Duel Results
While duels can be treated as another form of combat, they are usually done to Решимости a dispute between colleagues or rivals and are not usually intended to end in Смерти. As a result, duels are usually fought with a specific prize in mind. Скрытности academies are known for having duels to assign important faculty positions and as competitions between students for valuable prizes. In some places, Магииal duels of this kind are so common that special areas are конструкцийed specifically for duels. Such дуэльное yards are sometimes made with special Магии that can be activated for дуэльное competitions, converting all damage to nonlethal damage and preventing or reversing Магии that instantly slays a foe or does permanent повреждение. That is not to say that accidents don’t happen, and more than one student has lost a limb or even her life while on such “safe” fields.
Regardless of the conditions, most duels are serious
affВоздухаs, with each side putting pверховая езда, Чести, treasure, and even their lives on the line to win the Дня. While villains might try to cheat the rules and exploit every advantage, the more noble дуэлянт sees the competition as a chance to prove her superiority and skill on the field of battle, using only her Магии and wits.
СКОВЫВАНИЕ ПОТУСТОРОННИХ СУЩЕСТВ
One of the most potent tools a spellcasters can wield is the приказ of summoned creatures; the most powerful of these spells call forth allies mightier than mere flesh, reaching from the depths of Hell to the peaks of Heaven, and even stследопыт places beyond the pale. When reaching for знание and forces from other planes, a spellcaster must have control over the Силаs and weaknesses of their targets, or face погибель far worse than any that might be visited upon them in the Material Plane. A spellcaster wishing to bind such creatures who cannot play to the desires of his summoned captive воля surely lose control, and may find himself torn from his reality as a plaything of the multiverse’s cruelest tormentors.
CALLING ПОТУСТОРОННИЕ СУЩЕСТВА
The first step in calling extraplanar assistance is to determine the method of bringing the outsider to the Material Plane. If the caster is a жрец, the spell of choice is потусторонний союзник; волшебник, чародейs, and призывательs rely primarily on потусторонний слуга (or призыв чудовища, which controls without requiring сковывание). However, none of these necessarily bind the outsider to the caster’s needs, and a wise spellcaster augments the призывание with additional encouragement, usually in the form of gifts or bargains.
Жрецы and Оракулs
Жрецы and оракулs find the job of призывание and сковывание потусторонние существа much easier than мистический заклинательs do. A жрец calls upon her deity to send a like-minded creature by way of one of the потусторонний союзник spells. That outsider is in the servЛьда of the god, and its desires almost always align with the жрец’s goals, or at least Бегун in parallel with them.
The жрец must bargain with the deity’s servant for a payment agreed upon before the outsider воля выступление the task: gold, Магии items, gifts, sacrifices, or promises by the жрец to achieve certain goals particular to the conjured ally. The greater the task, the greater the payment required, with a minimum of 100 зм worth of Добраs or servЛьдаs, sometimes extending into the thousands—and sometimes the ally simply refuses the жрец’s сковывание if the job is too dГневаous or beneath its dignity.
Волшебникs, Чародейs, and Призывательs
The Скрытности method for сковывание потусторонние существа is more difficult. First, a binder must create a trap, a Магии circle focused inВойныd. Typically the circle is outlined in a substance that is anathema to the outsider he wishes to summon. He must protect this circle against any sort of разрушительное, for even the smallest variation in its energies opens the circle and allows the escape of the creature he has summoned. It is for this reason that most binders’ lВоздухаs are in high towers or deep dungeons, far from Ветра or pests.
When an Скрытности caster speaks the words of the потусторонний слуга spell, the outsider can resist via a Воля испытания, with no помощь from its устойчивость к магии. If it fails the save, the Магии circle draws it inexorably into the trap. Once there, the outsider can pit its устойчивость к магии as a check against the caster’s level, attempt to flee via dimensional Путешествий, or attempt to overcome the spell by imposing its spiritual presence with a Харизма check (СЛ 15 + 1/2 the caster’s level + the caster’s Модификатор Харизмы). Succeeding at any of these checks сломать s the сковывание, and a fortunate binder suffers no additional повреждение from such a breach; the annoyed outsider just leaves. This is not always the case, however.
Some потусторонние существа lПраха out at their failed binders. Because of this, many binders take additional precautions: a second Магии circle in which they can stand, and пространственный якорь cast within the Магии circle to prevent the conjured outsider from fleeing instantly. A tremendously powerful волшебник or чародей might even use ловушка для души on his victim, forcing it into a prepared vessel until it agrees to the binder’s strictures.
Smart Скрытности binders often make deals with the creatures they call. Like жрецы using потусторонний союзник, they bargain and shower the outsider with gifts in exchange for their servЛьдаs. While it is always Добра for an мистический заклинатель to make these deals from a position of Сила, it is much better to get the outsider to come to mutually agreed upon terms for the servЛьда, rather than forcing it to commit actions against its nature or desires.
TRUE NAMES
There is one method of outsider coercion that helps guarantee that a binder can bargain from a position of relative security. Many spellcasters believe that a true name is inscribed on the essence of every creature, a secret word that describes it so perfectly and utterly that to speak the name is to define the being. For mortals, this name is buried in the soul, hidden away from prying and dГневаous eyes. Потусторонние существа’ true names take the form of sigils carved upon their very essence. In Hell, these sigils change as the dЗла changes in stature, and some that may once have held power over certain dЗлаs have become outdated. It is sпомощь that some потусторонние существа have assumed names and that they use the aliases to lure foolish mortals into using for призывание; the outsider pretends to be under the control of the binder, but merely bides its time before it strikes.
To discover a single outsider’s true name, a spellcaster must spend at least a month in a library or on a quest of открытие to uncover occult таинства and riddles hidden in the pages of books, scrolls, and glyphs written millennia ago, buried in ancient temples or found among the ravings of madmen’s книги заклинаний. At the end of this month, the GM makes a Знание (планы) check for the character. The СЛ is 10 + the creature’s Кости Здоровья. The GM can increase the СЛ by +2, +5, or even +10, based on the power of the outsider or the circumstances of the true name search. A failure by 5 or more turns up false information that may expose researchers to unexpected dГневаs.
For most outer-planar потусторонние существа, знание of the creature’s true name is a powerful weapon. In призывание, if the name is spoken correctly (requiring знание of at least one of the outsider’s Языкаs, or a Языкознание skill check with a СЛ equal to 10 + the creature’s Кости Здоровья), the target takes a –5 penalty on the Воля save to resist being conjured, and if its name is inscribed in the protective Магии circle, the outsider takes a –5 penalty on all checks to escape or breach that circle.
For elementals (including geniekind), such true names are not сковывание as they are for fiends and other потусторонние существа, and do not give the creature a penalty to its Воля save to resist being summoned. However, if the caster speaks the true name of the elemental, the elemental воля most likely be intrigued enough to listen—a волшебник with power and хитрое enough to find an elemental’s true name is a волшебник with guile and Сила, and elementals treasure these qualities.
Not all потусторонние существа have true names. The chaotic and primeval nature of Изменчивостиs defies the strange logic of true names, as does the writhing chaotic nature of the qlippoth. It is unclear whether aeons have true names. There are those sages who believe each aeon has two true names, and only by finding out both names can a creature gain some control over the aeon, but such matters are purely conjecture.
DEALING WITH ПОТУСТОРОННИЕ СУЩЕСТВА
All потусторонние существа Любви that which makes them strong. They seek to promote those qualities that offer them the greatest power, and covet their own выживание. As beings—some might even call them concepts—of Размышления, воля, and power, потусторонние существа reВойныd those who help them make their core concepts immortal. In short:
Aeons are dedicated to their often obscure and contradictory goals.
Agathions Любви the Обороны of Добра without regard for Принципиальности and Хаоса.
Ангеловs Любви beauty and things that destroy Зла.
Архонтовs Любви pure Души and Закона.
Азатаs Любви beauty and свобода.
Демоническаяs Любви Смерти and Забвения.
Демоновs Любви suffering.
DЗлаs Любви Души of any sort.
Elementals Любви power.
Неизбежностиs and axiomites hate Хаоса and are focused on their goals.
Изменчивостиs Любви Хаоса and want to return the multiverse to its original chaotic state.
Qlippoth hate all intelligent life, as it is the engine of sin, and want it destroyed.
The reВойныd потусторонние существа offer may be actual помощь, grudging servЛьда, or even just agreeing not to devour the binder’s soul. Regardless, it is always— always —in the binder’s best interest to make the призывание as painless as possible for the target, or else to overawe the summoned creature with the threat of utter уничтожение or millennia of endless pain. Attempting to treat потусторонние существа as equals and the pact as a mere negotiating tool almost always ends in disaster. More specifics for each type of outsider are described below.
Offering appropriate gifts to the summoned creature can provide the caster a +2 bonus on the opposed Харизма check to keep it on the Material Plane. Indeed, if the gift is sweet enough, the outsider may choose not to сломать the strictures of the призывание, even if it has the внеочередная to do so. All gifts, whether or not they are Добра enough to please the outsider, disappear at the spell’s conclusion. Only the worst sorts of gifts are rejected; such a rejection indicates that the summoned creature feels gravely insulted.
Anathematic Substances
All потусторонние существа have vulnerabilities, and those who deal with them must know what these vulnerabilities are. Some binders even use weapons composed of anathematic substances to create or draw their Магии circles, or may even grind such valuable weapons up to create the powder to make the circles.
For every 5,000 зм of an anathematic substance used, the caster gains a +1 bonus on the opposed Харизма check to bargain with the outsider. This destroys the substance.
Бунтарское: Infused with the power of Хаоса, бунтарское weapons are anathema to many Принципиальностиful потусторонние существа, even those who are not specifically vulnerable to the weapons.
Праведное: Empowered by Принципиальности, these weapons are вредныйl to chaotic потусторонние существа, dealing extra damage even if the outsider is not particularly vulnerable to its effect.
Alchemical Silver: While a weapon made of alchemical silver reduces damage by 1, with a minimum of 1 point of damage, it may be more effective than other weapons against certain потусторонние существа. It has 10 пункты здоровья per inch of thickness and hardness 8.
Cold Iron: Effective against Демоническаяs, Демоновs, and fey, cold iron has been drawn from deep beneath forbidding mountains and forged with the least heat possible. Because of the delicacy and difficulty of the process, a weapon made of cold iron costs дважды as much to make, and every Магииal enhancement increases its prЛьда significantly. It has 30 пункты здоровья per inch of thickness and hardness 10.
Священное: A священное weapon is any weapon imbued with священное power, which allows it to bypass снижение урона for specific Зла creatures and inflict an additional 2d6 points of damage on those monsters. Зла потусторонние существа that do not have a specific vulnerability to священное weapons still take that additional damage if the weapon overcomes the creature’s снижение урона.
Mithral: Most потусторонние существа react to mithral in the same way that they do to actual silver.
Silver: Long revered for its Чистоты and ability to повреждение lycanthropes and dЗлаs, silver is also used to trap certain kinds of Добра потусторонние существа.
Нечестивый: The opposite of the священное weapon, an нечестивый weapon inflicts its damage on Добра-aligned потусторонние существа, but is in other respects the same.
OUTSIDER CATEGORIES
The following sections give a general overview of the major outsider classifications, examples for each category (and their устойчивость к магии, if any), their interests, their vulnerabilities, and what substances they dislike.
Aeon
Alien, unemotional, and distant, aeons are difficult to deal with because of their strange form of communication, known as envisaging, in which they employ mental imagery and sounds instead of the symbolism of speech or writing to communicate their goals. Further more, aeons are often unyielding in their dichotomies, and are not swayed by argument or emotion toward any end. A spellcaster who binds an aeon had better hope his goals are in concert with those of the strange outsider, because that is the only way an aeon воля offer its помощь.
All aeons are immune to cold, яд, and critical hits, and have сопротивляемость to электричество and Огня.
Akhana (УкМ 23): Concerned with the duality of Смерти and life, akhanas hunt for imbalances and rectify them with strange, личиныly random, efficiency. They do not justify their decisions or goals, which many призывательs find intensely frustrating.
Bythos (УкМ 27): Guardians of time and planar Путешествий, bythos search for those who abuse time Путешествий. They make deals with binders who have similar goals, and care nothing for the motivations of binders who do not share their concerns.
Paracletus (УкМ 7): The most common aeon to interact with mortal spellcasters, paracletus actively search out spellcasters with strong emotion and logical capabilities. Some paracletus become фамильяры, experimenting upon their bonded casters with their emotion aura.
Pleroma (УкМ 31): Many binders believe pleromas are too powerful to call and bind, and even if such a task is possible, trying to deal with such creatures of creation and уничтожение may be impossible. Of all the aeons, pleromas employ logic and methods that are least describable.
Theletos (УкМ 18): These guardians of свобода and Судьбы often помощь spellcasters in the pursuit of the former and the implementation of the latter, but like all aeons, their views on these subjects typically seem contradictory, and they are difficult to fully control or understand.
Agathion
Creatures of Добра with little regard for the cosmic struggles of Принципиальности against Хаоса, agathions take on bestial aspects that reflect both their nature and their goals as negotiators and meddlers for the cause of Добра. When bound, they often bargain for terms for their servЛьда and release in Добра faith with Добра-aligned binders, but attempt to trick and coerce Зла-aligned ones.
As agathions are intensely proud of their beastlike shapes, призывательs who insult their forms or imply that they are somehow lycanthropic take a –4 penalty on all Харизма checks when dealing with a bound agathion.
Agathions are immune to электричество and petrification. They have сопротивляемость to cold 10 and sonic 10, and a +4 бонус народаon испытания against яд. They are vulnerable to нечестивый weapons.
Avoral (УкМ 20): Often bound to serve as spies and scouts, avorals deСвета in the бросить вызов of such activities when bound, as long as the cause is just and worthy of their attention. They hate being confined, so Зла-aligned or neutral-aligned binders typically use заключение as punishment or coercion.
Cetaceal (УкМ 26): Protectors of Добра aquatic races, cetaceals are often called and bound by Добра spellcasters for защита of aquatic territories and to serve as ambassadors or emissaries. Unscrupulous binders often make deals with cetaceals on dry land, only letting them roam the Воды when a bargain for servЛьда is reached.
Draconal (УкМ 31): Powerful, haughty, and removed from mortal affВоздухаs, these direct agents of the gods are often aggravating to deal with once bound. Patient pursuers of long-term plans, many draconals seek to wait out mortal spellcasters rather than bargain for their servЛьдаs. Those who wish to bind and use the power of a draconal must be epically powerful and have perfect timing, know the draconal’s true name, or be Удачиy enough to have plans Бегунning in concert with the agathion’s goals.
Leonal (УкМ 23): Coveted as bound protectors and hunters, leonals are often straightforВойныd in their negotiations with binders. They desire simple (and Добра) goals, as well as definitive terms for release from their obligations.
Silvanshee (УкМ 13): Curious but cautious, silvanshees are often bound as фамильяры by neutral Добра spellcasters. Sometimes large groups of them are summoned and bound by powerful spellcasters to serve as spies and scouts, especially in cities where they can meld into cat populations.
Vulpinal (УкМ 17): These foxlike agathions deal with those who bind them into servЛьда with an outspoken friendliness. They often bluntly state their dissatisfaction with their current Судьбы in the most diplomatic terms, frequently accompanied by a smile and a wink. They prefer to be used as messengers and emissaries in the servЛьда of Добра, and if bound for any other purpose, they trick their way into the resolution of their bargains as quickly as possible.
Ангеловs
All Ангеловs have numerous immunities and damage сопротивляемостьs, allowing them to Путешествий across many planes of the multiverse without ужас of damage. Interestingly, they can still take damage from яд, but they are strong enough to withstand most ill effects and punish those who would inflict such treacherous pain on them. They are exceptionally vulnerable to нечестивый weapons; solars are also vulnerable to epic-Сила weapons and artifacts. Ангеловs’ защитная аураs grant them защита against attacks made or effects created by Зла creatures, as well as protecting those creatures around them. Any mortals who wish to deal with Ангеловs should be armed with humility and знание.
Ангеловs are immune to acid, cold, and petrification effects. They also have сопротивляемость to электричество 10 and Огня 10.
Astral Deva (УкМ 25): Astral devas are the messengers of the gods of Добра—or, if one were to be cynical, the gossips of the heavens. The appropriate gift for an astral deva is знание of a place it cannot reach: a rival temple, the location of Зла cultists, or some other Зла that has a direct bearing on the Material Plane.
Cassisian: The weakest sort of Ангеловs, cassisians serve as the messengers of more powerful Ангеловs, and frequently serve Добра spellcasters on the Material Plane as фамильяры. Formed from the Души of pious soldiers, they are often simply appeased with gifts that allow them to join the fray against Зла creatures.
Monadic Deva (УкМ 23): Watchers of the Ethereal Plane and the Elemental Planes, monadic devas usually serve those who summon them only in purposes that deal with their duties on those planes. Stubborn in their causes, they требование outяростьous gifts of servitude toward their own lofty goals.
Movanic Deva (УкМ 21): Soldier Ангеловs who often patrol the Positive Energy Plane, Negative Energy Plane, and Material Plane, these devas battle нежить and the strange creatures that hunt the hungry void. When summoned to the Material Plane, they serve as forthright soldiers for the cause of Добра, and are appeased with gifts that allow them greater power to hunt нежить and sceaduinar.
Planetar (УкМ 27): As the leaders of celestial armies, planetars seek знание and information regarding the plans of their infernal foes. Providing valuable data regarding the movement of Зла forces, the locations of caches of Зла weapons, or the locations of portals to the netherworld gives the binder a +2 Бонус Харизмы when dealing with planetars.
Solar (УкМ 34): The greatest боецs of Добраness, solars do not typically treat directly with mortals. To summon a solar and bargain with it, a волшебник must destroy an item of great Зла in the solar’s name, crush a powerful Зла in the world, or offer an Зла relic as part of the призывание.
Архонтовs
As creatures of Принципиальности and Добра, Архонтовs seek Закона, Правосудия, and the защита of the weak against the depredations of the strong. They believe in трансформация from within, whether through wholesale, systematic change of governance or personal epiphany.
All Архонтовs are immune to электричество and petrification attacks, and all have СУ 10/Зла. The Магии circle used to summon them is made of powdered silver.
Hound (УкМ 15): Disciplined soldiers and vigilant sentinels, hound Архонтовs are valiant defenders of all that is Добра and священное. They value movement and swift yet Размышленияful action, and deСвета in crushing Зла; therefore, the best sacrifices when призывание a hound Архонтов are Магииal щитs imbued with священное power, ensorcelled rings or boots that grant swift or освобождениеed movement, or weaponry of great power.
Lantern: The least of the Архонтовs, lantern Архонтовs are friendly, and their greatest ambition is to see the cause of Добра advanced. To gain their favor, one should engage in a week’s worth of charity or make a sincere offering worth 100 зм to a Добра cause in the name of Heaven.
Щит (УкМ 21): Solid, stoic, and often defensive even in personality, щит Архонтовs are highly skeptical of those who attempt to bind them, but if they can work in the Обороны of the common Добра or opposed to the machinations of fiends, they commonly ask their binder to care for and protect a shrine or temple as a gift for their servЛьда.
Star (УкМ 30): Brilliant, wise, and constantly strategizing the защита of Heaven or the deчерта of the forces of Зла, star Архонтовs often chafe under the сковываниеs of mortal spellcasters. Negotiations often devolve into the star Архонтов blasting his binder for shortsightedness and wasting the Архонтов’s time. Star Архонтовs требование outяростьous gifts even when the cause is just. Only when the Архонтов’s and the binder’s goals work in close concert are the gifts the Архонтов требованиеs nearly attainable.
Trumpet (УкМ 25): Mighty боецs and messengers, trumpet Архонтовs are the leaders of Heaven’s strike forces and the heralds of gods. To gain their favor, one must prove worthy of their presence; rather than making offerings of things, trumpet Архонтовs ask for sacrifices of servЛьда and time, and any binder who offers an exchange of servЛьдаs—and intends to keep her word—gains a +2 Бонус Харизмы. Those who renege on their bonds see their fortunes begin to исчезновение, and take a –2 Харизма penalty when dealings with Добра extraplanar creatures until they set matters right.
Азатаs
Those who follow the precepts of свобода, individuality, and Добраness find that призывание Азатаs is the best course in finding extraplanar allies. Few Азатаs agree on the particulars of specific issues, but they are determined to see Зла’s deчерта. Азатаs are whimsical but determined, and recognize that the best way to bring Добра to the multiverse is not by enforcing their desires, but by example and word.
Except for lillends, Азатаs have СУ overcome by cold iron and Зла weapons. They are immune to электричество and petrification; lillends are additionally immune to ядs of all sorts.
The Магии circle needed to summon an Азата is made of cold iron.
Bralani (УкМ 17): Bralani Азатаs are fierce and wild, and constantly seek to prove themselves in battle or in contests of wits. If a волшебник suggests a game of Сила, wits, or Ловкость that the bralani has not played, or develops a new one for the bralani to take back to Elysium, he receives a +2 Бонус Харизмы when negotiating with the Азата.
Brijidine (УкМ 28): Любвиrs of Огня, poetry, and spicy food, a brijidine can be successfully wooed with rare (and Огняproof) scrolls of poetry or a gourmet spicy dish. Binders should be aВойныe, however, that brijidine have exotic, expensive, and particular tastes.
Ghaele (УкМ 25): Ghaeles are strong hunters, courtly and kНочиly, and pursue great foes. Offering them evidence of the binder’s mighty hunts (at least 3 КО higher than the binder), or призывание them to a locale where they can pursue dragons or fiends provides a Бонус Харизмы to the caster.
Lillend: The most artistic of the Азатаs, lillends Любви stories, histories, tales, poems, and songs. Offerings to summoned lillends include original songs, выступления, or other art forms; they also adore Магииal instruments.
Lyrakien: Musicians among the Азата, lyrakien can be persuaded to servЛьда with gifts of wondrous musical instruments and rare bits of music—especially fey music.
Демоническаяs
All Демоническаяs have a common goal: bringing Смерти, уничтожение, and pain to mortals. They eat Души, and stop at nothing to sate their hunger for them. Демоническаяs are not to be trifled with. The greater lords of the Демоническаяs— the deacons and the Four Horsemen themselves—are almost never summoned. Whether this is because they force others to arrive in their place, or because they have somehow anchored themselves to the plane of Abaddon, none can say with certainty.
Демоническаяs are immune to acid, Смерти effects, disease, and яд, and all are vulnerable to Добра and/or silver weapons. They have сопротивляемость to cold 10, электричество 10, and Огня 10.
AstraДемоническая (УкМ 27): Powerful but relatively dim hunters of Души, astraДемоническаяs can only be bribed into servЛьда by two things—a feast of Души and the promise to spread Смерти.
CacoДемоническая: Savage and hungry, most cacoДемоническаяs cannot suppress their savage natures long enough to make deals. At best, the binder can trick a cacoДемоническая toward actions in concert with her purposes.
CeustoДемоническая: The most common Демоническаяs summoned to the Material Plane, ceustoДемоническаяs are relatively easy to deal with, though none know if this is because of some deliberate action by more powerful Демоническаяs. They are often called guardian Демоническаяs, as they are frequently bound to that task.
DerghoДемоническая (УкМ 23): No one summons a derghoДемоническая unless they are stupid, desperate for the servЛьдаs of a savage killer, or both. Less intelligent than cacoДемоническаяs and дважды as свирепое, derghoДемоническаяs do not deal with any creature, and relentlessly attempt to escape their сковывание, usually with brute force.
HydroДемоническая (УкМ 19): On their Домашняя plane, these vile creatures плавание the River Styx; on the Material Plane, they are often called to serve as guardians in swamps and sanctuaries of unscrupulous spellcasters. More pliable than most of their fiendish kin, hydroДемоническаяs take treasure and the promise of Души as gifts for their servЛьдаs.
LeukoДемоническая (УкМ 20): LeukoДемоническаяs are the deacons of the Horseman of Pestilence, and on the rare occasions that they are summoned, they make any deal a binder wants, as long as it somehow results in the spreading of disease and devastation.