lineage; Consortium Arcanist Profession; Channel Profession (Body-governed); Independent Study (via House contract)
Signature Focus	The Formation Crystal
Expressions	Projection (direct force combat), Architecture (structural/persistent), Formation (cooperative amplification)

Threshold Scale for Consortium Arcanism:

Threshold	Scale of Effect
1	Minor; brief effect; self or Touch range; basic force application
2	Standard; single target or Close range; sustained effect or solid combat force; Formation link establishment
3	Significant; multiple targets or Near range structure; meaningful restraint or substantial barrier; cross-range Formation
4	Major; large-scale structural working; effects approaching the scale of significant historical events; full Formation required
5+	Profound; World Gate scale; requires maximum Formation and perfect architectural execution

Excess Successes: On any non-attack roll that exceeds the Threshold, each excess success may be allocated to: extend duration by one step; increase range by one Band; include one additional target; or enhance a secondary effect as noted.

Expression: Projection

Arcane force directed outward.

Projection is the combat-facing expression of Consortium Arcanism. It governs arcane energy released as direct kinetic effect, force bolts, bursts, and push effects. Unlike the elemental Force traditions (Fire's Motion, for example), Projection has no elemental flavor. It does no fire damage, cold damage, or bludgeoning damage in the environmental sense, it does arcane force damage, which is not reduced by any elemental resistance but is also not amplified by any elemental vulnerability. It is neutral, precise, and mathematically consistent.

The Ekhari regard Projection as the tradition's most straightforward expression and among its least interesting, anyone with Force access can project force. What makes an Ekhari practitioner's Projection distinctive is precision: the ability to exclude specific targets from a burst, to calculate knockback vectors, to apply force exactly where it is needed and nowhere else. This is not modesty. It is accurate.

Projection, Challenge Applications

Force Bolt (Primary Action, ranged attack vs target's Defense, Near range) Roll Governing Attribute + Consortium Arcanism (+ Focus if applicable) vs target's Defense. On hit, damage = total successes rolled. Arcane force type, not fire, cold, or bludgeoning; bypasses elemental resistances and ignores elemental vulnerabilities. The bolt leaves no environmental trace; it does not ignite, freeze, or create terrain hazards.

Extending range to Far: add 1 to the required success count before rolling (the practitioner must exceed the target's Defense by 1 more than standard).

Force Burst (Primary Action, Threshold 2, Close radius centered on a point within Near range) Release a controlled arcane burst at a designated point. All creatures in Close radius must make a Body Save vs Threshold 2 or take 1 arcane force damage and fall Prone. The practitioner may deliberately exclude specific creatures from the burst's effect, they must name the excluded targets before rolling. Each excluded target reduces the available radius by one step (two exclusions narrow the burst to a precise point, effectively a Force Bolt with a different damage delivery).

Scaling: Excess successes may increase the damage by 1 per 2 excess (maximum 3 arcane force damage), or extend the burst radius to Near (2 excess, cannot exclude targets in a burst of this size).

Force Push (Primary Action, Threshold 2, Near range) A concentrated directional push of arcane force. The target must make a Body Save vs Threshold 2 or be moved two range bands in the designated direction. If the target collides with a solid obstacle at their landing point, they take 1 Bludgeoning damage from the impact (environmental, not arcane force, the damage is from the obstacle, not the push). Flying targets and targets with Heavy armor: their Body Save Threshold is reduced by 1 (they are harder to move).

If the target's forced movement path passes through another creature's space, both the moved target and the creature in the path must make Body Save vs Threshold 1 or fall Prone from the collision.

Scaling: Excess successes increase the distance by one range band per excess, or apply Hindered to the pushed target on a failed Save (the force disrupted their physical coordination, not just their position).

Resonant Follow (Free Action, Threshold 1) When an ally in an active Formation with the practitioner has successfully hit a target with Force Bolt this Turn, the practitioner may declare Resonant Follow as a Free Action. The practitioner's next Force Bolt against that same target this Turn gains +2D, the prior Force impact created a resonant vulnerability in the target's arcane resistance that lasts one Turn.

If the practitioner is Clear at the time of Resonant Follow declaration, they may use it without triggering Arcane Load; it is a directional refinement of existing force rather than a new channeling. If already Loaded, they must roll Governing Attribute + Consortium Arcanism vs Threshold 1 at Disadvantage to channel the Follow.

Backlash: - Minor: The projection inverts. Practitioner is knocked back one range band by their own failed force and falls Prone. No damage. - Moderate: Uncontrolled release. Practitioner takes 3 arcane force damage (no type, cannot be reduced by any elemental resistance). All creatures within Close range, including allies, must make Speed Save vs Threshold 2 or be pushed one range band and fall Prone. - Severe: Force explosion. Practitioner takes 5 arcane force damage and gains Staggered until next Long Rest. All creatures within Close range take 2 arcane force damage and fall Prone. Any active Formation is disrupted, Formation Lock severs, and all Formation participants become Loaded.

Expression: Architecture

Arcane force applied structurally.

Architecture is the engineering face of Consortium Arcanism. It governs persistent arcane effects, force barriers, arcane bindings, resonance channels, and the structural elements that make Formation work more efficient and more powerful. Where Projection is immediate, Architecture is enduring. A practitioner skilled in Architecture is building the battlefield before the engagement begins.

The World Gate was Architecture at its maximum theoretical expression: a persistent aperture maintained by coordinated force, engineered to precise specifications, held open under conditions that would have destroyed any individual practitioner, sustained through the formal coordination of dozens of Ekhari casters working in designated positions. Every Architecture application is that principle at a smaller scale. The practitioner who raises a Force Barrier in a corridor is doing what their ancestors did when they held the Gate, structuring force to achieve a specific outcome that persists after the initial effort.

Architecture applications generally require physical positioning and preparation time. A Force Barrier or Arcane Binding established in combat takes a Primary Action and resolves immediately. Resonance Channels and complex Formation scaffolding require extended preparation. Most Architecture effects require the practitioner to maintain concentration; they persist until dismissed or until the practitioner is incapacitated.

Architecture, Challenge Applications

Force Barrier (Primary Action, Threshold 2, up to Near range width at any point within Near range) Create a vertical arcane barrier of force at a designated line within Near range. The barrier extends from floor to ceiling (or 10 feet in open terrain) and blocks physical passage, no creature can move through it without first destroying it. The barrier does not block sound, air, or sight. Ranged attacks that pass through the barrier are made at Disadvantage (the force disrupts projectile paths). The barrier has effective health equal to 5 + the practitioner's Consortium Arcanism die value (e.g., Arcanism 3D = 8 effective Health; arcane force attacks bypass this and deal full damage).

The practitioner must spend a Minor Action each Turn to maintain the barrier. When they stop, the barrier dissipates at the end of their following Turn. May be dismissed as a Free Action.

Scaling: Excess successes increase the barrier's effective Health by 3 per excess, or extend the barrier's width by one range Band (1 excess each).

Arcane Binding (Primary Action, Threshold 3, Touch to Near range) Deploy a field of structured arcane force that constricts a target's movement. The target must make a Body Save vs Threshold 3 or become Restrained (per core rules, the binding is a force effect, not a physical restraint, so it affects flying targets). While Restrained by Arcane Binding, a target may attempt to break free with Athletics or Acrobatics vs Threshold 3 (the practitioner's success count) as a Primary Action on their Turn.

Unlike Earth-tradition entrapment (Entomb), Arcane Binding works on any target regardless of ground contact. Unlike toxin-based Immobilized, the target can break free through strength or agility. The binding is visible, a faint geometric luminescence around the target's limbs.

The binding persists until the target breaks free, the practitioner dismisses it (Free Action), or the practitioner is incapacitated. No ongoing concentration is required after establishment, the structure holds itself.

Scaling: Excess successes above Threshold 3 increase the break-free Threshold by 1 per excess (to a maximum of 5). 2 excess successes allow a second adjacent target to be bound simultaneously at Threshold 4 difficulty (one roll; the second binding is slightly weaker, its break-free Threshold is 2, regardless of the excess applied to the first).

Resonance Channel (Extended work, Threshold 2, two designated points within Near range of each other) Establish a persistent arcane conduit between two fixed points, two positions in a space, two objects, or (with practitioner presence) two practitioners who have synchronized their arcane channels. While the Channel is active, Formation effects (Formation Lock, Directed Surge, Formation Frame) may operate between the two points even if the connected practitioners are more than Near range apart, as long as each practitioner is at or within Close range of their designated endpoint.

Establishing a Resonance Channel requires ten minutes of calibration work at both endpoints (the practitioner or a synchronized partner must be present at each end during establishment). The channel persists indefinitely once established; it does not require ongoing maintenance. Destroying either endpoint physically, or dismissing the channel deliberately, ends it.

This is the tradition's primary tool for enabling Formation work in mobile or spread-out scenarios. A pair of Resonance Channel endpoints in a defensive position is infrastructure: the Formation can operate through it as long as those positions are held.

Force Shell (Primary Action, Threshold 2, Touch) Wrap a willing target in a shell of structured arcane force. Until the shell absorbs damage from one incoming attack, the target's Defense increases by +2 (the shell intercepts the blow, converting the attack's force into dissipated arcane energy). After the shell absorbs one attack, it fractures and the benefit ends. The target does not take the damage that would have hit the now-absorbed Defense.

Parallel to Earth's Stone Skin but arcane in nature, the shell is visible as a faint luminescent geometric pattern, is weightless, and imposes no movement penalties regardless of armor worn.

Scaling: 2 excess successes allow the shell to absorb two hits rather than one before fracturing. The practitioner may apply Force Shell to themselves with the same roll.

Backlash: - Minor: Arcane structure fails inward. Any active Architecture effect (Force Barrier, Arcane Binding, Force Shell) collapses immediately. If a Force Shell was active on the practitioner themselves when it collapses, they take 1 arcane force damage from the inward implosion. - Moderate: Binding inversion. Arcane energy rebounds. Practitioner takes 2 arcane force damage and becomes Hindered until Short Rest as partial force structures form around their limbs. Any Arcane Binding currently maintained fails, and the freed target is not affected by Arcane Binding from this practitioner for the remainder of the scene. - Severe: Structural collapse. All Architecture effects maintained by the practitioner fail simultaneously. The practitioner becomes Slowed (Speed condition, Speed Save Threshold 2 each Turn to end) as arcane force briefly closes around their legs. Takes 4 arcane force damage. Any active Resonance Channels within Near range destabilize for one hour.

Expression: Formation

Arcane force organized cooperatively.

Formation is the leadership face of Consortium Arcanism and the expression that defines the tradition's ceiling. It governs the coordination of multiple Force tradition casters, amplifying their output, aligning their contributions, directing their working toward a unified result, and establishing the architectural framework through which collective force achieves what individual effort cannot.

The Consortium Arcanist's Progression Track abilities (Channeling Position, Formation Working, Senior Director) are mastered Formation applications that do not require separate Arcanism rolls. Independent Formation Expression rolls represent the tradition's cooperative dimension used improvisationally, at scales or frequencies the profession framework doesn't cover, or by practitioners who are not Consortium Arcanists but have developed Consortium Arcanism and want to direct collective work.

Formation Expression is most valuable when multiple Force tradition casters are present. A solo practitioner using Formation Expression is using their tradition's least efficient application. This is not a flaw; it is the tradition acknowledging what it is built for.

Formation Rules

The following definitions govern all Formation Expression applications and the Consortium Arcanist's Formation Working and Senior Director profession abilities. These rules formalize the cooperative mechanics the tradition is built on.

What constitutes a Formation: A Formation requires two or more Force tradition casters who have actively coordinated their working, either through Formation Lock (see below) or a declared Formation Frame (see below). Passive proximity is not sufficient; active coordination must be declared. All participants must be within Near range of each other OR connected through an active Resonance Channel endpoint.

The Formation Director: One caster is designated as the Formation Director, typically the one with the highest Consortium Arcanism rating, but designation can be by any mutual agreement. The Director sets the working's Threshold, allocates excess successes, and declares the unified effect when the working resolves. The Director's own Arcanism roll counts as the architectural frame; contributing rolls add to the scale.

Contribution rules: - Each contributing caster rolls their own Force tradition's Odd Talent pool on their Turn (Primary Action) - A contributing roll must achieve at least Threshold 1 (1 success) to add to the Formation. A roll that achieves 0 successes contributes nothing to the working, the caster becomes Loaded normally but their force did not integrate - Contributing casters may belong to any Force tradition (Consortium Arcanism, Elemental Fire, Channel practitioners, etc.), Formations are not restricted to Ekhari casters; however, non-Arcanism contributors do not benefit from the Formation Load Distribution bonus unless they have Consortium Formation lineage perk or a Formation Lock with an Arcanism practitioner - Excess successes from contributing rolls add to the unified effect's total success count

Wild Die in Formation: Each participating caster rolls their own Wild Die. Only the Formation Director's Wild Die determines Backlash for the Formation as a whole. A Critical Failure on a contributing caster's roll means only that contributor becomes Loaded; it does not trigger Formation-wide Backlash. A Critical Failure on the Director's roll triggers Formation Backlash (see below) regardless of the Formation's total success count.

Action economy: Formation Working operates across initiative positions. The Director initiates the Formation Frame on their Turn (Primary Action). Each contributing caster adds their roll on their own Turn (Primary Action) within the same round. The unified effect resolves at the Director's next initiative position, after all participants within that round have had the opportunity to contribute. The Director may hold the Frame for one full round; if a contributing caster's Turn does not arrive before the Director's next initiative position, that contribution is lost.

A contributing caster whose Turn has already passed when the Director initiates may contribute as a Reaction (contributing their Odd Talent roll as a Reaction rather than a Primary Action), but this costs an additional 1 Arcane Load point: the caster becomes Loaded regardless of whether their contribution itself was their scene's first roll.

How combined successes scale: Combine all valid contributions into a single success total. Compare against the intended effect's Threshold: - Meeting Threshold: the effect occurs at the stated scope - Exceeding Threshold: excess successes enhance the effect (range, duration, targets, scale) per the specific application - Failing Threshold: the working does not produce the intended effect; all participants are Loaded; no Backlash unless the Director rolled a Critical Failure

Formation, Challenge Applications

Channel Assist (Free Action or Reaction) When using the Help/Assist action to support another Force tradition caster's Odd Talent roll, the practitioner adds +2D to that roll rather than the standard +1D assistance bonus. This is the Formation principle at its most basic: one trained Arcanism practitioner assisting another is structurally more efficient than two untrained people cooperating.

This application does not trigger Arcane Load if the practitioner is Clear and has not yet made any Arcanism roll this scene. It is considered a Free Action of cooperative positioning rather than an independent channeling act. If the practitioner is already Loaded, Channel Assist proceeds at their existing Load state and does not add additional Load.

Formation Lock (Primary Action, Threshold 1) Establish a Resonance Link between the practitioner and up to [Governing Attribute die value] other Force tradition practitioners within Near range (or within a Resonance Channel's range). While the Lock is active, each linked participant's Force tradition rolls gain +1D from the collective resonance, the practitioners' channels are synchronized, reducing resistance and improving transmission.

The Lock persists until any participant moves beyond Near range (or Resonance Channel range), until any participant is incapacitated, or until a participant voluntarily severs the connection (Free Action). Severing does not cost Arcane Load.

A practitioner who is a participant in Formation Lock (rather than the one who established it) shares the +1D benefit at no Arcane Load cost; they are receiving the channel, not generating it.

This +1D from Formation Lock stacks with the Ekhari Consortium Formation lineage perk's passive bonus. A Ekhari practitioner with Formation Lock active and the lineage perk engaged with another Ekhari partner receives +2D from the lineage perk plus +1D from Formation Lock; they are different sources.

Directed Surge (Primary Action, Threshold 2, Close range) Channel a portion of the practitioner's accumulated arcane force through an adjacent or Close-range ally's working. The ally's next Force tradition roll this Turn gains +3D from the channeled contribution. The practitioner takes 1 arcane force damage as the cost of the channeling, force passes through them on its way to the ally, and the transmission is not cost-free.

This damage cannot be reduced; it is the price of the transmission, not an attack.

The +3D bonus applies to the ally's very next Force tradition roll this Turn. If they do not use a Force tradition roll before the end of their Turn, the surge dissipates (the practitioner still took the 1 damage).

Formation Frame (Primary Action, Threshold varies, see Formation Rules above) Establish the architectural framework for a multi-caster unified working, following the Formation Rules defined above. The Director declares the intended effect and its Threshold, initiates the Frame, and accepts contributions from participating casters over the round.

The Frame's difficulty (what Threshold the Director's initiating roll must achieve) corresponds to the scope of what is being directed:

Frame Scope	Director Threshold
Two-caster unified effect	Threshold 1
Three–four casters	Threshold 2
Five–six casters	Threshold 3
Seven or more casters	Threshold 4

The Director's roll determines whether the Frame holds, whether the architecture is sound enough to accept and organize contributions. A failed Director roll means the Frame collapses before contributions resolve; all participants are Loaded, but no Backlash (unless Critical Failure). A successful Director roll means the Frame holds; contributing rolls are accepted and the unified effect resolves per combined successes.

The Consortium Arcanist's Formation Working (Stage 2) and Senior Director (Stage 3) profession perks are specific, tested, and non-Strain-costing applications of Formation Frame; they are the mastered version. Formation Frame as an independent tradition roll can be used more frequently but costs Arcane Load normally.

Backlash: - Minor: Formation Lock severs, any active Formation Lock the practitioner maintains breaks. All linked participants lose the +1D Formation bonus for the remainder of the scene and must re-establish a new Lock if they want to restore it. - Moderate: Directed Surge redirects. If Directed Surge was the triggering roll, the force intended for an ally redirects to the practitioner. The practitioner takes 1D6 arcane force damage and becomes Shaken until end of their next Turn. The ally's roll receives no bonus. Additionally, the practitioner's Arcane Load does not clear until a Long Rest (mid-scene recovery is unavailable until the next full rest). - Severe: Formation collapse. If a Formation Frame was active, the entire Frame fails, all contributing casters become Loaded, and the unified effect does not occur. The practitioner takes 5 arcane force damage and cannot use Formation Expression for the remainder of the scene. Any active Resonance Channels the practitioner is connected to destabilize and require re-establishment.

The Formation Crystal (Consortium Arcanism Focus)

A faceted crystal, typically quartz, treated arcane glass, or high-quality mineral, personally calibrated by the practitioner through weeks of sustained channeling work. The calibration aligns the crystal's internal resonance to the practitioner's arcane signature; an uncalibrated crystal, however fine, provides no benefit. Paired crystals (two crystals calibrated to each other by the same or linked practitioners) are used for Resonance Channel work and long-distance Formation coordination. Old Ekhari Houses maintain crystal archives spanning generations of attuned practitioners; a House's most significant historical workings are sometimes traceable through the resonance records preserved in paired crystals from those events.

Formation Crystal | Focus | Consortium Arcanism
Mechanical Effect:
  +2D to all Architecture Expression rolls (the crystal's
  internal resonance structure extends and stabilizes
  the practitioner's arcane constructs, barriers last
  longer, bindings hold tighter, channels calibrate faster).

  Formation Lock does not trigger Arcane Load when the
  practitioner initiates it. Establishing connection is
  the crystal's natural function; building the link costs
  nothing when the instrument is suited to it.

  While the Formation Crystal is held, the practitioner
  is aware of any other attuned Formation Crystals within
  Near range; they know who holds them and whether those
  practitioners are Clear or Loaded. This is coordination
  intelligence: a Formation Director knows their
  contributors' states before the working begins.

Acquisition: A Formation Crystal must be calibrated by
  the practitioner personally over a minimum of one week
  of daily channeling work while holding the stone. No
  ceremony is required, only the work. A crystal
  calibrated by one practitioner cannot be transferred to
  another; the new practitioner must recalibrate it from
  scratch (one week's work overwrites the prior signature).
  Ekhari Houses often provide pre-cut, high-quality crystal
  stock to practitioners in good standing; the cutting is
  craft work, the calibration is the practitioner's own.

  Non-Ekhari practitioners calibrate their crystals
  identically. A non-Ekhari crystal provides +1D to
  Architecture Expression rather than +2D and does not
  suppress Arcane Load on Formation Lock. The Loaded-state
  detection of other crystals functions identically.

Improvised Focuses: A high-quality mineral or glass object that the practitioner has handled during channeling work may serve as an improvised Crystal at GM discretion, providing +1D to one Expression (chosen when improvised) without the Load suppression or crystal-detection benefits. Calibration cannot be improvised; only the physical presence of an appropriate object provides the basic focusing function.

Access and Cross-Lineage Notes

Other human practitioners: The Ekhari arrived through the World Gate alongside three other human cultures, none of whom share the Arcanism tradition. Kyne Daas practitioners have their own Resonance tradition; Ustara their own Form tradition; Sereindal has no formal tradition. A Sereindal or Ustara character who studies Consortium Arcanism through Independent Study is making a deliberate choice to engage with Ekhari institutional infrastructure. The contract terms vary by House. Some are generous; all are clear.

Kin practitioners: Kin lineages carry their own elemental traditions. A Dura'Kai or Ashari who studies Consortium Arcanism is unusual, the elemental traditions are naturalistic and inherited, while Arcanism is structured and taught. The combination of an elemental tradition and Arcanism represents a practitioner who can work in both registers, potentially contributing elemental Force rolls to an Arcanism Formation. The Ekhari treat this seriously and document it carefully.

Anima practitioners: Anima lineages carry no lineage Power Access. An Anima who develops Consortium Arcanism through Independent Study via a House contract is rare but not unheard of. Kerroshi practitioners appear most frequently in this context, their commercial relationship with the Ekhari is the most sustained of any Anima culture, and commercial proximity occasionally produces academic exchange.

The Channel as a Formation member: A Channel universal Mystic who chose Consortium Arcanism can participate in Formations, their Body-governed Force rolls contribute normally to a Formation Frame. A Channel in Formation is a high-power contributor with less architectural precision; their Wild Die is their own and does not affect Formation-level Backlash. Some Ekhari Formations deliberately include a Channel as a raw-power contributor, directing their output through Formation architecture that the Channel could not have organized alone.

Example Rolls

Orissi is an Ekhari Consortium Arcanist: Wit 3D, Consortium Arcanism 2D, Architecture Focus 2D, Formation Crystal (+2D to Architecture; Formation Lock is Load-free). She needs to secure a corridor during an extraction. Her partner Thalven (also Ekhari: Wit 2D, Consortium Arcanism 2D) is covering the far end.

Situation: Orissi wants to establish a Force Barrier across the corridor's midpoint while Thalven and she are Formation Locked.

Roll 1, Formation Lock (Formation, Threshold 1): Formation Lock is Load-free with the Formation Crystal. Pool: Wit 3D + Consortium Arcanism 2D = 5D. No roll needed for Formation Lock via the crystal, it does not trigger Arcane Load. Formation Lock established: both Orissi and Thalven gain +1D to Force tradition rolls while within Near range. Additionally, Orissi can see that Thalven is Clear. Status after: Clear (no roll taken; Load unaffected by Formation Lock via crystal).

Roll 2, Force Barrier (Architecture, Threshold 2): Pool: Wit 3D + Consortium Arcanism 2D + Architecture Focus 2D + Formation Crystal +2D + Formation Lock +1D = 10D. Status: Clear. Result: 5 successes. Exceeds Threshold by 3. The Force Barrier rises across the corridor, effective Health of 5 + 2 (Arcanism die value) = 7. Orissi allocates 2 excess successes to extend the barrier's width by one range Band and 1 excess to increase barrier Health by 3 (total Health: 10). Status after: Loaded.

Orissi spends her next Primary Action on Arcane Load recovery: Wit 3D + Resolve vs Threshold 3. Result: 4 successes. Loaded clears.

Later: Orissi and Thalven need to use a Formation working to bind a target that neither can safely approach alone. Orissi will direct; Thalven will contribute.

Situation: A Formation Frame for a two-caster unified Arcane Binding. Director Threshold for a two-caster Frame: Threshold 1.

Formation Load Distribution applies; this is the Formation's first unified working of the scene. Both Orissi and Thalven begin the working Clear, regardless of individual Load state.

Orissi, Formation Frame initiation (Formation, Threshold 1): Pool: 10D (Wit 3D + Arcanism 2D + Architecture Focus 2D + Crystal +2D + Formation Lock +1D). Status: Clear (Formation Load Distribution). Result: 3 successes. Frame holds. Status: Loaded.

Thalven, Contributing roll (Arcane Binding attempt, Force tradition): Pool: Wit 2D + Consortium Arcanism 2D + Formation Lock +1D + Consortium Formation lineage perk (coordinating with another Ekhari with the perk) +2D = 7D. Status: Clear (Formation Load Distribution). Result: 4 successes. Contribution valid (≥ 1 success). Status: Loaded.

Resolution: Combined successes = 3 (Director) + 4 (contributor) = 7. The intended effect is Arcane Binding (Threshold 3 for the binding itself, but the Formation Frame covered the Director's architectural roll). Total 7 successes vs binding Threshold 3 = 4 excess successes. The target must make Body Save vs Threshold 3 or become Restrained. Orissi allocates 4 excess successes: break-free Threshold increases to 3 + 4 = 7 (capped at 5 per the ability's maximum). Break-free is now Threshold 5, effectively very difficult to escape without external assistance.

Thalven's Wild Die was 4, no implosion. Orissi's Wild Die was 6, explosion, reroll: 3. No additional effect. No Backlash.