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Most Name-Givers are familiar with the four basic schools of magical thought: elementalism, illusion, nethermancy and wizardry. There are of course more than these, schools dealing with protections against Horrors, with the power of song, with the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. Nearly forgotten in Barsaive is a school dealing with the power of dreams and the mind, known as oneiromancy.

The Discipline was lost in the Throalic lands during the Scourge, partially because Oneiromancers have little effect against physical Horrors. As well, Name-Givers tend to fear spellcasters who can enter people's dreams and shape them, much like the nastier mental Horrors. Oneiromancers, when they are remembered in Barsaive, are usually recalled with the same distaste as a mindslug. In the Theran Empire, the Discipline was preserved, where it is practiced more often than not for political ends.

Oneiromancy is substantially more than just the working of magic involving dreams. The Discipline involves deep study of the minds of Name-Givers, what makes them work, their strengths and their weaknesses. Oneiromancers have a grasp of mental processes unparalleled outside of their Discipline, an ability to subtly control others without obvious effort. Oneiromancers themselves tend to be quiet, studiedly arrogant individuals, superbly confident in their command of the minds around them, but careful not to betray that control for fear of losing its power.

Their spellcasting is limited. Oneiromancers have access to Illusionist spells, but carry few matrices. Their dreaming and mind-control Talents more than make up for the lack of spell matrices.

Karma Ritual:
The oneiromancer picks out a Name-Giver in her vicinity, and focuses completely on this individual. The target's actions are studied. Slowly and carefully the oneiromancer brings her powers to bear, diverting the Name-Giver from his original purpose. Once an action is taken by the target that originates totally within the oneiromancer's mind, the ritual is complete. It is often difficult to tell that an oneiromancer is performing her karma ritual.

Skills: Oneiromancers must take Dream Interpretation as a Knowledge Skill.
Attributes: PER, WIL, CHA
Artisan Skills: Painting, Poetry

Circle 1

  1. Dream Reading *
  2. Karma Ritual
  3. Spellcasting
  4. Spell Matrix
  5. Spell Matrix
  6. Thread Weaving (Dream Weaving)

Circle 2

  1. Dream Recall *
  2. Durability (4/3)
  3. Evidence Analysis

Circle 3

  1. Dream Warding *
  2. Empathic Sense

Circle 4

Dream Range:
Distance from the dreamer may be increased for 1 point of Strain per range doubling.
  1. Book Memory
  2. Book Recall

Circle 5

Spell Defense +1
  1. Dream Sending *
  2. First Impression

Circle 6

Social Defense +1
  1. Dream Walking *
  2. Enhanced Matrix

Circle 7

Karma for Perception
  1. Dream Memory *
  2. Steely Stare

Circle 8

Spell Defense +1
  1. Mind Wave
  2. Waking Nightmares *

Circle 9

Amazing Intuition:
By observing any Name-Giver for at least 3 minutes, and making a PER roll against the target's Social Defense, the oneiromancer may learn a number of facts about the target, such as their Discipline, place of birth, last place visited, creatures fought, what they just purchased in a shop, etc. Facts that may not be learned from intense observation may not be determined, such as the rank of Threads the Name-Giver has woven. The number of facts depends on the success level: Average 2, Good 4, Excellent 7 and Extraordinary 10. A Poor success negates the ability, while a total failure gives the oneiromancer two incorrect impressions.
  1. Dream Working *
  2. Lip Reading
  3. Memorize Image

Circle 10

Social Defense +2
  1. Dream Combat *
  2. True Sight

Circle 11

Karma for WIL
Karma for CHA
  1. Armored Matrix
  2. Engaging Banter

Circle 12

Spell Defense +2
  1. Thought Link
  2. Thoughtful Expression

Circle 13

Change Their Minds:
By careful persuasion and logical argument, the oneiromancer may convince one Name-Giver to alter their views on any deeply-held belief, with the exception of their Discipline. Make a CHA roll against the target's WIL. An Average success leaves the target in severe doubt of their position. A Good success sways the target to the oneiromancer's side, but a strong argument or reminder could bring them back to their previous position. An Excellent success leaves the target convinced. An Extraordinary success indicates fanatical conversion. The target will argue persuasively and loudly for their new position, attempting to convince others of the truth of the revelation they've had. A Poor success invalidates the attempt. Total failure enrages the target, and they may attack the oneiromancer for questioning their beliefs. The effect of this ability will not show up as magical influence, as the target is swayed by primarily non-magical means. The oneiromancer may use this ability no more than three times in a day.
  1. Detect Influence
  2. Dream Slayer

Circle 14

Maximum Karma +25
+2 Recovery tests / day
  1. Dream Questing *
  2. Share Matrix

Circle 15

Spell Defense +2
Social Defense +1
  1. Safe Thought
  2. The Dreaming World

New Talents

Dreams are highly symbolic and vague. When attempting to derive meaning from them, the oneiromancer must consider the value of each symbol not only in general society, but for the person involved in specific. Extracting meaning from dreams requires the Knowledge Skill Dream Interpretation.

Range of Dream Talents is normally 10 feet per Talent rank. At Fourth Circle, the Discipline ability Dream Range is gained, allowing the oneiromancer to double the effective range at a cost of 1 point of Strain per increase. Thus, for 6 points of Strain, the oneiromancer could double the effective range 6 times.

Oneiromancers can use Dreaming Talents on anyone to whom they have woven a Thread, regardless of normal range restrictions. The Dream Weaving Talent is used as normal to attach Threads to pattern items. A Minor Pattern Item allows the use of dreaming Talents at the cost of two points of Strain. A Major Pattern Item allows the use of dreaming Talents with no Strain cost. Holding a Core Pattern Item gives a 5 step bonus to the use of all dreaming Talents against the target.

Dream Reading

Attribute: Per
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: N
Strain: 0
The oneiromancer can pick up information from the dreams of one specified Name-Giver within range. Roll the Talent step against the target's spell defense. An Average success gives a few fragments, a Good a more coherent picture, an Excellent a complete vision of the dream, and an Extraordinary gives the oneiromancer a partial interpretation of the dream's symbolic value. A Poor result gives no information, while a total failure wakes the dreamer with the uncomfortable sensation that someone has been rummaging about in his head.

Dream Recall

Attribute: Wil
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: N
Strain: 0
By rolling the Talent step against the target's Spell Defense, the oneiromancer can help others remember their past dreams. An Average success will bring back parts of last night's dreams, but in no particular order. A Good success allows the target to recall the previous night's dreaming in reasonable clarity. An Excellent success will retrieve a dream from the past week in full detail, while an Extraordinary success allows the target to remember any single dream from her entire life in perfect clarity. A Poor success brings back only a few muddled images. A total failure not only leaves the target confused as to whether or not they even dreamed the previous night, but also imposes a 3 step penalty on further attempts at dream retrieval for the night in question.

Dream Warding

Attribute: Wil
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: Y
Strain: 0
Dream Wards protect dreams against interference from outside sources. The oneiromancer rolls his Talent step against the target's Spell Defense. If the target is Horror Marked, then the oneiromancer must roll against the Horror's Horror Mark step. A successful roll will protect the target's dreams from influence for one night, with a defensive rating equal to the oneiromancer's roll result. Any attempt to alter the target's dreams must use the Dream Warding result as the target's Spell Defense. If the dream wards are defeated, the oneiromancer takes one point of strain per success level -- one for an Average, two for a Good and so on.

Dream Sending

Attribute: Wil
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: N
Strain: 2
Dream Sending enables the oneiromancer to cause the target to have a specific dream. The elements of the dream must be carefully planned out ahead of time. The oneiromancer must spend an hour meditating on the dream before attempting to send it. Roll the Talent step against the target's Spell Defense. An Average success places the major elements of the formulated dream into the target's dreams that night. A Good success works most of the planned symbols into a single dream. An Excellent success includes all of the planned elements and manages to give most of them the proper weight, while an Extraordinary success provides the target with the exact dream desired by the oneiromancer. A Poor success leaves the target with jumbled and uncomfortable dreams that night. A total failure sends the target into nightmares, featuring the planned elements in a negative fashion.

Dream Walking

Attribute: Per
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: Y
Strain: 0
Dream Walking is the ability to travel astrally into the target's dreams and observe them firsthand. The oneiromancer makes a Talent step roll against the target's Spell Defense. She may observe the target's dreams first-hand for a number of minutes equal to the result. On a Poor result, the target awakens, and on a total failure the target wakes up with the feeling of something having intruded itself into his mind. First-hand observation of dreams as they occur adds a 3 step bonus to interpretation.

Dream Memory

Attribute: Per
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: N
Strain: 0
A successful Dream Memory roll against the target's Spell Defense allows the target (which can be the oneiromancer) to recall past events in dreams. The event to be remembered must be specified before the attempt is made. An Average success brings back a partial recollection of the event, but no details are available. A Good success results in a thorough recollection, including the most important details (as viewed at the time, not as determined in retrospect). An Excellent success gives the target a full recollection of the event. An Extraordinary success allows the target to focus on peripheral details during the recollection. A Poor success brings no effect. A total failure brings up a completely unrelated memory, and imposes a 3 step penalty to future attempts to recall the specified event.

Waking Nightmares

Attribute: Wil
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: Y
Strain: 0
On a successful Talent step roll against the target's Spell Defense, the oneiromancer can make the dreamer remember terrifying visions from their own nightmares when awake. An Average success brings one episode the following day, a Good 2, an Excellent 4 and an Extraordinary 8. A Poor result negates the effect. A total failure raises the target's defense to dream interventions by 3 steps for 24 hours. The waking nightmare episodes will occur when least convenient -- in times of high stress, when the target is attempting to concentrate on something of vital importance, when being suspected of Horror taint. Each episode lasts about five minutes, during which the target experiences horrific visions and reacts to them as if real. On a successful WIL test against the oneiromancer's Waking Nightmares result, the target will know that the visions are not real, but will be Harried for the duration of the episode.

Dream Working

Attribute: Per
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: Y
Strain: 2
Where Dream Walking allows the oneiromancer to go into the target's dream and observe, Dream Working allows her to go into the dream and act. The oneiromancer's astral presence becomes a character in the target's dream. An Average success places the oneiromancer into the target's current dream as a pre-existing character. The role changes at the whim of the target. A Good success allows the oneiromancer more control over his role in the target's dream, allowing one voluntary character shift during the dreaming episode but leaving the dreamworker subject to involuntary shifts. Roll the target's WIL (or the Horror's if the dream is infested) against the oneiromancer's spell defense to force a change of character. Roll the oneiromancer's WIL against the target's Spell Defense (or the Horror's, if the dream is infested) plus any equipment bonus to produce equipment other than basic gear for the character shift. For example, if the oneiromancer shifts to the character of a Swordmaster, a blade comes with the shift, but a Forged Weapon or a Threaded Weapon would require a roll, against the target's Spell Defense plus the weapon damage bonus. An Excellent success allows the oneiromancer 4 character changes, gives a 3 step bonus against involuntary shifts and a 3 step bonus to create equipment. An Extraordinary success gives the oneiromancer unlimited shifts and immunity to involuntary ones, plus a 10 step bonus to create gear. A Poor result will still allow dream visitation, but the target will recognize the oneiromancer as an intruder and will see through any disguise. A total failure awakens the target with the oneiromancer's face in his mind, and a 3 step bonus for defense against dream interventions for the next 24 hours. Dream Working lasts for the effect roll in minutes. The oneiromancer may abandon a Dream Working by rolling his Talent step against the target's WIL. A failure reduces the success level of the entry roll. If the oneiromancer is attacked in the dream and does not have the Dream Combat Talent, the fight will go whichever way the dreamer prefers. Being killed out of a dream causes a Wound and 10 Strain.

Dream Combat

Attribute: Per
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: N
Strain: see below
Dream Combat is the art of fighting in the dreamscape. The oneiromancer uses this Talent when present in a dream in a manner that allows him to act (Dream Working, Dream Questing). Normal rules of combat apply. The oneiromancer will of course have whatever equipment he can produce or that is produced for him in a character shift. Use the Dream Combat step for the attack step, regardless of what form the combat takes. The weapon is, after all, only a dream symbol. It is the agility and strength of the dreamer's mind that determines the symbol's effectiveness. Damage is taken as Strain. Mental Horrors such as mindslugs that are infesting the dreams of the target may be slain in dreams, but the task is extraordinarily dangerous. All of the Horror's powers function normally. If the oneiromancer loses the combat, the Horror may slay him or may choose to Horror Mark him. On the other hand, if the oneiromancer can manage a character shift to a legendary troubadour or archer, and use his Dream Combat attack as a Confront Horror or Wind Bow attempt, he just might stand a chance.

Dream Slayer

Attribute: Wil
Discipline: None
Action: Y
Karma: Y
Strain: 4
The Talent that has done the most to earn oneiromancers their bad reputation, Dream Slayer allows them to kill the dreamer. The oneiromancer must spend an hour in meditation, and must have a thread woven to the intended victim before the attempt can be made. Step modifications for the type of Pattern item apply. Roll the Talent step against the target's Spell Defense. An Average success does the oneiromancer's WIL step in damage to the target each round for three rounds. A Good success does double damage each round for three rounds. An Excellent success sends the target into nightmare-ridden convulsions and does double the oneiromancer's WIL step every round for six rounds. An Extraordinary success slays the target, sending their spirit deep into the dreamworld. Only a Dream Quest or the intervention of a Passion can return the spirit of one slain in this fashion. A Poor success does the oneiromancer's WIL step in damage, but awakens the target in a cold sweat and raises their dreaming defense by 3 for the next day. A total failure awakens the target from a nightmare in which he sees the oneiromancer trying to kill him, and raises his dreaming defense by 6 for the next 3 days.

Dream Questing

Attribute: Per
Discipline: Oneiromancer
Action: Y
Karma: Y
Strain: 4
The most perilous of the dreaming Talents, Dream Questing sends the oneiromancer physically into the dream world. Entry can be made via any Name-Giver. The oneiromancer must spend 8 hours preparing for the quest. She must have a clear and well-defined goal in mind. Roll against the target's Spell Defense, with an Extraordinary success being required to allow entry. Once in the dream world, the oneiromancer can move through past dreams by making a Dream Working roll against a 15. Current dreams of new targets require a Dream Working roll against the target's Spell Defense, with a 3 step bonus in favor of the oneiromancer. The dream quest lasts until the goal is fulfilled, the oneiromancer is thrown out of the dream world or killed, or until the oneiromancer aborts the quest. Some entities, such as Horrors, may be able to evict the oneiromancer from the dream world. Aborting the quest takes another Dream Questing roll, with a Strain cost of 20 for an Average success, 15 for a Good success, 5 for an Excellent success and none for an Extraordinary. A Poor success gives the oneiromancer 30 Strain and sends her randomly into another dream. A total failure leaves the oneiromancer dreamlost. Any time the oneiromancer takes an action that does not directly apply to the goal of the quest, a WIL save must be made against a 15. An Average or Good success costs the oneiromancer 5 Strain. A Poor success throws the oneiromancer out of the dream world, landing next to the current dreamer. A total failure leaves the oneiromancer dreamlost, shifted into a random dream world, with no idea whether the dream is past, present or future. Reorienting and finding the way back takes a Dream Working roll against a 25. One attempt may be made each subjective hour. While Dream Questing, the oneiromancer may change characters and conjure gear as if Dream Working with an Extraordinary success. Becoming dreamlost reduces this to the equivalent of an Excellent success. Each failed attempt at reorienting reduces the Dream Working success equivalent by a level, down to Poor. After Poor, the oneiromancer becomes the current dream character, and loses her former identity and Pattern.

The Dreaming World

Attribute: Wil
Discipline: None
Action: Y
Karma: Y
Strain: 10
Used in conjunction with a Dream Quest, this legendary Talent allows the oneiromancer to bring dream elements into physical reality. Make a Dreaming World test against the Spell Defense of the item in question. An Average success brings the item out, but it fades after an hour, and has no magical powers. A Good success brings out the item, with its powers (if any) halved, and the item fades after a day. An Excellent success brings out the item, which will last for a year, with its powers halved. An Extraordinary success brings out the item permanently, with all powers intact. A Poor success brings out only an image of the item, that bursts into sparks and vanishes when touched by anyone beside the oneiromancer, or within five rounds, whichever comes first. A total failure brings out a Horror-cursed item that resembles the original target.

New Skill

Dream Interpretation

Dreams are complex stories containing highly symbolic elements. Extracting meaning from someone else's dreams requires knowledge of the most common meanings of symbols in the person's culture, as well as the ability to determine the dreamer's personal slant on those symbols. Interpreting dreams is partly analysis of the dreamer, partly interpretation of their culture, and partly trained intuition. Roll the skill step against a target number from the following table.
 
Dreamer Relationship Target #
Self 5
Close friend 7
Acquaintance 9
Stranger 12
Another race +4
Another culture +6
Thread woven -2
Pattern Item held -3

The level of success determines how well the dream is interpreted. A failure gives a totally inaccurate interpretation.

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