The basic element, Life, is in every blade of grass and every beast of the forest. Master this basic element and you can move even more beyond the reach of death. Life Magic is a Rare Subskill, and each rank requires special advancement rules to learn. As a third generation Chaos Seed, the natural magics of The Land are not as familiar to you as are your normal “core” spells, but you may have the chance to learn, and improve on your Life Magic abilities.
Unlike core campaign setting in Dungeons and Dragons, magic transcends type in The Land, and falls into a series of Magic Types. There are eight Basic Magic types – Air Magic, Dark Magic, Death Magic, Earth Magic, Fire Magic, Life Magic, Light Magic, and Water Magic. There are higher level magics, such as Mental and Chaos, but you are not yet ready to understand them. You may gain access to one of the Basic Magics as you adventure in the Red Venom Plains. Use this guide to process the benefits of gaining a rank in Life Magic.
The Benefits of being an Life Mage
Rank 1:
Cost: 10 Days of Downtime, plus special access for Life Magic Rank 1.
Benefit: You gain an extra spell slot, which can be used once per Long Rest. This slot can be used to cast either a Rank 1 Life Magic spell that you have access too, or a Level 1 Core spell with the Life descriptor (see the list below). You do not have to be of the associated class to cast it; it becomes a bonus spell for you. It does not get added to your spell list, so if you do not otherwise know it, you can only cast it once per day. If it has a DC, it uses your preferred DC; if you do not, choose Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom. Your DC is 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your preferred modifier from those three skills. You cannot apply class skills (such as a Sorcerer’s Metamagic skill) to this spell, but you can apply Metamagic Subskills, if you know any. Additionally, when you cast either an Life Magic spell or a Core spell with the Life descriptor, you gain a +1 bonus to damage rolls if the spell does damage, or to the amount of healing it does, if the spell does at least one die roll of healing.
Rank 2:
Cost: 20 Additional Days of Downtime, plus special access for Life Magic Rank 2.
Benefit: In addition to the benefits of previous ranks, you gain another bonus spell slot, but this one can be of any Life Magic spell of Rank 2 or lower, or Core spell with the Life descriptor of level 2 or lower. This spell follows the same rules as bonus spells of previous ranks. Additionally, when you cast an Life Magic spell or a Core spell with the Life Descriptor, its DC is increased by 1, assuming it has a DC.
Additional Ranks will be revealed as the campaign advances.
Core Spells with the Life Descriptor:
Cantrips: Druidcraft, Friends, Infestation, Spare the Dying, Thorn Whip
1st Level: Animal Friendship, Beast Bond, Ceremony, Chaos Bolt, Charm Person, Chromatic Orb, Command, Compelled Duel, Cure Wounds, Entangle, Find Familiar, Goodberry, Healing Word, Heroism, Speak with Animals, Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
2nd Level: Aid, Animal Messenger, Augury, Beast Sense, Borrowed Knowledge, Calm Emotions, Detect Thoughts, Enhance Ability, Find Steed, Flock of Familiars, Gentle Repose, Healing Spirit, Hold Person, Lesser Restoration, Locate Animals or Plants, Magic Weapon, Prayer of Healing, Spike Growth, Suggestion, Summon Beast, Zone of Truth