Magic
Contents
Casting Spells
True magic is drawn from two possible sources, either Divine (channeled) or Arcane (molded) magic. Divine magic is granted by an otherworldly entity of sufficient power. Only certain entities possess such power; these are what is classified as Gods. It can even be theorized that these creatures are merely conduits to another force that is actually the true source, but such musings are immaterial to the function of Divine magic at the mortal level.
While there have been stories of Divine casting from unknown powers, these have always been found to be operating through proxy of an established power, either intentionally or in the case of some recent deceptions by Mephistopheles done in secret to the end user. In any case, this is not usually a formal relationship with a direct channel of communication. A lay priest does not "talk to their God" as it is said, but rather prostrate themselves through prayer and sympathetic attunement to the "will" of their deity, gaining magic that they desire. A simple analogy would be standing by a running sluice of grain, grabbing out handfuls of wheat.
All spell casting is affected by the Zodiac house in effect.
Necromancy
The art of Necromancy is subject of much debate. Some view it as intrinsically neutral in nature, no more wicked than carpentry or smithing. Others view it as an abhorrent act that corrupts and defiles the very nature of its constructs. Listed below are the accepted conventions of today's sages.
Undead Senses
Many forms of undead respond to torches and sound as if their organs are present when they clearly have no remaining organs to perceive. How does a skeleton "see" without eyes? "Hear" the approach of a sneaking thief when their ears have long departed? It is generally believed that these interactions are due to their heavy infusion of necrotic energy. Like ants following invisible trails left by their brothers, undead are responding to some property of life unknown to the living. It is this same property that incites their rage against us and their desire to extinguish our hateful essence. As a general analogy it appears that living souls "sing" in a way that they can hear or see or perhaps most accurately feel and that feeling is hurtful or hateful to them in some indescribable manner. This explains why skeleton guards are impossible to sneak past by even the most talented rogue. It also explains why they are so terrible at navigating stairs.
The spell Detect Life is believed to operate on this function, while the spells Invisibility to Undead and Death Shroud mask it.
Mindless Undead
The categorization of "Mindless" undead is a direct observance of the nature of the beings. They are rarely cunning and incapable of introspective thought. They do not appear to even be aware of their own existence. They are less like beasts who respond to their environment and form social groups and more like insects. Or viruses. Left unstimulated they have been observed to fall back into behaviours that might show thought or memory such as standing in a field they farmed in life or going through the motions of cooking a meal they once loved but these are believed to be external echos of the departed soul, like the memories of Speak with Dead that linger as imprints on the flesh. As soon as any interaction is presented, they drop their tools and revert to their nature. They are machines of destruction, nothing more.
The Mindless Undead are generally accepted to be Zombies and Skeletons, with the difference between the two only a function of the quality of the materials. Some sages would argue that Shadows belong in this category as well, but the fact that Animate Dead does not create Shadows is an argument against this suggestion.
| Creature | Piercing | Slashing | Bludgeoning | Radiant | Necrotic | Zombie | Resistant | Vulnerable | Normal | Vulnerable | Healed | Skeleton | Immune | Resistant | Vulnerable | Vulnerable | Healed | Shadow | Resistant/Vulnerable | Resistant/Normal | Immune/Resistant | Tripled* | Temp HP** |
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* In addition to the ludicrous damage that Radiant energy causes to Shadows, they must also make a WIS save vs the caster's Spell DC or be affected by the Fear condition until out of sight of the caster.
** Necrotic damage grants Temp HP up to 2x the Shadow's max HP at which point they explode. This explosion can damage any creature within 5' of the epicenter.
Creation
Creating Undead requires the spell Animate Dead to be cast on an appropriate vessel. Bodies or remains targeted by Gentle Repose or interred on consecrated ground cannot be targeted until the ground is unhallowed.
Success can be improved by overcasting but never truly guaranteed. The result of the spell is strongly tied to the land and how closely bound to the Feywild or Shadowfell a place is, its prior connection to tragedy, or certain phases of the Arcane Zodiac or other Celestial events. One tactic to improve results is to seek out the confluence of certain Ley Lines, or wrinkles in the fabric of reality that otherwise defy explanation. Another is to look for singularly infertile spaces of land or in extreme cases intentionally poison the fertility of the land to push back the Fey. This specific tactic is cause for much animosity toward Necromancers in general.
Empowered Undead
The likelihood of more powerful undead is sometimes increased based on the spirit being bound. Some known connections are listed below:
Death Knight: result of a complex demonic ritual first documented to have been used by Demogorgon, corpse must be a fallen Paladin
Death Tyrant: Really, don't go there.
Ghoul/Ghast: only manifest from the corpse of one who has committed the sin of cannibalism
Ghost: critical component appears to be unresolved emotions or tasks
Lich: the method for creating a lich is believed to require pre-calamity magic beyond the reach of mortals. Modern creation may be impossible.
Mummy: Intentional creation method lost, appears to be a natural manifestation of extreme Greed
Son of Kyuss: ask Kyuss
Specter: cannot be directly created, if a Ghost is prevented from ever achieving its goal, it degrades into a Specter
Vampire: appears impossible to create via Animate Dead, strongly tied to Apostacy
Wight: tied to arrogance and pride, potentially a defiance of ones own mortality
Will o the Wisp: born of extreme loneliness and anguish at the moment of death
Wraith: the death of a creature who has already lost their soul creates a Wraith
Polymorph
Traditional Polymorph can replicate creatures of class Beast that the caster has seen before. Additionally it can potentially replicate other creatures the caster has seen and studied (Nature/Arcana/Religion check of DC 10+1/2 creature CR), but only physical abilities are replicated by the spell. Magical effects, breath weapons, innate spellcasting, equipment, and such do not carry over.
Charm
Charm and charm-like effects do not automatically inform the victim of the spell and its effects. The ability to identify the attack as Charm requires an Insight check at DC of the caster's spell ability. Likewise, the duration of the spell is dependent on the target's INT. At the end of the initial duration, the target must make an INT save. If they fail the second save, they are charmed for 10x the duration. If they fail again, they are charmed for 24x that duration. If they fail another save after that, the effect is functionally permanent.
Items
Attunement: By spending a short rest you can initiate a contest of wills with a suspected magic item. Some items will resist more strongly or actively than others, and can go so far as to cause psychic damage on a failed contest. Other items may "play dumb" and refuse to acknowledge that they are even magic at all.
Many common items will give up their secrets on a successful contest. More powerful items may require specific actions or rituals to attune, and may only provide direction to the actual process.
Attunement can be attempted with INT, WIS, or CHA, but only one attempt can be made per short rest. A failed attempt may cause further attempts to be made at a penalty depending on the will of the item.
Spells
Friends Corrected
