Entreatism: An Elucidation
Entreatism is a practice whereby wizards align themselves with powerful extraplanar entities, pooling their resources with such beings to further a mutually beneficial agenda. The entreatist generally brings their physical presence to the table, performing tasks their benefactor either can't or won't, while the extrinsic entities involved provide the muscle to make things happen.
While any thaumaturge may attempt entreaties to the various dimensionally distant beings, places, and things that share their might, the entreatist takes this process one step further. Upon forging a pact with a given source of energy, an entreatist may work with it to increase the amount of power they may draw from him, her, or it without irking their ire, particularly when actively supporting its plans.
At the same time, an entreatist is by no means bound to any given source of mystic energy. Should an entreatist come to loggerheads with any of the things fueling their magic, they can simply exit their current arrangement. This may diminish their power, but there's nothing stopping an entreatist from developing a new relationship with another source of energy, one more than ready to make a deal!
The Entreatist
Like most who wield magic, entreatists spend a considerable amount of their time conducting research. A small amount of this effort is to reveal the occasional spell, such as those which are intrinsic to their particular school of magic. However, most of an entreatist's time spent in study is utilized uncovering every possible bit of information available to them regarding what they entreat for might.
This investigative work sees an entreatist wandering far and wide, whether performing forensic groundwork in abandoned shrines, conversations with the followers of powerful deities, or even expeditions to exotic planes for firsthand examinations. Thus, despite the difference in subject matter, the questions facing an entreatist drag them away from their lives for long periods of time, as is the case with other mages.
Nonetheless, other wizards tend to disregard the craft entreatists put into their work, perceiving them as lazy, daft, or both for their extensive dependence on others' power. But then again, most sorcerers judge entreatists through the lens of their own entreaty usage, whether as distinct spells or boosts to other magic. The flaw in that perspective is how differently entreaties function for entreatists.
Sorcerous Concordat
Entreatists attempt entreaties to extrinsic people, places, or things of power as do any other wizards. They may safely bolster an extant spell with a mystical entreaty up to twice a day, or maybe seven times per week, without drawing the attention of their power source. However, this basic amount changes dramatically upon making an arrangement to work with a given entity in exchange for magic might.
The Sorcerous Concordat, a pact with a source of power to further its aims in the multiverse, increases the count of harmless entreaties with it by one. Each entreaty spell an entreatist studies/creates related to this sponsor adds one to this sum, as well. Entreatists with a history of furthering their patron's plans may add another safe entreaty, and those currently working to further their benefactor's interests may add two.
While a few extra +1 RS (or rarely, +2 RS) bonuses to spells here and there may not sound like a lot, the important thing to remember is that an entreatist is not restricted to entering a Sorcerous Concordat with only one entity of power. With enough patrons available to reliably draw upon, an entreatist can regularly punch far above their weight - particularly when repeatedly stacking entreaties!
Sponsor Schisms
One of the problems inherent to partnering with vastly intelligent alien powers is that some tend to forget that the whole idea behind the Sorcerous Concordat is one of mutual benefit. Luckily, this mystical partnership may be ended at any time, by either party, whenever one of the two sees fit, and for any reason either feels valid. This is particularly helpful when one begins to treat their partner like hired help.
Strictly speaking, there is no consequence to entreatists for severing ties with an alien being, or vice versa, aside from no longer being able to make additional entreaties to them without undue notice. But the reality of such a break isn't always so clean, and an extraplanar person, place, or thing may take considerable exception to a schism with an entreatist they've sponsored for some time.
While this is uncommon, a sudden end to a working relationship between an entreatist and an extraplanar power can make subsequent entreaties to them particularly harrowing. In fact, it may behoove an entreatist to retool any entreaty spells that draw energy from now-hostile entities to instead pull power from another, which may be accomplished as a spell stunt in the event of such a crisis.
Assuming they can't patch things up with their former sponsor, that is.
Diablo Ofical: A Sample Entreatist
Entreatists are often difficult to quantify. Most of their spells are variations on the standard, that draw the energy they require to function from various extraplanar sources of power - and this before asking for a pick-me-up here and there. Thus, it seemed prudent to provide an example of entreatist character generation, which I have opted to do using the systematic method this time around.
Let's see what we can do with fifty points, shall we?
Determining Diablo Ofical's Basic Traits
Hoping to save as many points as possible for spells, I shortchange this character's physical traits somewhat. Rank value 10 Melee and Coordination cost one point each, rank value 4 Brawn grants one point, rank value 20 Fortitude and Intellect cost two points each, rank value 40 Awareness costs four points, and rank value 30 Willpower costs three points. So far, that's twelve points down.
Filling in the rest of the character's vital blanks, we add up the rank values of their Melee, Coordination, Brawn, and Fortitude to come up with 44 Health, and then do the same for Intellect, Awareness, and Willpower to arrive at a Fortune sum of 90. I leave the character's Lifestyle at rank value 6, as I have something in mind there with their skills, and also retain a Repute value of zero (0).
Determining Diablo Ofical's Background Information
To give this character the wiggle room necessary to advance without undue hassle, I choose the Heir to Fortune and Student skills, which removes the ability to start with any useful talents, but keeps them from having to flip burgers while they aren't adventuring and/or developing their trade. That's eight more points, raising their Lifestyle by +2 RS (base +1 RS bonus plus a roll of 41 on the 'easy' gambling table).
For contacts, I stick with this new entreatist's level two mystic mentor, and pick up two more floating contacts, for four more points. The latter two can be whoever, of course, but the former I decide will be an older woman who, though the world merely considers her an expert on Mesopotamian antiquities, is in fact a retired crime-fighting entreatist who has taken our character under her wing.
Quirks are always nice for making new characters more unique - without resorting to limitations or enhancements. Hardiness adds twenty percent more Health to this entreatist, raising it to 52.8 (well, 52). It costs two points, though, so to at least even things out, I take Karmic Dearth, assuming the game they'll be played within allows for such. This balances the scales, and reduces the character's Fortune to 72.
Determining and Quantifying Diablo Ofical's Magical Abilities and Appliance
With twenty-six points remaining, our options are only limited by the Gamemaster's campaign power ceiling, and for our purposes today we will assume a generous rank value 100 cap. Going right for the big guns, I choose the school spell of Synchronicity, which this entreatist will wield at rank value 20. This costs ten points, but lends itself to any number of useful combat effects.
As that spell is somewhat variable in nature, I opt to choose much more specific entreaty spells with this character's remaining sixteen points. They include Mantle of Ninlil, a rank value 30 entreaty for Nature Control / Air (six points), Shamash's Sight, a rank value 10 entreaty for Telescopic Vision (four points), and Zaqar's Pathway, a rank value 20 entreaty for Dream Projection (five points).
That leaves one point for a magical item: Gishzida's Guards, bracers shaped like horned serpents. They provide 1 RS of deflection at all times to our entreatist, at a cost of three points (strong portable limitation). However, that leaves us two points in the hole, so I opt for two more deleterious quirks: Insomnia and Abnormal Appearance. The former causes the latter, making our entreatist look haunted most of the time.
Determining Diablo Ofical's Origin Story
Hugo Haberberger, best known to the world as the sorcerous vigilante Diablo Ofical, plies his mystical trade against the criminals of his home town. It is there that he began (and continues) his instruction in the arts arcane, and it's not like his tutor is going to let Hugo travel all that far in the middle of his wizardly training. She's got her antiquities business to occasionally manage, after all.
While an ethical dealer in such wares as far as most of the world is concerned, Hugo's entreatist trainer was herself an adventurer in her day, though she no longer feels strong enough to fight evil due to numerous health issues. Somewhat retired from both callings, Hugo's great grandmother is content to pass her skills along to another generation, even if the magic bug skipped two of them.
Being that he calls on various extraplanar entities to fight crime, whether with his direct entreaties or using his Synchronicity to merge with them somewhat, Hugo dresses as though he were some sort of infernal police officer. Of course, he ensures that his haunted looking, bloodshot eyes are visible no matter what his costume currently looks like - the better to terrify evildoers with!
Entreatism Spells
Though an entreatist can go through their entire mystic career without learning a single school spell, the tools provided them by this form of magic nonetheless offer them numerous advantages when dealing with powerful alien entities. Should one get careless with their entreaties, and a source of power take violent exception, the entreatism school's spells each provide an edge under such circumstances.
The thirteen known entreatism school spells include the following:
| A | D | F | G | S | T |
A
Anonymity
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank value
This spell offers exactly what is described on the tin, so to speak, for the enterprising entreatist. What anonymity does is generally 'mask' the caster's identity to make him or her appear to be no one special. By seeming nondescript, an entreatist can avoid being noticed by whatever entities they call on for power, which is a good thing when you have to lean on one source of power excessively.
When cast, anonymity will last for 1d10 turns by itself, though a mage may continue to keep this spell going after this time by actively maintaining it. Assuming a successful spell roll, nothing that readily identifies the caster will be 'given up' when entreating any particular entity or place of power, which does assist a caster in keeping themselves off the hook with said entities.
This can be done for proactive or reactive reasons. An entreatist may want to avoid generating notice in the first place, or alternately may have already gained such notice, and is trying to avoid building more notoriety with a given source of power. Either way, it works rather well as long as it is used intelligently; sometimes, even when this spell is in play, an entity may take notice of the person drawing power from it.
This is a situational problem more than anything else. For instance, an entreatist may try to draw power from an odd locale the entity has never heard of before, or perhaps he or she tries to do so from ground actively hostile to their source. When this occurs, that power source may also take notice of the anonymity spell, which can cause further complications for the caster down the line.
In the end, it comes down on the entreatist to decide when the best time to be anonymous is, and when he or she should instead broadcast their identity for the whole multiverse to see.
Antideionic Attack
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank value
A singularly potent way to assault a deific being, this ability allows its possessor to draw forth a negatively charged bundle of the evolved life force which marks a deific being as such. This bundle takes the form of an energy attack, one which inflicts power rank value Deionic (De) damage with each devastating use, a type of assault that few individuals have the capability to withstand for long.
While few mortal defenses are proof against an antideionic attack, this power is also quite effective against those that are deific in nature. When wielded against any protection that has its basis in deionic energies, like as an aura of such or perhaps a god-forged armor suit of some kind, an antideionic attack will take on an Armor Piercing component. Antideionic attacks function within Near distance of this power's possessor.
Direct exposure to antideionic energy prompts a Willpower ACTION roll against its power value, the failure of which will prevent the use of one's theonic powers for 1d10 turns. This represents the mutual annihilation caused by deionic / antideionic energy interaction, and the time required for one to replenish their supply of deific energy afterwards - along with a bit of radiation-induced fatigue.
D
Deific Impersonation
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank value
The process of deific impersonation is a technique through which a character may interpose themselves between a person, place, or thing of great power, and those which would entreat them for mystical assistance. This ability will reveal who is attempting to entreat the targeted source for power, the location from where they are doing so, and what they're specifically requesting (the anonymity ability aside).
Armed with this information, they can attempt a deific impersonation ACTION to hijack an entreaty, an ACTION rolled against an intensity equal to the boon a petitioner is requesting from this supposed higher power. If successful, the wielder of this ability may handle that purloined request as they see fit. This is all well and good, you say, but why would someone bother to do this, you wonder?
A character can use this technique to help out others if he or she wishes, fueling entreaty spells with their own power, helping them to avoid the dreaded 'attention' that entreaty overuse can cause. The deific impersonator can use any of their powers (aside from this one) to provide the requested result, with an upper limit of this power rank value. This can even offer the Row Shifts requested on some entreaties.
On the other hand, if he or she wishes to sabotage an entreater, the deific impersonator may perform a few nasty tricks. With control of the entreaty that was made, our deific impersonator may alter a requested positive Row Shift into a negative one, or even transform the requested effect into something else entirely; imagine making an entreaty to blast a foe, only to find yourself suddenly teleporting on top of them!
Or, of course, the deific impersonator could just do nothing, forcing the entreaty to fail outright.
This can be a handy boon for the deific impersonator's allies, not to mention a hobble for their enemies, but the use of this ability is fraught with peril. You see, if enough people start to have problems drawing magic from a particular person, place, or thing of great power, they'll simply stop trying. Some entities may be indifferent to this, but others are working very hard to increase their influence, and may retaliate.
Whenever a die roll to subvert another's entreaty fails, the Gamemaster should make a die roll of their own, using this power rank value. If he or she achieves a yellow result, the entity so impersonated will learn not only that he/she/it has been impersonated, but who has been doing so. And this is very bad news for the impostor, as the entity they've been targeting just might take them to task for their perfidy!
Deionic Attack
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank value
Wielding this potent attack capability, a deific being can summon forth a high intensity pulse of power, comprised of the evolved life force which marks him or her as such an entity. This pulse takes the form of an energy attack, one which inflicts power rank value Deionic damage with each deadly use, a type of assault that few individuals have the capability to resist in any manner.
A deionic attack functions anywhere within Near distance of its wielder, causing grievous damage to whatever it strikes - whether animate or otherwise. Furthermore, when wielded against any form of defense that is comprised of antideionic energies (a rarity, but still possible), a deionic attack will take on an Armor Piercing component, which further improves its effectiveness against the foes of a deific entity.
Deionic Control
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 2 points per rank value
Deionic control is the powerful ability to actively manipulate the form and function of divine powers. These can be the actual powers of gods or demigods, theonic powers wielded by psis, or even abilities granted by a deity to his or her followers, such as priestly spells or holy boons. Deionic control can only affect the deific powers of others - not those wielded by its possessor.
If someone with deific powers or the effects of such are present within Near range of the character with deionic control, he or she can attempt to seize control of them. If attempting to use this ability on a deific power effect free of its creator's body, this only requires an ACTION roll against its intensity. If the power is not in use or is otherwise internalized to its target, its possessor is also allowed a Willpower ACTION to resist.
Once the possessor of this ability has taken control of another person's deific power, he or she or she can do any number of things with it. However, deionic control actions require a second ACTION roll, based on how complicated its wielder's intentions are. Redirecting the target of a deific power (pointing an antideionic attack away from oneself, or 'borrowing' the fortuity of another) requires a red deionic control ACTION roll.
Activating or inactivating a functioning deific power requires a blue ACTION. This can range from being a nuisance to downright lethal, depending on how vital the power being tinkered with is to the survival of its possessor at the moment. Blue ACTIONs also allow one to change minor details of a power's nature somewhat (perhaps turning that antideionic attack into something the deionic controller is more resistant to, like apples).
A yellow power ACTION roll grants the deionic controller the ability to drastically alter the nature of a deific power, being able to turn it from any one divine ability into any other. This might transform a deionic attack into theonic amplification, or nature resistance into a theonic sense (possibly guaranteeing a spectacular demise for the target). Such applications are by far the most dangerous uses of deionic control - and the most lethal.
Luckily for the opponents of a deionic controller, the effects of this power are highly transient in nature. They only last as long as the deionic controller is actively concentrating upon his or her changes. Furthermore, each turn someone is subject to deionic control (perhaps the deionic controller is 'borrowing' their abilities for a while), they may attempt another ACTION roll to resist its use on their person.
F
Fortuity
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Most characters are bound by fate. What this means is that it is relatively easy to map their futures, either in the conventional sense or with specialized abilities that can peer through time. Fortuity, however, preserves a bit of random chance in the lives of its possessors - namely, by rendering them invisible, with power rank value ability, to skills that can predetermine what they will or will not do.
Characters with fortuity may attempt an ACTION roll against abilities that another is attempting to use, whether intentionally or incidentally, to read their future. When this ACTION succeeds, such readings will tell nothing of the character or their presence in the period so viewed, which may seriously skew a prognostication - or even the use of more immediate powers, such as a danger sense.
Curiously, fortuity also has a deleterious effect on the seeming omniscience that deific entities possess within their divine realms. Fortuity will act with like ability against such deionic beings, which may prove to be quite the surprise to them when its possessor shows up on their doorstep!
G
Guise
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank value
An entreatist casting guise may attempt to pose as another spellcaster for the purpose of attempting entreaty spells. To do so, the entreatist must first observe the sorcerer they are attempting to impersonate for at least one turn, as well as witness them making at least one entreaty. This need not be the entreaty the entreatist intends to utilize, so long as the target attempts to draw on something else for power.
This helps an entreatist to better duplicate numerous spellcasting 'tells' the impersonated wizard inadvertently utilizes, particularly when imploring entities of power for the energy to fuel and/or enhance their magics. Once the requisite observations have been made, an entreatist can pose as the thaumaturge they have spied upon while attempting entreaties all their own.
But why would one do this, you ask?
The entreatist in question may have utilized a power source excessively of late, and wishes to keep doing so without gaining notice from the source of such boons. Alternately, they might be trying to frame the mage they're posing as, hoping that when whatever provides the power they are asking for takes someone to task, it's the spellcaster the entreatist is posing as who suffers... and not themselves.
A guise typically works well for conventional entreaties, because most entities of power don't regularly scrutinize the sorcerers asking them for their might. Should something happen to encourage scrutiny, however, the entreatist's spell value is what these beings must defeat to determine the truth of things. And, not enjoying deception in these matters, the entreated may very well take exception to the use of guise!
S
Theonic Absorption
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 2 points per rank value
Theonic absorption is the ability to draw ambient deionic energies into oneself. When exposed to direct deific forces of some sort, or perhaps when targeted by a variety of clerical spells or abilities granted by divine investment, theonic absorption allows its possessor to appropriate the power involved. By soaking up godly energy, the absorber can prevent it from harming either themselves or others.
The thing to keep in mind is that theonic absorption only works on direct deific energy. One could absorb the energy of a priestly eldritch bolt of ice or an actual deionic attack, but not the force of an automobile hurled with a signature telekinesis power. A good rule of thumb is that if it doesn't intimately interact with its target, theonic absorption may not be used to absorb the power of a deific attack ability.
At one time, an absorber can internalize an amount of energy equal to this ability's rank value; superfluous amounts inflict damage normally. On the other hand, the character can store an amount of energy equal to their power rank value times five. If one attempts to absorb more energy than he or she can contain, this power functions normally, but any excess energies are lost.
Wielding this pool of power, a theonic absorber can produce a variety of useful effects whenever the need arises. They may use it to replenish lost Health, doing so on a point-per-point basis. In fact, if one's Health is at its normal maximum, a theonic absorber can 'pad' it with absorbed energy, doing so until their Health is at up to twice the sum of their Melee, Coordination, Brawn, and Fortitude traits.
One can also use absorbed power to bolster their physical traits, shunting purloined deific energies into their Melee, Coordination, Brawn, or Fortitude on a point-per-point basis, raising them either to this power rank value in effectiveness (if less than the theonic absorption rank value) or by +1 RS (if equal to or greater than the theonic absorption rank value). Such enhancements only last 1d10 turns.
Finally, absorbed deific energy can be directly released back into the environment - as a devastating attack! One can emit absorbed divine energy as 'generic' deionic attacks, doing so at an intensity equal to this ability's rank value, and consuming that much power with each use. This attack form manifests as a physical (and visible) burst of power, one which inflicts Deionic damage upon whoever it strikes.
Theonic Amplification
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank value
Theonic amplification allows its wielder to boost the effectiveness of another's deific abilities, whether inherent or granted, for a short period of time. When triggered, it will raise the effective rank value of any one deionic ability another person possesses, increasing it to either the theonic amplification rank value or the deific power's ordinary value +1 RS, whichever of the two happens to be higher at the time.
This power works within Very Near distance of its wielder, and it may only affect one power at a time. It lasts for 1d10 turns, unless the effect is specifically maintained longer.
Once it wears off, theonic amplification may not be used on the same target for one hour - without degrading its relative effectiveness, that is. For each additional use on a single target without a one hour 'cool down', theonic amplification loses -1 RS of its potency for them. This is enough to neutralize its use upon powers more potent than itself, while more gradually reducing its use in other instances.
Theonic Attenuation
Type: Entreatism Spelll
Duration: 1d10 turns + maintenance, if desired
Cost: 1 point per rank value
Theonic attenuation is the ability to stifle the operational value of one or more deific powers, inherent or granted, in one's vicinity. This power works on targets within Near range of its possessor, and the effects of the power last for only 1d10 turns, unless it is specifically maintained on a target for a longer period of time - which may be necessary to keep them from smiting a body for this transgression.
Theonic attenuation works simply by deciding which divine ability to dampen, and then applying this power. Targets of this ability may attempt an ACTION with the power to be attenuated; if they can match theonic attenuation's intensity, they successfully resist it. If victorious, the attenuator may apply one negative Row Shift to the targeted power for each rank value they have in this ability, negating it when reducing it to 0.
For example, let us consider a theonic attenuator who has this ability at rank value 100. She's fighting a divine opponent with an unpredictable habit of reconfiguring local causality with her rank value 75 faith power. When using theonic attenuation on this foe, our hero can completely negate her faith ability if the target cannot pass a yellow power ACTION against this superior assault on her godly might.
A versatile power, theonic attenuation can be wielded against multiple powers - whether they belong to one character or many. The trick, though, is that each doubling (always rounding up) of powers so dampened reduces the effective value of theonic attenuation by -1 RS - both for the purposes of overcoming the powers it is used against, and the maximum number of Row Shifts it can inflict upon them.
Returning to our example, say the foe of our theonic attenuator has seven powers - and will readily use the others on our hero once her faith falters. The theonic attenuator instead uses her ability against all of her foe's divine tricks, and (again assuming she fails to resist) will reduce all her powers by -7 RS in value. She can maybe use some powers, but those that fail to resist are now much less dangerous.
An attenuator can reduce this penalty somewhat by attempting to hamper less of a power's rank values than their maximum. For each -2 RS he or she chooses not to apply to powers they are attacking, an attenuator can prevent the operating value of this power from losing -1 RS of its overall effectiveness. This may not completely neutralize their foes, but allows an attenuator to 'even the playing field' considerably.
In time, the better half of a pantheon gangs up on our heroine, sick and tired of her incessant, heretical meddling. The theonic attenuator may dull one power on each of her thirteen foes, though this reduces her effectiveness by -4 RS, allowing her only -6 RS of attenuation. By reducing her overall attenuation effect to only -4 RS, our heroic attenuator can attempt this action with but a -3 RS penalty.
Splitting one's focus to attenuate multiple theonics in this fashion tends to make this ability fail more often than not, however, unless they have it at a particularly high rank value - which may just make it easier to go with some form of antideionic attack, instead. On the other hand, that option tends to make a body an even greater target of divine retribution than a mere theonic attenuator!
Theonic Invisibility
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank value
The power of theonic invisibility acts to mask its possessor from the ascendant sensory abilities possessed by deific beings. While such an entity could easily spot a theonically invisible individual with their own eyes, this power will effectively shield him or her from detection by any enhanced senses said entity might bring to bear - which is a great way to avoid their wrath, when you get down to it.
This invisibility extends to the faith-based powers any followers of deific beings may wield. These abilities include priestly spells such a worshiper may possess, special powers invested within the faithful (either temporarily or permanently), or even one-shot effects granted by deific boon. If a follower interacts with a theonically invisible person, a deific entity can sense such interaction, just not who it is with.
Unless, that is, they can pass an ACTION roll with whatever sensory ability they are using, opposed by theonic invisibility's power rank value.
Theonic Sense
Type: Entreatism Spell
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank value
This sensory ability allows its possessor an awareness of all deionic forces present within his or her immediate area, as defined by the Near range table. Such forces can come in the form of mortal characters wielding theonic energies (deionicists, clericists), artifacts forged by gods possibly long since lost to modern knowledge, or perhaps even honest to goodness immortal beings.
Generally, only a red power ACTION roll is required to sense deionic objects, energies, or entities in one's vicinity; they tend to stand out, after all. However, certain abilities act to mask a theonic presence, such as mortal guise. One must pass a power ACTION roll against the intensity of such deific abilities to detect that their wielder is present - at least, with this sensory power.