Special Rules for Taeran Campaigns

Magic			Ultramagic
	Ley Lines			Beyond Arch-Wizardry
	Telluric Waves			Quest Magic
	Dead Zones			Godsongs
	The Ninth School			Researching Ultimate Power
	Wild Magic			The Medallion of Power
	Wild Zones		Radiation
	Wild Surge List			Radioactive Zones
Psionics				Radiation Sickness
	Static Zones			Mutation
	Ultrapsionics		Other Miscellaneous Rules
	Ideal Powers			Light Ranged Weapons
	Creating Ultrapowers			Age-Based Experience

Magic

Magic has always been central to life on Taera. By manipulating the life energies of the planet, creatures gain abilities and powers impossible to gain any other way. Magical creatures are inherently more powerful and better able to survive than non-magical ones, so over the long millennia magic use has become embedded into virtually all living things of the world. The energies manipulated by magic-using creatures exist in a web of life energy called the Matrix, which wraps around the whole planet, and even inside it. Arcane and divine spells tap this energy, and shape it into complex weaves of power which then act on reality to produce the spell effects.

Ley Lines

Some strands of power in the Matrix on Taera's surface are thicker than others, and the thickest actually have an effect on magic used around them. These rivers of power, called Ley Lines, allow spellcasters to put more power into their spells than would otherwise be possible, and also supercharge items empowered by magic. The effects on items are automatic, but spellcasters must be aware of the Line to gain all the benefits of its proximity. Magical detection methods such as Detect Magic will not reveal the presence of a Ley Line; only abilities which allow the recipient to actually see the Matrix itself can do that. However, Ley Lines tend to have a slight effect on the landscape around them, causing rivers and valleys to run a bit straighter, clearings and forest paths to line up, and so on, along the direction of the Line. Characters who know what to look for can make Survival checks against DC 25 when near a Ley Line to notice its presence. However, to know what to look for, such a character must have been told about Ley Lines from somebody who knows, or must have at least 15 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana). Alternatively, spellcasters with at least 5 ranks of Survival and/or Knowledge (Nature), might notice something not quite right about the area around the Line, and can then detect the Line's presence by actively searching (and making a Spellcraft check against DC 20). Once the Line has been detected, its full powers can be used by all who know of it. A Ley Line can only be detected and used by characters within 1 mile of it.

Magic items are always affected by the proximity of a Ley Line. Charged items gain 1d4+2 temporary charges, which are similar to temporary hit points in that the extra charges are used first when charges are expended. Should the item be moved more than a mile away from the Line before all the temporary charges are used, the remaining ones dissipate with no effect. Also, effects produced by Ley Line-charged items carry an extra +2 on the DC, should they require saving throws, because the magic is much stronger. Finally, magical effects which cause damage each get a +2 bonus to that damage.

Spellcasters gain similar benefits, though for most of them they must be conscious of the Line and actively tapping its power. Whether or not they are aware of the Line's presence, all spells or spell-like abilities cast by spellcasters within the 1-mile boundary have +2 to the save DC, and do an extra +2 damage if the spell effect causes damage. Spellcasters who are aware of the Line gain more substantial benefits- they may prepare and cast spells as if two levels higher! For instance, a 4th-level Wizard would be able to prepare spells as if she were a 6th-level one, whereas her 3rd-level Cleric companion could prepare spells as if he were 5th-level. Spellcasters such as Sorcerors and Bards who do not prepare spells still gain the spell slots of the higher level version. Multiclass characters gain these 2 phantom class levels in each class they have which gets spells; for instance, a 4th-level Sorceror/5th-level Cleric effectively becomes 6th/7th level. These extra class levels do not bring automatic knowledge of spells higher level than the character can normally cast, but if the character has access to such knowledge, the higher level spells can be prepared and/or cast as if it were normal. In any case, the extra spell slots are treated very much like the temporary charges that magic items get. Sorcerors, Bards, and others who cast spells spontaneously keep the extra slots until they are used, or the next time they sleep, whichever comes first. Spellcasters who prepare their spells keep the extra spells prepared (including higher-level ones, if applicable) until they are used, or until the next time they prepare any spells. Spells which are higher level than the character should be able to cast can be cast normally if near the Line. Once away from it, casting such spells carries a 10% chance of spell failure, and is so tiring that the caster is only allowed a partial action in each of the next two rounds following the casting.

Telluric Waves

Whereas currents in the Matrix produce Ley Lines on the surface of Taera, they produce a very different effect in the "hollow world" of Arite which is inside the planet. There, the currents of the Matrix are constantly moving and shifting, like a sea or ocean of magical power, and this shifting often creates a subtle and dangerous effect called Telluric Waves. Telluric Waves do not exist in discrete locations, nor do they stay where they are for very long; they are constantly in motion, sweeping across the landscape in wide and unknown patterns. While these waves are not in and of themselves dangerous, they do significantly affect how magic works within their bounds. Each Telluric Wave is associated with 1d4 random descriptors or schools of magic, each of which is determined by rolling on the table below. Each hour spent in Arite, there is a 40% chance of encountering a Telluric Wave; if one is encountered, it always begins with a Telluric Wavefront (see below) and lasts 1d6×10 minutes after that before subsiding. The DM is free to begin the Wavefront and/or Wave at any time during the hour it is encountered; Telluric Waves are unpredictable events. However, should a Telluric Wave arrive during the casting of a spell, that spell is not affected by either the Wave or the Wavefront that precedes it, because it is assumed the caster gathered the necessary energy for the spell before the Wave could affect it.

For each affected item, roll a d20; a roll of 1-15 indicates that the item is impeded, while a roll of 16-20 means that it is enhanced. Any character or creature attempting to cast or otherwise use a magical effect with the descriptor affected by the Telluric Wave is altered appropriately. Note that in several cases, an entire spell list is affected; in such a case, if the effect shows up on that spell list, then it is affected. If a Telluric Wave affects multiple characteristics, and a single effect has more than one of those characteristics, then all effects from the Telluric Wave affect it cumulatively; for example, a Telluric Wave which enhances Fire and enhances Evocation will produce double the normal enhancement effect upon a Fireball. By contrast, if the Wave impedes Fire and enhances Evocation, then the effects will cancel out, and the Fireball will behave normally. Regardless of what effects are changed by the Wave, however, any given caster will have no way of knowing exactly what the Wave's effects are until he or she uses at least one altered effect. After that event, the character may make a Spellcraft check (DC 25) to determine one of the effects of the Telluric Wave. Only one such check may be made per effect the character uses, and if the check fails, then the character gains no information. Furthermore, if the Telluric Wave's effects cancel out for a particular spell (such as the impeded-and-enhanced Fireball discussed above), then that spell does not allow the character a check to determine the Wave's effects. Thus, particularly complex Telluric Waves may take a long time to figure out.

Impeded effects are rendered weaker than normal by the Telluric Wave. They have -2 to their save DCs, and are cast at -2 caster level; a spell with its caster level reduced to 0 or less fizzles and has no effect. Thus, an impeded Fireball cast by a 5th-level Wizard with an INT score of 16 would have a save DC of only 14 (as opposed to the normal 16), and would be cast as if by a 3rd-level caster (dealing 3d6 damage instead of 5d6, etc.). If the caster tries to make an impeded effect which exceeds its new boundaries, then the entire effect fails; for instance, in the Fireball example above, if the caster tried to center the explosion 600 feet away, then it would fail altogether, because the range of a caster-level-3 Fireball is only 520 feet.

Enhanced effects, by contrast, are rendered stronger by the Telluric Wave. They have +2 to their save DCs, and are cast at +2 caster level. Thus, an enhanced Fireball cast by a 5th-level Wizard with an INT score of 16 would have a save DC of 18 (as opposed to the normal 16), and would be cast as if by a 7th-level caster (dealing 7d6 damage instead of 5d6, etc.). Spells which have absolute maxima for certain level-dependent variables (typically, a damage dice cap) retain those caps; thus, a 10th-level Wizard will get little extra benefit from casting an enhanced Fireball- only extra range (which the character can't take advantage of without having figured out the Wave's effect) and an increased save DC.

The boundaries of the Telluric Waves, however, are what create the most dangerous effect of all. Where one Telluric Wave encounters another, or the even normal Matrix itself, it builds up an enormous and chaotic storm of magical energy at the interface of intersection, creating an unstable zone called a Telluric Wavefront. Within the Wavefront, magic is greatly disrupted and hard to use- every spell or magical effect a character or creature uses requires a Spellcraft check against DC 15 + twice the spell level in order to use. If the check succeeds, then the spell/effect goes off normally, with no ill effects; otherwise, something undesirable happens to the spell (or the caster). If the check fails, consult the table below using the range of failure (i.e., how much the check failed by) to see what happens. A Telluric Wavefront always precedes a new Telluric Wave, and it lasts 2d10 rounds before giving way to the "normal" effects of the main Wave as described above.

One of the results of the Annihilation are "Magic-Dead" Zones, usually just called Dead Zones, which are areas where the Matrix has burned out and magic no longer flows. Such areas are usually somber and subdued, if not completely lifeless, and any lifeforms that live there are stunted, skittish, and generally not very healthy. Characters may notice Dead Zones before they enter them if they succeed at a Spellcraft check vs. DC 15; if they succeed vs. DC 20, they can even follow the border of the Zone and note exactly where it begins and ends.

No magic can function in a Dead Zone, and such places are very similar to areas under the effect of an Antimagic Field spell. However, golems and other magically animated constructs simply fail to work within a Dead Zone, becoming lifeless and inert until removed from it. If only part of an animated construct enters a Dead Zone, only that part is inert, and it resumes functioning if the creature realizes its mistake and withdraws. Conjured or summoned creatures permanently wink out of existence within a Dead Zone, regardless of any Spell Resistance they may have; the spells which summoned them effectively end the moment they cross into the Dead Zone. Likewise, any spells with areas of effect partially in and partially out of the Zone, or which move into the Zone while functioning, only have their effects in areas outside the Zone- even a Fireball will only form part of its spherical burst of flames, if the sphere intrudes into a Dead Zone. Attempts to scry into a Dead Zone are fruitless; the Zone appears to visual scrying as an area of impenetrable gray fog, and it makes no sound whatsoever. Spells with durations still unfinished, which are cast on creatures or objects which enter a Dead Zone, cease functioning while in the Zone. However, their durations are not wasted; any time they had left is saved until the creature or object exits the Zone- effectively, time spent in a Dead Zone is "missing time" for spell durations.

Magical items of all kinds do not have their magical qualities while in a Dead Zone, though they get their powers back as soon as they are removed. All forms of Silmarillium revert to the basic clear crystal with no special qualities while within. Even artifacts and relics cannot use magical functions while within Dead Zones, but non-magical functions (like mechanical or technological parts, or psionic powers) still work normally.

Spellcasters can try to cast spells inside a Dead Zone, but all such efforts are wasted- the magic simply drains away without effect, and the spell slot is lost. Furthermore, spellcasters who prepare spells cannot do so while within Dead Zones; they must enter areas where magic works again to prepare their magic.

It should be noted that gods and their avatars are not subject to these restrictions; gods can create magic by their very presence, and an area where magic does not work is of little consequence (or effect) to them. Likewise, any magical items a god or avatar carries works just fine within a Dead Zone, as long as the god maintains contact with it.

The Ninth School

There are nine schools of magic on Taera, not eight. The new school is called Location, and it deals with spells that move objects, whether between ordinary places, or into other dimensions or times. A Location specialist is called a Locator, and to become one a wizard must select two prohibited schools as normal for a specialist Wizard (the school of Divination can never be a prohibited school).

Many spells which are grouped into other schools on other worlds are instead grouped into Location magic on Taera. Any spell in the Teleportation subschool is considered Location instead of its original school, and a few others in closely related areas of magic are as well. The list of Location spells, including those from the Player's Handbook that have changed school, is integrated into the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list in the Spells & Powers document. Most spells listed in that document are new, but spells from the Player's Handbook which have changed school are listed in green.

Wild Magic

There are two approaches to Arcane magic as modern Taerans know it. The first is to study a particular weave of magical energy that will produce an effect, forming it with a spell and then charging it with energy to actually do something. The second is to release enough magical energy from the Matrix to create the effect, and then try to weave it into the spell form to actually produce it. The first, called structured magic, is what the majority of wizards prefer and practice, and it is what the rules for the Arcane spellcasters in the Player's Handbook represent. The second approach, called Wild magic, is harder to control and less predictable, but can be more powerful than the structured approach if practiced correctly.

In essence, this creates a split among Arcane spellcasters similar to the split between use of positive or negative energy for Divine spellcasters. A player starting a new Wizard or Sorceror character must choose at character creation whether the character will be the normal kind, or a Wild spellcaster; once made, the choice cannot be reversed. Characters who multiclass into Wizard or Sorceror choose whether each class will be Wild (it is possible to be both a Wild Wizard and a normal Sorceror, or vice versa), but again, the choice is irreversible once made for a particular class. Note that Bards can never be Wild spellcasters, because their magic comes to them through their performances, and it therefore fills a structure they have created (the traditional approach). Similarly, Elementalists and Naturalists have distinct ways of getting magical energy, and they therefore cannot choose to be Wild mages. Divine spells are generally structured and not Wild; however, some chaotic gods (notably Paradox) deliberately choose to make spells coming from them Wild ones, and Clerics, Druids, or Mage-Priests following those gods follow the special rules for Wild magic with their spells rather than the normal ones. At the DM's option, characters using the Adept NPC class may choose whether to be Wild or normal spellcasters, but this does not change the character's spell selection (only the results of trying to cast those spells).

Wild Sorcerors and Wizards have a slightly different spell selection from normal Wizards and Sorcerors (they have access to several "Wild-Only" spells, and lose access to several "Structred-Only" spells). This is because for a few spells, only one approach or the other can properly create the spell effect; attempting to cast a Magic Circle of Protection (from whatever) using Wild Magic, for example, is impossible, because the magical energy will simply refuse to form the neat structure of the circle if released before the structure is formed. Likewise, trying to cast a Wildbolt spell by forming a structure and then releasing the energy is impossible, because part of the spell's effect is that magical energy swarms chaotically and randomly around the target once the spell is fired off (there is no structure there for the energy to fill). In general, a spell which requires the formation of a static pattern or structure (like the above-mentioned Magic Circle) cannot be cast using Wild Magic; likewise, Wild spells which are infused with randomness and chaos, and generally let magic do what it wants, cannot be cast using traditional magic, as there is no structure to those spells for the energy to fill. Wild Wizards and Sorcerors follow normal rules for their classes except where noted in this document, and they may even choose to be specialists within the Wild spell selection. Consult the Spells & Powers document for a complete listing of Sorcerer/Wizard spells added in Taeran games; this includes all of the Wild-Only spells (marked with * blue asterisks) and Structured-Only spells (marked with @ red "at" symbols) for easy reference. Several spells from the Player's Handbook appear in the list for completeness, either because they are Wild-Only or Structured-Only in Taeran games, or because they are changed to the school of Location (see above).

Normal Wizards and Wild ones have trouble learning spells from each other. When making a Spellcraft roll to decipher magical writing from another Wizard, a Wild Wizard has a -4 penalty to the roll if the spell was written by a normal (structured) Wizard. Likewise, a structured Wizard has a -4 penalty to deciphering writings from a Wild one. In either case, a Read Magic spell can decipher the writing, but actually using it is another matter (read on). If the writing from the opposite type of magic contains a spell that the reader could normally cast (i.e. it is a spell that appears on both the normal and Wild Wizard/Sorceror spell lists, and is not from a prohibited school for specialists), then the character can attempt to use it or add it to his or her own spellbook by making another Spellcraft check as described in the Player's Handbook (page 155); however, that Spellcraft check also carries a -4 penalty. If the spell is unique to the spell list of the opposite approach, the character cannot learn or use it no matter how long he/she studies it. Furthermore, a character attempting to use a scroll prepared by a spellcaster of the opposite type is always required to make a Spellcraft check to use it, even if the spell's level is within his or her normal casting limits; this roll also carries a -4 penalty. The prohibition on casting spells not appearing in a character's own spell list also applies to casting them from scrolls, so a Wild Wizard hoping to use a scroll of one of the Magic Circle spells is out of luck. Finally, Wild casters can never successfully research Wild versions of spells unique to the normal spell list, and normal casters can never research structured versions of uniquely Wild spells. Attempts at any such research always fail. Wild Sorcerors and normal ones have the same problems when reading and understanding magical writing of the opposite approach, and any other Arcane spellcasters the DM allows to use Wild magic have similar problems. Divine spellcasters who cast Wild spells are not affected by these problems, because their magic comes from the gods, not themselves. Gods are above mortal limitations.

Wild spells are often no different from normal ones, but sometimes they come out at a higher or lower caster level than the caster's actual level. Wild spells always require a "spell roll" as described on page 96 of the DM's Guide, but the Wild spell roll has additional effects- it is more properly thought of as a Level Variant roll, since it also sets the caster level of the spell for all variables which depend on it! A roll of 9-12 has no effect on the caster level, but rolls below 9 cause the spell to have a lower caster level, and rolls above 12 cause it to be higher. For rolls below 9, subtract 9 from the caster's actual level and then add the rolled number to get the spell's variant caster level. For positive modifiers, add the number rolled to the caster's actual level, and then subtract 12 to get the spell's caster level. If a spell ends up with a caster level of 0 or less, then the spell has a caster level of 1. For example, a 10th-level Wild wizard casting a Fireball should normally have a range of 800 feet, save DC of 13 + the ability modifier, and deal 10d6 damage, but a roll of 6 on the Spell Roll makes the actual spell come out at level (10-9)+6, or 7, which makes the real range 680 feet, and the spell only dealing 7d6 damage.

Wild spells also have a notable hazard: sometimes the caster releases too much energy too soon, or isn't able to hold the energy long enough to form a structured effect, and such cases result in something called a Wild Surge. A Wild Surge is a completely random happening; the magical energy literally runs wild and can do just about anything. When a character makes a spell roll for a Wild spell as detailed above, the DM makes a secret d20 roll simultaneously. If the character's rolled number exactly matches the DM's rolled number, then the normal spell result is ignored, and a Wild Surge happens instead! Whenever a Wild Surge happens, roll on the Wild Surge table to find out what actually happens. If the Surge result refers to the "intended effect," it refers to what the spell would have done if the Surge had not happened.

At the DM's option, some magic items with random effects (such as the Rod of Wonder) might use Wild magic instead of normal magic for their creation; if so, the spells needed to create them should be changed on a case-by-case basis to be Wild ones (for instance, the Rod of Wonder would probably use Nahal's Wild Surge instead of Confusion). If this is used, Wild spellcasters have a 50% chance to control magic items created with Wild magic, because of their familiarity with the nature of it. If a Wild spellcaster successfully controls a Wild magic item, then he or she can select which of the possible results happens, instead of rolling normally. It is strongly recommended that DMs not allow characters to control Artifact-level items (such as the Deck of Many Things) this way.

Wild Zones

Some areas of the Matrix were affected by the Annihilation, but not badly enough to destroy magic forever as in the case of Dead Zones. In these areas, magic flows unpredictably and chaotically, rather than in the normal structured web and currents of the Matrix at large. Such areas are called Wild Zones because of their effect on magic- in effect, nothing but Wild magic functions correctly in a Wild Zone.

Any spells, spell-like abilities, or activated powers of magic items used inside a Wild Zone cause Wild Surges instead of their normal results. Roll on the table below to find out what actually happens; if the table refers to the "intended effect," use the effect or spell that would have happened in a normal magic zone.

At the DM's option, characters may instead roll to see if each effect works. Both the character and the DM roll a d20. If the results match, the effect happens normally, albeit as if the roll had been a Spell Roll for a Wild caster's spell (see above). Otherwise, the intended effect fails and is replaced by a Wild Surge as normal. This entails a lot more dice-rolling on the part of DM and player, however, so it is not recommended for most situations.

Ultramagic

Taeran spellcasters have been renowned for their power, for millennia, on other planes which are aware of Taera's existence. Part of the reason for this is that Taerans have always had access to more powerful magic than spellcasters on most planes; the traditional limit of 9th level (with the likes of Wish and Miracle) is not the upper limit for them. All Taeran spellcasters of classes which can reach the 9th level of magic on other planes, can reach beyond the 9th to higher levels when Taerans work within them. This extra-powerful magic is called Ultramagic by Taerans, and it involves infusing ordinary magic with power from other sources to reach higher levels of power. Arcane spellcasters normally infuse their magic either with ki or psionic energy, while Divine spellcasters can call directly on their gods' powers to create extraordinary effects. Even Bards are known to go beyond the normal limits of power for their songs, when they become close to a god or goddess and create music which speaks to that being's very soul- since the gods are aspects of reality itself, these songs of mighty power can shake the foundations of the universe.

Ultramagic of any sort requires a caster who is above 20th level in at least one spellcasting class. Casters who are below this level of power and experience simply do not have the capacity to tap into the extra energies and levels of control that Ultramagic requires.In fact, Ultramagic does not even use the "normal" spell slots that a spellcasting character gets- although spellcasters beyond 20th level can and do gain spell slots above 9th level, those spell slots are useful only for casting spells enhanced by Metamagic feats. Ultramagic is a different class of power altogether. Spellcasters gain exactly one Ultramagic "slot" at 21st level, if they have a primary score of at least 20 (that is, WIS for Clerics and Druids, INT for Wizards and Elementalists, etc.), and gain another one at each third level thereafter, until the total available Ultramagic slots reaches 4 at 30th level. After this, no further Ultramagic slots are gained through level progression. Unlike normal spell slots, which are replenished daily, Ultramagic slots may only be used and replenished once per week, because of the enormous time and work that goes into gathering the necessary energies for these supreme magical efforts.

Actual Ultramagic spells are almost as difficult to come by. No spellcaster ever has inspiration enough to simply gain knowledge of Ultramagic spells; even Clerics are not granted access to all Ultramagic spells Clerics can get (like they are with every other level of spell). Instead, characters hoping to learn and use Ultramagic spells must gain them as Feats, through normal Feat progression of their class and character levels (Bards are something of an exception, however- see the Godsongs section below). Wizards, Mage-Priests, and others who gain free magic-related Feats may, at the DM's option, be granted access to Ultramagic spell knowledge Feats with these bonus slots; otherwise, they must be taken in place of normal Feats. Even characters who can research new spells to gain magical knowledge, such as Wizards, cannot gain knowledge of Ultramagic spells no matter how much they spend on research, until a Feat slot opens up that the new spell can fill. Because of this, most Ultramagic spells have prerequisites, often including other spells that the character must know to be able to learn the Ultraspell. As with normal Feats, a character who does not meet the prerequisites is unable to gain the Feat, and thus to learn the spell.

Once the feat granting knowledge of an Ultraspell is gained, the spell may be prepared (or cast, by those characters who don't need to prepare spells) using Ultramagic slots, normally. Ultramagic spells take 1 hour each to prepare, rather than being prepared with all the other spells the caster does in a single hour. Whether or not the caster needs to prepare the Ultraspell to use it, no Ultraspell can be affected by any Metamagic Feats unless its spell description explicitly says so. Each Ultraspell lists the Metamagic Feats which may be used with it, and what the consequences of such use are. Usually, use of Metamagic Feats with Ultraspells requires paying greater costs to cast them, for instance, higher XP costs.

Ultraspells need not be recorded in spellbooks by those characters who normally require spellbooks to prepare spells. However, any spellbook that does contain an Ultramagic spell may be treated as a magic item granting its possessor the knowledge Feat for that particular Ultraspell, provided the possessor has Ultramagic slots to use in casting it, and makes a Spellcraft check against a DC of 35 (or higher- some spells carry higher DCs, and are noted as such in their descriptions). Actually casting the spell, if the character does not personally have the Ultraspell as a feat, permanently erases it from the spellbook used. Similarly, Ultramagic can be recorded on scrolls, but may not be learned from them, and may not be used except by a character with actual Ultramagic slots open, or who succeeds with a Spellcraft check against DC 35 (or whatever) to actually understand the spell. Ultramagic scrolls require not only the Scribe Scroll feat to write, but also the Craft Minor Artifact feat, and they have a market value (for creation purposes at least) of 500 GP per caster level (casting costs for material components and XP must be added to this base price as usual). Any magical writing containing an Ultraspell is easily recognizable as such, because it glows constantly as if under the effect of a Light spell. Furthermore, the writing cannot be erased by any means short of using it to cast an Ultraspell, or use of a Mordenkainen's Disjunction, Wish, Miracle, or Ultraspell with similar effects. The pages containing the writing are likewise nearly impossible to destroy- treat them as if made of basic Silmarillium regardless of the actual material used. Scrolls and spellbooks containing Ultraspells are, of course, considered Artifact-level items.

Ultramagic is very taxing and draining on its casters. Each Ultraspell has an XP cost which must be paid to cast it, and most also have an "ability cost" which is dealt to the caster as temporary ability damage immediately upon completion of the casting. No force or ability may counteract or prevent this XP loss or ability damage, but both may be regained through normal means. A character may not spend enough XP in casting an Ultraspell so as to go down a level- that is, the normal rules for XP components apply to Ultraspells as well. Ultraspells cast off of scrolls do not drain XP (the XP is spent in creation of the scroll as normal), but they do take the ability damage. The ability damage is not a component of the spell's casting, but results from handling the enormous energies involved in the spell. This means that scribing a scroll with an Ultraspell on it does not cause the ability damage that actually casting the spell would. Casting an Ultraspell off of a scroll does not use up an Ultramagic slot, despite the fact that a caster needs to have one open in order to be able to use the scroll in the first place.

Finally, Ultramagic is so powerful that Spell Resistance is less effective against it than against normal magic. Any creature with SR above 10 is treated as if its SR is 10 less than normal, for the purposes of resisting an effect created by Ultramagic. Creatures with SR 10 or less effectively have no SR against Ultramagic of any sort. This also applies to any attempt to dispel or counter an Ultramagic spell, with anything less than another Ultraspell- such attempts treat the Ultraspell as if the caster was 10 levels higher, for the roll DCs.

Beyond Arch-Wizardry

Ultramagic originated among Wizards, and it is still at its greatest raw power among them. Most people capable of using Ultramagic in the present day are Wizards. A few Elementalists are capable of casting such ridiculously powerful spells, but casting Ultramagic for them has a tendency to open spontaneous vortices to the Elemental Planes, as the enormous flows of power they gather from those planes merely to power their spells pierce the planar veils. An Elementalist attempting to cast any Ultramagic spell must make a Spellcraft check (DC 40), or the spell tears open a hole between the Material Plane and the caster's attuned Elemental plane, as if a Gate had been cast. If this happens, the intended Ultramagic spell fails, and the caster is automatically sucked through the dimensional rift into the plane on the other side. The rift remains open for 1 round, or the casting time of the spell, whichever is longer, and then closes. Any creature within 20 feet of the rift while it is open must make a Will save (DC 30) or be pulled through to the other side just like the caster was. For most Elementalists capable of using Ultramagic, this is little more than an annoying inconvenience, but the same cannot always be said for any unfortunates pulled along with them on their unexpected extraplanar trips! Naturalists, as yet, have not produced any casters powerful enough to use Ultramagic, so any strange effects of their form of casting are still unknown.

Arcane Ultramagic has similar properties to lower-level Arcane spells, in that it gathers most of its energy from a nonsentient power external to the caster, usually the ubiquitous Matrix (those who don't tend to produce some undesired results eventually; see above). The caster's own will and intellect shape the forces involved to form the spell effect, and therefore an Arcane caster needs to be able to move freely in order to cast most spells. Arcane Ultramagic spells require spell failure rolls just as normal Arcane spells do, if the caster is wearing armor or is otherwise impeded from casting; however, spell failure chances for Ultramagic spells are doubled (before any spell failure reduction bonuses, such as those of Earth Elementalists, are added) before the dice are rolled to see whether the spell succeeds. If the spell fails, it usually causes no result other than the loss of the Ultramagic slot with no benefit; however, at the DM's option, some such failures may pull enough energy together anyway to cause a Wild Surge. If such a surge is caused by a failed Ultramagic spell, there is no "intended effect," so any Surge results which refer to the intended effect should be rerolled.

Quest Magic

Divine Ultramagic is significantly different from Arcane Ultraspells. While Arcane spells simply cause an effect through manipulation of energy and matter, Divine spells require the intercession of a god or goddess. Divine Ultramagic thus represents a level of divine intervention that is very direct and personal. Therefore, they do not grant it to their servants lightly, even those whose powers have reached such incredible levels as to be able to use them naturally! These spells have acquired the nickname "Quest Magic," because gods normally require that their servants be on quests directly supporting the deities and their interests before they will even grant them. Furthermore, attempting to use a Quest Spell in situations not directly involving a quest on the deity's behalf can cause the spell to fail; such an attempt is affected by all Spell Failure checks and penalties associated with Arcane Ultramagic. In the descriptions below, "Cleric" is used to refer to all priests of any god or goddess; Druids and Mage-Priests use exactly the same rules that Clerics do. No Mage-Priest may write a Quest Spell into a spellbook- such mysteries are for the gods alone.

Since deities, by their very nature, can exceed the limits of mortal creatures, it is possible for them to grant Quest Spells to Clerics of lower level than that normally required to gain Ultramagic. No such Cleric has ever been granted a Quest Spell for any remotely selfish reasons; the spell's use must be for the deity's interest above all others, or the spell is not granted. In fact, asking a god or goddess for a Quest Spell for any other reason is always cause for loss of Clerical powers until atoned for. Under some circumstances, for instance, a direct war between two faiths, a deity of any involved side (or all of them) might grant Quest Spells to their greatest involved servants for reasons of self-preservation, but this is the closest one can come to a selfish reason without bringing down divine wrath. However, if circumstances warrant it, a god can grant a Quest Spell to a Cleric of any level, though in practice no Cleric below 9th level has ever received such a boon, or is ever likely to. Clerics must have a WIS score of 20 or higher to be granted (and be able to cast) any Quest Spell, regardless of divine wishes in the matter- even gods must sometimes bow to the limits of their servants!

Assuming the Cleric beseeching the deity has been faithful and true, and meets the requirements above, the Quest Spell might be granted. If it is, the Cleric receiving this highest of honors must meditate for a full 24 hours to prepare the mighty spell. During the meditation, there is a one-hour window of time during which the priest is in direct mental contact with his or her deity, and cannot be roused out of meditation by any means- effectively, the character is comatose. Also, the ceremony and meditation must occur on ground consecrated to the deity, preferably a major temple or center of worship. Finally, other priests in the area at the time may be expected to hold special ceremonies during the meditation, to concentrate the faith power that is involved in the process. Once all of this has been done, a successful Cleric (having been granted a Quest Spell) is unable to prepare any spells of his or her highest available spell level, and loses any spells of that level that he or she had previously prepared. Furthermore, each Quest Spell is associated with a Domain, and a Cleric with the Quest Spell is unable to prepare any spells of that Domain (even if the character does not normally use Domains). This limitation is a result of the inexperienced character being unable to hold the titanic energies of the Quest Spell by any other means, and not something the deity can get around (much like the WIS score requirement). For example, an 11th-level Cleric would lose access to his or her 6th-level spells while holding a Quest Spell. No more than one Quest Spell may be granted to any low-level Cleric in this manner; only those experienced enough to actually hold the Quest Spells for real are able to hold more than one.

Clerics who are of high enough level to have "natural" Ultramagic slots, need not go through the extra rigmarole and meditations above, to gain them, nor must they lose access to their 9th-level spells or Domain spells (if they have Domains). They may take Quest Spells as feats (actual Clerics usually must have the associated Domain as a prerequisite), and prepare them as Wizards (i.e. taking an extra hour of preparation for each Quest Spell being prepared), though Mage-Priests of a level this high are still unable to write Quest Spells in their spellbooks as noted above. Once a Cleric reaches this level, the god trusts his or her judgement enough to not second-guess the reasons for using the Ultramagic; however, this does not negate the chance of spell failure if the spell is used in a manner not in direct line with the deity's wishes.

Godsongs

For Bards, Ultramagic isn't as simple as learning mere spells, since their power comes from their performance (and specifically music, in most cases). Bardic Ultramagic follows the rules and restrictions noted for Arcane Ultramagic, above, but it requires a further effort on their part. Just as with normal spells, each Ultraspell that a Bard is capable of learning and casting is not just a spell, but also a song, which must be played or sung to work. The music Bards use to create these ultimate effects are as far above normal Bardic spellsongs, as those spellsongs are above ordinary music- they produce their effect not just by moving the soul of listeners, or the world (i.e. the Matrix), but in fact touch the subconscious soul of a deity! Each god and demigod has one special, ultimate song associated with it, which resonates with its mind and connection to the world at the very deepest levels, that a Bard with Ultramagic slots may learn and sing. These songs, called Godsongs, cause effects associated with the associated deities' spheres of influence when sung.

Godsongs are not like other Arcane Ultraspells, since they happen as a result of the god's unconscious reaction to the Bard's performance, rather than direct manipulation of the Matrix. However, since the casting Bard is not a Cleric of the deity involved, these Godsongs also do not carry the restrictions of Quest Magic, and the gods are not usually consciously aware that their powers have activated this way until well after the Godsong has taken effect, if even then. A deity who does learn of the Godsong's effect usually takes a very personal interest in the Bard and his or her associates, however, with results depending on the deity's mood and general alignment and temperament- so Bards are advised to use Godsongs sparingly, especially Godsongs associated with the Evil gods! Attempting to use a Godsong when a god is paying conscious attention to the Bard is much more difficult- the caster must make a Perform check of the same subtype used for the actual casting against DC 65 (for demigods), 75 (for Lesser gods), 85 (for Intermediate gods), or 95 (for Greater gods). If the check succeeds, the caster quells the deity's annoyance at mortal presumption and achieves the intended effect; if it fails, the god recognizes the attempt to usurp its authority and puts a stop to it. Most gods who stop Godsongs this way will also be fairly annoyed at the mortal's attempt at manipulation, and react accordingly.

That difficulty aside, no Godsong requires that the caster have any material or somatic components, nor do they require foci (even if Ultramagics available to other classes [or even Ultrapsionic powers] duplicating the Godsong's effect do require materials or foci). However, the casting Bard must be able to sing or play clearly, so no Godsong can be used if the caster cannot speak or make sounds. Each Godsong has a base Perform difficulty which the Bard must roll a check against, to get the effect, and the caster must use Perform (Sing), or one of the Perform categories for a musical instrument (i.e. Keyboards, Percussion, String, or Wind). The DCs listed above are used only if the god is paying attention to the caster, and are separate from this base Godsong casting check. If the base check fails, the spell does not happen; the character does not lose the spell slot, but that song cannot be attempted again for at least one hour. Furthermore, a successful Godsong must be sung or played without interruption for no less than one minute before any effects begin to manifest; any interruption in the song spoils the spell and wastes the Ultramagic slot. In effect, if the caster is required to make a Concentration check to continue spellcasting, the DC to avoid failure is increased by 10; also, the caster must make a simultaneous Perform check (at the original casting DC, and with the same subskill) to be able to continue. If the caster is uninterrupted, or manages to continue properly despite interruptions, the Godsong takes effect in the round following the given casting time. The duration of any Godsong is dependent on how long the caster keeps performing, but most have effects that last well beyond the end of the actual performance. Keeping up a Godsong is a full-round action, just like use of Bardic music; if the singer is interrupted, he or she must make a Concentration check and a Perform check as described above, or the spell is ended as if he or she dismissed it willingly.

Many Godsongs have increasing effects in successive rounds, so it is often in the singer's interest to keep the song up longer. Also, most Godsongs can have different effects depending on how well the caster is able to Perform it (i.e. the character's ranks in Perform). For such multi-effect Godsongs, the caster must declare which "verse" of the Godsong will be sung before beginning it. Typically, each such effect of a Godsong is clearly associated with one of the deity's spheres of influence (for instance, the Grand Creation effect of Keron is associated with his Craft, while the Apocalypse Chime effect of Tinnabula's is associated with her Noise); however, sometimes multiple song effects are associated with each sphere of influence, and a few deities' songs are not clearly associated with any of their spheres. Importantly, a Bard only needs to spend the feat slot to learn the Godsong for that deity, to gain all the "verses" the particular Godsong has in it- though in order to use a particular verse, the caster must meet the prerequisites for it at casting time. Thus, a Bard who learns Venom's Godsong can (in theory) produce Poison Missiles, [Belgos's] Black Bolts, and even Nemesis Webs, all from different applications of the same song. Prerequisites for creating particular Godsong effects are listed in the spell descriptions for those effects, just as they are for other casters who can use Ultraspells, and more powerful effects typically require more caster levels and known spells in addition to having higher Perform check DCs.

Learning a particular Godsong is in many ways much easier for Bards than for anybody else- the Bard wishing to learn a Godsong for a particular deity must have at least 10 ranks in Knowledge (Religion), be at least 21st level, have no alignment component opposed to the deity's alignment (True Neutral deities are considered "opposed" to the "extreme" alignments of Lawful Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Evil, and Chaotic Evil), and have met that deity in person at least once- whether that meeting involved the deity's actual body or a mere avatar. Thus, a Bard may learn Damok's Godsong if he or she is not Lawful or Evil, has the required 10 ranks in Knowledge (Religion) and is at least 21st level as a Bard, and has met Damok personally on at least one occasion (less difficult than it may sound because of how often he sends avatars out into various planes). Of course, some deities do not often interact with mortals, and some are exceedingly dangerous to interact with (for example, Venom), so some Godsongs are notably less common than others.

Researching Ultimate Power

It is possible for player characters to research and create new Ultraspells, just as it is possible to create new spells of standard levels. This follows the standard process for making new spells, though the DM should be especially careful to make sure the player's ideas are in line with existing Ultramagic effects and that those effects have an appropriate cost. The most important variable for determining how well the research goes is the caster level prerequisite for the final spell; only once this is determined can the research properly proceed, because Ultraspells do not have levels in the traditional sense (and spell level is the determining factor in spell research at pre-epic levels). Once prerequisite caster level is determined, the Ultraspell research may proceed.

Because Ultramagic slots are replenished more slowly than normal spell slots, the research goes slower, though it is not particularly more difficult to conduct. Researching an Ultraspell requires one week per prerequisite caster level (that is, an Ultraspell with a caster level prerequisite of 26th requires 26 weeks to research). The research first requires access to libraries and materials stocked with exotic and rare items far beyond those collections even standard spell research libraries gather; this means that the cost the researcher must pay is higher than for traditional spells. Ultraspell research costs 5000 gp per week to conduct, but besides the cost in gold, the research requires 100 XP per week because all Ultraspells carry an XP cost. Finally, at the end of the research period, the character must make a Spellcraft check (DC = 20 plus half the required caster level, rounded down; thus, an Ultraspell requiring caster level 24th would carry a final DC of 32), though characters of a level high enough to cast Ultraspells in the first place typically find this final check to be a nonissue. If the roll does fail, then the character's research proved fruitless, and he or she must gain another rank in Spellcraft before being able to try again, though in a typical game this should happen very rarely (if ever).

The Medallion of Power

Most spellcasters or psionic characters who reach towards the highest reaches of their craft learn of the existence of a legendary item of great power, called the Medallion of Power. Said to be the original symbol of office for the Lord Protector of Life, and carved from a chip off of the legendary Lifestone, this item is shrouded in mystery and epic legendry. One detail of the stories that most who hear (let alone tell) them overlook, is the fact that there exists more than one such device- in fact, every single Ultramage the Golden Age produced had a Medallion of Power as a symbol of achievement. This came about because Damok, early into his career as Lord, discovered an Ultramagic spell which is capable of duplicating the caster's own Medallion. Since that momentous discovery, many thousands (perhaps even millions) of these ubiquitous items of potency have been created, but few remain on Taera today.

A Medallion of Power grants its wearer different abilities depending on the wearer's highest class level, not counting any Prestige Classes (these powers are described in the item's full entry in the Items & Equipment document). One power it grants to almost all spellcasters, however, is that of an Ultramagic slot, which does not count against the limit of 4 gained through class levels. Thus, a 30th level Wizard with a Medallion actually has 5 Ultramagic slots rather than 4. Even characters incapable of gaining Ultramagic slots normally, such as Wizards with INT scores below 20, or characters below 21st level, gain a single Ultramagic slot. This makes it possible for a character of any level to use a scroll with an Ultraspell scribed on it, provided the would-be caster is wearing a Medallion of Power at the time he or she attempts to use the scroll. Of course, the character must still roll a Spellcraft check to understand the scroll first, if he or she does not have the particular spell as a Feat, and in practice, no caster below 6th level has ever succeeded at such a check. Also, Clerics must still have WIS scores of 20 or higher, and follow the rules given under Quest Magic, in order to receive a Quest Spell to fill that slot, regardless of the Medallion. The Medallion of Power's specially granted Ultramagic slot is only useful for casting spells off of scrolls, and not for any other purpose unless the wearer has "natural" Ultramagic slots to go with it.

One other ability granted by a Medallion of Power is notable enough to describe here. Any character, regardless of class, who wears a Medallion of Power heals ability damage at the rate of 1 point per hour, rather than one point per day as normal. Medallions are therefore extra-helpful to spellcasters who use their Ultramagic slots often, or psions who regularly use their Ultrapowers; instead of draining themselves further with every casting or manifestation, they may generally use one per day with no side effects other than XP loss (and the usual loss of the spell slot or power points). Sticking to less powerful spells and powers might even allow a wearer to use more than one in a single day with no significant loss.

Psionics

Taeran campaigns use the "Psionics are Different" optional rule, but with a few notable differences that make psionics not quite so different as the standard rule.

First, powers which protect against charms and compulsions do not care whether the powers are magical or psionic- this means that Elves, who enjoy a racial bonus against such effects, get that bonus against both psionic and magical charm powers. This rule is, however, a corrolary of the more general rule- if a psionic power and a spell share a descriptor, for instance, Teleportation or Charm, than any defense or effect which says it affects powers of that type, which does not explicitly state whether magical or psionic powers are affected, affects both magical and psionic powers with that descriptor.

Second, creatures of Taera have evolved in the presence of both magic and psionic energies. Therefore, unless otherwise noted, any creature given a Spell Resistance (SR) number is assumed to have a Power Resistance (PR) equal to the SR - 5. This rule also applies in reverse; creatures with a given PR number are assumed to have an SR equal to PR - 5.

Finally, the Detect, Negate, and Dispel powers mentioned in the "Psionics are Different" sidebar on page 39 of the Psionics Handbook exist on Taera, but at lower levels. The spells Detect Psionics and Dispel Psionics are, respectively, level 1 and 4; similarly, the Detect Magic and Negate Magic psionic powers are levels 1 and 4 as well.

Static Zones

Just as magic has its Dead Zones, so too did the Annihilation create areas in which intense mental states left a permanent metaphysical (and sometimes physical) mark on the world, disrupting the mental abilities of any creatures coming near. These zones of Psionic Static have little noticeable effect on magic, but they cause intense disruption of psionic powers.

While inside such a Static Zone, a psionic creature must succeed at a Will save vs. DC 20 + the level of the power being used to manifest a power; furthermore, even a success on this save forces the manifester to pay double the power point cost, just as if he or she were within a Catapsi field. If the save fails, only the normal amount of power points are spent, but nothing happens- it is as if the attempt was made inside a Null Psionics Field. Finally, any powers which are successfully manifested have half their normal durations, even if the power is still active when the manifester moves outside the field (and even if the power moves with the manifester).

Astral Constructs start to lose focus, and lose random parts of themselves, while within Static Zones. Each round spent in a Static Zone causes 1d6 points of damage per hit die to the Construct, no save allowed. Psionic items cannot function at all while within a Static Zone, but do not lose any charges either, and regain their powers entirely upon being brought outside the Zone. Similarly, an Astral Construct which moves outside a Static Zone stops taking damage.

Ultrapsionics

Just as Taeran spellcasters learned to harness psionic power to increase the levels of magic they could reach, Taeran psionicists long ago learned to infuse their own psionic powers with magical energy and ki power, to break the traditional bounds of psionic power. The effects they create this way are so powerful that they can only reasonably be called Ultrapsionics.

Ultrapsionic powers follow similar rules to Ultramagic, in that only manifesters above 20th level may learn them. Also, each Ultrapsionic power learned by a character is a feat, and the first such feat taken must be for an Ultrapsionic power in the character's primary discipline, in the case of Psions.

Notable differences, however, exist. Psionic characters (obviously) do not have "slots" to use up in manifesting Ultrapsionic powers- Ultrapsionic powers simply cost more than 17 power points to use. However, as with Ultraspells, Ultrapowers always have an XP cost which must be paid to manifest them, and furthermore they usually do ability damage to the manifester (which the manifester cannot heal through use of his/her own psionic powers). In addition, Ultrapowers may not be used more than once per day each, though a character may gain the Ultrapower's feat multiple times to gain multiple uses (one daily use is allowed for each time the feat is taken).

Finally, Ultrapowers may not be encoded into powerstones the way Ultraspells may be scribed onto scrolls- crystals simply shatter when imbued with such enormous energy, or refuse to hold it. Only Major Artifacts can hold Ultrapowers of any sort.

Ideal Powers

Ardent Ultrapsionics are a bit different from standard Ultrapsionics. While standard psionics are a pure application of internal will over base reality, Ardent powers are more a case of faith and belief so strong that it moves reality to produce external effects (regardless of the actual idea the belief is about). Ardent Ultrapsionics, therefore, operates by a different mental mechanism than Ultrapsionics for other psionicists, and even when the effects of the powers are ultimately the same there are notable cosmetic differences. These powers have acquired the nickname "Ideal Powers," because not only do they represent the most desirable attainments for Ardents, they also represent the ultimate expression and application of the ideals the Ardents champion. In fact, when an Ardent uses an Ideal Power, the application of such intense energy actually brings a brief life and sentience to the ideal itself in a way that is never otherwise replicated except by actual deities. Manifesting an Ideal Power actually creates, for the brief period during which the power is working, a sort of mini-deity powered directly by the Ardent using the Ideal Power to give life to it, and in game terms this is why an Ardent takes ability damage and loses XP when manifesting an Ideal Power- it is a sacrifice to bring the ideal to life in order to help the manifesting character.

Since faith can allow a creature to exceed its normal limits, when said creature is pushed to its limits and is in need of more, it is possible for Ardents of less-than-Epic level to use Ideal Powers on rare occasions. No Ardent has ever been able to use an Ideal Power for selfish reasons; the power's use must be for the ultimate championing of the ideal of the chosen Mantle itself, or the power fails to work. Attempting to manifest an Ideal Power for any other reason creates a negative feedback loop in the Ardent's subconscious which causes the loss of all powers until the transgression is atoned for. Atonement, under these circumstances, is best accomplished by means of an Atonement spell cast by a priest of a deity that is closely associated with the ideal of the Mantle in question, and because it requires the intercession of an outsider to resolve, when Ardents are normally quite self-sufficient, the character atoning is never quite the same afterwards even though the power comes back. Technically, if circumstances warrant it, an Ardent of any level might manifest an Ideal Power, though in practice no Ardent below 9th level has ever managed to do so (nor is ever likely to). Ardents must have WIS scores of 20 or higher to be able to manifest any Ideal Power, regardless of how powerfully their faith affects their lives- even the strongest beliefs have their limits!

Unlocking an Ideal Power hidden within the Mantle is not a trivial undertaking, and cannot be accomplished without careful forethought and reflection. If the Ardent has truly exemplified the tenets and philosophies of the Mantle in question (and note that this requires among other things that the Mantle in question be one of the character's Primaries), the candidate Ideal Manifester must meditate for a full 24 hours upon the chosen Mantle before there is even a chance to access the Ideal Power. During the meditation, typically near its end, there is a one-hour window of time during which the Ardent is so deeply immersed in contemplation of the Mantle that he or she cannot be roused out of meditation by any means- effectively, the character is comatose. At the end of the day of meditation, the character undertakes his or her usual period of rest, followed by one hour of meditation to replenish power points, just as if the day of meditation upon the Ideal Power had been a day of normal activity instead. During the meditation to replenish power points, the Ardent must make three checks in succession to finally unlock the Ideal Power: a Knowledge (Psionics) check, to recognize the complete effects of the power; a Psicraft check, to discern how to form the mental construct that allows the Ideal Power to manifest at all; and finally a Will save, to keep the staggeringly complex information from overwhelming the Ardent's consciousness and simply vanishing back into Astral space. The character is not allowed to take 10 on any check, and powers which grant one-time or nonpermanent bonuses to a check (such as Moment of Prescience or the granted ability of the Fate Mantle) may not be used to add bonuses to any roll- nor may abilities that allow rerolls, such as the granted power of the Clerical Luck Domain, be used to reroll a failed check. Should any check fail, the Ardent cannot access the Ideal Power, and may not attempt to access that Ideal Power again before gaining another Ardent level. The DC is the same for all three checks- 10 + the manifester level normally required to use the desired Ideal Power. For example, the DC for gaining the Inferno power (having a required manifester level of 24) is 34.

An Ardent who fails to gain the desired Ideal Power may still replenish power points and use his or her existing complement of powers normally- there is no penalty for failure except the inability to try again before gaining further insight into the Mantle (represented by gaining another Ardent level). If all three checks succeed, however, the Ardent's manifesting ability is altered for one day, or until the character's next rest period in preparation for replenishing power points, whichever comes first. During this period of altered manifestation, the Ardent is unable to manifest any powers of the Ideal Power's associated Mantle, because the Ideal Power subsumes all the rest into its own unique energy matrix. This limitation is a result of the inexperienced character being unable to hold onto the monumental complexity of the Ideal Power by any other means, and not something that any force (even a sympathetic deity) can get around. For example, an Ardent holding the Inferno power (which is assocated with the Elements Mantle) would lose access to any powers from the Elements Mantle that he or she knows, even if those powers were also associated with other Mantles the character had taken. No more than one Ideal Power may be held by any sub-Epic Ardent in this manner; only those experienced enough to actually learn the Ideal Powers for real are able to hold more than one.

Ardents who are of high enough level to learn Ultrapsionic powers, need not go through the extra rigmarole and meditations explained above to gain them, nor must they lose access to any of their standard-level powers. They may take Ideal Powers as feats, and use them just as Psions, Wilders, and other Epic psionicists do (i.e. being able to manifest each Ultrapower once per day, unless the feat is taken more than once). Once an Ardent reaches this level, the character's internal faith and belief is powerful enough to overcome any obstacles to its purest expression that lower-level characters would have to contend with.

Creating Ultrapowers

It is possible for characters to research and create new Ultrapowers, just as it is possible to create new powers of standard levels. This follows essentially the same process as creation of Ultraspells as detailed under Researching Ultimate Power elsewhere in this document. The one difference is that a Psicraft check is used in place of Spellcraft.

Radiation

The Annihilation left many a horrid legacy behind, but the longest lasting (and most far-reaching in effect) has been the deadly radiation left in places which were hit hardest by the massive explosions. Normal lifeforms cannot survive long in heavily radioactive areas, and few come away from any sort of radiation unscathed.

The effects of radiation exposure depend on how strong it is. There are four strengths of radiation, not including Background, which is the normal level all creatures are accustomed to (and therefore are not harmed by). The levels are Low, Medium, Heavy, and Lethal. Depending on how strong the radiation is, creatures exposed to it may have to save every day, hour, minute, or round, respectively (for instance, Heavy radiation requires a save every minute). A save vs. radiation is technically a Fortitude save, but it always uses the creature's worst save bonus, regardless of which of the three saves that is. Bonuses specifically to radiation saves, such as the racial ability of basic humans, are added after after that initial bonus is determined. The save DC is also noted for any radiation exposure- for instance, it will be noted as Low-15, Heavy-25, or Lethal-50, rather than merely Low, Heavy, or Lethal. Each strength has a range of allowed DCs, noted below:

Of course, DCs above 30 are virtually impossible for most creatures to survive for long, whether or not they are actually at Lethal strength.

Each failed save against radiation exposure causes 1d6 points of Radiation damage. After 3 failed saves, the victim automatically gets radiation sickness (see below). On the 5th failed save, the victim must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or fall unconscious; each successive save against unconsciousness (should earlier ones succeed) carries a -1 cumulative penalty. Unconscious creatures automatically fail further radiation saves and take damage, each time a radiation save is called for, until they are awakened by having damage healed (even 1 point will do, unless the creature is below 0 hit points). If radiation exposure ends, so does damage and the need for further saves, and any creatures knocked unconscious by exposure automatically stabilize (though they still remain unconscious until they wake up according to the normal rules for stable, unconscious characters).

The 5th failed radiation save also carries another penalty: the possibility for mutation to occur. Each 5th failed save (i.e. the 5th, the 10th, the 15th, etc.) requires the victim to make a Fortitude save vs. DC 10 × the radiation strength (that is, 10 for Low, 20 for Medium, etc.), or undergo a mutation. Creatures knocked unconscious by radiation exposure do not make saves when they take damage, but they are considered to automatically fail their saves, and therefore must save vs. mutation with every 5th damage check. If mutation occurs, see the rules below.

Radioactive Zones

Sometimes radiation happens by exposure to weapons, magic, or Ancient devices such as reactor cores. More often, however, it happens as a result of entering a radioactive zone, a place where traces of radiation linger for decades or even centuries. Radiation zones are often lifeless, but sometimes lifeforms exist there which have become resistant to radiation somehow (often through mutation). Such lifeforms, whether animal, plant, or other, are usually twisted, stunted, or otherwise horrible in appearance. Most also hide deadly powers and ferocity, or extremely toxic poisons, or other such hidden dangers.

A radiation zone constantly exposes all creatures within its borders to radiation of the strength noted with the zone. Creatures knocked unconscious by the radiation must therefore be transported outside the zone before they can stabilize, unless they mutate to become resistant to radiation (see the Mutation section).

Radiation zones also, by way of their life-twisting nature, distort the Matrix and inner psionic balance of creatures within them. Any attempts to use magic or psionic powers within a radioactive zone, even a Low-10 one, requires a roll (d6) on the following table to see what actually happens:

Ancient technology, or other high-tech devices, usually work normally. "Technological" devices which are biological in nature, however (for instance, an Organitech Poison Needler), are usually closer to living things in function. Such living machines simply fail to work, and must make saves with their carriers to avoid damage and destruction.

Radiation Sickness

Radiation sickness is a condition which looks much like an ordinary (if horrid) disease. It causes nausea, burning, and aches, and causes 2 points of temporary STR, DEX, and CON damage, which cannot be healed as long as the victim is sick. It also carries a -2 circumstance penalty to all attack rolls, and reduces movement to half normal speed; furthermore, creatures with Fly speed which use wings to fly are too weak to use their wings while radiation sick, and therefore can't fly.

Although radiation sickness looks like a normal disease, no curative magic other than the 6th-level spell Cure Radiation (or a Wish or Miracle duplicating that spell) will cure it. Even the mighty Heal spell fails to alleviate the condition, and Restoration or Full Restoration spells will not restore points lost to radiation sickness until it is gone. In lieu of a Cure Radiation spell, the sickness goes away after 2d4 weeks, if the victim leaves all radiation behind (no further exposure, and living and moving within a Background radiation zone), and succeeds at a CON check (using the current score) vs. DC 15. If the check succeeds, the radiation sickness ends immediately; if it fails, a new check may be attempted the next day to recover.

Once radiation sickness ends, regardless of how it is ended, the temporary ability damage begins to heal normally, and the speed and attack roll penalties no longer apply.

Mutation

Mutations are usually a result of radiation exposure, but sometimes they happen as a result of certain magical or psionic effects. Mutations that happen naturally (i.e. because of radiation) occur painfully over the course of 1d4+4 days, and render the victims sterile unless they make Fortitude saves against DC 25. Mutations from effects happen over the course of 1d4 hours and do not render their victims sterile, unless the description of the spell, power or effect says otherwise. Sterility can be reversed with Full Restoration, but mutations themselves can never be reversed with anything less than Wish, Miracle, or direct intervention by a god. Once the mutation process is complete, the victim gains a Mutation feat, with the result of the roll(s) on the Mutation tables below noted.

When mutation occurs, the victim's genetic structure undergoes significant and permanent changes in every cell (or a large percentage of them) of its body. The victim then undergoes a period of accelerated growth which occurs over the period given above (1d4 hours for an effect, or 1d4+4 days for radiation exposure). This growth is painful and debilitating, and the victim must make a Fortitude save against DC 10 (in the case of radiation) or DC 15 (in the case of an effect) or die. Surviving victims are left with 1 hit point at the end, though this does not lower the permanent hit point total unless the mutation itself did, and the damage may be healed normally.

Mutation is always random, although the Mutation spell (see the Wild Magic Spell List) allows the caster a range of primary results, and selection of results on the Senses and Characteristics subtables. Roll on the tables below to find out what happens. Also, unless the table result says otherwise, all mutations permanently lower CON and CHA by 1d4 points each. If either score falls to 0 as a result of this change, the mutation is nonviable, and the victim dies immediately after the mutation is complete. Attempts to raise or resurrect such victims always fail, unless the mutation is first reversed by use of a Wish, Miracle, or divine intervention, as discussed above. Rolls on the three subtables (Characteristics, Senses, and Special Mutations) do not occur unless the main table directs them. The exact appearance of each combination of mutations is up to the DM.

Primary Mutation

d20 result		Mutation
1		1d4 characteristics (roll on the Characteristics sub-table below) are permanently lowered by 1d4 points each. This is not temporary damage, and cannot be fixed by restoration magic. A loss in CON or CHA overrides the usual loss from mutation.
2		1 characteristic (roll on the Characteristics table) is permanently lowered by 1d6 points. This is not temporary damage, and cannot be fixed by restoration magic. A loss in CON or CHA overrides the usual loss from mutation.
3		1d3 senses (roll on the Senses sub-table below) are permanently reduced in effectiveness. If the victim did not possess a sense which was rolled, reroll that sense. If a sense is reduced twice, it is lost completely.
4		1 sense (roll on the Senses table) is permanently reduced in effectiveness.
5		Victim's lifespan (the number of years it can live before dying of old age) is cut in half.
6		If victim had any psionic or spell-like abilities, it loses 1d3 of them permanently. Otherwise, it is affected as if by 1d3 random spells (only negative or neutral) such as Bane, Reduce, or Change Self, permanently.
7		Victim loses 1d2 limbs.
8		Victim grows gills. Roll 1d10. If the result is less than 6, the victim can no longer breathe air, and begins suffocating unless it is placed in water to breathe. If the victim was already a water-breather before mutation, it instead has a 50% chance of losing its gills and becoming an air-breather.
9		Victim becomes more vulnerable to a random class of damage, including radiation as a possibility. Victim takes double damage from that class of damage, and has a permanent -2 penalty to save against it. Victims who become vulnerable to radiation, and are still being exposed to it when they mutate, must immediately save against unconsciousness as detailed in the main Radiation section above. If the damage class selected is one that the victim was previously resistant to, the victim simply loses that resistance rather than taking these penalties.
10		Victim gains Damage Reduction 5 against a random class of damage, and a permanent +2 save bonus against it. Victims who become resistant to radiation, and are unconscious as a result of exposure to it, immediately stabilize and awaken, and gain the save bonus against all future radiation saves (but note that, even if they take no damage on a failed save due to the damage reduction, it still counts as a failed save for purposes of falling unconscious and gaining mutations). Victims which already had damage reduction against the selected class of damage gain 5 more points of damage reduction; the save bonus from this mutation is similarly stackable. If the victim was vulnerable to that class of damage, it simply loses that vulnerability rather than gaining these bonuses.
11		Victim grows a pair of wings. If it could not fly before, it gains Fly 30 (poor) speed; if it could fly, it gains 30 feet of speed and improves by one manueverability class.
12		Victim grows 1d4 new limbs. These limbs have a 25% chance of being nonfunctional; otherwise, they are just as useful as normal limbs of the type. New legs have feet, and new arms have hands with a normal number of fingers.
13		Victim gains 1d3 psionic or spell-like powers permanently. Such powers are no greater than 2nd-level in power, and can be used once per day each unless the are 0th-level (0th-level powers can be used 3 times per day each). Spells which are enhancement-based rather than activated powers (i.e. Cat's Grace as opposed to Change Self) instead become permanently active ability changes, though they are still supernatural and may be suppressed within appropriate places (for instance, Antimagic Fields).
14		Victim's lifespan is doubled.
15		The victim gains 1 new sense (roll on the Senses table). If the victim already had the sense rolled on the table, that sense is instead increased in effectiveness, or gains a special quality such as Darkvision or the Scent feat.
16		The victim gains 1d3 senses (roll on the Senses table). If the victim already had a sense rolled on the table, that sense is instead increased in effectiveness, or gains a special quality such as Darkvision or the Scent feat.
17		1 characteristic (roll on the Characteristics table) raises by 1d6 points permanently. A raise in CON or CHA overrides the usual loss from mutation.
18		1d4 characteristics (roll on the Characteristics table) each raise by 1d4 points, permanently. A raise in CON or CHA overrides the normal loss from mutations.
19		Roll twice on this table, and ignore any results of 19 or 20.
20		Roll once on the Special Mutations table.

Senses

2d8 result		Senses
2		Motion of other objects (including Tremorsense)
3		Radiation sense
4		Pressure
5		Moisture/water sense
6		Texture
7		Hot/Cold sense
8		Hearing
9		Sight (including special kinds like Darkvision, or the ability to see into adjacent planes of existence)
10		Smell (including the Scent feat)
11		Taste
12		Pressure
13		Kinesthetic (location and motion of one's own body parts)
14		Magic Activity (possibly even the Matrix itself)
15		Psionic Activity of other creatures
16		Life Sense (sense other living things in a radius, unliving and undead things don't register)

Characteristics

d12 result		Characteristic
1		Strength
2		Dexterity
3		Intelligence
4		Wisdom
5		Consitution
6		Charisma
7		Base Attack Bonus
8		Armor Class (via a Natural Armor bonus or penalty)
9		Speed
10		Healing rate (hit points per day)
11		Hit points (an inherent bonus or penalty, which stacks with all others)
12		Size (move up or down by one class each time, even if the mutation result says more than one).

Special Mutation

d20 result		Mutation
1		Victim splits in two, becoming two creatures linked together telepathically. Each creature believes it is the only "real" creature, and the other is a duplicate created for nefarious purposes- they therefore are forever enemies, and attack each other every chance they get. If either half dies, the other one also dies, but the connection is broken at that point. Resurrection magic can bring each creature back as a separate, healthy individual.
2		Victim becomes magic-dead (all attempts to affect it with magic behave as if it had Spell Resistance, and successfully resisted).
3		Victim becomes psionic-dead (all attempts to influence or affect it with psionic powers fail).
4		Victim becomes immune to one class of damage (DM's choice).
5		Victim becomes immune to all diseases and poisons.
6		Victim grows another head (with a separate personality). This adds 1d4 points of INT and WIS, but costs 2d4 points of CHA as a result of squabbling between the heads (CHA can't go below 3 as a result of this). This CHA loss overrides the normal loss from mutation.
7		Victim's bones dissolve or become jelly. If victim was boneless before mutation, it instead grows a skeleton.
8		Victim becomes permanently sterile (only direct divine intervention can cure this).
9		Victim must eat magic to survive, absorbing it by touch (magic items lose 1d4 charges or cease functioning for 1 day, spellcasters lose 1 slot of the highest-level spells they can cast). It must eat 2d4 spell levels or item charges per day, or suffer the effects of starvation. Items without charges each count as a single charge when deactivated by this power.
10		Victim must eat psionic energy to survive, absorbing it by touch. Victim must eat 2d4 × 10 PSPs every day, or suffer the effects of starvation.
11		Victim changes race (new race is determined by DM's option).
12		Victim becomes hybrid of previous race and some other species (new species, and the abilities of the hybrid, are DM's option). It is possible to become a hybrid of a dragon, celestial, or fiend, in which case the templating rules from the Monster Manual should be used.
13		Victim becomes an elemental hybrid, which element is DM's option. Powers include immunity to the chosen element, vulnerability to its opposite, and the ability to transfer itself to the plane of the chosen element in 1 minute, and survive there indefinitely.
14		Victim changes kingdom (animal, plant, fungus, rock). Ability changes are DM's option, but should stay substantially the same.
15		Victim's aging accelerates enormously so that it dies of old age in 1 day per year of life it had left. There is a 50% chance that during this time it is permanently Hasted, though.
16		Victim stops aging permanently, and cannot die of old age (all aging effects simply fail to work on it). There is a 50% chance that it is also permanently Slowed, however.
17		Victim no longer needs to breathe, becoming immune to gas attacks and suffocation.
18		Victim gains Regeneration 50, but with 1d3 weaknesses determined by the DM.
19		Roll 1d4+4 Primary Mutations. Ignore any results of 20.
20		Roll twice again on this table, ignoring any result of 20.

Other Miscellaneous Rules

Light Ranged Weapons

Most ranged weapons are affairs requiring two hands to hold- for instance, a bow requires one hand to hold the actual bow, while the second hand holds and releases the arrow. However, a few weapons (such as the Light Crossbow and Hand Crossbow) may be fired one-handed, and a character may therefore potentially wield one in each hand. Some of these are small enough to be easily used in one hand, notably the Hand Crossbow, and are classified as "light ranged" weapons- much as some one-handed melee weapons are classified as light. The following weapons from the Player's Handbook are classified as Light Ranged:

• Crossbow, Hand
• Dagger (when thrown)
• Dart
• Shuriken

While under normal circumstances it is not important that a given ranged weapon is light, doing so does afford a character some new opportunities. With a light ranged weapon, a character can wield the weapon with a shield, or can even wield it with another weapon to get extra attacks. However, a character without any skill at fighting with two weapons (or even one with only the Two-Weapon Fighting feat) may only use all melee or all ranged weapons, when wielding more than one weapon; that is, such a character cannot wield a sword in one hand and a crossbow in the other. A character who has Improved Two-Weapon Fighting no longer suffers this restriction. Of course, characters with more than two arms substitute Multi-Weapon Fighting for Two-Weapon Fighting, for the purpose of satisfying these rule conditions.

Light ranged weapons may be fired one-handed, but invariably require two hands to load, just as normal ranged weapons do. Thus, while a character can wield one in each hand, it is often only useful to do so for one shot; however, repeating crossbows exist, and some technological weapons only need loading once per several shots- they may be fired multiple times before reloading is needed. A character wielding two such light ranged weapons is usually able to use iterative attacks with them as dictated by the rules for wielding multipe weapons.

Age-Based Experience

One of the reasons Taera is so attractive to outsiders is that the plane is suffused with power and energy, even to the point that its natives all carry inborn psionic and magical potential. One little-known side effect of this saturation of power is that sentient creatures native to Taera grow in powers and abilities even without any testing or conflict to help them along; that is, the methods of self-improvement that natives of other planes require to achieve new and great things are not required by Taerans (though they can and do help them along just as well).

In game terms, a sentient creature that is native to Taera gains 1000 experience points times the average maximum age for its race or species divided by 100, per year of game time. This does not stack with "normal" experience; that is, if the creature adventures or does something else to gain XP during the year, then it gains only the greater amount of the age-based XP or the amount it gained with its activities. The creature stops gaining age-based XP once it gains 19 hit dice above its baseline this way, so most creatures find their level advancement capped at 20th level (only adventurers and other unusual people can become epic-level). While this therefore tends to have little effect on PCs, it has great effects on NPCs- any NPC of middle age is certain to be well above 1st level, for instance, skewing the distribution of higher-level creatures in a given population. It also means that even NPCs who do little or no adventuring may, among other things, concoct potions and create magic or psionic items without much overall cost to themselves; thus, Taera as a world has a much larger amount of supernaturally enhanced items and equipment available than most other worlds and planes do.

The age XP equation is designed to make humans (with a maximum age averaging about 100 years) the baseline, gaining 1000 XP per year, while long-lived races such as elves (average maximum age of 1000 years) gain only 100 XP per year, catching up to humans at about the same rate in terms of age category. Dragons, however, are an exception to the normal rules; a dragon gains 1000 XP per year if it takes no significant activity, regardless of its level and even though the maximum age of a dragon is considerably older than most other species on the planet. This rule exception explains how dragons gain Dragon class levels as they age, following the age progression given in the Monster Manual and other official rules fairly closely during the early age categories. Most dragons of advanced age begin spending their XP to make magical or psionic items, or on powerful spells such as Wish, thus slowing their advancement towards true Elder status. Adventuring dragons, of course, do not usually get their age-based XP, and thus become considerably more powerful than normal dragons.