Dawn War Remix: Avandra

 

4e has a warm place in my heart, though when I played it I railed continually against it. The dawn war pantheon in particular I find to be so generic that they wrap back around to being interesting. Some other people on the glog server also noticed this, and have been making some interpretations of the gods into their more odd style. So I thought I might.

Many-Faced Avandra, Opener of Ways, is the god of the roads. She is an interloper among the gods. Many believe that she walked into heaven, though few can ever agree where she walked there from. Many people also believe that she walked straight back out. She is the god of the foreigner, merchant and refugee and army. And she is distinctly abroad. Put her on your encounter tables.

The Peregrine God is worshiped by pretty much everyone in a token way, but some dedicate themselves to her. They are called Way-Priests. Some maintain the roads themselves, other maintain wayside shrine-inns (one room is always reserved. Other rooms might be taken by travelers, fairies, and angels.), others parade idols for miles and miles. The most sacred sacrament of Avandra is the Seek. The seeker makes a sacrifice of blood, and declares what they must find, and thenceforth can have neither home nor death till they have found it. No one makes a Seek lightly, because all know the legends of the tortured ascetic heroes, awful monsters, and legendary questants that Seekers have become.

Some wizards say that the Seek is far older than Avandra, that it led to her godhood, and that she is still seeking something. Others say that Avandra was never a mortal, that she entered this world from some secret direction that no one has yet discovered, that she was something no one has yet named. Yet others say she was a god in a world that ended, and fled its destruction. She has heard all these rumors. They make her laugh.

d20 Masks of the Peregrine God

1. Albatross

2. Old Crone

3. Young Boy on his way to ADVENTURE

4. Wolf

5. Sword-distributing maiden

6. Way-Priest

7. Merchant with Unusual Wares

8. Kord (She thinks this is hilarious, and does a very bad impression)

9. Deer

10. Huntress with Deer Horns

11. Pervasive fog that gets you lost (in the right direction)

12. Will-o-wisp

13. Crossroads Idol (if you stick around it for long enough, she'll get tired and vanish)

14. Runaway Princess

15. Beggar

16. Talking Bird

17. Boisterous Ronin

18. Lost Child

19. Very Large Centipede

20. Unicorn and/or Pegasus

d6 Intentions

1. Mess with you. Following her advice makes any journey twice as long.

2. Bless you, if she thinks you'll need it, with some fairytale boon.

3. Walk and talk with you for a while.

4. Inform you of some nearby quest that she thinks needs taking care of.

5. Roleplay. She honestly just wants to hunt, or merchant, or adventure for a while.

6. Speed your journey up. Following her advice makes any journey half as long.

 We're gonna pretend this counts for the "Patrons: their source of power/wealth and their goals in using the party." GLoGtober prompt.

Fifth Fantasy, Rules and Setting Introduction

(open for full size)

(Posted for GLoGtober 2024 prompt: Anime Inspired Content)

For a while, I've been working on a game I call Fifth Fantasy. It's part of my lifelong love affair with the generic. It is my personal belief that generic fantasy can be quite as good as gonzo fantasy when pursued with a genuine love. The system, if you can bear it, is a hack of Fifth Edition D&D, though I think it has become almost unrecognizable. My rationale for doing this is simple: I should like to be able to call my games "D&D games" and mean it.

It is vaguely inspired by Zelda, Ni no Kuni, and various JRPGs that I've never played. Being, of course, the last person on earth to make a Ghibli-Zelda Heartbreaker, I have no pretensions of it being the best. It is merely mine. I have placed an emphasis on crafting and downtime, which I think to be almost novel and almost playable. The ruleset is not yet complete: I have yet to finish writing all the spells, and I plan to overhaul the Fighter. But I have a desire to release it as it stands.

Click on that little gif to see it.

Setting Primer

Thousands of years ago, men were not like they are now. Their lives were long, and they knew secret arts of magic and the sword that let them reshape the world as they saw fit. We now call those men gods, although they are all but forgotten to us.

500 years ago, the Dark Lord set up his domain in the north, inflicting tyranny and curses for 300 years, before being brought low by his own people in alliance with the people of the east.

100 years ago, the wizard Destrian the Sudden conquered the lands to the south of the central mountain. He built great monuments in order to increase his power, but was eventually exploded by Forthwind the First, Oswald LaMarque, Desdemona the Sorceress, and Clover the Thief. A brief power struggle with Destrian's general, Redmaine, led to the establishment of the Forthwind Kingdom. At this time, also, the Shadow Wizard Council was organized in the north.

50 years ago, Forthwind the First died, and was succeeded by his son. The dragon of the Darkmarsh retreated to his lair. Trade was established with the Eastern Forest.

5 years ago, the storm dragon Akryus came to the central mountains, and began gorging himself on the lightning energy left by Destrian.

1 year ago, the storm dragon began to (excrete? build? spawn?) legions of storm elementals and thundarmors, which thereafter began to decimate the north of the kingdom, and provoking the dragon of the Darkmarsh to wakefulness.

Now, King Forthwind II has declared that whosoever kills the storm dragon shall possess half the kingdom.

 

Fifth fantasy takes place in a world where a year is 4 months long, and a month is 15 days long. A kingdom might consist of 4 towns, and a town might consist of 4 buildings. The world is suffused with the elements of magic: Fire, Ice, Storm, Light, and Dark. These elements permeate into the very stones and bones, and those who are skilled can turn these into powerful weapons and tools. But these elements may also create monsters that menace the land. Therefore, adventurers must go forth into the wild places to protect the people and bring back riches.

The Five Kingdoms

The centermost kingdom, the frontier of the Great Forest, the great kingdom of Adventure, the Forthwind kingdom! Rural and ruined, it is a place of opportunity for all. The king is wise, but rather busy, and the prince is foolish. Dungeons are more common here than elsewhere, built by the old stormlord. Cuisine is wild game and farmed wheat.

Minaterno, the city of the sea, is the cultured port of the world, the crossroads of all places! Ruled by 5 noble families, or, more accurately, by their feuds and intrigues. Rivalry is here considered a form of romance, and cunning is a form of virtue. They love noodles, and harvest wild rice from the darkmarsh, and have a lot of spice.

The Black Axis, called the city of slaves, where shadows grow long and secrets are thick. Despite its nickname, slavery has long been illegal, and they practice a form of representative government, headed by the Shadow Wizard Council. The abundance of Dark aligned materials left by their ancient lord still provides the basis of their economy, and they have the greatest school for mages in the world. Their food is somewhat bland: Mushrooms, Potatoes, Eel, and Whale.

The Eastern Forest is a place dominated by serenity and beauty. This domination is literal: some enchantment seems to lie on the whole domain, and it is hard to break. Decisiveness is valued: To break the peace when necessary, with swiftness and grace. There is a different tradition of mages there, sorted into colors: Red, Blue, Black, White. Their queen is secluded always. They are vegetarian, eating leeks and beans.

The Islands of the Crimson Demons is a place that is suffused with magic and exceedingly dangerous. The eponymous Crimson Demons are the ancient and capricious clan of sorcerer-pirates that have been the only ones to effectively stake a claim on any of the islands, and they have only cleared a small village, ruled by the Elder Demon. They trade often with Minaterno, but rove far and raid occasionally. Culturally, they are similar to Minaterno, but with a greater love of spectacle and less regard for tradition.

 

Not RPG: Palm Sunday 2024

When comes that happy end, O Lord our God!
Your glory rains as blizzard-snow around!
Those feet that on the palms and nails have trod
shall tread the crystal crowns laid on the ground!

The city-song of triumph, loud, shall pale
before the angels sing the silent-song
and cloaks of many colors spread shall fail
below the snow-white tunics, cleansed of wrong

How shall this dirty spring of earth compare,
the dying blooms, e'en of the world in prime?
The glory of the coming summer where
We see the sun's orig'nal shine, sublime!

Have a happy (albeit snowy) Palm Sunday, everyone.

GLoGtober 2.1: Castles in the Air (Hypogeum)

 

Its GLoGtober once again, and though I pretty much missed last year, I thought I'd return to form with some Hypogeum-posting. The prompt this time is "Atlantis-type situation but in reverse. It goes up instead of down."

Angels (also called Harpies, or simply the Winged People) are a race generally considered legendary in the Hypogeum. It is said they have wings rather than arms, and live in floating cities obscured by the haze of the upper reaches. Which is rather preposterous, isn't it? If humans developed wings, they could never use them to fly. They're too heavy! And floating cities? How would they navigate the narrow archways and passages that connect caverns?

Nevertheless, they are real.

(Spoilers ahead)

Angels are a race of sorcerers. Magic doesn't run in their blood, however. It runs in their feathers. Angel feathers are uniquely adapted to collect and store ambient magic. However, they use this great power rarely. This is because, without it, they would fall out of the sky.

Magic, as everyone knows, is a pervasive gas which tends to collect in liquids or crystals, suspended like the carbonation in a soda. Contrary to this force of suspension, magic is much lighter than air. This is why angels can fly, and why powerful sorcerers are such whimsical assholes: they take themselves lightly.

Because their wings collect magic, frequent flight actually makes it easier to fly, rather than tiring them out. However, an excess of magic in their wings can be rather uncomfortable in daily life (rather like being constantly tugged by your lapels). Since water can easily take up magic, it is easy to wash off, and produces quite potent magic potions. When they are flying, the water condensation on their wings often drops to the ground as droplets, often incorrectly called Angel Tears. When they are at rest, they save these magic potions for a different purpose.

The cities of the angels are diverse. However, contrary to popular belief, they are seldom monolithic structures. But they tend to have this in common: like the angels, they float by magic. Most angelic cities are aggregate structures, with each building or household being held aloft by its own means, and tied to other buildings by ropes. The means by which they hold magic vary: some employ balloons, while others are built around highly thaumiferous plants or minerals. The maintenance of these means is the main use of angel tears among angels themselves.

Rarely, lone angels or solitary clans will build their homes on large aerial darkbeasts. Though this often prevents them from joining a larger angelic city, it is generally agreed to be sick as hell.

The aggregate and modular nature of most angelic cities explains the conundrum of travel. When they wish to enter another great chamber in the hypogeum, they simply lead their buildings through whatever passages are necessary in single file. As well, it is entirely possible for certain buildings to break off and gradually reassemble a city-of-theseus elsewhere.

The extreme concentration of magic in their society obviously makes them targets for ambitious sorcerers and agents of the dragon. This is the reason for their extreme isolationism and nomadic lifestyle.

For thrice ten thousand dwell on mother earth, Immortal (GloG: More gods for Adventurers)

 

The Twins (the Lovers, the Protectors of the Universe, the Wanderers)

A pair of messenger gods, male and female, who are probably not the same creature. They are considered subservient deities, receiving their power from many other gods. They are widely worshiped, yet have no cult-center. Being always moving, it is considered that one may worship them anywhere and receive their favor anywhere (albeit infrequently). They are thought of as intercessors, gift-givers, and patrons of humanity in general (as opposed to particular city states). It is said they invented mail, Angels, and bees.

(Digression on Angels: lower-case "a" angels, also called daemons, are spirits, animals, and minor gods in the employ of a god. They deliver messages and miracles (and MD) to people. They can generally look like anything. Upper-case "A" Angels are those guys with wings. They are also spirits, and mostly serve as lower-case "a" angels, but they have a union. Some Angels were once mortal).

The Twins are symbolized by Feathers, Mirrors, Eyes, Halos, Scales (both senses), and Honey

If you make an offering to the Twins by one of their shrines, there is a 4-in-6 chance each day that it will be taken by an angel to them, leaving in return an MD. If you try to make them your patron gods without actually offering to them in person, there is a 3-in-6 chance your offering gets eaten by one of their angels instead. The Twins know the following spells:

1. Cure Wounds
2. Featherfall
3. Message
4. Light
5. Paper Automaton
6. Mirror Image
7. Master Ludwig's Guiding Lights
8. Speak with Birds
9. Control Air
10. Grow Wings
11. Elegant Judgement
12. Resurrection

An Angel of the Twins knows (1d3)d4 of these spells, rolled with d12.

Laras-Ep-Korash (the Wise, the Opener of Ways, the Architect)

Laras-Ep-Korash is in many ways a typical god. He was a sphinx, deified in the city now bearing his name. He was a rather lawful creature before his deification, and so he remains. But as much as he loves laws, he loves loopholes, and as much as he loves riddles, he loves when they are solved. As such, he's rather fond of adventurers, even of a chaotic type, and especially wizards. He's considered the patron of several secret societies, both of wizards and of lawyers.

He is symbolized by Keys, Rams (both senses), and Floating Stone. He really enjoys long and repetitive poems praising him.

Laras-Ep-Korash has 7 MD. However, 4 MD are normally spent on various patronages. He has the following spells:

1. Lock
2. Knock
3. Deflect Spell
4. Orbiting Spikes
5. Wizard Vision
6. Wall of Stone
7. Track Leylines
8. Death Ward

Avikal (The Champion, The Nail-Driver, The Sudden)

Avikal is a hero, as well as a god. He was born, it is said, by the Father of Winds and Rains, and certainly has something of a meteoric nature. He blessed the city of Gorable with his patronage, but roves far and wide slaying monsters, and imprisoning those he can't slay. He was the one who imprisoned Pysoloth beneath Charpysos with his Lightning Stakes. There's a festival every year where people reenact his various conquests (both senses) in pantomime, often against papier-mache monsters (which might even be more gruesome than the originals).

He is symbolized by Nails (and consequently Hammers), Borders, Fur, and Dry Lightning.

Avikal has 6 MD and gives them out rarely to really cool people. He knows the following spells:

1. Hold Person
2. Geld Animal
3. Mighty Thews
4. Imprison
5. Magic Weapon
   
6. Lightning Bolt
   

Lest Thou Be Filled Therewith (GLoG: Wizard) + d6x7 Sandwiches

Confection Wizard

Starting Equipment: Chef hat but it has a wizard brim, wooden spoon
Perk: Advantage on reaction for children and nobles
Drawback: Effects can be dispelled by water
Cantrips:

• Conjure a handful of sparkly sugar-substitute. No calories. If you throw this at someone, its about as effective as sand.
• Spend 10 minutes running your hands over your clothing to remove any stains or dirt.
• Taste a food to learn how long ago it was created, and get an impression of its creator

Spells: 

1. Crystallize
2. Summon Candles (see Here)
   
3. Steel to Spun Sugar
4. Rock Candy Regalia
5. Candycane of Thalia
6. Savorous Sweets
7. Gingerbread House
8. Summon Marshmallow
9. Cottoncandy Web (as Entangling Web)
   
10. Become Delicious (see Here)
    
11. Chocolate Replica
12. Let Them Eat Cake

Crystalize
R: 60' T: Creature or Object D: Instant
Target takes [Sum] damage. Plants or other especially sugary creatures take twice as much. Sugar will drop out of solutions, and rations will be candied. By default, this crystalizes sugar, but with 2 dice you can target salt, and with 3+ you can target more esoteric compounds.

Rock Candy Regalia
R: Touch T: Creature D: [dice] Hours
Target is bedecked in crystalline jewelry and fondant in the form of an elaborate formal costume. They gain +1 AC and are sufficiently dressed for a ball. (The transformation is pretty much just like Cinderella)

Candycane of Thalia
R: 30' T: Creature or Object D: Instant
A giant candycane grabs the target and drags them [highest]*5' (maximum) in any direction and path. It has a strength of 18. If the target is small and without anything to hook onto, it only can drag them half that distance.

Savorous Sweets
R: Touch T: N/A D: 1 Minute
[dice] magic, dice-shaped candies are summoned in the caster's hand. They each heal whatever number was displayed on the die when eaten.

Gingerbread House
R: Touch T: Special D: 8 Hours
A fully furnished gingerbread house of up to [dice]*100 Square Feet is constructed over the course of the next 10 minutes by Elves (the chill kind, not those other bastards). Obviously not effective for rain, but very good for winds and snows. Also counts as rations! Can't be constructed to overlap with things too big for it to contain (e.g. pillars or trees). Also, the elves can be rather skittish, and have a morale of 6+[highest]. They'll resume work when danger is gone. If [sum] is more than 12, it is permanent (though not imperishable).

Summon Marshmallow
R: 60' T: [dice]*10' diameter D: 1 Minute
A giant marshmallow explodes into existence with a muffled Fwumph. Creatures in the diameter are flung comically away, traveling 5 feet beyond the circumference of the marshmallow. Can be cast in reaction to falling. Highly flammable.

Chocolate Replica
R: Touch T: A sufficient amount of chocolate D: [dice] hours
Over the course of a minute, you shape the chocolate into a shocking lifelike simulacrum of whatever object you desire. For the duration, the chocolate behaves as that object would behave. For instance, a chocolate cart could haul loads that would normally break the weaker material, or a chocolate sword would be sharp enough to deal damage. When cast with more than 3 Dice, this can include being animate and mimicking sentience (though, creatures made with this spell have an eerie, permanent smile). If attacked, the replica has [highest] HP, no AC, and cannot attack. At the end of the duration, the replica becomes a mundane, though still very lifelike, chocolate statue.

Let Them Eat Cake
R: 200' T: [sum]*10 creatures in range D: Instant
A Small, Delicious cake in a flavor appealing to the individual appears in front of each creature in a small burst of confetti, hovering until they grab it. This cake counts as a single ration.

Mishaps:
1. MD only return to your pool on a 1-2 for 24 hours
2. Take 1d6 damage
3. Random mutation for 1d6 rounds, then Save. Permanent if you fail.
4. Lose sense of taste for 1d6 days. This includes aesthetic taste (though you probably didn't have that anyway).
5. Overcome by a Bitter-Sourness for 1d6 rounds (its like a Warhead mixed with Black Tea)
6. Require [highest] additional rations, or [highest]/2 rations with considerable sugar content.

Dooms:
1. You become made of sugar for an hour.
2. You become made of sugar for a day.
3. You are permanently made of sugar

Extra: d6x7 Sandwiches

What is Above is What is Below (GLoG: Wizard)

 

Mage of Pacci (Single Template)

You've studied under the tutelage, or the tomes, of that eccentric wizard Pacci. Among wizards, he alone was simple: the man liked to flip things upside-down. The teachings of Pacci can be learned within a week, but can only be applied through leveling up personal growth.

This template counts as if you had advanced (or started) in a wizard class. However, when you would gain spells from your wizard class, you gain 1 less than normal, and gain the spell Pacci's Inversion instead.

Pacci's Inversion
R: Line of Sight T: Creature or Object D: Instant
Target is picked up and flipped upside-down by some golden sparkles. This spell can target a [dice] HD creature, or an object sized up to: human-sized, ogre-sized, house-sized, tavern-sized

If you take this as your first wizard template, you gain any other spells from the Orthodox Spell List.
You also gain the following cantrips:
1. Move a light object with a wave of your finger. You could cause a coin to roll along the ground or turn the pages of a book, but you couldn't open a door or lift a stone.
2. Flick something within 30'. Cannot deal damage, but can knock over a coin or make a faint noise.
3. Enchant a hole or divot to act as a springboard. Increases one jump by 5'. Can spend dice as a spell to increase the jump by [dice]*10'. This technically counts as a casting of Pacci's Inversion

You gain no perks or drawbacks as a Mage of Pacci, but you might gain some when you learn another wizard school. Each template of another school that you take can replace one Mage of Pacci cantrip.

Stolen shamelessly from Zelda.