I added 8 more monsters to the Bestiary today (Hej-kin, Hunting Cactus, and 6 different golems), and decided to stop there. The Bestiary is already 33 monsters (and creatures) long. Also, if you're eagerly checking, I'm going to take a few days off posting or converting more; I'll do it on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday next week. Then I have to get to work putting Mutant Rise into a printable state! If you like my Dark Sun, check out my cyberpunk mutant animals when it comes out (and my modern mutant animals, already out).
Wizard (Arcane Background)
Requirements: Smarts d6+
Arcane Skill: Spellcasting
Power Points: Special
Hindrances:
Armor Interference (Major, FC 28)
Material Components (Major, FC 29)
Corruption (Major, FC 28): A wizard may choose to defile each time they cast a spell. However, doing so carries a risk of corruption; if they roll a Critical Failure while defiling (either gathering power or spellcasting), they will suffer Corruption, as laid out in the Hindrance.
Power Points: Wizards do not have an innate store of power points. Rather, as they cast a spell, they must gather the energy for their spells from the plant life around them. As a no-roll action, they may gain 1 power point if they do not defile, or 3 if they choose to defile. They may gather more power points by making a Spellcasting roll (as a limited free action), against a difficulty determined by the terrain; each success or raise adds two power points. Preserving increases the difficulties by 2.
Lush (Forests, Verdant Belt): 4
Semi-Arid (Scrub Plains, marginal farmlands): 6
Arid (Salt Flats, Stony Barrens, Sandy Wastes, Rocky Badlands, Sea of Silt/Silt Basins): 8
Defiling causes the wizard to be surrounded by a ring of ash, where all plants are dead and the soil is leeched of all life-giving properties. This ring is 1 yard per power point in Lush areas, 2 yards per power point in Semi-arid areas, and 4 yards per power point in Arid areas.
Points gathered in excess of those required for the spell may be retained, but only so long as the wizard continues to gather power or cast spells each round; a defiler may gather 3 points in the first round, then cast three one point powers without gathering again, but if they gather, cast a spell, and then spend a round fighting with a weapon, they will lose those points. If they fail to gather enough points to cast their spell, they may spend additional rounds gathering power.
Non-instant Wizard spells last twice as long as their listed duration. Powers may have power-specific modifiers applied when cast, increasing the cost of use as normal. General Power Modifiers (such as Range, or Heavy Weapon, or Glow) must be part of the power when learned. When casting spells, each raise on the spellcasting roll may be put towards including 1 point of free modifications (general or power-specific) to the power, or towards the usual effects of a raise on the power. For example, casting Bolt requires 1 point. With a raise, the damage is increased to 3d6, or the wizard may choose to apply the Armor Piercing modifier to the power. With two raises, they can do both. With three raises, they might choose to do 4d6 damage... two raises to use the Damage modifier from the bolt power and increase the base damage to 3d6, and the last to increase the damage from 3d6 to 4d6.
Starting Powers: detect/conceal arcana, dispel, and four powers chosen from those listed below.
Available Powers:
Arcane protection, barrier, beast friend, blast, blind, bolt, boost/lower Trait, burrow, burst, confusion, conjure item, curse, damage field, darksight, deflection, detect/conceal arcana, disguise, dispel, elemental manipulation, empathy, environmental protection, entangle, farsight, fear, fly, growth/shrink, havoc, illusion, intangibility, invisibility, light/darkness, locate, lock/unlock, mind reading, mind wipe, mystic intervention, object reading, planar binding, plane shift, protection, puppet, scrying, shape change, sloth/speed, slumber, smite, speak language, stun, summon ally, telekinesis, teleport, time stop, wall walker, warrior’s gift, wish, zombie
Note about Wish: The usual requirement that the spellcaster lose three permanent power points does not apply. Instead, use of wish permanently reduces Vigor, Spirit, or Spellcasting by 1 die type, unless the spellcasting roll achieves a raise. Dice lost to casting with may be regained through advances, as normal; the loss does not affect the maximum attribute.
Altered Edges:
*Artificer (FC p. 36): Wizards may not craft Arcane Devices, but wizards with this edge may create magical items.
*Blood Magic (FC p. 36): Blood Magic is available, but requires a d10 in Spellcasting, Veteran Rank, and is always defiling, with the attendant risk of Corruption.
*Familiar (FC p. 26): Familiars can be used to store up to 5 Power Points, but they do not regenerate naturally, on their own. Gathering power to place in a familiar by preserving requires one hour per power point; gathering power to place in a familiar by defiling takes 20 minutes per power point. Standard familiars cannot contain power gathered from the Black, the Cerulean Storm, or the Gray.
*Undead Familiar (FC 90): Undead familiars are as normal for the edge, but can contain power gathered from the Gray, whereas normal familiars cannot. One cannot have both a normal and undead familiar.
*Channeling, Concentration (SWADE 46): These edges are not available to Wizards; they are already a part of the Arcane Background.
*Power Points, Power Surge, Rapid Recharge, Soul Drain, Wizard (SWADE 47): These edges are not available to wizards.
*Transfer (FC 38): Wizards cannot use this Edge for their Wizard powers. They can receive such power points from clerics, druids, and templars, however. Points so granted cannot be held in a Cerulean's lens, and will dissipate as with gathered power points.
*Eldritch Inspiration, Spellbooks (FC 96): Athasian wizards may take these edges as normal. However, the "spellbook" of an Athasian wizard may be of many different forms, from scrolls to knotted strings.
New Edges:
Tap the Black:
Requirements: Seasoned, Wizard Arcane Background, Spellcasting d6+, Vigor d6+
Some wizards have learned to draw power from sources other than the plant life around them. One such power source is the Black, a realm of darkness and shadow that lies beneath all things on Athas. Such wizards are accustomed to being in contact with the chill of the Black, and so receive a +4 resist cold, and 4 points of armor against cold damage. Additionally, they may choose to tap into the Black for power, provided there are shadows nearby. Tapping into the Black is as effective as defiling, without the attendant damage to nearby plants. How easy it is depends on the availability of nearby shadows; a wizard relying on only their own shadow will find things Arid, while one in an area of many shadows (a city at dusk, deep in a forest) will find it Lush. In places where there are no shadows (pure darkness, or ambient light), they cannot tap the Black for power. So long as they remain at least partially in shadows, they may retain up to 5 power points, but leaving (or being forced from) from shadows will result in 1d4 damage per power point retained.
Tap the Cerulean Storm:
Requirements: Seasoned, Artificer Edge, Wizard Arcane Background, Spellcasting d6+, Smarts d8+
Some wizards have learned to draw power from sources other than the plant life around them. One such power source is the Cerulean Storm, which rages out in the Sea of Silt. Those who have learned to tap the Storm may dispense with most Material Components, save for a blue glass lens, which they must create themselves (as an Arcane Device, requiring two hours). The lens used must be attuned to the wizard; they may only have one at a time. If it is broken, a new one must be created. Until that time, they are limited to the usual methods of spellcasting.
The lens may be used to absorb the power of Tyr-storms. In the presence of a Tyr-Storm, the Cerulean may make a Spellcasting check to pull the power of the storm into their lens. If they succeed, they absorb 30 Power Points, which are stored in the lens, and the storm itself disappears. If they fail, the storm is brought towards them; if they roll a critical failure, the storm comes down upon them, and their lens shatters. They may use power points stored in the lens to cast spells without gathering power, or may gather power from the Cerulean Storm through the lens as if preserving in a semi-arid area (power points gained in this way may not be saved in the lens). If a Cerulean wizard finds themselves in the presence of the Cerulean Storm itself, they may use the same process to refill their lens, but they will not have an appreciable effect on the Storm.
Tap the Gray:
Requirements: Seasoned, Wizard Arcane Background, Spellcasting d6+, Spirit d6+
Some wizards have learned to draw power from sources other than the plant life around them. One such power source is the Gray, the ashen expanse that is the home of the souls Athasian dead.
Those who can Tap the Gray are known as Necromancers, and may take Edges that require the Necromancer arcane background (such as Soul Jar and Undead Familiar, FC p. 90). When they cast the zombie spell (if they know it), the duration is 4 hours (which is then doubled to 8, as are all wizard spells). They automatically know the puppet power, but only applying to undead. Tapping the Gray for energy is as effective as Defiling, but the wizard must draw a card to determine how close the Gray is; if the card drawn is a Heart or Diamond, the area is Arid. If the card drawn is a Spade or Club, the area is Semi-Arid. A Joker indicates that the area is Lush.
Trees of Life
A Tree of Life is a special construction; a magical tree, enchanted by a powerful Elemental Cleric, Druid, or Wizard. Trees of Life overflow with life-force, and grant great powers to spellcasters in the area (including Templars, who cannot create them, but excluding psionicists, whose power is internal).
At full strength, a Tree of Life contains 100 power points, which naturally return at a rate of 10 per hour. The life force of the tree extends 5"/30' from the tree, and being within that area has beneficial effects for spellcasters and healers. The difficulty for wizards to draw extra power (through defiling or preserving) is always 4 while within the area of the tree, and 2 if they are in direct contact. Clerics, Druids, and Templars near the tree also have access to the healing and divination powers, even if they do not normally know them. All characters who attempt to heal, whether through magic or medicine, receive a +2 to their skill while near the Tree of Life, as do natural healing rolls.
Defiling near a Tree of Life does not cause a ring of ash, but it does damage the life force of the tree. Every power point drawn in this way requires a full hour to return to the tree. The Tree can survive this, but defiling in an area where a Tree of Life is at 0 power points will destroy the tree. If there are multiple trees in the immediate area, the defiler can spread the drain of life force to any nearby tree. The damage caused to a Tree of Life can be repaired more quickly; with the Transfer edge, clerics, druids, and templars can give the tree power points to replace those lost.
Creating a Tree of Life is an act of powerful enchantment; the creator must have both the Epic Mastery and Artificer edges. A tree so enchanted must be less than 1 year old, but many prefer to start with a seedling. Over the course of the hour (at minimum) enchanting time, a wizard must infuse a young tree with 30 Power Points, which cannot be gained through defiling; Clerics and Druids only require 20 Power Points during that time. Every 10 power points infused in the tree requires a separate roll on the character's arcane skill; critical failures by a cleric or druid wipe out 5 power points of progress, while critical failures by wizards remove all current progress. While enchanting, the spellcaster may engage in no activity other than gathering power or casting the spell.
Once enchanted, the tree grows at a rapid pace, reaching full size in only a week. Afterwards, the tree will endure through all natural disasters; lighting may strike it, but it will not burn. Earthquakes may shake the ground, but the tree will not fall over. Drought may parch the area for a hundred years, but the tree will not wither. However, deliberate acts of destruction will damage the Tree of Life, just as it would any tree. But, even then, should its life force persist, the Tree of Life will regenerate, growing from from a burnt stump to full recovery in no more than four weeks.
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