The Seer (SNS)

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﻿: Martia screamed inside her head as the vision of her father leapt out of the darkness and hovered above the table. She nearly bit through her lip to keep the cry from bursting out of her chest. The taste of blood on her tongue brought her back to the land of the living.
﻿: It was then that she realized she had closed her eyes. With an effort, she wrenched them open to stare at the apparition that now shared the room with her and Balmira, the elven seer conducting the seance. It truly was her long-dead grandfather or at least his spirit.
﻿: Martia swallowed down the lump rising in her throat and blinked back the tears that threatened to blind her. To see him again after so many years was truly a shock. She was loathe to disturb his rightfully deserved rest, but the situation was crucial.
﻿: After she had slapped Wilshire around a bit and sobered him up, he had been eager to please. The fat weasel had managed to clear his besotted head long enough to perform the task for which Martia needed him: he translated the document.
﻿: It had been an easy feat. Wilshire had recognized the document from years before when Cardax himself had shown it to him. The scroll contained the text of a prophecy made soon after Cardax's coup.
﻿: Even then the necromancer had been paranoid about the eventual end of his reign. Martia's grandfather had commissioned a seer to look into the future and prophesy the means by which Cardax's finish would finally come.
﻿: The prophet's message was twisted and full of riddles and unseen meanings, unfathomable to even himself. However, one truth had come through loud and clear: the necromancer's doom would be brought about by one of his own blood. This broad statement had caused fear and blatant paranoia to rule Cardax's court. He saw traitors everywhere and executed many innocents.
﻿: Now, sealed off in his castle and surrounded by the undead, Cardax felt that he was finally safe. There was no one that was "one of his own." Only the dead kept him company.
﻿: "Time is short," hissed Balmira. "The spirit will not stay with us for long. Ask your questions quickly and be done with it!"
﻿: The seer's harsh voice cut through Martia's fear, peeling it off of her like a skin she wasn't even aware she had. "G-grandsire," she stuttered and then trailed off.
﻿: The apparition smiled down at her seated form. "Yes, my favored one? It is so good to see you again." Then his serene face turned sour. "But if you saw fit to disturb my final rest, than times must be dark indeed. What do you need from me, granddaughter?"
﻿: Martia pushed her heart out of her throat and found her voice. "Grandsire, there is much turbulence in the land, but we have finally exorcised the demon that stole your throne."
﻿: With that, the ghostly image smiled broadly. "It was only a matter of time, dear one. If matters are so fine, what do you need of an old one like me?"
﻿: "Grandsire, the prophesy of Cardax's doom. Who is the one that can bring the necromancer down? Can you tell me?"
﻿: The apparition's grin grew wider until it seemed it would split his translucent head. "Ah, so you have not figured it out for yourself. When that prophecy was made, the seer was actually able to name a name, but for that person's safety, we decided to make the threat to Cardax's life a bit more... encompassing."
﻿: Martia felt her heartbeat quicken. "Who then, Grandsire? Who?"
﻿: The old man grimaced showing his years. "In a battle in my youth, dear one, I was made...unable to father a child."
﻿: Fear shoved a cold icicle deep into Martia's heart. "But then who sired my father?"
﻿: The apparition chuckled. "Why Cardax did, my dear one. You are his granddaughter!"
Few people in society are as feared, respected, and misunderstood as the seer. These enigmatic figures have the power to commune with the dead and talk with spirits about things long-thought buried. They can also peer into the future, parting the veil of time-if only for a little while. For these reasons, the services of a seer are in great demand and command a hefty price. Even if their "expertise" were not in such high demand, seers would still charge a great deal for their services, as working with mystical forces takes an incredible toll on the seer's body. Still, the useful information that they obtain makes up for their exorbitant prices.
Seers are often shunned by the more conservative portions of society. The fact that a talented seer could likely prophecy someone's last moments upon the earth tends to make people nervous.
﻿Still, many people eventually find that a seer is their last hope for finding out important information. Governments use them regularly to solve crimes and to predict the movements of their enemies. In addition, many an assassination has been prevented by the intervention of a seer who received a vision of the assassin's face.
However, those who seek out a seer rarely receive an easy answer to their questions. The misty veils of time are difficult to part, and even extremely gifted seers are confused by the complexity and constantly changing nature of their visions. A seer's answer, then, is often cryptic or seemingly nonsensical, and those who seek out these prophetic figures often experience disillusionment and frustration.
==Experience, THAC0, and Hit Dice==
Seers have their own level advancement as shown on Table 28: Seer Experience Levels. Seers are not much for violence, but they under- stand that a person must sometimes defend himself. In addition, seers are fairly active, spending much of their time outdoors. They wander around their homeland, trying to keep in touch with all that is going on around them.
For these reasons, seers use the rogue's THAC0 table and the wizard's saving throw table. In addition, seers receive one d6 as a hit die for each level up to the 7th. Seers gain +1 hit point per level after the 7th, but do not receive bonus hit points due to high Constitution scores.
 Table 28: Seer Experience Levels
Level	XPs 	Hit Dice (d6)
1 	0 	1
2 	2,500 	2
3 	5,000 	3
4 	10,000 	4
5 	20,000 	5
6 	40,000 	6
7 	60,000 	7
8 	80,000 	7+1
9 	125,000 	7+2
10 	200,000 	7+3
11 	350,000 	7+4
12 	650,000 	7+5
13 	950,000 	7+6
14 	1,250,000	7+7
15 	1,550,000	7+8
16 	1,850,000	7+9
17 	2,150,000	7+10
18 	2,450,000	7+11
19 	2,750,000	7+12
20 	3,050,000	7+13
==Ability Scores==
Seers are truly the jack-of-all-trades of the magical world. They must be smart and savvy, clever and pious, witty and full of wonder. Seers must also have an incredible imagination. It is this which allows them to deal with otherworldly powers and work wizardly magic.
In addition, seers must constantly deal with contradictions and paradoxes. To them, they are simply different paths which lead toward the exact same end.
Besides all this, seers must have a commanding presence. True, the vast majority of people may not wish to hear what a seer has to say, but they usually find the prophet difficult to ignore.
For these reasons, all scribes must possess a minimum Intelligence and Wisdom of 15, and a minimum Charisma of 13. The seer's prime requisites are Intelligence and Wisdom.
==Seers and Magic==
Seers are a special kind of magic-user. In a very real sense, they are clerics who study a certain kind of wizardly magic to meet their needs. The seer can use divination spells from both the wizard and cleric spell list. Whenever a spell shows up on both lists, use the cleric's version of the spell instead. It is important to note that seers can only use divination spells. They cannot use spells from any other school or sphere.
Seers can freely pick and choose from the priest and wizard spells available to them. There are no restrictions on how many of one type or the other they must take.
Seers must maintain spellbooks for their wizard spells, just like a regular wizard. They are treated like diviners (a wizard specializing in divining spells) and receive all of the bonuses for that school of specialization.﻿
For example, a seer can memorize one additional wizard spell per spell level. The number of spells listed on Table 28: Seer Spell Progression tells how many total spells (both priest and wizard) the seer can memorize. The extra wizard spell for being a specialist is not included in this table. A 1st- level seer, for instance, could have a single priest or wizard spell and then an additional wizard spell.
Seers get a +1 bonus to any saving throws against divination spells. Also, other characters suffer a -1 penalty when the seer casts a spell against them.
Seers get a +15% bonus when trying to learn wizardly divination spells. When a seer reaches a new level, he can automatically add one wizard spell to his spellbook without having to make a learning roll. If the seer ever attempts to create a new divination spell, the spell counts as one level less when determining the difficulty of the spell.
Seers are allowed to choose cleric spells only from the divination sphere. Note that the seer does not necessarily have to worship a deity (or deities) in order to receive his spells. However, some connection with otherworldly powers and forces is present. DMs interested in including new sources of magic should read PLAYER'S OPTION: Spells and Magic.
The Seer Spell Progression table lists how many spells a seer receives at each level (not including the extra wizard spell for specializing in divination). The seer gains spells much more slowly than either a priest or a wizard. This is due to the fact that they split their time between their wizardly and priestly studies and duties.
 Table 29: Seer Spell Progression
Level	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1 	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2 	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3 	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4 	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5 	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
6 	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
7 	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
8 	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
9 	4	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
10 	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—
11 	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
12 	4	3	3	2	1	—	—	—	—
13 	4	4	3	2	2	—	—	—	—
14 	4	4	4	3	3	—	—	—	—
15 	4	4	4	4	3	1	—	—	—
16 	5	5	4	4	4	2	—	—	—
17 	5	5	5	4	4	2	1	—	—
18 	5	5	5	5	4	3	2	—	—
19 	5	5	5	5	5	4	2	1	—
20 	5	5	5	5	5	5	3	2	—
==Seer's Spell List==
﻿Boldface spells are cleric spells. Plainface spells are wizard spells. Spells that are italicized or in bold italics are, respectively, wizard and cleric spells from the Tome of Magic.
1st Level
* Analyze Balance
* Bless
* Cantrip
* Combine
* Detect Evil
* Detect Magic
* Detect Poison
* Detect Snares & Pits
* Detect Undead
* Hornung's Guess
* Identify
* Locate Animals or Plants
* Patternweave
* Purify Food & Drink
* Read Magic
2nd Level
* Augury
* Detect Charm
* Detect Evil
* Detect Invisibility
* ESP
* Find Traps
* Know Alignment
* Locate Object
* Past Life
* Sanctify
* Speak With Animals
3rd Level
* Alamir's Fundamental Breakdown
* Clairaudience
* Clairvoyance
* Extradimensional Detection
* Locate Object
* ﻿Speak With Dead
* Wizard Sight
4th Level
* Detect Lie
* Detect Scrying
* Divination
* Focus
* Locate Creature
* Magic Mirror
* Reflecting Pool
* Tongues
* Uplift
5th Level
* Atonement
* Commune
* Commune With Nature
* Consequence
* Contact Other Plane
* False Vision
* Khazid's Procurement
* Magic Font
* Thoughtwave
* True Seeing
6th Level
* Find the Path
* Legend Lore
* Speak With Monsters
* 
7th Level
* Divine Inspiration
* Mind Tracker
* Vision
8th Level
* Screen
==Permissible Armor and Weapons==
Seers shun combat whenever possible. Their world consists entirely of spells and mysticism. They are more concerned with unearthing what has happened, will happen, or is happening in the world than they are in causing such things to happen. Due to their powers, most talented seers often know what threats are coming their way long before they actually materialize. They use this knowledge to avoid any such danger.
Due to the fact that they deal with wizardly magic, seers are not permitted to﻿ wear armor of any kind. However, they can use magical items open to both wizards and priests (as well as any available for general use). If a seer decides to concentrate entirely on priestly spells, spurning the wizardly side of his nature, he can wear any kind of rumor.
Seers are limited in the kind of weapons they use in the same way. Generally, they are only permitted to learn the use of the following two types of weaponry: staff and sling. This incredibly restricted list is due to the crossover between the wizard's limited list of available weapons and the priest's inability to use edged or pointed weapons. However, if a seer forgoes the opportunity to learn and use wizard spells, he can use any kind of blunt, bludgeoning weapon that he likes.
==Individual Experience Awards==
﻿Seers earn experience points in ways unique to their class. Usually, adventurers consult seers before embarking on dangerous quests. Most seers prefer to stay at home rather than actually adventuring.
A seer deals in the kind of information that you cannot get from a historian or a guide. Seers can talk to the dead and peer into the future or even the past. For this reason, seers receive most of their experience points from creating and researching magical items, earning money for rendering their services, and using their special abilities.
Assigning experience points to a seer is fairly straightforward. Most of the opportunities are similar to those of a wizard or priest.
 Table 30: Seer Experience Awards
Action 	Award
Per gp earned as a seer 	1 XP
Spell cast to over come foe or problems or to divine information	100 XP /spell level
Making potion or scroll 	XP value
Making permanent magical item 	XP value
Spell successfully researched 	500 XP/spell level
Tragedy averted through divination magic 	varies
Fate sealed through divination magic 	varies
===Averting Tragedy﻿===
As a person who possesses an unusual amount of access to information, the seer often feels a great sense of responsibility to use his powers wisely. If in his plumbing of the infinite depths a seer comes across information about an upcoming tragedy that will affect an innocent, it is his duty to warn that person of his impending doom.
This can be a great impetus for adventures. The seer may not be able to deliver his warning without help from the adventurers. Perhaps the endangered person is far away or already in some sort of lesser (but still substantial) danger.
Alternatively, the seer may charge the heroes with simply delivering a message for him. They may very well be unable to understand the importance of the seer's words, but they can rest assured that the recipient will (or at the very least should) understand exactly what it is that the seer writes.
Awarding experience for this kind of action can be very difficult. After all, if the seer is helped by many people, they should get some of the credit. The amount of experience usually depends on the level of danger and the importance of the endangered person.
As a guideline, the seer should receive 100 XP for each level of the person rescued by the seer's warning. Note that the DM should alter this in accordance with the importance of the person. For example, if a seer sent word to the king about an assassination attempt, he should probably receive several thousand XP per level of the king.
===Sealing Fate===
While the seer may wish to protect the innocent, he also has a responsibility to see that the guilty receive their just rewards.
﻿Sometimes he may find that a certain personage has avoided the just punishment of the authorities. The seer must then deliver a self-fulfilling prophecy to the person in question. This prophecy must be damning, yet inscrutable enough so that if the person does not amend his ways, his own paranoia about the message will drive him to the exact fate that he fears so much.
One classic example of this comes from the story of Oedipus. A seer traveled to see Oedipus's father, the king of the land, and told him that his only son would someday kill him. The king sent a servant out into the forest to kill his son, but the servant didn't have the heart to murder the infant in cold blood, so he simply staked him to the ground by his tiny foot and left him to die of exposure.
A shepherd found the child before he died and raised him as his own. Although maimed by his experience (Oedipus means "club foot"), the boy grew up to be a powerful man. Many years later when Oedipus was traveling to the capitol, he crossed paths with a man in a chariot who would not give way. A fight ensued, and Oedipus killed the man. It was not until later that he found out that the man was the king-his father.
The DM should award experience points for pronouncing a dooming prophecy in the same way he awards XP for Averting Tragedy. The base reward is 100 XP per level of the person whose fate was sealed by the seer's prophecy. This can be affected by the victim's importance (pronouncing a prophecy to a noble is worth more than pronouncing one to a farmer).
The seer does not need to deliver the message personally, although he should get more experience points if he does. The subjects of these messages do not take kindly to the dire portents revealed to them. Many a seer has been killed delivering his warning.
==Creating Spells and Magical Items﻿==
Seers are just as capable as a wizard or priest of concocting potions, inscribing scrolls, crafting magical items, or researching new spells. When working on something wizardly, they use the guidelines for wizards, and they use priestly guidelines for priestly pieces. However, the seer can create magical items that have to do with divination magic. All other forms of magic are outside of the seer's realm of understanding.