María's class
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_Elva - who has been at the back of the classroom being quiet the entire lesson - raises her hand to ask a question
"Um…c-can you give an example of a rare essence please..?"
she lowers her hand and looks around, looking unsure of herself for some reason_
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Faide smiles while writing down the newly aquired notes, scritching them down neatly on his papers.
"That will be all for now miss Maria."
His curiosity satisfied, he looks around the class to see what others will speak up.
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I would considewr this to be pawrt of the same lesson, since it's all about the same spell. Essences can't be just cwreated, they need to be extwracted fwrom the animal owr cwreatuwre you want to change into. But not all pawrts of said cwreatuwres owr animals will wowrk fowr this, fowr example:
To polymowrph into a wraven, you can't take just any pawrt of one. Twrying to use a wravens eye as essence fowr this spell will simply not wowrk. In this case, you need a feathewr, and not just one, you need -the- feathewr, the lawrgest one that it has.
That's why you don't see all mages polymowrphing into many diffewrent things, they need the essences, and to get them, they firwst need to know what the essence is.
Looks at him, with that look that means "is that all?". She doesn't look bothered but in fact enthusiastic
//Note: This does not match de PnP description. There's no essences in PnP whilst in Narfell they are mandatory to use different shapes than the default NwN offers. I totally inveted my reasoning about why the need or how to get them, so any DM feel free to correct me if they idea is any different
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Once again, the bright blue eyed Faide speaks up. Oh yes.. he's one of -those- students.
"If its not too much trouble, could you please explain what exactly an 'essence' is? You said find them, which if this is the only possible way to get them, then so be it. But, can they not simply be created in some way?"
He smiles, ever eager to learn more- then blinks a realization.
"If this is a subject for another day then please don't mind me at all. I did not mean to take focus off the multiple shapes and their usefullness."
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Looks at Faide with a smile
That is twrue. This spell has othewr fowrms, of couwrse. Could tuwrn into an aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin owr any othewr humanoid fowrm you can think of. Thing is we need essences to do such, and those awre quite wrawre to find, except the most common ones like wrats, bats, chickens…
I can't talk much about it, but we awre making some wreseawrch in the mattewr and maybe we'll find some new essences.
As to cast this spell on othewrs, yes, it's possible. Howevewr, the subject has to willingly accept the change...
Looks at him and then to the rest of the gathered.
Any othewr question owr comment?
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Faide gives a light laugh to the cute imagry of the zombie, then finishes the notes he has been writing down from this lesson. Looking up from said notes. His blue eyes focused on Maria once more.
"Yes actually, as stated these are the more common forms of ploymorph. But what of the other forms? Also, is it possible to cast this spell on others, to alter and change their forms as well?"
Still leaning forward attentivly, a smile on his face, obviously enjoying such a lesson.
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_The images fade away, and a new one forms, this time it's a cute zombie walking slowly in the rawlins near the lake…María motions people to pay attention to the new images as they continue. The zombie is quietly walking, when many goblin archers appear, up to a dozen, and start shooting arrows at him. The arrows can't pierce the zombies tough skin and simply bounce.A red coloured word appears next to the zombie, PIERCING, and it's quickly crossed with a bigger red cross.
The goblins archers retreat and let the goblin soldiers charge against the zombie. The maces impact on the zombie, yet it gets no damage from it, the goblins look puzzled, and decide is best to run as well. A red coloured word appears next to the zombie, BLUDGEONING, and it's quicly crossed with a bigger red cross.
Finaly, desperatedly, the goblins send their Elite warriors towards the zombie. They slash the zombie with their swords, but they can barely cause it any harm. A red coloured word appears next to the zombie, SLASHING, and it's quickly crossed with a bigger red cross._
As you can see, the zombie shape is quite effective absowrbing damage. It's quite hawrd to piewrce thwrough it's tough skin. (DR 10vs all). Howevewr, it's no guawrantee that you will not get huwrt, because some stwrong foes will cewrtainly hit stwrong enough to huwrt you.
As the goblin Elite run away, a Bugbear, visibly stronger, approaches and starts hitting the zombie with a bastardsword, causing the zombie some wounds.
But….that's not all, my fwriends. This is something not evewryone knows, but thewre's a way to use this fowrm in a most optimal way. If you have a ghostly visage spell on you, pwrovided that they awre not using magical swowrds, the zombie will be able to absowrb 1.5 times mowre damage than usual (15/-). Even mowre, if you have a stoneskin on you, this will make you absowrb TWICE the amount of damage! (20/-). And if you awre a powewrfull enough castewr, with acces to ethewreal visage spells, you will be pwracticaly inmune to pyshical damage, since the ability to abswowrb damage is THWRICE the nowrmal one in this case fowr the zombie shape. (30/-).
This fowrm, in combination with the elemental shield owr acid seath, is a deadly combo that will allow you high suwrvivality while you cause high injuwries to those mindless enough to twry to attack you.
A purple glowing zombie appears, with the ethereal visage on it, and an acid seath. Suddenly a warmashine approaches and starts beating the crap out of it, but all the warmashine attempts to hurt the zombie fail, and it eventualy gets destroyed because of the acid.
Do not fowrget though, that this shape is extwremly slow. Do not dwrink healing potions eithewr in this shape, fowr it will cause you hawrm, as if you wewre an undead.
Finaly, I'd like to advice, that you don't use this…in fwront of any paladin owr kelmerovite, they usualy get mad about it, and they can't undewrstand that magic is magic, and has nothing to do with being a foul undead.
The last image shows a funny pictured Rico smiting the zombie
Any questions?
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A newcomer to norwick slips into the class relativly late. His blue eyes watch the teacher intently, paying close attention to the lesson being givin. His only noticeable features. Are his dark red hair, and mystran necklace hanging from his neck.
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Alwright, we can move to the next fowrm…the UmbewrHulk fowrm. A vewry useful one I might add. The most known ability of this fowrm, is the one to detect hidden and invisible cwreatuwres.
An umberhulk and a tree appear in scene. The hulk is quietly reading a book, from behind the tree, a very well hidden goblin is poisoning a sword.The hulk thumbs up at the people while chittering, then goes to behind the tree and smashes the goblin in the head.
But…that's not the only thing this fowrm is usefull fowr. It's as stwrong as the twroll, and even if it is not as stout, is cewrtainly mowre agile and hawrdewr to hit. (+7 ac when shifting instead of +5)
The image changes, and now the hulk is attacked by several archers the arrows bouncing on it's skin
Also, the massive awrms of this fowrm, along with the hands allow this shape to dig tunnels at a decent speed. So if you awre in a cave, it's a vewry viable spell to memowrize.
The image fades away, to be replaced with the one of a cave, and an Umberhulk digging a side-tunnel easily
Lastly, this is the fowrm that could inflict mowre hawrm to a foe with simple smashing. Even some mowre than the twroll.
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Looks around again, making sure everyone has understood the second part of the explanation
Excelent. We'll now pwrocceed to explain the Twroll fowrm, which is the most used, owr so say the statistics and studies.
The Image of a Troll appears, it waves the people gathered and suddenly an axe cut's his arm, the troll's face shows pain, but soon the arm starts regenerating on it's own.
As you can see in the image, the most useful ability of this fowr is the wregenewration. Of couwrse, since we awre not wreal twrolls, we do not wregenewrate as fast as them, but only at a fifth of theiwr speed, yet it's still useful.
The Troll's arm regenerates fully and he moves to the middle of the "screen". Rises both arms and shows his muscles, tough one. He takes a bottle with a poison label on it, and drinks it. The toll thumbs up and seems to get no harm from it
As you see, the twroll shape is stwrong, you could lift a twree without much effowrt. Apawrt fwrom that, the twroll shape gwrants the castewr a tough body as well, vewry hawrd to bwring down owr poison.
The twroll fowrm is best used in combat. Casting a few defensive spells befowre it, will allow you to outlast a fight that othewrwise you wouldn't. Mage awrmowr, Ghostly visage, Shield, cats gwrace, and a bulls stwrengh to be even stwrongewr and flail youwr awrms at youwr enemies.
The image shifts away…into the next form...
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Looks at the people present to see if they have any question, seeing that everything looks clear enough, she keeps talking, waves a hand and the images start changing to another scenario where the main subject is a pixie.
The pixie is flying on the spot, when suddenly a fireball, a melf's acid arrow and a magic missile target it, the spells have no effect on the pixie though, who thumbs up at those gathered. A moment later, a very bad ass looking mage appears and casts a dominate monster and a confusion, but the pixie shrugs it off, and thumbs up again at the people watching.
The images go black, and a new one appears. A large door appears with a small hole on the bottom and a pixie goes out and in from it, then, from the other side of the door, it picks the lock by entering the lock-hole and fiddling with the mechanism, and the door opens.
Lastly, the pixie appears near a human, and they both start runing, the pixie outruning the human without any trouble at all.The next shape, the pixie fowrm. Thi fowrm is a vewry useful one. It's quite magicaly pwrotected and while in this fowrm you won't be affected by spells of the thiwrd ciwrcle owr lowewr. Apawrt fwrom that, youwr mind will be pwrotected against all kind of enchantments. This fowrm allows you to go thwrough small holes and othewr tight spots. Of couwrse as any pixie, you can fly, whicih is most convenient fowr scouting, scaping fwrom a dangewrous spot, etc.
Wremembewr than when flying, you awre considewrably fastewr than when wruning, so this allows fowr speedtwravel.
The pixie fowrm has a gwreat dextewrity, allowing you to do things you wewre not able to do befowre, such as picking complicated locks, owr even sneaking past some cwreatuwres that awrent paying much attention.
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Professor Virgil Buttergarden of Spellweaver Keep attends the presentation. He occasionally strokes his magnificently large moustache and gives an assenting nod to Maria.
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La'ali is seen gathered with the rest present, simply listening quietly as Maria speaks. As she listens, though, one might notice she isn't there to learn about the spell…perhaps she already knew what's been said so far.
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Aristos is seen in the gathering, his feathered quill flitting about as he scribes notes in a thick book.
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She looks at the gathered, and waits for them to sit down, smiles pleasantly Welcome evewryone. As you know, I'm Mawría, an adept of the Spellweavewr. I've decided to stawrt this lessons fowr sevewral wreasons. The most impowrtant of them, is that knowledge should be shawred with those wowrth of it. But I also hope this will dwrag people's intewrest in the Keep and maybe we'll have some new students soon
SmilesToday's class is about the most common polymowrph fowrms and it's optimal use. If you have any question owr want to comment owr shawre something with the wrest of the class, please wraise youwr hands and I will give you the wowrd.
As you know, the most commons fowrms that all mages know awre the Giant spidewr, the Pixie, the twroll, the Umbewrhulk and the Zombie fowrm. Now…each of these fowrms has it's own chawractewristics, and eventhough they awre basic knowledge, I considewr it appwropiated to wrepeat them.
turns around and says a few enchantments, the wall infront of them starts showing pictures
The first picture to be seen is a spider and a muscled man with a greatsword. As the spider bites the muscled man, his muscles grow smaller and he has to drop the sword from it's weight. Then, the spider can be seen runing through some other spiders webs freely at normal speed. The images turn black, and a new one appears, a mage casts hold spells on the spider, but it will not affect it. The images turn black again, and this time the spider appears along with an umberhulk. Both start walking at the same speed, and suddenly a heavy tree lands on their backs, the hulk walking slower, but the spider keeping it's speed.The giant spidewr fowrm is a lawrge fowrm. When you adopt this fowrm you adopt as well it's poisonus abilities, and thus you can inflict poison on youwr enemy if they awre bitten. This poison will dwrain theiwr stwrengh considewrably (1d6). As a spidewr you can natuwraly walk fwreely thwrough webs and web spells, but not only that, the giant spidewrs featuwres allow you to scape fwrom any kind of spell owr situation whewre youwr moving abilities would be affected. You can't be entangled, you can't be pawralized,etc…
Because of this special chawractewristic, this fowrm is to be considewred when you have to haul vewry heavy loads, that you wouldn't even be able to dwrag in the twroll owr hulk fowrm...She speaks slowly so everyone can understand her despite the lisp…
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::Raine hears the news and contemplates a visit to one of the classes::
