Friday, December 1, 2017

Monster Mash: Q is for Questing Beast

Is there more comedy or tragedy in equal parts found on the mortal plane than in the ironic quest to find the "Questing Beast"?

A Tradition.
The Glatisant or "Questing Beast" started as a tradition played upon young squires: their mentors would take them into the woods to hunt down a beast that has been troubling the local peasants without telling them anything about the creature. The older knight would treat this hunt with all seriousness. After night falls, the mentor would build up the size, speed and ferocity of the creature before describe the beast:

The creature has the spotted body of a leopard, the neck and head of a great serpent, the legs and hooves of a hart, and a long lion's tail. Its footfalls are silent and it can climb a tree as easily as a spider. You can hear the Glatisant call, the barking of thirty hounds hunting prey, right before it ambushes its prey!

Just as the knight finishes the story, the sound of barking hounds come from nearby, and the knight tells the squire to seek out the beast. Of course, there is no beast. The sound of the barking came from a hidden accomplice with several hounds or a dog call. The squire then spends the night, frightened of his own shadow, scrambling around the woods until morning. When they reveal the trick, the squire is embarrassed but gets to borrow the tradition and use it on the next apprentice.

It is all in good fun... until the gods get involved.

A Cosmic Joke Turned Real. Perhaps, a heroic god was displeased with a family of knights or a trickster god wanted to teach a do-gooder a lesson, but the Questing Beasts was made real.

The Glatisant is a large and solitary ambush predator that hunts small birds, lizards and fish. They spend most of their time lounging about in the branches of trees, running at break neck speed that defies their awkward body shape and barking in excitement when they see humanoids. Their call does sound like dozens of dogs yipping. Their natural instinct is to run from humanoids and they seem to enjoy the chase.

They are most vulnerable when they stop running to cool off with a drink.

The Quest. Many knights are tasked with hunting these creatures by the gods but they are difficult to catch. Some families hunt the same beast for generations, since these creatures live for hundreds of years, and the creature is a symbol found on many family crests. While some knights perhaps driven mad by the quest would slay the beast for a trophy but it is considered bad luck to harm one of these creatures. They are not known to attack humans. It is better to release them back into the wild so that future heroes can prove their mettle by catching the Questing Beast. And who knows, perhaps the Questing Beast will reward this act of mercy by coming to the aid of their favorite Questing hunter in their time of need.


Friday, November 17, 2017

Monster Mash: P is for Psobakka

Something has been digging up the graves and fouling up the corpses. Some nights the graveyard keeper hears a single pair of hooves walking up and down the gravel pathway that winds through the foggy graves and the strangled howl of a wolf. The village priest tells him that is just some of the local boys up to mischief but he knows better. The graveyard keeper locks his door at night. He prays that the trespasser doesn't grow bored of corpses. 

Necromancer's Pet. Psobakka are fiendish creations of evil spellcasters to serve as guards and corpse thieves. As a combination of demonic ritual and necromancy, they are crafted with the tail of a devil, the legs of a horse, the upper torso of a man, and the head of a wolf or jackal embedded with the chaotic yellow eye of a demon in the middle of their head and a jaw full of metallic teeth. They serve their creators, in exchange for souls, by guarding the spellcaster and hunting down more valuable body parts from nearby graveyards.

Anthrophagus Beasts. The psobakka only eat dead flesh. When they kill living humanoids, they often keep body parts as trophies to later be consumed when they start to rot. Psobakka also gain the memories of those they consume. If a psobakka's creator dies, they will consume their dead master and continue to try to carry out his will.

Pack Dynamics.  A powerful necromancer with the proper parts can create a psobakka alpha, a larger and more powerful variant, that often serves as the leader of a pack of psobakka. Psobakka Alpha always tend to be smarter than their lesser counterparts, often requiring multiple brains to function, and have psionic abilities.

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Naryan Class Options: Way of the Unblinking Eye Monk

Monks are disciplined warriors who find balance between mind, spirit and body, honing their energy--their ki-- into supernatural techniques that enhance their offensive and defensive abilities in battle. Each monastery has different ideals that inform their disciplines; some are guardians who learn mastery of the body to defend their order, some are stealthy assassins who move like shadows to seek out their enemies and destroy them, and some master the elements to help the people with mage like abilities. Others are scholars who seek knowledge. Some go too far.

Some monks look for answers to questions that no mortal should ask. And sometimes someone answers. The answers they give are not for mortal minds to bear. The monks that survive and keep guard the world from these truths are the monks of The Unblinking Eye. They are corrupted by the void, the mysterious enigmas of space and time, and by forces beyond even the gods. Yet, they manage to contain the madness, tame the impossible and repurpose it as armor and weapons against their foes.

The Unblinking Eye monks are interested in attaining knowledge, protecting forbidden knowledge, and protecting the world from the forces that would corrupt it.


Corrupted Ki

Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, your mind echoes out of itself as it tries to escape the horrible truth. You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You don’t need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language.

Also, you can spend a ki point to add your proficiency bonus to an Arcana, History, Nature or Religion skill check.

Also, your ki has been corrupted by the unknowable knowledge that you learned but cannot unlearn. You gain the ability to disable your opponents with your ki. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, you can impose one of the following effects on that target:
  • It must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded, deafened, or poisoned until the end of their next turn.
  • It must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw. If they fail, the creature can't cast spells, use psionics, activate magic items, understand language, or communicate in any intelligible way until the end of their next turn.
  •  If the target can hear you (though it need not understand you) or your thoughts, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 psychic damage. The psychic damage increases to 2d4 at 5th, 3d4 at 11th, and 4d4 at 17th.

Fading Spirit
Starting at 6th level, you gain the ability to destabilize reality to blink in and out of existence. As a bonus action, you can spend 2 ki points to cast blur or misty step.


Reforged Mind
 By 11th level, you have learned ways to shield your mind from invasion. Your thoughts can’t be read by telepathy or other means unless you allow it. Furthermore, you cannot be charmed while conscious and have advantage on saving throws against abilities that would compel your actions.

You also have resistance to psychic damage, and, whenever a creature deals psychic damage to you, they must make a Wisdom saving throw or take your monk level in psychic damage.

The Ethereal Eye
At 17th level, by gazing into the void, you have obtained truth. You gain true sight up to 120 feet. You can see in normal and magical darkness, see invisible creatures and objects, automatically detect visual illusions and succeed on saving throws against them, and perceives the original form of a shapechanger or a creature that is transformed by magic.

Furthermore, you can see into the Ethereal Plane and interact/affect creatures and objects within the ethereal plane as if they were part of the material plane.

Friday, November 10, 2017

Naryan Class Options: Oath of the Crusader

We previously covered the Nameless God before and the Crusaders of the Holy Imperium.

Today, we look at the paladins of the Nameless God and their oath, the Oath of the Crusader. Paladins of the Nameless God are zealots who put their god above all others and opposing the gods of other faiths. They believe that they are holy warriors fighting an uneven war against blasphemers and heretics, worshipers of false and traitorous gods, and unnatural forces that would destroy the world in the absence of its creator. They seek to spread the truth, destroy the falsehoods and defend the children of the Nameless God until his prophesied return.

Tenets of the Crusader
The exact words and interpretations of the Oath of the Crusader may change, but they all hold these truths close to their hearts.

There is Only One Truth. There is only one god, the Nameless God. He is the creator. We are his children. He is lost, but not forgotten.

All Other Truths are False. All others 'gods' are false. They betrayed him. I will not suffer their falsehoods. I will spread the truth.

I Am His Sword. I shall destroy those that would prey upon the world in his absence: aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. I will oppose the authority of the false gods and the outsiders. The unnatural and the traitors are not his children.

I Am His Shield. I shall purge the Imperium of blasphemers and heretics. I will protect the faithful. I will not falter.


The Lost Shall Be Found. Those that follow false gods are lost. It is my duty to bring them into the fold. Those that would oppose their salvation are his enemies.

He Shall Return. His faithful children will be rewarded. His enemies will submit to his glory. The world will be saved.



Oath of the Crusader Spells
You gain oath spells at the paladin levels listed.

3rd Shield, Protection from Good and Evil
5th Silence, Zone of Truth
9th Counterspell, Dispel Magic
13th Banishment, Freedom of Movement
17th Commune, Hallow

Channel Divinity

Spell-Breaker. You can use your Channel Divnity to call upon the Nameless God to defy the unnatural. As a reaction, which you take when you see a creature within 60 feet casting a spell, you cast the Counterspell spell without expending spell slot as if you cast it at 3rd level.

Crusader's Stand. You can use your Channel Divnity to survive the impossible. As a reaction, until the end of your next turn, if damage would reduce you to 0 points this round, you instead are reduced to 1 hit points and are unaffected by all active conditions.


Aura of the Crusader
Starting at 7th level, you can take an action to pick one creature type: aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead. You and all allies within 10 feet of you are under the effect of a Protection from Good and Evil spell. This effect ends when you pick another creature type from the list.
At 18th level, the aura increases to 30 feet.


Unbroken
Beginning at 15th level, you have resistance to damage from spells and other magical effects.


Sainthood
At 20th level, as an action, you can say the name of the Nameless God.

As an action, your body becomes abjured against death itself. For 1 minute, if you would be reduced to 0 hit points, instead you are reduced to 1 hit point.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Also, during the minute, you can choose to perform an act of martyrdom to become a saint. You succeed at an impossible act but drop to 0 hit points and fail three death saving throws. You cannot be resurrected by any means after performing an act of martyrdom.

No one knows for sure if the miracle you achieved is by the shear force of your own faith, the faith of the Imperium, interference by past saints or by the distant influence of the Nameless God.

Character Crunch: Satyrs, Centaurs & Minotaurs of Geleda

Ability Score Increase You increase your Dexterity by 2 and your Charisma by 1.
Alignment. Satyrs have little to no interest in questions of morality or ethics. They are interested in one thing and one thing only: partying. Some satyrs will stoop to any low to entertain themselves, others play cruel games, and others are more benevolent in their merry-making. Satyrs tend to be chaotic neutral.
Size. Your are similarly sized to a human. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Merry-Maker. You have proficiency with the Performance skill and in one instrument.
Ram. Your horns are a strong natural melee weapon, which can be used to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 2d4+ your Strength modifier. 
Charging Ram. When you use the Dash action on your turn, you may use a bonus action to make a ram attack. If you hit with a ram attack against a Medium sized or smaller creature, after taking a Dash action, they must also make a Strength saving throw equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. If they fail, they are knocked prone or pushed away 5 feet (your choice).
Magic Resistance. The satyr has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Extra Languages. In addition to speaking Common, satyrs speak Elvish and Sylvan.



Ability Score Increase You increase your Strength by 2 and your Dexterity by 1.
Alignment. Centaurs are peace-loving nomads that try to avoid conflict but, when pressed, are fierce opponents to evil. They tend to be neutral good but those that have had a bad experience with civilized people may be more chaotic.
Size. Your are similarly sized to a draft horse. Your size is Large. You can carry twice the weight of a medium sized creature and double the weight you can push, pull, lift and drag.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Runner. You have proficiency in the Athletics skill.
Charge. If you move at least 30 feet towards a target and hit it with a melee weapon attack, they also take an additional weapon dice. You can only use this once per turn.
Hooves. Your kicks are a strong natural melee weapon, which can be used to make unarmed strikes. Each attack with your hooves deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier. Once per round, you may deal an additional weapon dice with one of your hoof attacks.
Trample. When you take the Dash action on your turn, you can move through the squares of Medium sized or smaller creature. They can take a reaction to move five feet into the nearest unoccupied square but, if they do so, they cannot take an opportunity attack against you during this turn. If they do not move, you can make a hoof melee attack against them as a free action.
Barding Required: Armor made for a centaur costs four times as much as a medium sized humanoid and weighs twice as much.
Extra Languages. In addition to speaking Common, centaurs speak Elvish and Sylvan.



Ability Score Increase You increase your Strength by 2 and your Wisdom by 1.
Alignment. Labyrinthine minotaurs follow strict codes of honor and tradition passed down through their culture. They are loyal companions and dangerous foes. Living in the World Below is harsh, often brutal and extremely competitive, and therefore their race tends toward evil.
Size. Labyrinthine minotaurs are smaller than their more monstrous savage cousins. They are Medium size.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Gore. Your horns are a deadly natural melee weapon, which can be used to make unarmed strikes. You attack with your horns (a gore attack) and, if you hit, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d10+ your Strength modifier. If you move at least 30 feet before your hit the creature, they must also make a Strength saving throw equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier. If they fail, they are knocked prone or pushed 10 feet away from you (your choice).
Raging Bull. When you use the Dash action on your turn, you may use a bonus action to make a gore attack and if you hit you deal an extra weapon dice.
Beast of Burden. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Labyrinthine Recall. Labyrinthine minotaurs can perfectly recall any path they have traveled.
Languages. You can speak, read and write Common.

Monday, November 6, 2017

Character Crunch: The Onijin, The Civil Servants of the Mugen Empire

Onijin are the descendants of an oni warlord that was married by alliance into their family at the behest of the Jade Empress. They are often employed as body guards and advisors to important nobles, due to their innate abilities, and almost all onijin receive some education in the arcane either by tutor or the Imperial Mage Academy. While they are respected by the Mugen nobility, they are often feared and even persecuted by the common folk.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 2 and your Strength score increases by 1.
Age. Onijin reach maturity at the same rate as humanoids until their prime and can live for up to 500 years.
Alignment. Onijin are almost always nobility and have a tendency towards lawful alignments.
Size. Onijin have builds similar to most humans and are medium sized.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Dark Vision. You have the fierce eyes of an oni, especially in the dark. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.
Elemental Resistance. You have a oni ancestor. Choose one type of oni demon (Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning or Poison). You have resistance to the elemental damage associated with that oni ancestor and you gain a cantrip. If you choose acid, you have resistance to acid and you know the acid splash cantrip spell. If you choose lightning, you have resistance to lightning damage and you known the shocking grasp cantrip spell. If you choose poison, you have resistance to poison and you know the poison spray cantrip spell. If you choose fire, you have resistance to fire and you know the firebolt cantrip spell. If you choose cold, you have resistance to cold and you know the chilling ray cantrip spell. You use Charisma as the spellcasting ability for this cantrip.
Enlarge. For 1 minute, the onijin magically increases in size, along with anything it is wearing or carrying. While enlarged, the onijin is Large, doubles its damage dice on Strength-based weapon attacks (included in the attacks), and makes Strength Checks and Strength saving throws with advantage. If the onijin lacks the room to become Large, it attains the maximum size possible in the space available.

You regain this ability after taking a long rest.
Student of the Arcane. Onijin are almost all educated in the ways of the arcane. You gain proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Extra Languages. You can speak, read and write in common and giant.



Monster Mash: N is for Nuruvilu

Travelers see what appears to be a glowing sword with a gem encrusted hilt in the deep end of the river. A youth swims out to pull the sword up but his hands pass right through it. His companions shout out to him, but it is too late. The powerful muscular form of the nuruvila is wrapping around his body and he hears a chuckle before his shoulder is punctured by a mouth full of fangs. The nuruvila drags his prey to a nearby den but never takes its eyes off of the slain youth's companions.

They will never take a river crossing for granted again.

River Predators. The nuruvila is a creation of some mad wizard or cruel god, resembling a fox that has been given a serpentine form and the fangs to match, but with a twist that sets it apart from creatures like the owl bear; the nuruvila can create illusions to lure its prey or frighten off threats from its hunting ground.

They generally seek out river crossings that are isolated but necessary for a community to cross and will remain there until their prey stops using the crossing or they're scared off.

Bully Illusionists. Nuruvila are not terribly smart but the make up for that with cruelty and a bit of imagination. These creatures are ambush predators that usually attract prey with illusionary traps such as food for lesser prey but they prefer to hunt and consume sentient creatures. Often they rely on greed to get the better of their prey but they are known to also appeal to their sense of duty. Too often does a hero leap into a pool of water saving a struggling child, only to struggle for their own life.

And the nuruvila relishes the suffering they cause. They are known to taunt survivors and many travelers are haunted by the laughter of these beasts.

Cowardly Beasts. Usually, when a nuruvila takes up residence they can be exterminated by brute force or, more commonly, the local shaman will instead rely on threatening the creature rather than engaging it directly. Nuruvila are notoriously cowardly. This can be used to the advantage of unscrupulous villages-- a shaman could recommend that the nuruvila terrorizes the waterway of a rival village or make a deal for the nuruvila to serve as a guardian of some important crossing.

The nuruvila is usually willing to go along with such an arrangement as long as it is well-fed and kept in check by the shaman's threats.

Friday, November 3, 2017

Naryan Class Options: The Gladiator (Fighter Subclass)

Arenas are found throughout fantasy worlds from the decadent empire to the criminal underground to the glorious tournament. The gladiator takes pit fighting to an artistic height: they have titles, they have catchphrases or signature moves, they know how to work a crowd, how to pull or take a punch, and how to create a show. 

Generally, gladiators are too valuable to their owners to risk actual death and much of the blood sport is theater. That said, gladiators are incredible athletes and those that find themselves in death sport, whether by accident or intent of the arena owner, must learn to fight to survive and how to win the crowd's approval. A popular fighter can survive a defeat if the crowd demands it.

The gladiator as a fighter archetype takes the best parts of this identity and works into their fighting style. Gladiators inspire their allies, demoralize their opponents and do it all practically naked. What's not to love? They're the pro-wrestlers of the fantasy world.

Show Some Skin
Beginning at 3rd level, your showmanship makes for a fine substitute for armor by wowing your opponents with your shear gall. While gladiators often wear masks, belts and boots, these are mostly for show and tend to be costume pieces. While not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

You also gain proficiency in the Performance and Intimidate skills.

Executioner's Heart
At 3rd level, you become an harbinger of death against your opponents. As a bonus action, you can attempt an Intimidate check against one creature. They must make a Wisdom saving throw against the result. If they fail, you gain a bonus to all attack rolls and damage rolls against this creature until the end of your turn equal to your Charisma modifier. If they succeed, they're immune to this effect until you land a critical hit or reduce a creature to 0 hit points.

Work the Crowd
Also, at 3rd level, your ability to demoralize your opponents and inspire your allies come from your ability to make impressive displays of violence.

Inspire
Whenever you land a critical hit or reduce an creature to 0 hit points, you may choose to rally your allies with a theatrical flourish. You make a Performance check as a free action and each ally within 60 feet, that can see or hear you, gains a bonus to their next ability check, attack roll or saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier. If you landed a critical hit, you can add your Performance check total to the damage.

You regain this feature whenever you finish a short or long rest.

Demoralize
Whenever you land a critical hit or reduce an opponent to 0 hit points, you may choose to demoralize your opponents with a terrifying display. You make an Intimidation check, and each enemy within 30 feet, that can see or hear you, must make a Wisdom saving throw against the result. If they fail, they become frightened of you until the end of your next turn. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier.

You regain this feature whenever you finish a short or long rest.


Dramatic Reversal
Starting at 7th level, you know how to make a surprising comeback. Whenever you drop to 0 hit points but are not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. In addition, you make a Performance or Intimidation skill check as a free action and regain a number of hit points equal to the check + your Fighter level. Each ally within 60 feet that can see or hear you gains a number of gains a bonus to their next ability check, attack roll or saving throw equal to your Charisma modifier and each enemy within 60 feet that can see or hear or you has disadvantage on all attack rolls against you until the end of your next turn.

You regain this feature whenever you finish a long rest.

Additional Fighting Style
At 10th level, you choose an additional fighting style from the Fighting Style class feature.

Tag Team Champion
At 15th level, you inspire your are an expert in bolstering your ally's attacks in battle. You can use the Help action to aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you, instead of one of your extra attacks. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally's attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.

You may only do this once per attack action.

Legend of the Arena
At 18th level, while note wearing armor, you gain resistance to all bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.


Thursday, October 19, 2017

Naryan Class Options: The Circle of the City Druid and (Bonus: Garden Expanded Spell List)

Generally, druids reject civilization. The man-made towns and cities are, to them, often built upon the desecration of nature. They exist to create a balance between natural forces and the unnatural that would corrupt nature. Some druids, though, find nature everywhere and even in the densest cities in all of Sublanarya. This druids are often outcasts. They are rejected by other druids and often seen as eccentric by city-dwellers. But, to them, the urban environment is as natural as a forest or desert. To them, the urban environment, the man-made jungle of cobble streets and bricked buildings, are the natural evolution of an animal shaping their environment. To them a city is no different than an ant hill or a beaver dam.

To these city druids, the city speaks to them and they feel tasked with protecting them, restoring balances, and showing the beauty of nature even in the dingiest, dirtiest and dankest of ditches by the road side.

The Circle of the City is a fantastic archetype for urban fantasy campaigns with flavorful abilities that help them survive in the cityscape.

Street Fighter
You are used to scrapping in taverns and in alleyways with would-be punks.

When you choose this circle at 2nd level, you gain the Shillelagh cantrip.

Sewer Immunity

The plague-cured beggars are your friends and you are the shepherd of the city's sewers.

Starting at 2nd level, you are immune to poison and disease.

Crowd-Walker
In the urban environment, personal space is a premium resource and you generally ignore it. You have places to be.

Starting at 2nd level, you can move through your allies squares at full movement speed and you can move through enemy squares at half speed.

Seen but Unseen
Survival in the city is about knowing how to be ignored and how to notice those who are also trying to be ignored.

At 2nd level, you gain the Stealth and Perception skills.

Urban Shape
Each city you visit has a unique personality with different fashions and population diversity. You intend to blend into every city and often lose yourself in your personas.

Starting at 6th level, when you first enter a city you gain a new Urban Shape. You can take an action, upon entering a city, to transform into the Urban Shape. Your appearance magically transforms to match that of a unique humanoid.  However, your statistics and your equipment does not change with you. If you die, you revert to your natural appearance.

When you take on the town's or city's unique Urban Shape, you and your GM decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair length, coloration, and distinguishing characteristics, if any. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your statistics change. You can shift in size between Small and Medium. You can also change your clothes into a unique outfit that is paired with Urban Shape but if you revert to your normal form, they do as well. After you creature an Urban Shape for a city, at any time, you can take an action to transform into this form or back into your normal form.

While in your Urban Shape, you can add your proficiency bonus to all Intelligence checks that test your knowledge of the city and all Charisma checks to interact with citizens of the city.

Inanimate Chameleon
A bear or vulture stands out in a cityscape, but a pile of refuse does not.

Starting at 10th level, you gain the ability to, as an action, transform into a Medium sized inaminate object. This can be anything from a wagon wheel to a barrel to a potted plant. While in this shape, you must maintain concentration to remain in this shape. If another creature touches you, you must make a concentration check. While in this form, you do not need to breathe, eat or sleep. You cannot move and are indistinguishable from an ordinary object. You can stay in this shape for up to 1 hour.

You regain this ability on short or long rests.

Keeper of City Secrets
 You are a citizen of every city in the world. Even cities that have ceased to exist or have yet to be.

Starting at 14th level, you can speak, read, write and understand all languages.

BONUS: GARDEN

The Circle of the Land druid picks a land to draw bonus spells from. Some druids aren't drawn to the wild but instead use their nature magic to creature beautiful gardens. For such druids, such as the Royal Gardeners of Saesun, they can choose the Garden environment which focused on spells that would help them to cultivate and control a garden.

Garden Expanded Spells
3 Create or Destroy Water, Spike Growth
5 Plant Growth, Meld into Stone
7 Stone Shape, Control Water
9 Wall of Stone, Passwall

Monday, October 16, 2017

Naryan Class Options: Bard: College of Jesters


The court jester is often the most overlooked member of the royal court. They are the king's fool and they're meant to distract the king from the pressures of the throne. Some jesters are no more than punching bags for the court, others use their disarming nature to become confidants of the court and yet others realize that their art form is just as valid as any other.

Good comedy requires a mastery of timing, understanding the audience, and the confidence to do whatever it takes to get the desired result. The College of Jesters is the school for the bard that wants to create a stage persona that an audience can't look away from. Clowns, fools and tricksters, these bards use a combination of magic, tumbling, pratfalls, juggling and jokes to always keep focus on them--in and out of combat. To a jester, everywhere is a stage and comedy is just tragedy plus time.

Adventurers from this school seek to take their show out of the court and on the road.

Bonus Proficiencies

At 3rd level you gain proficiency in three skills.

Mask of the Fool

At 3rd level, you create your unique mask. It can be made of wood, leather, metal, or any other suitable material. It can even be made of make-up. The mask is a representation of your "stage persona" and imbued with the magic that comes from a practiced performance. The mask is contorted into an expression of joy or anguish that shifts subtly with your actions.

If the mask is destroyed or lost, you can create another one with ten minutes of concentration.

The Mask of the Fool turns you into a master of physical comedy and can imbue with unnatural agility that makes your pratfalls aid you. The Mask of the Fool grants you the following abilities:
  •  You gain a +2 shield bonus to your armor class if you are not wielding a shield.
  • You gain the ability to tumble and can Disengage as a bonus action.
  • You also gain the ability to trip an opponent as a bonus action. When you do so, you make a Strength or Dexterity check contesting the creature's Strength or Dexterity to knock them prone or push them 5 feet away from you.
  • You gain the ability to pratfall as a move action to distract your foes. You move up to half your speed and you gain the benefits of the Dodge action against the next attack that targets you.
  • You are proficient with improvised weapons. 
  • You take half damage from falling.
Master of Misdirection

At 6th level, you demand the attention of your foes as if they are a rapt audience and can perform a switcheroo. As a reaction, you can redirect any attack or spell from a creature you can see within 60 feet to target you. If the spell has an area of effect, you determine where the area of effect lands but you must be in one of the effected squares. When you do so, you can spend a Bardic inspiration, roll the dice and add the result to your armor class and saving throws until the end of your next turn. If the attack or spell misses or you save against it, you can redirect the attacker's aim at another target or targets within the attack or spell's range (use the same rolls). If the attack hits or you fail your saving throw, you take half damage from its effect.

Cup Game

At 14th level, as a reaction, you can magically switch places of yourself and/or up to five allies that you can see or hear within 60 feet. When you do so, you and/or your allies may gain the effects of the Disguise Self to take on the appearance of you and/or your allies and you can spend a Bardic Inspiration dice and add the result to you and your allies armor class and saving throws against the next attack.

You regain this ability on a long rest.

What do you think?

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Naryan Class Options: Barbarian: Path of the Feral

PATH OF THE FERAL
For other barbarians, rage is a means to an end or a spiritual experience. But for those that follow the path of the feral, tearing their prey apart comes as natural to them as it does to any predator. When a feral barbarian enters the fray, they are overwhelmed by bloodlust, eschewing weapons or technique, and instead relying on overwhelming physical strength, agility and violence to turn any battle into a bloody affair.

TOOTH AND CLAW
Starting at 3rd, when you enter a rage your feral aspect intensifies to match your bloodlust. Your hands become powerful claws and your teeth become deadly fangs.

Your hands become clawed natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with one of your claws, you deal slashing or bludgeoning damage (your choice) equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. If you already have a natural claw attack from your race, increase the hit dice to 1d6. When raging, because of your claws, you have climbing speed of 2/3 your base walking speed rounded down (minimum 20 feet).

Your jaw is a strong natural weapon, which can be used to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. If you already have a natural bite attack from your race, increase the hit dice to 1d8.

You can use your claws as an off-hand attack weapon. Once per turn, you can make a grapple attempt as part of a bite or claw attack.

When you engage in two-weapon fighting with your natural weapons, you can add your Strength modifier to the damage of the second attack.

When raging, your claw and bite attacks deal an additional weapon die in damage whenever you hit with an attack.

When raging, you also gain a pounce action: if you move at least 15 feet straight toward a creature and end within melee range, you can take a pounce action. They creature must make a Strength saving throw against a DC equal to 10 + your Strength modifier and, if they fail, they fall prone. After knocking a creature prone with a pounce action, you may choose to make a bite attack as a bonus action against the prone creature.

While raging, you also ignore difficult terrain.

ULTIMATE PREDATOR
Starting at 6th level level, you begin to hone your senses to your natural surroundings to a level that betrays your monstrous secondary nature. You become proficient in the Survival skill. While tracking other creatures you gain the following benefits:
  • If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
  • You can learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
  • If and when you find creatures that you are tracking, you gain advantage on your initiative roll.
Starting at 6th level, you have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.

Also, if you already don't have it, you gain darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. If you already have darkvision, increase your range to 120 feet.

HULKING BEAST
Starting at 10th level, your rage causes you to swell to the size of an apex predator. Whenever you are raging, you may choose to become your hulking beast form. When you do so, if you're smaller than large, you become Large for the duration of the rage. You gain 10 temporary hit points. Your reach increases by 5 with all of your melee attacks. Your claw weapon dice increases to 1d6 and your bite weapon dice increases to 1d8.If you already have a natural claw attack from your race, increase the hit dice to 1d8 and if you have already have a natural bite attack, increase the hit dice to 1d10.

RIP AND TEAR
Starting at 14th level, you do not so easily give up your prey. When ever you end a grapple or the creature escapes your grapple, the target takes damage equal to your Strength modifier.

Friday, October 13, 2017

Monster Mash: M is for Mishipishu (Water Panther)

Mishipishu or "water panthers" are creatures feared by fisherman and travelers alike. They greedily lord over stretches of river, creeks, ponds and lakes demanding a toll from all who pass through their waters in exchange for safe passage under penalty of death.

Pay the Toll.
The mishipishu are respected as water spirits by many tribal cultures and secluded communities but they are hardly "guardian spirits". Instead, they are nefarious creatures that take pleasure in playing with their prey-- including humanoids. With humanoids, they demand a toll: if they are hungry, they will demand a tribute of food but, if not, they will demand something precious. If a mishipishu has lived long enough in the same territory it expects a tribute to be placed as soon as humanoids enter its territory and will punish all impudent humanoids that dare to enter their territory. Sometimes communities work out an agreement with a local mishipishu and it will, begrudgingly, guard a waterway in exchange for payment.

They are also known to ally themselves with evil creatures and magic users. They are valuable allies and are considered superior to the inscrutable and alien nature of elementals.

Part Elemental, Part Predator.
Water panthers have many of the same ability as water elementals. They can shift between a solid and liquid form, allowing them to move with an unnatural ease and slide onto offending boats like a rolling tide to attack trespassers. They usually try to capsize these vessels and drown the victims, having no qualm with devouring dead humans, but usually allow at least one member of a party to survive, especially if they seem weak, to spread the word of their presence.

A fully grown mishipishu, or great mishipishu, usually lords over larger territories and often demands large sacrifices. If their demands are not meant, they often dispatch lesser mishipishu, water elementals and other minions to terrorize the locals into paying them respect.

Enemy of Thunderbirds.
Mishipishu loathe thunderbirds and other powerful creatures that share their territory. Their favorite meal is the egg of a thunderbird and a nest full of unguarded thunderbird eggs is often the only thing that can get a mishipishu to travel far from their waters.