Sciomancy (skill)

Sciomancy is the dangerous art of channeling Czjetija, the Plane of Shadow through one's own body. At considerable risk to themselves, a trained Sciomancer can exert control over this potent power of shadow and use it to devour their enemies. One can never be too careful when using the powers of Shadow, for reckless misuse of the power may turn them Shadowbound.

Skill	Rank	Percent	Description
Channel	Inept	0 %	Link yourself to the plane of Shadow.
Blast	Novice	0 %	Batter your foe with a burst of shadow energy.
Chill	Apprentice	0 %	Draw the heat from your victim.
Nightsight	Apprentice	50 %	Gaze through your domain.
Engulf	Capable	0 %	Move among the shadows.
Hew	Capable	50 %	Scythe through their protections.
Ruin	Adept	0 %	Wreck their body with malignant force.
Shadeling	Adept	33 %	A useful minion of shadow.
Scourge	Adept	66 %	Disrupt their mental faculties.
Shadowprice	Skilled	0 %	Empower your spells, at a cost.
Gloom	Skilled	33 %	A deep despair to cloud the mind.
Shaderot	Skilled	66 %	Shadows will consume them.
Repay	Gifted	0 %	All debts must be settled.
Focus	Gifted	33 %	Create a magical focus for easier spellcasting.
Purity	Gifted	66 %	The purity of Shadow.
Leech	Expert	0 %	Leech maladies from your body.
Voidgaze	Expert	33 %	Force them to stare into the abyss.
Morph	Expert	66 %	Imitate another with your shadeling.
Shadowbrand	Virtuoso	0 %	Mark them with a symbol of destruction.
Fever	Virtuoso	33 %	A feverish curse of shadows.
Mantle	Virtuoso	66 %	Guard yourself with a cloak of the night.
Shadowsphere	Fabled	0 %	No light may escape your void.
Devour	Fabled	33 %	Your shadeling hungers.
Haunt	Fabled	66 %	Summon a shadowy spectre to torment them.
Forgive	Mythical	0 %	Respite from one's obligations.
Falter	Mythical	33 %	Let their weakness be their downfall.
Phantom	Mythical	66 %	The shadows recognise their own.
Consume	Transcendent	0 %	Leave no trace behind.

Channel	Link yourself to the plane of Shadow
Syntax:	CHANNELS CHANNEL SHADOW
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	In order to harness the power of the elements, you must first open a channel to the superior realm of Shadow. Once you have opened a channel to that realm, you will be able to make repeated use of spells that require that element. You can close your channel to Shadow at any time by severing it. There is no cost to keeping it active. The bearer of the Shadow Mark will find they have no need to channel Shadow, for they maintain a constant connection to that realm.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Blast	Batter your foe with a burst of shadow energy
Syntax:	CAST BLAST <target> CAST BLAST ICEWALL [<direction>]
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:	Both players and NPCs
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Form and send a blast of shadow energy to strike out at your foe. You can also melt an icewall obstructing a path with it.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Chill	Draw the heat from your victim
Syntax:	CAST CHILL <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Use the shadows surrounding you to draw their warmth away, chilling your target one stage. If the shadowprice is paid, this ability will freeze them for two levels if they weren't shivering to begin with.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Nightsight	Gaze through your domain
Syntax:	NIGHTSIGHT
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	See easily through the shadows that surround you.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Engulf	Move among the shadows
Syntax:	CAST ENGULF <ON/OFF>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Let night mask your movements - whenever you attempt to move through a room covered in darkness, your movement will be completely concealed. Lifevision may spot this attempt, but heatvision cannot.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Hew	Scythe through their protections
Syntax:	CAST HEW <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:	Both players and NPCs
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Call upon the shadows to slice through any magical shields surrounding your target. If the shadowprice is paid, there is no equilibrium cost for this ability if it is successful. Failed attempts will incur the debt as well as the equilibrium cost.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Ruin	Wreck their body with malignant force
Syntax:	CAST RUIN <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:	Both players and NPCs
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Shadow is the element of consumption, and devouring the physical body of your foe is well within its purview. When inflicting ruin upon them, first you will cause clumsiness. If already clumsy, you will cause weariness. If already weary and clumsy, they will be struck with lethargy. In all cases, the ruin will cause moderate magical damage. If all three afflictions are present, you will steal away their focus balance and cause paresis. If the shadowprice is paid, your ruin will cause two afflictions in order instead of one. If paresis is delivered in this way, no focus knock will be applied.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Shadeling	A useful minion of shadow
Syntax:	CAST SHADELING CALL SHADELING
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Summon forth a being of shadow to assist you in your plight. The shadeling can be ordered to attack your enemies, and will periodically cause cold damage and one level of freezing to your target. If your victim is fully frozen when the shadeling strikes, they will be stunned and afflicted with nyctophobia. Please see HELP LOYALTY for the commands you can order it to do.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Scourge	Disrupt their mental faculties
Syntax:	CAST SCOURGE <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Shadow can cause various maladies to the body and mind as it eats away at all the other elements within your foe. When scourged, your victim will suffer immediately from one of the following afflictions that they don't already have: dizziness, nyctophobia, confusion, dementia. If all four afflictions are present on the target, they will instead be struck with a significant mana drain and faintness. If the shadowprice is paid, the scourge will relapse once more five seconds later. If your intended victim leaves the room in this time, however, you will be scourged instead.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Shadowprice	Empower your spells, at a cost
Syntax:	SHADOWPRICE <spell> <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Shadowprice is used as a replacement for the normal CAST command. e.g. SHADOWPRICE RUIN <target> Empower your spells by letting Shadow channel through your body with each cast. With every successive cast of shadowprice to empower a shadow spell, the risks and rewards increase. For now, you may call upon the shadowprice twice, and not again until the previous debts are paid. Your shadow debt is slowly forgiven over time, and will cost a small portion of your health when it occurs. The more afflictions you have, the more the health it will be. Possessing the weariness affliction will block the use of using shadowprice entirely.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Gloom	A deep despair to cloud the mind
Syntax:	CAST GLOOM <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:	Both players and NPCs
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Infuse your victim with a despairing curse, giving them a chance to become burdened with phobias any time they focus. If standing in darkness, nyctophobia is always the first phobia to appear. The phobias this can afflict with are nyctophobia, agoraphobia, loneliness, vertigo, claustrophobia and fear of commitment. Gloom can be cured by applying epidermal to one's head, but only if unblind. When used to cure gloom, epidermal incurs a short time before the affliction resolves, and becoming blind while this occurs will cause it to instead cure blindness once more. If your victim is already in despair from a gloom, any further attempts to use gloom on them will be ineffective. If the shadowprice is paid, this may be performed free of any equilibrium cost.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Shaderot	Shadows will consume them
Syntax:	CAST ROT <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Send a malignant curse of shadow to infiltrate your victim, feeding upon the shadows you cast upon them. At first, the rot is benign, and has no meaningful effect. However, the rot will grow over time, and its effects too will increase. The rot may grow four times after the first stage. 1) No effect. 2) Their spirit gradually atrophies, causing escalating shadow damage. 3) Their body ceases to generate heat - preventing random curing of shivering. 4) Their flesh withers under the shade, periodically causing hopelessness. 5) Their body falters - the recovery time from poultices is doubled. Shadow rot may be cured by consuming panacea. If standing outside of the presence of a singularity, two stacks will be cured instead of one. If the shadowprice is paid, you will deliver two stacks of shaderot immediately.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Repay	All debts must be settled
Syntax:	CAST REPAY
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Repay the shadowprice instantly, costing you a moderate amount of health and restoring a charge of shadowprice. If used in succession, the repayment becomes much more dangerous and will cost equilibrium. Whenever you slay an adventurer, one of your shadow debts will be repaid for free.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Focus	Create a magical focus for easier spellcasting
Syntax:	CAST CREATE FOCUS EMBED FOCUS IN <weapon>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Though the crystals extracted from the Master Crystal are no longer suitable for the arts of Crystalism, they now seem to grant you a better control of the shadows. Excise a focus from the Master Crystal while you are standing before it, and the focus can then be embedded into either a staff, a shortsword, or a crozier. Should you be wielding such an object containing a focus crystal, you will be able to control the shadows with greater ease. Your spells will no longer require both hands, only a single hand. Additionally, parrying an attack will charge your focus crystal with magical energy, restoring a portion of your mana instantly.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Purity	The purity of Shadow
Syntax:	CAST PURITY <ON/OFF>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Focus on maintaining the purity of shadow, switching all of your Sciomancy damaging attacks to use shadow-type damage in exchange for a small drain to your willpower. This will cause your attacks to do less overall damage however.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Leech	Leech maladies from your body
Syntax:	CAST LEECH
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:	20 seconds
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Draw upon the shadows to leech two random maladies from your body. Should you be suffering from paralysis or paresis, leech will always cure that first, and only that.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Voidgaze	Force them to stare into the abyss
Syntax:	CAST VOIDGAZE <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	If your target is not blind, you can create the image of a void before them, causing them to stare hopelessly into its depths. So long as the voidgaze remains uncured, they will quickly receive the following afflictions in order: weariness, clumsiness, vomiting, dementia. If all four afflictions are present when the voidgaze ticks, your victim will become trapped in the void, knock them to the ground, interrupt any tumbling attempts, and they will be unable to stand for a period of time. If the shadowprice is paid, your voidgaze will strip blindness when applied.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Morph	Imitate another with your shadeling
Syntax:	CAST MORPH <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Order your shadeling to change its form into an inky caricature of your chosen target. Should the shadeling take any damage or attempt to attack someone, this effect will become undone. Can only be done on targets in the room.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Shadowbrand	Mark them with a symbol of destruction
Syntax:	CAST BRAND <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Weave a brand of shadows to cover your foe, causing elixirs to lose some of their potency, reducing the amount healed to health or mana this way by 20%. The strength of the brand is dependent on how low your victim's mana is - the shadowbrand will never last for fewer than two sips, and no more than five. There is a short channel associated with performing this ability. If the shadowprice is paid, your shadowbrand is applied instantly, and for slightly less equilibrium.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Fever	A feverish curse of shadows
Syntax:	CAST FEVER <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:	Both players and NPCs
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Infect them with a feverous curse, causing vomiting and haemophilia. If they have the dementia affliction, then the fever will drive them mad, curing it and causing hallucinations in its place. If the shadowprice is paid, this ability is much quicker to use.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Mantle	Guard yourself with a cloak of the night
Syntax:	CAST MANTLE
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Surround yourself in a cloak of shadow, reducing the damage taken from the elements, and significantly reducing the damage taken from shadow. Those wearing the mantle can bear up to four shadow debts at once.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Shadowsphere	No light may escape your void
Syntax:	CAST SPHERE <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:	30 seconds
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Engulf your victim in a dark void, draining all color from their vision. While surrounded by this void, afflictions delivered from Scourge will be masked, and shaderot cannot be cured. The more afflictions plaguing your foe, the longer the shadowsphere will persist. A victim who fears the darkness will suffer even longer still. If the shadowprice is paid, your shadowsphere also delivers nyctophobia, and for slightly less equilibrium.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Devour	Your shadeling hungers
Syntax:	CAST DEVOUR <ON/OFF>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Your shadeling hungers for corpses. Should anything die in the same location as your shadeling while it is with you, your shadeling will immediately devour the corpse and restore some willpower to you. An adventurer's corpse will restore a lot more willpower than a denizen's. There is a small cooldown on this effect occuring, with the length of time dependant on the type of corpse. Cooldown (denizen): 5 seconds Cooldown (adventurer): 15 seconds
Note:	{{{note}}}

Haunt	Summon a shadowy spectre to torment them
Syntax:	CAST HAUNT <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Conjure a spectral force to possess your victim, periodically sapping their mana. The haunting force will persist for a short time, but will vanish if your victim leaves your sight. If the shadowprice is paid, your haunt will persist indefinitely in your presence.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Forgive	Respite from one's obligations
Syntax:	CAST FORGIVE
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:	20 minutes
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	In a grand gesture of servitude, request that the shadows forgive all your debts. Once per a while, you will instantly recharge all outstanding shadowprice charges, but be warned - this action will leave you severely weakened in body and mind.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Falter	Let their weakness be their downfall
Syntax:	CAST FALTER <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Should your victim be afflicted with maladies caused by shadows, you can use them as an opportunity for your own victory. This spell does nothing on its own, but can have any or all of the following effects depending on what they are afflicted by: Haemophilia: Causes significant bleeding. Nyctophobia: Causes significant health and mana damage. Dizziness: Causes dementia. Weariness: Causes exhaustion. If the shadowprice is paid, one of these missing conditional afflictions will be applied at random before the spell completes.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Phantom	The shadows recognise their own
Syntax:	CAST PHANTOM
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	This ability will call upon the shadows to watch you carefully. Then, when you deal damage and are standing in the location you last died within, your damage will be boosted by the shadows.
Note:	{{{note}}}

Consume	Leave no trace behind
Syntax:	CAST CONSUME <target>
Required:
Channels:	{{{channels}}}
Shapes:	{{{shapes}}}
Transitions:	{{{transitions}}}
Attacks:	{{{attacks}}}
Works against:
Cooldown:
Attune Effect:	{{{attune}}}
Symbol:	{{{symbol}}}
Details:	Drawing upon your mastered link to the plane of Shadow, you may call forth a force that will annihilate your foe where they stand. Your victim must be prone and suffering from a fear of darkness to begin, and such a feat requires complete concentration. Should your attempt be successful, your victim will be erased from reality entirely, and any shadow debts you have drawn will be immediately forgiven. If the shadowprice is paid, your attempt will be quickened slightly, and more importantly, no force may disrupt it other than your opponent leaving your presence. If this attempt fails, however, your own body will be consumed to repay this grave debt.
Note:	{{{note}}}