Astral Sphere

The Dreaming sphere is one of the nine elemental spheres available to magicians within Thaelis-y'aada.

## **Overview of the Sphere of the Dreaming**

Nightmarish visions which inflict psychic damage.

## **Astral Sphere Magics**

### **Level 0 (1 Point)**

#### **Arts of the Dream**

This ritual allows you to defend against nightmare spirits. In addition, it allows you to ward the dreams of others once you learn how to enter them. This power allows you to wake up from a dream, end your own sleep paralysis and ward yourself from creatures of nightmare. In fact, so great is this power that many creatures of nightmare will simply never even attempt to harass you. When you cast this ritual, you only require 2/3rds the amount of sleep a normal member of your species would require. This ritual lasts as long as you are asleep and can provide you with any sort of dream you desire, including allowing you to work out problems while you are asleep. The FT at their option may provide cryptic hints to questions you pose yourself while sleeping. You are able to remember all your dreams any night you cast this ritual and it may be cast while you are asleep. Most rolls needed for this ritual will be contested Meditation (Astral) rolls, against creatures that attempt to enter your mind or withdraw from you if you attempt to awaken yourself.

### **Level 1 (1 Point)**

#### **Summon Faerie**

This ritual allows you to summon dream spirits. Those spirits descended from Duroon. The table below details the most powerful level of spirit you are able to summon. You are able to see, hear, and speak to any spirits you summon. A spirit will only understand you if you share a common language. All spirits understand the language of the primordial of their type. Level 1 spirits cannot speak and only some level 2 spirits can; however, they can both understand instruction in this language. To successfully summon a spirit when you cast this ritual you must roll at least 10 + 5 per level of the spirit on your Caster Check. If you roll lower than this the spirits simply ignores you. There are two methods of evocation through which a summoner may deal with a spirit. The first is the road of tribute and the second is the road of compulsion. The road of tribute involves dealing with the spirit respectfully. You must build a relationship with it and make offerings to it to earn its favor and aid. The downside of this approach is it takes time and resources. You must get to know each spirit and learn what they want, so you may make pleasing offerings to them. Those that employ this method are likely to slowly build a strong reputation amongst the types of spirits they work with. It should be noted that spirits communicate with each other and a favored topic of theirs is the flesh bound they deal with. Clergy that deal in this way with the spirits associated with their divinity are likely to become more pious. No additional rolls are needed if you deal respectfully with a spirit. It either will or will not do what you want based on how well you have pleased it.  The road of compulsion views spirits merely as sources of power and holds no concern for their wants. This form of casting can be much quicker and cheaper; however, the spirit is likely to do everything it can to disrupt your effect. Those that practice this road can quickly gain a bad reputation with all spirits, not just those they have forced themselves upon. This reputation can lead to spirits seeking you out and attacking you, in direct and in indirect ways. This reputation can also lead to many new enemies, including powerful ones that a spirit you dominated may have been working for.  Spiritual hierarchies are vast and complex. It should be noted that even imprisoned spirits are usually easily detected by other spirits of their type who may wish to attempt to free them. Those that practice this road often find they need to use the Intimidate skill on spirits they have forced themselves upon to make them submissive and compliant. To force a spirit to your will you must roll Intimidate against the spirit’s Meditate (Fear). If you win the spirit is forced to do what you want. Unless you are able to achieve 3 or more Boosts on your roll there will be some level of resistance from the spirit. Spirits have long memories. It is not uncommon for wronged spirits to take vengeance against your descendants long after your life has ended.  If you are able to speak with the spirit you may request favors from it which usually require some sort of offering. These favors may include fighting for you, giving you information, watching someone for you, delivering a message for you, guarding an area, etc. The spirit is likely to be well disposed towards you if summoned respectfully. The Diplomacy skill can be useful in helping you deal with spirits. Summoning spirits consumes a great amount of time, often taking days to complete one summoning. Many level 3 and all level 4 spirits have true names and you must learn these names in order to invoke them.  Spirits are extensions of the elder creators thus clergy are required to deal respectfully and honorably with them. Failure to deal with the spirits associated with the Precepts of your divinity is likely to result in the loss of Piety by the cleric. This is always the case with elder creators; however, with the gods there are rare exceptions to this. For example a cleric of Shi is far more likely to use compulsion on a demon than deal with one honourably. Loptif also extends no protection to spirits thus her followers may do as they like with them.

### **Level 2 ( 2 Points)**

#### **Spook**

Long range, single target, successes in psychic damage.

### **Level 3 (3 Points)**

#### **Ignis Fatuus**

You can produce both ghostly sounds and flickering images.  You are also able to make yourself momentarily invisible. The illusion may be as complex as you like, but is limited to the following restrictions.  Your illusions end on your next turn and are limited to roughly your own size. As a Normal Action, you may forgo your next Normal Action and spend the points to gain the benefits of this ritual again without having to cast it again. You may do this for as many rounds as you like.  However, each casting costs your Normal Action and Zeal points.

### **Level 4 (4 Points)**

#### **Sandman**

By casting this ritual, you force a subject to roll a contested Meditation (Astral) roll against you. If you win, they fall into a deep slumber. For each Boost you gain (on the first roll only), you are allowed to affect one additional subject. Each additional subject must roll against the number you have already rolled and at least tie it to avoid going into slumber.

### **Level 5 (5 Points)**

#### **Etheric Gossamer**

Your power over illusions has advanced greatly. You are now able to cast illusions the size of a large house that look and sound perfectly real. However, these illusions easily break when interacted with. Even the slightest disbelief will cause the image to vanish. Otherwise, these illusions last a full scene.

### **Level 6 (6 Points)**

#### **Dream Walker**

This ritual, also known as dream telepathy, allows you to enter the dreams of others. While there you may speak with them, deliver messages, terrorize them, attack creatures of the dreaming and completely control their dreams. The Lucid Dream ritual can allow others to fight back against you; however, those without it have little recourse against you. While you are unable to actively harm anyone with this power, you can prevent them from gaining restful sleep through nightmares, night terrors or by inflicting sleep paralysis on them. Of course, any act of inspiring a nightmare is a direct act of worship towards Amarok.

### **Level 7 (7 Points)**

#### **Ephemeral Grasp**

By pulling the stuff of dreams into the waking world you are able to make illusions that boarder for a short time on reality. These illusions may be as large as a city and are powerful enough to kill. You are capable of creating creatures, called phantasms, with this ritual that function like Extras with a Status equal to your Caster Status. These creatures follow your orders and are built with the rules for Extras. If they are destroyed, they slowly fade away. The scope of these creatures is otherwise only limited by your imagination. You may create great beasts, perfect copies of someone you know or even ideals of beauty. Each creature is a separate casting; however, you may make entire illusionary terrains full of things that resemble people but are unable to interact or take any action other than the one you pose them in, such as working a smith or walking. In addition, you may make yourself invisible or create objects out of the dream stuff, anything from rope to a steel sword. The effects of this ritual last 1 day and may be also used to temporarily sculpt the world around you within the dream. The quality and speed of your work is determined by rolling Artist (Sculpting).

### **Level 8 (8 Points)**

#### **Phantasmagoria**

This ritual is like Ephemeral Grasp except that the images and landscapes you create through this mysticism may shift constantly as per your desire. There is no limit to how much you may change what you have created with this ritual. It is possible to build a paradise or a living nightmare. It is as if those you have subjected to this ritual are themselves trapped within your imagination.

### **Level 9 (9 Points)**

#### **City of Dreams**

That which you build in the dream feels as real as its counterpart in the waking world or any other way you desire; the possibilities are great. That which you build in the dream feels as real as its counterpart in the waking world.  Unless you desire it to feel differently, in a reality of imagination possibility is great.

### **Level 10 (10 Points)**

#### **Sleep of Death**

Casting this ritual puts the subject into suspended animation. During this time, their body does not age and their mind is imprisoned within a dream world of your making. While even Lucid Dreaming does not allow the subject to awaken from this ritual, it does allow them to combat the imagines of the dream. You must specify a way the subject may be awakened from this trance. The choice is up to you but it must be possible to figure out. Those that wish to leave the concerns for the waking world behind often cast this ritual upon themselves to pursue immortality in the Astral realms. In order to force someone who is unwilling to go to sleep, you have to roll your Meditation (Astral) against the subjects. If you win the roll, they fall into the dream you desire for them. It should be noted that, even though the subject’s body does not need to drink, eat or breathe, will not age and is unaffected by Cold, Disease, and Poison. It is otherwise a helpless form. Those that do not wish their subject to be disturbed are wise to hide them carefully and guard them well. Anyone in this state may be killed as a Normal Action.