GLOG Curse: "Wizzard Bidness"

This isn't "Wizard Business". This is "Wizzard Bidness". It's the difference between a scientist and a science enthusiast. Everything is going to go wrong, and it'll be your fault, but man, look at all these results! For further reading, see here.

This is a Curse class for the current GLOGosphere challenge. The first template is accrued through critically failing a Save vs. Fear upon seeing someone else be killed in a horrible accident while visiting the Haunted Alchemabulary. Rather than taking the sensible option of running and screaming, you feel an overwhelming curiosity. Maybe that only happens sometimes. Maybe it happens all the time. Either way, it's time for more TESTS.

Other, truly wonderful and/or bizarre GLOG Curse classes:
Princesses and Pioneers - Curse of the Mirror Struck
A Blasted, Cratered Land - Curse of the Hero
Archon's Court - Nanoweapon Poisoning
Same is Shark in Japanese - Curse of Ska
Slugs and Silver - Curse of the Ogre
Anxious Mimic - Curse of Oath-Rot
Benign Brown Beast - Curse of the Restless Dreamer
Parasites and Paradoxes - Curse of the Doppelganger
Bugbear Slug - Curse of the Abattoir God
Words for Yellow - Several curses in one!

This can only go well. Credit Jan Weßbecher

"What can change the nature of a man? Is it drugs? It's drugs" - Narcomancer and Beeromancer Wizard Schools

I've had both of these wizard schools sitting in my generator for months now, without a problem. Now I have had two Narcomancers and a Beeromancer show up, and it is a nightmare.

So I'm inflicting it upon you, gentle reader. Hubris!

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First time is free. Then you pay. Credit Lester Camacho

Perk: All drugs you prepare take effect instantly, and you can take them as a free action.

Drawback: Disadvantage on checks involving courtesy, partying or appearance.

Starting equipment: Three caches of drugs, three doses each.

Here are some excellent lists of drugs, many of them showing up summarised in the list below.

1. Alterket (+damage resistance, -dodge, immune to pain and can't feel HP)
2. Notcoke (+attack, +initiative, save vs. impulse decisions)
3. Otherpot (immune to illusions and spell-interuption, save vs. screwups when you try anything new)
4. Unmandy (+ranged attacks, read emotions through facial expressions, very chatty and no filter, save vs. distractions)
5. Oblian (+damage, +HP, -awareness, save vs. naps)
6. Tooka (predict all opponent actions, 1-in-6 it's just too confusing and makes you feel sick)
7. Tuss (+Int, +Wis, +spell research, -Dex)
8. Talkleaf (+initiative, +save vs. fear, -carrying capacity, makes you nervous if you can't smoke)
9. Crate (+Con, +endurance, -focus, difficulty judging time)
10. Terrorleaf (+Str, +rage, +save vs. charm, paranoia and psychotic breaks)
11. Coffee (+Wis, +Dex, each dose makes up for 2 hours lost sleep, +crit fail range)
12. Drill (+save, body load fills inventory slots, [dose]% chance of hallucinating vermin)
13. Silvercaps (immune to nausea and sickness, -fall damage, body load fills inventory slots)
14. Pixie Dust (+float off the ground, +Cha, -Wis, save vs. sparkles)
15. Wizard Teeth* (+1 MD for the day, -save)
16. Fizzbop* (+2 MD for the next spell, +1 Instability Die, -save)
17. Talakeshi Jelly (+initiative, +Str, doubled food requirements, all breakdowns/insanities are psychosis)
18. Mevverwen** (+euphoria, forget the last N rounds, removes mental effects in that time, -Wis)
19. Angelshit (+Wis, +inventory but lose items if not drugged up, save vs. horror at the sight of corners)
20. Brood*** (+max HP, feel bugs everywhere, save vs. eating coal/dirt/tar/sulphur)

*Each Tolerance point decreases your MD-keep-range by 1. So, starting at keep 1-3, lose 4-6, the first point of Tolerance changes this to keep 1-2, lose 3-6. If your keep range drops below 1, you lose a point of max MD and start again at keep 1-3.
**Each point of Tolerance will eat the first floating X you gain that day
***A random body part grows insect legs per Tolerance in addition to -1 max HP. Pray that it isn't important/internal, as it might try and escape

Usage rules (very slightly edited from here):

• Each drug has several effects listed, upsides, downsides and side-effects. 
• When you take N doses of a drug, you take:
• +N to any of the upsides
• -N to the downsides
• And make saves or suffer a side-effect 
• At the end of a day when you took drugs, make a CON check with...
• Add your Wisdom modifier
• Add your Tolerance
• If you fail, gain a point of Tolerance

Tolerance

• Represents the drug becoming less effective for you
• If there are any upsides, each point of Tolerance gives you a negative to that stat
• If upsides are non-numerical, figure out the opposite of it, or apply a penalty to the relevant trait
• If the drug has an * after it, then the Tolerance penalty is different
• For instance, a point of Tolerance to Notcoke will give you -1 Attack and -1 Initiative. Luckily, you can just take a hit to cancel it out! Lucky, lucky you...

Recovery and Withdrawal

• If you go a week without taking you have Tolerance for, make the same CON check, but subtract your Tolerance instead of adding it
• If you succeed, lose a point of Tolerance
• If you fail, the effects of the Tolerance are at x2 until you take a hit
• If you fail again next week, the effects are at x3 etc.

Spells:

1. Confusion
2. Animate Powder
3. Inflict Withdrawal
4. Phantom Limb
5. Circle of Mushrooms
6. Sleep
7. Profitable Curse
8. Haste
9. Teleport Substance
10. Cone of Numbness
11. Brain Swap
12. Extract Essence

Confusion

R: 30ft T: creature D: [sum] rounds

For the duration, the target cannot differentiate between friend or foe, different directions, or specific items, so long as they are even slightly similar

Animate Powder

R: touch T: drug D: [sum] minutes

Turns the drug into a tiny critter (1 HP, 0 Def), changing form depending on the drug. Can apply themselves to a willing target, but an unwilling target can swat it away with an attack roll. Stimulants have +[dice] Defence, relaxants have +[dice] HP, hallucinogens can change appearance randomly and do so each round.

Inflict Withdrawal

R: eye-line T: creature D: [sum] rounds

This spell requires taking a hit of a drug while staring at the target. The drug takes effect as normal, but for the duration of the spell, the target must endure the effects of [dose]x[dice] Tolerance. If you have no personal Tolerance to the drug being used, Save ends.

Phantom Limb

R: 50ft T: limb D: [sum] rounds

For the duration, you control the actions of that limb each round. Target can make a Strength-[dice] check as an action to try and prevent it. In addition, you take half of any damage inflicted specifically on that limb.

Circle of Mushrooms

R: 10ft T: floor beneath caster D: instant

Roll 1d8+[dice] on the following table. Roll at -2 if the floor is solid rock or something equally inhospitable, +1 if the floor is coated in manure of a particular quality:

2. or less: green slime. Oh dear...
3. Stinking fungus, causes severe gastric distress if eaten, or even smelt too much
4. Wriggleweed, will try and eat your shoes
5. Edible, if disgusting, 1d4-1 rations
6. Mushmice, highly mobile, useful distractions
7. Potent hallucinogens, save vs. bad trip
8. Edible, 1d4+[dice] rations
9. Tasty, exquisitely poisonous, save or die if eaten
10. Truffles! Will go off remarkably quickly, but valuable while fresh
11. Purgatives, useful for rebalancing the humours and clearing out whatever other poisonous mushrooms you've eaten...
12. or more: Own choice!

Profitable Curse

R: 30ft T: creature D: [dice] hours

If the target creatures dies before this spell elapses, and they are under the effects of a particular drug, their corpse contains [dose]x[dice] additional doses of the drug. Extracting these doses is likely to be gross, messy, risky and result in inferior product.

Teleport Substance

R: [dice]x10ft T: creature D: [sum] rounds

Up to [dice] doses of a substance are swapped with an equal quantity of water within the target. If they succeed on the save, then the next nearest target must make a save. This continues until the water is successfully swapped.

Cone of Numbness

R: 15ft cone T: creatures D: [sum] rounds

All targets have -4 on the first roll they make each round.

Emblem Spells

Brain Swap
R: touch T: creature and self, or two creatures D: instant
If an unwilling target has more than [dice] HD, they can make a Save to negate. If both targets are unwilling, the higher HD/Save is used. If the spell is successful, then all the memories, spells, and abilities are transferred between the two. If either body had Tolerance to a drug, then half of it is left behind, as are any Withdrawal symptoms. This is a heretofore unknown spell to society, but will be condemned as Necromancy is if discovered.

Extract Essence
R: touch T: creature ability D: [sum] hours
Unwilling targets can Save to negate, unless the caster has ten minutes of contact to cast the spell. Once complete, the ability is compressed into an elixir, philtre, powder or potion, and can be consumed. The ability will return when the spell expires, and some exceptionally strong abilities will lose an hour of duration per active use.

Malignancies

Mishaps:

1. Gain 1 trauma
2. Take 1d6 damage
3. Mutation for 1d6 turns, save or permanent
4. Spell hits a random additional target
5. Unable to discern friend or foe for 1d6 rounds
6. Gain a point of tolerance

Dooms:

1. All (all) bodily fluids are replaced with mild opiates. -1d4 Constitution, permanently
2. One of your limbs permanently turns into a lump of highly addictive substance, heretofore undiscovered. It's mostly immovable and completely useless.
3. The rest of your body follows suit, 3-in-6 to remain conscious, but you are effectively a corpse

This Doom could be prevented by taking the Angelic Ultimate Detox. Which obliterates every internal organ. Usually. It is also only ever given to good people. Taking drugs is a sin.

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PARTAAYY. Credit André Meister

Perk: If you gain five drunkenness in one day, gain +1 MD. Anyone assisting you in casting a spell can "contribute" their drunkenness to it, usually by saying "I love you man" or throwing up while leaning on you.

Drawback: Can't cast spells if completely sober.

Starting equipment: Three potent drinks, each worth three drunkenness.

(Alcohol is simple - each point of Drunkenness increases critical fail range by 1)


Spells:

1. Enchant Improvised Weapon
2. Cure Wounds*
3. Water to Wine
4. Wine to Vodka
5. Explode Alcohol
6. Aura of Intoxication
7. Wizard Vision
8. Detect Party
9. Purge Body
10. Shape Alcohol
11. Eldritch Hangover
12. Summon Party

Enchant Improvised Weapon
R: touch T: non-weapon object D: one fight
The next attack you make with target object deals +[sum] damage, at +[dice] to-hit, breaks the object and ends the spell.

Water to Wine
R: touch T: body of water D: permanent
Turns [sum] litres of water into low-grade hooch. Alternatively, deals [sum]/2 poison damage to touched creature, save for half, as well as [dice] drunkenness.

Wine to Vodka
R: touch T: wine or other alcoholic beverage D: permanent
Condenses up to [sum] litres of wine, or whatever you have on hand, into a collection of drinks that is [dice]x2 times stronger and lower in volume, producing a cloud of steam. This also traps many magical impurities in the process, save vs. Mishap if you cast any Beeromancy spells on or with drinks produced by this spell.

Explode Alcohol (based on Explode Corpse)
R: 50ft T: booze D: instant
Target container or puddle explodes, dealing damage in a [dice]x5' radius, Save vs Dexterity for half. The maximum damage dealt is dependent on the potency:
Swill: 1
Beer/Wine: 1d6
Spirits, liquors: 2d6
Rare and weird: 3d6
Ancient, eldritch and/or one-of-a-kind: 6d6

Aura of Intoxication
R: 20ft radius T: self D: [sum] minutes
Everyone in the Aura has [dice]x2 additional Drunkenness.

Detect Party
R: [sum] miles T: party D: instant
You know the direction and approximate route to the nearest gathering of two or more people where the majority are having a good time. You can add [dice] additional conditions, like "needs a drink" or "nobody hungers for human flesh".

Purge Body
R: touch T: creature D: [dice] rounds
Target must save vs. horrendous bodily disfunction (i.e. stun) each round. It's messy as hell, but they can make a new save against any ingested poisons, beverages or drugs each round. If you are mad, you might be able to recover some of whatever they... relieve themselves of.

Shape Alcohol
R: 100ft T: drunk creatures D: instant
Deals [sum] damage to any creature within 20ft of a given point that is drunk. In addition, as Shape Water, only applying to alcohol of course.

Emblem Spells

Eldritch Hangover
R: touch T: one creature D: until dispelled
As Bestow Curse, with zero of the normal backlash on you. However, any hangover cure has a 50% chance of dispelling the curse, with only a single chance at working. Save+4 negates, at a [sum] penalty. If they target saves, they suffer a crippling headache and a tongue tasting like cat vomit for [sum] rounds instead, to no other effect.

Summon Party
R: 0 T: self D: [sum] hours
Brings [sum] people to a given location, with the specific and general purpose of having a good time and getting to know each other. While this spell does seem to be merely the result of popularity and coincidence, it is an actual magical effect. When cast, pick [dice] of the following, and roll one at random:

1. They arrive in minutes, if not seconds.
2. Everyone brings enough food and booze for everyone else.
3. They come armed and potentially armoured.
4. They arrive on entirely unsuitable means of transport, potentially the infamous flying Booze Boat of Captain Joe of the 77nd [sic] Beer Battalion, the original Beeromancer.
5. You can specifically invite [dice] people by name, they'll be there no matter what, so long as they are within [sum] miles. Don't invite dead people, it's just not worth it.
6. Their raucous cacophony is guaranteed to bring the local authorities within 2d6 rounds, wherever you are.
7. Local humanoids will wander in and, after having a great time, think the party members are awesome.
8. BYOP - Bring Your Own Potions!
9. The Party is a pool party, and you weren't informed. Luckily, they brought their own water.
10. The Party sends a representative of the Central Committee to give you your next set of nonsensical orders
11. Half the party is partly imaginary, and will forget anything negative that they experience during the party.
12. A surprise guest will join the party halfway through! They will be famous, supernatural or just incredibly fun, potentially all three.

Malignancies

Mishaps:

1. Gain 1 trauma
2. Take 1d6 damage
3. Mutation for 1d6 turns, save or permanent
4. Random stat is halved until you sober up
5. Random limb becomes hostile to you, 2d6 rounds
6. Forced purge, lose all drunkenness… messily

Dooms:

1. The next time you carouse, you and everyone that carouses with you wakes up in a completely new location, with half of your inventory replaced with random items, and no memory of how you got there.
2. Your liver packs up shop and leaves. Roll to determine which way it exits. One hour after taking any drink, you take 1d6 poison damage. Your Save vs. Poison drops to 1.
3. Terrible but completely ordinary accident once per day if you are drunk, save vs. death unless you stay completely sober.

Avoiding the Doom, apart from not drinking, is incredibly difficult. Having your biology completely replaced is a start, but fundamentally, if you aren't being poisoned by booze, the magic doesn't flow. Perhaps try combining the weirdness of the Archaeans with the susceptibility of the Myconids.

"There are more things in Heav- OH GOD IT'S BACK KILL IT KILL IT" - Nightmare Parasite for GLOG

Long, long ago, I was interested in this. I then discovered GLOG, and all of that melted away. But some of it stuck around. This is a love-letter to a 3.5e rebalancing homebrew, written for an OSR DIY sub-system:

For those who do walk his path, who embrace Terror as a means of strength, they may master the primordial arts of that Titan which should not have lived. To them, “Unafraid” is a mistranslation of “Ignorant”.

These inborn instincts can be traced back to The Nightmare himself, who rots and decays in that destitute pit, letting his existence blossom out unto the great wheel, spreading his legend, watching even in death, silently pushing those of his ascendents closer to his dream of perfect life. 

~ Xefas

It's so... purple. I dig it. This hobby rules.

Micah from Nuclear Haruspex designed this challenge to create parasite-related content for GLOG. There are many others like it, but this one is mine:

Biocon
Body King
Cuckoo Folk
Eater of Tongues
Hydrargent
Klyntar
Mother of Osk
Mycorrhizan
PARASITE
Parasite Brain
Spellbug
Temporal Paradox
Umbrant

Most other contributions are about people that have parasites, or playing a parasite that infects someone. You are a parasite, a scar, a blot on reality itself. And you're hungry.

This is you now. Credit Piotr Foksowicz

"I ought to be thy Adam" - Golemist (Wizard School)

This was a request/challenge by Micah from Nuclear Haruspex. I was all for collaborative work, but my honour was impugned, and thus, a friendly challenge was born! You can find his version here.

Optionally: there are two competing schools of Golemistry engaged in a cold war amongst the hallowed halls of the Foreign Parts. Golemists are uniquely placed in their ability to compete without risking anything other than the material components of their war machines. Consider:

• Minute golem saboteurs
• Gigantic mechs stomping about
• Contracting them as mercenary forces will inevitably result in your opposition receiving a bid as well

These golems are completely different from elven drones. Probably. Maybe. Who's to say?

Credit Henrik Rosenborg

"And Taborlin the Great said to the stone: BREAK! and the stone broke..." - Truenamer v.1

In the beginning, language and reality were indivisible. The word and the object were one and the same. Saying something, describing something, immediately brought it into being. As you can imagine, small-talk was exceptionally difficult. Nowadays, this ancient language has no bearing whatsoever on the flapping lip-noises the pretentious monkeys make. It's been locked away, for the good of everyone. The Authority no longer makes use of it, the angels are forbidden from touching the stuff. From now until the end of time, the fabric of reality is a solid bedrock upon which everyth- Oh. Oh it's you. Never mind then.

To a Wizard, it appears that you are seconds away from casting a spell with at least three Magic Dice. No physical effects. No one else will notice a thing. But to those that can see the truth of the world, you are blinding. You have no idea what all the fuss is about.

To a Cleric, you are beyond heresy. They can't even categorise you, they just hope you'll eventually blow yourself up.

To an angel or a devil, you are a lowly thief, an up-jumped cretin with access to ancient powers you are completely unworthy of, and they all want what you've got...

"These are not the murderhobos you are looking for" - Psion v.1

There are dozens of wizards. There are three or four different types of cleric floating around out there. I know of one psion for OSR usage, but I haven't seen a proper mentalist (beyond this one, which is very good but not quite what I'm looking for) designed specifically for GLOG.

I've never felt power/ki/mojo/whatever points felt all that differentiated from spell charges or MD, so they don't show up here. Instead, the Psion is about maintaining spiritual, mental and physical equilibrium in order to allow access to an array of permanent, reasonable strong abilities. Strict diets, blindfolds, silk clothes and meditative regimes are all well and good on the surface, but by the time they are 37 rooms deep into the dungeon, I'm sure it'll be a different story.

In contrast to Psi Points et. al., one mechanic that's been cribbed from mainstream D&D is the idea of Psionic Focus. This is halfway between a new ability and a unique item slot. A fresh Psion starts with three options for them to activate through Focus, and each new discipline adds/modifies the Foci to allow for new tools.

Hooking into the tropes of mystics and yogis, Psions also start with Third Eye, a very loosely designed move. I'll include some examples below, but as a general rule, each restriction should have both gameplay and narrative effect. The first Surge is slightly more potent than an effective skill check, and the second Surge is equivalent to a basic spell.

This version of the Psion hasn't been playtested since its most recent changes but the main differences are reductions in the ease of which new Disciplines can be acquired. Originally, they were acquired at level 1 and every template thereafter, completely for free, PLUS any extra Disciplines learnt from masters. A Psion could do what a Thief OR Fighter OR Cleric could do, and sometimes even better than the original class!

Gasp! It was the 3.5e Wizard all along!

"Nothing is destroyed, nor anything created, except by the Hand of the Authority" - Heptamancer (Wizard School)

A few pointers on Wizards:

1. I don't use cantrips. If someone really likes a cantrip, I'll make it a spell they can learn.
2. Sometimes, a spell can be cast using 0 MD. You still need at least 1 MD in order to do it, and it never deals damage. For example Fireball cast with 0 MD would be equivalent to a Summon Flame cantrip. Extrapolate as necessary.
3. Wizards buy spells using this as a general guide. Basic spells go for 10 gold ($1000 in the real world), Advanced spells are 30 gold and you don't buy Emblem spells.

With that, introducing the Heptamancer, Master and Slave of the Seven Souls.

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Lesser Disintegrate, credit Daniel Correia

Heptamancers are a weird, pseudo-priestly bunch. They know what happens when you die. Not the Hesayan drivel of "the pious will be rightfully rewarded" which is pretty much the same as "no comment" for them. They know the what, when, where and why of life and death. You should give the player this whole handout and this one. Some may even know about Shadoom. Some may even know what actually happened. Naturally, most Heptamancy spells are Second Degree Heresy, alongside non-bipedal necrokinetics and spells that result in excessive littering.

The Seven Souls themselves are Mineral, Vegetable, Animal, Purple (Memory), Red (Personality), White (Morality), Blue (Magic). The Mineral and Vegetable souls are your material form and biological structure, and so remain with the body when you die as the Lower Souls. The Animal soul defines your basic instincts and and few of the higher-order biological functions, like breathing when you aren't thinking about it (not digestion). The four Higher Souls of Memory, Personality, Morality and Magic are the ones that go to the afterlife, stick around as ghosts, and eventually even reincarnate.

Several Heptamancer spells and Dooms relate to losing souls. This is a Bad Thing. You might be able to find a spell, demon, angel or other extraplanar being (and they are all the same thing really) willing to act as a replacement, but not for free.

"cladem proclamabit, Bellonaeque canes in praedam immittet" - Havoc, Orc-As-Class v.1

When an immortal creature engages with a challenge, they do so perfectly, ofttimes to the point of self-destructive obsession. When the high elves vanished they left beyond all their creations, including their soldiers. They were designed to be an all-in-one solution to the problem of violence, manipulated by chemical cocktails as needed. Without these, they degenerated. Some managed to interbreed enough to become a functional race, the sturdy, oft-maligned orcs. Rarely is their lust for warfare and brutish temperament caused by anything more than a rough upbringing within their tribes. Their gods have abandoned them. Their champions of old, the purebloods, have all been hunted down and exterminated. The orcs of today are at most half- or even quarter-breeds, diluted, stilted. But sometimes, just sometimes, the bloodlines converge... and a nightmare stalks the lands again. 

Your name has become synonymous with uncontrollable devastation. You will be killed on sight by any civilised race. You are the herald of no army. You are the army.

The HAVOC.

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Yeah. That guy. Credit Chris Wilkinson

ORC-AS-CLASS

Orc racial traits: Reroll Strength. Turn a Major Injury or Save vs Death into a Scar, works once per level. Save vs. Fear when exposed to Divine Magic.

Prerequisites: Must be an orc, at least level 2 and have decapitated an enemy.

A BIRTHRIGHT, COVENANT, +1 Damage

B INVULNERABLE, +1 Damage, +1 Attack

C INDESTRUCTIBLE, +1 Damage


BIRTHRIGHT
You begin to manifest the traits of a Pureblood Orc. Gain one each level. If you take a second trait, increase all your HD by one step. Depending on how obviously Noble these traits are, you are more or less likely to be identified. People don't want to see a Havoc, so don't give them any reason to. If you are recognised, you will be hunted down and killed.

• Serrated horns, d4+STR, increases with age, easily visible from above
• Jutting brow, +1 Defence, struggle with helmets
• Clawed toes, kick for 1d6, can’t wear shoes
• Bulging spine, +1 Strength, increases your height significantly, anyone who has met you a month ago or more will notice
• Second heart, +1 Constitution, anyone that lies with you will run screaming at the doubled beat
• Grey sclera, +1 Dexterity, anyone having a conversation with you might spot them
• Black blood, +1 Save, immediately marks you as Noble

COVENANT
You start with 0 Covenant. You gain a point every time you land a critical hit that kills something. You can choose to automatically hit an Attack by gaining a point. Every sunrise after you have gained at least one point, roll 1d100. If you roll under, you are selected to be destroyed by the gods.

It is possible, albeit unlikely, for you to lose points of Covenant.


INVULNERABLE
You can reroll any Save, Defence or physical check (Str/Con/Dex) by gaining a point of Covenant. You can try this again but the cost doubles each time.


INDESTRUCTIBLE
You can use your racial feature 1/day for a cost of 1 Covenant, alongside the once per level capability. You are really hard to kill.


"Selected to be destroyed by the gods?"

1. Angels. 3HD the first day, +1 each day after that.
2. Lightning strike. 1d6x1d20 damage.
3. A chasm opens beneath you, grasping hands dragging you down to Hell.
4. Launched into space.
5. Wasting disease, 1d2 CON per day.
6. Cursed. Save drops to 1.
7. Gain a mutation 1/day until you explode. Every mutation after CON/2 requires a Save vs. Apotheosis.
8. Your skeleton tries to escape. Probably succeeds as well.
9. Every day at noon, the light of the sun lenses into a single iota of incandescence, centred directly on... you. 6d6 damage at the surface, drops by 1d6 every day straight down you travel.
10. The high elves come to collect you.

"You can tell a lot about an adventurer by the contents of their bag" - Adventurer v.1

...but I don't think that's what you had in mind.

The idea for this class came after I had a single Thief blaze their way through the entire top floor of the Chambers of God (megadungeon-in-progress), only losing a single limb along the way. The vast majority of their progress could be tracked through the various bizarre objects that they collected, used, abused and tossed aside. Their backstory was minimal-to-none, more or less just a jury-rigged explanation for the random extra gear they had available. They were defined less by who they were, and more by what they had on them, who they were with, where they were going, and how big of a splash they made when they got there.

That's what the Adventurer-as-class is all about. They are a blank page, ready to be written on. Also, there aren't enough classes that use Intelligence, so there's that.

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Inventory slots equal to Strength score, credit Brian Shearer

ADVENTURER-AS-CLASS

Starting equipment: two additional random items, leather armour

Skill - The first one that you use

A Practiced Perfection, A Natural, +1 Inventory Slot

B Improvise, d8 HD, +1 Inventory Slot

C Stalwart Companions OR Tinker, +1 Inventory Slot

D Copy Cat, +1 Inventory Slot


Practiced Perfection
Twice per Adventurer template, if you miss a d20 roll by 1, you instead succeed and permanently gain +2 to that type of roll. For example, Attack and Defence are with/against that particular category of weapon, while a Strength check due to lifting something would be seperate from a Strength check while swimming. If you have two or more bonuses in the same category, you can remove one and replace it with a generic bonus i.e. if you have +2 with rapiers and +2 with axes you can sacrifice the axe-bonus for +1 Attack.

A Natural
You start with a random Mindset

Improvise
While you aren't wielding a manufactured weapon, you can ignore one penalty to a dice roll each round. For example, you could ignore the Attack/Defence bonus of an enemy, or a penalty due to being over-encumbered.

Stalwart Companions
Any Hirelings you acquire cost 1g less, and have +1 Morale. Non-combatants will risk their lives to save you, so long as you would do the same for them. Hireling rules - You can have up to 3+CHA retainers before they will start getting in each others way, arguing and generally being useless.

Tinker
When you take something apart, you learn one of the following. You can make an Intelligence check to learn a second one:

• Who made it
• Where it is from
• What it did
• How to put it back together

Copy Cat
When you see someone or something use an ability or special attack, you can make an Intelligence check to Copy it. You can then use that ability with the same limitations and effects. If you Copy something else, you lose access to that ability. Supernatural abilities require a roll under half Intelligence and some appropriate props to recreate. If you are attempting to Copy a spell, you'll need to get your MD from somewhere else. It is bad manners to copy a Capstone ability (Template D) the first time another party member uses it.

"You seek the Holy Grail -- You know much that is hidden, oh Tim" - Paladin v.1

So far this blog has been awash with all manner sin and devilry, what with Skindancers, Hellborn and Warlocks all prancing about sacrificing babies and devouring souls. Well, enough of that. It's time for some good*, honest*, hardworking* and righteous* adventuring with this particular rendition of the Paladin.

We've had Paladins of the Wind and Paladins of the Word, but this is more of a generic spellcasting type, with a few unique* twists of my own. While a Fighter/Knight and Cleric multiclass would be a perfectly viable, there's always room for the questing crusader amongst the ranks of heroic figures exploring ancient ruins. Plus, you can grab golden artefacts, boldly state "This belongs in a museum an abbey!" and trade them in for new spells. 

These paladins haven't been playtested since the onset of my new(ish) hitpoint system**, so some teething issues are liable to show up. I predict them to sit on the low end of the power curve, and if that's the case I'll drop an extra +1 Attack in the first template to match the other martial classes. These Paladins cast spells using their own lifeforce, which is always a dangerous game to play. However, if they've taken damage that day already (see Conviction) they can tally up that damage to use for spellcasting.

A Paladin who has been knocked down to zero hitpoints can, in true dramatic fashion, open a can of spiritual whoop-ass at negligible cost. Without a store of Conviction to work with, Paladins get a tough choice each time they cast a spell: do I take damage right now, or burn HD and keep fighting at at full strength. A cadre of Clerics could totally lay down a continuous avalanche of healing on a Paladin, allowing them to continue spellcasting with little regard for mortal limitations. And that is awesome.

In my opinion... I'm really not sure about how it has turned out. I feel like there's a disconnect between the heroic, quest-going, defender-of-the-people and the mechanics I'm using. The previous version was pretty simple: burn maximum hitpoints to fuel spells. If you've taken damage, then the spells are "free", for now at least. Once again, the image of a low HP Paladin doing the full smiting on a Lich's face is really what I'm aiming for. I'll have to try this out at the table and see how well it works.

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PALADIN

Starting equipment: Sword, chainmail, holy symbol, random spell, a quest

Skill (1d3) - Wandering Judge, Priest, Chosen One

A Doer of Deeds, Conviction, d10 HD

B Strength of Will, Detect Evil, +1 Save, d8 HD

C Stand Tall, By Our Powers Combined, +1 Attack, d8 HD

D Avatar, +1 Save, +1 Luck Point


Doer of Deeds

You learn a spell every time you return a holy/unholy/magical/valuable artifcat to their church. Instead of Magic Dice, you cast spells using your Paladin Hit Dice. When you cast a spell, for each die rolled choose between - taking that much damage, or burn that HD for the day. You recover burnt HD when you rest, but you don’t heal from them.


Conviction

Whenever you take damage, add to your pool of Conviction. Whenever you take spell damage, including your own, you may choose to reduce Conviction first. Conviction resets to zero whenever you take a long rest.


Strength of Will

You can pray instead of eating a ration for lunch. You can spend two points of Conviction for +1 to saves vs. disease.


Detect Evil

You can smell it, “it” being demons, devils, cultists, heretics and the undead. Roll Wisdom for specifics.


Stand Tall

You can remain conscious even with Fatal Wounding. While you stand in defense of the truly deserving, you have CHA-in-6 of healing a Fatal Wound automatically, rather than 1-in-6.


By Our Powers Combined

By praying with them for 10 minutes you can grant one of your spells to an ally. Once they cast it (using their HD) it goes back to you, they can only receive a spell 1/day.


Avatar

You gain three beneficial mutations that represents your calling. Wings, razor-halo, guardian spirits, sanctified liver, armored flesh, golden-flame-spitting eyes, you name it, it’s yours. You’ve earned it. Very large mutations may come with penalties, likely to Stealth or Intelligence.



Spell list

1. Shield of Faith

Gain [sum] temporary hitpoints against a single attack.


2. Blaze of Glory

Takes an action. Your weapon burns with holy fire for [sum] rounds. Sinners or undead must save or catch alight. Save at +4 if higher HD than your level.


3. Smite

Deal +[sum]+[dice] damage after hitting with a weapon.

Optional balance: Ranged attacks work with this spell, but the cost is still paid on a miss.


4. Sanctify

Bring the area around you into the domain of your god for [sum] days, its influence on things inside it is increased. 1HD enemies or less must save to enter.


5. Banishment

Single target must save or vanished for [sum]/2 rounds. Outsiders save again to avoid permanent dismissal. Enemies with higher HD than the caster automatically succeed on second save. Can target diseases, ghosts.


6. Lay on Hands

Heal [sum], or deal [sum]+[dice] damage to any disease or invasive spirit.


7. Sword of Damocles

Charge your weapon with [sum]. To make an attack at bow range, pay 1. To make an attack at anyone within line-of-sight, pay 2.


8. Last Stand

Take [sum] damage, ignoring any that put you into negatives. Immune to damage for [dice] rounds.

Optional balance: You must burn HD to cast this spell.


9. The Call

Pray for 1d4+[dice]-CHA rounds. A [dice]d4 HD angel will appear at the beginning of the next round, here for one task of noble bearing. It’ll probably be pissed afterwards. Low HD angels usually fluoresce rapidly at sea-level.


10. Circle Against Evil

Draw a line [sum] feet long. Undead, Ghosts, Demons of less HD than you cannot cross it until noon. With higher HD, must save with [dice]x2 penalty to cross or do anything on the other side.


11. Ceremony

[sum] targets can join your circle. If they are pious they can use your Save, or a similar boon against the darkness. Lasts until they commit a sin.


12. Crusader’s Mantle

Pray over a symbol of your god for one minute. Anyone who holds it or fights in its defense gains +1 to something of their choice for [sum] minutes.

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*Hahahaha, except not necessarily at all.

**Rather than maximum HP, all characters have a collecting of Hit Dice (HD). These default to d6, but range from d4 (Wizards) to d10 (Barbarians). You can get a max of three. For your first adventure and any time you take a long rest in luxurious*** conditions, roll all of them twice and take the higher. Whenever you take a long rest during an adventure, roll all your HD. If the the new total is lower than your current HP, don't change anything, otherwise you heal up the that amount.

***And luxurious is different for each class. Thieves and Fighters will need a tavern and booze, Wizards will require a library and most likely a bath, while Barbarians definitely need a mead-soaked feast in a longhall. +1 XP to the first player to combine the last two effectively.

"Now they will learn why they fear the night" - Warlock v.1

While Wizard Schools are certainly a viable way to emulate practically any magical domain you can imagine, there's a key defining feature that is shared between all of them: these wizards are the master, rather than the servant. This is where the Warlock comes in.

The Warlock has some of the strongest burst potential of any class. They can Power Cast, Overchannel and mop the floor, but they'll pay for it in blood. They also get to choose their first level spell, a neat trade for the two random spells a Wizard starts with.

While Wizards can buy spells captured in scrolls, Warlocks have to make a deal with the source. Their first spell is also likely to be their master, or at least a senior representative, while their Dooms are the terms and conditions. Doing favors and fulfilling errands for your master will encourage them to introduce you to new spells, but the Warlock will have to conclude a new deal each time. It might be as easy as a blood sacrifice, a small shrine or a particular ritual, or much harder - expect mental stat drains, occult tattoos and bizarre and horrifying conditions.

None of my Wizards get cantrips, and neither do Warlocks. However, I do allow some minor, non-combat usage so long as they have any MD remaining in the tank. Your mileage may vary.

Included with this class are the Devil/Demon*, Fae, and Eldritch pacts. There are, quite frankly, too many additional pacts I've written that I'll be posting later in a sizable lump. This will include a Hexblade, and pacts with the Stars, Forbidden Knowledge and the Forgotten King, as well as anything I cobble together between now and then.

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Credit Jakub Rebelka

WARLOCK

Starting equipment: a Pact, one spell of choice implanted in brain, dagger, bizarre amulet

Skill (1d3): Cultist, Haruspex, History


A Power Casting, Unfortunate Deal, 1MD

B Overchannel, 2MD

C Soul Trade, Ritualist, 3MD

D Audience, Aura, 4MD


Pacts

Your pact determines what spells you can learn, as well as your perks, restrictions, mishaps and eventual doom. Choose what you made it with (1d4): 1. Demon, 2. Devil, 3. Fae, 4. Eldritch. You can use wands and scrolls but only if you bring them under your control first.


Power Casting

1/day, switch a casting die to a 6.


Unfortunate Deal

Your first spell is the same as your patron, or at least an outcropping of them. You can ask them things whenever you like. Every other spell you want to learn you’ll need to a) Meet and b) Appease. Doing nice things for your patron can help with step A, but usually not B.


Overchannel

Take 1d6 damage and add +1 MD to a spell, mishaps and dooms cause another 1d6 damage if you overchannelled.


Soul Trade

Every challenging foe that submits to your patron’s will, grants +1 to your next Charisma roll against any spell. Stacks.


Ritualist

With time, gold, books and blood, you can summon demons/spells. Increase the power with more blood. Save vs. unwelcome attention.


Audience

One free, no strings attached, full on meeting with your patron at a place of your choosing. Use it wisely. This might be a good time to adjust the terms of your deal (i.e. your Doom)


Aura

Your presence corrupts nearby mystical essence. Divine casters must save to cast spells, Wizards must save or mishap, Warlocks know exactly where you are, Sorcerers aren’t sure what all the fuss is about.

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*Why do Devils and Demons both use the same pact? Why not just have one combined Fiend pact? Read this, or for more detail, the original material. Both of them will you treat the same way, and their powers originate from the same source. However, a Devil purchasing your soul in return for some the magical equivalent of a bent penny, is a little like a crooked FBI agent letting out a criminal for a few months. You might commit more crimes, you might implicate more criminals, you might help the agent get things done the agent couldn't do themselves. But of course, you're a mortal, aren't you? Your soul belongs to them**.

Demons just love having minions running around doing their bidding. Well, some of them. Most of them will just eat you, and pick their teeth with your femur. Those that don't would greatly appreciate a couple flesh sacrifices, maybe portals opened to the fresh, tender world above, ancient protective sigils shattered. You know, the usual sort of thing for a demon worshipper.

**Except not quite. I still allow Warlocks to play Psychopomp Roulette, but 50% of the time a representative of their patron shows up no matter what. This representative is immune to all spells that derive from the initial deal, for obvious reasons.

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The spells from the Warlock Pacts have been gleaned from a few different sources:
The Cancermancers of Hungry Joe (Burrowing Bolt, Shrivel, Reverse Gravity, Space Hooks)

Elf Wizards (Beautify, Floral Salvage, Elegant Judgement)

100 Orthodox Spells (None yet, but a couple WIP Pacts use a few of these spells)

The original Wizards document by Arnold Kemp (all other spells, give or take)

"Like someone wearing an Edgar suit" - Skindancer v.1

While this little class might work better as a spell, I'm quite fond of the leveling up mechanic. It's a common enough trope, but this version is based on the novel Touch by Claire North, using the same name as the creatures from the Kingkiller Chronicles. Skindancers will probably spend a lot of their time hunting down and posessing prime physical specimens, interesting bodies and important public figures. This is both excellent and good.

In regards to the prerequisite, my experience system is measured in the single digits, and rewards 1xp for a near death "experience". Thus, becoming a Skindancer requires a fair amount of luck! This idea is based off of Touch, where the first body these 'ghosts' possess are usually the ones that are killing them. For your system, being within 10% of levelling up should be appropriate.

The Church will treat you as some kind of demon or hostile ghost, and rightly so. Once they get a hint of your presence, expect lockdowns and quarantines, searches and questioning. They'll try and force you to jump out of important individuals into a prisoner, but when push comes to shove, they'll be happy to burn you at the stake. Turn Undead and similar spells will deal damage to you, but not your host.

I'm really not sure about "Transmission". I feel like it allows you to break a few of the rules, at considerable risk to yourself, but it just doesn't quite seem to... fit. If a player wants to take a single level in Skindancer then go back to their original class, more power to them. However, if they are more interested in stealing power than making their own, the B template is keyed towards rewarding that playstyle.

If you are a spellcaster, your MD will come with you no questions asked, but your spells will have to be persuaded to make the jump as well. Moving into a hostile wizards or psions brain is not something to be taken lightly!

I haven't had a chance to playtest this yet, but the changes I would be looking out for would probably include:

• Mild penalties when you first inhabit a body
• The host being capable of fighting you for control
• Changes to hitpoints (they aren't solely a physical concept, there are mental elements as well)

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SKINDANCER

Prerequisite: You must be within 1 experience of levelling up, and die in skin contact with someone.

A The Waltz

B Muscle Memory, Transmission


The Waltz

You can switch into the body of any living humanoid through an instant of skin-contact. This requires an unarmed attack roll, and the target can save to pull away at the last moment. You don’t gain any of their memories. Use their physical stats, your mental stats, and average your HP with theirs. The body you leave is stunned for one round, they don’t perceive the passing of time while you are riding them. If they are possessed or their brain contains any spells, you may have to fight them for control


Muscle Memory

If the body you possess has any bonuses to derived stats like Attack, Defense, Stealth, Save etc. you can use them in place of your own.


Transmission

You can try and switch bodies with a ranged attack. If you miss, save or die! If you succeed, you still take 1d6 damage to a random mental stat. In addition, you can choose not to stun your host when you change bodies.

"As it is above, so it is below" - Hellborn v.1

This one was made on request from a particularly good/bad role-player of mine, who drove his new toy directly into the filth. Precisely as planned. The Hellborn takes inspiration from here, obviously, and is in part a reaction to this and all of these.

As you can probably tell just by looking at the size of it, Inheritance is the core ability of this particular race-as-class. You get a free Inheritance once you receive the ability, which usually comprise of a passive and single-use/day ability. Beyond that, they have to be earned: tempting mighty individuals to the depths of sin, or that failing, eating them whole. No, you cannot double dip. 

Depending on which you choose, you'll edge further towards accepting a Demonic heritage, or Diabolical*. Taking abilities are actions marked as Chaotic will shift you towards Demons, while Lawful abilities will be more Devilish. Track the highest HD of any hero, priest or wizard you've destroyed in such a manner. Beating this record grants an extra Inheritance. Once per Hellborn template, you can also sacrifice something that represents your attachment to the mortal realm: your sanity, the knowledge of anything but bloodshed, the desire for children or a warm heath to return to, or even concern for your bodily safety.

Whether Demonic or Diabolical, you'll have a rough time against members of the clergy. That is... until you outweigh them, spiritually. They are likely to receive significant bonuses to their resistance from the situation, any equipment, dousing you in holy water, reciting holy texts/lobbing them at your head, and so forth. Likewise, one should always be sure to devour at least three babies during a priestly monologue. It usually puts them off their stride.

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HELLBORN

Prerequisites: Must be at least level 1, must be a Tiefling or have ruined your soul in some way. If you are a Tiefling, roll 1d6 for fiendish features, rather than 1d4**.

Starting equipment: Weapon of choice, leather armor, unholy sigil (draw this)
Skill (1d3): Haruspex, Undead, Hell

A Corrupted Duality, Inheritance

B Dread Beast OR Infestation

C Pactmaker OR Foulness Incarnate


Corrupted Duality
Depending on how you’ve acted recently, your spiritual signature will resemble that of a Devil (Lawful) or a Demon (Chaotic). If you are a Devil, paladins or clergy of a higher HD than you can Command you. If you are a Demon, then you can be targeted with Turn Undead. If you are a higher HD than them, you can make a Charisma check to reverse all effects.


Inheritance

When you gain the ability, you immediately earn one of the following. Each is usually formatted as (passive | 1/day power). Roll 1d20:

1. Wicked Claw (as dagger | next attack crits)
2. Barbed Tail (as flail | spin attack on adjacent targets)
3. Bat Wings (reduce fall distance by 20ft | as Flight)
4. Glowing Eyes (as flameless torch | as Power Word: Blind)
5. Curling Horns (as axe | hit target must save vs. stun)
6. Poisonous Breath (breath any gas freely | as Cloudkill)
7. Hypnotic Voice (+4 to reasonable Charisma checks | as Suggestion)
8. Toxic Blood (Splashed blood from injuries deals 1d4 damage | create a vial of poison using 1d6 HP)
9. Shark Teeth (1d8 bite + grapple | +damage to your next grapple check)
10. Bestial Form (+1 to relevant stat, Str for bear etc. | as Shapeshift)
11. Metallic Scales (as chainmail | -1d10 damage from attack)
12. Purple Flames (as candle | as necrotic Burning hands)
13. Alluring Visage (+4 to seduction | as Charm)
14. Menacing Aura (+2 Attack against weaker targets | as Fog/Darkness)
15. Heart Puppets (1/day, resurrect all mortal enemies that died in last round, they last 1d20 rounds each)
16. Blasphemy Gland (Immunity and Speak with Disease | as Curse)
17. Bone Spines (as leather, grappling you deals 1d6 damage)
18. Devouring Maw (make a second grapple check to swallow an enemy)
19. Blood Vision (can see heartbeats through walls)
20. Pick your own

There are two ways to gain additional Inheritances. Track the highest HD of any priest, hero or wizard you have Eaten (C) or Tempted to sin (L), beating this grants one Inheritance. Alternatively, you can also Sacrifice a remnant of your vestigial mortality (e.g. -3 to Trauma rolls, no retainer slots, cannot eat food, -2 Defense, lose 2 Skills) for a new Inheritance. Only one sacrifice can be made in this way per Hellborn level.


Dread Beast (C)

You can create a corpse bonfire to summon a denizen of Hell with HD equal to 1/3rd of the total HD of the pile. You take damage equal to 1d4+[bodies]. The fire needs to be hot enough to melt whatever it is you are burning, and the bodies need to be fresh.


Infestation (L)
Target needs to be fully restrained and fail a save. You and all of your equipment merges with their body, while you can choose to either Throttle or Manipulate their inner psyche. Make opposed Charisma checks either way. If you succeed, you either control their body and actions entirely (Throttle) or can cause them to veer towards a particular course of action while still behaving normally (Manipulate). They will not act directly against their interests unless Throttled. You cannot access their memories. While infested they lose one Goodness per day, collapsing into stinking ooze if their Goodness goes below 0.


Pactmaker (L)

You can lend your passives, 1/day powers or anything else you can think of simply by touching a willing target. They lose 1d6 goodness, and you regain triple that in HP. They can use it for as long as you say they can, alongside with any other terms you wish. They can, in turn, offer up traits or abilities of their own. If they break the terms of this agreement, they must save or die, with a +4 bonus if it was unintentional. You cannot prevent this. If you break the terms, you die, no save. Any that make a deal with you are permanently marked with your sigil. It glows while the contract is active, then fades to a gnarled scar afterwards.


Foulness Incarnate (C)

Your touch causes insanity. Your blood breeds corruption. You breathe madness and vomit death. You stand eight feet tall, with bones of black steel and eyes of blazing obsidian. You can rip a grown man’s spirit out and devour the viscera even as he draws breath. You know not shame, restraint, mercy or fear.

• Grappling with you inflicts 1 Trauma
• Being splashed with your blood requires a save vs. Mutation.
• While holding your breath and staring at a target, they must save or have a breakdown until you exhale.
• You can vomit black bile, after preparing for a round. This deals 1d6 damage to you, and deals 3d6 poison damage on a hit, save for half.
• You are immune to fear, but cannot show mercy or restraint.

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*Demons that have been forced to take the shackles of religion are known as Devils, and punish the sinners that arrive in Hell in a much more orderly, Lawful (with a capital L) manner. They are the ones that take on such titles and domains as Gluttony, Pride, Leaving the Toilet-Seat Up, Talking Loudly in the Theatre etc. etc. Demons have very little time for that, what with their day usually being taken up devouring one another.

**The tiefling racial feature in my setup is: Gain 1d4 of horns, cat eyes, scaly skin, tail. Rerolling with 1d6 will grant extra, and may need a few double-ups.

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves" - Druid v.1

A couple design goals: Standard spellcasting is only accessible from level 3 onwards. Equipment is far less important than hunting down and subduing rare creatures, and possibly eating them. The vast majority of their abilities are built around modifying their core power, Shapeshifting.

It's had a modest level of playtesting inflicted on it. A whole bunch of it's underlying inspiration comes from here, the Druid from Dungeon World, and for the "Archdruid" ability, this.

Like I attempt with most of my offerings, this class is aimed towards emulating non-level advancement. In summary, detaching some character advancement from the level system has a bunch of positive effects. For the druid, you are encouraged to explore beyond your home forest and hone your abilities by wrestling wild animals (to learn new forms), while setting fire to the occasional windmill (to learn new spells). All good things.

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DRUID

Starting equipment: belt, tooth dagger, no shoes

Skill (1d3): Arson, Jailbreaking, History


A Shapeshifter, Primal Tongue, 1MD

B Modify Form, Brutal Casting, 2MD, +1 HP

C Sacrifice, 3MD

D Archdruid, 4MD

Shapeshifter

Learn a new animal form by subduing a live one with your bear hands, eating one raw that you’ve killed, or other forms. Start with a random one form (1d8): Bird, Wolf, Cat, Goat, Donkey, Monkey, Crab, Snake. Unnatural creatures require a save vs. mishap when you become them.

Cast each form as a spell. Equipment not included, size limited by [dice]. 1 MD - smaller than a person, 2 MD - smaller than a horse, 3 MD - smaller than a cart, 4 MD - smaller than a house. Gain bonus hitpoints = [sum], but lose 1 every hour. When the bonus HP are gone, you revert back to human form.

Each animal form usually comes with an attack, a buff, a passive and an ability costing 1HP. You won’t be able to speak. 

Primal Tongue

Speak with Animals at will, but they probably won’t want to talk to you. Filthy human. You don't need to do anything more than grunt to get your message across.

Modify Form

You can increase or decrease the size of the animal you turn into, maximum of one step. When you take damage, you can choose which pool of HP takes it.


Brutal Casting

If you roll a Mishap, add +3 to [sum]. Dooms add +6 to [sum].


Sacrifice

You can learn spells in a few different ways:

• Burning something civilised that is more important than the last time. 
• Eating another druid. 
• Making a deal with a spell directly .
• Silence, oaths first, then sliced tongues. 
• Burn a spellbook. 

These can be standard spells, single use effects, personal abilities, new animal forms or somewhere in between. Depending on what you want, you may need to combine a few of these.

While this might seem pitiful for a third template ability, acquiring spells is one of the greatest challenges for (my version of) spellcasters. Only Sorcerers have spells tied directly to level progression, and they pay a large price for it. No spell list accompanies this ability. This is intentional.


Archdruid

You can change between forms without becoming human first. For every 5 HP you have in your current form, add a free MD. You need at least one MD in order to cast.



Mishaps:

1. 1 trauma 
2. 1d6 damage (before transforming)
3. Mutation 1d6 rounds, save or permanent 
4. Roll Wis to act against bestial urges, 2d6 rounds exploding on 6. 
5. Random form 
6. Take maximum damage from metal weapons for the rest of the day 

Doom:

1. Shapeshift into the form you most commonly take, and you forget all former ties and languages. This state lasts for a day.
2. As above for three days 
3. As above, permanent. If anyone from your former life has done you a truly good turn, you may appear to help them once, in a time of need, before vanishing forever.

Animal Forms

Bird - Peck (1d4), +2 Defense while flying, Twitter (-1 HP, recruit nearby birds or be roughly understood by target humanoid)

Wolf - Bite (1d6+STR), Defense as leather, +1 Attack to self and adjacent allies, Pounce (-1 HP, automatically succeed next grapple check)

Cat - Claw (1d4+DEX), +1 Defense, +4 Move, Lucidum (-1 HP, spot something hidden)

Goat - Horns (1d8+STR), +4 to shoving, horns count as a shield, Charge (-1 HP, target is knocked back/prone if it fails a Strength check)

Donkey - Kick (1d6+STR), +50% inventory, Mulish (-1 HP, can retry any save or Strength check)

Monkey - Paw (can use weapons), +2 Move, tail counts as a third hand, Sly (-1 HP, open your paw to reveal something you could have stolen in the last minute. Target can save to realise)

Crab - Pinch (1d4), half damage from piercing/slashing, Scuttle (-1 HP, remove self from scene, reappear somewhere plausible)

Snake - Fangs (1d6), can attack from grapples, Venom (-1 HP, next attack is poisoned)

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As I get more time to playtest my classes I'll be sure to come back with a v.2. Until then, please take everything with a bag of salt. If anyone takes it upon themselves to try this out, I bid them good luck, and would be delighted by any (de)constructive feedback!