Class Preview: Illusionist

Though scorned and ridiculed by "proper" wizards, necromancers, and summoners, illusionists understand the thin protections between perception and truth, and exploit those weaknesses passionately. Originally thought of as Deverenian parlor tricks, a few skilled and crafty illusionists elevated their amusements to masterful manipulations. Though rarely given the respect they are due, illusionists tend not to mind - after all, perception is their province, even perceptions of themselves.

Adventures: Illusionists are among the rarer of the common classes, due in no small part to others' insistence that illusionists are not fit for adventuring. Envious of the successes of other spellcasters and desiring to earn respect for their own, illusionists adventure almost compulsively. Failure is nothing to them, as others have already insisted that they are failures. Success, though, proves the illusionists' cases, if only for a little while.

Illusionists are also somewhat inherently curious, though not to the near spiritual level of bards. It is a rare illusionist indeed that does not see something of an artist in himself, and experiencing new wonders translates into new frontiers of illusion, too. More rarely, some illusionists hire themselves out as spies and aides, providing detailed maps, schematics, and accounts from memory, though all subject to the illusionist's own trustworthiness.

Characteristics: Though they normally despise the term, "flamboyant" perfectly describes illusionists. They live almost solely within their own heads, dreaming up new sights and sounds to visit upon others. Even when not actively adventuring, they indulge in all manner of melodramas and braggadocio. Still, for all their preening, illusionists know their craft well, and their tricks can bring down foes that more direct spells cannot. Tricksters at heart, their attacks are all the more unpredictable for being a melange of the real and the imagined.

Alignment: Illusionists may be of any alignment. As many illusionists are chaotic as there are lawful, evil as good, despite common thought to the contrary. Good illusionists are often entertainers of unusual bent or renegade magicians practicing theoretical spells. Evil illusionists, in contrast, are far more pragmatic, saboteurs the equal of any mere rogue or assassin. Lawful illusionists prank no less than their chaotic kin, though they prefer to be more selective in their victims.

Strangely, many illusionists disdain killing their foes, viewing even self-defense as a weak excuse for murder. Some evil illusionists also hold to this credo, whether out of pride or genuine distaste for the practice.

Background: Perhaps unique among the "civilized" spellcasters, illusionists draw their numbers equally from the ranks of both common performers and schooled practitioners. Though master illusionists can teach the craft, it is more inclination than study that shapes new illusionists. Though some (particularly Deverenians) view illusionists as hedonists, too interested in their pretty glamours to devote themselves to true magic, in fact few illusionists fall prey to their own spectacles.

The more famous illusionists tend toward those who discover their abilities naturally. Often allies and aides of bards, these illusionists similarly learn their trade by concentrating on mastering their craft, rather than the more generalized regimens of true wizards. Though dismissed as charlatans by their more traditional colleagues, who view illusion as vulgar magic, these self-taught illusionists often counter their narrow focus with extraordinary imagination and flexibility.

Recently, some of the more staid illusionists have founded formal academies to train apprentices. Markedly like wizard schools, these institutions focus on fine details and forcing terrible alterations on others' senses. Though still gaudy in the eyes of true wizards, these schools produce students every bit as capable as their more accepted cousins. Presently, the major academies are in the Kabal lands, Arak Spire, and Deverenia.

Races: The elves and nothrog care little for illusion, preferring the arts of the necromancer and the shaman, respectively. Dwarves have few enough of their number capable of casting arcane magic at all, much less those of more specialized arts. Nimbics have a small but dedicated core of illusionists, however, as many prefer to master one aspect of magic than be weaker at a wide variety. VoTaurr care little for trickery in their magic. Still, humans and especially Deverenians have by far the greatest number of illusionists, with many of Order Myerdeth's hierarchs having at least passing skill with the craft.

Other Classes: Illusionists enjoy the company of most other classes, especially those who share in their vivacious lusts for life and experience, such as bards and rogues. Illusionists also tend to keep close to the warrior classes, particularly fighters, though often to these classes' chagrin. Ultimately, however, illusionists normally find fault with only two other classes: the necromancers (whom illusionists hold as shortsighted opportunists, much as the necromancers see them), and especially wizards. Many illusionists even go so far as to openly challenge wizards to duels of spellcraft, in the hopes of proving themselves against their "superiors."