Spirits

Ethereals

Spirits are ephemeral entities native to the ethereal and elemental planes. Though the Veil keeps the physical and spiritual worlds separate, they share a deep connection. Such creatures form in response to phenomena in the material world, growing in power and self-awareness over time.

Brood Demigods

The mightiest animal and plant spirits are virtual demigods, ruling over vast broods of subordinate spirits representing their children in the mortal world. Primitive cultures venerate such beings as the Lord of Horses, the Cat Lord, the Bear King, the Oak Father, the Winter Queen, and similar.

Druidic Authority

These entities collectively bless druids with their magic, granting mortals power based on divine authority. Their hierarchy is bonded by hive mind, recognizing an alien order of influence rooted in age and raw power.

Bound by Law

Regardless of their moral alignment, spirits are bound by specific cosmic rules: they must keep their oaths, shun unrelated spirits, and obey their species’ ban. Some ancient powers also levy curses — supernatural allergies — against creatures that threaten the natural order.

The metaphysics of the ethereal and elemental planes give spirits certain traits that make them alien to creatures from the mortal realm. Every spirit possesses all of the following.

Awareness

Spirits are passively aware of things that directly relate to their nature, and can divine such information with thought. A spirit of fire can sense the location and intensity of fires; a spirit of horses knows the health and whereabouts of horses, etc. The more powerful a spirit is, the greater its ability to sense such things.

Hierarchy

Spirits of the same type naturally form broods, recognizing an alien hierarchy of influence based on age and power. These broods are bonded by a hive mind. Weak spirits are unintelligent and have minimal sense of self. Powerful spirits develop self-awareness and can command their weaker brethren based on divine authority.

Laws

Spirits must keep their oaths and shun interaction with other spirits that have nothing to do with the forces they embody. Every type of spirit has a specific ban — behaviors or substances it cannot perform or interact with under certain conditions. If a spirit can be forced or tricked into violating its ban, it suffers a penalty ranging from damage to incapacitation to death.

Curses

Some spiritual entities are so ancient, powerful, and alien that they are unfathomable to mortals. The "gods" of plants in particular have been known to levy curses against creatures that threaten the natural order. These manifest as supernatural allergies — vampires to stakes and running water, werewolves to silver and belladonna, fey to cold iron. Mystics have established the source of these curses, but not their motive or what logic, if any, is behind them. And the entities responsible don’t talk.

Slumber

All spirits can dematerialize, spreading their essence over an area of variable size and entering a dreaming fugue state where they are only vaguely aware of nearby events. Spirits must enter this form to recover or heal. Mighty spirits often sleep for decades or even centuries at a time, tending to manifest in response to some triggering event or when compelled by magical means.

Magnitude

The statistics of a spirit are determined by its magnitude and nature rather than its physicality. If a spirit should have a skill that relates to its nature, it uses magnitude for the roll. When building a spirit, figure out its magnitude and type, then calculate its base statistics and add modifiers from the type tables. High magnitude spirits are powerful.

All spirit stats derive from Magnitude. Begin with the formulas below, then apply the modifiers from the spirit’s family.

Animal spirits embody a single species or a broader predatory or herbivorous archetype. Select one body archetype, then layer the relevant ecological modifier.

Plant spirits embody a kind of vegetation. Select one trait set from the list below; all plant spirits gain Fleshless by default.

Elemental spirits embody one of the primal forces. Choose a base element, then optionally apply a hybrid sub-type that builds on it.