Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Gods of Sword & Sorcery, Part III

Sorcerer Spells Known
Though they can usually cast spells until stopped, sorcerers typically only know 1d3+2 of them for each level that they can cast. These are drawn from either the magic-user or a god, goddess, titan, or demon lord's list, but each one that a sorcerer would wish to know has a special restriction to acquire or consideration for use (roll 1d6):
   1. Must be cast as an arcane ritual each time it's used, requiring 1d6 minutes of preparation.
   2. It is an innate power within the sorcerer, perhaps from some supernatural lineage, and such access makes that lineage increasingly obvious to others.
   3. An occult tome must be acquired to learn and cast it, likely requiring an adventure, great expense, or both.
   4. Only a deal made with an otherworldly entity will provide its knowledge, requiring offering something up in return.
   5. Exotic materials are needed to cast it, costing at least 1d3 x 10 sp.
   6. Reroll twice.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Gods of Sword & Sorcery, Part II

Expanded Sorcerous Changes
Elaborating upon the results in Part I, myriad events can occur when sorcerers push the bounds of magic. When a sword & sorcery side-effect so determines, a suitable sacrifice isn't done, the potential target is selected, and the save is failed (if allowed), changes can happen, emphasizing the sense of chance and even potential chaos found in sorcery.

Who is Affected (roll 1d4)
   1-2. The Sorcerer
   3. The Sorcerer's Target
   4. A Bystander in a Random Direction

Note: when it comes to Changes to the Magic or Changes to the Manifestation (see both below), it is usually the spell itself that is affected by a sorcerous change, so no save is allowed. Otherwise, it is a save vs. spell/ make a Will save DC 15, becoming 1 more difficult to save against for each level of the spell (+1 for 1st level, +2 for 2nd level, etc.) .

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Gods of Sword & Sorcery, Part I

Sword & Sorcery Gods
Magic alters, but not always how it's intended.


Ways of 
Sword & Sorcery

  • Demonstrate your great power
  • Showing your magic
  • What happens is the will of the gods
  • But be wary of them too

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Medieval Clerics, Part III

Medieval Magic
Miracles are the manner in which divine magic manifests in the Middle Ages. Such extraordinary events are generally slower to happen and are more subtle than the spells of other epochs. Although the ways they are called upon are detailed in Part I, some additional options are included here.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Medieval Clerics, Part II

Medieval Tests
Remaining on the holy path will lead one to redemption.

1-12. The medieval cleric loses access to all his spells and turn ability. He must engage in various forms of penance in order to receive absolution and no commutations will be accepted. Roll 1d4 to see what specifically must be done to have each one restored. 
   [1] Confess to a stranger 1d4 unvirtuous acts that he has done.
   [2] Fast, eating very little or not at all for 1d6 days, taking -1d3 to all physical rolls during that time.
   [3] Recite psalms for 2d6 turns, doing so where others will hear him.
   [4] Give alms worth 1d10% of his current wealth.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Medieval Clerics, Part I

Orders of the Medieval Age
Serve your faith, and it will serve you well.


Tenets of Medieval 
Orders

  • Be virtuous & humble
  • Be pure (abiding by chastity & poverty)
  • Doing one's duty (obedient)
  • Denounce evil (especially magic!)
  • Following the principles of one's faith (by angel or saint)

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Dark Age Clerics, Part III

Dark Age Magic
Most things aren't easy in the dark ages- magic included. Whether spells don't function well or even at all, most would dislike even a cleric using magic.

Spells Available: Use either the standard cleric spell list or the divinity's, but check for each spell to determine its degree of availability for a particular dark age cleric. Different dark age clerics might thus have different spell selections, limited in various ways. Rolling a 12 as a magical side-effect is the only way to restore such spells, and even then, it's not guaranteed (see Part I). Roll 1d8.

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Dark Age Clerics, Part II

Dark Age Tests
What has come has gone, perhaps never to return, whether a Bronze Age collapse, Iron Age collapse, or not.

1-9. All things come to an end, some more unfortunately than others. The dark age cleric (or whomever is affected by this test) experiences austerity. Each result will compound when experienced more than once, and might only be undone once he (or the dark age cleric who caused it) rolls a magical side-effect of 12 at some point (see Part I). 

As for what the thing affected is, roll 1d8: [i] magic spell, [ii] thing held, [iii] thing worn, [iv] thing consumed, [v] thing read, [vi] thing sat upon, [vii] mode of transport, [viii] furnishing.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Dark Age Clerics, Part I

Gods of the Dark Age
When the glory times are over, the shadows are what remain.

Tenets of Dark Age Gods

  • Respect the end of things
  • Do what you can to help yourself and your group to survive
  • Do what you can to help your enemies to not
  • Beware those who would denounce you