Lyrist

A note to GMs

In and out of game, the success of designations depends on the creativity of its wielders.  A Lyrist who is not imaginative will not survive long and a Lyrist is only as imaginative as the player who controls her.  In order to come into its own as a tool for creating exciting gaming you must be prepared to allow your player's imaginations free reign.

While the base mechanics of Lyrist are straightforward, the exact outcomes of the many combinations of elements you and your players will create with it are not.  This open-endedness can and will lead to the creation of truly bizarre effects, things that are only possible with a system as open to interpretation as this one.  This is not a weakness of the designation system, but its chief strength.

When a player comes to you, the Game Master, with an idea about a truly unusual effect of a designation, a good response will be "how can we make this work" rather than "no".  Work with players to incorporate their off-the-cuff creativity as it encourages involved play; which leads to committed roleplaying.

Working with players to incorporate creativity does not, however, mean rushing to accommodate their every whim and bizarre idea.  You must be prepared to put your foot down, to say no to combinations which simply will not work in your game.  Irresponsible use of "no" squashes creativity, responsible use squashes indulgence.

What Designations cannot do

Designations is extraordinarily versatile and an imaginative Lyrist can weave chords of power in thousands of different combinations, allowing her to achieve almost any result, as her whims and necessity dictate.  Still, designations is not without its limits, and there are certain broad categories that it simply cannot produce.

Designations can twist flesh, sculpt bone and cause uncontrolled growth; it can seize control of the brain's electrical impulses, shatter thoughts, turn friends to lovers and then to bitterest rivals; it can even create the semblance of life from chords of power; but it cannot heal a scratch, cannot return cancerous flesh to pure, or restore life to the fallen.

Designations are wholly unsuitable for prediction, prognostication, retrocognition or any of the sort.  Designations are concerned with the now and it is not in its nature to predict the future or read the past.

Using Designations

Designations are used as a standard action.  Should a Lyrist choose, she can reduce a designations usage check's DC by increasing the time required to use it.  By increasing the usage time to a full round action, she reduces the usage check DC by 2.  Every additional round, beyond the first, spent using the designation decreases the usage check DC by 2, to a maximum reduction of -10.

The Limits of the Lyrist

Unlike more traditional abilities and attacks, Lyrists are not chained and burdened down by the notion of frequencies or a limited number of known Moves or Spells, or even a hard limit to the number of effects they can conjure per day.  In fact, Lyrists find those concepts downright alien.  Instead, Lyrists are limited by the strengths of their bodies - even the most skilled Lyrist must eventually bend to the brutal assault of the chords of power.

Each time a designation is successfully used, she suffers a point of damage for each five points of the usage check DC - though this damage does not cause injuries.  However, if she fails the usage check she instead suffers 2 points of damage for every 5 points of the usage check DC and this damage can cause injuries.  This damage is applied immediately after the usage check is attempted.

Concentration

Some effect elements are listed as requiring continuous concentration.  Designations with this requirement can only be maintained by force of will, lest they lose coherence and sputter away.  Designations which require continuous concentration exist only as long as the Lyrist dedicates a standard action to maintaining them.

A Lyrist concentrating on a designation cannot use another, though they may voluntarily drop their concentration, ending its effects immediately - there are no penalties for voluntarily ending a designation.

Designations

The nature of designations is endless possibility, layer upon infinite layer of potential outcomes, each no more or less likely to occur than any other.

Lyrists can use their ties to the chords of power to use designations with a near infinite number of permutations, limited only by their imagination and the strength of their body.  Even a novice Lyrist is more versatile than a Magus or Magi and a powerful Lyrist could conceivably use a hundred designations each day and never use the same one twice.

This is the heart of the Lyrist, presenting the full rules necessary to bring designations to life.  The following information will lead you, step-by-step, through the creation of a designation, from choosing the initial effect to the actual usage of of the designation.  Each step along the way will lay out all the relevant mechanics in an easy to follow fashion, so that, like the Lyrist herself, you will quickly learn how to create designations on the fly.

A number of sample designations, of all power levels, are also presented at the end of the class.  These designations, while by no means a comprehensive listing, should serve as good examples of the kinds of effects which can be created using the free-form designations rules.

While the incredible variety of this system may seem daunting at first, with a little effort and some practice, the creation and usage of designations will become second nature, both to the Lyrist and the player.

STEP-BY-STEP

Step Overview

Step 1:   Choose an Effect
All designations have a final effect and this final effect is what you will select first.  Do you want to burn your enemies with fire?  Teleport them?  Or influence their thoughts?  You will decide that here.

Step 2:  Choose an Area of Effect
All designations have an area of effect, from effects that target only the Lyrist or another individual, to designations that encompass whole areas.

Step 3:  Choose a Range
All designations require a range element.  While it is relatively simple for a Lyrist to use an effect against a target right in front of her, she does not have to.  A skilled Lyrist can launch effects from a significant distance.

Step 4:  Choose a Duration
Most designations are instantaneous, with the effects occurring and then ending, in the space between breaths.  Should she choose to, however, a Lyrist can use effects that last for minutes, or even hours.  There is no way for a Lyrist to create a permanent effect, however.

Step 5:  Using the designation
The final step in the creation process is the actual usage of the designation.  To use the designation, the player adds together the DC numbers received by selecting the options in steps one through four.  The total of these numbers is the final DC which must be overcome by the Lyrist which a Nature Education check to successfully use the effect.  If the check is successful, the designation goes off as expected, subject to the vagaries of its interacting with the target and other effects.

It goes without saying, but Game masters and players alike should spend some time reviewing and familiarizing themselves with the rules presented in Lyrist, to better speed their integration and usage into the game.

Designations

Direct Damage Designations

The most straightforward tool in the Lyrist's arsenal, a damage effect is a simple expulsion of aura in a twisting, ravenous burst that strips away flesh and the bonds of reality with equal facility.  Injuries created with a damage effect tend to be horrific, with even those designations crafted to replicate the effects of fire or ice leaving the targeted flesh bloated with corruption - injuries inflicted by designations are horrific to look upon.

Raw Damage
Usage DC:  8
Continued Concentration:  No
Class:  Physical or Special
Raw Damage is the most straightforward effect a Lyrist can produce, a simple expulsion of violent aura directed at one or more targets.  Raw Damage is subtle as a hammer to the face but also as effective as...a hammer to the face.
Raw Damage has a Damage Base equal to the Lyrist's Education Nature ranks plus ½ of her Lyrist features (minimum 1) and is Normal Type.



Persistent Damage
Usage DC:  4
Continued Concentration:  Yes
Class:  Status
Rather than use a designation which instantaneously delivers all its damage externally, a Lyrist can choose to use a designation which causes a gradually escalating amount of damage internally, until it reaches its full potential over several rounds' time.  Designations of this effect take longer to deliver damage but are easier to use than single blasts of aura and generally bypass external defenses.
The Persistent Damage causes a single Damage Base of damage upon the target, or targets, in the round that it is used, with the damage base increasing by 1 on each subsequent round until all available damage has been dealt.  Stats, resistances or weaknesses are not applied to this damage.  The total Damage Base of Persistent Damage is equal to the Lyrist's Education Nature ranks plus ½ of her Lyrist features (minimum 1).

For example:  A Lyrist with 3 features and Expert Nature Education uses a Persistent Damage designation at an opponent.  The designation inflicts just 1d6+1 (DB1) in the first round.  In the second round, the designation inflicts 1d6+3 (DB2) damage.  In the third round, the designation inflicts 1d6+5 (DB3) damage.  The third round is the final round of the designation duration as there are no more Damage Base of damage to inflict.  Had the Lyrist had 4 Lyrist feature, in the fourth round the designation would have inflicted 1d6+1 (DB1) of damage, for a total of Damage Base 7 damage.

Persistent Damage effects must be combined with a By Round Duration element or they dissipate immediately upon inflicting the first round of damage.



Degrading Damage
Usage DC:  12
Continued Concentration:  Yes
Class:  Status
Designations of this effect deliver an initial blast of aura which lingers for multiple rounds, inflicting a reduced amount of harm each round until it dissipates.

In the first round, the designation deals its full damage base in damage without applying stats, resistances or weaknesses.  The damage is applied in every subsequent round but at 1 less damage base until no more damage base remains.  The Damage Base of Degrading Damage begins at a Damage Base equal to the Lyrist's Education Nature ranks plus ½ of her Lyrist features (minimum 1).

For example:  A Lyrist with Expert Nature Education and 4 Lyrist Features uses a designation with Degrading Damage on an opponent.  In the first round, the designation inflicts 2d6+10 (DB7) damage.  In the second round, the designation inflicts one DB less damage, or 2d6+8 (DB6).  In the third round it inflicts 1d8+8, fourth round 1d8+6, fifth round 1d6+5, sixth round 1d6+3 and in the seventh and final round 1d6+1.

Degrading Damage effects must be combined with a By Round Duration element or they dissipate immediately upon inflicting the first round of damage.



Elementals
Usage DC:  5
Continued Concentration:  No
Class:  None
This designation is used to augment the Raw Damage designation, allowing the Lyrist to change the damage Type from Normal to any of the following:
Electric, Fire, Flying, Ice or Poison.



Domination Designations

Lyrists can use designations to bend and change the perceptions of those around them.  At the lowest ranks a Lyrist can force victims to undertake actions they would not normally consider, while the more powerful ranks can completely rearrange the target's mental pathways, altering their personalities on a fundamental level.

Negligible Domination
Usage DC:  5
Opposed Check:  Intuition or Focus
Continuous Concentration:  No
Negligible Domination is a bit of mental sleight of hand, a soft nudge able to influence but not control.  This can be used to create the following effects, as well as others:

Negligible Domination can cause a target, or targets, to involuntarily speak one word for X rank the Lyrist has (X is equal to the total ranks of Charm or Guile and Education Nature).  The victims can be forced to speak any words, in any language that either the Lyrist or the victim knows.  If multiple victims are affected they can only be forced to speak the same phrase or phrases.  Once the target has spoken the words, there is nothing stopping them from immediately denying what was said - save another Domination designation.

Negligible Domination can grant a bonus or penalty to a creatures Mind attribute or any Mind skills.  The penalty or bonus is equal to half of the Lyrists total Education Nature ranks.

Negligible Domination can create over-confidence in a target, or targets, causing them to neglect their defence against 'inferior' opponents, suffering a penalty to their Evasion equal to half of the Lyrists total Education Nature ranks.

Negligible Domination can inspire trust ot distrust.  A successful use of this designation can grant a bonus or penalty to NPC reaction checks, Guile, Intuition, Charm and Command checks equal to half of the Lyrists total Education Nature ranks.



Minor Domination
Usage DC:  10
Opposed Check:  Intuition or Focus
Continuous Concentration:  No
Minor Domination are more insidious than Negligible Domination and are capable of seizing control of the victim's mind, temporarily.  Minor Domination effects can be used to perform, but are not limited to, the following actions:

Minor Domination can create self-doubt in an opponent, forcing them to suffer a penalty to accuracy checks equal to ½ the Lyrists Education Nature ranks and a penalty to their damage equal to the lyrists Education Nature ranks.

Minor Domination can be used to cause an opponent to be afflicted with the Enrage condition.

Minor Domination can be used to cause fear in a creature and they behave as if they were hit with the Move Roar.

Minor Domination can overload an opponent's senses, Flinching them temporarily.

Minor Domination can force creatures to believe your words to be truth, though not in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.



Moderate Domination
Usage DC:  15
Opposed Check:  Intuition or Focus
Continuous Concentration:  See Below
Moderate Domination can have lasting implications on the target and can be used to accomplish the following goals, among many others:

Moderate Domination can alter a target's morality for the duration element.  Creatures who normally had codes of honor and upheld good can be forced to forget or forego these codes and turn a blind eye to those in need (a Lyrist cannot turn a good man into an evil one but can turn him to become neutral and vice versa).

Moderate Domination can resculpt a single memory.  For each round of the duration element, the Lyrist can permanently alter one of the target's memories as she sees fit.  Note that this memory is changed only in single context.  You could, for example, change a memory so that the target remembers seeing you at a bar rather than in the middle of his lab.  You could not, however, change his memory so that he never remembered seeing you at all, because the memory of your face is tied in with other memories, such as his remembering that he does not much care for you.
This effect basically twists the target's memory and then leaves it twisted - but every time a creature is confronted with the true memory (such as someone reminding him), he is allowed another opposed check.

Moderate Domination can force unwanted emotions on the target, or targets.  Lyrists can create feelings of love, hate, distrust or absolute adoration, either between victims of the designation or between victims and some other designated being, object or belief.

Moderate Domination can seize control of a target's mind for the length of the duration element.  The target gains a bonus to their opposed check if the activity you choose to undertake is directly harmful to their person or strongly against their belief.  This effect requires continuous concentration.



Major Domination
Usage DC:  20
Opposed Check:  Intuition or Focus
Continuous Concentration:  See Below
Major Domination is powerful enough to change the fate of creatures - among other things, Major Domination can accomplish the following:

It can fundamentally alter the nature of a being's core beliefs.  For the length of the duration element, the victims morality can be altered to whatever the Lyrist desires.  A man could be changed to the foulest individual or into the upholder of justice.

Major Domination can shut down a victim's mind entirely.  For the length of the duration element, the victim can be turned into a babbling lunatic whose priorities are only food and shelter.



Transportation Designation
The ability to move nearly instantaneously from place to place is a powerful one and a huge boon to Trainers.  A Lyrist can submerge herself, willing allies and even unwilling targets through the fabric of reality, effectively ignoring the concepts of space and time.

The difficulty of a Transportation Designation is directly related to the distance to be traveled - the further the distance the more difficult the designation is to use.

It is safer for a Lyrist to only move herself with this designation, for while others can easily be shunted through reality with her their bodies are not likely to be prepared for the journey.  Lyrists can also use the Transportation designation to boost their allies' movement or to slow or even paralyze opponents.

Transportation designations with duration elements cna be used in either of the following two fashions:

The movement occurs slowly, over the course of the duration element.  When used in this fashion, the total movement should be divided as evenly as possible, with any remaining movement occuring in the last round of the duration.  The speed of movement cannot be altered in any fashion, save by the use of another designation.

The movement can work up to full value in any round of the duration element, as a shift action.  This allows for very rapid movement, up to and including sky speed.  When used in this fashion, the designation ends when the full potential value is reached.  Designations of this sort include a protective element; should the recipient find herself in mid-air when the designation ends, she floats to the ground over the course of one round, safely.

The dangers of Transportation designation
Lyrists think nothing of traversing through the fabric of relaity.  They hold no fear of doing so at a moments notice as they understand it is merely part of nature.

The same cannot be said for other creatures.  Non-Lyrists who are targeted with Transportation designations lose 1/16th Hit Points for every rank when the effect concludes.

Negligible:  1/16th
Minor:  2/16th
Moderate:  3/16th
Major:  4/16th



Negligible Transportation
Usage DC:  10
Opposed Check:  Fortitude or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
A Negligible Transportation designation is sufficient to allow the Lyrist or an amount of weight equal to 10 times her total combined Lyrist skill ranks to move a maximum distance of any one of her Lyrist skill ranks.

In addition, a Negligible Transportation designation can be used to produce a number of related effects, including but not limited to those presented below:

It can be used to open or shut a door, window, flap, Poké Ball or any other object which can be opened or closed.  It cannot lock or unlock any object and is restricted to moving objects no heavier than 10 times the total combined Lyrist skill ranks of the Lyrist.

It can create a field which presents creatures of a designated sex, template, race, species or other visible identifying characteristic from touching the target of the designation or moving within the area of effect of the designation.  This prevents melee attacks, but will not prevent hte use of ranged attacks or attacks with Reach by the prohibited creature.  Multiple stacked effects of this sort must be overcome individually, should a creature belong to more than one banned group.

The Lyrist can 'throw' her voice by shunting it through reality.  Her words are transmitted instantly from her mouth to the targeted creature or area of effect and can only be heard by those within that area.

It can increase or decrease a target's movement capabilities by X where X is equal to ½ her nature education ranks.  Movement capabilities cannot be reduced below 2 meters in this fashion.

It can grant a +X bonus to Saves where X is equal to ½ her nature education ranks against all effects which impede movement.

Vertical movement is considered five times more distant than horizontal movement, unless the target is being moved to an area of solid foooting.  This makes teleporting extremely difficult if the target is to be popped 10-meters up into empty air but no more difficult if he is to be moved to a platform 10-meters up.



Minor Transportation
Usage DC:  15
Opposed Check:  Fortitude or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
A Minor Transportation designation is sufficient to allow travel to a distance of the combined total of any two of the Lyrists skill ranks (of the Lyrist class) (with the same weight restrictions of a Negligible Transportation designation).

Alternatively, a Minor Transportation can be used to create related effects, including but not limited to those listed below:

The targets of the designation are anchored and are unable to teleport (including any teleportation Moves or features, such as Ally Switch) unless the defeat the Lyrist in an opposed skill check:  Lyrist Education Nature and the target Focus.

The target object of this designation changes from open to closed or closed to open and can lock or unlock the object so long as the object has a locking mechanism or sealing device (following the same rules for weight as the Negligible Transportation designation).  Alternatively the Lyrist can open or close any two objects but will not be able to lock or unlock them.

For the duration of the designation, all targeted creatures can communicate perfectly with one another, so long as they remain within X meters of the Lyrist where X is the total combined ranks of the Lyrist class skills.  Unaffected creatures cannot hear the recipients of the designation at all, as their voices are directly transmitted from recipient to recipient.

The target, or targets, of the Minor Transportation designation are able to climb walls or across ceilings at their normal overland speed for the duration of this designation.  If an area effect is added to the designation and it is targeted on an area, then any creature can move across any surface of that area as though it were level ground.



Moderate Transportation
Usage DC:  20
Opposed Check:  Fortitude or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
A Moderate Transportation designation is sufficient to allow affected creatures to move X meters where X is the combined Charm, Guile and Education Nature ranks.

Alternately, Moderate Transportation designation can be used to do the following:

The Lyrist can designate an area as an area of Feedback.  As long as the Lyrist and this area are both in the same world/reality, X designated recipients (X equal to the combined total of Lyrist class skill ranks) can have their words transfered to this location from any distance.  Only those designated, and the Lyrist herself, can speak into this location and hear any words spoken into this location.  Unaffected creatures cannot hear the recipients of the designation, as their voices are being directly transmitted from recipient to recipient in the location.

It can open or close a single object as long as its weight is no greater than 50 pounds times the Lyrists combined class skill ranks.  This can also lock or unlock a single locking mechanism or sealing device.



Major Transportation
Usage DC:  25
Opposed Check:  Fortitude or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
Major Transportation designation is powerful enough to move recipients up to X meters where X is the total combined Lyrists class skill ranks doubled.  This does not require line of sight to the destination but if the destination is a pre-occupied square the target will shunted until in a free location.  The targets do not suffer negative effects from being shunted by still suffer damage from the designation if not a Lyrist.

Alternately, it can be used to create other effects, including but not limited to the following examples:

Major Transportation designation can make a number of creatures up to ½ the Lyrists nature education ranks as Transmitters and transmit spoken langage, instantaneously, to them from anywhere in reality - so long as the spoken language is from any of the transmitters or the Lyrist.  Unaffected creatures cannot hear the recipients of the designation, as their voices are directly transmitted from recipient to recipient.



Materialization designation

Materialization allows a Lyrist to conjure solid items with Chords of Power.  Objects created in this fashion appear wholly unnatural - or perhaps it is better to say that they appear utterly alien in their otherwordly naturalness.  In any case, these objects are unmistakable.  Their surfaces may be slick with currents of aura, they may possess a noticeable faint hue or glow or they make shimmer with a rainbow of bizarre colours.  Materiealized objects are roughly as strong and dense as bronze or iron though could never be mistaken for that metal.  Materializes objects can be made to appear anywhere within the range of the designation and do not have to appear in the same place should more than one object be conjured at once.

Objects created with Materialization must have enough space to allow for their summoning - a spiked ball cannot be made to appear inside the skull of a target, for example, because there is simply not enough space for it.  In addition, all Materialization must be linked to a Duration element of at least One Round, lest they disappear the instant they are conjured.

All materialized objects summoned with this designation will radiate a distinguishable aura, for the purposes of aura detection and similar effects, though they have no inherent special properties.

Materialization Designation and Damage
Materialization cannot be used to inflict direct damage.  While a Lyrist can create a sword using Materialization she cannot drop aura anvils on her opponent's head nor may she materialize razor blades inside a hapless foe's throat.  When a Lyrist wishes to inflict damage directly, she must rely on Direct Damage designations.

Negligible Materialization
Usage DC:  5
Continued Concention:  None
A single item of up to an ounce of weight of X where X is the Lyrists combined Lyrist skill ranks, created from the fabric of reality.  Alternately, she can generate a quiet noise, roughly equal to a soft cough, or a very dim light equivalent to a candle can be conjured.

The sound is sufficient to awaken sleeping creatures, so long as they are not under the effects of sleep created by attacks.

Negligible Materialization is sufficient to create a simple construct with an equivalent Power of 3.  This construct can perform a single task, determined at the time of creation, but is largely immaterial and disperses immediately if attacked.

The dim light can be commanded to shift, as a free action, anywhere within the area of effect of the designation, if the designation has an area of effect element.  It arrives at its directed point instantaneously.

Negligible Materialization can produce a shroud of darkness sufficient to snuff a very dim light, equivalent to a candle, for its duration.



Minor Materialization
Usage DC:  10
Continued Concentration:  No
A single item, weighing no more than one pound of X where X is the Lyrists combined Lyrist skill ranks, created from the fabric of reality.  This effect is also sufficient to generate a noise equivalent to armour clanking on stone, or strangely-inflected, monosyllable speech.  Alternately, it can create a multi-coloured light equivalent to a lantern.

Minor Materialization is sufficient to create any of the following:

A wall of aura that anyone can walk through but is blocking terrain to all ranged attacks.  The wall occupies up to a total number of meters equal to the Lyrists Education Nature ranks and has the defenses of the Lyrist that made it and Hit Points equal to the Lyrists combined Lyrist skill ranks.

A Lyrist is also capable of creating a basic suit of armour or weapon, or weapons, so long as they do not bypass the Minor Materialization weight limits and must have a duration element.

Minor Materialization can create a cloud of sparkling, greasy, opaque aura that obscures sight into and out of the affected area.  The cloud fills an area equal to the designation's area of effect.

Auditory effects created by Minor Materialization can mimic speech, in any language in which the Lyrist is fluent, but the sound is always recognizably not natural.

Minor Materilization can create a construct with an equivalent Power of 4 with the same restrictions listed under Negligible Materialization.

Images created by Minor Materialization are crude and unsubtle.  They can spell out words but any images created are crude as cave drawings.  Multiple colours and images are possible, however, and can convery complex thoughts as envisioned by the Lyrist.  Created images can be made to move, or shift position, up to a maximum of 2 seconds per Lyrist skill rank.

Moderate Materialization
Usage DC:  15
Continued Concentration:  No
Moderate Materialization can create one or more items with a maximum combined weight of two pounds per X where X is the Lyrists total combined Lyrist skill ranks.  Alternately, a Moderate Materialization can produce loud and complex sounds, or normal speech.  If the Lyrist wishes, she can instead conjure up spectral lights in a variety of colours, with brightness equivalent to a Sunny Day effect.

Moderate Materialization are considerebly more powerful and versatile than Negligible or Minor Materialization.  A Lyrust who successfully uses a Moderate Materialization Designation can achieve, but is not limited to, any of these effects:

Moderate Materialization can duplicate an item accurately.  It will replicate an item exactly, though it cannot duplicate aura effects or magical properties.  This sort of duplication is useful for creating items like keys, or puzzle pieces, as it duplicates them to the smallest detail, but the item will still appear unnatural to the naked eye.

Moderate Materialization can create breathable air within the radius of effect.   This sphere of air has positive pressure which helps prevent any poisounous gas from entering the area of effect for the duration of the designation.

Moderate Materialization designation can create a rudimentary construct with an effective Power of 7.  It obeys a single simple order, chosen at the time of creation.  It is physically unstable and disappears if struck.

Images created with Moderate Materialization appear real to the eyes, though a successful Focus or Intuition check by the target opposed by the Lyrists Charm or Guile check allows the viewer to perceive the illusion for what it is.  Images of this power have a tactile element as well, strong enough to create a sense of solidity.  However, should the target(s) succeed the opposed check, those who come in contact with the image not only resist its sensation, but also the tactile element for any other images you create within the next 24 hours.  As with Minor Materialization, images created by a Moderate Materialization can be made to move and alter their shape, and can be as large as the designation's total area of effect.

Auditory illusions created by a Moderate Materialization can be of maximum volume equal to a grown man shouting.  Speech generated by Moderate Materialization sounds natural to the ear, and can be of any length up to and including the full duration element of the designation.



Major Materialization
Usage DC:  20
Continued Concentration:  No
Major Materialization is sufficient to create objects with a maximum combined weight of four pounds per X where X is the Lyrists total combined Lyrist skill ranks.  The items can also be imbued with sounds equivalent to a lion's roar, or colours and light equivalent to the noon-day sun.

Major Materialization designations are truly powerful, as befits a designation so difficult to pull off.  Major Materialzation designations include, but are not limited to, the following:

A wall of aura that is strong enough to be blocking terrain.  The wall occupies up to a total number of meters equal to the Lyrists Education Nature ranks and has the defenses of the Lyrist that made it and Hit Points equal to the Lyrists combined Lyrist skill ranks.

An image conjured by a Major Materialization is effectively real.  At this level the Lyrist can create any sound or image she can conceive, and it will appear exactly as the actual object or creature, with no traces of unnatural recognition.  Those who know the image is false, or those who succeed an opposed check of their Focus or Intuition against the Lyrists Charm or Guile check, see through the sensory illusion and become unaffected by it and any future images created by the Lyrist for the next 24 hours.



Transformation Designation
At their simplest, Transformation designations are little tricks uesful for cleanliness, or mending cloth or erasing spilled drops of ink and the like.  At their most complex, Transformation can fundamentally alter the nature of reality, changing lead to gold and transforming man to beast with equal facility.  It is with good reason, then, that men fear the transformative power of aura.

Regardless of the strength of the effect, the total amount of material that can be transformed (physically or mentally) is equal to 10 pounds per X where X is the Lyrists total Lyrist skill ranks.

Many of the effects listed below allow the Lyrist to grant or inflict a variety of bonuses or penalties to a subject.  In every case, the exact bonuses and penalties may be specified by the Lyrist, though the maximum bonus or penalty is equal to +1 or -1 per two Lyrist skill ranks.

All Transformation designations must be coupled with a duration element.  Those that do not include a duration element can still transform their target, but the target returns to its original shape almost instantaneously, without adverse or positive effect.

The Killing Transformation
Transformation designations are potential game breakers if not monitored carefully.  The following rules are presented here to highlight their importance.

Transformations cannot purposefully transform portions of an inanimate object.  Only complete objects can be transformed with this effect.  A door could be transformed independently of the wall it is built into, as the door is a complete object in and of itself.  Conversely, a single hinge or nail in said door could not be transformed, as it is a component of the door.  To allow otherwise risks situations like the following:
A Lyrist chooses to transform two walls of a shack into air, likely causing the other two walls and the roof to instantly collapse.  At the end of the effect's duration, when the two walls return to their original form, the other walls and the roof would remain destroyed.

Additionally, no creature may be killed outright via a Transformation designation.  If a creature is transformed into inanimate matter, raw aura, a non-living state or any other potentially lethal form, the creature reforms, unharmed, in its original location (unless removed by external forces) at the end of the effect's duration.

Living creatures can only be subject to one Transformation designation at any one time.  The strongest (highest Transformation designation DC) will dispel all others when placed on a creature and weaker Transformation designations will be automatically removed.



Negligible Transformation
Usage DC:  5
Opposed Check:  Intuition or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
Class:  Status
Negligible Transformation allow for nothing more than surface changes, or the most minor of benefits.  Examples of these benefits include, but are not limited to:

Negligible Transformation can clear or repair minor damage to an object.  This includes repairing tears in fabric, fixing seams, closing small holes in metal, fixing chipped bits of wood or erasing stains and spots.

Negligible Transformation can alter the appearance of a subject or object.  You can make the subject-including clothing, armor, weapons, and equipment-look different.  You can cause them to seem 1 foot shorter or taller, thin, fat, or in-between.  You cannot change their body type.

Negligible Transformation can erase or create one written sentence per Lyrist skill rank, simply by altering the patterns on the written surface.



Minor Transformation
Usage DC:  10
Opposed check:  Intuition or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
Class:  Status
Minor Transformation are both powerful and dangerous.  A Lyrist may perform the following, among other things:

Grant a bonus or penalty to all Saves, a particular Evasion, or a single Attribute.

Grant Resistance to a specific Type of Aura (Electric, Fire, Flying, Ice or Poison).

Minor Transformation can be used to deafen or blind a target, or targets, for the duration of the effect.  Alternately, can be used to restore vision or hearing - if the loss of senses was caused by a Move, an enchantment or spell, then that effect is permanently removed, but if the blindness or deafness was natural, then the restoration lasts only so long as the Duration element.

Minor Transformation can be used to grant a target, or targets, a coat of rendered immunity against specific spells or a specific Type for the duration of the designation.  This immunity can be overcome by the attacker by making an opposed check against the Lyrist:  Lyrists Education Nature vs. the Intuition or Focus of the attacker.

Minor Transformation can create a hole in a solid, non-living object of up to 1 foot in diameter and 1 foot in depth per X where X is the total of the Lyrists total Lyrist skill ranks.

Minor Transformation can render targets effectively invisible.  The recipients cannot be seen by normal sight, though the designation ends immediately if the beneficiary attacks any target, casts a spell or does anything which draws attention to itself.  Each round the targets are invisible the Lyrist loses 1/10th of its maximum hit points.

Minor Transformation can transform the state of non-living matter, albeit to a minor degree.  It can transform matter into other, similar, forms of matter, which must be as supple or solid as the original form.  For example, a Lyrist can transform paper to cloth, or oak to cedoar, but could not transform water into rock.  Non-living matter can only be transformed into material which has similar durability or less than the original material.

Minor Transformation can extinguish fires within the target effect area so long as those are naturally occuring.



Moderate Transformation
Usage DC:  15
Opposed check:  Intuition or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
Class:  Status
Moderate Transformation are capable of rendering massive changes in the target, warping their form and their flesh as easily as a potter shapes clay.  Examples of Moderate Transformation designations include:

Grant the targeted being damage reduction to a specific Type (Electric, Fire, Flying Ice, or Poison).

Moderate Transformation can suppress a single enchantment in an object or being for the duration of the effect, unless the target succeeds an opposed check of the Lyrists Education Nature vs. the targets Intuition or Focus.  The enchantment is not permanently erased, simply suppressed, and may take effect again immediately upon the Moderate Transformation'ss Duration.

The target creature, or creatures, gains the ability to see invisible creatures up to a range of one of the Lyrists Lyrist class skill ranks.

Moderate Transformation can increase or decrease the size of a target object or creature by 10% per 2 X where X is the Lyrists total Lyrist skill ranks up to a maximum of 50%.  Note that the object or target can only expand to the limtis of its environment, and only shrink until it meets the resistance of objects it contains.  Therefore, this could not be used to crush a warrior in his own suit of armoru by reducing its size or increase his.

(Insert Size Increase & Decrease Chart)

Moderate Transformation can cause a target to assume the form of a creature of the same body shape.  The target would lose and gain certain capabilities depending on the assumed form (such as gaining or losing types, gaining or losing speech, gaining or losing certain movement capabilities).  The target retains its own mind in this form.

Moderate Transformation can convert the state of non-living matter, as Minor Transformation can, but on a greater scale.  The Lyrist is not restricted to transforming objects to similar materials and can, should she so choose, transform stone to sand, or water to wood.



Major Transformation
Usage DC:  20
Opposed check:  Intuition or Focus
Continued Concentration:  No
Class:  2
Major Transformation is startling in its comprehensiveness and sheer power.  Among other uses, it can cause:

Target creatures or objects in the area to be rendered compeltely immune to a number of specific spells or specific Types (Electric, Fire, Flying, Ice or Poison) equal to X where X is half of the Lyrists Nature Education rank unless the attacker wins an opposed check against the Lyrist:  The Lyrists Nature Education vs. the attackers Intuition or Focus.

Alterations to a target, causing them to become wholly insubstantial.  The recipient, as well as all carried equipment, are able to pass through even the smallest cracks or holes.  While in this state, affected creatures can move at their normal movement capability but are unable to fly, levitate or swim or perform any attacks.

Transformations of living beings into solid, non-living materials and are rendered unable to perform any actions.  They can perform an opposed check against the Lyrist each round to overcome the transformation.

Major Transformation can change raw materials into finished, crafted products for the Duration element.  For example, a stick of wood could be transformed into a finely crafted staff.  When combined with a second Major Transformation designation the Lyrist could convert materials into another form, the same stick of wood could become a longsword or battleaxe.

Non-living matter could be converted into matter of a dissimilar type - water into steel, or wood into air, for example.

A subject could become effectively invisible and remain invisible while attacking for the length of the Duration element, but the Lyrist would still lose 1/10th of their max hit points each round of the Duration element.

Major Transformation can grant an object an entirely new form, or more correctly, into something else entirely - so long as the new form is of the same size and weight as the original object - for the Duration element.