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Tests of High Sorcery

I can't answer that..." said Esme. "I can only remind you that the Test exists to weed out those wizards who might be harmful to themselves, to the order, or to innocents. Remember, too, that the Test is meant to teach the mage something about himself."

- Esme, a Red-Robed wizardess, on Tests of High Sorcery,
The Medusa Plague

When the gods of magic gave the gift of High Sorcery to the mortals of Krynn, the wizards of the new Conclave gained a solemn and terrible responsibility: to make sure no wizard used this divine gift capriciously. It was not the Conclave's place to decide whether individuals should serve Good, Evil, or Neutrality, they understood. But they also knew the gods were watching to see if mortals would use their newfound power wisely and with proper gratitude, or if the gift would make them mad with power.

Tests in Past Ages

The wizards created the Tests of High Sorcery not just to test a person's magical abilities, but also to learn how he would use his magical powers. Each Test was different, specially tailored to an applicant's own strengths, weaknesses, and needs. Failure meant death. A wizard who undertook a Test literally pledged his life to magic, and if he survived, his fellow wizards could be sure he would continue to give the fullest measure of devotion to magic.

Every Test, though unique, had several elements in common.

- They were rigorous: Failure always meant death.
- Every Test featured at least three challenges to examine the mage's knowledge and use of magic. During these challenges, the wizard had to cast every spell he knew.
- A Test included at least three perils or tasks that could not be solved through magic alone.
- In a Test, a wizard faced at least one confrontation with a known ally.
- All Tests involved the mage in solo combat with a more powerful foe.

Usually, the challenges in a Test combined several of these elements. For example, the best documented Test of the Fourth Age required Raistlin Majere to use his final spells to defeat first a dark elf wizard, then his brother Caramon, who always had been his most dependable ally.

Tests in the Fifth Age

Now that the gods have withdrawn from Krynn, the Master of the Tower still conducts Tests of High Sorcery. His goal is not to ensure that only the deserving gain access to magic - today, Krynn's primeval magic is available to almost everyone - but to maintain camaraderie among Ansalon's sorcerers, help him decide who should have access to the Tower of High Sorcery, and provide him with insight about Ansalon's most ambitious sorcerers.

The Master realizes that people who have shared a common experience - in this case a magical ordeal - form bonds that transcend most worldly matters. He believes that such bonds can help further the advancement of magical knowledge.

Like the mages of the original Conclave, the Master also is concerned about the responsible use of magical power. Therefore, he grants free access to the Tower only to those sorcerers who have proven their mettle in a Test.

Finally, the Master can assume the form of anyone who has completed a Test - this power lets him know everything that person knows, or knew (see Secrets of the Tower, Chapter Three). With a constant influx of new initiates, this power allows the Master unparalleled insights into events across Ansalon.

Requirements

A hero wishing to take a Test of High Sorcery needs a reputation of at least Adventurer and a Reason code of "A." He must journey to Wayreth's Tower by normal means - summoning spells won't transport anyone there without the Master's permission, and he never grants it for Tests. When the hero arrives at the Tower, he presents himself to the Master and states his intentions.

Every hero takes his Test alone and may carry with him only regular clothes and two weapons. The hero may not wear armor, carry a shield, or employ magical items (though his two weapons can be enchanted with combat bonuses). In earlier ages, wizards sometimes brought companions along on their Tests, and many used enchanted items, but the Master no longer allows such aid.

It is possible for several heroes to take Tests simultaneously, but the Master prefers to hold them one at a time.

Characteristics

The Master concerns himself mostly with the subject's ability to use spells creatively and effectively. Most situations that confront a hero during a Test require him to use magic to intervene on someone else's behalf. In this way, the Master reminds the subject that a sorcerer's power brings responsibility. Finally, every Test includes some elements that measure the hero's ability to discern when using magic might be appropriate and when it would not.

Each Test includes at least one situation that requires the successful use of sorcery from each of the three schools the hero has studied. In addition, the hero often faces a situation he can resolve without magic, but finds that using magic will allow a faster or more complete solution. Finally, subjects generally also have to defeat one magic-using foe in single combat.

All Tests take place inside the Tower of High Sorcery at Wayreth. Folklore maintains that several upper floors in the north tower have been set aside for Tests; however no one but the Master knows exactly where they occur. In any case, the where of these challenges is rarely vital, as Tests are most often hallucinatory - mental quests similar to the dreamscape journeys that prisoners in the dungeon experience.

To begin a Test, a hero must be unwounded and have his full daily allotment of sorcery points.Those who reach the Tower injured or fatigued can rest to refresh themselves. When ready to begin, a hero presents himself in the Hall of Mages, where the Master and at least seven high-ranking Tower residents await. (This group almost always includes Grevasse.) If the hero has brought others with him, they may enter the Hall of Mages, too.

The Test can be fatal, the Master reminds the hero at this time. However, its difficulty depends on the sorcerer's own ambition. A modest hero will face little danger but can expect little in the way of reward. The bolder the sorcerer, the greater his danger - and the potential reward. Is the hero willing to undertake the Test under these conditions? the Master asks. If the sorcerer agrees, the Test begins.

Witnesses see the hero vanish, to reappear only when he has completed the challenges before him. In most cases, the witnesses retire to another chamber for the duration of the Test. Retiring to another chamber allows Tower residents to go about their business while the Test proceeds and spares the hero's comrades the sight of their friend's dead body reappearing in the Hall of Mages if he fails.

Nature of the Test

A hero undergoing a Test of High Sorcery enters a mindscape similar to the dream world prisoners in the dungeon experience. Unlike a prisoner, however, a hero undergoing a Test always chooses his own path. He enters this mindscape with only his clothing and chosen weapons. Those who try to sneak in extra equipment find the contraband gone the moment they enter the world of the Test.

The magical guest book in the foretower (see Secrets of the Tower, Chapter Three) notes when a visitor is undergoing a Test, and that communication with him via the book isn't possible.

Mindscape Journeys

To proceed through this mindscape, a hero moves from one area to the next according to the flow chart on the next page, beginning in the space at the top marked Start. Each of these areas serves as the setting for a new scene in the Test adventure. When the hero has met the challenges one area has to offer, he must leave it to continue his journey.

When the hero feels ready to proceed, the Narrator briefly describes each of his options, offering clues as to what may lie ahead on each potential path. The clues vary according to how the Master (actually, the Narrator) has constructed the Test; some examples of clues appear in the sample area descriptions starting on page 29. After listening to the clues, the player chooses a path for the hero. He may move in only one of the directions indicated on the flow chart.

Once the hero has selected a path, his player chooses one card from his Hand of Fate - called a Test Card - and lays it face up in front of him. Its value indicates generally how much peril the hero faces as he enters the new area. The Test Card is not discarded normally; instead, it remains face up for the rest of the journey or until events force the player to discard it. At the end of the mindscape journey, the total value of all Test Cards left face up determines the successful sorcerer's reward. Those who risk greater dangers by playing high Test Cards stand to reap greater rewards - if they survive.

Unless otherwise stated, the player repeats this procedure - selecting a path from the clues, then laying a Test Card face up and drawing a replacement for his Hand of Fate - each time his hero moves to a new area.

The hero conducts combat and casts spells just as he would in any adventure, except that he always remains within the Tower and, therefore, subject to its restrictions. He cannot escape from the mindscape or move between areas with summoning spells (see Secrets of the Tower, Chapter Three). Neither can he contact individuals outside the Test or summon creatures or equipment from outside to help him. A summoning spell with a difficulty of 17 will allow the hero to open the range between him and a hostile creature by one category (this difficulty assumes an instantaneous invocation time, as anything longer would let a creature close in or attack before the spell was finished.)

Wounds and other injuries (such as ability score losses) the hero suffers during a Test are real. Anyone who dies during the Test is truly dead. However, an injured hero can stop at a Rest area (indicated on the flow chart) during his Test and recover.

Creatures

Heroes will meet a variety of creatures during a Test of High Sorcery. The sample areas described in this chapter contain game information on any creatures waiting there. If the Narrator creates areas of his own, he should include game details for creatures there as well.

The face value of the Test Card played to enter an area can increase the ability scores of the creatures the hero meets there, according to the table below:

Card Value    Ability Bonus
1-3 +0
4-6 +2
7-9 +4
10 +6

Creatures appear at melee range unless an area's description states a different range. Unless noted otherwise, a hero can escape from any creature by opening the encounter distance to far missile range. However, hostile creatures will pursue.

Atmosphere

Most areas in the mindscape appear completely real; some might even seem familiar. For instance, the hero might find himself revisiting his home town during his youth or meeting old enemies.

Sometimes the various mindscape areas are connected by hallways, roads, staircases, doors, or the like (see the sample areas described starting on the next page). Other times there is no path at all - the hero just finds himself suddenly in completely new surroundings. The Narrator should modify them to suit his own tastes.

Constructing a Test

A Narrator creates a personalized Test of High Sorcery especially for each hero. This section explains how to combine the sample areas offered in this chapter with the Narrator's tailor-made areas to create a Test. Just like an adventure, any worthwhile Test takes a bit of preparation from the Narrator before the playing session begins.

Getting Started

The flow chart on page 27 depicts the mindscape and how the areas within it relate to each other. Though the chart contains twenty-two separate areas, most heroes will pass through only about half of them during their Tests. A complete Test requires only twelve different area descriptions, as follows:

- One Rest: The hero enters a restful place where he can recover from the hardships he has experienced. He may rest more than once, but one scene will do for them all.
- One Battle: The hero must defeat a creature or group of creatures.
- Two Hazards: The hero encounters a trap or barrier that can prove dangerous if he makes a mistake or fails to think quickly.
- Two Tasks: The hero finds himself in an odd situation that requires some thought to resolve. Using magic might or might not help.
- Five areas of Magic: The hero reaches a potentially dangerous situation that requires great ingenuity or a particular kind of spell to resolve (or a little of both).
- One Duel: The hero faces single combat with another magic-using creature.

Sample Test Areas

This section features examples of the six types of Test areas, for Narrators to use as a basis for creating Tests. Like a normal-length scene in a FIFTH AGE adventure, each sample area's short description contains these elements:

- A paragraph connecting the area to the previous one in the flow chart (it offers the Narrator clues to help the player select his hero's path)
- A short Overview of the setting
- A description of what takes place there as The Test Continues
- A mention of important Actions (including details for helpful spells)
- Information on Characters to meet
- A description of the Outcome, including the rewards and consequences a hero might earn from his activities in the area.

Rest Areas

Although the flow chart contains several Rest areas, one description is sufficient for all of them.

When a hero enters the area, the player does not lay a Test Card face up. Instead, he takes the highest Test Card already face up and discards it. Before leaving the area, he regains all cards lost from his hand to wounds, and his hero's sorcery point total returns to his daily maximum (mysticism points remain unaffected).

In addition to (or instead of) the Inn, described below, the Rest area could appear as the Citadel of Light, a temple, or an empty but well-stocked cabin.

Inn of the Last Home

As he is about to leave a Test area, the hero sees a hand-painted sign pointing the way to the Inn of the Last Home.

Overview
The sorcerer enters Solace's most famous establishment, and the Inn's staff members immediately begin pampering him. They provide him with a comfortable bed, plenty of food and drink, and lots of undisturbed rest.

The Test Continues
Nothing happens to interrupt the hero's rest here. He may have the chance to hobnob briefly with famous guests at the Inn, but none of them have any information pertinent to the Test.

Actions
If the hero speaks with the Inn staff or other occupants, he can learn about the adjacent Test areas. Getting the information requires an easy Presence action.

Characters
The staff includes a bartender and sev- eral barmaids, all with the same gen- eral characteristics.

Inn staff: Humans of varied age, gender and demeanor, Unknown, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).

Outcome
If the hero is foolish enough to attack anyone at the Inn, the Test ends in failure: He finds himself ejected the maximum distance from the Tower (see Secrets of the Tower, Chapter Two).

Battle Areas

The Test's Battle areas present the hero with straightforward fights, though other elements - such as a damsel in distress, a beleaguered town, and so on - might add drama.

A Friend in Need

The sorcerer hears a familiar voice calling for help or receives a message telling him that he has one last chance to see an old friend.

Overview
Walking down a road, the hero hears the sounds of combat ahead. Upon investigating, he discovers a beloved friend from his past apparently making a last stand against a band of seven gnolls. The friend's comrades lie dead about the scene, and the friend himself bleeds from a jagged wound.

The Test Continues
The gnolls press their attacks on the hero's friend until the hero reveals himself. When he attacks, all but two gnolls turn to face him.

Actions
The hero has the normal chance to surprise the gnolls and cannot be surprised himself.

His friend has his hands full with his two gnoll attackers and can offer no assistance. If the hero kills these assailants first, two more turn on the unlucky character. The gnolls all fight to the death.

Characters
No matter how quickly the hero acts, the gnolls inflict a mortal wound on his friend.

Seven gnolls: Hostile nonhumans, Co 5, Ph 7, In 3, Es 5, Dmg +4, Def -3, also missile weapons.

Friend: Identity variable, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).

Outcome
If the hero dispatches the gnolls, his friend utters the clues to the next areas with his dying breath. Should the hero flee without dispatching the ruffians, he forfeits his highest face-up Test Card.

Bandits!

A wealthy lady approaches the hero in her carriage and offers him a lift.

Overview
The sorcerer finds himself riding in a well-appointed coach along a country road. His lady companion wears several valuable-looking items of jewelry.

The Test Continues
The driver utters a strangled cry and falls from his perch as the coach skids to a halt. Harsh voices outside demand that all within the carriage exit quietly and with hands in the air.

Actions
The hero cannot see clearly enough from inside the carriage to cast a spell or launch an attack. If he bursts out of the carriage to attack immediately, he may surprise the bandits. The leap requires an average Agility action; heroes who succeed have a normal chance to surprise the bandits. If the action fails, there is no effect, but a mishap allows the bandits to surprise him as he falls on his face.

Characters
Five bandits surround the carriage. If the hero doesn't leap out and attack right away, the thieves recognize him. They lower their weapons and offer to split the lady's jewels with him, as they don't wish to fight a hero of such renown.

Five bandits: Human male adults, lawless demeanors, Rabble, Co 5, Ph 6, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +4 (cudgels), Def-4 (chain mail).

Lady: Human female adult, fastidious demeanor, Unknown, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).

Outcome
If the hero agrees to split the lady's jewels, the bandits pretend to hand over his share, but automatically close to personal range and attack, aided by the treacherous lady. If the hero survives, his player must discard the Test Card he played to enter this area.

If the hero defends the lady, she gives him a token of her affection and tells him about the adjacent areas.

Hazard Areas

A hazard is an unexpected danger or problem that befalls the hero, requiring some quick thinking to resolve.

The Rope Bridge

A most unusual crossing lies just ahead, the sorcerer learns.

Overview
The hero finds himself a third of the way across a rickety rope bridge over a deep chasm.

The Test Continues

Wind blows along the chasm, causing the bridge to sway and twist precipitously. The planking is rotten and the frayed ropes creak loudly. If the hero doesn't fall off the bridge, it will probably break under him shortly. Either event would send him plunging into the chasm, suffering 5 damage points. He then may be surprised by the crea- tures lurking below.

Actions
The hero may try to walk gingerly across the bridge using a challenging Agility action. If he tries to backtrack instead of moving forward or dealing with the bridge, he discovers that it stretches endlessly behind him, even though the distance had seemed slight when he started across. He must attempt a challenging Agility action every minute he spends moving backward.

An enchantment or transmutation spell would strengthen the bridge enough to make it safe. The spell's difficulty is 12 points before adjustments for invocation time; however, invocations of one minute or more require an average Agility action each minute.

Cryomancy or geomancy would enable the hero to create his own bridge with ice or stone. The spell has a 14-point difficulty before adjustments for invocation time and, as before, invocations of one minute or more call for an average Agility action each minute.

A summoning spell might transport the hero safely to the far side of the bridge, with a difficulty equal to that of the enchantment or transmutation options described above.

Characters
At the bottom of the chasm live giant ants, which attack anything that falls in.

Three giant ants: Animals, Co 9, Ph 8, In 1, Es 1, Dmg +4, Def -4.

Outcome
If the hero crosses the bridge or defeats the ants, he finds a scroll directing him to the next areas in the flow chart.

Stairs of Fate

A message invites the hero to "ascend to new depths."

Overview
The sorcerer finds himself climbing a long, wooden staircase.

The Test Continues
Without warning, the stairs fold flat under the hero's feet, causing him to slide down into a pit of poisoned spikes.

Actions
The hero has one chance to avoid sliding into the pit once the stairs fold: If he has a sharp weapon, he can attempt a challenging Strength action to jam it into the wood to stop his slide. If the action succeeds, he can regain his footing and walk carefully up the slide.

A successful summoning spell can transport the hero to the top of the stairs. The spell's difficulty is 12 points before adjustments for invocation time; however, the hero has only one minute before he falls into the pit.

Cryomancy or geomancy would enable the hero to fill the pit with ice or stone. The spell difficulty for this action is 14 before adjustments for invocation time. As before, the hero has only a minute to work his sorcery.

If he falls into the pit, he suffers 8 damage points and must attempt a challenging Endurance action to resist the poison. Failing inflicts an additional 8 damage points, while a mishap causes him to die of his wounds.

Characters
There are no creatures in the area.

Outcome
If the hero gets to the top of the stairs, he meets a withered old crone carrying a crystal ball in one hand. She stares into the ball and describes the adjacent areas, then vanishes in a puff of smoke.

Heroes who fell into the pit discover one or more doors there, each bearing a plaque that describes an adjacent area behind the door.

Task Areas

The hero faces an unusual situation that requires some serious thought - or a creative spell - to resolve.

The Shell Game

The hero is told he may make a wager with the dead.

Overview
Entering a street lined with the ruins of ancient buildings, the sorcerer might recognize the place as one of Ansalon's famous lost cities, such as Xak Tsaroth, (see the "Abanasinia" section of Chapter Two in Dusk or Dawn) or as the remains of his home city.

The Test Continues
For several minutes, the hero sees nothing but ruins all around him. As he wanders or looks about, he spies a crowd of diaphanous figures (spectres) gathered around a small table. The next moment, the finds himself standing in front of the table. One of the figures places a pea under one of three shells, shuffles the shells around, and then demands that the hero pick out which shell hides the pea.

Actions
All the spectres counterattack if the hero attacks one of them or tries to flee without playing the game.

An average Perception action lets the hero figure out which shell should hide the pea, but that isn't helpful - the spectre has slipped the pea out from under it. A divination spell with a difficulty of 4 points before adjusting for invocation time reveals that the pea isn't under any shell.

Accusing the shell-shuffling spectre of removing the pea - or choosing the "wrong" shell - provokes the creature to attack, but the others just watch.

The only way the hero can leave this area without a fight is to lift up two shells at once. This tactic fails to reveal the pea, implying that it must be under the remaining shell without actually exposing the spectre's duplicity.

Characters
The group here contains five spectres, including the one playing the shell game.

Five spectres: Undead creatures, Co 15, Ph 6, In 7, Es 8, Dmg +4, Def -4, also Endurance drain.

Outcome
If the hero wins the shell game, the spectre winks and tells him about the adjacent areas. Those who fight or flee the spectres and survive find an inscription on a monument directing him to the nearby areas.

A Cool Drink

A sign or passerby explains that a damsel awaits with a task for a gallant soul.

Overview A beautiful young maiden wearing a sun bonnet and a pretty dress (or a doddering old crone wearing a threadbare shawl and a tattered dress) sits weeping next to a ruined well.

This woman might appear as a girl who once spurned the hero's affections or as an unfriendly neighbor.

The Test Continues
The hero hears the woman crying before he sees her. When he comes into view, the woman clasps her hands in front of her, as though giving thanks.

If the sorcerer approaches, the thirsty woman explains her predicament. She has a little china cup, but the well is far too deep for her to reach the water. There is no bucket to get water and no rope to lower a bucket anyway.

Actions
The hero can climb down the well and fill the woman's cup. This gallantry requires an average Agility action for the climb and a challenging Dexterity action to avoid spilling the water on the way back up.

If the Agility action fails, the hero slips down the well, suffering 5 damage points. A mishap sends him plunging headfirst into the water to suffer 10 damage points; then he must attempt a challenging Endurance action to avoid drowning. Assuming the hero survives, he still has to climb out of the well.

If the initial Dexterity action fails, the sorcerer spills the water and must go back for more. A mishap means he dropped the cup and broke it.

A simple hydromancy spell (with a difficulty of 4 points before adjusting for invocation time) would fill the woman's cup with water. However, she doesn't want to drink anything created with magic. Convincing her the water is okay requires an average Presence (Spirit) action.

A summoning spell with a difficulty of 6 before adjustment for invocation time brings water from the well into the cup, but also requires the above Presence action to get the woman to drink it. Two summoning spells, each with a difficulty of 8 points before adjusting for invocation time, can send the cup into the well and bring it back full.

A transmutation spell cast on a thread or hair can create a string long enough to lower the cup into the well and haul it back up again; the spell's difficulty is 10 points before adjustment for invocation time.

A 20-point aeromancy spell (before adjusting for invocation time) can create rain to fill the cup.

Characters
The woman actually is a gorgon. She won't attack a hero who gets her a drink.

Gorgon: A monster, Co 5, Ph 8, In 6, Es 6, Dmg +2, Def -3, also petrify and poison.

Outcome
The woman tells the hero about the adjacent areas if he gets her a drink. If he avoids her, he must discard his highest Test Card. Should the gorgon have cause to petrify the hero, she breaks apart the resulting statue, killing him.

Duel Areas

A duel pits the hero against another spellcaster in a fight to the death.

Dark Elf

The hero receives a warning that he isn't the only sorcerer in the area.

Overview
The fight in this area resembles the one Raistlin Majere faced during his Test.

The Test Continues
This Duel area lacks any obstacles that might provide cover. As the hero enters, a dark elf appears at near missile range and immediately begins a spell: a work of spectramancy that makes the whole area dark, rendering the hero effectively blind. The elf, however, has already cast a spell to let him see in the dark.

The darkness spell has a one- minute invocation time, so if the hero can harm the dark elf with an instantaneous spell or a missile attack, he disrupts it. If the elf's spell works, he follows up with an electromancy attack that inflicts 5 damage points, followed by a necromancy spell that - if successful - kills the hero. The dark elf alternates between electromancy and necromancy until the fight ends. He uses one minute invocation times until the hero disrupts one of his spells, then switches to instantaneous invocations.

Actions

A hero in the dark suffers a -4 penalty on all combat actions (including changing range) and cannot direct spells at the dark elf accurately. A spectramancy or enchantment spell with a difficulty of 15 points before adjusting for invocation time cancels the darkness.

Characters
The dark elf wears black robes over leather armor and carries a magical long sword. If he runs out of spell points, he switches to melee or missile attacks.

Dark elf: Silvanesti male adult, bigoted demeanor, same reputation as hero, Co 8, Ph 5, In 8, Es 7, Dmg +9 (long sword of distinction); Def -2 (leather armor), also missile weapons (light crossbow/+5), sorcery (spectramancy, divination, electromancy), and mysticism (necromancy).

Outcome
If the hero defeats the dark elf, he finds a book or scroll lying nearby, which describes the adjacent areas. Should the hero flee, the player discards the Test Card he played to enter the area.

Magic Areas

Areas of magic present the hero with situations or dangers that sorcery can solve most readily. These areas generally require a specific type of sorcery, but some lend themselves to spells from several different schools.

Labyrinth

The hero is told, "There is only one true way."

Overview
Using only one spell, the sorcerer must find his way out of a maze. Unbeknownst to him, three traps and a hostile opponent await within the maze's twists and turns.

This Magic area is geared for the school of divination.

The Test Continues
The hero finds himself standing before a T-intersection of three featureless corridors. He does not have to cast his one spell immediately - he may opt to explore the immediate vicinity first. Heroes who explore encounter a pit trap within the first twenty paces.

Actions
A sorcerer who succeeds at an average Agility action avoids the trap; otherwise, he falls into a covered pit with rough stone walls. The pit remains open, but climbing out requires a challenging Agility action. If he does not leave the pit within ten minutes, the creature inhabiting the maze - an enormous gelatinous cube - will find and attack him (see "Characters").

The hero's best chance to navigate the maze safely is to construct a divination spell that indicates the quickest path out, as well as any traps. Such spells reveal no information about the cube directly, though a wise hero may choose to track the position of an object the creature has absorbed, thereby keeping tabs on the monster's position. The spell's difficulty before adjustments for invocation time and duration is 13 to find a path; each additional request (finding traps or tracking a moving object) adds 1 point to the base difficulty. It takes at least half an hour to exit the maze. The hero can use only one spell to find his way out of this area - subsequent castings have no effect.

Alternately, the hero can use transmutation to change a hair or thread into a rope to mark the route he has traversed; cryomancy or geomancy can create ice pellets or stones to do the same thing. The difficulty of any of these castings is 8 points before adjustments for invocation time and duration; however, these items last only until swept up by the passage of the gelatinous cube. A random draw from the Fate Deck determines exactly how many minutes any path markers last. Once the cube sweeps up the markers, they're useless for finding the way out.

If the cube finds the hero (see below), he must make a daunting Perception action to avoid surprise. Should he come upon the monster instead, he has the normal chance to avoid surprise.

Characters
The gelatinous cube is a bizarre mass of clear protoplasm ten feet thick that fills the entire corridor. The creature moves through the maze continuously, sweeping up debris as it goes. It paralyzes and eventually digests any organic matter it holds, while inorganic matter just rides along, suspended within its protoplasm. Absorbed heroes die after ten minutes.

The hero may meet this monster in one of two ways: If he remains in any one place ten minutes (such as in the pit or standing around casting a spell), the cube finds him and attacks.

If the cube doesn't find the hero, he should stumble across it instead at a three-way or four-way intersection (Narrator's option). Should the hero quickly step into a side passage, the cube passes by without turning to pursue him. However, the hero will encounter this creature again and again as long as he remains in the maze.

After each meeting, the player draws a new card from the Fate Deck; the face value indicates how many minutes elapse before the hero's next meeting with the monster. On any meeting after the first, the cube recognizes the hero as debris and actively pursues him. He must either fight the cube or open the distance between them to far missile range to escape it temporarily.

Gelatinous cube: A monster, Co 5, Ph 9, In 3, Es 3, Dmg +2, Def -1, also paralyze.

Outcome
Heroes who slay the cube have as much time as they need to escape the maze. Two pillars, engraved with the clues to the next areas, mark the exit.

Squalls Ahead

The hero spies a sign that says, "This way to the Turbidus Ocean," or perhaps a passer-by tells him he'll soon take a journey over water.

Overview
The sorcerer finds himself at sea, the only spellcaster on a small minotaur ship. After a few minutes, he hears the lockout shout, "Squall!"

This test ofaeromancy might also be suitable for cryomancy or enchantment.

The Test Continues
The approaching storm threatens to send the already waterlogged vessel to the sea floor. Looking the hero in the eye, the captain bellows, "Avast there, sorcerer! Earn your keep! Either man the pumps or magic away that storm- it'll sink us for sure!"

Actions
If the hero chooses to man the pumps, he must make a successful daunting Strength action or be swept overboard when the storm hits; a mishap means he drowns. Regardless of the success or failure of this action, though, the ship capsizes and sinks in the storm, forcing the sorcerer to succeed in a challenging Endurance action to avoid drowning.

An aeromancy spell can quell the storm, but the difficulty is 32 points before adjustments for invocation time, which must be thirty minutes or less to do any good. Conjuring up a favorable wind will take the ship safely away from the storm. This work of aeromancy has a difficulty of 10 points before duration or invocation adjustments. Again, only spells cast within half an hour or less can do any good. The ship must sail at least three hours to reach safety from the storm. The hero can try to save the ship with one spell, or he can cast several of shorter duration.

Using a cryomancy spell to fill the ship with ice will keep it from sinking, as will an enchantment to make it unsinkable. Either spell has a difficulty of 13 points before adjustments for invocation time or duration, but only those cast in half an hour or less take effect quick enough to do any good. The ship must ride out the storm for at least three hours before the squall blows out. To keep from being swept overboard in the storm, heroes should attempt average Agility actions. Those who fall into the sea must attempt a challenging Endurance action to survive. Heroes who suffer a mishap at either action drown.

Characters
The minotaurs belittle any physical action the hero attempts - they brought him along for his magic use.

Six crewmembers: Adult male minotaurs, belligerent demeanors, Adventurers, Co 5, Ph 8, In 4, Es 5, Dmg +3, Def -2.

Outcome
Assuming the hero saves the ship, the minotaurs make port and describe the adjacent areas as he goes ashore. If he was washed overboard but survives, a fisherman plucks him from the water and puts him ashore, giving him clues about the next areas as he does so.

Save Me!

In this area, the hero is told to pluck two tender morsels from the jaws of a ravenous beast.

Overview
Foul-smelling smoke clouds the air around the sorcerer, and concerned-looking commoners run to and fro, some carrying buckets, some clutching valuables or children. Through the smoke and clamor, the hero can see a huge tenement wreathed in flame.

This Magic area can test the hero's command of cryomancy, aeromancy, geomancy, hydromancy, or pyromancy.

The Test Continues
A woman and a child, crouching miserably at a window, remain trapped on an upper floor of the burning building, awaiting rescue. A bucket brigade has formed, but it has little effect. A ladder tall enough to reach the trapped people is at hand, but the flames engulfing the lower floors are so intense the ladder and anyone climbing it would be incinerated before reaching the upper floor.

Actions
A sufficient volume of ice, snow, or water will quench the fire, as would a pyromancy spell (to dampen the flames) large enough to cover the whole building. Such spells have difficulty ratings of 19 points before invocation adjustments, but they must be cast within half an hour or less to save the people.

A sheet of ice large enough to cover one wall of the building would allow someone to scale the ladder and make the rescue. This work of cryomancy has a difficulty of 13 points before adjustment for invocation time, but faces the same time restrictions as those above.

A cryomancy or geomancy spell could make a pile of snow or a pit of mud deep enough to allow the trapped pair to jump to safety. The spells have difficulties of 9 points before adjustment for invocation time. However, an average Presence (Spirit) action is required to induce the two to jump.

Aeromancy could create enough rain to douse the fire; the spell has a difficulty of 20 points before invocation adjustment. Should the hero try to create a wind strong enough to lift himself or another rescuer to the top floor, his spell requires a difficulty of 16 points before adjustment for invocation time. He also must succeed in an average Presence (Spirit) action to convince the pair to walk out into thin air. He could try plucking them out of the window with aeromancy, but the pair would resist the attempt.

Characters
The members of the bucket brigade recognize the hero as a sorcerer and, if he hesitates, they demand he do something. Six of them pursue and attack if the hero tries to leave without rescuing the woman and child. The woman and child might resemble people the hero knows: The woman might be a sibling or friend, while the child might be a childhood pal or rival.

Locals: Men, women, and children of various races and demeanors, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).

Outcome
If the hero saves the pair, the woman gives him a hug and whispers the clues to the adjacent areas. Should the hero actually flee the area, he finds a charred signpost pointing out his possible paths.

Golden Fleece

The message to the hero indicates that he will attract great wealth.

Overview
In this Magic area, the sorcerer must fill a bushel basket with some of the legendary golden fleece.

The challenge here can test a creative hero's command of electromancy.

The Test Continues
The hero finds himself in a pleasant grove alive with birdsong and sunshine. Before him, a young blond woman dressed in a loose tunic sits beside an old man who appears to be sleeping. The woman looks up at the hero's approach, tears in her eyes. "My father is dying," she says. "All that can save him now is to be covered in the golden fleece. But alas, I cannot fight the golden ram." She buries her face in her hands and weeps softly.

Actions
The hero can acquire the necessary fleece by two means: He can track the ram to its lair, slay it, and return with its hide, or he can gather tufts of its wool that have caught on bushes throughout the grove. The hero cannot tame the ram, and the creature will not allow itself to be sheared.

Tracking the beast requires an average Perception action. Alternately, the hero can use a divination spell (difficulty of 4 points before adjusting for invocation time) to locate the fleece, though spells lead first to the tufts stuck on the bushes, not to the ram.

The hero can try to gather the wool without magic, but the fleece is difficult to find and even harder to remove from the bushes; the ram attacks the hero after a few hours' work. A sorcerer proficient in electromancy can charge himself with static, then simply move through the grove - the bits of wool will fly to him through electrostatic attraction. The spell difficulty is 8 points before adjustments for invocation and duration. By this method, it takes only an hour to gather enough wool to cover the woman's father.

Characters
The huge and vicious ram will fight the hero to the death. It attacks on sight, with normal chances for surprise on both sides. The hero may fight it with weapons or magic.

Golden ram: An animal, Co 8, Ph 9, In 2, Es 10, Dmg +4, Def -3.

Woman: Human female young adult, simple demeanor, Unknown, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).

Outcome
If the hero attacks the woman or refuses to aid her, this area's test ends in failure. Should the hero cover himself completely with the fleece, either by gathering the wool or by wrapping himself in the ram's skin, he finds any wounds or diseases healed. Giving the fleece to the woman leads her to tell him the clues about the next areas.

The Jilted Lover

The sorcerer receives a message to the effect that he's gotten himself in hot water over the affections of a lady.

Overview
In this Magic area, the unlucky hero must advance the matrimonial agenda of a particularly loathsome ogress.

The Test Continues
The hero finds himself bound hand and foot, standing in a large cast-iron cauldron full of water. He can see his possessions sticking out of a sack in the opposite corner of the room.

A large and especially ugly specimen of femininity turns from a huge table and throws a handful of chopped vegetables into the pot with the hero. "Swampweed," she mutters. "Maybe another handful will add some flavor." Turning again, she glares balefully at the hero. "Scrawny one. Only good for stewing. But they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and it's high time I got me a husband."

Alys, the ogress, is in search of a mate. No ogre has yet cast a romantic eye on her, but she remains convinced that a pretty face or a good pot of stew will attract a man.

Actions
The hero can try to escape from the pot or offer to help the ogress get a husband in exchange for his freedom.

To break or wiggle free of his bonds requires a daunting Strength or Dexterity action from the sorcerer. If he suc- ceeds, he can climb out of the pot before the ogress notices. Assuming he just wants to free his hands for spell-casting, the action difficulty falls to challenging. To flee the room, he must open the range; he enjoys no trump bonus while bound. He can also try to escape with a summoning spell, but he must cast off his bonds first. The spell has a difficulty of 16 points before adjustments for invocation time.

After four minutes, Alys lights a fire under the pot and sits down at a table littered with pots of rouge and kohl, plus brushes, combs, and beaded jewelry. She begins fussing with her hair and face. A pyromancer or hydromancer can put out the flames, while a cryomancer or geomancer can create ice or dirt to quell the fire. Any such spell involves 14 points of difficulty before adjusting for invocation time, but Alys will notice the casting immediately and come to investigate.

"A sorcerer, are you?" she says with a gleam in her eyes. "I need a husband. Know any magic to make me beautiful?" Alys will release the hero upon his promise to help her.

If the hero does not escape from the pot or volunteer to help Alys, she continues making him into stew.

Characters
Enchanting the ogress's cosmetics can enhance their ability to improve her appearance, or similar magic directed at her cookpot can improve the quality of her stew. The difficulty for either of these spell options is 6 points before adjustments for invocation time.

Alys the ogress: A hostile nonhuman, Co 5, Ph 13, In 3, Es 6, Dmg +5, Def -3, also thrown weapons.

Outcome
If the hero fails to escape or aid Alys in her romantic endeavors, he becomes her dinner. Should he succeed in enchanting her cosmetics, cookpot, or other like item, a knock sounds at her door. The visitor - a handsome fellow (for an ogre) - causes Alys to immediately forget about the hero, allowing him to collect his belongings and depart.

A raccoon approaches the sorcerer outside the ogress's shack. It holds in its mouth a scroll describing the next areas.

The Apple

The sorcerer receives a message touting the value of an apple a day.

Overview
In this Magic area, the hero must sneak a gem of great value out of a treasure trove past a pair of vigilant guardians.

The Test Continues
The hero finds himself in a large chamber filled with all manner of treasure. With him is a companion, Wendel, whom he recognizes as a recent acquaintance - a summoner of some skill.

Gold, gems, and jewelry lie heaped in untidy piles on the floor, and the walls are draped with rich tapestries and brocades. "Told you I could get us in here," remarks Wendel with a smirk.

"I had a glimpse of this magical stash once before. Now we just have to find the tree, grab one of those ruby apples the khan's daughter wanted, then I'll zap us right back to his tent. Just remember, touch nothing here but the apple - that's what that Khur fakir said. Good thing we didn't have to come in past those guardians out front, eh? Hey, there it is!"

Wendel points to a magnificent tree with a golden trunk and green leaves that sparkle in the lantern light. From its branches hang perfect apples of ruby red. "Grab one and I'll - hey!" exclaims Wendel, bending to pick up an object from the floor. "This looks like the ring I lost when..." Upon touching the ring, Wendel crumples to the ground, dead.

Actions
Wendel succumbed to the fate of those who disobey directions on an enchanted quest. Hopefully, the hero learned something from his demise.

Once he has secured an apple, the sorcerer must escape from the treasury. A summoning spell can transport him back to a familiar area; the spell difficulty is 18 points before adjusting for invocation time. If he spends more then five minutes casting, however, the guardians Wendel mentioned come to investigate. A hero with no summoning ability must get past the guardians at the entrance: a pair of animated statues that can detect items of value.

A transmutation spell using geomancy can change the apple into a lump of coal or worthless stone (4-point difficulty), which the statues will not detect. Alternately, a geomancer could tunnel out (14-point difficulty). The indicated spell difficulties do not include invocation adjustments.

Characters
The guardians are a pair of huge stone statues of elf warriors in full battle gear. They become animate when anyone comes within ten feet of the entrance.

The statues can detect gold, silver, gems, and other items of value. If the hero tries to leave by the entrance with any such items, including the apple, the statues move to block his path, swords drawn. "Put it back," they demand, launching an attack if the hero does not turn back. The guardians stare balefully at a hero carrying no items of value or magic, but they allow him to pass.

Wendel: Human male adult, roguish demeanor, Adventurer, Co 5, Ph 5, In 7 (49), Es 6, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing), also summoning.

Two guardians: Animated statues, Co 8, Ph 12, In 9, Es 9, Dmg +10, Def -10, also detect items of value.

Outcome
Should the hero fail to escape or try to remove any item save the apple from the treasury, this challenge ends poorly, and he must discard his last Test Card. If he retrieves the apple and escapes, he finds himself in a grand tent, where the khan gratefully accepts the prize for his smiling daughter and an old fakir tells him about the next areas.

The Great Fire

The hero smells smoke or learns about a town about to be reduced to ashes.

Overview
Entering a small town threatened by a raging forest fire, the sorcerer finds the citizens all looking to him for help. The town might resemble one where the hero is well known. This situation can test hydromancy, aeromancy, divination, pyromancy, or summoning.

The Test Continues
The hero finds himself walking down a dusty street in a little town. Though the forest all around him blazes with autumn color, the air feels stifling. Every rain barrel and horse trough is bone dry. Clouds of sooty black smoke ring the town, and the occasional hot, dry, breeze carries the smell of ash.

A group of frantic citizens rush up to the hero and beg for his help, explaining that the whole town is ringed by fire. They must find a way to fight off the flames or be burned alive within twenty-four hours.

Actions
Some fairly straightforward hydromancy can supply the town with enough water to fight the flames. A spell to replenish the water supply all at once has a difficulty rating of 20 points before adjusting for invocation time, or the hero can use several spells to conjure smaller amounts of water - but to save the town, he must finish that same day. Once they have water again, locals drape their roofs with blankets and soak them down, allowing the town to survive with little damage.

An aeromancy spell can create rain to soak the town. Creating this much rain all at once has a difficulty of 26 points before invocation adjustment. The hero cannot cover enough area to extinguish the forest fire, however.

Pyromancy could douse the flames, but again, the hero can't put out the whole forest fire this way. Using a spell with a difficulty of 17 points before adjustment for invocation time, he can quench fires in individual buildings when they start. Only a spell cast in ten minutes or less can save a building. At least eight such spells will be needed.

A divination might locate a new source of water for the town. Such a spell has a difficulty of 15 points before invocation adjustment. The sorcerer must cast it within twelve hours of his arrival, as the townsfolk need time to dig new wells.

Finally, a 20-point summoning spell (before invocation adjustment) could evacuate the town's population to a place beyond the flames.

A hero who flees the town without helping out meets the creature that started the deadly blaze: a fire elemental.

Characters
The townsfolk let the hero go if he won't help, saying they were hoping for a miracle, but the hero clearly wasn't it.

Townsfolk: Men, women, and children of various races and demeanors, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +0 (unarmed), Def -0 (common clothing).

Fire elemental: A monster, Co 6, Ph 48, In 5, Es 11, Dmg +15, Def -4, also trample, pyromancy.

Outcome
Should the hero flee without helping, the player must discard the Test Card he put down for this area. If he saved the people but not the town, the player must discard his lowest Test Card, whereas saving the town and the people requires no card loss. The grateful townsfolk tell their savior about the adjacent areas. Otherwise, the hero hears what to expect from the fire elemental - as it launches its first counterattack.

Two if by Sea

The hero receives a message warning of invaders from the sea.

Overview
The sorcerer faces the task of lighting two signal fires on a dark and stormy night. This Magic area tests his command of pyromancy or spectramancy.

The Test Continues
The hero finds himself standing in the rain atop a cliff, looking down at a storm-tossed sea. An elderly knight at his elbow peers into the darkness, then excitedly points out the invader's ship, a barely visible black silhouette against the darkness. Smiling, the knight turns and claps the hero on the shoulder.

"So it's to be by sea, then! Climb up yonder and light the signal fires, and be sure to get them going in an hour, or the enemy will surprise the garrison for sure. Keep both fires burning bright for at least an hour after they're lit or nobody will see them."

Actions
If the hero does as ordered, he finds two small stone towers and a little hut.

Firewood has been piled up on the towers, and extra fuel lies all about. However, the rain has completely soaked all the wood. A pyromancy spell with a difficulty of 9 points before invocation adjustment could ignite the wood for one signal, as long as it the hero casts it within thirty minutes. Once he has the fires lit, he must repeat the spells as he adds sodden fuel to them. If he starts a third fire inside the hut, he can dry fuel for the signal fires and needs only one additional spell.

Two spectramancy spells with difficulties of 13 points before invocation adjustment can create lights big and bright enough to serve as signal fires.

A spell cast at the ship will fail.

Characters
The knight stays at the cliff until the hero goes to light the fires. If the hero hesitates or refuses, the knight cries, "Traitor!" and attacks. Should the sorcerer defeat or elude the knight - or fail to light the fires - he must deal with a party of invaders the next morning. They attack to kill.

Knight: Human male elder adult, forthright demeanor, Master, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +4 (cutlass), Def -5 (plate armor).

Ten brute invaders: Hostile non-humans, Co 6, Ph 11, In 6, Es 8, Dmg +8, Def -5, also missile weapons.

Outcome
If the hero signals, the knight returns in the morning flushed with victory and tells him about the next areas. A refugee fleeing the invaders offers clues to any hero who didn't signal but survived the brute attack; however, his player must discard his last Test Card.

The Fugitive

The night can play tricks on the eyes, the sorcerer is told.

Overview
The hero must help a local constable apprehend an escaped felon in this Magic area, which tests his practice of spectramancy and geomancy.

The Test Continues
As night is falling, the hero appears at the edge of a field that seems to stretch for miles. Nearby, six peasants with pitchforks speak angrily with the local sheriff, who assures them justice will prevail.

Recognizing the hero, the sheriff approaches him for assistance in capturing an escaped criminal.

"He got away from me about here. I reckon he's out in that there field someplace waiting for dark, when he can sneak away," explains the sheriff glumly. "But I can't comb yonder field by m'self, and they're not much help," he continues, waving at the glowering peasants. "They'd just as soon kill him as look at him, but he's got to stand trial first."

Actions
The hero can aid the sheriff in various ways. A spectramancer can light up the entire area to daylight brightness, allowing the sheriff and peasants to easily spot the lurking fugitive. The difficulty of this spell is 14 points before adjustments for invocation time and duration, and it has to last at least five minutes to do any good.

A spectramancy spell also could produce simulated torchlight to convince the escapee that his pursuers are upon him, causing him to break his cover. This 4-point spell (plus invocation and duration adjustments) assumes the hero creates only one such area of torchlight but cannot roust out the villain unless it lasts at least an hour.

A geomancy spell to create a small earth tremor (14-point difficulty without invocation adjustment) would flush out the villain as well.

Characters

The sheriff goes along with the hero's plan or, if the hero has no ideas, he simply recruits him to help sweep the field. The peasants, suspicious of both the hero and the sheriff, want to charge into the field and slay the miscreant. They grudgingly let the law handle the situation, provided the fugitive is caught before morning. Otherwise, they will turn on the sheriff and hero.

The fugitive is a dark elf, a nervous fellow who breaks cover and runs at the first sign that his pursuers have spotted his hiding place.

Sheriff: Human male adult, practical demeanor, Rabble, Co 5, Ph 7, In 6, Es 5, Dmg +5 (scimitar), Def -3 (chain mail).

Six peasants: Human men and women of varied age and demeanor, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +5 (pitchfork), Def-0 (common clothing).

Fugitive: Qualinesti male young adult, resolute demeanor, Adventurer, Co 7, Ph 6, In 7, Es 8, Dmg +2, Def-2 (leather), also missile weapons.

Outcome

Refusing to help find the fugitive means this challenge ends in failure and the player discards his last Test Card. Searching the field unaided by magic will not suffice, either - the sheriff and hero will come up empty-handed in the morning and face the wrath of the peasants. (The player merely loses his lowest Test Card.) Should the hero aid in capturing the fugitive, the sheriff tells him about the next areas. Otherwise, a peasant woman reveals the clues.

Caged

The hero receives a warning about a cat who hunts caged birds.

Overview
The sorcerer finds himself trapped in a cage suspended above a bottomless abyss. This Magic area tests his summoning ability, though several other sorcerous schools might be helpful, too.

The Test Continues
Confined in a locked iron cage just large enough for two or three people, the hero can notice to either side many similar prisons, all suspended from great chains that disappear upward into the darkness. Each one hangs about a stone's throw from another. At almost the limit of his vision, the hero can see an open cage with a knotted rope hanging out. Just beyond that hangs the vague outline of a cage with something squatting on top.

Actions
Escaping the cage by bending the bars or picking the lock requires a daunting Strength or Dexterity action. Turning a section of the bars into a metal or mineral that can be more easily bent requires a transmutation spell using geomancy; the spell has a difficulty of 10 before adjusting for invocation time.

If the hero spends more than half an hour in the cage, a ghoul scrabbles down the chain overhead and claws at him through the bars. The bars don't hinder this undead creature in the least, but force the hero to attack with very light or light weapons only.

A sorcerer who wins free of the cage can try to leap to the next one or climb the chain. Climbing requires a challenging Agility action; failing means the hero falls on top of his cage and suffers 1 damage point, whereas a mishap means he misses the cage and falls to his death. Even if he succeeds, the climbing hero meets a ghoul clinging to the chain and must conduct combat. He cannot cast instant spells while clinging to the chain and can employ only very lighter light weapons. If he defeats the ghoul, he encounters another, then another - the chain is endless, as is the parade of ghouls.

Leaping to the next cage requires a daunting Agility action - but a ghoul attacks from above when the hero reaches the next cage. If the action fails, the hero falls to his death.

An aeromancy spell (difficulty of 13 points before invocation or duration adjustments) can lift or lower the hero. Anyone traveling upward in this fashion must land eventually and fight a ghoul, but he'll never reach the top. If he descends, it takes a day to reach the bottom, so he must renew his aeromancy spell in midair. Failure at a renewal spell, or allowing himself to free-fall, causes a hero to plummet to his death.

Using summoning spells or magical bridges, the hero can move between cages toward the rope that dangles six cages away. Creating a stone or ice span requires an 11-point geomantic or cryomantic spell (before invocation adjustment). However, the bridge-maker finds himself assailed by a ghoul during the crossing. Summoning oneself from one cage to the next is just as difficult as creating a bridge, but at least the ghouls leave the hero alone - as long as he remains in a cage at all times. And, as mentioned earlier, the hero may spend no more than thirty minutes in any single cage.

One summoning spell with a difficulty of 12 points before adjustment for invocation time can bring the hero to the cage with the rope in one jump, or bring the rope to the hero's cage. Because the hero can neither see the exit nor surmise its location, he cannot escape the area via a summoning spell.

Finally, the "floor" below the cages is too far away for the hero to reach using an object he might create with sorcery.

Characters
Ghouls first paralyze their victims, then devour them.

Countless ghouls: Undead, Co 5, Ph 6, In 3, Es 6, Dmg +6, Def -2, also paralyze.

Outcome
The hero leaves the area after descending to the floor.

Moving a Mountain

The hero receives the following cryptic message: "What cannot be scaled in one leap must be scaled in small steps."

Overview
In this Magic area, the sorcerer must relocate a large monument in the desert.

The Test Continues
At the foot of a colossal stone statue of a dragon, the hero sees a man sitting on a block, wearing desert garb and a disconsolate expression. "The wrong site. I built it on the wrong site," he moans to himself. "How will I ever move it?"

Looking up at the hero's approach, the man recognizes him as a great sorcerer.

"Help me, Great One! I must move this statue five hundred feet south, over the true battle site where the dragon lord defeated his Final foe. No other site will do." He paused, wringing his hands. "It means my life!"

This man, Clotus, is a sculptor and architect, ordered by the local dragon lord to build a monument to his glory. Though it took hundreds of workers to raise the granite statue, the Great Dragon decreed that none shall help the hapless architect move it.

Actions
With an impossible Strength action, the hero can drag one block from the colossus about ten feet. However, a transmutation spell can change a block from granite to chalk, enabling the hero and Clotus to carry it easily to its new site, block by block, and reconstruct it there. The chalk block will revert back to granite when the spell's duration lapses.

The statue contains five hundred blocks. Transmuting one block requires a 4-point spell (before adjusting for invocation time and duration). Changing ten blocks at once increases the base difficulty to 12 points, while changing one hundred blocks at once makes it 16 points. To transmute the whole statue at once, a sorcerer faces a base spell difficulty of 18 points.

Multiple blocks are too heavy to move at once, even when changed to chalk. However, once the hero transforms them, Clotus can get hundreds of locals to assist, defying the dragon's orders. The locals need about five hours to move all the blocks, but can move ten blocks in about eight minutes or one hundred in just about an hour. The transmutation must last until all the blocks are moved or it doesn't help.

Characters

Clotus agrees readily to any plan the hero proposes.

Clotus: Human male adult, heedless demeanor, Unknown, Co 5, Ph 5, In 5, Es 5, Dmg +3 (stone mason's tools), Def -0 (common clothing).

Outcome
Should the hero refuse to aid Clotus, this challenge ends in failure, and the player must discard the last Test Card he put down. A hero who helped Clotus finds an inscription on the very top block describing the next areas. Otherwise, a tearful Clotus offers the clues.

After the Test

Every sorcerer knows the serious consequences of a Test of High Sorcery. A hero killed during the Test is slain, and his body returns to the Hall of Mages. If he came alone. Tower residents magically transport his body into Wayreth Forest and forget all about him. Test survivors with unhealed wounds can recover at the Tower. However, lost ability score points stay lost.

A Test veteran gains standing permission to visit the Tower. He can freely summon himself to the foretower and generally enjoys only a short trip through Wayreth Forest - unless the Master does not particularly want him to visit at that time. The copper dragon Clang, the forest's primary guardian (see Chapter One), is inclined to let the hero pass unmolested, provided he has not offended her.

Items the hero collected in his Test remain in the mindscape, except rewards.

Items Rewards

In addition to Tower privileges, the hero can expect another reward for passing the Test. The nature of this prize depends on the total value of the Test Cards left at the Test's end: The higher the total, the more risks the hero undertook, and the greater his reward:

Card Total    Hero's Reward
30 or less None
31-60 Reason increase
61-75 Trinket
76-90 Treasure
91-105 Artifact
106 or more Soulforge

Reason Increase

The Test has taught the hero something about himself, which grants him a free attempt to improve his Reason score, according to the rules in Chapter One of the Book of the Fifth Age.

Trinket

The hero receives a minor item of magic, along with a free attempt to improve his Reason score (as above). Perhaps a figure offers him the trinket before he exits the mindscape, or the Master might present it to him after the Test. The Narrator selects the item.

Treasure

A magical treasure is awarded to the hero (as above). He may also attempt to improve his Reason score.

Artifact

The hero's efforts during his Test place him on a par with the most famed sorcerers of his generation. In recognition, he receives a powerful, unique artifact, along with a free attempt to improve his Reason score. Palin Majere received the Staff of Magius in this fashion.

Soulforge

The hero may be one of the most dedicated sorcerers ever to inhabit Ansalon. Powerful and influential wizards like Justarius and Raistlin Majere exhibited similar determination during their Tests.

So rigorous was the hero's Test that it has reforged his very being. He earns a magical artifact (as above), along with free attempts to improve both his Reason and Spirit scores. However, the experience also transformed him in some fashion, to forever remind him of his Test and mark his dedication. The Soulforge gave Justarius an obvious limp, while Raistlin was granted golden skin and hourglass eyes. In game terms, this disfigurement neither harms nor helps the hero.

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