TEXT: Mask-making societies are common to many
  areas of Nyambe. These are typically secret
  organizations, composed only of males, which
  engage in the construction of enchanted
  masks. In recent years, though, some have
  begun to question the tradition that limits
  membership to men.
  A mask-making society is responsible for
  maintaining the history, mythology, and
  arcane lore of a community, as well as punish-
  ing criminals and enforcing morality. By con-
  cealing their identities, mask makers are able
  to operate without fear of reprisal.  More
  importantly, a mask maker ritually assumes
  the identity of an orisha spirit by constructing
  and wearing an enchanted mask, and takes on
  the powers granted by that spirit. For this rea-
  son, masks are tremendously important to
  Nyamban cultures.
  Some mask-making societies operate openly
  with the blessing and support of a community,
  and many rural villages are actually controlled
  by mask-making societies rather than any tra-
  ditional form of government. Unfortunately,
  some mask makers become drunk with power
  and turn their societies into little more than
  magically potent organized crime gangs.
  This free Nyambe: African Adventures preview
  introduces you to the mask maker prestige
  class, and some examples of the magical masks
  they create.
  ‘The D20 System’ is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast®, Inc., used with permission.  
  NYAMBE is a trademark of Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas games. ©2002 Trident, Inc.
  Nyambe: African Adventures
  STOCK NO. AG3700 • ISBN 1-58978-023-X
  256 PAGES (INCLUDING 16 PAGES IN FULL COLOR)
  WRITTEN BY CHRIS DOLUNT
  MASK MAKER ILLUSTRATION BY STEVEN SANDERS
  MASK MAKERS
  OF NYAMBE-TANDA
  
  Mask Maker Prestige Class
  Mask makers take great pains that their membership in a
  society is never revealed, and the wearing of masks helps
  retain their anonymity.  If a mask maker loans another per-
  son a mask, that person is sworn to secrecy during a special
  ritual.  Those that violate the oath of secrecy are not always
  killed, but many wish they had been.
  Requirements
  Gender:   Males only
  Skills: 5 ranks Knowledge (religion); 5 ranks Craft (masks);
  3 ranks Perform (dance or sing)
  Feat: Craft Wondrous Item
  Special: Must be accepted by a mask-making society.
  Hit Die:  d6
  Class Skills: The mask maker’s class skills (and the key ability
  for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Any) (Int), Diplomacy
  (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Any)
  (Int), Perform (Any) (Cha), Profession (Any) (Wis), Sense
  Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None).
  Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int Modifier
  Spells: A mask maker gains the ability to cast a small number
  of divine spells. To cast a spell, the mask maker must have a
  Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell’s level. Mask maker
  bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saving throws
  against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + Wisdom
  modifier. A mask maker has access to any spell on the cleric
  spell list and can freely choose which to prepare, though he
  casts summon dragon instead of summon monster. A mask
  maker prepares and casts spells just as a n’anga following the
  path of the cleric does, and gains the same specialized
  Nyamban spells, though the mask maker does not gain any
  of the other special abilities of the n’anga; see Nyambe:
  African Adventures for more on the n’anga PC class.
  Create Mask: A mask maker has an enhanced ability to cre-
  ate various sorts of enchanted masks. When creating an
  enchanted mask, the maker only has to expend 1/2 the usual
  XP and 1/2 the usual gp cost. These “discounted” masks only
  function for their creator; they have no powers when worn
  by anyone else. A mask maker can also choose to create
  masks at the normal cost, which are usable by anyone.
  2
  
  Skill Focus: At 2nd level, a mask maker gains Skill Focus
  (Craft (masks)) as a bonus feat.
  Gift Mask: At 3rd level, others can make use of the masks cre-
  ated by the mask-maker for 1/2 the normal gp and XP cost,
  provided the masks are freely given. Any exchange of money,
  goods, or promises negates the power of the masks. The spir-
  its are quite strict about this, and do not allow loopholes —
  those who obtain the masks as gifts cannot sell them, either.
  Graft Mask: At 4th level, a mask maker can magically graft a
  mask onto his own face as a standard action. This inflicts 1
  point of temporary Constitution damage, but the mask then
  vanishes into the mask maker’s face, permanently granting
  him the powers of the mask. A second mask can even be
  worn over a grafted mask, and provide the usual benefits.
  A mask maker can only wear one grafted mask at a time;
  attempting to graft a second mask destroys the first one,
  and replaces it with the new mask. A dispel magic spell tar-
  geted at the mask maker can cause the grafted mask to
  emerge from the mask maker’s face. This is the only method
  of retrieving a grafted mask without destroying it.
  Graft Other: At 5th level, a mask masker can use the Graft
  Mask ability on any willing humanoid recipient, permanent-
  ly granting her the powers of the grafted mask.
  New Wondrous Items: Masks
  Masks are physical representations of the orisha spirits.
  Wearing a mask fills the wearer with the power of the orisha
  to which it is dedicated.  To a certain extent, the wearer
  becomes the orisha.
  To activate a mask, it must be worn, at which point it func-
  tions continuously until removed. The Nyambe: African
  Adventures sourcebook gives details on just under forty of
  these wondrous items; here are just a few examples:
  3
  The Mask Maker
  SPELLS PER DAY
  LEVEL
  BASE ATTACK BONUS FORT
  REF
  WILL
  SPECIAL
  0
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  1
  +0
  +2
  +2
  +2
  CREATE MASK
  4
  2
  —
  —
  —
  —
  2
  +1
  +3
  +3
  +3
  SKILL FOCUS
  5
  3
  2
  —
  —
  —
  3
  +2
  +3
  +3
  +3
  GIFT MASK
  5
  3
  3
  2
  —
  —
  4
  +3
  +4
  +4
  +4
  GRAFT MASK
  6
  4
  3
  3
  2
  —
  5
  +3
  +4
  +4
  +4
  GRAFT OTHER
  6
  4
  4
  3
  3
  2
  
  Cheetah
  Masks representing the natural orisha provide their users
  with ability score bonuses. The mask representing the spirit
  of the Cheetah is made from lightweight wood painted yel-
  low and decorated with black spots. It grants the user a +2,
  +4, or +6 enhancement bonus to Dexterity.
  Caster Level: 7th (minor), 9th (medium), 11th (major);
  Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, cat’s grace; Market
  Price: 4,000 gp (minor), 16,000 gp (medium), 36,000 gp
  (major); Weight: 3 lb.
  Dar!ak the Bloody
  The masks of the fiendish orisha allow the wearer to cast a
  single spell. Those of Dar!ak the Bloody — the spirit of assas-
  sination and murder — are always manufactured so as to
  appear as some other type of item. As a minor wondrous
  item this mask provides the new spell incantation of the bro-
  ken limb once per day, as a medium item it gives the new
  spell lobir once per day, and as a major item it allows flesh to
  stone to be cast once per day.
  Caster Level: 5th (minor), 9th (medium), 11th (major);
  Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, the appropriate spell;
  Market Price: 1,800 gp (minor), 9,720 gp (medium), 23,760
  gp (major); Weight: 3 lbs.
  Fire
  Elemental masks give their
  users resistance to attacks.
  The mask of the spirit of
  Fire is roughly humanoid,
  constructed from a dark
  wood and decorated with
  colorful cloth streamers in
  various shades of red, yel-
  low, and orange. It grants
  the user 5, 10, or 15 points
  of Fire and Lightning
  Resistance.
  Caster Level: 5th (minor),
  7th 
  (medium), 
  9th
  (major); 
  Prerequisites:
  4
  
  Craft Wondrous Item, resist elements; Market Price: 6,000
  gp (minor), 12,000 gp (medium), 24,000 gp (major);
  Weight: 3 lb.
  Bedaga the Trickster
  The masks of the celestial orisha provide bonuses to skill
  checks. That of Bedaga the Trickster is a wooden mask
  carved to resemble a male humanoid, and painted in a black
  and white checkerboard pattern. It grants the user a +10,
  +20, or +30 competence bonus to both Bluff and Pick
  Pocket checks.
  Caster Level: 5th (minor), 7th (medium), 12th (major);
  Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, creator must have 5
  ranks (minor), 10 ranks (medium), or 15 ranks (major) in
  the indicated skills; Market Price: 4,200 gp (minor), 16,800
  gp (medium), 37,800 gp (major); Weight: 3 lb..
  Advice
  Ancestral masks provide the user with luck bonuses.The
  Advice mask is made from hardwood, painted white and
  carved in the image of a departed ancestor. The user is able
  to hear the advice of an ancestor, though not necessarily the
  one depicted, giving him a +1, +3, or +4 luck bonus to
  attacks and weapon damage rolls.
  Caster Level: 5th (minor), 9th (medium), 13th (major);
  Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, divine favor; Market
  Price: 5,000 gp (minor), 20,000 gp (medium), 45,000 gp
  (major); Weight: 3 lb.
  Ocean
  Geographic masks allow the user with a deflection or natur-
  al armor bonus. The Ocean mask is made of liquid ocean
  water, magically held in the form of a humanoid face. It
  provides the user with a +2, +3, or +4 deflection bonus to
  his AC.
  Caster Level: 7th (minor), 9th (medium), 11th (major);
  Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, caster must be of a level
  three times that of the AC bonus, shield of faith; Market
  Price: 8,000 gp (minor), 18,000 gp (medium), 32,000 gp
  (major); Weight: 3 lb.
  5
  
  Nyambe™ is a vast land of exotic creatures and wide
  expanses, where ancestral orishas cry for brave
  warriors to carve out the hearts of foul mchawi
  wizards, and where dragon-blooded sei sorcerers
  once joined the fierce Amazons of Nibomay in the
  bloody Rebelling Time to win their freedom. This
  eagerly anticipated campaign setting for the D20
  System™ brings high fantasy together with African
  myth, legend, and history in a hardcover source-
  book of epic proportions for both players and GMs.
  Nyambe: African Adventures includes:
  •
  Twelve new human cultures and six variant
  non-human races, like the brown-skinned,
  tailed Wakyambi elves who meddle in the
  affairs of men from the depths of the bIda
  Rainforest.
  •
  New PC class variants and prestige classes
  change druids into shamen who worship the
  natural orisha spirits and are as comfortable in
  the skin of a panther as in humanoid form.
  •
  New skills and feats like Ancestral Blessing,
  Drum Dancer, Elephant Warrior, and Fire Blood
  are the heritage of every Nyamban, as well as
  new weapons, armor, and equipment designed
  for a tropical climate where the heat of the vast
  savannah is more dangerous than an enemy's
  spear.
  •
  Mortals who honor the orisha spirits have been
  gifted with new spells and domains such as
  Darkness, Exile, Fertility, Lightning, and Plague
  since the Dark Time when the Overpower ascend-
  ed into the sky on the web of a giant spider.
  •
  New arcane wonders, as mad mchawi wizards
  contemplate the contents of mojuba bags to
  prepare their divination spells, and new magic
  items like zombi powder turn fallen warriors
  into true zombis that keep a hideous memory of
  their former lives, ritual masks let the wearer
  become an orisha, and vodou nkisi statues hurl
  powerful curses at those who dare to use them.
  •
  And in the dark interior of the continent lurk
  new monsters, creatures never before seen by
  the men of the tamed north lands ... and raven-
  ous beasts of the jungle and desert are only the
  beginning of the danger that awaits those who
  walk the lands of Nyambe!
  Ordering Information
  If you would like to buy a copy of Nyambe: African
  Adventures, print this page, fill in the form below,
  and bring it to your favorite game or book retailer.
  They’ll be delighted to reserve a copy for you
  today!  Need to find a store?  Check the retail loca-
  tor on our website.
  WWW.ATLAS-GAMES.COM
  NYAMBE
  ™
  African Adventures
  Nyambe: African Adventures Reservation Form
  Print this out and bring it to your favorite game or book store!
  Please reserve a copy of Nyambe, the newest D20 System™ sourcebook from Atlas Games, for me!
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  your preferred supplier, please contact Atlas Games directly at (651) 638-0077 for assistance.
  Ordering Information: Stock No. AG3700, ISBN 1-58978-023-X, SRP $37.95 (US)
  
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  15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2001, Wizards of the
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  D20 System Rules & Content Copyright 2000 Wizards of
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  Skip Williams, based on original material by Dave Arneson
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  Nyambe: African Adventures Copyright 2002 Trident, Inc.
  d/b/a Atlas Games; Author Chris Dolunt.
  “Maskmakers of Nyambe-Tanda” Copyright 2002 Trident,
  Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games; Author Chris Dolunt.
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  Boha-Boha, Boroko, Bugundo, Caliph Ragheb, Child of Dead Marak Island, Chuku, D’ok, D’okan Desert,
  Dagamar, Darak-Lar, Desert of Watery Sky, Dogar, Dogar Plateau, Drogo River, Drum of Tarango,
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