Jackals were wizards in Zakhara who venerated their namesake, preferring to steal spells from others instead of going through the hard work of studying them and learning like other wizards.[1]
Requirements[]
Because their nature involved stealing spells from others, Jackals were never lawful individuals.[1]
Role[]
Jackals were magical thieves, satisfying their arcane needs by taking them from others.[1]
They did everything within their power to hide their true nature, often carrying equipment and gear completely unrelated to their profession. A jackal who was discovered by other wizards was not treated kindly.[1]
Possessions[]
Jackals carried the same gear as wizards, and many carried a variety of unrelated gear to disguise their true nature.[1]
Benefits[]
Jackals stole spells, literally right out of another wizard's mind. They were able to select any spell they wanted while within a wizard's mind. The chance of successfully stealing a spell increased or decreased if the target's mental prowess was lower or higher than that of the jackal.[1]
Jackals could only steal one spell from any one target. Powerful spells took longer to steal than weaker ones. Targets with high intelligence stood a greater chance of discovering the attempted theft, at which point they could overload the jackal's mind with magical energy.[1]
Hindrances[]
Jackals could not learn spells like conventional wizards. They were also unable to write magical scrolls or create magical items of any kind. They did not carry a spellbook, unless it served as a ruse to pass them off as a regular wizard.[1]
When using scrolls or magical items, a jackal's proficiency was lower than that of an average wizard due to their lack of devotion to the magical craft. This increased the chance of spell failure when using scrolls, or potential backfire from a magical item.[1]
Jackals could only use spells from any two elemental provinces of their choice. However, Jackals could steal spells they were not able to use personally if they wished to simply deprive another from using that particular spell.[1]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Sam Witt (March 1994). The Complete Sha'ir's Handbook. Edited by Dezra D. Phillips, C. Terry Phillips. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 63–64. ISBN 1-56076-828-2.