SDL1822 - Paths of Shadow - In Pursuit of Power v2.pdf

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<INSERT ILLO 1; INCANTATION; 6 X 9;
SPIRITO>
In
Pursuit
Of
Power
Paths of Shadow
for
Shadow of the Demon Lord
Writing, Design, and Art Direction:
Robert J. Schwalb
Editing:
Tom Cadorette
Proofreading:
Jay Spight
Layout:
Kara Hamilton
Graphic Design:
Kara Hamilton
and Hal Mangold
Cover Art:
Matteo Spirito
Illustrations:
Jack Kaiser, Katerina Ladon,
Mirco Paganessi, Matteo Spirito, Kim Van Deun,
Andrey Vasilchenko, and Britt Martin
Playtesters:
William Buxton, Hayden Clapham,
and James Hallinan
In Pursuit of Power
is © 2018 Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.
All rights reserved.
Shadow of the Demon Lord, Paths of Shadow,
In Pursuit of Power,
Schwalb Entertainment,
and their associated logos are trademarks of
Schwalb Entertainment, LLC.
S
chwalb
E
ntErtainmEnt
, llc
~Credits~
PO Box #12548
Murfreesboro, TN 37129
info@schwalbentertainment.com www.schwalbentertainment.com
Table of Contents
Becoming a Magician ... 3
Tradition Talents...........6
Magician Story Development ...4
Air Talents ................................... 7
Alchemy Talents........................ 7
Alteration Talents .....................8
Arcana Talents ...........................8
Battle Talents ..............................9
Celestial Talents ........................9
Chaos Talents .............................9
Conjuration Talents ................11
Curse Talents.............................11
Death Talents ............................11
Demonology Talents .............. 12
Destruction Talents ................ 12
Divination Talents .................. 12
Earth Talents .............................13
Enchantment Talents............. 14
Fey Talents ................................ 14
Fire Talents ............................... 14
Forbidden Talents ....................15
Illusion Talents .........................15
Invocation Talents ...................15
Life Talents ............................... 16
Madness Talents...................... 16
Metal Talents .............................17
Nature Talents...........................17
Necromancy Talents............... 18
Order Talents ........................... 18
Primal Talents .......................... 19
Protection Talents ................... 19
Rune Talents............................. 19
Shadow Talents ...................... 20
Song Talents ............................. 21
Soul Talents .............................. 21
Spiritualism Talents ............... 21
Storm Talents ...........................22
Technomancy Talents............ 23
Telekinesis Talents ................. 23
Telepathy Talents ....................24
Teleportation Talents .............24
Theurgy Talents ...................... 25
Time Talents............................. 25
Transformation Talents.........26
Water Talents ...........................26
1
Introduction
A young woman runs her fingers over strange diagrams and twisting runes.
A clockwork, newly awoken, discovers the magic binding its soul to its
mechanical body responds to its will. A halfling in a busy tavern clutches
at his head, struggling to drown out the voices in his head that he is almost
sure are the thoughts of those sitting around him. A goblin slips through
the gap between two stone doors to find a tomb, and seated atop the
sarcophagus within is a withered old man, his dry flesh cracking and falling
away as he smiles at his newest apprentice. These and countless others
represent just some of the ways the people of Urth might take their first
step on the path to magical power.
Magic’s allure draws people from all ancestries, cultures, and civilizations
into its embrace. Magic promises to bend reality, to make possible the
impossible, to level the field between weak and strong, making the lowly
as powerful as those who rule them. Magic can bend minds, produce fire,
shape nature, and do so much more—there is little that magic cannot
accomplish, in the right hands. But there is also no limit to the horror that
can be worked when it finds its way into the wrong hands.
By itself, magic does nothing. It exists as a field of potential energy
enveloping reality, the afterbirth of those creative forces responsible
for bringing the universe into existence; to apprehend and shape it into
useful forms requires the use of a tool. Such tools could be an enchanted
object, a relic, or a strange concoction brewed in a laboratory. Most of its
practitioners, however, know magic through spells. A spell acts as a “device”
designed to channel a certain amount of magical energy in a patterned way
in order to consistently produce a desired effect. The greater one’s mastery
of magic, the greater the tools he or she can use. To truly realize magic’s full
potential requires a lifetime of study, practice, and work.
Magicians are those individuals who have committed their lives to
learning and mastering magic. This supplement examines this novice path
and introduces a host of customization options to make it even more diverse
and interesting. At its core,
In Pursuit of Power
aims to make the first steps
taken toward mastering magic more meaningful for a novice character,
ensuring the circumstances of revelation help shape his or her identity over
the course of play.
This supplement references material from outside the main rulebook.
The
Demon Lord’s Companion
reveals the Alchemy, Death, Demonology,
Spiritualism, Telekinesis, and Telepathy traditions. The Fey tradition is
described in
Terrible Beauty.
The
Demon Lord’s Companion 2
covers the
Invocation, Metal, Order, and Soul traditions.
Finally, some reference is made to the Madness tradition, which will be
fully revealed in
Occult Philosophy,
along with several new traditions, a great
many new spells, and other significant expansions to
Shadow.
2
Becoming a Magician
Nearly every being on Urth possesses the potential to wield magic. Its
various peoples, however, are the most likely to make use of spells and
other magical tools necessary for channeling its energies. Some might
discover a knack for magic early in life. A moment of extreme stress might
burst open the floodgates, manifesting as weird lights, eerie noises, and
impossible happenings surrounding the novice until he or she somehow
regains control. Others might learn magic in an academic setting, studying
alongside fellow apprentices to commit spells taught by master magicians
to memory.
The roads to magical mastery are many, but each requires one to take the
first step, to make the necessary discovery that makes it possible to learn
spells. A magician’s training most often describes how he or she discovers
the first tradition. A student in a magical institution might discover Arcana
first, while an initiate in a coven begins by discovering Life. Similarly,
a pupil under the tutelage of a faerie might discover Enchantment or
Fey, while a cultist unearths the secrets of Forbidden magic from some
horrific entity. Once they set down the path of discovery, magicians begin
to encounter other new traditions as well, as they work to broaden their
understanding or focus their learning on their first tradition in order to
become masters of it in their own right.
The events, circumstances, and decisions you make during your starting
adventure could suggest the magician path when you make your choice
at the novice level. You might have uncovered an old grimoire filled with
magical secrets, encountered or befriended a faerie who promises to teach
you magic in exchange for your help, or stumbled across some strange
magical device whose potential you are only just now discovering.
Magicians can play almost any role in a group depending on the
traditions they discover. Some fight alongside warriors to defeat their
enemies, while others rain fire and death on their foes from afar. Others use
magic to heal and bolster their companions. Some become manipulators,
tricksters, makers of magical objects—or do, really, anything they wish. No
matter what role they fill, magicians can always change course, becoming
whatever they need to be.
The Magician Story Development table offers ways to explain how and
why you follow the magician path. You can use this table if a lot of game time
passes between your starting adventure and the beginning of your novice
path. You can also use this table if you’re creating a character to join an
established group of higher-level characters. Of course, if you prefer, you can
always make up your own explanation, using the table results as inspiration.
3

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