Optional Rules
"The gull," she said. The
Kagonesti held the clay
image in the palm of her
right hand and closed
her eyes. She began humming, a melody that the bird overhead echoed with its cries. The
distance between her and the
bird evaporated, as her mind
soared toward it, the air rushing all around her.... A smile
played across her face.
She was looking down at
herself and the mariner.
- Feril demonstrates animism,
The Dawning of a New Age
The use of magic in the land of Ansalon
changes constantly as mystics and sorcerers evolve in their skills. Discoveries
at the Citadel of Light and elsewhere
have led to spellcasting breakthroughs,
unique sphere combinations - even the
marriage of mysticism and sorcery.
Rules for these new arcane applications
appear in this chapter, along with
optional rules describing how to play
Kagonesti wild elves, like Ferilleeagh
Dawnsprinter in the passage above.
The Mystic Spheres
The spheres of mysticism encompass
more than the brief descriptions in the
Book of the Fifth Age might suggest. This
look at the nine spheres offers additional insights into the feats heroes can
accomplish with each type of magic.
The discussions of each sphere in the pages that follow recommend difficulty ratings for common spell effects
associated with that sphere. These are
not the difficulty ratings for the entire
spell, but merely for the spell effect; the
player must determine the difficulty
ratings for invocation time, range,
duration, and area of effect separately,
depending on the circumstances of the
casting, and pay out the hero's appropriate spell point total.
For reference, see the "Step Five:
Effect" section of Chapter Five in the
Book of the Fifth Age or the general spell
effect magic tables (Va to Vc) on the
reference card in the FIFTH AGE boxed
set. Where no spell effect adjustment is
recommended, the Narrator should
assign a difficulty based on the nature
or severity of the spell effect.
Alteration
The sphere of alteration allows a mystic
to change his shape and appearance.
Such alterations can vary from subtle
adjustments in one's appearance to
complete disguises to assuming the form
of another type of creature entirely.
The degree of alteration possible
depends on the hero's Spirit code.
Those with a "B" can alter their form or
appearance to that of any other type of
creature. They cannot, however, alter
themselves to look like a particular
individual. Such mastery of the sphere
is limited to mystics with an "A" code in
Spirit. A mystic with a "B" could, for
example, change his shape to that of a
cat, become a hawk in order to fly, or
make himself look like a common
peasant. He could not, however, assume
the appearance of a particular peasant,
nor could he assume the shape of a
particular merchant's cat.
Alteration can be used on others as
well. A mystic might use his magic to
disguise a member of his adventuring
group, for example, or he could transform a hostile Knight of Takhisis into a less offensive attacker - like a mouse.
The difficulty of alteration spells
varies depending on the extent of the
desired changes. However, using this
magic on another is more difficult than
casting it on oneself, as the original
form naturally resists being changed by
a foreign hand. Altering others, therefore, adds an extra point to the spell's
total difficulty. Heroes who find themselves involuntary spell recipients may
Oppose the casting with a Presence
(Spirit) action; again, the difficulty
depends on the severity of the intended
spell effect.
The use of alteration magic affects
only the body of the person or creature
being altered. In no case does any clothing or equipment change form as well.
Transforming such nonliving items
would require transmutation magic.
Alteration can be enhanced by the
magic of other mystic spheres. Animism offers advantages for mystics taking the form of an animal. Channeling
can make the transformation into significantly larger or smaller creatures
easier. Sensitivity proves especially useful for those using alteration to disguise
themselves; with this combination, they
could alter the appearance of their
aura, making it that much harder for
an opponent to realize the deception.
Mystic-sorcerers might use alteration with various schools of magic.
Combined with transmutation sorcery,
alteration can allow someone to alter
the appearance of his clothes and
equipment as well as his own form:
Thus can a prince become a pauper.
Alteration combined with spectramancy can make any disguise or
shapechange even more powerful. For
example, say a hero fleeing his enemies
dashes into a thicket near a forest.
When his pursuers approach, a covey of
phesants bursts from the thicket, startling them. The hero has altered his
form into that of a pheasant and created several mirror images using spectramancy. When the pheasants startle
the pursuers, the hero can (hopefully)
make good his escape.
Animism
The wielder of animism has a special
attunement with the plants and animals
of the natural world. With the magic of
this sphere, a mystic can communicate
with, control, detect, and otherwise
influence animals and plants - which
includes their giant counterparts - with
a Reason score of 2 or less.
Hero races, hostile nonhumans,
monsters, and supernatural creatures
are not affected by the magic of this
sphere, regardless of Reason score. An
owlbear, for example, is not a normal
animal; an ice bear is. Players can use
the "Animals of Ansalon" chart in
Chapter Six of the Book of the Fifth
Age as a guideline to help them determine what types of creatures might be
susceptible to animism. However, animals with a Reason score higher than
2 are better influenced with the sphere
of mentalism than with animism. To
communicate with an intelligent creature like a dolphin, for example, a
mystic should use mentalism.
Those mystics with only a "B" code
in Spirit and access to animism are limited to communicating with and detecting plants and animals. Any control or
influence they exert over an animal or
plant is limited to what they can gain by
the force of their own personalities - a
Presence (Presence) action with a difficulty assigned by the Narrator. Communicating with an animal requires a
spell effect difficulty of 2 points, while
speaking with a plant involves a difficulty of 3 points. (Speaking with plants
is harder, as they "think" much more
slowly than mortals and in terms alien
to most races.)
Heroes or characters with an "A"
Spirit code and skill in animism can
actually influence plants and animals with their magic. The spell effect's difficulty likely will vary depending on the circumstances. For example, say a
hero encounters a bear in the woods
after the animal has just eaten his fill.
Influencing this nonaggressive creature
might require a difficulty rating of 2
points. However, calming an angry
mother bear seeking to defend her
cubs carries a higher difficulty - say 4
points. To magically influence a plant
requires at least 3-point spell effect,
due to the difficulty of communicating
with herbal life. And of course, the animist cannot influence a subject to do
the impossible, such as commanding a
plant to uproot itself and walk.
Note that when the hero's Presence
score exceeds his Spirit score, he may
opt to use his magic just to communicate with an animal or plant, relying on
his persuasive skills to influence it.
Understanding the mystic sphere of
animism also brings with it mundane
knowledge of the natural world.
Whenever a player wants to know
whether his hero is familiar with a particular detail of nature, he may attempt
an unopposed Reason action with a
difficulty assigned by the Narrator.
Animism combines well with such
magic as alteration, enabling a mystic
in his new guise to communicate with
others of his assumed species. Mentalism comes in handy when dealing with
animals whose Reason scores exceed 2.
In addition, rumors circulate in the
halls of the Citadel of a mystic who,
thanks to his knowledge of the sorcerous
school of summoning, can summon an
animal friend to her. This magic seems
to transcend the mere translocation of
the animal, for the creature seems predisposed to aid her upon arrival.
Animism combined with divination
sorcery might let a mystic see a place
through the eyes of an animal at that
location. For example, a hero who has
been putting out milk every day for an
alley cat in Palanthas might use his
mystic power to locate the cat and
invoke a combination of divination
and animism to experience what the
cat sees and hears.
Channeling
Among the spheres favored by more
physically-minded mystics is the sphere
of channeling. This magic becomes
especially useful for temporarily raising
the Physical ability scores of the mystic
or an ally, or for reducing these scores
in an opponent. In some cases, this
ability can mean survival for the mystic
and his companions.
Adjusting each individual ability
requires a separate spell. However, a
spellcaster could raise one ability score
in a number of subjects at the same
time. For example, say a mystic and his
six companions are about to enter battle
with two talons of Knights of the Lily.
The mystic could give his allies a magical
boost by first casting a spell to increase
the Strength of himself and his companions (requiring an "area of effect" difficulty rating of 4 points). To ensure that
his allies incur less damage from attacks
than they might expect, he could cast a
second spell to increase his team's
Endurance (requiring the same area of
effect component to affect all of them).
Finally, our adept caster could even
lower the Strength score of the enemy
Knights (requiring an area of effect rating of 5 points, to affect more than ten
individuals). Our mystic, probably nearly
out of spell points at this point, nevertheless gave his friends a fighting chance
against the heavily armed Dark Knights.
Using channeling magic to affect
one of a mystic's own Physical scores
requires an effect difficulty rating equal
to the number of points by which the
caster wants to adjust the score (in
other words, raising one score by 2
points requires an effect adjustment of
2 points, and so on). Note that, should
a hero achieve an impossible action
thanks to an action ability enhanced by
channeling, he may not automatically
increase his number of quests by one.
Others' scores are harder to affect than
one's own, however. To change a Physical score of another member of the
caster's own race adds an extra point to
the spell's total difficulty rating. (So,
raising one or more scores in the same
ability by 2 points requires an effect
adjustment of 3 points.) The Narrator
should assign an appropriate effect
adjustment for attempts to use channeling on other races, depending on
how foreign the race is to the caster.
Trying to affect creatures like Great
Dragons with channeling almost certainly requires cooperative magic.
Should a hero become the unwilling target of such a spell, he may
attempt a Presence (Spirit) action to
resist its effects, with a difficulty based
on the severity of the intended change.
Persons with only a "B" code in Spirit
might consider choosing channeling as
their single sphere, because its effects do
not rely on the scope of a hero's mystic
knowledge. A hero's mastery of channeling is the same whether he has an "A"
or a "B" code. Furthermore, channeling
is a good stand-alone sphere. While it
can be combined with other spheres of
mysticism, such as alteration, it does
not combine well with sorcery.
Healing
One of the most popular spheres of mysticism, healing magic also has the distinction of being the sphere that brought the
new magic of mysticism to Krynn. When
Goldmoon drew upon her own desire
and the power of her heart to heal the
young dwarf Jasper, injured in a dragon
attack at the Inn of the Last Home, she
opened the door to human understanding of the gods' mystic gift to the
world. She and others began to study
this gift, and to a large extent, much
modern knowledge of mysticism is due
to the efforts of Goldmoon and the other
early mystics of the Citadel of Light.
What mystic healers of varying levels of ability can accomplish is generally up to the Narrator, though the
following guidelines can help him with
such decision-making. Mystic healers
with a"B" code in Spirit use their
magic to perform advanced first aid.
They can heal damage to themselves
and others, but repairing permanent injuries and such is beyond their ken.
Healers with an "A" Spirit code, on the
other hand, use their magic to greater
effect, curing diseases and repairing
injuries so severe as to otherwise have a
permanent effect on the victim. Such a
potentially crippling injury adds an
extra 2 points of difficulty to a healing
spell. Of course, the Narrator may
decide that a particularly severe injury
or magically induced ailment will have
some permanent effect on the victim,
regardless of the healer's skill.
For example, suppose an ogre
strikes a hero in battle and inflicts such
great harm that the Narrator decides
the hero will have a permanent limp,
possibly resulting in a decrease in his
Agility score. A healer with a "B" code
could take away the pain of the injury
and knit flesh and bone, but the victim
would retain the limp and possible
score reduction. Treatment by a healer
with an "A" code, however, would
remove all permanent effects and
eliminate the loss of Agility points.
Even an "A" code has its limits,
though. First, the injury must be relatively recent. Only the most extraordinary healer could repair damage
sustained in a fall years before. Such a
miracle is not impossible, but few healers have the skill and good fortune to
accomplish it. Healing an old injury that
already has caused some permanent disability adds 3 points to the difficulty of
the spell. Neural injuries or those that
cause a sensory loss are even more difficult. If a hero lost the use of an eye in a
fight or accident, for instance, repairing that injury adds 4 points to the
healer's spell. Narrators should feel free
to make the repair of neural injuries
sustained some time in the past even
more difficult. Normally, the only way
to repair such injuries is through cooperative magic (see sidebar, page 81).
Healers with the "A" code also can
cure magical ailments, such as a disease inflicted by a powerful necromancer. (Without this level of training,
a healer could merely stay the illness's
effects, at best.) This is not an easy task, however. Curing such an ailment
requires a spell with an effect adjustment of at least 4, cast after the mystic
has healed the victim of all actual damage (lost cards or Endurance points).
Curing a disease in its advanced stages
becomes even harder.
Finally, the skilled healer can perform one of the most difficult miracles
of all: bringing someone back to life.
The healer can attempt to resurrect
only a hero or character who has died a
very short time ago (a number of minutes equal to or less than the victim's
Spirit score); after that, no attempt is
possible. This spell requires an action
score of 24, assuming the mystic spends
a half-hour on the invocation and can
actually touch the victim. In addition,
seeing the world of death forces the
mystic's player to make a random draw;
a resulting aura of red or black means
the mystic loses 1 Spirit point immediately, with the resulting spell point loss.
Normally, this action requires cooperative magic for any reasonable chance of
success. An individual restored to life
regains one card (or Endurance point)
and must immediately receive further
healing to be restored to normal health.
However, the experience of having died
lowers a victim's Endurance by 1 point
once he returns to world of the living.
In addition to the magical ability to
heal, those with access to this sphere
are well-versed in mundane means of
healing as well, such as herbal remedies
and first aid.
The sphere of healing works well
with certain other spheres. For
example, mystics who also know animism are better able to heal injured
animals. The sphere of meditation can
temporarily increase the mystic's Spirit
score, which should add to his chance
for success at a healing spell. Sensitivity
allows a healer to view the victim's aura
to help determine the extent of an
injury. (Narrators might allow mystics
who use sensitivity this way to reduce
the difficulty of a healing spell by several points.) The sphere of mentalism
has some benefit to healers as well, for it may assist them in dealing with psy-
chological trauma; this use of mentalism requires a mystic strong enough to
handle another person's nightmares.
Healing magic does not combine
well with any of the schools of sorcery.
Meditation
Mystics who learn the sphere of meditation are often known for their intellect
rather than their physical skills. These
individuals can focus their minds to
accomplish what others cannot. They
are capable of great insights, they can
see things that others will likely never
notice, or they can persuade others
seemingly without effort. Scholars use
this sphere to improve their intellectual
abilities, as do diplomats to improve
their persuasive skills.
The magic of meditation works
similarly to that of channeling. Its
effect in combat, while not as pronounced as that of channeling, can
prove even more critical in certain circumstances. Possibly the only way
heroes might have any effect against as
powerful a beast as a dragon, for
example, is to lower its resistance to
sorcery or mysticism by decreasing its
Perception or Presence scores. A party
might defeat such a grand creature by
talking its way out of danger, thanks to
the persuasive powers of one hero
with an increased Presence score. Or,
say a group of Dark Knights is searching for the mystic and his allies. The
heroes have no direct way to make
themselves invisible (none of them
can cast spectramantic spells), but the
mystic can use meditation to lower the
Dark Knights' Perception scores,
thereby making them less likely to
detect the party.
As with channeling, each increase or
decrease in one of the Mental ability
scores requires a separate spell. So, if a
mystic wanted to increase his own Perception and improve an ally's Presence,
he must cast two different spells. Mystics
who complete an impossible action
through the use of an action ability enhanced by meditation do not enjoy an
automatic bonus of one quest, however.
As with channeling, a meditation
spell that a mystic casts on himself has
an effect difficulty rating equal to the
total of the desired point adjustment.
Thus, raising a score by 2 points calls
for a 2-point effect difficulty.
However, the scores of others are
harder to affect than one's own.
Changing one Mental score of another
member of the caster's own race adds
an extra point to the spell's total difficulty rating (no matter how many targets there are). The Narrator should
assign an appropriate effect adjustment
for attempts to use meditation on
other races; such magic targeted at
creatures like Great Dragons almost
certainly requires cooperative magic.
A hero opposing the effects of meditation can do so with a Presence
(Spirit) action; its difficulty depends on
the severity of the intended change.
Meditation can go well with nearly
any other sphere of magic. If a mystic
alters his shape into that of a hawk to
scout out a safe route through enemy
territory, for example, he could use
meditation to increase his Perception
score, thereby improving his chances of
spotting signs of trouble. Used in cooperation with sensitivity, meditation lets
a mystic more readily discern details of
an aura. A necromancer who increases
his own Spirit score before engaging in
magical combat would be a formidable
opponent, indeed.
Other combinations are possible,
limited only by the player's imagination. At the very least, using meditation
to increase a hero's Spirit score makes
mystic spellcasting that much simpler.
Mentalism
Mentalism can be used to communicate telepathically with another, read
someone's surface thoughts, or influence another mind. A mystic with this
knowledge can gain insights into the
plans of an enemy, help a friend overcome a phobia, cause a shadow-wight to seek its next victim elsewhere, or
charm a guard into opening a city's
main gate on a cold, rainy night. Such
magics rarely last very long - a mystic
usually needs to charm the guard just
long enough so his party can make it
through the gate.
Mentalism is a subtle magic. Those
untrained in it generally have no idea
that they are being affected by it.
Therefore, detecting the use of mentalism used against oneself is usually a
challenging Perception (Spirit) action.
For mystics trained in this sphere,
however, this action becomes average.
Mentalism is nearly always directed
at another person; rarely would a mystic use this magic on himself. (The
caster could use meditation to unlock a
memory buried within his own mind,
but the sphere of meditation might
prove more useful.) However, not all
targets of mentalism necessarily seek to
resist its effects. For example, using this
magic to communicate with a friend
telepathically would not likely be
resisted, unless the subject was superstitious (likely possessing a Spirit code of
no higher than "D") or had something
to hide. When a mystic uses mentalism
to charm or otherwise influence
another, the target always opposes the
spell with his Presence score.
Of Ansalon's major mystic groups,
only the Knights of Solamnia make
little use of mentalism, considering
such magic dishonorable. The few
mentalists among the Knights use this
magic more to communicate with
others than to read their thoughts or
dominate them.
Not so the Knights of Takhisis. They
freely explore mentalism's boundaries
to learn new ways to dominate others.
They have more than once used cooperative magic to achieve an extended
charm over someone they consider
important to their ends. They particularly enjoy using mentalism to cause
Solamnic Knights or Legionnaires to
commit heinous acts for which they
feel they must atone. The Dark Knights
prefer to destroy their opponents rather than killing them outright, to
make an example of them. The Cabal
of the True Heart, the inquisitors of the
Knights of Takhisis, uses mentalism
during the Test of Takhisis to break
down the supplicant's mental defenses
and to ensure his loyalty. They also
engage periodically in "witch hunts" to
maintain the purity of devotion their
goddess demands of Dark Knights.
The Legion of Steel also makes
extensive use of mentalism. Like the
Knights of Takhisis, they use it to police
their ranks, for the Dark Knights ever
seek to bring the Legion to its knees.
Any spies they find are killed outright,
although some cell leaders prefer to
leave them in place, feeding them false
information that leads them into a trap.
If Legion elders discover through
mentalism that a member uses his affiliation with the Order to enrich himself
or win some other selfish advantage,
they immediately cut him off from any
further communication or support - even if that means withdrawing his cell
from the area. Legion mentalists can
live the most dangerous lives of any
Legionnaires, for often the success of
an operation rests on their ability to
ferret out information while protecting
the cell's anonymity.
The Citadel of Light studies mentalism as much to protect itself and those
under its care from harm as for more
"academic" reasons. In exploring the
limits of the power of the heart. Citadel
mystics have found that a combination
of mentalism, healing, and sensitivity
can reduce the spiritual trauma a person has suffered at the hands of the
dragons or other enemies. This method
has not yet achieved great success, but
it may yet, as the Citadel's understanding of the mind continues to improve.
One factor in the slow progress is that
only mystics of strong will can hope to
survive the mental experience of
another's trauma unscathed. Few currently have the skill to attempt such a
spiritual healing, but the number is
slowly growing.
Mystics with a "B" code in Spirit and access to mentalism are able only
to communicate telepathically with and
read the mind of another person. They
can both send and receive mental messages involving another intelligent
mind (Reason score of at least 3). Communicating simple images or emotions
requires a spell effect difficulty of only
1 point, while more complex sendings
may call for an effect rating of 3 points
or more. This use of mentalism can
affect even undead creatures with sufficient intellect (a minimum Intellect
score of 3 points), although the magics
of spiritualism and necromancy are
more powerful against such creatures.
Mystics with an "A" Spirit code
enjoy other uses of mentalism as well.
They can probe deeper into another
person's mind, using their magic to
erase or alter a memory; extract a
memory; charm or dominate; or create
a phantasm only that person can see.
Such effects require a minimum spell
effect difficulty rating of 3 points and
remain subject to the intelligence
requirements outlined above.
Mentalism combines well with
other spheres of mysticism and even a
few schools of sorcery. When used with
healing magic, it can help treat trauma
of the mind or spirit. Mentalism used
in conjunction with sensitivity can give
a mystic a deeper understanding of
another person's psyche. A necromancer or spiritualist might use this
sphere to feed off the terror they could
inflict on a victim. So too could a mentalist use his power to discover exactly
what might terrify someone, then use
spectramancy to create a false image of
this very thing, which seems more real
to the victim because it exists as both
an illusion created out of light and air
in front of him and as a "real" figment
in his mind.
Necromancy
The dark art of necromancy is one of the
most powerful mystic spheres, shunned
by all but a very few. The Citadel of
Light forbids its mystics even to study necromancy, as do the Knights of
Solamnia. It is rare among the Legion of
Steel, and the few Legionnaire mystics
who study the sphere do so to understand a weapon used by their enemies:
the Knights of Takhisis. Only Skull
Knights make regular use of necromancy, and few of them truly master it.
Necromancy is most commonly
used to animate corpses, thus creating
skeletons, zombies, or wights. These
unintelligent abominations possess no
free will of their own. The magic of
their creation gives them enough rudimentary intellect to follow their creator's orders, but no more than that.
Creating a skeleton or zombie requires
at least a spell effect adjustment of 3
points, while creating more advanced
forms of corporeal undead, such as
ghouls, calls for an effect difficulty of 4
points. Necromancy cannot be used to
create spectral undead or creatures of
chaos (frost- and shadow-wights and
daemon warriors).
The same magic allows a necromancer to sever the bonds that created
the undead, rendering them again lifeless corpses, or lets him wrest them
from their creator's control. Either of
these actions requires a spell effect difficulty rating of 3 or 4 points, depending on the type of undead. The Spirit
score of the creator opposes either
action, even if he is not present.
In perhaps the most terrifying use
of this dark art, necromancy can also
wound a person or creature. Only the
most reprehensible of persons perform
such acts. The aged Skull Knight who
leads the Cabal of the True Heart,
unable now to wield a sword effectively, uses such magic to open
extremely painful wounds on those
who dare oppose him. With nothing
more than a gesture, he has cut down
fully armored aspirants who fail the
Test of Takhisis. Victims can resist such
spells with their Endurance scores.
Instead of causing actual wounds,
necromancy can merely inflict pain.
This pain normally causes no permanent damage, so players need pay out no cards for stricken heroes. However,
the effects of such a spell can leave victims exhausted and defenseless or
cause them to black out. As above, targets use their Endurance to resist.
Tied to the ability to cause pain is
the power to sap a creature's energy.
This application of necromancy differs
from channeling magic in that it does
not target a particular ability, like
Strength or Endurance, but instead acts
like an invisible wound. A hero loses
the points of "exhaustion" from his
Hand of Fate, just as with a normal
wound; a character's energy is drained
as points from his Endurance (Physique)
total. Instead of healing at the rate of
one card/point per week, however, the
victim recovers lost energy at the rate
of one card/point per day, assuming he
has the chance to rest. Players should
use the numeric adjustment chart for
damage and defense spells (chart Va)
to determine the difficulty of this
effect. Heroes can resist the attack with
a Presence (Spirit) action; the difficulty
depends on the severity of the drain.
The necromancer can then transfer
the tapped energy to himself, using it to
heal his wounds (restore cards to his
Hand of Fate) or refresh himself when
he feels fatigued. Because this "life leech"
method is little more than a perverted
form of healing magic, the wounds or
fatigue it treats do not reappear after a
limited duration (the necromancer may
be wounded anew, however). Absorbing
the drained energy calls for an effect
adjustment of 1 point for each point of
energy to be absorbed. Energy cannot
be stored, so surplus points go to waste.
Necromancers with a "B" code in
Spirit can use this sphere only to create
and destroy mindless undead. The full
scope of necromancy is available only
to those who have mastered its intricacies; using it to wound or acting as a
"life leech" requires an "A" Spirit code.
Meditation magic can enhance
necromantic efforts by lowering the
spell resistance (Presence score) of a
target creature. Necromancers also seek
a connection between animism and
their favored sphere in hopes of improving their ability to tap sources of
life energy to power their dark magic.
Some necromancers, believing the
spirit world a powerful source of
magic, also study spiritualism in hopes
of finding a way to tap this energy.
Whispers arise from Sable's realm of
a necromancer who created a zombie
that burst into flame whenever it
entered combat at its master's bidding.
The fire did not damage the zombie
until the creature fell in combat, whereupon the flames consumed it. Another
tale from the New Sea suggests that one
young girl there can derive magical
energy from the sea itself - perhaps a
connection between the magic of
hydromancy and necromancy.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity is the sphere hardest for
practitioners of the mystical arts to
define. It encompasses a mystic's perception of others' auras, his awareness
of his surroundings, and - among
some - even the ability to perceive in
an individual the movement of time.
These skills manifest themselves differently from mystic to mystic.
- A prodigy at the Citadel of Light
knows more than an hour in
advance when someone is coming
to see Goldmoon. This adept can
even identify some visitors - those
she has met on a prior occasion.
- A particularly brutal and efficient
independent tracker for the Knights
of Takhisis follows his prey by the
trail their aura leaves on their surroundings. To date, no one has ever
managed to gain the advantage of
surprise against him.
- Some mystics believe that the arch-mage Raistlin Majere may have possessed some latent ability in this
sphere of magic. Others scoff at the
idea, arguing that his ability to perceive the effects of passing time
through his hourglass eyes was a gift
of the gods of magic.
Most magical actions using mysticism are opposed by the Presence of
the targeted individual. However, characters and heroes oppose sensitivity
magic instead with their Spirit score;
those with a high Spirit score, even if
untrained in mysticism, are calmer and
more "in control" of themselves than
those with a low score.
Mystics who have studied the
sphere of sensitivity may, with the
Narrator's permission, wield a unique
power: They can allocate 9 mysticism
points each day to maintain a heightened awareness of their surroundings.
This awareness is not intrusive-it is
more like a "sixth sense," giving them
a moment's warning before an attack
or alerting them to someone watching
them. This ability is only a "feeling,"
intended more for its story possibilities than for any advantage it gives a
mystic. It does not reveal the exact
nature or location of a threat - only
that it exists.
Furthermore, heightened sensitivity
is not infallible. Instead of the player
using a card from his hand to determine
success or failure, the Narrator draws a
card at random to generate the action
score any time he feels something might
have triggered the hero's sixth sense.
The required action score varies with
the situation, though detecting a threat
shouldn't be easier than an average
Spirit (Spirit) action (resisted by the
opponent with the highest Spirit score).
The Narrator might also determine the
success of the "trigger" using an aura-based random draw:
- White aura: The mystic gains reasonably reliable information about
the threat. For instance, he might
know that an observer lurks nearby,
rather than watches him magically.
- Red aura: Something triggers the
mystic's sixth sense, but he has no
idea what to expect. He would not
know whether his foe was nearby.
- Black aura: The mystic remains
unaware of the threat.
Narrators may draw cards as needed
during play, or draw a couple before
the game session begins and record their values and auras, so as not to alert
players that something might be amiss.
A mystic also can use his knowledge
of sensitivity to observe the unique
aura of another individual. He can
identify others by aura, even if they
have disguised their physical form. The
mystic first must cast a spell to see the
aura (normal spell effect adjustment of
2 points), then attempt a challenging
Perception (Spirit) action to perceive
details of the aura. If the mystic thinks
he has seen the aura before, he can
identify the individual with a challenging Reason action.
Even the walking dead (skeletons
and zombies) have enough of a motive
spark for a mystic to determine their
nature. He likely would feel a sense of
pervasive cold or emptiness when perceiving the aura of a zombie, for
example. However, the undead nature
of such a creature often appears obvious
with just a cursory visual inspection.
A mystic who understands sensitivity can use his magic to alter his aura,
too. The difficulty of such an alteration
depends on the extent of the intended
changes, but it's usually quite a difficult
spell (minimum of 2 points of effect
difficulty for even a small change). An
aura alteration becomes even more difficult when a mystic tries to cast it
upon someone else; the aura represents
one's basic nature and resists being
changed by another. Therefore, the
mystic must add an extra point of difficulty to the spell intended for
another. To resist such magic, heroes
can attempt Spirit (Spirit) actions of
varying difficulty based on the severity
of the change.
Finally, those skilled in sensitivity
can actually use their magic to perceive
the passage of time in an individual.
Unlike Raistlin's ability to involuntarily
witness life turning to death all around
him, however, heroes can control and
direct this power. For example, upon
the birth of a child, a midwife or seer
might foretell a facet of the child's destiny by reading his future aura. This
type of spell requires a temporal area of effect (using spell chart IVc, normally reserved for divination spells).
This power lets Narrators create some
colorful characters, such as a crone who
foretells the death of a hero or an
oracle who offers glimpses of Fate.
Sensitivity can combine with nearly
any other sphere or school of magic.
Even such a seemingly odd combination as sensitivity and summoning has
been reported to the Citadel of Light. A
woman who runs an orphanage in
Caergoth keeps tabs on her charges
through extending her aura perception
outward. Connected to her perception
is a small ring of light, which grows
rapidly into a magical gate back to her
location. If, in her searches, she discovers one of her charges in trouble, she
whisks him away to safety. She has also
rescued several cats, mice, dogs,
Legionnaires, wayward Knights, and
other harmless creatures.
The dwarves of Ansalon, who consider Krynn itself to be a great living
creature, use the sphere of sensitivity to
attempt to understand what the earth is
trying to tell them. Their success in this
magic has led to much speculation:
Might not other elements also be
viewed as "alive?" Thus far, elemental-sensitivity experiments have produced
no results, but scholars continue in
their attempts to determine the basic
nature of the world around them.
Spiritualism
The sphere of spiritualism is considered
by some to be one of the "dark arts."
Many of its practitioners number
among the Knights of the Skull, while
others are independent dark mystics in
league with the creatures of chaos
spawned in the Chaos War. But spiritualism is also the magic most often practiced by the barbarians of Ansalon, for
it is through this sphere that they speak
with the spirits of their ancestors. Like
most magic, spiritualism is a tool that
individuals can use to their own ends,
Evil or Good.
A spiritualist can contact and communicate with the spirits of the dead.
Barbarian shamans use this magic to
seek advice from the shades of their
ancestors. Spiritualism remains fairly
rare even among barbarian tribes, however - those with the talent often find
themselves ostracized by the rest of
their tribe. Most natural spiritualists
are marked at an early age and taken to
live with the tribal shaman for training
in the ways of the spirit. Young barbarians do not always covet the ability to
speak with spirits, however, despite the
respect a shaman generally enjoys
within the tribe, for this role ostracizes
them somewhat from the rest of the
tribe - people fear the shamans even as
they respect them.
Barbarian shamans generally do not
encounter great hostility from the spirits of their ancestors, for calling upon
their aid in times of need is a long
accepted part of their culture. There are
exceptions, however. A shaman who
calls upon the spirit of a great and terrible warrior must show the spirit great
respect or risk angering it enough to
make it turn against him.
Others also learn to communicate
with spirits of the deceased, for these
spectres often possess many secrets.
Calling upon a spirit is a dangerous
undertaking, though, for spirits at rest
do not like to be disturbed, and restless
spirits are capable of great Evil. Contacting a spirit generally requires a
spell with an effect difficulty of 2
points; the spirit normally resists the
spell with its Presence score.
Spiritualists also can call the shades
of the dead (spirits' noncorporeal
forms) directly back into the world.
Such a spell requires an effect adjustment of 4 and normally involves opposition from the spirit's Presence score.
Understandably, a spell to recall a
spirit's form into the material world
proves more dangerous than one that
merely makes contact. Should a called
spirit slip the mystic's bonds of control
(in the event of a mishap in the spell-casting action), it remains in the world,
wreaking havoc where it may. The mystic may die upon losing a battle of wills
with the spirit - he must succeed at a
daunting Spirit (Presence) action to survive. Of course, when a mystic dies
this way, the secret of calling the spirit
dies with him.
Spiritualism also allows one to create spectral undead: banshees, ghosts,
spectres, wraiths, death knights, and
shadows. This sphere cannot be used to
create corporeal undead or creatures of
chaos (frost- and shadow-wights and
daemon warriors).
Some mystics learn spiritualism to
specialize in banishments and exorcisms. A single powerful malevolent
spirit loose in a village can destroy the
entire community. These spiritualists
serve to rid the world of these troublesome creatures and put them to rest.
The spiritualists of the Citadel of Light,
as well as a few Sword and Rose
Knights, practice this sort of spiritualism almost exclusively.
The Legion of Steel is more open in
its approach to this sphere, but its senior
mystics keep in mind the Citadel's
warnings against delving too deeply into
the world of the spirit. To exorcise or
banish a spirit requires a minimum
spell effect difficulty of 3 points if the
banisher knows the spirit's name, and a
minimum of 4 points if he does not
know its name. In either case, the spirit
resists the spell with its Presence score.
Spiritualism combines well with
mentalism, allowing the mystic to
more forcefully compel the spirit's
cooperation. Sensitivity also helps spiritualists a great deal, for it offers
insights into a spirit's nature as well as
alerting the mystic to the presence of
spectral undead in his vicinity.
Some independent dark mystics
reportedly can combine spiritualism
with necromancy to call and control
creatures of chaos, neither corporeal nor
spectral. However, Skull Knights have
not been able to reproduce this effect.
Scholars guess that certain mystics can
use their magic to tap directly into the
Chaos permeating Krynn from the time
of its creation to acquire this power.
Mystics who prefer to bring spirits to
them rather than seeking them out can
unite this sphere with the school of summoning. A particularly Evil mystic
who combined spiritualism with divination in an attempt to explore the spirit
world was visited by three powerful
ghosts and shown his own future. The
experience drove him hopelessly insane.
Mystical Combinations
The previous section introduced the
idea of combining two or more spheres
or schools of magic to achieve a particular arcane effect. It is not surprising
that spellcasters just recently unlocked
the secrets to these combination spells,
for only lately have they begun to
acknowledge that the magic of Krynn
in the Fifth Age stems from a single
divine source.
The main distinction between the
various spheres of mysticism was in the
minds of the mystics, they learned.
More surprising still are the discoveries
of similarities between sorcery and
mysticism. Until very recently, these
magics were thought to be two distinct
forms of magic, with two distinct
sources of power. Mastery of sorcery
relied upon the user's intellect, while
mysticism derived from the wielder's
emotional and spiritual strength.
Lately, however, those able to
manipulate both magics have come
upon crossovers. Much of this discovery has come from mystics - perhaps
because they have been studying the
nature of the new magic longer than
sorcerers have.
As students of sorcery and mysticism grow more comfortable with the
commonalities between the various
magical specialties, multi-sphere and
hybrid spells doubtless will become
more popular. (Details on multi-school
sorcerous spells appear in the Heroes of
Sorcery dramatic supplement.)
Multi-Sphere Spells
A mystic with a Spirit code of "A" can
cast one spell which draws from his knowledge of two or three spheres of
magic. Casting such a multi-sphere
spell works in exactly the same way as
casting a single-sphere spell: After
determining the spell's desired effects
and figuring its difficulty rating
(adding in any relevant opposition), the
player selects a card for the spell action.
The key concept to remember with
regard to multi-sphere spells is that all
mystics contributing to the casting must
be familiar with all the involved spheres
(though assistants need not). A combined spellcasting action (see sidebar)
will fail unless every mystic participant
is trained in all the relevant spheres.
As with multi-school sorcerous
spells, each multi-sphere spell counts
as one spell per involved sphere, for the
purposes of determining how many
spells the hero is maintaining at once.
In other words, if a mystic has cast a
spell using both animism and alteration, he technically is maintaining two
spells for its entire duration.
Hybrid Spells
Mystics who also study at the Academy
of Sorcery have found they can combine
certain schools of sorcery with mystic
spheres to create a hybrid magical effect.
These effects are not clearly understood
by the Academy students, but they seem
limited generally to the "utility magic"
schools: enchantment, divination,
summoning, and transmutation.
For example, although summoning
is usually used only for teleportation
magic, some mystics have combined it
with animism to summon one or more
animals; the power of the animism
magic makes these creatures inclined to
look favorably upon the summoner.
Another interesting use of sorcery
with mysticism involves a shapeshifter
who found it rather embarrassing that
his clothing did not change with his
form when he used his magic. Combining transmutation with alteration
allowed him to alter his apparel when
he altered his shape - his clothes
became other types of clothing when he altered his form to that of another
humanoid being or melded into the fur
or feathers of a wolf or hawk, his two
preferred forms. This discovery allowed
the modest shapeshifter to bring his
clothes with him on his travels. The
only drawback is that the transmuted
fur or feathers tended to take on the tint
of his clothing, so the mystic learned to
wear earth-toned clothes.
Some wielders of the new magic
have discovered a natural connection
between the school of divination and
the sphere of sensitivity. Either, when
used individually, could determine
whether a subject is under the influence
of a spell. A sorcerer examines the actual
magic but cannot determine how it has
affected the individual. The mystic, by
targeting the subject's aura, can detect
whether it has been altered, but cannot
determine the exact nature of the magic
used. But a spellcaster who understands
both divination and sensitivity gains a
clearer understanding of the "big picture," making him better able to counter
the influence. In such a case, the Narrator might give a bonus to the hero's
attempt to override the magic - offering
a +1 action bonus, reducing the difficulty of the task by one degree, or giving the hero a trump bonus for the
action. These bonuses vary depending
on what the hero actually attempts.
Casting Hybrid Spells
For now, as sorcerers and mystics
struggle to understand the new magic,
only a few schools and spheres seem to
combine well. The schools of divination,
enchantment, summoning, and transmutation, also known as "utility magic"
schools, are most easily combined with
various aspects of mysticism. This is not
to say that other schools cannot combine, at least theoretically. Rather, no
one has yet successfully managed to
effect such a hybrid. And even utility
magic schools do not combine well with
every sphere of mysticism. It is hard to
see much use for using divination and
channeling, for example, to produce a
combination effect.
The Narrator may allow whatever
hybrid effect he deems reasonable - he
may even encourage players to come
up with imaginative spell combinations. He should keep in mind a couple
observations, however. First, because
the folk of Ansalon have discovered the
basic secrets of sorcery only recently
(and mysticism itself is not much
older), most highly complex combinations of sorcery and mysticism are not
yet possible. Second, attempting new
combinations can be dangerous, presenting significant risk of some uncontrollable magical effect or worse.
A spellcaster's success when combining magical effects depends upon
his understanding of sorcery and mysticism. A hero with only a "B" code in
both Reason and Spirit cannot accomplish even the most rudimentary
hybrid effects, for he does not possess
a strong enough understanding of
magic. Heroes with at least "B" code in
one relevant ability and an "A" in the
other may try to cast a hybrid spell,
but any such attempt is based upon
the lower score. (A sorcerer-mystic
with 6A in Reason and 8B in Spirit
must use his Reason score as the base
for the spell action.) Only casters with
an "A" code in both Reason and Spirit
can use the higher of the two scores
for the task base.
The hero always divides the spell-point cost of hybrid castings evenly
between the two pools (sorcery and
mysticism points), rounding up when
necessary. If a caster does not have
enough points in one pool to pay for
the required portion of the spell effect,
the attempt fails.
It is always harder to cast hybrid
spells than to create "simple" sorcerous
or mystical effects. The Narrator
should represent this increased difficulty by imposing a minimum -2
penalty on the spell action score. For
example, altering one's shape to that of
another mammal might have a total
spell difficulty of 9 points. Shaping
one's clothing into fur with transmutation magic in the same spell makes the difficulty at least 11 points - 12 or 13
points for a flawless color blend.
Narrators should feel free to assign
even higher action penalties if they feel
a hybrid spell warrants it. A spell could
be difficult enough to require the assistance of others grounded in the same
magical knowledge. In other words, all
participants in the combined spell
action must possess all the spheres and
schools relevant to the spell.
Mystic Applications of New Magic Rules
This sidebar summarizes the mystical
uses of the optional spellcasting concepts
introduced in Heroes of Sorcery.
Spirit Codes
A few guidelines can help players determine what the various Spirit codes mean
to a mystic hero. Of course, there are
always exceptions: A hero with a code of
"A" may, in fact, have no background in
mysticism whatsoever. Instead, his
advanced code might reflect more traditional religious training.
- "A" code: The hero has studied mysticism extensively, understands both its
theory and practice, and can cast and
teach magic from three spheres.
- "B" code: The hero can cast spells
related to one sphere, perhaps due to
innate talent, and might also be able
to offer instruction in this sphere.
- "C" code: The hero understands the
principles of mysticism but can cast
no spells. This code can mark a student or one with mystic potential.
- "D" code: The hero has seen mystic
magic performed - maybe on him!
Although he sees this magic as a fact
of life, he does not grasp how it works.
- "X" code: The hero has heard of mys-
ticism but has never seen or experienced it. This magic may either
frighten or impress him.
Spellcasting Difficulty
Factors besides opposition from a resisting subject can make a spell harder to cast
than its difficulty point total might suggest. These factors - distractions, stress, or
anything that might disturb a mystic's
concentration - may add points to the
spell's difficulty point total. They do not
increase the number of mysticism points
needed to cast the spell. (The spell's
energy cost remains the same, it's just
harder to cast it right.) The Narrator can
assign proper action penalties for less-than-perfect casting conditions.
Casting New Spells
The first time a mystic casts a new spell is
always the hardest. Therefore, Narrators
should assess a -5 penalty to the hero's
spell action score on his first attempt to
create a particular spell effect. (This
penalty does not affect the required spell
point total.) The penalty would not apply
to spell effects the hero commonly uses
or to minor adjustments to a spell he has
cast before (Narrator's judgment).
The hero can work to offset this "first
spell" penalty in a number of ways:
- Research: Reading notes relevant to
the spell's effect offers a +1 action
bonus for a week of such research
(maximum of+4 total for one spell).
- Personal advice: Talking with a mystic who has cast such a spell gives a
caster a +1 bonus for each day of consultation (maximum of +2 total).
- Skilled assistants: Each mystic with
an "A" Spirit code and knowledge of
the relevant sphere adds a +2 bonus.
A "B" mystic with the proper sphere
or an "A" mystic without it adds a +1
bonus (maximum of+4 total).
- Unskilled assistants: The aid of two
individuals with Spirit codes of'C" or
four with codes of"D" offers a mystic
a +1 bonus (maximum of +2 total).
However, each aide with an "X" code
exerts a -1 action penalty to the spell.
- Extended invocation: Four hours of
spell invocation (rather than the normal thirty-minute maximum) gives
the mystic a +2 action bonus. Eight
hours of invocation allows the player,
in addition, to use either the top card
of the Fate Deck or one from his hand
for the spell action, discarding the
unused card. Twelve hours of invocation gains the mystic the aforementioned perk plus an automatic trump
bonus for the spell action. A mishap at
an extended invocation spell costs the
mystic double the number of mysticism points normally required. (If he
doesn't have enough, he must give up
additional points as he earns them.)
Extraordinary Spell Parameters
Mystics may want to cast spells that surpass the parameters of the spell design
charts in Chapter Five of the Book of the
Fifth Age. In such extraordinary circumstances (say, casting a spell affecting more
than twenty-five people), the Narrator
can assign higher than the maximum difficulty rating of 5 points for the relevant
component (area of effect, etc.). He could
also just assign the maximum 5-point
rating, then assess a penalty to the spell
action. Of course, this flexibility should
not let heroes succeed at impossible
spells, such as one to bring back the gods.
Group Castings
Mystics working together can accomplish
feats no one could reproduce on his own.
Heroes pooling their mystic efforts in a
combined casting each must have access to
the relevant sphere and pay the spell's full
mysticism point total.
After figuring the spell's difficulty and
adding in relevant opposition values, the
hero with the highest Spirit score plays a
card for the spell action, adding all the
mystics' Spirit scores to his base action
score to get the final action score. No one
involved can attempt other actions during
the spell's invocation. Should any caster
drop out, the spell fails. The consequences
of a mishap or spell disruption affect the
entire group as the Narrator decrees.
A mystic can use even nonmystics to
help him cast a powerful coordinated spell.
After figuring the spell's difficulty rating
(including opposition), the hero must
succeed at an average Presence action to
coordinate his assistants. His Presence
code determines how many people he
can coordinate: An "A" code allows ten
helpers, a "B" allows five, "C" permits two,
and a "D" allows one. (Those with a Presence code of "X" cannot coordinate spell
actions.) Then the hero casts the spell,
adding one-half of each contributor's
Spirit score to his own to produce the
action score (round fractions down).
The mysticism points for the spell
can come from the caster, the assistants,
or both - nonmystics have spell points
just like mystics, but they cannot access
this energy on their own - as long as the
caster pays at least 1 spell point. Those
involved can attempt no other action
during the invocation. Should a participant drop out, the mystic must make a
challenging Presence action to continue.
The consequences of a mishap or spell
disruption affect the caster only. However, me participants must pay double
the number of spell points they had
offered and will remain disoriented for
ten minutes less one minute for each
point of Endurance they have.
Magic Batteries and Reservoirs
Like sorcerers, mystics can draw spell
points from "magical batteries": items of
magic that have mystic effects, such as
rings of healing. How many total points
an item has to offer depends on its nature:
- Item of distinction: 10-20 points
- Item of renown: 20-40 points
- Item of fame: 30-60 points
- Item of glory: 50-100 points
- Item of legend: 100+ points
An item can regain 1 point per week.
After losing more than one quarter of its
points, however, it no longer functions as
intended until it regains them.
Mystic sites - such as the celestial
ladders - can act as magical reservoirs for
those with the power of the heart. The
Narrator determines the number of mysticism points a hero can draw from a
locale based on the nature of the site and
the hero. For instance, the Silver Stair
would offer points to mystics pure of
heart, but those of questionable or Evil
intent have little luck. When in doubt as
to whether a site offers a hero spell
points, the Narrator can attempt an aura-based random draw. On a favorable
result of white, the hero may receive the
number of points indicated by the card's
value, while a neutral red result might
offer only half the card's value, and a
black card none at all.
Kagonesti Elves as a Hero Race
The Book of the Fifth Age describes elves
as one of the races appropriate for players to choose for their heroes. The
description in that book, however,
applies more to Krynn's two common
races of elves - the Silvanesti and the
Qualinesti - than to the race of wild
Kagonesti elves. For countless centuries, the reclusive Kagonesti have followed traditions that differ greatly
from their more "civilized" kin.
Like those of their cousins, the legends of the Kagonesti claim that elves
are the "firstborn" of Krynn. However,
the wild elves believe that only they
have remained true to their heritage.
Other elves, whom they refer to as "the
fallen ones," have adapted their ways to
races born after the elves. With this
change, the Kagonesti claim, the Silvanesti and Qualinesti have distanced
themselves from the profound connection with the natural world the gods
gave elves during the Age of Starbirth.
The Kagonesti, or Wilder elves,
maintain that connection, despite the
tumultuous events of Krynn's history.
Through the Dragon Wars and the rise
and fall of Takhisis, the Cataclysm
brought on by the hubris of the Kingpriest, the departure of the gods, the
Chaos War and Second Cataclysm, the
Kagonesti have remained true to their
ancient traditions. This heritage calls
them to maintain a balance between
mortals and the natural world and to protect the wilds. The Kagonesti believe
that, should they ever give up their traditional ways in favor of a more urban
lifestyle, they will disappear forever,
becoming nothing more than a footnote in history.
The Kagonesti, like other elves, are
a handsome people, yet they hide their
faces beneath layers of tattoos and
painted symbols that make them look
more fierce and intimidating than
handsome. Unperceptive outsiders
label them savages; other elves, the Silvanesti in particular, do nothing to
eliminate this stereotype. Wild elves
are darker than the other elven races.
Their brown skin helps them blend in
with their dark forest. Their hair also
tends toward dark shades, although
some Kagonesti have honey-brown
hair. Silver hair is normally a sign of
age, but some rare young Kagonesti
also have silver hair, considered a mark
of distinction. Some young elves
believe the silver-haired among them
enjoy a mysterious connection with
the great silver dragons. Tribal elders consider these ideas nothing more
than a romantic reaction to the legend
of Silvara, the Kagonesti who was
really the silver dragon D'Argent (sister to the legendary Heart, the beloved
of Huma).
The Kagonesti prefer the company
of their own kind and keep their distance from members of the other two
races of elves. During the War of the
Lance, Silvanesti and Qualinesti
refugees fled to Southern Ergoth,
where they created realms-in-exile
after their lands were ravaged by the
dragonarmies. The wild elves' experience with these intruders was not
friendly. In fact, the newcomers used
the members of some tribes as slaves,
considering the wild elves an unclean
and inferior race. Tensions rose when
the Kagonesti, who had already left
some of their lands, could retreat no
farther, and occasional hostilities
broke out along the borders. Open
warfare was averted when the leaders
of the peoples enacted a truce following the war.
Role-Playing
The Kagonesti have a very different
view toward the natural world than
their "fallen" cousins. The Silvanesti in
particular, and the Qualinesti to a
lesser extent, believe that the world
may be shaped by those with the skill
to do so. They use this ability to turn
their surroundings into a great marvelous garden of stunning beauty.
Rather than reshaping the natural
world, the Kagonesti believe they must
tend and protect it. This is not to say
that they will not plant a thorny hedge
as a barrier against enemies or construct a maze of living plants to redirect a foe away from their homes. The
key difference lies in the Silvanesti attitude that nature must be reshaped to
reach the greatest heights of beauty.
The Kagonesti see nature as wondrous
by itself, requiring no improvements -
only protection from the disasters
spawned by careless or abusive people.
The Silvanesti and Qualinesti have
become soft and lazy in their forest
cities, according to their wild cousins.
The trappings of civilization, which
these elves view as progress, the Kagonesti see as misguided arrogance.
The Kagonesti, as proud as the Silvanesti, are a fierce, passionate people.
Toward those of other races, they seem
aloof and difficult to know, but less
haughty than their eastern kin.
Requirements
Like others of their race, wild elves are a
lithe, graceful people. To represent this
quality, a Kagonesti hero must possess
at least a 6 in both Agility and Dexterity. They are adept with bows, requiring
of them at least a "B" code in Dexterity.
They prefer light shields, which limits
them to a "D" Agility code.
Kagonesti are stronger and tougher
than other elves, so they have no maximum scores in Strength or Endurance.
Their skill at wielding melee weapons
is not as well developed as other elves',
however; they may have no higher than a "B" code in Strength. In addition,
wild elves never wear metal armor, even
after they have adventured outside of
their traditional lands, for they find
such equipment too noisy and restricting. This attitude, therefore, limits them
to an Endurance code of no higher than
"D." This code may not increase regardless of the hero's adventuring experience.
Although not an overly intellectual
people, the Kagonesti are as perceptive
as kender. Wild elf heroes must possess
a score of at least 6 and a code of at least
"B" in Perception. They are limited,
however, to a score of 7 in Reason.
Kagonesti are also a deeply spiritual
people; a hero of this race must have at
least a score of 5 and a code of "D" in
Spirit. Finally, these folk share the handsome looks of their cousins of the other
elven races. A Kagonesti hero must have
a Presence score of at least 6.
Players may lower any scores and
codes voluntarily to allow their heroes
to meet these requirements. However,
lowering certain scores or codes does
not permit players to raise others.
Advantages
Kagonesti are masters of the bow. Their
ability to provide food for their people
and to maintain their independence
from their enemies depends upon their
skill with this weapon. As a result,
instead of the trump bonus offered to
the other elven races for swordsmanship,
Kagonesti gain this advantage whenever
they use a bow in combat. This benefit
applies only for straight or recurved
bows (the self bow, horse bow, long bow,
and great bow from Appendix Two:
Arms and Armor in the Book of the Fifth
Age). Kagonesti never use crossbows or
other such mechanical weapons, as they
do not possess the skill to make them.
Furthermore, all Kagonesti heroes of
Adventurer reputation or better can, in
their own lands, enchant their arrows to
inflict greater damage. This traditional
ability can be used once per day for
every card the hero's player normally
holds; for example, an archer with a reputation of Champion may enchant
five such arrows per day, as he can hold
five cards in his Hand of Fate. These
shafts act as magical arrows of renown,
granting a +4 bonus to attacks and to
the damage they inflict. Regardless of
whether an arrow hits its target, it loses
its magical bonus once it has been fired
by the archer who created it. The arrow
also loses its bonus if not used the day
it was created, but it can be enchanted
anew some later day. As this ability
depends upon the hero's connection to
his homeland, a Kagonesti elf cannot
perform these enchantments outside his
ancestral home - generally the forests of
Southern Ergoth, though wild elves do
live elsewhere as well. The elf need not
be a sorcerer to use this ability, though a
Kagonesti sorcerer who knows enchantment magic can exceed the above limits.
Kagonesti enjoy an automatic trump
bonus when attempting Perception
actions in a forest. They also gain this
bonus when they attempt to move quietly or remain unseen in a forest. Stories
related by those who have met Wilder
elves suggest that they can appear literally out of nowhere and disappear with
equal ease. Most who know them claim
that, in a forest setting, the Kagonesti
are formidable foes indeed.
Disadvantages
The Kagonesti do not like to use forged
metal weapons or armor. Some wild
elves, in their travels and adventures in
ihe outside world, have learned to use
metal weapons, but only those very
rare Kagonesti who have forsaken their
traditional ways can feel comfortable
wearing metal armor. For game purposes, Kagonesti may not use weapons
or armor Grafted of metal. Their weapons must come from natural materials
such as wood and stone.
Because the insular Kagonesti are
considered savages by most, they never
gain a trump bonus for a Presence
action when dealing with members of
other races (except when opposing mystic magic). In addition, they receive a -3 action penalty to such actions when
interacting with the Silvanesti and a -2
penalty if dealing with the Qualinesti.
In previous ages, the Kagonesti
never mastered High Sorcery. In the
Fifth Age, their understanding of the
new sorcery is limited, too, for these
folk understand magic as tied to the
elements. Most are limited to studying
aeromancy, geomancy, hydromancy,
and pyromancy. Some can learn the
schools of divination, enchantment,
and summoning, but the more unusual
schools of cryomancy, electromancy,
spectramancy, and transmutation are
not within the ken of the Kagonesti.
Likewise, the Kagonesti have little or
no knowledge of certain spheres of mysticism. They are most adept with animism, alteration, healing, and sensitivity.
Some wild elves show skill with mentalism, others with channeling or meditation. However, these elves consider
necromancy an abomination and spiritualism almost as bad, believing it wrong
to disturb a spirit that has returned to
the world or to recall one from its rest.
Half-Kagonesti
Like other half-elves, half-Kagonesti
possess some attributes of their elf parent and some of their human one. To
begin with, they must meet three of the
six Kagonesti score requirements, as
well as one code minimum and one
code maximum (player's choice).
The hero's advantages and disadvantages depend on how long he lived
with the Kagonesti. Those raised as
wild elves who continue to follow their
ways should receive this race's trump
bonuses (but not its arrow enchantment power) as well as its armor,
weapon, and magic restrictions. The
Narrator should work with the player
of a half-Kagonesti to decide exactly
which benefits and drawbacks fit the
hero's background and his chosen
score and code requirements.
Due to their half-breed status, half-Kagonesti never receive a trump bonus
for Presence actions that involve elves.