Speaking of community driven content, the folks at tenletter built upon the ghosting idea published by Cassey and produced some crunchiness for use the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Considering that Shayakand is being developed with Pathfinder in mind, I hope to build upon their solid idea. One of the unique aspects under development in the Shayakand setting is psionics. When considering the ghosting ability, how would it interact, if at all, with psionics?
Looking specifically at Jerall’s post, I like the idea of the Thought Sense skill. I imagine this skill to be something akin to the Use Magic Device skill. The Thought Sense skill operates under the assumption that every individual has a unique mental signature. Like fingerprints, no two signatures are alike. (With Shayakand in mind, I would just like the throw out the notion that a person’s past lives would generate the same signature and their present and future lives.)
The other part of this skill operates like the Detect Psionics power. The main difference between the Thought Sense skill and the power is that continued use of the skill will yield no new information. All the individual with this skill can determine is conductor, ghost traveller, psionic, or none of the above.
In addition to Thought Step, Conducting, and Nightmare Step, there should either be a feat to link two individuals together so that the range of the ability can go beyond a few hundred feet, or a feat to imbue a physical item with this same link. Maybe both can happen.
Looking at trashcondor’s post, there are more feats that can be used by ghost travelers and conductors. Ghost Sense is a particularly compelling feat in that the conductor can do more than just facilitate travel. The conductor can provide sensory information to the ghost traveler.
I also like the Open Soul ability. I imagine that there are some individuals that a ghost traveler could use in a jam to get away. It’s kind of like the Nightmare Step feat, but this would not necessarily have to be evil.Just like a bloodline imbues a person with sorcerer abilities, a person’s genetic history makes them predisposed to conduct ghost travelers, although they may never know it.
Questions
Is the addition of a skill a hindrance? Could it be used by other races without the ability to ghost? Are there other feats that compliment this ability? Will humans, seeing this ability in action, attempt to create a spell that duplicates it effects? There are pros and cons when comparing this ability with teleportation, would the potential negatives be worth it?
Purvaga
Per Cassey’s article, these abilities should belong to a specific race. Originally, I was thinking about using a reptilian race in the vast southern swamps. However, that idea is too similar to one being developed in Loaerth & Feywyrd. Instead, here’s a homemade race called the Purvaga.
No elementals exist in Shayakand. What happens when an elemental is summoned to Shayakand? It appears, but at a very quick rate, it morphs into a new creature altogether. The rationale has to do with the inability of ‘pure’ elements to exist in Shayakand as detailed in the cosmology.
For instance; a fire elemental is summoned in Pal Avandi. Over the course of a minute, it is morphed into a very human looking creature. It will be sentient, but have no memory of where it is from or how it arrived. Internally their body of pure fire is losing its purity. All the other ‘elements’ of the universe are taking up residence and appearing at appropriate amounts consistent with everything else in Shayakand. At the end of the process, the elemental appears very human with some marking characteristic such as red hair, pointed ears, webbed hands or some other effect. A residual effect of being an outsider is an ability to ghost or conduct.
The major motivation for the members of this race is to quickly assimilate into the culture of Shayakand, yet there is always a tension making that assimilation difficult. The part of the mind that has some latent sense of being from somewhere else is looking for a way to reverse the effect. Sensing others of their kind, they are fiercely loyal to each other while remaining somewhat detached from every other race. I imagine they find it easier to get along with psionics, perhaps especially those that can teleport.
Questions
How would this tension play itself out culturally? Would they be mentally like children when the conversion is complete? Do they somehow get a sense of identity from the creature that summoned them to Shayakand? (something like stealing a small piece of their memories and linguistic ability). How much/how little would they assimilate into Shayakand culture?
This article contains content for Shayakand, Nevermet Press’ fantasy setting inspired by sources from southeast Asia. Feel free to comment here, write about it on your site, or contact the Lead Designer, John Payne, at sycarion [at] gmail {dot} com. Nevermet Press is all about community driven content, so don’t be shy!
Written by John Payne
Edited by Cassey Toi
Hey, glad you liked the content we put out. Regarding your question about Thought Sense, as an additional skill – it’s still an idea in progress, and, as with all ideas in progress, I’m still considering some other options, like expanding the uses of an existing skill, like Spellcraft, or expanding the uses of Concentration checks.
As we fiddle around with the idea more, you can expect us to put out some more or revised content on the matter.
.-= jerall´s last blog ..Alternate Fighter Class Abilities (Pathfinder) =-.
Very cool concept about the elementals assimilating, first physically and then culturally, into Shayakand. In regard to your questions about “How much/how little would they assimilate into Shayakand culture?” I don’t necessarily think they would be like children–or at least, not for long. To be displaced culturally, physically, and transformed rapidly into essentially a different being than they were before–I think this makes them much more like teenagers than young children! So they’d all be more likely to be rebels without causes, acting out while they try to sort out their new identities. Perhaps groups of Purvaga would then develop their own cultures or sub-cultures in response to their situation, much as teenagers do. I don’t know how a punk movement would fit into Shayakand, but that is what comes to mind: some kind of cultural movement that is partly destructive but also partly creative.
@charley: Teenagers, rebellious and creative. That’s a great idea! Being literally from outside Shayakand, they would need to find a place in the social strata. However, it is a good idea that they either form their own caste or decide to remain outside of it. There is another sentient species, the Atrasuli, that choose to sit outside of society. Having the Purvaga being rebellious and like teenagers would make them great foils for the champions of the lower castes that the Atrasuli are.
Atrasuli, by the way, are werelions. More on them in another post.
@jerall: I look forward to your work. I was thinking that ghosts and conductors may also be able to share sensory information, pain, boons, etc. For example, a ghost has Bear’s Strength cast on him – he could split the bonus with the conductor with the right feat or DC success.
Just a thought. Again, look forward to what you and trashcondor have in mind.
.-= John Payne´s last blog ..Stitchfolk ftom RFED =-.