| Impossibly Diverse |
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Uncommon options are described as "available only to those who have special training, grew up in a certain culture, or come from a particular part of the world". This contrasts to common options, which are more ubiquitous, but also to rare options, which are "almost impossible to find and are usually given out only by the GM", meaning that uncommon options implicitly have some groups in the setting that have access to them. Options from splatbooks typically have fairly clear indications of who those are, but for options in the core books it's typically less clear. So, what places and groups on Golarion have access to which uncommon options from the core books?
So far, what I've got is:
- Certain spells are definitely known to the Academy of the Reclamation, Magaambya, Sihedron Spires, Prophets of Kalistrade and Kyonin, because they have them as curriculum spells for their special arcane schools:
- Academy of the Reclamation: Locate, Mind Probe
- Magaambya: Pinpoint, Detonate Magic, Scrying, Liminal Doorway, Magic Passage, Planar Palace, Mind Probe, Truespeech, Hidden Mind
- Sihedron Spires: Veil of Privacy, Mind Probe, Scrying, Seize Soul, Planar Seal, Detonate Magic, Dominate, Mirage, Teleport, Planar Palace
- Prophets of Kalistrade: Veil of Privacy, Scrying, Hidden Mind
- Kyonin: Magic Passage, Teleport, Interplanar Teleport, Planar Seal
- The Magaambya also fairly clearly have access to teleport: Absalom: City of Lost Omens implies that Dorothoko learnt Teleport at the Magaambya, and they can operate in Nerosyan despite being based in Nantambu. Similarly, the University of Jolizpan, Indraracha Institute and Divine Conservatory presumably have teleport, since it seems unlikely that they'd brave the Path of Aganhei just to attend an academic conference, and the Arcanamirium is also stated to be using teleportation to get to the conference.
- Lady Darachana of House Madinani is implied in Absalom: City of Lost Omens to know the Telportation Circle ritual. Since she runs the Arcanamirium, it can likely be learned there.
- Geb and Tar-Baphon obviously know the Create Undead ritual, and share it with their subordinates
- Blackjack, the Red Raven, the Sapphire Butterfly, the Midnight Maiden, Shroud, the Night Swan, Neven and the Silent Silhouette are presumably still Vigilantes and able to teach the archetype to others.
- the Seventh Church of Iomedae is mentioned in Absalom: City of Lost Omens to have resurrected Lord Oirel of house Uiry, so they presumably know that ritual.
- Bwutuzu the Panther is mentioned to habitually travel with a teleporting spellcaster, and they are implied to be employees rather than companions, implying that teleporters are available for hire in Absalom, likely from the Arcanamirium or its graduates.
- Absalom: City of Lost Omens lists scrying as a service potentially available from random shops, implying it is probably fairly well known there.
- The Knights of Lastwall are mentioned to have access to scrying.
- Absalom: City of Lost Omens mentions that Korhuel of the Circle of Stones casts Awaken Animal on the Learned Pig's eponymous host, implying that he knows that ritual. Knights of Lastwall mentions that Genodwyn also has access to Awaken Animal.
- The World Guide mentions that Qadira has animated seige engines, and Shining Kingdoms that Oppara has shops with animated shelves. Both thus likely have access to the Animate Object ritual
- The arcane devil-summoning taught by Academe and Cheliax's magic schools is probably the Binding Circle ritual.
- The Vault of Abadar in Absalom and the people the city of Osibu are mentioned as using the Geas ritual in their respective books.
- Adamantine in Golarion comes from Numeria, duskwood from Darkmoon Vale, and elven chain presumably from Kyonin.
So, are there any indications I've missed of what corebook uncommon options are available where? What thoughts do people have about what places and organisations are likely to have access to what uncommon options beyond what has been explicitly indicated?
| Scarablob |
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Ritual wise, I feel like the uncommonness don't relate to knowlege of them being limited to some specific part of the world, but rather to it being hard to learn on your own without assistance or patronnage. (not unlike how every focus spell is uncommon for similar reason).
Things like animate object feel like most wizardy organisation know how to do it (there are animated object all around golarion), you just have to pay (or be a part of it) to be teached how to do so yourself. Create undead obviously circulate all around golarion since there are necromancer everywhere, but since it's illegal in most place, it's the type of secret that is transmited in hushed voice, or that an aspiring necromancer need to "dig out" while researching the work of their former peers in order to uncover. Likewise for awaken animal, it feel like the kind of knowledge that any powerfull/ancient enough druidic circle probably know, but they won't teach you unless you prove yourself worthy of knowing it or have a good reason.
For uncommon spells on the other hand...
Scrying (and all the related spells that prevent/foil/detect scrying) feel like it's a "technological bubble" in itself, any area where some proeminent power is able to scry will have all other powers try to acquire the same ability and means to resist/detect it's use. Any arcane spellcaster-heavy place (all the area around new thassilon, the entire area surrounding the eye of dread, Absalom, nex/geb, Natambu, etc) probably have scrying (and anti scrying) as relatively well known and "accounted for" thing that people can do, while I expect places with less active arcane spellcaster to have it be uncommon or unknown.
Likewise for "detonate magic", "dispelling globe" and the like, these spells feel like they would sprout out in a region where magic (and specifically arcane magic) use is especially plentifull and commonplace, while regions that see less spellcasting activity would just rely on "dispel magic" as a "one size fix all" anti-magic spell.
Teleportation effect are more interesting, they were obviously put at uncommon not out of worldbuilding but to prevent them from invalidating some campaign/adventure, but in effect, it does look like these are commonplace in metropolises like Absalom, and far less common in more rural places. Which of course stem from the fact that metropolices have more magic users than rural places, but it does paint an interesting picture, in which every "big city" are "close together", in that it is rather trivial to find a way to teleport from one to another as long as you have enough money/magical ability, while the rural and wild expanses away from these siege of power are more isolated and distant, even if they are geographically closer. As an exemple, I expect that someone at the western extremity of Kortos (the island were Absalom is) would likely take longer and have a harder time in general getting to the eastern extremity of the same island than someone in Absalom trying to get to Quantium (Nex's capital). In a way, it remind me of how Castrovel is depicted, with incredibly vast expanses of wilderness, with large cities spread amongst the surface, connected for the most part by magical portals, the existence of which mean that develloping trade or travel route "on land" is less attractive, which result on the wilderness being left untouched in most region.
There are however two notable exception for these teleportation effect in the player core. The first one is "nature pathway", and the other is "umbral journey", and by extension gate and other mean of plannar travel. These feel like spells that, like rituals, aren't limited to some part of the world, but rather jealously kept secret by some group or individual that would rather not share it. Nature pathway have "druidic secret" written all over it, and the plannar travel ones feel like they are uncommon because some faith or groups with privileged relationship with some other plane would rather keep their privilege for themselves.
And then there's raise dead. It's sorta ubiquitous in the lore, and honestly, it feel like it's uncommon either because "organised religion" have a monopole on the thing and try to keep it to prevent "rogue cleric/oracle/sorcerer" from intruding on their market (which wouldn't really make sense for good nature faith), or.... simply uncommon because it's so costly only rich people can ever afford it, making it uncommon out of class divide.
| Castilliano |
Thorough, and as RB wrote, impressive.
Also various religions have access to Uncommon spells via their deity, like Abadar churches re: Planar Palace (which means they charge a steep price since it's remained Uncommon). Whether that counts as available depends I suppose, but being such a Cleric is a valid way in PFS to acquire some tricky ones.
I'd read somewhere that all Uncommon options were available for purchase in Absalom (though I doubt I'd allow "all" to include explicitly isolated things, ones the PCs wouldn't have heard of.)