[FOCI]
Planar Character Options
"Though 'sound' is how an Unearthly Gleaner can most clearly define the underlying frequencies and resonances they harvest from the multiverse, it's not actually sound. It's intamani—a unique magic force that pervades all levels of the cosmos. But also, sound." s—Oytimo, Unearthly Gleaner
The multiverse exists conceptually across many different paradigms, some more true than others, but all offering at least some insight into the cosmos. According to the paradigm preferred by someone who Distills the Resonance of the Multiverse, each dimension exists as a particular energetic frequency distinct from all others. Those who can detect that frequency, hearing a dimension's particularly resonant hum, can collect it and use it to empower themselves.
This collected resonance is called "intamani." Intamani can be gathered and used anywhere, but someone who Distills the Resonance of the Multiverse gains the most benefit if they can sample the resonances of many different planes of existence. Such characters are often called unearthly gleaners because the resonance they distill is gleaned beyond earthly understanding.
If you're someone who Distills the Resonance of the Multiverse, you have an ear uniquely suited for hearing the vibrational frequencies of reality, strumming itself into existence moment by moment all around you. With a mystic touch, you gather that audible scintillance—the intamani—and are empowered by it, expanding your magical strength and repertoire.
Some unearthly gleaners gather intamani and sell it to special pop-up vendors at the Worldswept Market in the city of Timeborne.
For ten minutes, you dampen your personal frequency within the larger symphony of the plane you currently inhabit to move more quietly, or intensify that vibration to harden yourself against harm. If you choose to move silently, you have two assets to stealth tasks. If you choose protection, you gain +2 Armor against attacks relying on damaging sonic energy. In either case, if anyone touches or makes a melee attack against you while Audio Insulation is active, your attacker automatically takes a minor wound (2 points) from destructive interference emanating from your body.
The sound of distant thunder accompanies someone who uses Audio Insulation to gain protection against sonic attacks.
You concentrate on your reservoir of intamani, creating a small object resembling a fire opal gem about a half inch (1 cm) in diameter that emits a very low hum audible to someone touching it. This intamani gem can be used by you or others in various ways but comes with some risks and limitations, as described in the Intamani Gems box.
Ten minutes of concentration to create.
Drawing on the resonance of the multiverse, you enhance the damage of another attack or special ability that deals damage with destructive sound, inflicting 1 additional point of damage. Alternatively, you attack a target within long range by projecting a blast of discordant sonic energy that inflicts a moderate wound (4 points).
Enabler for enhancement; action for long-range attack.
Ability Choice: Choose either Symphonic Solitude or Tune for Precision as your tier 3 ability.
For one minute, you produce a sonic landscape of soothing, symphonic transcendence in an area an immediate distance across at a spot you choose within long range. Each creature in the area or that enters the area and hears the sounds is soothed for the duration if you succeed on an Intellect taskagainst them. A soothed creature doesn't move from their position and takes no action other than to listen to the music, no matter what is happening elsewhere, until the duration ends or they take damage. The soothing effect is endangered if a third party makes an interesting sound using a musical instrument within long range, but you can block this interference with a successful musical performance task against that musician's level. Each level of Effort applied increases the duration of the soothing effect by one minute.
Action to initiate.
If you use an ability on a single target and fail to affect them, you draw on the resonance of the multiverse, which allows you to reroll the attack and take the better of the two results.
When you use your Distill Intamani ability to shape the resonance of the cosmos into a solid, you can give it a specific shape and increase its final size. So instead of a gem, your resulting intamani object could be shaped like a usable weapon or tool, a shield, a cup or other vessel, a sculpture, or anything else you can imagine, as long as it could fit into a 5-foot (1.5 m) cube and has no more than three simple moving parts (such as two hinges and a latch, if creating a small door). Whatever its shape, it retains its gem-like luster. It also possesses any other standard intamani gem aspect you chose to impart when you distilled it, counts as a cypher, and emits a detectable hum audible to anyone touching it.
Calling on the resonance of the multiverse, you adjust your personal frequency, granting you the ability to fly a short distance each round for one hour, or a long distance each round for one hour if you used a level of Effort when activating this ability. Continuous tendrils of reddish mist trail from your body while this ability is active.
Action to initiate.
You lay down a lane of thunderous sound across the ground in front of you. The lane is 15 feet (4.5 m) wide and 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, lasts for one minute, and reaches a short distance. The lane can include up to two bends, each up to 90 degrees. The lane otherwise lies over the natural contours of the solid surface beneath it. Visually, it appears as a shimmering, road-like mirage; audibly, it sounds like distant thunder.
Make an Intellect-based attack against each creature that enters or starts their turn on the road, inflicting a moderate wound (5 points) if you hit, or 1 point of damage if you miss.Action to initiate.
Ability Choice: Choose either Frequency of the Multiverse or Dance Between the Oscillations as your tier 6 ability.
You assess the local frequency and resonance of the multiverse, and either destructively or constructively adjust that frequency. You have enough fine control that you can affect targets individually—destructively or constructively—as you choose for each target. Up to six creatures within short range are potentially affected; you must succeed on a separate Intellect-based attack for each target that resists.
Destructively affected targets take 5 points of damage from extreme sonic disharmony, or 1 point of damage if your attack fails.
Constructively affected targets regain 5 points to one Pool; NPCs and creatures regain a number of points of health equal to their level. Constructive benefits can't be gained by a target again until after a ten-hour recovery.
You are transferred to another location you have previously visited on a different plane of existence. For each level of Effort you apply, you can bring along one willing creature within immediate range.
GM Intrusions: Sound draws foes to investigate. The character is prone to annoying "ear worms" that can get bad enough to daze them for a round.