Dreamwalker (Character Kit)

Dreamwalker

Description: Dreamwalkers arise from the same cultures that produce Brushrunners. But unlike the Brushrunners, who content them- selves with art and recreation, Dreamwalkers attend to the spiritual needs of their moieties (extended families).

Dreamwalkers refer to the world in which they live as "the Dreaming." People, animals, and objects are manifestations of the dreams of powerful deities occupying a different world, called "the Dreamed." When people dream, their spirits leave the Dreaming and enter the Dreamed. The Dreamed duplicates many of the Dreaming's physical features; it's also home to spirits of the deceased. Dreamwalkers devote their lives to studying the relationship between the Dreamed and the Dreaming.

Requirements: Standard.

Homeland Terrain:

• Required: Plains.

Role: A Dreamwalker is obsessed with dreams. He ponders his own dreams incessantly, coaxes his companions for details of their dreams, and even studies slumbering animals to determine if they might be dreaming. If a companion falls ill, the Dreamwalker asks if a dream foreshadowed his condition. If a companion has a nightmare, the Dreamwalker avoids him for the rest of the day, fearing that his bad luck might be contagious. Conversely, if a friend has a pleasant dream, the Dreamwalker is particularly attentive, even attempting to sleep next to him, hoping that his good fortune will rub off.  

Typically a Dreamwalker leaves his homeland and aligns himself with an adventuring party because a dream has directed him to do so. He remains with the party, obeying their leaders and helping them achieve their goals, until a dream informs him it's time to go home.

Like Brushrunners, Dreamwalkers are social creatures who value cooperation and companionship. However, they are less concerned with comfort than Brushrunners, making them dependable workers and fighters who take their responsibilities seriously.

So convinced is the Dreamwalker of the existence of the Dreaming and the Dreamed that he is dumbfounded when not everyone shares his beliefs. When others speak of their gods, he rolls his eyes. He regards prayer as bizarre, idolatry as baffling. He is appalled by most outworld priests and clerics, and he avoids socializing with such characters in his own party.

Secondary Skills: Loremaster, Soothsayer, Storyteller.

Weapon Proficiencies: Recommended: Boomerang* (either returning or non returning), blow gun, club, short bow, dagger, dart, sling, spear.

Nonweapon Proficiencies:

• Recommended: Ancient History, Danger Sense*, Foraging*, Signaling*, Soothsaying*, Weather Sense.
• Barred: Religion.

Economic System: Simple barter and animal products barter.

Wealth Options: A Dreamwalker begins with 2d4 gp worth of animal products or tradable goods.

Armor and Equipment: A Dreamwalker receives no beginning armor, preferring a leather loincloth and, perhaps, a feather headdress. He may trade for armor, but usually confines him self to leather or padded. He may carry a shield, usually making his own by stretching animal skins over a wooden frame.  

A Dreamwalker also begins with a device called a dream catcher, which resembles a thin leather headband decorated with colorful feathers and pebbles. The Dreamwalker's moiety elders present him with his dream catcher when he reaches adolescence. The dream catcher retains all of the dreams experienced by the wearer in a single night; the dream catcher automatically releases the dreams after 24 hours, preparing itself to retain a new set of dreams. It can be used in either of the following ways:

• The Dreamwalker wears the dream catcher for a night, then loans it to another character. If the character wears the dream catcher when he goes to sleep, he experiences the exact dreams that the Dreamwalker had the previous night.
• A character wears the dream catcher for a night, then returns it to the Dreamwalker. If the Dreamwalker wears it when he goes to sleep, he experiences the character's dreams.  

If the Dreamwalker loses his dream catcher, he may return to his homeland and petition his moiety elders for a replacement. A replacement takes 1d4+1 weeks to create.  

Spheres: Major: All, Charm, Combat, Divination, Protection. Minor: Animal, Creation, Plant, Weather.

Talisman: A shaker made from a hollow gourd filled with bird bones.

Special Benefits

Dream Reading: By touching the forehead of a sleeping character or creature and making a successful Wisdom check, the Dreamwalker experiences the sleeper's dream. The barbarian can't interact with the dream or affect it in any way; he just sees it in his head, exactly as it is being dreamed by the sleeper. The Dreamwalker can read dreams at will, but for no more than five rounds per hour. While dream-reading, the cleric remains in a trance-like state, oblivious to the physical world. If disturbed (or the sleeper wakes up), the Dreamwalker automatically loses contact with the subject, and the dream reading ends.

Clairvoyance: By closing his eyes and relaxing, the Dreamwalker can see in his mind any location known to him; the ability duplicates the 3rd-level wizard spell, but requires no components or casting time. The Dreamwalker can use this ability once per day, for a number of rounds equal to his level.

Dream Implant: Once per day, the Dreamwalker can enter the mind of a sleeping character or creature and modify his dream. The cleric touches the subject's forehead, and the subject saves vs. spells. If the save succeeds, the Dreamwalker cannot affect his dream. If the save fails, the Dreamwalker enters a trance-like state (similar to that associated with the dream reading ability) and can spend up to five rounds tinkering with the subject's dream. The barbarian can change the details of a dream or implant a new one. Some possible uses:

• He creates disturbing dreams that prevent the subject from sleeping restfully; the subject cannot recover the normal amount of lost hit points or recover spells.
• He induces a nightmare involving a particular character or creature. If the subject encounters the character or creature the next day and fails to save vs. spells, he reacts as if affected by a fear spell.
• He manufactures soothing images of tranquil meadows and babbling brooks to calm a restless friend.  
• He implants a misleading clue about the location of a treasure.

An implanted dream cannot coerce the subject to perform an act that goes against his moral principles or common sense. Nor does it alter beliefs or personality in any major way. For instance, a dream of a beloved deity murdering an innocent child won't make the subject abandon his faith, nor can a dream of a tasty bowl of snake venom compel him to drink poison. The DM decides the exact effects, if any, of all implanted dreams.  

Death Dream: A Dreamwalker gains this ability when he reaches 9th level. Once per month, a Dreamwalker can induce nightmares so disturbing that the subject dies. The subject must be of the same level or less than the Dreamwalker (or have hit dice equal to or less than the Dreamwalker's level). The Dreamwalker places his hands on the sleeping subject for five rounds and concentrates. If interrupted—for instance, if the Dreamwalker is attacked or if the subject awakens—the attempt is over; he can try again next month. Otherwise, the Dreamwalker makes a saving throw vs. death magic, using 1d10 instead of the usual 1d20. If the throw fails, the death dream also fails. If the throw succeeds, the subject's hit points are reduced to 0. On a roll of 10, the death dream backfires, and the Dreamwalker enters a state of temporal stasis (as per the 9th-level wizard spell).

Special Hindrances

Full Night's Sleep: If a Dreamwalker doesn't sleep at least seven hours, he can't use any of his special benefits the following day. The light sleeping proficiency may reduce this requirement to an hour (see Chapter 4).

Decreased Defenses: While using any of his special benefits, a Dreamwalker's Armor Class is automatically 10, regardless of any armor or magical protections.