Tome of Prowess (3.5e Sourcebook)/Geomancy

Geomancy
The Geomancy skill represents dedicated study into the primal magics that flow through the world. While that study manifests itself most strongly as the ability to better understand and recognize primal, elemental magics, those who study Geomancy also learn about the elemental creatures at its source, the elemental reflections of other outsiders, and how the natural magic of the world can coalesce into a more material form in the fey. Characters with substantial training in Geomancy can even use natural spell trigger and spell completion items containing spells not normally accessible within their class, as well as ignore racial or type requirements on magical items.

Key Attribute: Wisdom

Creature Insight
Your meditations on primal magic has granted you knowledge about the creatures nearest it, whether they be pure examples or living reflections of it. Elementals are creatures composed entirely of a single element (fire, wood, or even iron depending on your cosmology) and represent the fundamental pieces of the world itself. Outsiders with an elemental subtype are slightly removed from the pure form, but share enough traits to be identifiable. Fey creatures are incarnations of the complexity of nature itself, and as such are capricious beings as wild and free as the darkest old wood or tallest mountain. You know enough about the basic working of these creatures to recognize what abilities any individual member might have, even those you’ve never seen before.

Attempting to identify or glean information about a creature is an immediate action. The DC for this check is 16 + the creature’s CR. The creature does not have to be alive for you to try to gather information about it, though deceased creatures need to be identifiable and largely intact.

Special: The geomancy skill only allows you to identify elementals, outsiders with an elemental subtype, and fey creatures, but there are several other skills that provide similar knowledge for other creature types. If you possess ranks in the other creature identification skills and your GM does not specify which particular skill you need to roll (and they have no obligation to tell you), you may check against all skills as part of the same action. In that case roll 1d20 one time as the base and report your total check result (this d20 roll + your skill modifier) for each skill to your GM separately. Your GM is responsible for making sure that you get the most information from your individual check results.

Identify Magic
When you run across magic, it’s nice to know if it is magic that will cause food to flow from the earth or suck the air from your lungs. The Geomancy skill primarily deals with the primal magic of druids, though it can be used to identify spells or effects from any source. This ability allows you to identify a spell as it is being cast, identify a standing magical effect, identify magical residue after an effect ends, etc. Additionally, it allows you to learn the spell stored within a primal spell completion or spell trigger item. However, you must have detect magic or equivalent spell active, or else wield an etheliometer to learn anything with this ability.

The action required for this depends on which of these two methods you use, and is described in those methods. You gain information about the magical phenomena based on your check result.

Special: The geomancy skill is specialized for primal magic. It is less efficient at identifying arcane or divine magic effects than the appropriate skills, and it is useless for identifying arcane or divine spell completion or spell trigger items. If you possess ranks in the other magic skills and your GM does not specify which particular skill you need to roll (and they have no obligation to tell you), you may check against all skills as part of the same action. In that case roll 1d20 one time as the base and report your total check result (this d20 roll + your skill modifier) for each skill to your GM separately. Your GM is responsible for making sure that you get the most information from your individual check results.

Primal Item Affinity
A little connection with the world can help you to call upon its hidden power. With it you can attempt to use primal spell trigger or spell completion items even if you lack the ability to normally use the spells within them. But your skill with the geomantic doesn’t stop there. Primal magic is based on a deep connection with the world, and you if you know how to ask it will grant you powers reserved for other beings. If a magic item functions differently for a particular race or type, you may attempt to have the item treat you as such for a short time.

For continuous use items with a race or type prerequisite, this check requires a swift action. Otherwise, the action to use this ability is included in the activation action for the item (often the spell's casting time). Whether you are attempting to use an item as a different race or activate an item without the spell on your class list, the DC for this check is equal to 14 + the item's caster level. If you succeed on the check, the item functions normally for a period of time based on your check result. You may not attempt this check again during any period while it functions normally, and must wait for the item to stop responding to you before you may make an additional check. If you successfully emulate a race or type when you activate the item, the item responds as if you were the emulated race or type for the duration.

Note that this ability only activates items that are primal in nature or that have alternate functions for a particular race or type. It only covers those portions of the activation. Items that have a racial component but are not primal, or that have additional non-racial prerequisites, may not be covered by this ability. In these cases, additional checks with other skills may be required.

Special: If your use of this ability triggers a cursed item, the cursed item becomes activated and functions normally for you until the curse is broken by a spell, class feature, or similar ability. This indefinite duration replaces the normal check based duration.