Unusual Magic

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Introduction

In the realm of Ilisara, magic can take on peculiar, enigmatic, or unorthodox forms that may not neatly fit into established rules or mechanics. As this game celebrates creativity and imagination, Storytellers might encounter challenges when balancing these unique abilities.

For smoother gameplay, consider these Unusual Magic rules as a reference to navigate such exceptional situations. However, it's perfectly acceptable for groups to tailor magic rules to their liking, embracing the diversity of magical possibilities within Ilisara.

Shapeshifting

Changing Your Own Shape

In Ilisara, anyone with some knowledge of magic can alter their own appearance either wholly or partially. Doing so is expressed by characters via the Minor Shapeshift Cantrip, a Background Passive that explicitly enables shapeshifting, or custom Tier Ability.

In Ilisara's lore, Shapeshifting magic is both rare and challenging to master. Characters typically have the ability to transform into one complex form, distinct from their natural selves. It's worth noting that minor, diminutive forms such as housecats, songbirds, or mice are not considered complex. Instead, complex forms encompass larger creatures like tigers, bears, wolves, or sharks. This chosen complex form represents a character's most comfortable alternate shape, making it highly effective for combat situations, while the smaller, minor forms are better suited for non-combat endeavors.

In summary, characters typically choose one form they regularly shapeshift into that is strong and robust, but can have many forms that are weak and utilitarian.

Basic Mechanics

Shapeshifting costs a Minor action inside or outside combat.
It does not change the hit point total, Defense, or any other combat stats of a character with the exception of Movement Speed.
Physical Attributes (Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina) change. Typically, Storytellers determine the new value of the physical Attributes by distributing up to 14 points between Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina based on what makes sense for the new shapeshift form.
Characters retain their mental Attribute scores (Knowledge, Arcana, Charisma).
Characters do not benefit from their trained Physical skills while shapeshifted.
The Storyteller might call for checks to use nontraditional Attributes; for example, a cat could utilize Dexterity checks instead of Strength checks to pounce, leap, and climb.
The Storyteller may choose to allow all checks rolled with a particular Attribute to be rolled with Advantage in order to cover the myriad actions that shapeshifted creatures may take. This balances the character's loss of their typical trained Physical skills.

Adding Extra Flavor to Roleplay

In Iliara, shapeshifting fully into another creature involves intrusive thoughts. For instance, creatures shapeshifted into prey animals will feel the compulsion to flee loud noises, while creatures shapeshifted into cats might chase after strings.

Sample Shapes

Feel free to rename these shapes to other animals as needed:

Bear: 8 Strength, 3 Dexterity, 3 Stamina. Slow Movement Speed.

Lynx: 4 Strength, 8 Dexterity, 2 Stamina. Fast Movement Speed.

Ox: 8 Strength, 2 Dexterity, 4 Stamina. Slow Movement Speed.

Armadillo: 4 Strength, 4 Dexterity, 6 Stamina. Slow Movement Speed.

Gazelle: 0 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 4 Stamina. Fast Movement Speed.

Changing Someone Else's Shape

Changing other people is called polymorphing or fleshshaping depending on the type of magic used, and it is a tricky endeavor. Creatures that are unwillingly subjugated to magic that re-arranges their mass are resistant to it by nature. Even willing creatures find it difficult to benefit from shapeshift spells cast by another. Thus, when characters use shapeshifting magic on another target, it follows the rules for a Major Status Condition; when applied by a Tier ability, these effects cannot last more than two turns. Storytellers may subvert this rule for narrative purposes.

Shapeshifting in Lore

Magic Type

Shapeshifting is treated as Transmutation magic because it involves augmenting bodily flesh and bone. Transmutation is a specialty of Blood Magic. (Read more about Magic Types here)

Rarity

Shapeshifting comes in many flavors; illegal, dangerous, and horrid fleshshaping lorewise works the same way as benign natural transformations by druids into animals. It is not commonplace, and should be treated as such in the game world. NPCs may react to shapeshifters with awe, concern, and even distrust depending on the context.

Absorption, Barrier, and Shield Spells

Mechanics

Some characters may be interested in creating magical shield spells that prevent damage. Shielding abilities act like an extra set of hit points. A character casts the ability, rolls to see how strong the shield is, and then must take the shield's total hit points' worth of damage before their own hit point value is affected. Shield "overkill" damage applies to the character; for instance, if a character shields themselves for 14 hit points and takes 22 damage, the first 14 damage will be absorbed by the shield. The remaining 8 damage is subtracted from their current hit point total.

Characters should use the damage/healing options presented in the Tier Ability build pages as a basis for the strength of a shield ability.

Empowering Shields

Magical shield spells benefit from the same bonuses applied to healing abilities as characters level up. Characters gain a +1 bonus to shield value at level 5, another +1 bonus at level 7, and another +1 bonus at level 10. Shields do not stack, meaning additional casts of a shield spell will replace any previous shield value where applicable.

Limitations

Damage taken by failed Stamina checks when a character is Dying cannot be mitigated by shields. Even if a Dying character is protected by a magical shield, they will lose hit points from failed Stamina checks as if the shield was not there. Shields cannot stave off death.

Invisibility

Mechanics

Invisibility is a Major Status Condition in Ilisara.

Invisible: Invisible targets are impossible to see. Attacks against them are made with disadvantage. Attacks by them are made with advantage. Invisible targets can be detected by any noise they make or tracks they leave.

Invisibility is powerful in Ilisara. The effect does not end when spells are cast, attacks are made, or any other action is taken. Once invisible, a creature stays invisible until it chooses otherwise, or something forces it not to be. A successful Dispel Magic check usually dispels invisibility.

Attacking Invisible Foes

State a general location (typically a 5' radius area around your character or a single point) and roll to attack with Disadvantage. If the Storyteller knows the invisible foe is there, you hit. If the foe is not there, you miss regardless of what you rolled.

Detecting Invisibility

Being certain of the location of an invisible creature is tricky. To learn the location of an invisible creature, a successful perception check must be made. The Storyteller chooses the DC, though 20 or 25 is recommended. If the invisible creature is being sneaky they can roll a Stealth check +10 if the outcome has a chance of being higher than the suggested DC. That Stealth check becomes the DC to determine their location. Once it moves, its location is no longer known.

Physical Interactions with Invisible Creatures

Any items that land on an invisible creature turn invisible (such as an arrow striking them, or flour thrown in the air in their vicinity), and any items worn or wielded by an invisible creature are invisible. They still leave tracks, such as muddy footprints. Their mass still exists and impacts the world, so actions like falling into water will make a noisy splash.

In the Lore

Almost no characters in Ilisara have mastered the slippery, tricky art of turning invisible. Certain creatures, like cambions and demons, can turn invisible at will due to their species' inherent ability to do so.

Summoning Spells

Overview

Summoning magic in Ilisara is a rare and difficult art due to its challenging nature. This magic can take many forms, such as:

Illusory Conjurations: Commonly achieved through arcane magic, this type of summoning creates illusions of objects, animals, or even people. These illusions are typically short-lived and can serve various purposes.
Physical Clones and Copies: Soul or Blood magic allows practitioners to summon copies or clones of themselves, but these duplicates only last for a brief time.
Summoning Entities: Elemental, nature, or other magic types can teleport creatures across long distances and bind them to the caster's will for a short time. Typically, magic of this kind requires a touch of arithmancy due to the complexity of long range teleportation.

The flavor, style, purpose, and capabilities of summoning magic can vary greatly.

Guidelines

For players daring enough to master this challenging magic, here are some basic guidelines for Storytellers to ensure summons are fun and do not outshine individual characters:

Summons can fall into two categories: easily destroyed but very powerful, or hard to destroy but relatively weak.
Easily destroyable summons have low hit points and last for just two combat rounds. They deal damage or healing that is identical to their summoner's capabilities.
Difficult to destroy summons have high hit points, may even be invulnerable, and persist for longer durations. They provide minor combat support that is akin to the secondary effects of a Tier Ability.
Summons that don't provide combat benefits are typically easy to conjure with a Cantrip, and serve primarily for roleplaying purposes.
For permanent summons, consider using the guidelines for Companions.

Sample Summoning Abilities

These are all of the different ways characters may acquire summons in Ilisara. Any of these functions may be reflavored with new flavor for roleplaying purposes. For example, the Animal Tamer passive can be repurposed by a fire mage who has several fire wisps that follow them around.

Tier 3 Abilities

Conjure a creature that deals the same damage or healing as your basic attack. It has 5 hit points, and disappears after two turns.

Tier 2 Abilities

Conjure a creature that deals the same damage or healing as your basic attack. It has 15 hit points, and disappears after two turns.

Cantrips

Phantom Self: You conjure a hazy, shimmering, incorporeal duplicate of yourself. The duplicate persists for a few minutes. It cannot attack, and only follows simple commands you will it to follow. It is capable of performing simple actions such as speaking, performing, or walking. The duplicate cannot touch or hold objects due to its ghostly nature. You do not share vision or senses with the duplicate, and it disappears if it takes damage.

Backgrounds

Animal Tamer Passive: You may have a number of animals equal to half your level tamed at a time. Tamed animals follow simple instructions from you, but can't be convinced to cause themselves harm and thus do not participate in combat.

Beastmaster Passive: You have a loyal beast companion of half your level. The companion takes its actions on your turn during combat. If your companion dies, you can spend a month training a new one.

Supplicant of the Dark Arts Passive: Someone supernatural is watching you, and you can commune with them from time to time. The Patron may grant you temporary boons at their discretion, or curses if they are displeased with you.