True Truenaming (Or Yet Another Truenamer Fix)

[Zaydos]

An Introduction
Or Me Long Windedly Explaining Why I Made This and Why I Made the Choices I Did

So we all know Truenamer is broken. It's just not made right. Somebody left out some of the parts and one of the legs of the table ended up several inches shorter than the rest. It can be made to work, but requires cheese (custom items of huge bonuses to Truespeak, Item Familiar) and stuff that'd never fly for other classes (custom items of huge bonuses to Truespeak, Item Familiar). I mean you can do it without those but then it is running a worse Red Queen's Race than anyone but Monk and Soulknife.

So what really is Truenamer's problem?

Well the big one that's always cited is the DCs. Assuming Human and a 16 starting Int (28 or less point buy, the standard array... technically gives you less...) at 1st level you have a +10 to truespeak checks (+3 Int, +3 Skill Focus, +4 ranks), +12 if the DM allows a Mw tool of truespeak. The DC is 17. This lets you heal 40 hp a day (the last 5 must be on yourself) and... well you have no other ability, but you can trade 5 hp healed for 7 damage (higher accuracy than a fighter). This is... a lot of healing actually (at 4 encounters a day a crusader is healing maybe 20 some assuming 2 hits/encounter and 50% hit with healing strike, so Crusader can heal more with luck, cleric is healing low 30s if they prep Lesser Vigor twice and have the healing domain and only heal). But I'm getting side tracked, you have a 70% chance of success, 80% if Mw tool is allowed, now at 20th level you have 26 Int (+8), +10 magic item, 23 ranks and Skill Focus, this gives you a +44 or +46 if the DM allows a Mw tool of truespeak. The DC is now 55. This means you succeed on an 11 or a 9. This is a 50% or 60% chance and you still have to deal with Spell Resistance to lower the odds yet further (though you can increase the DC to avoid it). This is problematic. Fighters go from hitting on a ~9 to hitting on a negative number. This is a problem. Sure you can optimize around it by scrounging out bonuses from wherever you can possibly find them, but it is still an issue. It is extremely easy to fix.

Does that fix fix truenamer?

Yes but no. Reduce the DC to give a reasonable chance of success on buffing allies and you're actually able to fight at almost fighter level (not quite fighter level) with Greater Knight's Puissance, and have abilities like Solid Fog if you really need it, and maybe even can do some Quickened Utterances though you'll still need to optimize to hit those DCs with any chance of success well depending upon the DC fix. It makes Truenamer pass the two most important tests of D&D classes: Can I contribute to encounters with minimal good choices? And do I not steamroll encounters with minimal good choices? It makes it playable.

And these tests are important. Monk and Soul Knife fail the first one. Fighter starts to fail it at higher levels (even assuming PrCs). You need to not be the load. The second test the official things tend to pass better. You can break wizard but it's hard to do without at least trying. Druid comes the closest but it's complicated enough in play to render that difficult. A lot of homebrew fails this. DR that makes it to where enemies have an 80% chance of 0 damage, big numbers that literally just shatter the game math, 4th level spells at level 3. Still pass these two tests and it works.

But is it enough?

No. Truenamer still has major issues. Take that Lv 1 example. You you can heal a bit better than a cleric out of combat. That's the best thing you can do. And otherwise cleric gets a feat, and a domain power that you don't, better Fort and 2 more hit points. Even Warlock has multiple options at 1st level (Eldritch Blast + Invocation). So there's an issue here. An issue that must be fixed, not for bare minimum playability but for it to be fun. This is a simple issue give them more utterance at 1st level. As long as their utterances are at least somewhat useful just like a sorcerer doesn't absolutely need 2 spells of their highest level immediately neither does a truenamer, but just like a sorcerer needs 2 at 1st level a truenamer needs multiple at first level. Still that's an easy fix it's part of the same 5 minute fix as the DCs.

This brings us to the two remaining major issues with truenamer. There aren't enough utterances, especially of the Crafted Tool, and Personal Truenames aren't worth researching. The first one is an obvious issue when it means your build choices are forced and meaningless. There are 2 Crafted Tool utterances of each level and at 3rd level one of them is absolutely worthless (removes a single energy property from a magic weapon) and same at 4th level (dispel a magic item for concentration rounds). Like neither of these are worth spending a standard action on at any level unless you build a situation specifically for the latter. This is an easy and obvious fix to think up (make more utterances) but a harder one in practice. Still it's wholly doable. Make some new utterances. For this reason I have made new Perfected Map and Crafted Tool utterances, at least one of each level. I have not made new Evolving Mind utterances, you've got 5+ a level, while new 1st level utterances are necessary because of increased utterances known at 1st level (since it's the level with the fewest in direct disregard of the piece of game design advice from earlier in the book that a wide variety of options is most important at low levels as all games include those), I haven't done that yet I intend to.

The other issue is the hardest in ways. What should personal truenames actually do? There should be a way that knowing an ally's personal truename is beneficial (+1 to save DC and +2 to overcome SR is not) and since it's weeks of time and thousands of gold it ought to have some benefit with enemies that is commensurate. It needs not to be too strong. For buffs you will learn your allies truenames if there's a benefit to it, and get it 90% of the time, the buff needs to be small enough that it's not game breaking. For debuffs it can be stronger but 2500 GP and 10 weeks of down time should not render a big boss a non-issue. So it needs to be a reasonable thing that is worth doing, because it's the thematic heart of truename magic, but it doesn't need to be extremely strong.

So that brings us back to the Evolving Mind. Each utterance, reversed or otherwise, has had a personal truename effect added. This functions to shore up power of effects and to also just add something thematic and play into the fluff and thematics which are truename magic's strengths and horribly lacking any game mechanic interplay.

This for the most part should make Truenamer mostly functional. It's not an attempt to make them Wizard power level. I've tried truenamer fixes that I loved until in play I realized the multiclass truenamer was still getting 4th level spells early and more often. Oh I made a few other tweaks to shore up their power (the Law of Sequence is reduced in its stringency, and they gain Speak Unto the Masses a limited number of times per day at low levels with additional uses as they level), but for the most part this should address the core issues of the class while leaving it playable at a range of optimization levels and not 'I looked up the build' only.

So what are the changes? Well in the post following I will have the overall changes to Truespeak and the changes to Truenamer. The post after that the personal truename effects of Evolving Mind utterances. The next will be reserved for new Utterances of the Evolving Mind in case any are added. Then the next will be Crafted Tool, then Perfected Map. And then a reserved post for feats and then open posting.

[Zaydos]

Overarching Truespeak Changes

Truename DCs:

Utterance of the Evolving Mind: DC is 13 + the target's CR (or Character Level for PCs) + 2 per level of utterance. For 1st level utterances this is DC 15 + CR. For 2nd level utterances it is DC 17 + CR. For 3rd level utterances it is DC 19 + CR. For 4th it is DC 21 + CR. For 5th it is DC 23 + CR. For 6th it is DC 25 + CR. This has the side effect of making it much easier to use low level maneuvers at high levels and a little lower at all levels against single foes. At low levels it does make the DC a bit higher for your highest level maneuver against large groups of weaker foes, still I like the 'my high level utterance is not as easy to speak as my low level one' and the DC being a bit higher for highest level maneuvers against mooks is made up for with easier lowest level ones and easier high level ones against bosses at low levels.

Utterance of the Crafted Tool: DC is 15 + Caster Level + 2 per level of utterance for magic items and 20 + 2 per level of utterance for non-magical ones. This preserves the DC for non-magic is CL 5 because looking over the utterances I could see why it wasn't CL 0. It also just treats them as 1 level higher for DC than Evolving Mind. It does make it a bit harder to affect non-magical items with high level utterances but DC 30 should be a non-issue by 19th level anyway as with max ranks and skill focus you have at least +29 with 1 Int.

Utterance of the Perfected Map: DC is 25 + 5 per utterance level. A magical location may have a +5 to its DC at DM's discretion. This is the only real 'things got harder' but DC 30 to 45 is 'I auto it' and a magical location should be a little harder to work.

Non-Utterance: If the DC was 15 + 2*CR (or character level) it is now 15 + 1.5*CR (or character level) rounded down. Recitations now have reasonable DCs and this covers truename spells making them usable by dropping the DC by 10 but still making them require investment.

The Laws of Truenaming:

The Law of Sequence: You may use an already in effect utterance but the DC is increased by 5. It may not target a creature/object already affected by the same utterance by the same Truenamer or have an overlapping area with another instance of the same utterance by the same Truenamer.


Changes to Truenamer Itself:

1st Level: You begin play with an additional Utterance of the Evolving Mind and know 1 additional Utterance of the Evolving Mind at all levels. While a 1st level truenamer is an awesome skill monkey/skill assistant due to Universal Aptitude, or the best out of combat healer due to Word of Nurturing they're still just a worst cleric if they go the latter route and oddly limited if they go the former (better hope you don't have to make checks pressed for time often), by adding a 2nd utterance they can now contribute at 1st level in 2 fields and be a rounded character.

2nd Level: You gain an enhancement bonus to Truespeak checks equal to 1/2 your class level. The Truespeak item is an enhancement bonus as well. It remains a viable item for Truenamers and worth buying the Greater version, but is no longer an absolute necessity and becomes a 'this is great for non-Truenamers to make truename checks'.

5th Level: You may use Speak Unto the Masses (17th level ability) 1/day at 5th level, 2/day at 9th level, 3/day at 13th level, and at-will at 17th level. On a failed check the use of this ability is not expended. This lets you actually use some AoE effects from low level. I'm really unsure if it should be 1/day at 5th, 2/day at 7th, and increase every other level instead of every 4 levels, but this gives you the ability to at least do it some, while not being 'no save just Slow all the time at 6th. Of course this is an additional reason for the DC being higher at low levels for mooks with your highest level utterances. While at 20th level you can easily affect whole groups with 6th level utterances a few times per day (and 'I give the entire party a +5 to AC and Saves or attack and damage' is pretty good actually) at 6th level it's not 'AoE no save slow' without some major difficulty about the same as granting saves.

9th Level: See the Named is usable 1/day per target, but the DC increases by 2 with each successful use as if due to the Law of Resistance.

[Zaydos]

Personal Truename Effects for Evolving Mind Utterances

So Personal Truenames, a person's secret name, is such a big part of the lore and thematics of Truename magic that seeing it unrepresented, save for a minor enemy only effect, was saddening. Thus to alleviate it, and make truenamers a bit more powerful, I have added a small personal truename effect to each utterance of the Evolving Mind. This adds up with buffs. With debuffs/attacks not so much but had to be a bit careful about that anyway.

1st Level (Evolving Mind):

Defensive Edge: Target gains DR 2/magic, if you do so for the reversed it loses any immunity to critical hits it may possess.

Inertia Surge: Duration becomes 2 rounds, if used reversed a Will save is allowed to reduce this back to 1 round.

Knight's Puissance: Target gains +2 damage as well, reversed it's -2 damage.

Universal Aptitude: Once during the duration the target can re-roll a skill check, or if reversed the target is allowed a Will save if they fail once during the duration you can cause them to be treated as if they had rolled a 0 on a skill check (before modifiers) instead of their actual roll.

Minor Word of Nurturing: You immediately heal the target 2 hp (in addition to its normal duration), or it does not require concentration and deals 1d8 instead of 1d6 on the first round.

2nd Level (Evolving Mind)

Archer's Eye: Wait… does this ignore Total Concealment? As written no. Still the non-reversed is so extremely niche. Personal truename: The target may deal precision damage from up to 30 ft further away. Still niche, but it's an allied buff that is now useful in 2 situations. Reversed: Less niche (though still not great). For the duration when the target is within range of you and attacked with a ranged attack and you are aware of it you may make a Truespeak check as an Immediate action and if your check is higher than their AC replace it with your check, if the attack is a ranged touch attack you suffer a -15 on this check (and it's compared to their Touch AC). Either you're dealing with non-magic projectiles where the immediate action isn't that necessary, or the basic effect of the utterance is useless and it gives it a use… largely against magical rays which is why there's the penalty for ranged touch as while it'll still often be high enough it's not 'I'm immune to rays'.

Hidden Truth: Your target may use their Wisdom instead of Intelligence for the check if it is higher. Reversed your target may use their Wisdom instead of Charisma for the check if it is higher. Yeah I copped out here. Higher bonus would be pushing it to too high of a bonus. Re-roll would be too. Replace skill with other skill is too. So I went with a minor thing that doesn't increase the bonus for a specialist, but might help someone who has full ranks but isn't built around the proper stat.

Perceive the Unseen: The target gains Blindsight with a 5 ft range for the duration. If reversed the miss chance is increased to 30% (instead of 20%).

Silent Caster: Duration increases to 5 rounds (normal) or 2 rounds (reversed). The reversed is a combat ender on a caster if the duration is increased, the buff effect is barely worth it normally. This makes it a more usable buff, and a more crippling debuff without either being too out there in power.

Speed of the Zephyr: Increased to +30 ft speed. Reversed: They suffer a -5 penalty on Tumble checks to avoid Attacks of Opportunity, cannot Run, and cannot use the Withdraw action.

Strike of Might: Damage bonus or penalty is increased by ½ your caster level for the utterance.

Temporal Twist: The target gains a bonus on the attack equal to your Intelligence modifier. If reversed the target is Stunned instead of Dazed.

Word of Nurturing, Lesser: The target is immediately healed 5 hp (in addition to the normal fast healing effect). If reversed you do not need to concentrate on the effect and it deals 2d8 instead of 2d6 on the first round.

3rd level (Evolving Mind)

Accelerated Attack: When taking a full attack or attack action with a melee weapon, the target can move both before and after the attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack, though it might provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, if appropriate.

The target must move at least 5 ft before and after the attack to benefit from this effect.

If reversed the Concentration check DC to move while casting is reduced by 5.

Energy Negation: Resistance applies to all energy types or if inverted the target loses any energy resistance (but not immunity) to that energy type for the duration.

Incarnation of Angels: The DR granted by the template is Magic and Evil (if Celestial) or Magic and Good (if Fiendish). In addition the target gains +2 to Strength and +2 Wisdom (if Celestial) or +2 to Dexterity and +2 Charisma (if Fiendish).

Seek the Sky: The duration is increased to 10 rounds (normal) or the target must make a Will save or fall to the ground at the normal rate for falling taking falling damage (instead of descending at 60 ft per round) and the duration is increased to 10 rounds if they fail the save (it's still 5 rounds if they succeed).

Greater Speed of the Zephyr: Duration is increased to 5 rounds or if inverted duration is increased to Concentration + 5 rounds.

Temporal Spiral: Duration is increased to 3 rounds, or if inverted the target is Dazed for 3 rounds on a failed save and then must make another save or be dazed for 3 more rounds, and so forth until they succeed on a save.

Vision Sharpened: Also grants +10 to Spot and Search checks for the duration. Or if reversed the target is rendered difficult to see even by those with magically enhanced sight, when viewed by a See Invisibility spell (or similar effect) the target has concealment (this ends if the effect ends, for example they make an attack).

Word of Nurturing, Moderate: The duration is reduced to 2 rounds, but the fast healing granted is increased to 15. Reversed concentration is not required and it deals 4d8 instead of 4d6 on the first round.

4th Level (Lexicon of the Evolving Mind)

Breath of Cleansing: The target may save against each such effect instead of 1. If reversed the duration is increased to 3 rounds, and the target is sickened on a successful save.

Caster Lens: If your Intelligence modifier is higher than that of the caster's ability score used to determine saving throw DC the save DC is also increased by +1. If reversed instead the save DC is reduced by 2 (regardless of your Intelligence relative their score).

Confounding Resistance: The target can prematurely end this effect to re-roll a saving throw at a +10 resistance bonus. If reversed instead the target is stripped of Mettle (or similar abilities) in addition to Evasion/Improved Evasion and suffers a -2 to save even if they had (Improved) Evasion.

Magic Contraction: Grants the target SR 13 + truenamer level instead of 10, or allows spells to be cast as if Enlarged or Empowered (but only one per spell) instead of Empowered only.

Morale Boost: The target gains immunity to fear for the duration. If reversed the target is panicked on a failed save and shaken for 1 round on a successful save.

Spell Rebirth: The restored spell has its duration increased by 1 round, or if reversed you may then dispel a single additional spell upon the target as if using the Area Dispel function of Greater Dispel Magic.

Word of Bolstering: You restore 1d8 damage or drain instead of 1d6. If reversed you give a 2d6 penalty to 1 physical ability score or a 1d6 to 2 (still can't reduce below 1).

Word of Nurturing, Potent: The duration becomes instantaneous and the target is healed 50 hp. If reversed concentration is not required and the damage in the first round is 6d8 instead of 6d6.

5th Level (Lexicon of the Evolving Mind)

Eldritch Attraction: You may move the target up to 60 ft.

Energy Negation, Greater: The target gains Energy Resistance 10 to other energy types. If reversed choose 2 energy types, the damage is a mix of both and uses the weaker resistance/immunity between the two types and if they are vulnerable to either type or either type overcomes their regeneration (if any) they take the extra damage/take the lethal damage.

Essence of Lifespark: The target gains 5 temp hp which last until lost (but don't stack with other temp hp). If reversed the target gains 1d4 negative levels instead of 1.

Preternatural Clarity: The target adds +6 instead of +5 or if reversed on a 1-10 reroll it (if 1-10 is rolled again that round keep that result)

Seek the Sky, Greater: The duration is increased to 10 rounds or if reversed it renders them incapable of flying for 10 rounds afterwards.

Sensory Focus: The duration is increased to 3 rounds. If reversed the duration is 3 rounds after which they must make a second save or be left blind and deaf even when the effects end (as if it were instantaneous).

Ward of Peace: The target may make a single attack without breaking the ward, but once they do so each creature is allowed a (single) Will save to ignore the ward when they encounter it (or immediately if they're right there). If reversed it does not require concentration.

Word of Nurturing, Critical: The duration becomes instantaneous and the target instantly heals 75 hp. If reversed you do not have to concentrate upon it, and on the first round it deals 8d8 damage instead of 8d6.

6th Level (Lexicon of the Evolving Mind)

Breath of Recovery: The target is also healed 8d6 damage. If reversed the target is sickened for 1 minute (even if they succeed the save).

Ether Reforged: So as written it no save turns enemies ethereal instantaneously which means they never turn back. My fix is make it have a duration of 5 rounds… this goes for the regular too since that's not the effect that should be instantaneous. Also why they become hyper visible to ethereal things while helping hurt incorporeal (ghosts are both other such things are not). Moving on to what this is supposed to be. If you include the target's personal truename they are able to harm ethereal creatures with weapons and attacks as if they were force effects (what I think the writers meant to begin with). If inverted it turns the target incorporeal for the duration as opposed to Ethereal (allowing it to work off the Prime Material Plane).

Knight's Puissance, Greater: The target no longer automatically misses on a natural 1 for the duration. If reversed the target is unable to make critical hits and no longer automatically hits on a natural 20.

Mystic Rampart: The target may end this effect prematurely as an immediate action to automatically pass 1 saving throw, or make 1 attack automatically miss them (this ability is used before the save is rolled but after the attack has hit). If reversed the target loses any immunity to critical hits they may possess and you may prematurely end the effect as an immediate action to force the target to re-roll a saving throw at a -10 (instead of -5, not a total of -15).

Singular Mind: If the target is willing (or unconscious) you may also remove any effect that Greater Dispel Magic could as if targeting them with a Greater Dispel Magic spell (in which case you must still make dispel checks using Truenamer level as caster level). If reversed no concentration is necessary.

Word of Nurturing, Greater: The duration becomes instantaneous and the target instantly heals 100 hp. If reversed you do not have to concentrate upon it, and on the first round it deals 10d8 damage instead of 10d6.

[Zaydos]

Reserved for new Utterances of the Evolving Mind.

[Zaydos]

New (and Revised) Utterances of the Crafted Tool

So while Ether Reforged needed to be fixed and Conjunctive Gate needs a 'you can't call creatures with this' tagline, Crafted Tool has 2 utterances that needed to be remade and not in just a 'this is obviously bugged' but in a 'this is weak enough to be a non-option I must fix it' so in addition to giving you at least 1 new option per level in this Lexicon I'm fixing Suppress Weapon/Suppress Item.

New Utterances by Level:

1st level:

Energize Weapon: Add an energy ability to a weapon temporarily.
Soften Object: Reduce an objects hardness weakening armor or making it easier to break.

Energize Weapon:
Level: 1.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 Weapon.
Duration: 5 rounds.
With a word you fill the targeted weapon with energy causing it to burst out with overflowing power.

When you use this utterance choose one of Acidic, Flaming, Frost, Screaming, Shock, or Psychokenitic. The targeted weapon gains that special quality for the duration, but may not turn it off (it is automatically on).

Soften Object:
Level: 1.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 suit of armor or 1 object no larger than 1 5-foot cube per 2 truenamer levels.
Duration: 5 rounds.
With a word you work weakness into an object making it soft and brittle.
You reduce the targeted object's hardness by your truenamer level for the duration and its break DC by 1/2 your truenamer level. If used on armor the armor bonus from the affected armor is reduce by 1 per 4 truenamer levels (to a minimum of +0) and if it is adamantine its granted DR is reduced by 1 per 4 truenamer levels.

2nd Level:

Enhance Weapon: Make a weapon magical or if already magical more magical.
Shattering Word: Shatter a single object.
Unlocking Word: Unlock a locked door or chest or remove a barring impediment.

Enhance Weapon:
Level: 2.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 weapon.
Duration: 10 minutes.

Your words imbue a weapon with the weight of the world, magic pulsing in and through it.

The targeted weapon gains an enhancement bonus to attack and damage of +1 per 4 truenamer levels you possess and is considered magical. If the weapon is already magical its enhancement bonus is increased by +2 or becomes +1 per 4 truenamer levels whichever is higher.

Shattering Word:
Level: 2.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 object weighing no more than 10 lbs per truenamer level.
Duration: Instantaneous.
Saving Throw: Will negates (object)
You speak a word of ending and destruction, and utterance that resonates with the very nature of the object and causes it to shatter.

The targeted object is destroyed. This has no effect on artifacts, but may be used on magical items (although they're allowed a save even if unattended).

Unlocking Word:
Level: 2.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 door, box, or chest.
Duration: Instantaneous.
With a word you cause a lock to unlock, or a bar to unbar.

You unlock a single lock upon the target. This may affect magical locks such as Hold Portal or Arcane Lock or you may cause a stuck door, box, or chest lid to become unstuck. By increasing the truespeak DC by 10 you may a single bar or impeding object such as a vine or rope instead of a lock. You may also increase the truespeak DC by 10 to affect a second lock or means preventing egress upon the same target, and an additional one per 10 points you increase the DC by. You may perform both options this increases it by 20 to affect 2 bars/locks/impediments or 30 to affect 3, 40 for 4, and so on.


3rd Level:

Hallowed Armament: Bless weapon/armor/shield against evil granting damage or defensive benefits.
Lighten Object: Reduce an object's weight making it easier to carry or armor less cumbersome to wear.
Suppress Weapon: Suppress a weapon's magical properties.
Word of Construction: Fabricate goods.

Hallowed Armament:
Level: 3.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 weapon, suit of armor, or shield.
Duration: 5 rounds.
With a word you imbue a piece of arms or armor with holy might to fend against evil.

If used on a weapon that weapon gains the Holy property (if it already possesses the Holy property this does nothing).

If used on a suit of armor the wearer gains DR 5/- against damage from Evil creatures or weapons that overcome DR as if Evil.

If used on a shield not only does it gain the Holy property if used to shield bash, it also grants the wearer a +3 sacred bonus to AC and saves against attacks and effects from Evil creatures.

Axiomatic/Anarchic/Unhallowed Armament all exist and function identically except alignments are changed appropriately.

Lighten Object:
Level: 3
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 object no larger than 100 lbs per truenamer level.
Duration: 10 minutes.
With a word you make an object grow light and easy to carry.

You reduce the targeted object's weight to 1/10th normal. If used on a weapon the damage is reduced as if it had been reduced in size by 2 size categories. If used on a suit of armor it is considered one weight category lighter (medium becomes light, heavy becomes medium, light remains light) and has its armor check penalty reduced by 2 and its max Dex increased by 2.

Suppress Weapon:
Level: 4
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 magic weapon.
Duration: 5 rounds.
With a well chosen word you negate the magical powers of a targeted weapon leaving only its sharpened edge.

You suppress all weapon special qualities of the targeted weapon. It retains any enhancement bonus to attack and damage, but loses other magical properties (keen, holy, flaming, etc) for the duration. If the weapon has no special qualities this has no effect but you are still considered to have used the utterance once.

Word of Construction:
Level: 3.
Range: Touch.
Target: Up to 10 cubic feet of material.
Duration: Instantaneous.

With a word you cause raw material to construct itself into the form you desire.

This functions as the spell Fabricate except as noted above and that it only affects 10 cubic feet of material (or 1 cubic foot of mineral material) and is used as an utterance (Standard action instead of 1 round). You may not affect an attended object with this utterance.

By increasing the truename DC by 10 you can affect an additional 10 cubic feet of material (or 1 cubic foot of mineral material) per 10 points you voluntarily increase the DC by.


4th Level:

Animating Word: Breathe life into an object animating it for your purposes.
Duplicate Object: Create a short lived duplicate of an object.
Suppress Item: Suppress an item's magical properties.

Animating Word:
Level: 4.
Range: Touch.
Target: 1 unattended Large or smaller object.
Duration: 5 rounds.
With a word you breathe life and animation into an object causing it to animate and move at your behest.

The targeted object animates as an animated object under your control. By increasing the truename DC by 10 you can animate a huge object, by increasing it by 20 you can animate a gargantuan object, and by increasing it by 40 you can animate a colossal object. You may not use this utterance on an object with hardness greater than your truenamer level.

Duplicate Object:
Level: 4.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 object weighing no more than 10 lbs per truenamer level.
Duration: 5 minutes.
With a word you cause reality to create a duplicate of an object. Making a perfect replica through splitting its existence.

When you use this utterance you create a duplicate of the target object. If the object is worn on a body slot and you do not have that body slot filled it appears worn, otherwise if you can hold it in hand and have a free hand it appears within your hand, otherwise it appears at your feet. This object must appear somewhere it can be supported (i.e. it can't materialize in thin air). If you create a duplicate of a magic item it retains non-limited use magical properties, but it does not possess any abilities which have uses limited by per hour, per day, charges, or single use. If abilities are limited in uses by a limit based on rounds or minutes those abilities are maintained.

Suppress Item:
Level: 4
Range: 60 ft.
Target: 1 magic item.
Duration: 5 rounds.

This functions as Suppress Item utterance from Tome of Magic, except that it does not end if they leave range and does not require concentration.


5th Level:

Transfix Object: Freeze an object in time and space.

Transfix Object:
Level: 5.
Range: 30 ft.
Target: 1 object.
Duration: 10 rounds.
Saving Throw: Will negates (object)
Your word fixes an object in its current reality, rendering it absolutely immobile, and indestructible as existence continues around it.

When you use this utterance the target object becomes impossible to move or damage in any way. If used on a worn object the wearer cannot move from their square and is denied their Dexterity bonus to AC until they manage to slip free of it without moving the object (at DMs discretion this may be done with an Escape Artist check if it is the proper type of item to slip out of). Non-continuous magical effects of the item become inoperable. The object itself cannot be moved or affected by magic during this duration. It is frozen in its current state of existence until the duration ends.

If an object is attended a Will save is allowed to negate this effect.

[Zaydos]

New Utterances of the Perfected Map

1st Level

Cleanse Air: Make air safe to breathe and suppress magical gasses.
Create Waypoint: Fix location in your mind, with high enough check teleport yourself (and only yourself) back to it.
Death Blight: Fill area with negative energy.

Cleanse Air:
Level: 1.
Duration: 10 rounds.
With a word you purify the air in the area making it safe and easy to breathe

When you use this utterance you render the air in the area cleanly breathable for the duration. In addition any magical fogs or gases are suppressed in the area for the duration.

Create Waypoint:
Level: 1.
Duration: Permanent (D)
With a word you fix the reality of a place to yourself, marking it unerringly in regards to yourself.

When you use this utterance you mark the location targeted in your soul. You are able to unerringly sense the distance and direction between yourself and the location. If you are on another plane you know that, and if you are on a conterminous plane you still know the distance and direction.

This utterance interacts differently than normal with the Law of Sequence. You may not have two waypoints at a time (even if you overcome the increased DC), however you may use it while you already have a waypoint by increasing the DC by 20 to teleport yourself (and up to your heavy load in objects) to the waypoint as long as you are on the same or a conterminous plane.

Death Blight:
Level: 1.
Duration: 10 rounds.
With a word you stifle life in the region, allowing death to take root within the area, to slowly eat at the lives within.

When you use this utterance all living creatures within the area take 1d6 damage, and all undead heal 1 hit point. Each round that they start in the area living creatures take 1d6 damage, and undead heal 1 hit point. This is a negative energy effect. In addition undead within the area gain turn resistance +4 or have their turn resistance increased by 4 as the negative energy bolsters and reinforces them.


2nd Level:

Niven's Word: Create antimagic.
Reality Well: Solidify incorporeal beings and bridge the Ethereal and Prime Material Planes.
Word of Verdant Life: Fill the area with pure life force.

Niven's Word:
Level: 2
Duration: 10 rounds.
Area: 20 ft spread centered on you.
With a word you extinguish sorcerous power in the area cutting it off from supernatural effects by draining it of the very building blocks of fantasy.
You create an area of anti-magic like that from the spell Antimagic Zone except as noted here (notable it is not an emanation and does not move with you).

Reality Well:
Level: 2.
Duration: 10 rounds.
With a word you thicken reality, solidifying that which has been made less than complete.
Incorporeal creatures within the area become corporeal. An incorporeal creature that is in an occupied space is shunted out and takes 1d6 damage. In addition on the Prime (or another plane conterminous to the Ethereal Plane) the Ethereal Plane is rendered unified with the Prime in the area. Objects upon the Prime and Ethereal become mutually solid and able to freely affect each other in the area. If they would occupy the same space they are shunted aside (the smaller creature or object is shunted) taking 1d6 damage per square shunted.

Word of Verdant Life:
Level: 2
Duration: 10 rounds.
With a single word you cause a region to be sanctified to life, causing it to bloom within the area filling living creatures with life and shielding them from death.

You create an area in which living creatures gain Fast Healing 5 and a +5 bonus on saving throws against death effects and negative energy effects. In addition if a creature would suffer negative levels due to energy drain or a necromancy effect they may immediately save to prevent the negative level (at the same DC as when they would shed it normally).

3rd Level:

Word of Scattering: Teleport creatures in area in random directions.

Word of Scattering:
Level: 3
Duration: Instantaneous.
Saving Throw: Will negates.
With a word you cause an area to momentarily reject the existence of creatures within it, teleporting all creatures within outside of it in random directions.

When you speak this utterance all creatures within the area must make a Will save or be teleported in a random direction. Roll 1d8 to determine the direction (as if with a splash weapon that missed) and then 1d4. On a 1 they are teleported 4d4x10 feet. On a 2 they are teleported 10d4x10 ft. On a 3 they are teleported 4d4x100 ft. On a 4 they are teleported 1d4 miles. A creature never appears inside of a solid object (instead appearing at the nearest unoccupied space) nor off of a surface that can support them (flying creatures still appear flying).


4th Level

Reality Schism: Cut a portion of existence off from the rest of reality.

Reality Schism
Level: 4
Duration: 1d4+1 rounds.
With a word you cut an area out of existence, sending it into its own time stream. While reality reintegrates itself quickly for a time those within and those without cannot interact with each other.

The affected area is severed temporally from the rest of reality. Objects and creatures within the area cannot leave it and everything outside of it appears (from within) to be frozen in time. Objects and creatures outside of the area cannot enter it and everything inside of it appears (from outside) to be frozen in time. Even spell effects cannot cross between this border of severed time and reality. A creature that is partially inside and outside may perceive both sides of reality normally and may interact with both, but should they enter one or the other they become fixed within it, and they must make a Will save each round or be unable to act (as if dazed) except to move up to ½ their speed into or out of the area by the shortest possible route (if they fail their save and move into or out of the area they are then promptly dazed) for 1 round.

The DM should roll this effect's duration in secret.

[Zaydos]

Reserved for new feats or stuff just an extra post in case I need it. Feel free to comment.

[noob]

So is it going to be skill only?
Will bard allow his allies to pwn with his 5 hd boost?

[Zaydos]

So is it going to be skill only?
Will bard allow his allies to pwn with his 5 hd boost?

Much the same as the official Truenamer, it's not a radical fix. I mean it does make 'take feats for utterances' a little more viable (you can actually use them now) but that's still a bad idea. That said it does retain the bug where as a bard doesn't grant skill ranks to go with the HD boost from bardic music all it does it make your Truename harder to say and thus make it harder to affect them.