The Sphere of Dream touches in the realms of both mind and illusion, but dream mages are no mind readers, nor can they craft stunningly realistic images like Illusionists. Instead their power taps into the imagination.
Dream mages are also very disciplined for the most part, trying to keep their thoughts under control and often meditate when they get the chance. A Dream Mage not in control of his imagination is quite often not in control of his own powers.
Dream Mages tend to stare into space a great deal of the time or have odd quirky habits like buying mismatched furniture to decorate their house with, or putting together abstract paintings.
Cantrips
Minor Spells
Rituals
Back to Magic & Technology: Section 5.5.5.8
A cantrip that creates a fist sized "dream spirit" to
appear over the caster's open and outstretched palm. The spirit's form
isn't controllable and it can't manipulate anything. Usually the
apparition takes the form of person or thing that appeared in one of the
caster's dreams.
A much lighter version of "Sleep". The cantrip can make someone
feel slightly mellow and content as though they were experiencing a
pleasant dream. The person affected by the cantrip is still fully aware
of their surroundings, and if experiencing extreme emotions, this cantrip
will have very little effect. (Often used when a student is stressed
from an exam.)
Allows a mage to see what someone is dreaming. They cannot
affect the dream in any way. Strong-willed individuals can resist the attempt
to have their dreams spied on.
It can't turn a nightmare into a pleasant dream or vice
versa, but it can alter it slightly in a positive or negative way.
Instructors for the Sphere of Dream often use this cantrip to jolt
daydreaming students back awake.
Causes "something" to appear out of the corner of the recipient's eye -- a
cantrip often used to cause a distraction for an instant of a moment.
Just like mages can create dreams, they can also cease
them. This spell will instantly end any sort of dream, be it a daydream
or a nightmare or what have you.
The caster must be in close proximity to the dreamer,
this spell allows the mage to "project" an image of the dream someone is
experiencing for others to see.
Creates a hazy manifestation of what you might call an
"imaginary friend". They can be impish dream creatures from the
caster's imaginations or taken from the minds of people around them.
The Familiar can speak and react like a sapient being, but in actuality
it draws on the people controlling it. (Sometimes this spell is used to
help traumatized children talk about frightening events in their lives
while drawing a feeling of protection from their "imaginary friend".)
This dream can turn a nightmare into a pleasant dream or
vice versa. It can also induce a sleeper who isn't dreaming to fall
into a dream state. What differentiates this from "Lullaby" is that the
effects do not last the entire night and are a bit easier to control.
This spell induces a pleasant night's sleep full of innocent
dreams. Noble families quite often hire Dream mages to use this spell
on their children during periods where the child might be afflicted by
nightmares.
This spell leans more in the direction of Mind and Life. It can
induce the recipient of the spell (if they're weak willed enough) to
instantly fall asleep. Barring that, it can make someone feel extremely
drowsy or extend the sleep duration of someone already sleep.
A more powerful version of "Sleep". This ritual causes someone
to fall asleep for an extended period of time in an almost unwakable
state. (Fairy tales about this ritual hint that a kiss from a noble
might wake the sleeper up, but there's no factual basis in this.)
Sends an "envoy" out who will observe someone's dreams and
"play them back". Usually the envoy takes the shape of a dream creature
(usually a cute imp or a small winged creature) who will then journey
towards the intended target.
Enables someone to actually appear in a person's dreams and
affect the dream to a certain extent. The caster need not be asleep but
if they are jolted awake or distracted in any way they will immediately
vanish from the dream.
Mages often use this ritual to "get away" for a period of
time. It creates a dream world shaped by the imaginations of the people
inhabiting it. The basic "terms" of the dream can be dictated by the
mage (indoors or outdoors; dark and spooky or bright and cute) but the
other elements are more difficult to control. The people inside the
ritual can affect the world with their imaginations.
Or more specifically, this ritual allows someone to
dream about a specific thing. It can be about a memory, a person, or a
place. There might be some fanciful bits of color added in from the
dreamer's imagination. For example, the recipient is dreaming about a woman he
loves very dearly; the woman may appear to be more beautiful and elegant
than she really is and might appear as a princess or however the dreamer
saw the woman in his imagination.