From: "Larry Hunsaker" Elven High Magi Description: It is believed, though unproven, that the elves are the oldest living race on the Prime Material plane. According to elven religious history, the first gods to create were the elven gods. While other gods argued about how the world would work and look, and who would rule, the elven gods focused on their desire to create others to fellowship with. Those who were enough like them to understand and learn from them. They spend much time developing this race, and finally, after the great Godswar that established the moral alignments and positions of the other gods, the elven gods were ready. They looked upon the worlds the others created and decided that their race would merely live upon it, not be made from it. So elves were formed. From the very blood of the elven gods. Not only did this give their race special powers, but to prevent their children from depending on the world of the other gods, they gave the elves their own special bond, a divine energy that every elf possesses, which connects elves together. This energy is called Lareth, or as it came to be known later, Glaymar. The elves, however, were seduced from their bond of brotherhood by the other gods who were jealous of their special relationship. These gods created races without investing in them the time and power the elven gods invested in their race. The elves warred with each other, drow were banished in this war, and became an eternal obstacle to the elven gods who wished to restore the bond the other gods tried to break. Thus, for eons the gods of the elves have tried to guide their race back to its roots of unity and to become reattuned to their mystic bond. Most elves have only a minor connection to their Glaymar, thus the special elven abilities of Communion and their resistance to sleep/charm come from their limited connection to the Glaymar. Most of its potential, however, is lost to the elves. A few elves, however, have found that connection, and it is strong in them. They can draw upon it and release its power for their use. Because most elves have such a weak connection to their Glaymar, its flow is constricted and it is very difficult to draw it out. This is why only a few strong elves can do so, others are just too weak to draw the Glaymar. The more elves discover their inner power, the more the Glaymar will flow and the more elves will be able to use it. This is the hope of the elven gods, for their children to rediscover their power and reclaim their place in the world. At the moment, however, the elves seem to be slipping even further into the darkness. The flow of Glaymar is at an all time low. The elves able to use it are so rare, that most are found at Evermeet, the home of the elves. Because of their special station and ability, these elves are highly revered. It was the high magi who discovered the elven secret of Bladesinging, and the art of the bladesinger. It is believed they keep it a secret from non-elves for fear it will be used against them, but the truth is that only an elf has enough Glaymar, even if but a small amount, to learn it correctly. It is the high magi who are the prime defenders of elvenkind. Their goal is to see the elven race back on top and in dominance as it was long ago. They try to teach elves to find their Glaymar, and strive to mediate elven conflicts with other elves. High magi require a 16 INT and 18 WIS. If these stats ever drop below this minimum, even temporarily, the high magi loses his connection to his Glaymar and becomes powerless until the stats are returned to at least the minimum levels. Special powers: Elven high magi do not have or use spell points as do normal mages or priests. Instead, they use the power of the Glaymar. They advance as a mage and use the exact same tables and restrictions, but their power is not spell point power. They learn and cast the same spells as a mage, although they have certain special spells that only Glaymar can power. They cannot specialize in a school or philosophy, though they can do so with individual spells. They can learn spells above their level as can other mages, and if single classed, can also boost their spells. They have a spell level limit of 1/2 their level, so a 5th level high mage has a normal spell level limit of 3rd level spells(he can still try to learn spells above this limit, like other mages, of course). They don't get spell points like mages, however, instead they use the Glaymar. Spells cost the same amount of Glaymar points as it would spell points. The way a high mage uses his spells is to gather Glaymar, and then release it into a chosen spell. The Gathering: High magi must spend some time, just before they cast a spell, gathering the amount of Glaymar they want to cast that spell. If they are interrupted during this time, their effort is ruined just as when casting a spell. The gathered Glaymar simply dissipates harmlessly. It may take a few extra rounds to draw the appropriate amount of Glaymar before the spell can be cast. Glaymar cannot be held by the high magi, so it must be used in a spell immediately after gathering it or it dissipates harmlessly away. High magi gather Glaymar at a rate proportional to their level and the elven presence around them. Since all elves possess the Glaymar, the more elves in the area, the higher the Glaymar level and the faster it can be gathered by a high mage. Each high mage has a "reach", out to which he can draw in Glaymar. This "reach" is a 25 mile radius per level of the high mage. To find the rate at which Glaymar can be gathered, determine the number of elven "levels" within the magi's reach. A 3rd level elf has 3 elven levels, while normal elves have 1. Half-elves count as 1/2 an elf, so a 6th level half-elf has 3 elven levels. Any elf counts, including the high mage himself. Even drow have Glaymar, and are counted as elves for this calculation. For those who want to be precise, I give a number heavy way to find the Glaymar gathering rate, for the rest, I give an easier way at the end. To find out how many elven "levels" are within the high magi's "reach", you need to know about the general population density. A typical human population density(average) is about 1 person per square mile. So if you know the % of elves in this population, you can find the number of elven "levels". Assume an average level of 1. Elven lands have less people than do human lands, about 1 elf per 3 square miles. Remember that the magi adds his own level to this total, as he can draw on his own Glaymar. # of elven "levels" within "reach": Glaymar points gathered per round: Less than 10 0-high mage cannot gather any Glaymar 10-100 1 point per round 101-1000 1 + 1/6 levels points per round 1001-10,000 1 + 1/5 levels points per round 10,001-100,000 1 + 1/4 levels points per round 100,001 + 1 + 1/3 levels points per round Thus, a 1st level high magi in an elven land has about 650 elven "levels" in his "reach". Using the above chart, he can gather 1 + 1/6 levels in Glaymar points per round he spends gathering. At his level, 1st, he can only gather 1 point per round. If he were 6th level he could gather 2 points per round. High magi spend the required number of rounds gathering enough Glaymar they need or want to cast the desired spell. When enough points are gathered, the magi infuses the spell with them, and casts it. If a high magi finishes his gathering before the current round he is in is up, he can begin casting the spell in that round, but it may carry over into the next round. To determine when such a spell occurs, simply add to its casting time(CT) the extra amount of time the high mage gathered that round. To find this, divide the number of points gathered that round the spell is begun by the max. he could normally gather per round. Then multiply this by 10, rounding off, to get the extra time, in segments, added to the CT of the spell. A 6th level high magi, who can gather 2 points per round, wants to cast a 3rd level fireball. He wants it to be a 10d6 fireball, so decides to boost his level by 4. He must, therefore, gather 7 points total to cast this spell. He spends the 1st, 3 rounds gathering, and in the 4th, he only needs to gather 1 point, so he uses the rest of the round to begin casting his fireball. The normal CT of fireball is 3, but boosting it with 4 points adds 4 so its CT is now 7. The fact that the high magi gathered a little this round also adds to the CT. Using the formula, this extra CT is 1(points gathered this round when the spell is being cast)X10/2(max. points he could gather per round) =3D 5. So the final CT is 12. A CT of 10 =3D 1 round, so the spell goes off the next round, round 5, with a 2 CT. Disadvantages: Although the high magi can effectively cast an "unlimited" number of spells as he has no spell point limit, the gathering process is not an easy one. Gathering taxes the magi, costing 1 fatigue point per point gathered. Thus, the magi will need to rest a bit between prolonged use of his gathering power. The other obvious disadvantage is the prolonged casting time required. High magi are best casting in non-combat situations, where time is not such a factor. High magi are still limited to the number of spells they can hold in their mind(memorize) as are normal mages-see web page. They don't need to meditate to regain lost spell points, because they don't have any, but every day a high magi fails to get adequate rest, his gathering power is reduced 1 point per round. This could reduce the gathering to 0 or less, which means the magi cannot gather Glaymar until he rests and removes these penalties. Other: Because of current Glaymar levels(low), high magi are limited to 12th level. This cannot be extended by any means short of the increase of Glaymar. Elves have suffered many set backs universe wide, until they recover and get stronger, the Glaymar level will not increase, and may continue to decrease, limiting high magi levels even more. Quick Glaymar gathering calculation: The following table gives the level range for each gathering rate in 4 settings: Gathering Rate: Human(1%elf) Human(10%elf) Elven Evermeet 1 1 - - - 1+1/6 levels 2-7 1-2 1 - 1+1/5 levels 8-12 3-7 2-3 1-2 1+1/4 levels - 8-12 4-12 3-7 1+1/3 levels - - - 8-12 Thus, in a human land with about 1% elven population, a typical AD&D setting, a 1st level high magi has a gathering rate of 1. 2nd-7th level high magi in the same land have a gathering rate of 1+1/6 levels. Finally, high magi of 8th level or higher(up to level limit of 12) in this same land would have a rate of 1+1/5 levels.