Astral dragon’s Памяти palace

This esoteric library is an immersive mindscПримат (Pathfinder RPG Оккультизм Adventures 234) where an ancient astral Дракон (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 5 89) stores her знание and memories in an elaborate Облаков palace. The mindscПримат is overt and has a self-contained shape. Its feedback is Повреждениеless, and it has normal gravity, normal time, and Магия works normally within it.

The dragon’s Памяти palace is extremely complex, and filled with nearly all of her experiences from her millennia of existence, categorized in a very Оккультизм fashion. What is even more challenging is that потусторонние существа can access the mindscПримат only while the Дракон Сонs. While the Дракон tends to Сон for long periods (typically between 7–13 days), when it Пробуждениеs any intruders are expelled from the mindscape—unless they discover the secret that lets them stay within the mindscПримат while the Дракон is awake.

ASTRAL DRAGON’S ПАМЯТИ PALACE    CR 18

XP 153,600

Complexity 46 (difficult)

Языки Draconic

Research Check Знание (магия), Знание (история), or Знание (планы);

Знание Bonus +5

kp 54

RESEARCH THRESHOLDS

kp 50 The Дракон saved a group of shulsagas (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 4 245) and, in return for the assistance, those strange disk-riding humanoids gave her a password that allows the Дракон or any of her allies to enter shulsaga territory unhindered.

kp 40 The shulsaga password is “kayith namast.”

kp 30 Deep in a particularly volatile section of the Astral Plane, the shulsagas are building a Крупный vessel that they plan to Использование to rПомощь other planes. They seem especially fixated on rПомощьing the Boneyard, the Negative Energy Plane, and the Positive Energy Plane.

kp 20 There is a way that interlopers can stay within the Памяти palace while the Дракон is awake. They must first have Пространственный Якорь cast upon them while in the Памяти palace and must refrain from eating, drinking, or Сонing while the Дракон is awake.

kp 10 A planar map shows many portals scattered around the Astral Plane that allow pasМудрое to most of the other known planes. The Дракон believes that the portals were created by manasaputras (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 5 162), but has not been able to learn why they were created or what keys are needed to open them.

kp 5 The astral Дракон has accumulated a substantial treasury kept on the Positive Energy Plane in the care of a group of jyoti (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 171). The Дракон worries that the jyoti have no plans to return her hoard.

kp 0 A map and Оккультизм ritual found in the library claims to allow living creatures to enter the Akashic Record, a demiplane in the Astral Plane tied to the heart of Оккультизм philosophy.

 

SPELLS OF INTRIGUE

Магия influences nearly everything in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. In an intrigue-based campaign, the principal focus shifts from Исследование and dungeon- delving—where Магия is primarily used for выживание and fighting—to navigating complex and precarious social interactions. Politics, organized crime, espionage, mercantilism, and other intrigue-based objectives require extensive Использование of subtlety, subterfuge, thoughtful planning, and orchestrated tactics. As a result, characters engaged in intrigue often utilize spells that are geared toward communication rather than combat, spying and intelligence-gathering rather than physical defense, and winning power and influence rather than slaying opponents outright and taking their treasure.

The following section offers advice on certain spells particularly likely to see Использование in an intrigue-focused game, organized by level of play and spell school.

 

LOW-LEVEL PLAY (1–6)

At early levels, the number of spells available is Небольшойer, but these are sometimes the most important spells to understand. Low-level spells of intrigue (typically 3rd level or lower) can remain useful at high levels, and high- level characters can cast them far more often.

 

ПРОРИЦАНИЕS

Nothing can alter the fundamental f low of an entire adventure or campaign quite like Прорицаниеs. The rules for Прорицание spells contain many gray areas. Unfortunately, that can lead to GMs either reining in these spells too tightly (sometimes making them a waste of a spell slot), or allowing Прорицаниеs to provide far more information than the spell should allow, potentially derailing the story. Many GMs feel that Прорицаниеs are the primary reason high-level games can be difficult to Бегун.

When adjudicating the results of Прорицаниеs, you, as the GM, should apply the principle of “yes, but...” rather than simply saying “yes” or “no.” In other words, the PCs can get the kind of information the spell indicates, but that information doesn’t include other factors beyond the scope of the spell. Or perhaps it comes in a cryptic form, is sketchy because the PCs didn’t have enough information to connect the dots, or is otherwise less than ideal. These spells have built-in restrictions that prevent them from being perfect, and targets can prepare countermeasures to vex casters.

Information is a key factor in many games, and Прорицание Магия often plays a central role in uncovering that information. Information allows characters to lay ambushes instead of being ambushed, to bypass threats to pursue their goals most efficiently, to prepare exactly the right countermeasures for their opposition, and more. As the GM, ultimately, you are the Поток through which all the знание about the world f lows. You are responsible for providing the appropriate information to both the PCs and the NPCs. You should give them the information their characters would have and not withhold знание, but you should also control the information f low in a way that enhances the game.

Some of the first Прорицаниеs available to characters can often cause the most разрушительноеs because they are available at воля: Обнаружение Ядов and especially Обнаружение Магии. Detection spells generally cannot pierce solid material, including a thin layer of lead, so consider having NPCs Использование lead linings for important secrets. The idea of using appropriate precautions makes a particularly formidable NPC seem like a more worthy adversary after the fact, once the PCs find the hidden secret, though if every NPC does this, it can quickly cheapen that effect.

Though it might seem humble, the ability to find a creature, object, or location can easily short-circuit an entire adventure based around discovering something lost or hidden. However, spells that find things have significant limitations, and the first Линия of Оборона against allowing locator spells to damage the fun of a campaign is знание. Characters can’t attempt to locate something they don’t even know exists, and several of those spells have further restrictions that depend on the caster’s level of знание about the target.

Предвидение: Conceptually, having only four options (weal, woe, both, and neither) seems simple enough, but the trick comes in that almost everything involves a little bit of weal or woe—so where do you draw the line? Remember that the spell can see only 30 minutes into the future. It doesn’t take into account long-term consequences of the action. That means that, for instance, making a deal with a Дьявол to gain 1,000 gp in exchange for possibly forfeiting your soul someВремя in the future would probably be considered a weal by a caЖало of Предвидение.

If the half-hour isn’t enough to decide, then think about the personality of the caster’s deity or spirit. For instance, a god of Храбрость might think that a CR-appropriate Битва with great loot is a weal because that sounds like a grand adventure, while a more cautious deity might say that is a weal and woe.

You can’t predict everything that воля happen, so just try to make your best guess—even the gods can’t be sure exactly how the PCs воля behave! Try to remember that “neither” is a valid option, particularly since that’s the result when the spell fails to give an accurate response. The caster must consider whether the “neither” result is a false negative or a true negative. Предвидение costs 25 gp to cast, so likely the PCs won’t throw it around indiscriminately, even at higher levels.

Ясновидение/Яснослышание: This spell is the lowest- level scouting spell, and so is often the first to appear in play. It allows PCs to examine their surroundings or eavesdrop without endangering themselves, but has a Крупный number of mitigating factors, which can make it trickier to use.

Ясновидение/Яснослышание has a limited range of 400 feet, plus 40 feet per caster level. While that is generally enough to see areas in the same dungeon, the spell can’t just look anywhere. The caster must place the sensor in a known locale or a фамильяр place, or somewhere he can see. This prevents blindly caЖало it on whatever is 100 feet in a given direction, for instance. The casting time of this spell—10 minutes—is quite long, likely Утрата the duration of other spells currently cast on the party. It is also a major security risk to chant for 10 minutes straight in a loud and clear voice in hostile territory, so this spell is best paired with Безмолвное Заклинание for safety’s sake. This spell lasts only 1 minute per level, which makes it difficult to Шпион on long conversations unless the caster knows exactly the right time. Finally, the spell doesn’t project any enhanced senses, so even if the caster has Ночное Зрение, if the spell hits a dark area, he can only see in a 10-foot radius. Unlike some of the more powerful Тайновидение subschool spells, the caster can’t move the sensor beyond rotating it.

The clairaudience version of the spell can better detect things in the dark, but making sense of auditory stimuli can be tricky. Finally, remember that the enemies might potentially notice невидимость magical sensors (the base DC to notice a sensor is 23 for this spell). Обнаружение Слежки automatically detects the spell and possibly reveals the PCs’ nearby location, too, potentially allowing the observed enemies to retaliate quickly.

Определение Мировоззрения (Зло): This entry applies to other alignment detection spells and abilities, as well. In some stories, concealing a character’s alignment is important; it can be particularly challenging in the presence of a паладин or инквизитор who uses Определение Мировоззрения (Зло) at воля (or some фамильяры that have constant Определение Мировоззрения (Зло)). Fortunately, there are a lot of easy ways to protect against these spells.

The first thing to note is that at the lowest levels, alignment detection spells simply don’t register NPCs due to their low level. Other than жрецs, нежить, and Зло потусторонние существа, creatures require 5 Кости Здоровья or more to register with Определение Мировоззрения (Зло). The second thing to keep in mind is that creatures with actively evil, good, chaotic, and Принципиальность intents register as that alignment if they have enough Кости Здоровья, regardless of their actual alignment. So a selfish merchant whose heart is moved by an orphan’s pСвет into an act of Крупныйsse would register as Добро at the time, and a loyal kНочи forced to kill an innocent child to stop a Сфера Войны could appear Зло while she formulates and executes the deed. The final thing to consider is that alignment detection is exceptionally easy and cheap to foil in the long-term.

Some GMs rely on expensive, high-level, short-duration spells that could fail based on a d20 roll such as Перенывапоавление and Необнаружимость, but the 1st-level бард spell Скрытое Мировоззрение lasts 24 hours and works automatically. A wand containing this spell lasts for longer than a month and costs only 750 gp. Several new spells and Магия items in this book also help protect against alignment detection.

As always, it is important to Использование countermeasures that the NPC in question would reasonably and realistically use, considering the NPC’s ситуативныйs and the Стоимость of employing the countermeasure. Spending 15 gold pieces a Дня for a charge from a wand of Скрытое Мировоззрение is clearly worth it for an important Шпион who expects to match wits with паладинs who can test her alignment, but it isn’t reasonable for a random Зло monster living alone in the sewers. Also, Скрытое Мировоззрение fools alignment detection, but it leaves the telltЭль Аура of Скрытое Мировоззрение itself on the NPC, which could give him away just as easily if not combined with other effects to obscure the magical Аура of the spell.

Обнаружение Магии: Though this at-воля canСбивание С Ног is an extremely powerful tool, remember that concentrating to maintain the spell consumes the caster’s основное действие every round, and may significantly Замедление a party’s progress when timing is important or Действие is required. It also requires several rounds to reveal useful information.

On the first round of the spell, the caster doesn’t learn more than the presence or absence of magical auras in a 60-foot cone. If the волшебник is standing behind someone in the party who has a Магия item, he’ll get a false positive. Even on the second round, the caster just learns the number of auras and the power of the most potent aura, so it takes quite a while to pinpoint the locations of each aura. For instance, a common complaint about Обнаружение Магии is that it might reveal невидимость creatures, but in reality, an невидимость creature can easily Бегун circles around the concentrating волшебник’s cone, never allowing the волшебник enough Время to pinpoint it.

The final and most important point to note is the fact that magical areas, multiple types of magic, and stronger auras can distort or conceal weaker auras. Very few GMs Использование this to its full potential. For instance, the NPCs might build their base on a ley Линия in Орден to mask Аура Магииs. If all else fails, numerous countermeasures protect against a simple Обнаружение Магии spell, starting with nonmagical means such as thin layers of lead and moving to Аура Магии, Необнаружимость, Перенывапоавление, and more. Take a look at greater Аура Магии (see page 219) for a solid countermeasure. Greater Обнаружение Магии (see page 212) allows for some interesting additional pieces of information, but it’s a 2nd-level spell, so it can never be as ubiquitous as the 0-level version. Greater Аура Магии still foils greater Обнаружение Магии.

Обнаружение Ядов: This spell makes it trivial for even a fledgling acolyte to detect the presence of Яд, and seems to kill the entire idea of Ядing the king’s drink. One solution is to slip Яд into something that it wouldn’t be socially acceptable to check with Обнаружение Ядов or that the consuming character doesn’t even stop to check, such as Ядing the spoons rather than the meal.

Clever ассасинs may Яд something that is supposed to have Яд in it (such as alcohol). Even though ethanol alcohol (along with other possible food additives) is a neurotoxin, it doesn’t have its own Яд stat block, and you’ll want to make your stance clear on Poisonous substances not listed with specific Яд rules to your players. If you Использование this option, the caster still has to fail the DC 20 Мудрость check (which is quite likely, particularly at lower levels). For added concealment, Использование an overdose of the same sort of Яд already expected to be in the dish, so even a successful check wouldn’t help (such as lethal quantities of wormДерево in a glass of absinthe). Obscure Яд (see page 220), a 1st-level spell, can also make a Яд harder to detect, and the languid venom spell (see page 218) can both delay the onset of a Яд and make it sСветly harder to detect.

Чтение Мыслей: This spell’s notorious ambiguity often leads back to the idea that, as the GM, you are the one who ultimately controls the f low of information. Reading surface thoughts doesn’t act perfectly to give the information that the PCs want, even if the target fails its saving throw, instead only betraying a character’s immediate concerns. For instance, the Наследие Ракшасов маскировкаd as a noble probably isn’t thinking “I’m a rakshasa” all the time, but she might generally think of things in oddly predatory terms. Give the PCs something interesting and worthwhile but, most importantly, the spell should tell them something that makes sense for the target to be thinking and provide clues more than answers.

Clever PCs could combine Чтение Мыслей with an Допрос session in an attempt to gather answers to specific questions. Against rank-and-file foes who are nonetheless too loyal to запугивание, this is very likely to work. However, liars Опытный enough to remove any tells from their social deceit often train themselves not to dwell on their prevarications, so characters with high ranks in Блеф are likely able to obfuscate their surface thoughts. Still, if the PCs aren’t sure whether they’ve captured a spy, their captive might reveal that she is more than she seems when the PCs’ pointed questions are met with surface thoughts repeating a soothing rhyme or song.

Искать Мысли (Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide 242) allows a character to sweep through many more people’s minds than Чтение Мыслей, but still allows a saving throw (and with multiple targets, the caster isn’t aware who made or failed the save). The same adjudication on surface thoughts applies: a sweeping search for surface thoughts about being the murderer воля only work if the murderer is actively thinking about being such. A true sociopath might be thinking about their lunch, though clever PCs might be able to Использование this information as evidence that the sociopathic NPC is suspicious.

Поиск Предмета: Many GMs Ужас that a PC who casts Поиск Предмета can locate key objects and ignore entire sections of an adventure. The Добро news is, unless the adventure was about the PCs being robbed of an item in a Небольшой town, that Ужас is probably baseless (and in many ситуативныйs, there are countermeasures to this spell).

The first thing to note about Поиск Предмета is its long range. Even 400 feet plus 40 feet per caster level is not very far in a city or overland adventure. Also, PCs cannot specify a unique item as the target of this spell unless they have observed the particular item firsthand (not through Прорицание). In the majority of adventures focused on finding an item, the object is a unique item that the PCs have not observed firsthand. Finally, this spell is blocked by a thin sheet of lead. So any competent thief in a world with Прорицаниеs is likely to store the object of her larceny within a bag that is lined with a thin sheet of lead, at least until she can get far enough away from pursuit. Precautions like these show the antagonists’ understanding of the Природа of Магия and the world around them.

Разговор С Животными and Разговор С Растениями: These two spells are useful in that Животные and plants often observe plenty of secrets, and even the most meticulous murderer rarely thinks of a houseСфера Растений as a Свидетель. However, these entities have either low or no intelligence, and they look at the world in a different way than people do. It’s important to strike a balance with these spells so that they provide useful information that’s worth caЖало a spell without Сломатьing every mystery. The way to do that is all in the Искуство of roleplaying Животные and plants. Have them pay attention to things that are immediate and important for an Сфера Животных or a plant, but not necessarily to details that the PCs want to know. Использование these spells to offer more clues colored by the Сфера Животных or plant’s worldview.

Место Истины: Truth-telling Магия often has interesting consequences when combined with intrigue. Even ignoring spells such as Боикии Язык that allow someone to lie directly in a Место Истины, a creature can succeed at its saving throw against the spell without the caster ever knowing. Creatures can also simply avoid speaking a direct lie, or even speak an untruth that she thinks is true, potentially through the Использование of memory-altering Магия such as Манипуляция Памятью or false belief (see page 214). This advice applies for other truth-telling Магия as well, such as Выявление Лжи.

Other Прорицаниеs: A few rare, highly specific Прорицание spells have the potential to disrupt an intrigue-based game. Биография Крови: This spell from page 206 of the Pathfinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide offers several options to a spellcaster who gains possession of a creature’s blood, Опознаниеing the creature that shed the Крови as well as the ситуативный and Время of the bloodshed, to that creature’s знание. In terms of living creatures, beyond a successful Воля saving throw, the best Защита for a creature against this spell is also generally a Добро way to prevent penalties against spells such as Тайновидение: try not to leave Крови for the PCs to find. Much like in a modern crime drama with DNA evidence, in a game with Биография Крови, a bloodstain from the culprit is a powerful piece of evidence that can often assure a successful investigation on its own. Of course, a wily criminal can Сфера Растений the Крови of an innocent at the scene to throw off the trail. However, that could cause issues due to the fact that the spell reveals how and when the Крови was shed, unless the criminal can manipulate a truly devious frame-up that includes suspicious ситуативныйs and timing. Another option, if cleaning up Крови with Мелкие Фокусы or similar spells is out of the question, is to scatter Крови from so many different sources throughout the area that the mixture makes the search nearly impossible. The other Использование of the spell, particularly in a murder, is that it can potentially reveal details of the murder, just like with spells such as Разговор С Мертвым. In addition to the advice for Разговор С Мертвым below, a murderer could consider killing in such a way as to avoid spilling blood. Or, he could even Сфера Растений Крови from a previous situation that didn’t involve the killer and then Использование spells such as dress corpse (see page 212) to obscure the Время and cause of Смерть to match the earlier bloodshed.

Создать Карту Сокровищь: This spell from page 214 of the Advanced Player’s Guide allows the PCs to gain a map to whatever a мертв creature considered most valuable. Since the spell indicates that the value is subjective and might include intangibles, such as a mate or a favorite place to find food, the spell usually offers numerous opportunities for other interesting adventures. It does this without forcing the GM’s hand on any particular issue, particularly since it takes an hour to cast, costs 100 gp, and requires the particularly ghoulish task of using a corpse’s skin as the map. Sometimes, however, there is just no way around it: the Зло cultist who worships the mad artifact as a god certainly considers it to be the most valuable treasure in the area, for instance. In these cases, one countermeasure that also protects against various other Прорицаниеs is to ensure that the villain’s underlings have some level of misinformation, or no information at all. For instance, the cult leader might allow her lackeys to believe that the artifact is always housed within their secret but insecure temple, while in reality, she usually sведьмаes it for an elaborately trapped fake. Since Создать Карту Сокровищь can’t account for inconsistencies or holes in a creature’s знание, even blindfolding cult members or using Телепортацияation to bring them to the worship chamber would prevent them from leaking its secret location.

 

ОЧАРОВАНИЕS

The main danger with Очарованиеs lies in removing agency from a character, either a PC or NPC, and the main difficulty in Running them is adjudicating just how much they do so. As such, they are much easier to deal with than Прорицаниеs, as they have less variety in the difficulties that arise. In all cases, a DC 25 (or lower) Проницательность check notices that someone is enchanted. (See page 188 of Навыки in Conflict for more information on using Проницательность to detect Очарование.)

Приворот (Гуманоид): The main thing to remember about Обольщение Магия is that it is not a Принуждение (that is a different subschool of Очарование), which means it doesn’t directly Сила someone to do something. Instead, the spell basically makes someone feel like the caster is a friend, and puts what the caster says in the best possible Свет. Just like in the Дипломатия section of Навыки in Conflict (see page 184), being someone’s friend doesn’t mean the caster gets to dictate everything they do, and even the opposed Charisma check the spell grants can only go so far; it doesn’t compel them to act exactly as the caster desires.

For instance, an Зло necromancer might be willing to allow her friend to sit as her new right hand, but she won’t quit her entire life’s goal just because a friend asked, even with an opposed Charisma check. This advice applies equally as well to other Обольщение spells (such as Приворот (Животное) and Приворот (Чудовище)).

Внушение: Внушение and its ilk, on the other hand, actually are mind-controlling spells. The key to Внушение is that it has to be presented in a reasonable fashion—and certain Внушениеs would simply never be reasonable for the target in question. The more creative the player, or the sharper his understanding of an NPC’s motivations, the more often he can Использование this spell to his advantage. Players should be rewarded for this type of ingenuity, especially at lower levels when Внушение is one of the most powerful spells available. In mid-level play (or for a resourceful low-level villain), adversaries might start to succeed at Проницательность checks to notice Внушение effects, potentially using Защита От Зла or similar spells to either protect against them or end ongoing Принуждениеs.

 

ИЛЛЮЗИЯS

Иллюзияs are a staple of fantasy, and there are two main things to consider when adjudicating them at all levels of play: first, the different subschools of Иллюзия, and second, disbelief and interaction. Once you are фамильяр with those, you воля be set for handling Иллюзияs at all levels of play.

Subschools: The three most easily замешательство subschools of Иллюзия are figment, glamer, and phantasm. Фикция spells, such as Немой Образ, create wholly new sensory effects anyone can sense, even a mindless creature. The similar Морок subschool includes spells that change the way creatures sense something that already exists, such as изменение облика and Тишина. Phantasms, in contrast to the first two, are all in a creature’s mind, and thus don’t work on mindless creatures.

There are other subschools of Иллюзия, such as patterns and shadow, but they tend to be easier to distinguish from each other, since patterns are typically Свет-based spells that impose conditions on enemies and Тень spells usually create shadows or quasi-real effects.

Disbelief and Interaction: All three of the subschools above tend to have saving throw lines that say “Воля disbelief,” but they differ in how those испытания apply. Phantasms directly assail a creature’s mind, so the creature automatically and immediately receives a saving throw to disbelieve a phantasm. Figments and glamers, however, have the more difficult-to-adjudicate rule that creatures receive a saving throw to disbelieve only if they “interact” with the Иллюзия.

But what does it mean to interact with an Иллюзия? It can’t just mean looking at the Иллюзия, as otherwise there would be no need to make the distinction, but drawing the Линия can be a bit tricky. Fortunately, the rules can help to deКрошечный that difference. A creature that spends a действие движения to carefully study an Иллюзия receives a Воля saving throw to disbelieve that Иллюзия, so that is a Добро benchmark from which to work.

Using that as a basis, interacting generally means spending a сопутствующее действие, основное действие, or greater on a character’s part. For example, if there were a Полноценный Образ of an ogre, a character who tried to attack the ogre would receive a saving throw to disbelieve, as would a character who spent 1 minute attempting a Дипломатия check on the ogre. A character who just traded witty banter with the ogre as a свободное действие would not, nor would a character who simply cast spells on herself or her allies and never directly confronted the illusory ogre. For a glamer, interacting generally works the same as for a figment, except that the interДействие must be limited to something the Морок affects. For instance, grabbing a creature’s ear would be an interДействие for a human using изменение облика to appear as an elf, but not for someone using a Морок to change his hВоздух color. Similarly, visually изучение someone would not grant a save against a Морок that purely changed her voice.

 

НЕКРОМАНТИЯ

There are a few Некромантия spells that are similar enough to Прорицаниеs that their information-gathering ability is worth considering.

Разговор С Мертвым: This spell—and other similar spells such as call spirit (Pathfinder RPG Оккультизм Adventures

160)—operate much like spells such as Разговор С Животными, allowing the caster to talk with a Свидетель who is otherwise inaccessible.

This might seem like a sureОгонь way to ruin any Убийство mystery, but there are mitigating factors that need to be taken into account. First, the corpse’s знание is limited to what the creature knew while it was alive. A murderer’s best recourse to avoiding this spell is using a маскировка or скрытность, so that the victim doesn’t learn the killer’s identity. Second, if the corpse is in no condition to speak, that stops Разговор С Мертвым (though there are spells that can repВоздух a corpse). Third, the spell allows a saving throw, and whether or not it succeeds, the spell fails for the next week, so a murderer can cast Разговор С Мертвым herself to forestall future castings. Such precautions on the part of the murderer, however, give the PCs more information about her, so it advances the plot and the investigation in an interesting way. Finally, the corpse’s answers are brief, cryptic, and repetitive; a corpse could provide an interesting clue that furthers the investigation, rather than allowing the PCs to abruptly solve the whole thing.

 

MID-LEVEL PLAY (7–12)

The spells that come into prominence around 7th level can greatly affect campaigns, making it more complicated to Бегун Таинства and interaction-heavy adventures. These spells are typically 4th level or higher.

ВОПЛОЩЕНИЕ

Телепортацияation effects have a big impact on your game because they can foil situations such as being tracked or followed, and can bypass Защитаs, such as locks and walls. These kinds of effects often only enter the game during mid-level play.

Дверь В Пространстве: Дверь В Пространстве works by specifying a дальнобойное within long range, and then the character and any passengers suddenly appear at that spot. This is useful for bypassing obstacles, which means that any vault-maker who plans to keep out characters with access to Телепортацияation Магия needs to consider this and plan accordingly. Зывапоет is an excellent Эффект for hedging out Телепортацияation effects such as Дверь В Пространстве, and tying a Посвящение Добру or Посвящение Злу to Пространственный Якорь also works well for this. Remember that the caster of the spell can take no further actions after arriving at their destination unless she has the Dimensional Ловкость черта (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Combat 95).

Телепортация: Телепортация is like Дверь В Пространстве, but adds considerably to the range and versatility. However, it is important to note that Телепортация has several special limitations built into the spell. For one thing, the caster needs to know both the layout of the destination as well as where it is physically located. If the caster has managed to Использование Прорицаниеs to see the layout of a secret hideout, it still won’t do any Добро unless she knows where it is. Second, areas of strong physical and magical energy may make Телепортацияation more hazardous or even impossible. Many GMs forget this important component, which actually gives the villain a Добро in-game reason to establish a secret volcano lВоздух or build her fortress on a ley line. This advice applies equally well to greater Телепортация, although the results of a failed Телепортацияation are less dire.

 

ПРОРИЦАНИЕS

A lot of the game-changing Прорицаниеs become available in the mid-level range, particularly Тайновидение.

Мистический Глаз: Although similar to clairaudience/ clairvoyance, Мистический Глаз is better in most ways and only 1 круг заклинания higher. With it, the caster can Использование enhanced Видение, and move the sensor around to Шпион throughout an area, potentially revealing much of a dungeon’s layout. It still has a long caЖало time, and it requires concentration to move it around and receive sensory information. Keep the eye’s movement быстрое in mind; if the caster wants to actually look around and see the walls and ceilings, it can only move 10 feet per round, so it could potentially take quite a while to Сфера Путешествий very far. Remember that it can only squeeze through holes 1 inch in diameter or Крупныйr, so most doors воля likely block it. Enemies can still notice the sensor with a successful DC 24 Внимание check, and while most foes can’t really Повреждение it (unless they have countermeasures such as Рассеивание Магии available), an enemy can prevent the eye from moving further by capturing it in a container, since it can’t pass through solid barriers.

Божественное Откровение: This is a critical spell to note, particularly because some improved фамильяры can Использование it earlier than normal and without spending the required gold. Normally, caЖало Божественное Откровение consumes 500 gp worth of special materials. Remember that Божественное Откровение talks to either a deity or Божественная agents; there is no guarantee that the spell воля contact a god. The spell text includes a reminder that powerful beings of the Outer Planes are not necessarily omniscient, so be sure to think about whether they would know the answer. As a rule of thumb, look at the deity’s portfolio and have the contacted agent be particularly знаниеable in that area. This can also lead the PCs to find a жрец of a more appropriate deity to cast the spell on their behalf. This could add an interesting narrative step and a potential for roleplaying the interaction. In any case, remember that Божественное Откровение calls out that the question has to be one that could be answered with a yes or no, though if the deity’s agent thinks a Обманкаing one-word answer would Повреждение their own interests, they might give up to f ive words to help clarify. Chances are, the PCs were already suspecting something before they cast the Божественное Откровение to begin with. For instance, if they already suspect that Lady Hidimbi is a rakshasa, they could ask if she is, and if it makes sense for the deity’s agent to know the answer, it might say “yes.” However, if they know there is a Наследие Ракшасов but not who it is, they couldn’t ask “Who is the rakshasa?” and receive the answer “Lady Hidimbi.”

Единение С Природой: Out of the three spells that return cryptic information from outside forces, Единение С Природой can potentially give the caster the most robust information, since it provides three full facts from a variety of topics. However, Единение С Природой provides limited types of information compared to other Прорицаниеs. First of all, it is most useful in Крупный outdoor areas, where it finds information across miles and miles (although that could lead to false positives, if the caster prefers a narrower area and doesn’t think to specify). It is still effective in unworked caves, since 900 or more feet is usually enough to cover an area that the PCs want to explore, but remember that it can’t see into settlements or even Конструкцийed dungeons at all. The awareness of Природа tends to return general information rather than specific. A друид trying to determine the identity of the most powerful unестественная броня creature in the area might get a sense that a malevolent, unестественная броня thing has been stalking the jungle, but she probably wouldn’t learn specifics about the creature. Природа can sense corruption in its midst, but doesn’t possess specific знание about types of нежить, for example.

Связь С Иным Планом: One of the easier Прорицаниеs to handle, this spell takes 10 minutes to cast, requires concentration, and has a non-negligible chance of rendering the caster useless for multiple weeks with no real way to remove the negative effect. Though the odds of getting a true answer aren’t terrible, the spell isn’t very trustworthy. All questions get a one-word answer, such as “yes” or “no,” without exception. Compare this to Божественное Откровение, where a helpful deity might rarely give a few more words for context. With all these mitigating factors, this spell isn’t especially dangerous to the integrity of a mystery.

Обнаружение Слежки: This spell lasts a long Время and automatically detects nearby Тайновидение sensors, potentially even revealing the scryer’s location and offering a glimpse of her. This spell doesn’t entirely counter the Тайновидение. The Тайновидение Эффект still happens, but now it gives information to the target. Paranoid PCs are likely to cast this spell in an intrigue campaign when they have access to it, so have paranoid NPCs do so as well, but only if it makes sense that they would have a 4th- level slot they are willing to use. If a character always has an active Обнаружение Слежки spell because it’s a reasonable resource Расходiture for that character, then the player and PCs воля buy into it as part of the way the world works (particularly if they are also caЖало Обнаружение Слежки each day). However, having the NPC conveniently Использование the spell off a scroll only when the PCs want to scry on her is sloppy—unless the PCs have given the NPC some strong reason to expect that they воля scry on her that day. All in all, when Тайновидение starts becoming available, Обнаружение Слежки is a great way to say “yes, but.”

Прорицание: Like Предвидение, Прорицание also costs 25 gp, but can see 1 week into the future, and returns a short phrase, cryptic rhyme, omen, or something similar if successful. As the GM, be creative and play to your strengths when giving responses. For instance, poetry is a great way to structure a response for this spell, but if you aren’t as Опытный at writing verse, but are great at making collages, do that. The result of this spell could be anything! It’s a great chance to give some interesting clues that the PCs might Использование to their advantage, or even figure out later in a moment of Откровения. Coming up with a satisfying result for this spell takes time, so try to work with your players and have them come up with Прорицание ideas outside of the session, if possible, letting them know that the result воля be more fun if you have some time. If there’s just no way to predict it until the game, however, there’s nothing wrong with Воззвание a quick time-out. Прорицание opens up tons of possibilities and puts all the power in your hands. The PC is spending 25 gp and a spell slot and truЖало you to make it awesome, so make sure the answer is neither worthless nor overly blatant. Getting the result just right is more of an Искуство than a science.

Поиск Пути: The major restrictions for this spell are that the caster can only specify a location (not an object or creature) and the location must be prominent (which typically means either important or famous). Though many of the locations that an adventurer may be trying to find are important, not all of them are famous—and if they’re Знаменитый enough, chances are that they aren’t hard to find. Where the two overlap, there is usually some sort of powerful magical Эффект protecting the area from Прорицаниеs. That’s a reasonable plot devЛьда to Использование if you must have such a location, and it makes sense from a narrative perspective. After all, if the place were famous, chances are someone before the PCs would have tried basic Прорицаниеs such as Поиск Пути already (and catalogued the results of their attempts), so it wouldn’t also be hard to find. If you do Использование this plot device, it is a Добро idea to introduce it early as the result of the PCs’ research. Finding old notes from a previous explorer who determined that a place must be protected against Прорицаниеs right at the outset helps cement the fact as a fundamental part of the initial Бросить Вызов, rather than Личины like a desperate cop-out added later as a counter to something unexpected the PCs did.

Знание Легенд: Знание Легенд costs 250 gp to cast, so the PCs probably won’t cast it frivolously. They are likely looking for some interesting information about a person, place, or thing (here, thing means an object that can be at hand, not a conceptual thing like Любовь or a specific mystery). Even if the target is at hand, caЖало the spell still takes up to 40 minutes. Without the subject, the spell takes a long Время to cast—up to 12 weeks if working from rumors. Remember that not everything is legendary. Recognize that 11th-level characters often Использование or deal with things that would usually count as legendary; mythic creatures likely count as well, even if they have a low CR.

Depending on the PCs’ previous access to the target, they might get vague results that lead them to somewhat better information about the target (if they know only rumors), incomplete and unspecific Знание (if they started with detailed information), or legends about the target (if they have the target at hand). The kinds of legends aren’t specified; they can come from all over. Legends are generally told словесныйly, so text is an easy format for conveying the results to your players. But legends can be anything, so unleash your creativity. Some legends might contradict one another, particularly if the PCs don’t have the target at hand, and legends are rarely conclusive. Particularly if the object is at hand, be sure to give some useful or at least interesting information that enhances the experience, rather than just a rambling story that reveals nothing. Since the spell might reveal legends that were never generally known, it is an excellent opportunity to provide PCs with cool or useful information that goes above and beyond what they might expect if you want to advance the narrative more quickly or give them some more clues. Everything in the spell works at your pace.

Поиск Существа: This spell has many of the same problems as Поиск Предмета, although Running Вода blocks it rather than lead (the spell still helps in Города with canals, though). For this spell, a kind of creature is distinct from a type of creature. For instance, an orc is a kind of creature, while a humanoid is a type of creature. Remember that the caster must have seen that kind of creature up close. A specific creature must be known to the caster; this terminology is less-defined compared to other locating spells. Consider it synonymous with the “with which you are фамильяр” claИспользование of the Послание spell. A creature is known to the caster only if the caster has met the creature in person and recognizes it on sight.

Глаза-Разведчики: This spell and its greater version work in much the same way—the only difference with the greater version is that the eyes can see extremely well with Истинное Зрение and a respectable Внимание total skill bonus. Focusing on the commonalities, this spell is useful in much different situations than Мистический Глаз, but situations that are more common in games using intrigue. The spell doesn’t work well in a dungeon, but with its 1-mile radius, hour-per-level duration, and numerous eyes, it can tell the caster basically everything that is going on in a Небольшой Сфера Товарищества—without the caster having to Концентрация. The main vulnerability of Глаза-Разведчики is that it produces sensors that are both semitangible and visible and have only a +16 total skill bonus on Скрытность checks. That means that opponents of a similar level to the caster are likely to see the eyes and could destroy them easily. Remember that an eye’s Уничтожение is interesting знание that a savvy PC can keep in mind. If that sweet and foppish nobleman somehow noticed the eye, chances are he is more than he seems, or at least that he has Телохранительs with острое Видение.

The spell says that an eye sent into the Тьма could hit an obstacle and be destroyed. This should only happen if the caster tells the eyes to act recklessly, such as if he Приказs them to Сфера Путешествий so far in so short a Время that they have to полет at full быстрое, rather than Замедлениеly traveling in the dark. As the spell mentions, when an eye is destroyed, the caster is aware of the Уничтожение, but can never be sure how it happened, which can lead to interesting speculation and more investigations. If the eyes are doing general scouting, be sure to think of some amusing anecdotes of things the eyes saw, potentially showing another side of an NPC by relaying information that isn’t crucial to the plot. This serves many purposes. First of all, it gives the caster a strong sense that the spell is effective, and it helps her feel like a powerful diviner whose spells provide lots of information. Second, it adds depth to the game world and helps change the mood a bit or relieve tension, particularly if it is humorous. Finally, and most importantly, it serves as a Дыма Завеса if you decide to put in extra clues that the caster wasn’t necessarily trying to find. For example, if you often have the eyes report interesting extra tidbits, you could slip in a Небольшой bit about a certain woman hiding her silverware, and at first it воля seem like just another peculiarity, perhaps to protect her valuables from thieves. If you never describe anything from the eyes except for plot-crucial information, the PCs are very likely to immediately Прыжок to investigating the woman (who you were hoping to Замедлениеly reveal had just been infected with lycanthropy).

Тайновидение: The most important thing to remember about Тайновидение is that it must scry a creature. It is not able to scry a location. Erroneously allowing the spell to scry a location is a common mistake. The caster needs to buy a reusable 1,000 gp mirror and then spend an hour to see and hear a Небольшой area around a creature (only 10 feet in all directions, but with magically enhanced senses for Видение). This lasts for 1 minute per level, and the sensor moves with the creature with a 150-foot быстрое. Creatures are able to notice Тайновидение ’s Эффект as they would with other Тайновидение sensors, requiring a successful DC 24 Внимание check. There’s Добро news for the target, however. First of all, those observed targets can automatically detect (and possibly uncover the source of) the spell via the 24-hour-duration Обнаружение Слежки spell (see page 158). Even without that spell at their disposal, the target receives a Воля saving throw and Устойчивость К Магии (if applicable) to avoid the attempt (and a failed attempt prevents another from that caster for 24 hours). Not only that, unless the target and caster have met before, chances are that the target also gains at least a +3 bonus on the saving throw (from secondhand знание and a picture, which is the best the PCs can usually hope to have). Тайновидение can be enormously useful for a spy, if the ситуативныйs all align well for the scryer, but it isn’t particularly useful on its own for a potential Телепортация. The 10-foot-radius visual requires the target to move in Орден to provide a clear idea of the layout of the destination, and the spell doesn’t directly indicate the location. The PCs must Использование contextual clues to figure this out, unless they already know where the target is.

Разговор С Камнями: This one is similar enough in Природа to Разговор С Животными and Разговор С Растениями that much of the same advice is applicable for you to apply. Play up the stones’s different way of thinking, including how they view the world and events on a much longer timescЭль than most living beings.

 

ОЧАРОВАНИЕS

In mid-level play, Очарованиеs become more versatile, affecting more creature types, and dominate spells also come into play.

Подчинение Гуманоида: Unlike Внушение, this spell gives the caster total control over another character, and the Требованиеs don’t need to be reasonable. The one saving Благодать in a game that employs intrigue is that the Проницательность DC to detect the Эффект is only 15, so someone is very likely to notice it. Still, the Эффект is quite powerful, and it can potentially ruin a player’s Время if her character becomes dominated, or it can ruin a plot if players dominate a vital NPC. The spell even allows a caster to Использование the dominated creature as a Шпион and see through its eyes, though again, the low DC of the Проницательность check means that there are usually better ways to do so. In addition to other means of protecting against Принуждениеs, Подчинение Гуманоида has two special Побег clauses.

First, the creature never takes obviously self-Разрушительный actions. The spell doesn’t mention whether this means only bodily Повреждение, but there are many sorts of Уничтожение beyond the physical. For instance, a Приказ to make a king announce something that воля obviously irreparably destroy his reputation and tear his kingdom apart likely counts. Even if something isn’t obviously self-Разрушительный, each Время a Приказ forces the dominated person to take actions against his nature, he receives another saving throw with a +2 bonus. It’s up to you to determine how often to give these new испытания if orders result in many successive acts against a character’s nature, but be fВоздух in applying them at the same rate for both PCs and NPCs. Since being dominated can be highly frustrating for PCs, you can consider choosing a particularly fast rate in applying these new испытания in both cases, though be sure to let the PCs know about this if it looks like they can Использование a dominate Эффект before the NPCs do. The advice here also applies to Подчинение Чудовища.

 

HIGH-LEVEL PLAY (13+)

The most reliable spells for finding out information arrive at higher levels, and are 7th level or higher.

 

ПРЕГРАЖДЕНИЕ

At least one noteworthy Преграждение spell becomes available at 15th level, with far-reaching effects.

Сокрытие Разума: The 8th-level spell Сокрытие Разума is a powerful and versatile Защита spell that becomes ubiquitous at high levels. Spells such as Точный Адрес can make people easy to find in high-level play, so a credible villain whose identity the PCs know should have Сокрытие Разума cast on himself at all times. If the villain absolutely can’t employ a spellcaster with this spell, consider having him join forces with a hag Шабаш (which can offer unlimited castings of Сокрытие Разума spells each day) or equipping him with a headband of sealed thoughts (Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 152).

The PCs are likely starting to cast Сокрытие Разума as much as possible at this level as well, so the villains should put in at least as much effort. Obviously, the villain won’t be able to keep all his allies and staff under Сокрытие Разума, which provides plenty of opportunities for clever PCs to exploit. For instance, though Тайновидение on a nearby ally of the villain still doesn’t reveal the villain protected by Сокрытие Разума, PCs might be able to notice a one-sided conversation that indicates that someone with Сокрытие Разума is present.

It all comes down to the villain mustering a Оборона that is reasonable given his resources, and allowing the PCs to find a clever way to circumvent those defenses. No Оборона in the world is perfect. For instance, even if a villain somehow convinced a Шабаш of hags to act as a source of Сокрытие Разума for his entire network of allies, the hags become a new vulnerability. The PCs can capture one of the villain’s agents, discover information about the hags, and then eliminate the hags or Разведчик out their coven’s Домен in an attempt to ambush the villain on his way to reestablishing his Сокрытие Разума.

 

ПРОРИЦАНИЕS

Прорицаниеs in high-level play tend to be incredibly powerful, with only Сокрытие Разума offering Защита.

Точный Адрес: This spell lacks the mitigations common to lower-level locating spells. Unless you have a deity willing to cooperate, the only Защита from Точный Адрес is Сокрытие Разума. Because not everyone can be under Сокрытие Разума all the time, Точный Адрес is incredibly useful, allowing the PCs to get Тычковое to a target protected by Сокрытие Разума as long as he has allies or interacts with other people—almost a certainty in an intrigue-focused game. The spell becomes well known by most NPCs, and even threatening to Использование Точный Адрес can be a powerful tactic.

Greater Тайновидение: This is mostly the same as its lesser version, but the timing is vastly different. It takes only a single основное действие to cast, and can last the better part of a day. The long duration gives the caster a much greater chance of following the target to a place about which the caster knows the exact layout and precise location. On the other hand, by this level, Обнаружение Слежки becomes easier to cast, many creatures can see невидимость spies, and Сокрытие Разума may Щит targets.

Видение: Compared to Знание Легенд, Видение takes much less Время to cast, causes fatigue, and requires a caster level check to succeed. Stylistically, the big difference is that the caster sees a single Видение rather than hearing information from numerous legends. The character also gets to ask a particular question to narrow the scope of the spell, so that one Видение is likely to be related to a topic about which the character really wants to know. For a Видение spell, put some Добро Размышления into exactly what the PC sees, and try to describe it as vividly as possible with plenty of visual details. You can tailor the Видение to show the most-interesting visual snippet related to the question the PC asked. By describing what the PC sees as if she were there, you make the spell an experience rather than a simple information dump. The PC must still interpret what she saw. You may even Желание to take the spellcaster’s player to another room and describe the Видение, then let her return to describe and interpret what her spell revealed to the rest of the party. Sometimes the caster воля focus on one of the visual details when another was an even greater clue, which she only discovers later on in an exciting moment of Откровения.

 

EXAMPLE

The following detailed example puts some of the above advice into practice, using two of the most difficult spells to adjudicate, Прорицание and Видение. The GM in this example provides different sets of clues to her players with each spell that help point them toward the mystery’s solution only when examined together.

 

THE STORY

Long ago, a powerful hag led a wicked Шабаш that sought to destroy the kingdom of Gaheris. Ищущее to turn enemies into allies, the king of Gaheris convinced the two weaker sisters to Сломать their Шабаш and betra