Dreamscape (True Dweomer)

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Dreamscape (True Dweomer)


Spell Level: 10
School: Illusion

Casting

Casting Time: True Dweomers require a Full-Round Action to cast normally.
  • If your roll equals or exceeds a DC of 47, you Fast Cast it as a Standard Action.
  • If your roll is a non-1 result between 38 and 46, you cast it as a Full-Round Action, as normal.
  • If your roll is less than 38, or you roll a natural 1 on the die, the spell is cast at half damage, treated as though all targets succeeded on their saving throws, or it deals only half its effect.
  • True Dweomers can be cast as rituals, requiring a 1 hour casting time. The area of effect or number of targets is multiplied by 10. The range of the spell is doubled if it is longer than Touch.
Components: V, S, M (A smoked mirror, of poor quality, runed, worth 1 gp)

Effect

Range: Medium, or, See Below
Target or Area: two target creatures, plus one per 8 character levels (drop fractions; max 6 at level 32), no two of which can be more than 50 ft. apart, or, See Below
Duration: See Below
Saving Throw: Will partial
Save DC: 10 + caster stat modifier + spell level
Spell Resistance: Yes

Description

Illusions are a funny sort of magic, deceptions larded through and through with weird 'fictive' energies, energies that can only be created by the presence of mentation. This True Dweomer is the least such 'Illusion' that touches the interation between Thought and Spark. This is a deep, frightening topic, and those who master this examination of Self, Other, and Gestalt can begin to touch upon True Mastery.
The Dreamscape Vis Viva can be worked in battle, like all True Dweomers, in which case it functions as a far deadlier type of Weird, namely:
If cast in battle only upon enemies, Dreamscape causes all enemies to treat their allies as enemies and their enemies as allies for purposes of flanks and provocation of attacks of opportunity. A saving throw made as above negates this effect.
If, during a battle, the caster of Dreamscape chooses one of their allies as one of the targets of the spell, and that ally fails their saving throw (which they may choose to do), then none of the actual enemies are allowed a saving throw. Even worse, the ally creature is affected by Dreamscape, and now provokes attacks of opportunity from players and grants and receives flanking bonuses from enemies. All affected enemies treat the ally as their ally until the Dreamscape is broken, allowing the ally creature to move among affected creatures without penalty, gain benefits from the enemies effects as if it was an enemy, etc.
At any time, the ally creature affected by a battle-cast Dreamscape may choose to end the Dreamscape effect by making an attack of any sort upon one of the enemy creatures affected by Dreamscape, or upon any of the allies of the affected creatures. Doing so causes the terrible illusion to be dispelled and the revelation of the appalling truth inflicts (Strata 1 damage): 1d6+6 points of damage per character level (max 35d6+210 at character level 35) of fictive (energy, uncommon) to all enemy creatures affected by Dreamscape and returns all creatures to normal. This allows things like precision damage to combine with the Dreamscape's fictive damage to bypass any resistances on the unlucky creature attacked.
This is a powerful effect, but honestly, given the ineffable might of the Darkling Miracle that is Dreamscape, it is almost a waste of this amazing Work.
If Dreamscape is cast out of combat, the target becomes 'One Settlement the Caster can see, wholly or partially, and to which they have line of sight and line of effect." When cast this way, Dreamscape never causes harm of any sort to any creature, and as a result, there is no saving throw against this effect! This is a Great Work indeed, although the size of the Settlement that may be affected depends upon the level of the caster. Namely:
  • At level 16 and higher, the maximum size of a settlement that can be affected is a Small Town or smaller.
  • At level 21, a Large Town or smaller can be affected.
  • At level 26, a Small City or smaller can be affected.
  • At level 31 and higher, a Large City, or smaller settlement, can be affected.
This massive Working subtly alters the entire settlement, working smoothly and seamlessly, and adds in several amenities that the townsfolk accept as having always been there, and which can only be used by the Caster and up to six of their allies they may choose during the Working.
A Settlement affected by Dreamscape gains several semi-real merchants, who cater only to the caster and their allies. Those Merchants are much, much more capable than their 'real' counterparts, and can supply any goods or services a normal merchant can, including purchase and availablility of magic items. All items supplied in this way, if paid for with real money, are fully and completely real in all ways. Any funds gained from such transactions, if an actual item is exchanged, provide completely real funds for the players that they may then use freely. These Dreamscape Merchants are much higher level than those in the base city:
  • Dream Merchants in a Small Town are upgraded to be the equal of merchants in a Large City.
  • Dream Merchants in a Large Town are the same as merchants in a Metropolis.
  • Dream Merchants in a Small or Large City are upgraded to be the same as merchants in a Megalopolis.
This provides access to much better equipment...although, these Merchants haggle just as hard their real counterparts would, so the prices are likely to be high.
In addition to these huge boons, at the GM's discretion, the Great Work may provide access to Workspaces appropriate to all allies, although this is not as certain as the dream-merchants. It cannot provide access to a Library or any other settlement amenity. Sorry, no fancy night-clubs or amazing theatres. There WILL be, however, an illusory inn, which will provide lodgings to the caster and their allies (equal to a Comfortable Lifestyle) for free, for as long as the Dreamscape lasts.
Dreamscape cast outside of combat this way will persist for up to an entire Moon when cast upon a settlement, and that time can be extended by casting it again. If there is any large-scale disturbance (ie, an encounter involving the players, or a skill challenge involving the players) in the affected settlement or merely involving the players (going out on an adventure), then the Dreamscape ends immediately.
All normal aspects of the Settlement involved are completely unaffected by Dreamscape when cast in this way, and it is very likely that no-one in the settlement will ever be the wiser. The Dream Merchants, Workspaces, and the Dreaming Inn are quite subtle, doors to their venues magically appearing, intgrated into the existing settlement in a natural and easy-to-overlook fashion. If odd circumstances occur, the GM is encouraged to adjudicate appropriately.This spell lays a dual charge on its target(s). If the targets are something other than you or another creature (such as an object or area), the spell instead lays a dual charge on you, the caster. Targets which already have a dual charge, a divine charge, or an arcane charge, may choose only one of these effects to keep. Dual charges are treated as both an arcane and a divine charge, and a creature may only ever have a single arcane charge and divine charge present on them at a time.
The Arconodivine Dual Charge laid by this True Dweomer affects the caster, not the subjects
As a True Dweomer, this spell requires three spell slots to Mana Burn for each Strata increase, and cannot be sacrificed to Mana Burn any other spells of any type.

Strata Damage for True Dweomers

Spell Strata Burn Cost Min Character Level (CL) Base Dice Max dice
1 N/A 19th 1d6+6/CL 35d6+210
2 +3 21st 1d6+7/CL 35d6+245
3 +3 23rd 1d6+8/CL 35d6+280
4 +3 25th 1d6+9/CL 35d6+315
5 +3 27th 1d6+10/CL 35d6+350
6 +3 29th 1d6+11/CL 35d6+385
7 +3 31st 1d6+12/CL 35d6+420
8 +3 33rd 1d6+13/CL 35d6+455
9 +3 35th 1d6+14/CL 35d6+490