GLOG: The Ranger

There's a fair few GLOG Rangers out there, but to be honest, I've never really liked any of them, although Squig's take, which is very much like his Sage, is pretty darn good, and I definitely took inspiration from Vayra's Ranger Made of Hooks. They both feel like they're missing something that I feel is essential to the Ranger, although I don't know if I could articulate it. Really, I've never been fully satisfied with any Ranger class in any game to date. So here's my go of it. Is it good? Probably not, but that's never stopped me before. And yes, it is basically Aragorn. So be it.

 

Starting Equipment: A waterproof cloak, good boots, a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows, a shortsword, a fishing rod, a small knife, 100 feet of hemp rope, and a small relic of the tragically fallen civilization from whence your ancestors hailed.

 

Skills: Scouting and 1d3: 1. Horsemanship, 2. Medicine, 3. Sailing.

 

For every template of Ranger you have, gain +1 HP and +1 Stealth. Every second template, gain +1 skill.

A: Elfin Bushcraft, Hunter, Unerring Navigation

B: Ambusher, Folk Knowledge

C: Indomitable Endurance

D: Hands of a Healer, extra attack/round

Elfin Bushcraft: Anything you might reasonably hope to find in any given wilderness, you can - with some searching. Healing herbs, an appropriately sized walking stick, a nice fishing hole, a mountain lion, whatever. The rarer the object of your search, the longer it will take to find. You also have the skills to construct any sort of survival tool that might be made from natural materials. You automatically notice any creature moving within 300 feet of you while in the wilderness. You can see in moonlight as in sunlight, and in starlight as in moonlight.

Hunter: You have a 10-in-10 chance of tracking any creature that leaves a trail over any terrain where that might conceivably be possible (not blank stone, not water). For every day that's passed since the trail was laid or for anything that might disrupt or interrupt the trail (rain, crossing a stream, climbing a sheer face, a deliberate attempt to not leave any trace), this chance is reduced by 1-in-10. You gain +1 to-hit against a creature for each of the following:

• You've been tracking the creature for at least an hour.
• You've been tracking the creature for at least a week.
• You've fought this exact creature before.
• You've fought creatures of the same type before.
• You have precise knowledge of the creature's strengths and weaknesses.

Unerring Navigation: If you can see the stars or any two landmarks you know the location of, you know your exact location. You only need to see a landmark once to remember it precisely, even if it's just an oddly shaped tree. When traveling, you know exactly how long you have been moving this day, exactly how far you have gone, and in precisely which direction you have been moving. You can always find a way around an obstacle in your path, although it may be difficult or time-consuming.

Ambusher: If you attack a foe from an advantageous situation (while concealed, from high ground, etc) you deal an additional 1d6 damage.

 

Folk Knowledge: You know the type of any creature, supernatural or otherwise, that you see, and have a 3-in-6 chance of knowing 2 facts - strengths, weaknesses, or anything else the DM sees fit to provide - about any type of creature (i.e. goblins, dragons, beholders, etc.) This chance increases by one per further template of Ranger you take. There's also a 2-in-6 chance you speak and understand a fragment of either that creature type's spoken language or writing (your choice) if they have any. You can predict the weather one day in advance.

Indomitable Endurance: You can walk, ride, and stay awake for thrice as long as an ordinary person without tiring, and can hold your breath for four times the usual duration. Whenever you are reduced to 0 HP or below, after you roll Death and Dismemberment (if necessary), roll a Constitution check. On a success, gain 1d6 HP.

Hands of a Healer: You know the nature of any ailment or injury you set eyes on and how to cure it. There's a 1-in-6 chance you can cure it with a touch, no supplies needed, and a further 3-in-6 chance you have can acquire the necessary supplies for the cure with no more than a day's foraging (1-in-6 for particularly rare and horrific ailments or in extremely sparse environments). This cure will not necessarily be immediately or completely effective.

Light Modern Firearms and Combat Rules

Some rules for modern firearms, loosely stolen from Boot Hill. I'd probably make it a d20 system, but I'm writing it for kahva to possibly maybe use in an upcoming cyberpunk game so it's going to be d100. The math shouldn't be hard to convert either way.

Wounds

When someone takes a wound, they roll 1d6 (with any relevant modifiers). If the roll is 0 or below, it's a superficial scratch. If the roll is 6 or higher, the afflicted dies instantly. Otherwise, their Strength score is reduced by the value of the d6 multiplied by 10. If their Strength is reduced to 0, they are unconscious and bleeding out. If a specific location is hit (from a critical success on a Firearms roll, for example), it may have other effects.

Shooting

Every round of combat (about 5 seconds), you can shoot - this is much slower than you can actually fire most guns, of course, but it's handy for the sake of simplicity, and you can assume you're just firing more than one bullet if it bothers you. It also takes a round to reload. To determine whether or not you hit, roll 1d100 under your Firearms skill. The target is hit and takes a wound on a success. If the target is behind less than 100% cover or at long range for your gun, reduce your skill for that roll by half. If you roll a critical success (a success with a 0 as the second digit of your roll), you get to pick exactly where the shot hits. Headshots kill instantly, arm or leg shots generally incapacitate the limb in addition to causing a wound as normal. Normally, all shooting is simultaneous, but in situations where speed really matters - a quickdraw shootout, breaching a room - the GM may allow both sides to roll to see who shoots first.

Armor

There are four classes of armor: light, medium, heavy, and vehicle. Vehicle represents light armored vehicles, not tanks. A regular unarmored vehicle's body generally counts as light armor. Each gun also has an armor penetration value, which is reduced by one at long range. Guns with a penetration value equal to the target's armor penetrate automatically. Light armor can take three hits from guns that don't penetrate it before it breaks, while medium armor can take four, heavy armor five, and vehicle armor unlimited. Heavy armor also can prevent one headshot caused by a critical success from being an instant kill (it still causes a wound as normal).

Full-Auto

Fully automatic weapons have a die, 1dX (a SMG is 1d6, for example). You can choose to fire X bullets instead of just one. If you succeed your roll, 1dX of those bullets hit the target.

 

Shotguns

Shotguns, when fired at a target within close range, cause 1d4 wounds instead of just one.

Weapon	Wound Mod	Range	Penetration	Ammo	Other
Stun Gun	-	5/20	None	1	no wound, roll vs stun
Pistol	0	30/100	None	20	-
Heavy Pistol	0	40/120	Light	10	-
PCC	0	50/150	None	20	-
SMG	0	50/150	None	30	full-auto 1d6
PDW	0	40/120	Light	30	full-auto 1d6
Light Rifle	0	100/300	Medium	10	-
Assault Rifle	0	100/300	Medium	30	full-auto 1d4
LMG	0	100/300	Medium	100	full-auto 1d4, heavy*
Rifle	+1	150/450	Heavy	5	-
Battle Rifle	+1	150/450	Heavy	20	full-auto 1d3
Sniper Rifle	+1	200/600	Vehicle	5	heavy*
Shotgun	0	30/100	None	8	-
Combat Shotgun	0	25/75	None	10	full-auto 1d2

*heavy weapons are cumbersome and awkward to carry, especially during arduous physical activity

Explosives

To throw explosives, roll under your Explosives skill - this takes a round just like shooting a gun. Grenade launchers and RPGs use your Firearm skill instead. If you succeed, the explosive goes exactly where you intend it to. Otherwise, roll 1d3: 1. it hits some of the intended targets, 2. it hits nothing, 3. it hits an unintended target (all determined by the GM and common sense). If you roll a critical success, thrown explosives are perfectly timed and can't be evaded or thrown back. Otherwise, the targets of a thrown explosive can roll to a) throw the explosive back (it has a 50% chance of exploding in their face), b) kick the explosive away harmlessly, c) jump on the explosive, taking twice the normal wounds but preventing anyone else from getting injured, or d) get behind any available cover. Explosives deal 2d4 wounds within the close area and 1 wound within the far area. Thrown explosives ignore all armor less than vehicle, launched explosives ignore all armor.

Explosive	Area	Other
Stun	20 radius	no wounds, roll vs stun
Improvised	5/10 radius	10% chance of dud
Grenade	20/40 radius	-
Grenade Launcher	10/20 radius	standalone has 6 ammo, rifle attachment has 1 ammo
RPG	30 cone/20 radius	inaccurate*, penetrating**

*firearms skill reduced by 1/2 vs any target smaller than a car

**cone of high damage goes through walls or heavy vehicle armor

 

Melee

If people are engaged in melee combat, they can do nothing else that round. All participants roll their Melee skill, and on a success they can a) hit and causing a wound, b) flee from that melee, or c) prevent one opponent from hitting. On a critical success, one can choose the location of their wound as with a gun (although headshots are not always instant kills with all melee weapons) or prevent all opponents from hitting. Armor functions exactly the same for melee weapons as it does for guns.

Weapon	Wound Mod	Penetration	Other
Taser	-	None	no wound, roll vs stun
Unarmed	-2	None	-
Rifle Butt/Pistol Pommel	-1	None	-
Brass Knuckles	-1	None	-
Club	-1	Light	-
Knife	0	Light	-
Hatchet	0	Medium	-
Sword	+1	Medium	-
Battleaxe	+1	Heavy	heavy

d30 Equipment for Explorers of Derelict Spacecraft

Archon's Court is making a GLOG hack about looting derelict spacecraft, so I figured I'd write a big ol' equipment list for it. As such, it doesn't include stuff already in the game. And yes, before you ask, I did steal a significant amount of this stuff from Rainbow 6 Siege.

1. Plasma Cutter: Cuts most metals and the vast majority of other substances. Can cut open a 10'x10' panel of steel in 10 minutes. 
2. Foam Gun: Sprays an expanding sealant that can form airtight seals. Contains a total of 5'x5'x5' of foam, with a minimum thickness of 6".
3. Impact Driver: A powerful hand drill. Comes with a full set of bits, both for screw heads and making holes.
4. Spool of Wire: 50' of insulated copper wire. Useful for all sorts of things.
5. Blasting Cord: 20' of thin flexible explosives, very good for precision destruction. 15 second fuse. 
6. Shaped Charge: A powerful explosive that can be mounted to a wall, blasting a hole through and dealing 2d6 damage to anything on the other side while not affecting the side it was mounted on.  If the wall is armored, it only deals 1d6 damage. 15 second fuse.
7. Arc Welder: Twice as fast and twice as efficient as a regular welding torch, but only works in atmosphere.
8. Expanding Rod: A strong rod of tungsten, variable from 5' to 10' in length. Can take 5000 lbs of force when fully compacted or 2500 lbs when fully extended.
9. Nail Gun: Puts 6" long steel nails into things. Deals 1d3 damage as a weapon.
10. Flashbulb: Any creature in a 30' cone is blinded for one round.
11. Thermal Scope: Reveals the thermal signatures of creatures in a 60' cone, but is blocked by two thin walls or one thick one, and can be obscured by other hot objects, such as warm coolant pipes, reactors, or heat sinks. Can be mounted to a gun or handheld.
12. Electronics Scanner: Reveals any active electrical components within a 30' cone. Can be mounted to a gun or handheld.
13. Master Keycard: Has a 50% chance of opening any lock opened by a keycard.
14. Biometrics Duplicator: Has a 50% chance of being able to open any biometric lock, unless it requires an actual tissue or fluid sample.
15. Rifle: Fires frangible bullets which deal 1d8 damage or armor-piercing bullets which deal 1d6 damage and go through one thin wall.
16. Railgun: Fires armor-piercing bullets which deal 1d10 damage and will go through any number of walls that aren't specifically armored. Be sure you know what's behind your target.
17. Tranquilizer Rifle: Fires darts which force the target to make a Strength save or fall asleep for an hour (depending on body size).
18. EMP Grenade: Fries all unshielded electronics within 20'. 5 second fuse.
    
19. Actual Grenade: Deals 2d4 damage within a 30' radius. The fragments will go through one thin wall.
20. Maneuvering Pack: Allows complete freedom of movement in null gravity.
21. Magnetic Boots: Let you walk along any magnetic surface in null or low gravity.
22. Magsled: Can carry any object smaller than 10'x5'x5' in full or low gravity, or while sticking to surfaces in null gravity. Can fit through hallways 5' wide or larger.
    
23. Powered Jack: Can exert 3000 lbs of force and extend 2'.
24. Powered Winch: Comes with 50' of cable, can exert 2000 lbs of force if both ends are properly anchored.
25. Overload Stick: When inserted into a dataport or power outlet, will totally overload the affected computer or other system.
26. Data Cloner: Copies the data off of any computer's storage system. Requires the storage system to be physically accessible.
27. Self-Sealing Membrane: A 20'x20'x20' adhesive membrane. Provides no obstacle to penetration, but automatically seals any holes smaller than 6" across put in it.
28. Portable Armor Membrane: A 20'x20'x20' adhesive membrane, made of a carbon fiber composite. Will stop any projectile short of a railgun.
29. Laser Gate: Can be attached to any opening 10'x10'x10' or smaller. In non-lethal mode, the lasers are invisible and alert you when anything passes through. In lethal mode, the lasers are visible and deal 1d6 damage to anything which passes through. Lasts for 1 hour.
30. Cable: 400' of thin, ultra-strong carbon fiber cable. You never know when you'll need it.
    

11 Fairies

Dan D. made a very good post about various fantastical beings, and I was inspired to write a post about the various spirits of Carolingia. Unfortunately, I ran out of steam after finishing the fairies, so here they are. I might get around to the others (devils, ghosts, nature spirits, perhaps starspawn) another time.

 

Fairies, the Fair Folk, the Fay: there are many euphemisms, for using the true name of their kindred attracts their attention to you. They have hidden palaces that are not truly of this world and bleed over into others. The more elevated among them value etiquette and rules above all, the lesser are mischievous tricksters. If you eat their food, you must remain among them forever. Iron burns them, salt repels them - they may not cross a line of salt, nor may they enter a house with a horseshoe nailed above the door.

1. Elves. Eerily tall, pastel skin and long metallic hair, glowing faintly in the dark, long fine silks. Their palaces are hidden in the deep woods, where strange old things lurk, and, it is rumored, in the high mountains of the mainland. They are proud and haughty, but unfailingly polite, and are the rulers of all the Fair Folk. The noble courts of the elves are filled with great warriors, learned loremasters, and elegant courtesans, all following strict and arcane rules so old as to be unspoken. Do not incur their wrath - their magics are powerful and subtle, their horses swift and silent, their lances keen and cold. The princes and princesses of the elves arrayed for war is a sight terrifying and beautiful beyond imagination.
   
2. Dark Elves. Short, glimmering jewel-eyes, burgeoning facial and body hair, skin so pale as to be translucent. Their halls are far underground, and protected by monsters of stone. The Dwerrow are the greatest smiths the world has ever known, and will happily make arms, armor, and far stranger things for any who can pay. Their prices are strange and high, and the materials they require are exotic and rare. In demeanor they are precisely opposed to the light elves, boisterous and rowdy and crude, yet no less proud. Their clans are tight-knit and quick to feud.
   
3. Halflings. Short, rotund, rosy-cheeked, hairy-footed, well-dressed. They live in mounds slightly too round to be natural that dot the rolling green hills. If you think you have found one, be careful that it is not an unwholesome barrow instead. The Little Folk are secretive and can move with great stealth. Their footsteps make no sound at all. If they are found, they are kind and friendly, and seemingly unaware that their homely food, like that of all the fay, will bind you to them inexorably. Their keen eyes and powerful throwing arms are without equal.
   
4. Sprites. As large as a man's forearm, mosaic dragonfly wings, wildly styled chromatic hair and tattooed skin. The sprites are the diminutive scouts and assassins of the elves, wardens of the forests. They are even prouder than their masters, taking any slight as a mortal insult. Do not mistake their size for weakness, as their stinging blades bear deadly poisons and their mail can resist a blow from even the strongest of warriors.
   
5. Pixies. As large a sphinx moth, bright butterfly wings that reflect their owner's emotions, bushy antennae, shining gold and silver skin. They are frivolous things, mischievous and friendly and none too bright. Their moods flit and flutter, angry at a moment's offense and cheerfully forgetful the next. They may help a lost traveler or console a crying child but may as easily decide to lead the traveler to a bear's cave or laugh at the child's tears simply because they can. Their magic is small and tawdry, although they can disappear with a giggle and a wink.
   
6. Goblins. No taller than a man's knee, hairy pointed ears, long sharp teeth in a wide red mouth, mossy skin. They are cruel, vindictive sadists, delighting in pain and woe. Goblins can ooze through any crack wide enough to admit air, meld into shadows, and generally get into all sorts of inconvenient places. They love to strangle dogs, poison wells, burn fields, launch ambushes with a volley of stone-tipped spears and then retreat behind their traps, carefully hidden and deadly. Despite their usual caution and secrecy, their drunken revels are loud and obvious, with bright roaring bonfires and no guards, but do beware the pit traps.
   
7. Gremlins. About the size of a badger, long and spindly, dark-furred and winged as a bat, delicate clawed fingers. They delight in havoc and confusion, breaking tools and machinery with a mere touch, driving animals to madness, leading armies astray: the vicious flip side to the whimsy of the pixies. Gremlins are only happy when mayhem reigns. They are terrified of cats, and will run at the mere smell of one. Like pixies, they can become invisible at will.
   
8. Kobolds. Hunched low, great burly arms, coal-black skin, bright indigo eyes, vicious maw, sometimes a blue cap. They find and claim deep mines, haunting the darkness. Collapsing supports, sabotaging waterworks and flooding tunnels, filling vents, snatching an unwary miner who wanders too far, all are second nature to a kobold. If they can force a mine to be abandoned, they are satisfied, and will make it their lair, expanding it into a veritable labyrinth. They will occasionally take pity upon miners and warn them of unstable rock ahead by knocking on the walls of the advancing tunnel.
   
9. Brownies. Fist-sized blobs of mud-brown goop, occasionally showing wide-set beady eyes or a single tooth. Also known as hobgoblins, they live in human houses and halls, doing chores at night while the inhabitants are asleep so long as a bowl of milk is left by the hearth each night for them to drink. They also often pull pranks on lazy servants. They can shapeshift into small animals, such as mice or lizards, and will do so to avoid being seen. If mistreated or offended, they will hide small objects and cause minor inconveniences, and if the ill treatment continues, they will become boggarts, who are larger and far more malicious but otherwise similar.
   
10. Changelings. Occasionally, fairies will sneak into a house and abduct a particularly beautiful human newborn, taking them to an unknown fate. In their place, they will leave a changeling, taking the form of a sickly baby. These children typically die very young, having huge appetites and being prone to illness, but are precocious beyond their years and often talented at magic. If successfully raised to adulthood, many become sorcerers of great skill and wisdom. On even rarer occasions, the fairies will abduct a newly wedded adult, leaving in their place a log enchanted to look and act like the one it replaces, but soon to sicken and die, leaving no trace of the deception.
    
11. Redcaps. Short old men, long-bearded, stooped, large crimson caps, huge fiery eyes, long teeth. Unlike other fairies, they are not harmed by iron, and indeed often wear heavy iron boots or carry iron spears. They haunt old battlefields and ruined fortresses, stalking passers-by. If any rest or sleep in their domain, they tear huge stones from the ground and throw them at the unfortunate victims. If this proves insufficiently fatal, the redcaps will rush in to kick the victims to death with their iron boots or skewer them with spears. Once the slaughter is done, they will soak their caps in the gore of the dead, dyeing them deeper red. They cannot be harmed by any mortal weapon.
    

 

GLOG: Brewing Up a Storm

I wrote a Witch class a while back, and while I think it's pretty decent, the brewing system was pretty much unusable. The ingredients were overspecific, they were sourced from all over the world instead of one reasonable environment, and worst of all, there was no foraging system or indeed any mechanized way of obtaining materials. Here's a replacement, which I think does a decent job of addressing those issues. There's still some specificity in ingredients for some brews, but much less, all of the herbs and many of the other ingredients can be found in Southern England, and there's both foraging and downtime acquisition. A note on currency: "p." stands for pence, and can be converted to sp in a silver standard system or gp in a gold standard system; "d." stands for shilling (the d is from denarius) and equals 12 pence; "s." stands for pound (the s is from solidus), and equals 20 shillings.

Ingredients:

Foraging:

 

For every 4 hours spent foraging for herbs, roll a DC 10 Medicine check. On a success, roll on the Various Herbs table three times. On a failure, roll only once. If you want to find a common plant that isn't on the table (for example, hornbeam wood is used in a potion, but is not on the table), you have a 50% chance of finding one immediately if in the appropriate environment, and will find one in an hour if you don't see one immediately. If you want to find a rarer plant or don't want to leave your herb foraging up to chance, you have a 1-in-6 chance of finding the specific plant you need in 4 hours with a successful DC 10 Medicine check, and no chance at all on a failure.

 

Various Herbs (d20):

1. Bearberry (medicinal)
2. Betony (magical, medicinal)
   
3. Chamomile (infusion, medicinal)
4. Comfrey (medicinal)
   
5. Deadly nightshade (anesthetic, poison)
6. Hellebore (contraceptive, medicinal, poison)
   
7. Henbane (anesthetic, poison)
8. Hyssop (medicinal)
   
9. Lion's mane (stimulant)
10. Mandrake (anesthetic, magical, poison)
11. Mint (infusion)
    
12. Monkshood (medicinal, poison) 
13. Poison hemlock (poison)
14. Pot marigold (medicinal)
    
15. Rowan (magical)
16. Sage (magical, medicinal) 
17. Water hemlock (poison)
18. Wild carrot (contraceptive)
    
19. Willow (medicinal)
20. Yarrow (medicinal)

 

Other Ingredients:

 

For non-plant ingredients, refer to the following table:

 

Ingredient	Cost	Availability
Cedar oil	10 d.	City
Fire salamander	15 d.	City
Glass lens	5 s.	City
Honing oil	1 d.	Town
Pitch	3 p.	Village
Rose oil	1 s.	City
Salt	1 d.	Village
Silk	2 s.	City
Tiger's eye gem	5 s.	City

Iron and silver dust are available anywhere and simply cost as much as the price listed in the brew. Particularly mundane items, such as charcoal, cooking oil, and broomsticks, do not have any cost.

Brews and Items:

 

Brews have three listed components: the ingredients, the brewing time, and the effects. If an ingredient requires heat (i.e boiling water or heated oil), a fire must be lit for the entire duration of the brewing process, and all the liquids involved require a cauldron or other container. The witch doesn't have to personally tend to the brew for the entire duration, only the beginning and end, but someone must be tending it at all times. This list of brews is fairly exhaustive but should certainly not limit you - witches should feel free to make up their own brews and agree with their DM on the effects and ingredients. Don't hesitate to use extremely specific ingredients, especially parts of monsters you've slain. I've simply avoided them for ease of general use.

A potion or other liquid takes up 1/3 of a slot and must be kept in a container to be transported (glass bottles cost 5 d., small waterskins cost 1 d.). Herbs are used according to their descriptions in the above table (lion's mane is a stimulant and sage is magical and medicinal, for example). If more than one herb of a type is required, it must be two different herbs, and one herb cannot fulfill two types. Therefore, an Affirming Brew might use sage, willow, and yarrow for its 1 magical and 2 medicinal herbs - sage is here acting as a magical herb, not a medicinal one, although it can also be medicinal under different conditions.

 

Affirming Brew

Ingredients: Wild carrot, 1 magical herb, 2 medicinal herbs, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 1 hour.

Effects: If consumed once a week for 7 weeks, the drinker's body transforms to have whatever combination of primary and secondary sexual characteristics they desire.

Antidote

Ingredients: 3 medicinal herbs, crushed charcoal, heated vegetable oil.

Brewing Time: 1 hour.

Effects: The drinker, if they are poisoned, must Save vs Poison. On a success, the poison affecting them is ended. On a failure, its effects are halved.

 

Arrow and Blade Poison

Ingredients: Monkshood and 1 other poison herb, heated honing oil.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effects: This poison can be applied to a bladed weapon or 5 arrows (takes 10 minutes). The first enemy struck by the blade or an arrow must Save vs Poison or take 2d6 damage. 

 

Cloud-Pine Sprig
Ingredients: Mandrake and 2 other magical herbs, a cloud-pine branch (only found in the most remote forests of the distant northeast), 30 d. of silver dust, heated cedar oil, heated rose oil.
Brewing Time: 3 weeks.
Effect: In addition to functioning as a flying broomstick, the witch who possesses this branch may travel as far from their familiar as they wish. Their familiar can speak all the languages they can. 1/3 slot when carried.

 

Contraceptive

Ingredients: 1 contraceptive herb, cedar oil, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 10 minutes.

Effect: The drinker is unable to become pregnant for the next week, and if they are currently pregnant, the pregnancy is terminated. 

 

Curing Infusion

Ingredients: 2 medicinal herbs, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 1 hour.

Effect: The drinker receives +2 to their daily Con check if they are internally diseased.

Curing Poultice

Ingredients: 2 medicinal herbs, a bandage, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 1 hour.

Effect: The person it is applied to receives +2 to their daily Con check if they have an infected wound or skin disease, or it provides +2 to Medicine checks to avoid complications from wounds on the recipient.

 

Enduring Torch

Ingredients: 2 magical herbs, pitch, silk, conifer branch.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: This torch burns for 4 hours and remains on fire for 1 minute when immersed in water. 1/3 slot.

 

Fast Poison

Ingredients: 3 poison herbs, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: The drinker must Save vs Poison or take 2d6 damage.

 

Flying Broomstick

Ingredients: Mandrake and 2 other magical herbs, a broomstick, 1 s. of silver dust, heated cedar oil. 

Brewing Time: 2 weeks.

Effect: The witch who created this broomstick may use it to fly by expending one MD and a paste of dried mandrake per hour aloft. They may carry at most 3 slots of gear and their familiar with them. This can also be made with a mortar and pestle instead of a broomstick. 1 slot.

 

Herbal Infusion

Ingredients: 1 infusion herb, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 10 minutes.

Effect: Restores 1d4 hitpoints. No one can gain hitpoints from it more than once per day. Must be drunk hot. Honey provides +1 healing.

 

Invigorating Brew

Ingredients: Lion's mane, 3 medicinal herbs, and boiling water.

Brewing Time: 24 hours.

Effect: Restores 1d8 hitpoints.

 

Magic Oil

Ingredients: Rowan and 1 other magical herb, salt, 10 d. of iron filings, heated honing oil.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: The blade this oil is applied to (takes 10 minutes) deals magic damage for the next 24 hours. 

 

Painkiller

Ingredients: 2 anesthetic herbs, 3 medicinal herbs, and boiling water.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: The drinker either regains 1d6 hitpoints or can ignore one injury or disease for an hour. If taken more than twice per hour, it instead functions as a potion of sleep. 

Philter of Charming

Ingredients: Deadly nightshade and 1 other anesthetic herb, 2 magical herbs, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 24 hours.

Effect: The drinker must Save vs Magic or suffer the effects of charm person as if cast by the first person they see.

 

Potion of Disenchantment

Ingredients: Rowan and 1 other magical herb, salt, 10 d. each of silver and iron dust, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: The drinker of this potion has all magical effects currently affecting them removed, except for curses which cannot be removed by remove curse.

 

Potion of Healing

Ingredients: 4 medicinal herbs, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 24 hours.

Effect: The remaining healing time of one injury is reduced by half. At the DM's discretion, brews containing herbs with specific associations may have improved effect on the appropriate injuries: comfrey for broken bones, for example. 

Potion of Invisibility

Ingredients: Henbane, 3 magical herbs, a glass lens worth at least 4 s. (not consumed), boiling water.

Brewing Time: 1 week.

Effect: The drinker becomes invisible for 1 hour.

Potion of Ironskin

Ingredients: 1 anesthetic herb, 1 magical herb, hornbeam wood, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: For the next 4 hours, the drinker's AC increases by +1 and they gain resistance to slashing and piercing damage. 

 

Potion of Protection from Fire

Ingredients: Rowan and 1 other magical herb, crushed charcoal, a fire salamander, boiling water. 

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: For the next 4 hours, the drinker gains resistance to fire damage. 

 

Potion of Sleep

Ingredients: Chamomile, 3 anesthetic herbs, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 8 hours.

Effect: The drinker must Save vs Magic or fall asleep for 1d6 + 4 hours. On a roll of 6, they never wake up. 

 

Potion of Transformation

Ingredients: 2 magical herbs, a limb of the desired animal, rose oil, 1 s. of silver dust, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 24 hours.

Effect: The drinker must Save vs Magic or transform into the desired animal permanently.

 

Potion of Truesight

Ingredients: Wild carrot, 2 magical herbs, tiger's eye gem, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 24 hours.

Effect: For the next 4 hours,  the drinker sees all things as they truly are.

Rune of Protection

Ingredients: Rowan, sage, either betony or pot marigold, 10 d. each of silver dust and iron filings.

Brewing Time: 3 days.

Effect: The wearer is constantly under the effect of the sanctuary spell and has +1 Save. The first time a creature succeeds on their Save vs Magic for the spell or the first time the wearer fails a Save, the rune crumbles into dust. Fairies and elves automatically fail their Save against sanctuary so long as the wearer has not harmed or offended them. 0 slots.

Slow Poison

Ingredients: 2 anesthetic herbs, 3 poison herbs, boiling water.

Brewing Time: 24 hours.

Effect: Every hour for the next 6 hours, the drinker must Save vs Poison or take 1d6 damage.

 

Other Notes:

 

If you're using this in a game without a specific class that brews things, or if you want your non-witch PCs to be able to brew things as well, consider limiting the brews each character knows. The whole list has a lot of options, and this is both very powerful by virtue of versatility and extremely daunting. PCs should definitely be able to collect herbs and brew potions during downtime with less granularity than in regular play, but my rules for that are going to be tied into my as-yet unfinished domain rules, so I'm not including anything here, except for the suggestion that a small garden might grow 5 portions of 5 different herbs during a season and a large garden might grow 10 portions of 5 herbs or 5 of 10.

GLOG: Three Fighters

I'm working on a new project with Jojiro of Dungeonantology called Gunboats and Gargoyles. It's going to be weird. This is the first draft of three possible fighter classes for it - none of it at all confirmed or set in stone, not even the names.

 

The Brawler 

Equipment: Any melee weapon of your choice, brass knuckles, a thick leather apron, wooden clogs, and a flask of vodka.

Skill (1d3): 1. Bar Bouncing, 2. Pro Wrestling, 3. Mob Enforcing

For each template you have in this class, gain +1 HP.

A: Drinks on Me, Improvisation

B: Suplex, +1 to-hit

C: Knuckles to Head

D: Creative Destruction, +1 AC

Drinks on Me: If you buy a round of drinks in a sketchy establishment, you'll make 2d4 friends, 1d4 enemies, and learn 1d3-1 rumors.

 

Improvisation: Your armed melee attacks deal a minimum of 1d6 damage regardless of weapon, and your unarmed attacks deal 1d4 damage.

Suplex: You have +2 to grapple rolls and foes you grapple must Save or be stunned for 1 round.

 

Knuckles to Head: If you hit a melee attack from surprise, your foe must Save vs unconsciousness.

 

Creative Destruction: If you use your environment or an improvised weapon in a melee attack, you deal an additional 1d6 damage.

 

The Duelist

 

Equipment: A smallsword, a parrying dagger or a revolver and 12 rounds, a fancy cloak, and white gloves.

 

Skill (1d3): 1. Swashbuckling, 2. High Society Etiquette, 3. Inciting Riots.

 

For each template you have in this class, gain +1 AC and +1 to-hit while armed and unarmored.

 

A: Challenge, Parry

B: Riposte, +1 HP

C: Allez, En Garde

D: Fleche, +1 HP

Challenge: If you yell out a challenge at no more than [template] foes, they must Save or only be able to attack you for a minute (or until you're incapacitated). If you slap someone across the face with a glove, they must duel you at a reasonable time and place of your appointing.

Parry: Once per fight, you can choose to reduce the damage taken from any source by 1d12.

Riposte: If your Parry reduces the damage of a melee attack to 0, you may make an attack against the triggering foe. If your return attack is with a pistol, it takes no penalty from being in melee.

Allez: On the first round of combat, you gain +2 to-hit and +1d4 damage with all attacks, and may move twice your normal speed.

En Garde: You may forgo all attacks and move at half speed to gain +4 AC vs melee attacks.

Fleche: When facing no more than one foe in melee combat, you may attack twice per round.

The Gunslinger

 

Equipment: 2 revolvers and 24 rounds, a rifled musket and 12 rounds, a bandana, and a tin of dip.

Skill (1d3): 1. Running from the Law, 2. Hiding from the Law, 3. Being the Law.

For each template you have in this class, gain +1 to-hit with firearms.

A: Silent Menace, Quickdraw

B: Deadeye, +1 HP

C: In A Pinch

D: Fanfire, +1 HP

 

Silent Menace: If you hover your hand over the handle of a holstered pistol, you gain +2 to reaction rolls, but the best possible result is fearful rather than cooperative.

Quickdraw: You can never be surprised, and always act first in combat.

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

 

In a Pinch: You suffer no penalties for firing a gun in melee range. You always and unconditionally, even if searched, have a single-shot derringer loaded with one bullet hidden on your person. If used or lost, the gun and bullet replenish whenever remotely plausible.

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

GLOG: The Brightness

A disease-as-class, of sorts, and also one extended reference. You were too curious, or just unlucky, and you breathed in some spores in the tower spiraling deep into the ground. Or perhaps a beast scratched you with a claw, or you drank of the forbidden waters, or you ventured into the lighthouse on the coast where the cypress trees grow. It matters not. The brightness is in you now.

 

Starting Equipment: An antique Colt 1911 and 9 rounds of .45 ACP, a gas mask, and a piece of black plastic with an embedded red LED.

Skill (1d4): 1. Biology 2. Surveying 3. Anthropology 4. Psychology

 

For each template in this class you possess, gain +1 HP.

A: Hyperattention, Mental Fortitude

B: Resilience

C: Situational Awareness

D: Annihilation

Hyperattention: The world is sharper for you, and brighter. You always notice illusions and other such deceiving effects, even if you cannot see through them or discern the truth. Lose 1d3 Con.

 

Mental Fortitude: You are immune to all mind-affecting effects, such as charm spells, fear spells, and hypnotic compulsion. Lose 1d3 Cha.

 

Resilience: You can sacrifice XP to heal yourself: 5 XP per 1 HP, which you regain at the rate of 1 HP per minute, 50 XP for a wound, or 100 XP for a permanent wound.Healing a wound takes 1 hour, during which time your are insensate and immobile with pain. If your Death and Dismemberment table has instant deaths, you can spend 100 XP to reroll the instant death. If it uses Lethal Wounds, you can spend 50 XP per Lethal Wound, and you will not die from said wounds while healing them. Lose 1d3 Wis and 1d3 Str.

Situational Awareness: You are one with your environment. You can see magic and other unnatural effects regardless of how it usually appears. You always act first in combat and can never be surprised. Natural concealment has no effect on you - you can always see anyone and anything within 300 feet while in the wilderness. Lose 1d3 Int and 1d3 Dex.

 

Annihilation: Lose 1d3 Int, 1d3 Wis, and 1d3 Cha. Each day, make a Save. When you have failed three of these Saves, you venture off into the wilderness to lose yourself and become one with the world.