depts of countermagic sometimes choose to focus their efforts upon the harsh effects of flame and lava, learning to quench fiery magics even as a barrel of ice water might be used to quench a common cookfire.

Specialization in quench gives you a second or third attempt to counterspell a spell of the Pyromancy school, in addition to the attempt made with countermagic and possibly with the specific spell.

hether it is due to mental agility or preparing for the worst, some people are able to deal with unforeseen circumstances more effectively than others. Some of these are also able to cope with the magical backlash when spells are failed, enabling them to shape new magic more quickly after the failure.

Specialization in quick thinking reduces the time delay associated with miscasting a spell by up to one third at mastery.

eing able to extricate oneself from combat with haste is a great advantage. For those accustomed to the ebb and flow of battles involving multiple combatants, it is a relatively easy task to pick their moment in which to move out of their opponents' reach without endangering themselves.

The quicksilver specialty reduces the amount of time required to disengage from combat, to a minimum of one half of a combat round at mastery.

ertain brave fighters habitually work themselves into a deadly fury that surpasses the common berserker state, raining down a hail of blows upon their foes. The cost, however, is that such fighters become more swiftly exhausted and are often unable to continue the assault without assistance.

The rampage specialty grants you an extra attack in combat, but increases the movement point cost of all of your attacks. The movement cost increase is proportional to your skill in rampage, and reaches a maximum of double normal at mastery. Rampage is in effect at all times, even while not berserk.

enowned scholar or village bookworm, those blessed with high intellect are widely varied. Their facile minds all share the same thirst for knowledge, for the most part, although their interests can vary from the mystic to the mundane.

Specialization in reason increases your maximum intelligence attribute by five. This is in addition to the increase in maximum granted by avatar levels, but in any event cannot exceed 100. Additionally, ten points of intelligence are added when you first learn the specialty; however, these cannot take you above your (new) maximum—any excess points are lost.

You may learn this specialty up to ten times, gaining ten intelligence and five maximum intelligence each time.

hile any grunt can be taught to hammer dents out of a breastplate or file nicks out of a sword's edge, such mundane artifice will do naught for a cracked wand or talisman except ruin it utterly. A true scholar of the mystic arts can not only mend damage to such artifacts, but reinfuse them with power so that they may be discharged anew.

A character who has specialized in recharge can fix or restore damaged or depleted wands, staves, rods, and talismans without having to bring them to a blacksmith such as Weyland or Gronid. He must still pay the full cost of the damages; the appraise command can be used to determine this cost beforehand. The recharge specialty is limited to fixing damage or depletion that costs no more than 1000 coins per point of skill, and does not work within the avatar challenge.

Characters without this specialty can take their damaged (but not depleted) belongings to one of the established blacksmiths to recharge. Simply give the item to the smith in order to bring the item back up to its full durability. The cost depends on the item's value and on how much damage it has taken.

here are many stories of robust individuals capable of near-miraculous revivals, and of those whose wounds heal with alacrity even after all hope for their survival has been given up. These fortunate souls are blessed with metabolic systems that are capable of quickly replacing damaged tissue, returning them to full health when others with similar wounds remain bedridden for weeks to come.

The recuperation specialty increases your hit point and movement regeneration rate by a factor equal to twice your skill. For example, 30 skill in recuperation will increase your hit point regeneration rate by 60%. You may learn this specialty up to ten times, gaining 10 skill each time.

hile magic can heal the ravages of battle on the flesh, damage to equipment requires a far more labor-intensive approach to rectify. Many adventuring parties find it worthwhile to carry the materials so that a skilled smith—often the one who wears the most iron—can effect repairs in the field, maintaining full efficiency for the next battle.

A character who has specialized in repair can fix damaged armor, weapons, clothing, jewelry, or any other item that cannot be used to invoke a spell without having to bring them to a blacksmith such as Weyland or Gronid. He must still pay the full cost of the damages; the appraise command can be used to determine this cost beforehand. The repair specialty is limited to fixing damage that costs no more than 2000 coins per point of skill, and does not work within the avatar challenge.

Characters without this specialty can take their damaged belongings to one of the established blacksmiths to repair. Simply give the item to the smith in order to bring the item back up to its full durability. The cost depends on the item's value and on how much damage it has taken.

t times thought to be more interested in creating the next new spell than anything else, researchers can still find adventuring useful, in that it gives them the opportunity to experiment with magic in strange and unusual circumstances, increasing their body of knowledge.

A researching specialist is able to learn spells much more quickly than normal; he has both an increased chance of getting an adept in any spell and a decreased amount of time between adepts.

ales are often told of heroes and villains alike whose willpower was great enough to stave off the encroachment of death, enduring damage far beyond what their physical stamina might be expected to cope with. Alas, only the gods are immortal; all others will still die eventually.

The resilience specialty increases the threshold of negative hit points at which a character dies by a number equal to his skill. For example, a character with a constitution of 70 and 45 skill in resilience would not die until he reached -115 hit points.

 well-known adage states that discretion is the better part of valor. Those who pay heed tend to live long enough to appreciate its wisdom. It is soon discovered by those who practice strategic withdrawals that keeping your head and choosing your own path is much preferable to blind flight.

Specialization in retreat allows you to specify a direction when fleeing. If the flee command is used, then you have the normal chance to flee, with only an increased likelihood of going in the named direction. If the retreat command is used, you will either go in the named direction or fail to flee entirely.

he fervor that religion can inspire knows no limits. Combined with the intolerance of zealots, it can inspire them to perform acts beyond the normal capabilities of a person, especially against heathens and blasphemers.

The righteousness specialty increases the damage an arbiter, inquisitor, or paladin does against foes whose alignment greatly differs from his own. The greater the difference, the more damage dealt, up to a maximum of three per blow. This damage is not subject to the normal damroll cap of 45 points.

hile most might be moved to show mercy at the sight of a defenseless opponent, some have instead mastered the art of seeking further advantage from such a situation. They have learned to kill off such poor souls quickly, before they are able to recover and present a new threat.

The ruthlessness specialty increases the damage a player deals against a helpless foe. His effective damroll is increased by +1 for every full 60 skill in ruthlessness against an enemy who is bashed, tripped, sitting, or stunned, and by +1 for every full 30 skill against one who is sleeping, paralyzed, or dying. Any excess skill contributes to a random chance for another point; for example, a character with 94 skill in ruthlessness attacking a bashed foe would deal one point of damage and have a 34 out of 60 chance of dealing a second; against a sleeping foe, he would deal three points of damage and have a 4 out of 30 chance of dealing a fourth. This damage is not subject to the normal damroll cap of 45 points.

hose who practice saijutsu, the ancient art of dagger fighting, are capable of remarkable displays of lightning-quick jabs, cuts, and thrusts. Seen by some as a lesser weapon than the sword, the dagger, in the hands of one who truly knows how to use it, can be a most deadly weapon. Through the study of saijutsu, practitioners hone their fighting skills to become true masters of the short blade.

Specialization in saijutsu grants you approximately a 50% chance of getting an extra attack each round while you kata with a dagger, and increases the chance for any given attack with a dagger kata to be made with your weapon, rather than with your barehanded attack. The chance, which is 25% for a non-specialist, rises to a maximum of 50% at mastery.

xperts at altering the weave of divine magic to harness the energy in order to cure, some priests have managed to apply their knowledge in the school of healing to enhance the effects. Furthermore, their studies have revealed to them methods of implementing the same techniques on any kind of spell, whether arcane or divine.

Specialization in serenity increases the number of hit points healed by harmony by one half, and in addition allows a multi-classed spell-caster to be healed at half the normal rate when casting non-priestly spells.

hile he does fit the stereotype of the implacable defender behind a tower shield capable of shrugging off damage, a shield expert is also able to use his defensive tool as a potent weapon. With a solid swing of his shield, he is able to knock down a foe with much greater ease than those without the skill or the item.

A character who has specialized in shield expertise is able to use shields much more effectively than usual, increasing his parry bonus for using a shield from one fifth to one half and granting up to a 10% bonus to his chance to bash, so long as he is using a shield.

hrough a combination of subtle gestures and mental will, silent casting allows its practitioners to make magic without the need to utter an incantation aloud. First studied by certain mages in Centranon, the advantages conferred by this specialty make it attractive to assassins and others who wish to be unobtrusive. Spell-casters who master it often place silencing wards on their abodes in order to maximize their advantage against other magicians.

This specialty allows you to continue to use magic even if you are magically silenced and eliminates the penalty for casting spells while deafened; however, casting a spell without a spoken incantation is more difficult, and you are more likely to lose your concentration if you cannot make noise.

If you have specialized in both silent and motionless casting, you can cast spells even while paralyzed.

rade can often be boiled down to the interaction between two parties. Whether by personality or by guile, a skilled businessman can extract the maximum profit out of a given situation, while leaving the other party thinking that he got the better end of the deal.

The silver tongue specialty gives you a bonus to your bargaining ability, adjusting the cost of identifying, repairing, buying, and selling items, as well as bribery, buying healing, and buying pets, by up to ten percent in your favor. Learning the silver tongue specialty will also grant you the bribery skill at a reduced maximum if you do not have it.

hether skulking stalkers of the night, grim scouts of the wilderness, or the occasional monastery-trained fighter, skirmishers are united by their training in a fast-moving style of hit-and-run combat. Talented skirmishers are able to land extra blows as they depart the field of battle, often before returning to re-engage their foes.

A specialist in skirmishing gets a free attack on the foe he's fighting whenever he willingly flees battle. There is no benefit if he is magically forced to flee.

he ability to premeditate an assault upon a potential victim allows for careful planning of the attack, streamlining the methodical assassin's actions and reducing the time between the initial blow and any followup needed to dispatch the mark.

A character with the snake strike specialty is able to recover more quickly than usual after backstabbing an unhurt foe, reducing his delay by up to one second. Learning the snake strike specialty will also grant you the backstab skill at a reduced maximum if you do not yet have it.

hile many students of warfare are aware of the advantages that massed ranks of spearmen enjoy on the battlefield, far fewer realize that the spear can be equally effective for the lone warrior. To the uninitiated, the spear may seem long, slow, and awkward. In the hands of a sōjutsu master, however, the reach and flexibility of the spear are used to their fullest potential, resulting in a terrifying rain of powerful strikes against his opponent.

Specialization in sōjutsu grants you approximately a 50% chance of getting an extra attack each round while you kata with a spear, and increases the chance for any given attack with a spear kata to be made with your weapon, rather than with your barehanded attack. The chance, which is 25% for a non-specialist, rises to a maximum of 50% at mastery.

lthough spears are most effective when used in massed ranks, an individual wielding one still has a reach advantage, so long as his opponent can be kept at spear-point. A master of the weapon is able to do this, preventing a foe from closing in and engaging in mêlée combat so long as he is not already preoccupied.

Spear mastery gives you a chance to keep a foe from engaging you in combat if you are not already busy fighting another enemy. The chance is greater if your primary weapon is a spear than if your secondary weapon is, and greater still if both are or if you are single-wielding.

s long as mages have existed, they have found themselves in conflict, often pitting spell against spell in dazzling displays of pyrotechnics. In these encounters, particularly subtle wizards have not only relied on their own strength in the mystical arts, but have weakened their opponents by suppressing or absorbing the spells that would otherwise harm them. Only the most adept, however, have developed their magical dueling skills to the point where they can actually turn their opponents' own magics against them.

Spell turning gives you a chance to reflect spells cast on you back on their caster instead. It works only on violent spells that specifically target you and you alone. The chance of successfully turning a spell is the same as the chance to counter a spell you don't know.

Unlike countermagic, spell turning is a reflexive action: you need only be conscious to turn a spell, and spell turning is instant and has no mana cost. Unlike a shadowmage's spellmirrors, spell turning prevents the original spell from affecting you but isn't automatically effective.

Each instance of a forked spell or multiply-scribed scroll must be turned individually by its target. Each instance of a strobed spell must also be turned individually, but failure to turn any instance removes all possibility of turning the remainder. If you fail to turn a spell, or only turn part of a forked or strobed spell, then the remainder of the spell may be countered normally.

hether by unlocking latent natural talent or by long study, it is possible for spell-casters to improve on the maximum amount of magical energy they can safely utilize. While vast amounts of power can be brought to bear in this way, every body has its physical limit to how much it can channel.

Learning the spirituality specialty increases your maximum mana by 25 points. You may learn this specialty up to ten times.

idiculed as simple and cheap by its detractors, a staff can nevertheless be deadly in the right hands. Its length and supple nature allow the master to whirl it, snapping it across joints and other weak points on a number of opponents at once, felling them all.

Staff mastery gives you an automatic chance, on a successful hit with a staff, of sweeping the legs out from under all the humanoids in the room who are fighting you or someone in your group. The chance increases with your dexterity and level and the number of eligible foes; the chance for each individual enemy decreases with his dexterity and level.

or many experienced campaigners, luck is acknowledged to play a sizeable role in the way risky situations pan out. An exceptionally fortunate character is able to dodge aside at the last moment, block the worst of a dragon's breath with his shield, or blank his mind just before a mental battle begins, significantly improving his chances of survival. Hence, it is not surprising that the goddess of good fortune is among the most widely worshiped.

Whenever a character with the stroke of luck specialty fails a saving throw, he has a chance—initially, 1 in 5, ranging up to 2 in 3 at mastery—of getting a second attempt.

ertain mystics adept in the field of countermagic choose to concentrate their efforts on opposing spells of the element of air, learning to drain the power from them and create a magic-dead vacuum, even as one might steal the air from a foe's very lungs.

Specialization in suffocate gives you a second or third attempt to counterspell a spell of the Aeromancy school, in addition to the attempt made with countermagic and possibly with the specific spell.

or as long as there has been warfare, it has been common knowledge to combatants that initiating the first attack on your terms and being able to put your opponent off-guard has major advantages. On an individual scale, catching your victim flat-footed means that you are able to assail your foe without any retaliation until he recovers from his surprise.

The surprise attack specialty grants you extra hits as you begin combat with an attack from your weapon—e.g., from "hit orc", "assist Fend", or "dodge goblin" (if not already fighting). It won't give you attacks if you start combat with any other method, such as by bashing, stunning, or casting a hostile spell. It also doesn't combine with backstab or hitall.

With a successful skill roll, at least one extra attack is granted. There is about a one in three chance for each Extra Attack skill you have learned, or for each extra attack you gain from a fighting style, to activate as well.

ne of the most popular groups of weapons, swords are admired for their form and function, with masters of their use becoming celebrities in their own right. Those at the pinnacle of swordsmanship are able to perform amazing feats with their chosen weapons, switching from a defensive posture to offense in the blink of an eye, flowing from one stroke to another.

Sword mastery grants you a chance of riposting and getting a free attack when you make a successful parry unassisted by a shield. This is checked separately for both your primary and secondary weapons if they are both swords.

hile twitch reflexes are the first line of defense against magical projectiles, a combination of constant vigilance and truly inspired tactical planning can sometimes substitute for a lack of natural agility.

The Tactical Awareness specialty causes you to use your base intelligence instead of your base dexterity when making reflex saving throws if your base intelligence is higher.

ollowers of taijutsu learn techniques that emphasize finesse rather than relying on the brute force approach so prevalent amongst common warriors. With the philosophy that the bare hand can be as deadly as any blade or club, students of taijutsu learn skills that enable them to be especially proficient with fist and claw weapons.

Specialization in taijutsu grants you approximately a 50% chance of getting an extra attack each round while you kata with a fist weapon, and increases the chance for any given attack with a fist weapon kata to be made with your weapon, rather than with your barehanded attack. The chance, which is 25% for a non-specialist, rises to a maximum of 50% at mastery.

are master alchemists, dissatisfied with the technique of mere distillation, collect and study ancient recipes which teach them to combine multiple magical effects into each potion that they mix. Though this makes the potion more difficult to brew correctly, the effects are well worth the extra work.

The threefold formula specialty allows you to brew two or, at 90 and higher skill, three spells into the same potion. Mixing multiple spells into one potion increases the mana cost of all spells in the potion: to six times their normal casting cost for two spells, or seven times for three. You cannot brew the same spell more than once into a single potion, and failure at brewing any of the spells ruins the entire potion.

he ability to engage opponents at a distance has distinct advantages, which are compounded if you have a greater range and rate of fire than your foes. Forcing the enemy to close in through a hail of fire in order to merely gain an equal footing often creates a situation where they have been softened up enough for a charge to mop up.

Specialization in throwing expertise has three effects: it increases the maximum range of your thrown weapons to three or, at 90 and higher skill, four rooms instead of the normal two; it allows you to throw weapons while you are engaged in combat, so long as neither you nor your target are fighting the other; and it increases your throwing speed to up to double normal. The speed increase is cumulative with thieves' skill at throwing daggers.

lthough the healing magics may miraculously regenerate flesh and muscle, the strain these spells place on the body often exhausts the recipient. Similarly, the instantaneous refreshment provided by magic merely serves to burn up energy used by the body in that moment of time rather than over a period of hours or days. For those who have built up a magic-tolerant physique, these side effects are largely mitigated.

A character with the tolerate healing specialty becomes less tired when he is magically healed and less hungry when he is magically refreshed than is normal.

s long as there has been competition between individuals, the desire to be bigger and tougher than the opposition has existed. One way to achieve this is by rigorous physical conditioning, spending time and effort in order to increase the amount of punishment that can be withstood.

Learning the toughness specialty increases your maximum hit points by 25. You may learn this specialty up to ten times.

here are certain fighting styles that raise the use of kicks in mêlée combat to new heights. Practitioners of these styles are capable of many feats of accuracy and power with their legs, able to knock their opponents down with swift, well-placed strikes, or to land follow-up attacks without fear of retaliation.

The trample specialty gives you a chance to automatically deal damage when you successfully bash your foe, as if you had kicked him, and to automatically knock your foe to the ground on a successful kick, as if you had bashed him.

If you also have the flying kick specialty, a flying kick will activate trample normally; however, a bash will only do normal kick damage.

ruidic magics, stemming as they do from oneness with nature, are usually less efficient than either the carefully researched spells practiced by mages or the divine miracles granted to clerics. Within the forest, however, druids reign supreme in spell-casting—so much so, that some are able to tap into the normally-wasted byproducts of naturally-oriented magics directed at them. The nature of this excess power is such that it can only be used for growth and healing.

Specialization in tranquility causes you to be healed when targeted by druid spells in a forest. While the spell does not need to be cast by yourself, or even a fellow druid, it must be an actual spell—you will not be healed by spells recited from scrolls, quaffed from potions, etc. The amount of healing is proportional to the druidic mana cost of the spell and your skill in tranquility, and reaches a maximum of one hit point for every two mana at 100 skill in tranquility. Like any other magical healing, this will drain one fourth as many movement points as are healed. For example, a master of tranquility who is targeted by Harm, a spell costing druids 40 mana, would be healed 20 hit points and be drained 5 movement points.

his greater school of magic covers spells of magical movement such as Astral Walk and Blink, and also the prerequisite magics of divination and knowledge, such as True Sight and Scry. The following spells are included in this school: Animate Armor, Animate Weapon, Astral Walk, Blink, Clairvoyance, Conjure Greater Elemental, Darksight, Deeppockets, Detect Evil, Detect Good, Detect Invisibility, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Discern Key, Disintegrate, Float, Fly, Gate, Group Float, Group Fly, Haste, Identify, Implode, Imprisonment, Knock, Know Alignment, Know Monster, Locate Object, Major Track, Minor Track, Regroup, Scry, Sense Life, Slow, Succor, Summon, Telepathy, Teleport, Timestop, True Sight, Waterwalking, Wizard Eye, and Word of Recall.

nocking down opponents grants many advantages in mêlée combat, usually making it more difficult for them to defend themselves. Many techniques have been evolved to achieve this, most of which involve using leverage in order to bend legs at their joints. These trips or leg sweeps involve using more technique than brute force, although they take greater time and effort to disguise from the foe than the direct approach.

The trip specialty allows a thief access to an inferior form of the bash skill. A successful trip will, like bash, knock an opponent from his feet and prevent him from entering any commands for a round of combat. Unlike bash, you will be unable to enter commands yourself for three rounds of combat whether successful or not, and the skill doesn't work at all against foes that don't have legs. On the other hand, a failed trip won't cause you to fall to the ground, and you can attempt to trip even while sitting.

ome of the great libraries and repositories of lore in the world are home to sages and scribes of vast knowledge. Among their talents, and taught but rarely, is the ability to imbue a single mystic scroll with more than one magical effect. Not only are triscription-trained sorcerers able to deal more damage with a single recitation, but they may be marked apart from their lesser brethren by their reduced need for bags and packs in which to carry hundreds of scrolls.

The triscription specialty allows you to scribe two or, at 90 and higher skill, three spells onto the same scroll. Placing multiple spells onto one scroll increases the mana cost of all spells on the scroll: to five times their normal casting cost for two spells, or seven times for three. You cannot scribe the same spell more than once onto a single scroll, and failure at scribing any of the spells ruins the entire scroll.

earning how to fall properly is a great advantage in combat. No matter how deftly you evade attacks, sooner or later one will send you sprawling. For those with agility and training, however, it becomes second nature to dip a shoulder and roll with the blow, using the momentum to regain their feet rather than awkwardly clambering upright.

The tumbling specialty allows you to automatically try to counter any attempts to knock you from your feet, rolling from the blow and instantly regaining your footing. If you are also a prone defense specialist, you may roll to your feet even if you weren't already standing.

hile most fighters consider being unarmed a distinct disadvantage, many practitioners of hand-to-hand combat have developed their styles and techniques to such an extent that their whole body can be considered a deadly weapon. Graceful movements bely the great power and precision that these masters are capable of.

Unarmed mastery provides a bonus of +1 to hit at 15 skill and every full 30 thereafter, and a bonus of +1 to damage at 30 skill and every full 30 thereafter, when fighting unarmed or with a fist weapon.

here are those that feel their honor means more to them than their life. These warriors will fight to their utmost and beyond when faced with a more skilled foe. Their desire to not shame themselves allows feats that they might never accomplish in a fairer fight.

Specialization in valor increases your damroll against foes higher level than yourself. The extra damage is proportional to your skill in valor and the level difference, and is equal to one thousandth of a point for every point of skill and level of difference, with all fractions rounded up. For example, 100 skill in valor and ten levels' difference would yield exactly one point of damage, while 70 skill in valor and 30 levels' difference would yield 2.1 points, rounded up to 3. This damage is not subject to the normal damroll cap of 45 points.

he ability to sleep anywhere or at any time is a great advantage, as any seasoned campaigner will attest. For others, their lifestyles have led to the habit of keeping daggers under their pillows, lest their slumber be made permanent. For them, the ability to sleep extremely lightly and remain alert at a subconscious level is an enormous boon.

A character who has specialized in vigilant rest lives the adage "sleep with one eye open," and remains aware of the world around him as he sleeps, seeing and hearing as if he were awake. He remains unable to speak or act, however.

In addition, a specialist in Vigilant Rest who makes a successful skill roll does not automatically fail reflex saving throws while asleep as usual; and if attacked while resting or sleeping, will automatically scramble to his feet instead of being left sitting.

hether due to having lived extremely healthy lives or through hauling buckets of water up the thousand steps at a remote monastery, there are people whose endurance and stamina are well beyond the norm for their race. They are often able to get up and keep fighting, even after receiving grievous injuries.

The vigor specialty increases your maximum constitution attribute by five. This is in addition to the increase in maximum granted by avatar levels, but in any event cannot exceed 100. Additionally, ten points of constitution are added when you first learn the specialty; however, these cannot take you above your (new) maximum—any excess points are lost.

You may learn this specialty up to ten times, gaining ten constitution and five maximum constitution each time.

orshipers of martial deities view war as a holy undertaking; the battlefields are their sacred grounds, the clash of arms and the screams of the dying their hymns. While they may not necessarily view death itself as the goal, those following gods of war are nonetheless well trained and equipped to deal it out to whoever opposes them. Their preoccupation with harming others, however, comes at a cost to their healing magics.

Specialization as a War Disciple causes the damage dealt by your Smite and Judgement Day spells to be less and less dependent on alignment; when War Disciple is mastered, they always deal maximum damage. Furthermore, your Bless spells grant an additional +1 to damage at 40 skill and every full 50 points thereafter. However, your healing spells are less effective; by mastery of War Disciple, they heal 10% less damage.

 dextrous fighter can often take advantage of a lightweight weapon, showing great deftness and deadly precision, striking his foe a number of times before he can even react.

Weapon finesse grants you a chance of an extra attack when wielding very light weaponry. The total effective weight of your weapons and any shield must be less than one quarter your dexterity to have any chance at all of an attack. Weapon finesse maximizes at the equivalent of a normal extra attack skill when wielding a completely weightless weapon set. You must, however, be wielding a weapon to succeed: weapon finesse is of no benefit to a barehanded attack.

As usual, there is a 20% increase in the effective weight of a dual-wielded weapon, which ambidexterity may mitigate; there is a similar 20% increase in the effective weight of a shield, which shield expertise may mitigate.

ost earth-based magics cause damage through physical means. Whether with high-velocity shrapnel or straightforward blunt trauma, the common thread is a reliance on concussive force. The most advanced geomancers have learned to magnify the impact of their spells, knocking the unsteady from their feet.

Specialization in Weight of Mountains causes victims of most of your spells that deal physical damage to be knocked to the ground, just as if they had been bashed. (The two exceptions are Rupture, which deals internal damage, and Earthquake, which does not act directly on its targets.) Weight of Mountains only works with spells that you directly cast, and in any case a reflex saving throw will negate the effect.

lthough viewed by many die-hards as not being a "true" weapon, in the hands of a master, the whip can become a highly flexible tool with multiple uses. Varying the flick of his wrist at the end of his swing, a highly-skilled wielder can make his whip dance, entangling different parts of his opponent.

Whip mastery gives you an automatic chance, on a successful hit with a whip or flail, to entangle your foe, preventing him from attacking you for one round of combat; to disarm him; or, if he is humanoid, to yank him from his feet. The chances of all of these increase with your dexterity and level, and decrease with your foe's dexterity and level.

 fighter proficient in this technique appears to those outside the mêlée as a devastating flurry of frenzied action moving from one foe to another, landing strikes before selecting his next victim. One capable of performing this maneuver is able to turn his enemies' numerical superiority to his own advantage, planning and timing moves such that his foes get in one another's way, opening opportunities for quick attacks.

The whirlwind specialty allows you to use the hitall skill even if you're already engaged in combat. A whirlwind attack takes a full combat round. Learning the whirlwind specialty will also grant you the hitall skill at a reduced maximum if you do not yet have it.

lthough making vows a poverty as part of their ethos, many monks find that adventuring with merely a robe, a pair of sandals, and a strap of fabric to serve as a carry-all to be rather difficult. In their minds, their vows can suddenly become a little more flexible, allowing them to use vital pieces of equipment.

Specialization in worldly goods allows a monk or karateka to equip a seventh rare item without violating his vow of poverty.

ealots are religious warriors, devoted to serve their deities to any extent; their loyalty has no boundaries. Their absolute devotion causes them to lose less favor with their deities than they otherwise would when committing what are, in their eyes, only minor transgressions.

The zeal specialty decreases alignment changes away from the ideal (+1000, 0, or -1000), to, at mastery, a minimum of one third. Fallen knights gain no benefit from this specialty.