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.
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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.