The Academy of Thought

The Academicians of Thought have their greatest school at the Bronze Collegium in the great city of Xilong in the Dulimbai Regency, where they study their arts alongside the chroniclers of dead realms and the reckless investigators of god-husks and lost artifices. They proudly claim to be heritors of the philosophers of selfhood that aided in the selection and priming of individuals for their eventual transforma- tion into the Made Gods. As such, they are a notoriously atheistic tradition, ever prying into unseemly matters and profane secrets, and the ancestor-cultists of Dulimbai regard them with distinct mistrust. Academicians pride themselves on the sublimity of their tradition. Its powers may be invoked spontaneously, and are so subtle that only another Academician can tell when a spell is being cast. This elegance comes at a price, however, as such quick castings force an excessive surge of magical energy through the sorcerer’s brain tissues and leave them faintly debilitated for a time thereafter. Each spell cast spon- taneously applies a cumulative -1 penalty to all hit rolls, attribute checks and saving throws until the caster can rest for half an hour. A caster can avoid incrementing this increasing penalty by routing the power through softer tissues and accepting a 1d6 damage die of injury. Aside from this complication, the arts of the Academician are ex- tremely cerebral in nature. None of its spells can affect the physical world in any way; they function only on the brains of living creatures, intelligent or otherwise. Lesser foes get no saving throw against their spells, but worthy enemies may make a Spirit save to resist them.

Structure

Apprentice Sense surface emotions in a subject, understand the speaker of a foreign language, reroll a saving throw against a mental effect as an Instant spell, or have a brief mental conversation with a willing target in sight. Adept Project emotions to a subject, create a mental link of communication with a willing target that extends out to a mile, read surface thoughts and strong images in a target, or trick a target into seeing or hearing something illusory. Master Control a target’s emotions fully within their usual range of passions, compel a target to obey for a scene in any non-harmful way, implant a subconscious suggestion they will carry out later that day if it is not against their nature, or read well-remembered memories on a specific topic from a target Archmage Inflict 2d6 psychic damage dice on a target, compel a target to obey for a scene in any non-suicidal way, or for a day in any not-especial- ly-objectionable way, or deeply probe into even forgotten memories on a particular topic.

Type

Educational, School/Academy