User:MisterSinister/Work Bin 2

Schools and Tags

In addition to their other definitions, abilities often possess schools or tags. These are described here.

Schools of Magic

The eight schools of magic (plus universal, which isn't technically a proper school) are broad categories of abilities that define what sort of effects they have. These have their own rules in some cases.

Abjuration

Abilities from this school affect other abilities. These abilities are usually defensive in nature, but also often interfere with the workings of other abilities, or cause them to function in ways they normally wouldn't. Most protective abilities are abjurations.

Special: If an abjuration ability creates a barrier that keeps out certain creatures or objects, this barrier cannot be pushed aggressively against such creatures or objects. If this is done, the user will feel resistance against the attempt; pushing on in spite of the resistance will cause the ability to fail.

Conjuration

Conjuration abilities create matter in all forms. [Summoning] and [Calling] abilities are nearly always conjurations, as well as any abilities that create objects out of thin air. Creatures that you conjure usually, but not always, obey your commands. Conjuration cannot manipulate matter (like transmutation), nor does it create or manipulate energy (like evocation).

Divination

Divination abilities give access to information or sensory input that would not otherwise be available to the user. All abilities that involve perceiving anything that wouldn't normally be visible, audible etc., predicting things to come, or viewing remote locations are divinations.

Special: A divination with a cone-shaped area extends from its user the given distance, and can move with them. It extends in the direction that the user looks, and the cone defines the area that the user can sweep or cover each round.

Enchantment

Enchantment abilities affect, control or alter the minds of other beings. Abilities that induce fear, emotion or similar things, as well as anything that affects memory, are enchantments. Most enchantments have the [Mind-Affecting] tag.

Evocation

Evocation abilities create, control and alter energy. Abilities with the [Teleport] tag or that involve planar travel, as well as anything that controls gravity, fire or a similar energy, are all evocations. Evocations tend toward big, explosive effects. Evocation cannot create or manipulate matter (that's what conjuration and transmutation are for, respectively).

Illusion

Illusion abilities affect, control or alter the senses of other beings, as well as magical or supernatural 'senses'. Abilities which create images of things that are not real, alter appearances and dull or remove certain senses are all illusions. Illusion cannot give access to genuine information, and also cannot be used to give senses (as both of those are divination's job).

Necromancy

Necromancy abilities manipulate life and death. Abilities that deal with negative and positive energy, healing, souls and the undead are all part of the school of necromancy.

Transmutation

Transmutation abilities alter and manipulate matter. Transmutation cannot create matter (that's conjuration's job) and it can't create or alter energy (that's evocation).

Tags

These are ability descriptors that give more information about the ability that just their school would suggest. Some tags are grouped, while others are standalone.

Tag Groups

This includes all tag groups. These contain the following tags.

• [Calling]
• [Complex]
• [Darkness]
• [Elemental]
• [Energy]
• [Exotic]
• [Image]
• [Light]
• [Negative]
• [Phantasm]
• [Positive]
• [Simple]
• [Summoning]
• [Suppressible]
• [Transferable]

Companion Tags

These tags indicate that these abilities bring creatures across large distances to serve the users of the ability.

[Calling]

Creatures brought by these abilities are fully real, and can enter antimagic fields without harm. Bringing a creature with an elemental subtype using such an ability gives that ability the appropriate [Elemental] tag as well.

[Summoning]

Creatures brought by these abilities are only replicas. They can be 'dispelled' as if they were an area spell, and entering an 'antimagic field' causes them to wink out of existence. Such creatures are non-specific and untrainable, and cannot be brought into an environment that cannot support them. These creatures cannot use any abilities that summon or create creatures, nor can they use any [Teleportation] abilities or abilities that allow them to travel between planes. Bringing a creature with an elemental subtype using such an ability gives that ability the appropriate [Elemental] tag as well.

Deception Tags

These tags indicate that these abilities alter the senses of their targets, making them perceive something that isn't there.

[Image]

These abilities create something that is perceivable by anyone who views (or hears, or smells, etc) the ability's effect and is capable of processing this perception. These abilities cannot create intelligible speech unless the ability description states otherwise, and any speech they generate must be in a language known by the user, or it will come out as gibberish. Any such perception must be familiar to the user, and it will be dependent on their subjective perceptions of such a perception.

[Phantasm]

These abilities create something that only the user and the intended target or targets can perceive. It is a purely sensory effect between the user and the target, and third parties do not perceive anything where this ability's effect should be. Almost all [Phantasm] abilities are also [Mind-Affecting].

Elemental Tags

These tags indicate what elemental energy the ability draws upon. While there are some connections between [Elemental] and [Energy] tags, they aren't absolute. Note that these tags are somewhat variable based on your campaign setting and elemental structure. If you have seven elements instead of 4, you are going to have different elemental tags and the connection between your elements and energy types is going to be more or less connected than in the base setting.

[Elemental: Air], [Elemental: Earth], [Elemental: Fire], [Elemental: Water]

These abilities have the given elemental type. If multiple types are listed, the ability is considered to belong to all of them at the same time and affects targets in whatever way is most beneficial for the user.

[Elemental: Selectable]

These abilities can be any listed elemental type, depending on the user's choices when using the ability. For spells or spell-like abilities, such choices are made in Step 1b, and the tag changes based on these choices.

Example: An ability with the tag [Elemental: Selectable] can be of any listed elemental type. For example, if the user chooses fire, the tag becomes [Elemental: Fire].

[Elemental: All]

These abilities are of all elemental types.

Energy Tags

Energy Types

At first glance, it looks really odd to call acid an energy type. Acid is, after all, a physical thing that happens to eat away at things it comes into contact with. The important thing to remember is that no one in a fantasy world understands acids in the same way that we do. If you saw an object that looked like it had been eaten away by acid, you'd simply assume that acid had been responsible even if there was no acid present. So while transmuters turn other available materials into acid and conjurers summon it from elsewhere, evokers just make stuff rot as if they had been exposed to it. They can do it because acids work by shuffling energy around, they just get to do it without having to resort to crude matter as an intermediary or as a place for the energy to go; for evokers the energy just disappears from the area of effect. The other damage types work in the same fashion as well. While cold damage can be caused by ice, it can also be caused by removing a lot of heat from the area since hear is a type of energy. Fire damage is basically the opposite of cold damage, where you can cause it with actual fire (elemental or otherwise) or just by adding heat to an area without any physical source for it. Electricity damage is the really obvious energy type, but other schools have access to it because it's an actual thing you can call in a fantasy world or because you can shuffle aspects of the world around to make it occur "naturally".

These tags indicate what type of damage the ability deals. While there are some connections between [Energy] and [Elemental] tags, they aren't absolute.

[Energy: Acid], [Energy: Cold], [Energy: Electricity], [Energy: Fire]

These abilities deal the indicated damage type. If multiple energy tags are specified the ability deals damage in whatever way is most beneficial for the user. If a creature or object affected by this ability has resistance to any of these damage types, it may only apply the lowest of all shared resistances against the given energy types.

Example: An ability with the tag [Energy: Cold, Energy: Fire] deals both cold and fire damage. A creature that has fire resistance 5 and cold resistance 5 reduces the damage from this ability by 5. A creature that has fire resistance 10 and cold resistance 5 reduces the damage by 5. A creature that has fire resistance 20 and no cold resistance does not reduce the damage from this ability. unless specified otherwise in the description.

[Energy: Selectable]

These abilities can deal any listed energy damage, depending on the caster's choices when using the ability. For spells or spell-like abilities, such choices are made in Step 1b, and the tag changes based on these choices.

Example: An ability with the tag [Energy: Selectable] can deal any kind of energy damage. For example, if the user chooses to deal fire damage, the tag becomes [Energy: Fire].

[Energy: All]

These abilities deal all energy damage types. If a creature or object affected by this ability has resistance to any of these damage types, it may only apply the lowest of all shared resistances against the given energy types.

Illumination Tags

These tags indicate that the abilities deal with darkness or light, either filling an area with it or removing it from an area.

[Darkness]

These abilities negate all [Light] abilities within their areas or on their targets, as long as these abilities aren't higher-level. The [Darkness] ability is not affected by this, and the duration of so-negated [Light] abilities continues. Any Investment costs for such abilities must continue to be paid.

[Light]

These abilities negate all [Darkness] abilities within their areas or on their targets, as long as these abilities aren't higher-level. The [Light] ability is not affected by this, and the duration of so-negated [Darkness] abilities continues. Any Investment costs for such abilities must continue to be paid.

Slot Tags

These tags may only be used if the duration is 'slot'.

[Transferable]

These abilities may be transferred to another willing subject. To do so, you must use a standard action and touch the subject. Mechanically, the target of the spell changes from you to the touched subject.

[Suppressible]

These abilities may be suppressed. A suppressed ability does not work when suppressed. Suppressing or removing suppression (hereafter called changing suppression) from abilities is a swift action. You may change suppression from any number of abilities using the same swift action. Once suppression is changed, you may not change suppression from any abilities until a dissipation check is made, using the highest DC of the abilities that had suppression changed.

Some abilities may force suppression. When this occurs, you may suppress, but not remove suppression from, any active ability. Abilities suppressed in this manner are suppressed until a dissipation check is made, using the highest DC of the abilities that were suppressed. This dissipation check is different than the one mentioned in the last paragraph.

The DC for the dissipation check for a single ability is 10 + 2 * Spell Level.

Soul Tags

These tags indicate that the abilities channel positive or negative energy.

[Negative]

These abilities deal negative energy damage. These affect living creatures normally, while undead receive the Inverse effect instead. Creatures that are neither living nor undead are Immune.

[Positive]

These abilities deal positive energy damage. These affect undead creatures normally, while living creatures receive the Inverse effect instead. Creatures that are neither undead nor living are Immune.

Rarity Tags

GM Notes: When are [Exotic] abilities OK?

The rationale behind the [Exotic] tag is to indicate abilities that carry with them a lot of baggage to do with mechanics or unforeseen or 'hidden' capabilities that not all GMs may want in their games or wish to handle. A good example of such an ability is the Leadership feat, as cohorts significantly change the way the game works, and may add significant additional complications. So when should you give these abilities out? Basically, if you have been playing this game for a while and know the implications of these abilities, by all means, let people learn them as freely as you choose. You can have them find them on stone tablets, get them taught to them by another character, or, if you're feeling particularly generous, simply let them learn [Exotic] abilities as if they were [Complex] ones. However, if you're new to this, or aren't totally sure what characters are capable of, feel free to restrict these or even not have them available at all. Whatever works for you.

These tags indicate how commonly-known the abilities tagged with them are. Nearly always used for spells, these indicate how easy they are to learn or acquire in-game.

[Simple]

These abilities are the most common of their kind. All characters of the class that this ability belongs to know such abilities.

Example: If the ability in question was a wizard spell, all wizards know it.

[Complex]

These abilities are less common, but still relatively widely-known. These can be selected by any character of the class that this ability belongs to.

Example: If the ability in question was a wizard spell, any wizard can learn it, but not every wizard will necessarily know all such abilities.

[Exotic]

These abilities are the most rare and unusual of their kind, and are known by very few, if they're known by anyone living at all. These abilities can only be learned with GM permission or certain items.

Example: If the ability in question was a wizard spell, while any wizard could learn it, unless they had permission from the GM or an item that could teach it to them, they'd be out of luck.

Individual Tags

These are standalone tags.

[Charm]

These abilities change how the target or targets think of the user. Targets still act in a way consistent with their belief and alignment, but may be open to doing more for the user than normal. They are open to interpreting anything the caster tells them or does to them based on their own thinking (slightly modified by the ability). When such abilities end, any targets return to their normal thinking patterns regarding the user, as they were before the ability was used.

[Compulsion]

These abilities change the way the target or targets' minds work. This can (but doesn't always) force them to act in the manner the user wants, regardless of what they think or feel about it.

[Creation]

These abilities create matter out of thin air, in the place the user decides. If the ability has a duration other than Instantaneous, the power of the ability itself holds the creation together, and when the ability ends, the matter vanishes without a trace. If the ability has an Instantaneous duration, the matter doesn't depend on the ability to work, and behaves as normal matter of its type after the ability is used.

A creature or object created by a such an ability cannot appear inside another creature, but an object that has at least one open side and that can fit the creature or object being created can accommodate them normally. The object or creature must appear within the range of the ability, but does not have to remain that way.

[Death]

These abilities attack the target's soul. Any creature killed by a [Death] ability cannot be brought back from the dead (although some abilities can bypass this).

[Fear]

These abilities induce a condition of panic or terror in their targets. Nearly all [Fear] abilities are also [Mind-Affecting].

[Force]

These abilities use pure magical energy. Such abilities ignore incorporeal miss chances, and their damage does not possess a type.

[Investment]

These abilities tie up some of the intrinsic magical energy that their target or targets keep to attune and use magic items. For as long as the ability is active, its target or targets must reduce the number of attuned magic items they can have active by 1. For multiple-target abilities, all targets must reduce this number for themselves.

[Language-Dependent]

These abilities require the target or targets of the ability to understand the user. The understanding need not be two-way - the user only needs to be able to communicate something intelligible to the targets, which must be able to hear and understand it.

[Mind-Affecting]

These abilities act upon the mind, and thus, creatures that are mindless cannot be affected by them.

[Object]

These abilities force creatures without a Constitution score and inanimate objects to make the required save.

[Ray]

These abilities generate a line or beam that strikes the target. It is aimed as a ranged attack, and usually requires a ranged touch attack as well. As with a ranged weapon, you can try and guess where a target it and fire at that. Unlike with a targeted ability, you don't need to see a creature to attempt to hit it with this, but intervening objects can provide cover to a creature.

If the [Ray] ability has a duration, it reflects how long its after-effects last, not the duration of the ray itself.

A [Ray] ability can score critical hits just like a weapon. It has a natural threat range of 20, and a critical multiplier of x2.

[Scrying]

These abilities create an invisible magic sensor that sends the user information. Unless noted otherwise, the sensor can detect whatever the user normally could. This includes other abilities that affect the user, but not those that emanate from them. The sensor is a separate, independent sensory organ, and can work normally even if the user has been blinded, deafened and so forth.

Any creature with an Intelligence of 12 or more can notice the sensor with a DC 20 Perception check. Any damage destroys a sensor, and if the source of the sensor is a spell, it can also be dispelled.

Lead sheeting one inch thick stops a [Scrying] ability, and the user becomes aware of this.

[Sonic]

These abilities rely on sound to function. Their user must be able to speak (as if having to supply a verbal component) and cannot be in an area where sound cannot travel (such as a silence spell).

[Spread]

These abilities spread, like a cloud or fog, from their point of origin. This can cause its effect to extend around corners or beyond the user's line of sight. When determining distance for [Spread] abilities, count around obstacles, not through them. The user must have line of effect to the point of origin, but not to everywhere the [Spread] ability's effect can cover.

[SR: Special]

Only applied to spells or spell-like abilities, this tag indicates that spell resistance does not apply to this ability in the normal way. See the description of the ability for more information.

[Teleportation]

These abilities allow the user to cross great distances at the speed of light (approximately 186,282 miles per second). Such an ability is blocked by at least three feet of stone or earth (thus, teleporting underground without using a fixed portal or something similar is not possible - hence the existence of castles and dungeons).