Magic and Psionics (Sarosian Supplement)
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Firstly, in the Sarosian Setting, there are no Psionics. While magic evolved as a natural force in the universe, psionics evolve as a natural force inside mortals, this step in evolution has yet to occur anywhere in the Sarosian Cosmology as the natural step of discipline through religion has be disrupted so many times in the warring cosmos of the planes. Without this step mortal kind has yet to evolve the proper metal capability, immortal minds do not have the same pressures as mortal ones and can't evolve psionically. If you wish to add psionics beware, other psionic creatures in this campaign (Mind Flayers, Elderbrain, and other creatures) use sorcerer replacement levels or spell-like abilites to mimic their lost psionics.
The fields of magic that flow through the planes, and are accessed every day by wizards and creatures of magic nature, even the gods tap into these fields, are best represented as two large bubbles. These bubbles are Divine and Arcane, they are roughly the same size and have roughly the same influence over the planes, in each of these bubbles is a field for each discipline that uses it, such as druidic, clerical, paladin sections in the Divine bubble and bardic, wizard and sorcerer sections in the Arcane bubble. These inner fields and the outer field all feed into each other and cross over into the opposite outer field and while people tap into these fields the fields also tap into them creating a very real magical web between all creatures tapping into the fields. Very few creatures have every directly interacted with or produced a direct effect from the fields, an example of which might be the affect the loss of druids had on the druidic field and its magic.
Focusing Stones
Focusing stones are one of the forces that drove the Second Age, they were used as power sources or siege weaponry. Small ones were adapted in the later years to aid single spell casters.
How a focusing stone works is one of three ways, the larger ones are like giant batteries that never need to be charged, after its constructed a single spell of any power can be cast into it and over time it will charge itself, doubling its power from the initial charge until it begins to emit a low level hum, signaling thats its full.
The second way is with smaller stones, most no bigger than a baseball can have spells cast into them releasing the the spell with additional effects, meta magic effects are most common.
The final type is the splitting array, about the size of a shield sometimes as large as a full length mirror, multiple casters can coordinate and cast the same spell into it, each time an even number of spells is cast into it it doubles, so when two spells are cast four come out, when four are cast twelve come out, six produce twenty-eight. These focusing stones require an additional caster to be holding the stone and sacrifice a spell prepared or slot of the level of spell being cast. Most of these stones also have a cap on the number of spells that can be cast on the stone and unfortunately many have died from overloading this type of stone.
Notable Uses in the Third Age: Focusing stones of all sizes can still be found in the Third Age, though some are quite rare. It should be noted that while the largest focusing stones can still be found the knowledge on how to tap into the power they store is still a mystery to most scholars.
- Large focusing stone power the River Boats of Orz, these stones are held in place by two golems that siphon the power off into the ship, no golem has ever been destroyed or moved from these ships.
- A Large focusing stone provides the capitol city of the werelands Cardonia with a shield that prevents certain forms of violence.
- An array of non-functional focusing stones are in the old ruins of the last Sarosian capitol Hami'ra, these stones while dont seem to be powering anything are fully charged.
- A small tribe of barbarians on Mirudia worship a scattering array, legend has it they discovered it after two wizards had a fight in a holy place to the barbarians, the barbarians came down from the hill and the wizards joined together to fight the barbarians however the wizards both cast spells which hit the scattering array focusing stone and reflected the spells back at the wizards slaying them both.
- Small stones are sometimes found in magic shops or bazaars, they are always sought after by all types of spell casters and are considered minor artifacts. Some are extremely powerful and may be considered major artifacts however these small focusing stones with heightened powers are possibly the rarest relics of the Second Age.
| Name | Effect | Useage | Display |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor stone of Empower | As the feat Empower Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect jets out of your free hand into the stone then to its intended target. |
| Minor stone of Enlarge | As the feat Enlarge Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect jets out of your free hand into the stone then to its intended target. |
| Minor stone of Extend | As the feat Extend Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect jets out of your free hand into the stone then to its intended target. |
| Minor stone of Heighten | As the feat Heighten Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect jets out of your free hand into the stone then to its intended target. |
| Minor stone of Maximize | As the feat Maximize Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect jets out of your free hand into the stone then to its intended target. |
| Minor stone of Quicken | As the feat Quicken Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect doesn't leave a hand it comes straight out of the focusing stone towards it intended target. |
| Minor stone of Silence | As the feat Silent Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect jets out of your free hand into the stone then to its intended target. |
| Minor stone of Still | As the feat Still Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect comes out of your hand and seeps into your form, the stone absorbs it and sends it back out our body towards it intended target. |
| Minor stone of Widen | As the feat Widen Spell | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell effect jets out of your free hand into the stone then to its intended target. |
| Major stone of Fire | adds +1d6 fire to spells that have a damaging component | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell cast materializes with a hotter fire and louder roar |
| Major stone of Ice | adds +1d6 ice to spells that have a damaging component | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell cast materializes with a thicker ice and deeper cold |
| Major stone of Electricity | adds +1d6 electricity to spells that have a damaging component | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell cast materializes with a quicker jolt and a louder boom |
| Major stone of Acid | adds +1d6 acid to spells that have a damaging component | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell cast materializes with a quicker burn and a more visible sizzle |
| Major stone of Sonic | adds +1d6 sonic to spells that have a damaging component | Stone used counts as spell focus for component purposes | The spell cast materializes with a deafening boom and more visible ripples |
The above list is just for example, the range of effects small stones may have is near limitless, other lesser used energy types such as force or light or even holy effects and other wild magics. Other stones may just be more effective, allowing greater destructive force or greater healing capacity.
There are unique small focusing stones that are for the most part spell casting related.
- Hive Mind Network
These are just a few examples of the focusing stones, these stones helped shape an era on Miriandis and are capable of greater effects then most wizards will ever hope to achieve. The largest stones were once the fuel of the only true world spanning empire, from the most rural centers to the centers of trade and industry the Second Age would not have lasted if not for the raw powers these devices produce.
If you plan to add new focusing stones to your campaign be careful, a small stone is near or more powerful then gaining a feat, the medium sized stones are essentially siege weapons that are easy to move and use with limited numbers and the large stones are unlimited power supplies as well as huge bombs if seriously mistreated.
Arcane Magic
Arcane magic and science on Miriandis are one in the same with few notable exceptions, most genetic experts you might find are going to be transmutation experts as well. This is so much the case that to lesser cultures like the kobolds those who build traps involving physics are referred to as mages.
One exception are the Xixchil, a large mantis-like creature that uses natural chemicals created in its surgical claws to produce tattoos and body modifications that replicate and rival magical augmentations. These creatures are rare living in rare pockets of the underdark that are close enough to the surface for light and occasionally food to slip into the caves they reside in.
Divine Magic
Druids: Have been removed, in the second age Saros had many needless campaigns, one of which was wiping out the largest threat to his southern allies, the 'druidic infestation', Druids from all over the land were called to various natural emergencies caused by Sarosian agents, and when a druid population was properly recorded there was a cleansing. The effect of this no one expected, the raw fields of magic, explained earlier in the Magic section, were altered in a sympathetic way, pouring more power into its druid field, empowering the last remaining Druids magical aspects to unknown heights, several of these Druids destroyed entire empires before Sarosian forces could bring them down. The druidic cataclysm ended when the final druid, a Lizard Folk who had brought several elder wurms under his banner assaulted Saros' capitol Hami'ra. Hami'ra was destroyed, the last druid and its connection to the prime material plane disapeard, and the third age began. For more information on the story of this please see the history of the second age.
The effect of this was the last remaining scrolls with druidic magic, or spells in items that were exclusively druid spells, became increasingly powerful, the following spells have been changed:
- Awaken - Succeed will save is DC: Target HD only, Target gets 4d6 intelligence instead of 3d6, +1d4 Charisma instead of +1d3.
- Call Lightning - Max 20 bolts instead of 10, deal 4d6 instead of 3d6, when larger bolts due to weather 6d6 instead of increasing to d10.
- Call Lightning Storm
- Changestaff - Duration 12 hours per level instead of 1, Advance the Treant creature 1d4 HD, this will increase it to Huge.
- Chill Metal - Double Durration from 7 rounds to 14, Heat Metal will only return the spell to its normal duration 7 rounds not counter it.
| Round | Metal Temperature | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cold | None |
| 2–5 | Icy | 1d4 points |
| 6-9 | Freezing | 2d4 points |
| 10–13 | Icy | 1d4 points |
| 14 | Cold | None |
- Creeping Doom - Change to one swarm per caster level instead of per two caster levels, the swarms can move up to 250 feet away instead of 100.
- Flame Blade - The blade does +1 per caster level instead of per two caster levels and caps at +20 instead of +10.
- Goodberry - Berries heal 1d8+5 and can only heal up to 16 points of damage in a 24 hour period.
- Ironwood - The duration is permanent from 1 day per level
- Liveoak - Each casting of the spell can create three treants instead of just one, the trees must be within 30 feet of each other.
- Quench - The dispel check is increased to max of +20 from +15, fire creatures take a max of 20d6 increased from 15d6 and when using a targeted casting the time supressed is up to 1d6+1 per caster lvl, max +20 hours, up from 1d4 hours.
- Reincarnate - Functions as normal but the caster chooses from the list and there is no level or HD loss.
- Repel Metal or Stone - Functions as normal except an alternate usage has been found, a semi-perminate zone of repulsion can be created, 60 ft zone of repulsion emanates from the caster and is fixed to where he was standing, the zone can not be moved by anything short of a Wish or Miracle spell, however the zone can be dispelled as a normal spell. Unless dispelled no zone cast since the fall of druids has run its duration.
- Rusting Grasp - Does 1d8 points of armor class damage instead of 1d6 and against ferrous creatures the dice increases to 3d8 +1 per caster level max +20 from 3d6 +1 per CL max +15.
- Shillelagh - Increased duration from 1 min/lvl to until dispelled or put down.
- Spellstaff - Can store up to three spells instead of one.
- Stone Tell - The stones may give you the memories of their tremorsense which may or may not give a clearer answer.
- Transmute Metal to Wood - Area is increased from 40 ft radius burst to 10 ft radius burst per 3 caster levels.
- Transport via Plants - Creatures are considered one size category smaller for determining how many touched creatures may travel with the caster.
- Wood Shape - Increased target from one touched piece of wood no larger than 10 cu ft + 1 cu ft per level to 10 cu ft +5 cu ft per level.
Spells Accessible by clerics via Domains are not effected, due to an increase in clerics as a lack of druids for spiritual outlet druid spells that appear in domains have returned to normal function:
- Dominate Plants
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