Oracle of the Soul

This spell is a part of the Spiritual Link spell chain and can be found in the Spiritual Link rune stone.

Where Guidance of the Wandering reaches outward through the Spirit as a gentle medium, Oracle of the Soul reaches inward, and what answers back is not gentle at all. Upon casting this spell the Soul briefly possesses the caster, flooding their consciousness with raw unfiltered truth. For one overwhelming moment the caster sees through the Soul's eyes, perceiving the base nature of the target with perfect clarity. No illusion, no deception, no carefully constructed facade can survive this scrutiny. The Soul sees only what truly is.

What the Oracle Reveals:

The GM should provide the caster with truthful insight into the following about the target:

• Base intentions - not what the target claims to want or what they present to the world, but what their soul truly desires at its most fundamental level. A seemingly loyal ally might harbor ambition. A terrifying enemy might be driven by grief. The Soul does not judge, it simply shows.
• True nature - any disguise, illusion, shapeshifting, or false appearance is seen through completely. The caster perceives what the target truly is beneath any magical or physical deception.
• Elemental alignment - the target's runic element and affinity are revealed clearly, including any elemental weaknesses.
• Combat intentions - if used in battle the caster gains insight into the target's immediate tactical intentions, whether they are bluffing, afraid, holding back, or preparing something specific. This grants the caster a one time Hard Evade or Hard Defense bonus equal to their Arcana against the target's next action as the Soul's foreknowledge guides them.

The Cost:

The Soul is base and untempered. Its possession however brief leaves a mark on the caster's own consciousness. After the revelation fades the caster must roll a 1d4 to determine what the Soul's touch leaves behind for 1d4 rounds:

• Roll 1: Fear - the weight of what was seen overwhelms the caster with dread
• Roll 2: Berserk - the raw emotional intensity of the Soul's vision ignites uncontrollable rage
• Roll 3: Confusion - the flood of another's base truth temporarily drowns the caster's own sense of self
• Roll 4: Charm - the Soul's perception of the target's base nature creates an inexplicable and deeply inconvenient emotional connection toward the target

The caster cannot resist or prevent this status effect,it is the price of seeing through the Soul's eyes. No immunity applies.