Xeno's Ramblings

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.

Saturday, August 29, 2020

Hard Sci-Fi Gunfighting Rules

I'm thinking of making a fairly hard sci-fi RPG. No FTL, no aliens, no uplifted organisms, just spaceships and railguns. Since I have a bunch of ideas bouncing around my head right now about how the shooting people will work, I'm going to put it all to paper even though I have no plans to really start work on this until I actually finish my GLOG hack to some degree (if that ever happens). These rules are borrowed in part from Boot Hill 3rd Ed, a TSR Wild West RPG.

Guns (and others)

Weapon	Wound Modifier	Cost	Slots	Properties
Light Pistol	0	$300	1	Ammo 15, Range 30', Semi-auto, Recoil 1
Heavy Pistol	+1	$400	1	Ammo 12, Range 35', Semi-auto, Recoil 2
Revolver	+2	$350	1	Ammo 6, Range 40', Semi-auto, Recoil 3
SMG	+1	$500	2	Ammo 30, Range 35', Select-fire, Recoil 1
PDW	+2	$500	2	Ammo 30, Range 30', Select-fire, Recoil 1
Carbine	+2	$600	3	Ammo 30, Range 50', Select-fire, Recoil 2
Assault Rifle	+2	$700	4	Ammo 30, Range 55', Select-fire, Recoil 3
Battle Rifle	+3	$1000	5	Ammo 30, Range 60', Select-fire, Recoil 4
DMR	+3	$1200	5	Ammo 15, Range 70', Semi-auto, Recoil 4
Sniper Rifle	+4	$2000	6	Ammo 10, Range 80', Manual, Recoil 5
AMR	+5	$3000	7	Ammo 5, Range 80', Manual, Recoil 8
LMG	+2	$2500	7	Ammo 240, Range 50', Full-auto, Recoil 5
MMG	+3	$3000	8	Ammo 240, Range 50', Full-auto, Recoil 6
Shotgun	+3	$500	4	Ammo 6, Range 25', Manual, Recoil 3
Combat Shotgun	+4	$700	5	Ammo 10, Range 25', Semi-auto, Recoil 4
Grenade	0	$300	1	Thrown, Range 20', AoE 10'
Grenade Launcher	0	$2500	5	Ammo 6, Range 30', Manual, AoE 10
RPG	+7	$2000	5	Ammo 1, Range 50', Reload 2, Inaccurate

Properties

Ammo: How many shots a gun can fire before it needs to reload.
Range: A shot has no penalties within the range of the gun, and takes a -1 penalty for each range increment it is outside of that initial range.
Recoil: This will be explained more fully later, but generally how hard the gun is to control.
Semi-auto: The gun can fire single shots or burst fire (by squeezing the trigger rapidly).
Select-fire: The gun can fire single shots, burst fire, or full automatic.
Manual: The gun can fire single shots only.
Full-auto: The gun can fire burst fire or full automatic.
Thrown: This weapon can go over cover. Only one thrown weapon can be used per round. Instead of an attack roll, roll a DC 15 Ranged Weapons check. If you fail, the weapon rolls by the amount you failed by time 5' in a random direction.
AoE: All targets in range must make a DC 15 Reflex Save, moving to avoid the effect on a success and being affected on a failure.
Reload: You must spend two actions reloading before you can fire this weapon again.
Inaccurate: All attack rolls with this weapon are made at a -3 penalty.

Weapon Modifications

Granular weapon modifications like sights, foregrips, and the like aren't considered (assume they are included in the cost of the weapons), but there are some which are relevant. The costs may vary depending on which gun they are for, and some may not be able to accept certain modifications.

Silencer*: A silencer reduces the sound of firing a gun (not a shotgun or a grenade launcher) in-atmosphere significantly. $50-1000.
Flashlight: Self-explanatory. $20.
Bayonet: A melee weapon (no stats because I don't know how these will work yet) for the barrel of a carbine or rifle smaller than an AMR. $50.
Underbarrel Shotgun: A shotgun that mounts on a carbine or rifle smaller than a DMR. As a combat shotgun but ammo 3, 1 slot. $800.
Underbarrel Grenade Launcher: A grenade launcher that mounts on a carbine or rifle smaller than a DMR. As a grenade launcher but 1 ammo, 1 slot. $1200.
EM Assist: Can be added to any gun (not a grenade launcher). When used, adds +2 Wound Modifier and +1 Recoil. Has the property Capacitor 5 (can be used to fire 5 rounds before it must be reloaded), or Capacitor 15 for three times the price. 1 slot, $300-3000.
Recoilless: Recoilless guns do not in fact make the gun easier to control - the Recoil property of the gun remains the same. However, when fired in a 0 g environment, the weapon does not move the user. Recoilless guns cost twice the price of a regular gun, require special ammunition (which costs twice as much as the standard), and are 1 slot larger. EM Assist can still be used, but it causes the user to move in 0 g as a 1 Recoil gun. RPGs are already recoilless.

How to Use Your Gun

As an action (you get 30' of movement and an action per 5 second round), you can choose one of the following options, provided your gun can fire in that fashion. Any gun can Hold an Angle or Aim.

Single Shot: No penalties, no bonuses, just a to-hit roll and a wound roll if you hit. The target must be visible.
Burst: Fire 3 rounds at the target for a +2 Wound Modifier but a -Recoil to-hit.
Full-Auto: Fire 15 rounds in a cone (15' wide at 30' away from you). You can roll to hit at a -Recoil against anyone who is exposed in that area at any point before the start of your next turn. You can do this from behind cover without being exposed (blind firing) for a -5 to-hit instead.
Holding an Angle: Pick a direct line of sight from yourself. If anyone becomes exposed along this line before the start of your next turn, you may fire a Single Shot or a Burst at them.
Aim: You aim at an exposed target. Next round, you have +3 to hit with a Single Shot or a Burst against them.

Cover

When you are behind an object, attacks that would hit a part of your body that isn't exposed instead hit whatever you are taking cover behind.

Full Cover: Full cover is either a corner you can peek around, an aperture you can peek through, or a solid object high enough that you can crouch behind it and be fully concealed. If you are firing around full cover, your head, arms, and shoulders are exposed. Otherwise, none of you is exposed.
Partial Cover: Partial cover conceals some parts of your body but does not hide you fully even if you are entirely behind it, such as a very thick and solid fence. Attacks that would hit a part of you which is behind the cover hit you on a 3-in-6. Going prone counts as partial cover against enemies farther than 50' away and reduces Recoil by 2 (by 3 for guns which might fit a bipod).
Soft Cover: Any piece of cover which conceals you and would slow down but not stop a bullet is soft cover. The attacker against a target behind soft cover can choose to treat it as partial cover if it is full cover or as no cover if it is partial cover at the expense of a -2 Wound Modifier as they fire through the cover.

Combat in 0 G Environments

As this is a sci-fi thing that involves flying around in space, you're probably going to fight in an environment with no gravity or microgravity at some point. You can consider this as much or as little as you want, but the 3d environments that result can be extremely hard to keep in mind. I do not have a good solution for this yet. Some base rules: if you fire a weapon with recoil while not anchored in some way, you move Recoil * 5' away from the direction you fire; weapons have twice the normal range; you cannot throw grenades over cover (but you can bounce them off walls); and unless you have a maneuvering pack, the only way to move when not in contact with a surface is to shoot or throw things.

Armor

Armor is all pretty straightforward - it's just a flat reduction to all wound rolls. However, I want techies to be relevant in combat, so hacking and/or EWAR will be possible against the more sophisticated armors.

Armor	Wound Modifier \|	Slots \|	Airtight? \|	Cost
Armored Vest	-3	2	No	$500
Spacesuit	-2	3	Yes	$500
Armored Spacesuit	-4	4	Yes	$1200
Light Armor	-4	3	No	$800
Medium Armor	-5	4	No	$1500
Heavy Armor	-6	5	No	$3000
Light Exoskeleton	-5	-2	No	$7000
Heavy Exoskeleton	-7	-4	Yes	$15000

Ammunition

Weapons	Quantity \|	Slots \|	Cost
Light Pistol/SMG	15	1/10	$10
Heavy Pistol	12	1/10	$12
Revolver	6	1/10	$12
PDW	30	1/3	$20
Carbine/Assault Rifle/LMG	30	1/3	$25
Battle Rifle/DMR/MMG	30	1/2	$30
Sniper Rifle	10	1/3	$30
AMR	5	1/3	$50
Shotgun	10	1/3	$15
Grenade Launcher	6	1/2	$100
RPG	1	1	$50

Wounds

When someone gets hit, the first thing you do is roll wound location:

d20	Location	Wound Modifier
1-4	Arms	-1
5-8	Legs	0
9-10	Shoulders	0
11-18	Torso	+1
19-20	Head	+1

The attacker can choose to change the wound location by no more than their Ranged Weapon skill (you cannot wrap around from 1 to 20 or vice versa). Next, you roll Wound Severity. Add up all the Wound Modifiers, including those from armor, then add that to a d8. At this point, NPCs simply take that value as damage to their hitpoints. continue on. 0 or less is no wound, 1-4 is a light wound, 5-7 is a severe wound, and 8 or above is a mortal wound.

Each light wound you have gives a -1 to all rolls on a d20, each severe wound gives a -3. If the total penalty exceeds 5, you must make a DC 10 Con save vs unconsciousness each round. When you take a mortal wound, you must make a DC 15 Con save vs death. On a failure, you die instantly. On a success, you will die in 1d12 rounds unless you receive medical attention.

After combat ends, roll on a Death and Dismemberment table (I'll make one someday, probably) for any light wounds, severe wounds, and stabilized mortal wounds to determine further effects and healing time.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

GLOG: Mage Spells

Why did I decide to do this to myself? Who knows. But here it is! All of the Mage spells except for those which are already set out in the Witch Spells or Chanter Spells. As usual, there was a good deal of crowdsourcing from the GLOGblins of the OSR Discord.

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

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.

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.

Saturday, August 15, 2020

GLOG: Life Mage

This post is inspired by a post ArkosDawn of Tome of Dreams made on the OSR Discord (it's kinda hard to see, blame Blogger):

So now I've made a class from that idea (although the math is a touch different). This class isn't really for Carolingia, although it doesn't exactly not work with the setting. It just doesn't feel quite right.

The Life Mage

Starting Equipment: A leather helmet, any weapon (3 javelins count as one weapon, ranged weapons come with 20 ammunition), a small shield, a dagger, and 3 glass vials.

Skills: Occult Knowledge and 1d3: 1. Surgery, 2. Butchering, 3. Wrestling

Damage: 1d8

A: Sacrificial Spellcasting, +1 MD Cap
B: Measured Risk, +1 Spell
C: Vampiric Strikes, +1 MD Cap +1 Spell
D: Life Transference, +1 MD Cap, +1 Spell

Sacrificial Spellcasting:

You can cast spells using your life force, the life force of a willing ally you can touch, or that of an incapacitated enemy you can touch. You can deal damage to the source of the energy depending on how many MD you wish to cast the spell with: 2 damage for 1 MD, 4 damage for 2 MD, 8 damage for 3 MD, or 16 damage for 4 MD. You don't get MD from damage dealt to an incapacitated enemy that is greater than their hitpoints before the damage was dealt. You know two spells from the first six on the list, and gain one more at each further template of Life Mage (from the first 8 at B, first 10 at C, and all 12 at D). You can only cast spells of MD equal to or lower than your number of templates in this class.

Measured Risk:

If damage you deal (including the damage from Sacrificial Spellcasting) would bring a creature below 0 hitpoints, once per day you can choose for this damage to only bring them to 0 hitpoints. This ability has a 1-in-20 chance of killing the creature outright instead.

Vampiric Strikes:

When you deal damage with a weapon attack, gain 1d4 hitpoints.

Life Transference:

You can transfer hitpoints between yourself and a willing creature you're touching.

Cantrip:

When you touch something, you can create a small and very clean cut in it with a thought. If you do this to a creature, it won't deal damage, but it will draw blood. Some especially durable objects may be immune.

Drawback:

You cannot enter a home without explicit permission. If anyone decent learns the source of your magic, they will either try to kill you or get a mob together to kill you (probably excepting other PCs).

Spells:

Edit: Descriptions for all of these spells can be found here.

Song of Slaying
Bane
Hex
Charm Person
Blindness/Deafness
Inflict Wounds
Vampiric Touch
Blight
Control Blood
Word of Pain
Summon
Hemorrhage

Miscasts:

Take 1d6 damage
Take +1 damage from all sources for the next hour
All creatures within 30 feet take 1d4 damage
Your eyes are clouded with blood for 1d4 hours
Your blood roars in your ears for 1d6 hours
You are paralyzed for 1d4 hours

Dooms:

Your muscles become feeble. Lose 2 Strength, 1 Dexterity, and 1 Constitution.
Your blood runs thin. Whenever you gain a wound, you bleed out in 2d4 rounds without treatment.
Your brain grows soft. Lose 1d4 of a random mental stat at the start of every week.

Sunday, August 9, 2020

A Short History of My Characters

A bunch of people on the OSR Discord have been making lists of all the characters they've played, a trend started by Throne of Salt. I haven't been playing RPGs for nearly as long as most of the people who've posted, but I figured I'd hop on the bandwagon nonetheless.

Past Characters

Olorín (5e V-Human Mystic)

Oh god, I know. Yes, he was literally Gandalf. Yes, it was my first RPG character ever. No, I did not know how anything worked. Yes, the Mystic is a badly designed and ill-considered class that was a very bad decision for a first character. Lasted until... 6th level, I think, until the campaign petered out (very generic fantasy, first time DM, lots of railroading and a very annoying DMPC).

Finduilas (5e Half-Elf Fighter/Warlock)

A rather edgy and downright sociopathic mercenary in an evil campaign. She started as a pure Dex-based Battlemaster, then multiclassed to warlock when we found a grimoire filled with the names of extraplanar beings (this was sorta planned, I rolled amazing stats even for 4d6 drop low and I didn't want that 18 Cha to go to waste). She was pretty fun to play and murdered a ton of innocent people, along with a fair amount of cultists. She got to 10th level but advancement was super fast because the DM wanted to end the campaign but didn't want it to just stop right away. The Raven Queen is by far the best warlock patron in 5e, WotC should have made her official, I will die on this hill.

Estella of Chelen (5e Aasimar Bard/Sorcerer Gestalt)

This strange character was for a PbP game about princesses. She was a Lore Bard/Divine Soul Sorcerer gestalt (all the PCs were gestalts), and the gestalt rules the DM used for this were super super high-powered. We also had an absurd standard array - my stats, after racial adjustment, were 6 14 18 20 13 20. We started at level 10, but the DM disappeared two days or so into play, far less than a single session of a live game.

Aoife nic Conchobar (5e Human Druid/Paladin)

A moon druid with 2 levels in paladin for that sweet sweet smite. She was more of the Goblin Punch type of druid than anything else, so she hated shoes and writing and houses. She was great fun to play, and we rushed through Curse of Strahd (same DM as with Finduilas, realized once again they didn't really want to be doing this and also we were all heading off to college rather soon), so she got up to 11th level rather quickly. Strahd got absolutely destroyed.

Aoife nic Conchobar, again (5e Human Druid/Paladin)

I was disappointed with how little I'd gotten to play Aoife before the campaign was rushed to a close, so when my new college group started with Curse of Strahd I brought her out again. Once again, she was super fun to play, and Wild Shape is such an amazing intrigue/sneaking tool (not that she had much patience for intrigue). We made some extremely foolish decisions and got TPKed by Strahd at 6th level.

Amanda Jessup (5e Human Cleric)

After the Strahd TPK, the group decided we wanted something different, so we started a fantasy Western (in 5e because 5e players gonna 5e). I played a war cleric with a double-barreled shotgun. It was amazingly fun to brandish a large devastating weapon while ranting about the glory of my god in a truly terrible Southern accent, but the campaign petered out after just a few sessions because the transition from in-person to online was not great (fuckin' pandemic). Nonetheless, a great character while she lasted.

Hollis (GLOG Kidnapper)

This was one of my two randomly rolled level 0 characters in one of Arnold K's playtests of Lair of the Lamb, but the other one died pretty quick. He was (randomly) plump and passionate, but I really wasn't sure what to do with the Kidnapper profession. After acquiring a phobia of water through a method I won't mention for spoilers, he fell into a pit trap filled with water... Then the rest of the party died while attempting to find a way to rescue him, so he presumably starved to death while horribly afraid, or just drowned. Nonetheless, it was a super fun game.

Hereward the Watchful (GLOG Sheen Zouave)

Hereward was my first character in Deus ex Parabola's online Face campaign. He had killed a wizard with his bare hands, and could therefore taste if an item was magic or not. He was also a crack shot with his snapchance (flintlock pistol) He was a devout orthodox Aeshean rather disgusted by the absurd amount of heresy in the party, but nonetheless gained a grudging mutual respect with Vayra's blue heretic Alpha Priest. Then he fell 50 feet onto a ledge on an extremely difficult climb, compound fractured his femur, and died shortly after.

Current Characters

Saoirse nic Conchobar (3.5e Elf Druid)

Regarding the name, no, I am not a creative person. This is my character in Vayra's very slow-moving but very fun PbP campaign, set in a fantasy megacity. She's an urban druid, not one of those symbol-rejecting asshole druids, and her preferred summon is a dire rat. I suppose one might call her the druid of a zondervoze. She's basically a magic anarchist hobo. One of my favorite character concepts ever.

Domhniall Santino Akbar (GLOG Deltan Sage)

My current character in the Face campaign. He's indeterminately old (but at least 100, I think), very knowledgeable, at least a little condescending, and a devoted purple heretic. He calls himself a wizard despite being only questionably magic (he can blow incredible smoke things from his pipe, whistles very well, and is preternaturally good at lighting fires), but he is very good at reading runes and symbols, speaking ancient languages, and is quite well-known across the lands from his long life and far travels. He recently picked up an unfinished adamant sword in full knowledge that it was cursed, which ended up reversing his ability scores. RIP 18 Charisma, you will be missed.

Rahmuna Marghadi (GLOG Acrobat)

Rahmuna, my character from Squig's online Seas of Sand campaign, is a noble from Zolunis who ran away and joined the circus to become an acrobat, then joined the crew of PCs through some somewhat indefinite events vaguely involving piracy and mutiny, maybe? Yes, she's literally Ty Lee, but she can't paralyze people with her punches (yet), and her circus performer background was randomly rolled, I swear. We've only played two sessions so far, and I've only been there for one of them, but she got addicted to the saliva of a giant beast masquerading as an oasis and then saved our ship (the Invisible Hand) from being devoured by said giant beast through a fortuitous crit while at the helm, so we're off to a good start.

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

GLOG: The Chanter

This class is my take on the bard, I suppose, although it doesn't have too much in common with your more stereotypical D&D bard (a good thing, in my view). It's inspired by the Earthsea Cycle and the works of Tolkien. In fact, probably half of the spells are pretty much directly inspired by the Lay of Leithian, specifically Finrod's song-duel with Sauron as well as Luthien's magic.

What is a Chanter?

Chanters are the collective memory of a society. They remember the tales of yore (with only a touch of embellishment) and recite them as both inspiration and entertainment. The most skilled chanters can weave magic into the very fabric of their poetry, changing the world with a word.

Starting Equipment: A small harp or other portable instrument (bodhran, tambourine, pennywhistle, lyre), any weapon (3 javelins count as one weapon, ranged weapons come with 20 ammunition), and a small shield.

Skills: Poetry and 1d3: 1. History, 2. Religion, 3. Folklore

Poetry as a skill encompasses not just writing poetry but improvising it on the spot and performing it. Epic poems are typically performed with musical accompaniment, which you are also capable of providing.

Damage: 1d6

A: Spellcasting, Epics, +1 MD
B: +1 MD, +1 Spell, +1 Epic
C: +1 MD, +1 Spell, +1 Epic
D: +1 MD, +1 Spell, +1 Epic

Spellcasting: Your spells are you exerting your will directly on the world through the power of your voice. Most are Songs, which have effects over a duration, but you also have some Words, which take place instantaneously. You can only maintain one Song at a time, but you can weave a Word into a Song to cast it while still maintaining the Song. All your spells must be heard by the target to be effective. You know two spells from the first six on the list, and gain one more at each further template of Chanter (from the first 8 at B, first 10 at C, and all 12 at D). Your spells can cause Mishaps, but you are not Doomed as a Mage or Witch is.

Epics: You can perform epic poems laced with magic. You can perform these special Epics as many times in a day as you have templates in this class, and your party cannot benefit from any one Epic more than once a day. They take an hour to perform and do not cost any MD to perform at base strength, but you can use MD to enhance their effects. You know two Epics, and gain one more at each further template of Chanter. You are encouraged but not required to come up with the name and general story of the epic you're reciting.

Cantrip: If you perform a suitably cutting and insulting poem to the person it insults, they must Save vs Magic or break out in boils on their face. Creating a poem this insulting requires either a DC 16 Poetry roll or writing the poem yourself.

Spells:
1. Song of Slaying
2. Song of Staying
3. Song of Charming
4. Song of Restoration
5. Song of Protection
6. Song of Slumber
7. Word of Beauty
8. Song of Freedom
9. Word of Pain
10. Song of Strength
11. Word of Death
12. Song of Whelming

Mishaps:
1. Take 1d6 damage.
2. Take +1 damage from all sources for the next hour.
3. Fall unconscious for 1d4 rounds.
4. Shatter all easily breakable objects within 30 feet.
5. Lose your voice for 1d4 days.
6. Every creature within 50 feet must Save or be deafened for 1d8 minutes, you included.

Epics:
1. Epic of Hope
2. Epic of Endurance
3. Epic of Glory
4. Epic of Noble Sacrifice
5. Epic of Trickery
6. Epic of Magic

Spells

Epics

Epic of Endurance
Everyone you perform to is reinvigorated and regains 1d8 hitpoints. If you invest MD, they also gain [sum] hitpoints.

Epic of Glory
Everyone you perform to is encouraged to glorious feats and gains +2 to improbable but heroic actions for the next 4 hours. Hirelings also gain +1 morale for the next 4 hours. Investing MD gives +[dice] to both bonuses.

Epic of Hope
Everyone you perform to is heartened and gains +1 Save for the next 4 hours. Hirelings also gain +1 morale for the next 4 hours. Investing MD gives +[sum] / 2 to Save.

Epic of Magic
Every caster you perform to feels a resurgence of magic and rolls one of their depleted MD, regaining it on a 5 or 6. If you invest MD, they can reroll an additional [dice] depleted MD.

Epic of Noble Sacrifice
Everyone you perform to is inspired to heroic sacrifices and gains +2 Save vs Fear for the next 4 hours, as well as gaining +1 to-hit, +1 damage, and +1 AC when below 5 hitpoints for the same duration. Hirelings also gain +1 morale for the next 4 hours. Investing MD gives +[dice] to the morale and Save bonuses.

Epic of Trickery
Everyone you perform to is stimulated to imagine feats of cleverness and imagination, gaining +3 to all rolls involving a clever and tricksy plan.