Sarkranis's Empath Guide

Role-playing Considerations

Traditionally, Empaths have often been played as cheerful, selfless healers who eschew violence. Even now, many players believe that Empaths are supposed to be that way, and those who stray from that path are flouting the guild's teachings. This belief is the result of several factors:

1. a misunderstanding of supernatural empathy: In the everyday sense, when we describe someone as empathic, we mean that he understands another person's feelings by putting himself in that person's shoes -- and usually that he feels sympathetic or compassionate as a result. Supernatural empathy doesn't really have anything to do with people's feelings. It is a breaking down of the barrier that separates two beings, allowing the Empath to sense and manipulate life essences. (As an extreme example, the First Empaths could not tolerate being around other people due to their godlike empathy.)
2. a misunderstanding of empathic shock: Empaths who directly cause injury or pain to another living being experience Empathic shock. Many people (including Empaths) misinterpret this as a punishment for violating the guild's moral teachings, similar to the way a Paladin's soul declines when he engages in dishonorable or unchivalrous deeds. Although some Empaths may choose to attach moral significance to empathic shock, it is simply an automatic physiological reaction that arises by virtue of the Empath's heightened sensitivity to the life forces around him. If you lived in a cave for a year, and then wandered out into the noonday sun, the bright light would hurt your eyes, and you would be temporarily blinded. This is much like empathic shock, which is pain followed by a temporary insensitivity that is caused by over-stimulation of one's empathic senses.
3. early guild mechanics that limited empathy to the transference of wounds: The Empathy skill used to be called "Transference." This is paralleled by the guild's own belief that empathy should be "channeled only into the transference of injuries, so as to prevent it from growing too great, as it has with [the First Empaths]." In the wake of Jomay, who was accused of spreading an empathic plague that maimed and killed hundreds, the Empaths' Guild attempted to eradicate knowledge of all other empathic powers from the public record. See Shift Debacle for a summary of this history.
   

Because early PC Empaths were generally helpless and totally reliant on other adventurers for training, protection, and income, a lot of ideas developed about how Empaths were supposed to be treated and how they were supposed to behave. This attitude has largely waned, as Empaths now have ways to train, defend themselves, and make money that don't involve other adventurers.

In short, there is nothing wrong with going the traditional route if you want, but the guild's lore allows for a lot more flexibility in character design. As GM Armifer put it, "Empathy doesn't make people nice."

How to Empath

Here is some recommended reading for those who are new to the guild or returning after a long break.

• Empath Healing: An explanation of how to heal others and yourself.
• Empathy skill: Includes a list of methods for training Empathy.
• Link ability: This ability allows Empaths to temporarily benefit from the increased skill of other adventurers. The persistent link is also required for certain advanced healing techniques. The guild does not teach this ability; you must learn it from another Empath.
• Manipulate ability: Using his empathic senses, the Empath can manipulate the minds of creatures, causing them to fight each other instead of the Empath. This provides the earliest method for killing creatures that are not constructs. It also allows you to train empathy in combat! Once you have about 50 ranks in effective empathy, you can learn this from another Empath.
• Perceive Health: At about 50 ranks (average of empathy and attunement), the Empath can begin to sense the life essences of those around them. This ability is very helpful, as you can sense even the most stealthy of beings. (However, you will not see the names of those who are in hiding, only that someone is there.) With more skill, you can see certain health details, such as disease, poison, or vitality loss. With high skill, you can sense people who are several rooms away. This teaches a small amount of empathy (less than healing or manipulation).
• Shift ability: This ability allows Empaths to permanently alter the appearance of other people. The guild does not teach shifting. Shifting is prohibited by the guild and is illegal in Zoluren and Therengia. Nonetheless, you can undergo a quest to learn this at 30th circle.

Dedicated Healer/Support Character

Suggested Spell and Feat Progression

Coming soon!

Combat Empath

I will continue to expand this, but for now, here is a suggested spell and magical feat progression for combat-oriented Empaths.

Suggested Spell and Feat Progression

The order takes into account spell slot costs and expected (minimum) magic ranks for each circle, indicated in the far-right column. You may be able to use spells earlier than listed here, especially with the mastery feats.

I have prioritized combat-oriented spells and included some spells that improve self-sufficiency/survivability. You may shift the order if you would like to emphasize healing ability more than I have.

How you spend your final slots is really a matter of personal preference. I like the mastery feats, because they let you channel more mana into spells than your skill would otherwise allow, and when you outgrow them, you can unlearn them and re-allocate those spell slots. For PvP combat, the recognition feats may be beneficial in that you can see what your opponent is doing (and try to react accordingly).

Circle	Spell	Effect/Comment	Cost	Prerequisites	Magic.Ranks
1	Heal Wounds		1	none	3
2	Heal Scars		1	Heal Wounds	6
3					9
4	Refresh	-fatigue, +fatigue recovery	2	Heal Scars	12
5					15
6					18
7	Lethargy	pulsing fatigue damage (prereq)	3	Refresh	21
8					24
9	Paralysis	non-damaging immobilizer (to train TM in anticipation of Guardian Spirit)	2	Lethargy	27
10					30
11	Iron Constitution	-damage from serious hits (prereq, becomes good at high levels)	2	Heal Scars	33
12					36
13	Gift of Life	+stamina, +empathy skill (prereq)	2	Refresh	39
14					42
15	Aggressive Stance	+evasion skill, +brawling skill	2	Iron Constitution and Heart Link or Gift of Life	45
16	Blood Staunching	stops bleeding (prereq)	1	Heal Scars	48
17					51
18	Vitality Healing	can be a life saver; you might want it even earlier	2	Heal Scars	54
19	Strange Arrow	prereq	1	none	57
20	Lay Ward	potency barrier against spells	1	Gauge Flow, Ease Burden or Strange Arrow	60
22					66
24	Manifest Force	ablative physical damage barrier	2	Gauge Flow, Ease Burden or Strange Arrow	72
26	Cure Disease		1	Blood Staunching	78
28					84
30	Mental Focus	+intelligence, +concentration/recovery (prereq)	2	Heal Scars	90
32	Compel	forces target to leave room (prereq)	1	Mental Focus	98
34					106
36					114
38	Nissa's Binding	puts target to sleep (AoE debilitation)	3	Compel or Awaken	122
40	Deep Attunement	+harness regeneration	1	100 Attunement, 100 Arcana	130
42	Efficient Harnessing	-harness cost	1	100 Attunement, 100 Arcana	138
44	Innocence	forces target to disengage; prevents facing/advancing (prereq)	1	Iron Constitution	146
46					154
48					162
50	Tranquility	+discipline, +defense against vs. will/fortitude attacks (prereq)	3	Mental Focus	170
52	Vigor	+agility, +strength	1	Gift of Life	178
54	Utility Mastery	allows you to channel more mana into utility spells	1	100 Utility, 100 Arcana	186
56					194
58	Awaken	-stuns/unconsciousness	2	Mental Focus	202
60	Raw Channeling	power cyclics directly from attunement	1	100 Attunement, 100 Arcana	210
62	Efficient Channeling	-cyclic cost	1	100 Attunement, 100 Arcana	218
64					226
66	Guardian Spirit	summons combat "pet" (cyclic, trains TM)	2	circle 20, Innocence and Compel or Paralysis	234
68					242
70					250
72	Aesandry Darlaeth	+reflex, +recovery from balance/immobilization/webbing (cyclic)	3	circle 20, Aggressive Stance	260
74					270
76					280
78	Perseverance of Peri'el	ablative vitality barrier (ritual)	3	circle 30, Tranquility and Iron Constitution	290
80					300
82	Heal	heals most severe wounds/scars (prereq)	2	Vitality Healing	310
84					320
86	Regenerate	gradually heals wounds/scars (cyclic, great for hunting)	2	circle 30, Heal	330
88					340
90	Dispel	dispels one magical effect	2	two AP spells	350
92	Flush Poisons	especially after Poisons are released for alchemy	1	Blood Staunching	360
94	Magic Theorist	learn spells designed for other mana types	1	100 Scholarship, 50 Arcana	370
96	Improved Memory	memorize a second spell scroll	1	100 Scholarship, 100 Arcana	380
98	Sorcerous Patterns	-sorcerous backlash	1	100 Sorcery, 100 Arcana	390
100	Targeted Mastery	allows you to channel more mana into TM spells	1	100 TM, 100 Arcana	400
102	Debilitation Mastery	allows you to channel more mana into debilitation spells	1	100 Debilitation, 100 Arcana	410
105	Augmentation Mastery	allows you to channel more mana into augmentation spells	1	100 Augmentation, 100 Arcana	425
108	Warding Mastery	allows you to channel more mana into warding spells	1	100 Warding, 100 Arcana	440
111	Legerdemain	easier to conceal spell preps	1	50 Stealth, 50 Arcana	455
114	Alternate Preparation	prereq	1	100 PM, 100 Arcana	470
117	Silent Preparation	can learn spell preps that are easy to conceal	1	Alternate Preparation, 100 Stealth, 100 Arcana	485
120					500
123					515
126	Fountain of Creation	heals all wounds/scars	3	circle 30, Heal	530
129	Burden	-strength	1	Gauge Flow, Ease Burden or Strange Arrow	545
132	Adaptive Curing	allows preemptive casting of Flush Poisons and Cure Disease	1	Cure Disease or Flush Poisons	560
135					575
138					590
141					605
144					620
147					635
150					650