The Will & the Word The Will & the Word is an ancient form of Psionics. It is treated as magic in it's highest form. Few are capable of using it & those who have it have to obey certain rules of the universe. These rules guide the adept through the rigors of it's use. To dedicate oneself to the Will & the Word is a very taxing & tiring life. The wielder of this can, by will alone cause effects in the world around them. Depending of the strength of the wielder's will, anything is possible. It is also possible for the wielder to over reach himself & depleat his very lifeforce. This, of course, is almost always fatal. The rule of the Will & the Word is simple but brutally enforced by the universe itself. It is as so follows: One may never Will something to be "Unmade". To do so will result in the utter destruction of oneself. The universe exists to create not destroy. "She" will not permit anything, even the smallest pebble to "unmade". Users of the Will & the Word have certain inate abilities they gain after choosing the way of the Will & the Word. These abilities are as follows: 1. Telepathy. Limited to other users of the way & families. Range is not known (one example was contact well over 3000 miles!). (DM note: limit is 100 miles per level of experience.) 2. Shape change. Limited to normal animals (no monster types). Usually a wielder chooses only one form to use through out his life. (DM note: 1 shape per 10 levels of experience.) 3. Mind Scan. This ability must be consciously activated & directed. This ability can tell if a person is a wielder of the Will & the Word, if he/she is a mage (& what type, if a wild mage, specialist, or elementalist), what the general alignment of the person is (i. e. Good, Neutral, or Evil). This power can be detected when it is used. If the target of the Mind scan is a mage or cleric he has a 1©2 on a d8 to detect the attempt. If the target is a wielder of the Will & the Word he has a 1©3 on a d8. If the target is also scanning then the detection is automatic. If the detection attempt is found then then scan can be tracked back to the user (if the target is a wielder.). The chance to Mind scan someone is 25% + 8% per level with the maximum scan percent being 99% (there is always a 1% chance of failure.). Tracking a scan attempt is equal to the target's chance to scan minus the scanner's level times 5. There is no maximum range for this power (although it is vauge & untrustworthy past 100 miles per intelligence point of the caster.). 4. Mental Shield. This ability can block a Mind scan, Detect Alignment, Detect Evil/Good, ESP, Telepathy, some psionic attack modes (B, C, & D) & may reduce damage done by others (A & E) by half. This is a power that must be concsiously activated & mantained (concetrated on. No spell casting, psionic actions, or use of other Will & the Word powers with one exception: shape change. If shape changed at the time of the scan (or other) attempt then the form remains solid. The power PHYSICALLY changes the user into the animal form except for his mind.). The chance of this working is 20% + 10% per level of the user. 5. Shadow Sending. This is the power to "send" the user's shadow to a far distant place. His shadow becomes a illusionary double of the user that he may speak & hear through.To send his shadow the user must first locate the intended target (who will see & hear the shadow as if totally real, except it is intangiable.). using Mind scan or by tracking the target's scanning attempt (this may not be necessary if the target is known to be located at a specific spot (i. .e a king in his Throne room, a prisoner in a specific cell, etc...) or is a family member.). The sender must concentrate to do this & can only maintain the Sending as long as he does so. There is no maximium range for this ability (although the shadow sent looses some realism if sent over 100 miles per level of the sender in distance.). The wielder may be able to use his powers while in his shadow. There is a 20% chance that the user will be able to do so. (DM note: This is rolled & noted at the creation of the character.). 6. Detect lie. This ability allows a wielder to detect if someone he is speaking with is lying or not. It must be consciously used (DM note: the player must inform the DM thaat he is attempting to do this.). The chance is 10% + 5% per level to a maximum of of 80%. There are modifiers due to intelligence as seen on table 3. 7. Joining. This is the most powerful ability that wielders of the Will & the Word have. If two or more wielders wish the can link the minds & wills together to increase their power. This allows them to achieve much more powerful Mind scans, Mental shields, or Detect lies. This also allows the joined wielders to combine their mental power (PSP points) for use of etiher of the two's mental powers (i. e. if while joined the wielders wish to attack a target the do so at their levels added together! Say if one was 5th lv. & one 8th lv. then joined they would attack as a 13th lv. person!). Only one wielder may act per round however no matter how many attacks they had seperatly. Also this is a strenuous thing & is very tiring on the users. (DM note: the longest the two may be joined is the lower constitution score of the two in rounds. Also the wielders can not do anything other then rest or walk slowly for the number of rounds joined in d4 rolls (i.e. if joined 3 rounds then roll 3d4 to see how long the two are disabled.). Both wielders must be willing to perform the joining to achieve it. 8. Aura Manipulation. This ability allows the wielder to alter his aura. This alteration may take on one of these forms : (there are modifiers to the saves for the below listed on table 4. The duration of the effects are on table 5.) Fear: anyone within 20'r of the user must save vs Fear or cower from the user. Even if the save is succesful the person still feels on edge & a bit aprehensive about the user. Leadership/Authority: anyone within 20'r of the user must save vs spells or obey the users commands. If the save is made then the target will either ignore or refuse the user's commands. Friendship: anyone within 10'r of the user must save vs spells or immediatly become friends with the user. This friendliness expresses itself as good natured greetings, freindly chatter, freindly help, etc. This also increases the user's Charisma by 5 points while in affect. Love: When used on a female within 25'r of the user must save vs spells or become attracted to the user. They will do anything the user requests as long as that request isn't suicidal or obviously dangerous. Trust: When used, the target person(s) must save vs Breath Weapon or immediatly trust whatever the user tells him. Inconspicuous: anyone looking at the user must save vs spells or simply ignore him as a common, everyday person or someone not worthy of notice. Domination: when using this, the user seems to have a strong personality & his presence is felt by all within 40'r. If the user wishes, he may attempt to intimidate a person(s) within this radius. If this is attempted the target must save vs Breath Weapon or become submissive & slightly obediant. The most powerful effect of becoming a wielder of the Will & the Word is that it alters the physical makeup of the body so as to confer a form of Immortality to the user. The wielder will still age but will appear only as old as he wishes but once the age is reached the person may not look younger then that (most women who are wielders tend to stop aging in appearence about 25 or so, men vary according to personality & prefernce). Also, as the person ages his intelligence increases slightly & the effects of age do little to his physical or mental abiliies (ignore aging adjustments to Ability scores after the Mature stage). Only humanoids may become wielders of the Will & the Word. The word "Humanoid" meaning Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Gnomes, any goblinoid race, giants, or other bipedal, sentient race. Wielder's can not be of a Chaotic alignment. There is no level limitation for any race who wishes to imbark on this road of life. (DM Info: Wisdom of 14 or higher, Consitiution of 15 or higher, dexterity of 14 or higher. High intelligence is also good. If Wisdom, Constitution, & Dexerity are higher then 16 then the character may be dual class if the prime ability(ies) is met.) Table 1: Advancement X.P. Expienece d8 dice for THAC0 Level accumilated Hit Points ================================================================= 0 1 2 20 2,500 2 3 19 5,000 3 4 18 10,000 4 5 17 20,000 5 6 16 35,000 6 7 15 59,000 7 8 14 90,000 8 9 13 130,000 9 10 12 300,000 10 10 11 500,000 11 10 + 8 10 700,000 12 10 + 12 9 900,000 13 10 + 16 8 1,100,000 14 10 + 20 7 1,300,000 15 10 + 24 6 1,500,000 16 10 + 28 5 1,700,000 17 10 + 32 4 1,900,000 18 10 + 36 3 210,000 per experience level beyond 18th. Wielders gain 4 hp per level after 10th. Table 2: Psionic Power Progression X.P. Total Total Total Level Dicipl. Sciences Devotions =============================================== 1 2 2 5 2 2 2 7 3 2 3 9 4 2 3 11 5 3 4 13 6 3 4 15 7 3 5 17 8 3 5 19 9 4 6 21 10 4 6 23 11 4 7 25 12 4 7 27 13 5 8 29 14 5 8 31 15 5 9 33 16 5 9 35 17 6 10 37 18 6 10 39 19 6 11 41 20 6 11 43 Add 2 Sciences every 2 levels afer 20th. Add 2 Devotions every level after 20th. Table 3: Intelligence Modifiers for Detect Lie Int. Modifier ======================= 2-5 +20% 6-7 +10% 8-12 none 13-15 -5% 16-17 -10% 18-20 -20% 21+ -35% Table 4.0: Aura Save Modifiers (Fear) Int of Target Reaction Target is Friendly is Neutral or Hostile ======================================================== 2-5 -4 -9 6-7 -3 -7 8-12 -1 -4 13-15 +2 0 16-17 +5 +3 Table 4.1: Aura Save Modifiers (Leadership/Authority, Friendship, & Domination) Wis of Target Reaction Target Is Friendly is Neutral is Hostile ======================================================== 2-7 -6 -3 -1 8-12 -4 -2 0 13-16 +1 0 +4 17-20 +3 +1 +6 21+ +6 +4 +8 Table 4.2: Aura Save Modifiers (Love & Trust) Total of Target Reaction Target's Is Friendly Is Neutral Is Hostile Int & Wis Scores ============================================================== 4-14 -8 -5 -3 15-24 -4 -3 0 25-32 -2 -1 +3 33-40 0 0 +5 41+ +2 +1 +7 Table 4.3: Aura Save Modifiers (Inconspicuous) Total of Target's Int & Wis Scores Modifier ================================== 4-20 -4 21-30 -2 31-40 0 41+ +3 Table 5: Duration of Aura Effects (Fear) Base Duration : 1 hour (6 Turns) Int of Target Modifier in rounds (remember 6 rds in a turn) =============================== 2-5 +12 6-7 +6 8-12 0 13-15 -1 16-17 -6 18-20 -8 21+ -12 Table 5.1: Duration of Aura Effects (Leadership/Authority, Friendship, & Domination.) Base Duration : 6 hours (36 rounds) Wis of Target Modifiers in rounds ================================= 2-7 +6 8-12 +3 13-16 0 17-20 -12 21+ -24 Table 5.2: Duration of Aura Effects (Love & Trust) Base Duration : Dependent of Int & Wis Combined Wis & Int Duration between saving throw attempts =========================================================== 4-14 1 year 15-24 5 months 24-32 3 weeks 33-40 1 week 41+ 1 day (144 turns) Table 5.3: Duration of Aura Effects (Inconspicuous) User's Duration of effect without need Int & Wis for concentration &/or reestablishment ======================================================= 16-21 3 rounds 22-36 1 turn 37-40 3 turns 41+ 1 hour (6 turns) DM Information The Immortality that is granted to this character class shouldn't interfere with play at all. Remember it isn't real immortality. They can still die by blade, poison, falling, magical assault, psionic assault, etc... The character simply doesn't age anymore. This shouldn't hamper game play anymore then a long lived elf or dwarf character. If the player gets cocky over being immortal, take him down a peg or two by a brush with death. A couple close calls should put him back in place. Use the following to determine the PSP (Psionic Strength Points) of the character. PSPs (Psionic Strength Points) [Modified From The Complete Psionics Handbook, PHBR5, pg. 13) Psionic energy comes from within the character. The energy is measured in PSPs. When a character uses a Psionic power he exspends PSPs. The exact cost depends on which power is used and how long he uses it. The total number of PSP that a character has depends of four factors: his Wisdom, Intelligence, Constitution & experience level. Wisdom, Intelligence, & Constitution determine the inherent potential. (Wisdom is the primary factor.) Experience determines how well a character has developed that potential. Follow these steps to calculate a character's total PSPs: 1.) Find the character's Wisdom score on table 6 & get the PSP base score from it. 2.) Add the appropriate ability odifiers for the character's Intellegence & Constitution to his base score. This final adjusted number is the character's inherent potential. Table 6: Inherent Potential Ability Base Ability Score Score Modifier ======================================== 14 20 0 15 24 0 16 26 +1 17 28 +2 18 30 +3 19 32 +4 20 34 +5 Gaining PSPs: Everytime a character advances a level, he expands his total pool of PSPs. To determine how many PSPs he gains, find the Ability modifer that coresponds to his Wisdom score. Add that number to 18. THe result is the total PSPs gain. Recovering PSPs:Ä A character who has expended PSPs can recover those points by "Taking it easy"- which means engaging in no hard physical activity & refraining from using psionic powers (i.e. refraining from expending any more PSPs). After each TurnÄin which a character expends no PSPs check table 7 to see how many PSPs he recovers. A character may never recover more PSPs than he lost. A character's rate of recovery depends on how much physical exertion he experienced during the turn in question. Wielders recover the most points when they sleep of meditate for the entire turn of rest. Light activity, such as walking or riding, diminishes the speed of recovery. Rate each turn by the most strenuous physical activity undertaken, even if only for a few minutes. Table 7: PSP Recovery Physical Activity PSPs Recovered ================================================== Hard Exertion^ none Walking, Riding 1 per 2 turns Sitting, Resting, Reading 1 per turn Sleeping, Rejuvenating^^ 2 per turn ^="Hard Exertion" includes fighting, running, digging ditches, walking while carrying a heavy load, climbing a rope, scaling a mountain, exploring a dungeon, & anything else the DM might want to include. ^^= This refers to the use of the Psionisist's Rejuvenation proficiency (included at the end of the text file.). Restrictions: (Only armor rules apply if Dual fighter, cleric, or thief. Of course each of those classes restrictions still apply.) Weapons usable: Blowgun Bola Dagger/Knife/Dart Hand/Light Crossbow Hand/Throwing Axe Short/Composite Short Bow Shortsword Spear/Polearm Throwing Blades War Hammer/Club Armor usable: Hide Leather Padded Studded Leather Table 8: Proficiency Slots Weapon/Nonweapon Proficiencies #Levels ====================================== 3/4 1/1 per 4 levels ---->(here is the info for the Rejuvenation proficiency)<---- Rejuvenation (Wis -1) This proficiency allows a character to recover his PSPs while he meditates, as quickly as if he were sleeping. The character achieves a state of deep concentration, in which he focuses & regains his energies. He is still aware of his surrounding, so does not suffer any penalties to his sruprise or initiative rolls. (He can not expend PSPs while Rejuvenating though.) End Notes: I personally suggest perchasing the Complete Psionics Handbook for AD&D if you do not already own it. It will increase your campaign greatly. If you are running a 1st Edition game, this character class will still work. Simply convert the CPH to 1st edition rules & go from there.