Circles of Power can be generated through the use of the ninth-level battle magic spell Circle of Power or through the use of a formal Ritual. Ritual casting must be conducted within a Circle of Power and will automatically fail if attempted anywhere else. If a Circle of Power is destroyed or otherwise ends during the Ritual casting, the Ritual will automatically fail.
Once the Ritual begins, no individual may enter the Circle of Power (except through the Rituals Spirit Walk or Spirit Recall, or through appearing as a spirit needing a resurrection) or else the Ritual will automatically fail. If more than one Ritual is cast inside a Circle of Power simultaneously, the Ritual that was commenced later will automatically fail.
A battle-cast Circle of Power will last for one hour, which is often more than enough time for a wizard to cast several Rituals before it expires. Ritually cast Limited Circles of Power and Greater Circles of Power can last anywhere from days to years, or even be permanent.
Limited or Greater Circles of Power always possess either an Earth or Celestial aspect. When one of these Circles of Power is ritually cast, the caster determines the aspect of the resulting Circle of Power according to the aspect of Formal Magic that the caster possesses. A caster who possesses both Earth and Celestial Formal Magic may choose the aspect of such a Circle of Power.
Only Rituals possessing a general or Celestial aspect may be cast in a Circle of Power with a celestial aspect. Only Rituals possessing a general, Earth or Necromantic Aspect may be cast in a Circle of Power with an Earth aspect. Rituals of the wrong aspect for a Circle will simply not start.
Greater Circles of Power: Greater Circles of Power are usually found only in Healer’s Guilds and Mage’s Guilds. Raiding a Circle of Power requires the player to adhere to all of the rules applicable to raiding a cabin.
An Invested member of a Celestial Greater Circle of Power may perform an Identify on items or individuals an unlimited amount of times per day, as long as the item or individual to be Identified is completely within the Circle at the time. If performed on an item, Identify tells the caster whether the item has any magical properties and how the item works. If performed on an individual, Identify tells the caster what active effects or Rituals are present and will also Identify any magic items the individual is carrying or wearing. Some powerful magical creatures or artifacts may be impossible to identify. Identify does not reveal background, race, age, class, skills, monster abilities, favorite color, or any other information other than what has previously been mentioned.
An Invested member of an Earth Greater Circle of Power is capable of performing an unlimited number of Resurrections each day, as long as the member and the spirit to be resurrected are completely within the Circle of Power. A resurrection requires ten minutes to complete and brings the recipient to full Body Points. During the ten minutes, it is apparent to all observers that a resurrection is occurring, but the exact identity of the person being resurrected will be unknown to all but the Invested member performing the resurrection.
For more on resurrections, see the “Matters of Life and Death” chapter.