Showing posts with label spells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spells. Show all posts

Thursday, 7 February 2019

New mage class: Earthsea Mage

I often dislike magic systems in games. It's often sterile, boring, or a very specific solution to a very specific problem.

Very rarely does it feel like magic truly connects to the fabric of the universe, to the very nature of existence.

By Tim Robbins

It does feel like that in Ursula le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea.

So I built a GLOG class of this type of magic.

Summary:


  • It's very wonky. There's only 4 spells and 1 unique ability. Yeah, you heard me. 
  • It's subtle. There's no explosions here. Rather, there's a deep and subtle manipulation of almost anything.
  • The spells are: Call, Command, Summon, Change. That's it; but you can use them on almost anything. Much will be up to the DM.
  • You can only enchant something if you have the True Name of said anything. Finding out the True Name is an unique, once-a-day-ability.

Wednesday, 6 February 2019

d20 Escaped Spells

We all know that spells are actually spirits from another dimension that a wizard traps in his brain.

But we usually don't bother with the implications of that. He always meets them in books, doesn't he? He *could* meet them face-to-face, right there in the dungeon. Wild Spells. Escaped Spells. Spirits, for all intents and purposes.

Roll on this table for a random spell encounter. Or use it when your player's spells gain sentience.
Here they are.

by Apofiss.


  1. Meln. A small, pink candlelight floating without a candle. Will strike up a conversation. 
    1. Personality: hey heeey, my man! 
    2. Speaks: like a ridiculously disarming friend with this voice who hasn't seen you in a long time. 
    3. Wants: everyone to get along. 
    4. Spell: Charm Person. The person regards you as a good friend and ignores the obvious spell you just cast on them. If you invest at least 4 dice into this spell, the duration becomes permanent.
  2. Tutatat. Looks like any of the perfectly normal d3 following: 1. a red apple 2. a fresh fish (1 out of 6 odds it's swimming through the air) 3 a silver spoon. Ideally players take it with them before they realize it's a spirit. 
    1. Personality: very, very shy. Will be embarrassed if the players figure out what it is. 
    2. Voice: like a 4 year old girl, including the child-like cadence. 
    3. Wants: to hide and to be hidden! 
    4. Spell: Disguise.
  3. Sashaan. An upside down green-stained copper mask wreathed in blue flame. 
    1. Personality: seemingly harmless, but will express alarming interest in cutting tools and facial injuries. 
    2. Voice: hoarse and after a while kind of creepy. 
    3. Wants: to replace and become a face. All human corpses in the dungeon are missing their faces. 
    4. Spell: Death Mask
  4. Xoixoi. A floating eyeball in a reddish vortex. If it spots you it will scream and scream and scream until you can calm it down (CHA check). This may attract enemies, for which it will apologize.
    1. Personality: skittish and anxiety-riddled. 
    2. Voice: high and hysterical. 
    3. Wants: for everyone to DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT, CHRIST. 
    4. Spell: Alarm. Becomes a floating eyeball for [sum] / 2 hours; if it sees an intruder it will scream; you’ll hear it at any distance.

Water as healing

Inspired by this post by Arnold K on healing.  Arnold argues that healing kind of sucks but also is kind of nice. I also think healing is go...