Norse Magic: Runes and SeidrNorse myth and legend is full of gods and mortal beings wielding two kinds of magic. Some learned the secrets of the runes, and used that knowledge to manipulate the runes to great effect. Some knew the powerful but effeminate seidr magic that could delve unknown answers and manipulate mind and matter. Some rare few wielded both.
All casters in a Norse setting use the same basic classes and casting mechanics as they would in regular D&D, but the preparation or casting of the spells will have one or two extra requirements, depending upon the type of spellcasting the character wields.
Rune Magic
All casters that prepare their spells at the beginning of the day are rune casters. This includes Wizards, Clerics, Druids, Archivists, Rangers, Paladins, and many spell-granting prestige classes.
Rune casters prepare and cast their spells exactly as described in their class descriptions and in the Player’s Handbook, and the spells have the same material, somatic, verbal, XP, and focus components as originally described, except that all spells cast by runic casters have an added consumable focus component: the rune itself. Each individual spell, no matter the level, requires only a single rune (though in truth the rune of a complex or high-level spell may appear as a complex amalgamation of multiple simpler runes). Without the appropriate unique rune focus for a spell in hand, a rune caster cannot cast his prepared spell. In effect and purpose, the rune focus is the prepared spell.
Rune casters can prepare and carry their runes in three different ways, each having its own advantages and drawbacks. The rune caster chooses how to prepare each individual spell’s rune, and may have spell runes prepared in any combination of the three preparation techniques at any given time.
First, a rune caster can carve his runes onto a non-magical wooden staff, creating a rune-staff. A rune-staff can be covered with multiple runes, numbering up to twice the rune caster’s caster level in the class granting the rune casting ability.
A rune-staff has the advantage that the many runes carved upon it are ready and at hand (assuming the staff is being carried openly in the hand by the rune caster) and thus the casting of the runes on the staff takes no more time than normal; retrieving the rune from the staff in hand is a free action, just as the normal retrieval of spell components from a pouch would be. A rune-stone (see below) carried ready in the hand would also take no additional time.
A rune-staff (or a rune-stone carried in the hand, outside of a pouch) has the disadvantage of being recognizable and can be targeted by disarming and sundering attacks. Disarming a rune caster of his rune-staff prevents him from casting any spells which have the runes on the staff as a focus, until the caster once again has possession of the staff and can wield the focus runes in the casting of his spells. A successful sunder attempt breaks a rune-staff and spoils 1d3-1 runes (effectively removing them from the rune caster’s list of prepared spells, such that the rune caster looses access to the spells as if they had been cast). Any remaining runes on the two halves of the staff are still active and functioning spell focuses.
A typical rune staff is a stout rod of wood roughly as tall as the rune caster. It has hardness 5 and 20 hit points. Due to it’s size, it is unwieldy in combat, but may be wielded as an improvised double-weapon (with the associated -4 penalty), with each end dealing 1d6 damage. Other objects may be used to make a rune staff, such as a spear haft. In such cases use hardness and hit points for the object as normal. If carried at the ready as a weapon, a rune staff is subject to the weapon sundering rules. If carried in one hand as a walking staff (probably with another proper weapon in the other hand), it is sundered as an object, with an AC of 10+ the rune caster’s Dexterity modifier. A rune-stone is diminutive and always attacked as an object with an AC of 14+ the rune caster’s Dexterity modifier. The attacker may attempt to target a specific rune on a rune staff. To succeed, he must beat the defender’s opposed attack roll, or the object’s AC, by 20. If successful, that one rune is spoiled; if unsuccessful, no runes were destroyed in the sunder attempt.
A rune caster may cast a specially altered mending spell on his rune staff and wipe off all expended runes carved into his rune staff. A second casting of mending will erase some or all of the unexpended runes on a rune staff, as the rune caster desires. This allows a rune caster to reuse the same rune staff each day, if he wants. He can also prepare his runes on a different staff, or via a different preparation method, thus causing runes on his first staff to lose their magical investment of power.
The second method a rune caster may use to prepare his runes is by carving the runes onto stones or small plaques of wood, which are then carried individually in a pouch. Each rune stone can carry only one rune.
A rune stone has the advantage of being protected from casual sundering or disarming attempts while within a “spell component” pouch. The disadvantage of rune stones (or a rune staff that has been stowed or concealed by wrapping in cloth) is that retrieving the stones (or taking a wrapping off a disguised rune staff) is a move action. Thus, a rune caster can protect his prepared runes, but at the expense of extra time required to retrieve, and thus cast, his spells.
Each rune stone or wood plaque may be repaired via mending, as with a rune staff, but this is often too costly in time and cantrips, so fresh stones are often chosen each morning if new rune stones are prepared.
In a mechanical sense, any time a rune-carved object is ready to access as a free action, it is subject to sunder and disarm attempts if recognized as a desirable target for such attacks. Likewise, any time a rune-carved object is protected from casual attack (as opposed to a readied attack while using the rune in the casting of a spell), it requires a move action to retrieve the rune-carved object.
The third method a rune caster can use to prepare spells is by tattooing them into the top layers of his skin using a needle and inked thread. A rune caster may tattoo a total number of spell runes onto his body equal to twice the rune caster’s caster level in the class granting the rune casting ability.
Tattooing or “threading” runes onto one’s skin has the advantage of making the runes accessible as a free action (so long as the runes are on exposed skin and the caster can touch it with a hand), and the runes are not subject to disarm or sunder attempts. Threaded runes are accessible to druids in wildshape (Natural Spell does not allow the caster to access rune-carved objects that have been melded with a druid’s wildshaped form). Also, anyone polymorphed into any form can still access threaded runes. Threaded runes are still visible in alternate forms, and will even be displayed in fur and feather patterns, though they might be blurred and hard for others to distinguish, given the properties of the fur in question.
The disadvantage of the threaded runes comes in their preparation, and in the erasure of old runes. To prepare a threaded rune, a rune caster must pass a needle and inked thread under the skin, parallel to the skin surface, marking out the individual lines of each rune. The effect of this repeated piercing of the skin is somewhat painful and tiring. Each rune threaded on a rune caster’s skin inflicts one point of non lethal damage, that thereafter heals normally.
When a threaded rune is cast, the tattoo of the rune remains on the skin (it is a shallow tattoo that would naturally disappear in two to three months). This remaining tattoo counts against the maximum number of threaded runes a rune caster may have at any one time. As such, these tattoos must be periodically (or daily, in the case of someone who uses threaded runes almost exclusively) removed and a fresh “canvas” provided for new runes. The method generally employed to remove threaded tattoos, both expended and unexpended, is to brand the skin containing the rune, or cut off the top layers of skin containing the rune. Branding causes one point of fire damage (that cannot be avoided) per rune removed, and cutting causes one point of slashing damage (that cannot be avoided) per rune removed. This damage can then be healed either magically or allowed to heal naturally. If healed or partially healed via any accelerated means (magical healing, fast healing, the quickened healing one gets from polymorphing, etc.) the damage from the branding or cutting results in no or little scarring. If allowed to heal naturally, the branding or cutting will scar as normal. Only after this branding or cutting damage has been healed can new runes be tattooed onto the rune caster’s skin.
Rune casters do not have the inherent ability to spontaneously lose one spell in order to cast another in its place. This means that Clerics do not have the ability to spontaneously convert spells to cure or inflict spells, and Druids do not have the ability to spontaneously convert spells to summon nature’s ally spells. Conversion of spells in this manner touches on the arts of Seidr, and are not a part of a rune caster’s learning. This conversion of rune magic to Seidr can be learned via feats or prestige classes, however (see Complete Divine for Spontaneous Healer, Spontaneous Wounder, and Spontaneous Summoner, as well as the Hathran PrC for Place Magic).
If a rune caster learns a means of converting a prepared spell spontaneously into another, then as a part of the casting of said spell, he must damage the spell rune he is converting, in order to access and harness its well of stored magic. With a rune-carved object the caster must sunder or hack out the rune with a handaxe or other appropriate tool. This is performed as a part of the normal casting time of the converted spell, the “attack” automatically hits, and the caster must deal enough damage to overcome the hardness of the rune-carved object and deal at least one point of damage to the object. With a threaded rune the caster must slice across the rune with a knife or other sharp object (a bite or claw attack suffices) as part of casting the spell; this deals one point of damage to the caster (no concentration check is required).
Seidr Magic
All casters that cast spells without preparing individual spells in their spell slots ahead of time are Seidr casters. This includes Sorcerers, Favored Souls, Bards, Beguilers, Duskblades, Dread Necromancers, Warmages, and Spirit Shaman, as well as some spell-granting prestige classes.
Sorcerers, Favored Souls, Beguilers, Dread Necromancers, and Warmages gain access to each new highest level of spells known one level early, such that they gain their first second level spell slot at 3rd level, their first third level spell slot at 5th level, and so on, so they gain each new spell level at the same level as an equally experienced wizard. At each of these levels they gain one spell slot of the appropriate higher level (as well as bonus spell slots due to ability modifier) and one spell known, chosen as appropriate from their class spell list. Note, a third level Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, or Warmage does not gain full access to his entire 2nd level spell list; he must choose one spell known from that spell list for this level. Upon reaching 4th level he gains the full knowledge of all spells of the appropriate spell level on his class spell list. The same is true of all levels where he gains an early spell slot.
Siedr casters prepare their minds and cast their spells exactly as described in the normal D&D rules, aside from the early spell slot mentioned above. However, Siedr casting is very tiring, and can leave the caster weakened and helpless. This is one of the reasons it is seen as an unmanly art. Each time a Seidr caster expends the last slot of a given spell level, after the casting of the spell has been resolved, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10+spell level expended) or become fatigued. If already fatigued, he becomes exhausted.
For example, a 4th level sorcerer has four 2nd level spell slots and seven 1st level spell slots each day. When he casts his seventh 1st level spell slot the spell effect takes place as normal. The sorcerer then immediately rolls a DC 11 Fortitude save and succeeds, suffering no ill effect. Later he expends his fourth 2nd level spell slot and subsequently fails the accompanying DC 12 Fortitude save. The spell takes effect as normal, but the sorcerer is now fatigued.
If any class that grants its own casting, such as a prestige class, grants the polymorph spell, the class gains polymorph other, polymorph self, or both as spells replacing polymorph on its spell list. If you are interested in such a class, please ask. In general, a mage-type class will gain both, but still check to make sure.
Alter Self: Remains the same as in the 3.5 PHB/SRD
Polymorph Other
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Polymorph other changes the subject into another form of creature. The new form can range in size from Diminutive to one size larger than the subject’s normal form, and can have no more Hit Dice than your caster level or the subject’s Hit Dice, whichever is lower, and in any case the assumed form cannot have more than 15 Hit Dice. You cannot change a subject into a construct, elemental, outsider, or undead unless he is already a creature of that type.
Upon changing, the subject regains lost hit points as if having rested for a day (though this healing does not restore temporary ability damage and provide other benefits of resting for a day; and changing back does not heal the creature further). If slain, the polymorphed creature reverts to its original form after one hour per caster level of the polymorph other spell, though it remains dead.
The polymorphed creature acquires the physical and natural abilities of the creature it has been polymorphed into while retaining its own mind. Physical abilities include natural size and Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores. Natural abilities include natural armor, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, swoop and rake, and constriction; but not petrification, breath weapons, energy drain, energy effects, etc.), and similar gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings, number of extremities, etc.). A body with extra limbs does not allow a character to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal. Natural abilities also include mundane movement capabilities, such as walking, swimming, and flight with wings, but not magical flight and other magical forms of travel, such as blink, dimension door, phase door, plane shift, teleport, and greater teleport. Extremely high speeds for certain creatures are the result of extraordinary or magical ability, so they are not granted by this spell. (In general, these abilities include nonflying speeds greater than 60 feet and flying speeds greater than 120 feet.) Other nonmagical abilities (such as an owl’s low-light vision) are considered natural abilities and are retained.
Any part of the body or piece of equipment that is separated from the whole reverts to its original form after one hour per caster level has passed since the separation.
The creature’s new scores and faculties are average ones for the race or species into which it has been transformed. You cannot, for example, turn someone into a mighty weight lifter to give the subject great Strength. Likewise, you cannot change the subject into a bigger or more powerful version of a creature (or a smaller, weaker version). Nor can you turn the subject into a variant form of the creature. For example, you can turn the subject into an ogre, but not a half-dragon ogre.
The subject retains its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, level and class, hit points (despite any change in its Constitution score), alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses. (New Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores may affect final attack and save bonuses.) The subject retains its own type (for example, Humanoid), extraordinary abilities, spells, and spell-like abilities, but not its supernatural abilities.
The subject does not gain the spell-like abilities, supernatural abilities (such as breath weapons and gaze attacks), or the extraordinary abilities of the new form, aside from natural and physical abilities, such as darkvision or low-light vision, but not blindsight, blindsense, or hold breath.
The subject can cast spells for which it has components. It needs a humanlike voice for verbal components and humanlike hands for somatic components.
The new form can be disorienting. Any time the polymorphed creature is in a stressful or demanding situation (such as combat), the creature must succeed at a Will save (DC 19) or suffer a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks until the situation passes. Creatures who are polymorphed for a long time (years and years) grow accustomed to their new form and can overcome some of these drawbacks (DM’s discretion).
When the polymorph occurs, the creature’s equipment, if any, transforms to match the new form. If the new form is a creature who does not use equipment (most aberrations, animals, magical beasts, constructs, dragons, elementals, oozes, some outsiders, plants, some undead creatures, or vermin), the equipment melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. Material components and focuses melded in this way cannot be used to cast spells. If the new form uses equipment (some aberrations, fey, giants, humanoids, some outsiders, many undead creatures), the subject’s equipment changes to match the new form and retains its properties.
You can freely designate the new form’s minor physical qualities (such as hair color, hair texture, and skin color) within the normal ranges for a creature of that type. The new form’s significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under the your control, but must fall within the norms for the new form’s species. The subject can be changed into a member of its own species or even into itself. (If changed into itself, it does not suffer the abovementioned penalties from the disorientation of a new form.)
The subject is effectively disguised as an average member of the new form’s race. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check.
Incorporeal or gaseous forms cannot be assumed, and incorporeal or gaseous creatures are immune to being polymorphed. A natural shapeshifter (a lycanthrope, doppelganger, experienced druid, etc.) can take its natural form as a standard action.
Material Component: An empty cocoon.
Polymorph Self
Transmutation
Level: Rgr 4, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
Polymorph self functions as polymorph other, except its duration is one hour per caster level, and the spell can only affect you. If slain, or in the case of a severed or separated body part, the caster or body part reverts to its original form after the full remaining duration of the spell expires.
Additionally, you can change your form once per round during the spell’s duration simply by willing it so. Each change is a full round action. You regain hit points as if having rested for a day only from the initial transformation, however. Each subsequent change in form after the spell’s initial casting reduces the remaining duration by 1 hour. If a change reduces the remaining duration to 0 hours or less, the spell ends instead, as if it had been dismissed by you.
Polymorph Any Object: Remains the same as in the 3.5 PHB/SRD, with the exception that all references to polymorph or baleful polymorph instead reference polymorph other.
Shapechange
Transmutation
Level: Animal 9, Drd 9, Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 10 min./level (D)
This spell functions like polymorph self, except that it enables you to assume the form of any single nonunique creature (of any type) from Fine to Colossal size. The assumed form cannot have more than your caster level in Hit Dice (to a maximum of 25 HD). Unlike polymorph self, this spell allows incorporeal or gaseous forms to be assumed.
You gain all extraordinary and supernatural abilities (both attacks and qualities) of the assumed form, but you lose your own supernatural abilities. You also gain the type of the new form (for example, "dragon" or "magical beast") in place of your own. The new form does not disorient you. Parts of your body or pieces of equipment that are separated from you do not revert to their original forms.
You can become just about anything you are familiar with. You can change form once each round as a free action, and such subsequent changes do not reduce the remaining duration of the spell. The change takes place either immediately before your regular action, or immediately after it, but not during the action. If you use this spell to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check.
Focus: A jade circlet worth no less than 1,500 gp, which you must place on your head when casting the spell. (The focus melds into your new form when you change shape.)
One important aspect of the Mythic Sagas campaign world is the difficulty casters have with sending demons from Niflheim back to the netherworld. This has resulted in the creation of "spirit stones" and menhir circle prisons that bind or trap the souls of the fiends present on Midgard. This method of containment was used because it tended to be more successful than attempts to dismiss such creatures. Also, there are some spirit stones that act more as a seal on a small rift to Niflheim, rather than as the focus of a Trap the Soul spell. In either case, it becomes readily apparent why Rashemi are taught to avoid disturbing such places.
To ensure the integrity of why fiends have been trapped rather than banished, such spells have been weakened in their effect. Much thought has been placed into this decision, and it is simply needed to make the world work.
The effective caster level for the effects (not caster level checks vs. SR) of Banishment and Dismissal are divided by 4. Effectively, Banishment affects as many as 1 Hit Dice of creatures per two caster levels, and the special Will save of Dismissal has a DC = spell's save DC - creature's HD + 1/4 your caster level. Similar to Dismissal, Righteous Exile from the Fiendish Codex II has the caster level in the calculation for the special Will save divided by 4.
At certain times of year the separation of Midgard from Niflheim thins somewhat, and it may be somewhat easier to Banish such creatures at that time (effective caster level divided by 2, rather than 4), but casters usually have their hands full maintaining seals on the ley lines bridging the boundaries of Niflheim during that time.
Wild shape is one of the druid's most useful and flexible class features. The following version of this ability supersedes the one presented in the Player's Handbook.
Wild Shape
At 5th level, a druid gains the supernatural ability to turn herself into a Small or Medium-size animal and back again once per day. The druid may adopt only one animal form per use of this ability.
The creatures available as wild shape forms include all creatures with the animal type. The druid may use wild shape to become a dog or a giant lizard, for example, but not an owlbear. The form chosen must be that of an animal she is familiar with. For example, a druid who has never been outside a temperate forest could not become a polar bear.
The druid can freely designate the new form's minor physical qualities (such as fur, feather, or skin color and texture) within the normal ranges for an animal of that kind. The new form's significant physical qualities (such as height, weight, and gender) are also under her control but must fall within the norms for the animal's species. The druid is effectively disguised as an average member of the new form's species, gaining a +10 bonus on her Disguise checks as long as she maintains the form.
This change of form never disorients the druid. Upon changing to an animal form, she regains lost hit points as if she had rested for a day, though this healing does not restore temporary ability damage or provide any other benefits of resting for a day, and changing back does not heal her further. If slain, the druid reverts to her original form, though she remains dead.
When the change occurs, the druid's equipment, if any, melds into her new form and becomes nonfunctional. Material components and focuses melded in this way cannot be used to cast spells. When the druid reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the animal form reappear in the same locations they previously were and are once again functional. Any new items the druid wore in animal form (such as a saddle, rider, or halter) fall off and land at her feet; any that she carried in a body part common to both forms (mouth, hands, or the like) at the time of reversion are still held in the same way.
The druid acquires the physical and natural abilities of the creature whose form she has taken while retaining her own mind. Physical abilities include size as well as Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores. Natural abilities include armor, natural weapons (such as claws, bite, or gore), sensory abilities (such as low-light vision), and similar gross physical qualities (presence or absence of wings or gills, number of extremities, and so forth). Natural abilities also include mundane movement capabilities, such as walking, swimming, and flying with wings. The druid also gains all the racial bonuses and feats of the animal form selected. She does not gain any supernatural or spell-like abilities (such as breath weapons or gaze attacks) of her new form, but does gain all the form's extraordinary abilities. All these alterations last until the wild shape ends.
The druid's new scores and faculties are average ones for the species into which she has transformed. She cannot, for example, turn herself into a wolf with a Strength of 20. Likewise, she cannot change into a bigger or more powerful version of a creature (or a smaller or weaker version).
The druid retains her own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, level and classes, hit points (despite any change in her Constitution score), alignment, base attack bonus, and base save bonuses. (New Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores may affect final attack and save bonuses.) The druid also retains her own type (for example, humanoid), extraordinary abilities, and spell-like abilities, but not her supernatural abilities. She loses her ability to speak while in animal form because she is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
Though the druid retains any spells she previously carried, her new form may not permit her to use them. Unless the chosen form is one with prehensile hands (such as a monkey or an ape) or some other manipulative appendage, the druid may not be able to manipulate material components and focuses for spells -- even if those are not melded into her new form. Likewise, her lack of a humanlike voice means she cannot cast spells with verbal components or activate command word items. In the same manner, the lack of appropriate appendages may prevent her from using manufactured weapons and magic items. If the usability of a particular spell or item is in doubt, the DM makes the decision.
The druid can use this ability more times per day at 6th, 7th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level, as noted on Table 3-8 in the Player's Handbook. In addition, she gains the ability to take the shape of a Large animal at 8th level, a Tiny animal at 11th level, and a Huge animal at 15th level. At 12th level and beyond, she can take the form of a plant creature with the same size restrictions as for animal forms. (A druid can’t use this ability to take the form of a plant that isn’t a creature.)
At 16th level, the druid may use wild shape to change into a Small, Medium-size, or Large elemental (air, earth, fire, or water) once per day. She gains all the elemental's special attacks and special qualities when she does so, regardless of ability type (that is, she gains the supernatural and spell-like abilities of the elemental as well as extraordinary ones). She also gains the elemental's feats and racial skill bonuses for as long as she maintains the wild shape while retaining her own creature type (humanoid in most cases). At 18th level, she can assume elemental form two times per day. At 20th level, she can assume the form of a Huge elemental, and may wildshape into an elemental three times per day.
