World of Esaene (ENWorld)

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Update

I'm working on prestige classes and fleshing out the magical paths right now. When I get a few hours of free time in a row, I'll finish cleaning up the mechanics section and then talk to my layout girl about setting this up in a simple playtest format.

In the meantime, I'm doing what I can in what few scraps of time are available. This is usually an hour here, a half an hour there, etc. It's not the most productive time, but I get a few things done. I'll keep updating here regularly.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

[Magic] Path of Dreams

Dream
Dream spells offer insight into the shroud and fate, both past and present. Dreams often deal with what faeries call the “between”, the points between “here” and “there”.

Affect ether (3 MP). Choose either material or ethereal. When combined with an evocation, this spell only harm creatures or objects on that plane of existence.
Prerequisites: Create Space, Dowse, Scry, Caster Level 6

Augury (5 MP). Augury allows the character to read omens in order to foretell future events. This can be tracking the stars (astronomy), examining the liver (hepatoscopy) and/or entrails (haruspicy) of a sacrificial animal, interpreting natural phenomena, or almost any other ritualistic form of telling the future or seeking guidance (prayer, tea leaves, tarot, etc.).

On any augury attempt, the diviner must make a successful Knowledge (Augury) check in order to correctly interpret the omens. The base DC for any Augury is determined by the distance in the future desired, listed on Augury Table. If the Augury check succeeds, you receive a short answer to your question. If the question is direct, you will likely receive a simple “yes,” “no,” or “neither” answer. If the question is complex, the answer will be cryptic. On a critical success, direct questions will be answered with additional information, and complex questions will be answered clearly. You can only ask a question once in a 24 hour period. On a critical failure, you cannot ask the question again for a month.
Prerequisites: Aura Reading
Enhancement:
  • Clarity (+1 MP): Affected creatures gain a +5 enhancement bonus to Knowledge (Augury). This enhancement can be taken multiple times. The bonus is capped by the skill’s mastery. A Novice only gets a maximum +5 bonus, a Journeyman +10, an Expert +15, and a Master +20.


Table – Knowledge (Augury) DC
Future time period DC
Within the next hour 20
Within the next 24 hours 25
Within the next week 30
Within the next month 35
Within the next year 40

Aura Reading (1 MP). You learn the nature of a person or object in range by studying them for a full round. The reader may study the aura of anything within visual range with a successful Sense Motive check. The base DC to detect the presence of absence of magical auras is 10 or the target’s Will save, whichever is higher.

A successful check allows the caster to sense any supernatural auras the target may have as well as the strength of those auras — dim, faint, moderate, strong, or overwhelming. A critical success allows the caster to sense the specific nature of those auras and learning what type of magic is prominent (highest magic skill). A critical failure stuns the reader for a round.
Prerequisite: None
Enhancements:
  • Clarity (+1 MP): Affected creatures gain a +5 enhancement bonus to Sense Motive. This enhancement can be taken multiple times. The bonus is capped by the skill’s mastery. A Novice only gets a maximum +5 bonus, a Journeyman +10, an Expert +15, and a Master +20. Untrained Sense Motive does not receive any bonus.
  • History Reading (5 MP): If you have a creature or object available, you can use this ability to see an overview of the history of the subject. When you make this check, choose a span of time in history you want to read through. The shorter the span of time, the more specific the details are, and the longer the span, the more general. If you do a reading for a sword’s history in the past week, you will see what battles it has been used in, and who it has killed, but if you try to read the past hundred years on it, you will likely just learn the vague identities of its owners. On a critical success, you get more specific information, but you never learn the full history. You cannot read the history of a creature or object more than once in a 24 hour period. On a critical failure, this ban is extended to a month.


Table – History Reading DC
Time in past DC
Past day 10
Past week 15
Past month 20
Past year 25
Past 10 years 30
Past 100 years 35
Past 1000 years 40
Anything 45

Create Space (6 MP). With Create Space you can create a pocket dimension, with an entrance big enough for you to walk through (though you may choose to make it smaller). You create the entrance anywhere within range. If you are inside, you can close or reopen the entrance as a full-round action. The area of effect you choose is the size of the pocket dimension. Anything in the area of effect is effectively removed from the rest of the world. The interior of the dimension is bare and ends without any apparent solid walls. Temperature and air within are the same as those without when the dimension is created. If the spell’s duration ends, anything in the area of effect is expelled.
Prerequisites: Dowse, Scry, Caster Level 6
Enhancements:
  • Giant Area (Special): Create space effects get a 10 MP discount on area. Any other combined spell effect must buy area separately. This cannot be combined with any other effect unless it also benefits from this enhancement.


Dowse (Varies). You choose some type of object or substance, such as water, gold, or magic. If you succeed on a Search check (Awareness + Intelligence), you know the direction to the nearest significant quantity of that substance (what counts as ‘significant’ depends on the substance). If there are several different things of the chosen type within 60 ft., you are aware of roughly how many there are, and can concentrate on each one by one to determine its location. On a critical success, you learn the specific location of the target, including distance, depth, and local conditions, plus the approximate size or intensity of whatever it is you’re detecting. A critical failure will lead you in the wrong direction or give you dangerously false information. If you have knowledge of the substance or creature (Proper Elemental Path or Summoning Focus) you get a +5 bonus to this check.
Prerequisite: None
Enhancements:
  • Dowse, Simple (1 MP): The base DC to find a general type of object or substance is 10.
  • Dowse, Specific (+2 MP): To find a specific object, add +10 to the DC.
  • Dowse, Creature (+2 MP): To find a creature, add +5 to the DC. You must have the Path of Life to find a living creature, or the appropriate Element for a more exotic type of creature. To find Undead, for instance, you must have Path of Death.
  • Enhance Awareness (+1 MP): Affected creatures gain a +5 enhancement bonus to Awareness for purposes of Dowse. This enhancement can be taken multiple times. The bonus is capped by the skill’s mastery. A Novice only gets a maximum +5 bonus, a Journeyman +10, an Expert +15, and a Master +20.
  • Area/Range (Varies): Dowse effects receive a 1 MP discount on area or range enhancements, but not both.


Incorporeal (11 MP). Any number of times during the spell’s duration, affected creatures are able to turn incorporeal or corporeal as a full round action.
Prerequisites: Create Space, Dowse, Scry, Caster Level 11
Enhancements:
  • Affect Area (Varies): To use this effect over an area, double the base cost before adding general enhancements.


Scry (1 MP). You concentrate on a creature or location and can see and hear what is going on there. Many practitioners go into a dream-like trance when doing this. When scrying, the caster makes a Search check (Awareness + Intelligence), the difficulty depending on the target familiarity as listed in the Scrying Table.

You see an approximately 20-ft. radius, and creatures in your line of sight can make a Sense Motive check with a difficulty of the caster’s Search result to notice, although those unfamiliar with scrying (Spellcraft DC 25, +10 if the target can has the ability to scry) will most likely only have a sense they are being watched. Those familiar with divination will recognize the sensation. The difficulty depends on how familiar you are with the target. If you have a clear, reflective surface you may share the vision with others by projecting it there. The cost of scrying depends on whether the caster knows where the target is located. Scrying a static location is relatively cheap when compared to searching for a specific person anywhere in the world. A basic scrying effect covers only a 5 ft. area up to 30 feet away from the caster, so range and area enhancements are vital to making this effective.
Prerequisites: Dowse
Enhancements:
  • Dimensional Sight (2 MP): The caster can extend his senses through the Shroud.
  • Enhance Senses (+1 MP): Affected creatures gain a +5 enhancement bonus to Awareness for scrying. This enhancement can be taken multiple times. The bonus is capped by the skill’s mastery. A Novice only gets a maximum +5 bonus, a Journeyman +10, an Expert +15, and a Master +20. Untrained Awareness does not receive any bonus.
  • Extended Range (Varies): Scrying effects receive a 1 MP discount on range enhancements.
  • Giant Area (Varies): Scry effects get a 10 MP discount on area. Any other combined spell effect must buy area separately. This cannot be combined with any other effect unless it also benefits from this enhancement.


Table – Scrying Familiarity DC
Target within sight: You can see the target. Effective visual range usually ends at 800 feet, barring obstruction or concealment. (DC 0)
Target familiar: The target is out of sight and you know the target well - a close friend or relative; a familiar haunt. (DC 15)
Firsthand knowledge: The target is out of sight and you have met the target or been to the location. (DC 20)
Secondhand knowledge: The target is out of sight and you have heard of the target or have an object belonging to the target. (DC 35)
No knowledge: The target is out of sight and you have a hunch, rumor, or vague description of the target. (DC 45)

Teleport (Varies). Once during the spell as a move action, affected creatures can teleport (instantaneously travel) to another place within line of sight. You can simply teleport willing creatures with you, so that everyone ends up in the same place. The base cost of teleporting is 3 MP + the range enhancement for distance. If you teleport to somewhere out of your line of sight (maximum visibility under normal circumstances is 800 feet, or Long Range), you must make a Search check (Awareness + Intelligence) against the difficulty as if you were scrying it.

If you fail the Search check, you veer off course by 10% per point of failure of the total distance intended. Failing the roll by three on a 100 ft. teleport would place the caster 30 ft. away, whereas failing by three on a 100 mile teleport would place the caster 30 miles away. Usually the location is visually or thematically similar to the intended target.

On a critical failure, the caster is scrambled. The caster is off target, as above, and takes 1 point of vitality damage per point of failure. This damage cannot be soaked and normal trauma rules apply. The caster re-rolls each round with the same result until he no longer gets a critical failure or he dies. Knowingly teleporting into a solid object will treat the caster as if he has critically failed the check, doing a minimum of 10 points of vitality damage per round.
Prerequisites: Create Space, Dowse, Scry, Caster Level 6
Enhancements:
  • Affect Area (Varies): To use this effect over an area, double the base cost (3 MP + range) before adding general enhancements.
  • Doorway (3 MP): Opening a portal through the Shroud requires this enhancement in addition to normal teleport costs.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

MACE

I've managed to run one demo game this morning, with Travis and Dave from The Game Musketeers They had a good time and we had a good discussion about the game afterwards. I have spent the rest of the time here writing and playing Carcassonne. I have a scheduled game of RoboRally tonight (my wife is insisting, since she's running it) and I have one more game scheduled for tomorrow morning, if anyone shows up. :-)

In other news, the BayonetGames forums are now directly linked and managed by Wargamer.com. It keeps Brant from having to kick off trolls and spammers.