Various and Sundered Items

10 Classes for A Stone Age GLOG

WARNING: LONG POST

I have a setting, or rather the seed of a setting, that I have attempted to bring to fruition several times. The latest attempt is a project I’m calling PROTOhuman. It’s a GLOGhack for playing the adventures of primitive humanoids on a young fantasy world. But a Paleolithic technology level requires some editing of classes in order to work smoothly. References to gold pieces or advanced technology must be scrubbed. Some classes simply don’t work on a cultural level (what does Foreign Parts mean as a skill in the Stone Age?) while others rely upon societal sophistications that shouldn’t be universalized for this environment, like the Second Estate or Wizard Schools.

Below are 10 classes that can be used in a Stone Age setting without much trouble. Most are edits to classes from Skerples’ Spiked Goblin Punch, one is a hybrid of two classes from the same document, and a few are whole-cloth creations of mine (as much as anyone can say that). I’ll give the class source for each so you can compare with any originals. Two notes I want to clarify on rules not specified here:

Here's the list of classes in case you just want to scroll for something that interests you:

  1. Beastspeaker (an Inventor Necromancer reflavor)
  2. Champion (a straightforward hybrid of Fighter and Knight)
  3. Lunatic (a mushroom-eating, plant-smoking, curd-tasting loon)
  4. Primal Hunter (a mild alteration of the Hunter)
  5. Primal Sorcerer (an alternate version of the Sorcerer)
  6. Primitive Wizard (a bookless version of the wizard)
  7. Prophet (a divine caster who petitions for deific interventions)
  8. Throwback (a less sophisticated and foreign Barbarian)
  9. Trickster (a Thief that doesn't use money and is a bit more social)
  10. Warleader (A guy who specializes in leading tribal warriors)

Beastspeaker

The world is wild and full of life. You are one who has not yet forgotten the intricate Tongue of All Beasts, which means you can talk to animals. They are generally inclined to work with you for a reasonable fee.

Source: Inventor Necromancer.

Starting Equipment: A chatty and mostly useless songbird, a one handed or ranged weapon made by your tribe, a knife made by your tribe, a lure ready for use.

Starting Skill:

Talking to Animals

A: +1 Weird Pet, Emergency Critter

B: +1 Weird Pet

C: +1 Weird Pet

D: +1 Weird Pet, Animal Companion

Beastspeaker Lures

A Beastspeaker Lure takes up 1 Inventory Slot. They can be replenished in the wild with about three hours' work apiece. Bits of bone, curious flowers, dried meat giblets, colorful feathers, woven vines - all are useful in the hands of the Beastspeaker.

Emergency Critter

You can wrangle a small creature that solves a particular problem. It uses up 1 Beastspeaker Lure. The creature can imitate any mundane tool or item. Critters serve their purpose for 1 hour per Beastspeaker template before wandering off. Examples:

Weird Pet

The pets below are unique. Your Beastspeaker tamed them and only they can use them. If crippled or destroyed, the pet can be replaced (or restored if feasible) with 10 rations, 10 lures, a remote and wild location to find the new pet, and 24 hrs of work (spread over multiple days as needed). If you look for a specific pet, you can either deliberately tame one of the pets below when you level or work with your GM to find something new. Items, tools, and unusual beasts you encounter in your travels may provide useful inspiration and clues for your next quarry. Want an Aye-aye that latches to your face and lets you see perfectly in the dark? Sure! Use the pets below to calibrate your weird pet’s power and utility. If you don't have a specific pet in mind when you level up, roll randomly.

Note: Weird Pets take care of their own feeding in all but the most barren environments.

Animal Companion

Choose a Weird Pet you already have, not including the one gained at this template. Work with the GM to increase its effects.

Examples:

  1. Ape Attendants. You tame a number of monkey helpers equal to your Beastspeaker templates. All monkeys must be of the same type, but you can retrain them with 2x[monkeys] lures and 24 hours of work. Monkeys aren’t necessarily skilled per se, but they are surprisingly competent at the task you train them for. All monkeys are also good at being distractions. Examples: dancing monkeys, attack monkeys, gardener monkeys, pack monkeys.

HD: 1 (5 hp).

Wants: to do their trained task, to eat fruit.

Armor: as leather (nimble).

Move: monkey.

Speed: 12.

Morale: 8 (will sheepishly come back later).

Damage: 1d4 melee or thrown debris (if attack monkeys), 0 otherwise.

  1. Hypnotic Amphibian. The serene face of this axolotl puts viewers in a trance, and then to sleep if they look for too long. Creatures other than you that have hearts and eyes and see the axolotl within 30 feet can’t take their eyes off it voluntarily until they sleep, at which point they are immune to its charms until they next get tired. Creatures that spend 10 minutes viewing the axolotl fall into a peaceful slumber for 1 hour. Creatures that are immune to magic sleep are immune to the axolotl's effects. The axolotl weighs 1.
  2. Pangolin Suit. You have trained a pangolin to be worn like armor. You can put it on as a free action by commanding it to “hop on”, at which point it provides 16 defense to you and 4+[Beastspeaker templates x4] temporary hit points. It weighs 4 when used this way. If all the temporary hit points are removed it falls off, beaten and bloodied (but not dead).
  3. Beetle Blaster. A bombardier beetle the size of your forearm is a potent weapon in your hands. You may use it as a heavy crossbow that deals 1d8 acid damage to anything struck, and 1 damage even on a miss. It deals 1d6 damage the next round and 1d4 the round after unless the affected area is washed.
  4. Attack Beast. Dire vole, angry pig, belligerent ankylosaur. Of medium size, but full of compressed violence.

HD: [# of templates of Beastspeaker] (8*HD hp).

Wants: to hurt things that feel pain, destroy unattended objects.

Armor: As chain.

Move: normal.

Speed: 12.

Morale: 12.

Damage: 1d6+HD.

  1. Hermit Shield. A big hermit crab that finds shield-like objects to wear as a shell. Can grab your arm and let you use its shell as a shield (Strength 20 to disarm you of it). If you sunder it, the crab will scuttle away for an hour while it looks for a new shield. Hermit crab shells have advantage on damage blocked when sundered.
  2. Serpent Milk. The venom of this large snake is curative, not deadly. By feeding it a fresh corpse of at least man-size, you may cause it to store 3 doses of healing toxin in its venom glands. These doses each heal [Beastspeaker templates]x1d4 damage, but the flesh healed this way comes back serpentlike and scaly.
  3. Surrogate Phoenix. If you die with your corpse relatively intact, a phoenix will come and make its nest in your corpse within a day. It will lay an egg and set the nest on fire. The egg will grow until it is big enough to hold you, at which point you will hatch from the egg. If you die again, there is a [number of deaths minus 1]-in-6 chance that you simply turn to ash. Otherwise, the phoenix will dutifully return to lay another egg for you.
  4. Mimic Fish. The Mimic Fish is a blobfish about the size of a man’s head. By feeding it a lure while it looks at a humanoid of approximately your size, you can prime it to disguise you when you put your head in its mouth. The mimic fish shapeshifts into an exact replica of the primed target’s head. You can breathe, sense, and speak normally through it. The mimic fish is feeding on you, and you must remove it before 24 hours pass or you will be unable to do so and it will replace your head. Fortunately your superior brain will replace its inferior brain, so you will survive with a new head. The mimic fish can be placed over other limbs as well, or stretched over your whole body with the help of an assistant and an hour’s work. In each case it replaces the relevant part. A mimic fish cannot digest a whole person and will spit you out after 6 hours trying.
  5. Twin Parrots. You have two parrots that are psychically linked. If you (or someone else) look at one and say “Message”, the next sentence you say will be psionically relayed to its twin, who speaks it a moment later. The parrots squawk their words - they do not whisper. It is highly recommended that the players and GM squawk at each other so that the correct conversational vibe can be maintained when using this device.

Champion

When the tribe needs a warrior to stand for trial by combat, they send you. The skills you are developing will form the foundations of the martial arts of the future, should you survive to retirement. For now, focus on surviving your next duel.

Source: Fighter, Knight.

Starting Equipment: Light armor made by your tribe, a token of status bestowed by your tribe, a weapon (light, medium, or heavy) made by your tribe, 1 tribal that joined your tribe because they believe in your (yet unwritten) legend.

Starting Skill (1d6):

  1. Boasting
  2. Etiquette
  3. Bullying
  4. Seduction
  5. Poker Face
  6. Conflict Resolution

Gain +1 hit point and save vs fear for each Champion template you have. Double these bonuses during a formal duel or fight against a deadly giant monster. The extra hit points are temporary hit points.

A: Challenge, Champion

B: Notches

C: +2 Attack Stat, Parry

D: Aura of Courage, Impress

Challenge

This ability only works on creatures that can understand you and are capable of being offended. If you challenge a creature outside combat, they must Save or accept your challenge. In civilized areas, this could mean a duel, a joust, or a brawl. The challenged party can set conditions for the duel. Leaders may send out champions.

In combat, you can challenge one creature each turn as a free action. The creature must Save. If they fail they must attack you. This ability cannot force an enemy to make major tactical errors.

Champion

After all enemies have completed their turns in a combat round, select one enemy that only targeted you with attacks, and that you targeted with your attack. Make a second attack against that enemy. Effectively, this gives you two attacks per round if you are fighting an enemy one-on-one.

Notches

Each time you attain a total of 10, 20, 30, and 50 kills with a weapon type (such as 10 kills with a dagger), you unlock a new ability for that weapon, chosen from the list below. Keep track of your kills and special abilities on the back of your character sheet.

For example, a Champion with 50 club kills (4 notches) could have +1 damage, a critical range of (1-3), and the ability to stun an opponent for one round on a critical hit. The GM decides what counts as a kill.

Parry

Once per day you can reduce incoming damage by 1d12 points. If you also choose to sunder your shield, you can reduce the damage by 12 points instead of 1d12.

Aura of Courage

Allies who can see and hear you can use your Save vs Fear instead of their own. This ability has no effect if you are currently afraid.

Impress

Whenever you win a fight against challenging foes, people who don't like you make a new reaction roll with a +4 bonus. This even works on people you just defeated in combat, unless you caused them undeserved or disproportionate harm. Tribals get a +2 to Morale or a new Save vs Fear.

Lunatic

Who invented cheese? Who figured out which mushrooms were deadly poison and which were tasty? Who learned that this root is only edible after being cooked five times? Nobody yet, but you’re the kind of crazy that might.

Source: I made it up.

Starting Equipment: a stick that works pretty well as a light weapon (1d6).

Starting Skill:

First Aid

Get +1 hit point for each template of Lunatic you have.

A: Taste-Tester, Mad Dash, Crazy

B: Survival Instinct, Surprising Competencies

C: Power Nap

D: Eaten Alive, Sleep it Off

Taste-Tester

You have a [templates]-in-6 chance to negate the penalties of any consumed substance, activated item, sprung trap, or encountered natural hazard even if you fail the save against the effect or there is no save against the effect. You always identify items you handle at risk to yourself.

Mad Dash

While not wearing armor, add your Lunatic templates as a bonus to defense and speed and a penalty to all attempts to grapple or restrain you.

Crazy

You are obviously a bit of a nutter. A [templates]-tier nutter, to be precise. Subtract your Lunatic templates from attempts to get people outside of your party to take you seriously. You have the skill: Harmless Nut.

Death Instinct

When a nearby ally stupidly, foolishly, or carelessly wanders into a trap or hazard, you may choose to have done so instead.

Note: The players involved must both agree to the use of this ability.

Surprising Competencies

Pick a practical skill and an impractical skill. You have both.

Power Nap

When you take lunch, you may nap instead of eating to heal. When you take lunch you heal twice as much (2d6+2*level).

Eaten Alive

Once per day you can survive something with 1 hit point that should obviously kill you in a whole-body fashion. You can survive getting roasted by dragon fire, stepped on by dinosaurs, shattered by magic, and being swallowed whole, among other things. Your body appears totally obliterated or consumed, but you simply walk back into view a minute later, hurting but alive. This ability does not save you from just getting stabbed to death or other, less funny ways of dying instantly.

Sleep it Off

You may always choose to pass saves vs permanent injury or mutation, and you can even recover from curses and polymorphing with a week’s rest.

Primal Hunter

Yours is the glory of the feeding of the tribe. You are respected and a little feared. You are fierce like the prowling panther and silent like the hunting owl. The arrow, the sling-stone, and the javelin are your fangs and claws.

Source: Hunter.

Starting Equipment: 3 throwing spears made by your tribe, a knife made by your tribe, a trophy of a beast you killed to prove your skill, and a cloak of foliage from your local area (+1 stealth in your tribe’s territory).

Starting Skill (1d6)

  1. Tracking
  2. Sheltering
  3. Foraging
  4. Omen-reading
  5. Trapping
  6. Pathfinding

Gain +1 to Stealth for each Primal Hunter template you have.

A: Rangefinder, Wild-Walker

B: Harrying Strike, Precision

C: Predator

D: Impossible Shot, Vanish

Rangefinder

You get -1 to attack with ranged weapons for every 20’ past the listed range, instead of every 10’.

Wild-Walker

Natural terrain does not slow you down. You may use Wisdom instead of Intelligence when attempting to know things about beasts, fae, plants, and the natural environment. You have the Game-Hunting skill.

Harrying Strike

You may choose to deal 1 damage on an attack to halve the movement of the creature struck until the end of their next turn if you hit. You must choose to use this ability before you roll the attack.

Precision

When you gain this template, choose either Strength or Dexterity. Add the chosen stat’s bonus to damage rolls made with ranged weapons (bows, javelins, thrown daggers, etc.)

Predator

You have +4 to Wisdom for the purposes of initiative and you critically hit beasts on a 1-5.

Impossible Shot

Once per combat, you can make an impossible shot with a ranged weapon. The attack automatically hits the target, provided it is within 2x the weapon’s listed rage. The attack can bounce around corners, cut a wasp in half, or part a single hair on a target’s head.

Vanish

If you are in dense forests, hills, caves, or other terrain with abundant line-of-sight-blocking features, you can choose to vanish. While vanished, you cannot affect the world or be affected by it. This ability is limited by plausibility. You can reappear at any time by climbing down a tree, walking over a hill, emerging from a shrub, etc.

Primal Sorcerer

Unlimited power in the palm of your hand. Don’t let it go to your head.

Source: Sorcerer.

Starting Equipment: ostentatious clothes made by your tribe, a knife made by your tribe, and a head filled with delusions of grandeur.

Starting Skill:

Hamminess and Ego

You have +2 to save vs mind-altering effects and -1 hit point for each Primal Sorcerer template you have.

A: +1 SD, Soul Casting, Vent Spirit

B: +1 SD, Bloodied but Unbowed

C: +1 SD, Soul Vision

D: +1 SD, Magic Ward

Soul Casting

You alter the world through sheer force of will. You need no charms, no runes, no spells, no incantations. Reality is yours to command. To change the world, select an ability (Alter, Create, or Harm) and a number of Sorcerer Dice (SD) you wish to invest, roll them, and add the numbers together. As a Sorcerer, you get +1 SD per Sorcerer template. Some effects depend on the number of [dice] invested and the [sum] they show. Doubles, triples and quadruples result in Calamities.

SD can be used any number of times per day. Unlike a wizard’s MD, they always return to your pool. Each time you use your sorcerous powers past the first time per day, add +1 ID (Instability Die) to your pool. These dice do not count towards the [dice] and [sum] of sorcerous effects, but they do count towards doubles. Use 2 different colours of dice. Increasing the power of your sorcerous effects may also add ID.

Sorcerers don't run out of steam. They have the opposite problem.

Vent Spirit

You may add half your current ID to your reaction rolls and Charisma score.

Bloodied but Unbowed

While at half hit points or fewer, you may remove 1 SD or ID from spells you cast after seeing the result. At 4 Primal Sorcerer templates, you may remove 2. Removing SD lowers the [sum] but not the [dice] of the cast.

Soul Vision

You can see the souls of living creatures. This allows you to guess the approximate location of invisible creatures. You can also immediately tell if a person is possessed, undead, protected by the gods, or a spellcaster. The price for this gift is your connection to others. You permanently lose 1d6 Wisdom (as the constant scrutiny of souls warps your mind) or 1d6 Charisma (as you become callous and jaded).

Magic Ward

Reduce all incoming magic damage by 2. This does not apply to self-inflicted damage. Once per day, negate a spell that targets you. This does not apply to spells generated by Calamities.

Sorcerous Effects

Harm

Deal [sum]+[dice] damage to one target creature or object you can see. Creatures and magical objects can Save to negate. Flavour however you'd like: lightning bolts, beams of light, grasping hands from the underworld. It’s your soul vs. the target’s soul. Unlike your other abilities, this effect is permanent.

+1 ID for each prior sorcerous effect you've used today.

+1 ID per additional target.

Alter

Make a declarative statement affecting one creature or object you can see. The statement is true for [dice] rounds. The statement cannot cause damage directly (use Harm), move a creature or object, or create new objects or effects (use Create). Creatures and magical objects can Save to avoid being altered.

+1 ID for each prior sorcerous effect you've used today. +1 ID per additional target.

+1 ID to affect an area the size of a wagon.

+2 ID to affect an area the size of a cottage.

+3 ID to affect an area the size of a village.

+1 ID to make the effect last for [dice] minutes. +2 ID to make the effect last for [dice] hours. +3 ID to make the effect last for [dice] days.

Create

Create something. The creature or object created exists for [dice] rounds. Without adding ID, the creature is person-sized or smaller and has 2 or fewer HD. Objects are person-sized or smaller.

Creatures created cannot deal damage. You can create objects with magical effects (flying carpets, invisibility cloaks), but created objects cannot deal magical damage (you can make a regular sword but not a +10 vorpal sword of fire) or or provide permanent effects (healing potions only heal for the duration listed, rings of permanent stat gain only work for the duration). You can make a sword that looks like a +10 vorpal sword of fire though.

+1 ID for each prior sorcerous effect you've used today. +1 ID per additional object or creature created.

+2 ID to create a creature of up to +4 HD.

+1 ID to create an object the size of a wagon.

+2 ID to create an object the size of a cottage.

+3 ID to create an object the size of a village.

+1 ID to create a magical or sufficiently weird object.

+1 ID to make the creature or object last for [dice] minutes. +2 ID to make the creature or object last for [dice] hours. +3 ID to make the creature or object last for [dice] days.

1d6 Doubles

  1. Brightly coloured sparks fly from your ears.
  2. You make a noise like a thunderclap.
  3. A strong wind billows around you, extinguishing all torches within 30’.
  4. You act last in the next initiative round.
  5. Take 1 damage.
  6. Take 1d6 damage.

1d6 Triples

  1. Effect targets adjacent legal target instead or creates a related item.
  2. Teleport 1d6x10’ in a random direction.
  3. A random spell is also cast on your target.
  4. Take 1d6 damage. You are flung 1d10’ in a random direction.
  5. Add +1 ID to all rolls for the rest of the day. Take 1 damage.
  6. Take 2d6 damage. If below 0 HP, explode. 3d6 damage, 20’ radius.

1d6 Quadruples

  1. Lose 1d6 permanently from a random stat.
  2. Effect is reversed (harm heals, creates the opposite of intended item, etc.)
  3. Effect is maliciously altered (harm strikes an ally, alters unhelpfully, etc.)
  4. A random spell is also cast, targeting you.
  5. Roll on the Death and Dismemberment table. (1d12+previous injuries).
  6. Take 4d6 damage. If below 0 HP, explode. 5d6 damage, 50’ radius.

Primitive Wizard

You are a spirit-tamer, one who binds the invisible energies to bone and wood and stone. Your developing skills will change the world forever. Wizardry has been unleashed, and you are its apostle.

Source: Wizard.

Starting Equipment:

By Initiation

Starting Skill:

By Initiation

A: Spellcasting, +1 MD, +1 Spell Slot, +2 Spells (1-6), Literate

B: +1 MD, +1 Spell Slot, +1 Spell (1-8), Tablet Caster

C: +1 MD, +1 Spell Slot, +1 Spell (1-8), Invent Spell

D: +1 MD, +1 Spell Slot, Choose 2 Spells, Invent Spell

Spellcasting

Spells are living creatures. Spells, enchantments, ghosts, and souls are all more or less the same. A wizard's spells range in intelligence from pond scum to ferrets. A spell tablet (or spell cave) is a menagerie-prison. A well-trained brain is a mind-gun loaded with spell-bullets. Minor spells, called cantrips, infest a wizard's soul and bind to it. It takes 1hr to move any number of spells between a spell slot in your brain and a spell tablet, stone table, totem, or wand.

To cast a spell, select a number of Magic Dice (MD) you wish to invest, roll them, and add the numbers together. As a Wizard, you get +1 MD per Wizard template. Most spells depend on the number of [dice] invested and the [sum] they show. Doubles generate Mishaps; triples generate Dooms.

Dice that roll 1-3 return to your casting pool and can be used again that day. Dice that roll 4-6 are removed from your casting pool for the day. Your spells return at sunrise to last location they were imprisoned, when the octarine light of the sun touches the world and infuses Creation with an extra boost of raw magic. Your MD return if you get a good night's sleep. If you didn't sleep well, you can Save for each MD to have them return to your pool anyway.

When you gain Template A, roll 2 d6s and gain the spells listed. Template B and C, roll 1d8. Template D, choose 2 spells from the list. If a duplicate spell is rollled, you may choose to keep it or reroll. At Templates C and D, you also get to invent a spell.

You can try to bodge together a spell-like effect appropriate to your school by pouring any number of MD into a target and hoping for the best. Effects are adjudicated by the GM, but are usually haphazard and dangerous. Mishaps and Dooms apply.

You can detect strong ambient magic if you are not distracted. To learn details about spells or magic items, roll under Intelligence.

Literate

You can read and write.

Tablet Caster

Stone tablets and wooden totems make good homes for spells - tougher than clay and more portable than the walls of a cave. You may cast any spell you know into a stone tablet or wooden totem regardless of usual targeting restrictions, saving it for later. Spells on stone tablets or wooden totems can be cast as if in your spell slots when held in your quick slots. A typical stone tablet or wooden totem with a spell in it weighs 1 and visibly radiates magic.

Invent Spell

It’s harder to use the advancements of other wizards of a crutch when you are one of the pioneers of your discipline. Work with your GM to invent a signature spell of yours, in line with your initiation, habits, and goals. You are very possessive of it and unlikely to share it except for truly fantastic rewards. For now, you’ve got the market cornered on this spell. Other wizards may do uncharacteristic things to get their hands on it.

Note: Primitive wizards don’t have Schools; they have Initiations. They’re basically the same except they also determine your starting skill. Not all schools fit as initiations, as some assume a level of societal sophistication that may be inappropriate for a Stone Age game. You can turn a wizard school into an Initiation by removing its background and replacing it with a skill that would be the reasonable antecedent skill for that kind of magic. Forensics for Necromancers, Astronomy for Diviners, Horticulture for Garden Wizards, etc.. The name of the skill can be perfectly modern - you just have a limited insight into that science or discipline compared to more modern wizards.

Prophet

The religions of the world are yet in their infancies, and it remains to be seen which will rise to prominence. You have been commissioned to ensure your god's faith is on that list.

Source: I made it up, but originally wanted to just re-flavor the Paladin of the Word.

Starting Equipment: A mundane trinket that is somehow sacred to your deity, a cloak made by your tribe, and a walking stick made by your tribe.

Starting Skill (1d6)

  1. Weaving
  2. Carving
  3. Poetry
  4. Painting
  5. Scavenging
  6. Other Religions

You gain +2 to save against mind-altering effects for each Prophet template you have.

A: +1 Intervention, Literate, Petition, Ordained

B: +1 Intervention,

C: +1 Intervention, Providence

D: +1 Intervention, Eye Divine, Martyr

Literate

In preparation for their budding religions, the gods tend to choose those with the marvelous gift of literacy or outright give them the gift when they call them. You can read and write.

Petition

As a prophet, you do not so much cast spells as you do ask for the intervention of your deity. A deity always intervenes with a 4 Divinity Dice (DD) effect that accords with the prophet’s request in a way that suits the deity’s personality and portfolio. A deity will not fulfill a request that contravenes its nature. For each DD that rolls a 4+, the Prophet expends one Intervention. Prophets start with 1 Intervention and gain an additional Intervention at each subsequent template of Prophet. A Prophet cannot request an effect from their deity unless they have at least 1 Intervention in their pool.

With 1 Prophet template, you can petition for Change. You can only change subtle circumstances (whether a door was stuck, whether a new disease took root, whether enemies chanced down the right path to intersect with you).

With 2 Prophet templates, you can Change surprising things (whether a harsh judge decides to be lenient, whether a fragile weapon breaks, whether an injured warrior survives a lethal-looking wound).

With 3 Prophet templates, you can Change shocking things (whether lightning will strike someone, whether a warrior will betray his ally in battle, whether a withered limb will suddenly regain its strength). You can use Change to deal or heal [sum] damage to a single target.

With 4 Prophet templates, you can Change impossible things (whether a man is a beast, whether water is flammable, whether a dragon gives a gift to a trespasser). You can use Change to deal or heal [sum] damage to a group of targets.

To follow an example of a locked door all the way through:

  1. Subtle would be the locked door no longer being locked. Subtle is a reasonable roll of the dice turning in your favor.
  2. Surprising would be the door’s hinges being unbolted. Surprising is a rare state of affairs that no one would call a miracle if they were skeptical.
  3. Shocking would be the door falling apart when touched. Shocking is technically within the realm of the mundanely possible, but highly unlikely, to the point that most skeptics would be troubled after only one instance.
  4. Impossible would be the door suddenly turning into mist. Impossible forces the skeptic to concede the intervention or woefully delude themselves.

Note: Prophets and scale. Answers to petitions are generally kept to a small scale unless the deity has demanded a particularly large task of the Prophet. A Prophet cannot expect to have the Red Sea part on the regular for him, only when God has instructed him to get His people across that sea right then should such a petition or intervention be considered in-scope. Deities are quite powerful, but they are also economical.

Ordained

You are on a mission from your god, and cannot be forced to betray it (you cannot be compelled by magic to do something in opposition to your god). All prophets worship a deity that determines the general character of their interventions and what kind of interventions are fitting. The following deity qualities should be defined in collaboration with the GM, or in accordance with your setting’s existing deities:

A deity does not grant requests that contradict these as determined. A deity may give a particularly enthusiastic response if the request is highly aligned with multiple of the above.

Providence

Whenever you encounter a direct task outside of combat that could be solved by a subtle Change, you may check to see if it was providentially solved in advance by your deity. There is a 2-in-6 chance that it was. This never expends Interventions and is only usable once every 10 minutes.

Eye Divine

Your deity pays special attention to you. You always know the truth if you are being lied to, and you always seem to find enough food and shelter to survive (though not comfortably). Your deity will ensure that your interventions have more raw power than any mere magician that attempts to contest you. All deities love humbling uppity mages.

Martyr

When you die, you may immediately petition even if you are out of Interventions. An appropriate item on your person or part of your body becomes a sacred relic in your religion.

Throwback

You echo the wild ancestors of the world’s first days. At one time, the lines between man and beast were more blurred. Can the mind of a man guide the fury of a beast to the benefit of both?

Source: Barbarian.

Starting Equipment: a heavy weapon made by your tribe, a sun-dried ration, a primitive trinket of sentimental value.

Starting Skill (1d6)

  1. Being Loud
  2. Looking Big
  3. Starting Fires
  4. Painting
  5. Spotting Predators
  6. Smelling Fear

You gain +2 hit points for each Throwback template you have. You get +1 Stealth if you have 2 or more Throwback templates.

A: Primal Rage

B: Danger Sense, Fierce Metabolism

C: Feat of Strength, Die Hard

D: Tough

Primal Rage

You can choose to enter a primal rage at the start of your turn, or in response to taking damage. You let a facade drop and give in to your ancient urges.

You cannot stop fighting until you kill, subdue, or drive off all enemies. If an ally has injured you this fight, they count as an enemy. To stop raging, Save at the start of your turn.

Danger Sense

If you are surprised, you have a 50% chance to act in the surprise round anyway. If you encounter a creature no one in the group has seen before, you can roll under Intelligence to remember a detail or weakness, provided the creature is not unique.

Fierce Metabolism

When you consume a ration, you heal 1d3+1 hit points. This stacks with the healing from taking a lunch. You can consume a ration as an action even when raging.

You can safely digest raw meat.

Feat of Strength

Once per day, you have 22 Strength for 1 round. Your Strength bonus is +4.

Die Hard

You have 4 rounds instead of 3 to remove all your Fatal Wounds.

Tough

Reduce all incoming damage by 1 point. Gain +2 to Save vs. Mind Altering Effects.

Trickster

You’re no fool, but everyone else might be, and you’re investigating the possibility.

Source: Thief.

Starting Equipment: unusually voluminous clothing made by your tribe, a knife made by your tribe, a set of knucklebones, and a trinket that weighs 2 and is worth 10 rations to someone interested in art.

Starting Skill (1d6)

  1. Games of Chance and Cheating
  2. Games of Strategy and Skill
  3. Impressive Lies
  4. Charades and Impressions
  5. Speaking Truth to Power
  6. Acrobatics

Get +1 stealth at Trickster templates A and C. Get +1 to reaction rolls at Trickster templates B and D.

A: Tricky, Darter, Evaluate

B: Lucky, Quick Draw

C: Backstab

D: Great Escape, Very Lucky

Tricky

You can reveal that a mundane, non-perishable, and non-unique item you were carrying was actually a different mundane, non-perishable, non-unique item of equal or lesser value and weight. You can read and write, but nobody knows this unless you tell them or show them.

Darter

You move 50% faster during life-or-death situations. Hostile readied actions and traps have a 1+[templates]-in-6 chance of missing you when you trigger them or are caught in their effects.

Evaluate

You automatically know the worth of mundane items. Unique items may require you to roll under Intelligence.

Lucky

You may reroll 1 d20 roll per day.

Quick Draw

Gain an additional 3 Quick Draw Slots.

Backstab

Whenever you have a situational bonus to an Attack roll, attacks that hit deal +1d6 damage.

Great Escape

Once per day, you can automatically escape from something that is restraining you and that you could plausibly escape from. This includes grapples, lynchings, pit traps, and awkward social 2 situations, but not sealed coffins.

Very Lucky

You may use your Lucky ability twice per day. An adjacent ally can use one of your rerolls, provided you could have plausibly assisted them.

Warleader

Glory to the tribe. You know that strength in numbers defeats cunning, skill at arms, monstrous powers, and even magic.

Source: I made it up.

Starting Equipment: a medium weapon made by your tribe, light armor made by your tribe, a totem (or sigil or banner) indicating your war party, and 1 warrior who joined your tribe to fight alongside you.

Starting Skill (1d6)

  1. Rabble-Rousing
  2. Rabble-Routing
  3. Campfire Stories
  4. Touching Eulogies
  5. Stirring Speeches
  6. Taking Prisoners

Get +1 hit point for each template of Warleader you have.

A: +1 Leadership, War Party, War Cry

B: +1 Leadership, Rally the Troops

C: +1 Leadership, Tip of the Spear

D: +1 Leadership, Flock to the Banner

War Party

Warleaders are inspirational to their followers, and skilled at managing larger groups of followers. They may have additional tribals following them without issue equal to their Leadership level, which is one per template of Warleader. These additional followers must be warriors. Normally, characters may only have 2 + their Charisma modifier tribals following them. Warriors always use up your leadership before they begin to fill regular follower slots.

War Cry

When the Warleader starts his first turn in combat, he may let out a war cry. This automatically breaks stealth for the Warleader and any ally who joins it, but allies that join the Warleader get temporary hit points equal to the Warleader’s templates in this class until the end of combat.

Rally the Troops

Tribals following you check morale with +2 as long as they can see or hear you.

Tip of the Spear

Tribals may use a warrior’s attack stat as their attack stat when fighting at your command while they can see or hear you. Warriors that are following you deal +1 damage.

Flock to the Banner

Dying under your command seems glorious. You never take penalties from defeats and follower deaths when recruiting warriors and other tribals with the Fighter tag. Whenever you are below your Leadership maximum (not your follower maximum), a travel-worn warrior will arrive each week to join your cause.

You are immune to fear while at least one of your warriors can see you.

Design Notes

Too many little thoughts for an already huge post.

The Prophet is my favorite of these classes - most of which are just existing material altered to fill a role in a setting with a few different priors than typical medieval fantasy. I like the idea of powerful, flexible casting that is mostly limited by the observation of two concerned parties: skeptics and gods. Skeptics frame how overt and magical your miracles can be. Deities frame what your miracles can be about. Seems intuitive. Everything is at least 4 dice because you're a conduit of the gods, not a mortal exercising their brain. I would definitely recommend scaling the opinionated-ness of the god with the breadth of the portfolio.

#GLOG #PROTOhuman #class #homebrew