How many schools of magic are there in D&D?

There are eight classic schools of magic in Dungeons & Dragons, as originally named in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: abjuration, alteration, conjuration, divination, enchantment, illusion, invocation, and necromancy.

What is shadow magic in D&D?

Shadow magic, also called cold magic or Talfirian magic, was a type of Weave-based arcane magic that channeled power from the Plane of Shadow .

What are the 4 types of magic?

So you can see we have hard-rational, hard-irrational, soft-irrational, and soft-rational magic systems. Those are the four types.

What is the highest level of magic in D&D?

The highest level of magic that any magic caster could achieve is the powerful 9th level spells . Most Players rarely get a chance to use 9th level spells as it requires the magic caster to reach 17th level at the minimum.

How many magic schools are there?

It is worth noting that the eleven wizarding schools mentioned in canon are not the only ones in the world. There are many other smaller wizarding schools around the world for children who cannot or don't want to attend the "Great 11". Africa is said to encompass many smaller schools beside Uagadou.

How many official D&D classes are there?

D&D 5E lists twelve classes that you can choose from in the Player's Handbook. Expansion books and special D&D settings give plenty of options if you don't find what you are looking for, but these twelve classes are especially good choices for new players.

How many DnD levels are there?

The tiers are split into four levels , each representing roughly a quarter of the 20 character levels available. Tier 1 (levels 1-4) is considered Local Heroes, with low-level monsters and challenges. Tier 2 (levels 5-10) is considered Heroes of the Region, requiring more strategy such as puzzles or traps to overcome.

How many guilds are there in magic?

The Guilds are a group of people from the city and plane of Ravnica. There are ten guilds in all , 1 for each combination of 2 colors of mana. They feature throughout the Ravnica block, the Return to Ravnica block, and the Guilds of Ravnica block.

(ENG) D&D 3.5 Ed. - Tome of Magic - Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic

6109536570001 EN Tome of Magic Overall Width: 19 x 12 3/8 Matthew Sernett Matthew Sernett Ari Marmell David Noonan Robert J. Schwalb Ari Marmell David Noonan Robert J. Schwalb Visit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd Unlock the Magical Power of Unlock the Magical Power of Vestiges, Shadows, and Syllables Vestiges, Shadows, and Syllables The Tome of Magic Supplement supplement presents three new kinds of magic that you can integrate easily into any DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® campaign. These magic “subsystems” function alongside the existing D&D® magic system and offer new game mechanics, character options, and adventure possibilities. Within this tome you’ll fi nd three new standard classes—one for each new kind of magic— as well as new spells, feats, prestige classes, monsters, and magic items tied thematically to each. Pact Magic Powerful entities known as vestiges exist beyond the boundaries of life, death, and undeath. The binder uses pact magic—a combination of symbols and secret rituals—to summon these entities, strike bargains with them, and gain their formidable and sometimes bizarre supernatural powers. Shadow Magic The Plane of Shadow is a dark, twisted refl ection of The Plane of Shadow is a dark, twisted refl ection of the real world. The shadowcaster, by understanding the fundamental properties of the plane and unlocking its magical mysteries, learns to harness and channel its umbral gloom, shaping the darkness to serve her whim. Truename Magic Every creature has a truename—the word of its creation. The truenamer knows the primal language of the universe—the language of Truespeech—and learns the truenames of creatures and objects to gain control over them, transform them, or destroy them. For use with these For use with these DUNGEONS UNGEONS & DRAGONS® core books Player’s Handbook Player’s Handbook™ Dungeon Master’s Guide Dungeon Master’s Guide™ Monster Manual Monster Manual™ 3d]VT^]b3aPV^]b ¤ EAN Sug. Retail: U.S. 39.95 CAN 54.95 ISBN 10: 0-7869-3909-5 ISBN 13: 978-0-7869-3909-1 953657200 Printed in the U.S.A. 610_953657_ToM.indd 1 12/23/05 9:55:20 AM 12/23/05 9:55:20 AM

95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 1 1/4/06 9:59:37 AM

CREDITS Visit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd DESIGNERS MATTHEW SERNETT, ARI MARMELL, DAVID NOONAN, ROBERT J. SCHWALB DEVELOPMENT TEAM ANDY COLLINS, JESSE DECKER, MIKE DONAIS, STEVE SCHUBERT, ROB WATKINS EDITORS CHRIS THOMASSON, M. ALEXANDER JURKAT, PENNY WILLIAMS EDITING MANAGER KIM MOHAN DESIGN MANAGER CHRISTOPHER PERKINS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER JESSE DECKER DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D BILL SLAVICSEK PRODUCTION MANAGERS JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS SENIOR ART DIRECTOR RPG R&D STACY LONGSTREET ART DIRECTOR D&D KARIN JAQUES COVER ARTIST TODD LOCKWOOD INTERIOR ARTISTS ED COX, CARL CRITCHLOW, DAARKEN, WAYNE ENGLAND, CARL FRANK, BRIAN HAGAN, MICHAEL KOMARCK, HOWARD LYON, CHRIS MALIDORE, RAVEN MIMURA, LUCIO PARRILLO, MICHAEL PHILLIPPI, ERIC POLAK, STEVE PRESCOTT, SCOTT ROLLER, JOEL THOMAS, FRANCIS TSAI, FRANZ VOHWINKEL, JAMES ZHANG CARTOGRAPHER MIKE SCHLEY GRAPHIC DESIGNER KARIN JAQUES GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST ANGELIKA LOKOTZ IMAGE TECHNICIAN CHRISTINA WYLIE Some information in this book is taken from or derived from “Lord of Darkness” by Nicholas J. Thalasinos and “Shadow’s City” by Phillip Larwood, both originally presented in issue #322 of Dragon Magazine. Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison. This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision. This WIZARDS OF THE COAST® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit www. wizards.com/d20 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, DUNGEON MASTER, d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Monster Manual, Tome of Magic, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2006 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICA Wizards of the Coast, Inc. P.O. Box 707 Renton, WA 98057-0707 (Questions?) 1-800-324-6496 EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS Hasbro UK Ltd Caswell Way Newport, Gwent NP9 0YH GREAT BRITAIN 620–95365720–001–EN Please keep this address for your records 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN-10: 0-7869-3909-5 First Printing: March 2006 ISBN-13: 978-0-7869-3909-1 2

CONTENTS Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Pact Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Lesser Pact Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 The Methods of Pact Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Learning Pact Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 The Binder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 The Vestiges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Choosing a Vestige . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Making a Pact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Multiple Vestiges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Vestige Descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Acererak, the Devourer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Agares, Truth Betrayed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Amon, the Void before the Altar . . . . . . . .21 Andras, the Gray Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Andromalius, the Repentant Rogue . . . . .23 Aym, Queen Avarice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Balam, the Bitter Angel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Buer, Grandmother Huntress . . . . . . . . . . .26 Chupoclops, Harbinger of Forever . . . . . .26 Dahlver-Nar, the Tortured One . . . . . . . . .27 Dantalion, the Star Emperor . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Eligor, Dragon’s Slayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Eurynome, Mother of the Material . . . . . .30 Focalor, Prince of Tears . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Geryon, the Deposed Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Haagenti, Mother of Minotaurs . . . . . . . . .33 Halphax, the Angel in the Angle . . . . . . . .34 Haures, the Dreaming Duke . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Ipos, Prince of Fools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Karsus, Hubris in the Blood . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Leraje, the Green Herald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Malphas, the Turnfeather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Marchosias, King of Killers . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Naberius, the Grinning Hound . . . . . . . . .41 Orthos, Sovereign of the Howling Dark .42 Otiax, the Key to the Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Paimon, the Dancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Ronove, the Iron Maiden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Savnok, the Instigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Shax, Sea Sister . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Tenebrous, the Shadow That Was . . . . . . . .48 Zagan, Duke of Disappointment . . . . . . . .48 Pact Magic Prestige Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Anima Mage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Knight of the Sacred Seal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Scion of Dantalion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Tenebrous Apostate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Witch Slayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Pact Magic Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Pact Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Chime of Suppression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Implements of Binding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Soul Lens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76 Seal of the Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Teeth of Dahlver-Nar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 Vestige Phylactery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Pact Magic Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Deadly Dancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 Deathshead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 Horned Beast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Karsite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 Roving Mauler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 Swarm, Murder of Crows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 Tooth Beast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Pact Magic Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 The Order of Seropaenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 Theurgian Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94 Pact Magic Adventure Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 The Hidden Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Tower of Woe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Shadow Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 The Plane of Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 The Methods of Shadow Magic . . . . . . . 109 Lesser Shadow Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 Learning Shadow Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110 The Shadowcaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Shadow Magic Prestige Classes . . . . . . . . . . 117 Child of Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Master of shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Noctumancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Shadowblade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 Shadowsmith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Shadow Magic Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Mysteries and Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Shadow Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Spell Completion and Spell Trigger Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Other Standard Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . 154 New Armor Special Material: Shadow Silk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 New Weapon Special Ability: Shadow Striking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Rings and Wondrous Items . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Shadow Magic Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Dark Creature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Ephemeral Hangman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 Genie, Khayal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162 Shadow Elemental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Shadow Magic Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Nightshade Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167 Tenebrous Cabal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169 Votaries of Vecna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Shadow Magic Adventure Sites . . . . . . . . . . 175 Fark’s Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175 Nightwatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179 Black Spire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185 Truename Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Lesser Truename Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 The Methods of Truename Magic . . . . . . . . 191 Truenames at the Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 Incorporating Truenames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Truename Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193 Learning Truename Magic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 Speaking a Truename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Truespeak (Int; Trained Only) . . . . . . . . 195 Truename Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 Discovering a Personal Truename . . . . . 197 The Truenamer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Truename Magic Prestige Classes . . . . . . . 204 Acolyte of the Ego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Bereft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Brimstone Speaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Disciple of the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216 Fiendbinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221 Truename Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Recitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 Utterances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Speaking an Utterance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Utter Defensively . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Spell Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Personal Truename . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Effective Spell Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 The Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Counterspeaking and Dispelling . . . . . . 234 Lexicons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Lexicon of the Evolving Mind . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Lexicon of the Crafted Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247 Lexicon of the Perfected Map . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Truename Spells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Truename Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Potions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Spell Trigger or Spell Completion Items . 262 Wondrous Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Amulet of the Silver Tongue . . . . . . . . . . 263 Artifacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Book of True Binds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Tome of Truenaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Truename Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Archon, Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Devil, Logokron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265 Garbler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Loquasphinx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 Painspeaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Truename Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Collectors of the Lexicon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Kingmakers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273 Truename Magic Adventure Sites . . . . . . . 276 Vault of Catharandamus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .276 Shrine of Gath-Mal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 3 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 3 1/4/06 9:59:46 AM

agic creates fantasy. Strange creatures and unusual characters can move a tale a step away from reality, but it takes magic—the dragon’s fi ery breath, the wizard’s powerful spell, or some other element beyond reality—to make the leap to truly fantastic tales. The DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game provides countless ways for players and DMs to experience fantasy through magic, but it offers relatively few means by which characters can employ this essential element of the game. Tome of Magic presents three new forms of magic that are unlike any previously offered in the D&D game, and each provides tremendous opportunities for DMs to infuse more fantasy into their campaigns. These new forms of magic can be introduced by incorporating them into ongoing plots and existing characters, or they can form the basis for whole new adventures that would have been impossible using only the standard forms of magic. This introduction describes the features of this book and explains how to use them. After reading it, you can begin your exploration into the new forms of magic with any chapter. USING THIS BOOK This book introduces three new types of magic, each of which is supported by a new standard class, plus prestige classes, feats, magic items, monsters, and effects similar to spells. In this way, Tome of Magic is similar to Expanded Psionics Handbook, but instead of revisiting a concept introduced in previous editions of the game, this book expands upon the topic of magic in brand-new ways. Each of the three types of magic examined in these pages has a long history in fantasy fi ction and has occasionally found its way into the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game in the past. Taking its inspiration from realworld mythology and fantasy fi ction, Tome of Magic revamps these tantalizing tidbits from the game’s history into exciting new magic systems for your game. The new forms of magic are presented in three chapters, one dedicated to each type. The following paragraphs summarize their contents. Pact Magic: Characters who use this form of magic gain power by making pacts with powerful creatures. In realworld legends and literature, evil or foolish mortals usually make such pacts with fi ends, gaining power in exchange for either their souls or unnamed services. This treatment, though intriguing, is rather limited. In particular, the need for practitioners of pact magic to be either evil or very unwise effectively negates its use by player characters and relegates it to NPCs. Thus, the pact magic chapter takes a different approach, providing an enjoyable and balanced way for virtually any character to become involved in pact magic while remaining true to its roots in legend and maintaining its taboo feel. Shadow Magic: Shadow magic exists in the D&D game as a subschool of illusion magic. The FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Setting took the concept further with the creation of the Shadow Weave and the corrupt magic it produces. Tome of Magic presents a wholly different option for shadow magic that connects it more deeply to the Plane of Shadow and fully embraces that realm’s true nature as a dark mirror to the Material Plane. Truename Magic: Truenames have been mentioned in D&D rulebooks and fi ction since the fi rst edition of the game. In this concept of magic, every creature has a truename in addition to its normal name, and anyone who knows its truename gains a measure of power over it. In fantasy fi ction, this concept often takes a broader form, in which even objects possess truenames. The presentation of truename magic in this book takes its cues from both concepts and provides an easy way for both players and DMs to use the concept of truenames in play. ADVICE FOR DMS The prospect of assimilating new forms of magic into your campaign might seem daunting, but the process isn’t as diffi cult as it might seem. First of all, you don’t need to adopt all three forms of magic at once. You could review the material and introduce the one you like best fi rst. Alternatively, you could add just one or two new forms of magic and not use the rest in your campaign at all. But if you do want to introduce all three forms of magic at once, you can do so quite easily. Unlike the relatively common magic of wizards, sorcerers, druids, and clerics, each new form of magic presented in this book is a secret undiscovered by most people. Thus, you can adopt one or all of them on the sly. The PCs might fi nd a book in a treasure hoard or a hidden library that describes a new 4 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 4 1/4/06 9:59:50 AM

form of magic, or they might discover tantalizing hints about it in a mural on the walls of a ruin. Alternatively, they might face a monster that utilizes one of the new forms of magic, or fi nd a magic item related to it. Better still, the PCs could meet a new NPC who practices the magic in question so that they can see it in action before they know much about it. You can even subtly work the magic types into the history of your campaign world—great heroes and villains of legend might have been practitioners, but history ascribed their powers to normal spellcasting or magic items. You can also take a more direct route and introduce the new magic types by allowing players to create new characters using the material presented in this book or add levels in these classes to existing characters. Indeed, giving the players the opportunity to create unique PCs and to have characters who possess more knowledge about the magic types than most NPCs do allows them to feel accomplished and powerful. In addition, being the ones “in the know” gives the players ownership over these concepts. For more specifi c ideas about incorporating these new forms of magic into your game, check out the beginning of each chapter. ADVICE FOR PLAYERS You can get a lot of use from this product as a player. By creating a character that uses one of the new forms of magic presented in these pages (or having your PC take a level in one of the standard classes from this book), you can bring a host of new ideas, tactics, and roleplaying opportunities to the gaming table. You can surprise friends and foes alike with your new abilities, and plumb new depths of the campaign world in the process of seeking out more information about your chosen type of magic. As with any new game element, you should consult your DM before you start using this material. Your experience using your chosen form of magic will be greatly enhanced if the DM understands the rules and builds a place for it in her game. For more specifi c ideas about how your character can use the new forms of magic, check out the beginning of each chapter. The sections describing the new standard classes and prestige classes also provide a wealth of suggestions about roleplaying, character background, tactics, and advancement choices. WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY Tome of Magic makes use of the information in the three D&D core rulebooks—Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual. Though no other books are strictly necessary, certain ones might increase your enjoyment of this product. Most notably, Manual of the Planes and Planar Handbook provide cool material about the Plane of Shadow that adds value to the chapter on shadow magic, and Draconomicon, Libris Mortis, and Savage Species offer feats that might prove useful to certain practitioners of pact magic. SWIFT AND IMMEDIATE ACTIONS The Miniatures Handbook introduced the concept of a new action type: the swift action. Likewise, the Expanded Psionics Handbook introduced another new action type: the immediate action. Some of the class features, feats, granted abilities of vestiges, shadow magic mysteries, and truename magic utterances described in Tome of Magic use these concepts. A description of how they work follows. Swift Actions: A swift action consumes a very small amount of time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. You can perform one swift action per turn without affecting your ability to perform other actions. In that regard, a swift action is like a free action. However, you can perform only a single swift action per turn, regardless of what other actions you take. You can take a swift action any time you would normally be allowed to take a free action. Since swift actions usually involve magic or psionics, or the activation of magic or psionic items, many characters (especially those who don’t use magic or psionics) will never have an opportunity to take a swift action. Casting a quickened spell or a quickened shadow magic mystery, or speaking a quickened truename magic utterance, or manifesting a quickened psionic power, is a swift action. In addition, casting any spell or manifesting any power with a casting time or manifesting time of 1 swift action is a swift action. Casting a spell or manifesting a power with a casting or manifesting time of 1 swift action does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Immediate Actions: Much like a swift action, an immediate action consumes a very small amount of time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. Unlike a swift action, an immediate action can be performed at any time—even if it’s not your turn. Using an immediate action on your turn is the same as using a swift action, and counts as your swift action for that turn. You cannot use another immediate action or a swift action until after your next turn if you have used an immediate action when it is not currently your turn (effectively, using an immediate action before your turn is equivalent to using your swift action for the coming turn). You also cannot use an immediate action if you are currently flat-footed. Under these rules, casting a feather fall spell is an immediate action (not a free action, as stated in the spell description in the Player’s Handbook). Magic Items and Potions: Activating a spell completion item, activating a spell trigger item, or drinking a potion is a standard action, even if the spell or mystery from which the scroll, potion, or item is made can be cast as a swift action. 5 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 5 1/4/06 9:59:54 AM

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eings that cannot exist inhabit a place that cannot be. Cursed by gods and feared by mortals, these entities fall outside the boundaries of life, death, and undeath. They are untouchable by even the most powerful deities, though they can be summoned and used by the weakest mortal. The practitioner of pact magic contacts these alien forces by means of special symbols and rituals. Once a summoning is complete, he strikes a bargain with the summoned being to gain great supernatural power. This chapter of Tome of Magic provides all the information you need to use pact magic in your game, whether as a player or as a DM. It details a standard class and several prestige classes for PCs and NPCs, feats for users of pact magic and others, and related magic items that characters can make or discover in their adventures. In addition, DMs might fi nd many uses for the strange monsters associated with pact magic, the descriptions of the organizations that either employ it or battle those who do, and the sites for adventures involving this form of magic. LESSER PACT MAGIC Pact magic exists in many forms. Oaths, a lesser form of pact magic, are often used to add power to words. Indeed, oaths are so commonplace that few recognize their similarity to the pacts made by pact magic practitioners. OATHS TO IDEALS Many characters make pacts with themselves. Such an unspoken promise can be as binding as any contract signed by a merchant—and far more effective at forcing a person to keep his word. For example, a druid who abandons her allegiance to nature or adopts an extreme outlook must seek forgiveness or remain forever divorced from her former source of comfort and power. A monk who sets one foot off the path to spiritual purity can never walk that path again. Even barbarians, wild and inconstant as they are, must gird their thoughts against lawful leanings or risk losing the wild emotion that gives them power. VOWS TO DEITIES By pledging to serve a deity, a cleric puts his soul into the hands of a greater power. If he thereafter falters in his duty, he can lose his wondrous powers. Similarly, the cause of a paladin requires a constant heart. The slightest doubt or hesitation can lead to disaster, rendering the paladin unable to continue her mission without a deity’s consent. BARGAINS WITH OUTSIDERS Mortals can make binding agreements with outsiders. Spells such as lesser planar ally, planar ally, and greater planar ally allow a spellcaster to bargain for the services of an outsider or elemental. The planar binding spells work in a similar manner, allowing a character to task a particular creature in return for its freedom. COVENANT SPELLS Some spells create a hidden pact between caster and subject, although the target need not be willing. Geas/quest and its lesser version force a creature to do the caster’s bidding or suffer the consequences. Mark of justice sets up clear expectations for the subject’s behavior and defi nes the punishment that will follow should the subject choose to behave otherwise. THE METHODS OF PACT MAGIC A promise possesses power. An oath owns its maker. These two simple statements express the fundamental principle of pact magic. From this kernel, pact magic grows and branches, letting mortals draw from a wellspring of power that no divine power can touch. VESTIGES A pact magic practitioner gains his power by bargaining with entities called vestiges—the remnants of once-living beings now trapped beyond life and death. Whether they were mortal souls strong enough to shatter the cage built by death, wayward outsiders too willful to cease existence, or dead deities unable to lie quietly in their astral graves, vestiges are the outcasts of the cosmos. They dwell in a place no one can reach and exist in a manner no one truly comprehends. This eternal distancing from reality drives most vestiges mad and twists their views of all beings—even themselves. 7Illus. by R. Mimura 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 7 1/4/06 10:00:05 AM

8 Because vestiges have been divorced from normal reality by some extraordinary means, they can return to it only by binding themselves to other souls. Binders, so named for their willingness to share their souls with these exiled spirits, can summon them forth by means of special rituals. Since vestiges constantly hunger for any small taste of reality, they always answer the call of any binders powerful enough to draw them forth from the void. VESTIGES’ SEALS Each vestige is associated with a seal—a series of lines within a circle—that acts as its symbol and as a portal through which it can enter normal existence. To call a vestige, a binder must know and be able to draw its seal. In fact, anyone can draw a seal, but only someone with the power to host a vestige can hope to create a pact that opens a door for it. SUMMONING Immediately after drawing a seal, a binder must ritually invoke the desired vestige’s name and title to summon it. Again, though anyone can intone the proper words, the binder’s power is the key to success. Even so, a binder can summon only those vestiges that are within the range of his personal power. The origins of a vestige’s name and title seem associated with both its previous existence in reality and its current state. These appellations can change over time, although such alterations occur only rarely. For this reason, most binders spend a great deal of time studying the origins and theories of pact magic in order to gain the insight that will allow them to foresee future developments. PACT MAKING Once a summoned vestige manifests, a binder must formally address it and request a pact. The general terms of the pact are always the same, no matter which vestige is summoned. To gain the powers that a vestige offers, a binder must agree to host it for a period of 24 hours. When a binder offers a pact, a contest of wills ensues between him and the vestige. This contest might be played out by means of an argument, a staring match, a riddle posed to the binder, or in any number of other ways. If the vestige ultimately wins, it maintains an amount of infl uence over the binder for the duration of the pact. If the binder does not act as the vestige wills, it can punish him. However, if the binder reigns supreme after the contest, the vestige quietly accompanies him. BINDING Once a binder makes a pact with a vestige, the two are inextricably bound. A shard of the vestige’s soul fuses with the binder’s spirit, creating a link so tight that the binder’s body manifests some physical sign of the vestige’s presence. The inconvenience of such a sign is a small price to pay for the supernatural powers that the vestige grants—powers that Drawing a vestige’s seal Illus. by L. Parrillo 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 8 1/4/06 10:00:12 AM

9 require no components, no complicated gestures, and no tongue-twisting words to use. When a binder wishes to use the abilities granted by a vestige, he simply wills the desired result to happen. LEARNING PACT MAGIC Those who practice pact magic expound upon its ease. A binder need never beg on his knees for power or study moldy tomes for hours on end to grasp the secrets of a few simple spells. Once he learns the basics of pact magic, he can call up a vestige at any time and take its power for his own. Vestiges never refuse pacts, and they ask little in return for the power they grant. However, the tempting ease of pact magic and the necessity of soul binding with a being whose nature is completely alien generates suspicion about its practitioners. Many churches actively hunt binders and attempt to eradicate evidence of pact magic to prevent the faithful from learning that beings can exist that are beyond the reach of the gods. This general condemnation of pact magic makes discovering it diffi cult, even though the art itself remains quite simple. Many binders are defrocked priests or acolytes who took up pact magic after discovering the rituals to contact vestiges in heretical texts kept hidden in secret temple libraries. Others take up the path after discovering the secrets of pacts and seals during investigations of ancient ruins. A few gain their knowledge of the binder’s arts from elder binders, but tutelage is rare because of the secrecy that most binders try to maintain and the cloud of suspicion under which they must work. THE BINDER “I call upon you, Amon, the Void before the Altar. Render unto me your sight and your breath, for I stand before your seal and possess your talisman.” —Morden, dwarf binder, calling upon a vestige to make a pact Between mortality and godhood, beyond life and undeath, souls exist in a place both forgotten and inaccessible. Mortals too strong-willed to pass into the afterlife, dead outsiders too powerful to be absorbed into their planes, the dreams of slain deities put to rest eons before the current age—these are the beings called vestiges. A seal forms the door between these beings and reality, and knowledge is the key to opening it. Only the binder possesses that key, because only he knows the vestiges’ special seals and the rituals by which they can be called from the void beyond reality. By drawing their seals and speaking the words of power, he summons these strange entities, bargains with them, and binds them to his service. MAKING A BINDER The binder can redefi ne his role in an adventuring party on a daily basis, if desired. His potent abilities are always useful in combat, but what those abilities are and what strategies he employs when using them depend on the vestige that he binds. As with any class, the race, alignment, and ability choices made upon character creation infl uence future choices. The binder class, however, offers a special opportunity to break free of a spellcaster’s typical boundaries. Abilities: A binder typically possesses a healthy body and a strong personality, since high Constitution and Charisma scores can improve many of his supernatural abilities. More importantly, a high Charisma score enhances the binder’s ability to make benefi cial pacts with vestiges. Since many vestiges grant improved melee or ranged combat ability, a high Strength or Dexterity score serves the binder well. Lastly, a high Intelligence score grants him extra skill points to spend on important class skills. Races: Because binders associate with spirits beyond the control of the gods, the practice of pact magic is forbidden by most religions. Binders tend to be rare among all humanoid races. Given their ambition and their penchant for a cosmopolitan lifestyle, humans choose the path of the binder more frequently than members of other races do, but binders are no more welcome in human society than in any other. Many halfl ing traveling communities remain largely unaware of binders, but settlements often gain knowledge of them—and learn to fear them—from the clergy of other races in neighboring areas. Because single deities dominate the cultures of both elves and dwarves, members of these races tend to be more aware of—and more opposed to—binders than their fellow humanoids. Gnomes who know of binders claim that Garl Glittergold appreciates the cosmic joke of mortal souls that grow so powerful that they can be neither saved nor damned. Half-orcs and half-elves, accustomed as they are to existing on the fringe of society and suffering persecution, sometimes even sympathize with the plight of binders. Alignment: Although vestiges were once beings of light and darkness like all creatures of the planes, their long existence in a strange state beyond normal reality has twisted them into enigmatic and amoral entities. However, their nature does not dictate the alignments of those who bind to them. A fearsome and violent vestige can lend its powers to a good binder, who uses them to make peace with enemies. Conversely, a sweet-faced and kind vestige might grant an evil binder the power to wreak havoc. In some cases, the same vestige might make separate but simultaneous pacts with two binders who are in direct confl ict with one another. Vestiges are not easily defi ned as good, evil, lawful, or chaotic, but their unfathomable mindsets and strange appearance often disturb lawful and good creatures. Thus, most binders are neutral, chaotic neutral, chaotic evil, or neutral evil. Starting Gold: 5d4×10 (125 gp). Starting Age: As cleric. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 9 1/4/06 10:00:36 AM

10 CLASS FEATURES As a binder, you can serve many purposes in an adventuring party. Since each vestige grants you a different set of supernatural abilities, you can choose which role to play on any given day—diplomat, scout, support, melee combatant, or ranged combatant. At higher levels, you can host more than one vestige at a time to gain an even wider range of abilities. You also gain special defenses and bonus feats that let you further refi ne your role in the party and play to your strengths. Weapon and Armor Profi ciency: As a binder, you gain profi ciency with all simple weapons and with light armor, but not with shields. Soul Binding (Su): Through special methods known only to binders, you can contact a vestige and make a pact with it. At 1st level, you can make a pact with one vestige at a time. At higher levels, you can form and maintain pacts with multiple vestiges simultaneously, as shown on Table 1–1. You must complete the summoning and binding process with each separately, so each has its normal chance to infl uence you. You bear the physical sign of binding for each one. Your effective binder level, or EBL (your binder class level plus any soul binding bonuses you receive from prestige classes or other sources), determines the maximum level of vestige you can summon, as well as all other functions related to binding vestiges. This value equates to your binder class level, as given on Table 1–1, for this purpose. If the vestige you are trying to contact is of a higher level than your indicated maximum, you cannot summon it. To contact a vestige, you must draw its unique seal visibly on a surface (generally the ground), making the image at least 5 feet across. Drawing a seal requires the ability to mark a surface and 1 minute of concentration, and the act provokes attacks of opportunity. A seal not used within 1 minute of its drawing loses all potency, and you must draw a new one to contact the vestige. A vestige might also have other requirements for contact, as noted in its entry (see The Vestiges, page 16). Once the seal is drawn, you must perform a ritual requiring a full-round action to summon the corresponding vestige. During this time, you must touch the seal and call out to the vestige using both its name and its title. The ritual fails if you cannot be heard (for example, if you are within the area of a silence spell). Otherwise, a manifestation of the vestige appears in the seal’s space as soon as you fi nish the ritual. This image is not the actual vestige; it is merely a fi gment—an illusion that cannot harm or be harmed by any creature. Creatures that interact with the image or study it carefully automatically recognize it as illusory. The summoned image ignores everyone but you. If you fail to address it within 1 round, it disappears. The vestige speaks in whatever language you used to call it. To make a pact with your summoned vestige, you must make a binding check (1d20 + your effective binder level + your Cha modifi er). This process requires 1 minute, but you can choose to make a rushed binding check as a full-round action at a –10 penalty. The DC for this check is provided in the description of each vestige (see pages 16–49). You must make your perilous pact alone; others cannot aid you in any way. Whether the binding check succeeds or fails, you gain the powers granted by the vestige for 24 hours. During that time, you cannot rid yourself of the vestige unless you possess the Expel Vestige feat. Success or failure does, however, determine other aspects of the pact. If you fail the binding check, the vestige infl uences your personality and your actions, and you are said to have made a poor pact. (Specifi cally, the vestige’s presence changes your general demeanor, and it can force you to perform or refrain from certain actions.) If your binding check is successful, the vestige has no control over your actions and does not infl uence your personality. In this case, you are said to have made a good pact. While under the infl uence of a vestige, you must adhere to its requirements to the best of your ability. If you are conscious and free-willed, and you encounter a situation in which you cannot or will not refrain from a prohibited action or perform a required one, you take a –1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and checks until that vestige leaves you. If you are infl uenced by more than one vestige, you must act according to all their infl uences. If you fail to fulfi ll the requirements of more than one vestige or disobey a single vestige more than once, the penalties stack. As long as you are bound to a vestige, you manifest a specifi c physical sign of its presence, as given in its entry. This sign is real, not an illusory or shapechanging effect, and someone using true seeing perceives it just as it is. You can hide a sign by mundane or magical means without penalty, or you can prevent it from appearing at all if you have the suppress sign ability. Vestiges are bound to your soul by the pact. They cannot be targeted or expelled by any means except the Expel Vestige Morden, a dwarf binder Illus. by M. Phillippi 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 10 1/4/06 10:00:58 AM

11 feat, nor can they be suppressed except by an antimagic fi eld or similar effect. The Diffi culty Class for a saving throw against any supernatural power granted by a vestige is 10 + 1/2 your effective binder level + your Cha modifi er. Suppress Sign (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, when you make a good pact, you can choose not to exhibit the physical sign that normally accompanies a pact with a vestige. You can suppress or reveal the sign at will as a swift action. With a poor pact, you gain the powers of the vestige, but you cannot suppress its sign. You show it for the duration of the pact and are infl uenced by it as normal. Bonus Feats: At 4th level, and again at 11th and 18th level, you gain a bonus feat of your choice from the following list: Armor Profi ciency (medium), Armor Profi ciency (heavy), Diligent, Investigator, Martial Weapon Profi ciency, Negotiator, Persuasive, Shield Profi ciency, and the feats presented in this chapter. Feats not described in this book can be found in the Player’s Handbook. These feats are in addition to those normally gained for attaining higher levels, but you must still meet any prerequisites for the bonus feats you choose. Pact Augmentation (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you can draw additional power from the vestiges you bind. As long as you are bound to at least one vestige, you can choose one ability from the following list. Each time you rebind a vestige, you also reselect your pact augmentation ability. As you attain higher levels, you can make additional selections from the list. You gain one additional ability at 5th, 10th, 16th, and 20th level (to a maximum of fi ve selections at 20th level). You can choose a single ability multiple times, and their effects stack. For instance, at 16th level you could choose bonus hit points twice and damage reduction twice, gaining +10 hit points and damage reduction 2/—. Pact Augmentation Abilities +5 hit points Energy resistance 5 (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) +1 insight bonus on saving throws Damage reduction 1/— +1 insight bonus to Armor Class +1 insight bonus on attack rolls +1 insight bonus on damage rolls +2 insight bonus on initiative checks Soul Guardian (Su): Beginning at 6th level, you have immunity to fear effects as long as you are bound to a vestige. As you attain higher binder levels, the vestige guards its time with you even more jealously, granting you protection from additional effects that would harm your soul and life energy for as long as the pact lasts. At 9th level, you gain the slippery mind ability, which allows you to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel you. If you fail your saving throw against an enchantment spell or effect, you can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. You get only this one extra chance to succeed on your saving throw. At 13th level, you gain immunity to energy drain and negative levels. When you attain 19th level, your bound vestiges completely protect your mind, granting you immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities. Table 1–1: The Binder Hit Die: d8 Base Maximum Attack Fort Ref Will Vestige Level Bonus Save Save Save Special Level 1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Soul binding (1 vestige) 1st 2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Pact augmentation (1 ability), suppress sign 1st 3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 — 2nd 4th +3 +4 +1 +4 Bonus feat 2nd 5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Pact augmentation (2 abilities) 3rd 6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Soul guardian (immune to fear) 3rd 7th +5 +5 +2 +5 — 4th 8th +6/+1 +6 +2 +6 Soul binding (2 vestiges) 4th 9th +6/+1 +6 +3 +6 Soul guardian (slippery mind) 4th 10th +7/+2 +7 +3 +7 Pact augmentation (3 abilities) 5th 11th +8/+3 +7 +3 +7 Bonus feat 5th 12th +9/+4 +8 +4 +8 — 6th 13th +9/+4 +8 +4 +8 Soul guardian (immune to energy drain and negative levels) 6th 14th +10/+5 +9 +4 +9 Soul binding (3 vestiges) 6th 15th +11/+6/+1 +9 +5 +9 — 7th 16th +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 Pact augmentation (4 abilities) 7th 17th +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 — 8th 18th +13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 Bonus feat 8th 19th +14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 Soul guardian (mind blank) 8th 20th +15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 Pact augmentation (5 abilities), soul binding (4 vestiges) 8th Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level): Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Profession, Sense Motive. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 11 1/4/06 10:01:11 AM

12 PLAYING A BINDER Others might misunderstand your powers, but you can’t allow their shortcomings to stop you. You know that contacting the vestiges isn’t an evil act, and you’ve never traded your soul for any sort of benefi t. However, you can’t afford to be too open about your activities, or those who fear your form of magic might learn something truly terrifying—your magic is easy. You don’t need to spend hours studying incomprehensible writings, beg for boons from a distant deity, or have magic in your blood. With the proper seal and the necessary personal power, you can call up a vestige and gain its abilities with just a few words. The situation does sometimes get more complicated, and you haven’t fi gured it all out yet, but you’re certain that your path to power lies with the vestiges—creatures so strong that even the gods can’t contain them. You are well aware that others like yourself exist. The process of summoning a vestige is so simple that you’ve probably met other practitioners without even knowing it. All it takes is the knowledge and the will to complete the process, so any kind of person could conceivably speak with the same spirits that serve as your patrons. You must always watch for the signs and be wary of other binders. Although they could be valuable sources of knowledge, they might also be enemies. You might engage in adventures for many reasons, but amassing personal power is generally your primary concern. Certain vestiges refuse to answer the call of novice binders, and a desire to contact them and gain their powers often motivates your escapades. Perhaps you took up a life of adventure after fl eeing persecution. After all, your activities and powers seem foreign and frightening to many people, and various religious sects consider contacting a vestige a sacrilege. RELIGION Because you have the means to speak directly with powers beyond the reach of most deities, you tend to scorn the worship of such beings. At the same time, your strength fl ows from creatures expatriated from the rule of those deities, and for that reason, you fear inciting the ire of a god or his worshipers. Although you are unlikely to take up a cleric’s raiment, you fi nd it convenient to pay homage to gods and show outward respect for their servants. OTHER CLASSES You need to be especially careful around paladins, clerics, and others devoted to a deity. Such individuals are likely to have the worst reaction to your abilities, though they might not be informed enough to have an opinion. Wizards, sorcerers, and other arcane spellcasters appreciate the power you can gain, but consider their own magic superior. Characters of any class tend to mistrust you if they actually see you summoning a vestige, but open-minded individuals value your worth as an ally no matter how you achieve your power. COMBAT When you’re not hosting a vestige, you’re not a great melee or ranged combatant. Your combat skills are roughly comparable to those of a cleric without spells, except that you lack the cleric’s profi ciency with shields and medium and heavy armor. Making a pact with a vestige can easily make up for this defi ciency. The mix of abilities that vestiges offer you lets you defi ne your role in each day’s encounters. For example, you could make a pact with a vestige that makes you stealthy so that you can scout ahead and take foes by surprise. You could bind with one that lets you take on the role of a stalwart fi ghter who can use arms and armor with skill. Alternatively, you could decide to be a silver-tongued speaker, winning the hearts and minds of friend and foe alike. At higher levels, you can make a pact with more than one vestige at a time to gain even greater versatility in combat and roleplaying encounters. ADVANCEMENT You profi t most from remaining a binder throughout your career. Each level of the binder class increases the power you gain from making a pact with a vestige; you gain other class abilities at higher levels as well. As you advance and establish your role in the adventuring party, you might fi nd yourself using one or two vestiges more than others. In that case, consider taking a level or two in another class to supplement the abilities the vestige grants you. For example, if you often fi nd yourself in melee, a level of barbarian or fi ghter might help to make you more effective. On the other hand, if you regularly act as your group’s spokesperson and scout, a level of rogue might be appropriate. DWARF BINDER STARTING PACKAGE Armor: Studded leather (+3 AC, armor check penalty –1, speed 30 ft., 20 lb.). Heavy wooden shield (+2 AC, armor check penalty –2, 10 lb.). Weapons: Morningstar (1d8, crit ×2, 6 lb., one-handed, bludgeoning and piercing). Light crossbow (1d8, crit 19–20/×2, range inc. 80 ft., 4 lb., piercing). Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 2 + Int modifi er. Armor Check Skill Ranks Ability Penalty Bluff 4 Cha — Concentration 4 Con — Decipher Script 4 Int — Diplomacy 4 Cha — Gather Information 4 Cha — Intimidate 4 Cha — Knowledge (arcana) 4 Int — Knowledge (history) 4 Int — Knowledge (the planes) 4 Int — Knowledge (religion) 4 Int — Sense Motive 4 Int — Feat: Shield Profi ciency. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 12 1/4/06 10:01:18 AM

13 Gear: Backpack with waterskin, one day’s trail rations, sack, bedroll, and fl int and steel. Three torches. Case with 10 crossbow bolts. Gold: 1d4 gp. BINDERS IN THE WORLD “Binders—you know why they’re called that? Because they give up their souls to bind with the dark forces. Heretics, the lot of them. They profane the natural order! Should you ever meet one, destroy him, and let the gods punish him for his crimes.” —Prelate Czarran Highfi st, dwarf paladin of Moradin Binders put the allure of the forbidden into the hands of players, allowing them to participate in occult-style activities without forcing them to play evil characters. At the same time, the reaction that most religious organizations have to binders can reveal a darker side to the clergy of good-aligned deities while creating opportunities for great roleplaying. DAILY LIFE A binder typically begins his day by fi nding a quiet, out-ofthe-way place to summon the vestige whose power he desires. He then spends the rest of the day engaged in whatever task seems most pressing while trying to avoid too much contact with others. Although many binders are adept at social interaction, a vestige’s infl uence can affect his personality. The bound spirit’s sign also manifests on his body unless he has the means to prevent it. When not adventuring, binders often spend their time seeking out scraps of information about vestiges and other soul binders. The pursuit of such forbidden knowledge is often quite dangerous and can result in the binder undertaking additional adventures. Binders generally avoid accepting followers or serving in leadership positions because a high-profi le station draws too many eyes. Yet the charismatic and mysterious nature of most binders draws others to them like moths to fl ame, so binders often develop friendships with outcasts, rebels, curious youths, and others who feel they don’t fi t in or aren’t fond of the status quo. By actively strengthening these bonds of friendship, a binder can create secret networks of allies and spies who will alert him to threats and aid him in times of danger. Local authorities rarely see these groups as simple gatherings of friends. The binder’s allies are often involved in other clandestine dealings that spell trouble for the whole network. NOTABLES Because of the secrecy surrounding vestiges and the constant attempts to quash all knowledge of soul binding, few binders become notable in their communities. Even so, most who pursue this class know of Syfal, the mythic individual who is said to have fi rst discovered the means of contacting vestiges. Syfal’s name appears in almost every text about vestiges, though whether he is invoked as a patron saint of the practice or cursed as a foul defi ler of the universal order depends on the writer’s viewpoint. No one knows for certain who or what Syfal was, or even when he lived, but the age of some carvings about him found in ruins indicates that he must have lived and died millennia ago. Some binders are persecuted for practicing pact magic, and others suffer an even worse fate Illus. by J. Zhang

14 Without an obvious champion for their practice, many binders look to history for signs of famous folk who might secretly have pursued this profession. Legends are replete with great heroes and villains who possess strange powers, and many a binder takes comfort in the belief that an admired individual spoke to the same vestiges that he contacts every day. ORGANIZATIONS Binders rarely work in groups, but an individual binder who gathers a small circle of friends occasionally chooses one or two of them as apprentices. Such a group might eventually grow into a cabal of a dozen or so people whom the binder has taken into his confi dence. In general, cabals of this sort exist solely to protect the binder and to seek out rumors and hints relating to other binders or vestige lore. Rarely, such a cabal grows into a larger organization, such as the Theurgian Society. For more information about the Theurgian Society, see the Pact Magic Organizations section beginning on page 90. NPC REACTIONS Most people have an indifferent attitude toward binders because they know very little about what such individuals do. Even those who gain a basic understanding of binders’ powers typically view these individuals with the same respect or fear that they view conjurers or necromancers. The situation changes radically when religion comes into the equation, however. The leaders of most organized religions are aware of binders to at least some degree. Most choose to keep that knowledge secret, lest the common clergy and worshipers learn of powers beyond the reach of their deities. Occasionally, a church even maintains a secret arm of its organization to seek out and eradicate binders. Such a force usually possesses a small library of texts describing vestiges and the practices required to summon them, so that its leaders can teach members to recognize the signs of pact magic and train them to defeat binders. Ironically, books stolen from such libraries introduce many future binders to pact magic. In fact, many binders began their careers as clerics before the promise of a swift means to power seduced them to the path of pact magic. This attrition is one reason why clerics, paladins, and other religious people who know about binders react to them in an unfriendly or hostile manner. BINDER LORE Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (religion), or who have the bardic knowledge ability, can research binders and pact magic to learn more about them. Also, although religious groups try to quash the stories of binders, bards often fi nd the intrigue and romance of pact magic so alluring that they can’t resist sharing the tales of it, if only with other bards. When a character makes a skill check or a bardic knowledge check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs. A character with ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can also gain some information about binders, though each of the DCs below increases by 5 for such checks. DC 15: Certain strange spellcasters called binders practice a taboo art known as pact magic. Most clerics who know of VARIANT: HETERODOXY AND HERESY Deities who despise vestiges and binders might frown upon a follower consorting with binders or for taking up pact magic. In the case of a cleric or paladin, such punishment often involves revocation of divine powers, rendering the character an excleric or ex-paladin, as described in the Player’s Handbook. This penalty is quite harsh, especially if the transgression is one for which the deity does not allow atonement, such as taking levels in the binder class. If you want to represent removal of a cleric’s or paladin’s powers but you don’t want to overly hinder the offending PC, consider the following ideas. Clerics and paladins need not abandon their principles to be friendly with binders or even to take up pact magic. Perhaps the character maintains all her powers, but they now stem from devotion to her ideals, like those of any cleric not devoted to a specific deity. The character becomes a heretic to her own church, but she maintains the same morals and outlook she had before. Alternatively, a PC cleric or paladin need not abandon her deity. Perhaps the main wing of her church disavows her, but other heterodox factions exist. In this situation, the character’s deity doesn’t offer followers a clear opinion about binders and pact magic, but rather allows them to wrestle with the topic on their own. Perhaps the deity has withheld an opinion on the subject in hopes that his followers will come to the proper conclusion by themselves, or perhaps he is content to let the strongest philosophy win the day. Although it isn’t necessary to provide rules for penalizing characters who consort with (or even become) binders, you can use the following optional rules to represent the above possibilities. Cleric: A cleric who goes against the will of his deity with regard to pact magic—usually by taking a level in the binder class—loses the ability to access his domains, including his domain spell slots and granted powers. If the cleric takes a second level in the class and thus gains the pact augmentation ability, he can add his cleric level to his binder level for the purpose of determining its effects. In addition, he gains a bonus feat chosen from the binder’s bonus feat list upon attaining 3rd level as a binder (as well as the bonus feat awarded to all binders at 4th level). A cleric who merely consorts with a binder might find himself turned away from his own temples, at best, or hunted as a heretic alongside his binder companion, at worst. Paladin: A paladin who goes against the will of her deity with regard to pact magic—again, by taking levels as a binder— cannot use the divine grace ability. If she takes enough binder levels to gain the pact augmentation ability, she can add her cleric level to her binder level for the purpose of determining its effects. As with clerics who associate themselves with binders, a paladin might be ostracized, excommunicated, or hunted by her own church if she continues the relationship with the binder. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 14 1/4/06 10:01:49 AM

15 binders consider them little more than heretics but grudgingly acknowledge that they are real. These spellcasters routinely contact otherworldly forces and make pacts with them for power. A particular sign, seal, or name is associated with each spirit. DC 20: Binders contact vestiges—souls that have been lost to the gods and planes, and banished to some hidden place. A binder calls forth these spirits and makes pacts with them. In exchange for allowing the vestige to experience life through his body, a binder assumes some of its powers. Many churches outlaw this practice of pact magic. Some even mark its practitioners for death. DC 25: Binders aren’t true spellcasters—they and the spirits they summon work outside the normal fl ow of magic. The powers they gain and the vestiges they host can’t be dispelled or banished by normal means. DC 28: Characters who achieve this level of success know the legend, manifestation, sign, and seal of one or more particular vestiges. They also know the basic powers that the vestige grants (the fi rst paragraph beneath the vestige’s name and title in its entry). DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success can learn important details about the specifi c binders in your campaign, or the arm of a church responsible for fi nding and eradicating users of pact magic. Also, such a character could learn the specifi cs of the powers that a particular vestige grants. A character trying to establish contact with a binder or an organization opposed to such individuals can make a DC 30 Gather Information check to discover the necessary intermediaries and protocols for contact. Talking directly to a binder or member of an opposing group won’t work, because both are likely to feign ignorance. A PC who can offer something of value (such as information or a magic item) to the person or people he is trying to contact gains a +2 circ*mstance bonus on the check. BINDERS IN THE GAME Binders fi t easily into just about any game simply because their existence has remained largely a secret. You can introduce binders through the PCs’ discovery of ancient lore, a chance meeting with an NPC binder, or an encounter with agents of a church seeking out a binder. Perhaps your group’s introduction to pact magic comes when a player sits down to play her new binder PC. In any case, using binders in your game requires little more than simply putting one into play. The player of a binder character probably thrills at dancing on the dagger’s edge of discovery by the authorities. Hiding the signs of soul binding, controlling a vestige’s infl uence, and fi nding explanations for supernatural abilities make for fun roleplaying, so the player will be looking for such opportunities. At the same time, the player of a binder character might fi nd continual persecution tiresome and grow disillusioned if public use of her character’s abilities always provokes a negative reaction. The best solution is to keep in mind that those who hunt binders generally want to keep their efforts—and even the existence of binders—a secret. Although the confl ict between binders and those who fear them could explode at any time, in most cases it simmers under the surface as a cloak-anddagger confl ict. Therefore, a game that includes a binder PC can function in much the same way as it does now. You can occasionally present side plots, adventures, and encounters that focus on the binder’s class and abilities, just as you would for any other member of the adventuring party. ADAPTATION You can signifi cantly change the binder’s role in your game without dramatically changing the mechanics. For example, binders could devote themselves to beings other than vestiges. To lend binders a darker or lighter feel, you could have them contact and bind themselves to fi ends or celestials. Binders related to a particular religious or secular order could bind themselves to the spirits of saints or heroes. The process of soul binding could even be a totemic rite that lets a binder call up ancestors or the essential spirits of creatures by drawing upon the power of special tattoos or talismans. When changing the focus of a binder’s pact making, you can keep the mechanics of the class largely the same, though you might want to change the infl uences of the vestiges (or whatever beings you choose) to suit their new natures. SAMPLE ENCOUNTER A binder can function as an ally or a villain, but even as an ally, he’s likely to be secretive and suspicious of the PCs. If a binder is encountered in a social setting, he might not be bound to a vestige unless he is expecting trouble, since showing signs is likely to invite trouble. A binder angered by the PCs might quietly fl ee and then return for revenge a few minutes later. With no signifi cant limits on the use of their abilities, binders typically try to use their most powerful attacks fi rst. EL 8: Morden disregarded his people’s taboos, abandoned their traditions, and embarked upon a heretical path in pursuit of the power of pact magic. A nonconformist in the purest sense, he enjoys shocking others and acting counter to their expectations, but he always does so with a grin so that they know he’s sharing the joke with them. Morden exudes a charming confi dence even in the direst circ*mstances, and he’s always willing to befriend a foe. PCs might encounter Morden (see the statstics block on the next page) while he searches for pact magic lore in a city or a ruin. Alternatively, he might have offered his services as a mercenary and accepted payment to fi ght the party. Morden prefers to surprise his foes. If he can, Morden moves adjacent to an enemy before beginning battle, using Focalor’s breath to blind a target affected by his aura of sadness. On the following round, Morden employs Sudden Ability Focus and Empower Supernatural Ability in conjunction with fi re breath. Charge attacks and lightning strikes follow until Morden regains use of his other powers. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 15 1/4/06 10:01:57 AM

16 Morden CR 8 Male dwarf binder 8 CN Medium humanoid Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +0, Spot +0 Aura sadness (5 ft., every adjacent creature takes a –2 penalty on attacks, saves, and skill checks) Languages Common, Dwarven AC 18, touch 11, flat-footed 17; +4 AC against giants hp 69 (8 HD) Immune fear Resist +2 on saves against spells and spell-like effects, stability (+4 against bull rush and trip) Fort +10 (+12 against poison), Ref +4, Will +7 Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) Melee +1 morningstar +9/+4 (1d8+3) or Melee dagger +8/+3 (1d4+2/19–20) or Melee ram +8 (1d6+3) Ranged mwk light crossbow +8 (1d8/19–20) Base Atk +6; Grp +8 Atk Options +1 on attacks against orcs and goblinoids, +1d8 damage when charging with ram attack, Empower Supernatural Ability, Sudden Ability Focus Special Actions fire breath once/5 rounds (50-ft. line, 8d6 fire, Ref DC 17 half), Focalor’s breath once/5 rounds (single target within 30 ft., blindness 1 round, Fort DC 17 negates), lightning strike (single target within 80 ft., 4d6 electricity, Ref DC 17 half) Combat Gear alchemist’s fire, potion of bear’s endurance, 2 potions of cure moderate wounds Vestiges Typically Bound (EBL 8th, binding check 1d20 +15): Amon, Focalor Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 16 SQ pact augmentation (+5 hit points, +1 insight bonus on saves), soul binding (2 vestiges; 4th level), soul guardian, stonecunning (PH 15), suppress sign, water breathing Feats Empower Supernatural AbilityB, Shield Proficiency, Skilled Pact Making, Sudden Ability Focus Skills Appraise –1 (+1 if stone or metal), Bluff +8, Craft –1 (any; +1 if stone or metal), Diplomacy +7, Disguise +3 (+2 acting), Intimidate +5, Jump –7, Knowledge (the planes) +0, Search –1 (+1 if stonework), Sense Motive +5 Possessions combat gear plus +1 chain shirt, heavy wooden shield, +1 morningstar, masterwork light crossbow with 20 bolts, dagger, cloak of Charisma +2, 105 gp THE VESTIGES Existence defi nes reality. Beyond it, therefore, naught exists— not even a void. This simple reasoning would be irrefutable were it not for the existence of vestiges. Called forth from nowhere, composed of nothing, they exist entirely outside the rules of reality. They are untouchable, untraceable, and beyond all powers that might attempt to confi ne or defi ne them. This philosophical conundrum has intrigued sages interested in pact magic for centuries and defi ed all their theories. Vestiges simply cannot exist, and yet, it seems that they do. Some scholars say that vestiges are a common myth—they do not actually exist but are inherent in the minds of all beings. Others say they are true spirits—souls cast off into some plane that is unreachable by all magic due to an agreement between the gods. Whatever the truth of the matter, vestiges seem desperate to participate in reality, if only by peering at it through another creature’s eyes. CHOOSING A VESTIGE Although some binders devote themselves to single vestiges or choose vestiges based on philosophy or personality, most freely choose among all the vestiges they can call forth. When deciding which vestige to summon, a binder must consider several factors. In most cases, this decision is based largely on his likely needs for the day. Binders must anticipate their activities in much the same way as a wizard must when preparing spells. Some binders wait to summon a vestige (or summon one and wait to summon others) until they know more of what the day holds, though by doing so they risk not having the extra powers provided by a vestige at a critical moment. In addition to the needs of the day, a binder should consider the vestige’s sign and infl uence. A binder can mitigate any potential trouble that a vestige’s infl uence might cause by choosing either a vestige whose infl uence is generally inoffensive, or one that he can easily control. In addition, the binder should consider his own abilities when making his choice. He might possess feats, magic items, or other abilities that would enhance his performance while he is bound to a particular vestige. ROLEPLAYING THE PACT The process of summoning a vestige and making a pact with it was designed to be a behind-the-scenes process—much like the exact ways that clerics pray for spells and wizards study their spellbooks. However, you can roleplay this interaction if you wish. Each vestige’s entry describes its manifestation and provides some notes on its voice or personality. The legend behind the vestige also provides some roleplaying inspiration that a DM might find helpful. Because a vestige has already agreed to bind with its summoner simply by showing up, the process of pact making boils down to a contest of wills to determine whether the vestige gains influence over the binder. This contest could take the form of a debate, an argument, a staring competition, a game of riddles, a shouting match, a psychic contest, or any one of numerous other competitions. In many cases, the binder begins by flattering the spirit with an entreaty for aid, worded carefully so as not to offend the vestige or put the binder in a position of weakness. If the spirit speaks during this process, it often asks why the binder wishes to use its powers. In general, the spirit is pleased by answers that coincide with its influence and interests, but it is also wary of deception. Some vestiges demand supplication, while others respond better to binders who adopt strong and willful postures. If you’re a DM who wants to roleplay the process of pact making, consider rewarding good roleplaying with a circ*mstance bonus on the binding check. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 16 1/4/06 10:02:03 AM

17 MAKING A PACT A summoned vestige is interested only in striking a bargain with its summoner. As soon as the pact is made, the vestige vanishes and the binder shows its sign, unless he has the means to suppress it. Once made, a pact cannot be broken. Neither the binder nor the vestige can end the association before its duration elapses, unless the binder has the Expel Vestige feat. Occasionally, a vestige might speak with a binder about other matters before the process of binding begins, though its willingness to do so is based entirely on whim. The information gained in such a conversation, however, is suspect because vestiges are notoriously unreliable sources. They don’t seem to recall anything except their own lives, and even those memories are often confused or incorrect. To make themselves more attractive to binders, vestiges often pretend to possess much greater knowledge than they are capable of having; indeed, some even assert that they can see the future or monitor present events occurring in distant locations. It’s impossible to force a vestige to tell the truth or even determine whether it is lying, since vestiges have immunity to all spells except antimagic fi eld, and Sense Motive attempts against them always fail. Even so, however, some binders regularly consult with vestiges. Although the information provided is unreliable, it sometimes bears a startling similarity to the truth, and strange coincidences abound. Years of questioning various vestiges about their origins have yielded many different versions of each one’s story, but the binder scholars who collect vestige legends have become adept at compiling the common elements and researching their veracity. In this way, the individual vestige histories have gained at least a degree of credence. MULTIPLE VESTIGES As a binder grows in power, he learns how to bind more than one vestige at a time. To do so, he must go through the ritual of drawing the seal and making a pact with each of them separately. While bound to multiple vestiges, he gains the full range of powers granted by all of them. The binder shows the sign of each vestige (unless he can suppress it), and risks being infl uenced by multiple vestiges on failed binding checks. If he ignores the infl uence of more than one vestige, the penalties stack. VESTIGE DESCRIPTIONS This section describes all the vestiges available to binders. The various elements of a vestige description are described below. NAME Each description begins with a header giving the vestige’s name and an epithet by which the vestige is known. SEAL AND SUMMARY Below the illustration of the vestige’s seal is a summary description of its essential characteristics. The Seal: In the process of summoning a vestige, the binder must draw its seal. The unique seal associated with each vestige is displayed above the summary information. Drawing the seal requires no skill check of any kind, but the binder must have the means to scribe the seal visibly upon a relatively fl at surface. Many binders carry chalk or charcoal with them for this purpose. One piece is suffi cient to draw one seal. Vestige Level: Each vestige has a vestige level, as given in its summary. A creature wishing to summon a vestige must meet or exceed the effective binder level required to summon a vestige of that level (see Table 1–1, page 11). Although all vestiges want to experience reality, some lie farther out in the void than others and are more diffi cult to contact. Only through extended congress with lesser vestiges can a binder hope to summon the great entities that lie closest to nothingness. Binding DC: The summary for each vestige gives a binding DC for the binding check needed to make a pact with it. In general, this DC scales with the binder level required to summon the vestige, but certain vestiges present a greaterthan-average challenge to binders. Special Requirement: If the vestige imposes any special requirements on its summoning, this entry in the summary is “Yes.” Otherwise, it reads “No.” ROLEPLAYING THE INFLUENCE If you’re playing a binder, you will eventually come under the influence of a vestige. Although the limitations imposed by influence can be a hindrance, they can also make for great roleplaying opportunities. Because the emotions that a vestige’s influence brings are often not typical for steely eyed adventurers, you can explore aspects of your character’s personality that you might otherwise ignore. If you play the influences well, you can set up a strong contrast with your character’s typical behavior. The constraints or demands that the influencing vestige places on your character provide yet another hook for roleplaying. Giving in to the demands can get your character into trouble and force him to talk his way out, or you can use them as a reason to seek out or avoid certain places or people. Should this aspect of the influence become too troublesome, you can always just ignore the vestige’s influence and take the penalty that such a choice imposes. If you find the process of roleplaying a vestige’s influence fun, remember that you can always voluntarily fail a binding check. But be considerate of the other players at the table when making that choice. Don’t use the influence as an excuse to hog the spotlight or steer the adventure in a different direction. When you have fun at the expense of the other players’ enjoyment, the campaign is in trouble. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 17 1/4/06 10:02:17 AM

18 LEGEND This element of the description relates the origin legend associated with each vestige. Although binder scholars point to similar legends among the general populace (and sometimes even to historical fi gures) to back up their claims, these backgrounds are in large part apocryphal and known only to binders. The historical information on which each legend is based has been gathered through the years by questing for information about them. The legend detailed in this section represents the most widely accepted version, but pact magic grimoires differ and many theories exist. The religious organizations and secular authorities that might be able to offer proof one way or the other generally muddy the issue still further, either by claiming that vestiges are unholy and accursed beings that damn those who deal with them, or by disavowing the creatures’ existence entirely. SPECIAL REQUIREMENT If the vestige imposes any special requirements on its summoning, they are given in the next element of the description. Special requirements vary widely depending on the nature of the individual vestige. For example, a vestige might require that its seal be drawn in a particular place, or that the binder possess a certain item or attribute. If a binder does not fulfi ll the vestige’s special requirement, it does not manifest when summoned, and the attempt to bind with it fails. MANIFESTATION Different vestiges take different forms, but all manifest (become visible) as images fl oating over their seals. The image that appears is a supernatural fi gment—an illusion that cannot be dispelled, though it vanishes in an antimagic fi eld. Certain aspects of the illusion (such as wisps of fog) can extend up to 10 feet beyond the borders of the seal, but the vestige never leaves the area over the seal. Noises produced by the vestige or the process of pact making can be heard normally, according to their volume. SIGN A binder who makes a pact with a vestige binds his soul to it, thereby becoming a conduit through which the vestige can experience reality. This powerful bond cannot be broken by any magic—even an antimagic fi eld only suppresses it. This integral link manifests on the binder’s person as a physical sign peculiar to the individual vestige, as described here. This sign is a real change rather than an illusory or shapechanging effect, so anyone viewing the binder with true seeing sees it just as it is. The sign is a supernatural effect and therefore is suppressed when the binding is suppressed. A binder can hide a sign by either mundane or magical means. Furthermore, a binder with the suppress sign class feature can choose when to show a vestige’s sign. MAKING VESTIGES DIFFERENT The vestiges in this book were designed as spirits to which a character of any alignment might bind while still maintaining the taboo feel that pacts with otherworldly beings carry in real-world mythology. When using pact magic in your game, you could give it a different place in the campaign world by changing the nature of the vestiges or even replacing them with other creatures. For example, in your campaign, pact magic might be practiced only by good creatures who make deals with celestial beings. Alternatively, it might be wholly the province of evil or foolish mortals who make promises to fiendish forces. Vestiges might even be alien entities, totemic spirits, the souls of ancestors or great heroes, or some other entities of your own creation. Changing the nature of vestiges might also necessitate changes to the binder class. For instance, if you replace the vestiges with saints of a religious order, the binder becomes more like a paladin. If you replace them with totemic beings, on the other hand, the binder becomes more akin to a barbarian. However you decide to use pact magic in your game, take extra care if you decide to change the powers a vestige grants or the influence it has on a binder. Vestige-granted powers present far thornier balance issues than do typical game elements, such as feats or spells. The influences were designed to strike a careful balance between how often they affect play and the penalties for ignoring them. Table 1–2: Vestiges by Level Vestige Special Level Vestige Binding DC Requirement 1st Amon 20 Yes 1st Aym 15 No 1st Leraje 15 Yes 1st Naberius 15 Yes 1st Ronove 15 Yes 2nd Dahlver-Nar 17 Yes 2nd Haagenti 17 Yes 2nd Malphas 15 No 2nd Savnok 20 Yes 3rd Andromalius 20 Yes 3rd Focalor 20 Yes 3rd Karsus 25 Yes 3rd Paimon 20 No 4th Agares 22 Yes 4th Andras 22 No 4th Buer 20 Yes 4th Eurynome 21 Yes 4th Tenebrous 21 Yes 5th Acererak 25 Yes 5th Balam 25 Yes 5th Dantalion 25 No 5th Geryon 25 Yes 5th Otiax 25 No 6th Chupoclops 25 Yes 6th Haures 25 No 6th Ipos 26 Yes 6th Shax 26 Yes 6th Zagan 25 Yes 7th Eligor 30 No 7th Marchosias 30 Yes 8th Halphax 32 Yes 8th Orthos 35 Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 18 1/4/06 10:02:30 AM

19 INFLUENCE This element details the infl uence that the vestige imposes on a binder who makes a poor pact. The vestige’s infl uence constantly affects the binder’s personality and emotions. In addition, the vestige might require that the binder take (or refrain from taking) some action. A binder who ignores the wishes of a vestige that infl uences him takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls, saves, and checks until the vestige leaves. GRANTED ABILITIES The supernatural abilities that the vestige grants are given in this element of its description. The following rules govern these supernatural abilities. • All powers granted by vestiges are supernatural in origin, even if they replicate spells or abilities that are not normally considered magical. • Supernatural abilities are magical and thus are suppressed in an antimagic fi eld. • Supernatural abilities are not subject to spell resistance. • Supernatural abilities cannot be dispelled. • Unless they deal damage, supernatural abilities affect incorporeal creatures normally. A supernatural ability that deals damage has a 50% chance not to affect an incorporeal target, if the source of the ability is corporeal. • Using a supernatural ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity. • Using a supernatural ability is a standard action unless otherwise noted. • Some of the supernatural abilities granted by vestiges provide constant benefi ts once activated. If the duration of a particular effect is not stated or implied by the ability description, assume it is constant. Typically, binders take a few moments to activate such abilities immediately after making a pact with a vestige. Most effects that are not constant can be used only once every 5 rounds (see the ability description for details). • If a supernatural ability granted by a vestige mimics the effect of a spell or shadow magic mystery, the caster level of that ability is always equal to a binder’s effective binder level. • The use of a vestige-granted power does not require a Concentration check unless its description specifi es otherwise. Failure on a required Concentration check ends that use of the ability. (The DC for Concentration checks depends on the distraction; see the Concentration skill description, PH 70). • Supernatural abilities do not have somatic or verbal components, but certain requirements might apply to the use of individual granted abilities. For instance, a binder using a breath weapon must be able to open his mouth and breathe. Similarly, a character must have a free hand to make a melee touch attack. (In a grapple, the character makes a touch attack as though armed with a light weapon.) • Supernatural abilities are neither arcane nor divine. Thus, no spell failure chance applies to the use of vestige-granted abilities by an armored binder, even when those abilities mimic spells. • A binder shows no outward sign when using a granted ability, unless the ability description specifi es that he must concentrate, or the use of the ability would be obvious based on its description (such as a ray projecting from the binder’s eyes). • When subjected to a supernatural ability that requires a saving throw but has no obvious effect, the target feels a hostile force or tingle but does not necessarily know the source or nature of the attack. • Effects created by the binder’s supernatural abilities end when the vestige leaves the binder, or if the binder dies while bound. • The Diffi culty Class for a saving throw against a vestigegranted power is 10 + 1/2 effective binder level + binder’s Cha modifi er. • Abilities that duplicate the benefi t of a feat do so even if the recipient does not qualify for the feat. ACERERAK, THE DEVOURER Acererak, a half-human lich, grasped at godlike power only to lose his grip on reality. As a vestige, he grants abilities that are similar to a lich’s powers. Legend: Only bards and a few scholars remember Acererak’s name, but many know the legend of his supposed fi nal resting place, the Tomb of Horrors. As rumors of the wealth and magic hidden in this fabled location spread, the tomb became a burial ground for more and more explorers and tomb robbers. In truth, however, the Tomb of Horrors was not Acererak’s sepulcher at all. It was merely part of his plan to gain eternal unlife and command of all undead. Acererak left behind a diary, and the information it contains combined with the actions of a stalwart few have at last brought the full tale of Acererak to light. In his diary, Acererak wrote that he was born of a union between a human woman and a demon. Despite his hideous deformities, his mother kept him and cared for him until, when he was ten years of age, some superstitious villagers burned down their house. Acererak survived the confl agration because of his demonic heritage, but his mother did not. In his diary Acererak recalls that incident as the event that propelled him on the path toward necromancy and revenge against humanity. Acererak became a powerful wizard. As he grew older and saw the specter of death looming, he sought out and completed the ritual for becoming a lich. After he assumed his undead form, his power continued to grow for centuries more. The diary relates, however, that Acererak eventually felt the forces animating his undead body begin to wane. Knowing that fi nal oblivion was near, he decided to build himself a secret tomb. “Only those of keenest luck and greatest skill will win through to me,” the diary read. “There, they shall receive a magnifi cent reward for their persistence.” The diary, the Tomb of Horrors, and the supposed reward were all parts of an elaborate ruse designed to bring powerful adventurers into the portion of the tomb that Acererak—by then a powerful demilich—called his Fortress of Conclusion. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 19 1/4/06 10:02:44 AM

20 In truth, Acererak had devised a ritual that he hoped would merge his consciousness with the Negative Energy Plane through the sacrifi ce of potent spirits. Had he actually accomplished this goal, he could have assumed control of any undead on any plane and gained godlike powers as well as immortality. But the infamy of the Tomb of Horrors drew more than wealth-hungry thrill-seekers intent on gaining the reward promised in Acererak’s diary. Supplicants also came. Necromancers questing for knowledge, seekers of eternal life, and lost souls in search of purpose traveled to the tomb to learn what they could of the dark arts. In time, the supplicants became worshipers, and they stayed to dwell near the object of their devotion. Eventually, a settlement called Skull City sprang up around the entrance to Acererak’s Tomb of Horrors. Some of the heroes Acererak lured to his tomb proved even more powerful and ingenious than he had anticipated. After fi ghting their way through Skull City and the Tomb of Horrors, they made their way to the demilich’s Fortress of Conclusion. At the last possible moment, they surmised Acererak’s plan and destroyed the artifact that was crucial to his apotheosis. They struck down Acererak and shattered his phylactery. Normally, such an action would have sent Acererak’s spirit to Abyss, but the worship of the Skull City residents lent him a semblance of divinity; his desire to merge with the Negative Energy Plane proved stronger than the pull of the Abyss. Unfortunately for Acererak, souls do not travel to the Negative Energy Plane upon death. Since his spirit had no clear destination, it went nowhere, becoming a vestige divorced from all planes. Special Requirement: You must place a gem about the size of a human tooth or eye in the center of Acererak’s seal. This gem is not used up in the summoning process, nor does it move from where you placed it, despite the manner in which Acererak manifests (see Manifestation, below). Manifestation: The gem you placed within the seal appears to fl oat up into the air to the height of your head. Dust swirls in from the surrounding air and up from the ground to coalesce about the gem, forming a yellowed human skull with the jewel as a tooth or an eye. A moment later, other gems wink into being, so that each eye socket and the space of every tooth is occupied by a shining diamond, ruby, emerald, or sapphire. The jewels glow briefl y with an inner light, and then Acererak speaks, his dry voice fi lled with contempt. Sign: A gem replaces one of your teeth. If removed, the gem reverts to a normal tooth, and a new gem appears in its place. Infl uence: As a vestige, Acererak possesses the immortality he desired but none of the power that should accompany it. If you fall under his infl uence, you evince a strong hunger for infl uence and primacy. If you are presented with an opportunity to fi ll a void in power over a group of creatures, Acererak requires that you attempt to seize that power. You might impersonate a missing city offi cial, take command of a leaderless unit of soldiers, or even grab the reins of runaway horses to establish your supremacy. Granted Abilities: While bound to Acererak, you gain powers that the great lich held in his legendary unlife. Detect Undead: You can use detect undead as the spell at will (caster level equals your effective binder level). Hide from Undead: At will as a standard action, you can become undetectable to undead. This ability functions like the hide from undead spell, except that the DC for intelligent undead to ignore the effect and notice you is 10 + 1/2 your effective binder level + your Cha modifi er. Lich’s Energy Immunities: You gain immunity to cold and electricity damage. Paralyzing Touch: As a standard action, you can make a touch attack to paralyze a living foe. The touched creature must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralyzed for a number of rounds equal to one-half your effective binder level. Each round on its turn, the paralyzed creature can attempt a new saving throw as a full-round action, with success ending the effect immediately. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Speak with Dead: You can question the dead at will as though using the speak with dead spell (caster level equals your effective binder level; save DC 10 + 1/2 your effective binder level + your Cha modifi er). Undead Healing: Negative energy (such as that of an infl ict spell) heals you rather than damaging you. If you are a living creature, positive energy (such as a cure spell) still heals you as well. AGARES, TRUTH BETRAYED Agares died at the hands of his allies for a wrong he did not commit. As a vestige, not only does he give binders the ability Manifestation of Acererak ACERERAK ACERERAK Vestige Level: 5th Vestige Level: 5th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes All tablet illus. by E. Cox & C. Malidore Illus. by S. Rolker 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 20 1/4/06 10:02:57 AM

21 to weaken foes and knock them prone, but he also makes his summoner fearless and able to speak any tongue. Legend: In life, Agares ruled over vast armies on the Elemental Plane of Earth. He was the most powerful general the plane had yet seen and second in authority only to his genie emperor, a dao of great infl uence. Even though Agares was unalterably loyal, he nevertheless gave his emperor reason to fear betrayal. Agares became obsessed with a djinni commander who had thwarted his conquests on several occasions. His desire to meet this favored foe on the fi eld of battle blinded him to other tactical options and deafened him to rumors that his esteem for his enemy had deepened into love. When at last Agares entrapped the djinni’s forces, he girded himself for personal combat and set out to answer a challenge to duel his adversary. The summons was a trap laid by Agares’s lieutenants, however; his allies slew him within sight of his greatest enemy. Special Requirement: You must draw Agares’s seal upon either the earth or an expanse of unworked stone. Manifestation: The ground trembles briefl y as the head of a great brown crocodile bursts from beneath Agares’s seal. The crocodile’s maw opens upward, unleashing a hooded black hawk that spreads its wings, forcing the jaws farther apart with the mere brush of its feathers. Two large, catlike eyes gleam on the hawk’s breast. When Agares speaks, the hawk’s beak moves, but the sound comes from the crocodile’s rumbling throat. Sign: You gain a wracking cough that spews dust and small stones from your mouth. This coughing prevents you from casting any spells that have verbal components. While bound to Agares, you can resist the urge to cough for a number of rounds equal your Constitution score. Thereafter, you cough for a round and then can try to resist the urge again. Infl uence: Agares’s loyalty in life and his anger at the betrayal perpetrated by his lieutenants has become a hatred of falsehood. When infl uenced by Agares, you speak forthrightly and with confi dence. You cannot use the Bluff skill, and when asked a direct question, you must answer truthfully and directly. Granted Abilities: Agares gives you the power to exalt yourself and your allies, to make the earth tremble beneath your feet, to render foes weak, and to speak the truth to all peoples. Earth and Air Mastery: You gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls if both you and your foe are touching the ground. Any airborne foe takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls against you. Earthshaking Step: As a standard action, you can stomp on the ground, causing every creature within 10 feet of you that is either standing or climbing on a surface connected with the ground to make a Refl ex save or fall prone. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. You and your summoned earth elemental (see below) are never knocked prone by the use of this ability. Elemental Companion: You can summon an earth elemental to accompany you and fi ght for you. This creature obeys your commands to the best of its ability. If the elemental is more than 30 feet away from you at the end of your turn, it dissolves. If you lose your elemental to dissolution or destruction, you cannot summon it again for 1 hour. The size of the earth elemental you can summon depends on your effective binder level, as given on the following table. Effective Binder Level Elemental Size 1st–10th Small 11th–14th Medium 15th–18th Large 19th or higher Huge Fear Immunity: You have immunity to fear from both magical and mundane sources. True Speech: You can speak, understand, read, and write all languages spoken by creatures within 30 feet of you. To use an unfamiliar language, you must hear it spoken and see the speaker. Once you have used it, you can continue to do so for as long as your pact with Agares lasts. When speaking or writing in a language with which you are not familiar, you cannot lie. AMON, THE VOID BEFORE THE ALTAR Although Amon once ruled as a deity of light and justice, his long existence as a vestige has twisted him into a monster consumed by wrath. He grants those who summon him his sight, his fi ery breath, and his powerful charge. Legend: Scholars claim that Amon is what remains of the personality of a god who died of neglect millennia ago. Once worshiped by thousands, Amon eventually lost his faithful to more responsive deities. His will was strong enough, though, to resist eternal sleep on the Astral Plane. Since his demise, his half-existence as a vestige seems to have dramatically changed his appearance and personality. Once a calm and wise protector, a god of light and law, Amon is now a foultempered and hateful spirit. Special Requirement: Amon particularly despises four other vestiges: Chupoclops, Eurynome, Karsus, and Leraje. If you have hosted one of these spirits within the last 24 hours, Amon refuses to answer your call. Similarly, these spirits will not answer your call if you are already bound to Amon. The reason for Amon’s displeasure with these vestiges is unclear, AGARES Vestige Level: 4th Vestige Level: 4th Binding DC: 22 Binding DC: 22 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 21 1/4/06 10:03:15 AM

22 but the enmity is as old as anyone can remember. Binder scholars theorize that it might stem from the time when Amon was a god and the other four were normal mortal or immortal beings. Manifestation: Amon manifests in a burst of black smoke, howling foul curses at his summoner. He possesses a black wolf’s body with a ram’s head and a serpent for a tail. His mouth is fi lled with sharp teeth, and fi re escapes it when he speaks. Sign: You grow a ram’s curling horns. Infl uence: Amon’s infl uence makes you surly and irritable. In addition, since Amon despises living deities of fi re, sun, and law, he forces you to resist even benefi cial spells cast by those devoted to such powers. You must make a saving throw to resist such a spell if one is allowed; failure allows you to gain the benefi t. Granted Abilities: Amon grants you his sight and his breath, as well as the deadly use of his horns. Darkvision: You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. Fire Breath: You can vomit forth a line of fi re as a standard action. The line extends 10 feet per effective binder level (maximum 50 feet) and deals 1d6 points of fi re damage per binder level to every creature in its area. A successful Refl ex save halves this damage. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Ram Attack: You can use the ram’s horns that you gain from Amon’s sign as a natural weapon that deals 1d6 points of damage (plus 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus). When you charge a foe with your ram attack, you deal an extra 1d8 points of damage on a successful hit. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Amon’s sign. ANDRAS, THE GRAY KNIGHT A great warrior in life, Andras is an enigma as a vestige. He gives binders prowess in combat and skill in the saddle. Legend: Andras was once an elf paladin famed for his prowess in battle and his implacable dedication to doing what was right and good for all. A series of misjudgments and misfortunes broke Andras’s faith in both himself and his deity, however, and he became a blackguard. During his subsequent service to the dark gods, his infamy rapidly outgrew his fame, and his name was whispered in fear. After nearly three hundred years of almost constant battle on behalf of both good and evil, Andras grew tired of both causes. In the midst of a duel in the key battle of a great war, he simply dropped his weapon and left, never to be seen alive again. Sages speculate that after his betrayal of both causes, he was no longer welcome in any god’s realm, and thus his soul was condemned to become a vestige. Manifestation: Andras rides up out of nothingness on the back of a great black wolf. The vestige’s head is that of an owl covered in gray feathers, and his gray-skinned body resembles that of a lanky but muscular male elf. Wearing only a loincloth, Andras slouches in his saddle, holding the reins of his mount in one hand and a greatsword, which he lazily rests on his shoulder, in the other. At fi rst glance, Andras looks as though he might be asleep, but a closer inspection reveals a pair of huge golden eyes that glower from his bowed head. Andras speaks in deep tones laden with menace. Sign: You sprout two useless, gray-feathered wings from your back. The wings are small enough to be hidden beneath a shirt or cloak, but doing so makes you appear hunchbacked. Infl uence: Andras’s infl uence causes you to become listless and emotionally remote. Because Andras wearies of combat quickly, you must drop any items in hand and withdraw from melee after only 10 rounds of battle. You may not take any offensive action for 1d4 rounds thereafter. Granted Abilities: Andras lends you some of the skills he had in life, making you a strong combatant with or without a mount. Weapon Profi ciency: You are profi cient with the greatsword, lance, longsword, and rapier. Mount: As a full-round action, you can summon a heavy warhorse, complete with saddle and heavy lance. This creature serves you as a trained mount for up to 1 hour per effective binder level, or until it is killed, you dismiss it, or your pact with Andras ends. You can use this ability once per day. Saddle Sure: You gain a +8 bonus on Ride checks. Smite Good or Evil: You can attempt to smite an evil or good creature with a single melee attack. You add your Charisma bonus (if any) to the attack roll and deal 1 extra point of damage per effective binder level. If you accidentally smite a creature that is neither good nor evil, the attempt has no effect. Once you have used this ability, you ANDRAS Vestige Level: 4th Vestige Level: 4th Binding DC: 22 Binding DC: 22 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No AMON Vestige Level: 1st Vestige Level: 1st Binding DC: 20 Binding DC: 20 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 22 1/4/06 10:03:31 AM

23 cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Smite evil and smite good attempts per day obtained from multiple sources stack. Sow Discord: Andras grants you the ability to sow discord among your enemies. As a standard action, you can force an enemy to attack a randomly determined ally within reach on his next action, and he must do so as his fi rst attack. The target must be within 5 feet per two binder levels you possess, and a successful Will save negates the effect. The affected foe must strike for lethal damage with a primary attack and use whatever melee weapon is in hand (or an unarmed strike or natural attack if no weapon is at the ready). If no ally is within the foe’s reach, this ability has no effect. Sow discord is a mind-affecting compulsion ability. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Sure Blows: You gain the benefi t of the Improved Critical feat with any weapon you wield. If you already have the Improved Critical feat with a weapon, you gain a +4 bonus on the roll to confi rm a threat made with that weapon. This bonus stacks with that provided by the Power Critical feat (see Complete Divine, page 103). ANDROMALIUS, THE REPENTANT ROGUE Once the favorite of the god Olidammara, Andromalius now exists as a vestige. His granted abilities help his summoners beat rogues and ne’er-do-wells at their own game. Legend: Once the herald of Olidammara, Andromalius foreswore theft and mischief on his deathbed, repenting all the actions he had taken on behalf of his god during his life. By this means, he hoped to steal his soul from his deity, thus accomplishing his greatest theft and prank in history, and proving himself the most worthy of his god’s favor. At fi rst angered by Andromalius’s betrayal, Olidammara quickly realized the irony of the moment and burst into laughter. Yet the god’s good humor was short-lived, because he realized that to accept Andromalius’s soul would be to prevent the theft and ruin the joke. Since Olidammara was loath to let such a clever servant to go to the realm of some other god, he repaid his servant’s honor a hundredfold—he stole Andromalius’s soul from the cosmos, making it a vestige. Whether Andromalius deemed this result an honor or not remains unclear. Special Requirement: You must obtain two different nonmagical items similar to those that Andromalius holds in his hands when he manifests and place them within the confi nes of his seal when you summon him. These items vanish as soon as Andromalius appears. Manifestation: Andromalius appears as a middle-aged but lithe human male in the garb of a jester. Each of his arms splits at the elbow into a dozen forearms, and he holds a small object in each of his twenty-four hands. Though his costume and overall appearance change from one manifestation to another, the specifi c collection of objects never does—a fact that has sparked a long-standing debate among binder scholars. The items are: a belt purse, a silver key, a gold ring, a pair of dice, a copper coin, a dagger, an apple, an arm bone, a Manifestation of Andromalius Illus. by H. Lyon 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 23 1/4/06 10:03:48 AM

24 scroll, a comb, a whistle, a fi sh hook, a mirror, an egg, a potion, a dead spider, an oak leaf, a human skull, a lock, a closed black book, a bell, a dove, a set of lock picks, and a mouse. When Andromalius returns whence he came, he juggles these illusory items and then tosses one to his summoner. Some scholars claim that the item thrown indicates a future event, but that the specifi c meaning depends on which other objects are held in the hands of that same arm. Sign: You gain an extra digit on each limb. This appendage prevents you from wearing normal gloves or gauntlets, but magic gloves and gauntlets reshape to fi t you. Infl uence: When infl uenced by Andromalius, you become a devious mischief-maker who delights in causing small calamities—especially misunderstandings between friends and incidents of mistaken identity. However, Andromalius cannot now abide acts of theft, so he forbids you to steal from a creature, take an item from a dead body, or remove someone else’s possession from a location without permission so long as you are under the jurisdiction of an authority whose laws expressly forbid such activities. By the same logic, you cannot take possession of any object that you know to be stolen. Granted Abilities: The abilities that Andromalius grants help you catch thieves and return stolen goods, discover wickedness and underhanded dealings, and punish wrongdoers. Jester’s Mirth: As a standard action, you can cause an opponent to break into uncontrollable laughter. This ability functions like a Tasha’s hideous laughter spell (caster level equals your effective binder level), except that an affected creature can make an additional saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Locate Item: At will, you can sense the direction of any wellknown or clearly visualized object that lies within 100 feet per effective binder level of your location. If you wish to fi nd a specifi c object, this ability works only if you have seen the object fi rsthand and can accurately visualize its peculiarities. Otherwise, the direction of the nearest object of the same type is revealed. You can sense the direction of only one item each round. This ability does not reveal the direction to a disguised object such as a secret door unless you can clearly visualize its disguised form, nor does it tell you the distance to the object. See the Unseen: At will, you can use see invisibility as the spell (caster level equals your effective binder level). Sense Trickery: You gain a +4 bonus on Sense Motive checks, on Appraise checks, and on Spot checks made to oppose Disguise checks. In addition, you automatically notice when a creature uses Sleight of Hand to take something from you. This ability is always active while you are bound to Andromalius. Sneak Attack: You deal an extra 2d6 points of damage when fl anking an opponent or at any time when the target would be denied its Dexterity bonus. This extra damage applies to ranged attacks only if the opponent is within 30 feet. For every fi ve effective binder levels you possess beyond 5th, your sneak attack damage increases by an additional 1d6 points. For example, a 15th-level binder deals an extra 4d6 points of damage with his sneak attack. See the rogue class feature on page 50 of the Player’s Handbook. If you get a sneak attack bonus from another source, the bonuses to damage stack. AYM, QUEEN AVARICE Once a monarch of dwarves, Aym allowed her greed to bring an end to her empire. As a vestige, she gives her host the ability to wear armor without impedance, to set objects and creatures alight with a touch, to resist the effects of fi re, and to shatter objects with heavy blows. Legend: Dwarven legends depict Aym as the greediest dwarf queen who ever lived. Modern-day dwarves still spit at the mention of her name. Not long after Moradin fi rst forged the dwarves, Aym arose as a great leader among them. Greed brought her to power, and greed consumed her while she ruled. Dwarves mined furiously in response to Aym’s constant demand for more gems and precious metals, and her people became virtual slaves to their work. As onerous as Aym’s rule was, however, all this mining greatly expanded the dwarves’ territory, and many dwarven clans grew quite wealthy. Jealous of the dwarves’ wealth and smarting from their conquests, a great horde of orcs, giants, and goblinoids banded into an army to assault Aym’s kingdom. The dwarves fought bravely, but because their forces were stretched so thin across Aym’s empire, they could not respond quickly enough to the horde’s concentrated assault on their capital. Legend has it that when the fi res of the burning city reached her, Aym stood among a hundred wagons laden with gold that her servants had loaded in preparation for her fl ight. But so engrossed was she in counting the coins to make certain she didn’t lose a copper that she didn’t notice the danger until the fi res began to melt the coins in her grasp. Rather than repenting her greed at the point of her death, Aym cursed Moradin for not protecting her, and in return, Moradin cursed her. Manifestation: Aym arises from a coiled heap within the seal. She has two great worms for legs and three heads—one a lion’s, one a female dwarf’s, and one a bull’s. Her powerfully muscled torso strains beneath the fi nery of an empress, and her fi ngers glitter with more than a dozen jeweled rings. In one hand she holds a red-hot, star-shaped branding iron, and with the other, she holds shut the lion head’s mouth. Aym ANDROMALIUS ANDROMALIUS Vestige Level: 3rd Vestige Level: 3rd Binding DC: 20 Binding DC: 20 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 24 1/4/06 10:04:04 AM

25 speaks through her dwarf head, since both animal heads are incapable of speech. She prefers to keep the lion muzzled because if she doesn’t, it roars and causes the bull’s head to low in terror, making it impossible for her to hear. Sign: While you host Aym, you bear a starshaped brand on the palm of your left hand or on your forehead, as you choose at the time you make the pact. Infl uence: Under Aym’s infl uence, you become stingy and greedy, begrudging every coin or item of value that you or your group must give to another. At the same time, she requires that you give a coin (copper, silver, gold, or platinum, as you choose) to every dwarf you meet within 10 rounds of learning his name. Granted Abilities: Aym grants you powers that refl ect her dwarven heritage and the ruin she brought to her kingdom. Dwarven Step: You can move at normal speed (without the usual reduction) while wearing medium or heavy armor. Halo of Fire: At will, you can shroud yourself in a wreath of fl ame. Any opponent that strikes you in melee takes 1d6 points of fi re damage, unless it is using a weapon with exceptional reach. You can also deal 1d6 points of fi re damage with each melee touch attack you make. Your own fl ame does not harm you, nor does it harm objects unless you will it to do so. Improved Sunder: You gain the benefi t of the Improved Sunder feat. Medium Armor Profi ciency: You are profi cient with medium armor. Resistance to Fire: You have resistance to fi re 10. Ruinous Attack: Your melee attacks deal double damage to objects. If your effective binder level is at least 10th, your melee attacks are treated as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. BALAM, THE BITTER ANGEL Once a being of extreme goodness, Balam became a wrathful vestige after taking on an impossible task that ended in failure. She grants her summoners the ability to foresee future diffi culties and the intellect to interpret what they see, as well as skill with light arms and a stare that chills fl esh. Legend: Binder scholars claim that Balam is all that remains of the soul of a powerful solar. Exactly how she came to exist in her current state remains a mystery, but sources of planar lore state that several good gods tasked her with eliminating the practice of sacrifi cing sentient beings in the worship of deities. Since such sacrifi ces are part and parcel of evil rituals, the task amounted to wiping out the worship of evil gods altogether—a task well beyond what even the good deities could manage. Needless to say, Balam failed in her assignment, and some believe that her foes actually sacrifi ced her in praise of a dark god. Special Requirement: Balam requires a sacrifi ce of her summoner. In the process of calling her, you must deal 1 point of slashing damage to yourself or another sentient creature (one with Int 3 or higher) and place a drop of blood from the wound within Balam’s completed seal. Manifestation: Balam is a horror to behold. Her body is that of a great purple serpent, and her head consists of the top halves of three horned humanoid heads arranged evenly around a shared gaping maw. This mouth is a tooth-studded chute that extends deep into her body, and her six horns point forward around it. Balam speaks in a grinding moan, exhaling hot, stinking breath with each word. The fangs in her chute-mouth move in waves with the shuddering of her throat, and the eyes of her three heads glow blue when she becomes excited or angry. Sign: Your voice gains a peculiar quality, becoming both hollow and guttural. Infl uence: Balam’s infl uence causes you to distrust clerics, paladins, and other devotees of deities. Whenever you enter a temple or some other holy or unholy site, Balam requires that you spit on the fl oor and utter an invective about the place. Granted Abilities: Balam grants you the power to predict future events. She also teaches cunning and fi nesse, and gives you the ability to freeze foes with a glance. Balam’s Cunning: You can reroll one attack, saving throw, or skill check you have just made. You must accept the result of the reroll, even if it is worse than the original. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Icy Glare: You gain a gaze attack that deals 2d6 points of cold damage to the target. A successful Will save negates this damage. AYM BALAM Vestige Level: 1st Vestige Level: 1st Binding DC: 15 Binding DC: 15 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No Vestige Level: 5th Vestige Level: 5th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 25 1/4/06 10:04:18 AM

26 Prescience: You get a glimpse of the future a moment before it happens. This knowledge manifests as an insight bonus equal to +1 per four effective binder levels on initiative checks, Refl ex saves, and AC. Weapon Finesse: You gain the benefi t of the Weapon Finesse feat. BUER, GRANDMOTHER HUNTRESS Buer grants binders superior healing as well as powers against poisons and diseases. Legend: Buer tells many different stories about how she came to be a vestige, so her true origins remain obscure. In various popular versions of the tales, she is a beautiful elf maiden who fell to evil satyrs, a virtuous human ranger killed by a chimera, or a green hag slain by a lammasu. It’s likely that Buer herself cannot remember who she was in life or what brought her to her current state, and the stories she tells are cobbled together from the shreds of her memory that remain. Regardless of what her true form once was, most binders believe that she possessed great skill as a hunter and healer in life. Special Requirement: Buer requires that her seal be drawn outdoors. Manifestation: Buer’s form is that of a fi ve-branched star, or wheel, composed of satyr legs. She has two faces, one positioned on each side of her wheel-shaped body at the center point where the fi ve legs meet. One face is that of a green hag, and the other is a raging, leonine visage with an unruly mane and beard. Buer constantly moves within her seal, rolling from foot to foot as she traverses its circumference. She always keeps her raging face outward, but she speaks from her green hag face in a friendly manner with a gentle voice. When her body rolls in such a way that her hag face cannot see her summoner, Buer grows frustrated and begins yelling curses at her body. Sign: Your feet turn into satyr’s hooves, giving you a curious tip-toeing gait. These hooves prevent you from wearing normal boots or shoes, but magic footwear reshapes to fi t you. Infl uence: Under Buer’s infl uence, you are plagued by momentary memory lapses. For an instant, you might forget even a piece of information as familiar as the name of a friend or family member. Furthermore, since Buer abhors the needless death of living creatures other than animals and vermin, the fi rst melee attack you make against such a foe must be for nonlethal damage. In addition, Buer requires that you not make any coup de grace attacks. Granted Abilities: Buer grants you healing powers, the ability to ignore toxins and ailments, and skills that help you navigate the natural world. Buer’s Knowledge: You gain a +4 bonus on Heal, Knowledge (nature), and Survival checks, and you can make Knowledge (nature) checks as if you were trained, even if you have no ranks in that skill. Buer’s Purity: You have immunity to disease and poison, and making a pact with Buer removes any existing disease and neutralizes any poison that affl icts you. Delay Diseases and Poisons: Each ally within 30 feet of you gains temporary immunity to poison and disease. Allies within the area make saving throws against disease and poison effects normally, but they do not incur the effects of failure as long as they stay within 30 feet of you. An ally that leaves the area immediately suffers all the effects for any missed saves. Fast Healing: You gain the fast healing 1, and the rate of healing increases with your effective binder level. You gain fast healing 2 at 10th level, fast healing 3 at 13th level, fast healing 4 at 16th level, and fast healing 5 at 19th level. Healing Gift: As a standard action, you can cure 1 point of damage to yourself or another creature. As a fullround action, you can cure 1d8 points of damage +1 point per effective binder level (maximum 1d8+10 points). Either version requires that you touch the creature to be cured. If you use the fullround cure ability, you cannot use your healing gift again for 5 rounds. The other version is usable at will. Both uses of the ability channel positive energy and deal a corresponding amount of damage to undead. Track: You can track foes as though you possessed the Track feat. CHUPOCLOPS, HARBINGER OF FOREVER A great monster believed to be a harbinger of the apocalypse, Chupoclops became a vestige when slain by mortals. Chupoclops grants its summoner a poisoned bite and unnatural senses, plus the ability to pounce on foes, to exist ethereally, and to make enemies despair. Legend: Chupoclops once stood tall in the company of Fenris, Dendar the Night Serpent, and other supposed harbingers of the end of existence. A titanic spiderlike creature, Chupoclops stalked the Ethereal Plane, devouring ghosts and giving birth to mortals’ nightmares. Legend has it that the gods trapped the monstrous Chupoclops in the realm of ghosts to prevent it from devouring hope, but it was destined to escape and sate its hunger during the end times. Because Chupoclops was a terror to both the living and the undead, several powerful individuals eventually joined forces to fi ght it. Three were great heroes, and four were powerful villains. Four of these seven—one of the heroes and three of BUER Vestige Level: 4th Vestige Level: 4th Binding DC: 20 Binding DC: 20 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 26 1/4/06 10:04:37 AM

27 the villains— were ghosts; the rest were living. This group set out to murder Chupoclops and thus accomplish what deities could not. The furious battle lasted for seven days, and each day ended with the death of one member of the group that had come to kill the great monster. On the last day, the last hero struck down Chupoclops with her dying blow. Chupoclops, never a creature defi ned by the normal rules of the universe, became a vestige after its death. Binder scholars claim that adventurers still encounter its enormous corpse in the misty Ethereal Plane. Now that the monster can no longer destroy hope, some say it will exist forever, and thus, so will the world. Special Requirement: You must draw Chupoclops’s seal with a handful of soil from a grave or tomb. Alternatively, you can place the dead body of a sentient creature (one with Int 3 or higher) over its seal before the summoning begins. In addition, Chupoclops hates Amon for some unknown reason and will not answer your call if you are already bound to him. Manifestation: Chupoclops appears over its seal in the form of a Colossal phase spider. However, only the part of its body directly over its seal is visible at any given time. In most cases, Chupoclops fi rst appears as a massive spider leg striking out of nowhere into the center of the seal. Then it shifts its body, slowly bringing its face into view and down to the level of its summoner. Glaring over its oddly tusked arachnid visage from eight all-too-human eyes, Chupoclops rumbles an ominous growl to begin the process of pact making. Sign: Your lower jaw increases in size, and two long, sharply pointed tusks grow upward from it. Infl uence: While under the infl uence of Chupoclops, you can’t help but be pessimistic. At best, you are quietly resigned to your own failure, and at worst, you spread your doubts to others, trying to convince them of the hopelessness of their goals. In addition, Chupoclops requires that you voluntarily fail all saving throws against fear effects or any effect that imposes a morale penalty. Granted Abilities: Chupoclops gives you the power to linger on the Ethereal Plane, sense the living and undead, demoralize foes, and poison enemies. Aura of Despair: Every creature within 10 feet of you takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, checks, saves, and weapon damage rolls. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. Aura of despair is a mind-affecting fear ability. Ethereal Watcher: At will as a move action, you can become ethereal (as if using the ethereal jaunt spell; caster level equals your effective binder level). You can remain on the Ethereal Plane indefi nitely if you take no actions, but you return to the Material Plane immediately after taking a move action, a standard action, or a full-round action. Once you have returned to the Material Plane, you cannot use this ability again for 5 rounds. Ghost Touch: Your melee attacks can strike incorporeal creatures, and their normal 50% chance to avoid damage does not apply to your melee attacks. Poison Bite: You gain a natural bite attack that deals damage according to your size, as given on the table below. Size Bite Damage Diminutive or Fine 1 Tiny 1d2 Small 1d3 Medium 1d4 Large 1d6 Huge 1d8 Gargantuan 2d6 Colossal 2d8 You add your Strength modifi er to your damage roll. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Chupoclops’s sign. Pounce: If you charge a foe, you can make a full attack, including a bite attack, at the end of the charge. Soulsense: You notice and locate living creatures within 10 feet as if you possessed the blindsense ability. You also sense the strength and type of their life forces automatically, as if you had cast deathwatch. This ability is continuously active while you are bound to Chupoclops. DAHLVER-NAR, THE TORTURED ONE Once a human binder, Dahlver-Nar now grants powers just as other vestiges do. He gives his summoners tough skin, a frightening moan, protections against madness, and the ability to share injuries with allies. Legend: Bards tell two stories of Dahlver-Nar, both linked to the magic items that carry his name—the teeth of DahlverNar. Some say that because Dahlver-Nar was antiquity’s most powerful cleric, his followers treated his teeth as holy relics after his death and they somehow gained magical powers through this veneration. Others insist that Dahlver-Nar was a cleric of little consequence who discovered some magic dragon teeth in the ruins of a red dragon’s lair. In this version of the story, the teeth were named after Dahlver-Nar because he became a terror in the region where he acquired them. Binder scholars know a different story—that Dahlver-Nar was a powerful cleric who forsook his deity to pursue the power of pact magic. The fabled teeth of Dahlver-Nar, to which all the legends attribute miraculous powers, were neither his own nor those of the dragon he battled. They were the teeth of beings that became vestiges after death, and they CHUPOCLOPS CHUPOCLOPS Vestige Level: 6th Vestige Level: 6th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 27 1/4/06 10:04:52 AM

28 could grant abilities similar to those that the vestiges themselves imparted. Pact magic treatises relate that Dahlver-Nar pulled out his own teeth and replaced them with those of the vestiges, but that using them all drove him mad. What happened thereafter is a matter of debate, but the texts maintain that Dahlver-Nar eventually died, and the teeth were lost, divided up among the squabbling followers he had managed to gain and then spread across the world. Today, DahlverNar exists as a vestige in his own right—perhaps brought to that state through his close association with so many others. Manifestation: Dahlver-Nar’s frightful apparition fl oats in the air above his seal, with arms and legs hanging limply. Teeth and fangs of all kinds stud his entire body, replacing even his eyes. What skin is visible between the teeth appears to be the moist, pink fl esh of gums. Dahlver-Nar’s mouth is a bloody ruin that clearly lacks teeth, and when he opens it to speak, only a moan issues forth. Some binders believe that his vestige form is a punishment infl icted by the other vestiges, but others insist that he appears as he does because of his everlasting obsession with the teeth that bear his name. Sign: Several teeth grow from your scalp. Though they are small enough to be hidden by a large quantity of hair or a hat, a touch reveals them immediately. Infl uence: You shift quickly from distraction to extreme focus and back again. Sometimes you stare blankly off into space, and at other times you gaze intently at the person or task at hand. Since Dahlver-Nar dislikes any task that requires more than 1 round of concentration (such as some spellcasting, concentration on an effect, or any action that requires a Concentration check), he requires that you undertake no such activities while under his infl uence. Granted Abilities: Dahlver-Nar armors you and blends his madness with your sanity, lending you some of his selfi sh powers. Mad Soul: Binding to Dahlver-Nar grants you immunity to Wisdom damage, Wisdom drain, madness, insanity, and confusion effects. Maddening Moan: You can emit a frightful moan as a standard action. Every creature within a 30-foot spread must succeed on a Will save or be dazed for 1 round. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Maddening moan is a mind-affecting sonic ability. Natural Armor: You gain an enhancement bonus to your natural armor equal to one-half your Constitution bonus (if any). Shield Self: At will as a standard action, you can designate one creature within 10 feet per effective binder level to share the damage you take. As long as the subject creature remains within range, you take only half damage from all effects that deal hit point damage, and it takes the rest. The effect ends immediately if you designate another creature or if either you or the subject dies. Any damage dealt to you after the effect ends is no longer split between you and the subject, but damage already split is not reassigned to you. You can affect one creature at a time with this ability. An unwilling target of this ability can attempt a Will save to negate the effect. DANTALION, THE STAR EMPEROR Dantalion, called the Star Emperor for his legend and appearance, is a composite of many souls. He grants binders the ability to teleport short distances, read thoughts, and stop foes. Legend: Binders know little of how Dantalion came to be. The most common legend of his origin presents him not as one spirit, but as a conglomeration of the souls of a royal line whose members were cursed not to join their deities in the afterlife. This ancient imperial line is not now connected to any living leaders. Supposedly, however, descendants of this family still live, ignorant of both their heritage and their curse. Some binders profess to be scions of Dantalion—the true heirs of the royal line—but these claims are likely just the fancies of romantic minds. Manifestation: Dantalion appears in a fl ash of red light as a 10-foot-tall humanoid, resplendent in crimson and gold Manifestation of Dahlver-Nar DAHLVER-NAR DAHLVER-NAR Vestige Level: 2nd Vestige Level: 2nd Binding DC: 17 Binding DC: 17 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes Illus. by W. England 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 28 1/4/06 10:05:09 AM

29 robes. His head is a massive conglomeration of dozens of human faces—male and female, young and old. A gold crown as big around as a barrel rests on the brow of his enormous cranium. Dantalion carries a great tome under one arm and speaks with the voices of his many faces, always in cryptic passages that he reads from his book. Sometimes just one face reads from his tome, but the speaking face changes often and usually in mid-sentence. Those who glance at the book’s pages see a dark sky fi lled with stars that change with each fl ip of a page. Sign: One of Dantalion’s faces appears on your torso, as though it were a vestigial conjoined twin. It seems lifeless most of the time, but when you activate an ability granted by Dantalion, it opens its eyes and mouth, revealing a starry void within. Infl uence: Dantalion’s infl uence causes you to be aloof and use stately gestures. Dantalion can’t help but be curious about the leaders of the day, so anytime you are within 100 feet of someone who clearly is (or professes to be) a leader of others, Dantalion requires that you try to read that person’s thoughts. Once you have made the attempt, regardless of success or failure, you need not try to read that person’s thoughts again. Granted Abilities: Pact magic grimoires attest to Dantalion’s profound wisdom and his extensive knowledge about all subjects. Because he knows all thoughts, he can grant you a portion of that power, as well as the ability to travel just by thinking. You also gain a portion of his commanding presence, which many binders ascribe to his royal origins. Awe of Dantalion: When you invoke this ability (a move action), any creature that sees you is unable to attack you or target you with a hostile spell for 1 round. If you attempt any hostile action, such as making an attack roll or casting an offensive spell against the affected creature or its allies, the effect ends. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Dantalion Knows: While bound to Dantalion, you have a +8 bonus on Knowledge checks. This ability does not allow you to make Knowledge checks untrained. Read Thoughts: At will as a full-round action, you can attempt to read the surface thoughts of any creature you can see, as long as it is within 5 feet per effective binder level you possess. If the target makes a successful Will save, you cannot read its thoughts for 1 minute. Creatures of animal intelligence (Int 1 or 2) have simple, instinctual thoughts that you can pick up. If you attempt to read the thoughts of a creature with an Intelligence score 10 points higher than your own, you automatically fail and are stunned for 1 round. You can read a creature’s thoughts for as long as you concentrate. Thought Travel: As a standard action, you can instantly transport yourself and any objects you carry (up to a heavy load) to any location you can see that is within 5 feet per effective binder level you possess. The desired location cannot be within an object or beyond a barrier unless you have some means of seeing the exact space you desire to occupy. If you cannot occupy the designated space because it contains a solid body inside which you cannot exist (for example, if an invisible creature is in the square, or some magic in that location prevents dimensional travel, or the like), the attempt to travel fails and you are stunned for 1 round. Otherwise, you always arrive at the exact location desired. You cannot use this ability while blinded. Thought travel is a teleportation effect and is usable a number of times per day equal to your effective binder level. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. ELIGOR, DRAGON’S SLAYER A champion both against and for evil dragons, Eligor grants martial prowess both in and out of the saddle, as well as supernatural strength. Legend: Supposedly, Eligor was a great half-elf dragonslayer before he was condemned to a vestige’s existence by the actions of Tiamat. Believers of this legend claim that after Eligor’s death, Tiamat sent her DANTALION DANTALION Vestige Level: 5th Vestige Level: 5th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No ELIGOR Vestige Level: 7th Vestige Level: 7th Binding DC: 30 Binding DC: 30 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No READING THOUGHTS Reading a creature’s surface thoughts reveals not only the immediate thought in its mind, but also some general information that it might know. If the target fails its saving throw, the mind reader should learn a brief description of its emotional state in broad terms, such as “bored and hungry,” “nervous and alert,” “angry and plotting,” “skeptical and cautious,” and so on. The mind reader can also determine the target’s awareness of other allies and enemies in the vicinity. 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 29 1/4/06 10:05:30 AM

30 draconic minions against the followers of both the human and the elven deities, demanding that they release his soul to her. Despite Eligor’s great service to both races, the deities gave up his soul to stave off the dragon attacks against their living followers. Only one deity argued against this profound injustice. The race and gender of this lone voice of reason differ with the teller, and not even binder scholars agree on whether the deity was human or elf, or even male or female. Whoever it was, this god set off alone to face Tiamat and wrest Eligor’s soul from her grasp. Upon arrival, however, the deity found Eligor in the service of Tiamat rather than in bondage. Unbeknownst to the other gods, Tiamat had raised him from death to be her champion and enforcer, using his abandonment by the other gods to win his loyalty. Eligor and the nameless deity fought, and Eligor lost his life yet again. This time, no deity laid claim to his soul, since doing so had already caused enough trouble. Manifestation: Eligor clatters out of nothingness on a winged, half-horse/half-dragon monstrosity. Both rider and mount are heavily armored, and in fact Eligor’s form is entirely obscured by ornate, shining plate armor and a grand helm. He carries a lance in one hand and holds a banner in the other. With each manifestation, Eligor’s banner and mount change color, cycling through the fi ve different colors of chromatic dragons. Although Eligor rides what might well be an evil creature, he always greets his summoner warmly and treats him with respect. Sign: One of your hands becomes thickly scaled. The color of the scales matches the color of Eligor’s mount at the time of his summoning. Infl uence: You feel pity for all outcasts, particularly halfelves and half-orcs, and you make every effort to befriend any such beings you meet. Because Eligor desires revenge on the deities who abandoned him, he requires that you attack a human, elf, or dragon foe in preference to all others whenever you enter combat. Granted Abilities: In his fi rst life, Eligor was a skilled horseman, and in his second, he served the primary deity of chromatic dragons. Thus, the powers he grants tend to refl ect those associations. Chromatic Strike: As a free action, you can charge a melee attack (or melee touch attack) with acid, cold, electricity, or fi re. Your next melee attack deals an extra 1d6 points of damage of the chosen energy type. You can charge a single melee attack only once. Eligor’s Skill in the Saddle: You gain the benefi ts of the Ride-By Attack and Spirited Charge feats. Eligor’s Strength: You gain a +4 bonus to Strength. Eligor’s Resilience: You gain a +3 enhancement bonus to natural armor. This bonus improves to +4 at 16th level and to +5 at 20th level. Heavy Armor Profi ciency: You are profi cient with heavy armor. EURYNOME, MOTHER OF THE MATERIAL Eurynome grants lordship over the water and the beasts of land, seas, and air. She also gives those with whom she binds some of the might of titans. Legend: Stories say that before recorded time, the gods and titans battled on the Outer Planes. Tired of the struggle, the titan Eurynome fl ed to the roiling chaos that made up the Material Plane. She divided the world into sky and sea, and then she danced alone upon the waves. Incensed by her impertinence in meddling with a world as yet unformed, the gods struck Eurynome down. Angered by her abandonment of their fi ght, her fellow titans refused to come to her aid. Eurynome’s body became the fi rst island, her blood became the fi rst river, and her soul became a vestige. Special Requirement: Eurynome hates Amon for some unknown reason and will not answer your call if you are already bound to him. Manifestation: If Eurynome’s myth is true, she has fallen far since battling gods and shaping the deeps and the fi rmament. Eurynome manifests as a horrid conglomeration of humanoid, avian, and piscine forms. Her arms are octopus tentacles, her legs are those of a hawk, and her mouth is an Manifestation of Eurynome EURYNOME EURYNOME Vestige Level: 4th Vestige Level: 4th Binding DC: 21 Binding DC: 21 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes Illus. by F. Tsai 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 30 1/4/06 10:05:50 AM

31 owl’s beak. Wings shaped like great fi sh fi ns extend from her back, and she has no eyes—only lampreylike mouths where her visual orbs should be. Sign: Your skin becomes clammy, and you leave moist prints on any object your body touches, even if clothing blocks direct contact. These marks evaporate after about 1 minute. Infl uence: Eurynome’s infl uence makes you paranoid and ungrateful; you see secret motives and possible betrayals behind every action. Eurynome requires that you not attack a foe unless an ally has already done so. If no allies are present, she makes no such requirement. Granted Abilities: Eurynome grants you the ability to befriend animals, walk on water, and wield a massive hammer. In addition, she turns your blood into poison and gives you resistance to weapon blows. Animal Friend: All animals automatically have an initial attitude of friendly toward you. Damage Reduction: You gain damage reduction 2/lawful. Eurynome’s Maul: As a swift action, you can summon a Large magic warhammer (2d6 damage, ×3 crit). You are profi cient with this weapon and can wield it in one hand without penalty. Your warhammer’s exact bonus and abilities depend on your effective binder level, according to the following table. Effective Binder Level Warhammer Summoned 10th or lower +1 warhammer 11th–14th +1 anarchic warhammer 15th–18th +1 anarchic adamantine warhammer 19th or higher +3 anarchic adamantine warhammer The warhammer disappears (until you summon it again) if it leaves your grasp for more than 1 round. Poison Blood: While you are bound to Eurynome, your blood becomes poisonous. Any creature that ingests it (by either making a bite attack against you or swallowing you whole) must immediately make a successful Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of damage. After 1 minute, the creature must make another Fortitude save at the same DC or take another 1d6 points of damage per three effective binder levels you possess (maximum 5d6). Each bite attack (or each round that you remain in the creature’s gullet) poisons the creature anew, forcing a new round of saving throws. Your poison blood becomes inert 1 minute after leaving your body. Water Dancing: At will, you can move on liquid as if it were fi rm ground. This ability functions like the water walk spell, except that it affects only you. FOCALOR, PRINCE OF TEARS Focalor has power over storms and seas. He gives those who bind him the power to drown souls in sadness and sink ships in an ocean of tears. Legend: Accounts of Focalor’s origins vary widely. Some claim he was once a demon, and others say he was an angel— likely a planetar. The constantly crying spirit has never uttered a coherent word, so binder scholars must look elsewhere to solve the mystery of how he came to be a vestige. All agree, however, that Focalor was an immortal creature that died of grief, and his immense anguish kept him from being absorbed into his home plane. The cause of his sadness, however, is as unclear as his origin. Special Requirement: Focalor’s seal must be drawn with a liquid medium. Manifestation: Focalor manifests slowly, appearing fi rst as a single tear that drops from thin air to strike the ground. Next his weeping eyes appear, and gradually his whole body becomes visible. Focalor looks like a handsome human male whose face is twisted by grief. He wears no clothes, but he cloaks his body in the griffon wings that grow from his back and shudder with each of his wracking sobs. Sign: While you serve as host to Focalor, your eyes constantly weep, regardless of your mood or thoughts. Infl uence: While infl uenced by Focalor, you feel some of his inestimable grief and act morose, rarely smiling or fi nding cause to laugh. Whenever you kill a creature, Focalor demands that as soon as you have a peaceful moment, you take a round to say a few words of sorrow and regret for the life cut short by your actions. Granted Abilities: Focalor gives you the ability to breathe water, strike foes down with lightning, blind enemies with a puff of your breath, and cause creatures to be stricken with grief in your presence. Aura of Sadness: You emit an aura of depression and anguish that overtakes even the strongest-willed creatures. Every adjacent creature is overcome with grief, which manifests as a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks, for as long as it remains adjacent to you. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. Aura of sadness is a mind-affecting ability. Focalor’s Breath: As a standard action, you can exhale toward a single living target within 30 feet. That target is blinded for 1 round unless it succeeds on a Fortitude save. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Lightning Strike: Once per round as a standard action, you can call down a bolt of lightning that strikes any target you designate, as long as it is within 10 feet per effective binder level of your position. The lightning bolt deals 3d6 points of FOCALOR FOCALOR Vestige Level: 3rd Vestige Level: 3rd Binding DC: 20 Binding DC: 20 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 31 1/4/06 10:06:10 AM

32 electricity damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage for every three effective binder levels you possess above 5th. A successful Refl ex save halves this damage. This ability functions outdoors, indoors, underground, and even underwater. Water Breathing: You can breathe both water and air easily. GERYON, THE DEPOSED LORD Once a devil of great power, Geryon now exists only as a vestige. He gives binders powers associated with his eyes, as well as the ability to fl y at a moment’s notice. Legend: Most scholars of the dark arts know of Geryon. As one of the legendary Lords of the Nine, he ruled Stygia, the frozen fi fth layer of Hell. During a great upheaval known as the Reckoning, Geryon secretly supported the greatest of the arch devils, A s m o d e u s , against his rivals. When the armies of the opposing lords met to decide who would take Asmodeus’s power, Geryon blew his horn. At his signal, the armies turned against their leaders, the usurpers were thrown down, and Asmodeus reestablished his right to rule all Baator. Knowing he had taught the usurpers a lesson they would not soon forget, Asmodeus returned them to power. Rather than reward Geryon, however, he inexplicably gave his lone supporter’s power and position to another. Geryon’s fate after losing his position is unclear, but some binder scholars maintain that Asmodeus held one more betrayal in store for him. The story goes that Geryon, bewildered and stunned, lost all hope for the future. He began to question the purpose of his actions and, in a moment of weakness, even the point of his own existence. It was then that Asmodeus struck. The ruler of the Nine Hells had always hungered for the souls of those who had lost their faith, and Geryon’s powerful soul made a fi ne meal. Special Requirement: Geryon answers the calls of only those summoners who show an understanding of the relationship between souls and the planes. Thus, you must have at least 5 ranks in either Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (the planes) to summon him. Manifestation: Geryon arrives in a fl ash of sickly green light. A strange conglomeration of forms, his body resembles three ogre mages standing with their backs to each other and melded into one being. He has three legs, each with two feet, and three arms, each with two hands. Three brutish faces gaze out from equidistant points on a single head, which sits upon a neck jutting upward from three shoulders. One face has a furrowed brow and looks angry, another appears agitated, with wildly rolling eyes, and the third seems thoughtful, often staring into the distance as though thinking of something else. Geryon speaks from only one of his three faces at any given time, and each of the three has a different personality and voice—a deep voice for the angry face, a babbling, hysterical voice for the agitated one, and a quiet voice for the thoughtful one. All three, however, are Geryon. Whenever his mood changes, Geryon turns his body so that he can speak to his summoner with the face that best represents his feelings at the time. Sign: Two extra pairs of devilish eyes with green lids and yellow, catlike irises open on your head. Located at the level of your own eyes and equidistant from them, these bloodshot orbs grant you the ability to see all around yourself. Your own eyes take on the same appearance as the new ones. Infl uence: While infl uenced by Geryon, you become overly trusting of and loyal to those you see as allies, even in the face of outright treachery. Because he values trust, if you make a Sense Motive check or use any ability to read thoughts or detect lies, you rebel against Geryon’s infl uence and incur the normal penalties. Granted Abilities: Geryon gives you his eyes and his baleful gaze, as well as the ability to fl y. Acidic Gaze: The gaze of your devilish eyes can cause foes to erupt with acid. When you use this ability, each opponent within 30 feet of you must succeed on a Will save or take 2d6 points of acid damage. Opponents can avert or close their eyes to protect themselves, as normal for a gaze attack. You can still take a standard action to focus your gaze on a target creature, as normal for a gaze attack. You can choose not to affect specifi c creatures within range of the gaze attack, such as your allies, if desired. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Geryon’s sign. All-Around Vision: Your extra eyes allow you to look in any direction, granting you a +4 bonus on Spot and Search checks. Opponents gain no benefi ts when fl anking you. When confronted by a creature with a gaze attack, however, you cannot avert your eyes, though you can still close them. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Geryon’s sign. See in Darkness: You can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Geryon’s sign. Swift Flight: You can fl y for 1 round at a speed of 60 feet with perfect maneuverability. Activating this ability is a swift action. Once you have used swift fl ight, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. GERYON Vestige Level: 5th Vestige Level: 5th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 32 1/4/06 10:06:27 AM

33 HAAGENTI, MOTHER OF MINOTAURS Haagenti tricked the god of frost giants and paid a terrible price for that deed. She girds her summoners for battle and gives them the power to confuse foes. Legend: The tale of how minotaurs originated changes according to the culture and race of the teller, but frost giants blame Haagenti. Thrym, their primary deity, had tried to force a goddess of the humans to marry him and failed when her brother disguised himself as Thrym’s bride and disrupted the ceremony. The angry and humiliated god consoled himself with dalliances among his giant worshipers. Haagenti, a hill giant sorceress, learned of his liaisons and used a spell to transform herself into a beautiful frost giant so that she might bear Thrym’s powerful half-god children. Her ploy succeeded, and a year later she gave birth to twin sons. Once the children of his dalliances had grown old enough, Thrym set out to visit and test them all. He fought each child to see who was the strongest and bravest, intending to invite the most fi t to join him in Jotunheim. When he sought out Haagenti, he found her herding cattle in the warm lowlands and became enraged when he saw her true form. But when he raised his axe to fell her, two horribly ugly giants leapt to her defense. Thrym realized to his disgust that they were his sons. Thrym would have destroyed them at that moment, but he suddenly realized that Haagenti had taught him a valuable lesson. His failed attempt at marriage had been fouled by a beautiful form created through trickery, and now he had fallen victim to the same ruse again. Rather than kill Haagenti and her children, Thrym cursed them to resemble the cattle with which they wallowed, turning them into minotaurs. Then he left, vowing to teach his frost giant worshipers to distrust all beauty. How Haagenti became a vestige is unclear, but binder lore holds that her guilt at ruining beauty for the frost giants was so great that she could not bear to exist in any place that held beauty of any kind. Since every place in the planes seems beautiful to some being, she could fi nd no eternal home anywhere. Haagenti refuses to speak on the subject and becomes angry when questioned about her past. Special Requirement: To summon Haagenti, you must be either Large or able to speak Giant. Manifestation: When Haagenti is summoned, a huge icicle thrusts up from the ground within the confi nes of her seal. Haagenti’s blurry white form can be seen moving within the ice for a moment, then she spreads her arms and shatters her icy prison. Although she appears with her back to her summoner, her form is clearly that of a winged minotaur. Haagenti waves her ice shield and battleaxe to disperse the cold mist around her, then turns to face her summoner, revealing her bull-like face and icicle beard. Her frost-rimed fur is pure white, and her horns appear to be made of ice. Her powerfully muscled form doesn’t appear female, but her smooth voice sounds quite feminine. Sign: You possess the same features as you always did, but they somehow make you more ugly than before. Others easily recognize you, but small differences make you less appealing to look upon. In addition, your bulk expands until you weigh half again as much as you did before. Infl uence: You feel ashamed and occasionally bashful in the presence of beautiful creatures. In addition, Haagenti requires that you give deference to any creature you perceive as more attractive or charismatic than yourself. This deference might take the form of a bow, a salute, opening a door for the creature in question, not speaking until spoken to, or any other gesture that acknowledges the creature as superior to you. In any case, you must constantly treat any such creature with respect or suffer the penalty for defying Haagenti’s infl uence. Granted Abilities: Haagenti grants you some of Thrym’s skill with arms and armor, plus her own aversion to Manifestation of Haagenti HAAGENTI HAAGENTI Vestige Level: 2nd Vestige Level: 2nd Binding DC: 17 Binding DC: 17 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes Illus. by F. Vohwinkel 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 33 1/4/06 10:06:43 AM

34 transformation and the ability to infl ict a state of confusion upon others. Confusing Touch: You can confuse by touch. The target of your touch attack must succeed on a Will save or become confused for 1 round per three effective binder levels you possess. When you attain an effective binder level of 19th, this ability functions as a maze spell. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Immunity to Transformation: No mortal magic can permanently affect your form while you are bound to Haagenti. Effects such as polymorph or petrifi cation might force you into a new shape, but at the start of your next turn, you can immediately resume your normal form as a free action. You remain affected by such effects only when you choose to do so. Shield Profi ciency: You are profi - cient with shields, including tower shields. Weapon Profi ciency: You are profi - cient with the battleaxe, greataxe, handaxe, and throwing axe. HALPHAX, THE ANGEL IN THE ANGLE Gnomes rarely earn a reputation for their military might, but Halphax is one of the few exceptions to that rule. He grants his summoners the ability to raise a fortress and imprison foes, as well as the hardness of stone. Legend: An engineer of inestimable excellence, Halphax made great advances in architecture of all kinds. His infl uence can be seen in the solid architecture of the dwarves, the beauty of elven buildings, the comfort of gnome dwellings, and the practicality of halfl ing homes. His greatest passion, however, was the architecture of military fortifi cations and the art of defense. Halphax’s walls still encircle towns, and most of the castles he designed are still standing today, even though more than a thousand years have passed since he last sketched a fl oor plan. Unfortunately for him, the great architect’s professionalism became his downfall. In Halphax’s time, gnomes were as populous as humans. They lived in grand cities that rivaled those of the elves, and they welcomed all civilized races into these metropolises to live and trade. The hobgoblins were the fi rst of the goblinoids to rise out of tribalism and fi nd welcome in the gnome citystates. They quickly took to gnome society, learning as much as they could and using their strong backs and hale bodies to earn places for themselves in the military and manual labor trades. Then, in an act known to gnomes as the Great Betrayal, the hobgoblins turned against their benefactors in a series of well-coordinated attacks. The victorious goblinoids turned each gnome city into a prison, using the fortifi cations meant to keep enemies out to trap the gnomes within. To ensure that they overlooked no means of escape, they captured and enslaved the gnomes who had designed them. Through a combination of threats and rewards, they forced the gnomes to make these prisons even more effective. Many gnome architects chose to die rather than help the hobgoblins, and others secretly used their positions to help their kinfolk escape the city. But when the hobgoblins threatened the life of Halphax’s wife, the great architect put all his effort into creating the most impregnable prison possible. Legend holds that no gnome ever escaped Halphax’s city, and it was the last goblinoid holding to fall in the war that followed the Great Betrayal. When at last the goblinoids were defeated, the prison city that Halphax had built was found empty of all gnomes but him. The hobgoblins had killed them all except Halphax and his wife. She could not bear to be the cause of so much tragedy, however, and took her own life. When the gnomes attempted to apprehend Halphax and hold him responsible for his deeds, the architect vanished into his city. The allied armies tore the city down to its foundations in their attempts to fi nd him, but he was never seen again. Special Requirement: Halphax’s sign must be drawn inside a building, in a corner of the structure. Manifestation: When Halphax manifests, the corner in which he was summoned appears to warp, growing deeper and extending to what appears to be an infi nite distance beyond the limits of the structure. In that distance, a fi gure appears, and suddenly the distance closes, bringing Halphax into his seal. Halphax always takes the form of a gnome wearing leather breeches and a vest, both of which are covered in pockets and loops for holding tools and items. The tools of an engineer hang from his belt, and he usually appears in a posture of boredom, hands in his pockets. Halphax’s most striking feature is that he seems to have no fl esh and bone beneath his clothes—only broken bits of stone and masonry. The shattered features of bas-reliefs and gargoyles make up his face. Sign: Your body takes on the appearance of cracked stone. Infl uence: In his time as a vestige, Halphax seems to have lost all memory of his life as well as any feeling of guilt or shame for his actions. Thus, when you are under his infl uence, you lose any normal sense of shame or embarrassment. However, if someone threatens a hostage you care about—be it a creature or an item—Halphax requires that you accede to the hostage taker’s demands. HALPHAX HALPHAX Vestige Level: 8th Vestige Level: 8th Binding DC: 32 Binding DC: 32 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 34 1/4/06 10:07:02 AM

35 Granted Powers: Halphax grants you great knowledge of mechanical arts as well as the power to imprison foes, build towers, and gird your body with the hardness of stone. Damage Reduction: You gain damage reduction 10/adamantine. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Halphax’s sign. Halphax’s Knowledge: You can use the Profession (siege engineer) and Knowledge (architecture and engineering) skills untrained. In addition, you gain a +16 competence bonus on Profession (siege engineer) and Knowledge (architecture and engineering) checks. Imprison: You can imprison a foe deep in the earth with only a touch. As a standard action, you can make a melee touch attack to imprison your target. If you hit, the target must make a Fortitude saving throw or be imprisoned. This ability functions like the imprisonment spell, except that the imprisonment lasts for a number of rounds equal to your effective binder level. If you miss with the touch attack, you can use this ability on the following round, but if a target makes its save, you must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again. You cannot imprison a creature while you already have another imprisoned from the use of this ability. Iron Wall: As a standard action, you can cause a fl at, vertical iron wall to spring into being. It functions as a wall of iron spell, except that it disappears after 1 minute. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Secure Shelter: At will as a standard action, you can bring a sturdy stone building into being at any point on the ground within 60 feet of you, as long as the space can accommodate its dimensions. This ability summons a tower like that produced by the Leomund’s secure shelter spell. You cannot summon this tower if you already have one standing. You can dismiss the structure as a standard action, but you cannot summon it again for 5 rounds after dismissing it. HAURES, THE DREAMING DUKE Haures grants his summoners the power to create illusions, protect their thoughts, and move through objects like a ghost. Legend: Human history associates the name Haures with a powerful lord who terrorized his people. From the time he took the throne until his death, he kept his subjects at work building his castle, adding constantly to its grandeur and might. Workers at the castle would return with strange tales of building a room and then rebuilding it the next day because no sign remained of their previous day’s work. Then those who told such stories began to vanish in the castle, never to be heard from again. Although the castle grew with the additions made to it for the fi rst few years, the constant construction seemed to have no effect on its size in later years. When at last Haures died, his subjects rejoiced and attacked the castle, hoping to loot and set fi re to the palatial structure. The mob of peasants found the castle empty, devoid even of its furnishings. Confused and frightened, they left, and the castle and the surrounding lands soon gained a reputation for being haunted. Binder scholars believe they know the answer to the mystery of Haures’s disappearance and the strange construction of the castle. According to their legends, Haures was not a human at all, but a powerful rakshasa sorcerer in disguise. Much of the construction he demanded took place on the Ethereal Plane because Haures planned to continue his existence there as a ghost. He wanted his afterlife to be as much like his mortal life as possible, so he had his subjects build a nearly exact duplicate of his castle on the Ethereal Plane and cloaked their work sites in illusions to hide the truth. In the last months of his life, Haures brought many living and undead servants to his foggy realm, as well as all the comforts to which he had become accustomed. For some time after his demise, Haures spent time on both the Material and Ethereal Planes. As a ghost, he would cloak the decaying castle on the Material Plane in bright illusions so that he could throw lavish parties for the travelers attracted to its warm glow. Then he would end the party suddenly, leaving his guests alone in the chilly ruins of his castle and delighting in their terror. As the years passed, fewer folk dared enter his home, and Haures began to throw illusory parties for himself to alleviate his boredom. As his sanity deteriorated, he became unable to distinguish between the Material and the Ethereal Planes, and even between his illusions and his own imagined experiences. At some point, Haures lost all sense of the difference between reality and dreams, illusion and imagination, and even life and undeath. This complete dissolution of these barriers propelled him into existence as a vestige. Manifestation: Haures initially manifests as a ghostly tiger stalking out of thin air, but his appearance rapidly changes to that of a handsome and well-dressed middle-aged man who appears alive and healthy. A moment later, that form decays before his summoner’s eyes, rotting into a zombielike state, then fading into ghostly incorporeality and changing again, this time into a skeletal tiger wearing a shining crown and purple robe. This tiger form soon loses its crown and robe but gains ghostly fl esh, becoming a ghostly tiger to begin the cycle of change all over again. Haures seems cognizant of his summoner only while he HAURES Vestige Level: 6th Vestige Level: 6th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 35 1/4/06 10:07:17 AM

36 is in living human form, and he speaks only in those brief moments. Sign: While you are bound to Haures, your palms are where the backs of your hands should be, just as they are on a rakshasa. If you fl ip over your hands so that the backs are up, your thumbs end up on the wrong sides of your hands. This rearrangement has no effect on your Dexterity, spellcasting, ability to wield objects, or use of skills. Infl uence: When infl uenced by Haures, you become an eccentric, often speaking to yourself and to imaginary friends. In addition, Haures requires that if you encounter and disbelieve an illusion not of your own making, you must not voluntarily enter its area. Granted Abilities: Haures shields your mind with his madness, allows you to move like a ghost, gives you the power to fool the senses, and grants you the ability to kill others with their deepest fears. Inaccessible Mind: You are protected from any effort to detect, infl uence, or read your emotions or thoughts, and you have immunity to any mind-affecting spells and abilities, as if you were protected by a mind blank spell. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. Incorporeal Movement: When moving, you become nearly incorporeal and can ignore the effects of diffi cult terrain. You can even move through an enemy’s space, but not through walls or other solid barriers. Furthermore, any attacks of opportunity directed at you while you move have a 50% miss chance. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. Major Image: You can create an illusion at will, as though you had cast major image (caster level equals your effective binder level). A creature can attempt a Will save to realize the illusion is false. You can never create more than one major image at a time, and you can dismiss or renew the effect as a standard action. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Phantasmal Killer: This ability functions like the phantasmal killer spell except for the range and save DCs (the ability still requires a Will save, and possibly a Fortitude save) to resist. You can target any single creature within 10 feet per binder level you possess. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. IPOS, PRINCE OF FOOLS Binders call Ipos the Prince of Fools because of the crown he wears and the sad legend of his transformation into a vestige. He grants his summoners cold iron claws with which to rend foes, the power to see creatures and objects as they are, and a fraction of his charisma. Legend: As a mortal scholar of deities and the planes, Ipos discovered vestiges and the process of binding long before their rediscovery in the current age. Although binder lore gives confl icting accounts of Ipos’s race and nation of origin, the legends agree that he was a mighty spellcaster with the power to travel the planes in his pursuit of knowledge. Although he was interested in all subjects, Ipos had a particular passion for discovering the nature of the planes, magic, and the gods. Through his study of these topics, Ipos sought to discover the planar order—the set of fundamental laws within which the multiverse operated. Ipos did a magnifi cent job with his research, and his discoveries have been passed down through the generations. Yet he left such an incomplete vision of reality that later scholars and explorers had to expand upon his body of work. In the midst of his investigations, Ipos stumbled across vestiges and drowned in the depth of this knowledge. He could not conceive of beings that did not exist in some place, or that could not be reached via the planes or by deities. He became obsessed with fi nding the plane upon which the vestiges resided. He dropped the study of all other topics and threw himself into the task of fi nding a way to the realm of the vestiges. No one knows what happened after he made this mission his focus, but the fact that he now exists as a vestige lends credence to the idea that he discovered what he sought. Special Requirement: Ipos refuses to answer the call of any summoner who, in his judgment, has not taken a serious enough interest in occult studies. Anyone wishing to bind Ipos must have at least 5 ranks in Knowledge (arcana) and 5 ranks in either Knowledge (religion) or Knowledge (the planes). Manifestation: Ipos steps forward onto his seal as though reappearing from invisibility. Some pact magic texts say that he has the head of a vulture or a goose, but those writers must have been unfamiliar with the bald ibis. Ipos clearly has that bird’s long, downward-curving beak and mottled, featherless head. Atop his warty scalp, he wears a crown of black iron, and a many-layered gray cloak hides most of his form. Ipos’s overly long arms end in gray-furred and clawed members that are more like the paws of a lion than the hands of a man. In one paw, he holds a gnarled iron cane that he uses more often to strike the ground in emphasis than as an aid in walking. He keeps his other paw hidden in one of the long sleeves of his robes, but from time to time, an observer can see him extending its long, black claws. Despite his rusting crown and tattered cloak, Ipos presents an imposing fi gure, and his hissing voice and baleful glare add considerably to his menace. IPOS Vestige Level: 6th Vestige Level: 6th Binding DC: 26 Binding DC: 26 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 36 1/4/06 10:07:32 AM

37 Sign: You grow long, black, clawlike nails. Infl uence: You think highly of your intellect and show contempt toward those who question your assumptions or conclusions. If you encounter a creature that shows interest in a topic about which you have knowledge, Ipos requires that you truthfully edify that individual. Granted Powers: Ipos grants you his discerning sight and commanding presence, as well as claws of cold iron with which to rend the veil of ignorance. Cold Iron Claws: Your fi ngernails harden into cold iron, granting you one claw attack per hand. You can strike with each hand at your full attack bonus and add your full Strength bonus to the damage you deal. The base damage for each claw attack is as given on the following table. Size Base Damage Diminutive 1 Fine 1d2 Tiny 1d3 Small 1d4 Medium 1d6 Large 1d8 Huge 2d6 Gargantuan 2d8 Colossal 4d6 If you already had claw attacks with your hands, use the claw damage on the table only if it’s better than your normal base damage. Your claw attacks are considered cold iron weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Ipos’s sign. Flash of Insight: As a swift action, you gain a true seeing effect (as the spell) for a duration of 1 round. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Ipos’s Infl uence: Your affi liation with Ipos allows you to draw more power from the vestiges to which you are bound. The saving throw DC (if any) of each special ability granted by your vestiges increases by 1. Treat your effective binder level as one higher than normal for the purpose of determining the effects of vestige special abilities. Planar Attenuation: You gain protection from the natural effects of a specifi c plane. These effects include extremes in temperature, lack of air, poisonous fumes, emanations of positive or negative energy, or other attributes of the plane itself. You can change the plane to which you are attuned as a standard action. Rend: When you hit one foe with all your claw attacks, you automatically deal double the damage of a normal claw attack (including your Strength modifi er) in addition to your normal damage. KARSUS, HUBRIS IN THE BLOOD Karsus lived and died by magic, so he grants binders power over that force. Legend: Binders know Karsus as a potent mortal spellcaster who attempted to steal the powers of a deity that had jurisdiction over magic. He succeeded, but realized too late that his mortal frame and soul could not contain the power. He died, and his soul remained tied to the Material Plane for ages, never becoming a petitioner. Some claim that part of it somehow still lingers there. With no planar home and no deity who would claim him, Karsus became a vestige. Special Requirement: Karsus refuses to answer the call of a binder who attempts to summon him within the area of an active spell. In addition, he appears only to a summoner who has at least 5 ranks in either Knowledge (arcana) or Spellcraft. He also hates Amon for some unknown reason and will not answer your call if you are already bound to that vestige. Manifestation: Karsus appears silently and suddenly in the form of a great red boulder. Blood burbles up from the top of the stone and fl ows in a rivulet down the side facing his summoner, then pools at the base. When Karsus speaks, the blood fountains upward, its height varying based on the volume of his voice. Sign: You bleed more than normal from wounds. Even a small scratch releases a sanguine fl ood. This effect does not deal extra damage. Infl uence: You take on some of the arrogance for which Karsus was famous in his mortal life. He requires that you make Bluff or Intimidate checks rather than Diplomacy checks to infl uence others. Granted Abilities: In life, Karsus was obsessed with magic, and his obsession continues unabated in his current state. He grants you the ability to see magic, destroy it with a touch, and use any magic item with ease. He even provides increased spellcasting power. Heavy Magic: The save DC for each effect of every magic item you use increases by 2. Karsus’s Senses: You can sense magic auras as easily as others can detect odors, and concentrating on them reveals them to your sight. When you concentrate (a standard action), you automatically detect the number of different magical auras within 30 feet, and the power of the most potent aura within 30 feet, as though you had cast detect magic on the area and concentrated for 2 rounds. You do not need to concentrate to maintain this effect, but concentrating for 1 additional round reveals the location and strength of the auras in the area. A third round of concentration allows you to determine the school of a particular aura automatically. KARSUS Vestige Level: 3rd Vestige Level: 3rd Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 37 1/4/06 10:07:47 AM

38 Additional rounds of concentration reveal the schools of other auras. You cannot use this ability if you are blinded, but otherwise it functions as detect magic for the purposes of concealment and the materials pierced. If you encounter an aura of overwhelming strength, however, you are dazzled so long as it remains within range of Karsus’s senses. Karsus’s Touch: You can produce a dispel magic effect with a touch. To do so, you must make a successful melee touch attack against a creature or an object as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. You can then make a dispel check (1d20 + your effective binder level, maximum +20) against each ongoing spell currently in effect on the object or creature. The DC for this check is 11 + the spell’s caster level. If you succeed on a particular check, that spell is dispelled; if you fail, it remains in effect. If you target an object or creature that is the effect of an ongoing spell (such as a summoned monster or a conjured object), you must touch the target and make a dispel check to end the spell that brought it into being. Targeting a spell effect that is not an object or creature (such as the fl ames of a wall of fi re) has no effect. If the touched object is a magic item, you must make a dispel check (the DC is the item’s caster level). If you succeed, all the item’s magical properties are suppressed for 1d4 rounds, after which the item recovers on its own. An interdimensional interface (such as a bag of holding) is temporarily closed by this effect. A suppressed item becomes nonmagical for the duration, but its physical properties are unchanged, so a suppressed magic sword is still a masterwork sword. You can use Karsus’s touch a number of times per day equal to your effective binder level. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Karsus’s Will: You can use spell trigger items, such as wands and staves, as if you were a wizard of your effective binder level. LERAJE, THE GREEN HERALD Once a favored servant of the primary deity of the elves, Leraje allowed her pride to become her downfall. Leraje gives her summoners the ability to bring a bow to hand at will, to fi re it with accuracy, and to damage a foe’s sense of self with it. In addition, she gives her hosts keen vision in darkness and skill at hiding. Legend: Tales of Leraje’s prowess with a bow exist to this day, although her feats are now ascribed to deities and other great heroes, and most elves think her legend is heresy. Pact magic treatises maintain that Corellon Larethian called upon Leraje to be his fi rst herald among mortals. She taught the elves how to make and use bows, though none could ever come close to matching her prowess. Legend holds that she killed Thessala, goddess of hydras, by shooting a single arrow through all one thousand of her heads, thereby causing her children, the hydras, to be dull and crude throughout eternity. One day, Leraje helped Corellon save Lolth, who had not yet fallen from grace, from an ambush set by Gruumsh. Lolth praised Leraje for her skills, claiming that not even Corellon could fi re an arrow as fast or as accurately as his herald. Leraje beamed under the compliment, and a bemused Corellon challenged her to an archery duel to settle the matter. When Leraje agreed, Corellon declared their target: her heart. Corellon expected his servant to realize the error of her pride and yield the contest, but Leraje instead brought up her bow, aimed an arrow at Corellon, and pulled back the string. Surprised, he raised his own bow and fi red at her. Leraje released her bowstring at that same moment, aiming not at the god but at the arrow that sped toward her heart. Leraje’s arrow met that of her deity in midair and ricocheted back, piercing her heart before Corellon’s arrowhead even touched her chest. As punishment for wasting her life for the sake of her stubborn pride, Corellon Larethian cast Leraje’s soul from heaven and earth. Special Requirement: To summon Leraje, you must break an arrow crafted by an elf while calling out Leraje’s name and title. In addition, Leraje hates Amon for some unknown reason and will not answer your call if you are already bound to him. Manifestation: Leraje appears before her summoner as though she had always been there, but camoufl aged so well that she could not be seen. First her dull eyes open, then her yellowed teeth come into view out of seeming nothingness, revealed in a sly smile. As Leraje moves, her body takes shape against the background, and her clothes and skin change color to reveal her as an elf archer dressed in beautifully decorated green leather armor. Although she was clearly beautiful at some point, the ravages of some toxin or disease have made her hair limp, yellowed her eyes and teeth, and made her skin pockmarked and sallow. Sign: You look sickly and diseased, and your skin becomes sallow and pockmarked. Infl uence: While infl uenced by Leraje, you become quiet and unassuming. Leraje still feels considerable guilt about the actions that led her to become a vestige, so she requires that you not attack any elf or creature of elven blood, including half-elves and members of the various elf subraces, such as drow. Granted Abilities: You gain supernatural powers related to Leraje’s skills LERAJE Vestige Level: 1st Vestige Level: 1st Binding DC: 15 Binding DC: 15 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 38 1/4/06 10:08:04 AM

39 in life, as well as the ability to fi re arrows that literally wound your target’s pride. Hide Bonus: You gain a +4 competence bonus on Hide checks. Low-Light Vision: You gain low-light vision. If you already have it naturally, you gain superior low-light vision and can see three times as far as your light source would normally illuminate. Thus, a torch that illuminates a 20-foot radius would allow you to see clearly up to 60 feet and provide you with shadowy illumination to a distance of 120 feet. Precise Shot: You gain the benefi t of the Precise Shot feat. Ricochet: As a standard action, you can make a single ranged attack against two adjacent targets. Make a single attack roll and apply that result to the Armor Class of both targets. Any hit you score deals damage to the target normally. Extra damage from abilities such as sneak attack or sudden strike apply to only one target, which you must designate prior to making the attack roll. Weapon Profi ciency: While bound to Leraje, you are profi cient with the composite longbow, composite shortbow, longbow, and shortbow. If you were already profi cient with any of these weapons, you instead gain a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls with them. MALPHAS, THE TURNFEATHER Malphas allows his summoners to see without being seen, to pass through surroundings without leaving any sign, to vanish from sight, and to poison their enemies. Legend: Only elves who know their history well are familiar with the story of Malphas, a lesser scion of an ancient elven kingdom’s ruling family. Malphas joined a druidic order under pressure from his elders, who hoped that enforced dedication to nature would teach him greater respect for their traditions and the elven way of life. After a contentious start, the plan seemed to work. Malphas, always the black sheep of the family, soon became a model member of the elven nobility. His trademark, a white dove’s feather, could be found at sites where good deeds had been done, although no one ever saw him perform them. This impression was all part of Malphas’s act. While studying the druidic traditions, he met another elf druid—a female who won his heart with guile and promises of power. Together they hatched a plan to make Malphas heir to the throne. While his white feathers turned up wherever good events were occurring, black feathers began to appear on the murdered corpses of royalty. Elf diviners soon discovered that Malphas was at the root of their troubles, and the traitorous elf was forced to fl ee. Malphas fl ew to his lover’s hideaway among the trees, intending to warn her and fl ee with her. But when she heard his story, she fl ew into a rage, mocking him for his stupidity and his overtures of affection. To wound him even more deeply, she revealed her true form—that of a drow. When the elf authorities found Malphas, he lay on the ground, dead not from magic or physical harm, but from the breaking of his heart and the loss of his soul. Manifestation: Malphas begins his manifestation with a furious fluttering of white doves. The creatures explode out of thin air, then fly away from each other and fade from view, revealing a handsome male elf clad in black. Malphas has pale skin, black eyes, and black feathers for hair. His smile reveals black teeth, and when he speaks, his black tongue licks the air like a snake’s. Malphas wears a noble’s fi nery in funerary black, and a cloak made of raven heads and feathers hangs from his shoulders. The heads start up a raucous cry whenever he moves too much, so he remains largely still, making only small gestures with his black-gloved hands. Malphas’s hoarse voice croaks and cracks when he speaks, a quality that annoys him greatly. Sign: Your teeth and tongue turn black. Infl uence: While infl uenced by Malphas, you fall in love too easily. A kind word or a friendly gesture can cause you to devote yourself entirely to another person. Should that person reject your affection, your broken heart mends the moment another attractive person shows you some kindness. In addition, if you have access to poison, Malphas requires that you employ it against your foes at every opportunity. Granted Abilities: Malphas grants you the ability to spy without detection, to disappear, to use poison safely, and to strike vicious blows against vulnerable foes. Bird’s Eye Viewing: At will, you can summon a dove or a raven to aid your powers of observation. (Use the statistics for a raven regardless of the creature’s form.) The bird appears perched on your shoulder. You have complete control over its actions, and you can see what it sees and hear what it hears. Use the bird’s skill checks to determine the results of its actions and observations (for example, Bluff, Search, Spot, Listen), but use your skill bonuses to derive information from its observations (for example, Knowledge, Sense Motive, or Spellcraft to identify a spell). If you have the trapfi nding ability, you can use the bird to fi nd traps so long as doing so doesn’t require it to manipulate an object. The bird cannot talk. You can have only one bird summoned at a time. It remains until you summon another dove or raven, mentally dismiss it (a standard action), or stop binding with Malphas. Invisibility: As a full-round action, you can make yourself invisible (as with the invisibility spell). Making an attack MALPHAS MALPHAS Vestige Level: 2nd Vestige Level: 2nd Binding DC: 15 Binding DC: 15 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 39 1/4/06 10:08:18 AM

40 ends the invisibility (as normal), but otherwise, the effect lasts a number of rounds equal to your effective binder level. You can invoke this ability as a standard action at 5th level, as a move action at 10th level, and as a swift action at 15th level. Once you return to visibility, you cannot use this ability again for 5 rounds. Poison Use: You are not at risk of poisoning yourself when handling poison or applying it to a weapon. Sudden Strike: With your melee attack, you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points per four effective binder levels anytime your target would be denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class. This extra damage applies to ranged attacks only if the opponent is within 30 feet. The extra damage from sudden strike stacks with that from sneak attack whenever both would apply to the same target. MARCHOSIAS, KING OF KILLERS A legendary assassin in life, Marchosias now grants his summoners his supernatural charm, plus the ability to kill or paralyze with one startling attack and to disappear in a puff of smoke. Legend: Marchosias seems to have appeared as a vestige quite recently—in fact, only a short time before Dahlver-Nar did. In life, Marchosias was a human who brought death to others. His favorite targets were other assassins and murderers, but this choice of foes had nothing to do with morals. Despicably evil, Marchosias was obsessed with improving his skill as a killer, and ending the lives of other professional slayers seemed the best challenge he could undertake. When at last Marchosias met his death, his soul traveled to the Nine Hells. The devils gleefully accepted his powerful spirit, but others there took note of his arrival and were not pleased. The spirits of hundreds of thugs, slaughterers, executioners, and assassins banded together and rebelled against their devilish captors—intending not to escape or take control, but to attack Marchosias. Although the devils were loath to allow such lawlessness, they let the souls of the damned fi ght it out, thinking to step in and punish all the spirits when the battle was over. Marchosias fought well, but he could not prevail against so many foes at once, and he fell under the onslaught. When the devils pulled back the attackers, nothing was left—Marchosias’s soul had been torn to pieces. Special Requirement: To summon Marchosias, you must at some point in your life have committed an evil act for which you have not apologized, atoned, or made reparations. Lying or breaking a confi dence doesn’t count, but other small acts of evil—such as theft, infi delity, or vandalism—do fulfill the requirement. Manifestation: Marchosias appears with a bloodcurdling scream in an explosion of fi re and black smoke. Though much of the smoke curls away, some remains and slowly coalesces to form a human fi gure. Marchosias appears as a king with body and raiment composed of swirling smoke and cinders. He wears a crown of fi re, beneath which gleam two glowing, hot coals where his eyes should be. Marchosias wields a scepter of fl ames, and a sword of hot ash is belted to his hip. For a moment, he seems exhausted by the rigors of his arrival, standing with his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. After a moment, he raises his gaze to his summoner and stands straight and tall, adopting an imperious posture. Sign: While you are bound to Marchosias, the pupils of your eyes glow with a red-orange light. Anyone looking at your face can make a DC 12 Spot check each round to notice this effect. This light is not strong enough to illuminate the area, and it does not make you any easier to see in the dark, but it can be disturbing to look upon. Manifestation of Marchosias MARCHOSIAS MARCHOSIAS Vestige Level: 7th Vestige Level: 7th Binding DC: 30 Binding DC: 30 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes Illus. by L. Parrillo 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 40 1/4/06 10:08:35 AM

41 Infl uence: Marchosias’s infl uence makes you debonair and sly, as though you have some trick up your sleeve and the knowledge of it makes you confi dent. In addition, Marchosias requires that you use the death attack he grants you against any foe you catch unawares. Granted Abilities: Marchosias gives you an assassin’s skill at killing, plus the ability to assume gaseous form and the power to charm foes. Death Attack: If you study a target for 3 rounds and then make a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the attack either paralyzes or kills the target (your choice) in addition to dealing normal sneak attack damage. While studying the victim, you can undertake other actions so long as your attention stays focused on the target and the target neither detects you nor recognizes you as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save against the kill effect, she dies. If she fails against the paralysis effect, she is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds + 1 round per effective binder level. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once you have completed the 3 rounds of study, you must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. If you attempt a death attack and fail (the victim makes her save), or if you do not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before you can attempt another death attack. Fiery Retribution: You deal an extra 3d6 points of fi re damage when you strike an opponent who can deal extra damage through a sneak attack, sudden strike, or skirmish attack. This extra damage applies to ranged attacks only if the opponent is within 30 feet. Smoke Form: You can assume the form of a smoke cloud at will. This ability functions like the gaseous form spell, except that you can remain gaseous for as long as you wish. Although you lose your supernatural abilities while gaseous, you do not lose the ability to remain in gaseous form. Vestiges you have bound remain so for the normal duration. Since you lose your supernatural death attack ability, however, you cannot study an opponent for the purpose of making your death attack while in smoke form. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. Once you have returned to your normal form from smoke form, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Silent and Sure: You gain a +16 competence bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. NABERIUS, THE GRINNING HOUND A cunning and mysterious vestige, Naberius can make his summoners adept with all manner of arts and sciences, disguise them, and make them cogent speakers. Legend: Though Naberius’s origin remains mysterious, binder scholars know that his name and form have changed many times over the centuries. Ancient pact magic texts refer to a spirit matching Naberius’s powers as Naberus, Kaberon, Cerbere, and Serberius. One of these spirits appeared as a noble, bird-headed man, another as a dog with a crane’s head, another as a wolf with fi fty heads and a tail of three entwined snakes, and the fourth as a heap of bodies surrounded by a cloud of fl ies. A few fiendish sages have suggested that Naberius might be an aspect of the three-headed, doglike creature that guards the gates to the Underworld on the third layer of Hades, but that creature is thought to be simpleminded and has never been known to speak. Naberius never admits to having had older forms or names, and questions about his origin get only a sly smile in reply. Special Requirement: Naberius values knowledge, industry, and the willingness to deceive. He manifests only for a summoner with at least 4 ranks in Bluff or in any Knowledge or Profession skill. Manifestation: Naberius’s manifestation begins with a great squawking and fl utter of feathers. Moments later, a black crane fl ies in an agitated fashion over the seal, then crashes down atop it, apparently dead. Naberius then stalks forward out of invisibility as a three-headed hound to feast upon the crane. He speaks hoarsely from whichever dog head isn’t eating at the moment. Despite his terrible appearance and raucous voice, Naberius somehow manages to seem amiable and eloquent. Sign: Your voice deepens and acquires a gravelly, growling tone. Infl uence: While you are infl uenced by Naberius, you love the sound of your own voice and are constantly pleased by your cleverness. Whenever you are presented with a pulpit, a stage, a talking stick, or any other place or object designed to give a speaker the fl oor, Naberius requires that you immediately seize the opportunity to speak. Any topic will do, but since Naberius resents others taking control of the discourse, he requires that you either shout them down or mock them. Your speech must last a number of rounds equal to your effective binder level to satisfy Naberius. Granted Abilities: Naberius grants you the power to wear any face, swiftly regain lost ability points, use skills of which you have no knowledge, and talk your way through danger. Disguise Self: You can alter the appearance of your form as a standard action. This effect works like the disguise self spell. Faster Ability Healing: You heal 1 point in each damaged ability score every round, and 1 point in all drained ability scores every hour. NABERIUS NABERIUS Vestige Level: 1st Vestige Level: 1st Binding DC: 15 Binding DC: 15 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes NABERIUS NABERIUS 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 41 1/4/06 10:08:54 AM

42 Naberius’s Skills: At the time you make your pact, you can choose a number of skills equal to your Constitution bonus (if any). Your choices must be skills that can’t be used untrained and in which you have no ranks. For the duration of the binding, you can make skill checks with your chosen skills even though you are untrained. If your Constitution modifi er decreases after you make the pact, you lose the ability to make untrained checks with an equal number of the chosen skills. Lost skills are chosen randomly, and they remain inaccessible to you until you make another pact with Naberius. Persuasive Words: You can direct a verbal command at a single living target within 30 feet as if using the command spell. A successful Will save negates the effect. When your effective binder level reaches 14th, your words become even more persuasive and this ability functions like the suggestion spell. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Silver Tongue: You can take 10 on Diplomacy and Bluff checks even if distracted or threatened. In addition, you can make a rushed Diplomacy check as a standard action and take no penalty. (Normally, a rushed Diplomacy check requires a full-round action and imposes a –10 penalty on the check.) ORTHOS, SOVEREIGN OF THE HOWLING DARK Ancient and unknowable, Orthos gives its summoners the power to sense what they cannot see, to fool the sight of others, and to turn their breath into wind that can speak or scour fl esh from bones. Legend: Orthos might well be the original vestige—the fi rst being to break the boundaries and see past the window of reality to the nothingness beyond. Pact magic texts always mention this entity, and persistent explorers can fi nd its seal represented in art or architecture on most planes, as well as in the ruins of many ancient civilizations. Binder scholars have a thousand theories about Orthos’s origins, but none is more than mere supposition. All agree that Orthos is inestimably old, and it has long since shed whatever form and persona it might once have had, becoming an alien and distant being. In deference to its great age and the hallmark of its appearance, binder scholars have dubbed Orthos the Sovereign of the Howling Dark. Special Requirement: You must summon Orthos within an area of bright illumination. Manifestation: When Orthos begins to manifest, a breeze seems to pass over the summoner, but it ruffl es nothing except the summoner’s hair and clothes. The breeze intensifi es, becoming a cold wind, and a low whistle emanates from the vicinity of Orthos’s seal. Directly over it appears a black speck—a mote of shadow like a blind spot in the observer’s vision. The whistle becomes a moan that slowly rises in pitch and volume, eventually transforming into a howl as the darkness spirals outward, opening like the pupil of some great cat’s eye with an explosive rush of wind. The howling grows so loud that it pains the ear while the seemingly nonexistent wind buffets the summoner. Then it stops. In the sudden silence, an unseen, unheard, yet palpable presence slides out of the black aperture and hovers heavily over the seal. Though not detectable by any sense, Orthos is eerily extant, and its presence can be felt by even the dumbest of beasts. The vestige says nothing; its summoner can only plead her case and hope that Orthos does not impose its infl uence. Sign: You always seem to be buffeted by a breeze that no one else can feel, even when you’re indoors. The eerie wind makes no noise, but it tousles your hair and belongings, frequently changing direction. Infl uence: While infl uenced by Orthos, you are averse to darkened areas and loud noises. Although you can endure such conditions, they give you a sense of panic and make you short of breath. Orthos requires that you always carry an active light source with a brightness at least equal to that of a candle, and that you not cover it or allow it to be darkened for more than 1 round. Additionally, Orthos requires that you speak only in a whisper. Granted Abilities: Orthos gives you blindsense, displacement, and a breath weapon that you can use either as a weapon or to deliver messages. Blindsight: You gain blindsight out to 30 feet. Displacement: At will, you can surround yourself with a light-bending glamer that makes it diffi cult for others to surmise your true location. Any melee or ranged attack directed at you has a 50% miss chance unless the attacker can locate you by some means other than sight. A true seeing effect allows the user to determine your position, but see invisibility has no effect. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. Whirlwind Breath: As a standard action, you can exhale a scouring blast of wind in a 60-foot cone. Your whirlwind breath deals 1d6 points of damage per binder level you possess. Every creature in the area can attempt a Refl ex save to halve the damage, and must also succeed on a Fortitude save or be knocked prone and moved 1d4×10 feet away from you (or just outside the cone, whichever is a shorter distance). Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Whispering Wind: At will as a standard action, you can send a message on the wind as though using the whispering wind spell (caster level equals your effective binder level). ORTHOS Vestige Level: 8th Vestige Level: 8th Binding DC: 35 Binding DC: 35 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 42 1/4/06 10:09:10 AM

43 OTIAX, THE KEY TO THE GATE The alien Otiax gives its summoners the power to open what is closed, to walk among the clouds, and to strike foes with fog that lands like a hammer. Legend: Otiax is a bit of a conundrum because it seems to have originated outside the known cosmology of the planes. A few sources of pact magic lore refer to some plane or place called the Far Realm, but most offer no explanation of Otiax’s past. Some even posit that Otiax is somehow the key to reaching the Far Realm, but that supposition has more to do with Otiax’s appearance than with any real evidence of its nature. Because Otiax never speaks, it can shed no light on the issue. Binding with it is more a matter of instinct and will than of deliberation. Manifestation: When Otiax manifests, a locked golden gate appears within its seal. Blue fog curls out in wispy tendrils from between the bars, obscuring what lies beyond. After a moment of silence, some unseen force crashes against the barrier. Then the gate shakes and rattles loudly, as though some creature is desperate to open it. Ragged breathing becomes audible, and the fog swirls around some indistinct yet terrible form. At last the raging stops, and the azure vapor passes through the gate. The sound of the tumblers turning in the lock becomes audible, then the gate creaks open. Sign: While bound to Otiax, you are surrounded by thin wisps of light blue fog even in the strongest wind. Infl uence: Otiax’s motives remain a mystery, but its infl uence is clear. When confronted with unopened doors or gates, you become agitated and nervous. This emotional state lasts until the door or gate is opened, or until you can no longer see it. Furthermore, Otiax cannot abide a lock remaining secured. Thus, whenever you see a key, Otiax requires that you use it to open the corresponding lock. Granted Abilities: Otiax opens doors for you, lets you batter opponents with wind, and cloaks you in a protective fog that can actually lash out at foes. Air Blast: You can focus the air around you into a concentrated blast that batters opponents. You can use your air blast as a melee touch attack against an adjacent opponent or one that is up to 10 feet away (as though you were using a reach weapon). This attack deals 2d6 points of bludgeoning damage, but you do not add your Strength bonus to the damage roll. If your base attack bonus is high enough, you might be entitled to additional air blast attacks each round when you make a full attack. You can also make attacks of opportunity with your air blast. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Otiax’s sign. Combat Refl exes: You gain the benefi t of the Combat Refl exes feat. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Otiax’s sign. Concealing Mist: You can whip the mist that constantly surrounds you into a concealing screen that grants you concealment (foes’ melee and ranged attacks have a 20% miss chance). You cannot use this concealment to hide. You can suppress or activate this ability as a full-round action. A severe wind (either natural or magical, such as a gust of wind spell) suppresses your concealing mist. You cannot use this ability if you do not show Otiax’s sign. Open Portal: At will as a swift action, you can open (but not close) a door, chest, box, window, bag, pouch, bottle, barrel, or other container as though using the open/close spell. This ability has a range of 10 feet per effective binder level you possess. Unlock: As a full-round action, you can unlock a single lock that you can touch, provided that its Open Lock DC is less than or equal to twice your effective binder level. For example, a 10th-level binder can use this ability to open any lock with a DC of 20 or lower, and a 15th-level binder could open a lock with a DC of 30 or lower. This ability grants you no protection from any traps that might be associated with the lock. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. PAIMON, THE DANCER Paimon whirls into reality with grace and style. He gives his summoners the ability to see combat as a dance and makes them masters of its steps and hidden meter. Legend: Most binders know the Dancer’s tragic story, although none can be certain of its origin. An infamous lothario, Paimon delighted in seducing noblewomen with his dancing and besting their suitors with his swordplay. He eventually crossed paths and swords with a particularly jealous and cruel fellow, sometimes identifi ed as a human and other times as an elf. After Paimon had humiliated this nobleman in front of his peers on several occasions, the fellow enlisted some other aggrieved suitors to capture Paimon and cut off his sword hand. Paimon was not so easily defeated. When he recovered, he returned to court wearing a bejeweled golden hand that he could replace with a rapier blade. Exhibiting tremendous aplomb, Paimon again set his rivals on their heels, and he even fought and defeated the man who had wronged him. Paimon spared his adversary’s life only because he was interrupted by a request to dance by the object of both their affections. In response to this further humiliation, Paimon’s foe again had him captured, but this time the man’s thirst for revenge was insatiable. He and his cohorts cut off all of Paimon’s limbs and replaced them with sword blades, jeering at him all the while and daring him to return to court OTIAX Vestige Level: 5th Vestige Level: 5th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 43 1/4/06 10:09:25 AM

44 again. Then they left Paimon to die while they celebrated their victory. At the next royal ball, Paimon’s foe and his coconspirators smirked at every mention of their enemy’s name and winked at one another when others wondered aloud where the charming rake might be. Then a dark fi gure appeared among the dancers. Impossibly tall and shrouded head to foot in dark, diaphanous cloth, the wraithlike fi gure began to spin. Disturbed by its appearance, the other dancers moved away. When one of them spotted naked steel beneath the whirling cloth, the nobles began to fl ee the hall. Enraged that his party had been interrupted, Paimon’s enemy went up to the fi gure and tore away the cloth. For a moment, the tortured fi gure of Paimon stood before them with bloody blades for legs and arms. Someone screamed at the sight, and Paimon faded to nothing. Thinking they had seen the ghost of Paimon, the men immediately went to fi nd their foe’s body and give it a proper burial, but it was gone. Instead, they found a trail of blood and the marks of sword thrusts in the ground. Apparently Paimon was alive but gone—banished by the scream of a woman. Manifestation: Paimon appears in a whirl, his form spinning like a top on an arm that ends in a metal blade instead of a forearm and hand. He turns counterclockwise so rapidly that his summoner can make little sense of what he sees. Paimon quickly switches the arm on which he spins with a hop, and then he switches to a leg, which also ends in a blade rather than an ankle and foot. With each switch, Paimon slows, until at last he stands on one leg before his summoner, balancing within the seal on its daggerlike point. Paimon’s almost featureless gray body has a dancer’s physique. His face is stretched to disfi gurement around the right side of his head, and no ears are visible. Paimon speaks in a garbled voice from his twisted mouth while hopping from appendage to appendage, making small turns as though he is impatient to be whirling again. Sign: One side of your mouth becomes wider than the other, as though it were being stretched or pulled. That side of your mouth has a tendency to remain slightly open, causing you to drool. Infl uence: Paimon’s infl uence makes you lascivious and bold. In addition, Paimon requires that you dance (moving at half speed) whenever you hear music. Granted Abilities: Paimon gives you the ability to dance in and out of combat, and to make whirling attacks against multiple foes. Dance of Death: When you use this ability, you can move up to your speed and make a single attack against any creature you move past, provoking attacks of opportunity normally. When you use your dance of death, you forfeit any bonus or extra attacks granted by other feats or abilities (such as the Cleave feat or the haste spell), and you cannot attack any single creature more than once. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Paimon’s Blades: You gain profi ciency with the rapier and short sword, and the benefi t of the Weapon Finesse feat when you wield such weapons. Paimon’s Dexterity: You gain a +4 bonus to Dexterity. Paimon’s Skills: You can use the Tumble skill untrained. You gain a +4 bonus on Tumble checks and Perform (dance) checks. Uncanny Dodge: You retain your Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if caught fl at-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. If you have uncanny dodge from another source, you gain improved uncanny dodge instead. See the rogue class features on page 50 of the Player’s Handbook. Whirlwind Attack: You gain the benefi t of the Whirlwind Attack feat. RONOVE, THE IRON MAIDEN Ronove remained a mystery for ages, but binder scholars now believe her to have been a human ascetic who lived more than two thousand years ago. As a vestige, she grants her summoners the power to move objects at a distance, to strike with the skill of a monk, to fall as lightly as a feather, and to run like the wind. Legend: Many binder scholars credit Ronove with laying the foundation for orders of monks, and indeed, her philosophies and abilities bear a strong resemblance to the training that monks now receive. In life, Ronove was a charismatic guru who taught that enlightenment comes from denial—fi rst of the needs of the fl esh, then of the perceived limits of reality, and lastly of the rules of reality. Her frequent demonstrations of power served to illustrate the validity of her ideas to others. She leapt from cliffs without harm, lifted boulders with her thoughts, and lived for months without eating or drinking. Although Ronove gathered many followers, not one of her disciples could manage her great feats. Some began to question her methods. To prove the veracity of her teachings, Ronove secluded herself in an iron coffi n, telling her students to bury her and dig her up only when they received a sign from her. Years passed, and no sign came. One by one, her followers lost faith and deserted her. At last only one remained. Disillusioned, he dug up the rusted sarcophagus, only to fi nd it empty. He tracked down his fellow disciples PAIMON Vestige Level: 3rd Vestige Level: 3rd Binding DC: 20 Binding DC: 20 Special Special Requirement: No Requirement: No 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 44 1/4/06 10:09:40 AM

45 to tell them of the miracle, but none believed him. Ronove and her nameless disciple would have been lost to obscurity, but her lone faithful follower inscribed his story on the walls of a cavern. The recent discovery of this inscription explains the strange powers and appearance of Ronove. Special Requirement: Ronove’s seal must be drawn in the soil under the sky. Manifestation: When Ronove manifests, the ground quakes, and a rusted iron sarcophagus erupts from the earth within her seal, shedding dirt and fl akes of rust as it grates upward. The metal visage of a human woman is discernible on the lid. The metal bindings holding the lid closed burst in clouds of corroded metal, and the sarcophagus creaks open, releasing a tumble of human bones and noisome black liquid. Ronove does not speak to her summoner, but the visage on the lid smiles or frowns during the pact-making process. Sign: The fl esh of your face settles into a frown or a smile (a frown if you succeeded on your binding check, or a smile if you did not) and retains that general expression regardless of your actual feelings. This alteration to your visage does not affect your Charisma, Charisma-based skill checks, or others’ ability to make Sense Motive checks against you. Infl uence: Ronove’s infl uence makes you think that others doubt your abilities and competence. Despite what anyone says, you feel the constant need to prove your worth. In addition, Ronove requires that you consume neither food nor beverages (including potions) for the entire time you remain bound to her. Granted Abilities: Ronove gives you the power to fall any distance without harm, lift objects without touching them, and run like the wind. Cold Iron and Magic Attacks: Your melee attacks count as magic for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. When you attain an effective binder level of 7th, your melee attacks also count as cold iron for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Far Hand: As a swift action, you can lift and move an unattended object to which you have line of effect, as long as it is within 10 feet per effective binder level of your position. The force manipulating the object is considered Medium in size, and it has a Strength score equal to your effective binder level. During the swift action, you can move the object up to 5 feet per effective binder level. If the object weighs enough to constitute a medium or heavy load for an individual of the force’s Strength, you can move it only half the normal distance. If the object to be moved would constitute a medium or heavy load for you, activating this ability is a move action. If the item could only be pushed or dragged by such a person (that is, it weighs up to fi ve times the maximum load), you can move it just 5 feet per move action. The force cannot lift the object more than 5 feet off the ground. In any round during which you do not use a swift action to manipulate the object, you lose control of it. You can never move an object outside the range of this ability, and you lose control of the object if you move too far away from it or if a creature touches it. You can move only one object at a time in this fashion. Alternatively, you can use the telekinetic force to push a creature as a standard action. The force deals 1d6 points of damage to the target and initiates a bull rush, using the force’s Strength modifi er and adding a +2 bonus. If the bull rush is successful, the target moves in the direction you indicate. Once you have used your far hand in this way, it dissipates, and you cannot use it again for 5 rounds. Feather Fall: You automatically fall as though under the infl uence of a feather fall spell. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. Ronove’s Fists: You gain the benefi t of the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Your unarmed strikes deal damage as those of a monk of a level equal to your effective binder level. This ability does not grant you any other abilities of a monk, such as fl urry of blows. Sprint: You gain a +10-foot enhancement bonus to your base land speed. SAVNOK, THE INSTIGATOR Once a servant of gods, Savnok now grants his summoners the ability to wear heavy armor, to draw arrows from thin air, to take the place of allies in combat, and to cause wounds that do not heal. Legend: Savnok lived before recorded history. His story contains about as much myth as it does fact, since the barrier between truth and fi ction eroded long before the current age. According to the legend, Savnok served Hextor and Heironeous before the two half-brothers came to blows. The gods were charged with guarding their mother’s arms and armor while she met with her lovers. Both Hextor and Heironeous were awed and tempted by their mother’s implements of war, but neither son dared disobey his mother. Seeing their desires written clearly upon their faces, however, Savnok devised a means to steal the items for his masters. Relying on their trust in him, Savnok tricked Hextor and Heironeous into letting him guard their mother’s armory. But once his gaze fell on the goddess’s armor, Savnok could not resist donning it. Just touching the metal made him drunk with power. After putting it on, he knew he could never take it off, so he fl ed the godly realms with the divine armor. RONOVE Vestige Level: 1st Vestige Level: 1st Binding DC: 15 Binding DC: 15 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 45 1/4/06 10:09:55 AM

46 Hextor and Heironeous soon noticed that their servant and the armor were missing. When they looked for Savnok, they found him at war on the Material Plane. Since no energy or mortal weapon could pierce the goddess’s armor, Savnok had decided to set about carving out a kingdom for himself. Shocked at his betrayal and horrifi ed by their own failure to perform their duties, Hextor and Heironeous appeared before Savnok and ordered him to relinquish their mother’s armor. Their former servant responded by attacking, and although he could not harm them, neither could they harm him. Heironeous fl ew into the sky and tore thunderbolts from the clouds to hurl at Savnok, but Hextor, realizing that they needed deifi c weapons to defeat the armor, fl ed back to his mother’s armory. There, he found a bow and grabbed a handful of arrows, then returned to fi nd Heironeous still hurling lightning with little effect. Hextor barely had the strength to draw his mother’s bow, but draw it he did. With each arrow he fi red, a dozen missiles streaked down to strike Savnok. Though the arrows had little power behind them, they did pierce the armor, and as Savnok raged at the injustice the two gods had done him, he slowly bled to death from dozens of small wounds. When at last Savnok lay dead, Hextor and Heironeous removed the armor and debated what to do next. Not only had they failed to guard their mother’s armory, but Hextor had also stolen her bow and arrows. It was Hextor who suggested that they hide Savnok and replace the items, leaving their mother none the wiser. Heironeous didn’t like the plan, but he wanted to protect his halfbrother. After all, Hextor’s theft had solved a problem for which Heironeous was partly responsible and prevented Savnok from wreaking still more havoc in the mortal lands. Together, the two gods hid Savnok’s essence in a place even they could not reach. Heironeous has regretted this decision ever since. Special Requirement: To summon Savnok, you must have stolen something and made neither reparations nor apology for that act. Manifestation: The first sign of Savnok’s manifestation is an arrow streaking out of thin air to strike something unseen above his seal. Then a dozen more arrows whistle into the seal, each one landing with a metallic ping. Trickles of blood spout into the air where the arrows hang, and as more strike home, the blood gradually outlines a heavily armored form that seems too broad and powerfully built to be human. Savnok’s features are obscured by his plate armor and helm, as well as the rivulets of blood and the many arrows that pepper his body. When Savnok speaks, he spits out bitter words with a gravelly voice that seems heavy with resentment. Sign: A piece of an arrow appears under your skin somewhere on your body. It looks as though your skin has healed over a broken-off arrow that had previously wounded you. The arrow deals no damage, but at times it causes you some discomfort. If removed, it disintegrates immediately, and another appears somewhere else on your body. Infl uence: Savnok’s infl uence makes you headstrong and recalcitrant. Once you make up your mind about a particular issue, very little can change your thoughts on the matter. In addition, whenever you don armor, employ a shield, or wear any other item that improves your AC, Savnok requires that you not remove that protection for any reason. Granted Abilities: Savnok grants you abilities associated with his death and the command of allies’ positions. Call Armor: At will as a full-round action, you can summon a suit of full plate armor, which appears about your body. As you attain higher effective binder levels, the armor’s quality improves, as given on the following table. Effective Binder Level Armor Summoned 2nd–4th Masterwork full plate 5th–8th +1 full plate 9th –12th +2 light fortification full plate 13th–16th +2 moderate fortification full plate 17th–19th +4 moderate fortification full plate 20th +4 heavy fortification full plate SAVNOK Vestige Level: 2nd Vestige Level: 2nd Binding DC: 20 Binding DC: 20 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes Manifestation of Savnok Illus. by F. Tsai 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 46 1/4/06 10:10:12 AM

47 You can dismiss the armor with another full-round action. Heavy Armor Profi ciency: You are profi cient with heavy armor. Move Ally: You can instantly swap positions with any visible willing ally within 5 feet per two effective binder levels of your position. Objects carried by you or your ally (up to the maximum load for each) go along, but creatures do not. The movement is instantaneous and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Using this ability is a standard action at fi rst, though at 7th level you can use it as a move action, and at 13th level you can use it as a swift action. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Savnok’s Armor: While wearing your called armor, you can ignore some of the damage from attacks by nonpiercing weapons. When you fi rst gain the ability to summon Savnok, this ability gives you damage reduction 1/piercing, and the value improves by +1 for every four effective binder levels you possess. Thus, you have damage reduction 2/piercing as a 4th-level binder, damage reduction 3/piercing as an 8thlevel binder, and so forth. When your effective binder level reaches 13th, your damage reduction can be overcome only by attacks that are both magic and piercing. SHAX, SEA SISTER Another giant among the vestiges, Shax gives her summoners the ability to swim like fi sh, to laugh off lightning, to wriggle free of any bonds, and to strike foes like a thunderbolt. Legend: Shax once ruled over storm giants as a goddess of the sea. She was born to Annam, the greatest of all giant gods, without his knowledge. Because he was prone to blind spots in his omniscience, Annam could not hear the giants’ prayers when they mentioned Shax, nor could he see her many cruelties to them. He realized that some problem might exist only when the storm giants started battling the other giant kinds, claiming their caves, clouds, hills, frosty mountains, and volcanic peaks as storm giant territory. When Annam asked them why they had attacked their fellow giants, the storm giants pointed to the sea. Annam’s blind spot still prevented him from perceiving Shax, so he sent his son Thrym to take care of the problem. Thrym, god of the frost giants, was eager to stop storm giant incursions into his followers’ lands, so he picked up his axe and leapt into the sea. There he met his sister Shax for the fi rst time. Thrym found her both beautiful and terrible. He offered to wed her if she would call the storm giants to return to the sea. Shax would have none of it, though, so the two fought. In the end Thrym won, beheading Shax with a clean blow of his axe, but not before she had scratched off some pieces of his fl esh with her nails. The strength of Shax’s spirit gave her the power to resist the pull of the Astral Plane, that graveyard of the gods, so she became a vestige. As for Thrym, he yet lives, but the pieces of his cold body that his sister removed have become icebergs that fl oat in the sea as constant reminders of the storm giants’ debt to him. Special Requirement: You must draw Sh a x ’s s e a l within sight of a pond, stream, or larger body of water. Manifestation: Shax fi rst appears as a semitransparent female storm giant standing 20 feet tall. Her drenched, violet-skinned body is clad in a gold breastplate and black tunic, both of which drip seawater on the ground. After she manifests, Shax smiles, and her head inclines as though acknowledging her summoner, but it continues to dip until it tumbles off her neck. The body vanishes even as the falling head becomes more solid. It strikes the ground upside down with a wet thump, its face turned away from her summoner. For a moment the head just sits there, but then the wet black hair coalesces into thick cords that press against the earth, lifting it up. Walking on her hair tentacles in a spiderlike manner, Shax turns around to face her summoner, glaring balefully with her yellow eyes. In a shrill voice, Shax demands to know who has summoned her. Sign: A scar appears around the circumference of your neck, as though your head had been lopped off and then returned to your body to heal. Infl uence: While under Shax’s infl uence, you become possessive and stingy, particularly about territory—be it actual land or simply a room in an inn. In addition, her infl uence requires you to demand compensation for any service rendered and to tax any use of your territory. However, you can accept nearly any item of value—be it material goods or a service—as payment. Granted Abilities: Shax grants you the swimming skill of a fi sh and the ability to strike foes with sonic force and electricity. She also gives you immunity to electricity and allows you to move freely despite restraints. Freedom of Movement: As a swift action, you can give yourself the ability to ignore restraints. This effect functions like the freedom of movement spell, except that it lasts only 1 round. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Immunity to Electricity: You gain immunity to electricity damage. Storm Strike: As a swift action, you can charge a melee attack or melee touch attack with electricity and sonic power. Your next melee attack deals an extra 1d6 points of electricity damage and 1d6 points of sonic damage. If the attack misses, that use of storm strike is wasted. SHAX Vestige Level: 6th Vestige Level: 6th Binding DC: 26 Binding DC: 26 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 47 1/4/06 10:10:30 AM

48 Swim Speed: You gain a swim speed equal to your land speed. You can move through water at your swim speed without making Swim checks, and you gain a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check made to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. You can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. You can also use the run action while swimming, provided you swim in a straight line. TENEBROUS, THE SHADOW THAT WAS Tenebrous, once a powerful demon prince, offers dominion over darkness and death. Legend: The great demon lord Orcus has long sought divinity. Some years ago, for a brief period, he actually attained it. Slain and resurrected by a surge of negative energy, the corpulent demon arose as the gaunt Tenebrous, a god of darkness and undeath. For a time he traveled the planes in this form, slaying other gods in his quest to gain more power. His ultimate goal was to reincarnate himself yet again because he wished to be a god as Orcus, not Tenebrous. Some say he was thwarted by a band of mortal heroes, but whatever the cause, his grand plan failed. Orcus did indeed rise again, but as the demon prince he once was, not as a god. True divinity can never fade completely. The tatters of godly power that Orcus shed remained intact. Less than a god but still divine, this bit of essence drifted in the void between planes until it once more coalesced into a bitter sentience. Thus, Tenebrous yet exists as a pale refl ection of what he once was, a shadow of a shadow. Special Requirement: You must draw Tenebrous’s seal at night or in an area of deep shadow with little or no daylight exposure. Manifestation: Upon completion of the rite to summon Tenebrous, the summoner’s shadow shifts to fall across the seal. Even if the rite occurs in complete darkness, the shadow is visible as a darker spot in the blackness. Once the shadow crosses into the seal, an inky humanoid form—impossibly gaunt, holding its limbs at disjointed angles—rises from it. The voice of Tenebrous is a whisper in the wind, almost impossible to hear, yet laden with unmistakable meaning. Sign: You seem to be standing in shadow even on the brightest day. Furthermore, your own shadow never extends more than a few feet from your body, even if the ambient light suggests that it should be much longer. This effect does not grant you concealment. Infl uence: While infl uenced by Tenebrous, you are fi lled with a sense of detachment and an aching feeling of loss and abandonment. Tenebrous requires that you never be the fi rst to act in combat. If your initiative check result is the highest, you must delay until someone else takes a turn. Granted Abilities: Tenebrous grants you power over undead and shadows. He gives you the ability to chill your foes. Deeper Darkness: You can cloak an area in shadows as though using the deeper darkness spell (caster level equals your effective binder level), with the following exceptions. The effect is always centered on you, it has an unlimited duration, and you can shift the range of the emanation (within the normal range) up or down 10 feet as a move action. You can suppress or activate this ability as a standard action. See in Darkness: You can see perfectly through darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell (or your deeper darkness ability). Touch of the Void: As a swift action, you can charge a melee attack or melee touch attack with cold energy. Your next melee attack deals an extra 1d8 points of cold damage, plus 1d8 points of cold damage for every four effective binder levels beyond 7th that you possess. When you attain an effective binder level of 11th, you can charge your weapon for an entire round. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Turn/Rebuke Undead: You can turn or rebuke undead as a cleric of your effective binder level. As with a cleric, you turn if you are good and rebuke if you are evil. If you are neutral, you choose whether to turn or rebuke upon binding with Tenebrous and cannot later change your mind. If you have the ability to turn or rebuke undead from other classes, your levels in those classes stack with your effective binder level for the purpose of determining your turning ability. Once you have used this ability, you cannot do so again for 5 rounds. Vessel of Emptiness: You can use the fl icker shadow magic mystery (see page 146) as a supernatural ability once per day. At 13th level, you can use this ability two times per day, and at 19th level, you can use it three times per day. ZAGAN, DUKE OF DISAPPOINTMENT On the cusp of deifi cation, Zagan lost all he had worked for. As a vestige, he offers his summoners a snake’s sense of smell, the power to cause an enemy fl ee his presence, the ability to immobilize an opponent, and more effective combat abilities against snakes and their ilk. TENEBROUS TENEBROUS Vestige Level: 4th Vestige Level: 4th Binding DC: 21 Binding DC: 21 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 48 1/4/06 10:10:45 AM

49 Legend: When dwarves had yet to tunnel into their mountains and elves fi rst walked beneath the boughs of trees, Zagan ruled over thousands. A lord in a great yuan-ti empire, he had power over hundreds of his own kind, who in turn controlled the lives of thousands of humanoid slaves. Zagan built himself up as a god to these slaves, using the yuan-ti as his emissaries to communicate with the uneducated masses over which he held sway. Over time, Zagan’s power became so great that he actually aspired to become a god. He sought and fi nally discovered the means to his goal: a grand ceremony wherein he and his yuan-ti would gather together all his worshipers and slay them. At the appointed hour on the appointed night, Zagan collected all his people for a celebration of his glory. He could feel their worship empowering him, and with each passing minute he gained strength and felt his awareness widening. Then Zagan rang the gong that signaled the attack, and he and his yuan-ti servants fell upon the slaves, slaying them with wild abandon. At fi rst Zagan thought it glorious, but then he felt his new powers begin to wane. With each life he crushed, he felt a bit more mortal. Zagan attempted to call off the ceremony, but in the chaos of the slaughter, the other yuan-ti could not hear him. Suddenly, a sword pierced Zagan’s chest from behind. As he looked down at the bloody blade, a sibilant voice whispered in his ear, “The World Serpent wishes you well.” A cleric among his own people had tricked Zagan into ruining his chances at godhood on the very eve of his apotheosis. At a point somewhere between godhood and mortality, Zagan passed on into the void. Special Requirement: You must kowtow before Zagan’s seal, prostrating yourself and addressing him as a deity. Manifestation: When Zagan begins to manifest, several snakes appear in a heap in his seal. The snakes then slither apart and rise upright along the lines of the seal. Then the crown of a head appears, with baleful eyes glowering. An ogrelike head slowly reveals itself, and after another moment, shoulders and arms appear, to which the snakes are attached. Zagan then uses his powerful arms to pull the rest of his body from the ground, revealing a long, serpentine form instead of legs. He reaches toward his summoner hungrily, his mouth gaping open in a feral grin, but the snakes on his body turn toward him and hiss, causing him to fl inch backward. The brooding Zagan then addresses his summoner while calming the snakes. Binder scholars say that the snakes on his body are his most loyal lieutenants, who were killed on the night of Zagan’s murder and dragged with his soul into a vestige’s existence. Sign: You gain a lisp and can’t help but speak in a sibilant manner. Infl uence: While infl uenced by Zagan, you become domineering and aggressive. Zagan requires that you slay any snake or snakelike being you meet, and deface any representations of snakes or snakelike beings other than Zagan that you fi nd. Granted Abilities: Zagan grants you a snake’s ability to detect creatures by scent, the ability to grapple and constrict as a snake, increased combat ability against snakes and their cousins, and the power to cause your foes to avoid your mere presence. Aversion: As a standard action, you can create a compulsion effect targeting any creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Will save or gain an aversion to you, snakes, and yuan-ti for 5 rounds. An affected creature must stay at least 20 feet away from you or any snake or yuan-ti, alive or dead; if already within 20 feet, the target moves away. Any subject unable to move away or attacked by you, a snake, or a yuan-ti is overcome with revulsion. This revulsion reduces the creature’s Dexterity score by 4 points until the effect wears off or the subject is no longer within 20 feet of you. This ability is otherwise similar to the antipathy spell (PH 200), with a caster level equal to your effective binder level. Aversion is a mind-affecting compulsion ability. When you use this power, a ghostly image of Zagan manifests around your body and speaks your command with you before vanishing. After using this ability, you must wait 5 rounds before using it again. Improved Grapple: You gain the benefi t of the Improved Grapple feat (PH 95). In addition, you are considered to be of Large size for the purpose of making grapple checks, and damage you deal with a successful grapple check to a grappled foe is lethal damage. Scent: You gain the scent special quality (MM 314). Constrict: You gain a giant constrictor’s ability to crush the life from its prey. You deal damage equal to 1d8 + 1-1/2 × your Str modifi er with a successful grapple check, in addition to your normal unarmed damage (typically 1d3 + Str modifi er for a Medium humanoid and 1d2 + Str modifi er for a Small humanoid). Snake Bane: Zagan’s hatred for snakes, yuan-ti, and all snakelike creatures gives you improved combat prowess against their kind. You gain a +2 bonus on melee attacks against snakes, snakelike creatures (such as nagas or yuan-ti), or creatures with a natural poison attack, and you deal an extra 2d6 points of damage against such foes when making melee attacks. This damage also applies when you make a grapple check to deal damage against a snake or snakelike enemy, in addition to dealing your normal unarmed damage and your constrict damage. ZAGAN Vestige Level: 6th Vestige Level: 6th Binding DC: 25 Binding DC: 25 Special Special Requirement: Yes Requirement: Yes 95365720_ToM_Chp1.indd 49 1/4/06 10:11:00 AM

(ENG) D&D 3.5 Ed. - Tome of Magic - Pact, Shadow, and Truename Magic - Flip eBook Pages 1-50 (2024)

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