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  1. Abilities

Symbol Drawing

Skill: IQ/E

Default: None.

This skill represents the art of drawing magical symbols, which involve Celtic Oghams with Sylvan symbols drawn through them.  This is part of the ritual for casting spells, but no roll for it is required in order to cast spells.  However, your skill level in any spell can never be higher than your skill level in Symbol Drawing. 

In order to use Symbol Drawing to cast spells, you need a way to draw them.  You can always draw them with charcoal/chalk/ink/etc. but that may not be practical on the go.  Instead, you can roll with this skill to create an Implement, a tool that allows the symbols to be drawn in the air.  The process takes one hour and can only be attempted once per day.  Common Implements include wands, staves, rods, little magic rocks, and daggers, but you could use anything you could draw precisely with.  On a success, you can use the Implement to draw symbols in the air and cast spells.  On a critical success, you have a +1 bonus to Symbol Drawing and all spells for the next 24 hours.  On a failure, you fail to attune to the object.  On a critical failure, the object is also destroyed.  Your Implement can only work for you, and you can only have one attuned at a time.

If you speak Sylvan natively you get +1 to this skill (only if it's your first language or if you spent the 6 points it at Native level as a second language). Most people pick up Sylvan as they study Symbol Drawing.

  • If your Symbol Drawing is 12-14, your comprehension level is Broken.  You can understand important words and understand simple sentences if they are spoken slowly. 
  • If your Symbol Drawing is 15-17, your comprehension level is Accented.  You can communicate clearly, even under stress, but you have a heavy accent. 
  • If your Symbol Drawing is 18+, your comprehension level is Native. You can pass for a native speaker.

For more information about communicating in languages you're not quite fluent in, see Social Characteristics