Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Clerics of Ares, Part II

Divine Tests (Ares)
Battle will harden the strong just as it will destroy the weak. Ares’s cleric must prove himself as the former or die as the latter.

1-4. Fight harder! Does the cleric serve Ares well enough? He will see, causing his cleric a -1d4 penalty to all his rolls for the next 1d6 hours, double if they involve any non-violent action.

5-9. You don’t need magic to shed blood! The cleric loses access to some of his spells (50% chance for each one) including possibly his turn ability until he does one of the following. Roll 1d4 to determine what that is, since having his magical power restored would certainly help.
[1] Attack the next person he sees, continuing to fight them for a minimum of 2d3 rounds if they are at least reasonably worthy.
[2] Train for 2d6 hours, though actual battle is preferable, requiring just 2d6 minutes instead.
[3] Slay 1d6 HD worth of foes in very gory ways.
[4] Inflict 1d4 damage upon himself for the next battle he stops or backs down from. The cleric should be always ready to fight, always to the death, or else will make himself pay for it.

10-15. The cleric may be a great warrior, yes, but Ares will make him greater from now on. Roll 1d4.
[1] Blood Fighter: Some might like full panoply, but the cleric will only wear a helmet and shield now, even when such protection isn’t needed (granting an AC of 6 vs. attacks from the front; AC 8 vs. attacks from behind). What is more, those items can never be taken from the cleric except by divine intervention or upon death and he also gains a +1 bonus to his damage rolls.
[2] War Emissary: Some might spread peace, but Ares only spreads war. All who fight within 60’ of the cleric must save vs. death if they wish to stop (unless already slain), though they do gain an extra free attack every 3 rounds in any case.
[3] Chosen of Eris: Whenever the cleric fells a foe in melee, he must save vs. death or have to target the next closest foe, gaining an extra free attack. If no foes are available, then he will attack allies, crying ‘havoc’ and let slip his slaying sword!
[4] Bride-Taker: The cleric gains a +5 bonus to rolls dealing with beautiful women and Aphrodite along with a -5 to all rolls when dealing with smiths and Hephaestus, thanks to the notoriety of Ares. These modifiers apply to social interaction, combat, magic, logistics, and the like.

16-17. This... is... BATTLE! The cleric and his allies are soon beset by a more numerous force, though they can steel themselves to slay many anyway. Within 2d3 rounds the foes arrive, being 1d4+1 times the cleric and his allies in number (x2 to x5) and have the following stats:

Mve: 35’; AC 6; HD 1; Attk: 1 short sword or spear; Dmg: 1d6; Sve: F1, Mor: 8

Luckily, the cleric and his allies gain a +1d6 to all attack and damage rolls during this time, hopefully causing as much carnage as possible.

18+ Some, whether Aloadae giants or vengeful Hephaestus, might try to constrain the power of Ares. The cleric so too becomes unable to move for 1 day per divine test result over 17, relying only on his internal might and any faithful companions to survive. Still, like his god, the power of Ares cannot be held for long and the cleric will also be freed after that time; that is, if no one slays him first.

DCC RPG Conversion notes:
Turn ability= Turn unholy ability
AC 6 & 8= AC 13 & 11
Save vs. death= make a Will save DC 10
Stats for foes for results #16-17: Init: +2; Atk short sword or spear +2 (1d6); AC 13; HD 1d8; MV 25’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +0


Next week: clerics of Ares, Part III!