The Illusionary Path

Mythos and History

Driven by the desire to have their stories become more and more lifelike, a small group of storytellers started dabbling in magic to make these scenes come to life. These, in turn, became in high demand by bored nobles looking for new experiences without risk, and were willing to pay for them.

Nature

Students at the school of Illusion are often artists in other fields but look to become the perfect artists of reality, bringing their magical creations verisimilitude through inclusion of more and more spells combined with them.

Organization

The school of illusion is often found in guilds in larger cities, being able to find art loving patrons among the wealthy and take on young artists who have the skill to create in the most flexible medium - magic. As such, advancing in the guild often requires demonstration of artistic capabilities, and exhibitions fantastical and esoteric, impossible in other arts, illuminate the skill and creativity of the illusionist.

Membership

Standard

Young artists are often taken in and taught Phantasm early to assess their ability to create in intangible media.

Restrictions

The Shaping skill taught by this school is linked closely to Art (Illusion) - Shaping skill is limited by the lower of these two, making it a requirement for creating larger illusions that affect more people.

Skills

Art (Illusion), Deceit, Insight, Invocation (Illusion), Shaping, Willpower

Magic

Apprentices are taught the Folk Magic spells Glamour, Incognito, Mimic, Perfume, Phantasm, Repugnance, and Ventriloquism while learning the basics of Invocation (Illusion) and Shaping. Once they become skilled enough in Sorcery, they can become apprentices and are taught apprentice spells.

Illusionists are unique in that they only learn one sorcery spell - Phantom (Sense) - but learn to apply it to additional senses. Treat each sense as a new spell, with the standard cost of 5xp and a month of tutelage. The available senses are sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste, heat, pain, vibration, hunger/thirst, balance/proprioception, with additional senses being added as needed for the campaign.

The school teaches the basic five senses first as those are easily understood by most students. Apprentices learn Phantom (sight) and Phantom (hearing) and Adepts learn Phantom (Touch), Phantom (Taste), and Phantom (Smell). Mages and Archmagi are unrestricted from which ones they may learn from there, but Mages must know at least 3 non-traditional senses to be able to become an Archmagi.

Gifts

Adepts of this school gain access to the Focus alternative spell component when casting spells from this school, and it is most often used to counteract the steep penalties for casting complex multisensory illusions. Any Combine with other schools will not be allowed to use the Focus component

Mages can learn to Expand illusions to massive size, changing the illusion as follows

• Sight - 100m per intensity, any dimension
• Smell - 100m radius per intensity
• Sound – 3db (loudness doubled) per intensity
• Others - adjudicate as necessary, following these guidelines

Archmagi can create a Magnum Opus, making one illusion casting permanent, without affecting their maximum magic points or magic point regeneration.

Expand and Magnum Opus each cost 10xp to acquire. Each is only good for a single casting of illusion and cannot be combined. They can be purchased multiple times, however.