The Genius Guide to Dream Magic

There's something magical about dreams. In them we can be and do anything our minds can conceive, the laws of nature hold no sway, and despite the fact that they seem as real as the waking world you walk through, there are no consequences for any of the actions you take or injuries you may suffer. Dreams are real, yet unreal-which is also as perfect description of magic as you are ever likely to find. So it makes perfect sense to find a way to blend the two together for use in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.

Dreams have often been associated with prophesy and other supernatural powers. People say they are sometimes visited in their dreams by the spirits of the dead, the forces of nature, and even the gods themselves. Upon waking, one's head is often filled with inexplicable information, and stories persist of people even bringing important items back with them from their dreams. Bad dreams can haunt us during our waking hours and particularly powerful nightmares can sometimes cause us to injure ourselves while we sleep or even make sleep impossible entirely.

In fantasy fiction, the realm of dreams is often a real place that exists beyond the mortal world-somewhere that our minds wander when we sleep, and that we can physically travel to if we open the right magical doors. Different versions of this dream realm can be seen in books and movies (and a suggested reading/viewing list is provided at the end of this volume), but perhaps the most influential is H.P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands-a place where whole lives are lived, destinies forged, without most residents ever even being aware of our "real" world.

While dreams play a strong role in fantasy fiction, they are underserved in terms of game rules. The Genius Guide to Dream Magic provides a way to bring the power and influence of dreams into your campaign in a more than superficial way. It contains a collection of new spells (many of which feature the new [dreaming] descriptor) plus a sorcerous bloodline, clerical domain, and wizard specialty that focus on this new dream magic. It also describes the Dreamscape-an ever-changing demiplane where dreamers, and sometimes waking characters, can go-and the creatures that call it home.