Alchemy Capstone 1: Residual Alchemy: Doran has learned to keep detailed track of which vials and beakers have residue from past experiments. As long as he uses his own equipment, he can imbue a free property into an item without needing the reagents for it once every three trials, by knowing which units to use in a particular process. Extremely potent reagents, such as the blood of Immortals, Mortalborns, mages or blessed characters, are exempt from this ability as they need to be used when they are still fresh. Doran needs to previously have used two doses of a reagent in order to have enough residue to imbue said free property, and the residue needs to come from something that he has made within the past season, otherwise his creation will be ineffective.
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Approval)
Alchemy Capstone 2: Racial Blood Magic: Doran has discovered a new field of Blood Magic: Racial Blood Magic. He has learned to not only replicate the effects of domain magic and immortal blessings with alchemy, but also the traits that are innate to certain races. He can, for example, take the blood of an Eidisi, purify it and make a potion that enables the one who drinks it to temporarily learn a language faster, use the blood of a Lotharro to temporarily boost your endurance or use the blood of an Ellune to create a potion that makes you more resistant to cold.
He can of course not replicate an Yludih’s shapeshifting abilities as Yludih do not really bleed. Furthermore, creating such a potion requires thorough study of the race whose blood he plans on using.
As with all other kinds of Blood Magic, backlash can occur. In order to prevent backlash, a background of study that has given the alchemist an equivalent level of the protective skills Attunement, Chemistry or Medicine or a combination of the three is necessary.
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Approval)
Alchemy Capstone 3: Reverse Engineering: Doran is intricately familiar with the process of creating magic items and imbuing items with magical effects and has learned to reproduce items that were not made by himself as a consequence. If he can figure out one of the reagents that were used in an item’s creation, through chemical analyses, thorough examination or even by using magic, he can deduce the others as certain reagents are usually used in order to achieve a certain effect and reagents that are used in combination tend to be of a similar potency.
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Approval)
Alchemy Capstone 4: Mortalborn Blood Magic: Skilled Alchemists can replicate blessing abilities by collecting the blood of blessed individuals and imbuing items with it or using it as an ingredient for a potion, provided that they have a certain number of knowledges pertaining to the ability in question.
Doran has learned to do the same with Mortalborn abilities.
In order to successfully replicate a Mortalborn ability, Doran needs to have three knowledges pertaining to the ability in question, the same number of knowledges that is required for an individual to be considered a master when it comes to one of their abilities.
Of course, there are certain Mortalborn abilities that are not as suitable for potions and items as other abilities - or that may not be able to be replicated with alchemy at all – and certain Immortals may have a problem when it comes to using the blood of their children for alchemy.
As with all other kinds of Blood Magic, backlash can occur. In order to prevent backlash, a background of study that has given the alchemist in question an equivalent level of the protective skills of Attunement, Chemistry or Medicine or a combination of the three is necessary.
Any knowledges gained about Mortalborn abilities count towards the skill knowledge total for a thread and have to be requested as skill knowledges.
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Approval)
Alchemy Capstone 5: Good Alchemy Doesn’t Go Bad: Depending on which reagents exactly were involved in their creation, potions go bad sooner or later, and so do certain reagents. Doran has learned to modify potions and reagents that have gone off so that they can be used again, with no side effects, by mixing them with other reagents. If he uses a reagent that he has brought back in such a way, the subsequent alchemical process takes twice as long as it usually would as the preparation of the reagent in question takes time, and it needs to be handled with more care than it normally would.
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Approval)
Alchemy Capstone 6: Improvised Alchemy: Since he first started to work outside a proper laboratory and set up a simple workspace in order to help the settlers of Hopetoun with his alchemy, Doran has learned to work with improvised equipment rather than proper alchemist’s tools.
Due to his vast experience, he can make do with whatever happens to be available to him and work at full efficiently and effectiveness, and he instinctively knows how much of a certain substance he needs to use in order for his alchemification to be successful and in order to keep backlash from occurring.
Of course, Doran still needs to have the necessary reagents and materials, as well as a means of heating or cooling things down, should such be part of the alchemical process.
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Approval)
Blades Capstone 1: Precise Riposte: With this ability, Doran's intimate knowledge of the longsword allows him to block blows from anything that can be wielded as a weapon in the hands, including weapons that would surpass the size and ability of his sword. In addition to completely stopping and redirecting the force of the incoming blow, Doran leaves himself open to make a riposte that utilizes the blade as if it were a much lighter weapon like an epee or a foil.
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Approval)
Blades Capstone 2: The Stabbing Edge: As a swordsman, Doran tends to rely on his superior strength as well as his technique rather than on greater speed and acrobatic moves when it comes to defeating his opponents. He is such an expert when it comes to executing forceful attacks that he has developed the ability to make every attack that connects with the edge of the sword to penetrate as deeply as if he would be executing a stab with a fine point, no matter which part of the blade's edge he strikes his opponents with.
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Approval)
Blades Capstone 3: The Invisible Blade: Through constant training with swords made of Embersteel and other materials that are heavier than normal, Doran has developed the ability to wield a regular sword with extraordinary speed. By combining this with his scientific background and using tricks of ambient light he can make the movements of his sword hard to follow. To people that have a low Detection skill, or an appropriate alternative skill such as Attunement, it will seem as if his sword simply disappears on occasion.
Mechanically, this means the following:
Novice: Most if not all attacks are considered a surprise attack and next to impossible to parry (which doesn't mean you can't dodge or run away).
Competent: The defender's weapon skill is reduced by one competency level when considering all their active defence.
Expert: This has the same effect as Competent, but only for the first attack. Once the opponent knows about it, they are capable of watching for it deliberately.
Master & GM: There is now no mechanical affect. It is more or less just flavour, i.e. the defender knows it's happening, but can see through it reflexively.
This applies to both PCs and NPCs.
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Approval)
Detection Capstone 1: Deconstruction: Doran’s awareness of his surroundings has increased to such an extent that he has begun to be able to perceive things in a way that seems to be beyond the scope of mortal capability, but that is actually a very advanced kind of analysis. He has learned to visually deconstruct the things that he sees. In scientific terms, for example, he is capable of visually deconstructing something without having to actually take it apart. In terms of combat, he is capable of deconstructing the actions of his opponent in order to determine their origin as well as imply their intentions. He can see where an attack will go before his opponent has actually executed said attack. When someone moves, he can analyze every little errant twitch and determine its origin as well as the intention behind it.
It is important to note that this capstone just gives Doran the raw information. When it comes to fighting, he still needs the appropriate combat, and possibly tactical, knowledge in order to react to what he has seen. Additionally, he may face difficulties when it comes to deconstructing a combat style that he is unfamiliar with. When it comes to deconstruction an object or a material, he still needs the appropriate Crafting skill, or Engineering, in order to use the information that he has gained further.
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Approval)
Detection Capstone 2: Big Picture, Small Detail: Doran has learned to be able to distinguish and identify tiny details in what he sees. He has developed his Detection skill to such an extent that he is able to notice tiny details while not needing to focus on them. Thus, he could sweep his gaze around a room and notice that missing button on an individual's shirt or small details in facial expressions which might otherwise be missed.
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Approval)
Detection Capstone 3: Energy Detection: When Doran visited Frosvinndur and the lands behind the barriers, Chuckles, the flame entity, told him that the air felt different there and was surprised that he couldn’t feel it. Since then, Doran has been trying to figure out how to do what Chuckles had done, and he has finally become more sensitive to the world around him.
Nowadays, Doran is capable of sensing the presence of different types of energy in his surroundings as well as the energy of a place in general. A place that is lacking Emean influence will feel different than a place with Emean influence, for example, and he might notice something different about a place with heavy spiritual or magical activity as well.
While Doran is capable of telling that a place feels different, he won’t be able to tell which energy it is and what it means without further investigation and contextual exploration.
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Approval)
Detection Capstone 4: Ether Sense: As someone that has studied the arcane extensively and been affected by it in various ways, Doran is intricately familiar with the way ether might affect reality and capable of detecting the changes in question in a person or a creature. He can tell that someone is a mage as long as they are using ether, for example. Provided that he is familiar with the domain in question, he might even be able to tell what kind of mage they are. He can tell if people or creatures have been magically altered and might be able to deduce in which way they have been altered, and he can detect that people and creatures are under the influence of a fracture’s ether-rich environment and deduce in which way they are affected as long as he has the appropriate skills such as Medicine, Psychology or Investigation.
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Approval)
Discipline Capstone 1: Calm Body, Calm Mind: Doran has maintained a calm and thoughtful demeanor throughout his long life. Throughout the events of the Forging, he was faced with numerous challenges and his discipline was tested to the maximum. As a result of this he has gained the ability to utilize his outwardly calm behaviour to enhance an inner state of serenity. No matter what the situation is, no matter how dire or unknown to him, Doran's discipline is such that he does not panic. He may feel the emotion, but he can overcome it in an instant by simply focusing. This makes him resistant to (but not immune to) artificially produced fear or panic emotions from disciplines such as Empathy, and it means that if he was in a situation where he was being pressured, such as being tortured or interrogated, no matter what he was internally feeling, he could remain calm.
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Approval)
Endurance Capstone 1: Biofeedback: Usually, the majority of the body’s physiological processes are not under your conscious control, and yet, they directly influence your physical performance.
Through regular and rigorous training and continuous observation, Doran has gained a greater awareness of his body’s responses to inside and outside influences and subsequently managed to gain some manner of control over them.
He has learned to control his cardiovascular system and modify his heart rate, his blood pressure, his muscle tension or his breathing, to a certain degree, and subsequently delay the onset of the symptoms of diseases, endure pain better and conserve and optimally use his energy which allows him to last longer in situations where most others would break down, wither away or die.
This capstone applies to any situation that requires the Endurance skill.
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Approval)
Investigation Capstone 1: Historical Investigation: The majority of Doran’s research, from his plan to try and resurrect Fei over his studies of the Originals in general to his trying to find Enri von Smooglenuff, is focused on historical events.
As a consequence, he has developed the ability to investigate mysteries and puzzles from ancient history and uncover clues that may seem tiny or obscure, but that are fundamental to his understanding.
By talking to long-lived individuals, by studying historical texts and interpreting references in a way that a contemporary would and with the occasional help of artifacts, for example, he is capable of investigating the past with as much accuracy as if he were investigating the present.
While Master Investigators have developed some sort of sixth sense of prognostication when it comes to the subject of their investigation, Doran has essentially learned to do the opposite. He is capable of deducing what happened in the past based on how things stand now.
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Approval)
Investigation Capstone 2: Signs of a Lie: People that withhold or fabricate information during an investigation frequently respond with distinct verbal, non-verbal or paralinguistic behaviour that reveals their attempts to mask their deception. At the same time, such things can reveal that someone has nothing else to share.
Over the course of time, Doran has become intricately familiar with the aforementioned kinds of behaviour and can interpret them quickly and effectively.
That gives him a general sense if someone’s lying, if they are keeping secrets or if they’ve already told him everything during an investigation or interrogation.
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Approval)
Investigation Capstone 3: Linguistic Clues: Over the course of time, Doran has learned that how someone says something is just as important as what someone says. He has learned to listen carefully to the person that he is interrogating and pay attention to the things that they include or don’t include as well as their word choices.
By doing so, he can gain valuable information where a less skilled investigator may just hear a simple story.
Verbs such as “start” or “begin” can be signs that the person that the subject talks about didn’t finish an action, but was interrupted, by a crime, for example. Passive voice is often used in order to distance yourself from an event or a person, and even the use of certain pronouns can be a clue.
By recognizing the different kinds of linguistic clues, Doran does not only instinctively know when he needs to probe further and which direction his interrogation needs to take next; the time that it takes for him to gain the information that he needs is effectively quartered.
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Approval)
Meditation Capstone 1: Radiance of Calm: Meditation has become an important part of Doran’s life; it takes him but a moment to achieve a sense of calm and focus, and what more, he has begun to exude that calm to those around him. In times of crisis, when people panic, or when dealing with supernatural phenomena, or matters of the arcane, for example, people find it easier to stay calm and focused and resist their fears when being near Doran while he holds on to that inner state; there are fewer things that unsettle them.
For the purpose of game mechanics, this capstone ability raises people’s Meditation skill by one full level (e.g. Someone with Competent Meditation will have Expert Meditation when being near Doran when he meditates.). It cannot be raised beyond Master though.
How players RP this, is entirely up to them.
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Approval)
Strength Capstone: Melee Smash: Doran is both a skilled swordsman and a practitioner of Menochoros and has recently begun to combine unarmed and armed combat and develop his own fighting style. No matter whether he uses a blade or his hands, he tends to rely on his superior strength rather than on acrobatic moves and greater speed in order to defeat his opponents. He trains regularly in order to hone his strength and has learned to use it effectively and to its full potential at extremely close distances by combining the power of multiple muscle groups in his body and synchronizing them. Swings and generating momentum have become all but unnecessary. While Doran primarily uses his considerable strength in combat, this capstone can easily be applied to other areas as well.
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Approval)
Research Capstone 1: Historical Case Study: Research can be split, broadly, into two types:
a) Idiographic Historical Research is that which focuses on the Micro - usually in the form of case studies. A case study is an examination a particular event, situation or individual. It leads to very detailed, very specific information.
b) Nomothetic Historical Research is that which focuses more broadly on the Macro - usually by looking at both the immediate and underlying causes of events that occurred in the distant or recent past. If idiographic focuses on the individual, nomothetic focuses on the big picture.
Doran has combined them into a hybrid strategy that can accomplish what neither can on their own. He can now generate both idiographic and nomothetic knowledge and subsequently develop a more comprehensive understanding. He is able to understand the relationship between the micro and the macro, between a single event, a person or a situation, the greater whole and large-scale patterns. Functionally he can understand individuality in the whole and the whole itself - both in their entirety.
How long it takes for Doran to understand the aforementioned relationship depends on the subject and the complexity thereof and can take up to a couple of breaks.
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Approval)
Research Capstone 2: Source Search: Due to his considerable experience and knowledge, Doran can always tell where he might be able to find more information on the topic that he has decided to research. He has a very good idea which books to check, which cities – or which libraries to visit – or which people to ask, for example. He can find obscure and difficult to find information with relative ease, no matter how small the information in question might be, cross-reference and make use of a wide variety of different sources while doing so. He can only access information that actually exists somewhere and that is accessible though.
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Approval)
Science Capstone 1: Omniscientia: Doran can identify any chemical upon inspection as long as he has studied at least one of its ingredients before. He does not have to conduct any of the complex analyses that less experienced chemists have to conduct and does not depend on a laboratory anymore. He can effectively through things such as sight or smell deduce its purpose and intent. He can of course also easily identify any chemicals that he has studied in any form before.
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Approval)
Science Capstone 2: Combat Physics: Doran’s understanding of science has increased to such an extent that he is capable of implementing the principles of physics under pressure and applying them to combat now.
He has developed a sense of just how much force is being generated by his acceleration which allows him to subsequently render his attacks much more effective. He possesses an innate understanding of how different aspects of physics such as energy, mass, momentum and speed are related to each other, and he is capable of subsequently using the understanding of those principles to his advantage. Furthermore, he knows at which angle to strike in order to maximize energy transfer.
It goes without saying that Doran needs to have an appropriate background in his combat skill of choice in order to apply the laws of physics to combat. Without such a background, he only understands the theory.
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Approval)
Science Capstone 3: Secrets of the Blood: The fact that not all blood is the same and that blood contains different components has been known in Idalos for a while now due to the discoveries made by Faith Augustin. Doran has combined that knowledge with his own studies of the blood of different races, of mages and people of Immortal blood. By analyzing the components of blood and comparing the blood of different people through scientific means, he can determine if they have common ancestors and isolate the components they have in common. This allows him to make further comparisons, determine how someone’s lineage may have evolved or even use the components he has isolated in future experiments, for example.
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Approval)