Biomancy
From ElanVital
Contents |
Basic Facts
Colloquial name: Life Magic
Official name: Biomancy
Most commonly used name: Biomancy
Skill Definition: Biomancy, also known as Life Magic, is the ability to affect the biochemistry of other living beings. Most commonly it is practiced in a helpful way, boosting the immune system or the ability of the body to process and break down toxins without organ failure. However, it also possesses a long list of potential harmful effects that can be used on others- from dropping heart rate to deprive the body of oxygen and inducing unconsciousness, to stimulating the body to produce dangerous amounts of natural hormones or sometimes even toxins.
Common Uses: Biomancy sees huge use in two things: healing and plant development. Biomancers with proper medical training can heal disease and poisoning cases better than pharmacology can - and can also work alongside it. While biomancy cannot, for example, close a wound or knit a broken bone- these remain technology's purview- it can accelerate the body's natural healing and prevent infection, making it an excellent choice for long-term care as well..
Plants, as simpler organisms than animals or people, are also exceedingly responsive to talented biomancers. Biomancers can up their yield and growth period, sometimes enough to allow multiple harvests in a year. Biomancy also helps in breeding new forms of plants, and also in controlling them. Pre-existing vines can be made to curl around objects or people by talented biomancers, or trees to shake their limbs. These abilities are represented by rolling Biomancy itself.
Less common but still perfectly doable is biomancy's use in cosmetic applications. Biomancers can change hair, eye and skin color, as well as remove scars given much time and effort. These abilities are represented by rolling Biomancy itself, or Disguise if the attempt is to hide one's identity.
Rule Information
Rule Notes: Like all magical skills, the skill should only be rolled if it is not duplicating the effect of a mundane skill; if it is duplicating the effect of a mundane skill, roll that skill. For more information, read Magic. Some clarifications here: Biomancy on its own can be rolled to slowly induce sleep, calm the mood of a subject, or dull pain. When done with raw biomancy, this represents an untrained effect that is easy to counter (roll Tolerance at +1 against) and takes significant time to manifest. Similar effects can be created through rolling Pharmacy, but will be quicker and more potent (roll Tolerance at 0 against).
Common Modifiers: Biomancy is typically rolled at 0.
Combat Rules
Base Damage: 2
Damage Type: Stun or Poison, treatable with Pharmacy
Roll Result Chart
Terrible: Encourage a single bud of a flower to open into full bloom. Change green eyes to slightly hazel, or pale skin to very slightly tan.
Poor: Make a plant produce 125% of usual yield when it's harvest time. If rolling Nursing helped by Biomancy and getting this result, speed up IC healing time by 1/8.
Mediocre: Change medium brown hair to dark blond or nearly black, or dark brown eyes to light brown. Make a flower turn in a specific direction.
Fair: Make a plant produce 150% of usual yield- make every bud on a tree burst into full bloom, or every fruit ripen at double speed. Remove scars with a couple weeks' work on them.
Good: Stimulate new growth on a plant regardless of the season; winter weather may yet kill it, however. Change eyes to any color, skin from pale to quite dark or vice versa. Speed up IC healing time by 1/4.
Great: Make vines curl around and restrain an individual. Speed up a plant's growth enough for a double harvest. If rolling Horticulture helped by Biomancy, create a slight variant on an existing plant. (Disease-resistent, slightly hardier to cold, etc.)
Superb: Change flowers from winter barrenness to summer bloom in a matter of days. If rolling Pharmacy helped by Biomancy, cure a typically fatal disease or poisoning.
Legendary: Spontaneously grow flowers at the drop of a hat. If rolling Nursing helped by Biomancy, halve IC healing time. Completely change hair, skin or eye color to any natural human shade, instantly.
