True Mage

True Mage

If you cast spells, all DCs are based off of your primary spellcasting ability. Otherwise, you can pick a mental ability to be your Track Ability Modifier (TAM) for this track.

Abilities in this track may refer to "discharging" an ability. When this happens, the passive benefit ends and you gain the active benefit at that point. If no duration is given on the active benefit, it lasts one [Round].

Circles

1^st Circle - Kingship^EX

You may bestow ritual blessings upon allies at the beginning of a [Scene]. Until discharged, each of these abilities lasts for the duration of the [Scene]. A creature may only benefit from one ritual blessing at a time. You have access to the following ritual blessings, though each must be placed only once per [Scene] and on a different ally:

• Sword: Whenever an ally who possesses this ritual blessing hits an opponent with an attack, that opponent takes a -10 ft penalty to their movement speed until the end of the [Encounter]. In addition, as a free action after hitting an opponent with an attack, that ally may discharge this ritual blessing to inflict a penalty equal to the number of circles of True Mage you possess to the AC of one opponent within [Close] range. This penalty lasts until the end of the [Encounter].
• Shield: For each opponent, the first time each [Round] that opponent's melee attack hits an ally possessing this ability, that opponent takes 1 point of damage per level of the ally. In addition, as a free action that ally may discharge this ritual blessing to create a spread with a radius of that ally's [Close] range originating from that ally, dealing damage equal to your TAM + your level to all opponents in the area.
• Sceptre: The ally who possesses this ability has the power to speak words which hold greater weight to other creatures. That ally receives a +2 bonus to a social skill of their choice or to Awareness. When attempting to reason with a hostile creature, the ally may discharge this ability as a free action to gain a token for the social encounter.

2^nd Circle - Foundation

Once per [Scene] as a standard action you gain one of the following abilities until the end of the [Scene]:

• Theurgic Secret^EX: Choose a single spell you know of any circle lower than the highest circle of spells you can cast. You may cast this spell once per [Encounter] without expending a spell slot.
• Alchemical Mysteries^SU: As a move action, if you possess the Combat Alchemist track, you may expend a consumable to convert one of your Potions or Poisons into a consumable with effects identical to that Brew. This consumable expires at the end of the [Scene].
• Goetic Strength^EX: Choose either spell-like or supernatural abilities. Calculate all level-dependent variables, such as range, damage, and DCs, for abilities of the chosen type you possess as if you were two levels higher.
• Arcane Preparation^SU: Once per [Scene], after spending no actions for 5 minutes, you may create a spread with a radius of your [Close] range originating from you that lasts for the rest of the [Scene]. If any creature enters a square within this spread, the glyph alerts you (a harmless mental jolt sufficient to wake you from sleep) and conveys an image of the creature along with a vague sense of the creature’s general intent. When you create the spread, you can choose to direct it to ignore creatures fitting a certain description (such as "small animals and insects") as well as yourself and/or anyone inside the spread when it is created.
  
  You can also direct the spread to repel creatures fitting a certain description no more complex than race and a range of height and weight. A creature under that description is unable to enter a square within the spread. A successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your TAM) allows the creature to enter a square within the spread for the rest of the [Scene].
  
  Finally, creatures outside the spread cannot establish line of sight to any creature within the spread from your [Long] range or farther. Creatures outside your [Medium] range from the spread also cannot establish line of sight to any creature within the spread unless they are able to ignore [Figment] or [Glamer] effects. Taking an offensive action against an opponent while inside a square within the spread allows any creature to establish line of sight as normal to creatures within the spread for the rest of the [Scene].

3^rd Circle - Splendor^SU

You gain access to three broader rituals which take a hundred [Rounds] to cast each. Out of combat, this is roughly equivalent to ten minutes.

• Seal: You create a Splendorous Seal over a door or object, stopping it from being opened without two [Rounds] of concerted effort. You may only have one Seal in existence for each circle of True Mage you have acquired, and only one active on a given door or object. These Seals function while you are within 750 ft, and 5 minutes after you leave that radius. You may open a Seal or reseal it at anytime. As a swift action, you may discharge a Seal in order to deal damage equal to your character level plus your Key Offensive Modifier to all opponents within 20 ft of the Seal.
• Trickery: You create a Rune of Trickery on an ally. You may only have one Rune in existence for each circle of True Mage you have acquired, and only one active on a given ally. While a Rune of Trickery is on an ally, that ally may alter their appearance at will. A Perception check (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your TAM) makes an observer aware of the deception. This Rune lasts for the duration of the [Quest]. The ally may discharge this Rune as a move action or part of a move action to [Teleport] to a destination point within [Close] range and become [Invisible] for two [Rounds].
• Majesty: You create a Symbol of Majesty on an ally. You may only have one Symbol in existence for each circle of True Mage you have acquired, and only one active on a given ally. This Symbol lasts for the duration of the [Quest]. An affected ally gains a 10 ft bonus to their [Melee] range and opponents hit by their melee attacks begin [Burning]. As a move action, the ally may discharge the Symbol to cause all opponents within the ally's improved [Melee] range to be [Blown away] and begin [Burning].

4^th Circle - Eternity^EX

Your control over the Splendor rituals increases. You may now prepare these rituals in advance on some form of item, like a card or a scroll, that you can then use for the ritual. A ritual prepared in this fashion can be used as a swift action as long as the subject is within [Melee] range. No two True Mages may use each other's rituals prepared this way and, where applicable, cards count against the total number of instances you may have active for a given ritual.

5^th Circle - Severity^SU

At the start of each [Scene] you possess one of the following abilities of your choice until the end of the [Scene]:

• Circle of Ether: Your ability to bind magic into physical forms takes on a startling new aspect. At the start of this [Scene] you gain two consumables: a Rusted Ring and Gloss Armor. If they have not been used by the end of the [Scene], these two consumables crumble into dust, as do any consumables you have created with them using the Alchemical Mysteries ability.
• Binding of the Seventh: Once per [Scene], after spending no actions for 5 minutes, you may create a shackle spread with a radius of your [Close] range originating from target adjacent square which remains dormant until activated or until you create a new shackle spread with this ability. If you create a new shackle spread, this shackle spread disappears. As a standard action you may activate the shackle spread. Creatures within an activated shackle spread cannot be affected by [Teleport] effects (actions taken on using such [Teleport] effects are still spent) and opponents within an activated shackle spread are inflicted with the [Slowed] condition for as long as they are within the shackle spread. A successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your TAM) causes a creature to become [Entangled] instead of [Slowed] while inside the shackle spread. Once activated, the shackle spread lasts for ten [Rounds] and then disappears.

6^th Circle - Understanding

As you master the ancient arts of the mage, you can combine your powers in unusual ways. You may choose one of the following abilities; this choice is permanent unless your GM is unusually forgiving:

• Dual Focus^EX: You learn to split your arcane focus between two constant effects. You may have two instances of your Foundation ability active simultaneously and their effects stack if they provide the same ability.
• Glyph of Calling^SU: You can craft linked magic circles, enabling instant travel between their locations. Once per [Scene], with two hours' effort, you can create a teleportation circle with a 10-ft radius linked to any other teleportation circle within a distance of 100 miles per level you possess. Any creature that enters a linked teleportation circle's space is immediately transported to the teleportation circle to which it is linked, along with up to 250 pounds of equipment. The circle is permanent but can be destroyed either by a 7th-circle [Dispelling] effect or by ten minutes' physical labor. This is a [Teleport] and [Warp] effect.

7^th Circle - Crown^EX

At the beginning of each [Scene] you possess one of the following abilities of your choice until the end of the [Scene]:

• Ars Arcana: If you have the Combat Alchemist track, you may reduce the transmutation point cost of all your abilities by one to a minimum of one point.
• Magna Anima: At the beginning of each [Scene] pick a single spell that you know of a circle lower than your highest spell circle with a casting time of "1 standard action." Once per [Encounter] as a swift action you may cast that spell without expending a spell slot. In addition, once per [Encounter] as a swift action, if you possess the Theurgic Secret ability this [Scene] and your chosen spell from that ability has a casting time of "1 standard action," you may cast that chosen spell without expending a spell slot.
• Ars Goetia: Once per [Scene] you may activate any two spell-like abilities you possess with a casting time of a standard action or a swift action with a single standard action. You can choose the order in which the abilities take effect. This action counts against any limits for using those spell-like abilities, and you may not activate a spell-like ability that has no remaining uses or otherwise could not normally be activated.
• Magna Mutatio: Once per [Scene] you may transform any consumable into any other consumable of the same tier. This takes one [Round] of effort.