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Tuesday, July 5, 2022

The Cultist, The Torturer, and the Slaver classes for OSR Sword & Sorcery Games.

Why these three classes? Honestly because I'm bored in my medical retirement and I want a few classes besides my Barbarian, Brute, etc builds to run my Sword & Sorcery and Bronze Age settings and games. Anther huge inspiration is Thulsa's amazing Xoth. These types of characters are sprinkled throughout Clark Ashton Smith's Zothique and Hyperborea tales. Many other genre stories haves similar dark, morally questionable characters so here we are. As has been noted before this is simply a GAME, relax. If your player wants to play a Slaver it doesn't mean he's evil and wants to own slave in real life. Slavery was a common thing in the past especially in the Bronze Age. Relax. It happened. Acting with escapism in a RPG doesn't mean you want to own other people. Calm down.
Might edit later for clarity....




Cultist
Hd: 1d6
Hit/Save: Cleric
Exp: Cleric
Armor: None. They rely on magic, trickery, and stealth. They come off as a bit cowardly in combat.
Weapons: Any small or medium one-handed weapons, any missile weapons. 

Fanatic
Their devotion their dark gods help fortify their minds against other ways of thinking.
+2 Saving throw bonus vs charm, illusions, mind-altering spells and effects.

Thief Skills
Cultists become skilled at stealing sacrifices away into the night and other secretive business for their gods. They're shady bastards alright.
Backstab, Hide in Shadows, Move Silently

Sacrifice
Cultists sacrifice animals or intelligent creatures to increase the power or efficiency of a spell.  Each sacrifice is dedicated to a specific spell the Cultist may cast that day. To earn the bonus the sacrifice can be made at anytime before the spell is cast. 
 
A sacrifice ritual itself takes 1d4 rounds. The sacrifice must be unconscious or helpless to resist, death in combat is not a sacrifice. Often the spilling of the creature's blood is required.

Once the sacrificial ritual is conducted the Cultist must choose ONE and only one of the following bonuses from a sacrifice (the bonus is listed as Animal sacrifice /Intelligent creature sacrifice):
Caster Level: +1 level /+2 levels. For example, a Dispel Magic spell cast by a 3rd level Cultist with an animal sacrifice on the spell would be treated as if the Cultist were 4th level.
Dice Bonus: +1 dice/+2 dice. For example, a Cause Light Wounds spell cast with an intelligent sacrifice on the spell would cause 3d6+1 damage instead of 1d6+1.
Duration: adds 20%, round up (multiply by 1.2)/ adds 50%, round up (multiply by 1.5.) For example, a Protection from Evil spell with an intelligent sacrifice on the spell would have a duration of 18 turns instead of 12.
Range: adds 20%, round up (multiply by 1.2)/ adds 50%, round up (multipy by 1.5.) For example, a Sleep spell with an animal sacrifice on the spell would have a range of 288' instead of 240'.
Saving Throw: +2 penalty/ +4 penalty to the targets saving throw. You get the point.

Spells
Cultists are given power in the form of spells for the loyalty to their dark gods. If the Cultists angers his masters he will lose his spell abilities and most likely be hunted by other members of the cult if he is part of a group. It may be possible for the Cultist to  make amends to his masters with special sacrifices and most likely a difficult task to be performed. 

Cultists cast a number of spells per day equal to the Cleric
They are not confined to just clerical magic, their masters' gifts include a few magic user spells.
 
Due to the infernal or eldritch nature of their gods they cannot heal or comfort others, they cannot purify or return life. Their masters take, they rarely give.  Cultists can only cast the reverse of the following spells (taken from Labyrinth Lord version of Basic):
Bless, Continual Light, Cures, Heal, Holy Word, Light, Raise Dead, Regenerate, Remove  Curse, Remove Fear, Restoration, Resurrection, etc. 

For more advanced games (such as Labyrinth Lord Advanced Ed, etc) other spells that the DM deems appropriate can be added to the lists. Also games supplements such a the Complete Book of Necromancers can add some spice to the spell lists.
In the event of a duplicate spell being on  both clerical and magic user lists use the clerical version.

1) Cleric: Magic User:
(Cure) Cause Light Wounds Charm Person
Detect Evil Read Language
Detect Magic Read Magic
(Light) Darkness Shield
(Remove) Cause Fear Sleep

2) Cleric: Magic User:
(Bless)  Curse Detect Invisible
Know Alignment ESP
Hold Person Web
Silence
Speak with Animals

3) Cleric: Magic User:
Animate Dead Clairvoyance
Continual (Light) Darkness Infravison
Dispel Magic Protection from Normal Missiles
Locate Object
(Remove) Curse

4) Cleric: Magic User:
(Detect) Lie Arcane Eye
(Cause) Cure Serious Wounds Charm Monster
Protection from Evil 10' Confusion
Dimension Door
(Remove) Curse

5) Cleric: Magic User:
Commune Cloudkill
(Cure) Cause Serious Wounds Contact Other Plane
Insect Plague Feeblemind
(Raise Dead) Ray of Death Hold Monster

6) Cleric: Magic User:
Blade Barrier Anti-Magic Shell
Conjure Animals Death Spell
(Heal) Harm Disintegrate
(Stone to Flesh) Flesh to Stone

7) Cleric: Magic User:
(Holy) Unholy Word Instant Summons
(Regeneration) Necrosis Simulacrum
(Restoration) Drain Energy Statue
Symbol

Slaver
Hd: 1d6
Hit/Save: Thief
Exp: Thief
Armor: Leather and shield
Weapons: Any, prefer the whip and club to capture potential slaves.

Sap
Slavers want living prisoners for profit and are masters of knocking victims senseless and making off with their new acquisitions. To sap a victim the slaver must use a blunt object such as a club, mace, etc and catch a target unaware. He attacks with a +4 to hit and x2 potential damage as per  a backstab

The chance to sap the victim is 5% per point of potential damage done and if successful the
 victims is completely incapacitated for a number of rounds equal to the potential damage inflicted.

Actual hp damage dealt is the minimum amount as the Slaver controls the blow.

Thief Skills 
Slavers learn a variety of skills to obtain their merchandise. It's a rough and tumble business and sometimes requires a bit of stealth. 
Backstab, Climb Walls, Hide in Shadows,  Move Silently , Open Locks

Whip Mastery
The primary tool of obedience in their trade; Slavers know how to most effectively use a whip. 
+1 to hit with a whip, deals 1d4 damage. Slavers can inflict only one point or even no damage if they choose. 


Torturer
Hd: 1d6
Hit/Save: Fighter
Exp: Fighter
Armor: Chainmail and shield
Weapons: Any, have a preference for blades and whips.

Know Pain
The torturer can take one round to examine a creature and make a roll to know the exact amount of hit points the creature has taken from damage, poison, sickness, etc. 
40% plus 5% per level. 

Menace
Torturers exude an air of menace and fear to those around them.
Once/day/level the Torturer can menace creatures with a total HD equal to his level. Thus a fifth level Torturer can menace up to five HD of creatures with the lowest HD creatures affected first. The targets are allowed a saving throw vs spells or suffer a 2 penalty on all rolls involving melee combat against the Torturer, saving throws involving torture, etc. 

Sawbones
The torturer can heal 1d3 hp of damage by cauterization, crude stitching, etc. The treatment takes 1d6 rounds and can lead to scarring with a 5% chance per point healed of leaving a large scar. If on the face the character receives a 1 Cha penalty. 

Torture
Inflicts 1d2 hp dmg per turn (10 minutes) of torture and a saving throw vs death ray/poison is rolled at the end of each turn or answer one question truthfully. 
-1 per point of dmg taken.
-1 per 4 hours without rest, food, etc.
-4 if drugged.
If allowed to rest for at least one minute, start over.