Stow & Load - Encumbrance System

Characters keep track of the number of items they carry in load units. “Load” is an abstract unit of weight and size. Every character can carry 8 + Strength Modifier in load items per encumbrance level. Meaning that if you exceed your load, you go from not encumbered to lightly encumbered and can then carry another 8 + Strength Modifier load of items before counting as moderately encumbered. Many smell items are bundled together, or are simply ignored for encumbrance.

Encumbrance

The most Encumbered member of the party determines the speed and stealth bonus. Equipped items & armor count for encumbrance. This assumes the following procedure.

Not Encumbered: +1 stealth, -1 to Encounter range.

Lightly Encumbered: No stealth bonus. No change to Encounter range.

Moderately Encumbered: -1 stealth, +1 to Encounter range.

Greatly Encumbered: -2 stealth, +2 to Encounter range. Lose first combat round.

Stow

Stow is the number of items you have instant, easy access to on your person. The number of stow items worth of load is equal to the first 4 + Dex modifier items on your equipment list. Weapons DO count for stow, but armor or worn objects do not. Trying to use or extract any item from your inventory that is not in your stow takes 1d4-1 combat rounds.

For example; a lvl 2 Rogue archer would want to keep her bow, dagger, quiver of arrows, and a set of caltrops ready at her hand; total of 6 load. To grab her healing potion, it would have to take her 1d4-1 combat rounds to dig it out; she'd probably want the fighter between her and the enemy while digging, or go without until combat is over.

Load Examples

Weapons- Use size of damage die for load. d4 dagger or blackjack is 1 load, d6 sword or bow is 2 load, d8 polearm or claymore is 3 load, etc.

Thrown Weapons- Bundles of 3 per damage die size. For example, throwing daggers, bolas, darts, and chakrams at 1d4 are 1 load for 3 throwing weapons. Bigger sizes use larger loads for 3 items; Javelins and large acid flasks at 1d6 are 2 load for 3 items, etc.

Ammunition- Bundled in units of 20 per weapon die size for load. Sling bullets are carried in a bag of 20 bullets for 1 load. Arrows carried in quiver of 20 for 2 load. Heavy crossbow for d8 and Gunpowder flask and lead purse for a d8 musket weight 3 load for 20 shots, etc.

Tools- Approximate the tool to a weapon, or how you would use it as an improvised weapon, and use that as the load. Trowels and chisels are 1 load, shovels and prybars for 2 load, pickaxe & sledgehammer are 3 load each, etc.

Treasure- Each bag of 100 coins of any denomination is 1 load. Gemstones do not count for encumbrance, as long as they are not unnecessarily huge. Treasure chests are at least 2 load for one of those small ones, otherwise are load of 3+ and require both hands or two people to carry.

Supply Items & Misc- Rations, torches, and door wedges are all stored in bundles of 3. Halflings and similar sized beings, alive or a corpse, are load of 3 with humans and similar being 6 load.

Magic Mansion Soiree Encounters

[1] Room that is 5ft longer on one side then it physically should be. There's a red line painted on the floor that shows this; it's just bragging rights, as even she couldn't afford a spell that made her house much larger on the inside then the outside magically. If wall is broken there will cause a sucking sound and the room will crack to snap back to where it 'should' be in 3d space.

[2] Room with an aquarium of rare fish. There's a sad little seal in a little wooden pool in the corner. He's trained to feed all the fish and take one for himself whenever the bell rings, and it's tied a magic hourglass in the adjacent room via cord.

[3] Doll room, filled with hundreds of dolls. Many in the center are life sized as big as children, and match descriptions of missing orphans.

[4] Spiral staircase leading up to the next floor, crafted by a dwarf. It's made of sawdust, cobwebs, and glass. It's far too fragile and delicate for anyone to walk on it while wearing armor.

[5] Urn of a long dead patriarch on a mantle. If knocked over the ash will animate into an angry ash wraith.

Cremated Ash Wraith (2 HD, ethereal, touch causes 1d6 damage. On 6 save or take 1 level of level drain of your primary class)

Morale: N/A

The Ash Wraith is angry of being disturbed, but does not attack those belonging to its family. Can be turned by a Sage or by someone waving around a flaming object.

[6] Crawlspace between all the walls in the house for young servant boys to use to carry around packages without actually using the immaculate hallways. Little sliding doors hidden into the walls allow dirty little hands to give you letters. Might be incorporated into some kind of fancy "fake" murder mystery the noblewoman has set up for the guests.

[7] Study with a magical chess set, which plays by itself when nobody is touching it. The chess pieces have become very cruel and cunning after dying and fighting for hundreds of battles, and can defeat almost any human opponent. The horses on the knight pieces nip at your fingers when you touch them, and the pieces cry out for blood.

If you manage to simulate a battle or army on the chess board out of chess mechanics they may just reveal the secret strategy to defeating them.

[8] Rainbow washbucket, by tossing in a garment and declaring a color it will both wash and magically change the color of the garment. Still not gentle enough to work on high quality clothing, the lady of the manor still has several washing servants.

The water will splash on a random party member and the first color shouted out will be what color their armor or robe becomes permanently.

[9] Hallway with a gargoyles head carver into the banister above it. It will stop you and demand you answer a riddle to pass. The lady of the house knows all of its riddles and their answers, but you can just pass under it without answering by making a save.

If you teach the gargoyle a new riddle, it gains the power to deal 1d6 damage to anyone who fails to answer it. Until the lady of the house knows that riddle as well, the gargoyle can wreck havoc.

[10] Animated portraits line across a dining hall. The figures are usually in parades or noble attire, and freely swap between paintings to meet with each other.

A few doodles from the children and graffiti from the servants have managed to sneak their way into the paintings and hide in the background making the painting a poor juxtaposition. If you spend more then a few minutes examining the paintings you take 1d4 Charisma damage, unless if you have a bottle of paint thinner and blot out the offensive creatures from existence.

[11] There is a waiter carrying a silver chalice filled to the brim very carefully, but isn't watching where he is going. Make a save or you bump into him and he drops it; the liquid forms into a minor water elemental and attacks.

Minor Water Elemental (4 HD, +4 AC, 3 water whip attacks 1d4, Immune to ice damage, Ice spells that deal at least 6 damage stun for 1 round instead)

Morale: N/A

[12] Mask Party. Several nobles are sitting on chairs in a circle, given spooky masks and told that their “true selves” will be revealed. All the nobles will turn into a semi-monsterous version of the creature on their mask- they are much lesser then the creature itself, just having some of its abilities at a weakened state and having their normal hit die per character. Some of them will lose themselves to this new form, while others will accidentally harm others, and some may accuse anyone nearby of being in on the curse.

One chair and mask stands vacant, in which case a character who wore it will need to make a save or lose their free will as a monsterous form. The mask can only be removed via a wish or if the character lives virtuously for a year.

Mask Monsters – 1d8

1. Basilisk
2. Lich
3. Golem
4. Beholder
5. Troll
6. Devil/Oni
7. Owlbear
8. Werewolf

[13] The Fool's Shoes. Placed in a decorated wardrobe, they're a magical pair of shoes that make anyone who wears them tumble, fall, twist, jump, and look like a total fool of themselves.

Wearing the shoes makes your Dexterity modifier treated as +2, unless it was already +2, in which case it is now +3. The shoes could be very valuable and useful if stolen from the manor.

[14] Room contains several young men dressed in full body, skin tight suits made of a semi-magical substance called latex. Each man is wearing a painted outfit the corresponds to one of the fruit on the endless fruit & juice fountains in the room. They are tasked with offering guests fruits, and will brutally beat and strangle each other for the amusement of the guests.

The one who gets the most guests to eat the most of their fruit will win a prize; the Panacea Pineapple. It is said to be able to cure most earthly diseases or cause a painless and merciful death to those with terminal illness. All of them will turn on anyone who tries to take it for themselves, as all of the young men have dying grand parents or siblings and they need to win, and will do anything it takes to claim the prize. It's nearly priceless if you managed to find the secret hidden chest in the hidden room it's locked in.

[15] 'Lil Genie Room. This room is done up in a not!Arabian style and has several throw cushions, phantasmal veiled belly dancers, and a big hookah in the center with a smokey genie hovering over it. The genie has been imprisoned and must grant “unlimited wishes”, but its wishes are stretched so thin as to only apply to within this room.

The genie could, for example, grant you untold riches. But the moment you tried to take any of the gold outside of the room, it would disappear. Injuries you wished to heal would reappear, age you wished away would return. You could wish to be King of the world, and all would respect your authority and it would be true, but only in that room. Two guards stand outside the room with bows; to stop anyone from casting any truly destructive or wishes that go against their lady's best interests. There is a young servant girl hiding away in this room; she'd asked the genie for food for so long that she would starve to death the moment she left the room.

[16] Nap tablets. Within this darkened room full of beds and curshions are little pink tablets that, when swallowed or mixed with a drink and drunk, make the user feel very tired and fall asleep. They fall asleep for two exploration turns, and then wake up as refreshed as though they had slept a full 8. These tablets are used by the guests so they can sleep and continue to enjoy the festivities after many, many hours, but each could be sold on the black market for 2d6x30 coins.

The room also always contains 3d6 sleeping noble party-goers, wealthy merchants with treasure tucked under their pillows, and powerful wizards resting to restore their spells. Most of them have guards, who will probably notice you trying to steal or murder their boss, or steal the tablets. The tablets are located within three crystal chalices floating around the room.

[17] The Wondrous Wall. Small “spots” of glowing light travel along the wall's surface, and anyone who touches the spot feels the sensation of the color and texture of the spot. So the spot may appear as rushing water, and touching it will cause your fingers to feel wet and cold from the spring. There is a spot that appears as a hot flame, and the moment it touches your fingers you will pull them back from the heat, but if your hand was forced to stay you'd take 1d4 fire damage.

The spots slowly drift around the wall, and a few nobles crowd around it and daring each other to touch the different spots.

Each spot can be removed with a paint scraper and a little bit of patience. After slapping it on another surface, it will start to “explore” its environment, but cannot leave its new wall. By rolling up the spot like a scroll and “invoking” it, a magic user can conjure a tiny amount of whatever the spot represented; a bucket's worth of river water, 1d4 jet of flame, a small fox for the spot that appeared as a soft animal's fur, a stingray for the bumpy gray skin spot on the wall, etc.

[18] Dragon egg in a glass case. The case has a lair of frost on it, hinting at the fact that anyone who touches it will take 2d8 ice damage and a loud banshee scream will alert the nearby guards.

Wealthy merchants crowd around the dragon's egg, as if amazed at the sight of a dragon up so close. The dragon egg is worth 2d4x5000 coins.

[19] The Season clock. Up in a taller tower room of the mansion; by turning the key on this huge magic clock, the room and viewing windows change entire seasons. The trees outside bloom, and butterflies go by in spring, before cold icy winds come and the trees lose their leaves for winter if you turn the key two more times, etc. The temperature of the room also changes depending on the season, and the servants here have magic outfits that change color and theme to fit whatever period of time of the “year” it is in the room. The key of the clock is magic and could be used to operate many different magical devices.

The time distortion is kept contained within this room, and your ears pop would you leave it. If any of the reinforced windows are broken, it causes a magic backlash that hits everyone in the room. Make a save to simply grow a beard or have some of your wrinkles disappear. If you fail the save you turn 1d8x10 years old.

[20] The Wine Cellar. Down carpeted steps into a small dark cellar, filled with many open caskets of wines and alcoholic drinks. There is a siren suspended into a magical bubble half filled with ocean water floating above the room, taking song requests. The wines include regular, vintage, and magical drinks. The siren's music is muffled so she cannot control people, but she will try to get the party to fire arrows or throw things at her so she can pop the bubble and start eating or controlling the house guests below.

Wandering Monsters

Roll 1d6

[1] Plucky Thieves (1 HD, +2 AC, 1d4 knives, blending in as servants, +1 to saves)

Morale- 9

Numbers- 1d6+1

[2] Fed-Up Summon (3 HD, +1 AC, 1d8 sledgehammer, scary gargoyle face -1 hireling morale, scares away other house guests and guards, smashing holes in wall)

Morale- 12, 14 when damaged from rage

Numbers- 1

[3] Sleeping Magus Dream-Projection (2 HD, casts 1^st and 2^nd level spells, ghostly and must be harmed with magic spells or weapons)

Morale- 10, gets bored instead of retreating

Numbers- 1 or 2

[4] Revolting Guards (2 HD, +2 to hit, +4 AC from armor, want your money not your life)

Morale- 7

Numbers- 2d4

[5] Loose Oven-Bound Fire Elementals (1 HD, 3 HD, +4 AC, 3 flame spark attacks at 1d4 fire damage, immune to fire damage, splashing water on it kills it)

Morale- N/A

Numbers- 1d4

[6] High Noble Duelists (2 HD, +2 to hit, +3 AC, 1d8+1 magic rapiers, wearing jewlery worth 1d8x100 coins, drugs make them ignore mind-effecting spells)

Morale- 12

Numbers- 1d6

Dirt Simple Spell Components

Dirt Simple Spell Components

There are 10 Forms of spell components (taken from Ars Magica & Freeform Ritual Magic); Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Plants, Animals, Images, Minds, People's Bodies (Separate from animals), and Prime (magic energy/pure arcane power) Components coming from these sources can be cast with relevant spells most correlated with the component- a mummified cat, for example, is used to cast Animal based spells, where as embers from a witch's oven are used to cast Fire spells.

In order for something to be a spell component, it has to be at least one of the following;

• Unusual / something not natural / Painstakingly made
• Infused with magic energy / had spells cast upon it / related to Wizardry
• Culturally significant / is “touched by fate” / Long lost relic

If the component has one quality, it can be used to cast a 1^st or 2^nd level spell, and is consumed.

If the component has two qualities, it can be used to cast a 1^st or 2^nd level spell as a spell focus, meaning it is required to cast the spell but is not consumed on casting. It can also be used to cast more powerful spells, but is consumed.

If the component has all three qualities, it can be used as a spell focus for all but the most powerful of spells. Alternatively, depending on how much this can unbalance the game, it can be used as a spell focus for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd level spells, and has 1d4 uses as a spell component for greater.

Powerful Spell Components

When you need spell components for casting powerful spells, creating a permanent spell effect or magic item, inventing a new spell, or a complex magical ritual- take the spell effect's level, multiple it by 2 and roll on the component generator twice. This value is named Y. Extremely powerful or complex spells may have to roll more times on the table.

Component Generator - 1d12

[1] Requires an item or collection of items that cost Yx1000 gold.

[2] Spell must be cast or created at a place of power that is Y months of hard travel away.

[3] Requires body part or personal trinket of a creature with Y for HD

[4] Requires a ritual step or painstaking research over another Y seasons.

[5] Must be cast with the aide of a descendant of a bloodline. You know an ancestor Y generations ago and will have to trace the lineage down to the present day.

[6] Requires Y number of special Runes, the knowledge of each is highly guarded.

[7] The caster is aged by Y years, or you can take ½ Y in level drain just after the spell is finished.

[8] Requires Y number of other Mages to finish the spell. They will demand payment, favors, exclusive rights after the first casting, scheme to steal the formula, etc.

[9] Finishing this spell will release a curse that will last Y years and have a random (really bad) effect. It will also require a Cleric or Sage of Y level to even try to manage the symptoms.

[10] Requires special solution of Y different potions of “Greater” potency or better; to create the alchemist slurry to soak the item in / get the caster high on.

[11] Requires the sacrifice of Y virgin young women, or double Y “sacred” animals, such as snow white lambs or virgin rats from the temple of the hidden goddess.

[12] Requires summoning a magical creature of ½ Y in HD to grant guidance or continual bloodletting over the course of a year and a day. Creature is self centered and will always seek means of tricking the caster and escaping captivity.

[Class] The Other

Expanded concept and class based on the final entry of this table.

The Other

HD- d8

Max AC- 15 / Minimum Hit-Points- 5

You are not a person. You look like a human, or a fantasy race of your choice, but you are not. Spells, magic items, and potions that have specific effects on that race or type of being do not effect you; you are treated as something “else”. Though you are similar and blend in with their society, you have a tell- roll this table. Use the left entry if your highest stat is even, use the right if its odd.

“Other” Tell Table - 1d12

[1] You have a six fingers / You have a claw on your big toe

[2] You have a spiked, puncturing tooth behind your incisors / You have too many teeth

[3] You smile too wide / Your mouth is very small

[4] Your eyes are heterochromic / You have a second iris + pupil under your eyelid

[5] You shiver in hot places / You sweat in cold places

[6] The hairs on your back react to touch / the hairs on your chest are strong as nails

[7] You have a hare lip / All your scars are symmetrical along your body's vertical axis

[8] Your blood is bright pink / You don't bleed; your wounds sound like gas escaping your veins

[9] Your veins have a blackish tint / Your sweat is similar to honey

[10] You're double jointed in both your elbows / Your spine is very flexible, like a ferret's

[11] Mimic the chirp of a songbird when happy / Mimic a horse's whinny when frightened

[12] Stick out your tongue; taste things at distance / You can and enjoy eating rotten foods

At 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th level, you gain +1 to hit with all weapons and Fearsome Flesh.

Every even level, you get +1 to rolls to tinker with machines, magitech devices, and power crystal arrays. If this involves creating portals between dimensions; you get a bonus +1 to the roll.

You have power slots. At 2^nd, 6^th, and 10^th level, you gain a slot. These slots have two purposes. The first is to force any mutation or curse you acquire to become beneficial, or gain a beneficial use. This mutation also becomes a part of your body permanently, 'locking' it in place, so only a powerful magic ability that could take away a natural ability can remove it. If the mutation was neutral and provided both good and bad effects, you can incorporate it into your biology to minimize its negatives and improve its positives. Vestigial limbs and organs gain a use, excesses and growths grant bonus hit points, cursed luck is redirected upon opponents and so on. If you don't have any mutations, you can keep a slot open until you get a good one or roll on a random power table.

The second use of the power slots is for your special power; Fearsome Flesh. You can only use this ability once per adventure per power slot. Make an attack- on a hit, you deal (1d6 + maximum power slots) whatever damage type you want. Your body shifts and morphs to perform the attack. You cough up liquid nitrogen bile to freeze an enemy, or a spiked tentacle shoots from your gut to pierce an enemy's armor, and so on. Using this power makes all hirelings following you take a morale check, as it is quite frightening to see your boss as an inuman monster. Additionally, whenever you use up all of your Fearsome Flesh uses on a single adventure, you gain another permanent tell to mark you as an Other.

Similar to the undead, you can be turned. If you are successful Turned, you disappear from the world for 1d4 days. You have to find the “back door” to get back in. When you return, you return with a Terrible Knowledge from your time away. If you are turned and the result is a Destroyed, you return after 1d4 seasons with your highest stat permanently reduced by -1d6 and your level drained by 1, but with another Terrible Knowledge in tow and an obedient 1 HD Null Beast as a familiar.

Your condition is genetic and is passed on to your children. The older you get, the more inhuman you become, your tell is further exaggerated and your body morphs into your adult form. Eventually, you'll be unable to fit in with human society on your own.

At 10^th Level, you have become a Outsider and can no longer be turned by a Cleric. Only very powerful magic can banish you now. Your family clusters around you further; you gain 3d6+1 loyal cultists, one of whom is always a 3^rd level magic user and 1d4 of your family members develop into 2 HD Null Soldiers. If these soldiers are killed, 1d4 family members will step up to transform to help protect your brood. Also 2d6 Null Beasts bud off of random family members asexually, which will still be treated as children. If you are killed you will return in 2d6 years as long as your family continues to call to you for you to return to them; the cult requires 1d8x100 gold each season to operate. Any mutations you have gained along your adventures can now be hidden in your body with a slight tell, similar to your "Other" tell, but can be drawn out at a moment's notice.

Additionally; you may now build Gateways. Gateways are circles of standing stones, marked arches in city squares and cathedrals, quiet corners in libraries, and within holes dug between the house's own floorboards. You can pass through the gateway to spend 1d3 days acquiring another Forbidden Knowledge OR you can use a Gateway to instantly travel to any other Gateway you've made. Gateways must be sustained once per season through either constant guarding and suspicious activities by your brood, or bribes to locals costing 1d6x50 coins for a Gateway, or a sacrifice of a pure virgin for one Gateway. Failing to sustain a Gateway will make it permanently lose its powers.

Null Beast (1 HD, +1 to hit, -2 AC, 1 frenzied flesh at 1d4+1, reassembly)

Morale- 4, unless commanded to attack

Numbers- N/A

Null Beasts appear as small animals like cats, dogs, chickens, ferrets, rabbits, unusually big rats or lizards, as well as birds like crows and pigeons. While appearing as these animals, they do not fit in with animals of the same type, which are spooked and will break their necks in a panic to escape the false null beast. Null beasts are very cowardly on their own without direction, in which case they will fight to the death or as long as they are commanded. When they die, Null Beasts have a 50% chance to revive in 1d6 exploration turns after being killed at 1 hit point and severely weakened- to slink off and lick their wounds.

Null Beasts have a body that can reform in ways to make attacks. New teeth and claws sprout from unusual places, legs bend wrong to jump up to bite your face, and so on. They don't seem to feel pain, and can eat anything biological regardless of the form they appear. These animals act as familiars, guards, and pets of the “Others”.

Null Soldier (2 HD, +3 to hit, -2 AC, 2 frenzied flesh at 1d6+1, reassembly)

Morale- N/A

Numbers- N/A

Null soliders look like normal people or beings of specific races, tied to their brood. However, they are truly not and have off proportions and usually have either a calm smile or their teeth are constantly gnashing their lips and cheeks. Null Soldiers have no survival instinct, and seem unsure on how to use their bodies; they move unnaturally and fast, and their attacks allow them to exploit their unnatural biology.

When Null soldiers attacks, every part of their body contorts and mutates to cause injury. They may break their own teeth with their inhumanly strong bite, then using their tongue like a piston to spit the shards at you as a gun blast up close. Their eyes may pop just to shoot acid on your face when you wrestle them to the ground, their arms and joints bend backwards and bone exits skin to act as stabbing and slashing weapons, new mouths or organs may just appear from within them.

If the Null Soldier is killed by an elemental attack (burnt to a crisp, frozen solid, zapped by lightning, or melted by acid) or is totally crushed or exploded apart by a very strong attack, they will simply die like they're supposed to. But if they are killed by traditional weapons; the Null Solider will reassemble into a new lesser form with 1 HD and 1 attack. The Null Form is made of whatever is left over of the damaged and slain soldier, bending into a new form to bite and gnash. A decapitated head sprouts spider legs to jump and bite; a disemboweled soldier has his intestines slither out and calcify whatever unnatural organs were within into clubs. It cannot reassemble twice.

The Sapphire Stick

The Sapphire Stick

Ego- 4; Magic Classes

Damage- N/A

The Sapphire Stick is a magic wand. Unlike most other magic items; it's Ego score is determined by magic using classes instead of martial ones; full casters get +1 to this Ego score per level, half casters get +1 every 2 levels, and non-casting classes get no Ego. The wand itself is a short, slightly curved wand made of a strange bright blue material. It hums with ambient magic, especially whenever it is flicked around or struck or knocked from the hand, etc.

The Sapphire Stick is a wand that channels the power of the Sacred Sapphire. Spells cast from the wand get +2 to their spell rolls, healing value, and reduce enemy saves by -2. The Sapphire Stick does not boost damage rolls from spells; it's magic is more based on protection and restoration.

The Ego score of this magic implement means it wants to serve a magic user of great power; but this can be suspended by a good hearted person. Often apprentice or weak magic users with good and pure hearts will find themselves with the stick, regardless of their skill in magic. Powerful magic users with evil intentions or selfish motivations will find the stick quickly abandoning them. Those who try to use the stick's magic to take an innocent life find the spell instantly fails and backfires on them instead; make a hard save or else the person turns into a sapphire crystalline statue frozen in place; a state which can only be ended by a powerful spell or the machinations of the frozen creatures over many years of plotting. This effect can also be done on a killing blow with a spell versus an enemy while wielding the stick instead of ending their life.

Universal Spontaneous Magic System

In order to cast a spell, you must first Invoke a Discipline and declare your effect. Your DM will tell you how difficult this spell is, and then you can roll a d20 meet or beat the SC (Spell Challenge). Add your Intelligence modifier to all normal spell rolls. Casters add their level, half casters add half their level, rounded down, to the spell roll. If you've equipped a wand, staff, magic orb, spellbook, etc. add +1 to the roll.

On any successful spell roll; your character gets -1 to all spell rolls made for the rest of the day. This is due to draining their magical energy. If you drink a mana potion you can restore +1d6 points of your normal bonus. Points over your maximum provide no bonus, but make your eyes and skin glow for 1 turn per point over max.

On any failed spell roll; you must choose one of these four options. If you are casting a spell from a scroll, item, don't know what the spell does, or are manipulating another unknown magical force; roll 1d4 to determine random outcome instead. You must also roll a random outcome if your roll has a final value of 0 or less.

Spell Failure Table

[1] Spell Fizzles. Spell Fails, no ongoing negative modifier. You cannot invoke that Discipline for the rest of the day/adventure.

[2] Overexert. Spell Succeeds, -2 ongoing negative modifier to spell rolls. You are stunned for 1d4 rounds if in combat and cannot cast spells for 1d6-Wisdom modifier exploration turns.

[3] Backlash. Spell succeeds, -1 ongoing modifier. You take some damage to maximum hit points, a random attribute, destroy some of your equipment, or suffer a mutation. If you use spellcaster Dooms, then this option advances your Doom by 1 stage.

[4] Haywire. Spell succeeds, -1 ongoing modifier. Spell is uncontrolled and has random or unforeseen consequences. Summoned creatures are no longer friendly or under the control of the caster, energies fly randomly or change element, healing spells cause mutations, etc.

Spell Challenge

The Spell Challenge or SC of a spell is how difficult it is to cast that magic. You must meet or beat the number on a d20 + modifiers to succeed with your spell, and follow the rules for success or failure normally.

The base SC is 10.

Spells are easier if;

(-1 SC) Casting on an item you own

(-1 SC) Casting on a place you live/closely tied to

(-1 SC) Casting on a willing/friendly target

(-1 SC) You are touching your target

(-1 SC) The area is awash with ambient magic, such as a magician's manse or standing stones

(-1 SC) The spell is cast “as a ritual”, meaning it takes at least an exploration turn.

(-2 SC) You are casting on something that already exists instead of conjuring something new.

(-2 SC) You are casting a “Formula” Spell (spell effect common in campaign setting)

Spells are harder if;

(+1 SC) Target is more then a stone's throw away

(+1 SC) One symbolic degree of separation from your spell's discipline to your desired effect. For example; creating just light from the Elemental Create/Control Fire discipline.

(+1 SC) Conjuring something with a minor supernatural property

(+1 SC per) Each AC gained from heavy armor.

(+1 SC) Area of effect is 5-10 square ft.

(+1 SC) Deals 1d4 Unerring damage.

(+1 SC) Duration over one exploration turn.

(+2 SC) You cannot see or hear your target.

(+2 SC) Your target is a swarm (ignore multiple creature rules below for swarm creatures)

(+2 SC) Conjuring something with a major supernatural property.

(+2 SC) Area of effect is 15-30 square ft.

(+2 SC) Deals 1d6 Unerring damage.

(+3 SC) You do not speak the incantations. This also includes trying to cast from stealth.

(+3 SC) You arms or hands are tied.

(+3 SC) Area of effect is 35-50 square ft.

(+3 SC) Deals 1d8 Unerring damage.

(+4 SC) Deals 1d10 Unerring damage.

(+4 SC) Area of effect is 50+ square ft.

(+1 SC per) Additional Targets past the first. If casting on multiple creatures, the HD of the highest creature determines spell resistance.

(+HD SC) Casting on an unwilling monster or creature; their level/HD increases their resistance.

Disciplines

Every magic user has Disciplines- Disciplines are the type of magical actions they can perform. They are equivalent to schools of magic or broad “spells” they can cast, such as an Illusionist or an "Orthodox" Wizard. Disciplines can only be learned with special training or pilfered spellbooks, or developed over many years.

Some magical characters may seek training or mastery over a specific Discipline; when this is accomplished, add +1 to the Discipline's name, which is added when Invoking that Discipline.

Each class archetype only has a few disciplines for when they start play.

Common Disciplines of Archetypes

Wizard

• Create/Control Arcane Energy
• Animate (Inanimate) Objects
• Discern the Invisible or Hidden
• Levitate/Hold Beings

Elf

• Obfuscate Places or Things
• Guide/Heal Nature
• Enchant Items

Druid

• Empower/Control Animals
• Animate Plants
• Shapeshift Self
• Create/Control (Localized) Weather

Witch

• Summon Demons
• Transform self/others
• Cast Hexes/Curses

Illusionist

• Conjure phantasms
• Change Appearances
• Manipulate emotions

Necromancer

• Animate Dead
• Create/Control Death Energy
• Harm Living Beings

Sage

• Restore health & attributes
• Ward against monsters
• Conjure light
• Counter black magic

Oracle

• Create/Manipulate a fated event
• Predict Actions of Others
• Peek into the past of a thing or place
• Project senses remotely

Elementalist

• Conjure/Control Fire
• Conjure/Control Water
• Conjure/Control Earth
• Conjure/Control Air

Red God Cultist

• Empower/Guide Monsters
• Manipulate/Reveal Bloodlines
• Empower/Damage Attributes
• Fill places with Gloom & Dread

Alternate Rules for Patrons

You may also be able to replace your Discipline with a “Patron” being. To Invoke, you must speak the beings name instead of speaking a magic incantation.

Casting a spell by Invoking a patron doesn't give you a negative to all spells, just to the patron's discipline as you expend your favor. Doing things that the patron likes, making a sacrifice, and regular religious service during downtime can restore these negative modifier.

Failed spell rolls can allow the patron to cause their wrath upon you instead of a Backlash, and being forced to do a quest for them replaces Haywire spells.

For example; the Warlock invokes the name of an arch demon to burn his enemies twice. He has -2 onging to Invoke the Archdemon; but smashing a gemstone as a sacrifice will allow him to restore a point of his modifier to make further spells more likely.

Example Spells

Ice Platforms

Bortho the Level 4 Magic User has the Discipline Create Ice Sculptures at +1. He wishes to create three floating icy platforms to help his party escape a chasing monster. He is not holding a staff, as his was gobbled up by a gluttonous ooze early in the adventure, and he already cast two spells today. His Intelligence modifier is +1. His spell roll modifier is +4, +1, +1, -2 for a total of +4.

The SC for his spell is 10 + 2 additional platforms. The Dungeon Master rules that the floating platforms should count as a major supernatural property, and adds another +2 to the SC. The DM asks Bortho the area of the platforms you could stand on, and Bortho just says enough for a single person, so the area of effect is just +1 SC. The total SC for the roll is 15.

Bortho rolls a 1d20 and rolls an 8. Even with his bonus of +4, he fails the spell and is presented with the table of options on spell failure. He doesn't want to give up his best Discipline, and fizzling the spell would mean the monster would be upon them without an escape route. Overexerting himself would also be a bad move, because then he would be incapacitated for long enough for the monster to kill him, and he doesn't want to be left behind, and he's weak enough from the dungeon that taking damage could kill him. So he goes with the final option, and allows his platform to be haywire'd.

The DM describes the platforms shakily coming into being, but nothing happens as of yet. The party is skeptical of the Wizard's work, but ascend up the steps anyway. As weight is put on each step, however, they start to float to the left and right, shoved by the weight. The platforms start to crash into each other and the walls, prompting saving throws to avoid falling into the chasm below. Bartho is later kicked in the balls by the Fighter's daughter for killing her father, but Bartho has the last laugh because he is a Wizard and didn't need his balls anyway.

Magic Missile

Any first level Wizard wants to cast magic missiles. Using the Discipline of Create/Control Arcane Energy, they can deal 1d4 Unerringdamage, which means it can't miss and there is no save, at +1 to the SC for a total of SC 11. The Wizard has a staff and is first level, so gets +2 to the roll, not including intelligence. The DM declares this to be a legacy or formula spell, and makes the SC 9 instead. The Wizard only has to roll a 7 or higher to succeed for this simple spell.

Red Candle

A Sage with the Discipline of Conjure/Control Fire wishes to create a magic candle that ties itself with the life force of a young apprentice; the candle turns red when she is in danger. While the Discipline of Fire isn't very closely related to life force or “sensing danger”, the DM makes a ruling since the Sage already has healing and protective magic disciplines that it's acceptable without a penalty; but BOTH Disciplines must be invoked and could be voided on a failure.

The duration is over 1 turn which adds +1 to SC, the apprentice may not always be nearby or in sight, so adding the modifier for distance of +1 SC and +2 SC for no visible/audible target may also apply. Since the spell is being cast on a candle already present, subtract -2 SC. Since this spell is being used on a friendly character, with an owned candle, and they can touch when it is cast/not an issue of distance, you could also drop another -3 SC from the spell's difficulty. But since the target is not always going to be present/touched for the duration, you could also rule these out. I'd mark the SC of this spell to be around 12, give or take, depending on how you'd rule the complexity and symbolic ties.

Spontaneous Magic to Spell Slots Conversion

If you use spell slots; Spontaneous spells instead use up a spell slot instead of giving negative to future spell rolls. Make a saving throw vs spells upon a spontaneous magic cast, and on failure, roll on your favorite spell failure table. This is the cost and uncertainty of using spontaneous spells instead of your safe, practiced rote spells.

1^st Circle Spell from SC <10

2^nd Circle Spell from SC 10-14

3^rd Circle Spell from SC 15-19

4^th Circle Spell from SC 20+

Random Discipline Table

Roll 1d20

[1] Conjure/Control Things associated with a “Basic” color.

[2] Astral Magic from Dominions

[3] Repair/Manipulate Mechanical Devices

[4] Generate a random Lovecraftian Horror. This is your patron.

[5] Dig Holes/Tunnels in the Earth or Stone

[6] Summon/Guide Creatures that Fly

[7] Mimic Dragon Powers

[8] Enchant/Animate Cloth

[9] Open/Close Dimensional Spaces & "Otherspaces"

[10] Create/Control a random Magic Energy

[11] Shapeshift self/Control Insects & Arachnids

[12] Manipulate/Stop Time. +4 SC to these spells.

[13] Sideshow Magic. -2 SC to these spells.

[14] Sense/Peek/Manipulate/Project Dreams

[15] Summon Otherworldly Beings

[16] Conjure Soldiers/Equipment/Fortifications

[17] Empower/Degrade Appearances

[18] Shrink/Grow Objects or Beings

[19] Sense/Reveal/Manipulate/Levitate Alchemical Creations

[20] Roll on Cave Girl's Aspect list for a Discipline

Seeking the "Generic" Wizard

When it comes to creating the “generic” or “orthodox” Wizard, several instant categories come to mind; mostly to do with specific spells. Firstly, fireballs and summoning creatures are both classic examples of Wizards, but step on the toes of specific classes (such as Summoners, Witches, Elementalists, etc.). Invisibility & Knock is also a classic Wizard spells, but it makes the thief outdated and almost useless. Flight and Instant Travel (ie; teleportation) are also contenders, but are too powerful and universally useful in most campaigns for Wizards.

So instead; I boiled down Wizards without the above to create the most generic and traditional suite of powers I thought fit the Orthodox Wizard;

• Create/Control Arcane Energy
• Animate (Inanimate) Objects
• Discern the Invisible or Hidden
• Levitate/Hold Beings

Create/Control Arcane Energy is a good one; as it fits with things like magic missile, prismatic spray and wall, and fits with all other evocations and generic Wizard spells that aren't tied to elements.

Animate Objects is one that's very fitting, in my opinion. I think of Wizards as from Disney, such as Mickey Mouse in the Fantasia short, or the Sword in the Stone's Merlin, or even Beauty and the Beast's anthropomorphized objects as good examples of what I'd consider an animated object. Not just floating around, but also not totally humanized either. I see the “Animate” keyword as to mean giving human qualities, not just motion, so I see spells like Magic Mouth and Alarm (when an object is moved) also counting towards the animation, which is classic Wizard stuff.

Discern the Invisible or Hidden is a tougher discipline. It's very classic of Wizards to learn the passcodes to secret doors, like Gandalf, but may step on player skill and classes or characters that specialize in secrets and lore. Revealing the invisible at least is pretty obvious; faerie fire or glitterdust are classic examples- along with the Corona spell from dungeon crawl stone soup, though technically that's for Enchanters in that game. As an aside, one of my favorite things from Harry Potter was when Professor Snape commanded the Marauder's map to “reveal its secrets to him”, as though this is common practice to reveal invisible or hidden things, simply throwing around your Wizardly authority.

Finally Levitate/Hold beings is a classic among Wizards. While “levitate” implies a calm and gentle motion, it doesn't imply flight, which is a good start. However I also like to imagine it being able to used as a quick slam or shove, such as to throw people off a cliff or off horses, which is pretty fitting to a non-elemental Wizard's combat potential. Hold person/being is also a classic of Wizards.

There- I think this list of archetypal spells is very well fitting to a non-elemental and generic Wizard. While very specific, I think it helps give personality to the class without being an “everyman”.