Improved Grand Master Disciplines
As you rise through the higher levels of Kai Grand Mastery, you will find that your Disciplines will steadily improve. For example, if you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus when you reach the Grand Master rank of Grand Thane, you will be able to pass freely through Shadow Gates and explore the nether realms of Aon and the Daziarn Plane.
Kai Grand Guardian
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian (5 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
- Animal Mastery
- Kai Grand Guardians with this Discipline are able to summon a limited number of forest animals to their location. The creatures so summoned will become loyal and willing allies, willing to do the Kai Grand Guardian's bidding. This ability can only be used in an outdoor setting.
- Assimilance
- Kai Grand Guardians who possess this skill are able to create a cloud of fog-like vapour within 15 yards of their location. This fog will obscure both normal and infravision. The duration of the fog increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Grand Huntmastery
- Kai Grand Guardians with this skill enjoy increased mobility when travelling across all types of terrain, whether on foot or on horseback. This improved ability is very useful when used to outdistance a pursuing enemy.
- Kai-surge
- Kai Grand Guardians who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to attack up to three enemies in psychic combat simultaneously.
- Kai-screen
- Kai Grand Guardians who possess this Discipline are able to exercise a defensive psychic skill known as Mindblend. This cloaking ability enables them to both protect and hide their minds from being detected by a hostile psychic probe.
- Magi-magic
- Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi:
- Splinter
— This causes breakable items such as bottles, jugs, mirrors, windows, etc., to shatter to pieces. The range of this spell increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Flameshaft
— This causes the tip of any Arrow or Arrow-like missile, to burn fiercely with a magical flame which cannot readily be extinguished by normal means.
Sun Knight
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Knight (6 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
- Grand Weaponmastery
- Sun Knights with this Discipline are able to wield two-handed weapons (i.e. Broadsword, Quarterstaff, and Spear) with full effect, using only one hand.
- Deliverance
- Sun Knights who possess this skill are able to repair serious wounds sustained by creatures other than themselves. By the laying of hands upon the affected creature's body, a Sun Knight can cause an open wound (or other serious injury) to mend itself. The speed at which this healing takes place increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Grand Pathsmanship
- Kai Sun Knights with this skill are able to repel at will all normal-sized insects within a radius of three yards. The range and number of insects so affected increase considerably as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Grand Nexus
- Sun Knights who possess Mastery of this Discipline are able to feign death. By placing themselves into a state of suspended animation, outwardly they are able to achieve all semblance of being truly dead. However, whilst in this state the only sense that a Sun Knight retains is the ability to hear.
- Telegnosis
- Sun Knights who possess this Discipline are able to communicate telepathically over great distances. Initially the range of this ability is approximately 100 miles, but this distance increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Kai-alchemy
- Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Knight are able to use the following Brotherhood Spells:
- Halt Missile
— This causes any projected or hurled missile (e.g. arrows, axes, crossbow bolts) which may pose an immediate threat to the life of a Sun Knight, to cease its flight and remain stationary in mid-air. The effect of the spell lasts for 2–3 seconds, allowing the Sun Knight sufficient time to move away from its line of flight. Initially only one missile can be affected by this spell, but the number increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Strength
— By casting this spell, a Sun Knight is able to greatly increase his or her physical strength for a short duration. It can be used to lift or move heavy objects, or to effect a temporary increase in
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
scores whilst fighting an enemy.
Sun Lord
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Lord (7 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
- Grand Weaponmastery
- Sun Lords with this Discipline are able to cause the metal edge of any non-magical weapon to ignite and burn fiercely. When a weapon thus affected is used in combat, it inflicts an additional 1
ENDURANCE
point loss upon an enemy in every successful round of combat. This ability cannot be used with a wholly wooden weapon such as a quarterstaff.
- Assimilance
- Sun Lords who possess this skill are able to cause the outline of their bodies to become blurred and indistinct. By so doing, they can greatly increase their chances of avoiding magical and/or non-magical missiles directed at them.
- Grand Huntmastery
- Kai Sun Lords with this skill are able to see, with acute accuracy, light in the infrared spectrum, i.e. they can see complex patterns generated by heat in near or total darkness. They can also see light in the ultraviolet spectrum.
- Kai-surge
- Sun Lords who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to launch a Kai-blast — a pulse of intense psychic energy which is capable of affecting both psychically active and inactive enemies. This form of psychic attack is very effective, more so than a usual Kai-surge, Psi-surge, or Mindblast. It can cause an enemy to lose between 2 and 18
ENDURANCE
points in one attack. A Kai Sun Lord using Kai-blast determines the damage inflicted on an enemy by picking two numbers from the
Random Number Table
. These numbers should be added together (a ‘0’ = 1) and the resultant total equals the damage inflicted. However, use of a Kai-blast will reduce a Sun Lord's
ENDURANCE
points total by 4. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other form of psychic attack.
- Telegnosis
- Sun Lords who possess this Discipline are able to alter their body weight in order to walk successfully upon different kinds of surface, e.g. water, mud, lava, and quicksand. Time duration and degree of surface difficulty increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Magi-magic
- Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Lord are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi:
- Penetrate
— This increases the penetrative energy of any Arrow or Arrow-like missile, launched by a Sun Lord.
- Energy Grasp
— This spell enables a Sun Lord to discharge a powerful electrical force into anything he or she touches. It is similar in effect to the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
, but differs in that it is easier to control and channel the resulting energy. It also requires the actual touching of an object or an enemy to effect the spell.
Sun Thane
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Thane (8 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
- Animal Mastery
- Sun Thanes with this Discipline are able to command an animal to fall asleep at will. Some hostile animals may be able to resist this command, but most will be affected by it in some way. The duration of effect and the number of animals which can be affected at one time will increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Deliverance
- Sun Thanes who possess this skill are able to conduct a Kai Exorcism. This ritual will banish any evil supernatural force that has taken possession of any goodly creature or object.
- Grand Huntmastery
- Kai Sun Thanes with this skill are able to protect themselves from the effects of being struck by natural electrical discharges, i.e. lightning.
- Grand Pathsmanship
- Sun Thanes who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to alter the temperature of water by touch. By using this skill they are able to transform water into ice and vice versa. The volume of water affected, and the duration of effect, both increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Kai-screen
- Sun Thanes who possess this Discipline are able to erect a special psychic defence called
Mindfort
. A
Mindfort
defence greatly reduces the effects of any psychic shock that would normally paralyse or weaken a lesser mortal.
- Kai-alchemy
- Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Thane are able to use the following Brotherhood Spells:
- Slow Fall
— By casting this spell, Kai Sun Thanes are able to slow their rate of free-falling to three feet per second, thereby avoiding damage upon landing while the spell is in effect. The duration of the spell is limited at first, but it steadily increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
- Breathe Water
— Using this spell, a Kai Sun Thane is able to breathe underwater for ten minutes. The duration of effect increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
The nature of any additional improvements and how they affect your Grand Master Disciplines will be noted in the
Improved Grand Master Disciplines
section of future
Lone Wolf
books.