Anti Paladin

Necromancer

Experience Penalty: 250 Alignment: Good, Neutral, Evil Races: Arborian, Changeling, Dark-Elf, Draconian, Dwarf, Elf, Ethereal, Fae, Gnome, Grey-Elf, Griffon, Human, Illithid, Pixie, Storm-Giant

Elminster utters the words 'ignis racktar' and the candles near you burst alight. 'Let me tell you young one, the life of a mage is one of study and hardship', he says. 'Some magi are born to be great and some earn greatness, but a great mage has one thing in common with every other great mage, and these three things sets them apart from any other; love of the Weave, dedication, and hard work.' A smile splits his aged face at this point and the vision of him fades away as you are left staring at the painting of Elminster that graces the guild wall. Hard work, dedication, love of the Weave...three simple things, yet a trio that has crushed the dreams of many a hopeful mage.

Called channelers in the realm of Thera, a mage is a conduit for the Weave. They channel the forces of magic through utterances of spells and direct these powers in ways that can leave many with mouths left gaping. They are considered "sponges" by some, chosen to absorb the excess powers of the world and redirect them to use at their discretion. Although the years of intensive study required for channelers leaves little time and energy to develop much with a students physical body, his magic is said to be absolutely stunning, even blinding, for those unfortunate enough to be caught off guard by the pure force this mage may wield. Though magic is a difficult ability to learn, and near impossible to master, it is also hard on the mind. Guildmasters will teach those of all walks of life, so long as a student is capable of bearing the mental hardship involved.

Mastery of spells, both minor and major, is the life of a true channeler. Even those channelers who do not wish greatness and only a life of adventure and riches, still spend considerable time mastering the most important of their incantations. This almost pathological need to study led the entire guild to a stage of renewal many centuries ago. The Masters saw the need for separate sub-sections within the larger guild so as to concentrate on the study and preservation of the Weave. The disciplines of abjuration, mind alteration and illusion, time manipulation, and transmutation were the cornerstones of the new sub-guilds of abjurers, illusionists, temporals, and enchanters, respectively. Of course the original sect of channelers was kept to continue on the studies of the first of Theran mages.

Each school has its strong points and weaknesses and each school of magic is always in an unspoken competition with each other. Though many things are argued upon every channeler agrees that they owe their way of life to the One True Spell, the Lady Xyza, from whose body the Weave originates.

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