Trail of the Wolf (3 page)
During psychic combat, New Order Grand Masters are able to construct mind-fortresses capable of protecting themselves and others. The strength and capacity of these fortresses increase as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
New Order Grand Masters are able to withstand contact with harmful elements, such as flames and acids, for upwards of an hour in duration. This ability increases as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
(Advanced Divination)
This Discipline enables a New Order Grand Master to spirit-walk for far greater lengths of time, and with far fewer ill effects. Duration of the spirit-walk and the protection afforded to his inanimate body increase as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
(Old Kingdom Magic)
Under the tutelage of Lone Wolf, you have been able to master the rudimentary skills of Old Kingdom battle-magic. These arcane skills include the use of basic Old Kingdom Spells, such as
Shield
,
Power Word
, and
Invisible Fist
. As you advance in rank, so will your knowledge and mastery of Old Kingdom magic increase.
(Brotherhood Magic)
Under the tutelage of Lone Wolf and Guildmaster Banedon (the leader of Sommerlund's Guild of Magicians), you have mastered the elementary spells of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star. These spells include
Lightning Hand
,
Levitation
, and
Mind Charm
. As you advance in rank, so will your knowledge and mastery of Brotherhood magic increase.
The celestial bodies which occupy the skies above Magnamund have long been known to affect the lives of its inhabitants. Mastery of this Discipline enables a New Order Grand Master to predict and shape the future by studying the relative positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the myriad planets and stars. The number and accuracy of these predictions increase as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
Mastery of this New Order Discipline enables a Grand Master to identify readily any substance derived from living or growing organic material. He is aware of any secret uses to which an organic material may be put, and he is skilled in effecting the release of a substance's medicinal and/or magical properties.
This Discipline enables a New Order Grand Master to manipulate the four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. By drawing upon individual elements that are available, or combinations thereof, he is able to detach, affix, increase, concentrate, intensify, remove, or accelerate this matter to fulfil a specific purpose, e.g. create a wall, hurl a rock, spray sand, remove air, intensify fire. The versatility of this Discipline increases as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
Through mastery of this Discipline a Kai Grand Master of the New Order becomes a multi-talented performer, proficient in the use of any musical instrument. He is able to sing or chant, recite or compose tales of legend, mimic speech or dialect, and stimulate a wide range of emotions among sentient creatures. The effect and power of his bardic abilities will steadily increase as he advances through the Grand Master ranks.
If you successfully complete the mission as set in Book 25 of the
Lone Wolf New Order
series, you may add a further Grand Master Discipline of your choice to your
Action Chart
in Book 26. For every Grand Master Discipline you possess, in excess of the original four Disciplines you begin with, you may add 1 point to your basic
COMBAT SKILL
score and 2 points to your basic
ENDURANCE
points score. These bonus points, together with your extra Grand Master Discipline(s), your original four Grand Master Disciplines, your Kai Weapon,
4
and any other Special Items and Backpack Items that you have found and been able to keep during your adventures, may then be carried over and used in the next
New Order
adventure, which is called:
The Fall of Blood Mountain
.
[2] Given the rules for the previous
Lone Wolf
books, it seems odd that a Grand Master is only allowed to choose to be proficient in one of the few Weapons listed in the
Equipment section
. In view of the unprecedented nature of this rule, you might decide that it is acceptable to be proficient in any of the ten Weapons that the Kai typically train to use.
[3] The rules in the Collector's Editions state that the bonus for Grand Weaponmastery with Bow is 5. Certain sections direct the reader to use different bonuses when using a Bow, ranging from 3 to 5, if you have Grand Weaponmastery with Bow. This may be the author adjusting the Grand Weaponmastery bonus on a case-by-case basis (and therefore this bonus should be used instead of the standard bonus) or an error (and therefore all of these bonuses should be 5). It is up to you to decide, but it seems most reasonable to follow the first alternative, to replace the Grand Weaponmastery bonus with whatever bonus is mentioned in that section.
[4] Details about the Kai Weapon appear in the next section of the game rules.