The Sorcerer
In ages past, before the cataclysm that
created the Straits of Aerelle and forever changed the face of Aebyrnis, the world stood
holding its breath as the most titanic game of politics played its course. Would all have
been able to see the all the players, perhaps the future might have been guessed, and its
events changed, but Aebyrnis was neither blessed nor cursed with an omniscient being to
watch over it.
For nigh short of an age, the people of
Vorynn, the Vos, were seduced by the vile powers of Azrai, the Vain, the Beautiful. He
walked among them as a wise man, and ancient of incredible knowledge, promising to them
keys that would make them as strong, if not stronger, than the mighty Adurian peoples. As
He worked his wiles and practiced the patience that only a God could have, Azrai began to
groom certain members of the Vos society for a role that would fit his dark humor. Who
better to lead the betrayal of his
most bitter rival, the peaceful Vorynn, than one of the Vos brightest and most gifted
pupils and chieftains.
Centuries after creating the Viper's Eye to
corrupt these worshipers of moon and magic, the Old Man approached young Atar. A prideful
youth, Atar was very much full of himself and how he would lead the Vos in securing their
new land, perhaps even going so far as to eventually retake their ancestral lands in the
far south. The Old Man, Azrai's guise, whispered support of these traits while all his
other teachers sought to calm him and show him the light of Vorynn's truth.
While Atar sickened under the pacifistic views
of Vorynn's priesthood, Azrai began to introduce him to the teaching of Sorcery. All the
Vos has seen the power of the Elves, and seen the ancient magic they wielded, and though
the elves could be pushed back, this powerful force eluded humans, who could only manage
comparably pitiful illusions and auguries.
But this Sorcery, this power the Old Man knew,
it could give Atar what he needed most, might. And so the prideful young man willfully
entered into Azrai's tutelage. Thus was Atar of the Vos destroyed and Atar the Lost born.
Sorcery is indeed the blackest of the Black
Arts. It is rightfully described as the power of Night and Darkness, for its source is the
antithesis of reality, the very energy of Entropy itself. Sorcery is the direct channeling
and manipulation of energy from the Plane of Negative Energy, sometimes called the
Negative Material by unlearned Prime sages. Thought to be the "home of undead",
the Negative Energy is one pole of the sphere of the Inner Planes.
This energy is completely unsuitable to any
race save the humans and the goblins. All demi-humans bear a minute spark of the Positive
Energy in their beings and thus are unable to reliably touch the Negative. It is also a
primal power, and requires a passion that burns like a forge to use.
Thus only those who embrace Chaos may wield
the power (CG, CN, CE).
Sorcery has even further drawbacks - primarily the deterioration of any being who uses it,
save the undead. As the Negative Energy courses through a being, he or she is slowly
destroyed from within, eventually becoming aught but a husk, a virtual mirror of the
living dead. (As per the Ghul Lord, for each level advanced the character loses 1 pt off
of STR of CON, player choice - until both reach 5). Furthermore, the act of channeling the
energy is physically harmful and has been known to kill. (As energy is
"manipulated" the caster loses 1 hit point per "spell level" - read
on)
However, this minor drawback did not hinder Azrai's plans in the slightest, by gifting
Atar and others of his Disciples with the tiniest portion of his massive power, they
warping energies of the Negative slid off and around them. He could not (or would not) do
anything for the harmful nature in which the magic was employed, as power came with a
price. (In essence - the Lost are Aebyrnis first examples of the Blooded. They bear within
each of them a "tiny" spark of Azrai's pre-Deismar power. Relatively, each being
had the equivalent of either a True or a Great bloodline dependant upon Azrai's favor)
Requirements:
*Chaotic Alignment
*CON - 14
*INT - 15
*WIS - 14
*If bloodline is present - it MUST be Azrai's
Proficiencies:
*2 Weapon/6 Nonweapon (gains 1/1 per 3 levels)
*or 6CP for Weapon/8 CP for nonweapon, 3pts per weapon proficiency
Weapons and Armor:
The Sorcerer may choose from any weapon and may wear armor up to and including chain mail.
1) Magic Use:
The Sorcerer is very similar to other magic wielding individuals, but also extremely
different. Of all the schools of magic, only Necromancy is open to him. All other spells
are completely inaccessible.
As his magic is so different from other mages,
his spell progression also differs. (All spells are noted as per dragon, general - i.e.
x/x/x relates to #1st #2nd #3rd, etc. The rapid power expansion at 15th and above shows
that the Sorcerer is discovering the secrets quicker, and has finally unlocked the more
esoteric forms of power and knowledge. Azrai did not favor the gaining of his knowledge
easily, and thus required that the Lost show themselves to be truly dedicated.
| Level |
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| 1st & 2nd |
1 |
|
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| 3rd & 4th |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
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| 5th & 6th |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 7th & 8th |
3 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 9th & 10th |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 11th & 12th |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 13 & 14th |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
| 15th |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
| 16th |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
| 17th |
5 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
| 18th |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| 19th |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
| 20th |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Remember that the above only relates to spells of Necromancy, which the Sorcerer may cast
without hindrance or penalty.
2) Special Effects:
When using any of his powers, the Sorcerer is often surrounded by an effect of some type.
Common ones are as follows, and each of the Lost was rather unique. Keep in mind that each
of these powers is for show only, having no other effect save role-playing.
Whispering: Voices emanate from around
the caster, indistinct and menacing.
Moaning: Similar to whispers, but these are the dying gasps of souls leaving the
body.
Dark light: A halo of menacing energy surrounds the caster. The light either
emanates from the whole body, or alternatively the bones, making the flesh translucent.
Tears of Blood: The casters eyes bleed, causing no penalties nor injury, but
extreme disturbance.
Transformation: The caster becomes either the most beautiful being alive, or the
most hideous.
Flickering: Lights around the caster flicker and dim when his power is used.
3) Manipulations:
Sorcerers are able to manipulate the raw magical energy of Entropy. While much cruder than
spells and having utterly no finesse, this manipulation is also much more versatile. In
order to practice these abilities, the Sorcerer must first learn the methods of
manipulation. These are proficiencies taken as per the Player's Handbook or Skills and
Powers. For the PHB each costs 1 slot and has a base ability equal to intelligence. For
S&P Each ability costs 2 CP and has a base ability of 8, modified by
Knowledge and Willpower.
Attack Manipulations: These are used to damage items or creatures. This type of
manipulation can form an actual physical attack (enveloping a sword with negative energy
can be extremely interesting when the Sorcerer is also a Weapons Master) or a purely
magical attack. Either option can be chosen at the discretion of the sorcerer who must
state which form the attack will
take at the moment of its release.
Defense Manipulations: These form magical barriers that stop physical or magical
attacks, decided upon by the sorcerer when the manipulation occurs.
Informative Manipulations: These allow the sorcerer to seek out knowledge that is
otherwise unattainable. Through the use of this manipulation the sorcerer can discover
secret doors, reveal the secrets of ages, foresee the future, or diving the location of
lost or hidden objects. Other uses are also possible only limited by your imagination.
Movement Manipulations: these allow the sorcerer to move through the use of magical
energies. Using this, characters may fly, teleport or even pass through to other
dimensions.
Each of these manipulations must be learned as a separate nonweapon proficiency as
explained above. Characters may start with two separate manipulations at their disposal.
Non-sorcerers may never access these proficiencies.
The manipulations are not overly difficult to
use, but they do require the expenditure of the sorcerers life force. This is represented
by the temporary loss of a number of hit points equal to the level of the manipulation
currently being used. This may be offset by certain magical items, using a process known
as leeching (see below).
The use of a manipulation is timed similar to
combat spells. Each manipulation has a Speed equal to the number of hit points the
Sorcerer expends on the spell.
Deciding which manipulation to use is easy.
The effect desired often decides the manipulation used. Is the sorcerer intent upon
hurting someone? Then the obvious choice is the use of the attack manipulation.
Deciding on the level requires a bit of work
on the DMs part. The level is best determined by taking a look at the effect that is
desired and comparing it to a spell that has a similar effect. If the manipulation is
essentially the same as a known spell, then the level of that spell is the level of the
manipulation that is used.
NOTE: The first time we played with this my resident ghul lord ran forward in combat and
declared powerword kill on a main villain… this was a needless shock on my part and
we soon reasoned that certain effects are unavailable, such as power words and
exceptionally details spells. Finger of death also is another nasty one that should be
unusable. As always, DMs discretion. Play with it and whatever works best is what you
should use.
In cases where range is concerned, the difference in the range of the manipulation and
that of a known spell needs to be at least 50 percent to warrant an increase or decrease
in level.
Damage is more strict, increases/decreases
should be rated in numbers of dice, with the die type similar to whatever spell is being
simulated. Any single die increase/decrease raises the level by one. In the case where a
level dependant spell is being simulated (i.e. fireball or Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting -
nasty) the level of the sorcerer is used to determine base dice.
This power, while powerful, has the greatest limitation in that it is absolutely incapable
of creation. No sorcerer may ever cast Enchant an Item, etc. This must be remembered so
that the power is not used in a manner uncharacteristic of its intent.
4) Restrictions:
The Sorcerer is a supernatural creature. Once he begins this path, he may never forsake
it, as it becomes a part of his essence. I.e. "once you start down the dark path
forever will it consume you…" good ol' Yoda. Animals are no longer comfortable
around this creature and tend to shy away. Undead are attracted and rather less than
likely to assault a such a being as they are generally unsure of how it relates to them.
The Sorcerer suffers from constant exposure to the force that erodes reality, and as a
result must lose a single point of CON or STR for every level past third until each
ability is below 5. At this level the Sorcerer takes on the appearance of one of the
undead. There is, however, one recorded way to get around this, and that is to have either
a Great or True bloodline of Azrai. Those individuals so cursed have an inherent immunity
to the forces of Entropy as decay is a part of them. The bloodline is further unaffected
by these powers, and possesses the normal associated benefits and hindrances
The Sorcerer is restricted as far as his item usage. No item not specifically made for him
can be used. Healing items are always unusable. The negative energies present in their
bodies completely eradicates all traces of Positive energy leaked by items. A priest's
healing may work as that is the direct power of a god, but very few of the gods are going
to be willing to heal such a creature.
5) Leaching:
The original description of the ghul lord ends without a description of this power
referenced by the author (don't know why), but we came up with a simplified rules system.
The Sorcerer, while unable to reap the use of a magical item, can drain it and consume its
powers, using raw Entropy to destroy it and gain power rather than harming himself.
For single use items and charged items, the character gains one level of manipulation per
spell level in the item.
For continuous or otherwise constant items the character may leach the equivalent of a 1st
through 4th level spell one time per day. The relative level of the permanent effect helps
determine this. I.E. A ring of Truth might be placed in a chuck of glass and worn about
the neck (an actual trick of my brother's), and the sorcerer might draw from it, gaining 2
points for any manipulation one tie per day.
6) Experience:
As the standard Mage, but with a -30% XP penalty to the character. This penalty is -50%
for Great and True Bloodlines of Azrai because they sidestep fully half of the
restrictions.
This class is VERY similar to the Ghul Lord
out of the Complete Sha'ir's Handbook by Sam Witt. I do not claim originality of the idea
nor credit where none is due. Parts exist (especially in the Manipulations) that are
verbatim out of the CSH, and only posses minor editing to keep them consistent with MY
view of Birthright, Cerilia, Azrai, the Lost, and anything else <g>
While the Leeching idea is Mr. Witts, the
details on its usage were invented by myself and my brother (who played the best ghul lord
I've ever run and perhaps the single most interesting character in any game I've had the
pleasure of running)
By Tim Nutting
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