The Elicine Monks
The Black Monastery
On the north shore of Lake Diada in Freemarch, there is a walled Monastery. The villagers of Borralac pay it little notice, except to trade their grain for honey and bring their sick for treatment.
But to philosophers and sages, the Elicine Monks have been the subject of speculation and suspicion for centuries.
The Order of St Aelika the Exile is among the strangest and most obscure of the holy orders. The rumors are not without cause: the black robes and brown sashes of the monks have appeared too often around great men and women, before important battles and ascensions, for an order which is said to mandate a life of ascetic seclusion and quiet study. To observant (or paranoid) scholars, their appearance in so many footnotes is a pattern, a little piece of a grand conspiracy.
And there are the whispers of magic, powerful yet anonymous monastic wizards, working their spells towards some obscure end.
Setting aside all speculation and theory, the informed outsider can establish three facts with certainty:
- They are a holy order which accepts both men and women, officially established in 392 by order of the Emperor Orlam the Pious.
- They study the magical writings of Aelika and her disciples just as closely as their theological works; perhaps they make no distinction between the two.
- They guard their secrets well.
The Keepers of the Harmony
The organization of the monastery.
A history obscured.
The garden of the Black Lotus.
Game Rules
Restrictions:
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability.
You are bound by the three sacred vows of the Order: ???
Proficiencies:
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Lore, Search, Sense Motive, Profession, Spellcraft.
Background Skills: Choose any 2.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6+Int Modifier)*4
Skill Points at Later Levels: 6+Int modifier
Equipment: Elicine Monks are proficient with the club and the dagger. They are not proficient with any type of shield or with armor other than the leather coat.
Initiate Bonus: Elicine Chant
As a minor action, you can focus your mind on the sacred Song of St Aelika. You perceive the harmony of reality itself, and the song bolsters you. So long as you focus on the chant, you are highly resistant to mind-affecting magic and you gain a bonus on death saves. This save bonus is equal to the highest tier of spell you are able to learn.
As a major action, you can turn the chant outward, granting the mental resistance to all within 10 ft; those uninitiated in the mysteries of your order only gain half the bonus on saves, however. This is much more difficult than simply perceiving the chant for yourself. With the help of other monks, the outward-chant can be maintained for hours; alone, you can only keep the chant true for 1 minute/level, +1d6 rounds.
Once the flow of a chant is broken (by distraction or once you can no longer maintain it), you cannot chant again until you have taken a brief rest and steadied your mind.
Master Bonus: Reweaving
The Word of Reweaving is among the greatest secrets of the Elicines. It is a phrase of the high-speech, a fragment of a forgotten spell, a shift in the harmony of creation. The speaker literally turns back time, reversing everything but their own memory.
The word can be spoken as a major action, but only once in 24 hours, for this is the time it takes to fully integrate the changes brought on by the word. Fortunately, this work is far less taxing--the monk need only be conscious and able to focus to complete the change. If he is somehow unable to complete the reweaving, damage to the harmony is likely to result.
The Monks wield this greatest weapon only in defense of reality itself. The Word is limited in its power, but spoken recklessly it can cause immense damage to the harmony. It is generally considered safe to make a single reversion of a single moment—reverting only the last roll or action. It is far more risky to revert an entire round; a reversion of a minute or more is dangerous almost beyond comprehension.
Tradition Spells
The Monastery is a treasure-trove of ancient lore. Mendicants are expected to master a number of difficult spells and techniques before they are dispatched as Peregrines. The monks are experts in illusion and divination.
Uncommon spells which can deal with predicting the future can be added to this list.
Spells marked with an asterisk are secret spells, invented by the Elicines and known only to them.
Cantrips
Daze - Target loses next action.
Detect Magic - Touch an object or creature to detect magic on it.
Discern North - You know which way is north.
Ghost Sound - Create a phantom sound.
Know Time - You know the time until sunrise or sunset.
Light - Creates a lasting light.
Mage Hand - Weak telekinesis.
Mending - Makes minor repairs on an object.
Minor Illusion - Create very minor illusions.
Minor Ward - Ward an object against dirt and water.
Muffle - Targets are muffled to others, and all other sound is muffled to them.
Peaceful Sleep - Creature sleeps peacefully.
Sense Life - Know how close a creature is to death.
Vision - Willing target sees brief vision.
Tier 1
Alarm - Wards an area for 2 hours/level.
Burst of Sparks - 10 ft radius burst blinds for 1 round, disorients for 1 round/level.
Charm - One person treats you well.
Close Wounds - Roll a check to stop touched creature from bleeding out.
Create Image - Creates an illusory construct of your design.
Detect Secret Doors - Reveals hidden doors within 60 ft.
Detect Undead - Talisman detects undead.
Distract - Target is momentarily distracted.
Erase - Writing vanishes.
False Life - Target ignores wounded/bloodied penalties, does not feel its wounds.
Hold Portal - Holds door shut.
Magic Missile - Strikes unerringly for 1d4+1 damage.
Mask - You appear beautiful.
Obscuring Mist - Conjure 20 ft radius cloud of mist, smoke, or steam.
Reveal Poison - Causes poisons to emit stinking vapor.
Sign - You gain a bonus on your next initiative check.
Sleep - Creatures with up to 4d6 HP fall unconscious.
True Strike - Gain a +20 bonus on your next attack roll.
Veil of Shadows - Shadows conceal subjects.
Chord of Truth - [1 round charm followed by amnesia]
Tier 2
Alter Magic Aura - Conceals or changes an item’s magical aura.
Anticipate Attack -15 penalty.
Arcane Lock - Magically locks a portal or container.
Blast of Force - 1d6 force damage, and target is forced back.
Blur - You gain concealment.
Counterspell - Negates spells as they are cast.
Darkness - Lights with a large area are snuffed out or suppressed.
Enhance Ability - Subject receives a +4 enhancement bonus to one ability score.
Entice Gift - Subject gives you what it is holding.
Feather Fall - Reduce a speeding target’s momentum.
Figment - You cause a creature to see an illusion of your design.
Glamer - Changes an object’s appearance.
Heal - Heal a wound, at the risk of permanent scarring.
Invigorate - Target can immediately roll a recovery.
Locate Object - Senses direction to an object (specific or type).
Malevolent Miasma - 15 ft radius cloud deals 3d4 nonlethal damage, disorients victims.
Mark of Truth - Marked creature cannot lie.
Mirror Image - Illusory duplicates deceive attacks.
Nondetection - Protects a creature or object from divinations.
Rebuke - Subject is dazed and then shaken, and has trouble casting spells.
Stay the Hand - Causes an attacker to hesitate.
Tier 3
Arcane Sight - You see magical auras within 120 feet.
Clairvoyance - See or hear at a distance.
Detect Thoughts - Listen to surface thoughts.
Dismissal - Outsider is banished to its own dimension.
Dispel Magic - Negates ongoing magical effects and spells.
Displacement - Attacks miss subject 50%.
Greater Vision - Subject receives vision, regardless of distance.
Heroism - Subject gains +2 morale bonus on attacks, saves, and checks.
Hold Person - Humanoid is paralyzed for 1 round/level.
Magic Circle - Circle traps or wards off fey, outsiders, and undead.
Minor Creation - Create an object from nothing.
Sensory Deprivation - Subject’s senses fail for 1 round/level.
Silence - Subject cannot be heard for 1 minute/level.
Suggestion - Compels subject to follow stated course of action.
Theft - Small, nearby object is teleported into your hands.
Tier 4
Alter Memory
Invisibility
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