Author Topic: Feats of Truespeech  (Read 1758 times)

Offline Bauglir

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Feats of Truespeech
« on: August 29, 2012, 11:24:46 PM »
Truespeech Feats

These feats are presented to enhance the abilities and powers of truespeakers, and to offer characters without any experience in the system the opportunity to gain a touch of their power. This section also introduces two new categories of feat: modus feats and recitation feats. Modus feats allow a truespeaker to modify utterances by altering the Truespeech check to speak them, while recitation feats allow access to unique utterances that don't fit into an established lexicon.

Extra Lexicon
Prerequisite: Truespeech 8 ranks, knowledge of at least 1 lexicon
Benefit: You gain knowledge of an additional lexicon. It follows all the rules pertaining to the lexicon which qualified you for this feat, such as the longest utterance to which you have access and the ability score which takes burn from a failed Truespeech check to speak an utterance from that lexicon.

Native Dialect
Prerequisite: Knowledge of at least 1 lexicon
Benefit: Choose a dialect from which you know at least 1 lexicon. Utterances from lexicons within that dialect have a saving throw DC 1 higher than normal. Once per day, you can reroll a Truespeech check to speak an utterance from a lexicon within that dialect once you know whether it is a success or failure. You must take the result of the second roll, even if it's worse than the original.

Truespeaker Adept
Prerequisite: Truespeech 8 ranks
Benefit: You gain knowledge of a lexicon, even if you do not know any already. When you choose this feat, you choose which ability score (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma) takes ability burn when you fail the Truespeech check to speak an utterance from this lexicon. You can speak only the Syllables of the lexicon.
Special: You can choose this feat multiple times. Each time you do, you can gain access to a new lexicon, or you can improve your ability with another lexicon this feat granted you access to. If you choose the latter option, you must meet a speaker level requirement for each degree of improvement, and you must take this feat once for each improvement. You may not skip a step to gain access to a length of utterance available at a higher speaker level. To gain Phonema, you must have a speaker level of 6; to gain Words, 9; to gain Sentences, 15.

Modus Feats
A modus feat describes a particular form in truespeech, in which you adjust your words and cadence to fit a traditionally established style of argument known to generate speech that is particularly effective in instructing the universe in conforming to your will. Because of the difficulty of modifying your speech on the fly to fit these styles, the Truespeech check to speak an utterance so modified is higher than normal. The precise value will vary based on the particular feat.

Delay Utterance [Modus]
Prerequisite: Truespeech 12 ranks, 1 other Modus feat
Benefit: You can encode your utterance into the fabric of the universe, allowing it to activate at a later time. You can choose how long the delay is, but it can be no longer than 1 minute, and must be expressed in a number of rounds. The Truespeech DC to speak an utterance so modified is increased by 2.

Empower Utterance [Modus]
Prerequisite: Truespeech 8 ranks
Benefit: When you modify an utterance with this feat, any dice rolls made as part of the effects are considered to be 1 higher, even if this increases the result beyond the normal maximum for that die. For instance, a damage roll would deal extra damage equal to the number of dice rolled. d20s are not affected by this feat. The Truespeech DC to speak an utterance so modified is increased by 4.

Extend Utterance [Modus]
Prerequisite: Truespeech 6 ranks
Benefit: You can increase the duration of any utterance with a fixed duration expressed in rounds by 1 round. The Truespeech DC to speak an utterance so modified is increased by 4.

Maximize Utterance [Modus]
Prerequisite: Truespeech 8 ranks
Benefit: When you modify an utterance with this feat, any dice rolls made as part of the effects of the utterance are treated as if the maximum result had been rolled, except for d20s. The Truespeech DC to speak an utterance so modified is increased by 6.

Recitation Feats
Recitation feats represent short mantras in the True Tongue that have a variety of magical effects. Each mantra takes 1 minute to speak, and requires the target's personal truename. A recitation feat works at any distance, even across planes, and because it is an unchanging ritual once learned, does not require a Truespeech check in order to use (though learning the target's personal truename often will). Each truespeaker can produce only a single instance of a given recitation feat at a time, and each potential target can be affected only by a single instance of a given recitation feat at a time.

Recitation of the Focused Mind [Recitation]
Prerequisite: Concentration 4 ranks, Truespeech 4 ranks
Benefit: This recitation lasts for 24 hours once used, and can target any intelligent creature with at least 1 rank in Concentration. This Recitation is considered to belong to the Dialect of the Transcendent Mind. While it is in effect, the target can take 10 on Concentration checks. Once during its duration, the target can take 15 on a Concentration check, and use the result in place of any skill check , including an actual Concentration check (but not a Truespeech check). Alternatively, the target can make a Concentration check instead of a Will save, but cannot use this recitation's other options in the process. Either of these latter uses immediately ends the recitation. In any case, none of these uses of the recitation is its own action, although they may be part of another action.