Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Shamans of Ukko, Part II

Healing Side-Effects (Ukko)
Like with their other spells, Finnish shamans call upon spirits of place, the Haltija, to facilitate healing magic. Then, depending on the type of spirit present, it will be better at helping with certain ailments more than others.

In the case of ailments that the spirit is good at healing, the spell works automatically for its full amount, unless the type of spirit has a particular dislike for the shaman (see below).

In all other cases, the shaman must bargain with the spirit, requiring a successful Charisma check, modified by how respectful the shaman has been to such spirits- per Referee, in order for the spell to work at all. If successful, then all spell effects are rolled normally. If not, then the healing fails.

To randomly determine what spirits are around or even how an injury has been caused, roll 1d12. Otherwise, select based on what kind of place the shaman is in when he casts the healing spell.

1-2. Mountain Spirits: good at healing wounds from iron, other metal, or stone weapons, as well as from falls and other rugged perils.

3-4. Forest Spirits: good at healing wounds from natural attacks or wooden weapons, as well as dealing with poisons and other sylvan dangers.

5-6. Water Spirits: good at healing diseases and paralysis, acid or gas attacks, curses, blindness, deafness, along with any other would-be permanent ailments.

7-8. Sauna Spirits: good at healing diseases, as well as damage or other ill effects from the elements, including magic.

9-10. Field Spirits: good at healing any harm from supernatural beings or methods (including magic), along with restoring bravery, mental faculties, and even level loss, thanks to the presence of smiling Ukko above.

11-12. Graveyard Spirits: good at attempting to bring back the dead, though the one returned has a 50% chance of coming back ‘different’ (evil)!


Spirit Type
If unsure how respectful a particular shaman has been to a spirit that’s encountered, determine what type of spirit it is beyond just the location where it dwells. Nature spirits will be more commonly encountered (naturally), though others could also be just as fitting (e.g. bear totems on mountainsides, forest fey, a fair maiden bathing in the water, ancestral graveyard spirits, etc.) In any case, roll 1d20:

1-2. Ancestral
3. Angelic
4. Demonic
5. Elemental
6-7. Fair Maiden
8-9. Fey
10-17. Nature
18-19. Totemic
20. Undead

See Volume II for more info on spirits and how their motivations might fit (or not fit) with a particular shaman. If they are especially congruent or incongruent in outlook, then the Referee might award some additional boon or even have the spirit attack the shaman instead, making the interaction more than just a Charisma check to facilitate healing.


Next week: Shamans of Ukko, Part III!