Paths of Power (WSC)

Path magic (also called pattern magic or web magic) allows a mage or specialist wizard to choose an area of concentration for further development. This increases the chance of developing a given set of spells, while limiting development in other ways. Paths of magic are fragments of knowledge that may cut across many disciplines. They are supported by colleges of magic, where the chains of related knowledge are passed down from master to student. Access to paths can be limited by limiting where they can be learned, and which colleges have certain types of knowledge can be a tool of campaign development. A path is a group of related spells that must be learned in a particular order. Beginning with the lowest level spell on a path, the wizard learns each spell in him. If a path contains more than one spell of a certain level, the wizard only needs to learn one of those spells in order to proceed along that path. A wizard who becomes a path mage can only learn spells to which he can trace a path, and can only research new spells that connect to a path of spells that he already knows. Even a greatly desired spell found on an adventure cannot be mastered unless a path to it can be developed. Paths that contain 1st-level spells are called greater paths, those that do not contain 1st-level spells are called lesser paths.

Generally, spell levels cannot be skipped; if a path contains 2nd, 3rd and 4th-level spells, then the wizard must learn a 3rd-level spell before learning any 4th level spells on the path, and a 2nd-level spell before learning any 3rd-level spells.

A wizard on a path will always be drawn to along it; when sufficient experience levels are gained to open a new spell level, the wizard on a path can make the requisite “to know” roll for the next spell on the path immediately, provided he does not skip a spell level to do so. If failure of a “to know” roll would close a path, the wizard can try again once another experience level has been gained. The wizard receives a maximum of one roll per experience level, regardless of how many paths he is on (this can be supplemented with spell research).

A wizard who has learned two consecutive steps on a path can skip one step on the path. Only one step on a path can be skipped, and the wizard can try to fill it in at a later time.

A wizard can follow multiple paths, depending on his level and Intelligence. Specialists can follow fewer paths and cannot access opposition schools while following a path; this may halt their progress along certain paths. The basic number of paths based on level are given on Table 1, to these are added bonus paths for Intelligence from Table 2. Thus, a 10th-level wizard with Intelligence 16 can learn spells from 12 different paths.

Once a path is completed, it no longer counts against the maximum number of paths a wizard can have.

If the same spell is on two paths, it is a nexus. If a wizard reaching a nexus knows that there are two paths, he can continue with the current path, switch to the new path, or pursue both (this is called a fork­ing path). While this gives the wizard additional choices, each fork counts as a separate path, and no spell beyond the nexus spell can be skipped. A wizard on a forking path can work down the new path, filling in missed steps.

A path master is a wizard who has mastered every single spell in a path that is of a level he can cast. A wizard cannot be a path master of more than one path at a time. A wizard eligible to be a path master in several paths can choose the path mas­tered, and can change this whenever a new spell is added alone either path. The benefit of being a path master is a -1 penalty to opposing saving throws, a +1 bonus per die of damage, and range, duration, and area of effect as if the caster was one level higher for all spells of the mastered path.

Creating New Paths: The DM has final approval of whether a path is feasible. The creator must be able to cast all the spells on the path. The cost of “path research” is 1,000 gp times the number of spell levels in the path. The chance of success is the wizard's level plus Intelligence, minus twice the number of spells on the path. Thus, an 15th-level wizard with an Intelligence 18 trying to create the Path of Ice, consisting of Snilloc's snowball (1). Snilloc's snowball swarm (2), ice storm (4), wall of ice (4), and cone of cold (5), would have to invest 16,000 gp and 16 weeks, and would have a 23% chance of success (15+18-10 = 23).

Generally, a path should contain at least five spells divided across three levels. Most paths have 10 spells or less. A group of more than 20 spells probably should be configured as a school, rather than as a path.

Table 1: Paths Per Level

Wizard Level	Maximum Mage	Number of Paths Specialist
1	3	2
2	3	2
3	4	3
4	4	3
5	5	4
6	5	4
7	6	5
8	7	5
9	8	6
10	9	7
11	10	8
12	11	9
13	12	10
14	13	11
15	14	12
16	15	13
17	16	14
18	18	15
19	20	16
20	22	18
21	25	20
22	30	22
23	35	25
24	40	30
25	All	35
26	All	40
27-	All	All

Table 2: Bonus Paths for Intelligence

Wizard's Intelligence	Bonus Paths	Spells/ Level	Chance to Learn
9	+0	6	35%
10	+0	7	40%
11	+1	7	45%
12	+1	7	50%
13	+1	9	55%
14	+2	9	60%
15	+2	11	65%
16	+3	11	70%
17	+3	14	75%
18	+4	18	85%
19	+5	All	95%
20	+5	All	96%
21	+6	All	97%
22	+7	All	98%
23	+8	All	99%
24	+9	All	100%
25	+10	All	100%

Greater Paths of Power

Alchemist's Road: metamorphose liquids (1), Alamir's fundamental breakdown (3), hatch the stone from the egg (7), homunculus shield (8), glorious transmutation (9)

Archer's Road: catapult (1), magic missile (1), Melf's acid arrow (2), Melf's minute meteors (3), acid bolt (4), missile mastery (4)

Artificer's Path: detect metals and miner­als (1), mending (1), Nystul's magic aura (1), analyze device (3), duplicate (4), mechanical disruption (4), enchant an item (6), recon­struction (6), permanency (8), spell engine (8)

Bard's Path: alarm (1), ventriloquism (1), deafness (2), ghost pipes (2), magic mouth (2), shout (4), Leomund's lamentable belaborment (5), great shout (8), wail of the banshee (9)

Bigby's Path: spectral hand (1), flying fist (2), Caligarde's claw (4), Bigby's interposing hand (5), Bigby's forceful hand (6), Bigby's grasping hand (7), Bigby's clenched fist (8), Bigby's crushing hand (9)

Chromatic Path: color spray (1), chro­matic orb (1), hypnotic pattern (2), rainbow pattern (4), prismatic spray (7), Gunther's kaleidoscopic strike (8), prismatic wall (8), prismatic sphere (9)

Councilor's Road: hypnotism (1), sugges­tion (3), dominate (5), mass suggestion (6)

Dragon's Road: sleep (1), forget (1), ray of enfeeblement (2), strength (2), hold person (3), snapping teeth (3), suggestion (3), hold monster (5), mind fog (5), dragon scales (6), eyebite (6), steal enchantment (7)

Eagle's Road: feather fall (1), Murdock's feathery flyer (1), ride the wind (2), fly (3), spectral wings (4), vortex (5), Bloodstone's spectral steed (6), airboat (8)

Enchanter's Path: charm person (1), friends (1), dire charm (3), fire charm (4), charm monster (4), domination (5), charm plants (7), mass charm (8), virus charm (9)

Greater Fire Road: affect normal fires (1), burning hands (1), Agannazar's scorcher (2), pyrotechnics (2), fireflow (3), fire aura (4), fire charm (4), fire gate (4), fire shield (4), wall of fire (4), Forest's fiery constrictor (6), Malec-Keth's flame fist (7), meteor swarm (9)

Hangman's Road: chill touch (1), feign death (3), paralyze (3), vampiric touch (3), enervation (4), death spell (6), reincarnation (6), finger of death (7), energy drain (9)

King's Road: Tenser's floating disc (1), blink (3), dimension door (4), Bowgentle's fleeting journey (5), teleport (5), gemjump (7), teleport without error (7), gateway (8), worldwalk (9)

Knight's Road: armor (1), mount (1), shield (1), invisible mail (3), phantom steed (3), stoneskin (4), wall of iron (5), dragon scales (6)

Lesser Fire Road: fire burst (1), flaming sphere (2), fireball (3), shroud of flame (5), delayed blast Fireball (7), meteor swarm (9)

Medusa's Road: gaze reflection (1), know alignment (2), eyebite (6), glassee (6), true seeing (6), glassteel (8)

Misty Road: wall of fog (1), fog cloud (2), stinking cloud (2), hold vapor (3), solid fog (4), cloudkill (5), mind fog (5), death fog (6), incendiary cloud (8)

Path of Counterspells: avert evil eye (1), dispel magic (3), dispel mirage (3), Otiluke's dispelling screen (4), remove curse (4), force shapechange (5), repulsion (6), ruby ray of reversal (7), Mordenkainen's disjunc­tion (9), spellstrike (9)

Path of Deception: phantasmal force (1), improved phantasmal force (2), spectral force (3), advanced illusion (5), programmed illusion (6)

Path of Terror: spook (1), scare (2), fear (4), phantasmal killer (4), weird (9)

Road of Soul's Release: sleep (1), forget (2), waves of weariness (2), emotion (4), chaos (5), magic jar (5)

Road of Swords: scatterspray (1), blade-thirst (2), flame arrow (3), enchanted weapon (4), Tenser's transformation (6), Mordenkainen's sword (7)

Sage's Road: comprehend languages (1), detect magic (1), divining rod (1), detect undead (1), read magic (1), know school (1), Detect Good/Evil (2), detect invisibility (2), know alignment (2), locate object (2), detect scrying (4), locate creature (4), magic mirror (4), contact other plane (5), legend lore (6)

Servant's Path: unseen servant (1), Quimby's enchanting gourmet (2), summon swarm (2), phantom steed (3), conjure ani­mals (6), Mordenkainen's faithful hound (6), invisible stalker (6), spectral guard (7)

Shapeshifter's Path: change self (1), alter self (2), fist of the adder (2), polymorph self (4), polymorph other (4), force shapechange (5), claws of the umber hulk (6), Tenser's transformation (6), tentacles (6), polymorph any object (8), shapechange (9)

Shining Path: dancing lights (1), light (1), continual light (2), darkness, 15' radius (2), Nchaser's glowing globe (3), Presper's moonbow (6), sunburst (8), Elminster's ef­fulgent epuration (9)

Speakers Path: comprehend languages (1), fool's speech (3) tongues (Wizard Spell)|]] (3), sending (5), Drawmij's instant summons (7), demand (8), succor (9)

Stone Road: fist of stone (1), Maximillian's earthen grasp (2), Maximillian's stony grasp (3), dig (4), stoneskin (4), turn pebble to boulder (4), wall of stone (5), stone shape (5), move earth (6), sink (8)

Storm Road: shocking grasp (1), ice knife (2), whispering wind (2), gust of wind (3), lightning bolt (3), wind wall (3), ice storm (4), wall of ice (4), wind breath (4), cone of cold (5), chain lightning (6), control weather (6), acid storm (7)

Tricksters Road: grease (1), jump (1), spider climb (1) taunt (1), fool's gold (2), Tasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter (2), chastise (3), fool's speech (3), fumble (4), re­verse gravity (7), Otto's irresistible dance (8)

Twin's Road: change self (1), mirror image (2), alter self (2), duplicate (4), plague (4), guise of the yak-man (5), heat mirage (5), seeming (5), project image (6), simu­lacrum (7), clone (8)

Water Road: lasting breath (1), water breathing (3), airy water (5), lower water (6), part water (6)

Wizard's Road: cantrip (1), copy (1), read magic (1), deeppockets (2), wizard lock (2), dispel magic (3), secret page (3), Rary's mnemonic enhancer (4), wizard's eye (4), contingency (6), geas (6), Mordenkainen's lucubration (6), Elminster's evasion (9), Mordenkainen's disjunction (9)

Lesser Paths of Power

Archmage's Road: close path (2), sense shifting (2), alacrity (3), dispel magic (3), augmentation I (3), far reaching I (3), squar­ing the circle (3), dilation I (4), far reaching II (4), Mordenkainen's celerity (4), seal path (4), far reaching III (5), augmentation II (6), dilation II (6), burn path (7)

Beggar's Path: duplicate (4), minor cre­ation (4), fabricate (5), major creation (6), limited wish (7), wish (9)

Black Road: blindness (2), blur (2), dark­ness, 15' radius (2), blacklight (3), power word blind (8)

Breaker Road: shatter (2), battering ram (2), disintegrate (6), crystalbrittle (9)

Frozen Road: bind (2), hold person (3), hold undead (3), hover (4), hold monster (5), statue (7), temporal stasis (9)

Gray Road: cloak from undead (2), invis­ibility (2), invisibility 10' radius (3), im­proved invisibility (4), mislead (6), mass invisibility (7)

Otiluke's Road: Otiluke's resilient sphere (4), Otiluke's freezing sphere (6), Otiluke's telekinetic sphere (8)

Path of the Mind: ESP (2), levitation (2), iron mind (3), feeblemind (5) telekinesis (Wizard Spell)|]] (5), disintegrate (6), Rary's telepathic bond (5), mind blank (8), dismind (9)

Road of Staves: decastave (2), icelance (3), thunderlance (4), thunder staff (4), magic staff (5), create soundstaff (7)

Silver Road: rope trick (2), blink (3), phase trap (4), Leomund's secret chest (5), passwall (5), duo-dimension (7), vanish (7), phase door (7), astral spell (9)

Twisting Road: glitterdust (2), misdirec­tion (2), non-detection (3), distance distortion (5), false vision (5), shadow door (5), mirage arcana (6), mislead (6), sequester (7), vanish (7), maze (8)

Veiled Path: delude (3), Laeral's dancing dweomer (3), hallucinatory terrain (4), va­cancy (4), passwall (5), seeming (5), perma­nent illusion (6), veil (6), sequester (7), screen (8)