True Dweomers: Difference between revisions

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True Dweomers are never available for purchase as a scroll. The only time a True Dweomer is ever possible in scroll form is if a Player Character uses the Spell Research downtime rules to improve a True Dweomer.  Such scrolls are so incredibly precious that they are never available for sale.
True Dweomers are never available for purchase as a scroll. The only time a True Dweomer is ever possible in scroll form is if a Player Character uses the Spell Research downtime rules to improve a True Dweomer.  Such scrolls are so incredibly precious that they are never available for sale.


To obtain the knowledge to cast any True Dweomer, each character must research, study, experiment, or receive inspiration on their own. This is embodied in the game rules by the various "Truemagic" feats. If a player character wants to be able to cast any True Dweomer, they must take one or more Truemagic feats to simulate the effort they expend to learn these incredibly potent magics.
To obtain the knowledge to cast any True Dweomer, each character must research, study, experiment, or receive inspiration on their own. This is embodied in the game rules by taking the various "Truemagic" feats. If a player character wants to be able to cast any True Dweomer, they must take one or more Truemagic feats to simulate the effort they expend to learn these incredibly potent magics.


====Metamagic and True Dweomers====
====Metamagic and True Dweomers====

Revision as of 12:38, 17 August 2020

Introduction

Llodwynn stood his ground, eyes closed, as the Stone Below sang to him. His tremorsense, more powerful than ever, showed him Tabriss kneeling humbly in her tent, dutiful to her Gods. Lars, sturdy and stubborn and so perfectly courageous, was watching the approach to their miserable cave, sparring verbally with the lounging Arnsibel, and losing, as always.

Llodwynn shut out his life-long companions, their bustle and calm and comfort, and meditated on his aura. In his mind's eye, his aura covered him like flowstone, endlessly complex, ever-so-slowly changing. Since he was born a Sorcerer, prominent in his imaginings were the potent knots of his innate spells, akin to complex geodes inset into that flowing stone aura.

This was nothing new, Llodwynn had felt those tiny nubbins of power in his aura since he first shed his rubble. Many years later, those knots of power were as familiar as ever, his birthright slowly welling up ever more and more power and complexity and strength.

Llodwynn ignored his spells, and looked deeper. Spells had been welling up out of his bloodline for his entire life, and he was pretty sure he could sense at least two or three new ones, slowly oozing their way to the surface. He ignored those nascent spells, they would be welcome and useful, but he was used to that.

After discounting his normal auric flows, the ebb and urge of his very lifeforce, and counting and setting aside all his vast array of spells...there was something else welling up in his aura.

This was new. It was not a spell, exactly, although it felt similar. It was fainter, but...much larger, and more complex, the 'geode' multilayered and full of depths. It was definitely part of his Bloodline, it was a potent magical ability, but it was...bigger than a spell. It was new, and fascinating, and Llodwynn, still as a stone, eyes closed and senses shuttered, smiled as he realized what this new thing must be.

True Dweomer.


What are True Dweomers?

In Epic Path, there are many, many magical 'things'. One of the most prominent are Spells, which are a class feature available to eight classes in one form or another (extracts and poultices included), and available to anyone who wants to buy a Magical Rod or two.

So what are True Dweomers?

A True Dweomer, also known as a "Miracle", "Great Working", "Ur Spell", "Truemagic" or 'Vis Viva", among many other names, is a magical working that is similar to a spell, but...more. True Dweomers are bigger, heavier, and more complex than regular Spells. As a result, True Dweomers are more powerful than Spells, and indeed, GM's are encouraged to use these 'Great Workings' to explain elements of their game world. Perhaps there's a gigantic wall in your world, thousands of miles long and reaching into the clouds, that was made in ages past by a True Dweomer. Maybe there is a cyclopean vortex in the center of the ocean that was left by a Vis Viva, which is why nobody sails ships past the sight of land. There are many storytelling ways to use this mechanism, and GM's are encouraged to be as imaginative and 'out of the box' as they want.

But for purposes of PLAYERS, unless the GM gets into REALLY High Epic, Legendary and Mythic story-telling, True Dweomers are handled in the game rules simply as bigger and meaner spells. However, more than any other mechanic (except perhaps Potens Machanvar), the GM is encouraged to 'get nuts' with True Dweomers. If you want your players to have continent-burning power, give it to them! Chew the scenery a little! Get your EPIC on! Have fun!

Just be sure to have a spare game universe ready, in case your players wreck their first one....

How True Dweomers Work

All spell casting classes that gain a Tenth level spell slot become eligible to cast True Dweomers when they receive their first such tenth level slot. This usually occurs around 19th level. True Dweomers are different from Spells in that they are not Divine or Arcane, but they are instead BOTH. True Dweomers operate at a 'more fundamental' level than normal spells. They use much more Mana, and operate with a deeper and more potent interaction of Aura. Divine and Arcane casters all learn True Dweomers the same way.

You will note that very few True Dweomers are healing-oriented. This is because most such Great Works are more aimed at smiting the enemy, rather than fixing ills. And honestly, if you need more healing horsepower than a Reaching, Perfected, Mass Heal, you need to reconsider your life choices.

Both Arcane and Divine

Now, the root source of the power in an Ur Spell may be of Divine or Arcane provenance, but the actual True Dweomer itself is the same, no matter if a Deity lent a helping hand or not. To reflect this fundamental 'bigger and deeper' expanse of a True Dweomer, such artifices, be they called Ur Spells, Miracles, Vis Vivas, or anything else, DO NOT have a Spell Circle to reflect the damage they inflict upon their targets. Instead, True Dweomers use an entirely different scale, called their Spell Strata.

Memorization Rules

A True Dweomer is memorized each day using the same rules as a Spell. True Dweomers have levels ranging from 10th level to 14th level, and they may be memorized in any spell slot of their own spell level or higher, just as a spell can be.

How to Obtain a True Dweomer

True Dweomers are never available for purchase as a scroll. The only time a True Dweomer is ever possible in scroll form is if a Player Character uses the Spell Research downtime rules to improve a True Dweomer. Such scrolls are so incredibly precious that they are never available for sale.

To obtain the knowledge to cast any True Dweomer, each character must research, study, experiment, or receive inspiration on their own. This is embodied in the game rules by taking the various "Truemagic" feats. If a player character wants to be able to cast any True Dweomer, they must take one or more Truemagic feats to simulate the effort they expend to learn these incredibly potent magics.

Metamagic and True Dweomers

True Dweomers are affected by metamagic feats exactly as spells are. A Perfected Hellball is a sight to behold...from a safe distance! Since True Dweomers are deeper and more fundamental than spells, and thus must be used with higher level spell slots, it can be very difficult to apply the 'good' metamagics to a True Dweomer without the use of Spell Research or the purchase of magic items.


True Dweomer Spell Strata and Manaburning

True Dweomers can only be partially mana burned. To raise the strata of a True Dweomer requires the burning of THREE normal spells to gain plus one circle. Class abilities, magic item effects, and the like that improve the circle of a spell still apply to a True Dweomer's Strata, but they only operate at one-third strength. Partial burning has no effect, and any spells burned or any class or magic item ability is applied that do not reach the next threshold of three are lost with no effect. So try not to do that (but see casting True Dweomers, below). More importantly, a spell slot filled with a True Dweomer CANNOT be emptied to use as mana burning fuel. Any slot filled with a True Dweomer must be cast, or forgotten. Spell slots you fill with True Dweomers cannot be used for Manaburning fuel.


True Dweomer Casting Times and Ritual Variable Effects

True Dweomers are very, very large and complex to cast. The normal casting time for ALL True Dweomers is as a Full Round Action. When cast this way, there is no skill roll required, and all aspects of the True Dweomer act as described in each Ur Spell's writeup.

Now, in order to simulate the 'world shaking, battle ending' power of such Workings, it is always possible to cast any True Dweomer as a Ritual. The time required for each such Ritual is left to the GM, but it is usually at least a hour and may take a Day or more. It is strongly recommended that no Ritual be less than a minute, for balance purposes. If cast as a Ritual, True Dweomers have their Area of Effect multiplied by a factor of ten in every dimension, and Vis Viva that have a set number of targets likewise have that limit increased ten-fold. In addition, the range of the True Dweomer cast as a Ritual is doubled, to give the caster a fighting chance of not being inside their own blast.


Fast Casting True Dweomers with Bailiwick Skill Rolls

Now, for your typical adventurer who wants to Blow Stuff Up, full-round casting times (or longer!) are not much use. Do not worry! It is possible to Fast Cast all True Dweomers by making a Bailiwick Check against a sliding Difficulty Class scale. If you make a very good Skill roll, you can cast a True Dweomer as a Standard Action, just like most normal spells. If you are truly ambitious, it is possible to then apply a Quicken Spell or even a Multispell feat, and crack off two or three True Dweomers in a single round. If your skill roll is not so good, this can take a lot longer, and the Ur Spell doesn't work as well as it should. True Dweomers never backfire or harm the caster, as long as they put in the time and trouble (high enough level and Truemagic feats taken) to 'get good' with these mighty magics.

True Dweomers are very expensive, both in terms of the Feats required to learn them at all, and the number of spell slots you must expend if you want to Manaburn them to the highest levels of damaging power. If you feel that this price is to high, and you don't want to dabble with such foolishness, fear not! If you are an Epic caster we have LOTS of metamagic feats available that will allow you to use all those high-level spell slots using 'mere' Spells. Trust us, few things are more fun than a Heightened, Perfected Wish. :)

Level 10 True Dweomer Spells

Name School Cast Time Description
Hellball Evocation Std Inflicts Stellar damage at Long range in a 55-foot cubic area (an 11x11x11 square area) with no save.

Level 11 True Dweomer Spells

Name School Cast Time Description
Animus Blast Conjuration Std Coming Soon!

Level 12 True Dweomer Spells

Name School Cast Time Description
Peripetia Enchantment Std Coming Soon!

Level 13 True Dweomer Spells

Name School Cast Time Description
True Pestilence Necromancy Std Coming Soon!

Level 14 True Dweomer Spells

Name School Cast Time Description
Soul Dominion Necromancy Std Coming Soon!