A long sword burnished black, glinting with a hint of silver. It does 1d8 damage and grants no bonus to hit. But, any creature hit by the sword must make a save vs. poison or be instantly slain. It's soul bound into the sword. So there is no way to resurrect a person while the sword is still whole. The lost dweomer might get around this limitation.
For any wielder, the sword will 99 times. The 100th death is the death of the wielder. After slaying the 99th victim, each time the sword hits another person, the wielder must save vs. poison or die. His soul is then absorbed into the sword.
Of course clever players would probably only use the sword, when it really counts. But alas, escaping the curse is not that easy. Each time the wielder is reaching for another weapon, he must succeed at a save vs. magical device at -5. If he fails, the weapon he grabs, is the Sword of 100 Deaths. Of course, this effect also means that it is extremly difficult to separate the wielder from his weapon.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Magic Mushrooms
Inspired by the Mushroom Song, I decide to have magic mushrooms in the lands beyond the Drowning Woods.
Lyrics:
Sleep of the Earth of the land of Faerie
Deep is the lore of Cnuic na Sidhe
Hail be to they of the Forest Gentry
Pale, dark spirits, help us free
White is the dust of the state of dreaming
Light is the mixture to make one still
Dark is the powder of Death's redeeming
Mark but that one pinch can kill
So there are magic mushrooms that can be distilled into various essences. A magic-user can create the mixture like a potion of a 1st level spell. Instead of silver, creating the mushroom mixtures cost coppers. Selling price will usually be double the production costs.
White - The Dust of Dreaming
When taken before sleeping, the subject experiences vivid dreams. They have one of the following effects:
1 - Well rested (heal two additional hit points)
2 - Prophetic dreams (character can decide to take +2 on any one roll with d20 in the upcoming day)
3 - Inspiring dreams (character gains a +1 chance on one common activty roll made the upcoming day)
4 - Chaotic dreams (character can cast one spell at a caster level 2 higher than his level)
5 - Weird dreams (player decides that a d20 roll has to be repeated, the new result counts)
6 - Dreams of chance (game master decides that a d20 roll has to be repeated, the new result counts)
Light - The Mixture that makes one still
When taken, the character enters a death-like trance. He will not be plagued by any dreams. For 1d6 hours he will appear to be dead to any onlooker. Taking the light mixture prevents you from having nightmares.
Dark - The Powder of Death's Redeeming
Deadly poison. Save vs. poison or die. The death will be painless and quick.
Addiction
Each time some one ingests a dose of mushroom powder, he must save vs. poison to avoid addiction.
The save is +2 for white and -2 for dark powder. Yes, you can become addicted to the dark powder. If you become addicted, you have to have the mixture in order to sleep. If you don't you suffer a -1 penalty to all activities the next day. If you become addicted to white powder, this may progress to
light and later dark powder addiction at the discretion of the referee.
Lyrics:
Sleep of the Earth of the land of Faerie
Deep is the lore of Cnuic na Sidhe
Hail be to they of the Forest Gentry
Pale, dark spirits, help us free
White is the dust of the state of dreaming
Light is the mixture to make one still
Dark is the powder of Death's redeeming
Mark but that one pinch can kill
So there are magic mushrooms that can be distilled into various essences. A magic-user can create the mixture like a potion of a 1st level spell. Instead of silver, creating the mushroom mixtures cost coppers. Selling price will usually be double the production costs.
White - The Dust of Dreaming
When taken before sleeping, the subject experiences vivid dreams. They have one of the following effects:
1 - Well rested (heal two additional hit points)
2 - Prophetic dreams (character can decide to take +2 on any one roll with d20 in the upcoming day)
3 - Inspiring dreams (character gains a +1 chance on one common activty roll made the upcoming day)
4 - Chaotic dreams (character can cast one spell at a caster level 2 higher than his level)
5 - Weird dreams (player decides that a d20 roll has to be repeated, the new result counts)
6 - Dreams of chance (game master decides that a d20 roll has to be repeated, the new result counts)
Light - The Mixture that makes one still
When taken, the character enters a death-like trance. He will not be plagued by any dreams. For 1d6 hours he will appear to be dead to any onlooker. Taking the light mixture prevents you from having nightmares.
Dark - The Powder of Death's Redeeming
Deadly poison. Save vs. poison or die. The death will be painless and quick.
Addiction
Each time some one ingests a dose of mushroom powder, he must save vs. poison to avoid addiction.
The save is +2 for white and -2 for dark powder. Yes, you can become addicted to the dark powder. If you become addicted, you have to have the mixture in order to sleep. If you don't you suffer a -1 penalty to all activities the next day. If you become addicted to white powder, this may progress to
light and later dark powder addiction at the discretion of the referee.
Black Unicorns
Okay, I know they have been done to death. But I still want to do them. Also, beyond the Drowning Woods there are no white unicorns.
Black Unicorn: HD 5, AC 19, Speed: twice as fast as running man, Morale 10, Damage: 2x 1d8 (hooves), 1d8 + cause disease (horn), 25% magic resistance, double damage if charging, teleport as MU lvl 5 once per day, AL Chaotic.
Black Unicorn: HD 5, AC 19, Speed: twice as fast as running man, Morale 10, Damage: 2x 1d8 (hooves), 1d8 + cause disease (horn), 25% magic resistance, double damage if charging, teleport as MU lvl 5 once per day, AL Chaotic.
- Virgin sacrifice: If the black unicorn encounters a man who has sacrificed a virgin, it must save vs. spell or forevermore serve that man.
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Drowned Ones
The land beyond the Drowning Woods does not have a moon, yet there are strange tides. When the sun sets, the water rises. When the sun rises, the waters recede. Thus it has ever been, since the moonfall.
With the tides come the Drowned Ones. The unquiet dead of the sea. They go where the salt water flows.
Drowned one: HD 1 to 3, AC 13, Speed: 3/4 of a walking man, Morale 12, Damage 1d8+3 (sabre), undead immunities, upper-half damage from bludgeoning weapons, vulnerable to rock salt, AL Chaotic.
With the tides come the Drowned Ones. The unquiet dead of the sea. They go where the salt water flows.
Drowned one: HD 1 to 3, AC 13, Speed: 3/4 of a walking man, Morale 12, Damage 1d8+3 (sabre), undead immunities, upper-half damage from bludgeoning weapons, vulnerable to rock salt, AL Chaotic.
- Watery touch: Drowned ones with 3HD or more can forego their weapon attack and instead touch the target. Target must save vs poison or die from drowning within 3 rounds. The corpse will rise as a drowned one in the next night.
- Cursed treasure: Drowned ones carry 1d6 brass coins which will gleam like silver at night; tattered leather which will function as leather armor at night; sabres that will gleam as if struck by moonlight at night, but are useless in daylight (still count as magic weapons!). If anyone carrying part of such treasure is slain, he must save vs poison or rise the next night as a drowned one.
- Breaking the curse: Either prevent victim from drowning with appropriate spells or cast a cure spell on him. After the victim has turned into a drowned one, only a remove curse spell will work. But the victim will still be dead.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Book of the Pale Moon
"As the uncaring gods warred in Heaven, the Moon was cracked and flung to the Earth. A great upheaval followed as the shards of the moon struck the cities of dwarves, rent the nations of elves and drowned the kingdoms of men. All that had been built was shattered. All that had been gathered was scattered.
Today, the world knows nothing of the Fallen Moon, the skies are empty save for distant stars. The oceans are shallow and the tides sweep the land. Yet dwarves, elves, men and tieflings prevail. But some, those born with seething sorcerous blood, look up to the sky, at the poisonous pale green moon glaring down on them. Ever full, never half, an accusing eye directed at their sins of wizardry and chaos."
- From the Book of the Pale Moon, written in the 2nd century of the Era of the Leaden Dawn by the magic-user Aglemore the Lunatic
Note: The Book of the Pale Moon is a grimoire containing the magic-user spells: summoning, force of forbidment, howl of the moon, strange waters II, seven gates, contact outer sphere, weird vortex and witchlamp aura.
Once per day, the owner of the book may cast any one of the spells contained in the book as a magic-user of his level. After casting the spell, he must make a saving throw vs magic at a penalty. The penalty is the difference between his current level and the minimum level required to cast the spell (if he is of higher level, this can become a bonus). If he fails the save, he will dream poisonous dreams of a pale moon. He will thrash and howl in his sleep and cannot be woken until dawn. Such a sleep is not restful at all. A magic-user or tiefling will not be able to prepare spells, and all his rolls on that day will be at a -2 penalty.
The spells in the grimoire can be studied and copied normally. This will not having any ill effect.
Today, the world knows nothing of the Fallen Moon, the skies are empty save for distant stars. The oceans are shallow and the tides sweep the land. Yet dwarves, elves, men and tieflings prevail. But some, those born with seething sorcerous blood, look up to the sky, at the poisonous pale green moon glaring down on them. Ever full, never half, an accusing eye directed at their sins of wizardry and chaos."
- From the Book of the Pale Moon, written in the 2nd century of the Era of the Leaden Dawn by the magic-user Aglemore the Lunatic
Note: The Book of the Pale Moon is a grimoire containing the magic-user spells: summoning, force of forbidment, howl of the moon, strange waters II, seven gates, contact outer sphere, weird vortex and witchlamp aura.
Once per day, the owner of the book may cast any one of the spells contained in the book as a magic-user of his level. After casting the spell, he must make a saving throw vs magic at a penalty. The penalty is the difference between his current level and the minimum level required to cast the spell (if he is of higher level, this can become a bonus). If he fails the save, he will dream poisonous dreams of a pale moon. He will thrash and howl in his sleep and cannot be woken until dawn. Such a sleep is not restful at all. A magic-user or tiefling will not be able to prepare spells, and all his rolls on that day will be at a -2 penalty.
The spells in the grimoire can be studied and copied normally. This will not having any ill effect.