True Dweomers

Introduction

Llodwynn stood his ground, eyes closed, as the Stone Below sang to him. His tremorsense, more powerful than ever, showed him Tabriss kneeling humbly in her tent, dutiful to her Gods. Lars, sturdy and stubborn and so perfectly courageous, was watching the approach to their miserable cave, sparring verbally with the lounging Arnsibel, and losing, as always.

Lodwynn shut out his life-long companions, their bustle and calm and comfort, and meditated on his aura. In his mind's eye, his aura covered him like flowstone, endlessly complex, ever-so-slowly changing. Since he was born a Sorcerer, prominent in his imaginings were the potent knots of his innate spells, akin to complex geodes inset into that flowing stone aura.

This was nothing new, Llodwynn had felt those tiny nubbins of power in his aura since he first shed his rubble. Many years later, those knots of power were as familiar as ever, his birthright slowly welling up ever more and more power and complexity and strength.

Llodwynn ignored his spells, and looked deeper. Spells had been welling up out of his bloodline for his entire life, and he was pretty sure he could sense at least two or three new ones, slowly oozing their way to the surface. He ignored those nascent spells, they would be welcome and useful, but he was used to that.

After discounting his normal auric flows, the ebb and urge of his very lifeforce, and counting and setting aside all his vast array of spells...there was something else welling up in his aura.

This was new. It was not a spell, exactly, although it felt similar. It was fainter, but...much larger, and more complex, the 'geode' multilayered and full of depths. It was definitely part of his Bloodline, it was a potent magical ability, but it was...bigger than a spell. It was new, and fascinating, and Llodwynn, still as a stone, eyes closed and senses shuttered, smiled as he realized what this new thing must be.

True Dweomer.

What are True Dweomers

In Epic Path, there are many, many magical 'things'. One of the most prominent are Spells, which are a class feature available to eight classes in one form or another (extracts and poultices included), and available to anyone who wants to buy a Magical Rod or two.

So what are True Dweomers?

A True Dweomer, also known as a "Great Working", "Ur Spell", "Truemagic" or 'Vis Viva", among many other names, is a magical working that is similar to a spell, but...more. True Dweomers are bigger, heavier, and more complex than regular Spells. As a result, True Dweomers are more powerful than Spells, and indeed, GM's are encouraged to use 'Great Workings' to explain elements of their game world. Perhaps there's a gigantic wall, thousands of miles long and reaching into the clouds, that was made in ages past by a True Dweomer. Maybe there is a cyclopean vortex in the center of the ocean that was left by a Vis Viva, which is why nobody sails ships past the sight of land. There are many storytelling ways to use this.

But for purposes of PLAYERS, unless the GM gets into REALLY High Epic, Legendary and Mythic story-telling, True Dweomers are handled in the game rules as bigger and meaner spells. However, more than any other mechanic (except perhaps Potens Machanvar), the GM is encouraged to 'get nuts' with True Dweomers. Chew the scenery a little! Get your EPIC on! Have fun!

How True Dweomers Work

All spell casting classes that gain a Tenth level spell slot always receive one Level 10 True Dweomer 'for free' when they receive their first such tenth level slot. This usually occurs at 19th level or higher. The GM may choose which True Dweomer the character receives, or they may allow the player to choose.

A True Dweomer is memorized each day using the same rules as a Spell. True Dweomers have levels ranging from 10th level to 14th level, and they may be memorized in any spell slot of their own spell level or higher, just as a spell can be.

True Dweomers are never available for purchase as a scroll. The only time a True Dweomer is ever possible in scroll form is if a Player Character uses the Spell Research downtime rules to improve a True Dweomer. Such scrolls are so incredibly precious that they are never available for sale.

To obtain any new True Dweomer after the first 'free' one, each character must research, study, experiment, or receive inspiration on their own. This is embodied in the game rules by the various "Truemagic" Metamagic feats. If a player character wants more than the one True Dweomer that every caster gains natively, they must take one or more Truemagic feats to simulate the effort they expend to learn these incredibly potent magics.

True Dweomers are affected by metamagic feats exactly as spells are. A Perfected Hellball is a sight to behold...from a safe distance! Since True Dweomers are higher level than spells, it can be very difficult to apply the 'good' metamagics to a True Dweomer without the use of Spell Research or the purchase of magic items.

True Dweomers can only be partially mana burned. To raise the circle of a True Dweomer requires the burning of THREE normal spells to gain plus one circle. Partial burning has no effect, and any spells burned that do not reach the next threshold of three are lost with no effect. So try not to do that (but see casting True Dweomers, below). More importantly, a spell slot filled with a True Dweomer CANNOT be emptied to use as mana burning fuel. Any slot filled with a True Dweomer must be cast, or forgotten. Spell slots you fill with True Dweomers cannot be used for Manaburning fuel.

True Dweomers are very, very large and complex to cast. The normal casting time for ALL True Dweomers is as a magical Ritual. The time required is left to the GM, but it is usually at least a hour and may take a Day or more. Now, for your typical adventurer who wants to Blow Stuff Up, that is not much use. It is possible to Fast Cast all True Dweomers by making a Bailiwick Check against a sliding Difficulty Class scale. If you make a very good Skill roll, you can cast a True Dweomer as a Standard Action, just like most normal spells. If you are truly ambitious, it is possible to then apply a Quicken Spell or even a Multispell feat, and crack off two or three True Dweomers in a single round. If your skill roll is not so good, this can take a lot longer, and the Ur Spell doesn't work as well as it should. True Dweomers never backfire or harm the caster, as long as they put in the time and trouble (high enough level and Truemagic feats taken) to 'get good' with these mighty magics.

We have every intention of integrating these rules into Epic Path as the game matures, but it may be a while!

In the meantime, if you are an Epic caster we have LOTS of metamagic feats available that will allow you to use all those high-level spell slots. Few things are more fun than a Heightened, Perfected Wish. :)

Level 10 True Dweomer Spells

Name	School	Cast Time	Description
Hellball	Evocation	Std	Inflicts Stellar damage at Long range in a 55-foot cubic area (an 11x11x11 square area) with no save.