Control of the minds of others takes exceptional skill. Those who have mastered it have become powerful wizards. Those who haven't been strong enough to handle the power, become hopelessly insane.

- Gestalyn Allsmay

AWAKENED: Sentient Thought is most often awakened through a close relationship with someone, or by discovering that one can feel the emotions of those around them. As such, it is a relatively painless awakening, though many begin by being quite frightened of their power. Those without a strong will of their own may find it themselves unconsciously influenced by the emotions and desires of those around them. The awakened skill will make a character vulnerable to high-resonance events or areas.

INITIATE: The key word of the Initiate Mentalist is SENSE
The Mentalist is able to read the hidden emotions of sentient life forms. The Initiate has a fair chance of detecting lies and sensing the presence of beings hidden from view.

APPRENTICE: The key word of the Apprentice Mentalist is COMMUNICATE
The Apprentice Mentalist can communicate telepathically with sentient life forms and hear (or otherwise experience) their surface thoughts. The Apprentice also learns how to guard his mind against mind attacks from other beings with the same skill.

MAGE: The key word of the Mage Mentalist is INFLUENCE
The Mage Mentalist can send his mind into another's thoughts and affect his or her awareness. Suggestions can be planted and perceptions/emotions can be slightly altered. Telepathic ability in relation to sentient life forms expands its reach. The Mage is better able to guard his mind against attacks and can now extend that protection to others who are close by.

ADEPT: The key word of the Adept Mentalist is CONTROL
True mind control is a blink away for the Adept Mentalist. Wills can be bent and complicated illusions can be implanted into the minds of all but those powerful in guarding against such meddling (such as fellow Mentalists).

LOST ABILITIES: It is rumored that the ancient Wizards had the ability to create a mind from nothing. They could erase a mind and implant a new one altogether, or create one where there had never been one before. It is doubtful that this ability is alive today, which is probably just as well.

Hazards of Sentient Magic:

The Mentalist's link to each subject must be strong. Any corruption of this link can create a backlash which may damage the caster's mind. Strong mental shields are needed to prevent this, but even the most skilled mentalist will have his weak moments. Over time, small leakages can distort the casters perceptions, which may lead the incautious Sentient user down the path of insanity. This danger increases in direct relation to how much power the mentalist uses to maintain the link. Additionally, the more alien the mind of the subject is to the caster, the more likely the caster will be influenced by his subject's mind.

A Sentient Mentalist uses a mental shield - an internal construct of energy pathways that directs someone's thought patterns. The more complicated the pattern, the harder it is for another mentalist to establish a link to the inner mind. All sentient beings have shields without even being aware of it. Awareness of the process, however, allows mentalists to alter their pattern into a stronger barrier than that of the average being.

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