Friday, November 20, 2020

Fulminate of the Heavens (Class: Wizard)

This is a class for deus ex parabola's G20 hack and Unfinished World campaign setting, not for Carolingia. It's a member of a secret cult of practitioners of the Art of Galvanism, one of the Five Arts.

Lightning Priest by JDDuncan on DeviantArt

Class: Galvanist

You are a cleric of the Fulminate Church, a totally legitimate and not at all heretical sect of the Aeshean religion. The Church is secretive and hidden, not because you are evil or heretical but because the Black Masks are cruel and oppressive. The initiates of the Fulminate Church wear masks of rose-gold in the shape of a cat and cannot see angels, although they will do anything to conceal this fact. You wield the cold fire, the holy adamant-silver lightning, rather than the vile red lightning of Chaos. This is totally miracles like the other clerics do, not one of the Five Arts. You have a pool of Magnetism Dice, which are very similar to (but not quite the same thing as) Magic Dice. These MD will let you create miracles as the greatest of the other clerics.
 
You can wear light armor, but may not use shields unless another class gives you that ability. If you have at least one template in this class you never fumble while using daggers, pistols, or any weapon that is excessively decorated with precious metals.
 
You know one miracle from your list, determined by rolling 1d8. You may learn additional miracles from other Fulminate Clerics, and perhaps from the Builders. Miracles are used by rolling your MD, in a manner very similar to casting a spell. In general, treat them as you would treat a spell, except they are called miracles.
 
Skills: 1. Lying to Authorities, 2. Cult Indoctrination, 3. Upper-Class Etiquette 

Starting Equipment: A rose-gold mask (can be remade for 50 gp if lost), long gray robes, a ritual dagger (light), and one other devotional relic.

Perks: You can cause electricity to crackle and arc between your fingers. This casts light in a radius of 5 feet and can be used to light fires or deliver minor but painful shocks. You will never be struck by natural lightning.

Drawbacks: If you ever enter a body of water, any creatures in it (yourself included) take 1d4 damage as your electricity shocks them through the water. The authorities disapprove of your heresy. If you are discovered, White Masks will denounce you, Black Masks may attempt to murder you, and no properly religious folk will give you the time of day.
  • A: Magnetism, +1 MD
  • B: Resistance, +1 MD
  • C: Capacitance, +1 MD
  • D: Conduction, +1 MD 
Magnetism: Your magnetic personality allows you to convince the common folk that you are a cleric, so long as you are wearing your mask. If a real cleric denounces you to them, they have a [template]-in-6 chance of instead turning on the real cleric or at least defying them in this matter. You can induce minor and temporary magnetism in highly conductive or ferromagnetic materials that you touch with a slight current.
 
Resistance: You take 1 less damage from electricity so long as it is not caused by yourself per template you have in this class.
 
Capacitance: When you cast a miracle, you can store it in a conductive object rather than immediately invoke its effect. MD used to cast the spell and not depleted cannot be used again until the miracle has been used, while MD which have been expended cannot be regained until the miracle has been used. Anyone holding the object can use the miracle by saying its command word, at which point it takes effect immediately. If someone other than you uses the miracle, they must roll HRTS or take [dice] damage from electrical backlash.
 
Conduction: Your Resistance now reduces electrical damage by 4d4. If you reduce the damage to below 0, the source of the electricity takes the excess in damage instead.

Miracles:

  1. Galvanic Healing
    R: touch T: an injured person D: immediate.
    The target is healed for [sum] + [dice] HP as regenerating electricity courses through their flesh, and must also save. On a failure, they take [sum] damage as electricity courses through their flesh. If you invest more [dice] you can choose to forego the healing for a different benefit:
    If two [dice] are invested, this is a Galvanic Sealing, which can close a flesh wound or knit a broken bone.
    If three [dice] are invested, this is a Galvanic Curing, which can reform mangled body parts.
    Four [dice] invested result in a Galvanic Creation which can reattach a recently-severed limb or regrow fingers and toes.
  2. G_dspeed
    R: touch T: a person D: [sum] rounds.
    For the duration, the target can run as the current through a wire. They can run [dice] * 4 times more quickly than usual, jump [dice] * 4 times higher, and have a [sum] bonus to MOVE checks for shoving. If they deliberately slam into something, both they and that thing take [sum] damage (if the thing is capable of dodging, a save negates damage to both).
  3. Ancestral Call
    R: n/a T: self D: 1 hour.
    You call up one of your ancestors in the form of a floating sphere of ball lightning. They will lecture you for the duration about how things were better in the old days when everyone was even more horribly bigoted and generally be insensitive. At the end of the duration, they will answer [dice] of the following questions, usually in an archaic and cryptic manner:
    - What is the greatest threat within a mile?
    - What is the nearest artifact or relic?
    - How do I ally myself with a certain faction?
    - What does this ancient text say?   
    - What is the nearest ancient ruin?
    - Who was the nearest ancient ruin built by?
    - What does this magic item do?
  4. Static Shock
    R: touch T: a creature or object D: [dice] rounds.
    Make an attack against the target with +[dice] to-hit. On a hit, they take [sum] damage and must save or be stunned for the duration. They may save again each round to end the effect. Each round you spend rubbing a piece of velvet or shuffling your feet in a carpet adds +1 damage.
  5. Strength of Ten
    R: touch T: a person D: [sum] rounds.
    The target takes [dice] damage. For the duration, the target's Strength is doubled. The target can choose to continue the spell past the duration, but they gain 1d3 slots of exhaustion per round.
  6. Clear Mind, Clear Sight
    R: 30' T: [dice] people D: [dice] rounds.
    Targets which are afflicted by mind- or sight-affecting ailments save against the ill effect with a +[sum] bonus, ending it on a success. Additionally, all targets must save or experience violent hallucinations for the duration, confusing them and giving them disadvantage on all rolls.
  7. Banish Foul Air
    R: 30' T: [dice] diseased or poisoned people, or a cube of air with sides [sum] * 10' in length D: immediate.
    If the targets are diseased or poisoned people, they save against one disease or poison with a +[sum] bonus, ending the effect on a success. If the target is a volume of air, it is cleared of all ill scents, poisons, and disease vectors (although it now smells strongly of ozone).
  8. Arc of Life
    R: 30' T: a person D: [dice] hours
    The target is connected to you by an arc of electricity. Each of you may transfer any amount of HP from yourself to the other at will, and any damage either of you takes is split evenly between you. All magical effects on one of you apply to the other as well, and if either of you succeeds a save, you both succeed. If you pass out of range of each other and do not reenter range within [dice] rounds, the spell ends.
  9. Crackling Shield
    R: n/a T: self D: [dice] minutes
    You are sheathed in a sphere of crackling electricity, granting you +[dice] AC and +[dice] to rolls against tangible or magical effects. Anything that touches you or hits you with a melee attack takes 1d4 damage.
  10. Salvation
    R: touch T: a person D: [sum] rounds.
    The target gets a second chance. For the duration, when the target rolls a d20, they can take 1d4 damage in return for advantage on the roll. Additionally, each time they take this damage, they must roll HRTS or gain 1d3 slots of exhaustion.
  11. Chain Lightning
    R: 60' T: [dice] + 1 creatures or things, each within 30' of one other target D: immediate.
    The first of the Fulminate Great Miracles. Only the first target must be within range of you. Each target must save or take [sum] damage.
  12. Crown of Adamant
    R: [dice] * 10' T: self D: [dice] hours.
    The second of the Fulminate Great Miracles. Your head is graced with a regal crown of adamant-silver, crackling with power. You shed light within range and gain +[dice] to Reaction rolls. Your enemies have -[dice] morale. As an action, you can cause lightning to strike a creature or thing within range ([sum] damage, save for half). Once lightning strikes [dice] times, the spell ends.

Mishaps

  1. Your MD deplete on a roll of 1 or 2 as your Art miracles spark and whizz away.
  2. You take 1d6 damage as electricity surges through you.
  3. You're too well grounded. The miracle fails entirely, and all invested MD are expended.
  4. All metal within 30 feet sparks and fizzes. Anyone touching metal takes 1d4 damage.
  5. Any healing, curing, or buffing you've done within the last day is instantly undone.
  6. Lightning strikes you. Take 3d6 damage, save for half.
Dooms
  1. For an hour, your miracles are accompanied by 2d6 ancestors (as per Ancestral Call, except they're not your ancestors) spilling from the afterlife and messing with all your business. Additionally, a random angel (clerical spell) also shows up and starts messing about for that hour.
  2. 25 + 2d6 ancestors spill from the afterlife for 24 hours. A host of random angels shows up and wreaks havoc.
  3. Dozens of ancestors start flying about, lightning dances in the sky, a host of angels descends from the heavens to see what the hell is going on, and 2d4 devils show up and start inquiring about your soul and how they might acquire it, for it looks so very delicious. Some ancestors, angels, and devils will leave, but never fear! More will soon arrive. Always.

Devotional Relics

    1. Collapsing Copper Rod. A highly conductive rod, 1 foot long when collapsed and 3 feet long when fully extended. Very useful for channeling your miracles, among other things, giving your enemies -1 to save against them. 1 slot.
    2. Decorated Bow. A yew longbow, heavily decorated with amethysts and white gold. 1d8 damage, -1 to-hit every 10' past 50' of range. 3 slots, due to the excess weight.
    3. Censer. A bronze censer, inscribed with ciphered runes telling of the Fulminate Mysteries. Who knows what deciphering them will reveal? 2 slots.
    4. Jeweler's Tools. A set of tools including a fine, precise screwdriver, file, loupe, and hand-auger with several bits. Not suited for heavy or gross work.
    5. False Mask. Of a sect of your choosing. Extremely illegal. Very fun (although you can't fool real clerics).
    6. Orthodox Texts. Very much in line with the teachings of the White and Black Masks. A few little subversive "mistakes", here and there. 1 slot.
    7. Lesser Mysteries of the Fulminate Church. The very first and preliminary sphere of the Fulminate Teachings. Showing this book to an uninitiated one will get you censured. Letting them read it will get you excommunicated. You can initiate new acolytes, if you wish. 1 slot.
    8. Remarkable Glue. Very strong, sets in precisely one minute. Sniffing it gets you high. 1 slot, 10 charges.
    9. Universal Solvent. Can dissolve any binding agent or eat through a lock in an hour. Sniffing it gets you high. 1 slot, 5 charges.
    10. Myrrh. A very nice-smelling incense. When burned in a censer, provides +1 to the [sum] of a miracle. 1/3 of a slot.
    11. Jingling Rope. 100 feet of silk rope, with a little brass bell every 5 feet. 1 slot.
    12. Gold Wire. 100 feet of very fine gold wire. Useful for making jewelry, or for conducting electricity. Sells for 50 gp. 1/3 slot.
    13. Spear of St. Adriana. A short spear (medium) with an aspen shaft twined with white-gold and blue-gold wire, and an arsenical bronze head. 3 slots, due to the excess weight.
    14. Galvanic Pin. This rose-gold pin secretly identifies you as a member of the Fulminate Church, to sympathizers and perhaps to exceptionally canny inquisitors.
    15. Blade Venom. When applied to a blade (or, say, a pin), the next enemy you strike takes 2d6 damage and must save or be paralyzed for 1d6 minutes. 1/3 slot, 3 doses.
    16. Percussive Caps. 10 little mercury fulminate percussive caps. Create a spark and a pop when hit or thrown. 
    17. Large Amber. A large, polished piece of amber, containing a fossilized jumping spider. Good for making a static charge, when rubbed with fabric. Sells for 100 gp. 1/3 slot.
    18. Velvet Handkerchief. A very refined and well-embroidered velvet handkerchief. Good for building up a static charge. 
    19.  Blackmail. Documents concerning a personage of great local importance who knows of the Fulminate Church. It would be bad if word of what these papers contain were to get out, no?
    20. Something special, 1d6:
      1. Lightning Gun. This bizarre small pistol fires a bolt of lightning. 1d6 damage, +1d6 damage per metal object or surface the target is touching. -1 to-hit every 10' past 20' of range. For ammunition, it uses tiny diamonds worth 10 gp each.
      2. HAIL BRIGHTEST STAR. An elegant medium jian of ossgold and pale. They can ground an indefinite amount of electricity (+2 to rolls against electrical effects), although sufficient amounts of energy may begin to cause instability in the local fabric of time. 2 slots.
      3. Strange Pack of Cards. This pack of cards bears markings unlike any other in the world.
      4. Signet Ring. The onyx signet ring of a long dead Umbern king.
      5. Ebony Shaft. This arrow, carved of ebony wood fletching and all, will pierce any target unerringly so long as the target will feel no pain.
      6. Inexplicable Bottle. This bottle can hold 7 times as much water as it appears to be able to, and 7 times less of any other liquid. 1 slot.

Sunday, November 8, 2020

GLOG Week: Ritual Magic

GLOG WEEK is here and my subject is ritual magic, a subject which I've been interested in for a while. I'm fairly happy with this system, and hopefully it's to your liking too.
 

Who Can Do Rituals?

 
This depends on how you want to use ritual magic in your game. Maybe everyone can do them if they know how. Maybe you have to be a witch. Maybe it's a religious ceremony. After all, many though certainly not all Wiccans practice magic. You can also use this either with or without other forms of magic in your game. It might make sense to have it unrestricted in games with other magic and class-restricted otherwise, but you do you.
 

How Do Rituals Work?

 
Every ritual has five components: the materials consumed to cast it at 1 MD, the other requirements to cast it at 1 MD (ritual implements, participants, etc.), the casting time, the various ways to boost the MD of the spell (each of which provides +1 MD to the spell if fulfilled), and the effect. Even if you fulfill some of the boosts, you can cast the spell at less MD than the maximum possible in the situation. For Mishaps (doubles on MD), the players can choose between a random complication which must be fixed before the spell can successfully be cast or a random mishap along with the successful completion of the spell. For a Doom (triples on MD), you have an immediate mishap and a complication to resolve before continuing the spell. You could also Doom all the casters, as it is for normal GLOG magic, but that doesn't feel quite right. Complications can either be permanent, required every time the ritual is performed in the future, or temporary, only applying to the next time the spell is cast. Up to you, probably on a case-by-case basis. Some of the rituals mention trained casters, which may be someone who has general knowledge of magic, or may be a full witch, or may be something else you determine for your setting. Just knowing the ritual does not make you a trained caster. If a spell requires the caster to Save for any reason, only the most experienced caster rolls the Save if there are multiple participants.

Learning Rituals:

 
The process for learning rituals will vary from game to game and ritual to ritual, but it could include studying for some days or weeks with someone who knows the ritual, simply learning it quickly from someone who already knows it, reading an ancient scroll or standing stone which details the ritual, or being initiated into the mysteries of a cult (in the classical or the modern sense). If you have a class who's purview is rituals, they might start knowing one or two at A template, and learn or invent one at each further template. Every character might even start with a ritual.

Complications and Mishaps:

 
Mishaps (1d6):
  1. All casters take 1d4 damage.
  2. All casters are weakened and take +1 damage from all damage sources for the next day.
  3. All casters are struck blind for the next day.
  4. All casters are unconscious for the next hour.
  5. All small animals within 100 feet die and all water within 1000 feet is poisoned.
  6. A [dice] * 3 HD shadow crawls into the world, seeking vengeance on the casters.
Complications (1d6):
  1. A rare animal part is required.
  2. A rare plant is required.
  3. The ritual will take an extra day, or an extra week if the duration is already longer than a day.
  4. A specific phase of the moon or a specific hour of the day is required.
  5. Specific weather is required.
  6. The ritual must be performed in a specific and magical location.

 

Rituals

 
Blight Crops
Casting Time: [dice] days
Consumed: 3 types of poisonous herbs (e.g. water hemlock, deadly nightshade, poison ivy), spindle tree wood, 10 locusts, [dice] * 10 sp of salt, [dice] * 10 sp of lead ingots, a spider.
Required: 3 casters, a night of strong wind, a rowan wand.
Boost: 7 trained casters, a poisonous snake sacrifice, an emerald worth at least 100 gp.
Effect: The area within [dice] miles grows waste and barren. Until the next season, harvests yield [dice] * 20% less food. Plants and animals in the wilderness die at a similar rate.
 
Circle of Protection
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Consumed: [dice] * 5 sp of salt
Required: 1 caster, a holly wand
Boost: The ash of ash or yew wood, [dice] * 5 sp of silver dust, 5 candles worth 1 gp each, a human sacrifice.
Effect: You create a circle of magic protection no more than [dice] * 5 feet in diameter. Supernatural beings of [sum] * 2 HD or lower cannot cross into or out of the circle without permission, and supernatural creatures of greater than that HD must Save vs Magic in order to cross without permission. This circle lasts indefinitely, and cannot be damaged by supernatural creatures.
 
Control Rain
Casting Time: [dice] days
Consumed: A chicken or animal of similar worth sacrificed, 3 water plants (e.g. waterlily, yellow flag, liverwort), 5 sp of salt, 5 * [dice] sp of incense.
Required: 1 caster, a rowan wand.
Boost: 3 trained casters, cast in a grove of willows, a copper rod that has been struck by lightning.
Effect: For [sum] days, you can make the weather within [dice] miles one of the following: 1. Clear, 2. Overcast, 3. Drizzling, 3. Gently Raining, 4. Raining, 5. Pouring, 6. Severe storm. If the area is in the grip of a particularly severe drought or period of inundation, you only have a [dice]-in-6 chance of successfully changing the weather. 

Curse of Swapping
Casting Time: [dice] hours
Consumed: Hawthorn ash, [dice] * 5 gp worth of quicksilver, 5 sp of salt, a piece of the first target's body.
Required: 3 trained casters, the first target (who's name you must know), and the second target (who's name you must know, and who you must have restrained and with you), a rowan wand. Neither target needs to be human.
Boost: 7 trained casters, a cloud-pine branch, a unicorn's horn
Effect: The two targets' minds swap bodies. The target with better saves gets a Save vs Magic to negate. The effect lasts for [sum] days/weeks/months/years (as [dice]) or until either body dies. If the spell is cast with 4 MD, it has a 3-in-6 chance of lasting indefinitely.
 
Darken
Casting Time: [dice] days
Consumed: A large amount of green wood, 5 sp of salt, lavender, rosemary, sage, 5 sp of iron filings, a goat or animal of similar worth.
Required: 3 trained casters, a carved electrum tablet worth 100 gp, a ritual dagger, a rowan wand.
Boost: 21 trained casters, a ruby worth at least 1000 gp, a dragon or similarly powerful supernatural creature as sacrifice.
Effect: The area within 1 mile/10 miles/100 miles/the whole earth (as per [dice]) is thrown into a starless, moonless night for [sum] days.
 
Heal
Casting Time: [dice] hours
Consumed: Boiling water, 3 healing herbs (e.g. willow bark, yarrow, ginseng, aloe, chamomile), [dice] bandages.
Required: 1 caster, up to [dice] injured targets.
Boost: An additional 2 healing herbs, a trained caster, 10 sp of copper dust.
Effect: [dice] wounds affecting the targets have their healing time reduced by [sum] days, and are instantly healed if their healing time is reduced to 0. No wounds can be affected by this spell more than once.

Hex of Withering
Casting Time: 1 hour
Consumed: An ugly small animal (i.e. a toad), 5 sp of salt, a piece of the target's body
Required: 1 caster, a target who's name you know, a rowan wand.
Boost: 7 casters, a rare and magical ugly creature, a secret the target doesn't want you to know.
Effect: A target is afflicted with cosmetic ill effects of old age (hair falling out, wrinkled skin, clouded eyes) for [sum] days/weeks/months/years (as [dice]). If the spell is cast with 4 MD, it has a 3-in-6 chance of lasting indefinitely.
 
Ritual of Lichdom
Casting Time: 1 lunar month
Consumed: Sycamore ash, cypress ash, 100 sp of salt, 100 gp of silver dust, 100 human sacrifices, 441 candles worth 10 sp each.
Required: 1 trained caster, 21 casters, a stone altar, a soul container worth at least 5000 gp, a ritual dagger worth at least 1000 gp, a new moon on the night the ritual is complete and the night it begins.
Effect: This spell is automatically cast with 4 MD. You (the trained caster) take [sum] damage and automatically trigger a Necromancer Doom. When you trigger the final Necromancer Doom, instead of dying as you normally would, you become a lich. In addition, for the final casting of this spell to be successful, someone must let your blood with the dagger upon the altar as you cast the spell.
 
Scrying
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Consumed: [dice] * 10 sp of silver dust if you lack moonlight, Queen Anne's Lace.
Required: 1 caster, a reflective surface, a yew wand. 
Boost: A sacred or otherwise magical body of water as your surface, a special moon (Harvest, blue, etc.), a unicorn's hair.
Effect: You pick a creature or location who's name you know within [dice] * 100 miles. You create an invisible sensor watching them for the duration. You must cast the spell with at least 3 dice in order to hear through the sensor as well. If you don't have a body part (at least a fingernail clipping or strand of hair) from the target, you only have a [dice]-in-6 chance of successfully scrying on them. You can end the spell at any time.

Summon
Casting Time: [dice] hours
Consumed: A chicken or an animal of similar worth sacrificed, 5 sp of wine, 5 sp of charcoal.
Required: 1 trained caster, a cup or chalice, a ritual dagger, a bronze rod.
Boost: 7 trained casters, a chalice worth 100 gp, a cow or animal of similar worth sacrificed, a human sacrifice, an ostentatious altar.
Effect: You summon a random supernatural creature: 1d3 for 1. Demon, 2. Fey, 3. Starspawn. The creature has HD determined by dice invested: 1 die for 1d4 HD, 2 dice for 1d6 + 1 HD, 3 dice for 1d8 + 3 HD, and four or more dice for 1d10 + [dice] HD. If you know the true name of a specific creature, you can instead summon it directly, as long as the dice you invested allow a creature of that HD to be summoned. The creature makes a reaction roll to determine its feeling about being summoned, unless it would clearly feel a specific way about it already. You may banish the summoned creature at any time while you can see it, although if it is unwilling to be banished you must first Save vs Magic. If you fail the save, you cannot banish the creature.

Teleport
Casting Time: [sum] hours
Consumed: A golden eagle sacrifice, [dice] * 10 gp of charcoal, a rowan sapling, maple seeds, 5 sp of salt.
Required: 3 trained casters, 7 bronze rods, a brazier, a rowan wand, a yew wand, and an oak wand.
Boost: A fairy's hair, a dragon's scale, 7 trained casters, a circle of protection at the destination.
Effect: [sum] + [dice] creatures at the location of casting are teleported to a destination within [sum] * 100 miles. Unless there is a circle of protection at the destination, the caster must Save vs Magic to arrive at the correct destination rather than some mistaken location. They have a +4 bonus to the Save if they have previously been to the destination personally.
 

Thursday, November 5, 2020

GLOG: Sun Soul (5e adaptation)

The Sun Soul is a 5e Monk subclass that, despite a cool idea - being able to throw bolts of sunlight from your hands - falls pretty flat mechanically. I figured I'd try to give it another lease on life with a GLOG adaptation for diregrizzlybear's 5e Conversion Project. I'm not sure how well I succeeded, but you be the judge.

Through careful and dedicated practice, meditation, internal discipline, hallucinogens, and devotion to the gods, you have cultivated your internal energies precisely. You can channel this energy in the form of powerful sunlight to burn and blind your foes. Not quite as fancy as enlightenment, but it's far more useful.
 
Equipment: A staff, a dagger, a yellow robe, a pipe, and a pouch of salvia. 
 
Skills (1d3): 1. Wrestling, 2. Poetry, 3. Religion 

You gain +1 AC per template of Sun Soul you possess.

A: Sun Bolt
B: Searing Arc
C: Sunburst
D: Radiant Shield

Sun Bolt: You can sheathe your hands in blindingly bright energy, casting light in a 5 foot radius. This energy can be used as a weapon with 1d6 damage, either in melee or ranged with a range of 30/90 feet, both with a bonus to hit equal to your number of templates in this class. On a critical hit, the target must Save or be blinded for 1d6 rounds.

Searing Arc: Once per encounter, after you've made an attack, you can launch a wave of light in a 15 foot cone in front of you. Every creature within this cone must Save or take 1d6 damage.
 
Sunburst: Once per day, you can hurl a burning orb at a point within 120 feet. All creatures within 20 feet of that point take 2d6 damage, Save for half, as the orb detonates.
 
Radiant Shield: You are shielded by an aura of light, which you can activate and deactivate at will. This aura can only be maintained for one hour in total per day. It casts light as a torch, and grants you a +2 bonus to AC. Additionally, when an enemy hits you with a melee attack, they must Save or take 1d4 damage.

Monday, October 26, 2020

GLOG: Hemonymph

 

Ok, this is going to be a weird one. You are a hemonymph, a blood nymph. Nymphs are usually associated with a natural location, and typically, hemonymphs are no different: they are the manifestation of some sort of natural bloody pool or spring, maybe in a strange sanguine wood, maybe inside a gigantic monster, who knows. Of course, this doesn't lend itself to adventuring, so you're different somehow. Maybe you still have a bound location that you can still leave safely, or maybe something happened to your location that destroyed it while leaving you alive.
 
Equipment: 2 waterskins full of blood. 

Skill (1d3): 1. Singing 2. Basket-Weaving 3. Embroidery

A: Sanguine Nature, Unnatural Charm
B: Control Blood
C: Crimson Spring, Hijacking
D: Hemorrhage

Sanguine Nature: You are made of blood. You can shapeshift, although you will always be a dark crimson. You can eat normally, but you can also drink blood. The blood of a 1 HD creature is equivalent to a ration and takes up a waterskin. You cannot bleed.
 
Unnatural Charm: If you spend 10 minutes interacting sociably and in a friendly manner with a creature while in a form physically attractive to them (other than being made of blood, that is), they must Save vs Charm. On a failure, they are charmed by you for 1d4 years. They will do as you will them to, although they will not risk themselves physically. You can only have [template] HD of creatures charmed at a time.
 
Control Blood: You can shape and telekinetically control any blood or a related fluid (blood plasma, hemolymph) not inside another creature's body. You can also use blood from your own body in this manner: 1 hitpoint = 1 liter, for you, and 1 hitpoint = 10 cc for most other creatures which have blood. This ability can be used to shape blood into "solid" objects such as weapons, which will persist indefinitely as long as they are in your presence, or for [template] hours outside your body.
 
Crimson Spring: If you spend 24 hours in a spring or pond of water, you can turn it into a spring of blood. Any creature bathing in this spring heals 1d4 hitpoints per minute, and you heal 1d4 hitpoints per round. You can, with a touch, transform plants into strange magical plants that live on blood rather than water.
 
Hijacking: Once per day, you can attempt to seize control of a creature's body with their blood (this, of course, only works if the target has blood or a related fluid, like hemolymph). They must Save vs Magic, coming under your control for 1d4 rounds. While under your control, you can force them to make weapon attacks with disadvantage and to move at half speed, but cannot utilize any of their special abilities unless common sense dictates otherwise.
 
Hemorrhage: If you touch a creature with blood or a related fluid, you can force them to make a Save vs Magic. On a failure, they take 4d6 damage. Regardless of whether they failed the save or not, you cannot use this ability on the same target for 24 hours. Each time you use this ability within 24 hours, the damage is reduced by 1d6.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

GLOG: Servant of the Raven Queen

Diregrizzlybear wrote an excellent adaptation of the 5e Raven Queen Warlock for B/X. I felt inspired, because I think the Raven Queen is by far the best warlock patron in 5e and it's a real shame they never made it official. So here's a GLOG adaptation of the B/X adaptation of the 5e adaptation.
 
Equipment: Any weapon (3 javelins counts as 1 weapon, ranged weapons come with 20 ammunition), a small silver bowl, 4 sticks of rare incense, a ritual dagger, and dark, concealing robes.

Skills: Occult Lore and 1d3: 1. Stealth 2. Haruspicy 3. Weaving
 
Servants of the Raven Queen gain +1 HP, +1 Stealth, and +1 Save vs Death every second template.

A: Raven Companion
B: Spellcasting, +1 MD
C: Mark of Death, +1 Spell
D: Psychopomp, +1 MD, +1 Spell

Raven Companion: The Raven Queen has graced you with one of her ineffable companions, which takes the form of a spectral raven. This raven can understand you and will obey your commands. You can see through the eyes of the raven and experience all its sensations at will, although you are insensate of your own surroundings while doing so. You can also merge your form with that of the raven at will by joining yourself to its shadow. The raven never sleeps, and while it is perched on your shoulder you have supernatural perception and cannot be surprised.
 
Spellcasting: You do not have to prepare spells; instead you can cast any spell you know at any time so long as you have MD available. You know two random spells from the first eight on the list, and gain one more at each further template of Servant of the Raven Queen (from the first 10 at C and all 12 at D). You can only get the requisite 3 MD for Dooms by multiclassing, so just use those Dooms if you do so.
 
Mark of Death: As an action, you can lay a Mark of Death on a creature you can see. The target takes +1 damage from all sources, you have +2 to-hit against the target, and the target has a -2 penalty to Saves you cause them to make. You know the location of the target at all times. This Mark can only affect one creature at once, and if you lay it on a new target, the old target is no longer affected.
 
Psychopomp: When you touch an undead creature with HD less than or equal to your level, they must Save vs Death or instantly die. If a creature succeeds on their Save, they are immune to this ability for 24 hours. Any corpse you touch can never be raised from the dead.

Spells:
  1. Augury
  2. Bane
  3. Bestow Curse
  4. Darkness
  5. Hex
  6. Starlight Lance
  7. Turn Undead
  8. Darkvision
  9. Cloak of Darkness
  10. Consuming Shadows
  11. Crown of Stars
  12. Word of Death
Mishaps:
  1. Take 1d6 damage
  2. Take +1 damage from all sources for the next hour
  3. Spectral hands seize and immobilize you for 1d6 rounds.
  4. You're besieged with a barrage of bad omens and dark predictions. Save vs Fear or panic for 1d6 rounds.
  5. All sentient creatures are invisible to you for 24 hours.
  6. All undead within 10 miles know your location unerringly and are driven to attack you for 24 hours. If there are no undead within the area, 2d6 random bodies rise as 1 HD zombies.

 

Monday, October 5, 2020

GLOG: Crow Cowboy

 
 
Equipment: A single-action revolver and a lever-action rifle (both with 20 rounds), a ten gallon hat, a lasso, spurs, a tin of chewing tobacco, a jar of whiskey-soaked birdseed, and a horse.

Skills (1d3): 1. Fast Talkin', 2. Quick-Drawin', 3. Runnin' from Sheriffs

A: Human-Sized Crow, Cowboy
B: Gunslinger, +1 to-hit
C: Deadeye
D: Fanfire, +1 to-hit

Human-Sized Crow: You are a human sized crow with both arms and wings. You can speak both human languages and Crow, and are an adept mimic. You can fly as quickly and for as long as you can run.

Cowboy: You can ride a horse for days, herd cattle, compete in a rodeo, and use a lasso with the best of them.

Gunslinger: You can never be surprised while you have a firearm on your person. Any firearm you have hidden on your person will never be found unless you want it to be.

Deadeye: The range of firearms you wield is doubled. Your accuracy with firearms is such that you will never miss any unmoving target within your gun's range.

Fanfire: You can fire every shot in a revolver in one combat round, at a -4 to hit with each shot. There is a 1-in-6 chance that your gun instead blows up. You can fire repeating rifles twice per round. 
 

Guns

Some extremely simple rules for guns for circa 1870, I suppose, since this is a Western-themed class sorta. Reloading after all shots have been fired takes 1 minute unless otherwise mentioned.
  • Single-action revolver: 1d8 damage, range 70/200, misfires on a 1, 6 shots, 1 slot
  • Double-action revolver: 1d8 damage, range 60/180, misfires on a 1-3, can fire twice per round at a -2 to hit, 6 shots, 1 slot
  • Rifled musket: 2d8 damage, range 250/1500, misfires on a 1, 3 round reload, single shot, 3 slots
  • Lever-action rifle: 1d10 damage, range 180/1000, misfires on a 1, 12 shots, 2 slots
  • Falling-block rifle: 2d6 damage, range 300/2000, misfires on a 1-2, 1 round reload, single shot, 3 slots
  • Bolt-action rifle: 1d10 damage, range 250/1500, misfires on a 1, 0 round reload, single shot, 2 slots
  • Break-action shotgun: 2d8 damage, range 25/100, misfires on a 1, 1 round reload, 2 shots, 3 slots

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Everyone Can Do Magic: A Classless Magic System

 This magic system uses the typical GLOG spellcasting using Magic Dice (MD), but in a rather unconventional way. Rather than gaining MD and spells as part of your class progression, gaining either is entirely diegetic. You gain MD from close interactions with the supernatural, and learn spells similarly, often in ways involving lost or forbidden knowledge. The spells are written with D&D-type games in mind (ability scores, actions, HD, hitpoints, rounds, Saves) but it should be fairly easy to adapt and bolt on to pretty much any system.
 

How MD Work

 
If you're uninitiated in the ways of the GLOG, here's how Magic Dice work: You have a pool of d6s. When you cast a spell, you can choose to roll up to as many MD as you have, with a minimum of 1. The number of dice you roll is [dice], and their total is [sum], which are often used for the power or effect of the spell. Dice that roll 3 or below are returned to your pool, and dice that roll 4 or above are expended until you get a full night's sleep, when they return to your pool. Your spellcasting is not always reliable. If you roll doubles, you roll a Mishap. If you roll triples, you gain a Doom. Below are the default Mishaps and Dooms, but you can always rule that players should roll on a Mishap table or gain Dooms that are more befitting the sort of spells that they cast. There are many, many Mishaps and Dooms out there from various wizard schools and such.

Mishaps (1d6)

  1.  Take 1d6 damage.
  2.  Take +1 damage from all sources for the next hour.
  3.  Cannot cast spells for the next 1d4 hours.
  4.  Deplete one MD.
  5.  Take 1d4 damage and gain a painful, permanent scar in a prominent location.
  6.  You summon a random supernatural being as per the summon spell. It's not happy.

Dooms

  1.  Lose the ability to cast spells for a day.
  2.  Lose the ability to cast spells for a week.
  3.  Permanently lose the ability to cast spells.

 

How to Get MD

 
You can only gain MD from any given method once, and ideally each method should only really be available once. At your DM's discretion, you may be able to start with an MD in exchange for a -5 to an ability score of your choice.
  • Dig up a witch's bones and eat them
  • Drink a ghost
  • Burn a blessed holy book
  • Make a deal with a (or The) devil
  • Fast for 21 days beneath a rowan tree
  • Eat a berry of a rare and poisonous bush - and survive
  • Get bitten by a vampire-elf
  • Spend time living with the fairies or nymphs

 

Spells 

 
Below are some example spells. They all have some sort of cost or risk involved, and include a possible method of learning or otherwise obtaining the spell.

Bestow Curse
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] years
Cost: Roll 1d12. If it's under or equal to the number of times you've cast this spell previously, you turn into a toad. You maintain your sentience and magic, but no magic can ever change your shape again.
How to Get It: Curse your mortal foe, who you must hate with a burning passion, to the worst fate you can imagine. You must do this to their face. Alternatively, curse someone with your last breath (as you go to 0 hp, before you roll Death and Dismemberment.

A creature you can touch must Save vs Magic or become cursed for the duration. Choose one of the following options: 1. They can only speak in rhymes, 2. They can only walk backwards, 3. Animals will either run from them or attack them on sight while yowling loudly, 4. They become infertile, 5. They're always in shadow, even if they're standing outside on a sunny day, 6. Any product of their profession has a 3-in-6 chance of being non-functional or spoiled. If you cast the spell with at least 4 MD, it lasts indefinitely.
 
Chain Lightning
Casting Time: 1 action
Cost: Save vs Magic or lose 1 Cha permanently
How to Get It: Read the scribblings of a madman in blood on scraps of human skin. You forget this spell each time you cast it and must reread the scribblings to learn it again.

[dice] + 1 creatures are struck by a bolt of lightning hopping from one to the next, the first of whom must be within 60' of the caster, and all the others of whom must be within 30' of the creature prior to them, must Save vs Magic. On a failed Save, each creature takes [sum] damage.
 
Cure Disease
Casting Time: 1 hour
Cost: Rare herbs endemic to the area where you learned the spell, which must be burned
How to Get It: Study under a village witch for a month.

A creature who you can minister to and who is currently diseased makes a Save vs Disease with a [sum] bonus. On a success, the disease is cured.
 
Mantle of Awe
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Cost: Permanently lose 1 Wis
How to Get It: Defeat a supernatural being (this includes spellcasters) in a contest of will.
 
You cloak yourself in an aura of supernatural dignity and strength. All creatures of your choice within 30' must Save vs Fear or flee and not enter that range for the duration. At the start of each round, you may make a Proclamation, which lasts for the duration (i.e. "You cannot pass!" or "This door will open."). Creatures and objects who can hear you (they do not have to understand you) must Save vs Magic to disobey or counteract this Proclamation, and they may only Save against a certain Proclamation once. If you make a new Proclamation, the old one ceases to function.
 
Song of Slaying
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Cost: Unless heavily drugged, Save vs Magic or lose 1 Int permanently.
How to Get It: Destroy the crippled berserker's old foes, then study with him for a week.
 
For the duration, you have +[dice] to-hit, +1 damage, +1 AC, and become very skilled at wrestling. You cannot do anything other than slay your foes, but you may cooperate with your allies towards that goal. If one of your allies damages you or interferes with your slaying, they are now a foe. 

Speak With Animals
Casting Time: 0
Duration: [dice] hours
Cost: A deer pelt painted with runes, hung on a tree
How to Get It: Eat the heart of a Questing Beast.
 
For the duration, you choose [dice] classes of animals (in the taxonomic sense, i.e. mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, or cephalopods) to speak with. You can talk to these animals and they will understand you, and you will be able to understand their communications as if they were speaking. Their intelligence is not increased and they are not automatically friendly to you. 
 
Speak With Dead
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: [dice] minutes
Cost: Incense, a small blood sacrifice, and cypress ash. The caster must Save vs Magic, allowing an evil shade to slip into the world on a failure.
How to Get It: Read a forbidden grimoire. You cannot ever forget this spell.
 
You can converse with a humanoid corpse. The corpse may or may not be particularly cooperative or helpful, and certainly won't be too inclined to help you if you killed it. You can, however, force the corpse to answer [dice] questions. 

Starlight Lance
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Cost: [dice] * 2 hitpoints
How to Get It: Become a warlock of the Lords of Shadow and Star
 
You launch a javelin of hard light at a target within 120'. The target must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage and be launched backwards [dice] * 10' to the ground or until they hit a wall, where they are fixed in place for the duration. Each round they are fixed in place they may Save vs Magic, escaping once they have succeeded [dice] times. The javelin casts light in a 10' radius.

Vampiric Touch
Casting Time: 1 action
Cost: Roll 1d12. If it's under or equal to the number of times you've cast this spell previously, you lose all your morals.
How to Get It: You must be holding the skull of a spellcaster who has murdered someone in cold blood.
 
One creature you can touch must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage. You regain hitpoints equal to the damage dealt.

Werelight
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Cost: A pinch of iron filings mixed with ground corundum.
How to Get It: Hold a staff granted to you personally by an archmage.

You create a light which hovers over your shoulder. It casts light within range, although you may dim it to cast light within a smaller radius of your choice at will, as well as brightening it up to its maximum radius.

Wild Shape
Casting Time: 1 action
Cost: Each hour you remain in this form, you must Save vs Magic with a penalty of -2 per hour or remain in this form forever.
How to Get It: Decipher the runes on the crumbling, overgrown standing stones.

You turn into an animal of no more HD than [dice]. You keep your mind, but you can only use abilities that make sense for the animal form you assume. You can only speak languages that your original form and your wild shaped form share. All damage and injuries are reflected between your original and wild shaped forms at the beginning and end of the spell. You can end the spell at any time you wish. 
 
Word of Death
Casting Time: 1 action
Cost: Roll 1d6. On a roll of [dice] or below, you've attracted the attention of Death herself. She's not happy with your abuse of power.
How to Get It: Seek out the ancient lich-hierophant in his crypt. Crack his skull open. Fill it with blood, wine, bronze, and rowan berries. Boil it over an unholy flame for seven days and seven nights. Drink the concoction, and Save vs Death. On a failure, you die. On a success, you learn the spell.

A creature who can hear you and who has no more HD than [dice] must Save vs Magic or die. 
 

How to Be a Wizard 

 
So you've got some magical power, learned some spells, and now you want to be a real wizard. Well, first off, you should get a staff, or something like it. While you hold some sort of focus for your magic (a staff, rod, or wand; a ritual knife; a cauldron; a mortar and pestle; a crystal ball; that sort of thing) that is personally significant to you as a symbol of your power, you have a +1 to [sum], and people will be far more inclined to believe you're a mage. Secondly, start acting like a wizard (from Middle English wys, "wise"). Be careful with your words; never say anything you aren't sure is true, for words have power. Gather as much knowledge as you can, and only disburse it at need. Strive to never be incorrect. Some good tips as to the type of knowledge you might aspire to and the sort of persona you might attempt to emulate can be found in this excellent class.

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

The Wanderer (I guess I'm posting crappy short fiction now?)

I reread A Wizard of Earthsea recently and was inspired to write a bad, extremely derivative short story. This doesn't really have anything to do RPGs, although the setting may be rather like Carolingia, I guess. Yes, I know it's also the name of a GLOG class I wrote. No, I don't care. Wanderers are cool.
 

The Wanderer

The wanderer came into the village out of the high moors one bright day late in the summer. She was tall and stern, carrying a long staff of pale aspen that matched her height. Her hooded cloak of green wool was plain and functional, but it was pinned with a fine bronze brooch. She went to the household of a yeoman in the village, who gave her bread and stew and a spot by the hearth for the night, as is the custom. When those gathered asked her for her name, where she came from, and to where she went, she merely shrugged and smiled, eyes glittering with laughter. That night, as repayment for his hospitality, although none was expected, she went to his son, who had fallen from a tall tree on to his head a week ago and had not since woken up. She laid a hand upon his forehead, spoke a single word in a language that none who heard it could understand, and tapped her staff gently on the ground. The boy settled imperceptibly in his cot and began to breathe deeper. Come morning she was gone and the boy was awake, full of life.
 
Some days later the wanderer appeared in a larger town some distance from the village, and it was the day of a festival, when the coming of fall was celebrated. The people were gathered in the square of the town, singing songs of veneration and dancing dances of joy. When the wanderer came to the square she joined her voices to all the others. Those near her remarked upon both the strength and gentleness of her song, and the way she knew every song of the festival as if by heart. After the singing and the dancing was done, all the folk of the town gathered close to eat of the bounty of the harvest; to drink good cider, ale, and mead; and to hear the young bard of the town sing the great lay that was sung for this festival: the Lay of Windbéatan. Although young and fresh from her apprenticeship the chanter was very skilled, and it was a pleasure to hear her recite the ancient poesy in her lively and inimitable style. 
 
After several hours she was done and the townsfolk were preparing to disperse for the night, but the wanderer stepped forwards before the crowd and began to chant. She sang, slow and solemn and beautiful, a tale of an ancient queen of this land, and the eldest amongst the crowd recalled that the old chanter of the town had sung this tale before he had died decades ago, leaving the town with no chanter for some years. The grace and glory of the wanderer’s epic surpassed even that of the young chanter’s, and the town listened as if spellbound for some hours. After she finished, the people slowly began to depart to their sleep, quiet and drowsy in happiness. The young chanter came to the wanderer and offered the hospitality of her home, which was gratefully accepted. The whole of the next day the wanderer spent teaching the chanter the poem she had sung that the chanter might sing it every equinox. The night she spent again in the home of the chanter, and departed ere the cocks crowed.
 
Not more than a month after the equinox, the greatest city of the land was invested by raiders hailing from a far-off country. They built works of war about the walls of the city, set their ships in the river to ensure none could escape by that avenue, and despoiled the countryside with fire and rapine. As the siege grew tighter and fiercer, the woman appeared in the market square of the city, though none knew how she had slipped through the leaguer of the raiders or how she had entered the city unseen by its watchful guardians. There she sat in the street, staff across her knees, closed her eyes, and began to chant slowly in a strange language. As tales had already spread across the land of a woman possessed of great lore and magic, she remained there unmoving and unmolested for seven days as the siege grew ever closer and more hardly contested. On the seventh day the raiders had finally fought their way atop the walls of the city, and yet as their first man began to descend into the city a blinding sheet of white fire suddenly shot up atop the walls. This great light began to expand, slowly but inexorably, forcing the invaders off the walls, then itself dropping down to the ground below. The wall of flame, which somehow did not scorch the ground upon which it stood, broke its circle and began to stretch out in a vast line, spreading across the river and a wide front on each side. The raiders fled from it in terror, and their ships were forced down the river. They were corralled by this terrible magic to their ships and forced from the land in a rout. As the final ship left the country, the wanderer slumped over on her side in the square of the city and knew no more.
 
The wanderer was taken into the household of the king himself, and gently nursed back to health. The king himself took great interest in her well-being, often conversing with her on the mysteries of the world at her bedside once she was well enough to talk. Within a fortnight she was largely recovered from her great effort and made clear her intentions to depart soon. The king besought her to stay at his court and join his service as a mage, offering riches and honor and all that she could wish for. At this she merely shook her head sadly and took her leave. As she left the palace, there was a great horde of the wealthiest and most powerful in the country gathered before the gates, all pleading with her to perform some task and offering inestimable reward. She ignored them all and strode forth, out of the city. 
 
The wanderer walked for weeks, going all the way to the farthest and most remote part of the country. She paid her way in small deeds of healing and service, exchanged for the simplest of hospitality, and finally arrived at the poorest village in all the land. As she walked the rutted mud pit that passed for its main way, she beheld a bandaged and pitiful figure lying in the dirt begging for scraps: a leper. The wanderer went into the nearby woods and did not return for a week, until she had gathered great store of herbs, including many with commonplace medical usages and many thought to be useless. When she returned, she went to the leper with no superstition or fear and took him to the stream, anointing him with water, and set piles of herbs around him. She set the herbs alight, their fragrant smoke spiraling off into the heavens, and began to sing a low, slow song. Each day for a month she would return to the leper and perform this ritual, or one similar but with different herb and song, or a with a different liquid to touch his brow. Finally, on the 27th day, as her song drew to a close, the leper’s bandages split to reveal a healed man below. Without further ado, the wanderer set off into the wilds, never to be seen again.

Sunday, September 13, 2020

My Favorite GLOG Classes

People have been posting about their favorite GLOG classes so I may as well jump on the bandwagon. Here's the other posts (let me know if I missed yours so I can link it too!):
 Ok, without further ado, here's my list (many duplicates from the other posts because those classes are just that good!):
  • The Sage: This deserves to top every list of classes, GLOG or otherwise, in my humble opinion. It lets you interact with the world so fully and completely, more so than any other class I've ever seen. I'm playing one right now in Deus ex Parabola's Face campaign and it is by far my favorite character of all time (although, to be fair, Deus' excellent color heresies system helps with that a good deal). This class effortlessly epitomizes the classic "wise man" character and feels magical without actually being able to do overt magic before D template. Once you do get to D template, you can bust out some serious power, but before then you are wise and knowledgeable and famous and mysterious - everything a true wizard should be. This is probably the only class I haven't written that I'd allow in a Carolingia game (even though I stole tons of it for my Wanderer), and it would fit the setting perfectly.
  • The Gun Priest: Another Squig class, because he's very very good at making them (there's several other excellent classes on his blog that didn't quite make the cut but that you should certainly read). This class is a superlative priest class, even though I don't usually like that archetype much - it can't summon up insane miracles, but it has a bunch of small thematic abilities that feel very priestly. And it can use guns. Who doesn't love guns? I wouldn't allow it in my games, because there's neither guns nor a religion which these priests would have anything to do with, but it's nonetheless very cool.
  • The Far Traveler: With how much travel most D&D-like games involve, it's both a surprise and a pity that there aren't more classes like this. It's just got a lot of good features - random abilities are one of my favorite things (you'll notice that the majority of the classes on this list have something of the sort; Sage and Gun Priest have them too), and that's basically all this class has. You've been to cool places and learned from them, you've done cool things and adopted those ways. You can also shape your environment actively by knowing people from all over the world (or in this case, the World Turtle). This is another class that I stole a great deal from for my Wanderer.
  • The Zouave: The Zouave is another class that's basically perfectly designed to appeal to me: random abilities, pretty much about traveling. It's the smallest thing, but I love the +1 inventory slot per template - it interacts with the game in a way I don't think I've seen a single other class do, and it captures the feeling of a war-worn well-traveled veteran perfectly. The Tall Tales are all excellent and flavorful abilities. You also get some abilities that can really reshape your social interactions to help you interact with the world on a deeper level with Respect and Old Friends.
  • The Monkey Dad: This class is absolutely, totally fucking bonkers. It also works perfectly. A "Monkey Dad" sounds insane, but the features of the class support it totally. You're first and foremost the Dad (not necessarily the father) of [level] party members, who you love and support when they're nearby. You're also a monkey, and you mean business. It's insane in all the best ways (including random abilities!), and it includes the best line ever written about a monkey doing dice manipulation: "Powerful wizards won't appreciate it if you meddle with them directly, but probably they can't do anything about it."
  • The various Paladins from Vayra's Mountain PHB: This is sorta four classes, sorta one, but I'll just discuss them all at once. I normally dislike paladins just as much as I do priests. Religion should be something everyone does, in a setting where it works. Why should there be special powers for these religious people but not the other ones? But this, this is how a paladin should be. An iconoclast, a heretic, and an outcast, driven by their sheer outspoken belief that they and they alone are right, that they alone are righteous. Then you add in the abilities: making up the Saint you venerate on this day and the facts of their life on the spot to get your miracles? Brilliant. And the 4 sub-types: Bard-paladins, monk-paladins (or maybe pankration-paladins), ranger-paladins, and wizard-paladins. You're not just a priest with a sword; you're skilled beyond just your faith.
  • The various Witches from Vayra's Mountain PHB: Once again, sorta four classes but I'll address them all as one. Unlike paladins, I pretty much always love witches, and these are really excellent. They're all full spellcasters, but this isn't the interesting part. They've got some really cool curses they can all lay at an HP cost, but this also isn't the most interesting part. The four sub-types are: Gun Witch, Bug Witch, Friend Witch, and Cancer Witch. The names alone are evocative, and the abilities are yet more so. A Gun Witch's familiars are guns with which they are supernaturally adept; a Bug Witch's familiars are a swarm of arthropods which can defend, attack, fly, and generally be extremely useful; a Friend Witch is much like a 3.5e Binder - their familiars are sentient beings they bind to their souls for various benefits; and a Cancer Witch's familiars are bizarre nefarious diseases inhabiting your body. All are excellent.
  • The Very Heavy Cube: This class is another that's totally bizarre in all the best ways. You have an extremely heavy tungsten cube, and a suit which allows you to telekinetically control the movement of this cube, including accelerating it very fast indeed. Then it really starts to get weird. The cube starts to take over. Your mind merges with the cube's, and trust me, it has one. It will hatch, and you will ascend with it, to be the only god that survives this cataclysm. This class is gloriously weird and I adore it.
  • The Weather Witch: Like the Sage and the Gun Priest, this class is perfect for being magical without being as overt and as direct as a traditional spellcaster. Your Workings, you minor magics, are inconsistent and draining, but they are magic in a world where there's none else. I don't have too much else to say about it, but the Workings are really nice and I love the implications of a world where this is the only magic, or at least the only regularly encountered magic.
  • The Original Acrobat: All of the classes in Goblin Guts are really good. There's a reason that creative and interesting classes have become one of the signatures of the GLOG - because it started with them. But I think the Acrobat really stands out. I played one in Squig's Seas of Sand game, which sadly had to end prematurely, and it was a fantastic experience (the 15 Str and 16 Dex didn't hurt, of course). The Acrobat, or even just the idea of playing an Acrobat, has so much potential for creative problem-solving and so much applicability to the normal problems of D&D, even to dungeon delving, and the Acrobat's abilities support that to the fullest. The very first GLOG class, by age-and-alphabetical-order, and certainly not the least.

There's certainly some classes that I love which I've forgotten but that should be on here. Maybe I'll think of them some time and add them. But the fact that I can think of brilliantly designed classes and come up with so, so many (there's a lot of classes which I thought about adding but didn't because I've already put down a bunch which I think just slightly edge them out) is probably the best thing about the GLOG and the GLOG community. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

GLOG: The Cat

Unlike most GLOG animal classes, this one has no descriptive adjectives. It isn't the Very Obnoxious Cat or the Very Cuddly Cat, it's just the Cat. Cats need no superlatives, because they are all superlative in their own unique and ineffable ways. You are a small cat, whether a domestic cat or some variety of small wildcat. (Edited like two and a half hours after I first posted it because I came up with some cool abilities after I decided to hit post).

The Cat

Starting Equipment: Self-possession and dignity, a killer instinct, a warm coat, hooked claws, and sharp teeth.

Skills: Cat and 1d4: 1. Street Cat, 2. House Cat, 3. Farm Cat, 4. Wild Cat

The Cat skill involves doing everything that is innate to being a cat. You'll know it when you see it.

Damage: 1d3
 
The Cat gains +1 AC and +1 to grappling checks every template.

A: Cat, Curiosity, Nine Lives
B: Cat's Eye, Cat's Reflexes
C: Toxoplasmosis, Scream
D: Monarch

Cat: You are a cat, with all that entails. You are light and always land on your feet (take no fall damage for falls 20' or less, 1/2 fall damage beyond that), can fit through very small spaces, can see in the dark so long as there is any light at all, can feel with your whiskers, can smell acutely... You only take 1/10th of a ration per day. Your claws are a -1 grapple weapon and your jaws are a -2 grapple weapon. If you bite an enemy, they must Save vs Disease or contract blood poisoning. You cannot wear armor, wield weapons, or carry objects. When you grapple opponents, they can still move. All your ability scores represent cat abilities - even with an 18 Strength you'll never be able to lift a heavy stone and even with 18 Intelligence you'll never be able to speak or read, but you exercise your virtues in your own ways.

Curiosity: If your curiosity leads you to mess with something that probably shouldn't be messed with and things go horribly wrong, you have a 1-in-6 chance to miraculously avoid any negative consequences. This chance increases to 2-in-6 at the C Template of Cat.

Nine Lives: You have nine lives. Mark one off each time you are reduced to negative hitpoints or would die in some other way. You are instead reduced to zero hitpoints or do not die. When you only have one life remaining, this ability no longer has any effect.

Cat's Eye: You can see through all magical illusions and can see any magical effects within your line of sight. You can Save vs Magic to identify what any given magical effect does.
 
Cat's Reflexes: If you are surprised, you can immediately leap away to safety. You have advantage on any Saves which involve quick reflexes.
 
Toxoplasmosis: Any living mammal you spend at least 10 minutes in close contact with must Save vs Charm or become charmed by you indefinitely. While charmed, they will be friendly to you unless given good reason not to and will be extremely reluctant to harm you under any circumstances. They may refer to you incessantly as "such a good kitty" and constantly tell anyone around "oh, look, aren't they soooooo cute?" If you harm a charmed creature, they can Save against this ability again.
 
Scream: You can let out a bloodcurdling scream of extraordinary volume for such a small creature. All creatures who can hear you must Save vs Fear or become frightened for 1 minute. Once a creature has been affected with this ability (whether or not they Saved), they cannot be affected by it for a day.
 
Monarch: You are a monarch of cats. If you are in an area where there would reasonably be cats, you can spend an hour to gather 1d4 cats to your service, and can repeat this until you amass as many cats as could really be in that location (3-4 cats in a forest, 5-6 in a rural area, 10-15 in a town, and unlimited in a city). These cats have 1/2 HD and Morale 6. They will due your bidding without undue risk and will not leave the local area. Gathering enough cats in an area with a different cat monarch may attract their ire if the other monarch doesn't assent first.

Religions of Carolingia

This post was originally going to have mechanics allowing every single PC to potentially gain divine blessings (with a material sacrifice in the case of Aeternean polytheism and a HP cost for Sjóhaf-Lofthimn).

Aeternean Polytheism

There are two main religions in Carolingia. The first, we'll call it Aeternean polytheism, after the fallen empire it came to approach its present form in. It has many hundreds of gods worshiped in many hundreds of places, as it is the main religion of the majority of Carolingia, but there are several listed here who are extremely popular. Aeternean polytheism has a very strong monastic tradition. Nothing presented here is an absolute truth but is generally a common belief in the time the game is set in. Players should certainly feel welcome to create their own minor gods or their own traditions about worship of other gods, although veneration is owed to all gods by all.

Medeis-Arvum

Medeis-Arvum is the Twofold God and ruler of all the gods. They are a manifestation of two separate beings, Medeis and Arvum. Medeis is the goddess of magic and stars; Arvum is the god of the earth and fertility. Portrayals in various myths present them as a singular being, spouses, siblings, mortal foes, or some combination of the above. They are usually reserved and noble.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Staffs, wands, jays, jewels, and rowans for Medeis; axes, lions, elephants, wheat, and laurels for Arvum.
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Honey, passerines, magical items and bronze for Medeis; wine, sheep, farming equipment, and platinum for Arvum.

Proellia

Proellia is the goddess of war and the sea. She is often portrayed as a daughter of Medeis-Arvum, and is married to Amare. She is usually kind, respectful, and fierce.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Spears, slings, falcons, gulls, ships, and cedars. 
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Mustelids, arms and armor, ships, and steel.

Amare

Amare is the goddess of love and practicality. She is generally the daughter of Caelos and a wind-nymph, and is married to Proellia. She is usually arrogant and faithful.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Ropes, knives, carts, cats, and willows.
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Spirits (alcohol, not ghosts), cows, fine cloths, high fashion, and gold.

Venatus

Venatus is the god of hunting, trees, and the moon. He is generally considered to have been born of a lightning bolt hitting a fir tree and is married to either Caelos or Fidea (occasionally both). He is usually angry and intelligent.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Bows, lances, horses, hawks, the moon, and all trees (but especially beeches and spruces).
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Cider, wheat, hunted game, and silver.

Caelos

Caelos is the god of the sky and of artisans. He is often portrayed as a son of Medeis-Arvum, and is often married to Venatus. He is usually inveterately unfaithful and righteous.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Javelins, eagles, crows, amethysts, looms, and firs.
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Perfume, incense, goats, tapestries, and arsenical bronze.

Fidea

Fidea is the goddess of honor, fealty, and loyalty. She is generally the twin sister and foe of Medeis, and is often married to Venatus. She is usually condescending and honorable.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Swords, arm-rings, dogs, horns, and cypresses.
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Mead, boar, pigs, dogs, statuary, swords, and gold.

Shamolis

Shamolis is the goddess of the sun, fire, and of song. She is originally of Limosian origin, and a relatively new introduction to Aeternean religion. She is generally born of an ash tree, and is usually proud and reckless.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Clubs, chariots, cheetahs, stringed instruments, and sunflowers.
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Deer, antelopes, chariots, instruments, and electrum.

Luitgarda

Luitgarda is the Quadian queen who, some 40 years ago, established the Aeternorum sive Quadiorum Imperium (Empire of the Aeterneans and Quadi). Since her death, she has become the object of a great deal of reverence. She had several husbands in life, outliving all of them, and a raven companion supposedly sent to guide her by Proellia, who she is often associated with.
  • Sacred Objects and Symbols: Lily flowers, ravens, aquamarines, swords, and heather.
  • Preferred Sacrifices: Flowers, antelopes (especially chamois), aquamarines, and weaponry.

Sjóhaf-Lofthimn

Sjóhaf-Lofthimn is the bitheistic religion of much of the far south of Carolingia. It is named for the twin Gods it worships (capital G because this is most certainly not a polytheistic religion): Sjóhaf, God of the sea, and Lofthimn, God of the sky. The two deities have somewhat different domains, with Sjóhaf's including war and fertility, and Lofthimn's including magic and poetry. All faithful of this religion are followers of either Sjóhaf or Lofthimn depending on whether they were born during the day (Lofthimn) or night (Sjóhaf), and have an ethereal animal spirit accompanying them from birth, although it's almost never visible. Followers of Sjóhaf can have sea animals, followers of Lofthimn can have air animals, and both can have land animals. Making this animal manifest and able to interact with the world takes an extreme toll both physically and mentally, and as your companion dies when you do, only the extremely hardy and strong of will (read: those with enough HP to not immediately die) can generally use their animal companions to much effect.

Humans are viewed as inhabiting the neutral ground (land) between the holy domains of the sea and the sky. Sjóhaf and Lofthimn are simultaneously foes, lovers, and, according to some, the same being. Their worship is not an organized faith by any means, so there's a profusion of beliefs and ethical stances all falling under its name. Generally, there is belief in reincarnation upon death, the holiness of righteous sacrifice and death in battle, and in the holy joy of singing.

Thursday, September 3, 2020

GLOG: All My Spells in One Place

At this point the spells I've written are spread out over at least 3 posts, so this post is just collecting all of my spells into one place. It doesn't have any new material. Edit: As of 11/8/2020, changed a bunch of spells to Save for half damage instead of Save to negate.

Acid Splash
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] * 2 rounds
Range: 60'
All creatures within 5' of a point within range must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage, and take [dice] damage on each subsequent round for the duration unless they wash the acid off. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage and the secondary effect is not inflicted.

Animate Dead
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 10'
You raise [dice] humanoid corpses as either 1 HD zombies or 1 HD skeletons under your control, depending on how decayed they are. They remain under your control until you allow the spell to lapse or until they are destroyed. In combat, they act on your initiative. They only do what you directly command, and cannot perform complex or dexterous actions. All dice committed to this spell are automatically expended no matter their roll, and cannot be regained until the spell ends.

Animate Objects
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: [sum] minutes
Range: 10'
You animate [dice] * 2 mundane objects no heavier than 10 lbs. These objects, while animated, can fly, and have 1 HD. They can attack for 1d4 damage, or for 1d8 if they are weapons. They remain animated and under your control while the duration of the spell lasts.  In combat, they act on your initiative. They only do what you directly command, and cannot perform complex or dexterous actions, or actions that are unfeasible given their form. Objects can autonomously perform their intended action while animated (i.e. a broomstick can sweep and a spindle can spin), and if this action is the only thing these objects do for the duration, the spell instead lasts for [dice] hours (does not apply to weapons).

Bane
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] days
Range: 30'
[dice] + 2 creatures in range must Save vs Magic or have a -1d6 penalty to their rolls on a d20 for the duration.

Bestow Curse
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] years
Range: Touch
A creature in range must Save vs Magic or become cursed for the duration. Choose one of the following options: 1. They can only speak in rhymes, 2. They can only walk backwards, 3. Animals will either run from them or attack them on sight while yowling loudly, 4. They become infertile, 5. They're always in shadow, even if they're standing outside on a sunny day, 6. Any product of their profession has a 3-in-6 chance of being non-functional or spoiled. If you cast the spell with at least 4 MD, it lasts indefinitely.

Blight
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 30'
A creature or plant in range must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage. If the target is a sentient plant, it takes double damage. If the target is a mundane plant, it immediately sickens and dies.

Blindness/Deafness
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
[dice] creatures in range must Save vs Magic or become either blind or deaf (your choice) for the duration.

Catapult Element
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 120'
You fling a significant amount of any element other than air or lightning towards a target within range. The target must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage and suffer an additional effect based on the element you flung. Water: Target is stunned for [dice] rounds. Earth: Target is winded and has disadvantage on all rolls for [sum] rounds. Fire: Target is burned and takes +1 damage from all sources for [sum] days. Wood: Splinters strike all adjacent creatures for [dice] damage. Metal: Target takes [sum] additional damage. Acid: Target is covered in acid and takes [dice] damage at the start of each subsequent round for [dice] rounds unless they wash the acid off. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage and the secondary effect is not inflicted.

Chain Lightning
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 60'
[dice] + 1 creatures are struck by a bolt of lightning hopping from one to the next, the first of whom must be within range, and all the others of whom must be within 30' of the creature prior to them, must Save vs Magic. On a failed Save, each creature takes [sum] damage. 

Charm Animal
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 30'
[dice] animals in range must Save vs Magic or become extremely friendly to you for the duration. If you invest at least 4 dice into the spell, it lasts indefinitely.

Charm Person
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 30'
A person in range must Save vs Magic or regard you as a close friend for the duration. If you invest at least 4 dice into the spell, it lasts indefinitely.

Circle of Death
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 0
You inscribe a large rune (at least 1' across) on a surface. Any creature, except for any you designate to be immune (who must be present when you cast the spell), that comes within 5' of the rune must Save vs Magic. On a failure, if they have less than [dice] HD, they die, and if they have more than [dice] HD, they take [sum] * 2 damage. Once the spell has killed or dealt damage [dice] times, the rune disappears and the spell ends. In order to cast this spell, you must have [dice] * 50 d. worth of silver dust, 10 d. worth of chalk, a cypress twig, and an animal sacrifice of at least a chicken. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage regardless of their HD.

Clairvoyance
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] rounds
Range: 120'
You create an invisible magical sensor at any point within range. You don't have to be able to see this point, but the spell fails if the sensor is within a solid object. For the duration of the spell, you can see, hear, and smell as if you were at the sensor, but you cannot see, hear, or smell your surroundings. You can end the spell prematurely if you wish.

Cloak of Darkness
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 5'
The area within 5' of you becomes shrouded in magical shadows. You can see out of this darkness, but only to a distance of 30'. Any creatures outside the darkness when it was cast must Save vs Magic to even notice its presence. If they do succeed the save, they still only perceive a sphere of darkness. If a creature comes within the area of the darkness after it was cast, if they failed their Save they only notice a chill and unsettling sensation. All creatures who were within the darkness when it was cast can perceive the darkness and move at double normal speed while still within the darkness. Non-magical light cannot penetrate this darkness, and magical light can only penetrate it if it is from an effect with more MD than this spell was cast with (DM's discretion for non-spell magic).

Command
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 60'
[dice] creatures in range who can hear and understand you must Save vs Magic or immediately obey your [dice]-words command to the best of their ability. If in combat, they carry this out on their next available turn.

Commune
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: 0
Range: [dice] miles while above ground, [dice] * 100 feet while underground
You commune with the world and learn 1 of the following things about the area within range: 1. The names (in the local language) and locations of all major terrain features, 2. The location of a creature who's name you know, 3. The location of the highest HD monster, 4. The location of the most powerful spellcaster, 5. The location of the most politically and socially influential creature, 6. The location of the largest concentration of sentient creatures.

Cone of Cold
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30' cone
All creatures in range must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage and be slowed by [dice] * 5' for the duration. All water in the area is frozen over.

Consuming Shadows
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 60'
You create a sphere of complete magical darkness within range, with a radius of [dice] * 5'. Every round a creature starts in the darkness, they must Save vs Magic or take [dice] damage and gain a -1 cumulative penalty to all rolls for 1d4 days. Non-magical light cannot penetrate this darkness, but any magical light can.

Control Rain
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration: [sum] hours
Range: [dice] miles
For the duration of the spell, you can make the weather within range one of the following: 1. Clear, 2. Overcast, 3. Drizzling, 3. Gently Raining, 4. Raining, 5. Pouring, 6. Severe storm. Casting the spell requires burning 20 * [dice] d. of incense and an animal sacrifice of at least a chicken. If the area is in the grip of a particularly severe drought or period of inundation, you only have a [dice]-in-6 chance of successfully changing the weather.

Control Water
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 30'
You can waterbend control any water within range that is not inside a creature. You can freeze, melt, or move up to [dice] ^ 3 cubic feet of water or ice (hitting somebody with this water is Save vs Magic or [sum] damage, freezing them in place is a Save vs Magic to avoid getting trapped and a Save vs Magic each round to escape), or turn [dice] ^ 3 cubic feet of water into ([dice] ^ 3) * 5 cubic feet of fog.

Crown of Madness
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 60'
A creature in range goes mad as a crown of iron wraps itself around their head. For the duration, they must Save vs Magic at the start of each round. On a success, they can act normally. On a failure, they move to the nearest creature and melee attack it.

Crown of Stars
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 120'
[dice] * 2 small stars appear circling your head. You can, as an action, fire a star at a creature within range, which must Save vs Magic or take [sum] / 2 damage. You cast light in a radius of 10' times the number of stars remaining.

Cure Disease
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: 0
Range: Touch
A creature within range who is currently diseased makes an additional Save vs Disease with a [dice] bonus. They suffer none of the usual ill effects on a failed save.

Dancing Lights
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] minutes
Range: 60'
You summon [dice] * 4 balls of light, each of which can be any color of your choice, each at a point of your choice within range. For the duration, these balls cast light within 10', and you can move them 30' per round so long as they remain within range.

Darkness
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 60'
You create a sphere of complete magical darkness within range, with a radius of [dice] * 10'. Non-magical light cannot penetrate this darkness, and magical light can only penetrate it if it is from an effect with more MD than this spell was cast with (DM's discretion for non-spell magic).

Darkvision
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] minutes
Range: 0
For the duration, you can see through both non-magical and magical darkness.

Detect Magic
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: Self
For the duration, you can see any magical effects within sight. You know the class of the spellcaster who created the effect, if applicable, and may Save vs Magic to gain a general sense of what the magic does. Some effects may be obvious, such as a divination sensor (as clairvoyance or scrying) or an invisible creature. You can also tell whether a creature is a spellcaster by staring into their eyes.

Detect Thoughts
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
[dice] creatures within range must Save vs Magic. On a failure, you can read their thoughts. You know their location, their surface thoughts, and what they're about to say or do. In combat, they have disadvantage on attacks against you, and you have advantage on attacks against them and saves you must make because of their actions. If you probe deeper, you can learn their emotional state and may gain some insight into their motivations, but they will immediately know you're rooting around in their mind. You do not have to be able to see a creature to target it with this spell.

Elemental Familiar
Casting Time: 8 hours
Duration: 0
Range: 0
You summon an elemental spirit with [dice] HD. This spirit is intelligent, speaks the languages you do, and will do your bidding, but it may have its own agenda as well. This spirit can be of one of the base 4 elements (air, water, earth, fire) at 1 MD, of those, wood, or metal at 2 MD, or of those, acid, or lightning at 3 MD. At 4 MD, you can pick 2 elements. Casting this spell requires [dice] * 10 d. of silver dust, an animal sacrifice of at least a chicken, and an environment containing a significant amount of the chosen element. 

Entangle
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 60'
Plants sprout in a [dice] * 5' radius circle around a point in range. Creatures within this area must Save vs Paralysis or become restrained. Whenever a creature first enters the area, they must also save. Restrained creatures cannot move. At the end of their turns, restrain creatures may save again, freeing themselves on a success. Once a creature has freed itself, they still move at half speed within the area.

Enthrall
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 60'
[dice] creatures of your choice within range who can see you must Save vs Magic or become enthralled for the duration. While they are enthralled, the only creature they can perceive is you, and they must successfully Save vs Magic in order to attack you every time they wish to do so. If they are harmed or affected by another creature, they are no longer enthralled.

Fear
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 60'
[sum] creatures of your choice within range who can see you must Save vs Magic or flee from you in fear. While afraid, they have disadvantage on all rolls and must use all of their movement to get away from you. Once they are no longer in your line of sight, they may Save vs Magic at the end of each round, ending the effect on a success.

Feign Death
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] hours
Range: 0
[dice] willing or unconscious creatures you touch fall unconscious if they were not already and appear completely and entirely dead, even to magical detection, for the duration.

Find Familiar
Casting Time: 8 hours
Duration: 0
Range: 0
You summon a spirit in the form of an animal with no more than [dice] HD. This spirit is intelligent, speaks the languages you do, and will do your bidding, but it may have its own agenda as well. You can also bind a creature of no more than [dice] HD you already have a close bond with to you with this spell. This creature does not become intelligent, but it becomes able to understand you in the languages you speak and will do your bidding. Casting this spell requires [dice] * 10 d. of silver dust and an animal sacrifice of at least a chicken. 

Find the Path
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: Self
For the duration, you know the shortest and most direct route to a fixed location of your choice. You  also know how far you are from it in a direct line and the exact direction it is in.

Fireball
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 90'
All creatures within 20' of a point in range must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage. All flammable objects within the area are set on fire.

Floating Disk
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: [sum] hours
Range: 0
You create a floating disk of magical energy, which follows 10' behind you. It can carry [dice] * 10 slots worth of items.

Forcecage
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] hours
Range: 60'
You can create a cage of almost invisible, impenetrable magical energy enclosing [sum] creatures. These creatures can Save vs Magic to escape the cage when it first appears. Creatures attempting to teleport into or out of the cage must first Save vs Magic. The cage cannot be damaged by non-magical means, and has [dice] * 4 HD.

Gust of Wind
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 30'
You create a strong wind 5' wide and [dice] * 30' long at a point in range. All loose objects weighing less than [sum] * 50 lbs are thrown to the end of the wind, and all creatures in the area must Save vs Magic or be thrown to the end of the wind as well. If the thrown objects and creatures hit a solid object as they are thrown, they take 1d6 damage per 10' they are moved before hitting. You can also use this spell when you are hit by a ranged attack to negate [sum] damage. If you negate all of the damage, the attack is redirected to its source.

Hemorrhage
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 30'
A creature in range must Save vs Magic. On a failure, they take [sum] damage and take [dice] damage at the start of each subsequent round as they suffer massive internal bleeding.

Hex
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 60'
A creature within range takes an additional [dice] damage whenever it takes damage for the duration. Whenever you directly deal damage to it (with a weapon attack or a spell, for example), instead of dealing [dice] additional damage, you deal [sum] additional damage. The creature must Save vs Magic or have disadvantage on attack rolls against you.

Hideous Laughter
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 60'
A creature within range must Save vs Magic or laugh uncontrollably for the duration. While laughing, they are incapacitated and rolling on the ground, unable to do anything. If cast with at least 4 dice, the duration is permanent (until the creature dies of thirst or hunger).

Hoarfrost Hauberk
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 0
You sheathe yourself in a spiked cuirass of ice. This cuirass has [sum] hitpoints, which take damage that would otherwise have damaged you. If an enemy hits you with a melee attack while any of these hitpoints still remain, they take [dice] damage.

Hurricane
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: [dice] miles
You summon an enormous swirling storm around yourself. [dice] * 20% of the buildings, developed land, and vegetated areas within range are devastated or destroyed by flooding and high winds over the course of the spell. There is a calm area within 100' of where you cast the spell. While in the area of the storm, no ranged attacks can be made and movement speed is halved due to winds, there may be dangerous flooding or landslides, and the strength of all magical wind and lightning effects is doubled. Casting this spell requires [dice] * 100 d. of fine wine and a sacrifice of at least a chicken (1 MD), a pig (2 MD), a cow (3 MD), or a human (4 MD).

Illusion 
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] minutes
Range: 60'
An illusion no larger than a [dice] * 5' cube affecting [dice] senses of your choice appears within range. You can choose the exact way in which it affects those senses (i.e. exact appearance, exact texture, exact smell). Creatures can Save vs Magic to notice it is an illusion if they have reason to suspect it, and they will notice it is an illusion automatically if it is clearly proven. The illusion can cast light up to 30' away and can smell awful enough to inflict disadvantage on all d20 rolls by creatures in the area. It can be dismissed at any time.

Imp Familiar
Casting Time: 8 hours
Duration: 0
Range: 0
You summon an imp with [dice] HD. This imp is intelligent, speaks the languages you do, and will follow your commands precisely to the word, but it may have its own agenda as well. The imp has [dice] / 2 MD (round down), which are expended on any use and regenerate over a week, not a day, and knows [dice] random Demonic Mage spells. Casting this spell requires [dice] * 20 d. of silver dust and a sacrifice of at least a chicken (1 MD), a pig (2 MD), a cow (3 MD), or a human (4 MD).

Inflict Wounds
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: Touch 
A creature in range must Save vs Magic or take [sum] + [dice] damage. If the target is undead, this spell instead acts as an invigorate spell against them. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage.

Insect Swarm 
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 30'
You summon a swarm of various flying insects at a point within range. It has [dice] HD and can hit for 1d6 damage. Targets it hits must Save vs Poison or take an additional [dice] damage. In combat, it acts on your initiative. It will only do what you specifically command, and cannot perform complex or dexterous actions. As is usual for a swarm, it only takes 1 damage from non-area effects but takes double damage from area effects. It remains under your control until destroyed or until the duration ends, at which point it dissipates.

Invigorate
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: Touch
A creature within range regains [sum] + [dice] hitpoints. If target is undead, this spell instead acts as an inflict wounds spell against them.

Kulning
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: [dice] * 100'
All domesticated ungulates within range gather to you and follow you around for the duration. If you choose, instead of affecting all domesticated ungulates within range, you can affect up to [dice] specific domesticated animals of any kind you can see. As you are singing for the duration, you produce a significant amount of noise. You can end the spell at any point.

Locate Object
Casting Time: 1 hour
Duration: 0
Range: [dice] * 50 miles
You learn the location of a single specific object or living thing you know the name of. If there are multiples of this specific thing within range, you learn the locations of the nearest [dice] of them. The quality of the location information is up to the DM, but should be exact enough to allow relatively straightforwards navigation to it. If at least 4 dice are invested, the range of this spell is indefinitely large.

Mage Hand
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 60'
You create a spectral floating hand at a point within range. The hand is under your direct control. It can move 30' in a round, and can lift at most [dice] * 5 lbs. If wielding a one-weapon, it deals 1d6 damage with a to-hit bonus of 1 + the weapon's to-hit bonus. The hand has 1 HD and an AC of 13.

Magic Missile
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 60'
You create [sum] arrows of magical energy, which each hit a target of your choice within range (you can hit a single target more than once if you wish), dealing [dice] damage.

Magic Stone
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 0
You touch [sum] small stones and turn them into +1 magic weapons. Rocks are base -2 grapple weapons with -1 thrown 20/60, and the stones can also be used as ammunition for a sling.

Magic Weapon
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds/minutes/hours/days
Range: 0
A weapon you touch is turned into a +1 magic weapon for the duration. If you cast this spell with 4 MD and also expend rowan ash, tea tree oil, salt, iron filings, and 100 s. of silver and gold dust, it is permanent.

Mending
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: 0
Range: Touch
You repair a broken object within range that is no larger than a [dice]' cube or [dice] objects no larger than a 1' cube. You cannot repair magical items with this spell.

Mold Earth
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 0
For the duration, you can shape the earth with your bare hands. Each round, you can displace [dice]^3 * 125 cubic feet of earth, or [dice]^3 cubic feet of stone.

Moonbeam
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 60'
A 10' radius circle around a point within range is filled with moonlight. Any creature beginning their turn in this area must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage. Shapechangers do not get a save against this spell, take maximum damage from it, and are forced to revert to their original shape while within the area.

Pass Without Trace
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: [dice] * 2 hours
Range: 20'
All creatures of your choice within range leave no tracks and cannot be tracked by nonmagical methods. None of these creatures can be found while attempting to be stealthy in a natural area.

Phantasmal Force 
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 60'
You create an illusory creature at a point within range. This illusion appears differently to all of your enemies, looking like their worst fear. The illusion acts on your initiative in combat and can only attack. It can hit for 1d10 damage. If a creature is hit by the illusion, that target must Save vs Illusion. On a success, they see through the illusion and can no longer hit it or be hit by it. On a failure, they become frightened for the duration. If any creature who believes in the illusion hits it (AC 12), it is destroyed.

Polymorph
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 30'
A creature within range must Save vs Magic or be turned into an animal of your choice with no greater HD than their level. The creature can deliberately fail their save if they wish to. The creature gains no benefit from any of their special abilities unless they can be sensibly used by their new form, but does gain the abilities of their new form. All damage and injuries are reflected between your original form and your polymorphed form at the beginning and end of the spell. You can end the spell at any time you wish. If you invest at least four dice, this spell lasts indefinitely.

Produce Flame
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: Self
You summon a flame in your hand for the duration. It casts light as a torch. You can, as an action, throw this flame at a target within 60'. They must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage. Throwing the flame ends the spell. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage.

Ray of Frost
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] rounds
Range: 90'
You shoot a ray of cold at a target within range. The target must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage and suffer a debuff based on hit location for the duration. 1d4: 1. Head, -[dice] on Saves. 2. Torso, lose 1 HD permanently. 3. Arms, -[dice] on attack rolls. 4. Legs, -[dice] * 10' movement speed. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage and the secondary effect is not inflicted.

Ray of Sickness
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] rounds
Range: 90'
You shoot [dice] rays of sickening energy at [dice] targets in range. Each target must Save vs Magic or take [dice] damage and become sickened for the duration. The target receives a -1 to-hit and AC penalty each round they are sickened (the penalty lasts for [sum] days), and may Save vs Magic at the end of each round to end the effect.

Remove Curse
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: 0
Range: Touch
You remove a harmful magical effect from a creature within range. If the effect was cast with more dice than this spell is cast with or is particularly powerful, you must Save vs Magic or fail to remove the effect. Some extremely powerful curses cannot be removed with this spell or may require this spell as well as further magical rituals to remove. This spell requires burning 10 * [dice] d. of incense and an animal sacrifice of at least a chicken.

Restoration
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: 0
Range: Touch
You remove a negative effect from a creature within range. The type of effect that can be removed depends on the dice you invest in the spell as follows: 1 die for blindness, deafness, or paralysis; 2 dice for charm or petrification; 3 dice for hit point maximum reduction or to heal [sum] ability score damage; 4 or more dice for experience drain. This spell requires burning 10 * [dice] d. of incense.

Ritual of Lichdom
Casting Time: 24 hours
Duration: 0
Range: 0
You must cast this spell with at least 4 MD. You take [sum] damage and automatically trigger a Necromancer Doom. When you trigger the final Necromancer Doom, instead of dying as you normally would, you become a lich. Casting this spell requires a stone altar, a ritual circle of sycamore ash and at least 1000 d. of silver dust, a dagger worth at least 1000 d., and at least 100 human sacrifices. In addition, for the final casting of this spell to be successful, someone must let your blood with the dagger upon the altar as you cast the spell and you must have a phylactery worth at least 5000 d.

Sanctuary 
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: Touch
[dice] creatures within range becomes magically protected. Any creature wishing to harm the targets in any way must first Save vs Magic. On a failure, they are unable to harm the targets, even indirectly, for the duration of the spell. The first time a creature succeeds on its save, the spell ends.

Scorching Ray
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 90'
You shoot [dice] rays of heat at [dice] targets within range. Each target must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage. If you target a flammable object, it instantly bursts into flame.

Scrying 
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: [dice] * 100 miles
You pick a creature who's name you know within range. You create an invisible sensor watching them for the duration. You must invest at least 3 dice in order to hear through the sensor as well. If you don't have a body part (at least a fingernail clipping or strand of hair) from the target, you only have a [dice]-in-6 chance of successfully scrying on them. Scrying requires a reflective surface or crystal ball, on which the image is shown, and either [dice] * 10 d. of silver dust or moonlight. You can end the spell at any time.

Silent Image
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: 60'
You create a visual illusion within range that is no larger a than [dice] * 5' cube or a [dice] * 10' square. Creatures can Save vs Magic to notice it is an illusion if they have reason to suspect it, and they will notice it is an illusion automatically if it is clearly proven. The illusion can cast light up to 30' away. You can cause the illusion to change while you can see it and with considerable concentration. It can be dismissed at any time.

Slow Poison
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: Touch
[dice] poisoned creatures within range can make an additional Save vs Poison, suffering no ill effects on a failed save. In addition, the action of the poison within them is halted for the duration.

Song of Charming
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
[sum] people in range must Save vs Magic or regard you with admiration and respect for the duration. They will not take hostile action against you while charmed.

Song of Freedom
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] rounds
Range: Self
For the duration, physical bonds cannot hold you, magical bonds or mind-altering effects have a 4-in-6 chance of not affecting you, and previously locked objects have a 3-in-6 chance of opening to your touch.

Song of Protection
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
For the duration, [dice] creatures in range have +2 AC and +1 to all Saves against physical harm.

Song of Restoration
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
For the duration, [dice] creatures in range gain 1d4 hitpoints every minute and, if affected by a harmful condition, may make an additional Save against that effect every minute.

Song of Slaying
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: Self
For the duration, you have +1 to-hit, +1 damage, +1 AC, and proficiency in wrestling if you did not already have it. You cannot do anything other than slay your foes, but you may cooperate with your allies towards that goal. If one of your allies damages you or interferes with your slaying, they are now a foe.

Song of Slumber
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
[dice] creatures in range must Save vs Magic or fall asleep for the duration. They will awake if any hostile action is taken against them, or if they are touched. If you simultaneously perform a dance, the targets have disadvantage on the Save.

Song of Staying
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
For the duration, [dice] creatures in range have +[sum] to all Saves and cannot fall unconscious or be incapacitated in any way.

Song of Strength
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: Self
For the duration, you have +[sum] to all Strength and Constitution checks you make, as well as +1d4 damage on melee attacks.

Song of Whelming
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 30'
You attempt to subject a creature within range to your force of will. They are incapacitated for the duration, although they can still talk or sing. They Save vs Magic each round, and are able to act as normal that round on a success. If they succeed [sum] saves, they break free of the spell. If they fail 5 saves, they fall unconscious. 

Speak with Animal
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: Self
For the duration, you choose [dice] classes of animals (in the taxonomic sense, i.e. mammals, birds, insects, arachnids, or cephalopods) to speak with. You can talk to these animals and they will understand you, and you will be able to understand their communications as if they were speaking. Their intelligence is not increased and they are not automatically friendly to you.

Speak with Dead
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: Touch
You can converse with a humanoid corpse in range. The corpse may or may not be particularly cooperative or helpful, and certainly won't be too inclined to help you if you killed it. You can, however, force the corpse to answer [dice] questions. Casting this spell requires cypress ash and 10 * [dice] d. of silver dust.

Speak With Elements
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 0
For the duration, you can speak to [dice] elements of your choice: air, water (including ice), earth (including stone or magma), fire, acid, lightning, wood, and metal. These elements may not be friendly or helpful, but they remember everything which has happened in their vicinity for as long as they have been in their current form and state of matter.

Starlight Lance
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] rounds
Range: 120'

You launch a javelin of hard light at a target within range. The target must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage and be launched backwards [dice] * 10' to the ground or until they hit a wall, where they are fixed in place for the duration. Each round they are fixed in place they may Save vs Magic, escaping once they have succeeded [dice] times. The javelin casts light in a 10' radius. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage and the secondary effect is not inflicted.

Summon
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: 0
Range: Touch
You summon a random supernatural creature (In Carolingia, 1d3 for 1. Demon, 2. Fey, 3. Starspawn). The creature has HD determined by dice invested: 1 die for 1d4 HD, 2 dice for 1d6 + 1 HD, 3 dice for 1d8 + 3 HD, and four or more dice for 1d10 + [dice] HD. If you know the true name of a specific creature, you can instead summon it directly, as long as the dice you invested allow a creature of that HD to be summoned. The creature makes a reaction roll to determine its feeling about being summoned, unless it would clearly feel a specific way about it already. As part of casting this spell, you can expend 100 d. of silver dust or salt, 10 d. of chalk, 5 candles, and the blood of a freshly killed humanoid to create a magical circle. If you do so, the summoned creature is trapped within the circle until you release it. You may banish the summoned creature at any time while you can see it, although if it is unwilling to be banished you must first Save vs Magic. If you fail the save, you cannot banish the creature.

Summon [creature type]
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Duration: 0
Range: 0
You summon a random [creature type]. The creature has HD determined by dice invested: 1 die for 1d6 HD, 2 dice for 1d8 + 1 HD, 3 dice for 1d10 + 3 HD, and four or more dice for 1d12 + [dice] HD. If you know the true name of a specific [creature type], you can instead summon it directly, as long as the dice you invested allow a creature of that HD to be summoned. The creature makes a reaction roll to determine its feeling about being summoned, unless it would clearly feel a specific way about it already. As part of casting this spell, you can expend 100 d. of silver dust or salt, 10 d. of chalk, 5 candles, and the blood of a freshly killed humanoid to create a magical circle. If you do so, the summoned creature is trapped within the circle until you release it. You may banish the summoned creature at any time while you can see it, although if it is unwilling to be banished you must first Save vs Magic. If you fail the save, you cannot banish the creature.

Unseen Servant
Casting Time: 1 minute
Duration: [sum] hours
Range: [dice] * 60'
You summon an invisible, intangible servant. It will do your bidding and can perform any and all unskilled mundane tasks at the speed a human could perform them. It cannot take harmful action and cannot go further than the range of the spell away from the location where the spell was cast.

Vampiric Touch
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 0
One creature you can touch must Save vs Magic or take [sum] damage. You regain hitpoints equal to the damage dealt. On a successful Save, the target takes only half of [sum] damage and you gain no hitpoints.

Wall of Force
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] minutes
Range: 60'
You create an almost invisible, impenetrable wall of magic within range. This wall can be in any shape with an area of [dice] * [dice] * 100 square feet. It cannot intersect any creature, but may intersect and go through inanimate objects. If you enclose a creature, they can Save vs Magic to escape. This wall cannot be damaged by non-magical means, and it has [dice] * 3 HD.

Wall of Ice
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 60'
You create a thick wall of ice within range. This wall can be in any shape with an area of [dice] * [dice] * 200 square feet, and it is [dice] * 5' thick. It cannot intersect any creature. If you enclose a creature, they can Save vs Magic to escape. Each 5' by 5' pillar of ice has 5 HD. The wall lasts until it melts.

Wall of Light
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [sum] minutes
Range: 60'
You create a wall of blinding light in a color of your choice within range, which casts light 30'. This wall can be in any shape with an area of [dice] * [dice] * 100 square feet. It cannot intersect any creature, but may intersect and go through inanimate objects. If you enclose a creature, they can Save vs Magic to escape. Physical objects and magical effects can pass through this wall. If a creature passes through the wall, they are blinded for [dice] rounds and must Save vs Magic or take [dice] damage.

Wall of Stone
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: Indefinite
Range: 60'
You create a wall of stone within range. This wall can be in any shape with an area of [dice] * [dice] * 50 square feet, and it is 2' thick. It cannot intersect any creature. If you enclose a creature, they can Save vs Magic to escape. Each 5' section of wall has 7 HD and can't be damaged by martial weaponry. Pickaxes deal 1d6 damage.

Werelight
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: [dice] * 10'
You create a light which hovers over your shoulder. It casts light within range, although you may dim it to cast light within a smaller radius of your choice at will, as well as brightening it up to its maximum radius.

Wild Shape 
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] hours
Range: Self
You turn into an animal of no more HD than [dice]. You keep your mind, but you can only use class abilities that make sense for the animal form you assume. You can only speak languages that your original form and your wild shaped form share. All damage and injuries are reflected between your original and wild shaped forms at the beginning and end of the spell. You can end the spell at any time you wish.

Word of Beauty
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] minutes
Range: 60'
For the duration, a creature within range is supernaturally attractive and charming, no matter their condition (injured, unkempt, exhausted, ill-tempered, none of it matters). Creatures who wish to attack you must Save vs Magic. On a success, they have +2 to-hit because you're busy being beautiful, but on a failure they cannot harm you. You have a [dice] bonus to reaction rolls.

Word of Death
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 0
Range: 60'
A creature within range who has no more HD than [dice] must Save vs Magic or die.

Word of Pain
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: [dice] * 3 rounds
Range: 60'
A creature within range who has no more HD than [dice] * 2 must Save vs Magic or become wracked with agony. For the duration, they have -2 on all rolls and must Save vs Pain each round or be unable to act.