Until only ten years ago this guild was made up entirely of men. During the Scourge, the ability for women to learn and master this art was accepted and there are now a number of women who are part of the cerite.
This group of magic users relies on the power from the spiritual realm. Relying heavily on knowledge and study, the cerite spend a great deal of time in study in order to learn and apply their magic. It requires the properly spoken words and motions of specific spells in order to create the desired effect, and it also requires vast amounts of concentration.
The cerite are tolerated in most areas of the world, but they are not really actively sought out either. Few ever feel the desire to follow the path of magic, and even fewer still have the determination to study long and hard to become effective at it. Even though it is the easiest form of magic to learn, it is certainly the most tedious. Reading massive books, writing, copying, and practicing these spells requires a lot of time and discipline.
A wizard always carries his spell book around with him. In it are all the spells that he knows and in order to practice magic effectively. Daily study is required in order to keep the spells fresh in his mind. Even though he will not "forget" a spell, he will never be able to duplicate it again from memory because it is too complex. If a spellbook is missing or stolen, the character will suffer a –20% penalty to strike with a spell until he recovers the book or finds the spell again! These books are extremely important.
Cerite magic users are highly intelligent, at least in a book sense, and have attained vast amounts of knowledge in all areas. Sought actively through the empires by kings and lords, they are not much for philosophy but will debate at the drop of a hat, often showing off their knowledge.
They are very inquisitive and have an almost insatiable curiosity and take intense interest in anything new to them. Even though they are incredibly smart, they are quite unskilled in many areas. Spending all their time studying and hardly any time out practicing anything other than magic, they are as babes in the world.
Spells and Spell Casting
All cerite characters begin with a C.L. of 3D4x10+20 in addition to the P.E.
attribute. The character gets an additional 3D6 per level of experience. For additional
information on creating a cerite character, see page 106-107 numbers 1,3, 8, and 9.
Learning new spells is an ongoing process with a cerite. In addition to the spells that they know and have chosen according to the information in steps 1,3,8,9 in the Palladium Fantasy RPG™, each level advancement brings new spells. For each level gained, the cerite learns 1D4 new spells! These spells can be no higher in level than the character is. These are in addition to the spells that the character learns or finds on his own during the course of his adventuring.
Marseal and cerite spells are of a different nature and cannot be learned or taught to each other.
Structure of the Cerite
The cerite is divided according to alignment, called an Orin, with one
tower that loosely manages them. Unlike the marseal, who are very structured, the cerite
are free to do whatever they feel they should. Numerous guilds cater to the different Orin
within the cerite. Many towns and almost every city have a guild for at least one of the
Orin, often all three are represented. The Orin are as follows: White (good alignments),
Red (neutral or selfish alignments), and Black (evil alignments). The Black Orin is an
underground movement and relatively unrecognized in the tower, in fact, if it wasn’t
for the Reds, there would be no black representation at all in the Tower.
The Tower is the highest rank in the cerite and few are allowed to enter its walls. Inside lies the wisdom and knowledge of generations long since past and accurate records are kept all the time, day and night. The only way to gain entrance into the tower is to a) be invited in by a Learned, or 2) be at least 7th level. Even then, one cannot enter more than once unless he begins the process of Learning. Learning is a process where a cerite gains the title of Learned. All applicants must be at least 3rd level and will then be subjected to a series of tests known only to the Learned.
All cerites are very secretive about what goes on in the Tower and even though there are ranks within the structure they still refer to themselves as nothing more than cerites.
Orin
White: Wear white robes and use magic primarily to assist others and better
society. They abhor evil and are often in conflict with the blacks and their apparent lack
of concern for anyone other than themselves. These men are actively sought out by kings
and lords above all other Orin because of their stature. All members of the White Orin
have Charm Impress at 40%.
Red: Noted for their red robes, magic is a tool either for themselves or others, it works either way. They feel that balance must be maintained in the universe in order for life to continue, a result of this belief is their positive association with the marseal. Occasionally a member of the red will change Orin, this is very rare and no other Orin will do that. Men involved with the Red Orin have an Awe Factor 10.
Black: Wear black robes and use their magic only if they will benefit from it in some way. Not all blacks are evil in nature, but all are extremely selfish and any cerite who is evil in nature will be black. It is primarily a moral nature that determines the true nature of the Black brotherhood. It is impossible to have a full understanding of them or take an accurate census because they are also master deceivers. Of course, people are extremely hostile toward them, almost as much as they are toward psionics. All cerite of evil alignment are black. Those who wear the black robes have a Trust/Intimidate at 40%.
Cerite and Weapons & Armor: They will never use armors above leather, nor with they use two-handed weapons beyond a staff, but few are un-armed in some way. They prefer exotic weapons, daggers, and above all, their magic.
Cerite O.C.C.
Alignment: Any. The alignment will determine the Orin of the character, see
above for details.
Attribute Requirement: I.Q. 12+ A high P.E. is also recommended, but not
required.
O.C.C. Skills:
Two additional languages of choice (+20%)
Literacy: two of choice (+20%)
Lore: Magic (+20%)
Lore: Demons & Monsters (+10%)
Lore: Religion (+10%)
Mathematics: Basic (+10%)
Research (+20%)
Hand to Hand: Basic (can be upgraded to Hand to Hand: Expert at the cost of two
other skill selections)
See page 107 in the Palladium Fantasy RPG to continue creating your cerite
character.