Magic

In the current campaign, it is widely known that magic has become somewhat rare since the Mindflayer Wars. Now, many wizards make their livings crafting magic items for wealthy kings.

Wordcraft

Universal, unrefined magic is both divine and arcane at the same time, and very powerful. This is a theory to most. To the gods and to wordcrafters, however, it is a fact. Knowledge of wordcraft is rare. Perhaps less than one percent of spellcasters can use it's power. On most worlds, the number of wordcrafters is less then ten. Wordcrafters have the amazing ability to use special verbal components, rhyming phrases to be exact, to tap into the unrefined universal magic of the universe and create anything from minor to very powerful effects, almost like a form of wish or miracle. A wordcrafter may even create effects of levels higher than his own casting ability. But it can be dangerous.

Wordcraft (Feat)

A character with this feat possesses the rare gift of Wordcraft as described above. After obtaining this feat, a character may add Wordcraft Skill to his skill list.

Prerequisite: Intelligence 12. Wisdom 12. Charisma 12. There are many explainations for the ability to tap into unrefined magic. Perhaps the character is an arcane spellcaster already, or perhaps he has the blood of a dragon, fiend, or celestial in his veins. Perhaps he is a warlock, or a member of a race or class that sits on a border between divine and arcane magic, such as a wu-jen or druid. In any case, one need not be a wizard or sorcerer to comprehend Wordcraft. He must, however, be perceptive as a cleric, intelligent as wizard, and charismatic as a sorcerer.

Wordcraft (Skill)

Relevant Ability: Wisdom.

After obtaining the Wordcraft Feat, a character may add Wordcraft to his skill list. Wordcraft is considered a class skill for wu-jen, warlocks, half-fiends, half-celestials, aasimars, druids, bards, and arcane spellcasters such as wizards and sorcerers. Otherwise, Wordcraft is considered a cross-class skill. Wordcraft skill measures how well a character can merge the melody of his words and wordcraft knowledge with unrefined universal magic. His Wordcraft skill, combined with his character level, determine just how powerful an effect he is can produce.

Using Wordcraft

When a character wants to use Wordcraft, the player describes the effect he is looking for. This can be vague or specific. The DM determines an equivalent spell level for the effect. If the effect is more powerful than any 9th level spell, the equivalent spell level is considered Epic. The character must then speak aloud his request or wish in the form of a rhyme or similar poetic phrasing. The rhyme can be specific or vague, and the DM should judge the rhyme and it’s meaning similar to that of a limited wish or wish, and may impose a penalty of -5 on the following roll if the phrase doesn't rhyme, is too brief, contains irrelevant or inappropriate wording, or otherwise doesn't fit. Likewise, the DM may offer a +5 bonus to the following roll if the rhyme is very good, detailed, and the wording precisely describes no more and no less than the exact desired outcome.

The player the rolls a Wordcraft skill check.
DC = 10 + 2 x (equivalent spell level being attempted - 1) + (the equivalent spell level being attempted minus 1/2 the character's level). For ease of use, consult the table below.

Modifiers:

-5 poorly worded
+5 exceptionally well worded
+5 it's a rote (the exact same wording has been used successfully to produce the desired effect.)
-2 the effect is geared toward evocation,
-? the DM may impose a penalty if the character fails a concentration roll while casting (see below)

If the roll is successfuly, the fabric of magic must obey, and the desired effect comes to fruition, although the DM may embellish or change it a little to fit the story. If the roll is a natural 20, the desired effect goes off perfectly, with possible added benefits at the DM's discretion.

Rules and Limitations

A wordcrafter cannot produce an effect more than 6 levels higher than he/she can normally cast. Thus, a 5th level sorcerer character capable of casting only 1st & 2nd level spells can use wordcraft to produce an 8th level effect, but not a 9th level or epic effect. An 10th level wizard capable of casting up to 5th level spells could use wordcraft to produce any level of spell, including epic effects, but with a DC 35 Wordcraft check for an epic effect.

Wordcraft draws energy from the world and the cosmos, but also from the mind, body and spirit of it's wielder. This can be tiring and even shocking to a mortal mind. A wordcrafter may produce a number of spell-level effects per day equal to his caster level + wisdom modifier (a 0-level effect is considered a 1st-level effects for the purposes of determining number of spell-level effects per day the wordcrafter can cast). A wordcrafter may attempt to cast more than this, but at the cost of losing 1 point of Wisdom for each level he attempts to cast beyond his daily quota, and at a penalty to his Wordcraft DC. Thus, a 5th level caster with a wisdom of 12 (+1) may produce up to 6 levels of spells by wordcraft per day, such as three 2nd level spells or one 6th level spell. Then in an emergency he decides to cast an additional 6th level effect. He loses 6 points of Wisdom in the attempt, and makes the Wordcraft check at a -3 penalty (because of the Wisdom he is losing while casting it). Then he tries yet another 6th level effect, and he loses 6 more points of Wisdom, and makes the Wordcraft check at a -6 penalty. After the outcome is determined, he drops unconscious because he just reached a Wisdom of 0.

Wordcraft Difficulty Table

Character Level

Equivalent Spell Level of Attempted Magical Effect

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Epic
1	8	11	14	17	20	23	26	29	n/a	n/a	n/a
2	7	10	13	16	19	22	25	28	n/a	n/a	n/a
3	7	10	13	16	19	22	25	28	31	n/a	n/a
4	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	n/a	n/a
5	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33	n/a
6	5	8	11	14	17	20	23	26	29	32	n/a
7	5	8	11	14	17	20	23	26	29	32	35
8	4	7	10	13	16	19	22	25	28	31	34
9	4	7	10	13	16	19	22	25	28	31	34
10	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33
11	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30	33
12	2	5	8	11	14	17	20	23	26	29	32
13	2	5	8	11	14	17	20	23	26	29	32
14	1	4	7	10	13	16	19	22	25	28	31
15	1	4	7	10	13	16	19	22	25	28	31
16	0	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30
17	-1	3	6	9	12	15	18	21	24	27	30
18	-1	2	5	8	11	14	17	20	23	26	29
19	-2	2	5	8	11	14	17	20	23	26	29
20	-2	1	4	7	10	13	16	19	22	25	28

 

... more to come later, including magic items, Hand Mages, and more...