Ripples in the Pond

The destruction of the Imperial Schola ushers in a new day for the Third Empire of Miles. One of the chiefest and foremost branches of the imperial civil service, the absence of the Schola has forced the Emperor to fall back on feudal obligation. This means a great transformation for the empire is underway, and the continued resistance of the Temple of Miles to the imperial project as a whole spells a slow winding down of the civil service.

The effect of the sudden removal of a number of imperial scribes and functionaries foremost has had an effect on the sustainability of the standing guard known as the tagmata. Their numbers have been greatly reduced, lessening their burden on the administration. The same goes for the escurae varani, who have now been cut back to a force of 800.

The Knight's Watch, long a semi-autonomous force in the city, is in the throws of major crisis. The Emperor will no longer allocate funding for its operation... but the Watch has historically drawn its money from the coffers of the city itself. Whether or not Ogus Ledirke will weather the storm facing his knightly order remains to be seen. He has appealed to Delenda Saxa and other imperial functionaries with little success so far.

Further, the haven of second sons and rebellious children from the entire nobility, the Knights of Miles, have seen a sudden and immediate reform. Their ancient immunities and powers are still extended, but the Emperor has made clear that a shift in policy will continue henceforth: they are capable of holding property in their own name and passing that property to their children. Indeed, Knights of Miles may now be raised to the status of Magnas if the Emperor so desires, making them lords.

These lordships are to come with attendant lands. Of particular interest to the Emperor are the vast unsettled wastes of the Lonely Lands and the Byrnish March. Of course, Knights are still subject to instant revocation of all territories, gifts, and bounties by the Emperor at his whim, as are their children. Further, Knights of Miles granted lands must now pay a poll-tax to the Emperor based on their assessed value once yearly, nor may they keep in their possession or the possessions of their retainers any of the ancient relics of the Empire.

Central authority fades. Within five years both the Conclave and the Schola were destroyed. Perhaps the Shield Age is not so safe a time after all.

Egyptian Kits Part Three: Wizards

As I set forth a few weeks ago, this is the conclusion of Parts One and Two.

Wizard Kits

Amulet Maker

Amulet makers are minor wizards much like scorpion charmers. They are looked down on by the scholarly caste, clerics, and real wizards alike. However, the common folk often buy charms from these masters of spirit-lore.

Requirements: Wisdom 12

Role: Amulet makers are not wizards in the same sense as Hekau are. They do not study spells or enact rituals to call forth magic from the Golden Breath. Instead, they focus on the creation of small magical items and potions which they can either sell or use themselves.

Amulet makers may sell their amulets to the common folk and serve as a local wise-man. They may also reside in noble households and make amulets for the powerful. Many temples often keep amulet makers on hand to equip their servants and clerics with powerful magical items.

Weapon Proficiencies: Since it is needed to make their charms, a dagger is always kept on hand as a free proficiency slot.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

Bonus Profs: reading/writing (Desert Khewed), pottery

Special Benefits: Amulet makers may create amulets imbued with magical powers. Amulets can take any form, but are often simple seals worn around the neck, ankles, or wrists. The simplest amulets an amulet maker may craft are those that sold to common folk. These cost only 5 copper to manufacture in addition to whatever material it is made of (most often clay, formed by the wizard himself). They may have one of the following effects:

Protection Against Magic: +1 to saves vs. spell

Luck: +1 to saves vs. Breath Weapon

Strong-mind: +1 to saves vs. Petrification

Safety: +1 to saves vs. Rod

Ka: +1 to saves vs. Death

In addition to these simple amulets, Amulet Makers may also create amulets capable of storing wizard spells. While Amulet Makers must learn spells and keep them recorded on papyri, they cannot themselves use magic. Instead, they imbue their amulets with the ability to replicate the power of a spell. These amulets may be used many times, however they are prone to breaking from the strain of the magic contained within. Additionally, each additional time in a 24 hour period that they are used increases this strain. The following chart shows the spell storage capacity of various materials and the costs associated with producing a working amulet of those materials.

Amulet Material Cost Storage Failure Chance

Clay 5 copper 1 25/40

Bone 10 copper 1 25/25

Stone 10 silver 1 15/10

Copper 1 gold 2 15/25

Bronze 2 gold 2 15/10

Brass 10 gold 2 10/10

Iron 20 gold 3 15/25

Steel 20 gold 3 15/10

Silver 100 gold 3 10/10

Silver and Gold 500 gold 4 15/25

Gold 1000 gold 4 15/15

Gemstone 5,000 gold 5 10/10

Gemstone 8,000 gold 6 -10%/10

Composite 15,000 gold 7 -20%/10

Masterwork 40,000 gold 8 -40%/10

Add +10% failure chance for offensive spells

Add +5% failure chance per spell level

Add +/day% failure chance for every use within 24 hours

Amulet makers may also make magical items as any wizard of the appropriate level. They do not need to use a permanency spell, and any spell they have stored in their memory qualifies as one “being cast” for the purposes of making a magical item.

Special Hinderances: Cannot cast spells as normal wizards.

Hekau

Purity Rating

8 Gold all three effects

7

6 Electrum all spells cast at max effect

5

4 Silver +1 bonus to effective level

3

2 Copper +1 bonus to duration, damage, -1 penalty to saves

1

0 (average) spells cast normally

-1

-2 Iron -1 penalty to duration, damage, +1 bonus to saves

-3

-4 Tin -1 bonus to effective level

-5

-6 Mercury all spells cast at minimum effect

-7 Lead all previous three effects

-8 Profane no spellcasting

Sleep: Immediately after sleeping, the Hekau’s purity rating drops by two levels. Purity returns at a rate of 1 level for every three hours. Every six hour period following this without sleeping increases purity by 1 level (max level 7).

Eating: Immediately after consuming food, the Hekau’s purity rating drops by one level. This may be increased by the DM depending on how much food the Hekau has consumed. Purity returns at a rate of 1 level for every six hours. Every six hour period spent without eating after that adds 1 level purity (max level 6).

Ablution: The Hekau may pay 500 gold multiplied by his next purity level and that number of hours to positively increase his purity. This expenditure purchases time and materials in a sacred temple to perform the rites necessary to purify his body. Negatives are considered positives for the purposes of ablution. To achieve level 0, the wizard need only pay 250 gold and spend 30 minutes in ritual.

Sexual Impurity: Immediately after performing any kind of sexual activity, the Hekau’s purity level drops by three levels.

Contact with Corruption: Being exposed to corrupted food, flesh, or other rotting things will reduce the Hekau’s purity. These objects must touch the Hekau physically without intervening substances (ie, the Hekau may wear gloves to handle the dead). Each individual contact reduces the Hekau’s purity rating by one.

The Imperial Wizards

This writeup of the Schola Imperium is for Steve, who wants to play a bureaucrat mage.

Steve's illustration

Kit: Imperial Wizard

Description: At the end of the First Empire, a number of extremely powerful wizards of the Nine Schools pledged their support directly to the emperor. They abandoned their respective Scholae (members of the Golden Path, the Occulted Order, and the Star and Hammer made up the majority of this new school) and founded the Schola Imperium which would grow to become the most powerful of the Schools and outlast every one of its contemporaries. The Imperial Schola still exists, upon Wizard's Hill, and still lodges in their ancient quarters, doing their utmost to serve the empire and emperor.

Imperial wizards, like all wizardly claves, are forbidden from teaching the spells unique to their school to anyone else. Unlike many elvish circles, they may sell their services as teachers of commonly known magic.

The school is refreshed by the magistri scholistici, who ride through the heartland and investigate the talents and wisdoms of young children, no older than eight. These masters pay a sum that is generally 200ƒ to the parents of such children, returning them to the schola. Those trained there begin with a foundation of philosophy, history, and religion.

At age twelve they become official apprentices, capable of comprehending (but not casting) basic spells. At age fourteen they are promoted to the rank of invocate and must perform a philosophical defense before two masters. At age sixteen they are granted the rank of invarch and expected to perform a spell of their own creation to add to the library.

Other ranks follow:

The Senior Schola
Exarch - granted upon achieving the power of lesser sorcereries, the wizard is granted his purple and golden robes.

Hierarch - granted upon achieving the power of greater sorcery, the wizard is permitted to take pupils of his own.

Magearch - granted at last upon achieving what we normally call "name rank." Magearchs form the governing body of the School.

Magister - Master. Ranking wizards of power. There are never more than five or six Masters at any given time.

Esteemed Master - the leader of the Imperial School. The Esteemed Master has never appeared in public within living memory and his name is unknown.

Preferred Schools: Imperial Wizards may specialize in any school, though many are drawn (through its sheer destructive force) to the school of invocation/evocation.

Barred Schools: No school is barred to wizards of the Imperial Schola.

Role: Imperial wizards have their names recorded in the Codex from the time they enter the school so the imperial administration can keep track of them, the same as any wizard who reaches level 5 within the borders of the empire. They serve as spies, the eyes and ears of the emperor, permanent figures on the imperial payroll, and even as clerks in some cases. They are given appointments and assignments, sent to lead imperial armies, and essentially used as a final resort by their emperor.

Secondary Skills: We don't use these~

Weapon Proficiencies: Imperial wizards must start with either the staff or dagger proficiency.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Wizards of the schola must purchase the reading/writing proficiency for High Varan. They must also purchase the Religion (imperial) proficiency. They learn to speak/read/write Archaic Varan for free, as well as receiving the Spellcraft proficiency for free. Their Language of Power is Maidic.

Equipment: Imperial wizards are provided with fancy robes, sandals, a cloak, a weapon, and an extra traveling spellbook from the vast treasury of the Schola.

Starting Spells: As a tower-trained wizard.

Special Benefits: The Imperial Wizards receive the following benefits:

1. Free room and board at the schola. They never need to pay for a place to stay or food to eat as long as they are in the imperial city. All other imperial wizards will generally go out of their way to assist a fellow (unless they have compelling reasons not to).

2. Free access to the imperial library, dating back to the foundation of the Second Empire. This library grants a +5% research bonus.

3. Free access to the masters of the school, for use of learning new spells (if they have time).

4. Access to the otherwise forbidden Imperial spell list.

Special Hinderances:

1. May not teach other wizards Imperial spells.

2. Must obey senior members of the Schola. May be sent on missions without recompense. Tool of the emperor.

3. Considered, until they reach the rank of Magearch, to be the personal property of their own master, the Magearch who trained them. This means they are required to support their master in all things.

Wealth Options: Normal starting wealth.

Races: No elf or gnome would willingly submit themselves to the rules of the Schola, leaving it comprised entirely of humans.

Spell List: Absorption, Acid Bolt, Alamanthar's Return, Alustriel's Mantle and Greater Mantle, Analyze Dweomer, Army, Arrow of Bone, Barrier, Battering Ram, Bewilder, Chastise, Chromatic Blade


SPELLS
Level One
Arcanin's Reply
(Abjuration)
Range: 0
Duration: 5 rds./level
Area of Effect: Caster
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1
Saving Throw: None

Arcanin's reply is a simple abjuration that serves one purpose: to reflect magic missiles. The spell protects the caster from magic missile spells, causing any cast at him during the duration to be reflected back onto whoever flung it originally.