Magic on the World of Two Moons
The following material has been
gathered from the Elfquest Roleplaying Game Sourcebooks, and from
all the current Elfquest comics and books. The credit for this time consuming project goes to Faywolf, who runs several holts of her own! Also included here are a few creations of her own making, that I thought were interesting. Hope this list comes in handy. :) Please note: because a lot of these powers are already in use, if you plan to use one of these for a Mountain Tree character, please contact the holtmaster first.
� TELEPATHIC
POWERS : Animal Bonding
-- This power is possessed by many elves in
some degree, and allows them to develop an empathic bond with an
animal of high-enough intelligence. This bond will allow the elf
to communicate emotions and simple thoughts to the bondmate, and
to bring thoughts out of the mind of the animal. The higher the
animal's intellect, the more information that can be transferred
from one mind to the other. No elf may have a bond with more than
one animal at a time, of this depth and intimacy (they can have
other pets but it's not the same). The bond is irrevocable for
the lifetime of the animal, which is generally shorter than the
elf's. Loss of the bond partner is a traumatic experience for
either member of the bonding, though it rarely results in
suicide. The elves are too pragmatic, and the animals too
unintelligent, to pine away and die. The Wolfriders are more
closely bonded to their wolves than any other elf could ever be
to an animal, because of their common heritage, and have a unique
form of Animal Bonding, called Wolf Bonding. However, dolphins
are much more intelligent than wolves (even the part-elf ones)
and so the sea elves do have very deep bonds with them. {from Elfquest roleplaying
game sourcebook}
TELEKINETIC POWERS :
Healing
-- This is a power possessed only by a
few elves. Even on their previous world, not all "elves"
had this ability. It can be found among all elven tribes and it
is highly prized. Healers can heal any physical damage to another
elf, through touch, and sometimes even mental damage. With some
practice and effort, a healer may also be able to heal other
species like animals, trolls, and humans. Dependent powers= Flesh
Shaping, Bone Shaping, Anti-healing, and Shielding. {Rain, Leetah, etc...}
RACIAL ABILITIES :
>
TROLLS, like humans, have
no real magic. They are grounded and physical, not spiritual beings
in origin. However, they can breed with elves and, in rare cases,
produce offspring. These hybrids, like all true hybrid species of
Earth, are (most likely) sterile and cannot reproduce. But that
does not mean that they can never inherit any elven magic. The
types of magic most likely to surface in such a mixed breed are:
Sending, Finding, Rock-Shaping (and any of it's derivatives), and
perhaps Animal Bonding. Two-Edge himself may even have some magic
trapped within his tortured and unstable mind.
Elves have two major types of magic, and all of their powers fall
under one or the other:
Animal Communion
-- This is the
power to link the mind of an animal with the mind of the user, so
that they think as one, and the elf can know the animal's actions
as soon as the animal itself does. The Communer can also choose
to link the animal's mind to another elf or animal, such as a
wolf-friend, so that they can work together better as a team.
However, there is a drawback to having this ability. The Communer
is so much more attuned to the minds of animals that they are
usually very weak at being able to Send to their own kind. Only
elves with mortal blood, such as Wolfriders, seem to be gifted
with this power; which is understandable since only they can ever
fully understand the mindset of an animal from the World of Two
Moons. Prerequisite power= Animal Bonding. {Preypacer, from the BoTC
anthologies}
Animal Mimicry
-- This is the power to alter one's aura to appear, to
any animal or group of animals, to be one of their kind. The
Mimic is taken for whatever creature he or she wishes to be taken
for; and is therefore accepted by that creature's kin, as long as
it is a natural form on the World of Two Moons. This has an
animal charm effect, which also works on elves with mortal blood,
such as Wolfriders. When encountering an unfamiliar animal
species, the Mimic must first study the movements and behavior of
that animal before they can successfully use the Mimicry skill.
Only elves with mortal blood, such as Wolfriders, seem to be
gifted with this power. This is understandable, since only they
can ever fully understand the mindset of an animal from the World
of Two Moons. Prerequisite powers= Animal Bonding and Animal
Communion. {Teir
: He's a descendant of the Go-Backs, who are themselves
descendants of the Wolfriders, and therefore mortal.}
Magic-Feeling
-- Most elves are born with this power, but some are
not. It is the ability to sense that a nearby object or place
either has magical properties or has been created by magic, or
was the site of great uses of magic. The Magic-Feeler's sense is
especially strong if it is a type of magic that they are
experienced with, or if they touch the affected object. Some
elves can have a very well developed Magic-Feeling sense and are
like a divining rod for magic. These elves will have a much
greater range than most other elves in this ability. {Suntop}
Sending -- This is the ability to telepathically send and
receive messages over a distance. The range and strength of
sending to a familiar mind is greater than that to an unfamiliar
mind. A Sender may send his message broadcast to all other
senders within range, or privately to one individual. The latter
type is called a "lock send". If the sender uses the
unique frequency or "signature" of a specific
recipient, no other elf is normally capable of listening in.
However, some elves have, through much training, increased their
sending range and ability. Such elves may be able to listen in on
others' private sendings, assuming they know or guess that these
secret conversations are taking place. Theoretically, any elf is
capable of Sending, though in some cultures (like Sorrow's End)
the power has totally atrophied, and anyone from one of those
cultures would have to train very hard to relearn the innate
ability. Lock Sending can be used for psychic combat and when it
is, it is referred to as a "Combat of Wills". This is
used especially much by the Wolfriders, like a wolf dominance
fight, and elf protocol dictates that the loser of such a battle
will generally accede to the winner's wishes in all matters
pertaining to the initial conflict. Dependent powers= Deep Sense,
Hypnosis, Astral Projection, Mind-Snare, and Psychic Camoflage.
{Strongbow}
Deep Sense
-- This is the ability to read the thoughts and
emotions of others, even while not sending. An elf with Deep
Sense can see into the soul of another and tell their true
motivations, even if the subject doesn't know them themselves.
Sometimes they can even tell what abilities the other may
possess, even before those skills make an appearance. In really
rare cases, the Deep Senser may even be able to read the
subject's soul name. Note: A player-character who wishes to have
Deep Sense need not be blind. However, like any other sense, the
loss of one could help another to become more sensitive.
Prerequisite power= Sending. {Suntoucher}
Hypnosis (Mind-Stun)
-- This power allows the Hynotist to stun
a victim into a state of no volition for a predetermined length of
time. The victim will stand shocked, and be unable to defend himself.
He will pay no attention to his surroundings, and can even be killed
by another without reacting. Rayek uses this to hunt, an action
that is seen as very wrong to the Wolfriders because it takes
away the skill and courage of the hunt. Rayek's method does not
allow for "Survivor of the fittest" and so it goes
against the Way. Rayek, of course, does not see things the way
the Wolfriders do and prefers to deal a painless death. A victim
also becomes prone to suggestion, and Sending can be used to
convince a victim of any intelligence to cooperate with the
Sender. This is used by Savah and Rayek to tame Zwoots for the
Sun Folk, and may have been used initially by the Blue Mountain
elves to persuade their pet humans to work for them. As with any
use of hynosis, the victim will do nothing obviously contrary to
his deep-felt convictions and can be intellectually (or
instinctively, as in the case of animals) convinced to go against
his mental instructions, if good reason is present. Prerequisite
power= Sending.
{Rayek}
Astral Projection
-- This power detaches one's essence from one's body.
Once the user is out of the body, sending range is multiplied a
hundredfold. This sending can be used to find another mind and to
travel to it mentally. The chance of finding a familiar mind is
just as likely as is finding a familiar mind while sending. The
chance of finding an unfamiliar mind depends on whether that
unfamiliar mind is thinking of the projector, and on the power of
the other's mind. Sending can be used to communicate with a
target mind, and the target of this communication will be able to
see an astral image, a self without form, of the projector;
though no one else present will be able to see it. Prerequisite
power= Sending.
{Savah}
Mind-Snare -- This is the ability to mentally entrap someone,
while they are in contact via Astral Projection. There is a
battle of magic strength to determine which mind is stronger. If
the astral traveller is strong enough, they are able to fight off
the Mind-Snare and get away. If not, other Astral Projectors can
reach the entrapped victim, at their own risk; but the victim
cannot get away until the Mind-Snare user either does not
maintain the Mind-Snare, or falls unconscious without using
Sending (like "Battle of Wills") to command the snared
victim's essence to stay close to the attacker. While caught, the
Astral Projector's body will lie comatose, and will begin to take
damage as it begins to waste away. Prerequisite powers= Sending
and Astral Projection.
{Winnowill}
Shielding -- A Healer may, by touching a willing target, join
forces with the subject to resist an attack via Sending,
Anti-Healing, or any other hostile attack from magical powers.
Prerequisite power= Healing. {Leetah}
Finding (Dowsing)
-- There is a general and less powerful
version of Finding, where the Finder can picture something in his
or her mind, that they have had some contact with, and locate it
at any given moment. This object could be anything or anyone, but
the Finder has to really focus or meditate, in order to get the
image firmly in his or her mind first, and the range cannot be too
great for it to be successful. Of course, the more familiar the
person or object to the Finder, the better the chances of
success. Another way to use Finding is to only possess the
ability in a very specific sense. This means that the Finder can
only ever find one type of object, such as fish, metal, gems,
pure water, fruit, dreamberries, elves, trolls, deer, or anything
else you can think of. This type is of greater strength than the
general Finding and has an extended range. All elves have, to a
small extent, the ability of Finding. It is of the specific type
called Homing Instinct, and it is what allows many elves to feel
where home is, and to always locate it. This is what led the
Go-Backs to "go back" toward the palace of the High
Ones, and it is very critical to traveling sea elves, as it can
aid them in finding the way back to their home island. Related
power= Homing Instinct.
{Finder, from the BoTC anthologies}
Weather Sense (Stormseeing)
-- Elves with this power can never be surprised
by the weather. Stormseers are attuned to see, smell, taste, hear, or
simply feel the minute changes in the weather patterns, and will know
what the weather will be even before the local animal species do. This
ability will work to predict fair weather, floods, storms, hurricanes
and typhoons; and to a smaller extent natural disaters and other
phenomena like earthquakes, volcanoes, tornados, and tidal waves.
Dependent power= Weather Control. [from the BoTC anthologies]
>> NOTE: Rock-Shapers can also sometimes predict
earthquakes and volcanoes, since those are anomalies which are
deep-rooted in rock and earth. Plant-Shapers can sometimes
predict floods and earthquakes because the message can be sent
from one plant to another, along their root systems. In this way,
the Plant-Shaper can be informed of events happening far away,
which may be destined to travel in his or her direction.
Channel Sun
-- This is the power to use one's own body as a
prism, for the elemental power of sunlight to shine through and
be directed and multiplied. It is a very powerful ability, and
extremely draining on the elf using it. This skill probably
cannot be harnessed by any normal elf, save a High One. Rayek
showed this power once, but it was the combined souls and powers
of all the Gliders that had "attached" themselves to
Rayek, that caused it to surface; and he was not able to control
it. {Rayek +}
Flesh-Shaping
-- Like Healing, except that it changes the size
and shape of the subject. However, this is a very painful process
to endure so the Healer must heal the subject as they are shaping
them. Prerequisite power= Healing. {Winnowill}
Bone-Shaping
-- All Healers can shape bone, but not all Bone
Shapers are Healers; especially among the Sea Elves. These elves
have developed a special skill to shape the bones and shells of sea
creatures, to be used as boats and tools for the elves, or Coral
as a weapon of defense. Related power= Healing. {from Sea Elves roleplaying
sourcebook}
Anti-Healing
-- Healers can cause pain and damage to another,
almost as easily as they can cure it. This is the antithesis of
Healing. Any Healer can do this with practice, but most never
would! Also, a Healer using Anti-Healing can, instead of causing
damage, put the subject into a trance state and keep the trance
in effect from a distance, using the Sending skill. Only a Healer
using mind healing techniques, can bring the entranced subject back
to awareness. Prerequisite power= Healing. {Winnowill, and later Leetah}
Fire-Starting
-- This power allows the user to cause flammable
materials to ignite by force of mind alone, as in Pyrokinesis.
Usually, only High Ones or some true elves can do this. It is a
very rare talent. Fire-Starting is the essence of change; and
most pools of bad magic were caused by failed attempts at it,
such as the one that caused the creation of Madcoil. {Zarhan Fastfire, from the
BoTC anthologies}
Levitation (Gliding)
-- This is classic telekinesis, the skill
to lift an object or creature, including oneself or another elf,
by force of mind. Some elves with this ability can levitate only
objects of smaller weight than themselves, some can lift only
themselves, and some can lift either. However, even Gliders can
not truly "fly" or ride the air currents with this ability.
This ability merely makes them lighter than before, and therefore
deny gravity's pull. It takes great practice to be able to move in
the air with any kind of speed and accuracy. This ability is rare
and usually found only among the Gliders or High Ones, and sometimes
other pure elves.
{Rayek and the Gliders}
Plant-Shaping
-- This power manipulates plants to shape them to
the user's needs, and seems to be found among any elven community
that lives among plants, and has the need for it. Plants can also
be made to grow faster using this ability. {Goodtree and Redlance}
Rock-Shaping
-- Just like Plant-Shaping, except that rocks cannot
be made to grow, only change shape. Also only found among elves who
live near rock, and have the need for it. A Rock-Shaper can detect
anomalies in rock, such as a secret troll door in a tunnel wall.
Dependent powers= Metal-Shaping and Gem-Shaping. {Ekuar, Mekda, and Osek}
Metal-Shaping
-- Some Rock-Shapers can extract metal ore from the
rock and shape it into weapons, tools, and the like. This power
would only appear in areas where ore was plentiful. Prerequisite
power= Rock-Shaping. These shapers would automatically have the
skill: Metal Finding.
{Gliders : That's how they made the Brightmetal weapons for the
humans they traded with.}
Gem-Shaping
-- A very few Rock-Shapers can extract gems and
similar minerals from the rock, and shape it to fit their desire.
This power would only appear in areas where these minerals were
plentiful. Prerequisite power= Rock-Shaping. These shapers would
automatically have the skill: Gem Finding. {NEW : my creation}
Shape-Change
-- This extremely rare talent is found in whole,
only among the High Ones. However, some sea-elf tribes have a
modified version of this skill, whereby those gifted with the
power are able to shape themselves into mer-elves and such, to
more easily adapt to life in the water. {Timmain and some of the Wavedancers}
Weather Control
-- An elf with this power can summon enough force of
will to manipulate the weather patterns, and bring forth whatever
type of weather the Controller desires. This is an extremely rare
talent and takes great endurance to perform, especially if the
weather patterns summoned are opposite of what is currently
present. Also, too much altering of weather patterns can lead to
a dangerous result in the near future, or cause instant turmoil
in a neighboring area. Prerequisite power= Weather Sense.
{NEW : my creation}
Water Control
-- A very rare and popular power among the Sea Elves.
Like Weather Control that can alter the currents of air; an elf
with Water Control is able to manipulate and alter the flow of
water currents, to get the best use from them. This can be used
to help drive a boat with little or no wind, or as a defense
against enemies.
{Surge}
Luck Shield -- This power creates a forcefield that will protect the
user, or another target, against any kinetic attack. This means that
any physical damage that can be deflected, will be. {Zhantee}
Jinking -- This power allows the user to teleport (or
"jink" in elven) to any other location that the Jinker
is familiar with, or can visualize. {Jink}
> PRESERVERS are also very magical
beings. They all possess a very high level of Finding and Homing
Instinct, and perhaps even Magic Feeling, but that seems to be
the extent of it.
> Remember that all ELVES, when coming
into contact with a powerful source of magic, such as the palace
of the High Ones (or even a small piece of it), will have their
natural abilities and magic talents heightened and fine-tuned.
Some powers that were not yet apparent could surface, as a result
of such an event.