Class: Were-Cursed

Not all curses are curses at all.

 

by Vetkhiy Barsuk

 

This is a curse class, meaning that if you satisfy its Quest with no template slots left, you lose your latest template and gain Were A instead.

Quest: Survive being injured by the bite of a Were.

Hit point loss does not count, only an actual Wound. As my players are already all too aware by now, even getting injured by the tooth from a long-dead Were's skull does count.

Items: nothing but bloodied rags

Skills: Animal Senses and one of Man-Hunting, Intimidating Growl, Scent-Tracking, Wilderness Survival

Per template: +3 hp

A: Slave to the Silver Moon, Moon-Maddened Metabolism

B: The Beast Unchained, The Moon Painted In Blood

You may advance to further templates only once you gain moon-silver tattoos to bind you protean powers.

C: choose two Moon-Gifts

Δ: gain another Gift when you devour the heart of a Were who possessed such a Gift

Slave to the Silver Moon

You are poisoned by silver. Silvered weapons deal +d8 damage to you and prolonged touch of silver negates all effects of this class except for Slave to the Silver Moon, plus causes disadvantage on all tests due to searing pain.

Please keep in mind that silver coins are quite common. Wear gloves.

You are bound to the Silver Moon. During the three nights around a full moon, make a Will save with a -1 penalty for each month that you have successfully staved off the transformation, or transform into a rabid beast until dawn. During this time, you are an NPC controlled by the GM.

Moon-Maddened Metabolism

All of your bodily processes are on fast forward. Gain:

• +2×[templates] to saves against poison and disease, and
• DR [templates], pierced by silver.

Human food can no longer fully satisfy you; gain no Comfort from it, no matter how tasty it might be. However, each day you may gain Comfort equal to the highest HD of a creature whose flesh you have eaten raw and still warm with their fading life.

The Beast Unchained

You have tangled with your beastly urges and came up on top.

Sidebar: Willpower (wp) is basically mental hp or sanity, decreased by stress rather than damage. Once you run out of wp, you start freaking out and may gain Vice if you take further stress. I should post the full rules one day.

As a full-round action, you can take d4 stress and transform into your beast form. As long as your stress is lower than or equal to your Will, you retain control even in animal shape and can return to human form at will as a full-round action. Otherwise, you become a rabid beast. You still must transform for the full night of the full moon, but may retain control.

While in your beast form, you gain unarmed attacks based on your animal shape and may have other abilities such a creature would possess. There are Were-variants of most mammals, many reptiles or birds, and few other animals.

For example:

1. Wolf or Fox: bite 2d4
2. Bear or Tiger: claw/claw 2d6, bite d8
3. Boar: tusks d12
4. Horse or Doe: kick d8, fast
5. Cat or Rat: scratch d2, sneaky
6. Raven: peck d2, flight
7. Crocodile: bite d12, swim
8. Serpent: bite d4 poison

Your hit points and characteristics do not change when you transform, but your actions are limited by your new form. You cannot speak, use items or wear armour, unless your form has the vocal chords, opposable thumbs or armour fitted to do so. You also drop your equipment and inventory when you transform.

You can pass as a totally mundane animal in your beast form, unsuspicious in its natural habitat, and can communicate with other animals of its kind.

The Moon Painted In Blood

When you transform into beast form while in moonlight, regain full hp.

When you transform back into human form, all Wounds you have suffered while in beast form get better. This even lets you reattach lost limbs, if they can be held to the stump during transformation.

Should you still lose a limb, you can consume one week's worth of food (or a large, fresh corpse) to regrow it over the course of a day. This does not apply to body parts lost to silver or mutation.

This is my replacement for the commonly used per-round regeneration, which I have always found too fiddly and aggravating to track.

Moon-Silver Tattoos

Intricate designs inked with an addition of pure powdered moon-silver, a badge of status and an anchor of your identity against the maddening tides of your ever-changing flesh. Creating such tattoos is an arduous process, and painful for the subject. This delicate and dangerous work requires permanently poisoning a Were with just enough silver to subdue their curse, but not enough to cause life-threatening complications.

The tattoos seem to shift or flow when viewed closely. How do yours look?

You may not gain any Moon-Gifts unless you have a set of moon-silver tattoos. Or rather, if you gain any Moon-Gifts without them, you will permanently transform into a ravenous moon-behemoth on the next full moon.

At will, you may hide your tattoos or make them shine with faint moonlight. They will always flare up when you transform, though.

Note: Your beast form can be no more than one size category larger or smaller than your human form, unless you have Mouse-or-Mountain Technique, and must be a living animal or person, unless you have Taste of Divinity Method. You only gain the natural abilities of your form, not any learned abilities.

 

Mild-Mannered Librarian
from Magic the Gathering

 

And now for the d20 Moon-Gifts:

1. The Sacred Blood-Hunt

Under the light of a full moon, you can embark on a ritualistic hunt. Choose one animal or person. If you can kill the target yourself (indirect attacks like poison are acceptable) and devour their heart before the sun rises, you will learn how to assume their form. There is no limit to how many forms you can learn in this fashion, but you can only hunt one creature per night.

Your forms are specific. You do not gain the form of a horse, but rather of the horse that you have hunted.

2. Lifeblood of the Hummingbird

When you devour a freshly slain creature, you may assume its shape. You lose access to the form once you transform back.

3. Mouse-or-Mountain Technique

You can transform into creatures of any size, if you can gain such a form.

You also permanently learn any forms that you are polymorphed into.

4. Taste of Divinity Method

You can transform into creatures of any type, if you can gain such a form.

You also no longer age.

5. Changing Plumage Mastery

You can choose to hide your equipment and inventory Elsewhere while in beast form, rather than having it fall to the ground.

When you return to human form, you may transform your mundane clothing into any style of your choice. Armour, winter garb or other clothes with mechanical effects cannot be affected.

6. Red Ran the Rivers

As you transform into beast form, you may choose any die from d4 to d12. You and all nearby combatants deal that die of extra melee damage until the end of the encounter.

7. Red Rage Rebirth

When you would die in human form, instead transform into your beast form and go on a mindless rampage, unable to distinguish between friend and foe.

When you would die in beast form, instead transform into an unconscious and bleeding (but still barely alive) human form.

Remember that you may not transform while poisoned by silver.

8. Red in Teeth and Terror

No one can remember you transforming or link your human and beast forms together. This does not apply to creatures immune to fear or protected by magic.

When you would strike a killing blow, you may instead scar the target. Such target will forever feel overwhelming fear towards you, no matter your current form. Any intimidation you would attempt against them counts as a critical success.

9. Flesh Like Quicksilver Practice

You can transform as a half action.

You can also transform into any smaller form you possess as a reaction when attacked, avoiding the blow.

10. Inconspicuous Feral Lifestyle

While in beast form, your mind reads as that of a normal animal and you do not detect as magical in any way. In addition, transforming grants you a bonus save against any mental effects currently affecting you.

11. Beast-Man-Beast Method

You only take 1 stress to transform. In addition, you can take d4 stress to ignore any transformation-like effect - polymorph, petrification, etc.

12. Mudra of the Half Moon

You can stop your transformation mid-way, assuming a hybrid form. You will have access to all your beast form's abilities while retaining your vocal chords, opposable thumbs, etc.

13. Mudra of the Ever-Changing Moon

While in moonlight, gain a swim and climb speed equal to your normal speed, take half falling damage and leap up to your speed with a running start. Your body is always slightly shifting to facilitate your movements.

14. Inexorable Wolf's Pace

You can run really fast (+4 Movement Speed), no matter your form. While in beast form, you also always move slightly faster than someone who is running away from you.

15. Blood Moon Medicine

When you feed your blood to others, you may also transfer your hp to them. Any hp over their maximum become temporary.

16. Mind-Shattering Howl

As you transform into beast form, you may let out a terrifying howl, screech, etc. All enemies that hear it test Morale.

17. Pet-on-Lap Misdirection

Once per session when you are not present in a scene, you may reveal yourself to have been one of the animals or non-named background NPCs "all along", as long as you have a fitting form.

18. Blessed Moon-Silver Inoculation

While your moon-silver tattoos are not hidden, silver no longer affects you in any way. In addition, your bonus to saves also applies against mutations.

19. Invulnerable Skin of Moon-Silver

While your moon-silver tattoos are not hidden, resist all non-silver damage.

20. Choose any appropriate canine Gift.

Class: Wizard of the God-Serpent

You were anointed by the blood of the forever dying God-Serpent, the beheaded Ouroboros. You were given a mission:

Survive, scavenge, study and spread.

Subvert, subsume, supersede.

Save me.

Go forth, little snake, and ease your sire's suffering.

This is half a stolen snake wizard, revised and reflavoured for my setting, and half a snake mutant race.

 

from a player of mine

 

You are an Outsider, but bound to become an Outlaw unless you are careful with your machinations. Do not fail the God-Serpent.

Items: d20 pet snakes

Skills: Herpetology

Perks & Flaws:

Your body is partially covered in scales, however much you choose. You can speak with snakes.

You are cold-blooded. You may never gain resistance or immunity to cold and cannot rest while cold.

Cantrips:

1. Your eyes are slitted. You may switch between normal vision and infravision.
2. Your tongue is forked. If you can smell something, you can taste it too, and all magical things taste weird.
3. You can unhinge your jaws and swallow anything that is less than the circumference of your neck without difficulty. You can regurgitate anything you have eaten (and not digested or passed) at will.

from Dark Souls

 

Spells:

1. Coiled Strike

When you cast this spell, choose one:

• One or both of your arms transform into serpents until dismissed, and can be used as melee weapons dealing d6+[dice] damage, with a 10ft reach. If you transform both of your arms, you can attack twice per action, but cannot grasp or gesture.
• Your head transforms into a viper's head on an elongated neck and makes a single attack for [sum]+[dice] damage with a 30ft reach.

2. Shed Skin

Pull off your own skin. This takes d6-[dice] full rounds (min 1) and leaves you naked. Afterwards, choose one of the following:

• Restore [sum] hp.
• Restore [dice] points to a damaged attribute.
• Your body changes according to your wishes - your hair or eye or skin changes colour, your height or gender or apparent species adjusts - but no more than a professional prosthetic makeup could manage and with no mechanical effects. You may dismiss this effect at will, returning to your natural appearance, but if you do not do this before [sum] hours elapse, your new form becomes your natural one. You may never use this spell to create the same appearance twice.

Your shed skin is whole, similar to that of a snake, and can be kept.

3. Gift of God's Fangs

Up to [dice] touched weapons or [sum] projectiles become envenomed, dealing +d4 poison damage for 1 hour.

While you have this spell memorised, also grow fangs (d4 poison).

4. Gift of God's Tail

Your legs merge and transform into a massive serpent's tail, shunting everything you have worn on your lower body Elsewhere. You cannot be knocked prone and can grapple with your tail while keeping your hands free. This lasts until dismissed.

For every [die] after the first, choose one of the following:

• Make grappling tests with advantage.
• Swim at full running speed.
• Your body can twist, contort and squeeze into any shape without suffering harm, except for your skull. You can wriggle free from mundane manacles nigh-instantly, and from being hogtied in a minute.
• As an action, you can coil your tail tightly as a spring and then jump triple your normal distance.

5. Serpent's Charm

As you lock eyes with a nearby creature, it must save vs charm. On success, choose for it to be unable to move closer to, or further away from you. On failure, it is unable to move from its place at all. It can still perform any action except for moving. As an action, it can save again to negate the effect. Creatures of HD [dice]×2 or more are immune to this effect.

6. Charm Serpents

Up to [sum] total HD of snakes or snake-like creatures within 60ft are lulled into a peaceful daze. This lasts for [dice] hours or permanently with 4+ [dice], but breaks when any of the targets is attacked or otherwise endangered.

7. Snake Ball

A massive illusory sphere of serpentine mating orgy springs from your outstretched palm and starts rolling, up to 30ft per round for [dice]×2 rounds. Any creature struck by it must save vs fear, and flee or fall prone on failure.

8. Sticks to Snakes

R: touch; D: [dice]×2 minutes

A bit of a misnomer, as this spell can target sticks, staffs, snake tattoos or snakes.

Sticks or snake tattoos are transformed into actual snakes, up to [sum] of them. Each has 1 hp and bites for 1 poison damage, but more importantly is clever enough to follow complex commands. If a tattoo snake is killed, it discorporates into ink and flows back onto its owner's skin.

Staff (only one) becomes a large snake with [dice] HD, [dice]×2 armour and a bite dealing d6 damage. If the staff was magical, you may choose the bite's damage type and may originate your spells from the snake. If the snake is killed, it reverts back to a staff, cracked.

Snakes, up to [sum] total HD of them, are transformed into sticks or staves, save negates. Huge or magical snakes may become staves with special properties.

9. Snakes to Stairs

Stomp on the ground and a [dice]×50ft long snake will emerge to anchor itself between you and a point within its reach. It will serve as narrow stairs or walkway, but will not move from its place nor take part in combat. It has [sum] hp and disappears after [sum] minutes if not destroyed.

10. Snake Cache

R: self; T: swallowed item

If you cast this spell while swallowing (or regurgitating) an item, it is stored in (or retrieved from) an extradimensional space rather than your stomach. You can access up to [sum]×[dice]th Slot in this virtual "inventory" and store or retrieve as many items as you wish with a single casting.

The target must fit within your mouth and the accessible Slots, or the spell fails. Time basically doesn't pass in the pocket dimension, so items will be retrieved in exactly the same condition as when stored.

Kabuto from Naruto

 

Emblem Spells:

11. Shape of the God-Serpent

Call upon the God-Serpent and transform yourself into its likeness. You are now a man-sized snake with steel-like scales that grant you DR [dice]. Gain [sum] temporary hp; the transformation lasts until you lose them. In addition:

• You do not need gestures and incantations to cast your spells, and snake-related spells you cast do not trigger Mishaps and Dooms.
• You are immune to all special powers and abilities of snake-like creatures. For example their venom, hypnotic or petrifying gaze, etc.

12. Avatar of the God-Serpent

Call upon the God-Serpent and its avatar slithers into existence somewhere near you. The avatar is not under your control, but is not immediately hostile to you. It remains for a day/hour/minute/round, based on [dice], while its power is based on [sum]:

[1-6] ball python-sized, HD 2, bite/crush 1d6

[7-11] anaconda-sized, HD 4, bite/crush/poison spit 2d8

[12-19] dragon-sized, HD 8, bite/crush/poison breath 3d10 area

[20+] castle-sized, HD 16, bite/crush/poison breath 4d12 area, flying, spell-casting

Nagini
from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 

Dooms:

1. Lose one of your cantrips at random for a day.
2. You can no longer speak with snakes and most become hostile to you.
3. You permanently become a small, common snake. Your human mind will leave you in d6 days.

Your Dooms can be reverted by consuming the God-Serpent's raw flesh, though they can happen again. They can be forestalled completely by raising a large temple to the God-Serpent, as long as you venerate it there daily.

Class: Really Good Pedigree

Based on the other dogs, but with Incunabuli's idea of dog breeds as abilities mixed in.

 

Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
from Magic the Gathering

 

This is a racial class, so its template A can only be gained during character creation.

Items: collar or a similar trinket

Skills: Hunting, Guarding, Burrowing, Scent-Marking, Pleading Eyes, Emotional Support

Age: You are adult at one year and will live to about twelve years.

Per template: +2 hp

A: Canine, +1 Gift

B: Really Good Nose, +1 Gift

C: +2 Gifts

D: Epic Nose, +1 Gift

Canine

You are a dog. You cannot speak, but can communicate with those you know well.

You have great senses of smell and hearing. Test Awareness to get an olfactory image of every creature and object that has recently passed through the nearby area.

You have no hands, but can run really fast (+2 Movement Speed).

Your bite deals 2d4 damage. You can safely consume raw or slightly spoiled food and murky water.

Really Good Nose

You can smell the weird stuff - poison, disease, magic, undeath - though you rarely get any specifics.

Epic Nose

If it is at all possible to track something by scent, you can do it - even incredibly old or well-concealed smells.

When you sniff something, you can ask one abstract question about it. Another question is possible after 10 minutes/hour/day/week/month/year of sniffing. For example: Does it work for a druid? Is it having an affair? What is its favourite colour?

 

One of the PCs in my campaign right now
is a three hundred years old dog (long story)
currently learning surgery to give himself
human hands and posture.

 

d12 Gifts of Good Pedigree

1. Really Good Eyes: You can see clearly in minimal light. You can see invisible things as a slight lensing in the air.
2. Best Friend: Choose one character as your Best Friend. When cooperating against a threat, you both have an advantage.
3. Medicinal Slobber: You can lick an injury to stop bleeding, no test necessary. In addition, if the injury might be infected, poisoned or diseased, the victim gets an advantage on their save.
4. Takedown: When you use a combat manoeuvre on a human-sized or smaller foe, you may also automatically grapple them. Your grapple tests have an advantage.
5. Go for the Throat: Your attacks against a grappled or prone target add an extra die of damage.
6. Street-Raised: You can swallow anything that fits into your mouth and regurgitate anything you have eaten (but not digested or passed) at will. You are immune to non-magical poisons and diseases.
7. Sighthound: You are as fast as a horse. Gain further +4 Movement Speed.
8. Snarling: While you spend the whole round yapping, growling and dancing menacingly in place, enemies must save vs fear or be unable to approach or attack you.
9. Shaggy: You are immune to cold weather and resistant to cold damage.
10. Watchful: Unless explicitly distracted, you cannot be ambushed or surprised, even while asleep. You can control and guide a group of animals with strict precision. They will not wander or get lost without your knowledge.
11. War-Trained: You are one of the big dogs. Your bite deals 2d6 damage. Gain further +1 hp per template.
12. Guide Dog: You cannot be tracked except by magical means and can always find a path to any place you have been to.

Class: Nightmare

One of the players in my just-finished D&D 5e campaign rides a nightmare. In preparation for switching to GLOG, I want to let them play as the nightmare.

from D&D 5e

 

A: Nightmarish, Fiery, Horse That Leaps Over Land And Sea And Sky

B: choose one of Dream Travel or Dimensional Travel

C: Fiery Steed, Trample

D: Fiery Breath and the other Travel ability

Nightmarish

You are a horse, but scary. You cannot speak, but can communicate with those you know well.

You have no hands, but can run really fast (double standard Movement Speed) and count your Strength Might twice for the purposes of Inventory Slots.

Your teeth are razor-sharp and your hooves smoulder - deal d10 damage "unarmed". You can only eat meat.

Fiery

Your mane and tail are on fire. You have fire resistance and shed light as a lantern.

Horse That Leaps Over Land And Sea And Sky

You can walk on water. You can also run on air, but must end each movement action on a solid ground, or fall.

Fiery Steed

You are now immune to fire and may confer fire resistance to one rider.

Trample

You can move through the space of any creature smaller than you and test Might. On success, they are knocked prone and get no attacks of opportunity against you.

You may trample multiple creatures in a single movement, as long as you fail no Might test. On a failed Might test, you lose the rest of your movement.

Fiery Breath

Deal 2d8 fire damage in a 15 feet cone. You can breathe again once you devour a ration's worth of raw flesh.

Dream Travel

Instead of a long rest, you and your rider may dive into the Dreamlands. You can follow the scent of anyone whose blood you have ever tasted and enter their dreaming, if they are currently asleep. Dreamers will remember their interactions with you as strange nightmares.

Sidebar: Willpower (wp) is basically mental hp or sanity, decreased by stress rather than damage. Once you run out of wp, you start freaking out and may gain Vice if you take further stress. I should post the full rules one day.

In a dream, your attacks deal stress rather than damage. If your target is reduced to 0 wp, they wake up covered in cold sweat, their rest forestalled, and gain a Vice of phobia towards you.

Should your dreaming form be reduced to 0 hp or wp, you wake up. This may strand your rider, if they were not riding you at the moment of your return to the waking world.

Dimensional Travel

You can smell dimensional intersections - fey crossings, thin places, inactive portals, etc. Take 1 Fatigue to kick open a rift in such a weak location. It stays open for d6 minutes.

In most of Creation, Twilight is close enough that you can always open a portal there.

Class: Fashion Wizard

No orb-fondling tower-dweller, you are not. Halfway between an artificer and a socialite, you have the correct attire, taste, but most importantly, opinions.

 

by sundae_jck

 

You are Chartered and likely from a good family.

Items:

• lavish clothes of your own design,
• another set of clothes of your own design,
• yet another set of clothes of your own design,
• needles and thread,
• a pre-approved business loan from a local bank, though at a truly draconian interest rate.

Skills: Fashionista and two topics of trivia that you can keep talking for hours about

Perks & Flaws:

While wearing a fancy and expensive clothes, cape or hat, you can destroy it to reduce an incoming attack's damage or spell's [sum] by 2d6.

Moaning and raging about the irreplaceability of the lost piece of apparel is optional, but highly encouraged.

You cannot use magic while dirty or badly clothed.

For example, falling into water will prevent spellcasting until you can dry off, unless you were already wearing a fancy swimming wear.

Cantrips:

• Interesting: With concentration, you can prevent others from leaving a conversation with you. There is no save, but remember that concentration can be broken by punching you in the face.
• Important: Make your clothes billow dramatically or a faint, pleasant music follow you.
• Inspired: Telekinetically control needles and thread within 30 feet, though your control is not forceful enough to cause damage.

 

Spells:

This spell list draws heavily on the elf wizard, handsome wizard and silk wizard traditions.

1. Flying Needles

R: touch; T: [dice] needles; D: concentration

Enchant [dice] needles, connecting them to your fingertips by invisible, ethereal thread. Enchanted needles can be used as throwing knives and they will attach the thread to anything they strike. Save negates, but only if the target could see the thread. You count as touching anything connected to you by a thread.

The thread can be stretched effectively infinitely and can only be severed by effects that can harm ghosts. At will, you can make the thread visible and tangible, but also only as strong and stretchy as a silken rope. It cannot be changed back and disappears when your concentration is broken.

2. Clean

Up to [highest] touched creatures or objects no larger than a child/man/horse/dragon are instantly cleaned, groomed and perfumed.

One may specify the grooming, e.g. shaving, shaping or trimming of the beard; type of perfume, etc. This does not destroy the filth, merely puts it into a neat pile on the side.

3. Mend

R: touch; T: object or construct

Fix a target with [dice] or less Cracks. This does not affect a target with more than [dice] Cracks at all (no "partial fixes") and cannot replace missing pieces. Alternately, instantly remove up to [dice] malfunctions. Complex objects (clockworks, magic contraptions) might require a skill test to be properly mended.

4. Beautify

Touched creature or object no larger than a child/man/horse/dragon is altered into a more beautiful form of the same type (e.g. humanoid, chair). The new form must be considered more beautiful by either the caster or the target.

This also restores [sum] points of damaged Charisma Presence, or grants +[dice] Presence bonus if it was undamaged. No other characteristics or abilities are affected.

The effect lasts for [sum] hours and can be made permanent at 4 [dice], but is always broken when the target is killed or shattered.

5. Feather Fall

R: 30'; T: [dice] creatures or objects; D: until each touches the ground

Rather than falling, the target slowly (possibly alarmingly so) descends, their clothes beauteously billowing around them. Can be cast as a reaction.

6. Choose one of:

Silk to Steel

D: [sum] minutes

Touched silk object becomes as steel. Silk clothes grant armour as leather/chain/plate/plate and shield, silk thread can serve as wire, silk rope works as a steel rod, etc.

Works on other fabrics as well, but only for [sum] rounds. With 4 [dice], you can make the effect permanent.

Steel to Silk

D: [sum] minutes

Touched steel object becomes as silk. This makes weapons fairly useless, steel bars as silk ropes, armour as clothing, etc.

Works on other metals as well, but only for [sum] rounds. With 4 [dice], you can make the effect permanent.

7. Speak with Fabrics

Talk to clothes and cloth for [sum] minutes, or ask [dice] questions they must answer, save negates. Textiles only know about things that touched them, but they can tell a lot from a simple touch.

8. Powerful Presence

T: self; D: [sum] hours

You project an aura of magnificence and poise. Gain +2×[dice] to saves against charm, domination and fear. Easily impressed creatures (peasants, lesser fairies and petty nobles) must test Morale or fawn and grovel.

9. Silken Servant

R: touch; D: [sum] hours

Enchant a set of clothes or a fabric doll no larger than a child/man/horse/dragon to serve you. It can follow complex instructions, but cannot fight and will collapse after a single blow.

10. Mirror Mirror

D: 10 minutes

Reach into a mirror-like surface and pull out [dice] illusory copies of a creature mirrored on the surface. The mirror must be large enough for them to pass through. The mirror clones behave as you wish. They can walk and talk, but cannot pick anything up and burst like a bubble if struck. You can alter their clothing, grooming and styling at will.

If you mirror yourself with 3+ [dice], you can see through your clones' eyes and hear through their ears, cast your spells through them, and switch places with your mirror twin as a half action.

 

Shadows of Arezzo Giulia Ferraro
by Bruce Luan

 

Emblem Spells:

You have access to a powerful crowd control and a single-target save-or-die emblems, but both are tools of art and admiration, not crude and callow murder.

11. I Expect You To Dine

R: 30'; D: concentration

Up to [sum] total HD of creatures find themselves unable to move, no save. If sitting, they will be tied to the chair with ribbons; if standing, their shoes will be sewed to the carpet, etc. As an action, they can attempt to tear themselves free with -[dice] penalty, and any hostile action against a target also breaks the spell.

12. My Lovely Doll

Touched creature of 2×[dice] or less HD is turned into a tiny puppet of themselves, save negates. They are helpless but fully aware. Lasts for a minute/hour/day/eternity, but any damage suffered by the doll reverts the transformation.

by Chelsea Boy

 

Dooms:

1. Your eyes turn into buttons for 10 minutes, leaving you blind.
2. Your skin turns into skin-coloured silk, permanently. Take double fire and slashing damage.
3. You transform into a tiny, beauteous doll. You are helpless but fully aware, forever.

You can prevent (but not revert) all your Dooms by discarding and forswearing all your worldly possessions. Once you take this vow, you may only own and use simple, mundane clothes and tools; and may not own, use, or even carry money and valuables, properties and deeds, or magical and masterwork items of any kind. On the bright side, as a mendicant ascetic you are no longer bound by your Flaw and may keep your magic no matter your appearance and apparel. On the bleak side, this is considered a fate worse than death by many a fashion wizard.

Should you ever break this vow, you immediately suffer your final Doom. Maybe finding a way to animate your doll-body or transmigrate your soul into a more suitable vessel is the better solution.

 

Miniature Ranni from Elden Ring

Class: Mer-Cursed

Sometimes, you are left broken, swaying as flotsam with the waves.

Sometimes, you are found by the Kraken.

Sometimes, you fall in love.

 

Underwater Breathing - The Awakening

 

A: Below the Thunders of the Upper Deep

Only women may advance to further templates.

B: His Control Stops With the Shore, random Gift

C: choose two Gifts

Δ: gain another Gift when you give up your legs, your ability to breathe air, or your human speech

Below the Thunders of the Upper Deep

You have a skin as gray and slippery as an eel, rows of sharp shark teeth (d6), bulging eyes that can see in minimal light, and a hunger for raw flesh. You can breathe underwater and swim as easily and quickly as you would move on dry land.

His Control Stops With the Shore

Your cravings for raw flesh grow insistent. Animal meat satisfies, but feels a bit empty. Man-flesh, on the other hand, is a glorious delight to your palate. Eating man-flesh once per week stops your ageing; once per day reverses it towards your prime. Each HD of man-flesh consumed also grants you +1 max hp until you next rest.

d6 Gifts of the Fathomless Depths

1. Beauty Untarnished: She cares. At will, cover your cursed blessed form with a glamour, gaining the appearance of a gorgeous land-dweller. You may also weave illusory clothes and hide any injuries, blemishes, grime, blood splatters or other imperfections.
2. Voice Unbridled: Her Your Her voice is bewitchingly beautiful. When you sing, name an emotion and test Charisma/Singing. On success, your song provokes that emotion as long as you keep singing. On failure, it still has a profound effect, but with unintended, possibly disastrous consequences.
3. Words Unnecessary: They all care. You can speak with all water-dwelling creatures.
4. Things Unsaid: You are one of them now. You have a sonar-like awareness of your surroundings while in water.
5. Promise Unbroken: You would kill for them. For her. Your scaled skin is as tough as chainmail and your overlarge teeth can shatter steel (d10 damage).
6. Love Unconditional: She reciprocates. You can cast and learn spells as a wizard. Gain 1 MD and 2 spells chosen from the sea sorceress, servant of the sea, deep mage or nereid spell lists.

Class: Biotinker Wizard

Bio-manipulation is my favourite type of power. Its aptitude for body horror and absolutely deranged alteration surpasses even that of necromancy. This wizarding tradition tries to lean into that, and while heavily based on biomancy, vivimancy, viscerology and flesh-crafting, it is even more geared towards tinkering with the bodies of your patients victims.

 

 

Does the thrill of discovery throb in your beating heart?
Do you want more beating hearts for things to throb within?

Velexiraptor the Vague

Academy of Biomantic and Biokinetic Arts, PR Department

You are either Chartered and on a retainer of some noble family, or an Outlaw and hunted with extreme prejudice.

Items: white coat, leather apron, scalpel, bonesaw, needle and thread

Skills: Surgery and (d6) Epidemiology, Parasitology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Toxicology, Xenobiology

Perks & Flaws:

You are immune to pain. In fact, you barely remember what it was like when pain inconvenienced you.

Whenever you receive magical healing, save. If you fail, gain a random mutation.

Cantrips:

• Sarcography: Make a finger frame over a body to see through layers of skin and flesh (but not bone) as easily as layers of stained glass.
• Haematopathy: Taste blood to tell what kind of creature it came from. Drink more blood to maybe learn additional info.
• Dermatoplasty: Move or transfer cosmetic features with a touch. You could swap eye colours or pull warts off a toad and put them on a princess. You cannot transfer or remove significant features (poison glands, wings, eyeballs).

 

Bonesaw from Worm
by TreeSap0

  

Spell List:

1. Spit Acid

R: 50'

Target takes [sum] damage, then [dice] damage at the end of the next [dice] rounds unless washed.

2. Shape Flesh

R: touch, T: living creature

For ten minutes, target's flesh becomes as malleable as clay to your touch. You can alter their form to resemble another creature of a similar type. This doesn't work on hard tissues like bone or teeth, cannot grant any special abilities (you can make wings, but not wings capable of flight) and might require a skill check to copy somebody else's appearance.

The changes will gradually fade over the course of [sum] hours, but any use of healing magic will delay it by that magic's [sum]. If [sum] is 12+, you can choose to make the transformation permanent.

You can instead use this to deal [sum] damage, but that ends the spell immediately.

3. Fix Flesh

R: touch, T: living creature

As if in a time-lapse surgery, the target's wounds rapidly reknit. Choose one of the following:

• Restore [sum] HP.
• Restore [dice] points to a damaged attribute.
• Remove Wound of up to [dice]×2 severity.

Note that this spell cannot regrow limbs (but might reattach a recently severed limb), nor cure diseases and other afflictions.

4. Fortify Flesh

R: touch; T: living creature

Suppress up to [dice] physical needs or afflictions in the target. For the duration of this spell, the target suffers no negative effects from the problem, but the problem is not cured and will reassert itself once the spell expires. Lesser problems (pain, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, sleep) are suppressed for [sum] hours, while greater problems (bleeding, dying, not breathing) are suppressed for [sum] rounds.

5. Extract Contaminant

R: touch, T: living creature

Pierce the target's skin with a sharp object, then draw out a foreign substance - venom, drug, etc. It must be a foreign substance, not blood or other vital fluid. The contaminant pools in a vial (if you have one) or your hand. The target may save to negate.

With 2 [dice], you can also draw out mundane diseases and parasites.

With 3 [dice], you can also draw out magical poisons, diseases and parasites.

With 4 [dice], you can also draw out heavy metal or radiation poisoning, or possessing spirits.

This is the reason why most biomancers always have a scalpel or a razor-sharp fingernail ready.

6. Sleep

R: 50'

Up to [sum] total HD of creatures that you can see, none of which has more than [dice]×2 HD, fall asleep. Save negates, but already drowsy targets are not allowed a save.

With 4 [dice], you can make the duration permanent. The target no longer needs to eat or drink while sleeping, doesn't age, and you must set an achievable condition that will cause it to wake up.

 

Meister der Regeneration
by Alexey Kruglov

 

7. Sensory Revelation

With some supplies and a day of work, you can craft a sthenicon - a face mask shaped like a wooden box, filled with symbiotic flesh. On its own, it grants the wearer an unbelievable sense of smell; gain +1 Awareness per hour of wearing it (up to +[dice]) and scent-tracking.

You can also graft up to [highest] other sensory organs into the sthenicon, if you have those. Depending on what creature you had harvested them from, you might be able to incorporate for example: infrared vision, night vision, 360° vision, sight of invisible things as faint outlines, magic aura sight, poison or disease detection via smell, heightened hearing, etc.

Feed your sthenicon with broth and do not wear it for too long.

8. Choose one of:

Become Delicious

R: 60'; T: [dice] creatures or objects; D: [sum] minutes

Target smells and tastes absolutely delicious. The smell can spread via wind or leave a trail. Insects and hungry creatures will be attracted to the target and attack them as their first choice. Sentient creatures can usually resist the urge to eat the target, but they will be tempted.

With 4 [dice], you can make the duration permanent.

Adapted from here.

Become Disgusting

R: 60'; T: [dice] creatures or objects; D: [sum] minutes

Target smells and tastes outright revolting. Most creatures will try to avoid them, or try to fight them last in a battle. This does not affect creatures with no sense of smell, and some scavengers might be attracted by the smell. This also has a profound effect in social interactions.

With 4 [dice], you can make the duration permanent.

Adapted from here.

9. Flying Syringe

R: 120'

You must hold a vial of fluid while you cast this spell. The vial is transmuted into a glass dart that flies at a target creature. The target must save or be pricked and immediately suffer the effects of the fluid.

For every [die] after the first, pick one of the options below. Most can be picked multiple times.

• You can redirect a missed syringe to a different target.
• You can affect an extra vial, either mixing the contents together or creating another syringe.
• The target saves with a disadvantage.
• The syringe can clear corners and bypass cover, as long as you know the target's location.

Adapted from here.

10. Malmutate

R: touch; T: living creature; D: permanent

Target saves [dice] times and gains a random mutation per failed save. If the target chooses to fail its save, roll double the number of mutations and the caster chooses which half are gained.

 

Saint of Parasites
by Keith Thompson

 

Emblem Spells:

11. Chimeric Exchange

R: ritual circle; T: two creatures

This spell must target two creatures that negotiated the effects of the ritual beforehand and are willing to undergo it. While the spell requires willingness, it does not forbid coercion or non-magical influence. Subsequently, the two creatures can trade body parts as per their agreement, with the same ease as two items being exchanged. The caster doesn't need to be one of the two parties, but they surely can be.

The exchange can be one-sided. For example, the spell allows you to give someone an extra eye without taking something from them, if both of you agree. This way, you can gain new limbs and organs. You can demand some other form of compensation, though this is in no way enforced by the spell. Gaining new limbs may require that the recipient learns to use them.

The ritual takes 10 minutes. Should the ritual be interrupted, the targets must save or loose the body part that was being exchanged. The creatures are magically sustained while the ritual lasts, but can die afterwards if they traded away a vital organ. The spell also prevents transplant rejection and leaves no scars.

With 1 [die], you can exchange roughly compatible body parts (human eye for cat eye, hand for a paw).

With 2 [dice], you can exchange body parts from incompatible physiologies (living arm for an undead arm, head for an animated helmet).

With 3 [dice], you can mix material and immaterial body parts (hand for a piece of fire elemental's flame, switching souls).

With 4 [dice], you can exchange metaphysical qualities (bravery, damage resistances, skills, abilities).

I stole this spell from here, where more information on it can be found.

12. Tame Cancer

Mix at least 1 HD's worth of fresh meat with a droplet of up to [dice] creatures' blood to animate it into a macabre mass of cancerous growths. It will obey anyone who contributed blood to its creation.

The cancer will react the same way the meat's original owner would to any substances or effects. It makes a great guinea pig.

The cancer begins with 1 Mass and loses 1 Mass per day as it consumes itself. It has 1 HD per Mass, 2×[dice] in all stats* and no offensive capabilities (at first). It loses HD as it takes damage and cannot heal naturally. It may consume 1 HD of a corpse over 10 minutes to gain 1 Mass. At 4 Mass, it is about the size of an average human adult, and cannot grow larger than [sum] Mass.

It may also be ordered to spend 1 Mass to:

• Excrete a dose of substance it has previously consumed. This does not work well with special substances (especially those with permanent effects).
• Excrete a ration of nutritious goop.
• Grow a body part or organ it has previously consumed. It will be fully functional, but likely somewhat misshapen and twisted.
• Gain a random mutation.

Adapted from here, here and here.

*) Assuming stats in range 1 to 10. If you use the more standard stats in range 1 to 20, this would be 4×[dice]. Yes, this means that at 4 MD, your pet shoggoth will be highly intelligent.

 

From Twig

  

Dooms:

1. You develop certain... tics. Gain a random insanity.
2. Your flesh crawls. Save at the start of each day or gain a mutation. Save at the end of each day or that mutation becomes permanent.
3. Mutagenic degradation and cascading organ rejection. Permanently reduce your Constitution by 1 per day, no save.

You can stall your final Doom with daily transplants of healthy organs, or avoid it completely by transplanting your brain into a new body made of something less feeble and mutable than flesh.

Class: Gnome

Gnomes are an artificial race created by Dark Lady Ta-tiki-tekh-uata, the Witch Mother, to serve as her attendants, spies and enforcers. Some sources suggest that she tried to replicate the long-lost Sidhe biomantic recipe for turning humans into elves, others claim that she did so successfully, but used her plentiful goblin slaves as the base stock instead of her much more sparse human subjects - in any case, gnomes were the result.

No one has a satisfactory answer for the colourful cap thing.

 

Old Gnome Wizard by Skywise00

 

This is a racial class, so its template A can only be gained during character creation. Inspired by Konsumterra.

I have no love for gnomes. They are surprisingly bland fey dwarves. There is no strong theme, no nice twist that would make me want them in my world. Yet for some reason, my players want to play as gnomes. Or rabbits. Making gnomes a regional offshoot of goblins gives them a place in the world, but at the same time, there don't need to be any gnomes save for the player characters, unless the party travels to Pflec. I can live with that.

  

High level grey cap gnome
From here.

  

Quest: Visit Pflec or the Witch Mother's lost demesne.

Language: Sylvan (Red, Green, Gold, Blue, Grey) or Pflecian (Svirfneblin)

Items: gnome cap, tool of your hereditary trade

Skills: (per sub-species) Parade, Recall Details, Music, Cooking, Tinkering, Ward-Breaking

Age: There was a mild imperfection in the biomantic formula used to create this race. Gnomes reach adulthood at age 20, but their appearance ages faster than that. A twenty years old, young adult gnome will look like a human in their sixties or seventies. They only get wrinklier and more stooped with age, though this does not affect their physical capabilities much. Gnomes live up to 200 years and in old age start to develop plant-like characteristics - wrinkles become bark, beard is more moss than hair. This is another flaw of the biomantic formula.

A: Gnome Cap, Small Stature

B: Gnomish Magic, +1 MD

Gnome Cap

Gnomes possess an innate magical spark than can be imbued into a special cap, which must be made by the gnome's own hands and have the appropriate colour. Only gnomes can use a gnome cap, but they can use any gnome's cap. Each breed of gnomes has a different power that they can imbue into their cap.

Each gnome can only make one cap at a time. Should they wish to make a new one, the old one must be destroyed first for the gnome's spark of magic to return and be ready for imbuement again. Thus gnomes are highly protective of their cap. Stealing a cap is seen as a heinous crime in gnome communities, often resulting in harsh punishments. Similarly, confiscating one's cap is a harsh punishment reserved for the most vile criminals.

You cannot wear both a cap and a helmet.

Small Stature

You only need half as many rations as a grown man. You can fit into small spaces rather comfortably.

Many items will be bulky for you due to awkward size. You can only wield long weapons (long sword, spear) with both hands and cannot use heavy weapons (great sword, halberd) at all.

You cannot reach the top shelf.

Gnomish Magic

You have learned to use your magical gift similarly to a wizard, though you do not possess a spellbook. Gain 1 Magic Die. Each subspecies gains two spells:

• Red: death scythe, speak with blood
• Green: misty step, speak with animals
• Gold: part crowd, unseen orchestra
• Blue: clean up, speak with doors
• Grey: make material, move earth
• Death: non-detection, spell collapse

You have to be touching your cap to cast your spells - your spells are "memorised" in your cap.

 

Young blue cap gnome
From here.

  

Gnome, Red Cap

Red cap gnomes were soldiers and enforcers. Once the most plentiful of gnomes, their numbers were mercilessly culled when the Dark Ones fell, the remaining few fleeing to Pflec or abroad.

Red Cap

When you put on your cap after it has been drenched in fresh blood (enough to actually drench it, a few drops will not suffice), you can take any number of Fatigue points - that number will be X. You gain Xd6 temporary HP, deal +X damage in melee, roll Strength with +X bonus and count as X size categories larger for grappling purposes (without actually growing larger). This lasts until you lose all the temporary HP or take off the cap.

Gnome, Green Cap

Green cap gnomes were scouts and messengers. Most have found refuge among wood elves or druids.

Green Cap

When you put on your cap, you can transform into a natural animal - specifically the animal whose blood and viscera was used during the creation of your cap. This animal can be no larger than a dog and no smaller than a mouse. You can transform as often as you wish, but your equipment (except for the cap) doesn't transform with you, you cannot speak (unless the animal can) and you can only use the animal's abilities while transformed. Your HP carries over between forms.

Gnome, Gold Cap

Gold cap gnomes were entertainers and designers.

Gold Cap

You can manifest tangible illusions from your cap, no larger than what would fit into the cap. For lack of a better term, these illusions are like a hardlight hologram. They can be be pretty much any inanimate object, but they do not have any special effects (illusory potion does nothing), they pop when they would take damage, deal damage or get overexerted (illusory dagger or crowbar are pretty useless) and they last no longer than 10 minutes.

Gnome, Blue Cap

Blue cap gnomes were servants and spies.

Blue Cap

When you put on your cap and close your eyes, you become invisible.

When you put on your cap and hold your breath, you become as light as a feather. When damaged or otherwise distracted, roll Concentration to keep holding your breath.

Gnome, Grey Cap

Grey cap gnomes were custodians and sappers.

Grey Cap

You can manifest small tools and spare parts from your cap, which can be used to repair various mechanisms, from locks to clocks. If not handled by a gnome for more than a day, anything you manifested from your cap crumbles into fine sand - pretty disastrous for any mechanism.

With an hour of time, you can construct a small, fragile clockwork device that performs a simple function. For example, it could be a walking toy soldier, a lighter or a music box.

Gnome, Death Cap

Death cap gnomes are a splinter group of gnomes who rebelled against the Witch Mother and helped the Attnamese Empire in toppling the Dark Ones. They call themselves Svirfneblin and ignorant commoners sometimes know them as Bog Gnomes - a name whispered with disgust and fear. Once the designated infiltrators and saboteurs, they carried out a series of attacks that turned Pflec - a thin stretch of land between the river Amir and the Trollish Peaks - from the breadbasket of the Dark Ones to a haunted, miasmatic wasteland of spellborn horrors.

After the war, imperial magistrates granted the Pflecian Marshes to Svirfneblin along with Hin halflings and some of the few survivors of the dwarven genocide as their new sovereign territory. The so-called "gnomish dictatorship" is the direct result of the resulting anti-imperial sentiment. Hidden behind a nigh-impenetrable mix of mires, mutated war-beasts and curse-warped illusions, Svirfneblin have established tightly controlled enclaves run with relentless efficiency and ruthless surveillance. Paranoid, secretive and unapologetically authoritarian, the Svirfneblin are widely hated for their plundering raids, river blockades disguised as taxation and the occasional disappearing of useful individuals from the borderlands.

And yet, for all their cruelty, they have made their death-bogs thrive.

Black Cap

When you put on your cap, you are warded against all magic. Any magic used on you - baleful or benign - has a 50% chance of failing.

Note that you will have to drop your cap when you want to be for example healed. Also note that your cap doesn't help you against secondary effects of spells. For example, ground coated with a grease spell will still be slippery.

Other subspecies of gnomes exist, such as quicklings and darklings, but they are a) basically extinct and b) not a player race.

 

  

Spells:

Clean Up

Up to [highest] creatures or objects within 30' no larger than a human/horse/ogre/dragon are instantly cleaned, groomed and perfumed.

One may specify the grooming, e.g. shaving, shaping or trimming of the beard; type of perfume, etc. This does not destroy the filth, merely puts it into a neat pile on the side.

Adapted from the handsome wizard.

Death Scythe

Plunge your arm into a corpse and pull a black scythe from its chest as it crumbles into dust. The scythe deals 1d8+[dice] damage, or double damage to creatures of the same type as the corpse. It lasts for [sum] rounds/minutes/hours/until dismissed.

Adapted from the necromancer.

Make Material

R: 60'

Produce [dice] slots worth of basic items or equipment from thin air. They are very low-quality and have a 50% chance of breaking when used. You may produce [sum] slots of items instead, but they will be of such poor quality that they always break on first use. Broken items or items older than a day crumble into fine sand.

Adapted from the manufacturing wizard.

Misty Step

R: self and touch; T: creature; D: [sum] rounds

Transform into a fog cloud. You can fly at your normal movement speed, but lose all senses except for touch. For every [dice] after the first, you can take someone with you.

Move Earth

D: concentration

Control a small amount of earth within 30'.

At 1 [dice], you can (a) excavate a bucket's worth of dirt, (b) shape the same amount, (c) cause the earth to swallow a small item or a non-resisting person, (d) knock over a shoddy shack with a tiny tremor.

At 2 [dice], you can move a wheelbarrow's worth and even make the earth slowly levitate.

More [dice] increase the effects further.

Adapted from the garden wizard.

Non-Detection

R: touch; T: [dice] creatures, places or objects no larger than a wagon; D: [sum] hours

Target is warded against divination magic. The target and anything on or in the target cannot be detected or perceived through magical means.

Part Crowd

Raise your hands over your head, then swing them down. Along a 500' line, creatures move out of the way, opening a clear path. Hostile creatures get a Save. The path closes naturally in 2d6 rounds.

Stolen from the civic wizard.

Speak with [thing]

Talk to [thing] for [sum] (real-life) minutes, or ask [dice] questions it must answer. Each [thing] only knows what it cares about:

• Animals care about food, shelter, safety, etc.
• Blood knows about sex and violence, instinct and base wants.
• Doors know what is behind them and who uses them.

Spell Collapse

R: direct line of sight; T: spellcaster; D: reaction

The target caster must make a Concentration check at -[dice], or their spell collapses. In that case, roll d6:

1. Normal spell effect inflicted on target caster.
2. Half spell effect inflicted on target caster.
3. Half spell effect inflicted on you.
4. Half spell effect inflicted on random target.
5. Half spell effect inflicted on original target.
6. Spell works in an unexpected way. GM tells you how.

Adapted from the metamancer.

Unseen Orchestra

D: concentration

You are surrounded by instrumental music, as a single musician at 1 [die] and a full orchestra at 4 [dice]. It can play any song you have heard before, but cannot duplicate speech. The effect can either follow you, or stay anchored to the spot where it was cast.

Adapted from the elf wizard.

 

Svirfneblin butler by edubenavente

  

Gnomeblight is a poison developed by Svirfneblin and used profusely against their red-capped brethren during the war. It causes mild gastrointestinal inconvenience when ingested by most species, but rapid necrosis on touch to gnomes - they must Save vs Death; on success they "merely" take 2d6 Con damage. The formula is a tightly guarded state secret of the gnomish dictatorship.