Showing posts with label GLoG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GLoG. Show all posts

Thursday, May 29, 2025

Amongst The Ruins - The Book of Natures

I have not been idle. In the last year, I have been writing a character creation book for my setting. This is the result.


Click on the image!


The Book of Natures includes the following:

  • Character creation proces, step by step.
  • The eight natures of humankind (the ninth will be written at a later time):
    • Brutality: "You are a hammer. Everything else is a nail."
    • Discretion: "The best way to erase a trail is not to leave one in the first place."
    • Erudition: "Knowledge is like a formless key and thus it can open any door."
    • Hunt: "Hunt or be hunted."
    • Leadership: "Wherever you lead, others follow."
    • Cinis: "Everything must burn."
    • Férox: "There is only the beast."
    • Umbra: "Between life and death falls the shadow."
  • Three 1d12 equipment tables: Instruments of Harm, Elements of Protection, Objects of Care.
  • An Art Credits page with links for most art pieces. Some of them are tagged MISSING because I haven't been able to trace the original author. Please let me know if you recognise any of those.


Bonus Track: Character Sheet


Click on the image!






Friday, December 30, 2022

GLOG Class: Scion of the First Storm

Wild Soul: Scion of the First Storm 

There’s a storm raging at the core of the world. It wasn’t always there. Before the Outsiders came, it roamed free on the surface. Now it remains within, nursing the starseed that will one day become the new heart of the world. But it misses its children, and if you pay enough attention you may hear its wailing laments hidden beneath thunder in a lightning storm.


A portion of the Uhr-Storm rages within you. You were struck by primordial lightning at birth or maybe you are a descendant of a lost lineage that dates back to times when the First Storm roamed the earth and mated with aerial and mortal souls alike.


Perks:

-You can speak with the wind. 

-You have an unconquerable storm as a heart. You have advantage when saving against charm and domination effects.


Drawbacks:

-Everyday you spend underground, you must pass a Charisma test to recover each of your Storm Dice for that day, as your storm shrinks in protest at the oppressive surroundings.

-You are prone to mood swings and easy to anger. You have disadvantage when saving against emotions.


Quirks:

1. A Leaf in the Wind: you can stir the aerials around you into playful motion, summoning a gentle breeze strong enough to disturb someone’s hair or make the leaves of a tree dance, but too weak to blow out a torch or close a window.

2. Just a Zap!: you can make tiny lightning sparks pop out of the tip of your fingers. Although this is too weak to cause any real damage, most people find it uncomfortable.

3. It’s in the Eyes: you can make your eyes spark with blue electric light.


Also, your hair is always messy.


Your Awakening was…

1. Violent. You only wanted them to stop but they wouldn’t listen. You awoke some time later, their bodies buried under the rubble. What happened? Who were they? Start with Rage, Winds, Rage!

2. Foretold. The signs were there, and it was no surprise when your wild soul finally sparked to life. Did they love you for it? Or were you shunned? Where are they now? Start with Weather Forecast.
3. Innate. You grew up listening to the wind and its stories, and you learnt a great deal from them. One day, it brought to you a terrible secret and they have been hunting you since then. What did the wind tell you? Who are they? Start with Secrets of the Wind.
4. Induced. You had it in you, but it took some effort to bring it out. Did you go willingly or did they force you? Did they abuse you or did they guide you? Start with Channel the Storm.
5. Achieved. After a long journey of introspection and self-discipline, your wild soul finally awoke. Where did the wind take you? In your journey, did you make a friend or an enemy? Start with Walking in the Air.
6. Unnoticed. Somehow you have managed to keep your awakening a secret known only to you and the only person you trust. Who are they? Where are they now? Start with Aerial Shroud.


Scion of the First Storm Templates


A: Storm Dice, The Calling, Emanations
B: Indomitable Soul, Supress the Urge
C: Thunder Speech, Power Overwhelming
D: The Tempest

Storm Dice
You have a pool of Storm dice [SD] that represents the potency of the tempest within your heart. Whenever you want to use one of your faculties, you must roll a number of SD equal to the amount of power you want to invest. Any dice that come up with a 5 or 6 are spent and your inner storm shrinks accordingly. You can have up to [templates]SD in your dice pool. When you take a long rest, all your SD return to your dice pool unless the contrary is stated.

Burnt and Invested Dice
Some powers or features may give you the option to burn SD to shape their effects in some way. When this happens, roll the required amount of SD normally and account for any doubles or triples. Burnt SD are automatically lost regardless of the result. Invested dice are set aside and cannot return to your dice pool through normal means until the effect they are fueling is ended.


The Calling

You have an additional attribute called Calling. The Calling represents the constant struggle between your sense of self and the pull of your inner storm. You start with 10 Calling. Your calling works in the following ways:

  • When the GM calls for a d20 roll, you can choose to roll your Calling instead. Roleplay the scene accordingly (e.g if it was a check to pry a door open, gale-force winds blast it open instead). If the roll is successful, +1 Calling. 
  • Whenever you roll Calling, you can spend any number of SD to get [sum] bonus to the roll. 
  • For every +1 Calling you choose to suffer, gain 1 SD. You can go above your normal limit of SD with this.
  • For every day in which you don't evoke your emanations, -1 Calling.
  • If your Calling ever gets to 0, your inner storm dies out and you lose all your Scion powers permanently or until you convince another storm to inhabit your chest.
When your SD show doubles or triples or your Calling reaches 20, check the table at the end. 

Emanations
Your constant struggle with your inner storm grants you power over the aerials around you. In time, it will grant you power over the winds themselves too. Whenever you gain a Scion of the First Storm template, roll on the emanations table and add the result to your repertoire. You may also learn emanations from other Scions or even a storm... if your survive them, that is.

Indomitable Soul
Whenever you would take damage or fail a save, you can roll any number of SD to have the attacker suffer [sum] lightning damage as your inner storm lashes out at them.

Suppress the Urge
Whenever you roll doubles or triples on your SD, you can choose to burn one of the rolled dice and take damage equal to the [sum] of the burnt die + the number of times you have burnt an SD in this fashion. This number resets whenever you succumb to the Calling.

Thunder Speech
Your mastery over your inner storm is now such that it regards you as an equal. You can now speak with storms.

Being the gestalt manifestation of an amalgamation of lightning spirits and wind elementals, storms are temperamental, volatile beings that value their freedom above anything else and they will try to kill you if they think you are trying to subdue them in any way. They communicate with thunder, lightning and drawing crude shapes in the clouds. They are used to looking down on the world, so expect many of them to be arrogant and haughty. However, they are not completely unreasonable, and they may accept to perform a task for you if you can offer something in return. If they like you enough, they may even reveal their name to you.

Thunder Speech is not subtle. To the common folk and the untrained ear, it is always impressive and often terrorizing. It sounds like the sky being ripped apart and lightning gnawing at stone. When you use Thunder Speech, anyone in your presence not currently covering their ears must pass a Constitution test or go deaf for [template] minutes. Whenever you use Thunder Speech for a purpose other than communicating with a storm, there is a chance (rolled in secret by the GM) that you will summon a random storm to your location. It will not like it.

Power Overwhelming
Whenever you roll any number of SD, you can choose to automatically roll a 6 on ALL of them.

The Tempest
Shooting upwards like an inverted lightning bolt, you pierce the sky and fuse with your inner storm, becoming a mass of furious dark clouds and roaring winds of [dice]*100 feet radius. For as long as you remain in this state, you can use your turn to:

  • Shoot a lightning bolt. Struck creatures take 4d6 lightning damage and become permanently deaf unless they pass a Dexterity test, in which case they take half damage.
  • Start or end a violent acidic rain that deals 1d6 acid damage to everyone beneath you in each of your turns.
  • Start or end a hailstone that deals 2d6 bludgeoning damage to everyone and everything beneath you, demolishing or badly damaging buildings and structures each of your turns.
  • Assail the area beneath you with gale-force winds and freezing rain, reducing visibility and rendering ranged attacks impossible.
  • Recall your inner storm and end the Tempest. When you do so you can choose to gently float down to any location on the surface covered by the storm, or crash down from the sky as a bolt of primal lightning, dealing 4d6 lightning damage to anyone within a 10[dice] feet radius and knocking them prone unless they pass a Dexterity test, in which case they take only half damage.
After [dice] turns, the Tempest ends. Becoming the Tempest is an incredibly taxing process that requires you to burn at least 4SD. When the Tempest ends, you automatically succumb to the Calling.






Emanations of the Storm

1. Channel the Storm
As part of a successful melee attack, you can roll any number of SD to loosen your grip on your inner storm and wreak havoc on the flesh of your enemies. The attack deals additional [sum] damage. Alternatively, you can roll your SD, dealing [sum]+[dice] damage against a creature within sight, as cackling lightning and slashing winds tear them apart.

2. A Friend in Me
You have befriended an aerial spirit that follows you everywhere. It is very curious and likes to nest on your hair and beard (if you have one). Occasionally, it will whisper rumours of distant lands in your ear and will be very sad if you don’t nod in agreement or smile approvingly.

3. Weather Forecast
While outdoors, you can communicate with the aerial souls in the Upper-Air and inquire about the weather for the day. The GM rolls on the weather table and tells you the result. You can roll 1SD to command the aerial souls to behave in a specific way and choose a new result from the weather table yourself. When you do this, check this table to see what fortune the winds keep in store for you:
  1. Guiding Draft. You have advantage on one attack roll of your choice.
  2. Reversing Gust. Your next critical failure is instead a critical success.
  3. Capricious Zephyr. Mischievous aerials are playing hide and seek with your voice. Don’t worry, it will be returned to you at dawn.
  4. A Tiny Gift. A word of command borrowed from a Lord of the Upper-Air. Target creature with a language must pass an Ego test or perform a single word command, as long as it is not against its nature.
  5. Unfortunate Accident. A lightning bolt is released from the Upper-Air by mistake, dealing 2d6 lightning damage to target creature.
  6. Can I rest Here for a While? A stray aerial on a very long journey has chosen your inner storm to catch its breath. Gain 1SD for the day.
4. Words in the Wind
You can whisper into someone’s ear as if they were standing next to you as long as the recipient of the message is within sight. Additionally, you can have tiny aerials pick up a whispered message of up to [sum] words and deliver it to a creature known to you within a radius of [sum] miles, as long as such creature is not currently underground. You may have the aerials deliver the message to someone unknown to you, but you must provide an accurate description of the target. Aerials are excellent at tracking smells and understanding touch, but they don’t have the best eyesight. Alternatively, you can have the aerials deliver the message to a specific location, but the same limitations apply.

5. Winds Cover Me
You can use your Calling instead of your Defense to defend against non-magical ranged attacks, as the winds rise and fold around you to deflect arrows and bolts (this does not increase your Calling). Additionally, you can deflect ranged attacks and reduce their damage by [sum].

6. Walking in the Air
You can use your Calling instead of your Movement to perform athletic feats such as running or jumping, as tiny aerials gently propel your feet (this does not increase your Calling). Additionally, you can entreat the winds to allow up to [dice] creatures of your choice within sight to take up to [sum] steps on the air or any other gaseous medium as if it was a solid surface.

7. Secrets of the Wind
You can listen to someone or something within sight as if you were standing next to them. Additionally, you can have the wind whisper to you what is transpiring in a location within [sum] miles you have previously visited, as long as it is not underground. If no location is provided, the aerial souls will tell you whatever they find amusing.

8. Aerial Shroud
You can cajole the aerial spirits around you to form a shroud around your person, masking your presence and making you imperceptible to those around you. The effect persists for as long as you remain completely still. Additionally, you can have the spirits of the air conceal your presence and that of up to [dice] adjacent creatures for [sum] minutes. The effect breaks if any of the creatures in the shroud wander too far away from each other or perform any actions that could disrupt the attention of the aerials, such as attacking someone or running.

9. Breath In, Breath Out
When you manifest this emanation, choose IN or OUT. Only one of the two can be active at any given time.

IN
With a deep breath, you invite the playful spirits of air into your lungs, where they remain for [Calling] minutes. For the duration, they oxygenate your lungs for you, removing the need to breathe altogether. Additionally, you can convince the aerials to enter the lungs of up to [dice] willing creatures, where they will remain for [dice] hours, feeding their lungs with breathable air.

OUT
You can have the lungs of up to [dice] creatures be forcefully occupied by the angry spirits of air by investing your SD. For the duration, every victim must pass a Constitution test at the beginning of their turn or waste their turn thrashing about for air and clawing at their throats.

10. Unleash the Storm
Invest your SD to loosen the grip on the storm within your heart, projecting outwards a sphere of gyrating winds of up to 10[dice] feet radius with you at its centre. Mundane ranged attacks through the hurricane force winds are impossible and any creature that comes into contact with the air vortex must pass a Constitution test or be flung away from the centre and be knocked prone, taking [dice] damage. At the moment of unleashing your storm you can designate up to [dice] creatures that the storm will purposefully ignore for as long as they remain close to you at its centre, where calm reigns.

11. The Last Storm
When you die, your inner storm takes over your body in a last display of fury and rage, allowing you to take [template] turns before finally succumbing to your wounds. When this happens, you regain all your spent SD and become an unstoppable force that cannot be bound, restrained or slowed by any mortal means. At the end of the extra turns, your body finally gives up as the storm that was once your heart leaves your body to join the great aerial spirits of the Upper-Air.

12. Winds Keep Watch
You can invest 1SD to instruct the aerial spirits at a specific location such as a room, a door or a threshold to remain alert for unwanted intrusion. If you are within [template] miles when a creature touches or enters the guarded area, the patrolling spirit of air will alert you by whispering in your ear as long as you are not underground, in which case you will be notified of the intrusion as soon as you return to the surface. You can designate up to [dice] creatures that the elemental will not consider an intrusion at the moment of investing your SD. You can command the aerial to cease watch at any moment to recover your SD.

13. Blow, Winds, Blow!
Stir the spirits of the air into motio and entreat them to do your bidding. At 1SD you could, for example, clear away fog or gas, scatter a small cloud, extinguish a fire no larger than a torch or blow a pile of documents. You can Invest your SD to create a permanent effect, such as a steady breeze to power a sailboat or a perpetual gale to impede passage. The more SD you roll, the more excited the elementals will become, allowing for more powerful effects.

14. Rage, Winds, Rage!
You can choose to imprint your blows with the force of the wind, pushing back the target of your successful melee attacks by 10 feet. This cannot affect targets bigger than twice your size. Additionally, you can momentarily free a portion of your inner storm, causing a blast of wind to push outwards like a shockwave, causing glass to shatter, curtains to rip, doors to be flung away, bonfires to extinguish and everyone in a 10[dice] feet radius to fall prone and take [dice] damage. If [sum]>12, affected targets must pass a Constitution test or become permanently deafened. You can also project the blast wave in a 20[dice] feet cone in front of you if you prefer. The more SD you roll, the more destruction will be unleashed.

15. By the Wind’s Grace
You move with the grace of the wind. As long as you aren't wearing any armor, you have +[templates] Defense. Additionally, you can designate up to [dice] falling creatures to have the winds carry them gently to the ground, negating any fall damage.

16. Lightning Strikes Twice
After making an attack, you can immediately make a second attack. If both attacks hit the same target, it takes an additional 1d6 lightning damage. Additionally, you can spend your SD to push your target [dice]*10 feet after a successful attack. Some creatures may get a Constituion save depending on their size and strength.

17. The Winds Themselves
A Lord of the Upper-Air has taken a liking to you and has conceded you a single favour. The Lord of the Upper-Air can, among other things:
  • Teach you the name of a storm.
  • Take you and your party to any location within its domain. This is substantially faster than land travel, but only long-distance travel is possible. You may want to grab onto something.
  • Unlock the secrets of your inner storm. Your maximum held SD increases by 1.
  • Summon a hurricane to siege a specific location for 1d4 days.
  • Other similar effects such as masking the presence of an entire city, rendering it untraceable an impossible to locate, or disintegrating a creature with a bolt of primal lightning.
You can choose to redeem your favour at any time by whispering your wishes to the wind as long as you are not underground.

18. The Wind Is Everywhere, and So Am I
Your relationship with the aerial spirits has tightened to the extreme that you can travel the world as one of them. You can burn 1 SD to fuse your body with the wind, disappearing from your current location and rematerializing at any point within sight in the blink of an eye. Whenever you do this, your Calling is increased by 1d3 unless you pass a Charisma-[dice] test.

19. Accelerando
You can pass a Calling test to command the winds to accelerate a projectile such as an arrow, a crossbow bolt or a stone to lethal speeds, allowing you to shoot them at your target as if fired from a weapon (this does not increase your Calling). You may shoot bigger objects by rolling your SD:
At 1 die: swords, pikes, spears, logs.
At 2 dice: small boulders, fallen trees, ballista projectiles
At 3 dice: boulders of up to your size, horse carts, a herd of sheep
At 4 dice: a small s
hip, whole siege weapons (projectiles included), a herd of cows, a whale
Unwilling targets can pass a Constitution test to prevent themselves from being flung.

20. The Voices in My Storm
By listening to a creature speak for 10 minutes without breaking your concentration, you can shape one of the aerials in your storm after that creature’s voice. At any given time, you can entreat this aerial to become your voice, allowing you to speak with the voice and language of the original creature. Alternatively, you can roll any number of SD to record a sound up to [sum] seconds long, which your aerials will store and play for you whenever you ask them. You can have up to [template] voices and/or recordings stored in any combination at any given time.




The Calling

Whenever you roll doubles or triples on your SD, you succumb to the Calling. Roll on this table and increase your Calling by 1d3. When your calling reaches 20, check the 13th entry on this table.

  1. Your Storm Dice are spent on a 3-6 for the next 24 hours.

  2. Take 1d6+[dice] lightning damage as your inner storm struggles for control.

  3. The aerials within you rob you of your hearing for 1d6 turns.

  4. You are flung upwards 5[dice] feet.

  5. Your inner storm has gone silent. You cannot roll, burn or invest any SD for 24 hours.

  6. Spirits of air flee your body in a burst of noise and confusion. Everyone within sight must pass a Constitution test at the beginning of their turns or be stunned. The mayhem lasts for [dice] turns.

  7. You engage in a battle of wills with your inner storm for [dice] turns. While the contests lasts, you are unable to act or defend yourself and must attempt a Charisma test with [dice] penalty at the beginning of each of your turns. When you regain control, reduce your Calling by 1 if you passed more tests than you failed or increase it by 1 if the opposite is true.

  8. Your inner storm attempts to escape through your eyes. Burn all your SD and make an Charisma test. If you pass, take [dice] lightning damage as it claws at you from the inside. If you fail, everyone in a 10[dice] cone takes [sum] lightning damage unless they pass a Dexterity test, in which case they take only half. You can avoid this by closing your eyes, but this will cost you your eyelids.

  9. Your inner storm takes hold of your voice and screams at the sky. Everyone in sight, including you takes [dice] damage and must pass a Constitution test or be knocked prone. After [dice] minutes, a very angry storm will coalesce at your location. You can avoid this by closing your mouth, but this will cost you your teeth and your voice.

  10. Your inner storm explodes within you. Burn all your SD and take enough lightning damage to reduce you to 0 hit points.

  11. Your inner storm takes control of your body for [dice] turns. Hand over your character sheet to the GM.

  12. Your inner storm escapes your body and goes into a rampage for [Calling] turns or until you die. It has [Max. SD]HD and it is nearly impossible to damage, as swords will simply cut through the air and spells will simply pass it through. This miniature storm can lift and throw trees, houses and roads at you as well as shoot lightning bolts. If someone or something manages to kill it, you die, as you are left without a heart. For as long as it remains outside of you, you are essentially powerless (you have 0SD). You can still talk to it though.

  13. Your body dissolves into your inner storm as you accept at last your final destiny. With a flash of electric light and a deafening scream of joy, the winds welcome this new-born Tempest into the world as it ascends with violent grace towards the Upper-Air. Flying high above the clouds, rejoicing in the cycling revelations within your aerial body, the tiny souls of men feel now like meaningless echoes from a distant world.


Welcome home, child.



Source unknown.


Notes & Comments

I wrote most of this in January 2019, when I was still living in Denmark and my current setting was just a blurred echo lacking in shape or substance. At that time, I didn't even have a group to speak of but I was still fascinated by the possibility of getting to DM for my own players one day. As it must have been apparent to those in the know, the Scion drinks massively from sources such as Arnold's original Paladin of the Blue Kite, Skerples's refined Elementalist wizard school and pretty much any OSR class around the glogosphere that is even remotely wind/lightning related.

Initially, this was to be part of a wider set of classes called Wild Souls through which I tried to reinvent your typical fire/earth/wind/water elements by having their nature intrinsically tied to the majors forces of my inconclusive and never defined setting (if for any reason you are remotely interested in this, these short excepts here, here and here may shed some light on the matter). Most of the project never saw the light of day (and probably never will), but fragments of it made it into the setting of Amongst the Ruins in the shape of the Cinis strega, which keeps a close relationship with the Undying Fire. I will, at some point, write down the whole class and publish it here, as I intend to do with the whole of Amongst the Ruins. Some day. At some point. Perhaps.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience, gentle reader.

Sunday, August 9, 2020

GLOG Class: Raven Master

 

So an old man has been whispering things into my ears lately and I have come to the conclusion that he wants me to turn him into a GLoG class. This is the result.

The old man in question.


Class: Raven Master
One of your human arms has been replaced by a demonic talon of mysterious origin. Ravens follow you everywhere, filling your ears with whispers of conquest and terrible secrets.

Perk: ravens and black feathered birds are attracted to you and obey your commands (they can only do bird things though, like resting on your shoulder or cawing insidiously).
Drawback: people at death's door or that have lived through a near-death experience know what you are and despise you for it. Common animals such as pets and cattle are visibly distressed around you.

How did you lose your arm?
1. In the battlefield, severed by a rival general. Although the battle was won thanks to your sacrifice, you were removed from service shortly after. Gain a worn commendation badge and a 1 silver monthly stipend.
2. In a hunting accident. The trap should’ve been disarmed, but it wasn’t. Gain a lingering grudge and a bloodstained bear trap.
3. As punishment for a crime you didn’t commit. The culprit is still out there, their arms intact. Gain a tattered robe and a blind dog.
4. A rare degenerative disease that manifests itself every third generation. Your wealth and aristocratic background paid for the best surgeon available. Gain a fancy sword cane (1d6) and a plotting relative.
5. A failed experiment. You were promptly discarded with a perfunctory apology when your body rejected the magitech augmentation. Gain a robust biology (+4 vs mutations) and disdain for doctors (+2 to hostile actions vs medicine people).
6. A successful ritual. Your arm was the sacrifice. What emerged from the blood pool slaughtered everyone except you. Gain a black robe and recurring nightmares (1 in 6 of not benefiting from rest and gaining a Secret instead).

How did you get your demonic arm?
1. An experiment. They promised to make you whole again. When you woke up, a flock of six-eyed ravens was nibbling on their mutilated corpses. Starting Gift: Ravenous Flock.
2. A gamble. A stranger in the Vice Dens was only too eager to get rid of some ancient relic. Luck was on your side that night… or was it? Starting Gift: Forge Fate.
3. A deathbed pact. A six-eyed raven visited you in a feverish dream. Whispers of conquest filled your ears as it pecked at your exposed stump. When you opened your eyes, you were whole again. Starting Gift: The Raven Dreams. 
4. An inheritance. A nondescript envelope, a last will, a key to a lost crypt. When you emerged from the dark archway, you were restored… but changed. Starting Gift: Wings of Empire.
5. A gate to the Immortal Bastion. Deep in the Halls of Death, you fought a demon and conquered it… but did you? Starting Gift: Immortal Passage.
6. A prize. You bested its previous owner and brutally claimed the arm as your own. Starting Gift: Reaper of Sorrow.

What does your demonic arm look like?
1. An oversized monstrous claw, covered in crimson, blood-soaked feathers. You have +4 Strength with your demonic arm and your claw attack deals 1d10 damage. Fine manipulation, however, is out of the question (you can clumsily open doors and climb ladders, but you can’t shoot a bow or play the harpsichord).
2. A cadaverous talon. Patches of parched skin surface in a decrepit mantle of wispy plumage. Your bony claw is weak and arthritic (1d3 damage, -4 Strength with this arm) but is anathema to life (3d6 damage vs children or targets with full HP). Your feathers ruffle when there are undead nearby.
3. An atrophied mess of a curled claw. Your attacks deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage (stun on a 6) and you can use your atrophied claw to knock down doors. Your left hand is non-functional in any other aspect.
4. A ghostly talon of scarlet brilliance. Your demonic arm exists only partially. Your arm radiates a ruby glow that illuminates as a torch and outlines invisible entities. Your attacks deal 1d6 damage (ignores Defense from armor) and can affect intangible entities such as spirits and extradimensional beings normally, but you must save to interact with the physical world with your claw.
5. Your talon looks very much like a human hand and there’s a mesmerizing purple sheen to your feathers that most creatures find fascinating. You must spend a Secret to rake a creature with your claw (1d6), but your claw attacks always deal cryptic damage. Additionally, you can charm a creature once per day by displaying your wondrous feathers (save negates). While under your influence, they will treat you like a trusted ally until the next dusk or until you or your allies harm them. This may not work with creatures you have harmed before.
6. Your claw glows with a pulsating blood-red hue and it is covered in ghostly crimson feathers. Your claw attacks deal 1d6 slashing damage and cause bleeding on a 6 (creature loses 1 HP per turn until they save). 

Victor Maury


Raven Master Templates
A. Demonic Arm, Secrets, Roll 1 Gift
B. Nevermove, Choose 1 Gift
C. Visions of Empire, Roll 1 Gift, Choose 1 Gift
D. Lingering Secrets, Choose 2 gifts


Demonic Arm
“The outcome was decided when they brought an army, and I brought a demon.”
Your left arm belonged to a demon once. You can imbue your demonic arm attacks with one of the following effects for every Secret you spend:
  • Gain +1 Attack and +1 damage and step up your damage die on your next attack.
  • Your attack deals cryptic damage (cryptic damage ignores DR and immunities, attempts to identify its wounds always yields inconclusive results).
  • You heal HP equal to the damage dealt.
Your arm is HIGHLY conspicuous and marks you as a cursed being in the eyes of most creatures, although some people may recognize it for what it is: the price of power.

Secrets
“When their lives flash before their eyes so do their secrets.”
Six-eyed ravens follow you everywhere, watching your every move. When you kill a creature, you gain a Secret. You can spend Secrets to boost your demonic gifts and activate other abilities. Secrets work pretty much like Magic Dice: when you spend any amount of Secrets, you must roll that many d6 even if the gift you are powering doesn’t require a roll. Secrets are ALWAYS spent regardless of the result. If you roll any doubles, check the Terrible Insight table. You can know up to 6 Secrets at any given time.

Nevermove
“Submit.”
You can force a creature within sight to stop all movement by stretching your demonic arm and curling your talons into a clutch. Target creature is rooted in place until you release your clutch, move or are otherwise disturbed (taking damage might require a Constitution test or something to keep your clutch from breaking). Huge or extraordinarily powerful creatures get a Strength check to break free from your clutch. While under your influence, you can rip a Secret from your victim, dealing 1d6 damage in the process (Wisdom negates). This breaks your clutch.

You can only do this ONCE per creature. Once they have broken free from your influence, you cannot subdue them with your clutch ever again.

Visions of Empire
“What have the ravens brought me?”
Every dawn, your ravens whisper 1d3 Secrets into your ears.

Lingering Secrets
Secrets are only spent on a result of 4, 5 or 6.



Gifts of the Raven Master 
The flock.

1. Ravenous Flock 
“After the battle, the ravens feast.” 
Your ravens can devour a human sized corpse in under a minute (bigger creatures may require more time), mutilating the body and making identification impossible. You regain HP equal to the HD of the creature devoured. Additionally, you can spend Secrets to command your flock to circle you like a black feathered storm, obscuring vision and protecting you. Attacks made through the swarm have disadvantage and anyone trying to cross the swarming flock takes 1d6 damage as the ravens lash at them with ravenous beaks and sharp talons. You can shelter [Secrets] additional creatures. The flock circles you for [Best] rounds, after which it disperses.

2. Reaper of sorrow
“Death is its own prophecy.”
You can now harvest Secrets from creatures that die in your presence, even if they weren’t slain by your hand. When a creature dies by your hand, you can ask a yes/no question about it.

3. Raven’s Foresight
“I have seen this place. A vision… a battle.”
The ravens told you of this place. You gain +[Template] to initiative. When a battle starts, you can spend a Secret to draw a map of the battlefield, marking the approximate position of every creature and up to 1d3 terrain features (a rock to use as cover, a patch of rotted wood planks, a rope hanging from the ceiling, etc…).

4. Superior Tactics
“A new vantage is all the advantage I need.”
Whenever you enjoy a favorable position against a creature in the battlefield (surprise, elevation, flanking, etc…), your attacks deal 1d6 additional damage to that creature. In addition, you can spend 1 Secret to predict a creature’s next move, which gives you advantage in all your rolls against that creature until your next turn.

5. Death’s Hand
“Try to die with dignity.”
You can release [Secrets] bolts of eldritch power from your demonic hand. Each bolt deals 1d6+1 damage to target creature (no save). You can target more than one creature with multiple bolts.

6. Fear the Raven
“Who is it we’re fighting? I only see their backs.”
You get +2 vs Fear effects. You can spend any number of Secrets to instill fear into the hearts of your enemies, forcing up [sum] HD creatures to make a Morale check or flee from you.

7. The Raven Whispers
“A voice whispers in the shadows, though few can hear it.”
You can whisper into someone’s ears as though you were standing next to them as long as they remain within sight. In addition, you can consume 1 Secret to have a raven deliver a message to anyone you have ever talked to or seen. The raven will then bring the answer to you, if there is any.

8. By my will
“The right to rule, held in my hand.”
You gain +2 to your persuasion and intimidation rolls when you interact with individuals of a lesser rank or social standing. Additionally, you can issue irresistible commands to avian creatures or individuals that share a language with you. Your command can consist of up to [Secrets] words and can affect up to [Secrets] targets (Save negates).

9. Forge Fate
“They expect me to play fairly. We aren’t even playing the same game.”
Once per day, you can reroll any of your rolls. You can spend a Secret to force a creature to reroll any of their rolls. You choose what dice to keep.

10. Wings of Empire
“The shadows of our empire are cast by a raven’s wings.”
Your shadow elongates and expands, the edges of its ravenlike wings sharpened by myriad feathers. You can choose to spread or fold your shadow wings at any time. When spread, they can reach up to [Template]*10 feet in any direction (peasants and laypeople find this terrifying). Enemies that fight under your shadow have disadvantage to their Morale rolls. You can spend Secrets to affect a creature within your shadow in the following ways:
  • Obscuring Shadows. Reduce incoming damage by [sum].
  • Whispering Doubt. Impose a [sum] penalty on a creature’s next roll.
  • Ravenous Wings. Snuff out any number of light sources within your shadow, magical or otherwise.
11. Spying Flock
“You would do well to die before my ravens find you.”
You can see and hear through your ravens and black-feathered creatures but you are defenseless while you do this. You can spend a Secret to command one of your ravens to scout an area or find a creature. You must have seen that creature at least once or feed your ravens a piece of memorabilia belonging to said creature.

12. Raven Politics
“Diplomacy is a subtle art.”
You gain +2 to your persuasion rolls when interacting with the nobility or high standing individuals. If you spend at least one minute talking to someone, you can learn one of the following for every Secret you spend: their worst fear, their greatest regret, their major vanity or their most shameful secret.

13. Six-Eyed Flock
“I will not tolerate interference.”
Your ravens remain constantly alert for unwanted intrusions. You cannot be surprised, even while asleep. Additionally, you can spend Secrets to command one of your ravens to guard a place and alert you when a specific condition is met, at which point they will start cawing madly (you hear their call, regardless of distance). The more Secrets you spend, the longer your ravens will guard the place (1 Secret -> 1 day, 2 Secrets -> 6 days, 3 secrets -> 66 days, 4 Secrets -> 666 days).

14. Helping Beak
“A one-armed man needs all the help he can get.”
You can ask one of your ravens to keep one object for you. You can store anything in this slot as long as it could be feasibly carried in a raven’s beak, such as a small dagger, a flask, a key or a ring (you essentially have an additional inventory slot for small items). This is considered a fast inventory slot. Additionally, you can ask your ravens to keep additional items for you regardless of size by spending a Secret for every one of the item’s inventory slots. You can later access these items by spending an additional Secret. Items kept by your ravens cannot be traced by magical or physical means.

15. Battlemancy
“To redraw the map, the blood of soldiers must be the ink.”
When a creature fails a save or dies, you or one of your allies can move towards an enemy. In addition, you can spend Secrets to command one of your allies to perform a basic attack with [Secrets] bonus to their Attack and damage roll against a creature of your choice.

16. Still Shadow
“Fear the power you do not see.”
You are undetectable as long as you stand completely still in any amount of shadow (you can do this for Constitution rounds, after that you must make a Con check every turn to remain still). You can take an action without giving away your position if you spend a Secret as part of that action.

17. Undying Flock
“Am I reborn? The truth is rarely so simple.”
When you take enough damage to kill you, your body collapses into a flock of 1d6+1 cawing ravens that quickly scatters away. Each raven has 1HP and can be attacked normally. The flock gathers 6 days later in the same spot around your naked, emaciated body. For every Secret you spend, choose one from the following list:
  • Add 1d6+1 additional ravens to the fleeing flock.
  • Roll a d6. If the result is less than 6, the flock reforms in that many days.
  • The flock reforms in place of your choosing that you or your ravens have previously visited.
You lose 1 Constitution permanently every time you undergo this process.

18. Immortal Passage
“I have already walked the halls of death, in the Immortal Bastion.”
You can enter the Immortal Bastion and navigate its dark halls to travel vast distances in a matter of hours. To do so you must first find a sufficiently obscured threshold, such as a closed door, a shadowy archway or a dark cave entrance, then spend any amount of Secrets to turn that threshold into a pathway to the Immortal Bastion. The number of Secrets spent determines the distance travelled: 1 Secret-> 1 day worth of overland travel, 2 Secrets-> 6 days, 3 Secrets-> 33 days, 4 Secrets-> 66 days, 5 or more-> Anywhere. At the end of the journey you emerge into the overworld through a sufficiently obscured threshold such as the ones mentioned above. Walking the halls of the Immortal Bastion entails its own risks (see Traversing the Immortal Bastion below).

19. The Raven dreams
“I often kill in my visions. When I close my eyes, do not come near.”
Once a day, you can choose to enter a meditative trance to receive visions of things to come. If you do, roll on the following table 1+[Secrets] times and pick one of the results:
1. Endless flock. A raven perched atop every branch. A raven behind every window. They are watching you. And they will keep doing so, always. Gain 1 Secret.
2. Carnage. A battle. Weapons clash, splashes of red. Whose blood is it? The GM tosses a coin in secret and records the result. Heads: your next Attack is a critical hit. Tails: your next Defense roll is a fumble.
3. Present. Serrated beaks prod deadened flesh. A curious brightness surfaces. When you open your left palm after the trance, you find 1) a polished silver coin 2) an eye made of glass (reveals spirits and invisible creatures, breaks after one use) 3) a burnished, nondescript key (it opens the next locked door you encounter), 4) a raven’s skull made of fogged glass (if you break it, a flock of ghostly ravens swarm the area, obscuring vision and cawing madly) 5) a feather made of polished onyx (a pair of decrepit raven wings form on your back when you swallow it, allowing you to cross short chasms or reach high places) 6) A handful of whispers (gain 1d3 Secrets).
4. Portent. Echoes of discarded futures roam the halls of the Immortal Bastion. They are yours, if you take them. Roll 2d20 and note the results. Until the next dawn, you can replace any d20 roll with one of your portents.
5. The Raven King’s Servants. Talons grind the floor; ancient wood supports knobby hands. On the edge of the scythe lays a question. Beneath the many folded robes, a twisted spine wonders. 1d3 corvid servants shuffle about in this empty hall. They will offer you a new gift if you give them a Secret. They will claim it back the next dusk. If you kill them, the gift is permanent.
6. Audience. An endless line of penitents coils and serpents within the halls. At the end, the Raven King awaits. You are number 333 in the queue. Every time you get this result, your position in the queue moves up by 1d6. You can feed secrets to the corvid servants that tend the line to have them sneak you up [sum] positions in the queue. When you get to the head of the queue, the Raven King will grant you an audience.

20. The Raven knows
“Prepare, and victory is inevitable.”
Learn two of the following skills: History, Tactics, Philosophy, Cartography, Heraldry, Weather Forecast. Once a day, you can ask your ravens a question related to a topic you are familiar with. There is a [template]-in-6 chance that they will whisper a truthful answer into your ear, as long as it could've been feasibly found through extensive research and thorough investigation (basically, this is like having a hotline to the nearest library). You can roll an additional d6 for every Secret you spend. If you get doubles, your question is answered regardless of the result.

Wings of Empire


Terrible Insights
Roll on this table when you get any doubles when rolling Secrets. After suffering from one of the insights, treat that result as a reroll. Once you have experienced all six terrible insights, unleash a Fate of the Raven Master and reset this table’s results.

1. Ravens without end fill your sight. They sit still, their six-eyed gaze fixed on a darkened sky. Something stirs just above ominous clouds. Blind for 1d6 rounds as the vision overwhelms your senses.
2. A thousand thousand ravens take flight. The greying earth trembles in anticipation. Silence seeps through widening cracks. Lose all your Secrets. You can’t learn new Secrets until the next dusk.
3. A slumbering sky awakes. Leaden clouds shed millennia old memories. A deafening bang. A random creature within sight (this includes you) is struck by a black lightning bolt crashing from the sky and suffers [Secrets]d6 damage. If you are the one struck, you gain Secrets equal to the damage suffered.
4. The earth shatters. Darkness pours through the cracks. A storm of black feathers. Creatures in a [Secrets]*10’ radius must save or fall prone. Vision becomes obscured by the whirling feathers for 1d6 rounds.
5. Six times six hundred and sixty-six ravens intone a furious dirge. Whispers of conquests pierce through the madness. Silence follows. Every creature within shouting distance must save or become confused for 1d6 rounds (treat enemies as allies and allies as enemies). Whenever a confused creature harms an ally, they get a new save.
6. Obsidian towers like raven claws rake the sky with spite. The Immortal Bastion towers above all... and its gates are open. The ground beneath your feet curls into ravenous talons, claiming back what is theirs. You wander the Halls of Death for 1d6 hours. When the earth spits you back, you have only a faint recollection of what you saw. Roll a new gift. The gift vanishes after 6 days.

Fates of the Raven Master
1. Your back arches forward and you grow a pair of decrepit black-feathered wings. They are too weak to allow flight, but you could, for example glide safely to the ground or cross a chasm. Whenever you use your wings, you leave behind a trail of ruffled feathers. You can hold 1 additional Secret.
2. Your transformation worsens. Your human arm turns into its demonic counterpart (roll on the How does your demonic arm look like? table). If for some reason you were missing that arm, you simply grow a new one. Roll a gift.
3. You turn into a corvid servant, forever doomed to wander the Halls of Death in the Immortal Bastion. You flee into the night as soon as you have the chance, cawing madly, thrashing your decrepit wings, never to be seen again in the surface world.

You can avoid the last fate by pleading your case in an audience with the Raven King or usurping his throne.
The Raven King




Notes on the Raven Master
This is my first attempt ever at anything GLoG. My initial intention was to create a wizard, but as usual things spiraled out of control very quickly and this came up instead. As a result, this shit is probably extremely unbalanced and its capabilities very likely lack a clear focus. Mostly every gift of the Raven Master has been inspired by a quote of the original character, which has been immensely helpful in weaving a coherent class theme. I have tried to focus on the tactician aspect of the source material while developing its scheming side through the use of ravens as exploration tools and such.

I find it very hard to make every single choice as meaningful and flavorful as possible without overloading the class’s kit. I believe it can feel too crammed and detail focused, but perhaps this is me contemplating the more than 38 unique options this class provides as a whole rather than looking at the actual experience of play. After all, the player will only have to deal with a few of these options at a time. 

In any case, I am finally done with this. The upcoming post will most likely deal with the Immortal Bastion and its denizens and how to traverse the Halls of Death. I will try not to write a fucking dissertation again, but I can’t promise anything.

Whatever your opinion, please let me know about it in the comments! Suggestions are also welcome!