Merlane[]
Description: Many an adventurer has given thought to where some of the stranger creatures encountered actually come from. Many a time these beasts are a weird combination of different animals that would seem a mockery of nature.
Remarks about such monsters would make a merlane chuckle. Creating new and strange life is his craft: a specialist mage who transmogrifies animals to fit his imagination and whim. Adept at Alteration magic, the merlane learns how to transform normal animals or breed new life into the stuff of dreams or horrors. Only humans and half-elves may become merlanes. A minimum Dexterity of 15 and Intelligence of 13 is necessary.
Role: Merlanes are prone to spend much time traveling the world in search of new creatures and source stock for their experiments. Some may spend years holed up in a dismal tower until they discover that they need to find a certain beast, while others begin their lives amid the danger of adventure.
It would seem rare to find a good aligned person so willing to transform animal life into what many would call monstrosities. It is true; few merlanes are good-hearted. Such individuals tend to use their powers to create guardians and creatures that hunt down evil and protect the innocent.
More likely, a merlane is neutral or evil. Such mages enjoy playing with nature, twisting and experimenting. The evil ones usually are responsible for some of the more bizarre and fiendish creatures that can be found lurking about in dark corners of the world.
Weapon Proficiencies:
- Required: None.
- Recommended: Dart, dagger, staff.
Secondary Skills: Forester, groom, hunter, trapper/furrier.
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
- Required: animal handling, animal lore.
- Recommended: animal handling, riding land based, herbalism, spellcraft, survival, veterinary healing.
Special Benefits: Due to their ability to learn the nature of strange creatures, merlanes gain a +2 on all saving throws vs. any attack from a mutated animal with whose source stock the mage is familiar (i.e., he has had the opportunity to use his animal proficiencies on such a creature before). This includes gigantic versions of species, like giant crawfish, to
ones magically enhanced, like winter wolves.
Special Hindrances: As a specialist of the school of Alteration, a merlane cannot cast spells of Abjuration or Necromancy. Many merlanes have been slain by their creations, simply because of the lack of protection they can summon.
Because of their focus in warping animal life, a merlane cannot use any spells of Alteration magic upon humans, demi- humans, or humanoid races (even those that seem to have come from original animal stock, like bullywugs or lizard men). This power is rumored to have been possessed once by long-dead members of the kit and has never been regained. Plants also cannot be transformed by the wizard. However, for those appropriate Alteration spells (such as alter self, the merlane can still cast them upon himself without problem.
Because of their callous view of animal life, a merlane cannot have a familiar as per the normal wizard spell. Instead these mages tend to raise lusus naturae or alter existing pets to serve them.
Finally, there is some stigmata to being a merlane. All druids despise these wizards for what they do to nature
and will never have anything better than a Cautious reaction. So too will rangers and other sylvan races have a -2 on all reaction rolls.
Wealth Options: 3d6 × 10 gp.
New wizard spells[]
The drawback of the polymorph other spell is that no special abilities are truly gained. Yes, that lion you just transformed into a dragonne might be able to fly, but he cannot create that terrible roar. To achieve that end, the merlane must cast spells like lusus naturae or teratism. At the lower levels, their spells are used to alter a creature, either giving it additional strength or weakening it so that it may be more easily handled.
Enhance Trait[]
(Alteration)
Level: 1
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: 1 turn + 1 turn/level of caster Casting Time: 1
Area of Effect: 1 animal
Saving Throw: None
By means of this spell, a merlane can enhance one aspect of an animal. This trait can range from its ability to run fast, to the size of its claws, to its talent for stalking prey. This spell works only on normal animals.
The following traits can be enhanced: the animal can gain one of the following bonuses: an additional Hit Die; +1 to THAC0; +1d3 to damage inflicted; +2 to any single MR; +1 to a single saving throw; +1 to surprise rolls; +2 to Intelligence. Other special traits of an animal can also be enhanced, but these require adjudication by the DM.
By using this spell, the merlane could induce his horse to run faster, his guard dog to be more ferocious, and the like. Several traits can be affected at once with additional castings of the spell. For the magic to be made permanent, a teratism spell must be used.
Discern Sire[]
(Divination, Phantasm)
Level: 2
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: 2 rounds
Casting Time: 2
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: None
This spell is very important to the merlane’s craft, as it allows the mage to determine the origins of the most strange hybrid creatures he encounters. It is a dangerous spell to cast, as the tar- get must be well within view; often it is performed on the remains of truly fear- some beasts.
When cast, discern sire causes spectral images to rise from the body of the crea- ture. These phantasms are of the origi- nal source stock used to create the mon- ster or found in its evolution. For exam- ple, when the spell is cast upon an owl bear, the merlane would see hovering over the creature a great horned owl and a grizzly bear.
If the merlane makes a successful Intelligence roll, he also learns some of the secrets in the creation of such a crea- ture. In the above example, he might dis- cern that the images slowly coalesce into a scene wherein an owl’s egg is bathed in the blood of the bear, then wrapped in the pelt, all the while kept in total dark- ness. Now such practice alone will not hatch an owlbear, but with the right magic, a merlane may well succeed in generating such a creature.
Unbridle the Wild Beast[]
Level: 2
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 2
Area of Effect: 1 animal
Saving Throw: See below
A merlane can use this spell to release an animal from the effects of domestica- tion or training. Any mundane animal, ranging from a songbird to a bull to a hunting dog, is automatically affected with no saving throw permitted.
The only animals that are allowed a chance to resist the effects of the spell are those under the personal care and attention of a trainer, animals affected by an animal friendship or charm mammal spell, or followers of a druid or ranger. Familiars gained by the find familiar spell are immune to this spell.
An affected animal immediately seeks to flee the area and return to its natural habitat. If prevented from doing so it may become hostile. If the animal is hungry, injured, or frightened, it may lash out at the closest being.
The animal’s keeper may try to help the animal resist the spell if he is present. He gets one opportunity to roll his skill at animal handling. For every point by which he makes the roll, the animal gains +1 on its saving throw. For those under the influence of a prior enchant-
ment, the animal has a bonus to resist equal to the level of the spell used to bind the animal (thus a mare that has been tamed via animal friendship gains a +1 on its saving throw). Followers of a druid or ranger resist the spell at the level of their master rather than their own Hit Dice (i.e., a puma follower to an 8th-level ranger saves as if it were 8 Hit Dice).
An animal that becomes wild by this spell may once more be domesticated though the DM may impose certain penalties to any attempt to do so.
Teratism I[]
(Alteration)
Level: 3
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 1 animal
Saving Throw: None
As opposed to the more powerful merlane spell, lusus naturae spell, which allows the mage to breed unnatural ani- mals and creatures, teratism transmutes an animal instantly with permanent effects.
The first version of this spell is the weakest, causing only minor changes in the animal. Some of the following aspects of an animal may be altered with a touch of the caster’s hand:
❖ Minor changes to hide can be made. This will lower (or raise) a crea- ture’s natural AC by only 2 levels. But a tiger whose skin is like striped leather would be a remarkable sight. A shark whose skin is furred may fetch a great deal to some menageries.
❖ Strange coloration can be added to any feature of the animal. Thus the mer- lane can cause a hound’s eyes to glow a sinister orange or endow a songbird with bright silver plumage.
❖ Unnatural sounds can be added. Though the animal is incapable of intel- ligible speech, it could be made to say a phrase over and over again. Or its nor- mal cries would be changed into some- thing different. Strange sounds can be linked to the animal’s movements, so that when the hawk flaps its wings a res- onance of thunder is heard.
Other minor changes can be made in accordance with the DM.
This spell has no effect on animals that have already been magically altered by anyone other than the cast- ing merlane. So a giant insect cannot suddenly have its carapace changed to scales unless it was enlarged by the same
merlane. Of course the spell (or its more powerful variants) can be cast multiple times on an animal, the end result being something that rarely resembles its source stock.
This spell allows Alteration magic spells below 3rd level to be cast upon an animal (such as enhance trait or enlarge) with permanent effect.
The altered animals, known as ter- atisms, are sterile.
Note that in no way does the casting of this spell ensure that the creature will obey the merlane. If the wizard is wise he will only make trained pets into teratisms.
Degenerate Breed[]
(Alteration)
Level: 4
Range: 0
Components: V, S
Duration: See below
Casting Time: 6
Area of Effect: 1 creature
Saving Throw: Negates
This spell allows a merlane to degen- erate a monster back to its source stock. Only those creatures that are based on a normal animal can be affected. As with most merlane spells, wizard familiars are immune to the effects of degenerate breed.
Should a targeted creature fail its sav- ing throw against magic, it degenerates that round. Winter wolves transform into normal pale wolves. Giant-sized ver- sions of a normal animal, such as spi- ders or snakes, simply shrink down two steps in size (so from L to S, and so on). The DM has final say when considering if some monsters may appear to be altered animals in form but are truly supernatural (such as shadow hounds) and thus unaffected by this spell.
The duration of the spell is depen- dent on how tough the affected creature is. Should the merlane be of higher level than creature has Hit Dice, then the change is permanent until dispelled. Otherwise, the effects last for a number of rounds equal to the caster’s level.
Teratism II[]
(Alteration)
Level: 5
Range: Touch
Components: V, S
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 1 animal
Saving Throw: None
This spell is a more potent version of teratism I. All the limitations of that spell still apply. However, the merlane can now induce stranger changes in an ani- mal’s form and magical capabilities may now be imbued.
❖ An additional limb can be added. It is fully functional but can be placed wherever the character touches. However, while this may allow an addi- tional attack, this also tends to hamper a creature’s movement, at least, for sever- al weeks depending on where the limb is located.
❖ A lesser special ability may be added. The merlane can grant the ter- atism an arcane trait equal to any spell of 2nd level or below. The merlane must cast the spell within the round following the teratism casting. Thus, he can imbue a trained hawk with the ability to detect evil, so that it might better stop foes of its creator. Or that large toad could breathe out foul vapors equal to a stinking cloud. Of course, since a merlane is unable to cast spells of the schools of Abjuration or Necromancy, a teratism cannot pos- sess such abilities either.
❖ Special limbs can be added or existing limbs warped. Thus, wings or fins can be created, allowing the crea- ture to move in another environment.
Lusus Naturae[]
Level: 6
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: 1 individual or object Saving Throw: None
This is the spell for which a merlane is infamous. Lusus naturae allows the wiz- ard to create new life and form new breeds, for good or ill. This is no easy task, and failure is common.
This is not a swift spell like teratism; rather it takes at least a month to attempt to fashion a lusus naturae. During that time, the merlane must be deeply involved in imbuing in his cre- ation all the traits he desires, an effort that calls for painstaking research, care- ful administration of additional spell- casting or rare components (see below), and the casting of lusus naturae every third day to ensure that the source stock is affected.
Before the casting of the spell, much time should be spent in preparation. The player and the DM should meet and confer on what sort of life the merlane character wishes to create. The DM then can consider the proposal and suggest the means to that end in regards to material components.
Such components should be either animal parts that will be related to the final result or actual living specimens.
The base chance of success is equal to the merlane’s Intelligence plus five times his level of experience. Of course, there are modifiers, as shown in the table above.
Unnatural abilities can be imbued to a lusus naturae through the casting of simi- lar spells and/or rare material compo- nents during the process. For instance, if the merlane wishes to create a gigantic scorpion with a stinger that can ignite into flames, he may need to cast burning hands around the source stock every day, and perhaps let it lie on a bed of rare charcoal specially imported from far- away lands.
If the spell fails to work, the DM then rolls the percentage chance again, secretly to see if something horrible and unexpected does come from the experi- ment. If that roll succeeds then a crea- ture is created, but not the sort the mer- lane had anticipated let alone wanted.
Lusus naturae can breed amongst their own kind. Their ecology will vary, but is still dependent on the source stock from which they came. Thus, a creature made from canine stock will be easier to train, be a carnivore, and tend to travel in packs if let loose in the wild. Something fashioned from fish stock may be hard to control, dependent on water, and be omnivorous. A merlane can never truly be totally sure what the consequences of shaping new life may bring.
Much like teratism, this spell does not in any way make the created creature domesticated to the merlane’s will. He must go through the slow process of handling and training the young crea- ture if he is to be its master.
Teratism III (Alteration)[]
Level: 7
Range: Touch Components: V, S Duration: Permanent Casting Time: 1 round Area of Effect: 1 animal
Saving Throw: None
This is the most powerful version of the teratism spell to date. The traits listed below are only some of the possible transformations that can be induced in an animal. The DM has the final say in what other traits can be bestowed.
❖ An additional head can be created. This would allow for an additional bite attack, perhaps increased senses that would make surprising the creature near impossible, and so forth.
❖ Greater special abilities can be imbued. The merlane can grant the ter- atism a special trait equal to any spell of 4th level or below. Again the merlane must cast the spell within one round of the teratism casting. Thus he can have lizard’s eyes burn with such brilliance equal to that of a fire charm spell, so that hapless victims will approach and be enthralled by the blaze until within reach of the creature’s jaws.
❖ Speech can be given to an animal, but it will only be as capable of language as its intelligence allows. The usual means of granting greater intelligence is usually through enhance trait, though some have used teratism; the results of the latter are not always to be trusted, as insanity has occurred occasionally.
❖ Unnatural hide can be given to the beast. The skin can be radically changed to such materials as stone or metal. Some merlanes have even hinted that they have created dangerous raptors with feathers of silk but claws of glass. Such reports have yet to be substantiated. The teratism can benefit by an increase of up to 6 levels to its AC.