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Elven Secret Crafts of Magic

by Gilles Leblanc

These crafts can only be practiced by elves from the appropriate region, which is mentioned in each craft. There can be more than one fifth circle grand master for these crafts although this is rare. These crafts are kept secret even from most elves.

Here are the crafts:

Nature Master ( Alfheim, Wendar )
Elven Gardener ( Alfheim, Shiye-Lawr )
Meteorologist ( Alfheim )
Nautical Magicks ( Minrothad Sea Elves ) Lava Magicks ( Shadow Elves )

Nature Master: ( Alfheim, Wendar ) A nature master is an elf wizard specialising in the natural magical forces present in nature and particularly in the forests of Mystara. The abilities of such wizards are gained from taping into the vital power of the surrounding flora. Nature masters become closely attuned with nature and seek to protect it rather than exploit it's magical energies. As they become more closely tied with plants rather than living being, nature masters suffers from antipathy from non-plant like life forms. This makes them loose a point of charisma at third circle and another one at fifth circle.

First Circle:

Protection from flora: Because of their close connection with the flora, this power protects the wizard from the harmful effects of any natural or magical plants. It protects against the plant's pollen, spores or natural attacks. Carnivorous plants will not attack the wizard thinking it is part of the natural flora. This protection does not extend to intelligent magical creatures like Treat or Forest Brooders but is effective against Amber Lotus flowers, Hangman Tree, Archer Bush and the like. This protection is effective at all times.

Second Circle:

Pass without trace: Nature masters who reach second circle are able to be one with the forest allowing them to move unhindered in it. This is similar to the druid ability. When activated it permits the caster to leave no trace in a forest environment and not be hindered by vines, bushes and undergrowth for a period of 2 rounds + 1 round/level.

Third Circle:

Entangle: This is similar to the druidic spell of the same name. A nature master who has reached the third circle is literally able to manipulate the flora but concentrating on it's magical energies. At a range of 60 yards the caster can cause the flora to grow wild and grab all living creatures within an area of 20' radius. Creatures within the area have one tenth of their normal movement rates and cannot attack or defend themselves. This power last for one full turn.

Fourth Circle:

Photosynthesis: When reaching this circle, nature masters have been imbued in the magical life force of the flora to such an extent that their bodies begin to emulate this energy. When a nature master has researched this power he can absorb energy from the sun. This power does not work with artificial or magical light, but works with both the inner and outer sun. Nature masters only need half their normal rations when exposed to a normal amount of sunlight during the day. They also heals 2 hp for every hour spent under the sun. These HPs are awarded after each hour. The nature master must also spend at least 2 hours a day in natural sunlight or loose 2 hp for any day when it is not exposed to the sun for at least 2 hours. This power is always on.

Fifth Circle:

Treant Form: With this power the nature master is able to assume permanently the form of a treant. Under AD&D 2E rules this is an 18' tall 12 HD treant with all the powers of the nature master plus some druidic abilities. The caster keeps his current magical abilities ( including the nature master ones ) and gain all the powers of a treant. Under D&D rules, if you have access to PC1 Tall Tale of the Wee Folk, the caster is transformed into an 8 level treant with wiccan abilities equal to his mage abilities.

Elven Gardener: ( Alfheim, Shiye-Lawr ) An elven gardener is an elf wizard which specialise in the magics of growing plant. Like the alchemist manipulate matter and energy in his lab, the gardener manipulate life and plants in his garden. This form of gardening art combine normal gardening with spells and research into the manipulation of the plants life force to strengthen them.

First Circle:

Green Thumb: When the gardener has researched this ability all plants and trees which he plants will grow to be extremely beautiful and healthy specimens. They will be more resistant ( but not invulnerable ) to normal diseases and grow a bit faster ( about 20% ). Food produced from such plants and trees will be very nourishing and will stay fresh for at least 2 months after it is picked or harvested. This power is always on.

Second Circle:

Identify Plant: After studying vegetation for a while, the gardener is able to identify any normal and magical plant or plant monsters on sight. When a certain creature ( i.e. treant ) can pose has a normal tree or plant, the gardener has double the normal percentage to detect it. If the creature cannot normally be detected, the gardener has 20% chance to detect it. This power is always on.

Third Circle:

Fertilise: By combining the finest method in gardening with magical manipulation, the gardener is able to accelerate the growth of plants. A tree or plant planted by an elven gardener will grow to maturity in 1 day for a mushroom, 2 days for a plant, 14 days for a bush and tree will grow 5 times as fast for their first five years. A tree planted this way would look to be 25 after 5 years. Plants must be continually tended by the gardener for this to take effect while trees must be tended for a month in the first year of growth. The gardener if occupied at nothing else can tend 100 points of plants this way per day. If the gardener is busy with other activities lower the number of plant points he can attend to.

Mushroom : 1 plant points
Plant : 3 plant points
Flower : 4 plant points
Small Bush : 8 plant points
Large Bush : 14 plant points
Tree : 25 plant points

Fourth Circle:

Magic Garden: This power allows the elven gardener to enchant or create a magical garden. A gardener can possess only one such garden to which he must devote two entire days of each month to maintain. If the gardener is not present he must find 2 other elven gardener to attend to it for 2 days or one gardener for 4 days. Not magical gardeners would need to devote 2 weeks a month. Once a garden is enchanted it attracts a garden imp which will be sympathetic to the gardener and it's cause. The imp will help tend the garden and protect it to the best of it's ability. The imp will not attack or trick the gardener although it may often get into small disputes about how "wild" the garden should be allowed to get. A magical garden can also produce sleeping spores from mushrooms, poisonous plants and healing fruits.
A magic garden can produce 20 magic plant points per month. The gardener chooses how these are spent. The gardener does not need to use fertilise to create these magical plants, in fact, fertilise does not have any effect of the magic plant point production of a magic garden.

Sleeping spores ( 4 magic plant points ) : A dose of sleeping spores will act as a dust which as the same effect as the wizard's spell sleep cast by a fifth level caster.

Healing fruits ( 5 magic plant points ) : These will act as a potion of healing.

Poisonous plants ( 10 magic plant points ) : A poisonous plant can be harvested to produce a dose of poison. The gardener can make two types of poison, decided at the beginning of the month. The first poison must be ingested where it inflict 1d20 points of damage if a save at -2 is failed or 1d12 if it is made, these effect take 1d4 rounds to manifest. The second poison is a contact poison which does 1d10 points of damage if a save at -1 is failed or 1d4 if it is successful. This poison can be applied to weapons.
When applied to weapons the poison will thus increase the damage with poison damage for the next 1d3 hit which are made with the weapon.

Fifth Circle:

Tree Travel: Because a gardener of the fifth circle is so in touch with the magical energies of his trees he can teleport from one to the another. This power, useable 3/week allows the gardener to instantly teleport from any tree he personally planted to any other tree he also planted. Both of these trees must have a maturity equal to at least 5 years and may have been planted before the gardener reached fifth circle. The maximum distance travelled is in function of the trees. When two trees of different maturity are used always use the lowest maturity to decide distance allowable. The caster may bring up to 300 pounds of equipment with him but may not bring any other living creature except his familiar if he has one.

Tree maturity	Maximum Distance Travelled ( or distance between trees )
5 years	128 miles
8 years	256 miles
10 years	512 miles
12 years	1024 miles
15 years	2500 miles
20 years	5000 miles
25 years	Anywhere on the outer world.
30 years	Anywhere on the same plane ( travel to the hollow world is still impossible )
50 years	Travel between the planes.