Chronomancy

This article is a stub. You can help 1d4chan by expanding it

Chronomancy, in real world occultism, refers to divination specifically orientated around locating the best and worst times to do... well, pretty much anything. In actual fantasy settings, it refers to a subschool of magic focused on manipulating time in various ways. Whilst this is mostly a /v/ phenomena, due to the way players can really, really fuck over a DM by exploiting this in gamebreaking ways on the tabletop, there are tabletop settings where it makes an appearance.

Anima

Arcane Exxet, the magic and supernatural sourcebook for Anima: Beyond Fantasy, features Time magic as an available subschool.

Dungeons & Dragons

Time magic has made rare and sporadic appearances through the history of Dungeons & Dragons. Usually, when it does appear, it is in the form of individual spells or, more rarely, psionics that provide some limited ability to travel through time.

The spells Haste, Slow, and Time Stop have appeared in most editions. It can be argued these don't actually manipulate time so much as let the effected creature move really fast (or slow in Slow's case). Same with elves' fuckery if they be particularly old-school like the hulder in Taladas. Few in the fantasy genre ever cared about Einstein's relativity, so we don't worry about superluminosity's effects on causality; anyway, as long as we stay in the same world, teleport, dimension-door etc. may as well be light-speed.

As settings go, Greyhawk publications off-and-on hinted that Tovag Baragu had time-bending effects before Die Vecna Die just ruled that they were space-bending. Explicit time-travel occurs in CM6: Where Chaos Reigns (where it's the whole point) and DA1: Adventures in Blackmoor (where it's an excuse to get Mystarans over there). And then there's whatever Bruce R. Cordell was doing with the illithids.

In 3rd Edition, the spell Teleport Through Time appeared in a web article on WotC's official website. Theoretically kept in check by requiring a very specific material component, it became spectacularly broken because it neglected to prohibit Eschew Material Components from bypassing that need. A handful of Psionic abilities comboed to allow a clever user to rewind time, which is detailed below.

The "Psionic Save-Game" exploit in 3.5 combined the psionic power Time Hop, from the core psionics book, with the power Forced Dream from Magic of Eberron. Time Hop propelled the target forward in time a few dozen seconds, an action normally harmless to the timestream and functionally identical to the common Maze spell (except it didn't take time away from spell duration), while Forced Dream allowed the user to rewind time to the start of their turn. On its own this combo was a nice trick, but combined with a few other pieces the time between save and load could be extended to days.

In 4th edition, a ritual in Dragon Magazine allows the caster to open portal to different times, thus allowing for time travel as a semi-controllable plot element.

Outside of these dabblings in temporal magic, D&D has rarely gone into depth with allowing a player to fully exploit chronomancy. The first attempt at a full-fledged time manipulator appeared in the form of an NPC class for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition called the Time Lord. Then 2nd edition debuted a splatbook called "Chronomancer", which gave players the ability to play a Wizard specialist focused on time manipulating magic. After this, time control slipped out of players' hands until Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, where the "Chronurgist" is one of the Wizard subclasses based on Dunamancy, focusing specifically on its time-manipulating aspects.

Chronomancer Class

The Chronomancer is a Specialist Wizard in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, and as such is full of the usual bullshit of arbitrary rules and restrictions:

Ability Score Requirements: Intelligence 17+, Wisdom 16+ (to dual-class to Chronomancer requires Int 18+ and Wisdom 17+)

Alignment Requirement: Non-Chaotic

Race & Level Restrictions: Human (Unlimited), Elf (15th level), Half-Elf (12th level)

Chronomancers gain +1 spell per level, which must be a Chronomancy spell, as with any specialist wizard.

Chronomancers do not gain any saving throw bonuses against Chronomancy spells, although they do still inflict a -1 penalty to saves against them.

Prohibited Schools: Abjuration, Conjuration/Summoner, Necromancy

-2 penalty to saves against spells from prohibited schools being cast by specialists in those schools.

+10% bonus to learning Chronomancy spells, -25% penalty to learning any other spells.

At 5th level, become immune to Haste and Slow spells.

Compared to wizards, Chronomancers have a unique EXP to level table, advancing more slowly than normal, but otherwise they're basically just their own kind of specialist wizard.

Chronomancers have access to four kits (Guide, Historian, Seer, Traveler) and two subclasses.

Guides are chronomancers who attempt to manipulate the flow of history to their liking by selectively timetraveling to "weak points" that they can then manipulate to change events to something that will hopefully be more to their liking. Most Guides are at least well-intentioned, but there are assholes and idiots amongst their ranks. Because of their far-reaching goals, Guides focus heavily on researching, both to get the context of what they are changing and to better predict what will happen if they do something. Of course, most non-Guide chronomancers don't like them, and even Guides often fall into infighting over what actually needs changing.

Requirements: Wisdom 17+, Must Take Sling or Staff proficiency, must Take Future History or Ancient History proficiency.

Special Benefits: When a Guide plans to make a historical event alteration, the player may directly ask the Dungeon Master for advice, though the reply should be treated as a suggestion and not an ironclad answer.

Special Drawbacks: Non-Guide chronomancers and any being that considers safeguarding the timestream to be important hate Guides. If a Guide's membership in this ideology is exposed, they can expect to be hunted down by other time travelers who oppose their mission on principle.

Historians are the ultimate research nerds, even by wizard standards. They are so obsessed with learning about the past that they choose to risk physically trraveling through time to better observe things. For obvious reasons, they tend to champion non-interference with events, and thusly they use their talents sparingly and are distinctly averse to conflict.

Requirements: Wisdom 17+, Reading/Writing Proficiency

A Historian can convert Weapon Proficiency slots into Nonweapon Proficiency slots, and must do so once they have proficiency in Dagger, Knife and Staff.

Special Benefits: Historians gain +2 on reaction checks hen discussing intellectual matters with learned individuals. Additionally, if a Historian attempts to sway a learned individual away from their normal duties by citing historical cases, the target must make a Morale check at a -1 penalty to avoid being swayed.

Special Disadvantages: Historians do not time travel frivilously and always strive to minimize any impact they may make on the course of history. Additionally, their focus on research over physical training means they treat themselves as being one level lower to determine their THAC0.

Seers are basically diviners who cheat; would-be prophets and false oracles who use time travel to ensure that their predictions and claims come true. Basically, Guides with more self-centered and small-minded goals. However, most prefer to travel to the future, learn how it will come to be, then travel back to their own time to take advantage of that rather than travel backwards, but making large leaps back and then slowly "skipping" forward can help them build up a fearsome reputation and even claims of immortality.

Requirements: Charisma 14+, Staff Proficiency, Prophechy Proficiency

Special Advantages: If the Seer has a string of accurate predictions, especially ones involving one or more influential people, they gain a +3 to reaction rolls with others.

Special Disadvantages: If the Seer picks up a reputation for failure or inaccuracy, however, they suffer a -5 penalty to reaction rolls.

Travelers are the most "standard" of the chronomancers, being basically adventurer wizards who have learned to treat other time periods the way their more mundane counterparts treat dungeons and ruins; places to plunder and pillage. They tend to arrogantly flaunt their wizardly power, which naturally makes them beacons for trouble.

Requirements: None other than the standard requirements for Chronomancer specialization.

Special Benefits: Travelers gain a +1 bonus to any kind of Wisdom check related to time travel or chronomancy.

Secial Disadvantage: Travelers tend to be arrogant, self-promoting and attention hogs. People will notice them, both the "normal" denizens of linear time and those who take affront to chronomancers in general.

Because of how "elite" the chronomantic school is, it's possible for chronomancers to engage in a kind of multiclassing, effectively giving even human characters the benefits of a dual-classed character. Basically, a character creation, chose to play either a standard Chronomancer, a Temporal Champion, or a Temporal Raider - a half-elf can become a 14th level Temporal Champion or 12th level Temporal Raider, whilst an elf can only attain 12th level in either class. Regardless of which subclass is chosen, they can still take the aforementioned kits.

Temporal Champions fighter/chronomancers who exploit time travel as a way to master combat skills, seeking to hone their might against the greatest warriors or in the mightiest battles throughout history.

Temporal Champions need the same Intelligence and Wisdom as a standard Chronomancer, but also a minimum of Strength 15 and Constitution 14.

Temporal Champions use the Fighter THAC0, the Wizard saving throws, and a d6 Hit Dice.

They don't get a Warrior's bonus to Constitution or Strength, nor can they Specialize in weapons or use Multiple Attacks, but they do attract followers as if they were warriors.

Temporal Champions advance more slowly than standard Chronomancers, and gain access to fewer spells per level.

Temporal Champions do not gain the normal +10% bonus to attempts to learn Chronomancy spells, but do receive the other specialist wizard benefits and hindrances of the Chronomancer.

Temporal Raiders, obviously, are thief/chronomancers, who have realized that having access to time travel can make them the ultimate collectors of the wealthy and valuable. Seriously, you really need this spelled out? Just watch Time Bandits, ya idjit!

Temporal Raiders need the same Intelligence and Wisdom as a standard Chronomancer, but also a minimum of Dexterity 14 and Charisma 13.

Raiders use Thief THAC0, can Backstab, can speak Thief Cant, and have the normal thief restrictions for strongholds and followers.

Temporal Raiders start with the following Thief Skill base scores and have only 40 points to imrove them with, and only gain 20 points on level up (whereas a regular thief starts with 60 skill points and gains 30 per level): Pick Pockters -5%, Open Locks 10%, Find/Remove Traps -5%, Move Silently 10%, Hide in Shadows 5%, Detect Noise 10%, Climb Walls 45%, Read Languages 5%.

Like Temporal Champions, Temporal Raiders advance more slowly than regular chronomancers and receive fewer spells, but they do advance faster and gain more spells than Temporal Champions do.

Temporal Raiders have a d4 hit dice and use the Wizard saving throw table.

Temporal Raiders do not gain the normal +10% bonus to attempts to learn Chronomancy spells, but do receive the other specialist wizard benefits and hindrances of the Chronomancer.

Rifts

Worldbook 3: England for Rifts features both Temporal Mage and Temporal Knight character classes.

Warhammer 40K

Necron Crypteks have a speciality called the Chronomancer, who uses Necron hyperscience to manipulate time.

White Wolf

In both Mage: The Ascension and Mage: The Awakening, Time is one of the ten "elements" from which magic can be made.

The rare and much maligned True Brujah bloodline from Vampire: The Masquerade can control time with the Temporis Discipline.

Wraiths may gain some control over the passage of time using the Pandemonium Arcanos in Wraith: The Oblivion.

Characters in Changeling: The Dreaming can control time using the Chronos Art.