Shar Dan Orders and Paths
The Shar Dankra are the most accomplished users of psychic powers on Camory. Most if not all are descended from the Illan Dynasty.
Dar Lankra is considered the founder of the Shar Dankra.
They are different from the occult users found within Pathfinder, as those are merely another form of spellcaster. Their powers more align with what is found in AD&D 2nd Edition and Dreamscarred Press's Ultimate Psionics.
The Shar Dankra Samurai (consisting of the Sharlashtri and Shurandai orders) are in many ways considerably more powerful than a spell caster as their's is the power to manipulate reality itself. A common comparison is if spellcasters were poets and authors, using words to create their reality, the Shar Dankra are creating and modifying the language itself, changing word meanings at a whim.
Their studies are divided into nine paths.
Clairsentience or Chintae Melas. It is a combination of understanding thought (awareness) and understanding of space.
Teleportation or Melas Jiro. It is a combination of understanding space and manipulating energies.
Psychodynamics or Jiro Yogin. It is a combination of manipulating energies and creating power.
Psychokinesis or Yogin Thuri. It is the combination of creating power and manipulating matter.
Biokinesis or Thuri Kannon. It is the combination of manipulating matter and control of the body.
Empathy or Kannon Litro. It is the combination of control of the body and manipulating the aura of emotions.
Somniokinesis. or Litro Kora. It is the combination of manipulating the aura of emotions and understanding the self.
Telepathy or Kora Chintae. It is the combination of understanding the self and understanding thought (awareness).
Each of the eight powers forms a circle. When learning various disciplines, a student usually has a strong affinity for a single discipline. This, in turn, makes learning the neighboring disciplines easier to learn. Learning the opposite discipline is generally difficult for all but the best students as the methods used tend to run opposite of each other, like learning to whisper and scream at the same time. The ninth path touches all other paths and is usually represented at the center of all disciplines. Very few study it directly due to its difficulty. It is the path of Time or Jobana.
Most students of both orders are able to become proficient in one path and achieve a degree of mastery of the neighboring path on either side. The best can master a few paths and have some skill in all 8 paths. The 9th path is reserved only for the best.
The power of Shar Dan differs from spellcasting in that it allows considerable control in the immediate vicinity of the user while spellcaster often has a much greater range of influence.
Training for both orders follows several basics. Their rigid physical training comes from an ancient martial art style known as Sherok o Tor. During their early years, they will pick and choose a weapon to master. Many will learn how to use their powers to manifest their weapon from thin air. Their training with regards to game mechanics is a cross between a Psion, Psychic Warrior, and Monk. For every Psion/Psychic Warrior level, they will alternate a monk level with the Ki powers being a manifestation of their Shar Dan power. At about 5th level a Shar Dan user generally has complete mastery of their body and are impervious to most personal types of magical attack like mind control, direct damage, and curses.
At about 10th level, a Shar Dan user has a range of influence about 5' out from their body. Within this range, all magic can be negated at will. This is either on or off. The range of their influence extends to about 30' for smaller effects.
At about 15th level, a Shar Dan user has a range of influence out to about 10' and has limited ability to determine what magics will and will not work in that area. Additionally, they can extend the range of their abilities out to about 100' for specific attacks.
Teleportation or Melas Jiro. It is a combination of understanding space and manipulating energies.
Psychodynamics or Jiro Yogin. It is a combination of manipulating energies and creating power.
Psychokinesis or Yogin Thuri. It is the combination of creating power and manipulating matter.
Biokinesis or Thuri Kannon. It is the combination of manipulating matter and control of the body.
Empathy or Kannon Litro. It is the combination of control of the body and manipulating the aura of emotions.
Somniokinesis. or Litro Kora. It is the combination of manipulating the aura of emotions and understanding the self.
Telepathy or Kora Chintae. It is the combination of understanding the self and understanding thought (awareness).
Each of the eight powers forms a circle. When learning various disciplines, a student usually has a strong affinity for a single discipline. This, in turn, makes learning the neighboring disciplines easier to learn. Learning the opposite discipline is generally difficult for all but the best students as the methods used tend to run opposite of each other, like learning to whisper and scream at the same time. The ninth path touches all other paths and is usually represented at the center of all disciplines. Very few study it directly due to its difficulty. It is the path of Time or Jobana.
Training for both orders follows several basics. Their rigid physical training comes from an ancient martial art style known as Sherok o Tor. During their early years, they will pick and choose a weapon to master. Many will learn how to use their powers to manifest their weapon from thin air. Their training with regards to game mechanics is a cross between a Psion, Psychic Warrior, and Monk. For every Psion/Psychic Warrior level, they will alternate a monk level with the Ki powers being a manifestation of their Shar Dan power. At about 5th level a Shar Dan user generally has complete mastery of their body and are impervious to most personal types of magical attack like mind control, direct damage, and curses.
At about 10th level, a Shar Dan user has a range of influence about 5' out from their body. Within this range, all magic can be negated at will. This is either on or off. The range of their influence extends to about 30' for smaller effects.
At about 15th level, a Shar Dan user has a range of influence out to about 10' and has limited ability to determine what magics will and will not work in that area. Additionally, they can extend the range of their abilities out to about 100' for specific attacks.
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