Chiron
2009-04-15, 07:29 AM
So, I'm currently working on a campaign in a world where arcane magic is illegal (no, not dark sun), but the arcanists of the world (wizards, sorcerers and bards) still manage to survive by hiding in plain sight, masquerading as something other than what they are. This is to be accomplished by a selection of bonus feats that serve a largely cosmetic purpose, obfuscating or outright masking the spell's appearance in some way.
I think game-wise this may require adding in proficiency with a single martial weapon and light armour for some variants (evokers especially), and making bluff and disguise essential class skills But at the same time I'm unsure what to take away to maintain balance. Although on the subject of proficiencies weapons need not be necessary at all and armour... maybe, maybe not.
Additionally, not really being prone to playing magic-weilders myself I've only got a half complete list of ideas on how to mask the spells so any extra suggestions, especially for school specific feats would be appreciated. The goal is not to conceal ALL magic more the commonly used lower-level spells, some spells are impossible to conceal by their very nature (e.g. enlarge person) and others require little more than cunning on the part of the player to conceal (e.g. spider climb).
A few examples:
{table]School | Feat Name | Description
Illusion | Projection | Any visual illusion you create is projected into the mind of any target of its effect and appears to those affected as a persistent and pervasive thought.
Evocation | Infuse | You may use a weapon as a vector for dealing magical damage (mele or ranged depending on the type of spell) The weapon itself deals no additional damage when used in such a way. you do not need to be proficient with a weapon to use it as a vector any attack roles using a vector are made as normal, ignoring weapon bonuses or penalties for non-proficiency. Weapons with reach may not be used as vectors |
Evocation / Necromancy | Internal Injuries | All damage effects leave no visible markings on the skin of a target
All | Emphasis | You are adept at slipping words of power into normal speech by twisting certain words and juxtaposing the end of one word with the start of another. Persons within hearing radius must succeed on a knowledge arcana chack (DC20) to discern the word |
All | Gait | You are able to disguise somatic components of a spell as seemingly normal (if odd) body movements. Persons within line of sight must succeed on a knowledge arcana chack (DC20) to discern the gesture|
All | Mask Elements | You are able to mask the appearance of one element in a spell to appear as something less-obvious (e.g. the fire of a fireball appears as a sphere of hot air)
? | Serendipity | You are adept at using the local environment to mask the appearance of your spells. Spells which summon area effects into being (i.e. stinking cloud, web) appear to spring from the local environment (a barrel of stagnant water overturns in an alley, a volcanic fissure appears to open in a cave spewing sulphur dioxide etc.)
[/table]
The plan is to give the players the option of choosing a profession to mask their true nature depending on their chosen schools of expertise Evokers can masquerade as town guardsmen or rangers, necromancers hide among clerics, enchanters and illusionists as performers (the bards have been surviving this way for centuries) Transmuters as rogues etc.
What I'm after is suggestions on player (or NPC at a stretch) classes in which each school can hide and ideas for feats which can hide or mask the appearance of certain kinds of spells. These feats should have no effect on anything other than the appearance of a spell and should not duplicate/combine spells or spell like effects themselves (i.e. invisibility with a fly spell is right out)
Any comments, critiques, and suggestions welcome.
I think game-wise this may require adding in proficiency with a single martial weapon and light armour for some variants (evokers especially), and making bluff and disguise essential class skills But at the same time I'm unsure what to take away to maintain balance. Although on the subject of proficiencies weapons need not be necessary at all and armour... maybe, maybe not.
Additionally, not really being prone to playing magic-weilders myself I've only got a half complete list of ideas on how to mask the spells so any extra suggestions, especially for school specific feats would be appreciated. The goal is not to conceal ALL magic more the commonly used lower-level spells, some spells are impossible to conceal by their very nature (e.g. enlarge person) and others require little more than cunning on the part of the player to conceal (e.g. spider climb).
A few examples:
{table]School | Feat Name | Description
Illusion | Projection | Any visual illusion you create is projected into the mind of any target of its effect and appears to those affected as a persistent and pervasive thought.
Evocation | Infuse | You may use a weapon as a vector for dealing magical damage (mele or ranged depending on the type of spell) The weapon itself deals no additional damage when used in such a way. you do not need to be proficient with a weapon to use it as a vector any attack roles using a vector are made as normal, ignoring weapon bonuses or penalties for non-proficiency. Weapons with reach may not be used as vectors |
Evocation / Necromancy | Internal Injuries | All damage effects leave no visible markings on the skin of a target
All | Emphasis | You are adept at slipping words of power into normal speech by twisting certain words and juxtaposing the end of one word with the start of another. Persons within hearing radius must succeed on a knowledge arcana chack (DC20) to discern the word |
All | Gait | You are able to disguise somatic components of a spell as seemingly normal (if odd) body movements. Persons within line of sight must succeed on a knowledge arcana chack (DC20) to discern the gesture|
All | Mask Elements | You are able to mask the appearance of one element in a spell to appear as something less-obvious (e.g. the fire of a fireball appears as a sphere of hot air)
? | Serendipity | You are adept at using the local environment to mask the appearance of your spells. Spells which summon area effects into being (i.e. stinking cloud, web) appear to spring from the local environment (a barrel of stagnant water overturns in an alley, a volcanic fissure appears to open in a cave spewing sulphur dioxide etc.)
[/table]
The plan is to give the players the option of choosing a profession to mask their true nature depending on their chosen schools of expertise Evokers can masquerade as town guardsmen or rangers, necromancers hide among clerics, enchanters and illusionists as performers (the bards have been surviving this way for centuries) Transmuters as rogues etc.
What I'm after is suggestions on player (or NPC at a stretch) classes in which each school can hide and ideas for feats which can hide or mask the appearance of certain kinds of spells. These feats should have no effect on anything other than the appearance of a spell and should not duplicate/combine spells or spell like effects themselves (i.e. invisibility with a fly spell is right out)
Any comments, critiques, and suggestions welcome.