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

Minimum Rank 2 Uses

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 your GM is a nice guy, he’ll just tell you which skill you need to roll to gather information about a creature. As this may reveal more information than they want, they may not tell you which skill you need. In that case, only roll once for all skills; just add your modifier from each skill to your roll and give him all five results separately.

DC: 16 + target’s CR
Check	Result
DC+10 and above	You correctly guess everything in the lower success results, as well as every other special quality and attack that the creature has. In a less serious game, you can just ask the GM for their notes and read up on it while everyone else gets into position.
DC+5 to DC+9	In addition to the information learned from a basic success, you also correctly guess 3 special attacks or qualities of the creature. These are either determined randomly from those you have not yet witnessed or you may ask for further details on one you have witnessed (type of DR if you have witnessed it, type of breath weapon, etc.).
DC+0 to DC+4	You correctly guess the creature’s type, subtypes, and any traits that would come as a result of those categories. If the creature is sufficiently common, you also know its name, and that may provide other information.
DC-1 and below	You are unable to reach any conclusion that you have confidence in. You can not retry this check until you witness one of its special abilities or qualities first hand; sometimes getting bathed in acid jogs a memory.

Ability Progression

None. Your maximum ranks scale with the CR of your opposition, providing similar levels of information on foes regardless of level.

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. You must have detect magic or equivalent spell active, or else wield an etheliometer to learn anything with this ability however.

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. This involves rolling 1d20, adding your modifier for each skill to this roll, and giving your GM all 3 results separately. Your GM is responsible for making sure that you get the largest applicable bonus and applying it to your check to learn about an effect.

DC: 16 + twice the effect’s level or 16 + caster level for effects without spell level, +2 for each degradation period passed since an effect ended.
Check	Result
DC+5 and above	You recognize the type of magic (arcane, divine, primal) and learn its school, subschool (if any), caster level, and spell level (if applicable). If the magic is primal, you also learn the name of the spell or effect so long as you could generate it yourself, you have compelling reason to know about it (stories, commonality, etc.), or the spell has a level less than half your character level (rounded down). If the magic is arcane or divine, you only learn the name if you have a compelling reason to know about it.
DC+0 to DC+4	You recognize the type of magic (arcane, divine, primal). If the magic is primal, you learn its school, subschool (if any), caster level, and spell level (if applicable). You also learn the name of any spell or effect so long as you could generate it yourself, you have compelling reason to know about it (stories, commonality, etc.), or the spell has a level less than half your character level (rounded down). You learn no information aside from its type if the magic is arcane or divine.
DC-1 to DC-5	You recognize the type of magic (arcane, divine, primal), but nothing further. Additional checks may yield more information.
DC-6 and below	You do not recognize this effect and understand nothing about it. Additional checks may yield more information.

Ability Progression

None. Your maximum ranks scale with the CR of your opposition, providing similar levels of information on foes regardless of level.

Minimum Rank 4 Uses

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.

DC: 14 + caster level or minimum required ability score, whichever is higher
Check	Result
DC+10 and above	The item functions normally for you for 1 hour, during which time you can use charges or receive benefits as appropriate without making further checks.
DC+5 to DC+9	The item functions normally for you for 1 minute, during which time you can use charges or receive benefits as appropriate without making further checks.
DC+0 to DC+4	The item functions normally for you for 1 round, during which time you can use charges or receive the benefits of it as appropriate.
DC-1 to DC-5	The item does not function for you at this time. You may make another check after spending another activation action on the item.
DC-6 and below	The item loses 1 charge or use (if applicable) and becomes inoperable for 2d4 minutes. You recognize the temporary shutdown.

Ability Progression

None. Your maximum ranks scale with the CR of your opposition, providing similar levels of information on foes regardless of level.

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