Dark Paladin

For 6 hours, this skill will cloak any corporeal undead making them appear to be alive. The Detect Life spell, First Aid skill, or Detect Undead skill will reveal the character as being alive. The character will look as they did in life and will appear to have flesh, be warm to the touch and otherwise appear to be a living breathing character. The undead will even appear to bleed if struck. However, if the undead is immune to a class of weapons or spells, then no effect will show. This skill will also protect the character from sunlight for the duration of this skill.

This skill provides no protection from damage and will not work on incorporeal undead such as Wraiths or Specters.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.

This skill allows the character to bend any single undead or demon of any type within hearing range and line of sight to their will for 30 minutes. The targeted character will do exactly what the user commands; care should be taken that these commands are explicit since the target character may carry out the letter but not the spirit of the command. After the duration of this ability expires, the undead may seek revenge for being controlled, depending on its personality and the nature of the commands given. If given a command within the designated time period, the undead must attempt to accomplish and complete the command to the best of its ability, within the duration of this skill. If the duration should expire, all incomplete commands are forfeit, and the target character is free to react of its own free will. This skill can be used as a counter to the Follower of the Light turn skills. This skill can only be countered by a Follower of the Light skill, Servant of Darkness skill, or sorcery; necromancy or abilities will not counter this ability. A character cannot use this skill on themselves.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.

Any lesser undead and lesser demons within hearing range or Line of sight of the character must obey all the character’s commands for 30 minutes. If the duration should expire, all incomplete commands are forfeit, and the undead will return to their own will and react according to their nature. This skill can be used as a counter to the Follower of the Light turn skills. This skill can only be countered by a Follower of the Light skill, Servant of Darkness skill, or sorcery; necromancy or abilities will not counter this skill. A character cannot use this skill on themselves.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.

All undead and all demons within hearing range or Line of Sight of the character must obey their commands for 30 minutes. Greater Undead will act as if affected by the Compel Undead skill. If the duration should expire, all incomplete commands are forfeit, and the undead will return to their own will and react according to their nature. This skill can be used as a counter to the Follower of the Light turn skills. This skill can only be countered by a Follower of the Light skill, Servant of Darkness, or sorcery; necromancy or abilities will not counter this ability. A character cannot use this skill on themselves.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.

This skill allows the character to bless Servants of Darkness, Dark Acolytes, and non-mortal beings of evil (such as Hierarchs, Demons, and undead) with a +1 Strength Bonus and immunity to fear. This skill is non-latent and will last for 10 minutes from time of blessing. If this skill is used on an unaligned person, a Follower of Light or a being of good, the skill is used but it will have no effect.

This skill cannot be stacked with itself, but will stack with other Strength Bonuses. This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.

This skill grants the character a limited immunity to necromancy. The character is immune to any undead creation spell in the Necromancy School. Damaging spells from that school still effect the character normally and a Death Slave spell will bring the character to the Brink of Death. Undead creating sorcery rituals affect the character normally.

A player may only have the Dark Cleric or Dark Paladin skill at one time. It is possible, with Plot approval and appropriate in-game roleplay, for a character to change from a Dark Paladin to a Dark Cleric by swapping this skill for Dark Cleric, with the appropriate Build Point change

This skill allows the character to cast dark only rituals, gives the character a +5% Casting Bonus to all dark and dark only rituals and doubles the caster and participants’ Knowledge Bonus for ranks of Necromancy School known.

For more information, see the sections on the Servant of Darkness Advanced Career and Sorcerer Advanced Career.

This skill causes the targeted character to go the Brink of Death. Also, the Death Touch skill can be reversed to life any evil character – Servant of Evil, Greater Undead, any demon, etc. If used in this way, it takes 1 minute to invoke and the character falls unconscious for 10 minutes. Note, when this skill is used as a life effect, the target character does not stop their Death Count.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill. This skill can be delivered by touch or through a weapon. If delivered through a weapon, the targeted character must be struck, and unlike Channeled spells, weapons and shields will stop the attack. If the character misses their target or the target uses a martial skill to stop the attack, the skill is not used. If the attack is stopped by a Resist Evil or Life skill or a magical defense that stops physical attacks the skill is used.

This skill allows the character to empower an intelligent lesser undead, a greater undead, any demon, or a Servant of Darkness to resist one Follower of the Light destroy skill, turn skill, Heal Wounds skill, or Heal Life skill. Additionally the Empower Evil skill will stop one Servant of Darkness Pain skill, Envenom skill, Death Touch skill, control skill, Wounding skill, Fear Gaze skill (not ability), and Withering Touch. Empower Evil is latent and non-stackable.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal which must be at least 5 syllables not including the skills name and must contain the name of the skill.

The character must call “Empower Evil” when they invoke this skill.

This skill allows the character to cause fear in a single target character within line-of-sight and 20 feet. The target character must be able to see the character and hear them for this skill to take effect. The target character, if effected, must flee from the character for the duration of effect. They cannot attack or take any offensive action while they are under the fear effect. The target character may stop fleeing once they can no longer see the character but can still not take any offensive action. The target character may call defenses while under the fear effect.

Once the target character is no longer able to see the character, they may take other non-hostile actions including attempting to remove the fear effect. This is not a physical or magical effect and is stopped by the Courage skill, Resist Evil, or being immune to fear. A heal mind effect will end the fear effect.

This skill requires the use of a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill and the character’s focus. The skill is used once it is called.

When invoked, this skill will empower any weapon the character holds to swing for magical damage for 30 minutes. This skill is hand specific and once invoked, only weapons in that hand will be augmented. There is no Damage Bonus or other effect from the use of this skill. The weapon can still be shattered.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.

Once purchased, this skill allows the character to add Fire, Ice, Shadow, or Rot effect to their Wounding damage. This effect is in addition to, not instead of, the normal Dark damage normally dealt with their Wounding pool. For example, a character using 10 Wounding Pool points and has chosen the fire effect would call, “10 Fire Dark”. In the specific case of this skill, the added effect must be called before “Dark” always. This additional effect is optional, and the character can choose when to use it.

When this skill is purchased, the character has to choose one of the four effects. This choice is final and cannot be changed once selected, unless by Infernal Intervention (ie they become a Demon Knight and their patron does it). Further, if the character chose Demonology School to use with their Wounding Pool, their Hellish Attunement must match that aspect.

If the character is attempting to use their pool to heal, the added effect may affect the attempt. If the target character would be harmed by the added effect, the healing will harm the target character instead.

This skill will allow the character to become completely and permanently immune to one specific charm or charm-like effect per purchase of this skill. Some of the charms that can be chosen are given below.

Charm Category
What is Stopped

Charm School Spell
That specific spell only.

Domination
Any domination effect, spell, ritual, or ability.

Vampiric Charm
Any charm effect from Vampires

Demonic Charm
Any charm effect from any demon or Heirarch

Possession
Any possession effect from any type of character

Hypnosis
Any hypnosis effect from any skill or ability

Undead Control
Any skill or ritual that controls undead (not Faith skills)

A character may not use this skill to become immune to any alchemical affect, even if that effect is similar to the categories listed above. Additionally, a character may not become immune to any Follower of the Light or Servant of Darkness compel or turn skills.

With the purchase of this skill, the character is able to lie while under the effects of a charm spell or truth inducer once, per tag, per question asked per truth inducer or charm. Therefore if the character is subjected to a Speak the Truth spell, they can use one use of this skill to lie to this question. If asked the same question with another Speak the Truth spell, the character needs to use another use of this skill. However, if the character is dominated or enslaved by spell or skill, then no matter how many times they are asked the same question, they may use one Lie tag to stop all those questions.

This skill will also prevent you from being forced to commit an action that would answer a question. For example, if a character was dominated and asked if they were an assassin, they could use this skill to lie to that question. For as long as that particular Domination spell was in affect they could continue to lie. If they were asked to raise their arm, stand, dance, etc. if they were an assassin they could “lie” and not follow those commands. However, if they were ordered to follow the caster, protect the caster, or any other similar action they would be compelled to do so. If the character was again dominated and asked the same question, they would have to use another purchase of the Lie skill to lie.

This skill will cause the targeted character to fall to the ground or to their knee in extreme pain. The target character cannot move or take any other action except invoke latent spells. This affect can be cured by using the Heal Wounds skill to Heal Body.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill.

This skill can be delivered by touch or through a weapon. This skill can be blocked by, and is expended by, a magical defense that stops physical attacks or the Resist Evil skill, or a defensive martial skill which is used but does not expend the Pain Touch skill for that Tag Cycle. This effect can only be cured by a Heal Body cast from a Heal Wounds skill, not the spell.

This skill can only be used on a character that has been brought to the Brink of Death and will change their Death Count to a special count. This skill takes 5 seconds to use. The character should deliver this skill, by touch or through a weapon, like a Killing Blow, “<verbal> Sever Soul 1, Sever Soul 2, Sever Soul 3…” up to a 5 second count. The character needs to say the verbal and count as loud as the player can, otherwise the skill will not work.

The target character will die after a 60 second special Death Count. Nothing can stop this count. Effects that stop, hasten, or extends a character’s Death Count will not effect this count, for example, Battle Surgery, Icy Preservation spell, Oil of Preservation, Flesh to Stone spell, Hasten Your Demise spell, etc. The spell, skill or ability will take effect as usual and is used, the target character’s special Death Count will continue. Any skill, spell, or ability that reveals the status of their Death Count will reveal that the character’s soul has been severed and how much time is left in the count.

The target character is not forced to leave their body at the end of the special Death Count. This skill can be blocked by the Resist Evil skill, which is called at the end of the 5 second count to deliver the skill.

The target may receive any life effect during this 60 second count which will revive the character and end the Sever Soul affect. The Sever Soul skill is still used. If the target has already received the type of life effect delivered, the special Death Count continues.

For example, a player has received a Life spell that day and then was dropped by a Kill spell and subsequently received a Sever Soul during a fight. If another character then casts a Life spell on them, the spell has no effect, and the Sever Soul Death Count continues.

This skill requires the use of a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill. This skill can be delivered by touch or through a weapon and requires the use of the character’s focus.

Once this skill is purchased, the character’s immunity to being turned into an undead is forfeit. Every time the character is raised as an undead through necromancy or sorcery they gain the characteristics of the undead they are turned into – body and abilities – and will be able to use all of their skills and Servant of Darkness skills as a free thinking character not under the caster’s control. The one exception is Zombies and Skeletons created through the Necromancy School, the character cannot use any skill or ability that requires verbals.

If the character is resurrected, they will retain memory of their time as an undead, but not the act of being animated. This skill will not protect them from skills or abilities that control undead

This skill will contaminate the targeted character’s blood with a fatal, non-alchemical effect, bypassing all armor. The target is paralyzed for 5 minutes and if not cured in that time the character will be brought to the Brink of Death. This effect can only be cured by using the Heal Wounds skill to Purify Blood. While under the effects of this skill, the target is surrounded by a sickly green nimbus.

This skill requires the use of the character’s focus and a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill. This skill can be delivered by touch or through a weapon. This skill can be blocked by, and is expended by, a magical defense that stops physical attacks or the Resist Evil skill, or a defensive martial skill which is used but does not expend the Pain Touch skill for that Tag Cycle. This effect can only be cured by a Purify Blood cast from a Heal Wounds skill, not the low magic spell.

Once this skill is purchased, the character gains a Wounding Pool. For each purchase of this skill the character gains 25 Wounding Pool points. How these points are used by the character depends on whether they are a Dark Cleric or Dark Paladin.

A Dark Cleric or Dark Paladin may use their Wounding Pool to heal their own and any evil character’s (Dark Acolytes, Servants of Darkness, undead, demons, etc.) Body Points at a rate of one for one. The character may not use their pool to mimic Healing School spells. Additionally, either class may throw their pool points at any rate up to their maximum current number of pool points via a spell packet. The character would recite their in-game verbal (see below), throw their packet and call “X Dark”, where ‘X’ is the number of points used. Since a Servant of Darkness can both harm and heal other evil characters, they clarify their intent to heal by suffixing “Dark Healing” to their verbal. For example, if a character wanted to heal their demon ally for 25 Body Points, they would use their in-game verbal and say, “25 Dark Healing”. If they wanted to harm their demon ally instead, they would just say, “25 Dark”.

A Dark Cleric or Dark Paladin may also use their Wounding Pool Points to augment the damage type of their weapon attack with “Dark”, which does direct Body Point damage to any character and counts as Magic damage for the purposes of Damage Resistance. A character cannot heal an ally with their weapon swing, ever. The character needs to use their in-game verbal for each use of this skill. If the character fails to land their attack, they have 5 seconds to try to land the attack before they must recite their in-game verbal again.

A character that has the Dark Cleric skill can increase the damage of their weapon attacks but is limited to a maximum of 25 points (one purchase of the Wounding skill) of additional Dark damage.

For example, Raizen the Dark Cleric has five purchases of the Wounding skill giving her a 125 point Wounding Pool. She has used 50 points already leaving her with 75 Wounding Pool Points. During a town battle, she uses 40 points of her Wounding Pool by touch to harm Roselina, saying, “By the Dark Lord’s hate, I wound you, 40 Dark”. Roselina falls but others around her heard what happened and begin attacking Raizen. She normally swings 5 points of damage with her sword and uses 5 points of her Wounding Pool per swing to augment her damage. She now swings “10 Dark” and does direct Body Point damage to any character she strikes. The most Raizen can use is 25 points of her pool in one attack, so the most damage she can do is 30 Dark in one swing.

If the character has the Dark Paladin skill, they may use any amount of their available Wounding Pool in their attack up to the maximum total points left in their pool.

For example, Tyr is fighting the Ducal Guard. Outnumbered, he decides to increase his base damage of 7 Silver using his Wounding Pool. He recites his verbal and uses 3 points of his Wounding Pool. He now swings 10 points of damage and calls “10 Dark” damaging the Ducal Guard’s Body Points directly. Tyr can use more of his Wounding Pool with each attack to increase his damage accordingly. Fearing the arrival of the heroes, he decides to drop one of the guards quickly. Tyr currently has 153 Wounding Pool points left in his pool. He recites his verbal and strikes one of the Ducal Guards with his sword adding an additional 93 points from his Wounding Pool. The character says, “By the power of evil, I strike you down, 100 Dark!” He misses the guard, striking their shield instead, but the guards realize they are out matched and run away, leaving Tyr to fight another day. He has not used his 93 points so he still has 153 Wounding Pool points left to him that Tag Cycle.

Finally, Dark Clerics can use their pool points to cast Necromancy School creation spells or Demonology School summoning spells up to Rank 4 and not lost, for double the Power Point cost of the spell. If the character chooses Demonology, they need to pick an aspect – ice, fire, shadow, undead – and this aspect cannot be changed without divine intervention. The character must choose which school they wish to have access to when the skill is first purchased. The character may not change their choice once the skill is purchased for the first time. Note: Resist Evil will not stop these spell effects and the Absorption spell will stop the spell but not give any Power Points.

This skill requires the use of a verbal, which must be at least 5 syllables, not including the skill’s name, and must contain some reasonably recognizable version of the name of the skill. This skill can be delivered by touch, thrown, or through a weapon. If delivered through a weapon, the targeted character must be struck and weapons and shields will stop the attack. If the character misses their target, whether thrown or delivered through a weapon, or the target uses a martial skill to stop the attack, the skill is not used. If the attack is stopped by a Resist Evil skill or a magical defense that stops physical attacks, the skill is used.