Mystic Trees
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Six trees, six engines: prayers, interpretations, aspects, patrons, disciplines, jutsus. Every mystic ability costs 1 martial point plus 1 skill point, and no character mixes a mystic tree with a martial one.
Magic Under the Wounds System
The spell, prayer, litany, jutsu, and discipline entries in this book are written natively in the three-layer currency (Vigor -> Vitality -> wounds). This is the design standard they follow, and the conversion reference for anything you import from other KING material:
Spell Damage (fixed values, printed per spell)
Every damaging spell carries its own damage number in its entry. That number lands on a failed save, and a successful save takes 1 Vigor damage instead (unless the effect says otherwise). Save DC is the DC of the spell's tier (11/13/15/17/19). No damage rolls.
| Spell Tier | Single target | Area, to each target |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 3 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | 8 | 5 |
| 5 | 10 | 6 |
- The table describes the shape of the spell list; it does not override a spell. Where an entry names a different number, the entry is right.
- Area effects deal their full number to EACH target. The area is already priced by the spell's stamina cost; do not discount the number.
- Effects written as Vigor damage carry their own smaller numbers, touch Vigor only, never Vitality, never wounds. Against Minors that is simply damage: their whole pool is Vigor, which makes Vigor-damage AoEs the mook-clearers.
- Per-tier riders and conditions on individual spells stay as written; only the base harm number follows this table.
- Prayers, litanies, jutsus, alchemical items, and psion disciplines are not on this table. Each deals the number printed in its own entry.
Prayer Damage (rises with the stack)
A prayer is not cast at a fixed tier: the prophet's Faith stack decides the tier the prayer reaches, from 1 to 5. A damaging prayer therefore climbs with it. Its damage is the number printed on its Tier 1 line, plus 1 for each tier above the first. A prayer printed at 1 Vitality deals 2 at Tier 2, 3 at Tier 3, and so on to 5 at Tier 5. The per-tier riders printed in the entry (what the fire reveals, who is unmade, how far the pillar reaches) still apply exactly as written at the tier reached.
This is what makes stacking Faith a real decision. A high stack hits harder, but it is also harder to hold: the declaration's tier sets both the disruption DC and the stamina it costs to keep the prayer alive.
Healing
- A healing effect heals points of Vitality equal to its tier (Lay on Hands, a Tier 2 grant, heals 2 Vitality on touch).
- "Refill Vigor to cap" effects: unchanged.
- Effects that name mending flesh and bone: remove 1 wound - literally: remove one of the target's active lasting injuries (the GM or player picks which).
- Revival and resurrection effects: unchanged.
- Effects that reduced maximum Vitality: reduce maximum Vitality by 1 (it recovers when the effect ends).
Everything Else
- "X Vitality" barriers, summons, and constructs: give them Minor pools by Tier (Part 7B): flimsy = Tier 1, sturdy = Tier 2, fortress = Tier 4.
- Damage over time: 1 Vigor damage per round; Vitality only on a failed save when first applied.
- Self-damage costs ("take X damage"): lose 1 Vigor, or 1 Vitality if the listed number exceeded 10.
- Save DCs: a spell uses the DC of the SPELL's tier. Everything else that forces a save (prayers, litanies, jutsus, disciplines, tree abilities, talents, racials) uses the DC of the USER's Tier. The ladder is the same either way: 11/13/15/17/19.
IMPORTANT: Martial Trees and Mystic Trees are mutually exclusive. You must choose one path.
- Each Mystic ability costs 1 martial point + 1 skill point
- This leaves only 1 skill point per level for Skill Trees (compared to 2 for martial characters)
- Skill Trees are available to both martial and mystic characters
Mystic Structure
All 6 Mystics follow the same point structure but have completely different mechanics:
12 Abilities: 1 martial + 1 skill point each (12 martial + 12 skill total)
3 Ultimates: FREE choices at 4, 8, and 12 abilities
At Level 10: 12 martial + 20 skill points available
MYSTIC SCALING: Each Mystic uses their Mystic level (abilities purchased in that tree, 1-12) for their mystic abilities, unless otherwise specified.
The six trees
- Faith
Prophet
Stack prayers in combat, perform litanies over hours and days.
12 abilities15 prayers40 litanies
- Mind
Wizard
Interpretive magic: bend a prepared spell and negotiate the result.
18 abilitiesInterpretationsArcane list
- Sense
Druid
Seven aspects, rising attunement, and the goal table that claims you.
22 abilities7 aspectsPrimal list
- Heart
Invoker
A patron grants the arcane list outright, with no book and no preparation.
12 abilitiesPatron's WillArcane list
- Cunning
Psion
Eight disciplines known from the start, manifested without declaring.
12 abilities8 disciplines
- Body
Martial Artist
Jutsus, mastered deeds, and primal spells thrown without declaring.
12 abilities6 jutsusMastered deeds
The spell lists
Wizards and Invokers share the arcane list. Druids cast from the primal list, and a Martial Artist may take primal spells in place of jutsus.