Incantations in Theory and Practice, the latest product from Zombie Sky Press, is available from RPGNow, Paizo, Kobold Quarterly, and IPR.
Incantations in Theory and Practice brings incantations—the alternate system of ritual magic from 3.5E—to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. This exciting twist on magic brings great power to the fingertips of any player,even non-spellcasters, but power like this never comes without a price.
In this book, you’ll discover…
Every incantation is a story, complete with built-in hooks for more
adventure. This is an unpredictable, living, breathing magic.
Incantations in Theory and Practice is a perfect resource for players wanting to add a little danger to their characters or for game masters needing that extra something for their game world. This 9-page, high-quality, web-optimized pdf is compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and contains guidelines for building and using incantations and presents 3 new sample incantations.
Written by Scott Gable and Troy Taylor; Illustrated by James Keegan
Visit www.zombiesky.com to discover more.
And as a sneak preview, here's one of those new incantations:
Corpse Dancer
You plunge your hands into the open abdomen of the corpse laid out in front of you. You slowly work the medium—the blood and innards—making sickening squelching noises the entire time. It is only as you finish, when the creature opens its eyes and stares up at you, its master, that the full reality of what you’ve done becomes apparent.
School necromancy; Effective Level 3rd
Skill Check Heal DC 20, 2 successes; Spellcraft DC 20, 1 success
Casting Time 30 minutes
Components M, S
Material Components—corpse of sentient creature, recently deceased (within 2 weeks of death); exotic unguents for preparing corpse (worth at least 500 gp)
Range touch
Target dead creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; SR no
Description
You create a homunculus.With a fresh corpse in hand, you begin the work of molding some of its flesh and organs into your homunculus. Slowly, the tiny form takes shape, and with luck, it begins to take on a life of its own as it pulls away from your sticky hands and corpse incubator.
The creature is a homunculus (see Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary). You supply the creature’s vitality with your own blood (or 1d10 of its total 2d10 hp). You are its creator, possessing the standard bond between homunculus and master.
A secondary Craft (sculpture) skill check is required to determine how well crafted the homunculus is. (This check doesn’t affect the actual success or failure of this lesser incantation.)
Craft (sculpture) (Check Result)
9 or lower (The homunculus is poorly shaped, possessing ugly
deformities and no wings (or useless wings). It cannot fly.)
10-19 (The homunculus is appropriately formed. It can fly.)
20 or higher (The homunculus is expertly crafted. It appears as a tiny
replica of whatever or whomever you wish: perhaps of yourself or another
individual.)
Backlash
Half of the total hp of the homunculus, or 1d10 hp, are permanently drained from you to fuel the tiny, necrotic construct. You cannot heal this damage unless the homunculus is destroyed.
Failure
If you fail two consecutive skill checks, the homunculus animates as normal, but you are not its master. You still suffer the backlash, fueling the creature, and you still develop a telepathic link with it, but you cannot control it. It makes its own choices. You do not realize the failure until the homunculus says or does something to clue you in: it may threaten you, attack you, run away, or something else as appropriate.
The homunculus resents you for dredging it into existence, and it wants to ruin you for it. It may attempt to do so openly or secretly. It may even play along, feigning that it’s under your control, but you never actually control it.
Incantations in Theory and Practice brings incantations—the alternate system of ritual magic from 3.5E—to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. This exciting twist on magic brings great power to the fingertips of any player,even non-spellcasters, but power like this never comes without a price.
In this book, you’ll discover…
- Everything you need to start using incantations in your game right now.
- Guidelines to build your own balanced incantations and incorporate them into your game.
- New ideas on what incantations can be. (Here’s a hint, they’re more than just ritual magic.)
- New options, including opposed checks and lesser incantations.
- And 3 new incantations!
Every incantation is a story, complete with built-in hooks for more
adventure. This is an unpredictable, living, breathing magic.
Incantations in Theory and Practice is a perfect resource for players wanting to add a little danger to their characters or for game masters needing that extra something for their game world. This 9-page, high-quality, web-optimized pdf is compatible with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and contains guidelines for building and using incantations and presents 3 new sample incantations.
Written by Scott Gable and Troy Taylor; Illustrated by James Keegan
Visit www.zombiesky.com to discover more.
And as a sneak preview, here's one of those new incantations:
Corpse Dancer
You plunge your hands into the open abdomen of the corpse laid out in front of you. You slowly work the medium—the blood and innards—making sickening squelching noises the entire time. It is only as you finish, when the creature opens its eyes and stares up at you, its master, that the full reality of what you’ve done becomes apparent.
School necromancy; Effective Level 3rd
Skill Check Heal DC 20, 2 successes; Spellcraft DC 20, 1 success
Casting Time 30 minutes
Components M, S
Material Components—corpse of sentient creature, recently deceased (within 2 weeks of death); exotic unguents for preparing corpse (worth at least 500 gp)
Range touch
Target dead creature touched
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw none; SR no
Description
You create a homunculus.With a fresh corpse in hand, you begin the work of molding some of its flesh and organs into your homunculus. Slowly, the tiny form takes shape, and with luck, it begins to take on a life of its own as it pulls away from your sticky hands and corpse incubator.
The creature is a homunculus (see Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary). You supply the creature’s vitality with your own blood (or 1d10 of its total 2d10 hp). You are its creator, possessing the standard bond between homunculus and master.
A secondary Craft (sculpture) skill check is required to determine how well crafted the homunculus is. (This check doesn’t affect the actual success or failure of this lesser incantation.)
Craft (sculpture) (Check Result)
9 or lower (The homunculus is poorly shaped, possessing ugly
deformities and no wings (or useless wings). It cannot fly.)
10-19 (The homunculus is appropriately formed. It can fly.)
20 or higher (The homunculus is expertly crafted. It appears as a tiny
replica of whatever or whomever you wish: perhaps of yourself or another
individual.)
Backlash
Half of the total hp of the homunculus, or 1d10 hp, are permanently drained from you to fuel the tiny, necrotic construct. You cannot heal this damage unless the homunculus is destroyed.
Failure
If you fail two consecutive skill checks, the homunculus animates as normal, but you are not its master. You still suffer the backlash, fueling the creature, and you still develop a telepathic link with it, but you cannot control it. It makes its own choices. You do not realize the failure until the homunculus says or does something to clue you in: it may threaten you, attack you, run away, or something else as appropriate.
The homunculus resents you for dredging it into existence, and it wants to ruin you for it. It may attempt to do so openly or secretly. It may even play along, feigning that it’s under your control, but you never actually control it.
