Editing Age of Dragons: Scholar-Sage

[[Age Of Dragons: Main Page]] -> [[Age Of Dragons: Lifepaths]] -> [[Age of Dragons: Scholar-Sage|Scholar-Sage]]
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=Overview=
===An Academic Point===

''The Scholar-Sage '''Words-Remembered''' was fascinated by the insect that had alighted on the tip of his fore-talon, and as was his affectation, he began talking - almost to himself - about whatever piece of academia had fluttered into his mind just as the butterfly had fluttered onto his outstretched claw.

''"...it is a butterfly, of the order Lepidotera, though specifically it is Hesperia argentia, or silver moth, as we can see from the silvering on his pectinate antennae. It is easily mistaken for the grey iron moth, though we can see from its horn-shaped genitalia that it is indeed argentia and-"''

''The Scholar-Sage didn't get any further, as the Argent Warmaster stood in front of him impatiently interrupted him.''

''"Yes, yes, I'm sure the sexual organs of insects are most fascinating, but I believe I summoned you here about more pressing matters, vis a vis arcane solutions to our current situation..."''

''This situation, to which the warmaster was referring, was that a vast orcish army was marching into the Argent domains. '''Words-Remembered''' had been provided as an "incisive mind" and a "solver of problems", but the Argent was beginning to have his doubts.'' 

''An entire barony had crumbled under the surprise appearance of the orcish legion, that had seemingly managed to march across a vast expanse of Kalarni desert undetected, and was now pillaging the domain at the edge of the Arrantian City-States. The invasionary force formed a beach-head, and that beach-head could have a profound impact on the greater war.''

''"It is an academic point I admit," continued '''Words-Remembered''', "but an important one at that."''

''"I fail to see..." started the warmaster, but it was the scholars turn to interrupt.''

''"Indeed, you fail to see. Which is why you need my help. You imagine that I can summon some arcane force to decimate the enemy army... and indeed I could."''

''"Then do so."''

''"But what then would you do about the remaining nine-tenths of the invasionary force? No... I can help you far more with thought than with magic. Consider this... the silver moth is not usually found in this area. Its normal ecological pattern is to boom in population every three centuries or so some seventeen leagues north of here, then for populations to follow the tricentennial storm front as it sweeps along the edge of the Kestrel Hills. If they are here at this time, then the storm front has been changed, and I can only surmise that the weather has been magically manipulated somewhere in the region to the north here..."''

''The war-master was listening silently now, so the scholar continued.''

''"If we look at the map of this region, we can see that overt attempts to create rainclouds over the Kalarni desert to the north-east would have been noticed from a great distance, especially from the Citadel of the Mother's Sword. So we must presume that instead additional rain must have been created here, along the so-called 'scorpion path'. Water here would have eliminated the titular scorpions, who are of course not animals but guardian demons of an earlier age. Thus, a route not usually available..."''

''"..is where we will find the orcish supply line," finished the warmaster, smiling.''

'' '''Words-remembered''' smiled and nodded. Attention to detail, a little knowledge and observing a butterfly could change the course of a war. Sometimes, the academic point was the important one.''
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===The Scholar-Sage Lifepath===

Knowledge is power. In the case of draconic scholar-sages, this is often literally true as study leads to the mastery of powerful sorceries. It is unsurprising that many outside this Lifepath regard this as the Scholar-Sage's true calling: to master magic.

However, a true Scholar-Sage knows that the mastery of magics is a mere side effect of diverse learning and represents only a fraction of useful knowledge. A draconic mind is capable of incredible feats of applied thought, deep philosophy and academic mastery. While a mortal has only mere decades to study, the dragon has centuries, and is has the advantage of far greater intelligence as well.

To the Scholar-Sage, to waste this gift of superior sophia is an insult to to their own potential and a rude denial to the world of the gifts of thought that might be formed through a millennium of study.


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=Edges=
==Skills==

===Field of Expertise===

With age and experience, the Scholar-Sage gains an encyclopaedic knowledge of his chosen areas of expertise. This depth of knowledge will be far beyond what a mortal can ever achieve, and will likely rival even the sum knowledge of entire libraries and universities.

When this Skill is taken select a single field of knowledge that the skill represents. You can take this Edge more than once to reflect different fields of Knowledge, but each Edge represents that field only.

Note that what consists a field of knowledge is up for negotiation between GM and player, but it should generally be something that relates purely to known information rather than practical applications, and should be quite limited in scope. Suitable examples for a field of expertise might include the following: 

''Draconic History, Metallurgy, Elvish literature, Brewery, Insect Zoology, Forest Ecology, Alchemic Science, Herbalism, Political geography, Coastal Culture, Orc Culture, Pure mathematics, Statistics, Aerodynamics, Stone construction.'' 

Note that the field should never be an expertise in practical, artistic or non-mental activities (such as blacksmithy, crafting, surgery, martial arts or aerobatics) and should never involve the casting of magic or magical effects. Also, anachronistic fields (such as electronics, computers, etc.) are out of bounds.

The ''Lifepath Skill'' adds the Dragon's ''Arete'' in ''Scholar Sage'' when calculating ''Technique'' within that field of expertise, for example with regards to:
* Testing whether the dragon is aware of an obscure piece of knowledge within that field.
* Research within that field.
* Academic argument within the field.

===Logical Mind===

This ''Lifepath Skill'' adds the Dragon's ''Arete'' in ''Scholar Sage'' when calculating ''Technique'' for the following types of tasks:
* Application of logic to solve problems.
* Employing systematic approaches to investigations, research or deduction. 
* Handling and processing data in a logical way.
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==Powers==

===Mental Conditioning===

The scholarly and studious habits of a ''Scholar-Sage'' can result in mental transformation, honing and conditioning the mind over time.

* '''Arete 1+: Conditioned Mind'''
The Dragon permanently adds +5 to his ''Sophis'' sphere.

* '''Arete 21+: Inviolate Mind'''
The Dragon becomes permanently immune to magical mind-altering effects of any sort, including arcane emotional manipulation, magical control of perception, or magical control of thoughts.

* '''Arete 31+: Inner Library'''
The Dragon can now commit anything he reads to his "inner library" - a mental construct that he can visualise with a few minutes of meditation, and then reference as if it were a true physical library containing every book or piece fo writing he has ever read. While he might not have this knowledge to access instantly with his surface mind proper, he carries around within himself a mass of wisdom. with a few more minutes of concentration the dragon can even pull back past experiences of other sorts, dredging up perfect recollections of any sensations he has had, be it sights, smells or sounds.

* '''Arete 41+: Enlightenment of the Erudite'''
The Dragon permanently adds a further +5 to his ''Sophis'' sphere.<br><br>
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==Suspires==

The ''Scholar-Sage'' studies magic in all its forms. A Dragon who selects a Suspire as a Scholar-Sage Lifepath Edge may, if he chooses, instead choose a Suspire from another Lifepath he is already following. For example, a Scholar-Sage who is already on the Ambassador-Courtier Lifepath could choose the Lore of Words as one of his Scholar-Sage suspires.
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===The Lore of Alchemy===

The Lore of Alchemy sees that Pneuma is the building block of reality, and that through the shaping lense of visualisation and the direction of will, anything can be created from the raw stuff of magic itself. With the lesser Lores it is possible to create only the simplest of constructions, however. With increasing mastery the creation process is taken to the next level, breaking the limitations of what lesser magicians consider possible. Anything can be formed from pneuma, and anything is possible.

* '''Arete 1+: Perception and Protection'''
The dragon can now use his suspires to sense objects which have been alchemically shaped or created, and can also recognise the "maker's signature" on items. The dragon can also exhale an alchemical aegis that shields items against the alchemy of others.

* '''Arete 11+: Conjuration'''
The dragon can exhale glowing mist, which then coalesces into solid material. This material can be almost any simple homogenous material that the dragon has previously encountered and studied. Each casting will create about ten kilos of stuff, be it gold, mud, water or whatever else. With conjured materials, stability depends on the law of sympathy - if there is a lot of the same material in the vicinity of the new material, then it will tend to manifest permanently, whereas if the creation is unique to its environment (for example creating diamonds in the middle of mud) then it will last less time, perhaps a minute or two, or even just seconds. 

* '''Arete 21+: Transmutation'''
The dragon can transmute raw materials within sight, with each casting changing around ten kilos of stuff. This material can be almost any simple homogenous material that the dragon has previously encountered and studied. As with conjuration, the stability of the transmutation depends on the law of sympathy. Also, no material that has pneuma or sophis can be transmuted, so sentient creatures and the like cannot easily be harmed through this spell. The dragon can also shape raw materials into different shapes and forms, though nothing can be crafted that the dragon would not normally be able to craft with just his claws, or which he would not normally have ths skill to craft. Regardless, a mage can get quite creative with this, using the magic to save time on arduous tasks. For example, he might craft a block on ink into a mass of text, or instantly turn a lump of rock into a makeshift weapon-spike. 

* '''Arete 31+: Craft and Complexity'''
The dragon breathes into something he has created, imbuing it with movement or complex function. His transmutations grow more complex too, so he can now deal not only with base materials but can also create flesh and bone, etc. For example, he could turn a stone sculpture of a clock into a working machine, or a paper bird into one that flutters and flies. He can even give these automata orders to carry out simple repetitive tasks. However, he cannot imbue mind into his creations. The law of sympathy applies in that if form is ill suited to function, the magic will soon end.

* '''Arete 51+: Breath of Divinity'''
The dragon can bring his creations to life, though usually with no more intelligence than that of a small animal. The law of sympathy applies in that if the creation is not in the appearance of a sentient creature, the created life will soon fade. In contrast though, if the dragon emulates higher forms of life in form (for example crafting something that looks like a man or a dragon) he can  achieve higher levels of intelligence and independence than he might otherwise.
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===The Lore of Binding===

The Lore of Binding is the sorcery of social contracts and traditions. This Lore is considered weak by some sorcerers, as so much of it depends on the agreement and consent of all effected by it spells. Ambassador-Courtiers know better: agreement and consent are nebulous things, easily manipulated by a wily courtier, and the spells themselves enforce civilised behaviour with arcane power. With increasing mastery, a Binder can manipulate the celestial laws, working on agreements made by the gods and primordial forces.

* '''Arete 1+: Perception and Protection'''
The Dragon can now perceive Contract Marks wherever they may be, and can interpret them to reveal exactly what bindings are in place. The Dragon can also shield himself and allies to ensure that they are protected from being marked against their will, and can never be affected by Binding magics unless he agrees. 

* '''Arete 11+: Consensual Bindings / Minor Punishments'''
The Dragon can now work with consensual contracts of all sort - he can turn a spoken word into an arcane oath, or a promise into a binding geas. Common effects include oaths of brotherhood, oaths of enmity and claims of hospitality. Those who transgress against such bindings are punished by the magics with minor effects - for example, visible and permanent brandings as an oathbreaker, being prevented from flying for a year or suffering moderate injuries. With magic of this level the parties must vocally agree to the conditions of the binding in the dragon's presence. Critically though, they need not be sincere in their agreement, or aware that magical enforcement is going to be placed. A would be poisoner who offers hospitality to his guests can be bound, even if he offered it with the plan to later break his word.

* '''Arete 21+: Negation and Modification'''
The Dragon can now undo or adjust pre-existing bindings, though this usually requires a contest of arcane strength against the magus who first placed them.

* '''Arete 31+: Forced Bindings  / Major Punishments'''
The dragon can now force bindings on a target, for example forbidding them to enter a certain area, forcing them to obey a geas given to them or demanding hospitality where none is offered. Such effects generally require a contest of arcane power, however.
The dragon can also append major punishments to any bindings he creates - for example, permanent blindness, severe injury, crippled flight or infertility. Needless to say, dragons do not force bindings on each other lightly... doing so is as harsh a crime as physical assault. 

* '''Arete 51+: Primordial Law  / Divine Punishments'''
The dragon can now make judgments against those who have sinned against primordial law, and can hand out powerful and severe punishments. Crimes in the eyes of primordial law include kinslaying, the murder of hatchlings and sexual intercourse outside of Breed, as well as "lesser" crimes such as betrayal of hospitality and breaking sworn oaths. It is up the GM to deem what can be deemed a crime against Primordial Law, but it should be noted that it is not affected by te subjetcive judgment or morality of either the mage or the perpetrator. Against the lawbreakers, the mage can now inflict terrible punishments, including curses that are handed down through the generations, condemnation of the soul to hell, or infliction of madness or crippling disability. 
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==Techniques==

This ''Lifepath'' does not have any special ''Techniques'' associated with it.
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=Lores of Magic=

As previously noted, Scholar-Sages are not limited to this list when spending Resource points, but can look freely across the Lores of Magic described on any Lifepath.

Also, as a special exception to the normal rules, a Scholar-Sage can spend the Resource points from character creation on spells which he does not yet know how to cast. This represents the Scholar Sage acquiring the written lore and information he will later need to learn the spell. Once he acquires the necessary lore to cast the spell, he can master it simply by studying the texts he has already acquired.






==The Lesser Lore of Elementalism==

''Elementalism is the study of the four classic elements - fire, water, air and earth. The Lesser Lore allows these elements to be manipulated and influenced in small measure. In addition to the four base elements, there are also spells relating to the different forms of these elements, such as ice, lightning, wind, etc.''

* '''Earth Analysis''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The dragon concentrates on the lines of pneuma running through a mass of earth, and is able to make a detailed analysis of it. For each dice expended he can gain a piece of information  that would normally be invisible to him or require complex instrumentation - for example he could detect whereabouts gold lies in the ground beneath his feet, or analyse the iron content of a rock, or assess the weight of a boulder to the nearest gram. Similar (but separate) spells exist for analysis of the other elements.

* '''Flame Friend''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The dragon whispers words of appeasement and persuasion to the fire, and the fire does as he commands. With each dice expended he can attain one minor effect, for example asking the fire not to burn one person, or asking it to move in a certain direction. The element cannot be asked to do anything it would not normally be able to. Similar (but) separate spells exist for the influence of other elements.

* '''Minor Water Conjuration''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The dragon exhales into the sky, and conjures a cloud of thin mist which quickly  turns into a raincloud, providing a light shower for those below. This spell conjures only a small amount of the desired element - enough for some practical purposes, but rarely enough to be able to cause harm or significant damage. Similar (but) separate spells exist for the influence of other elements.

* '''Enhance Wind''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The dragon grasps the air with his claws as he flies, and pulls the wind behind him, multiplying its strength. Each dice expended increases the intensity of the wind by about 10%. Similar (but) separate spells exist for enhancing the force of other elements in motion.

==The Greater Lore of Elementalism==

''The Greater Lore of Elementalism takes basic principles and multiples their power many times over. Draconic Elementalists of this power level are feared battle-magi, capable of wielding catastrophic elemental forces.''

* '''Tidal Awareness''' (3 point) ''(3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
This spell gives the dragon absolute awareness of the water around him to a one mile radius around him. He gains a mass of information, as if he had analysed every last drop of it, from the movement of each ripple, to the temperature of each drop, and the position of every creature and object within that space. Similar (but) separate spells exist for absolute awareness of other elements.

* '''Crown of Earth''' (3 point) ''(3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
With this suspire, the dragon gains dominion and mastery of the earth around him to a one mile radius, for as long as he maintains his concentration. He can cause the earth to shake and rock, and for earth spikes to sprout up as he wills. Given enough time and arcane energy he could pull a mountain out of the ground. The control is on a massive scale, and lacks the precision to target individuals, but is more than powerful enough to smash apart armies and cities. The easiest way to disrupt this spell is to disrupt the caster's concentration, for example by attacking him. Similar (but) separate spells exist for mass control of other elements.

* '''Conflagration''' (3 point) ''(3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The dragon exhales onto a flame, and it erupts in intensity, gaining many times the radius and heat in a single moment. Each three dice expended multiplies the force and power of the element by a factor of 500%. Similar (but) separate spells exist for enhancing the force and energy of other elements.


==The Lesser Lore of Sophiamancy==

''The Sophis is the divine mind-force that defines perception of reality, and divides sentient beings from mere matter. This Lesser Lore does not confer absolute understanding of Sophis, but instead focuses on Sophis-as-information. Sophiamancers are adept at spells which assist in the transfer and influence of information.''

* '''Unity of Spoken Thought''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the Dragon draws a circle on the ground and inscribes runes in the ''Ur-Draconic'' language within it. Anybody and everybody who stands in this circle can hear the spoken words of anyone else in the circle in their own native language, regardless of what language is being spoken. One dice must be expended for each ten metres radius of the circle, and the spell's effect lasts only one day at most.

* '''Breath of Shared Knowledge''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The Dragon exhales towards a target, who then willingly inhales that breath. Carried on that breath is knowledge and information from the caster's mind, which the recepient then copies into his mind. One hour's worth of spoken information per dice expended can be transmitted in the space of a single breath. This has use for fast communication, but is also useful to a scholar-sage who is trying to teach students rapidly - a spell that might normally take several days to teach could be transmitted in minutes, with enough pneuma.

* '''Set in Stone''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The Dragon exhales over a stone tablet or other blank writing surface to prepare it, and then speaks as he will. The spell transforms the spoken words into writing (which will be in the dragon's own handwriting, but etched, inked or otherwise manifested as appropriate). Each dice expended allows one breath's worth of written words, though it is worth noting that a dragon (especially a scholar) can easily quietly recite several pages worth of dense text in a single breath.

* '''Release the Arcane''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
The Dragon leans close to a written text that he cannot understand (perhaps ebcause it is in a foreign language, or it has been encrypted) and inhales. The spell allows him to "breathe in" the information, understanding whatever was written there as if it were plain and in his own language. The spell works through the sense of understood information that the writer himself had when he set down the text - it can only fail if the writer himself had no understanding of what he was writing.

==The Greater Lore of Sophiamancy==

''The magic of information would seem to be a subtle one, not worth studying to the level of greater lore, but scholar-sages have always been obsessed with knowledge, and keen to discover what the greater magics of this art were. Those who have studied to this level truly realise that knowledge is indeed power.''

* '''Plague of Information''' (3 point) ''(3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
In later ages, an infectious piece of information will be known as a sticky meme, but in the Age of Dragons the Scholar-Sages who recognise the concept will call such an idea a "Thought Plague". Onyl the especially erudite and forward thinking have begun to consider what makes a simple idea a thought plague, but an easy shortcut is through this spell. This spell makes a simple idea laden with pneuma, and that pneuma makes it more prone to flow from mind to mind. This flowing of information happens through mundane means (spoken word, writing, etc.) but the idea itself will spread like a plague. This power, though subtle, has the potential to change societies... a truth that most Scholar Sages keep to themselves.

* '''Wall of Denial''' (3 point) ''(3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
This spell erects a wall of Sophis within the dragons mind, which will allow him to create an absolute and firmly held revulsion for a single idea. He can craft this to be anything he likes, and no force on heaven or earth will persuade him to accept that idea once the wall of denial is up. The spell cannot block emotions, but used imaginatively can proof a well prepared dragon against persuasion, and completely alter a dragon's core personality. 

* '''Vortex of Knowledge''' (3 point) ''(3 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When the dragon uses this suspire, he inhales sharply, and all data media of any sort within his immediate vicinity are drawn up into the air, as if by a passing cyclone. The information will literally be sucked off the media, and will visibly move into the dragon's mouth. Books will release their words and wall carvings will lift away. The data media will be left empty and without any information on it, and all the knowledge from them will be moved into the dragon. The dragon will be able to retain this information only for an hour or three, before it fades dream-like, but during that time he will have all the knowledge that he has absorbed.


==The Lesser Lore of Thaumaturgy==

''Thaumaturgy is the magic that deals with magic, examining the fundamental nature of arcane energy and pneuma. The Lesser Lore is concerned primarily with perception and self protection.''

* '''Visualise Magic''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the Dragon becomes aware of the flow and presence of arcane energy. He can immediately detect how much arcane energy everyone present has remaining, can detect all magical effects int he area, and identify all magical items, objects and creatures. He can even identify the lore of magic responsible for a given magical effect.

* '''Arcane Aegis''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the Dragon gains +1 Arcane Defence for each dice expended. This lasts until the end of the current scene, or for a few minutes, and is cumulative with each casting. 

* '''Arcane Gladius''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the Dragon reduces a target's Arcane Defence by 1 for each dice expended. This spell is unique in that automatically bypasses any arcane defence the target already has.

* '''Energy Surge''' (1 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend one 2+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the Dragon chooses any one target within line of sight. That target gains +1 Arcane Energy per dice expended, which cannot cause him to exceed his normal maximum.

==The Greater Lore of Thaumaturgy==

''With the Greater Lore, the thaumaturgist becomes the master of arcane duels, able to dictate the nature and activity of the field of magical battle.''

* '''Drain Magic''' (3 point) ''(0 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the Dragon reduces a target's Arcane Energy by 1 for each three dice expended, and gains that much Arcane Energy himself.

* '''Nullification Zone''' (3 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the Dragon selects one location in the conflict that is within medium range. That area becomes a Nullification Zone. No suspires or spells of any sort can be cast within that zone for the next hour. Ongoing spells and magical effects that enter the zone are not effected though.

* '''Disenchant''' (3 point) ''(1 Arcane Energy, Expend three 5+ Pneuma Dice)''
When this spell is cast, the dragon selects a magic item or ongoing spell within medium range. That spell or item has the arcane energy within it nullified permanently, ending any spell effect, any enchantment or any residual magic presence.

[[Category:Age_of_Dragons|Scholar]]