Tuesday, March 11, 2025

What A Woman Knows (GLoG Chassis: Witch)

You walk the line between two worlds, and have created something new in its wake. Artisans fear you, for you collude with forces that cannot be fully understood, and it in turn despises your brazenness. You are both mentor and student, caregiver and warrior.

You are a Witch, with all that entails. 

https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/019/903/640/large/liu-shane-asset.jpg?1565518006
For more information: part 1, part 2 (part 3 is available, but in desperate need of a re-write)
Art by Zhang Shu
THE WITCH
Mystic (d6 HP d4 ST)
+1 Magic Dice per Template
Starting Skill: 1) Botany 2) Literature 3) Woodcarving 4) Knotcraft 5) Alchemy 6) Horticulture
Starting Equipment: Per witch coven. In addition, gain a big hat, a gown with a removable skirt, a satchel bag (four slots), & two Tools of the Trade.
-----
A – Witch's Craft
B – Hybrid Tutelage, Study Group
C – Step of the Flock, +1 Hex
D – This Too Shall Pass
+
Δ – Mother's Love 
Δ – Ugly Superstition

Witch's Craft

Hexes

Your Magic Dice is a d4. These are returned to your dice pool on a roll of 1-2, and are expended on a roll of 3-4.

As you gain templates in this class, you learn Hexes. Hexes are minor charms & curses which require your Magic Dice to function. Unlike traditional spells, any MD invested into a hex are immediately returned once their effects end—usually when the duration elapsesunless the target of your hex is destroyed or killed, in which case they are expended. You can have as many hexes active at one time as you have Witch levels.

You gain two hexes when you take your first template in this class. For a comprehensive list of hexes available to all Witches, see the list at the bottom of the page.

While wearing your big hat, you can cast hexes as if you invested +1 MD, though this will cause most people to immediately identify you as a Witch.

Invocations 

As a Witch, you also gain the right to participate in Invocations—exceptionally powerful curses. You don't know any Invocations when you become a Witch, but your Coven may teach you their signature curse, and you might be able to find them (as well as new hexes) in other places...

Coven

A Witch gains its spell list, as well as additional features, through their chosen Coven. The list of currently available covens for this chassis can be found below:

  1. Colorful Witches (links to come)
  2. Blood Witches
  3. Tide Witches
  4. Lead Witches
Hybrid Tutelage

Your spell-casting falls under scrutiny for stepping between the dual worlds, but this freedom can be used to your advantage. Whenever you cast a spell that returns one or more of your MD, fill that many Memory Slots with Temerity. You can also fill memory slots with Serenity by converting Temerity you possess over the course of a respite (short rest). 

Should either of these resources exceed your Witch level, you become Unbalanced. In this state, you must consume either Temerity or Serenity in order to cast spells, and doing so harms youone Hit Point & one Strain per slot, respectively. However, you add +X to the [sum] of your MD rolls for each slot of Temerity you consume, and +X to the [dice] of your MD rolls for each slot of Serenity.

[note: You have ten memory slots, which function like inventory slots. Spells go here, as well as new languages, curses, and other nastyor beneficialeffects. Strain is, similarly, a psychological companion to HP. Your hexes, like cantrips, don't take up slots.]

You remain Unbalanced until these totals no longer exceed your Witch level, though you needn't consume the resource at fault. You lose all of your Temerity & Serenity when you finish a long rest.

Some Witch spells are vulnerable to the presence of Temerity and Serenity in your mind, and can be modified by inserting them into the slot. This prevents you from losing that resource until the inserted spell is cast, after which it dissipates.

Study Group

While engaged in downtime activity, you have an additional X-in-6 chance of learning a rumor, where X equals the number of Witches involved in the same activity. Visiting a coven grants you a rumor automatically—though as a wandering girl, you may be obliged to perform some task that they cannot.

Step of the Flock

While traveling in a group, your identity cannot be identified through mundane means. Additionally, your party gains +1 Stealth for each character present with Witch templates.

This Too Shall Pass

Once per day, if a spell you cast while Unbalanced would deal damage or strain to you, you may ignore it. If another Unbalanced Witch would take damage in this way, you may use this feature to take it instead.

Trust In The Goodly Moon
'Frpth' by Marina Krivenko
Δ - Mother's Love
Rescue three mundane womwn from certain danger, offer them the necessities, then provide them with an acceptable new lifestyle.

You may adopt a hireling into your coven given a month of downtime, after which they become a Witch A. You can train any number of witches, but only [# of Witch templates] may travel with you at one time.

Δ - Ugly Superstition
Become unbalanced in both the Occult and Primeval doctrines—spend a season in this state.

Save vs Mutation, with a +1 bonus for each Witch template you possess. On a success, gain the Druid A template and choose an inserted spell: that spell is added to your Coincidence table. On a failure, you are cursed by the green door and begin your transformation into a Hag.

 [note: While a lot easier to achieve at low levels, you put yourself at risk of Hagdom—a death sentence for fledgling Witches. Matrons and experienced Witches, however, have much higher chances of success, although they must seek out other means if they wish to store all of the necessary spells inside of their head.]


I love the headless vulture in this one
Art by Aleksander Brodzinski

Witch's Hexes

Hex: Call
R: touch T: a poppet, totem, or figurine you've crafted (1 hour) D: until slain
You perform a ritual which invites spirits to inhabit your offered vessel, and something has taken root. The familiar's form is small and resembles an animal of your choosing, which needn't fit the vessel used, although the process of transmogrification introduces certain complications. It is friendly and helpful to you in every way it can. Unlike an Artisan's pet, it doesn't need to be persuaded to do things.

Your familiar can be instantly killed by a sword strike. For every magic die invested after the first, they gain one of the following benefits:
  • Your familiar can fly, swim, and climb uneven terrain, if it couldn't before. It does not need wings to fly, nor does it require air to breathe.
  • Your familiar gains two inventory slots, which also serve as memory slots. Items placed within these slots can be accessed by others using a password.
  • You can see and hear through your familiar's senses, so long as you are within one mile of each other. Your own senses are muffled while doing so.
Hex: Evil Eye
R: long T: a living creature D: ten minutes
You lock eyes with another and burn your gaze into their mind. You can always see a vague outline of your target, even through obstructions such as smoke or trees, but they can see you in the same manner. This penetration is stopped by a foot of stone. For every MD invested after the first, you gain one of the following benefits:
  • The afterimage is blinding—both characters have -1 Save for the duration.
  • Your visual effects are tripled, allowing you to see through 3 feet of stone or an inch of lead.
  • A red-hot phosphene of your inner face flashes across their vision. Target must Save vs. Fear. Replaces normal effect, unless you invest in multiple benefits.
  • Flickering spirits form a trail towards the target, which lasts for the duration. If the target moves away from you, the trail follows their movements exactly, even when out of sight.
 Hex: Fly
R: touch T: a broomstick, cushion, or chair (1 hour) D: until slain
You inscribe runes into a seat and invite spirits to inhabit it. The enchanted object floats a foot off the ground, remaining adjacent to you at all times unless it is placed somewhere, in which case it stays put until retrieved. The object can support the weight of you and your carried equipment, but refuses to carry much else. For every MD invested after the first, you gain one of the following benefits:
  • You may speak a command word to call the object to you, which it does so long as it is within shouting range. This command can also be used to deactivate its flight, turning it into a mundane object or back at will.
  • The object will now (begrudgingly) carry an additional passenger, so long as they are no bigger than yourself. 
  • You can now engage in limited bouts of true flight. Pointing and speaking a command word will cause the object to fly you to a location that you can see, where it will remain until you either dismount or make another command. Every third time you do this, Save vs. Destruction or the object breaks—only once you're safely dismounted.
  • Your movement speed is tripled when sprinting while mounted.
Hex: Seal
R: short T: a small object D: until dispelled
A one-handed object that you can see (a sword, book, or wine bottle) is sealed shut. Creatures struggle to open (or unsheathe) the object, and must use their action to successfully release the hex. The first X attempts automatically fail, where X equals the number of MD invested after the first.

Hex: Shroud
R: touch T: self (1 hour) D: one hour
You meticulously apply a glamour to your body, disguising yourself as a medium-sized animal whose heart, eyes, and stomach you have consumed before. The guise falls apart if you take damage or fall unconscious. For every MD invested after the first, you gain one of the following benefits:
  • You may speak normally while disguised.
  • While standing still, you can remove your arms and legs from under the glamour, allowing you to interact with objects or cast spells.
  • Taking damage no longer ruins the glamour. You gain a bite or claw attack that deals 1d8 damage.
  • You gain five additional hit points while disguised.
Fear The Hound Who Speaks In Threes
'Shape on the Stairs' by Dappermouth


Tools Of The Trade

  1. Witch's Hammer. A square-headed mallet, adorned with runic symbols. Twice per day, you can crush a small object (such as a mug, stone, or coin purse) to break it into its constituent parts. Larger hammers can separate bigger objects.
  2. Skeelo Whistle. This reed whistle gives off an eerie shrill when blown. Upon use, any familiars within earshot must Save vs Paralysis. If used for longer than a few seconds, the whistle falls apart, and affected familiars gain a favor against their master.
  3. Mimicry Kit. This collection of pelts, dyes and concoctions cover a menagerie of beasts. As part of a 1-hour ritual, you can disguise yourself as a Deer or Owl (or an equivalent) without investing any MD, and the glamour lasts four hours. If you possess the Shroud hex, you may invest MD to gain benefits as listed. One slot.
  4. Pixie Flytrap. Not as bad as it sounds; a catch-and-release system for nature spirits. +2 MD, but can only be spent on your hexes, and are expended upon use until a Long Rest. Two slots.
  5. Burial Urn. About the size of a wine bottle. Anything kept inside won't rot, although it will slowly dry up. One slot.
  6. Cauldron. Doubles as a cooking pot, so long as you remember to clean it out beforehand. Comes with some neat wheels, otherwise two slots.
  7. Bag of Bones. Knucklebones, specifically. These have been whittled into something fierce, allowing for their use as caltrops, as well as whatever else bones are used for.
  8. Bronze Broomstick. Once per day, you may speak a command word and fly to a location that you can see. If you possess the Fly hex, this does not count towards your three uses before needing to make a Save. Usable as a blunt object in a pinch. Two slots.
  9. Talisman. Protects you from one source of Strain before becoming inert. Activates automatically, unless you decide not to use it—suit yourself! Two to a bundle, one slot.
  10. Tea Set. Great for lunch time. Includes four cups, as well as appropriate dining ware.
  11. Ritual Dagger. Sharp as a line, about as thin as one. +1 damage. One slot.
  12. Bag of Salt. Good for ghosts, apparently. Can be used in ritual circles, recipes, and for throwing in someone's eyes. Ten doses, one slot.

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Fighting Man (Classis: FIghter)

Writing this quickly for the pseudo-real system that exists in my head—apologies if my next few class posts are incomprehensible for your preferred elf-game. Generic setting dress (for now) to get a handle on what my design philosophies are.

Thanks again to Numbers Aren't Real (and some of Arnold's OG fighter) for making such excellent content to steal borrow from. I'll slowly start weaning off of your teet, I promise.

Chassis Shenanigans

You are a Fighter, with all that entails:

  • you can parry like a sword-shepherd.
  • You gain an extra attack at 1st level (displayed below).
  • you can never fumble with conventional weapons
 

The Class Itself


THE FIGHTER
Warrior (d6 HD d4 PD)
+1 To-Hit per Template
Starting Skill: 1) Crop Rotation 2) Garrison Management 3) Blacksmithing
Starting Equipment: Light warhammer, medium broadsword OR longbow with 20 arrows, a buckler, leather gambeson, and a week's worth of rations.
-----
A – Long Day Ahead, +1 Attack
B – Notches
C – Dissociate, +1 Attack
D – Impress
+
Δ – Bannerlord
Δ – Master of One

Long Day Ahead

The first time you take a respite (short rest) each day, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level. (note: that means you heal 2x your CL, or 2x+1d6 if you eat!)

 Notches

Whenever you get a kill with a specific weapon type (such as a dagger), mark it down somewhere on your character sheet. Whenever you attain a total of 10, 30, and 50 kills, you gain one of the following bonuses:

  • +1 Damage
  • Expanded Critical Range (19-20)
  • +4 Combat Maneuver (1/combat)
 Dissociate

One of your Psyche dice becomes a d6. You may space out for one round, at any time, to receive -1 Strain (stress damage) from any source, but you take a -d6 penalty to Tests (checks & saves) and Attack Rolls.

Mighty unhelpful in conversations, or when there's a boulder barreling towards you.

  Impress

Whenever you win a fight against challenging foes, people who don't like you make a new reaction roll with a +4 bonus. This even works on people you just defeated in combat, unless you caused them undeserved or disproportionate harm.

Δ: Bannerlord

March on a villain’s enclave/stronghold/dungeon with at least a half-dozen loyal hirelings. Take control while half of them are still standing.

 
Hirelings under your employ will follow you into certain danger: they gain a +1 to Morale checks, and will willingly put themselves in harm's way if they believe it’ll benefit the entire warband (fend off those ghouls!).

Δ: Master of One
Attain 100 notches with a singular weapon type, then challenge a master of the same weapon to a duel to the death. You must objectively win the fight—no deaths.

Whenever you deal damage with your mastered weapon, you can roll twice and select the higher number. Your critical hits deal triple damage. Your first combat maneuver each turn automatically succeeds with this weapon.

If you ever use a weapon that isn’t your mastered weapon, you must spend a week atoning at the nearest training ground.

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Guns On The Cracked Continent

New year, new start! I'm going to take a crack at all of my old drafts. 2025 me needs to work on curbing my perfectionism, which means that this one is going to be brief. Let's get this out of the way.

Tools First, Weapons Later

 Guns are an oddity in Bromeilles. Even before The Storm Eternal disrupted their technological progress, the advancement of projectile weapons was never of great concern—what good are siege weapons if there are no battlements? Thus, Bromeilles did not have cannons, or crossbows for that matter, until the proper dawn of The Republic.

In order to navigate the hostile (and often frozen) environment, The Republic required a form of communication that was simple, easily received, and did not require the limited hand of an Artisan.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fa/cc/ba/faccba7870ff825845f853025c53dfb2.jpg
Surprising lack of fantasy flare guns. Also,apparently this is double-barreled!
From @americanliberator on Youtube

Flare Guns

Disposable, single-piece pocket mortars. Originally designed for signalling at long-distance during Storms, The smallest are approximately palm-sized, with larger (re-loadable) launchers now entering production for the military. Popular ammunition consists of smoke and chemical flare shells, although low-pressure loads packed with irritants—such as capsaicin and silver flakes—have gained favor among groups such as the Inquisition.

Inquisitors employed under the Glass House swear by the smaller mortars, and can be often be seen carrying several among their repertoire of tools. 

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Full-Metal, Like A Worse Grease Gun. Also, Look At This Thing!
Uploaded By "Smokeytube" On Wikipedia


Stone-Throwers

Forged in the scrapworks of the Twin States. Slam-fire pipe rifles and blunderbusses While they are some of the most plentiful firearms in Bromeilles, they lack a consistent design, leaving them unreliable and prone to failure. Rifles fire slugs.

https://www.genitron.com/Unique/jarre-hg-2.jpg
I think it'd make for a neat reward.
From Genitron

Harmonica Gun

If anyone on the continent could be considered a proper gunsmith, it would be Quentin Blanchard—protégé of the great Gisèle De Roy. Blanchard was a renowned engineer and mathematician, and tutored directly underneath De Roy at the Institut de Cochon in Courrisaunt. His work there would have changed the world of gunsmithing forever, had he not died in its halls.
 

Bromeilles is on the verge of inventing a proper shotgun. Shells have proven themselves to be an effective and versatile mode of transportation, and as snipers (with guns, at least) have yet to reveal themselves as threats on either side, they remain unconvinced of cartridges. Quentin Blanchard pursued the craft anyway.

Harmonica guns, duck's foot pistols, and other unusual firearms have become realized by Blanchard's mind, but he is also believed to possess some of the first standardized handguns in history, crafted by his own hand. Should they still exist, the weapons likely remain where they were built: in the workshop of the abandoned institute.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

1d30 Three-Word Swords (Swordtember '24)

Lately, I've been suffering from a lot of burnout. Making headway on any of my personal projects has been hard, while writing has proven even worse. I could write a blog post about this—it wouldn't be the first time—but I think that it would be better if I compromised and did something fun instead.

I've done far too much reading. Too much consumption. Now is the time for creation, and hopefully a good six months of blog posts to show for it—quality be damned.

This is where we'll begin. 

I will update this list at a later date.
Challenge by @faithschaffer on Tumblr

  1. SWINE COME QUICK: a bronze grip-tongue sword with a carved gourd for a handle. The inlaid is vaguely reminiscent of autumn, but it'll gladly expound upon some the details if asked. Can be attuned by burying it in a pile of fresh produce overnight, then summoned by expending a ration, whereupon it sprouts wings and rushes to your hand.

  2. WHERE BLOSSOMS GROW: he is a light falchion (+1) of glassy steel. Its guard is rounded and made of cobblestones, which shiver and pop as it is swung, and occasionally sprouts weeds. Knowledgeable of burial rites in several cultures. If an inch-wide cut is made into the ground and a command word is spoken, a trail of flowers will guide you to the nearest cemetery.

  3.  OUR LAST HOPE: she is a heavy zweihander (+3) of pure adamantium, beautifully inlaid with lines of gold, silver, and platinum. An elvish parable has been inscribed along the weapon's length, detailing the ancient hero who once wielded it against evil. Shines with immeasurable daylight when drawn, turning undead and dispelling even magical darkness. Currently embedded within a stone, waiting for an ancestor of the hero to retrieve it, and under the protection of a small clergy.

  4. A CRUEL FATE: same as #3, but ebon splotches have warped the sword's appearance, like oil slicks on asphalt. Spasms violently on occasion. Unsheathing the sword plunges whatever room it was drawn into total darkness. Currently half-buried in rubble underneath a sepulcher, where the clergy have barricaded the entryways.

  5.  FARM DOG'S ODYSSEY: It is a medium xithos (+1) with a mycellium skin. Seemingly made entirely out of mushrooms, which grow shorter & more thin as they approach the "blade". Can be carefully folded into a cube (1 slot), and consuming any part of the weapon forces a Save Vs. Violently Orgasmic Hallucinations.

  6. WHO GOES THERE?: she is a light rapier with a silver blade & brass accessories. Speaks in a thick cockney accent, which she uses to point suspicion at everyone or everything she doesn't intimately know. Lighting the blade's tip causes it to glow with the strength of an oil lantern, which lasts for 10 minutes, and smells faintly of lemongrass. Can be replenished by soaking in olive oil or whiskey.

  7. LOVELY NIGHT MARE: they are a light khopesh (+1) of bronze alloy. Inlays of electrum run along the weapon, resembling a series of rivers. Someone has (rather poorly) embedded diamonds into the hilt, which now pulsate in the dark. Soft-spoken; rather friendly, if not a bit monotone. Can "scoop out" someone's dreams by cutting through their reflection. You're not stealing them—it's divination.

  8.  ___ WARNING ___: It is a heavy shortsword (+2) of carbon steel, ejected by a star suffering from acute iron poisoning. Originally a spear, but later reforged after it snapped in half upon striking a mountain. Attempts to communicate with the wielder through a series of complex runes, heptapod style, which project from the blade's surface and onto the walls & floor. Wishes to be reunited?

  9.  FISH HATE MORTALS: he is a medium cutlass of seaglass and leather, caked in barnacles. A relic of an ancient (aquatic) civilization. Doesn't speak your language, and even if it did, it wouldn't like you. Sinks in water when held (but otherwise floats). Counts as a +1 sword when used underwater, and +2 if the target is a landlubber.

  10.  ORDER REQUIRES PREREQUISITES: she is a heavy backsword adorned in gold, platinum, and silver. The blade itself is cold iron, with irregular lightning bolts running down its length. Secretly desires to be a mace instead. Commissioned by the court and never intended to be used, but was later enchanted by a wizard after realizing that they overpaid. Contains a pocket dimension which holds every proposed law of the court in the last 50 years.

  11.  GENTLEMAN'S DUE DILIGENCE: they are a heavy spatha of velvet accents with coal-black fullers. The family heirloom of a war-loving culture. Can be split vertically into two light blades (+1), which deal half-damage toand automatically parry attacks from—anyone expect the person wielding the second sword. Bitch and moan at each other while combined, but flirt aggressively in use, like Morticia & Gomez Addams.

  12.  ALMIGHTY UNCONQUERABLE THERMOGENESIS: she is a light scimitar (+3) of brass and elemental-treated gold. One of the many blades forged for—and disposed of by—the great Sultan of the City of Brass. A skilled poet & vizier, she is not unhurt by his rejection. Always on fire. Yes, even the hilt. Can cut through flames bigger than its wielder in order to create a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire—not always safe portals.

  13.  WHO SAW THAT?: he is a light jian (+1) of jagged, never-melting ice. Fragile. Cracks along the flat parts of the ice are razor-sharp to the touch, giving the sword a working edge. Speaks like a disillusioned wizard; an old man, sick of the world's shit. Look through the blade to see through illusions and spot ghosts and, if placed in a pool of water, it will melt and turn into a scrying pool. Can be restored by chucking the hilt into a snowstorm (or something equivalently cold) for three days.

  14.  SECOND CASE SCENARIO: they are a medium koncerz, overwhelmed with tubes and machinery. A trigger-guard is embedded in the hilt, various gauges and transparent gizmos adorn the guard and piping. Can be held in half-sword when wielded in two hands, providing armor-piercing and triggering the device. On hit, inject a dose of poison (2x total, hand-loaded). Contains a dose of Basilisk Oil when found.

  15.  LOUSY JUDGEMENT CALL: it is a light broadsword made entirely of glass. Fragile. The handle is an complex basket-hilt, like a chain of tubes, with visible markings where the glass was sealed off. Inside the "blade" sloshes a reddish-brown fluid which, when shattered, explodes violently, unleashing the air elemental contained within. The original blade—a "master mold"—remains in an unfinished state: variants of the weapon are currently being mass-produced.

  16. SOME KILLER TECHNIQUE: he is a medium hook sword (+1) of soot-choked steel, with a blade of humanoid fingers. Originally forged to be a whip, but rot and improper maintenance has ruined its joints. Flexible enough to swing around corners. Knows 1d4-1 combat techniques, which the wielder can use once-per-day.

  17.  LONG DAY RETREAT: he is a light rapier of heat-resistant glass. Really a bong in the shape of a sword, commissioned by a wealthy mercenary with a really bad habit. Knows exactly what you like and where you can get more of it. When you draw this sword, you may take a hit of one (inhalant) drug you possess as a free action.

  18. VERY FUNNY MOM: they are a light sickle (+2) of tin and iron, its handle wrapped in decorative ribbons of various colors and styles. Sits on your tongue like a fishhook when sheathed. Occasionally tells a poorly-timed joke in your voice. Seeps itself into the flesh like a poison, inducing hysteria and terrible humor in its victims—especially unpleasant when you're a wizard. Kills add new ribbons to the hilt.

  19. FLESH NOT FERN: she is a medium talwar of obsidian and amber. Its hilt is carved from the bark of an irontree, which the blade claims belongs to its dryad owner. Incapable of cutting through plant matter—it simply bends out of the way. Despite being immune to its violence, plant creatures will often defer themselves to it (make a morale check).

  20. ONE LOOSE END: they are a heavy falchion (+3) of unknown make, covered in runes and glittering sparks of magic. Currently shattered into three pieces—each is considered a light +1 sword in its right—which will combine when reunited. If you are a magic-user and possess ≤2 shards, they attack a random enemy whenever you cast a spell using MD, dealing 1d4 damage each. The hilt wants nothing more than to remain separate from its kindred.

  21. COLD HARD STARE: she is a light jian (+1) constructed entirely out of glass eyes. Handles as you'd expect, which isn't helped by the blade's penchant for vision-related wordplay. If used as a foci for one of your Gaze spells, add +1 MD. Gets weirdly persuasive about climbing into your head if you happen to lose an eye.

  22. SLAY WILL ALONE: it is a heavy broadsword made of brass, oil and tears. Cobbled together by a lunatic with an engineering degree. An internal combustion engine sputters when drawn from the scabbard, grinding the blade's two halves together like saw-teeth. Can be used to sunder shields (or shoddy doors) while ignoring damage reduction.

  23. FIRST ONE FREE: he is a medium xithos (+1) of cold iron. While the blade is rather plain in style, its scabbard is grossly overdecorated, adorned in mosaic spirals of gold leaf and silver. When drawn from its scabbard, a ghostly apparition (with the stats of a 3rd-level fighter) immediately takes possession of the blade. He is patient and cooperative, but refuses to part with the weapon until he is defeated, whereupon he vanishes and it returns to its scabbard.

  24. FAULT THY SELF: he is a medium kopsis (+2), carved from an enormous emerald. Treated as a holy relic by the monastery that discovered the emerald, which has definitely gone to his head a little. Claims to heal whoever touches him, which isn't a complete lie—all that sickness and pain is given back to the gemstone.

  25. REAL LIVING ART: it is a light dao of platinum and silk-spun adornments. An giant, intelligent silk moth named Jimbel lives within the blade's hollow guard, tasked with maintaining the accessories. Jimbel is quite kind, not to mention knowledgeable in the art of fashion, and he will regularly offer his services as a seamstress to the wielder—so long as the blade is regularly polished.

  26. HOLY SHIT BALLS: she is a heavy claymore, scrounged together from the remnants of a weather monitoring station's lightning rod. Gained sentience after a demon—traveling at the speed of light—passed through the rod and entered our world. She's as confused about it as you are, to be honest. Deals +1d6 lightning damage on hit. If she's ever struck by lightning again, upgrade into a +1 sword, but roll for a random demonic incursion.

  27. SYMBIOSIS REQUIRES KINDNESS: she is a light small-sword of copper and silver. Its scabbard—an ornate, oversized grasshopper—animates when the blade is drawn, becoming a loyal familiar. While not exactly helpful in combat, it is capable of performing other tasks appropriate to a familiar, such as spying on targets and retrieving objects. The blade & scabbard are inseparably linked—the former speaks of the latter like a good friend, and destroying the scabbard will also shatter the sword.

  28. PEACE AMONG WORLDS: they are a medium "shortsword"really the disembodied tail of a Psychic Bismuth Scorpion. Its length, albeit jagged, is consistent enough to use as a blade, while the stinger at the tip remains an excellent stabbing weapon. While able to communicate from within its tail, the scorpion doesn't have much to say, besides a vague sadness over its circumstances. Launch a psychic blast when wielded in two hands (3/day, 1d6 + WIS).

  29. REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE: this isn't a sword at all—those require a blade, or at least a hilt. An emerald rune, burnt into its owners palm. As living things die around you, a blade is constructed according to their traits and preferences: rapiers for the suave, serrated teeth for dogs, a basket-hilt for the wary, etc.

  30. FIND HER MARK: she is a medium estoc of cold-iron and dripstone, built from what could be found within the frozen caves of Betrayal. Small droplets of luminescent fluid leak from the blade's tip. Anything covered by these droplets begins to glow for a short period of time, to the point of translucency through thin walls—according to the helldivers, great for finding pierceable organs.

Monday, July 8, 2024

The Eight Heresies Of Pashem

Lakshman Anil Paschim had a problem... he was too popular. Born into a family which had gained its wealth during the Green Conquest—wherein precursors to the new faith sought recourse for THEE's intrusion, and were promptly crushed—Paschim inherited a taste for affluence. Enrolled in the greatest schools, spoilt by the finest of delicacies, the young boy grew quickly into the shape of a well-spoken & influential aristocrat. 

He was also a brat. How could he not be, as an entitled profiteer? 

But there was one line that Paschim could never cross. For all his outbursts and shows of force, for all of the wealth he possessed and attention he craved, Paschim always refused to outright cheek the church. Heresy was a grave sin, after all, punishable in all ways socially and by rule of law. That which was shared, preached, and made were all protected under divine reasoning: that works of THEE's church were in celebration of the Authority's laws. For all his insolence, Lakshman would never dare commit apostasy against his nation's living God... until he did.

Now they are accursed things. Profane artifacts; mockeries born of a sinful mind.

Here are three. Learn their names, understand their histories, so that you may begin to understand why it is that Paschim was never buried within his own catacombs.

Aspis The Ship

Names: Kolona, The (Stealing) Ship, She Who Glistens

Who Made You?: A crew of 600 laborers.

Wicked Sins: Blasphemy, Piracy, Unsanctioned Geometry

-----
The Kolona was a Mesquitan prize vessel, commissioned by the Church of the Authority amidst the changing of the royal retinue. Built for show, the Kolona was worked upon by some of the finest craftspeople in the archipelagos, resulting in a trireme of incredible size: fine gems and metals inlaid across its hull, its nose adorned with the face of their ruler Lord Aphotritchides. It was a point of pride for the workers, not to mention a boast of the church's influence.
 
Unpredictable at the time, however, was Anil Paschim's growing attraction towards it.

Shortly before the Kolona took sail, Paschim organized a workforce for the construction of a new vessel, having received "divine inspiration" from the Church's masterpiece. What followed took Paschim's crew months to the Church's year-and-a-half, maintaining a crew of over 600 engineers, manual laborers, and artisans. Their end result was noticeably smaller than the Kolona—about 1/3rd—but nonetheless impressive. Less impressive was the Church's reaction to the vessel, accusing Paschim of blasphemy through imitation. He denied any such intention, deflected the blame, and largely avoided any consequences.

The Aspis was ultimately left unfinished—fearful of pursuing inquisitors, what workers remained (not having fled) pushed the ship into the ocean and sailed themselves to safety. Those same sailors are now believed to have taken up a life of piracy: reports tell of a familiar ship haunting the Mesquitan coast, with eyes like stars within its bow. These attacks have grown so troublesome (and common) that the Kolona's reputation has been irreparably damaged. It is currently being decommissioned.

There Are Things Besides Will O' Wisps In The Dark.
"Night Fog" by Johnson Cameraface




Inhabitants of the Aspis:

  1. 1d6 Workers (Maintenance; slacking off; licking their wounds.)
  2. 1d4+1 Raiders (Preparing for a raid; hunting intruders; sleeping.)
  3. 1d4-1 Mesquitan Janissaries (In pursuit of the ship, now trapped within it. Camping; carousing; hunting crew.)
  4. 3d4 Giant Rats (They have little trouble maneuvering throughout the walls of the Aspis. Breeding; feeding; praying.)

Members of the original crew still endure within the Aspis, along with an assortment of welcome or unwanted guests.

Decks of the Aspis:

  1. The Hold — near-darkness in torchlight; the sound of creaking wood and snapping oars; a persistent sense of seasickness, pierced by whispers in the dark.
  2. The Hoard — chests upon chests of treasure, stolen goods from coastal lands; poor to maintain & hardly traversable; a logistical nightmare. How do we get out of here?
  3. The Bar — a cozy lounge, stocked with food and wine; a moment of respite; music plays softly from a slit in the walls; the bar is manned by a greying beard who takes no requests, offering drink and a kindly smile.
  4. The Barracks — chisels and hammers, quivers and bows; a collection of arms made, inherited, and pillaged; an unlikely menagerie.
  5. The Museum — a gallery exhibit; artwork lines the walls, glass cases atop pillars on display; there is a black stain where a portrait should be, its plaque reads "A Girl Found".
  6. The Muse  a false deck; forever dusk upon the world, a sky bereft of stars.
Triremes are not built with cargo in mind, yet this ship contains worlds beneath its hull. Roll a d6 when first entering the Aspis, then record whatever deck you arrive at. Roll again whenever the party exits a floor, either through another hatch or traveling backwards. In order to escape the loop, reach a variant of the first floor you entered, then exit out the way you came.

Paschim's Cup The Chalice

Names: Chalice of the Covetous, Sorrow, The Great Dissapointment

Who Made You?: a goldsmith's apprentice, imprisoned in a workshop

Wicked Sins: Kidnapping, Obliteration

-----

Lakshman Anil Paschim was not an artist, but he was incredibly envious. More than flaunting his family's wealth, Anil Paschim surrounded himself with artists and their work because they possessed something he lacked—whether mechanical skill or a sense of imagination. Unwilling to pursue an artist's education, Paschim still craved an object for himself...

...And so he studied. Again and again, until the works in his collection had been observed a thousand times. He glared at their construction—sculpture and vessel alike—and tried to ascertain how they came to be. He looked to their sources, sought out their parts, working day and night to reverse-engineer what made them such fine art. When the time came for Paschim to create his first work, the final product was predictably shoddy. Frustration welled inside of him. Following another attempt, then two more, Paschim abandoned his efforts for a far simpler plan.

The Chalice is a receptacle of infinite volume. It cannot be filled nor stuffed with solids, rebelling against its master at every opportunity. Whatever is forced into the chalice bleeds through the bottom, in some cases literally, as compressed material will be transmuted into blood. Submerging the Chalice results in the slow drainage of that fluid, should something prevent it from resurfacing. 

Lakshman Anil Paschim would abandon the Chalice in his lifetime.

Location of the Cup:

  1. At the bottom of an evidence locker in the same town that it was found. Who would want this hunk of junk?
  2. Currently in the possession of gentle-brigand Sabir Al-Fahd, a hallwani extortionist.
  3. Being worshiped by a cult of blaspheming Druids. They are using its transformative properties to aid in ritual sacrifice.
  4. Trapped beneath the decks of the Aspis—buried in treasure or on display.
  5. Stuck in a chest at the bottom of a lake, inside of a now-waterlogged ship. The chest has begun to leak.
  6. Jammed inside the throat of a Were-Tiger, fighting to survive in its animal form. The Chalice's trickle keeps them alive—so long as they remain shapeshifted, it won't expand their throat and kill them.
     
    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dne2UXHX0AEZbzw?format=jpg&name=large
    Cups Don't Hold Much Religious Symbolism In Séraphine. Typical, Silly Paschim.
    "Chalice of the Void" by Seb McKinnon

Hel's Spear The Spire

Names: The Dominant, Death's Head, Cock of Hades

Who Made You?: Nobody; you sprung from the earth.

Wicked Sins: Blasphemy, Intrusion

-----

 Among certain sects, there is a belief that when the end-times come, every facet of the empire will be utilized in Authority's battle against the forces of evil, including the very cities themselves. Consequently, spires have become a prominent architectural feature, with fleches of silver or gold becoming a common sight across the empire. Spires can be found atop institutions and places of worship, or adorning the walls of fortresses in evenly-spaced clusters. They are, in essence, weapons: tools built to-scale with THEE's might, carved out and occupied for our own convenience.

 Lakshman Anil Paschim saw spires everywhere, for his birth had granted him the luxury of witnessing their many forms. He knew well what their presence represented, and as such, his halls were appropriately decorateddonations strategically applied. Yet Paschim cared little for this particular dogma. These payments were expected of him, a formality rather than a commitment, for what other purpose could they serve? 

    "Say war did come to the Seraphi: would sulṭah truly trash its own kingdom in order to defend us? If so, then would we fill the spires with our institutions? Are we ignorant, or merely stupid?"

This opinion was not unique to Paschim, nor did it matter. When 200 meters of silt and blackstone burst from the bottom of a once-innocuous lake, threatening to pierce the heavens, all eyes fell on the only man who could be deemed responsible. While other heresies merely threatened his reputation, The Spire revealed to old Paschim threats to his lifethreats which were very, very real. 

Who cares if he had anything to do with it?

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/e40d91f8-de4e-4104-8b3e-84c209930c6b/d6pqw1g-9895ffff-b351-47ce-909b-d125d02ad5b6.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2U0MGQ5MWY4LWRlNGUtNDEwNC04YjNlLTg0YzIwOTkzMGM2YlwvZDZwcXcxZy05ODk1ZmZmZi1iMzUxLTQ3Y2UtOTA5Yi1kMTI1ZDAyYWQ1YjYuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.TauEUh_aN2_TyFTljNMsOu8B-ERv6T3NtVaCstypnqk
It Is Surprisingly Hard To Find Artwork Of Black Spires Sprouting From Water.
"Archaic Sanctum" by Ageus



Features of the Spire:

  1. Creatures of all sorts have ventured into the region surrounding the Spire, making it their home—this includes Devils, heretics, and a multitude of monsters.
  2. There are entrances into the Spire, although reaching them has proven somewhat difficult, due to being so far above the surface. Hope you brought your climbing gear.
  3. The landscape becomes prickly as one travels closer to the base of the Spire, a mixture of upturned crust and blackstone spikes. Likewise, its surface softens during the ascent, smoothing to a point at its apex.
  4. Being a relatively new landmark, the empire has poured considerable resources into its investigation of the Spire and its birthplace. Pathfinders work alongside clerics in their search for an origin.
  5. There is a second building rising from the lake, a lopsided tower of halls and columns which has already partially engulfed the Spire.
  6. Smewhere within the Spire is a second entrance connecting to a smaller, inner core. 

Looking down the Initiation well.
Imagine This, But Stretched Out & Surrounding The Spire.
Quinta da Regaleira from Wikimedia Commons

Friday, June 21, 2024

A Bloody Silver Lining (GLoG Class - The Assassin Bug V1)

When the first hives approached La Republique amidst the waning storms, they did so with open arms. Offering humanity the same gift that elevated the imps was—in their minds—a sound decision; mankind had suffered horrifically under the ire of The Storm Eternal. Trapped in their citadels and abound with civil turmoil, what better time to uplift a sapient species than when they are most malleable? Of course, the hives greatly miscalculated this approach, and in several ways at that, for their promises of unity arrived far too late to cease the coming tide. 

Militarism arose. Mankind eschewed knowledge for authority. From this confluence of social mores were the standing armies born and The Artisinal School corrupted, retched from the mind of a frightened, bewildered council: The First Committee. One-hundred and thirty years of tyranny.

Yet symbiosis is more than a kindness. It is equal part bargain and sign, promises made under threat of retribution. When the hives bestowed upon The Republic their knowledge of The Occult, they did not abandon any pursuits of their own: in fact, they were emboldened by it. The hives knew well that in order to co-exist with humankind, true balance must be struck. Thus, deep within the earth's surface, larvae were grown. Children of a greater purpose. But unlike other imps, your kind were developed to prove a point.

Your existence is a warning; a murky weapon against the humanoid threat.

THE ASSASSIN BUG

+1 Stealth per Template.
Starting Skills: 1) Rock-climbing 2) Mimicry 3) Immobility
Starting Equipment: A burlap sack, your first shell (Table Below).
-----

A – Imp (Assassin Bug), Corpse Shroud

B – Liquefaction, Mimicking The Sound Of Bees

C – The Perks of Evolution

D – Kiss of Death

Imp (Assassin Bug)
You have a natural weapon (1d8), four arms, and can telepathically communicate with creatures that you are aware of within 15 feet of you. Equipment not specifically designed for you will not fit, and only two of your arms can properly wield equipment such as a sword and shield. The rest—your ancillary limbs—can handle or interact with cup-sized objects just fine.
 
You are one of the few whose role necessitates an existence beyond the hive. You only suffer a -2 penalty (instead of -5) to Will checks made to resist being connected to a brood mother, and only begin making these checks every hour that you remain within a hive's territory. Whenever two imps are within 30 feet, they are immediately alerted to the other's presence, without learning their identity or exact location.

Corpse Shroud
You collect pieces of the dead to wear on your person, which act as piecemeal (+1 Def / +5 Max). You can also prepare whole corpses with a few minutes of prep time, hollowing out their insides and wearing them on your back as shrouds. Shrouds count for three pieces. Whenever you take damage, some of your piecemeal is destroyed (one slot worth), prioritizing individual pieces over your corpse shroud.
 
You can wield a shroud in your larger arms, treating it as a rudimentary shield. You can use your natural weapon while in this state. Wielding your corpse shroud reduces incoming physical damage by 1d6 points, and helps obfuscate your silhouette while sneaking around—humans react differently to a human-shaped silhouette than a giant insect.
 
Given 5x the time and effort, you can scrounge together a shroud made from inanimate material. This can act as camouflage whilst traveling in similar terrain, but can only be struck once before disintegrating.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/80/d5/e7/80d5e7dbf347640889a7edff8193d11a.jpg
Imps can stand upright, but that doesn't mean they have to.
Artist Unknown (Pathfinder Bestiary?)



Liquefaction
Your natural weapon attack deals an additional +1d6 acid damage, and preparing a new corpse shroud also fulfills your daily sustenance requirements.

Mimicking The Sound of Bees
The first time a creature spots you as part of a failed stealth check, if you are wielding your corpse shroud, they hesitate—so long as you remain perfectly still, they will not see you. Creatures will either: investigate their suspicions, get spooked, or ignore you completely (roll 1d3).

Additionally, surprise attacks deals +1d6 damage.

The Perks of Evolution
You finally molt, earning new tools out of circumstance or planned upgrades long overdue. pick one:
  1. Warrior's Brood: Your natural weapon attack has a range of 10', and preparing a new corpse shroud now takes a standard action. When you gain Template D in this class, this becomes a quick action.
  2. Magician's Brood: You learn the Mage Hand cantrip. You also gain 1 MD, and can use that die to cast the Minor Illusion spell. When you gain Template D in this class, you can also cast the Invisibility spell.
  3. Scout's Brood: Your ancillary limbs can be used as lock-picking tools, and you are always aware of the location of a flesh-and-blood creature within 15' of you (through doors, but not solid stone). When you gain Template D in this class, your ancillary limbs can also wield light weapons.

Kiss of Death
Your attacks infect living creatures with an assortment of dangerous parasites. Those that're wounded and survive soon fall ill, as if poisoned. After one month, they must make a Con check—on a failure, they succumb to organ failure and immediately die.

Helps when dealing with apolitical threats, too.
"Assassin Bug With Prey" by Alexander Mett


Your First Shell - 1d12 Table
  1. A literal expression — fragments of molted skin, chunked and scattered to resemble foliage.
  2. A massive pair of wings belonging to a moth or butterfly. Clipped at the base, its pattern remains intact and suitable for illusion.
  3. The mangled body of a young man, expired from the elements and repurposed by you. 
  4. A mammal's head, branching antlers still attached. Its breadth is wider than your torso.
  5. An assortment of human limbs. 
  6. A soldier's corpse. Its back has been hollowed out, yet armor and equipment remain on its person.
  7. Foliage tied into knots and patterns, packed with twigs or rotten mulch; an impromptu ghillie suit.
  8. Your pod-mate didn't survive the trek—but their usefulness has not been exhausted.
  9. The corpse of a knife-eared Elkem. Its head remains warm to the touch; some say that they hold great power. 
  10. A block of ice weighs on your back, crushing your exoskeleton. The benefits are well-worth the risk.
  11. Another imp crossed your path: perhaps a rival from another hive, or one unbound from your own. Whatever the reason, they failed to overpower you, and now their remains serve your purpose.
  12. An aristocratic woman, still dressed in her fluffy gown.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Primer Burn And Hot Lead Bubble (GLoG Class: Lead Witch)

Firearms are an oddity in Bromeilles. While handguns and long guns do exist in some real capacity, their construction is both tedious and unique to its builder, with only a few standardized designs known to exist, such as the designs of Quentin Blanchard—an acolyte to the late Gisèle de Roy. These remain closely guarded secrets. Thus, the vast majority of guns discoverable on the continent (how few they are) are hack-jobs: volatile stone-throwers pushed from the Twin State's scrap-works.

In the century since Blanchard's death—a wound self-inflicted—The Republic has only visited his compound on the island of Courrisaunt a singular time. Blanchard's ideas were long thought buried with him.

But there are whispers that the old workshop has been robbed. Unusual new firearms have been spotted across the continent, not en masse but in worrying numbers, and all lie in the possession of Witches. Whether these are truly Blanchard's designs or original inventions has yet to be confirmed, but the damage they have inflicted remains very real.

https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/2451719238519516594/814F88E876CF660B16867895DF24D139F4F58B59/?imw=5000&imh=5000&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=false
The sole inspiration. One day, I'll make a version that does her justice.
The Gunwitch Class on Steam

Lead Witches are solitary hunters. If there exists a coven on the continent, it is well-hidden and unacknowledged by The Republic. Their stock consists of natural killers, born or built, who will not squirm at the sight of a dying man. They are the unwanted, the misanthropes, and the hungry. The Lead Witch does not seek a kinder life, nor does she wish vengeance upon an entity. Her wishes are swift, her sacrifice is pain, and the heat which emanates from one's heart is about the only thing standing between her and a good night's sleep.

THE LEAD WITCH
+1 Magic Dice per Template
Starting Skill: 1) Bounty-Hunting 2) Distillation 3) Highway Robbery
Starting Equipment: One light pistol (1d8, two shots), One light pistol OR medium breaker (1d6, one shot, 15' cone) OR heavy rifle (2d6, one shot) Traveler's Greatcoat (as leather), A Tool of the Trade.
-----
A – Hex: Prime
B – Caustics Make The Flesh-Men Cry
C – Sixty-Palmed Trigger, +1 Tool of the Trade
D – Invocation: Cold, Bitter & Sweet

Hex: Prime
R: touch T: a piece of ammunition D: until dispelled I: 1x MD
You imbue a bullet or load of shot with foul purpose. This ammunition is considered magical and deals [sum] additional damage.
 
Hollow-points implode. Pellets spread into deliberate patterns. Wounds reach through flesh like cracks in glass, and the holes left behind leak brambles.

Caustics Make The Flesh-Men Cry
The wounds your armaments inflict exact pain unlike anything this world has ever seen, excluding what you've already put in them. You can make ten rounds of pistol ammunition (or half-as-many for a larger caliber, like a rifle or shotgun) in approximately eight hours of work, so long as you're given enough space and security to be uninterrupted. This can be done either over the course of several sessions or all in one sitting—pull an all-nighter, why don't you?
 
Additionally, you can imbue unfinished ammunition with unique properties using Hex: Prime. Cursed ammunition remains magical in nature, but instead inflicts one of the following effects, determined by you when you construct the round. These rounds can be loaded normally into your firearms, activating on an attack of your choosing.
 
Ammunition modified with this feature, like Hex: Prime, require your MD to function. Don't worry, though: these are returned to you once they're fired!
 
Cursed Ammunition:
  1.  BLAZECAP
    • A faint light emanates from the inside of your gun. It whispers to be heard, then sneezes all over your target as they're set alight. On hit (or miss within 10'), target must Save Vs. Burning. Burning creatures take 1d6 damage each turn and cannot heal until they're put out, either as an action or through traditional means. Obviously, you cannot burn incombustible things... can you?
  2.  FAMILIAR'S PAW
    • There exists a cleverness to this one: alien satisfaction for a job well done. An attack with this round completely reloads the weapon it's fired from, so long as you have the ammunition to fill it.
  3.  BISMUTH
    • Your round splits, bends or stretches beyond reason. In addition to your chosen target, you may attack up to two additional creatures within 10 feet of them with the same bullet. Only a single attack roll is made, compared to each target's defense.
  4. DOG TEARS
    • These rounds, rightfully, scare the living shit out of whoever is near them. Creatures that can hear you fire must Save vs. Fear, but become immune to its effects for a week on a success.
  5.  REVENANT SWORD SHAVINGS
    • Your round vanishes into thin air, then re-emerges from another location of your choosing in a straight line. Make an attack roll against the first creature this line meets, which ignores directional defenses such as cover and shields. The maximum possible range of this location (and the subsequent attack) is equal to the firearm's range.
  6.  TOO MUCH TO DRINK
    • Surprise me. Roll 1d6 when you fire this round to determine its effect. If the result is a 6, roll twice and take both effects. Additional 6's are re-rolled. 
https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/013/881/731/large/daria-rashev-daria-rashev-dealer.jpg?1541506462
If I do this again, I'm definitely giving them some sort of modular weapon system
"Voodoo Witch" by Daria Rashev

Sixty-Palmed Hammer
Whenever you use your action to Cast a Spell, Interact with the environment or make a Skill check, you may fire a one-handed firearm you are brandishing immediately afterwards. If your action is used to make an Attack with a firearm instead, you may make an additional attack with that weapon.
 
A brandished firearm is either currently in your hands or readily accessible. Thus, a revolver in a hip holster or atop the countertop before you is considered valid, but the one stashed away in your backpack or at the bottom of your boot is not (assuming your boots are still on).

Invocation: Cold, Bitter & Sweet
Requirements: the corpse of your victim's hero, a shield made from human hair, seven days
Duration: until dispelled (set the body ablaze)
Description: Obtain the corpse and slather it in honey. Place those remains in a barrel filled with syrup, molasses, or another viscous fluid, then seal the barrel shut with your shield. After seven days of fermentation, impale one or more iron rods into the barrel—one Magic Die per rod.
 
For each Magic Die invested into the ritual, your victim's next wound will refuse to heal, preventing them from regaining hit points equal to the damage taken. Healing aids will be applied, scar tissue will begin to form, but these wounds will remain open and bloody and agitated for as long as the invocation remains.
 
At the bare minimum, this health reduction is equivalent to the average of one of the victim's Hit Dice per MD. Of course, losing a limb in this situation would be far, far worse. For them.

Lead Spells
  1. Sixth Sense
    R: n/a T: self D: n/a
    If a projectile would hit you, you can choose to avoid it instead, or roll Defense if it would have struck automatically. This only applies to projectiles: arrows and dart traps are okay, giant swinging logs are arguably fine too, but pitfalls are not.
  2. Golden Gun
    R: touch T: a loaded gun D:[dice] attacks
    Your enchanted firearm glistens in the sunlight, but distorts into geometry in the dark. A creature killed by this weapon transmutates, with anything in a 6" radius surrounding the killing blow (including belongings and flesh) becoming 2d4 + [dice] in raw gold. This material reverts in a degraded state after 24 hours. 
  3. Black Powder Calling
    R: touch T: a loaded gun D: [dice] hours
    You grant one of your firearms a soft independence, allowing it to levitate around your bodyabout as high or far as you are tall—at will. You can manipulate the weapon and fire it while keeping your hands free, but it must be reloaded manually. This weapon is considered brandished for the duration.
  4. Did You Hear That?
    R: instant T: [sum] pieces of ammunition D:n/a
    Outside of a dim flash of light, your next [sum] attacks are nearly imperceptible, producing no smoke or sound.
  5. Feelin' Lucky?
    R: 20' T: a creature of [dice] HD or fewer D: until dispelled
    If threats of physical violence won't work, then a combination of physical and spiritual violence might just do the trick. You gain a [dice] bonus to relevant "persuasion" checks and intimidation attempts against the target, so long as you keep your sights (literally) trained on them. If they didn't hate your guts before, though, they definitely do now. 
  6. High Gaze
    R: sight T: a creature with equal or more HD than you D: [dice] rounds
    Clocks strike at the Witching Hour wherever you go. A bird falls from the sky when this spell ends at the end of your turn: at that moment, both you and the target must immediately make an attack with a ranged weapon. For each prior turn spent (up to [dice] rounds) without taking the Cast a Spell or Attack action, the attacker deals an additional 1d8 damage. If the target is out of sight when this spell ends, only you take that damage.

Tools Of The Trade
  1. Chitin Plate. If you would be the victim of a critical hit, it becomes a regular hit instead. The plate then cracks and becomes worthless. Also good for target practice.
  2. Pixie Flytrap. Not as bad as it sounds; a catch-and-release system for nature spirits. +2 MD, but can only be spent on your cursed ammunition. Two slots.
  3. Silver Bullets. You can never be too careful. half a slot, equal to five pieces of ammunition.
  4. Hand-Loading Kit. A heavy-duty satchel covered in webbing and hidden pockets. Fashionable, too. You can produce twice as much ammunition using this kit. Slot-neutral.
  5. BY LORD'S DOOR. He is a stubby, light rapier (+1), stained dark with soot and gunk. Deep pink scars are all that remain of the surface of this once decent blade. Coughs incessantly, but thumbing the pommel seems to help.
  6. Cauldron. Doubles as a cooking pot, so long as you remember to clean it out beforehand. Comes with some neat wheels, otherwise two slots.
  7. Bug Spear. For emergencies, big game, or emergencies caused by big game. A heavy spear that, once primed as an action, explodes upon contact with a solid object. Everything within 10 feet takes 3d8 damage, or half on a successful Save.
  8. Mag Pull. In terms of availability, you're probably one of the continent's lucky few. In fact, you probably made it yourself. Acts as an effective +2 to one of your gun's capacity.