LEARNING NEW DISCIPLINES

In his unending pursuit of knowledge, a Nethermancer decides to train to become an Elementalist. These Disciplines match well; both have spell capabilities, and both have the same First Circle talents available. Because the Nethermancer already has the Read and Write Languages, Read and Write Magic, Spellcasting, Spell Matrix, and Karma Ritual talents as part of his Nethermancer Discipline, he does not have to retrain for those talents. The only First Circle Elementalist talent the Nethermancer doesn’t already know is Elementalism. To learn this single talent from the new Discipline, the Nethermancer must actively train with an Elementalist for 40 hours. He may then buy the Elementalism talent using Legend Points, at which point he becomes a First Circle Elementalist.

A character learning a new Discipline must buy all the First Circle talents for that Discipline at Rank 1, and must have enough Legend Points available to buy all the First Circle talents simultaneously. The cost of purchasing a Rank 1 talent in a new Discipline depends on the Circle the character has achieved in his current Discipline. If the character already has more than one Discipline, use the Discipline in which the character has achieved his lowest Circle to find the Legend Point cost for a Rank 1 talent on the table below.

• A Second Circle Swordmaster wishes to become an Archer. The two Disciplines share only two First Circle talents: Avoid Blow and Karma Ritual. To learn the new Discipline, the Swordmaster must learn all the First Circle talents that he does not already know, and so must learn 4 talents: Direction Arrow, Missile Weapons, Mystic Aim, and True Shot. The Swordmaster must find an Archer to train him, then spend 40 hours in training for each talent (a total of 160 hours). Because he must also study for a minimum of 80 hours per month, the Swordmaster must complete his training within 2 months. The New Discipline Talent Table shows that a Second Circle character must pay 800 Legend Points per talent to learn a new Discipline, and so at the end of the training the Swordmaster pays 3,200 Legend Points to buy the 4 talents at Rank 1. He is now a First Circle Archer as well as a Second Circle Swordmaster.
• A Fourth Circle Archer wants to expand his options by learning a new Discipline, and chooses to become an Elementalist. After finding an Elementalist to train him, the Archer learns the five First Circle talents he does not know: Elementalism, Read and Write Languages, Read and Write Magic, Spellcasting, and Spell Matrix. Five weeks of training later (40 hours for each talent), the character spends 2,000 Legend Points (400 Legend Points per talent) to purchase the 5 talents at Rank 1. The Archer now belongs to the Elementalist Discipline at First Circle.

DURABILITY TALENT

A character adding Disciplines may only benefit from the Durability talent of his first Discipline. For example, a Wizard who became a Sky Raider could only increase his Death and Unconsciousness Ratings using his Wizard-based Durability talent. For a complete explanation of the Durability talent, see Talents.

LEGENDARY STATUS

As characters earn Legend Points in Earthdawn, their heroic reputation spreads throughout Barsaive. People hear tales of their exploits and sing songs of their adventures, and remember the characters’ names. Each character’s heroic deeds begin to build his Legend, allowing the characters to attain ever-higher levels of Legendary Status.

Legendary Status derives from a character’s Total Legend Points, and reflects the general public awareness of that character or group of characters. Tales of a character’s adventures spread across Barsaive until his Legendary Status rises so high that people recognize his name in virtually every city. The increasing Legendary Status of an adventuring group gives the group a reputation for prowess, and cities and towns in need of heroes may ask or hire them to undertake ever more daring missions and adventures.

STATUS LEVELS

Each Legendary Status Level marks a substantial increase in the character’s fame (or infamy) across Barsaive. The following guidelines suggest ways for gamemasters to use different levels of Legendary Status.

Level 1
Level 1 characters enjoy a reputation only in Barsaive’s most heavily populated areas. Most prominent people in cities regard Level 1 characters as heroic, but the general population remains oblivious to their daring exploits.

Level 2
Characters who earn a Level 2 Legendary Status are well known in most major population centers (Throal, Kratas, and Iopos) and by many people in smaller cities such as Jerris or Travar. Though many merchants and businessmen know of the character, the populace at large has not yet heard his name. When using social talents or skills against a character who knows of him, a Level 2 character adds 1 step to the step number of all Interaction Tests (see Gamemaster Characters in Gamemastering Earthdawn).

Level 3
Level 3 characters enjoy widespread fame in all of Barsaive’s major cities as well as many of the smaller cities and towns. Even in some of the small villages that dot the countryside, a few people tell tales of these characters’ exploits. Characters of Level 3 Legendary Status can use that status to their advantage. They often receive reduced prices on goods and services just for the asking, and may be able to request important favors more easily than lesser characters (see Gamemaster Characters). When using social talents or skills against a character who knows of him, a Level 3 character adds 2 steps to the step number for all Interaction Tests.

Level 4
Everyone in Barsaive has at least heard the name of a character who gains Level 4 Legendary Status. The Kingdom of Throal often courts characters of Level 4 Status in the hope of convincing them to perform dangerous tasks for King Valurus III. Level 4 characters often maintain castles or strongholds in or near their favorite cities. When traveling, they often receive offers of free lodging or other services from individuals eager to boast that the famous character stayed at his inn, ate at his table, bought boots from him, and so on. When using social talents or skills against a character who knows of him, a Level 4 character adds 3 steps to the step number for all Interaction Tests.

Level 5
Level 5 characters are the living legends of Earthdawn. Virtually everyone knows of these characters and their heroic deeds, and more people claim to have known, seen or adventured with these characters than is possible by any race’s standards. Some examples of Level 5 characters are Nioku, the famed troll Archer, and Naaman Y’ross, a hero who fought the Horrors before the Scourge and who some believe still lives. When using social talents or skills against a character who knows of him, a Level 5 character adds 5 steps to the step number of all Interaction Tests.

As a character’s Legend Point total increases, he attains higher levels of Legendary Status. The Legendary Status Table below shows the minimum Total Legend Points for each Legendary Status Level.

LEGENDARY STATUS TABLE
Legendary Status Minimum Legend Points Level 1 10,000 Level 2 40,000 Level 3 160,000 Level 4 640,000 Level 5 2,560,000

PRICE OF FAME

Though a high level of Legendary Status affords a character both minor and major benefits, fame often carries a price. People often expect heroic characters to act for the common good despite the personal risks. Consciously or unconsciously, they believe that heroes should put their own interests and needs aside and work to help the people of Barsaive no matter what the cost. Most villages and small towns will recognize a character of Level 3 Legendary Status or better and ask him or her for help in time of trouble. Communities of this size may even seek out a hero to solve their problems. Though heroes often do act this way (most of them, too, believe in the classic definition of a hero), sometimes a character needs to act for himself. The conflict between personal interests and the interests of others can pose a dilemma for a character who has achieved Legendary Status.

Thom Hammerblade has achieved a Legendary Status of Level 3. He is traveling home to the Throal Mountains after a long, dangerous adventure. He suffered serious injuries fighting a Horror and an army of its minions, and hopes to rest for a few days in a village along the way.

The day after he arrives in the village, one of the citizens is found dead, apparently killed during the night by a fearsome beast. Thom really needs to recuperate, but the village citizens assume that despite his weariness and wounds a hero of Thom’s status will immediately come to their aid.

Wounded and battle-weary, Thom is facing one disadvantage of his heroic status, and must make a tough decision.

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