Magic

The Topaz Order is not particularly secretive, but it is not large either. All but the most isolated clerics of Heironeous know of the order, but only those clerics who happen to serve in towns near chapter houses of the order know where members can be found. Clerics of temples of Heironeous located in large cities (or large towns, if the region is subject to aberration activity) host chapters. Clerics of temples in large towns (or larger communities) can point inquirers toward likely locations for Topaz Order chapter houses, while clerics of temples in smaller towns must ask their fellows in larger or more centrally located shrines to fi nd out where inquiries should be directed.

TOPA Z GUARDIAN LORE

The Topaz Order is closely affi liated with the church of Heironeous. Characters who succeed on a Knowledge (religion) check can learn the following information, including the information from lower DCs. DC 10: “The church of Heironeous sponsors a knightly order known as the Topaz Order.” DC 15: “Knights of the Topaz Order are dedicated to fi ghting evil monsters such as mind fl ayers or aboleths. Members of the Topaz Order work to organize the defenses of humankind against these monsters, and they mount expeditions to go underground and burn out any outposts they fi nd.” DC 20: “The elite champions of the Topaz Order are known as topaz guardians. Each one carries a special topaz diadem, a magic gem that protects him against evil magic. They’re experts in fi ghting mind fl ayers and other aberrations.” DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success learn important details about specifi c guardians, their exploits, and their enemies.

TOPA Z GUARDIANS IN THE GAME

The Topaz Order serves as an excellent patron or sponsor for adventuring parties fi ghting aberration threats. Even if none of the PCs belong to the order, farsighted members always look out for good-hearted and capable heroes who can be rallied against aberration incursions. The topaz guardian prestige class appeals to players who like to roleplay virtuous and determined heroes, such as paladins or lawful good clerics or monks. Make sure you give the player the opportunity to be pious, dedicated, and courageous in the face of the foulest horror. The player of a topaz guardian doesn’t want to deal with a quagmire of moral ambiguities and hard choices; he wants the opportunity for his character to confront evil and pound it into jelly with his bastard sword. Your adventures don’t have to be simple-minded or absolutely lacking in shades of meaning—make sure you don’t run too many adventures that force the PC to choose between evils or make it impossible for him to act courageously and confi dently.

Adaptation

While the Topaz Order is presented as an arm of the temple of

Heironeous here, there is no reason you couldn’t make them followers of any lawful good deity. In the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting, the deities Tyr, Helm, or Torm serve as good patrons for the Holy Order of the Supernal Topaz Defenders. In the EBERRON setting, the Church of the Silver Flame boasts the greatest number of topaz defenders, who are joined in their battles by adherents of Boldrei and Dol Arrah of the Sovereign Host.

Encounters

Topaz guardians are most commonly encountered as potential allies for the heroes, especially when the heroes are taking on mind fl ayers or other master aberrations. On occasion, topaz guardians might attempt to discourage adventurers from provoking aberrations that are too strong to be dealt with.

For example, a topaz guardian might try to stop a party from unsealing a portal leading to a powerful mind fl ayer stronghold if he doesn’t think he can defeat the mind fl ayer response. A sample topaz guardian appears in the description of the

Topaz Order on page 221.

M AGIC

While master aberrations have unique and deadly spells and magic items all their own, humanoids associated with aberrations—alienists, cultists, minions, spies, or dedicated hunters—also wield specialized magic in the service of or in opposition to the master aberrations. Aberration deities spawn horrible new cleric domains that some cultists make use of; both aberration spellcasters and aberration hunters create new spells of all sorts; and fi nally, aberrations know the secrets of many magic items, including various grafts and “improvements” that are sometimes infl icted on humanoids. Spells marked with an asterisk (*) are found in this chapter.

BARD SPELLS

3rd-Level Bard Spell

Invoke the Cerulean Sign*: Aberrations become sickened, nauseated, dazed, or stunned.

5th-Level Bard Spell

Morality Undone*: Subject becomes evil.

CLERIC SPELLS

2nd-Level Cleric Spells

Darkbolt*: Deals 1d8 damage/2 levels and stuns 1 round.

Detect Aberration*: Detect the presence of aberrations.

3rd-Level Cleric Spell

Invoke the Cerulean Sign*: Aberrations become sickened, nauseated, dazed, or stunned.

4th-Level Cleric Spell

Damning Darkness*: Darkness deals either 2d6 or 1d6 damage per round.

5th-Level Cleric Spell

Morality Undone*: Subject becomes evil.

8th-Level Cleric Spells

Befoul*: Large amount of water becomes poisonous.

Brain Spider*: Eavesdrop on thoughts of up to eight other creatures.

9th-Level Cleric Spell

Despoil*: Kills plants, damages objects in 100-ft. radius/ level.

CORRUPTION DOM AIN

Deities: Ghaunadaur, the Patient One. Granted Power: Once per day, as a standard action, you can use corrupting touch by making a melee touch attack. Corrupting touch deals 1d6 points of damage per two levels and causes the target to become sickened for 1 round. Corrupting touch works only on living creatures. 3 Blast of Force*: Ray deals 1d6 damage/2 caster levels (max 5d6). 4 Otiluke’s Resilient SphereM: Force globe protects but traps one subject. 5 Wall of ForceM: Wall is immune to damage. 6 Repulsion: Creatures can’t approach you. 7 ForcecageM: Cube or cage of force imprisons all inside. 8 Otiluke’s Telekinetic SphereM: As Otiluke’s resilient sphere, but you move sphere telekinetically. 9 Bigby’s Crushing HandM: Large hand provides cover, pushes, or crushes your foes.

HATRED DOM AIN

Deities: Ghaunadaur, the Great Mother. Granted Power: Choose one opponent. Against that opponent you gain a +2 profane bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, and Armor Class for 1 minute. This supernatural ability is usable once per day as a free action.

Corruption Domain Spells 1 Doom: One subject takes –2 penalty on attacks, damage, saves, and checks. 2 Blindness/Deafness: Makes subject blind or deaf. 3 Contagion: Infects subject with chosen disease. 4 Morality Undone*: Subject becomes evil. 5 Feeblemind: Subject’s Int drops to 1. 6 Pox*: One creature/level takes 1d4 Con drain. 7 Insanity: Subject suffers from continuous confusion. 8 Befoul*: Large amount of water becomes poisonous. 9 Despoil*: Kills plants, damages objects in 100-ft. radius/level.

FORCE DOM AIN

Deity: Tharizdun. Granted Power: By manipulating cosmic forces of inertia and force, once per day you can reroll any damage roll (for a weapon, a spell, or an ability) and take the better of the two rolls. This granted power is considered a supernatural ability. Hatred Domain Spells 1 Doom: One subject takes –2 on attack rolls, damage rolls, saves, and checks. 2 Scare: Panics creatures of less than 6 HD. 3 Bestow Curse: Subject takes –6 penalty to an ability score; –4 penalty on attack rolls, saves and checks; or 50% chance of losing each action. 4 Song of Discord: Forces targets to attack each other. 5 Righteous Might: Your size increases, and you gain combat bonuses. 6 ForbiddanceM: Blocks planar travel, damages creatures of different alignment. 7 Blasphemy: Kills, paralyzes, weakens, or dazes nonevil subjects. 8 Antipathy: Object or location affected by spell repels certain creatures. 9 Wail of the Banshee: Kills one creature/level.

M ADNESS DOM AIN

Force Domain Spells 1 Mage ArmorF: Gives subject +4 armor bonus. 2 Magic Missile: 1d4+1 damage; +1 missile per two levels above 1st (max 5).

A cleric of Tharizdun calls upon the Deities: Erythnul, Mak Thuum Ngatha, power of the Madness domain Tharizdun, Vecna. Granted Power: You are slowly going insane. Subtract 1 from all Wisdom-based skill checks (such as Listen checks) and all Will saves. Once per day, you can act with the clarity of true madness. Add half your level to a single Wisdom-based skill check or Will save. Choose to use this power before the roll is made.

Illus. by M. Cotie

Madness Domain Spells 1 Confusion, Lesser: One creature acts randomly for 1 round. 2 Touch of Madness: Dazes one creature for 1 round/ level. 3 Rage: Subject gains +2 to Str and Con, +1 on Will saves, –2 to AC. 4 Confusion: Makes subject behave oddly for 1 round/level. 5 Bolts of Bedevilment*: One ray/round, dazes 1d3 rounds. 6 Phantasmal Killer: Fearsome illusion kills one creature or deals 3d6 damage. 7 Insanity: Subject suffers from continuous confusion. 8 Maddening Scream*: Subject has –4 AC, no shield, Refl ex save on 20 only. 9 Weird: As phantasmal killer, but affects all within 30 feet.

MIND DOM AIN

Deities: Boccob, Ilsensine, Olidammara, Wee Jas. Granted Power: You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive checks.

Mind Domain Spells 1 Comprehend Languages: Understand all spoken and written languages. 2 Detect Thoughts: Allows “listening” to surface thoughts. 3 Lesser Telepathic Bond: Link with subject within 30 ft. for 10 min./level. 4 Discern Lies: Reveals deliberate falsehoods. 5 Rary’s Telepathic Bond: Lets all allies communicate. 6 Probe Thoughts*: Read subject’s memories, one question/ round. 7 Brain Spider*: Eavesdrop on thoughts of up to eight other creatures. 8 Mind Blank: Subject is immune to mental/emotional magic and scrying. 9 Weird: As phantasmal killer, but affects all within 30 feet.

VILE DARKNESS DOM AIN

Deity: The Patient One. Granted Power: You gain the Blind-fi ght feat.

Note: This domain description is a revision of the Darkness domain presented in Book of Vile Darkness.

Vile Darkness Domain Spells 1 Darkvision: See 60 ft. in total darkness. 2 Darkbolt*: Deals 1d8 damage/2 levels and stuns 1 round. 3 Deeper Darkness: Object sheds absolute darkness in a 60-ft. radius. 4 Damning Darkness*: Darkness deals either 2d6 or 1d6 damage per round. 5 Evard’s Black Tentacles: 1d4+1/level tentacles grapple randomly within 15 ft. 6 Wall of Force: Wall manifests as an opaque black wall, is immune to damage. 7 Shadow Walk: Step into shadow to travel rapidly. 8 Utterdark*: 100-ft./level radius of darkness that evil creatures can see through. 9 Screen: Illusion hides area from vision, scrying.

DRUID SPELLS

2nd-Level Druid Spells

Detect Aberration*: Detect the presence of aberrations.

Invoke the Cerulean Sign*: Aberrations become sickened, nauseated, dazed, or stunned.

3rd-Level Druid Spell

Nature’s Purity*: Ray deals 2d6 force damage to undead and 5d6 to aberrations.

6th-Level Druid Spell

Pox*: One creature/level takes 1d4 Con drain.

PAL ADIN SPELL

3rd-Level Paladin Spell

Invoke the Cerulean Sign*: Aberrations become sickened, nauseated, dazed, or stunned.

R ANGER SPELL

2nd-Level Ranger Spell

Invoke the Cerulean Sign*: Aberrations become sickened, nauseated, dazed, or stunned.

SORCERER / WIZARD SPELLS

2nd-Level Sorcerer/ Wizard Spells

Div Detect Aberration*: Detect the presence of aberrations.

Evoc Darkbolt*: Deals 1d8 damage/2 levels and stuns 1 round.

3rd-Level Sorcerer/ Wizard Spells

Evoc Invoke the Cerulean Sign*: Aberrations become sickened, nauseated, dazed, or stunned.

Trans Arms of Plenty*: Grow two additional arms. Undulant Innards*: Gain immunity to extra damage from critical hits and sneak attacks.

4th-Level Sorcerer/ Wizard Spell

Evoc Damning Darkness*: Darkness deals either 2d6 or 1d6 damage per round.

6th-Level Sorcerer/ Wizard Spell

Div Probe Thoughts*: Read subject’s memories, one question/round.

9th-Level Sorcerer/ Wizard Spells

Conj Utterdark*: 100-ft./level radius of darkness that evil creatures can see through.

Evoc Invoke Magic*: Momentarily negate antimagic effects.