8 Weird high level spells

Roll 1d4 to generate a 3^rd level spell.

Roll 1d4+4 to generate a 4^th level spell.

Roll 1d8 for a totally random high level spell.

[1] Catastrophic Coinage - 3^rd level

When cast, the spell caster must signify a room or general area where it will go off that they can see. They can target a room if they see an entrance to it and have been in it once before. All coins within that area bloat up as though being baked in an oven, becoming shaped like muffins, and then explode outwards. Tiny shards of metal fly into everything, and massive explosions of magical energy accompany them; shredding any living things. Every 100 coins hit by this spell make everyone in the area take damage. You can make a save to ignore the 'strongest' category of coin that exploded, but all the rest still hit you. If the total number of coins that end up getting hit are <100 you just take save or take 1d4 damage. This spell requires three combat rounds of casting while speaking the incantations, and it helps to rub a coin with your thumb while chanting.

Coin Type Effects – Must have at least 100 coins to qualify for a level.

Platinum/Mythril/Aluminum- Take 1d8+1 damage and ignores protective spells. Counts as magic.

Gold- Take 1d6+1 damage, counts as magic so can hit ghosts and other magic-only beings.

Silver- Take 1d6 damage. Normal damage type, but effective against werecreatures.

Copper- Take 1d6 damage.

Tin/Clay/Fake- Take 1d4 damage.

Once the spell is cast, every coin 'blown up' by the spell remains, but has changed to one lower 'level' of quality- as though the old material was just a thin paint or skin over the coin. Gold turns to Silver, Copper turns into toy coins, etc. Any fake coins or very low value coins just explode and vanish. Any coins added into the area not intentionally targeted by the spell will also detonate, so it is possible to throw a bag of pennies at the caster's face just as he finishes to blow him up along with you. Stuff a sleeping dragon's ears full of cotton and cast this to get an easy slay, but his hoard will be significantly less valuable.

[2] Shifting Shopper - 3^rd level

The moment this spell is cast, the spell caster disappears in a puff of yellow smoke. They reappear in 1d4-1 exploration turns, with a result of 0 meaning they reappear instantly. The caster reappears with a collection of items per town, according to whatever they would have wished to buy or pick up from themselves or their party. They always return winded, but with bags and sacks of extra items and gold/treasure deducted from whatever they were carrying to pay for the items.

This spell is a temporal distortion that allows the caster to instantly travel through time to make a shopping trip, at the cause of some minor paradox. Most shopkeepers in town will recall when the caster came by to pay them a visit, but they won't remember specific times of day or how exactly the caster could be here so fast after spending three days riding out to a dungeon. This spell can also be used to bring back animals, who just act a little unsteady and confused, and even level 0 or unstatted retainers like errand boys and such, who will have recurring lost time experiences and unusual dreams for years to come. This spell gives you the same discounts and costs for all your deals as if it worked normally, but is simply an instant method to refuel your supplies.

[3] Wrongsound - 3^rd level

To cast this spell; the caster must strum, slap, or blow a musical instrument. The sound that emits is a sharp and discordant note that echos wrongly on the walls and in the ears. Upon casting; the caster must select a type of object or item. The item cannot be so specific to mean a single thing, unless that thing just so happens to be the only object of that kind present. Categories like “sheathed swords”, “pots”, “bowstrings”, “bricks”, and “levers” are all fine; but categories like “weapons” or “walls” are too general. All selected objects within the same floor of the dungeon make a horrid noise when touched, interacted with, or damaged. Forcing yourself to cause the noise again takes a saving throw, with a +2 bonus if using the object would save your life.

Wrongsound can be cast as a surprise action as a replacement to a reaction check. The reaction check is rolled at -2 and cannot have a good or friendly result; the noise is filled with negative magic. Wrongsound also counts as a curse. All objects that are affected by Wrongsound keep the property of making noise until they are played music, or are left undisturbed for a few days.

[4] Mists of Onnic - 3^rd level

This spell releases a deep purple mist that covers every surface and being touched by the mist with viscous purple dew. The mists fill a 25ft area, and can be blown by wind at about 1/3^rd the rate of normal mist or fog, as this mist is very heavy and thick. Everything touched by the mist and covered in its dew starts to lose its symbolic and physical properties, and blends together with other adjacent objects- the fighter's sword, which is held in his hand, start to blend together. He cannot drop his sword, as it is his hand. His hand can cut, but his sword can grab, extending his range of which he can touch things. Spells cast in the Mist have a 1 in 6 chance to fail outright; but most offensive spells lose their effectiveness as the targets become fused with the elemental or attack; orcs lit on fire become flaming orcs, as fire fuses with their skin. Spell targets mix the same way; you could cast a Charm spell on an inanimate object, if it has fused with an intelligent being that allows it to become a target.

Any time anything wishes to separate itself from what it has symbolically fused with for an action, they must roll a hard saving throw. Only objects that were touching or close when the spell was first cast are fused, and as the dew is wiped clean or the mist is blown away and things dry off, the spell effects ends and things return to seperation. The clouds fade away over 8 combat rounds.

[5] The Third Gate - 4^th level

This spell conjures one of the three black gates that stood at the start of everything. Even the mightiest spellcaster, or the strongest warrior in the world, can only open the gate a tiny crack. Regardless, endless numbers of things pour forth from that tiny opening; each fully formed and complete as though they were always part of our world- the gates open to the fields of endless creations and everything left behind what was not created in the world. The gate spills these out when created; the gate first appears and after one round splits open a crack to begin.

Each round; the gate spills forth all manner of small creatures, sounds, songs, elements, fluids and solids, weather, spells, colors, and beyond into our dimension. Each round, everyone in the area must make a save or be stunned every round at the sudden force and shock of creation as a veritable genesis appears before them. Colors that don't exist in our world float out freely, along with forms of weather and clouds that defy description, along with tiny vermin that don't look like anything else but yet fit into the world as though they were always meant to be there. The gate lasts for an exploration turn, or until someone of incredible strength and valor (Fighter levels + Strength modifier = at least 8) can force it shut. The gate also spills forth 1 HD creatures who are not influenced by the caster in any way unless a second spell is cast on them to control them. Anyone who tries to close the gate, or influence it in some way, will be first to be struck by the gate's creations; which may include elements to which they have no resistance, a disease which no herbs help, or a creature whose teeth can shred anything that exists on our plane naturally.

Everything conjured by the gate is considered “true breeding” and a “normal” thing in the world- meaning you can't turn or banish them like they were some kind of outsider. Thankfully, most things created by the gates don't necessarily leave the dungeon where they were spawned, or fizzle out within a few minutes due to not having the right kind of energies to sustain them. You could use this spell to conjure random things in your Wizard tower, but risk releasing something bad. Controlled magical experiments with the third gate are safer, and more likely to release useful new creations.

[6] Tessoc's Marionette - 4^th level

This dark magic spell requires a full bodied marionette, roughly human in size, and several powerful magical reagents. When the spell is cast, a ritual is performed where the casters must demand the body of the servant he wishes to have; tall and strong, nubile and busty, lean and fierce, etc. The spell will search for the most fitting body (person with the most matching traits, highest Hit Points, and best Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) within a several mile radius before warping it in place of the marionette. The marionette becomes the body of the servant, and is animated with a very basic intelligence which will obey all commands given to it by the caster exactly as a puppet would. All commands are taken exactly to the letter, and no autonomy or personality is ever gained by the slave. The slave will live the rest of its natural lifespan in this way.

Meanwhile, the victim of the spell has their body forcibly removed and their real body taken away from them, replaced with a wooden body. This effect is permanent unless the curse is ended. The wooden body is considered to have a 10 in all physical stats, and is animated with a ambient magical energy that grants is 3 hit points per level of the character or being transformed. The new marionette cannot speak and cannot cast spells, but can emote or write notes just fine and doesn't age. The marionette-person could have damaged or burned off body parts replaced by a skilled carpenter, or even improved by a masterful one, improving their physical stats.. If the Marionette ever lands an attack on their own body with any weapon or touches their old body, they instantly switch back and the wooden construct falls to the ground lifeless.

[7] Homecrash - 4^th level

Destroys someone's house. That's it. Specifically a house, not a castle or fortress or royal palace. It could destroy a wing of one of these structures that is dedicated to being a house for the target of the spell. It could also burn down a mansion and destroy a structure made of any material. Homes carved into the sides of mountains would be caved-in at that section, homes made inside giant animals would have the animal be killed, and homes made in alternate dimensions would be annihilated into the astral plane; their inhabitants sent screaming into null space.

This spell destroys houses without fail. It uses whatever method works best; great billowing winds to throw it out to sea on the cliffside coast; gout of flames on the large wooden manor, and earthquakes or arcane blasts against stone and bricks. Earthwork homes may be blasted apart by giant earth worms churning the soil, or by being turned into silty mud and flooding it into a worthless pool. All the basic items of the house will be destroyed as well; major fixtures like furniture, portraits, doors, chandeliers and so on will be cursed if someone somehow removed from the home before being destroyed. The items are destined to be broken and made worthless again. Minor items, like small handfuls of treasure or basic tools, especially those located in the servant's quarters, will only be a little effected and are unlikely to be cursed.

[8] Fearsome Flights - 4^th level

This spell is one of the top contenders for why Wizards live in towers. This spell must be cast on a stairwell the caster owns, and its effects are permanent. The stairwell for this spell must be continuous; it could have multiple levels with rooms leading off or be a single piece. The stairs could be one long vertical staircase, such as used outside, or a stairwell with flights, or a long spiral staircase such as one used in a Wizard's tower.

The Wizard and any person he holds hand with while ascending the flights are immune to its effects. The Wizard can grant temporary immunity to the steps by holding hands, tying a rope and pulling them up, or calling at them from above (be warned, as telling someone to “come up” may also end the spell for anyone else down there listening unless you specify who can come up by name). The Wizard can also grant permanent immunity to someone by performing a ritual where they kneel on the base of the stairs and the Wizard marks their head. This immunity is permanent, but the flights could be tricked. For example, wearing the bloodstained cowl of the Wizard's apprentice may let you pass the stairs unmolested as he did.

The spell effects get worse the higher you climb, and are meant to keep intruders from ascending.

First Flight or the first 10 ft of climbing the stairs gives a feeling of unease and dread. Has no mechanical effects, but keeps away most troublemakers and unpaid (or poorly paid) hirelings. All but the most trusty of animal companions probably won't come higher.

Second Flight or after the first 20 ft of climbing. Characters roll an easy save and hirelings roll for morale. On a failure; they cannot ascend any higher until at least one turn passes. They are stuck on the step they are on. They can always go back down, but doing so means they have to roll again when they reach this level a second time. They can still assist those further up the steps, such as by shooting arrows or spells, or throwing objects or shouting from above and below. If in a situation where they must go upwards, such as by boiling lava coming up from below or to strike an attacker about to fire an arrow at them, they can make a hard save/another morale check and on failure they cannot move. This effect persists above; meaning this must be rolled on each flight above this one.

Third Flight or after the first 30ft of climbing. The toil and exhaustion from rising each step greatly increases; taking a single step feels like a hundred. You must make a save, and on a fail you take 1 point of temporary Con damage. Reduce your maximum HP accordingly. This effect persists on each flight up, but all Con damage from the stairs is returned when you return to the bottom of the staircase.

Fourth Flight or after the first 40ft of climbing. Gravity seems to shift to not under you, but back down the staircase, making climbing even harder. If you fail any saving throws made on the stairs, the stairs will roll an unmodified d20 attack roll against your AC. On a hit, you are shoved down the stairs by an invisible force, and take 1d6 damage for each flight of stairs you bounce down, potentially knocking down others unless they make a save to get out of the way, and you keep falling unless something or someone can right you. If you're by a window, sheer cliff face, or the center of the stairwell is open, you have a 1 in 4 chance to fall out of that instead which will almost certainly lead to your death from the fall. This effect persists upwards. Anyone killed by this will always land at the base of the stairs with a weird bounce or spin that moves them out of the way of the stairs; this way the master of the steps can freely climb without obstruction. This effect persists on each flight higher. Anyone who is shoved back by this force but survives gains a +2 AC bonus against it;

Fifth Flight or after the first 50ft of climbing. The tower is almost out of tricks; now simply trying to slow you down. You move as though you are at the maximum encumbrance from the environment itself; you will need to take off armor and drop everything you are carrying just to keep climbing at any decent speed. If you are outside it may be due to winds and hard rains, within a temple or tower may be from clouds of billowing dust or supernatural, oppressive darkness. The steps may become as sticky soft mud or glue for your feet, or may just mentally make you think you are climbing much faster then you are. Regardless; without supernatural resistance you will ascend so slowly as each step of the staircase forces you to make all relevant saving throws unless you can find a way to move faster. This effect persists upwards.

Sixth Flight or after the first 60ft of climbing and beyond. The tower simple forces all the below effects on each floor for each flight or 10ft you have to climb beyond this point. They don't get worse. Anyone who manages to reaches the top of the tower has conquered it and no longer has to fear climbing this enchanted staircase, or any other created by the Wizard.

8 Weird low level spells

Roll 1d4 to generate a 1^st level spell

Roll 1d4+4 to generate a 2^nd level spell

Roll 1d8 for a totally random low level spell

[1] Spirit of Bones - 1^st level
Conjure's forth a copy of the spell caster's grand father's skeleton. It is not animated, and acts exactly the same as regular bones. Those with magic powers often have grandfather's who were actually unicorns, dragons, or kitsune tricksters in human guises; don't be surprised if the skeleton you get it huge or strange. The bones are exactly the same as normal bones, but degrade after one day. Could be used as a makeshift weapon, thrown to sate dogs, etc.

[2] Killjoy - 1^st level
Instantly stops people who are laughing. If they're laughing because of magic, it stops that spell. The effect ends any laughter, normal or otherwise, and prevents the targets from laughing for another 1d4 turns. Hits everybody in a room. Use on a jester to ruin their career.

[3] Lock the Look - 1^st level

Allows for ridiculous hair styles, outfits, and intricately tied and organized special effects to be put together without succumbing to gravity, the motion of basic actions like walking and motioning, or common sense. Allows for crazy hairstyles shaped like castles, balancing several keys around the collar without them falling down, sustaining enchantments to cloth, etc. Effect ends when target wearing outfit is hit by an attack or makes one. Cast before Wizard fashion shows, as disguise, etc.

[4] Excising Whistle - 1^st level

In order to cast this spell, the caster must make a very loud and sharp whistle. The whistle “cuts out” something from something else, and the “something” else must either be visible or known to the caster. For example, the caster could remove an obvious bulge of a gem inside a coinpurse, or could remove the venom glands that would exist in the corpse of a venomous snake, but could not remove a magical hidden secret extra heart within the mutant's body. The whistle can also be used to do things like cut people trapped in webs, remove something tangled within roots, etc. The whistle can only do a maximum of 1 damage, so it could not remove a vital organ from a living being unless they were already almost dead or were a tiny, insignificant creature that lacks even a single hit dice.

[5] Puerile Polymorph - 2^nd level

This spell transforms the caster into a small, miniaturized, cartoonish form of a creature at home in the environment the caster is in. For example; in a swamp, the caster may become a very large dragonfly with human-like eyes, their clothes and accessories shrinking and fitting around their new forms, with wings that can let them hover as fast as they could walk in their natural form. These forms are not very dangerous and gain no special advantages in combat beyond what they could naturally have, and the innate resistances they have to the environment. They do 1d4 damage unless the form is innately known for a strong attack or ability. Forms include humanized stereotypes in cities, miniature monsters in dungeons, silly skeletons in graveyards or crypts, etc. 

All forms taken by this spell are considered to have 1 HD for the purposes of creature abilities and spell-resistances. Casters get to keep their normal AC and hit points while transformed, and can also communicate with creatures of their new type as long as those creatures have the capability for communication among their own kind. The caster does not get special advantages or bonuses on their reaction check, however.

[6] Sight Before the Living - 2^nd level

The caster smears dirt, clay, or oil from their fingers into their eyes. As they blink; they can now see the world without seeing anything that is alive. All creatures appear invisible, and are almost impossible to hit with ranged weapons or spells. Plants, moss, and other things also appear invisible, meaning you can see behind walls made of roots or find treasure chests hidden under blankets of moss, see tracks left in grassy mud flats easily, etc. This spell can be cast on other creatures, willing or not, but you must smear the clay into their eyes for the spell to work.

[7] Makeshift Ioun-Stone - 2^nd level
The selected object which can fit in a human palm will begin to orbit the caster in circles. It orbits for 2d6 exploration turns, and automatically avoids terrain and such. Selecting a shard of metal would cause 1 damage to anything that gets within melee range of you once every other round as it spins, selecting an ember could be used as a short lived hands-free light source, etc. Something actually magical might grant a bonus to your spells or spell saves.

[8] Whispering Walls - 2^nd level
By pressing your ear against a wall, you can hear it whisper secrets. The wall can reveal a rough approximation of the location, in feet distance from the caster, of doors, niches, levers, hidden compartments set in the wall, wall zombies hiding in wait, and wall-mounted traps. You can ask the wall up to 3 questions, and it can't tell you anything about the floor or ceiling because it hates them. Only applies to that wall;  walls talk to each other lengthwise. The wall on the opposite end of the corridor would be as far away as the entire perimeter of the dungeon to a wall.

[Class] The Chosen

The Chosen

HD- d8

AC- Base 10, Max 14

You were chosen. The Gods spread their mark in the world through mortals; like it or not, you are one of them. In some cultures, only the most devout are chosen, in others it is treated like the plague- the chosen are viewed with a mix of fear and religious awe. Sometimes, the chosen is asked to accept the gift, but sometimes it is thrust upon them. Regardless of how or why; you are a special agent of the divine now. You're a bit like the Cleric class.

You gain faith dice. At first level, you have 1 faith die, which is rolled as a d6. Every level after, you gain another faith die. At first level, you can use 1 Faith die in a turn or at a time maximum. Faith dice can be used to heal and revive allies, or to rebuke enemies of the faith. It can also be used to cast miracles once you become higher level.

You can channel the powers of the divine to rebuke the enemies of the Faith. For most good aligned Gods of light or life, this will be the undead, demons, or other unnatural creatures. Chosen of the Goddess of the moon may turn lycanthropes, Chosen of the God of war may turn dishonorable warriors, such as bandits. Gods of Death may also turn undead, or could turn the living with a higher requirement to kill them outright with a Smite, etc.

When rebuking, you can turn and cause panic in a number of HD worth of enemies equal to your roll. If your rebuke roll is double the current hp of the selected target(s), they are instantly smited and destroyed instead.

Faith dice are also used to heal. The rolled number restores that much health to target character, or split among multiple targets if you aren't in combat. To revive a dead ally; you must heal all of their entire negative HP to at least 1 HP in a single roll, you only get one chance. Each combat round they spend dead decreases their health further by -1

At 3^rd, 6^th, and 10^th level you can throw an additional Faith die at once or during a single combat round. This also applies to any "one time" roll, such as to perform a difficult miracle.

At 4^th, and 8^th level you get +1 to hit with all weapons.

At 5^th level; you can now start prayer for miracles. Miracles are special magical actions related to your religion and God. If you were chosen by the God of the harvest, then your miracle may be to multiply a ration of food a number of times equal to a die result. If you were chosen by a God of light, then your miracle may be roll result = how many rounds you can conjure supernatural light in a cavern. Regardless of your God, you can only cast one miracle per adventure.

At 10^th level, you are now a High Priest and have an even more powerful connection to the divine. You may gain a supernatural symbol of your holiness, such as glowing eyes. You can now cast Miracles as often as you wish, as long as you have Faith die for it, and treat your Faith die as d8s when rolled.

Additionally; you become a beacon of faith in a cold world. You may open an abbey, cathedral, or secret cult headquarters depending on what fits your faith and character the best. You will see passion similar to yours in the eyes of 1d4 youths; and the gods may grant them the powers of a first level chosen. You are also joined by 2d6 faithful of decent social standing who can tithe significantly or attribute other useful talents. Each season, you are petitioned by 2d12 sick and weak people who beg you to heal them. Along with all these, a throng of many normal and lay followers.

The Time-Between

Day was not always divided into two. Now, there is just day and night. But before, there were three. The day, the night, and the time between. Something, or someone, took it away. The full day was a magic number of hour; 36, a sacred number, unlike the base and pathetic 24. It is our missing time.

The middle time was unlike day or night. There was light enough to see, just as it is clear enough at the dawn and dusk before the sun is visible or disappearing from the horizon, but stars are few in the sky and the twin moons of Allwonder have not risen. Instead, the sky is brilliant with striking reds and oranges, light blues, and the moving colors of the lights of the north. These great membranes of pure magic dance across the sky and horizon with their own weather patterns and secret ways. This time of the once three part day was the time of magic and arcane energies. The eldest types of creatures, the elves and dragons, would do magic during this time. It is this missing part of the day that gives elves their longing, and the dragons their long slumbers; you use the day to take care of your base, animal physical needs, the night to rest or meditate, and the third time to create your great magics. With it missing, something is missing from their lives. Of course, humans being a young race, have no such longing for a time before the Gods conquered the world and created them.

But the third time is still around a little bit; just before the dawn and just after the dusk. It's the reason magic recharges during this time. Creatures of law usually have their magic come back at the first light, and creatures of chaos have their powers returning when the cursed sun finally sets to allow night to rule again. Magic without alignment may recharge at both times, or when the ambient magic from both times bleeds into them. The farther north and south you go; the more the day is dominated by one time of day. To travel in another direction entirely perhaps may lead you to a land where the day is dominated by the third time, a nearly limitless time of magic and mysticism. Perhaps someone can find where the third time went, and bring it back.

Manse '18

This is a collection of basic game rules for the Manse Basic roleplaying system; a DIY style game. The goal of the game is to search dungeons for treasure, crawl the wilderness, and become a powerful character within a fantasy world. Danger lurks around every corner, but treasure awaits. This is the 200th post on this blog, and for the occasion, this is the most complete ruleset posted.

Character Creation

Roll your stats, pick your class and race, and choose equipment.

Stats- Roll 3d6 down the line for all 6 stats. Your result roll determines your stat modifier.

3-4 = -2

5-8 = -1

9-12 = 0

13-16 = +1

17-18 = +2

[Strength] Add modifier melee to-hit rolls and for carrying capacity in load units.

[Dexterity] Add modifiers to ranged to hit, bonus AC, and stealth rolls.

[Constitution] Each modifier is +/-5% max HP rounded to the nearest whole number.

[Intelligence] Add modifiers to known languages and magic rolls.

[Wisdom] Add modifier to healing rolls and all saving throw rolls.

[Charisma] Add modifier to reaction rolls and starting coins.

Classes

Pick your classes based on your talents and what your party needs. There is no multiclassing and classes progress linearly; it's about what your character does that defines them.

Fighter

HD- d10

Max AC- 16

Saves- Every odd level, +1 to combat saves. Every even level, +1 to all saves.

You are the strong, powerful, determined and skilled. While others fear to face the monsters, you stand tall against them. You represent the spirit of the warrior in all its forms. Your fighting style may be advanced, brutal, practical, or flashy- all of you be Fighters. Your class is the only one capable of wielding the most powerful magic weapons and armors and unlocking the most powerful of the secret blade arts. You're also physically tough and hard to kill.

Because of your HD- you almost always go first in combat and have a 50% chance to get advantage on your attack, as well as a 10% chance to get a second attack. This is an inherent property of the combat system, and grants you quite an extreme advantage against monsters at low levels. Your minimum starting HP is also 6 instead of 2 like most classes. You also ignore the combat save penalties to wearing heavy metallic armors regardless of your level.

Every Even level, you get +1 to hit on attack rolls with all weapons.

At levels 3, 6, 9, and 10 you get +1 damage on a successful hit.

At level 5, you get +1 maximum AC. At level 7, you get +1 Leadership, which among other things gives all your hirelings +1 morale/loyalty.

At 10^th level, you become a Champion. You are capable of starting your own fort- as long as you can get the money together, people will come to live under your protection against the monsters and bandits. You could buy the fort as you level and slowly build it, or reclaim ruins to use as a home base, but you don't attract anyone else or are not seen as a “true” lord of the land until you reach 10^th level, even if the fort was finished before this. You also attract 40 Militia men. These fight as regular, 1 HD men divided into 4 squads. Four of these men are Captains; one for each squad and count as a 1^st level Fighter for their hit points and other abilities, and could be made into hirelings or trained to become even stronger or be taught some of your blade arts.

Additionally; you gain the Mighty Cleave ability. When fighting an enemy force of 1 HD opponents, you don't roll to hit. Instead, roll damage and you slay that many of them in one round.

Rogue

HD- d8

Max AC- 14

Saves- At first level, +1 to all. Every odd level, +1 to hazard saves. Every even level, +1 to all saves.

You are the sneaky thief, the deadly Assassin, and the swashbuckling folk hero. Beyond your stealth, and ability to attack from ambush, you are also decent in a fight and are skilled with devices and skillful when it comes to exploration. Their are some gadgets, poisons, and magic instruments that only your skilled hands can ply. You are adept at avoiding danger, and get +1 to all saves at first level.

Rogues are very skilled with mechanical devices and tasks requiring skill and coordination. As long as you are using an appropriate tool, such as an iron prybar, lockpicks, climbing hooks, sandbags, and so on you can add your Rogue level to your skill checks and rolls called by the DM during rulings.

At levels 1, 3, 6, 9, and 10 you get +1 to your Stealth rolls. You can also add this bonus to both the to hit AND damage of your sneak attacks.

At levels 4, 8, and 10 get +1 to hit with all weapons.

At 10^th level, you become either a Folk Hero or a Master Thief, depending on how you used your abilities and made your fortunes. If you stole from dungeons, stole from nobles to give to the poor, and sought fame and glory as well as money then you're more of a Folk Hero, but if you mostly stole for your own personal gain, used your talents as an assassin or spy, as well as kept a low profile, you're more of a Master Thief.

The Folk Hero can become the leader of a merchant caravan or fleet, or the master of a guildhall. If you're a Master Thief, you can instead gather the scum of society around you as your own personal, secret Thieves guild. Both possibilities can be taken in combination with becoming the mayor or leader of your own settlement, which will require protection from outside threats.

Additionally; you gain the ability Escape Artist. Make your way out of bindings, holding cells, and seemingly unwinnable situations once per adventure. You could also use this ability along with a smoke bomb or distraction to reenter stealth right under your pursuers noses.

Magician

HD- d6

Max AC- 12

Saves- Every odd level, +1 to magic saves. Every even level, +1 to all saves.

You are the mystical and curious of the mortal races. You have studied and can cast magical spells better then anyone else. You are a magic user- but also learned and have some useful scholarly knowledge. You can attempt to learn something about magic items as well as monster clues to help identify them and potentially learn any benefits or dangers from them. Your extrasensory abilities are more developed then most; you have an ability to sense danger. If you meditate for an entire exploration turn while sensing a suspected thing; you can sense if it is dangerous or has a trap. You can only do this if the depth or height you are within a dungeon is equal to or less then your caster level.

You treat your level as one higher for commanding/turning defeated spirits and undead. At level 5, this doubles, and you now treat your level as two higher for this purpose.

Your main ability is to cast spells. You get one spell slot per level, with levels 3, 6, and 10 granting newer spell slots of higher levels. You always fill in spell slots from the lowest open slot upwards; and ascend through the magic circles in a pyramid like progression. See the graph for an easy visualization of this method. Your spell slots can be expended to cast any spell you know of an appropriate level or less; but spell slots only return at the end of an adventure when you have time to restore your magical energies and study your tomes once again; usually this means returning to town or a base. You roll two starting spells; then must find or purchase all of the others in order to grow your grimoire.

At 10^th level, you become a Wizard. You can build yourself a magician's tower or manse in an area filled with magical energy or phenomenon. Most Wizards do this in far away places and live as hermits, due to the fact you will receive 1d4 annoying petitioners each season asking you to solve their problems and grant their wishes with your awesome magical powers. What you do with them is your choice. You will also receive a 1^st level apprentice Sage seeking guidance and training.

You gain no additional special powers or properties at 10^th level, beyond the fact that you can now cast 4^th level spells; among the most powerful and devastating magic around. Sorcerers rank and organize themselves along with the highest level spell they can cast; Magicians of the 1^st circle are little more then apprentices where as a Wizard of the 4^th Circle like yourself is considered a master. There are rumored to be Archmages of the 5^th or even 6^th Circle out there, somewhere.

Sage Spells Table

Level	1st Circle	2nd Circle	3rd Circle	4th Circle
1	1
2	2
3	2	1
4	3	1
5	3	2
6	3	2	1
7	4	2	1
8	4	3	1
9	4	3	2
10	4	3	2	1

Races

Races are determined by player & DM consensus. Once you determine your race, any special qualities you ask to have will be paired with a negative drawback of equal value. For instance, a dog humanoid with a minor bonus to use their sharp nose to help search for items and treasure, but will be susceptible to fleas as a minor drawback.

Other players may copy or play as the same race that another player has; but some races may have stat modifier requisites to play as them. If a player decides to play as a Oni and has +2 Strength, and it is decided that Oni are all very strong, everyone else who wants to play as an Oni will have to have at least +2 Strength in order to play as them too.

Rules

Hit Points- Roll your class die at first level and every time you level up after, and add that much to your hit points. Your minimum HP is 2. If you ever drop to 0 hit points or less, you die.

Combat- Roll you class HD at the start of each round. This is your initiative, with bigger numbers going first. If you roll at least 6, you get advantage on your attack. If you rolled a 10, which is only possible for Fighters, you get two attacks (with advantage) this round.

When you attack, roll d20 + to hit bonus vs enemy AC. On a hit, roll your weapon's damage. Each weapon has a damage die- if the weapon's damage die exceeds your class's HD, then you must use your class HD for the damage roll instead. Your class HD limits your damage potential.

Spells in combat take one round to cast; if you are damaged while channeling a spell that is cast or controlled over multiple rounds, make a save or the spell fizzles. Distractions like flashes of light or loud noises might give you an easy save, but failure still loses your spell.

During combat; players can attempt any sort of reasonable action such as grapples, “called shots”, using improvised weapons or tactics, the environment, and so on to get an advantage. Doing so may call for a roll or sacrifice of your attack. You can always try these actions regardless of your class; be creative in what you do.

Inventory- Items are abstracted into units of Load. Load is roughly equal to the size and weight of the item; a dagger would be 1 load and a sword 2 load, for example. Bags of 100 coins are 1 load. Very small objects may not count towards encumbrance. You have an encumbrance of 8 + Strength modifier; and each time over you exceed this number you get slower and more likely to run into monsters.

(Optional) Stow is an optional rule that limits the number of items you can access at any time in combat. The rules are found here. If you use Stow, grant Rogues +1 to Stow at levels 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10. This allows you to have more items and equipment on hand during combat.

Skill Checks- Whenever you wish to do something that requires a lot of skill or coordination, roll a d20. Rogues get a bonus to do things related to their class, like climbing, lockpicking, or playing music to lull a beast to sleep. The difficulty of the task determines how high you have to roll to succeed.

Saving Throws- Whenever you are forced to defy danger, roll a d20 and add relevant class or stat modifiers. Making the save means you have a reduced negative effect or negate it altogether. Different classes have different defenses against different threats.

Progression- Coins and treasure spent grants XP equal to the amount spent. Wasting money on frivolous things may grant +10% bonus XP. To advance from first level to second level requires 100 coins spent, and it doubles each time. To reach 2^nd level is 100 coins, to reach 3^rd level is 200 coins, to reach 4^th level is 400 coins, 5^th level is 800 coins, and so on.

Equipment

Weapons deal damage based on their size and how powerful they are. Daggers, blackjacks, slings, darts, and similar deal 1d4 damage. Swords, arrows, spears, maces and “standard” weapons deal 1d6 damage. Big weapons, like bastard swords, poleaxes, huge axes and so on deal 1d8 damage. You can use any weapon regardless of your class, but your maximum damage is limited to your class HD or less. Magical weapons have an Ego score- which means the more powerful they are, the more they try to manipulate and control the user. Only powerful Warriors- as in Fighters and to a lesser extent Rogues, can control these and bind them to their will.

Weapons are differentiated not just by size but also by the fiction of the game world. You could use a sword to cut a rope, but not a hammer. Skeletons take no damage from arrows or spears, etc.

If you use a weapon in both hands and swing with all your might; on a hit you get to add your Strength modifier to damage; but cannot use your other hand to cast spells, use a shield, grab a potion, etc. If you have a negative Strength modifier; you can do this to ignore your negative to your to-hit roll, but lose AC equal to your negative strength as you put yourself open. You can also duel wield. If you do, roll both damage die on a hit and take the higher of the both. If they match, deal damage equal to the value on one die + Dexterity modifier, positive or negative.

Armor & Shields you AC. Armors made from material like padded cloth, leather, bone, and other more supernatural materials are considered light armor where as armor made from metal or stone is considered heavy armor. Heavy armor has much higher AC per piece, but has higher load towards your encumbrance AND you get -1 to combat saves per AC bonus gained from heavy armor unless you are a Fighter. Shields always grant +1 AC, unless you're using a shield as big as your character, in which case it's considered a tower shield and grants +2 AC. Similar to magic weapons; magic armors may have an ego score and refuse to serve weak men.

Magically inclined character also have their own tools as well. If you cast a spell while wielding a staff or rod, you get +1 to the spell's damage. If you cast a spell while wielding a wand, enemies get -2 to their saving throw vs your spells. If you cast a spell while wielding a magic crystal ball, or by drawing runes on the ground with chalk, you can extend the duration of the spell by +1 round if it lasts rounds, up to a turn if it lasts a few minutes, and +1 turn if it lasts multiple turns, even +1 days if the spell lasts multiple days, but this is the limit of a normal orb's power.

Tonics are special versions of potions. Tonics are magical potions that last only 24 hours after they are brewed- if they are not drunk or used by then, they become useless. Tonics purchased in town lose their magic after this first day, but they can be made on demand and are much cheaper then potions with a longer shelf life. You can brew tonics yourself by finding and brewing your own ingredients you find.

Shopping

Starting characters begin with 300 + (Charisma modifier x150) coins to spend before their first dungeon trip. This money does not count towards XP and should be spent to give you the tools and equipment you will need in the dungeon. Characters with -2 Charisma start with rags and a single improvised weapon, such as a sharp stake or frying pan (1d2 damage).

Weapons

Name	Damage	Load	Cost	Description
Dagger	1d4	1 per 3	20	Metal, straight. Useful for cutting.
Club	1d4	1	5	Made of wood, simple. Could be burned.
Staff	1d4	1	10	Long, wooden. Spell cast with it get +1 damage.
Spear	1d6	2	25	If head removed; could be used as a long pole.
Sword	1d6	2	150	Competent craftsmanship.
Mace	1d6	2	100	Very durable.
Axe	1d6	2	80	Good at cutting wood, cutting of limbs.
Battleaxe	1d8	3	250	Huge, unrealistic, two handed. Wooden haft.
Greatsword	1d8	3	450	Huge, two handed. Good craftsmanship.
Javelin	1d4/1d6	2 p. 3	10	Sold separately, deals only 1d4 melee.
Bow	1d6	2	10	Ranged weapon, fires arrows.
Crossbow	1d8	3	90	Ranged weapon, fires bolts. Must reload.
Sling Bullets	(1d4)	1 p. 20	2 for 1	The sling is free, bullets come in Bag of 20
Arrows	1d6	2 p. 20	2 each	Cost is per arrow. Held in Quivers of 20
Caltrops	1	1	60	Scattered; deals 1 damage when moved through

Armors

Name	AC	Load	Cost	Description
Shield	1	1	100	Made of wood, painted. Smallshield.
Tower Shield	2	3	200	Fabric or hide, as tall as you.
Gambeson	1	1	150	Padded cloth, worn on the chest.
Iron Scale	2	2	250	(Heavy) Worn on chest.
Chainmail	3	4	500	(Heavy) Worn on chest.
Chain Cowl	1	2	150	(Heavy) Worn on head.
Iron Helmet	2	3	350	(Heavy) Worn on head. Horns optional.

Magic

Name	Load	Cost	Description
Healing Tonic	1	50	Restores 1d6 hit points. All tonics expire after 1 day.
Curing Tonic	1	50	Restores 1d6 stat damage; fights off disease 1d6 days
Antidote Tonic	1	20	Drink after poisoned; prevents 2d6 of that damage
Magic Tonic	1	150	Restores a 1st level spell slot or equivalent power
Wand	1	10	Carved, Wooden. Your spells get +2 save difficulty.
Orb	1	100	Polished. Your spells increase duration by +1 unit.
Quills + Parchment	1	15	Take notes, 3 pages of parchment.
Holy Pentagram	1	200	Made of pale gold. Commands defeated spirits.

Supplies

Name	Load	Cost	Description
Ration (meal)	1 p. 3	2 per 3	Enough for one meal. Humans = 3 meals a day
Torch	1 p. 3	5	Burns out about once per hour.
Lamp	2	40	Burns lamp oil. Holds 2 units.
Oil Flask	1 p. 2	5	One unit of oil each- 1 unit lasts 1d2 hours.
Pole	2	5	Long wooden pole
Iron Prybar	2	10	Used to force things open. 1d2 improvised weapon
Lockpick	1 p. 5	15	Picks locks quietly. Breaks on a failed roll.
Other Tools	1	5	Chisel, Mallet, Chalk, Shovel, Marbles, etc.

Starting Spells

Roll a d10 to determine your Magicians's starting spell. All spells here are first circle spells; all spells beyond this will require research, finding them in a dungeon, or purchasing training from other magic users.

1. Conveyance of Supply & Spoils
2. Seeking Projectile of the Magus
3. Inclement Manifestation
4. Glower of Potent Foulness
5. Blocked Passage of Obfuscation
6. Sorcery of Extreme Weakness
7. Protection from Hexes & Curses
8. Pathway of Prophecy
9. Fleeting Binding of Wounds
10. Calling of Stellar Lights

Spell Descriptions

[1] Conveyance of Supply & Spoils - 1^st Circle

This spell conjures forth a creature, known as an Astral Conveyor. It appears as a squat creature, similar to a tortoise, with a metallic shell. It has no head and four bright-blue tentacle appendages that exit the holes, which is uses to shuffle around on the ground. When attacked, the creature curls up and is treated as AC 20 from all attacks. It has 1 HD and cannot attack. It lasts for 18 exploration turns. If the creature is killed, everything it is carrying gets spilled out as it disappears.

The shell of the creature is shaped in such a way as to have a treasure chest fused to the top of it. The chest is unlocked, but has metal loops to which a lock could be attached. The treasure chest can hold up to 8 load worth of items, but only things that could fit within the chest. Once the duration of the spell ends, any lock placed on the creature automatically opens and it spits out all of the items in the chest, before disintegrating back to the Astral Plane. If the chest is somehow forced shut, or the creature is killed in an unusual way, everything in the chest may simply phase out of existence and go into the Astral plane as a lost object.

[2] Seeking Projectile of the Magus - 1^st Circle

Fires forth bolts, beams, or rays of magical energy that deal 1d6 damage. The target does not get a save, nor can this spell miss. You can fire this spell at any target within a stones throw as range. Highly trained fighters or people with magical protection may be able to deflect or lessen the damage of this spell through their advanced techniques.

This spell is totally unique to every mage that practices it- make sure to describe what your version of the spell looks like. How spectacular the spell looks may be tied to your character's level, but it can never cause another caster to lose concentration nor can it have extra effects (such as blinding from a bright flash of light.) The appearance of the spell is purely for flavor.

[3] Inclement Manifestation - 1^st Circle

Once this spell is cast, a 40ft area designated by the caster becomes supernaturally stormy. Cold mists, hard winds, mud, and so on harries anyone trying to move or fight through this area. Slows down anyone traveling through it to a crawl; they treat their initiative die as one smaller OR have half movement unless they have appropriate gear or supernatural abilities.

The spell lasts a few minutes; long enough to cover any combat or chase, but dissipates before an exploration turn. Firing into or out of the manifestation with ranged weapons is hard, and anyone attempting to do so gets -2 to hit with arrows or thrown weapons.

[4] Glower of Potent Foulness - 1^st Circle

When cast, shrouds the magic user or the area they are in with a pale green light that causes fear and panic in their foes. Enemies who see this light before combat will be forced to roll a morale check. If you are in combat, the glow makes enemies you are facing treat their morale as -2 for as long for the next 3 rounds.

This pale glowing light is often used by magic users while performing their dark magics to keep away suspicious and curious troublemakers from their lairs or laboratories; magic of higher tiers creates light like this all on its own, and this spell replicates that. It works best on the superstitious.

[5] Blocked Passage of Obfuscation - 1^st Circle

Spell creates a wall of blackness. Closes up a gap 10 ft across or less. The gap is closed by solid, supernatural darkness and lasts by 1d4 exploration turns. The gap could only be destroyed by a very bright light, strong magic, or superior strength, but is impassable to most foes. You cannot see or hear through this gap with normal eyes and ears.

This blockage is used by magic users to either trap things behind them or to make easy escapes. Denizens who live in the dungeon will see the black wall as something an intruder put up, as they will be used to the layout of their dungeon. Monsters with darkvision may also be able to dimly see through the blockage, their dark vision giving some penetration.

[6] Sorcery of Extreme Weakness - 1^st Circle

Hex that targets one enemy in the magic user's vision. This spell lowers the target's HD or level by 1 temporarily. Casting this spell multiple times “stacks” the draining effect. If the target goes down to 0 HD or less, they go limp and become useless and powerless until their strength returns. The target's strength returns at a rate of 1 per exploration turn.

Because many monster abilities, spells, and resistances rely on the creature's HD, this spell can make a monster weak enough to be vulnerable to your other spells, special weapons and blade arts, and so on. This spell doesn't deal direct damage, but does lower enemy HP by a hit die, and if this drops the enemy to 0 HP or less then they will remain standing but they are clearly one hit away from death.

[7] Protection from Hexes & Curses - 1^st Circle

This enchantment creates a shield around the target that allows them to succeed the next saving throw against a spell OR absorb a single damage die from a magic attack, regardless of its size. If a spell would do 2 damage die, such as 2d6, then this spell lowers it to 1d6 instead, etc. Does not work against any spell that has a “hard” saving throw.

Against spells with effects over multiple rounds or turns, this ability becomes significantly less useful as it will only protect against the first roll. Targets under the effect of this protection have a white shine on their body if you look at them through wizard vision or some other extrasensory ability. Against nonspecific curses, this spell will also block it.

[8] Pathway of Prophecy - 1^st Circle

This spell illuminates a path, either on the ground or on nearby objects like trees, walls, pillars, etc. that leads you to a common destination. The destination you dictate must be either a place your character has already been to, or would be commonly seen or known by anyone with a quick walk through of this floor. For example, the stairs up or stairs down, the water pit, the orc's camp, the dragon's lair, etc. These places would have to be clearly obvious to anyone walking around the dungeon without impediment. The path would stop short at locked doors or would not appear at all if the location specified was hidden or otherwise blocked off.

If the location of the spell was known before the spell was cast, and then something blocked it, the path would lead to the blockage and go there. If you were trapped in a dungeon with shifting walls, for example, then the path would go all the way to the wall that had shifted in your path. If the location was already behind a hidden wall however, then it would not work. The pathway lasts for 3 exploration turns on its own, or until the path is followed to its end or suddenly stops due to a blockade. Because the pathway glows and is obvious; monsters can tell when you're coming or can follow you along behind your path, making this spell dangerous and not stealthy at all to use.

[9] Fleeting Binding of Wounds - 1^st Circle

This spell conjures bright, colorful bandages of the caster's favorite color around the targets wounds. The bandages don't restrict movement at all, but help staunch bleeding and count as granting +1d6 temporary hit points, up to an unable to exceed the target's maximum hit points. The bandages are also mystical in that they do things like straighten broken parts, or compress swollen areas when wrapped around the target, a “one size fits all” solution to injury.

The bandages automatically unravel after an hour, or 6 exploration turns. The temporary hit points disappear with them, but temporary hit points are always deducted before normal hit points when taking damage from combat or spells. If in town by the time these wear off, there is little danger, as the bandages will simply be removed and replaced with clean bandages.

[10] Calling of Stellar Lights - 1^st Circle

The caster can bring forth supernatural light from the stars. All light conjured by this spell is a bit dim, colorless but still useful light similar to a bright moonlit night. It's concentrated starlight, and as such has no special effects of monsters or vampires. When cast, the intensity of this spell is directed by the caster, and comes in three general levels.

The spell can be focused to a narrow pin prick of light. The pin of light acts like a beam spell attack, which require a to hit roll to hit an opponent and only deals 1 damage on a hit. However, the focused beam can light dry things on fire, such as dry wood or thin cloth fabrics.

The spell can also be cast as a flare which shoots itself from the caster's fingers, creating a bright light that illuminates a large area. The flare, if shot into the sky, looks like a very bright star close to the ground and will attract attention. If fired down a hallway or passage, may scare a group of monsters thinking it is a more serious attack or illuminate the depths of a hole before you jump down, etc. Flares are bright and large enough to illuminate a large area, such as an entire forest clearing, but only last for 3 combat rounds.

Finally, the spell can also be used as a light spell; creating the colorless light around the caster and following them akin to the light of a torch or lantern, but without the yellowish tint or open flame. The light spell lasts for one exploration turn.