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.
   

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.

 

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.