Unaligned Seekers

Rangers, scouts, hunters, investigators, spies, messengers, and anyone who uses unaligned magic in travel, investigation, exploration, ranging, or communication.

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Pathfinder

A guide through the wilderness who is very resourceful.

Menab'e is a rare, reddish form of coal that can be converted into other useful materials by those who know how to use it. All it takes is a little bit of it for a skilled wielder to transform it.

To gain menab'e, one must gather resources of various kinds and transmute them via one's own ingenuity. Pathfinders discover menab’e in the wilderness and know how to convert it easily to magical energy. A pathfinder who has gathered seven useful but distinct objects can begin the ritual. The first step is to use each object for something helpful to oneself without losing it. While a coin or piece of food, for example, is useful, it is difficult to make use of it without losing it, so pathfinders favor other objects they can gather. Once each object has been used, they must be collected together in a small circle (made of salt, blood, or simply drawn somehow on the ground). They will then break each item in the circle.

The pathfinders will then make an offering of some part of themselves - it can be as direct as blood or as esoteric as their memory of their parents or their ability to dance. This offering is made vocally if it is not possible to offer physically. If they are sincere, and if their offering is substantial enough, the circle will begin to glow. The pathfinders will then need to attempt to reassemble the broken items in the circle (without removing them) by simply placing the pieces back together. If their offering is suitable and their resourcefulness great enough, the items will reassemble magically, and within the circle will be a single piece of menab'e.

From then on, this piece of menab'e will be the source of the pathfinder's power. The seven items will all have a bond to them as well, each one with +1 more to their primary function. Anything the pathfinder forages in the wilderness, or manages to gather (non-violently acquire) can be empowered by their piece of menab'e. The menab'e can be drawn from for +1 to +7 to any useful object or survival skill up to seven times. The more taken from it, the smaller it gets, and for every seven points used, one of their useful objects will lose its +1. Once all 49 points are used, the menab'e will be gone. It can be extended, however, if the original circle remains intact and new objects are offered to it. They need not go through the full ritual; they simply must be added and left there for seven days before being taken out. These useful objects must be gathered as well, not bought, traded for, or taken by violence.

If a pathfinder loses their original circle, they must begin the process over again entirely, and they lose all stats and bonuses gained from it.

Pathfinders work as guides in the wilderness, using their powers while helping anyone who pays them through the dangerous or difficult parts of the wilds of the colonies.

PRO +1 ATH +2 STR +1 AWA +1 WIL / PRS -1 STH +2

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Pentatracker

A scout who is bonded to a territory. A pentatracker is someone who is bonded to or serves a dragon and scouts their territory for them. They gain their powers by proving themself to the dragon via a series of five trials:

• Trial of Discipline: they must prove they can follow orders and a routine of exercise and study.

• Trial of Power: they must prove themselves strong enough to survive the wilderness and the dragon’s demands.

• Trial of Majesty: they must prove they have a sense of authority and the ability to lead.

• Trial of Territory: they must prove they know the dragon’s territory.

• Trial of Accumulation: they must prove they know all of the previous trials again.

When they complete the trials, the dragon begins giving them abilities. There are a few dragons native to the area, but most who are in the colonized lands are from other places, either as settlers, colonizers, immigrants, or former slaves or indentured servants. The following abilities assume an unaligned dragon. Consult the GM for celestial, elemental, or fey dragons.

• Territorial bounding: sensing the boundaries of the territory and their changes. If this happens, it is their job to go investigate it.

• Servitorial sight: seeing through the eyes of other draconic servants in the territory. They can connect to other people who serve the same dragon and see through their eyes if they are in the territory.

• Command of the terrain: commanding presence in the territory. They take high die on PRS rolls within the territory if they are commanding others.

• Familiar ground: recognition of other draconic territories. They instantly know if they have stepped into the territory of another dragon.

• Draconic will: control of territorial features. If they are within the territory, they can control natural, unliving features if they have marked them as significant features of the territory. They roll WIL to move or reshape it, difficulty varying by size. They can mark up to five natural, unliving objects of small to very large size.

• Draconic wing: teleport to parts of territory. They gain energy wings that carry them to the above-mentioned marked features.

• Return to den: the pentatracker can return to the dragon’s den at will once per five weeks.

• Draconic accumulation: the pentatracker can draw magical power by being in the territory. They gain five points per week they are there, which they can use to unleash certain draconic abilities.

The abilities they might choose from to use their accumulated magic are as follows:

• Dragonflame weaponry: they can wreathe a weapon with draconic flame and gain +3/+3 to damage rolls with it for one point per round.

• Dragon lightning strike: they can make draconic lightning hit one target at power 17/24/31/38 for the cost of 10 points.

• Immunity to being lost: outside the territory, they can take this immunity at a cost of 5 points per week.

• Intimidating gaze: roll AWA to catch their gaze, WIL to intimidate (instead of PRS) with bonuses to WIL at a cost of one point per bonus point.

• Call draconic servant: they can send a magical signal calling for help from other servants of the dragon, costing 10 points.

• Draconic thunderstorm: summon a storm of unaligned lightning at power 17/24/31/38 for the cost of 25 points.

Other powers are possible. Consult the GM.

PRO +2 ATH +2 STR +1 AWA +1 WIL +2 PRS +1 STH +1

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Spiritspeaker

One who speaks to the invisible servants of the Divine.

Spiritspeakers can communicate with the invisible servitors of the Divine and channel their powers. They can only do this with the specific servitors of the Divine they worship, but they do not directly gain favor with the Divine. Instead, they gain favor with the servitors, invisible spirits of pure faith, and commune with them for magical powers.

This is a skill that is passed down from one spiritspeaker to another, followers of a faith who believe that the servitors are the appropriate channel for Divine power. What powers these servitors grant them varies by Divine (see Religion), but the mechanics of how they work are always the same:

The spiritspeaker learns to sense and communicate with servitors from a mentor. They perform rituals and tests appropriate to their Divine, and if they pass, they gain these abilities they need. Once they can sense and communicate with servitors, they begin to develop relationships with them. Most end up with 2 to 8 servitors who are close to them and work with them, giving them 3 points of power per servitor. When they want to cast a spell, they roll to see how many servitors come to their aid. They roll the favor they have built up with these servitors - based on tasks and rituals their Divine requires - and success rate determines how many servitors answer:

Roll	Result
Critical failure	3 servitors leave their service
Exceptional failure	1 servitor leaves their service
Special failure	-3 on their next faith roll
Normal failure	Just a failure
Tie	Weak effect
Normal success	A third of their servitors comes to their aid
Special success	Two thirds of their servitors come to their aid
Exceptional success	All of their servitors come to their aid
Critical success	All of their servitors and 1d4 more come to their aid

If they lose servitors, they have to do work to get more. If more servitor than they have come to their aid, they may roll to try to keep one of them.

After they roll to call their servitors, they roll the power of their servitors (3 times the number of servitors) vs. the difficulty of the intended effect.

Difficulties of effects vary by Divine and intended effect.

PRO / ATH +1 STR / AWA +2 WIL +2 PRS +2 STH -1

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Survivalist

One who hunts for survival. Most mortal societies once depended upon hunting for their survival. Many still do. Hunting is a sacred rite for many because it represents survival. Hunting is an ancient conflict, therefore, and one of the most powerful in the world. While there are cultural variations in how the ritual of hunting works, there are commonalities in how tapping into the magic of survival works:

• A ritual initial hunt in which they offer their own blood
• A specific prey caught or killed on their first hunt that they attune to for life
• A period of attuning to that specific prey and use every part of it
• A period of attuning to that specific prey by being prey, becoming deeply vulnerable
• A follow-up hunt or hunts in which they attune to a predator
• A period in which they define their range or territory

Specific powers will vary depending on the prey and predator they attune to, but they will have variations on the following:

• Camouflage: some form of STH bonus coming from blending in with their territory.
• Patience: some source of patience for waiting on their prey, often coming from their prey attunement.
• Determination: some source of WIL for not giving up in seeking resources to survive.
• Tracking: some form of heightened abilities while following a specific prey.
• Senses: heightened senses based on their predator attunement.
• Blood: blood magic invocation by offering some of their own gives bonuses to tools or weapons.
• Companion: an animal companion that joins them when they are most desperate, usually their predator attunement.
• Range: bonuses while within their territory.
• Special tools or weapons: reflecting their territory and/or their predator attunement.

All survivalists must be resolved to the hunt as their form of survival and not take meat they did not earn. This does not mean refusing to accept a meal, but that they cannot eat if they have not done some work for their range, predator, prey, or their own survival within the last seven days. Self-reliance is a source of power for them, and though they can accept help from others, they will start to lose magical power if they rely solely on others - unless that other is their predator companion.

PRO +3 ATH +2 STR +2 AWA +3 WIL +3 PRS / STH +3

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Thieftaker

A clever investigator who uses magical logic.

A thieftaker uses hard logic to solve mysteries and find those they seek. They wield the power of the mind, specifically the parts of rationality and logic, to analyze, research, investigate, discover, and seek. To do this, they must alter their own being and cull parts of their minds, hearts, bodies, and souls to focus on the most cold, logical parts of themselves.

Thieftakers are taught by harsh mentors who teach them hyperlogic, the magical psionic science that gives them their powers. After years of study, they are given the choice - engage in the rituals that will give them their magical powers, or take up a new career. Those few who choose to do this must then pass the following ritual tests:

• Test of Pain: this test requires they learn to ignore pain and think clearly in spite of it. The rituals vary by mentor, but the end result is always that the thieftaker has a nail inserted in their hand permanently.
• Test of Whelm: this test requires they learn to ignore intense emotion and think clearly in spite of it. The rituals vary by mentor, but the end result is always that the enlightener has a small portrait as a reminder of something intensely emotional.
• Test of Memory: this test requires they learn to erase memories in favor of expanding their logical capacity. This hones the brain to be a machine of logic, keeping few memories that do not fuel the tools of logic and rationality.
• Test of Consciousness: this test requires they learn to shape their conscious thinking to filter out anything but their current focus, taking in only relevant information.
• Test of Dreaming: this test requires that they learn to reshape dreams and subconscious aspects of their mind to work only on their logical processes and not on dreams, imagination, or unnecessary processes.
• Test of Metaphysics: this test requires that they sacrifice aspects of their soul such that it is reconfigured to only amplify and fuel their logical consciousness, absorption of factual data, and relevant skills and abilities.

If these are all passed, the thieftaker gains some or all of the following powers:

• Rational response: they are immune to normal or special stun because pain is merely information from the body. Exceptional stun is stun condition for one round, then unconsciousness the next.
• Internal observation: any attempted emotional effect on the enlightener suffers a -6 penalty because emotions are to be observed and not acted upon.
• Organized recollection: all factual data they learn is organized within their minds in a way that makes it easier to recollect. This is rolled in place of memory rolls for factual information, making it much easier to remember things.
• Clarified observation: any perception rolls gain +6 when they are taking in factual data, but they have -6 to read people rolls, persuasion, and deception.
• Subconscious sorting: they can passively attempt to solve a puzzle or mystery, put together information, or review studied material, allowing them to roll AWA for understanding, logical conclusions, or analyzing something while also performing other actions at the same time.
• Telepathic communication: they can communicate mind-to-mind. This power replaces one innate power they were born with due to their species.
• Factual scanning: they can use their psionic powers to scan an area 30’ in radius around them to identify all people or things present within it. This power replaces one innate power they were born with due to their species.
• Informative connection: they can mindlink with someone and psionically deliver factual data to them rapidly. This power replaces one innate power they were born with due to their species.

Other powers may be possible. Consult the GM.

Thieftakers specialize in finding criminals, especially thieves, but they work for bounties or as private investigators.

PRO +1 ATH / STR -1 AWA +5 WIL +1 PRS -2 STH /

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Trailblazer

Trailblazers are explorers who use travel magic to move through the wilderness. To gain these powers, they must travel thousands of miles and attune themselves to constant movement, creating a feedback loop in which movement begets energy begets movement. They learn to do this from other trailblazers, who show them how to move through the wilderness with magic and create new passages. They spend years in the wilderness learning these powers.

Trailblazers have seven powers:

• Direction sense: a trailblazer will always know north, south, east, and west, but they can also sense which direction something lies in (AWA).

• Distance sense: if a trailblazer has an object they have once held or a location that they have been to before, they can always know how far away it is.

• Passaging: a trailblazer can open a path where one does not exist if they are outside a populated area once per month.

• Farsight: trailblazers can close their eyes and cast their consciousness up to seven miles away once per week.

• Swifting: a trailblazer can make themselves, others, steeds, or vehicles faster, but at a cost of 1 point of STR per 5 MPH they add per person or vehicle, to be recovered after one long rest per point of STR.

• Longtreading: a trailblazer can increase the endurance of themselves, others, steeds, or vehicles at a cost of 1 point of STR per 3 points of endurance added per person, to be recovered after one long rest per point of STR.

• Sense movement: a trailblazer can sense movement in a 28’ radius around themselves without looking at or hearing it.

• Ease terrain: a trailblazer can the terrain around them in a 49’ radius easier to traverse once per week.

Other powers may be possible. Consult the GM.

PRO +1 ATH +4 STR +1 AWA +1 WIL -1 PRS -1 STH +1

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Vagabond

A vagrant empowered by travel.

Vagabonds gain power from movement itself. They gain power by attuning themselves to movement. To do this, they spend days focusing on the rhythm of their steps. They engage in an intricate series of ritual movements every night before sleeping until they can sense every movement of their bodies, down to the blood flowing in their veins and the beat of their heart, every twitch of muscle and organ. If they can achieve this, they become attuned to movement and able to draw power from certain aspects of it. Specifically, as they travel around the colonies (or beyond) by foot, they gain special bonuses or abilities based on those locales or the distance they've traveled.

• 10 square miles traveled: +1 endurance

• 25 square miled traveled: +1 speed

• 50 square miles traveled: +1 constitution

• 100 square miles traveled: +1 ATH

• 500 square miles traveled: +3 reaction

• 1,000 square miles traveled: +3 constituon, speed, or endurance

• 5,000 square miles traveled: +3 survival

• 10,000 square miles traveled: +3 ATH

• 25,000 square miles traveled: +6 dodge

• 50,000 square miles traveled: +6 survival, reaction, constitution, speed, or endurance

• 100,000 square miles traveled: +6 ATH

• 300,000 square miles traveled: +9 survival, reaction, constittuion, speed, endurance, or dodge

Square miles are measured in north/south times west/east.

Furthermore, certain kinds of location give them special abilities:

• Lone inn or waystation: sense shelter, power 8

• Vagrant camp: +1 read people

• Barn or other farm structure: sense food, power 8

• Village (under 500 people): measure capacity for support, power 8

• Town (501 to 10,000 people): +3 persuasion

• City (10,001 to 100,000 people): unsleeping travel, once per week, if used four times in a month, lose -1 ATH permanently

• Metropolis (100,001+ people): sense friend, power 8

• Port city: +1 negotiation/bartering

• Fishing camp: +3 patience

• Mining camp: +1 toughness

• Crossroads : vanish for 30 seconds, once per week

• Mountain road: +3 climbing

• Forest road: +3 scavenging

• Highway: escape teleport, 1 mile, once per month

• Open water : +1 sailing

• Underground, 500+ feet: direciton sense

• Underwater, 1,000+ feet: underwater breathing

• Open seas, 10 miles out: waterwalking

• The sky, 5+ miles: cloudwalking

• Borderlands: +1 PRO

If they visit a new instance of each location 50 times, they gain the bonus again or gain +1 to the power it gave them, and this repeats every 50 new instances.

PRO / ATH +4 STR +1 AWA +1 WIL +1 PRS +1 STH +1