What is a spirit (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

What is a Youkai?

Some cultures and magic traditions see the world as alive with spirits. These are mystic energies that can be communed with to work magic. Spirit magic is common in tribal cultures that live close to nature. Asian civilizations tend to be more accepting of spirits and spirit magic, allowing for more advanced magic. These rules use Japanese terms, but feel free to use spirit magic in any campaign.

Spirits come in four forms; objects, mundane creatures, youkai, and immaterial spirits. Objects are dormant spirits. They take no action until awakened by the animist's entreaties. Mundane Creatures are spirits that have taken a living, physical form, but that have no inherent magic. This includes all humanoids. Youkai are spirits that have taken possession of a mundane object or creature to become a magical creature. Most monsters are youkai. Immaterial Spirits are spells and supernatural abilities. Spirit magic is the work of immaterial spirits allied to or bound by a magician. Youkai and some mundane creatures can manipulate immaterial spirits, and the immaterial spirits in turn can manipulate all other kinds of spirits.

Not that there are no clear lines between these classifications, and combinations are common. A magic item is an object tied to an immaterial spirit. A summoned creature is an immaterial spirit that has taken the form of a youkai. A spirit magician is usually a mundane creature that can cajole youkai and immaterial spirits to work for him. This is all subjective and every animist sees the details differently. Nevertheless, for rules purposes, we need to know exactly what a youkai is, as many of the animists', shugenja's, and Wu Jen's abilities only work on youkai. For purposes of the these abilities, a youkai includes all of the following creatures:

• All aberrations
• All constructs.
• All dragons
• All fey
• All magical beasts
• All monstrous humanoids
• Humanoids of the giant or shapechanger subtypes
• All outsiders
• All creatures of the Plant type (not normal plants)
• All undead
• Creatures created by spells, such as animate object.
• Creatures summoned by spells, such as summon nature's ally.
• Creatures in astral, ethereal, or incorporeal form, or who are possessing another creature or objects, such as by the magic jar spell.

Spirit magicians see elementals and fey as youkai of nature and undead as youkai of the dead. Magical beasts, constructs, plants, giants, monstrous humanoids, and aberrations are either youkai-possessed or youkai bound in corporeal form.

Enshrined Youkai

In cultures where animists and shugenja are common, it is normal practice to enshrine youkai. This is done using the Bind Youkai power, and the bound youkai is not hidden away. Rather it is made into the focal point of a shrine or temple, venerated, and thus kept placated. Whole religious orders can be dedicated to keeping a powerful or destructive youkai sealed. Shugenja seek out such shrines because they can learn spells from them, but guardians ususally demand some kind of service or offering from a strange shugenja before they let him into the presence of the youkai. A normal cost would be the same as that for casting a spell of the level the youkai can teach.

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