Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Sorcerers of Gruagach/ Pictish Sorcerers, Pt. III

(illus: De Bry, 1588 “The True Picture of a Women Picte”)

Are Ye?
Gruagach might give ye a kick in ye arse, but are ye fit for what ye’re yearnin’? Are ye wild? Are ye a-seekin’ the sun and cattle? ARE YE?

Divine Tests
1-3. Up to ye oxters, are ye? Well then, ye must haud on, aye, or even faster yet, get in ye skuddy, woad, er steamin! The sorcerer must do nothing for 2d6 turns, or for only 1d3 turns if he can go nude, become painted, and/or get drunk.

4-9. Lost ye micht, have ye? Eh? Well then best ye get from all ye’re haverin’! The Gruagachan experiences a reduction in spells available- 50% chance for each one- possibly including his Turn ability, for the rest of the day. Roll 1d6 for each spell lost to determine what he needs to do in order to regain it before then:
[1] Get at least 1d6 others to be nude, woad-painted, and/or drunk for at least the next 1d3 hours (a base 25% chance that they will agree; 75% chance if they are also Picts).
[2] Acquire at least 2d6 cattle or sheep, preferably by raiding
[3] Hit an ally or other worthy (current) non-enemy with at least 1d3 rocks. Each one does 1d4 damage and the target is free to throw them back. Tossing logs or even trying to drink rocks will also do in this case, though they each cause 1d12 damage, also restoring 2 extra spells if lost.
[4] Make an offering to the fey or other spirits, based on the nature of the spell lost (per Referee). There’s a base 25% chance of the spirit being encountered to accept the offering. See Touch of the Fair Folk (Healing Side-Effect results #5-6) for its disposition. 
[5] Work on a stone carving or pictograph, requiring 1d6 turns and a Wisdom or Charisma check at its conclusion to see if it‘s good enough.
[6] Get to a broch (stone roundhouse or fort), or work on building one or another stone structure for at least 1d3 hours

10-12. Dinna ken who’ll gie ye a skelpit lug this time, will ye? Gruagach is just one of many Pictish divinities who also have a great deal of overlap due to their animistic ways. As a result, rather than experiencing Are Ye? in this case, reroll and consider the test to be for one of the following similar divinities instead (1d5):
[1] Brighde (as Brigid)
[2] Cailleach (as Trivia)
[3] Cern (as Cernunnos)
[4] Mhanainn (Manannan)
[5] Scathach (as Morrighan)
[6] Arcaibh (as Orcus- but is entirely Pictish in character, rather than orcish, also incorporating boars and the fey, rather than evil spirits - i.e. ‘the Orkneys’)
All are detailed in Volume II. The Referee should feel free to adjust any results to make them more ‘Pictish’: rustic, wild, and animistic.

13-17. Noo jist ye haud on! Many stereotypes exist for the Picts, and the sorcerer of Gruagach now takes on one of them- roll 1d4 each time to see which one:
[1] Battle: from now on, whenever provoked, the sorcerer must save vs. paralysis or have to fight. The save becomes 2 harder for each instance of this test.
[2] Babble: the sorcerer gains a +1 bonus to all saves, but others must also make a save vs. spell to understand anything he says at all from now on. The bonus increases by 1 and the save becomes 1 harder every time he experiences this test.
[3] Thrifty: Picts wear and carry little anyway, but now the sorcerer will often refuse to wear any garments at all or purchase items, even needing to save vs. paralysis if doing so would protect him from the elements or the like. The save becomes 2 harder for every time he has this test.
[4] Swalla: as per Lure of the Vine- see Dionysius in Volume I- though whisky will always be preferred to other spirits.

18+ Not afraid of ole Nessie, are ye? A great and terrible Loch Monster arrives within 1d20 rounds to show Gruagach’s displeasure, its long neck allowing it to even find him in the most unlikely of places. It will attack for 2d3 rounds, plus 2d3 additional rounds per Are Ye result over 18. Those who intervene or otherwise aid the sorcerer will become potential targets too, also increasing the Loch Monster’s fury for 1d3 rounds longer per ally involved. In any case, the sorcerer (and any allies brave enough to fight) must keep their heids and gie it laldly- ach!

Loch Monster
Mve: 30’, swim 120’; AC 4; HD 15; Atk: 1 bite; Dmg: 4d6; SP: cause fear (save vs. spell negates), aquatic, long neck allows reaching into 5’ wide areas; SV F15; AL N.


Next week: Sorcerers of Gruagach (Part IV)!