Thanatology skill: Difference between revisions
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'''Thanatology''' (from the Greek ''thanatos'', meaning death) is a [[guild association is::Necromancer]]-only skill and embodies a mixture of the study of death and dying, gross anatomy, and occult or demonic rites. |
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'''Thanatology''' (from the Greek ''thanatos'', meaning death) is the proposed central skill for [[Necromancer|Necromancers]] that, like the guild. It replaced the originally proposed [[Scarification]] skill. It is a guild-specific Lore skill, which they will learn at a secondary rate. It will be mechanically similar to the [[Empath]] [[Empath Healing|healing]] ability, and the circling requirement is meant to parody their [[Empathy]] requirement. In order to form a link with an unwilling living subject, the Necromancer must make a successful slicing melee attack and a Thanatology skill check that's modified by the weapon used. |
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==Spells and abilities that boost Thanatology== |
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{{#ask:[[Boosts::Thanatology skill]] |
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''The below are GameMaster [[Armifer]]'s explanations of the skill and the requirement.'' |
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==Spells and abilities that decrease Thanatology== |
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{{#ask:[[Debuffs::Thanatology skill]] |
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One of the open secrets of necromancy is that there is no "force of death." There are certainly forces in the universe that are deadly in nature or function, but not a single one that rules over or is generated by a corpse. |
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==History== |
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Magical theorists have a clue about this absence by studying Life mana. Life mana is not resonate with a healthy Elanthian standing in front of you, but with the process of living. It resonates with joy and tears; the moment a woman gives birth and a man exhales one last time. Life is a single force that marries both pain and glory. |
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Thanatology replaced the originally proposed Scarification skill. Scarification was intended to be used on living creatures in combat via attacks with a knife. It was replaced with Thanatology partway through the development of the Necromancer Guild. |
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==Training methods== |
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The lack of cosmic duality continues right down to the core: the manipulation of life and death are the same thing. The "dark force" that Necromancers wield to animate the dead is the misuse of vital energy. |
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Thanatology is essentially a combat skill and every method of learning it happens in combat in some capacity. Presently, the best and fastest means of learning Thanatology alone is by using the [[Thanatological Rituals#Dissection|Dissection ritual]] on a corpse, though a Necromancer may wish to use other combinations (such as Preserve/Harvest) depending on their training priorities and what they are presently hunting. Thanatology is unique in that it cannot be taught or learned in classes, even from other Necromancers. |
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The means of gaining Thanatology experience at present are: |
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Life mana is not sacred, but the next step is much harder for Necromancers to take. Directly manipulating life force, whether to heal the innocent or infuse a mockery of life in a corpse, can only be done by Transference. The link is a door to numerous wonders and horrors, but the Empathy to use it is self-regulating (to a point) and antithetical to necromantic practice. |
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* Using any [[Thanatological Rituals]] on a corpse you are able to learn from. Learning ranges are much broader than for other combat skills. Many rituals also teach other skills along with Thanatology, such as [[Skinning]] or [[First Aid]]. |
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Though as the saying goes, when Maelshyve closes a door somewhere she opens a window. |
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* The special attack of a construct created with [[Quicken the Earth]] teaches a small amount of Thanatology. |
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* The attacks of an arisen zombie created with [[Call From Beyond]] will teach a small amount of Thanatology as well as [[Targeted Magic]]. |
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{{RefAl}} |
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In the physical sense, Scarification is a set of rituals that allow Necromancers to forge their version of the Transference link. The skill gets its name from the most dramatic part of the process, when the Necromancer must reach out and cut a ritually significant pattern into the subject's flesh. The physics behind this process are baffling to outsiders, yet it works. If the cut is made to the proper specifications for the Necromancer's intent and his ritual is sound, the Transference link is violently forged between him and his subject. |
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{{Cat|Guild skills,Survival skillset,Experience 3.0 skills,Skills,Necromancer abilities}}[[page type is::skill| ]][[guild association is::necromancer| ]] |
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In the supernatural sense, Scarification is the technique of manipulating life energy to the Necromancer's ends. Since they lack Empathy and the ability to perceive life force, their manipulations are alternately brutish or rote, yet unshackled by Empathic Shock. Just as necromantic manipulation is injurious to an Empath's talents, empathic manipulation requires a degree of ability and technique that Necromancers cannot muster. Empaths and Necromancers may share this supernatural power, but they use it to wholly different ends. |
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Learning Scarification is a mixture of both the physical and supernatural techniques, with a balance that varies from Necromancer to Necromancer. Exquisite cuts and ritual intonations can cover for a lack of supernatural talent, while mastery over the subject's life force can wring more use out of a sub-optimal ritual. |
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Due to the shared practice of Transference, Empaths and Necromancers find themselves with an uncomfortable degree of common ground. Both sides are loathe to admit it, but when you strip away from bodies of lore that comprise Empathy and Scarification, you are left with the single ability of Transference and life manipulation. Necromancers can refine their technique with the help of the intuitive masters of this art, and Empaths can gain insights through exposure to experiments that they could not accomplish themselves. It would be comforting to say this sort of alliance is rare, but Necromancers aren't skittish about pressing an advantage and there are always Empaths degenerate or stupid enough to trust them. |
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''Why?''<br /> |
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Part of it is consistency. Even though [[Astrology skill|Astrology]] is important to the identity of a [[Moon Mage]], they are magicians first and foremost. The bread and butter of the Moon Mage lifestyle is being a magic user, everything else takes a back seat to that. |
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Scarification is important to the identity of Necromancers, but in modern times their first and foremost concern is to ''survive''. The Great Work / your own private undead army / redemption isn't going to matter much if they strip your soul naked and hang you first. |
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Part of it is lore-based. Astrology and Scarification both represent manipulation of forces that even their practitioners do not fully understand. If there is such thing as a Astrology Prime Moon Mage, he is a seer without modern peer, perhaps like [[Jares|Jares Braun]] and Master G'nar Peth of old. If there is a Scarification Prime Necromancer, the dread lich is well and truly buried in history. |
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==Usage== |
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Copied from [[Post:Thanatology - 4/5/2009 - 11:55]] |
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===PRESERVE=== |
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The preservation ritual does basically what its name implies, preserves a corpse so that it will not decay at the accelerated rate species of Elanthia (that are not adventurers) seem to enjoy. A prepatory ritual for other things, the preservation ritual will make a dead body last much longer, or until skinned and searched. Utilization of this ritual requires some knowledge of first aid, and prevents the ??? and Harvest rituals. |
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===???=== |
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Knowledge of this ritual has been banned for high blasphemy. |
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===HARVEST=== |
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The harvesting ritual allows a Necromancer to carve a piece of a corpse out for personal use to some diabolical end at a later point. Doing this ruins any possibility that the corpse could be skinned, but perhaps the Necromancer achieves some higher benefit from it later. Utilization of this ritual requires some knowledge of skinning, and cannot be done if the corpse has been SKINned. |
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===ARISE=== |
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The most time-consuming ritual in the Necromancer's arsenal, the ritual to Arise is performed just before the sorcerous magic needed to imbue a corpse with false life is enacted. The corpse in question must have already been PRESERVEd. |
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===FETISH=== |
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The only ritual that is not performed on a corpse, this blasphemous ritual imbues a necrotic item that the Necromancer is holding with the power of death. It is presently unknown what uses these fetishes hold, or how many variants there are. Initial observation suggests that the item must be properly set up beforehand, and this ritual is just the final touch. |
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[[Category:Lore Skillset]] |
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[[Category:Skills]] |
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[[Category:Necromancer]] |
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Latest revision as of 06:47, 1 December 2015
| Please read the Secrets and Spoiler Policy before editing this page. |
Thanatology (from the Greek thanatos, meaning death) is a Necromancer-only skill and embodies a mixture of the study of death and dying, gross anatomy, and occult or demonic rites.
Spells and abilities that boost Thanatology
Spells and abilities that decrease Thanatology
None
History
Thanatology replaced the originally proposed Scarification skill. Scarification was intended to be used on living creatures in combat via attacks with a knife. It was replaced with Thanatology partway through the development of the Necromancer Guild.
Training methods
Thanatology is essentially a combat skill and every method of learning it happens in combat in some capacity. Presently, the best and fastest means of learning Thanatology alone is by using the Dissection ritual on a corpse, though a Necromancer may wish to use other combinations (such as Preserve/Harvest) depending on their training priorities and what they are presently hunting. Thanatology is unique in that it cannot be taught or learned in classes, even from other Necromancers.
The means of gaining Thanatology experience at present are:
- Using any Thanatological Rituals on a corpse you are able to learn from. Learning ranges are much broader than for other combat skills. Many rituals also teach other skills along with Thanatology, such as Skinning or First Aid.
- The special attack of a construct created with Quicken the Earth teaches a small amount of Thanatology.
- The attacks of an arisen zombie created with Call From Beyond will teach a small amount of Thanatology as well as Targeted Magic.