Utterances were truespeak phrases or words that, when spoken, induced certain magical changes in the world.[1]
General Qualities[]
Notably, while utterances were an oral action, magical silence could not reliably thwart them; they activated anyway, and even those that targetted creatures did not require them to hear the words. The usual range of an utterance was about 60 feet (18 meters), and they couldn't be undone; an utterance, unless thwarted somehow, would stay active until its full course was run. There were also two central laws to utterances: the Law of Resistance, and the Law of Sequence.[2]
According to the Law of Resistance, the more a given individual spoke a given utterance in a day, the more difficult and exacting it became to utter it correctly, as the universe slowly grew more resistant to the same manipulation. According to the Law of Sequence, a given individual could not successfully speak a specific utterance they had just uttered until it had run its course.[2]
Utterances known to be in the Realms included the ones in the Lexicon of the Evolving Mind, which affected creatures; the Lexicon of the Crafted Tool, which affected inanimate objects, and the Lexicon of the Perfected Map, which affected spaces. In addition to them, there were also Recitations, which affected the speaker alone.[1]
Lexicon of the Evolving Mind[]
The Lexicon of the Evolving Mind was the general name given to utterances that changed the universe regarding a single creature. These utterances existed in two forms: one of the forms was "reversed", and had a different effect, sometimes hindering rather than bolstering, but some were not exactly that. These were the most common utterances, forming the bulk of most truenamers' knowledge,[3] and the root when not the entirety of most dabblers' repertoire in truespeak.[4]
Some utterances were minor: simple enough that a dabbler might pick them up without specialized training. Those included defensive edge and knight's puissance. Others, while not minor, did not require particularly specialized skills to pick up: those included speed of the zephyr, temporal twist, hidden truth, and archer's eye. The remainder of utterances were largely shut out to all but truenamers;[4] those of advanced skill could speak moderate word of nurturing, incarnation of angels, potent word of nurturing, morale boost, and spell rebirth, while those reaching the pinnacle of their skill would also have access to critical word of nurturing and preternatural clarity.[1]
Lexicon of the Crafted Tool[]
The Lexicon of the Crafted Tool was the general name given to utterances meant to target objects, known only to some truenamers and a few creatures. These utterances did not exist in a reverse form. A few such utterances were minor enough to grasp even without being a truenamer, but it would be largely unthinkable to learn even one without some form of training in truenaming.[4] Other such utterances, just about exclusive to truenamers, included agitate metal and analyze item.[1]
Lexicon of the Perfected Map[]
The Lexicon of the Perfected Map was the general name to the strongest utterances, those which affected a space. Like the lexicon of the crafted tool, while it was possible for people other than truenamers to learn one, it would still take some degree of training to achieve realistically. One such utterance was shockwave.[4]
Recitations[]
Recitations were a special application of truespeak, in which the subject spoke his own personal truename and altered it slightly to bring forth a desired effect. One such was the recitation of the fortified state, in use by all painspeakers; they used their own truenames to render themselves more impervious to physical damage by virtue of nothing but the increased toughness of their flesh. Normally the recitation would only last a few seconds, but so long as they focused their efforts on defense, the recitation could be extended for up to a minute.[5]
Other Utterances[]
Some bespoke truespeech utterances, such as the word of unmaking, also existed outside of the three lexicons and recitations.[6]
Spells with Truespeech Components[]
A number of spells required a personal truename being uttered during casting to function correctly, such as the true prayer of the chosen or the ritual of renaming, but those were not utterances.[7]
Appendix[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 200. ISBN 978-0786939091.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 233–234. ISBN 978-0786939091.
- ↑ Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 236. ISBN 978-0786939091.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 228–230. ISBN 978-0786939091.
- ↑ Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 231–232. ISBN 978-0786939091.
- ↑ Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 208–211. ISBN 978-0786939091.
- ↑ Matthew Sernett, David Noonan, Ari Marmell and Robert J. Schwalb (March 2006). Tome of Magic 3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 253–255. ISBN 978-0786939091.