Casting Time 1 minute
Schools Divination [Mind-Affecting]
EFFECT
Range 20ft
Target You and up to five willing creatures in range; see text
Duration 1 minute per level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance yes (harmless)
Base MP cost 9
DESCRIPTION
You link your aetheric mind with other creatures, creating a composite network more powerful than the sum of its parts. If there are no willing creatures in the area other than you when you use this spell, it fails. When you cast this spell, up to five willing creatures in the area connect with you into a forum network (a metaforum), a distributed, metaphysical analogue of an aetheric spellcaster. Misty strands of glowing power link the brows of each member in a complex and shifting pattern, and a mental image of each other member appears in the minds of everyone so linked. A number of magic points you designate flow from each member (including yourself) into a collective pool. If a member does not have enough magic points to contribute, he drops out of the metaforum(see below).
One individual is chosen as the sharlayan forum conductor by mutual consent of the other members (this is usually the spellcaster, but doesn’t have to be). Until the power ends, this conductor directs the efforts of the forum. Members of a metaforum can continue to take actions of their own as normal without disrupting the metanetwork, provided they stay within the area (see below).
All the spells known of each member (except sharlayan forum) are available to the conductor through the metaforum. While the conductor may still cast his own spells as normal, he may instead choose to cast a spell from the metaforum instead of from his own spells known. If he does so, he must use the MP pool of the metaforum and may not use any of his feats or class features to modify the spell (although items are permitted), but he also gains numerous benefits.
When casting a spell from the metanetwork, his caster level increases by one for each other metaforum member (for instance, the normal maximum membership of five members besides the conductor increases the conductor’s caster level by five). It is obvious to an outsider when the conductor manifests from the metanetwork, as arcs of aetheric light pulse between the various members in a scintillating pattern of colors, streaming to the conductor as his spell manifests — this display cannot be hidden.
The metaforum also supports its members. Each member of the metaforum gains a bonus on saving throws made against spells or supernatural abilities equal to the number of other members, as the metaforum distributes incoming magical energy about its nodes. If a spell or ability would deal damage or ability damage to the conductor, he may choose to instead distribute it evenly between himself and all willing members. An individual member may decline receiving damage this way on a case-by-case basis (for example, if a metaforum consists of the conductor and four other members, one of whom is not willing to receive damage at this time, the conductor may split the incoming damage between himself and the three willing members). Damage split to willing members this way is typeless and empathic in nature. This splitting takes place prior to the effects of other spells or abilities that lessen damage, such as energy resistance or the blackbelt’s prizefighter’s resolve ability. Spells and powers that are not subject to spell resistance cannot have their damage or ability damage split this way, though the saving throw bonus still applies.
Once the metaforum forms, the members must remain within the spell’s area, and as a group can move at half the slowest member’s speed on the caster’s turn. This counts as a move action for each member (that is, if the group moves, each member is treated as having used a move action on their next turn). If a member moves outside the area (whether willingly or involuntarily), that individual drops out of the group, and the magic point pool of the metanetwork is instantly recalculated.
All members who leave before a metaforum ends or is dismissed reclaim a number of magic points equal to the metaforum’s current magic point pool divided by the number of members. That same number of points is removed from the metaforum’s magic point pool. If the conductor drops out, the spell ends.
When a metaforum ends normally or is dismissed, remaining magic points in the pool are divided among all the members (the conductor receives the remainder if the points can’t be divided evenly). No creature can leave a metaforum with more magic points than they had when they entered it — surplus points dissipate as harmless light radiating from the creature’s eyes.
Augment
For every additional magic point you spend, this power’s duration increases by 1 minute. For every 2 additional magic points spent this way, the maximum number of members of the forum increases by one, and the range and radius of the area of effect increase by 5 ft.
