Heraldic Wanderer

Occult Lore

Author Keith Baker, Adam Bank, Chris Jones, Scott Reeves, and Elton Robb

Series Lore

Publisher Atlas

Publish date 2002

Pages 240

The ranks of heraldic wanderers are filled with bards who have chosen to focus on their roles as master storytellers and sages of folklore and legend. All heraldic wanderers maintain a memory palace within their minds – but they do not fully control or understand them. Heralds believe mortal minds spin memories from elemental shadow, and memory palaces are therefore quasi-real ‘places’ or even extra-dimensional pockets within their minds. Whenever the character creates a new locus, that memory is added to her memory palace. Whenever the character undergoes initiation to a higher level, the character is given new titbits of lore to memorise. Communing with herms also creates new additions to the imaginary structure. A heraldic wanderer’s memory palace, then, contains information of which the character herself is not aware. This huge imaginary structure grants them the special abilities unique to heraldic wanderers, including the ability to bring ancient legends to a shadowy life.

Hit Die: d6

REQUIREMENTS

To qualify to become a heraldic wanderer, a character must fulfil all of the following criteria
Alignment: Any nonlawful
Skills: 8 ranks Concentration, 5 ranks Intuit Direction
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast arcane spells (usually as a bard).
Special: To increase in level (or earn a first level) in the heraldic wanderer class, the character must seek out a heraldic wanderer of higher class level to perform the proper initiation rites. Initiation rites of the heralds consist of intense sessions of interrogations, mental exercise, and memorization, lasting one week per the character’s current class level.
A character who has not fulfilled the duties of a herald will be denied initiation by members of the Society until he proves himself worthy.

CLASS SKILLS

The heraldic wanderer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Alchemy (Intelligence), Appraise (Intelligence), Balance (Dexterity), Bluff (Charisma), Climb (Strength), Concentration (Constitution), Craft (Intelligence), Decipher Script (Intelligence, exclusive skill), Diplomacy (Charisma), Disguise (Charisma), Escape Artist (Dexterity), Gather Information (Charisma), Hide (Dexterity), Intuit Direction (Wisdom), Jump (Strength), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Intelligence), Listen (Wisdom), Move Silently (Dexterity), Perform (Charisma), Pick Pocket (Dexterity), Profession (Wisdom), Scry (Intelligence, exclusive skill), Sense Motive (Wisdom), Speak Language (Intelligence), Spellcraft
(Intelligence), Swim (Strength), Tumble (Dexterity), and Use Magic Device (Charisma, exclusive skill).

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier + 2 ‘dedicated’*

* In addition to the 6 + Intelligence modifier skill points a character earns when attaining a level in heraldic wanderer, the character also gains an additional 2 ‘dedicated’ points that can be only spent in the Knowledge or Speak Language skills.

Heraldic Wanderer
Level	BAB	FS	RS	WS	Special	Spells Known/Per Day
1	+0	+1	+2	+2	Bardic Poetics, Use Memory Palace: Heraldic Knowledge, Use Memory Palace: Form Loci, Use Memory Palace: Recall Locus, Use Memory Palace: Commune with Herm	–
2	+1	+1	+3	+3	New Spell: retracing the path	+1 level of existing class
3	+2	+2	+3	+3	Use Memory Palace: Heraldic Summoning	–
4	+2	+2	+4	+4	New Spell: road tell	+1 level of existing class
5	+3	+2	+4	+4	Use Memory Palace: Conjure Shadow Locus	–
6	+3	+3	+5	+5	New Spell: sail road	+1 level of existing class
7	+4	+3	+5	+5	Use Memory Palace: Teleport to Locus	–
8	+4	+3	+6	+6	New Spell: imago	+1 level of existing class
9	+5	+4	+6	+6	Use Memory Palace: ethereal jaunt	–
10	+5	+4	+7	+7	Master Librarian of Ho Kepos	+1 level of existing class

CLASS FEATURES

All of the following are class features of the heraldic wanderer prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A heraldic wanderer is proficient with all simple weapons and with one of the following weapons: longbow, composite longbow, longsword, rapier, sap, short composite bow, short sword, shortbow, or Whip. Heraldic wanderers are proficient with light armor, medium armor, and shields.

Spells: A heraldic wanderer continues advancing in spellcasting ability based on her previous class, although more slowly. When a heraldic wanderer gains a new even-numbered level in the prestige class, the character gains new arcane spells known and spells per day as if she had also gained a new level in her previous, highest arcane
spellcasting class. She does not acquire any special powers of her previous class, however. This essentially means that she adds half her level in heraldic wanderer to the level of the highest other arcane spellcasting class she already has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.

New Spells: The Society of Heralds teaches the four bard spells invented by heraldic bards of old. When a heraldic wanderer gains a new even-number level, the character gains knowledge of one of these spells: at second level, the character learns retracing the path; at fourth level, the character learns road tell; and sixth level, the character learns sail the road; and at eighth level, the character learns imago.

Similar to a cleric’s Domain spell slot, these heraldic bard spells are learned in addition to any ‘spells known’ level limit. Casting these new spells requires the use of a spell slot for that day of appropriate level; if the character does not have a spell slot of sufficient level, the character cannot make use of her new spell knowledge until she does. The new spells are detailed in Appendix II; at the GM’s option, these new bard spells may be unique to the Society of Heralds or available to all bards.

Bardic Poetics: If they have the bard class, heraldic wanderers continue to gain new Bardic Music effects based on their score in the Perform skill. All new effects gained from skill points earned as a heraldic wanderer, however, can only be invoked through the recitation (or chanting) of poetics, not through the playing of a Musical instrument. For example, as part of initiating into the next level of heraldic wanderer, Leogan raises her Perform skill to 9 and gains the Bardic Music effect of suggestion. She can only use the suggestion effect by reciting (or chanting) poetry. The magical or Masterwork effects of Musical instruments do not affect Perform checks of Bardic Music invoked with Bardic Poetics.

Use Memory Palace: Every herald automatically creates a memory palace as part of the initiation into the prestige class, and heralds rely on their memory palaces to Perform the following class features: Heraldic Knowledge, Form Loci, Recall Locus, Commune with Herm, Heraldic Summoning, Conjure Shadow Locus, Teleport to Locus, and ethereal jaunt. Using a memory palace is a fatiguing activity that counts as a full-round action. A heraldic wanderer has a number of memory palace uses equal to his class level plus Constitution modifier per day (with a minimum of 1). To regain memory palace uses, the character needs a good night’s rest. Spending a memory palace use requires a Concentration check unless stated otherwise. The DC of the check depends upon the class feature empowered by the use. At the GM’s discretion, distractions can increase the DC of the Concentration check.

Heraldic Knowledge: At 1st level, a heraldic wanderer’s memory palace contains the memories of her past travels and knowledge, those of other heralds, and mystical echoes of ancient heralds lost to time. The character can mentally wander her memory palace in Search of clues to augment her own learning. By spending a memory palace use and making the associated Concentration check, the character can attempt the following spell effects:

DC	Effect	Description
15	tongues	as per the spell; works only if another member of the Society of Heralds knows or once knew the language.
20	Herald’s unique effect;	gain +2 circumvention stance bonus to one Knowledge check; bonus can be added to untrained Knowledge checks
25	Commune	as per the spell; the ‘deity’ the character communes with is the sum knowledge of all heralds
25	Commune	as per the spell; works only if a with nature herald previously travelled the area
30	legend lore	as per the spell
30	find the path	as per the spell; works only if a herald previously travelled the area
35	Vision	as per the spell

Form Loci: At 1st level, by spending a memory palace use and making the associated Concentration check, the character can create a locus of an event, object, location, or person and place it in her memory palace. Creating a locus is a full-round action. For objects or creatures, the subject must be in full view (via actual sight or divination spells such as scry) while the locus is being created. For events, the character must witness the entire event, and then create the locus within a number of minutes after the end of the event equal to 10 + her Intelligence modifier. The DC of the Concentration check depends on the subject memorized.

The GM can increase or decrease the DC based on the complexity and familiarity (or lack thereof) of the subject at the GM’s discretion. Different techniques are required to memorize writing, objects, creatures, events, and locations.

For example, memorizing a heroic battle creates an ‘event’ locus and does not create a ‘location’ locus of the battlefield or ‘creature’ loci of the combatants. The battlefield and each combatant would have to be memorized separately.

Form Loci Table
DC	Subject	Examples
15 + spellcaster level	Arcane spell*	fireball
5 + number of minutes event lasts	Short event	A single fight, a scene from a play
5 + (5 x number of hours event lasts)	Long event	A long battle, all five acts of a play
10	Simple object	A stone, a plain Dagger
15	Complex object	A tree, an ornate sword, a painting
15	Page of mundane writing	A letter, a short scroll
15	Person of same species	A paladin, a fishmonger
20	Creature of any species	A horsefly
20	Simple location*	A house, a meadow, a single room
25	Complex location*^	A small keep, a small dungeon
30	Entire non-magical text	An epic poem
35	Expansive location***	A city, sprawling dungeon, a forest

* To form a locus of an arcane spell, you must first identify a spell being cast or identify a spell that is already in place with a Spellcraft check. The locus must be made within a number of minutes after the spell’s effect ends equal to 10 + you Intelligence modifier. Increase the DC by +5 if you partake in the event yourself. ‘Partaking in an event’ requires taking an action or making a check during the event. For example, if you made a saving throw against a spell, increase the DC of the Concentration check to make a locus of the spell by +5.

* You can only create a locus of areas you have fully explored (either physically or through divination spells) in a single day. For example, if you explore every room of a castle except its northwestern tower, the locus you create does not contain a northwestern tower or any indication that the tower existed. Once you have explored it, however, you can create a separate locus for the tower.

Recall Locus: At 1st level, recalling a locus from your memory palace is the first step of several greater powers of a heraldic wanderer. The character can only recall loci that she herself created. The “collective” memory palace
of the heralds is only accessible through Heraldic Knowledge, above. Recalling
one locus costs a memory palace use and requires that the associated Concentration
check be made with a DC based on the length of time since the locus was formed
or last recalled:

Time Since Formation/Last Recollection DC
Minutes (more than 10 min./ class level but less than 60)	5
Hours (less than 24)	10
Days (less than 7)	15
Weeks (less than 4)	20
Months (less than 12)	25
Years (less than 100)	30
Centuries or more	35

Locus recalling automatically lasts for 10 minutes/class level. The character can extend the duration of recall by spending one additional memory palace use for every extra hour of recalling. Extending the duration of a focus recalling is a special memory palace use that does not require a Concentration check.

While recalling, the character gains the following advantages concerning the subject:

Eidetic Memory: The character can envision the event, object, location, or creature in remarkable detail, to the point of revealing new information previously absorbed subconsciously. The character can make certain skill checks regarding the subject of the locus as if she were actually in the presence of the locus rather than just imagining it (see the chart on top of page 102 for a skill listing and loci types). These checks can reveal partially hidden details (such as a corpse hidden in some underbrush or the outline of a trap door), but not details totally isolated from the memory (such as the contents of closed chest). These ‘mental checks’ take just as long as an actual skill attempt would.

For example, while attending a feast, Leogan makes a locus of the banquet hall. Later that evening, while relaxing in her guest quarters, Leogan wonders whether there were any hidden entrances to the hall. She recalls the banquet hall locus, spending a memory palace use and making a Concentration check with a DC of 10. Since she is a 6th-level heraldic wanderer, the locus of the hall will stay recalled for 60 minutes – just enough time for her to do a thorough search looking for secret doors. Taking 20 for a Search check, she mentally wanderers through her memory of the banquet hall. Closely examining the southern wall in her mind, she finds two hinges and a trigger button painted to perfectly match the rest of the hall’s wood paneling – jackpot!

Mystic
Memory: The character can cast certain spells and receive results as if she
were actually present at the time the event/object/locationCreature was memorized.
The character must actually cast one of the following spells:

Spell Loci	Type
read magic	any loci
detect secret doors	Event and location loci only
detect thoughts	Creature loci only; cannot be cast on creatures memorized as part of an event
locate object	Location loci only; effective only if the object sought is within the memorized location
see invisibility	Event loci only
Other divination spells may be cast at the GM’s discretion.

Note that Mystic Memory cannot truly affect locations, objects, or creatures in the past. Only spells that improve the character’s perception or understanding of the subject of the locus can be cast.

For example, while attending the feast, Leogan also takes the time to create a locus of the lord of the manor hosting the feast. The next day, she recalls the locus of the lord by spending a memory palace use and making a Concentration check of 15. While recalling the locus, she casts detect thoughts to learn what the lord was thinking during the feast. The GM rolls a saving throw for the lord, based on the NPC at the time the locus was made, and fails. The lord’s surface thoughts at the time come across loud and clear: “I hope no one tastes the poison ” I hope no one tastes the poison ” I hope no one tastes the poison “.

Maximum Familiarity: For spells that require familiarity with the spell’s target, the character has the maximum familiarity possible with the subject of the locus.

Commune with Herm: Herms are magic depositories of heraldic memories and magic, which can be communed with at 1st level. To commune with a herm, you must touch the pedestal with your bare skin and spend a memory palace use and the associated Concentration check with a DC equal to 15 + the level of the herm. Communion lasts
as long as you maintain physical contact with the herm. While communing, you can:

Deposit Locus: Any locus recalled while communing with a herm is instantly deposited into the herm. Wander the Herm Palace: You can wander the various loci deposited in the herm. This allows bards to make Bardic Knowledge checks boosted by the memories within the herm. “Ask” the herm a Bardic Knowledge question and make a Bardic Knowledge check with a bonus equal to the herm’s level. The herm’s ‘answers’ are limited to the kinds of information a Bardic Knowledge check can reveal. At his discretion, the GM can rule that the herm does not contain helpful information.

Deposit Spell: You can ‘cast’ a bard spell into a herm for later use by yourself or another heraldic wanderer. The number and level of spells a herm can store is determined by the herm’s level. A herm can hold a number of bard spells of a particular level equal to the herm’s level minus the spell level. For example, a 6th level herm can hold up to six 0- level spells, five 1st-level spells, four 2nd-level spells, three 3rd-level spells, two 4th-level spells, and one 5th-level spell. Depositing a spell costs a spell slot for that day of the appropriate level. For example, depositing Mirror Image, a 2ndlevel bard spell, into a herm costs the character one 2nd level spell slot for that day.

Retrieve Spell: The character automatically knows what spells (if any) are stored in the herm, whether or not she decides to retrieve them. To retrieve a spell, you must be of sufficient spell caster level to cast the spell. Unlike other bard spells, you do not need to know the spell in order to cast it. Retrieving a spell costs an additional memory palace use and a second Concentration check with a DC equal to 15 + the level of the desired spell. Retrieving a spell removes it from the herm. Once retrieved, you can cast the spell at any time on the same day by using an appropriate spell slot for that day. You can only cast the retrieved spell once. If you use up all your appropriate spell slots for that day before casting the retrieved spell, the spell is lost; it is also lost if you don’t cast it before your spell slots renew for the next day.

Heraldic Summoning: This class feature requires that the character know at least one summon monster spell. Instead of reaching out to the other planes, the heraldic wanderer at 3rd level can choose to summon creatures from the heralds’ collective memory palace. First, before making a heraldic summons, the character spends a memory palace use and makes the associated Concentration check with a DC equal to 18 + the summon monster spell’s level. This counts as a free action. If successful, the herald performs the summon monster spell as normal, but with two unique effects: choose a monster (or monsters) from the summon monster table with a level (or levels) three levels higher than the spell normally allows; the monster(s) summoned is a quasi-real creature woven from elemental shadow. For example, Leogan wants to cast summon monster II using Heraldic Summoning. She spends one free action, one memory palace use, and makes a Concentration check with a DC of 20. She can summon one shadowy creature from the 5thlevel list, or 1d3 creatures of the same type from the 4th level list.

The summoned creature gains the ‘Shadow’ subtype. Shadow creatures have one-fifth the normal hit points (regardless of whether they’re recognized as shadowy). They deal normal damage and have all normal abilities and weaknesses. Against an opponent that recognizes a such creatures as shadowy, however, such a creature’s damage is one-fifth normal, and all special abilities that do not produce normal damage (in hit points) are only 20% likely to work. (Roll for each use and each affected character separately.)

Furthermore, the shadow creature’s AC bonuses are one-fifth normal (so a +7 total bonus resulting in AC 17 would change to a +1 total bonus for a new AC of 11). Those who succeed at their saves see the shadow conjurations as transparent images superimposed on vague, shadowy forms.

Conjure Shadow Locus: While heraldic summoning allows the character to summon a specific shadowy creature, at 5th level the character gains the ability to bring almost all of their loci to shadowy life, replicating creatures, objects, and spells. After a locus is recalled, you can bring the locus to life by spending a special memory palace use that does not require a Concentration check. Conjuring a shadow locus takes one action, and is a spell-like effect equivalent of a shadow conjuration spell, creating a quasi-real illusion of any creature or object currently recalled. Conjuring a shadow locus can also mimic recalled sorcerer/wizard conjuration spells up through 5th level. These conjurations are three-fifths (60%) as strong as the real things.

Teleport to Locus: At 7th level, you can teleport to a location you have memorized, as long as it has not changed too much since you memorized it. You must first recall the locus of your intended destination and then spend one special memory palace use that does not require a Concentration check. The spell effect transports the character to the designated destination. Distance is not a factor, but interplanar travel is not possible. The character can bring along objects and willing creatures totaling up to 50 pounds per heraldic wanderer level. As with all spells where the range is personal and the target is the character, the character need not make a saving throw, nor is Spell Resistance applicable to the character. Only other people brought along and magic objects held or in use (attended) receive a Will saving throw to negate and Spell Resistance.

Note: Teleportation is instantaneous travel through the Astral Plane. Anything that blocks astral travel also blocks teleportation.

To see how well the teleportation works, roll d% and consult the table on the following page.

	On Off Similar
Destination	Target	Target	Area	Mishap
Unchanged	01-97	98-99	100	—
Moderately changed	01-88	89-94	95-98	99-100
Significantly changed	01-76	77-88	89-96	97-100
No longer existent	—	—	0-60	61-100

Refer to the following
information for definitions of the terms on the above table.

Destination:

• “Unchanged” is a location that has not changed since the locus was created.
• “Moderately changed” is a location where the interior has been modified.
• “Significantly changed” is a location where the surrounding structure has been altered, but not rendered unrecognizable.
• “No longer existent” is a location that has been destroyed or is no longer recognizable.

For example, Leogan wants to teleport to the kitchen of a baron’s mansion. She formed a locus of the kitchen some sixth months ago. Since then, the baron has hired a new master chef. If the chef replaced the old staff and cookware, the destination would still count as unchanged. If the chef ripped out the old clay ovens and replaced them with brick, however, the kitchen would be “moderately changed.” If the new chef knocked down a wall to expand the kitchen, the destination would count as “significantly changed.” If the mansion had been destroyed as the result of a runaway grease fire, the destination would be
considered “no longer existent.” Note that a Bardic Knowledge check
might reveal if the location has been altered.

On Target: The character appears where the character wants to be.

Off Target: The character appears safely a random distance away from the destination in a random direction.

Distance off target is 1d10 x 1d10 percent of the distance that was to be traveled. The GM determines the direction off target randomly, such as by rolling 1d8 and designating 1 as north, 2 as northeast, etc. If the character was teleporting to a coastal city and wound up 18 miles out at sea, the character could be in trouble.

Similar Area: The character winds up in an area that’s visually or thematically similar to the target area. Generally, the character appears in the closest similar place, but since the spell has no range limit, the character could conceivably wind up somewhere else across the globe. Mishap: The character and anyone else teleporting with the character have gotten ‘scrambled.’ The travellers each take 1d10 points of damage, and the GM rerolls on the chart to see where the travelers wind up. For each time ‘mishap’ comes up, the characters take more damage and must reroll.

ethereal jaunt: At 9th level you can turn ethereal, but only in locations you have memorized. Before turning ethereal, you must first recall the locus of the location. Next, you must spend an additional special memory palace use, not requiring a Concentration check, to turn yourself and all the equipment on your person ethereal. This spell-like effect takes 1 action to Perform, and lasts 1 round/level. Note that if you leave the area memorized in the locus for any reason, the effect automatically ends.

Master Librarian of Ho Kepos: There is only one 10th level heraldic wanderer at one time, and he or she holds the chair of Librarian on the Board of Masters of Ho Kepos. No herald outside the College of Metrodorus knows the Master Librarian’s true abilities or duties – and rumors persist among lesser acolytes that not even they know what the Librarian does. After all, whisperers point out, you can only be initiated into higher rites by a herald of greater station than your own – so who or what initiated the Librarian?

Clacker

The clacker is a magic item that interferes with road sailing. A clacker consists of a three-foot-long wooden rod and the complete skull of a pack animal. The jawbone of the pack animal is buried beneath the road, and the rod is hammered into the road directly above the jawbone. The skull surmounts the rod. Whenever someone using the sail the road spell passes within ten feet of a clacker, the skull spins and emits a crackling claxon. The road sailor must make a Concentration check with a DC equal to 15 + the clacker’s caster level. Failing this check ends the spell and stuns the sailor (and any creature accompanying her) for 2d6 minutes. If the rod is broken or ever uprooted from its initial Spot, the clacker is ruined; many times protection spells are cast on clackers to keep road sailors from vandalizing them. If the creature is aware of the clacker, it can prevent the clacker from sounding the alarm by making a Reflex saving throw with a DC equal to 15 plus the caster level.

A variant on the clacker has a caster level of 13th and requires the ethereal jaunt spell as a prerequisite instead of sail the road; this kind of clacker sounds its alarm when an invisible or ethereal creature passes within ten feet of the clacker.

Caster
Level: 11th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, sail the road; Market Price:
1,000 gp; Weight: 10 lbs, stationary.