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Table of Contents
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These rules are from Spheres of Power: Dominion by Studio M—
Central to the great game of nations is the resource of Dominion, a pool of unique magic which is drawn from a character’s authority over other creatures or lands. Successful leadership naturally generates Dominion, but Dominion can also be transferred from one being to another or stolen through ritual execution. Likewise, poor leadership can deplete a character’s source of Dominion over time. Dominion is typically used in preserving or enhancing an organization’s strength, but can also be employed in a variety of magical endeavors.
Acquiring Dominion
There are four primary methods of acquiring Dominion, each of which requires different actions. A character can only obtain Dominion if they possess the Dominion Attunement feat, and the amount of Dominion they possess cannot exceed the amount allowed by the feats they possess. Any Dominion in excess of what the character could possess is lost. The methods to acquire Dominion are as follows.
Dominion through Kingdom Rule
Rulership of a kingdom is the most well-known method of acquiring Dominion, and generally the most effective. At the end of a kingdom turn’s upkeep phase, the kingdom generates an amount of Dominion equal to 10 x the number of districts in the kingdom. Any district with at least 18 lots filled counts as 2 districts, while any district with all 36 lots filled counts as 4 districts for the purpose of determining the amount of Dominion generated. Kingdoms also grant an amount of Dominion each month equal to the kingdom’s Fame or Infamy score, whichever is higher. Any Dominion generated by the kingdom is granted to the kingdom’s ruler or is divided evenly between all of the kingdom’s other leaders if the kingdom lacks a designated ruler. During a kingdom turn’s edict phase, the ruler may designate other leaders of the kingdom to automatically receive specified fractions of generated Dominion every kingdom turn, rounding each proportion down to the nearest whole number of Dominion (so if a kingdom of 14 districts without 21 filled lots in each had its Dominion designated among the ruler and ten leaders with equal shares, the ruler would receive 46 Dominion while each other leader would receive 23 Dominion).
An unfit or struggling ruler risks losing Dominion in times of crisis. At the end of a kingdom turn’s upkeep phase, the kingdom loses Dominion equal to 10 x the kingdom’s total size x the kingdom’s unrest. This Dominion cost is distributed evenly among all kingdom leaders who are receiving Dominion and is rounded up. When a kingdom falls into anarchy, all leaders who were receiving Dominion from the kingdom lose Dominion equal to the 10 x the original kingdom’s total number of districts + 10 x the original kingdom’s total size. These Dominion costs cannot bring a creature below 0 Dominion, but a kingdom does not generate any Dominion on a turn in which the sum total Dominion of all of its Dominion-receiving leaders is reduced from a positive number to 0.
Dominion through Faction Control
Control of a successful faction (Ultimate Kingdoms pg 160) generates Dominion for the faction’s members. At the end of a faction turn’s income phase, the faction generates an amount of Dominion equal to the faction’s size. As factions do not have established leaders or structures of leadership, any Dominion generated by the faction is granted to a single prominent member of the faction who is capable of possessing Dominion (any Dominion in excess of what this member can possess is lost). During a faction turn’s operations phase, this member may designate other willing members of the faction to automatically receive specified fractions of generated Dominion every faction turn, rounding each proportion down to the nearest whole number of Dominion (so if a faction of size 11 had its Dominion designated among three members with equal shares, each would receive 3.66 Dominion, rounded down to 3 Dominion).
Poor control of a faction can also impair one’s Dominion. At the end of a faction turn’s upkeep phase, the faction loses Dominion equal to its tension. This Dominion cost is distributed evenly among all members who are receiving Dominion from the faction and is rounded up. When a faction splinters, all members who were receiving Dominion from the faction lose Dominion equal to the original faction’s size. These Dominion costs cannot bring a creature below 0 Dominion, but a faction does not generate any Dominion on a turn in which the sum total Dominion of all of its Dominion-receiving members is reduced from a positive number to 0.
Transferring Dominion
A creature who possesses Dominion may transfer any Dominion they possess to another willing target in a process known as a Rite of Transference. A Rite of Transference takes 1 hour and requires all creatures who transfer or receive Dominion to be in physical contact for the entire duration. At the end of the Rite of Transference, any participating creature may transfer as much Dominion as they wish to any other creature which participated in the Rite. It is typical for a leader to transfer all of their Dominion to a single successor before abdicating their position, or to transfer some of their Dominion to a victorious rival as part of the terms of surrender.
A creature who possesses Dominion may also designate any willing targets to receive their Dominion upon the creature’s death, a process known as the Rite of Succession. A Rite of Succession takes 12 hours in which the creature names any number of specific targets known as successors to receive designated fractions of their Dominion (such as two targets each receiving half of the creature’s Dominion, or one target receiving 40% of Dominion while three others each receive 20%). When the designating creature dies, any Dominion they possessed upon death is immediately transferred to their successors in the proportions decided during the Rite of Succession, rounding each proportion down to the nearest whole number of Dominion. Should the designating creature later be resurrected, they do not regain any of their Dominion.
If a successor is ineligible to receive Dominion (either because they cannot possess Dominion or already possess their maximum possible amount of Dominion), the remaining Dominion is divided evenly among other successors who are eligible. A creature is not necessarily aware of when they are named in a Rite of Succession. A Rite of Succession performed at a later date invalidates any previous Rites of Succession the creature has performed.
If a creature who possesses Dominion dies without designating successors, their Dominion is not lost but rather becomes scattered, spreading out randomly among the creature’s allies, members of their faction, and citizens of their kingdom. The ultimate arrangement of Dominion following an unsucceeded character’s death should ultimately be left to GM discretion.
Stealing Dominion
Although Dominion is typically transferred to designated heirs upon a character’s death, certain techniques can divert this power from its typical host. When a creature is killed by a coup de grace from a creature who has the Dominion Attunement or Signifier of Dominion feat, any Dominion the slain creature possesses is transferred to the killing creature rather than passing to designated successors. Leaders with the capacity to retain a great deal of Dominion may thus carry out executions personally, while those who don’t may have a designated executioner with the Signifier of Dominion feat.
Using Dominion
Dominion has a variety of practical applications in rulership,
Additional Improvements
During the edicts phase of a kingdom turn, a leader may spend 80 Dominion to build an additional new settlement, 40 Dominion to build an additional new building, 40 Dominion to build an additional terrain improvement, or 60 Dominion to claim an additional hex. Leaders of a kingdom may take each of these actions once each turn.
Additional Operations
During the operations phase of a faction turn, a character may spend 5 Dominion to perform an additional operation, paying WP and rolling checks as normal for the operation. Faction members may perform additional operations by spending Dominion, but each additional operation beyond the first costs a cumulative 5 additional Dominion (10 for the second operation, 15 for the third, etc) and a faction cannot take more than twice its normal number of operations each turn.
Craft Dominion Item
Dominion may be spent in place of gold pieces when crafting a Beacon, Monument, or Spellzone. Each point of spent dominion is worth 400 gold pieces.
Dominion Magic
Dominion may be spent to fuel powerful spells or craft potent magic items. See the chapter on Dominion Magic for further details.
Improve Faction Check
When a character makes a faction check, they may spend any amount of Dominion before making the roll. For every point of Dominion they spend, they receive a +1 bonus to the roll.
Improve Kingdom Check
When a leader makes a kingdom check, they may spend any amount of Dominion before making the roll. For every 10 points of Dominion they spend, they receive a +1 bonus to the roll.
Reduce BP Cost
Whenever a leader pays BP for any reason, they reduce the BP cost by 1 for every 10 points of Dominion they spend. This cannot reduce a BP cost below 1.
Reduce WP Cost
Whenever a faction member pays WP for any reason, they reduce the WP cost by 1 for every point of Dominion they spend. This cannot reduce a WP cost below 1.
Revised Elites Recruitment Options
The Recruitment Edicts in Ultimate Kingdoms represent a substantially more detailed take on army recruitment than Ultimate Campaign, but the class-based structure of Elites Recruitment ultimately fails not only as a result of its class-specific mechanics but also the logistical questions evoked by those mechanics (for example, ninjas and samurai representing foreigners in every kingdom which employs them). An alternative system based on spheres rather than classes is presented here.
Elites
A kingdom’s Elites percentage (detailed on page 11 of Ultimate Kingdoms) represents the total number of your population that can be recruited as 3rd-level warriors or 2nd-level characters of any PC class. Unlike manpower, you cannot exceed this percentage. Additional elite soldiers simply do not exist to be recruited from your population (mercenaries are not affected by manpower or elites percentages, however). Higher-level elites can also be recruited, though this reduces the number of available elite soldiers as follows. Creatures without levels may also be recruited through these means, using their CR as their effective level to determine the maximum possible number which can be recruited. Such armies gain the appropriate special abilities based on the classes, levels, and other features of the characters comprising them. Creatures of a level higher than the nation’s ruler cannot be recruited into armies.
| Level | Number Available |
|---|---|
| 3rd | 75% of normal elite manpower (¾) |
| 4th | 50% of normal elite manpower (½) |
| 5th | 25% of normal elite manpower (¼) |
| 6th | 10% of normal elite manpower (1/10) |
| 7th | 5% of normal elite manpower (1/20) |
| 8th | 2% of normal elite manpower (1/50) |
| 9th | 1% of normal elite manpower (1/100) |
| 10th | .5% of normal elite manpower (1/200) |
| 11th | .25% of normal elite manpower (1/400) |
| 12th | .125% of normal elite manpower (1/800) |
| 13th+ | .½ the percentage of the previous level (1/1600 for 13th, 1/3200 for 14th, etc) |
Building Requirements
Recruiting elite soldiers must be done in a settlement, not a Fort, and requires one or more additional buildings to be present in that settlement, in addition to a Barracks, Castle, or Garrison. Each building provides access to one or more spheres that armies recruited in that settlement may possess, and an army recruited from a settlement with no such buildings may only possess talents from the Equipment sphere. Multiple instances of the same type of building may be built in a settlement, in which case each additional instance provides a new array of spheres that may be selected (for example, a settlement might have 3 military academies, allowing access to the Beastmastery, Duelist, Fencing, Guardian, Scout, and Warleader spheres).
Academy: 2 magic or combat spheres
Alchemist: 1 magic or combat sphere
Arena: 4 combat spheres
Bardic College: 2 magic or combat spheres
Black Market: 2 magic or combat spheres
Caster’s Tower: 1 magic sphere
Cathedral: 4 magic spheres
Exotic Artisan: 1 magic or combat sphere
Foreign Quarter: 2 magic or combat spheres
Guildhall: 2 magic or combat spheres
Herbalist: 1 magic or combat sphere
Library: 1 magic sphere
Magic Shop: 1 magic sphere
Magical Academy: 2 magic spheres
Menagerie: 2 combat spheres
Military Academy: 2 combat spheres
Monastery: 2 combat spheres
Museum: 2 magic or combat spheres
Observatory: 1 magic sphere
Shrine: 1 magic sphere
Tavern: 1 combat sphere
Temple: 2 magic spheres
University: 4 magic or combat spheres
Character Options
Feats
Dominion Attunement
Benefit: You may possess up to 20 points of Dominion. Whenever you have at least 10 points of Dominion, you gain one of the following benefits, chosen when you gain this feat. All benefits from this feat, Dominion Excellence, and Dominion Supremacy are considered supernatural abilities.
- Endowment of Essence: You gain 1 additional point of essence, plus an additional point of essence for every 4 character levels you possess.
- Force of Authority: You ignore the first point of damage reduction or hardness which would be applied to your weapon damage rolls.
- Mage’s Boon: You gain an additional spell point, plus an additional spell point for every 3 character levels you possess.
- Path to Success: Whenever you succeed on a skill check, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to the next skill check of that type you make within the next hour.
- Ruler’s Adaptation: You gain a single auxiliary origin talent or utility origin talent which you meet the prerequisites for. Whenever you rest for 8 hours, you may exchange this talent for another auxiliary or utility talent which you meet the prerequisites for.
Special: This feat and any feat which uses it as a prerequisite may be selected as a bonus feat for the Bonus Feat Oath Boon
Dominion Excellence
Prerequisites: Dominion Attunement, Character level 5th
Benefit: You may possess up to 100 points of Dominion. Whenever you have at least 50 points of Dominion, you gain one of the following benefits, chosen when you gain this feat.
- Agent of Propaganda: When you are leading a kingdom, you may choose to apply your kingdom leader bonus to Loyalty rather than having the addition be determined by your role. You may change which score you are granting a bonus to at the start of every kingdom phase.
- Agent of Prosperity: When you are leading a kingdom, you may choose to apply your kingdom leader bonus to Economy rather than having the addition be determined by your role. You may change which score you are granting a bonus to at the start of every kingdom phase.
- Agent of Structure: When you are leading a kingdom, you may choose to apply your kingdom leader bonus to Stability rather than having the addition be determined by your role. You may change which score you are granting a bonus to at the start of every kingdom phase.
- Blessings of Fortune: Each kingdom turn, you may maintain the endowments for one building, allowing the kingdom to ignore the consumption cost of those endowments. At 10th level and every 5 levels thereafter, you can maintain the endowment for an additional building. This does not require the use of an Endowment Edict
- Cultural Exemplar: All settlements in a kingdom you control gain a +1 bonus to one of the following stats and a -1 penalty to another of the stats, both of which are chosen when you select this ability: Corruption, Crime, Economy, Law, Lore, and Society
- Efficient Dominion: The Dominion cost of any Dominion Magic Effects you create are reduced by half your character level, to a minimum of 1.
- Fleet Advance: The speed of any army you lead is increased by 1.
- Flexible Generalship: When leading an army, you may automatically succeed at a Morale check to change tactics once per battle.
- Fortunate Leadership: Any bonuses you provide to Economy, Loyalty, or Stability for fulfilling a leadership role in a kingdom increase by 2.
- Grand Diplomat: When making a Diplomacy or Intimidate check as part of a Diplomatic Edict, you add your character level to any such check
- Mantle of Rule: You may shape and bind an additional veil, and this veil may be bound to any slot which you can bind (even if there is another veil bound to that slot).
- Ruler’s Circle: When using Dominion Magic, you may allow other leaders or faction members to join you, increasing the caster level of the Dominion Magic Effect from additional members in the same manner as the caster level of a magic sphere effect is improved through Circle Casting. Participating in this way prevents leaders from using Dominion Magic on the same kingdom turn and costs one additional operation for every 2 participants who contribute to the Dominion Magic.
- Underminer: Once per month, when a faction you are part of takes the kingdom subversion action, you may increase the total penalty by your highest ability score modifier
Dominion Supremacy
Prerequisites: Dominion Attunement, Dominion Excellence, Character level 11th
Benefit: You may possess any amount of Dominion. Whenever you have at least 500 points of Dominion, you gain one of the following benefits, chosen when you gain this feat.
- Assured Command: Whenever you roll a 3 or lower on a skill check, you may treat the roll as if you had rolled a 4.
- Blade of Providence: You gain a +2 bonus to all weapon attack and weapon damage rolls
- Compounding Triumph: Whenever you use the Vital Strike feat, you roll one additional instance of the weapon’s base damage dice.
- Facilitated Magic: Whenever you would spend 5 or more spell points on a single magic sphere effect, reduce the total spell point cost by 1.
- Force of Nations: Whenever you succeed at a combat maneuver check, you may treat the result as 5 higher for the purpose of determining the maneuver’s effects
- Imperial Plentitude: Whenever you create a magic sphere effect using a [mass] talent, you may spend an additional spell point to affect up to twice as many creatures within range.
- Insights of Rule: You gain a single feat which you meet the prerequisites for. Whenever you rest for 8 hours, you may exchange this feat for another feat which you meet the prerequisites for. You may not select Extra Dominion Gifts with this feat
- Remnants of Power: When you create a magic sphere effect with a duration of at least 10 minutes per caster level, you may increase the duration to 24 hours
- Ruler’s Focus: You may gain an additional instance of martial focus
- Unyielding: You are immune to fear effects (magical or otherwise)
- Vast Domain: Treat your caster level as 5 higher for the purpose of calculating the area of any of your magic sphere effects.
Erect Monument [Item Creation]
Prerequisites: Dominion Attunement, caster level 5th
Benefit: You may create and modify beacons and monuments
Extra Dominion Gifts
Prerequisites: Dominion Attunement
Benefit: Choose one of the selectable benefits from the Dominion Attunement feat which you did not select. You gain the selected benefit in addition to any normal benefits from the feat so long as you possess the requisite Dominion (for example, a character who has selected Mage’s Boon may take this feat to also gain the benefits of Ruler’s Adaptation). If you possess the Dominion Excellence or Dominion Supremacy feats, you may instead select options from those feats.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times, each time selecting a different ability.
Kingslayer [Combat]
Benefits: You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls against creatures who possess Dominion
Special: If you possess the Divination sphere, you may use the Divine Dominion, Divine Rulership, and Divine Rulership divinations as if you could possess Dominion. If you possess the favored enemy class feature, you add your favored enemy bonus to attack and damage rolls made against creatures with Dominion rather than the normal bonus from this feat.
Signifier of Dominion
Benefit: You may possess any amount of Dominion. However, you may not use this Dominion in any way except to transfer it to another creature through a Rite of Transference or Rite of Succession.
Special: You may not take the Dominion Attunement feat if you possess this feat, nor may you take this feat if you possess the Dominion Attunement feat
Magic Talents
Divination Sphere
Any creature who has the ability to possess Dominion gains the following Alternate Divinations
Divine Dominion
You may divine for creatures who possess Dominion. The strength of a Dominion aura is determined according to Table: Divine Dominion. If a creature does not possess Dominion but is designated as a successor, it shows up with a dim aura.
Table: Divine Dominion
| Dominion | Strength | Lingering Aura Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Designated as successor | Dim | 1 round |
| 1-20 | Faint | 1d6 rounds |
| 21-100 | Moderate | 1d6 minutes |
| 101-500 | Strong | 1d6 x 10 minutes |
| 501+ | Overwhelming | 1d6 days |
Divine Relation: You may divine blood relations between two creatures in the area (such as if creatures are parent and child, brother and sister, cousins, aunt and nephew, etc). A target’s Will save prevents you from determining its exact relationship with another creature, and only one subject needs to succeed at this save to prevent you from determining its relationship with another creature. (So, for instance, if two brothers are in the area and one succeeds at his Will save, you could tell that they are siblings, but could not distinguish whether they are full- or half-siblings.)
Divine Rulership: You may divine if the region you are in belongs to any existing kingdom, including if it is a vassal or colony of an existing kingdom. This divination also determines if the kingdom is in a state of anarchy.
Dominion Magic
Access to Dominion gives characters the ability to utilize Dominion Magic, a form of spellcasting which is capable of influencing events across an entire faction, kingdom, or even beyond. Similar to rituals, Dominion magic generally requires access to a specific sphere of magic in addition to the expenditure of Dominion and BP. If a character has insufficient Dominion or BP to pay for the cost of Dominion Magic, the effect fails. In a game that doesn’t use Spheres of Power, the Dominion Magic Effects a character has access to is dependent on which spells they know or have prepared. A character must know or prepare at least three spells from a specific school of magic in order to use a Dominion Magic Effect which lists that school as a required school.
A character may only use Dominion Magic if they are part of a faction or a leader of a kingdom. Use of Dominion Magic is time- and resource-intensive, requiring a faction to select the Use Dominion Magic Operation. A kingdom can choose to create a Dominion Magic Effect in place of building a new settlement, claiming a new hex, or building a new terrain improvement, but each of the kingdom’s leaders can only create one Dominion Magic Effect each turn.
Multiple leaders or faction members may contribute to a Dominion Magic Effect, using the highest caster level between members and any spheres the participating members have access to in order to determine the Dominion Magic Effect.
The caster level for a Dominion Magic effect is equal to the character’s unaltered caster level for one of the required spheres or the class which provides at least one of the required spells. Temporary bonuses do not apply to caster level, but ley lines which grant a caster level bonus to an effect’s required sphere or spell apply the same bonus to Dominion Magic Effects used by an attuned character. If multiple characters participate, Dominion expenditure may be divided up among participants.
A faction, settlement, or kingdom can only be affected by one instance of a specific Dominion Magic Effect at a time. Attempting to affect an target under the effect of the same Magic Sphere Effect requires you to succeed at an MSB check against the original effect’s MSD (or, if not using spheres, a check of 1d20 + your caster level against 11 + the targeted effect’s caster level).
If a Dominion Effect has a duration of Iteration, the effect requires expenditure of additional Dominion every subsequent operations or edict phase after it is initially cast, with the amount listed in parentheses. If a character does not wish to pay or cannot pay the listed Dominion amount during the operations or edict phase, the effect ends.
Faction Operations
Use Dominion Magic (Active)
Members of the faction create a Dominion Magic Effect, with participants spending Dominion as normal.
Dominion Magic Effects
Several Dominion Magic Effects reference settlement size. A settlement’s size is tied to its settlement type, as indicated on the table below.
Table: Settlement Sizes
| Settlement Type | Population Range | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Thorpe | Fewer than 20 | 1 |
| Hamlet | 21–60 | 2 |
| Village | 61–200 | 3 |
| Small town | 201–2,000 | 4 |
| Large town | 2,001–5,000 | 5 |
| Small city | 5,001–10,000 | 6 |
| Large city | 10,001–25,000 | 7 |
| Metropolis | More than 25,000 | 8 |
Alter Cohesion
Required Sphere: Mind or War
Required School: Enchantment
Target: 1 faction, settlement, or kingdom
Dominion Cost: 2 x faction size, 5 x settlement size, or 20 x kingdom size
Duration: Iteration (½ faction size, settlement size, or 5 x kingdom size)
The target’s integrity is challenged or asserted. If the target is a faction, its power value is increased or decreased by 1. If the target is a settlement, its crime and corruption values are increased or decreased by 1. If the target is a kingdom, its stability value is increased or decreased by 1. This increase or decrease improves by 1 for every 5 caster levels you possess.
Alter Opinion
Required Sphere: Illusion or Mind
Required School: Illusion
Target: 1 faction, settlement, or kingdom
Dominion Cost: 2 x faction size, 4 x settlement size, or 20 x kingdom size
Duration: Iteration (½ faction size, settlement size, or 5 x kingdom size)
The target’s image is swayed positively or negatively in the eyes of its members. If the target is a faction, its reputation value is increased or decreased by 1. If the target is a settlement, its economy and society values are increased or decreased by 1. If the target is a kingdom, its loyalty value is increased or decreased by 1. This increase or decrease improves by 1 for every 5 caster levels you possess.
Alter Prosperity
Required Sphere: Creation or Life
Required School: Transmutation
Target: 1 faction, settlement, or kingdom
Dominion Cost: 2 x faction size, 4 x settlement size, or 20 x kingdom size
Duration: Iteration (½ faction size, settlement size, or 5 x kingdom size)
The target increases or decreases in productivity. If the target is a faction, its resources value is increased or decreased by 1. If the target is a settlement, its economy value is increased or decreased by 1. If the target is a kingdom, its economy value is increased or decreased by 1. This increase or decrease improves by 1 for every 5 caster levels you possess.
Augment Army
Required Sphere: Alteration or Enhancement
Required School: Transmutation
Target: 1 army, plus an additional army per 5 caster levels
Dominion Cost: see text
Duration: Iteration (see text)
You increase or diminish the strength of targeted armies. The OM and DV of targeted armies is either increased or reduced by 1, plus an additional 1 for every 5 caster levels (minimum 0).
Table: Augment Army Cost
| Target Army Size | Dominion Cost | Iteration Dominion Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hero (1 soldier) | 1 | 1 |
| Patrol (5 soldiers) | 2 | 1 |
| Squad (10 soldiers) | 5 | 3 |
| Platoon (20 soldiers) | 10 | 5 |
| Company (50 soldiers) | 15 | 8 |
| Battalion (100 soldiers) | 20 | 10 |
| Regiment (200 soldiers) | 40 | 25 |
| Brigade (500 soldiers) | 100 | 50 |
| Legion (1000+ soldiers) | 200 | 100 |
Note: This table uses the modified army size rules from Ultimate Kingdom
Confer Peerage
Required Sphere: Blood or Life
Required School: Transmutation
Target: 1 creature who must be present for the Dominion Magic Effect.
Dominion Cost: 500
Duration: Instantaneous
Used sparingly to designate a particularly noteworthy successor, this effect grants the chosen target either Dominion Attunement or Signifier of Dominion as a bonus feat. In addition, any divinations regarding the target’s blood relations designate the target as being related to the caster in a way the caster chooses.
Cover of Night
Required Sphere: Dark or Weather
Required School: Illusion
Target: 1 army, plus an additional army per 5 caster levels
Dominion Cost: see text
Duration: Iteration (see text)
Strange fog covers the targeted armies, making them difficult to detect. The army’s camouflage value increases by 2 plus an additional 2 per 5 caster levels. The cost of this Dominion Effect is dependent on the army’s size as listed on Table: Cover of Night/Eyes of Day Army Cost.
Table: Cover of Night/Eyes of Day Army Cost
| Target Army Size | Dominion Cost | Iteration Dominion Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hero (1 soldier) | 1 | 1 |
| Patrol (5 soldiers) | 2 | 1 |
| Squad (10 soldiers) | 4 | 2 |
| Platoon (20 soldiers) | 6 | 3 |
| Company (50 soldiers) | 10 | 5 |
| Battalion (100 soldiers) | 14 | 7 |
| Regiment (200 soldiers | 20 | 10 |
| Brigade (500 soldiers) | 30 | 15 |
| Legion (1000+ soldiers) | 40 | 20 |
Note: This table uses the modified army size rules from Ultimate Kingdom
Crisis of Control
Required Sphere: Illusion or War
Required Spell: Enchantment
Target: 1 faction or kingdom
Dominion Cost: 3 x faction size or 30 x kingdom size
Duration: Iteration (faction size, or 10 x kingdom size)
The target’s ability to maintain authority improves or decreases. If the target is a faction, its tension value is increased or decreased by 10. If the target is a kingdom, its unrest value is increased or decreased by 1. This increase or decrease improves by 10 (for tension) or 1 (for unrest) for every 10 caster levels you possess.
Dispel Dominion Magic
Required Sphere: Destruction or Mana
Required School: Abjuration
Target: 1 faction, settlement, or kingdom
Dominion Cost: 3 x faction size, 6 x settlement size, or 30 x kingdom size
Duration: Instantaneous
Make an MSB check against a single Dominion Magic Effect’s MSD on the target. On a success, the Dominion Magic Effect is dispelled, ending immediately. If you do not know of any Dominion Magic Effects on the target, a random effect is dispelled. For every 5 caster levels you possess, you may dispel an additional effect with this Dominion Magic Effect, so long as the initial MSB check exceeds any other dispelled effects’ MSD.
Eyes of Day
Required Sphere: Alteration or Light
Required School: Divination
Target: 1 army, plus an additional army per 5 caster levels
Dominion Cost: see text
Duration: Iteration (see text)
The armies become more adept at identifying foes. The army’s scouting value increases by 2 plus an additional 2 per 5 caster levels. The cost of this Dominion Effect is dependent on the army’s size as listed on Table: Cover of Night/Eyes of Day Army Cost.
Feast and Famine
Required Sphere: Fallen Fey or Weather
Required School: Transmutation
Target: 1 kingdom
Dominion Cost: 25 x kingdom size
Duration: Iteration (10 x kingdom size)
The target kingdom is provided with bountiful plenty or stark shortage. The kingdom’s consumption is increased or decreased by 1, plus an additional 1 for every 5 caster levels.
Fortified Position
Required Sphere: Protection or Telekinesis
Required School: Abjuration
Target: 1 settlement, plus an additional settlement per 5 caster levels
Dominion Cost: 20
Duration: Iteration (10)
You strengthen any fortifications you possess. The target settlements have their Defense increased by 1 plus an additional 1 for every 5 caster levels.
Future Loan
Required Sphere: Creation or Time
Required School: Conjuration
Target: 1 faction which you belong to or 1 kingdom where you are a leader
Dominion Cost: 10 or 100
Duration: Instantaneous, see text
You borrow wealth from the future. Upon casting this spell, you gain either 10 WP (if you spent 10 Dominion) or 10 BP (if you spent 100 Dominion). This amount increases by an additional WP or BP for every caster level you possess. At the end of your next kingdom turn, you lose a number of WP or BP equal to the amount gained from this spell.
Identify Dominion Magic
Required Sphere: Divination or Light
Required School: Divination
Target: 1 faction, settlement, or kingdom
Dominion Cost: faction size, 2 x settlement size, or 10 x kingdom size
Duration: Instantaneous
You immediately become aware of all Dominion Magic Effects on the target. For any specific Dominion Magic Effects, you may make an MSB check against the Dominion Magic Effect’s MSD. On a success, you learn the faction or kingdom which the caster is currently associated with.
Inviolable Border
Required Sphere: Fallen Fey or Warp
Required School: Abjuration
Target: kingdom you control
Dominion Cost: 50 x kingdom size
Duration: Iteration (25 x kingdom size)
Any foes who attempt to enter or leave your territory find the affair difficult. Whenever an army attempts to move into or out of a kingdom protected by this effect, they must make a morale check against the caster level of this effect. On a failure, the army cannot attempt to enter or exit the kingdom again until the next kingdom turn. Every failed attempt to enter or exit gives the army a cumulative +1 bonus to the next morale check made to enter or exit the kingdom, stacking until the check succeeds. The ruler of the kingdom may allow certain creatures or armies to move freely through this effect without having to make a check.
Ley Line Augmentation
Required Sphere: Enhancement or Mana
Required School: Evocation
Target: 1 ley line
Dominion Cost: 10
Duration: Iteration (2)
You change the strength of a ley line, increasing or decreasing any caster level bonuses it provides by 1 plus an additional 1 for every 10 caster levels. This cannot increase a ley line’s total bonus beyond +5 or below 0
Planar Enlistment
Required Sphere: Conjuration or Fate
Required School: Conjuration
Target: 1 faction
Dominion Cost: faction size
Duration: Iteration (½ faction size)
You draw in aligned agents who serve your goals. The faction can take one additional operation each faction turn, plus an additional action for every 10 caster levels.
Provident Ally
Required Sphere: Divination or Fate
Required School: Divination
Target: kingdom you control.
Dominion Cost: 20
Duration: Instantaneous
You locate a competent individual within a kingdom you control who can fulfill a role of leadership. As part of creating this Dominion Magic Effect, you name a kingdom leader position. The spell then identifies the name and appearance of an individual with the capability and willingness to fulfill that position. The creature is of an alignment you specify and has an ability score relevant to selected kingdom role equal to 14 + 2 for every 5 caster levels. As part of creating this Dominion Magic Effect, you may transport the selected individual to your kingdom’s capitol.
Raise Magical Army
Required Sphere: Conjuration or Death
Required School: Necromancy
Target: 1 hex
Dominion Cost: see text
Duration: Iteration (see text)
You create an army of undead or summoned creatures, plus an additional army for every 5 caster levels you possess. All of these armies appear in a single hex you control and are made up of soldiers with stats identical to a single creature you can create, bind, or summon through magic sphere effects (this includes creatures summoned or created through the use of abilities from other spheres, such as animated objects created using the enhancement sphere). You do not need to pay consumption for these armies, but must pay normally to outfit them with equipment. These armies immediately vanish if you do not pay their iteration cost, but do not count towards the maximum number of armies a kingdom may have at a time.
Table: Raise Magical Army Cost
| Target Army Size | Dominion Cost | Iteration Dominion Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hero (1 soldier) | 4 | 2 |
| Patrol (5 soldiers) | 8 | 4 |
| Squad (10 soldiers) | 16 | 8 |
| Platoon (20 soldiers) | 32 | 16 |
| Company (50 soldiers) | 64 | 32 |
| Battalion (100 soldiers) | 128 | 64 |
| Regiment (200 soldiers | 256 | 128 |
| Brigade (500 soldiers) | 512 | 256 |
| Legion (1000+ soldiers) | 1024 | 512 |
Note: This table uses the modified army size rules from Ultimate Kingdom
Ruin
Required Sphere: Destruction or Nature
Required School: Evocation
Target: 1 building or terrain improvement, plus an additional building or terrain improvement per 5 caster levels
Dominion Cost: 40 x the distance in hexes from your current hex
Duration: Instantaneous
You destroy a number of buildings or terrain improvements within a kingdom. The targeted buildings or terrain improvements are nonfunctional and grant no benefits until repaired at half the building cost
Sow Plague
Required Sphere: Blood or Death
Required School: Necromancy
Target: 1 hex, plus an additional hex per 5 caster levels
Dominion Cost: 40
Duration: Instantaneous
You begin a plague kingdom event starting in each of the targeted hexes. The rulers of the hexes roll to resolve the event normally.
Terraform
Required Sphere: Nature or Telekinesis
Required School: Transmutation
Target: 1 hex, plus an additional hex per 5 caster levels
Dominion Cost: see text
Duration: Instantaneous.
You transform a number of hexes you control into terrains of a different type, chosen when you create this effect. Existing settlements and terrain improvements within these hexes adapt to their new surroundings without the need to expend additional resources unless they cannot be built on the new terrain type. The Dominion cost of this effect is based on the original terrain type of the hexes affected
Table: Terraform Dominion Cost
| Terrain Type | Dominion cost per hex |
| Cavern | 25 |
| Desert | 20 |
| Forest | 20 |
| Hills | 15 |
| Jungle | 30 |
| Marsh | 25 |
| Mountains | 30 |
| Plains | 10 |
| Water | 40 |
Transport Army
Required Sphere: Time or Warp
Required School: Conjuration
Target: 1 army per caster level
Dominion Cost: see text
Duration: Instantaneous
You transport one or more armies through a realm. The Dominion cost to transport an army is dependent on each army’s size and how far it is moved. Any movement into hexes you do not control or of armies you do not control costs twice as much Dominion, and this doubling is cumulative (so moving an enemy army into enemy territory costs four times the normal amount of Dominion).
Table: Transport Army Cost
| Target Army Size | Dominion Cost |
|---|---|
| Hero (1 soldier) | 1 x number of hexes moved |
| Patrol (5 soldiers) | 2 x number of hexes moved |
| Squad (10 soldiers) | 4 x number of hexes moved |
| Platoon (20 soldiers) | 6 x number of hexes moved |
| Company (50 soldiers) | 8 x number of hexes moved |
| Battalion (100 soldiers) | 10 x number of hexes moved |
| Regiment (200 soldiers) | 12 x number of hexes moved |
| Brigade (500 soldiers) | 16 x number of hexes moved |
| Legion (1000+ soldiers) | 20 x number of hexes moved |
Note: This table uses the modified army size rules from Ultimate Kingdom
Ward Realm
Required Sphere: Dark or Protection
Required School: Abjuration
Target: 1 faction, settlement, or kingdom
Dominion Cost: 5 x faction size, 10 x settlement size, or 50 x kingdom size
Duration: Iteration (faction size, 2 x settlement size, or 10 x kingdom size)
You shield the target from external magics. Whenever a creature not affiliated with your kingdom or faction tries to affect the target with Dominion Magic, they must roll an MSB check against your MSD or lose the effect.
Magic Items
Beacons
Beacons are magic items which allow a character to activate Dominion Magic Effects without magical ability. A character may activate a beacon in place of using Dominion Magic whenever they could use Dominion Magic, using the beacon’s caster level. Beacons still cost Dominion to activate and use, each activation and iteration requiring the expenditure of Dominion equal to the amount normally necessary to create or perpetuate the effect. This Dominion is provided by the beacon’s user, although multiple creatures may spend Dominion together to activate a beacon.
A beacon can take any form ranging from a personal keepsake to a throne to a large public display. In order to create a beacon, a character must have the Erect Monument feat as well as the caster level and magic spheres necessary to create the beacon’s effect. The cost of creating a beacon is equal to 100 gp x the caster level of the Dominion Magic Effect created by the beacon. The construction of monuments can be paid for using WP or BP at a rate of 4,000 gp per 1 BP spent or 400 gp per 1 WP spent.
Monuments
Monuments are magic items capable of storing Dominion, allowing it to be preserved during times of trouble or for use by future leaders.
A monument is typically a stationary structure which generally stands at least 10 feet tall, but some can be much larger or even small enough to be carried on a person. A character in contact with a monument may invest any Dominion they possess into the monument or withdraw invested Dominion from the monument in a process which takes 1 hour. Alternatively, a monument may be attuned to one or more existing Dominion Magic Effects, automatically paying the effects’ iteration costs from the monument’s invested Dominion (any such effect ends automatically if the monument cannot pay its iteration costs and no other creature pays the dominion cost). Each monument is limited in how much Dominion it may store.
Creating a Monument
In order to create a monument, a character must have the Erect Monument feat. The cost of creating a monument is equal to 40 gp x the maximum amount of Dominion the monument is capable of storing. The construction of monuments can be paid for using WP or BP at a rate of 4,000 gp per 1 BP spent or 400 gp per 1 WP spent.
Magic Weapon Properties
Regicidal
Regicidal weaponry is designed to destroy entire dynasties. Whenever a creature is killed with a coup de grace using a regicidal weapon, all Dominion that creature possesses is immediately destroyed rather than passing on to successors or to the killer.
If a weapon possesses both the regicidal and vorpal special abilities, killing a creature with the weapon causes the target’s Dominion to be destroyed as if they had been slain by a coup de grace.
Aura moderate Fate; CL 10th; Smith Magical Weapons And Armor, Fate sphere (Consequences (consecration), The Tower (motif), or Villainy (word)); Price +30,000 gp
Spellzone Weaknesses
Fed by Dominion
The Spellzone requires expenditure of Dominion to sustain its effects. Each kingdom turn, creatures must spend Dominion equal to the total combined caster level of all magic effects created by the spellzone. If the spellzone does not obtain this requisite Dominion, roll on Table: Spellzone Corruptions to determine how the spellzone’s magic is altered.
Adding the Fed by Dominion weakness to a spellzone multiples its cost by 4/5.
Monster Options
Mythic Monster Abilities
The following abilities can be obtained by monsters when they gain a mythic tier
Create Exarch
By spending 2 points of mythic power as a full-round action, a creature can permanently grant a touched willing creature the role of Exarch. A creature can communicate telepathically with any of their Exarchs from any distance and across planes. Once per month, when an Exarch would be reduced below 0 hit points or killed, the Exarch may spend an immediate action to teleport to a location controlled by the creature granting them the Exarch title. In addition, the Exarch may teleport to such a location once per week in a process that takes one minute.
Dominion Magic
Choose 4 Dominion Magic Effects. The creature may create these effects by expending Dominion even if it lacks the requisite magic spheres. This ability may be selected multiple times, each time selecting 4 additional Dominion Magic Effects.
Rejuvenation
While the creature can be destroyed or killed, it reforms after 1 month unless specific measures are taken to ensure its destruction. The method of destruction is unique to each creature and may be worthy of a quest, but generally should not be completely impossible.
Rule by Fear
The creature gains Dominion Attunement as a bonus feat, save that it can retain any amount of Dominion. In addition, the creature does not need to maintain an official kingdom or position of faction leadership to gain Dominion, instead gaining Dominion based on the settlements which the creature or its minions attacks during a month. The amount of Dominion gained is equal to 10 times each settlement’s size. If the creature or its minions are successfully fended off, the creature loses Dominion equal to the amount it would have gained with a successful attack.
Monster Templates
Cankerous
In the wake of great ruin, a realm may manifest strange powers which echo the follies of past leaders. Spirits of betrayed subjects, planar beings hungry for vengeance, or incarnate manifestations of the land’s despair may all emerge to strike at a kingdom or faction’s leaders, targeting not only their bodies or minds but also their magical connections to their realm.
Cankerous is an acquired template which can be applied to any creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A cankerous creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
CR: As base creature +1
Defensive Abilities: A cankerous creature retains all of the defensive abilities of the base creature and gains fast healing 5. Cankerous creatures also gain the rejuvenation ability.
Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a cankerous creature through simple combat: the “destroyed” spirit restores itself in 2d4 days. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. The only way to permanently destroy a cankerous creature is to determine the reason for its existence and take steps to quell the injustice which has created them. The exact means varies with each creature and may require a good deal of research, and should be created specifically for each different creature by the GM
Special Attacks: A cankerous creature gains the drain dominion and rotting wounds special attacks
Drain Dominion (Su): Any successful melee attacks made by a cankerous creature reduce the target’s Dominion by 1d4. The size of this dice increases by 1 (to 1d6, 1d8, etc.) for every 5 points of CR the cankerous creature possesses.
Rotting Wounds (Su): The attacks of a cankerous creature resist healing. Any damage, ability damage, or ability drain dealt by a cankerous creature cannot be healed by magical effects or sphere effects unless the caster succeeds at a magical skill check against 11 + the cankerous creature’s CR. Healing from class features (such as lay on hands) use the user’s class level as their MSB for this purpose. So long as the damage remains unhealed, the damaged creature displays visible damage which imposes a -2 penalty on faction and kingdom checks as well as a -4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks.
Ability Scores: Con +4, Dex +2, Cha +4
Special Qualities: A cankerous creature gains the accursed presence and sense rulers special qualities in addition to the unnatural aura universal monster ability
Accursed Presence (Su): A cankerous creature’s presence makes command more difficult. While a cankerous creature is within a kingdom, either the kingdom’s unrest or the tension of a single faction within the kingdom is increased by 1 every kingdom turn. This increases by an additional 1 for every 5 points of CR the cankerous creature possesses. A kingdom or faction cannot be affected by more than one cankerous creature at a time and uses the largest penalty among them.
Sense Rulers (Su): Select a specific kingdom or faction when creating a cankerous creature. The cankerous creature is automatically aware of any leaders of the kingdom or any members of the faction who have gained Dominion from it. It automatically the knows the locations of any such creatures as if it had used the Discern Location advanced Divination talent on them.
Sample Cankerous Creature
Cousin Welkes (CR 8)
Unique cankerous spring-heeled jack swashbuckler (hasted blade) 4
CE Small fey
Init +9; Senses low-light vision; Perception +12
DEFENSE
AC 26, touch 26, flat-footed 16 (+5 armor, +9 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size)
hp 84 (4d6+4d10+44) fast healing 5
Fort +8, Ref +19, Will +9
Defensive Abilities nimble +1, rejuvenation
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee mwk sickle +9 (1d4+5 plus 1d6 Dominion and rotting wounds)
Special Attacks accelerated comeback, breath weapon (15-ft. cone, 2d6 fire damage, Reflex DC 16 half, usable every 2d4 rounds), decelerating strike, deeds (derring-do, opportune parry and riposte, precise strike +3, swashbuckler initiative), drain dominion, frightening gaze, rapid attacker, rotting wounds (DC 19), sneak attack +1d6, vault
MAGIC
Caster Level 7; MSB +8, MSD 19, Concentration +13
Tradition Nimble Caster (Somatic Casting x2); CAM Cha
Spell Points 14
Time Sphere - Talents Improved Slow, (time) After Image, Rapid Response x2
- alter time, touch, #DC 18; apply a (time) effect to the target
- After Image (time); target gains 30% miss chance, concentration or 7 minutes with 1 sp
- Haste (time); target gains +20 feet enhancement bonus to all movement speeds, +1 bonus to attack rolls, +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves, concentration or 7 rounds with 1 sp
- Rapid Response (time); target gains +3 competence bonus to initiative, +2 competence bonus on Reflex saves, Evasion, and ability to act in surprise round, concentration or 70 minutes with 1 sp
- Slow (time); target is staggered, has its movement speeds halved (minimum 5 ft.) and suffers a -1 penalty to attack rolls, AC, and Reflex saves (Will negates), concentration or 7 rounds with 1 sp
COMBAT
Tradition Night Leaper (Athletics x2, Equipment x2); PAM Cha
Athletics Sphere - Packages leap Talents Diving Strike, Locust Pounce, Mobile Striker, Skillful Charge, (motion) Sudden Flank
- Leap Package; reduce fall by 20 feet with DC 15 Acrobatics check, plus additional 10 feet for every 10 by which you exceed DC
- Diving Strike; charge by falling, add fall damage to attack damage (max 8d6)
- Locust Pounce; jump up to half speed as part of attack action, expend martial focus to avoid provoking attack of opportunity
- Mobile Striker; as a full-round action, move up to speed and make attack action in middle of movement, do not provoke from target of attack
Skillful Charge; may make an attack action at the end of a charge
- (motion); trigger a (motion) while moving using an Athletics sphere package;
- Sudden Flank (motion); When you successfully move through an enemy’s threatened space, you may count your beginning square and any squares you passed through during that movement as being occupied by an ally for the purpose of determining flanking bonuses until end of turn
Equipment Sphere - Talents Finesse Fighting (x2), Unarmored Training;
- Finesse Fighting (x2); may use Dex instead of Strength for attack rolls w/ light or one-handed weapons; +3 damage when using Dex to hit and Strength to damage
- Unarmored Training; +5 armor bonus, applies against touch
Fencing Sphere
- fatal thrust (deal +2d6 precision damage vs. flat-footed, flanked, or Dexterity-denied foes with attack actions or AoO
STATISTICS
Str 13, Dex 28, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 21
Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 25
Feats Combat Reflexes, Extra Combat Talent x2, Vital Strike
Skills Acrobatics +25 (+29 while jumping), Bluff +16, Disguise +16, Escape Artist +17, Intimidate +16, Perception +12, Stealth +20 Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when jumping
Languages Common, Sylvan
SQ accursed presence (2), sense rulers, swashbuckler finesse, unnatural aura
Combat Gear +1 sickle, boots of elvenkind, cloak of resistance +1, enchanted pocketwatch (+1 time implement)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Frightening Gaze (Su): Any creature within a 10-ft. radius upon whom Spring-Heeled Jack’s gaze falls is panicked for 1d6 rounds. A successful DC 17 Will save negates. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Vault (Su): Spring-Heeled Jack can jump up to 20 feet (vertically or horizontally in any combination) as a move action without provoking attacks of opportunity.
Other GM Options
Divine Specie
In some settings, the gods may be eternal and unchanging beings, their portfolios being forces of existence inextricably tied to them. However, there may be some settings where gods can die or change, perhaps having their portfolios move between members under certain circumstances. In such a world, it may make sense to codify certain elements of deific power as resources which can be exchanged. Divine Specie are units of divine power which are designed for such commerce, corresponding directly with how much power and influence a god wields.
Typically, a god possesses a number of Divine Specie equal to their mythic rank + their number of domains (gods without stats should be assigned a mythic rank between 1 and 10 corresponding to their total following or desired level of power). These initial Divine Specie have already been allocated to the god’s mythic ranks and domains, and reallocating them would cause the god to lose a rank or domain for each Divine Specie that is used elsewhere.
Reallocating Divine Specie
The act of reallocating Divine Specie between different benefits can be easy or strenuous for a god at GM discretion. It may make sense for gods to reorient their powers as they wish or to undergo extensive processes of change, depending on the style of the world. The changing of domains in particular may have far-reaching ramifications for a setting.
In addition to reallocating their Divine Specie between different benefits, a god can give away Divine Specie to other gods or even non-gods. When a god gives away or loses Divine Specie that it has allocated, they lose any benefits they had paid for using that Divine Specie (this usually results in a god losing a domain or mythic rank when they give away Divine Specie). Decreasing a god’s pool of Divine Specie below 0 causes them to lose their godhood completely, transforming them into a non-deity creature or killing them (At GM discretion, gods may not be able to willingly decrease their rank below 1 by giving away Specie).
A god can give one or more Specie to a mortal in order to lift them up to divinity. Bestowing godhood on a mortal requires giving them 2 Specie (at least one of which requires the deity to give up a domain) plus an additional Specie for every domain beyond the first that they are given. If a mortal becomes a Walking God, they lose all mythic ranks that they possessed prior to godhood and gain the Walking God template. If they become a god that is not physically manifested in any way, they start at mythic rank 1 and possess 1 domain unless given additional domains beyond the first.
Divine Specie Benefits
Divine Specie can be allocated by a god to magnify their power in a variety of ways. Presented below are a few samples of how gods might use Divine Specie. Each benefit can be selected any number of times.
Divine Boon: The god gains a divine boon of their choice. This benefit costs 2 Specie.
Expanded Domain: The god gains an additional domain or two additional subdomains. If the Divine Specie allocated to pay for this ability comes from another god (either an active god or a dead one), the giving god must have given up or lost the chosen domain or subdomains to transfer the Specie.
It is important to note that the transfer of domains between gods may have more impact than just altering their individual power. A god’s domains are often intrinsically bound to universal phenomena, so shifting control of an element such as Death, Magic, or Sun between ideologically-opposed entities could have far-reaching effects which extend across a setting. Similarly, a god might find their own identity and philosophy altered when they gain a new domain.
Negate Drawback: The god loses one drawback of their choice for as long as they have a Specie allocated to this benefit. Multiple Specie can be allocated to this benefit, each one suppressing a differing Drawback. Drawbacks that count as multiple drawbacks cost the same number of Specie to negate. The Hoarded Power drawback cannot be negated through this benefit.
Increase Rank: A god can allocate 1 Specie to increase their mythic rank by 1. When increasing their rank in this way, the god does not gain additional domains for increased mythic ranks
Security Protocol: A god can allocate a Specie towards some method of preservation in the event of their death. Such methods may include investing part of their essence in a magical item, creating a simulated version of themself in an isolated demiplane, or splitting up their divine power among a number of descendants or followers. If the god dies, they live on through their Security Protocol and can be returned to life if certain circumstances are met. These circumstances do not necessarily come to pass and can always somehow be impeded or tampered with. A god cannot be returned to life until at least 100 years after their death. When a god returns to life, any of their Specie (and thus domains) which were transferred to other gods return to them. Up to 4 Specie can return to the returning god for every 1 Specie allocated to the Security Protocol. Specie allocated into a Security Protocol is not redistributed when a god dies unless the Security Protocol is irreparably compromised.
Sources of Specie
Specie is generally considered to be a very finite resource. Although certain extreme circumstances may create Specie, these instances are so cosmically rare that even most gods will only increase their Specie through exchanges or conflicts with other gods. Presented below are several options by which Specie might be acquired within a setting.
Initial Allotment: A cosmic force, plane, or arbiter overdeity may be the source of all Specie in a setting, allocating it among various gods based on unknown or undisclosed processes. This Specie may be moved among the gods as they see fit, but nothing they do will result in the generation of new Specie. It is possible that this force can redistribute Specie on its own accord, potentially demoting gods to lower ranks or even stripping them of their divinity.
Claim from Dead God: When a god is killed, any Specie it possesses is divided amongst other beings. Typically, at least half of this Specie goes to whoever is responsible for the god’s death, although a god may choose to bequeath the remaining Specie among other deities. A god who does not bequeath their Specie to another being typically retains their Specie when they die, although they cannot use it for any purpose.
It is said that the pinnacles of mortal magic can forcibly draw Specie from a dead god or even a still-extant god. However, such rituals are immensely difficult, require impossibly rare components, and may even take years to perform. What’s more, gods may utilize their extensive power to keep this information from mortals at any cost.
Relevance: As beings of belief, gods may shift in power based on the importance of their faiths and their areas of concern in a setting. Substantial changes in the setting’s society, environment, or composition can cause gods to gain or lose Divine Specie. For example, an ecological disaster which causes widespread drought might create Divine Specie for a god whose area of concern includes deserts or thirst, while the collapse of a powerful empire could result in its associated gods losing Divine Specie. What events ultimate determine the gain or loss of Divine Specie should be left to GM discretion, but changes in relevance should generally coincide with monumental moments in the history of the god’s area of concern or faith.
The Death of a God
Due to their immense power, it is quite rare for a god to actually be killed. It does happen, however, and certain consequences are to be kept in mind for such a cosmic paradigm shift.
When a god dies, any domains which are not allocated to other gods are left uncontrolled, which can cause them to behave erratically and dangerously (failure to claim the Weather domain, for example, could result in strange storms or dramatic climate shifts). Magic effects created by the god will also fail or potentially go haywire.
In some remote corner of the multiverse, the god’s corpse will often materialize in some way. If this corpse can be found, it is possible through elaborate and exhaustive magic to one day return the god to life, although this often requires the introduction of Divine Specie from another source.
Levels of Divinity
The Detect Divinity ritual from Ultimate Spheres of Power outlines 6 categories of deity, those being Demigods, Fallen Gods, Lesser Deities, Intermediate Deities, Greater Deities, and Overdeities. The rules in The Cataclysm Handbook did not acknowledge this distinction mechanically, but such distinctions can be clarified as follows.
Demigods: Demigods are any characters who do not possess the walking god template but are still capable of granting spells to worshipers. Examples include mythic characters with the divine source mythic path ability, demon lords, archdevils, and creatures such as conqueror worms.
Fallen Gods: Fallen gods are deities that have died or otherwise lost their divinity. If these creatures possess the walking god template and remain alive, they possess no mythic ranks and lose the Domain Mastery, Mythic Outpouring, Portfolio Sense, and Powers of Faith abilities
Lesser Deities: Lesser deities are Gods or Walking Gods with a number of effective mythic ranks ranging from 1 to 3
Intermediate Deities: Intermediate deities are Gods or Walking Gods with a number of effective mythic ranks ranging from 4 to 6
Greater Deities: Greater deities are Gods or Walking Gods with a number of effective mythic ranks ranging from 7 to 10
Overdeities: Overdeities are more akin to physical laws than actual deities and may not even be sentient. They do not directly grant spells to followers and are unlikely to even notice mortal affairs, but may wield influence over other deities or the construction of divinity itself. This is not to say that Overdeities are wholly untouchable forces, but rather that their coercion or alteration would require steps beyond what even most gods are capable of.
Divine Boons
Pantheonic Cabal
The god shares their pool of Divine Specie with a number of other gods within a group called a Pantheon. Each god which is a member of a Pantheon gains one additional Divine Specie for every two members of the Pantheon (so a god being a member of a Pantheon of 12 gods would have 6 additional Divine Specie). However, no god which is a member of a Pantheon may reallocate their Divine Specie without the unanimous approval of all other gods within the Pantheon. The total number of gods in a Pantheon cannot exceed twice the mythic rank of any member of the Pantheon (meaning that even the most powerful Pantheon cannot have more than 20 members).
Divine Drawbacks
Hoarded Power
The god cannot share their powers with others. They cannot join a Pantheon and cannot give their Divine Specie to other creatures. This also prevents them from using the Security Protocol ability.
U: Part of Ultimate Spheres of Power and does not need to be bought separately from that book