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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. 





Sunday, April 17, 2022

Horror Trilogy: Bare Bones notes from an as yet unfinished adventure book.

 
I made these notes at least ten years ago. It was originally for a friend's gaming company, Silver Gryphon Games. Life got in the way, especially on the owner's part and this project and others languished. 

I'm currently revisiting a horror game for my group using the Black Hack variations which are out there. As such I decided to put these up here. Perhaps some DM out there will be inspired by them and use what they want or flesh them out for their own game. I'll probably flesh them out later for mine.

The book was to be a homage to seventies horror investigative shows such as Kolchak the Night Stalker and the Norliss Tapes. God bless you Dan Curtis.

The notes are EXTREMELY bare bones. 

Horror Trilogy: The Axeman
SYNOPSIS
Trapped in the eye of a hurricane, the PC's take shelter in an old run-down
hotel with other refugees. But they are not safe as a series of gruesome axe
murders takes place during the storm. Allied with a paranoid PI who
believes the killer is the Axeman of New Orleans and an immortal serial murderer. On their own, surrounded by booby traps, a growing body
count, and a psychotic possible immortal killing machine they must survive
the storm and the Axeman.

THE ADVENTURE
Bakersville, LA
Hurricane Lolita

The PC's
Trapped by the storm in the run-down Gloriana hotel. Flood is rising and
help is hopefully on the way.
Murders in old cheap Hotel (three stories??)

NPC's
Eddie and Edith Vachelli, 60's, owners of the Gloriana. A harmless old Italian couple. They are scared to death of the hurricane.

Pauline Adderson, 36, maid at the hotel. Pauline is a struggling single mom. The hotel barely pays her bills but she is treated well and very loyal to the Vachelli's.

Billy Keene, 46, cook. Billy is a mild-mannered man with a slight creole accent. He generally keeps to himself.

Henry Martin, 42, handyman. Henry is a large but quiet man. He rarely associates with anyone in the hotel except Billy Keene whom he is friends with.

5 trapped guests.
Oliver Monroe, 58, reporter, currently unemployed.

Immortal Serial Killer. The infamous Axeman of New Orleans.

Paranoid retired detective on the trail.

NO EXPLANATION FOR KILLER'S IMMORTALITY. NONE NEEDED.
IT IS.

Horror Trilogy: In Dreams
SYNOPSIS
Ronnie Campbell is a very unusual boy. The traumatic death of his mother
and the constant bullying from a pack of teens at school have unlocked his
latent psi power. Immersed in the world of his books, games, and movies,
Ronnie dreams of the death of his tormentors, and in Ronnie's dreams the
heroes and villians of his stories come to life to kill.

THE ADVENTURE
Liberty, Arkansas
Ronnie Campbell, age 10. Trauma from his mother's death and bullying at school has unlocked his latent psi ability.
Popular movies, horror and sci-fi. Characters come to life as thoughtforms he
dreams up and kills his tormentors.
His dream doppelganger watches the murder from a distance as the killings
happen.

Clues to who is killed ( a little gang of bullies.)

THOUGHT FORMS
Wolfman
The first. Killed Ryan Washington while walking home from the basketball
court one night. Claw marks and tracks are the clues (false conclusion:
animal, werewolf, etc).

Jason Voorhees
The second. Killed Dylan Petesky by hacking the boy to pieces with a
machete in the park while the boys were sneaking around smoking
marijuana. The other boys saw the killing. They also witnessed Ronnie's
doppelganger, but didn't recognize him.

Darth Vader
Attacks Paulie Peterson. PC's witness it. They also witness the doppelganger
at a distance.

Leatherface
Attacks Joey Gibbs.
PC's should find the link and be there. We hope.

Kong
Once the PC's have become a threat to Ronnie's subconscious, it will send
Kong after them. It will pursue them to the death. 
This is a good opportunity for a LOT of chaos. 

STOPPING RONNIE
The only way to stop Ronnie permanently is to stop his dreaming.
This can be done with drugs, a lobotomy, death, or some other permanent
solution to keep from dreaming.

INTRO
The Town
The Murders
PC Involvement

CLUES
Bodies
Witness to second killing.

THE TIMELINE
xxxx

LOCATIONS
xxxxx

NPC's
Ronnie
The Bullies
Parents
The Thoughtforms
The Cops
The Dr's
National Guard

Horror Trilogy: The Pentagram Murders
Prominent members of a small town are being torn apart by a demon. They
have publicly admitted they are former members of a satanic cult and accuse
their leader, a witch, of summoning the demon to murder them and take their
souls. As a skeptical police force and citizenry do nothing, the PC's must
stop the witch and her demon before they cause further death and destruction
beyond her former cult members. AND since the PC's are now actively
involved they become targets too