This
spell requires a small platoon of 23 men. The caster does not
necessarily need to be a man, but having short hair, masculine dress,
and being referred to as “sir” by the men is important to keep
the spell from backfiring. All the men cast in the spell must be
willing or coerced into serving, chain gangs and threats count, but
outright resistance or owning a slave in chains doesn't.
When
cast, this spell grants a magical connection and power shared between
the group of 23 men. These individuals become able to sense when the
at least two or three others are in danger at the same time from the
same source, so a single sailor drowning in the ocean may go
unnoticed, but a small squad getting attacked by sharks would be felt
by all the men. This sense gives them a location sense as well as +1
to all attack and skill rolls to aid the men in danger. All healing
spells cast by any man of the group by any other, or especially by
the master, grant +1 to HP healed. Fate constantly intervenes to keep
the group together, and working towards the goal of the 'Master'.
The
'Master' of the 23 men is in a dominant position over the others and
must be the captain, commander, or leader of the group. Whatever
'purpose' they are seeking when this spell is cast, the group as a
whole must move to accomplish that goal. The Master gains more power
over his charges then the reverse; they can force individuals of the
group to tell the truth, to resist the urge to run away, and can
somewhat alter causality to force wayward or rebellious members to be
returned to their posts or punished by fate in some way until they
comply. The Master also gains the power to absorb 1 hit point from
any given member of the group per day to heal themselves, or to power
some arcane spell. In normal play when 1 hit point is recovered per
day, then the victim of this spell is kept in an endless state of
injury without bedrest or the master ending their draining effect.
The Master can also force any of the men to fight for him or defend
him, even stepping in the way of arrows or a charging beast to take
the blow, which the men can only resist the urge with a successful
hard saving throw.
This
spell is also necrotic, and the need to finish the goal of the
Master's aims goes beyond death. The men who die during this
expedition or march will rise from the dead in 1d4 days as ghoulish
undead- most of their personality intact, but with a horrible sense
of unease and a slowly decaying body and spirit. They are indebted to
and must labor until the job is done. Once the job is done, all the
men who died will die for good when the spell ends, their bodies
finally returning to dust.
The
spell can end in three ways. If the Master ever intentionally kills
one of the men, if at least 12 (majority) men agree to kill the
Master in a mutiny, or if the entire group finishes the Master's
goal. Rarely, the master may also die to end the spell early, but is
unlikely to do so without a Mutiny due to the Master having a small
army of men and magic to keep themselves alive. Due to the nature of
this spell, there are times when the Master may keep the group
together longer then necessary to keep his power over the group,
inviting mutiny and disaster, and there are times when the men force
the Master to continue his mission long after it is done, to keep
them from falling apart in undeath. This spell is the source of most
cursed pirate vessels and eternal legions within the Earth, still
fighting a campaign in the underworld that will never cease.
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