Occult Lore

by Keith Baker

Wizards study their academic magics in great halls of learning; sorcerers discover their spells through innate talent; clerics call upon the gods for a share of divine favor. But what of those magic-users who delve into the less well-charted realms of the mystic traditions? What of those who tap into the power of the heavenly spheres, or use the secret essences of the plant or mineral kingdoms to distill potent magical concoctions? Those whose gift lies in drawing spirits or elemental forces to do their bidding, or who can explore the twisting paths of a dreamer's mind? What of those whose very presence tampers with the familiar magic of arcane and divine spellcasters? All these find their place in Occult Lore. Occult Lore is the definitive tome of alternate D20 magic systems. This 240-page hardcover tome contains new spells, magic items, creatures, PC and NPC classes, prestige classes, domains, and in-depth rules for ten new magic Alchemy allows the Arcane Healer to tend to his patients in the absence of a Cleric, and the Grand Alchemist to pursue the immortality granted by just a drop of pure philosopher's gold. Astrology places the wisdom of the stars into the hands of mortals; horoscopes can predict a character's future, the most auspicious time to explore a dungeon, or let an Astrologer control the subject of a nativity from afar. Solar Hierophants embody the sun itself, becoming celestial creatures, while Lunar Mystagogues become the masters of magical secrecy, exerting their dark power over creatures of the earth and underworld. Elementalism turns the forces of air, earth, fire, and water to the will of the spellcaster, until the Elementalist tranforms herself into one of the elemental creatures she commands! Geomancy gives magic-users access to the power of ley lines, dowsing, and the innate magic of locations to enhance their mystic abilities -- sometimes beyond their own control -- or even to create fearsome zones of antimagic. Herbalism is the craft of the Wylderwitch and the Grand Herbalist -- the plants of the field become healing poultices and powders, magical concoctions that can extend or shorten life, or even Verdex that "bind" spells for later use.Occult Lore features Baird's Botanical, an extensive appendix describing twenty mundane and magical plants and the concoctions Herbalists can distill from them. Magical Imagination gives Heraldic Wanderers the ability to construct fabulous Memory Palaces from shadow and illusion. Oneiromancy grants access to the dream worlds where id-hounds roam, Lucid Dreamers manipulate dream reality to fit their own deepest desires, and secret knowledge or transient magic items are the treasures of a sleeping mind. Rational Magic lets science and Logic displace the power of magic. Rationalists strip targets of their spells and special abilities with well-reasoned argument, and even cancel the effects of magical weapons and armor. Spirit Cultivation is the Gleaner's art of capturing the fleeting remnants of a soul, and slowly teaching it the ways of power. Gleaners nuture these souls first in a cloak of remnants, then transfer them into reliquaries to invoke the skills and spells of the spirit, and finally use focal charms to control spirits with the power of the gods themselves!

Genres: Role Playing Games

240 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2002

About the author

I've been interested in games since I first fell under the sinister influence of the Dungeons & Dragons boxed set, back in sixth grade. Over the last few decades I have managed to turn gaming from a hobby into a career. Here is a list of the highlights of my life as a game designer. If you have any questions, let me know!

From 1994-2002, I fell into the computer games industry. My first job was with Magnet Interactive Studios, in Washington DC. Sadly, Magnet never managed to hit the big time as a game developer. I worked on a number of projects during my stay at Magnet; for a time I was lead designer on a game called BLUESTAR, a position that was held at other times by such roleplaying luminaries as Ken Rolston and Zeb Cook. However, the only work that ever saw the light of day was some level design on the abstract arcade game Icebreaker.

Magnet began a slow implosion in 1996, and along with a number of other people I went to work for a Colorado company called VR1. I started as lead designer on VR-1 Crossroads, a text-based MUD centered on warring conspiracies – The X-Files meets Illuminati, with a world of dreams thrown in for good measure. When VR1 decided to move away from text games, I started work on a graphical MMORPG based on the pulp serials. After a few twists and turns, the project ended up being known as Lost Continents. But early in 2002 I decided that I'd had enough of the computer games industry and left VR1 to focus on writing. Then in June of 2002, Wizards of the Coast announced their Fantasy Setting Search, and I thought: What about pulp fantasy? And the rest is history. . .


Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Love of Hopeless Causes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful color cover. Demystified some magical notions of the past. Good reference when considering the magic level of Fantasy worlds.

[Elton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote part of it. Elementalism is all mine. What we did, as a team, wrote a low powered book for Wizards and Sorcerers alike. Occult Lore and all of its pictures evoke a Medieval or Renaissance feel.