Truespeak Fix (3.5e Variant Rule)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 5-9-15 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Truespeak Fix

Somewhere deep within the realms, within the ivory towers along the coast, the wizards sat and pondered creating all manner of spells, and altering the very fabric of the cosmos. Among these coastal wizards, many sat in thought on what next to add to the universes they create with a whim.

"I have an idea!" shouted one such wizard, standing from Simbul's Strange Seating spell. "It will be the best idea ever."

"You say that about everything. You said that about your Complete Warrior Samurai too." his co-conspirator replied, bored. "Still, beats nothing. What do you got."

"So you know how we have normal Vancian spellcasting..."

"Uh huh..."

"And then we had spellcasting with points, and it made psionics?"

"Uh huh..."

"And then we figured out spellcasting at-will, and made warlocks!"

"What's your point?"

"A new spellcasting system! Spellcasting... based on skill checks!"

"That's..." His partner paused and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Actually kind of interesting. But tricky. Very tricky. You know how easy it is to optimize skill checks, so if the casting is based on a skill whatever numbers you put in will surely become unbalanced. Still, it has potential. Perhaps if there are fixed DCs, or you could somehow account for additional bonuses, then maybe you might be able to pull off-"

"And done." With a click of a button on Microsoft's Magnificent Machine, he had just sent off a PDF to the world outside.

"Wait, what did you do? You're done already? Please tell me you haven't published it already! What about balance?"

"Of course I'm done, deadlines and all. The elder evil Hasbro won't stand for it otherwise. Don't worry, you're concerns about huge skill checks are no more. I just made it impossible to do skill checks after a few times, and made it you can't use it more than one at a time. I don't remember if you could dismiss them, but I'm sure it's not important. Who would cast the same spell more than once? I typed a number on a d8 and gave them that many spells know. Called it truenaming, I did! It'll be a big hit."

The other wizard groaned and went back to his work.

The Problem

Truespeak is broken. The idea is so promising, the flavor, perfect, and the execution is a natural 1. Even now as I type this, fixing truenaming is almost impossible. Eventually, I will rebuild the truenamer class itself (and update this line accordingly) but until then, the truespeak skill itself must be fixed.

The Solution

The following replies all traits and functions of the Truespeak skill.

Truespeak (Int; Trained Only)

Truespeak can be used to perform several effects in addition to the uses performed by truespeech classes. Everything has a common truename (the equivalent of "dog" or "orc") and a personal truename ("Rover" and "Bob"). Personal truenames are difficult to discover, and rightfully so, as they can invoke additional power over the creature. If you have the personal truename of a creature, you can specify them in a [Summoning] or [Calling] effect can conjure them through. You can also use a personal truename to force a unique creature through a gate without a save (though it does not impart control). Truenames are also used as blackmail for many outsiders, as it opens them up to the whims of mortal spellcasters and their abuses. As a result, they take great care not to reveal their truenames.

It can be used to identify key properties of a creature normally not known to characters in game (such as hit dice... so that's how you research it...), hit points, status effects a creature or object is under, or even discover a truename. Consult the following table.

Truespeak

Truespeak Effect	DC
Divine HD	10 + the creature's HD
Divine Level/CR	10 + the creature's CR
Divine Current Hp	10 + the creature's HD
Divine Status	20 + 10 for every additional status you divine
Divine Personal Truename1	20 + CR of the creature x5
This use requires research no less than 1 day per HD of the creature. The DC is lowered by 4 if you have a personal item of the creature's as a focus. Other circumstances may raise, lower, or otherwise make the DC impossible. Once you gain 1 rank in Truespeak, you automatically know you own truename.

You can also make a Truespeak check as a free action to identify an utterance being spoken, even when it's not your turn. The DC of this check is equal to the DC to speak the utterance you wish to identify.

Speaking a creature's personal truename increases the DC of the truespeak check by 2. You gain a +4 competence bonus on truespeak checks for saying your own personal truename.

Lastly, of course, is pronouncing the truename of a creature or object, a key function to the workings of truespeech using classes. The DC for a truespeak check is DC 11 + the creature's CR (0 for objects). You must pronounce a creature or object's truename (common or personal) to affect it properly with a truenamer's utterances. More importantly, the former Law of Resistance and Law of Sequence are discarded, replaced by the Law of Echoes and the Law of Chorus.

Law of Echoes

When you use an utterance successfully, you must wait for the universe to stop echoing with power before using the same utterance again (you may, however, use a completely different utterance). The cooldown time is equal to the 1 + the level of the utterance. For every 5 points you exceed the truespeak DC for your utterance, the cooldown time is reduced by 1 round to a minimum of 1 round (so it can be used again at the start of your next turn). Thus, you can use an utterance on a dark naga (CR 8, so DC 19), and if you get a result of a 30 you can reduce the cost by 2 rounds (minimum 1). None of this "unable to cast for the next 24 hours" business.

Law of Chorus

Most utterances only affect a single target. For these single target utterances, you can choose to raise the DC of the truespeak check by twice the utterance level (so a 2nd level utterance is a +4 increase). For every increase you make, you can target another creature with an equal or lower truespeak DC in range of your utterance, to a maximum equal to your character level.

The Finisher

Because saying a truename is such an idiosyncratic, exacting task, you can't take 10 or take 20 on Truespeak checks.

Action: Speaking a truename is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Try Again: Yes.

Synergy: if you have 5 ranks in Truespeak, you gain a +1 bonus on all Knowledge checks.

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