SDWC: Class: Scoundrels

Life in Gathox is like having your cake and watching someone else eat it. That someone else is the Scoundrel.

Scoundrels embody Gathox. Lie. Cheat. Steal. Reach the top. Get sent packing by the new hotness. Start all over again.

Playing the Scoundrel is like stepping into the shoes of Han Solo or Indiana Jones. You possess no super human traits. What you do have is your wits, a lot of luck, and questionable morals.

Class: Scoundrel

Starting Equipment: Leather armor, 2 daggers, handgun, 20 ammo, [1. Burgling Kit 2. Forgery Kit 3. Disguise Kit]

Kits are small toolsets that take up one inventory slot, but provide bonuses to the situations they're relevant to.
Burling Kits are relevant in situations in which you need to get into somewhere you're not supposed to be.
Forgery Kits are relevant in situations in which you need to copy a document or image that doesn't belong to you.
Disguise Kits are relevant in situations in which you need to be someone that you are not.

A: Know it All, Shoot First
B: A Little Luck
C: I Know A Guy
D: A Lot of Luck, Time to Leave

You gain +1 Stealth for each Scoundrel template you possess.

Know it All
You gain two additional wheelhouses.

Shoot First
If you surprise an opponent, your first attack against them during the first round of combat gets +2 Attack and deals +X damage where X is your [templates]*2.

A Little Luck
Once per day you can re-roll a non-damage roll.

I Know A Guy
Once per day, you can declare something you need. Invent an NPC and describe them. They have the thing you need and are willing to give it to you for a price. The DM determines your standings with this NPC.

A Lot of Luck
You gain an additional use of your "A Little Luck" ability. Additionally, one ally can re-roll a non-damage roll as long as it's reasonable that you were able to assist them.

Time to Leave
Once per day you can escape from something that is restraining you and that you could plausibly escape from. This includes grapples, lynchings, and awkward social situations, but not sealed coffins.

by Catalin Bercea

All I Need is Sex, Drugs, and Walled Cities

Gathox is alive. It breathes. It flows. It grows. But most importantly it hungers. And every alien, human, and mutant is the godling's vittles. But it's not flesh it desires. Only one thing sates the living mountain: Strife.
Great Zhezhn fuel religious fervor and sow chaos and disorder, both with the purpose to fuel Gathox's hunger. Governance, order, and control are all viruses that are hunted down and destroyed by anti-bodies.
Buildings rise to impossible heights, growing maze-like corridors. Vertical gardens drape from their walls like sustenance-pocketed curtains. Eventually, it's all swallowed, for nothing is constant in Gathox.
What little governance the citizens are permitted take the form of gangs that constantly compete for territory, wealth, power, and respect. Meanwhile the Great Zhezhn pull there strings from places unseen.

This is going to be the index for my campaign set in David Lewis Johnson's Gathox setting. Gathox is built around Swords and Wizardry: Whitebox, but we play the GLOG in these parts, so a majority of the posts to follow will be devoted to creating, converting, or expanding on the following:

-Alien and Other races
-PC Classes
-The Gangland Game
-Vertical Dungeons

Kowloon, at night, the real world Gathox

The Index

Classes
The Scoundrel

A special thanks goes out to Luke Thomson of Iron & Ink for inspiring me to embrace the fever dream with his Pike and Shotte campaign.

GLOG: Class: Farrier

>>>>EDIT: This is a bad wizard. Do not use it in your GLOG game, unless you want to have a bad time! I'd delete this, but it is a good example of WHAT NOT TO DO when designing a glog wizard<<<<


Farriers are psychic monk ninja spies that utilize transmutation magic and their own psychic influence.


A: +1 CD, +1 Spell Slot, +2 Spells (1-6), Acrobatic Feat
B: +1 CD, +1 Spell Slot, +1 Spell (1-8), Mind's Eye
C: +1 CD, +1 Spell Slot, +1 Spell (1-10), Magic Resistance, +1 Attack
D: +1 CD, +1 Spell Slot, Trace


Cantrips
1. Create a phantasm, which is a non-magical object no larger than a horse that exists for 10 minutes. If the phantasm is mechanical you must understand how it functions before you can create it.
2. You can focus for one round to see up to 2 miles away.
3. Touch an object to learn its recent history. You may also receive impressions of its creator.


Acrobatic Feat
Once per scene you can perform a feat of acrobatics, which includes but is not limited to: jumps, leaps, flips, tumbles, catches (to avoid falling), swings, balancing, crossing rough terrain, handsprings, pole-vaulting, etc.


Magic Resistance
You reduce all incoming magic damage by 2. Once per day you can negate the effects of a spell that targets you.


Mind's Eye
Once per combat, you can observe your opponents and perfectly predict their actions next round.


Trace
If you discover a magic item, you can enact a ritual to save it to your brain. The ritual is 6 hours long and costs 1 spell slot. You can still cast spells, but you do not get the spell slot back until you erase the magic item from your brain.

As long as you have the magic item saved, you can summon one copy of it at will and it exists for 10 minutes.


Spell List
1. Break
2. Hold Person
3. Shield
4. Blink
5. Counterspell
6. Reinforce
7. Transmute
8. Shoot
9. Charm Person
10. Expand Self

Break
R: 50' T: one phantasm D: [dice]x10 minutes
You pack one phantasm with psychic energy. The next time the object comes into contact with something, it explodes for d10+[sum] damage. If more than one CD is invested into this spell, increase the damage by 1d10 per CD above one.

Hold Person
R: 50' T: creature D: concenration, up to [sum] rounds
Target creature or object is locked in place. YOu must maintain concentration for this spell to work. Target can breathe and move their eyes, but cannot swim, fly, or perform any other action. The creature may Save each round to break free with a [dice] penalty.

Shield
R: 10' T: plane or sphere D: concentraion
Create a psychic barrier, 10'x10', centered up to 10' away. Alternatively, create a sphere centered on the caster 5' in diameter. The barrier has [sum] HP. All attacks against it hit.

Blink
R: 100' T: surface D: 0
You teleport to a surface you can see up to 100' away.

Counterspell
R: 50' T: area D: [dice]x2 rounds
For the duration, the next spell cast within the area with [dice] CD invested or less is countered. The Caster gets a Save to ignore this effect.

Reinforce
R: touch T: [dice] weapons D: 1 hour
Weapons you touch are enhanced, dealing an additional 1d4 damage.

Transmute
R: touch T: one object D: [sum] minutes
You transmute the material composition of one object into another inorganic material.

Shoot
R [dice] miles T: one ranged weapon D: 1o minutes
You enhance a ranged weapon to shoot beyond its normal capabilities, up to [dice] miles away.

Charm Person
R: 50' T: person D: [dice] hours
The person regards you as a good friend and ignores the obvious spell you just cast on them. If you invest 4 [dice] or more into this spell, the duration becomes permanent.

Expand Self
R: 0 T: 40ft area centered on the caster D: [dice]x2 rounds
You expand your mind, pushing back reality. Flavor your inner world as you see fit. As long as you stand within the area of your inner world, you gain [dice] bonus casting die.

GLOG:Class: The Cult

This is a cult version of Joseph Manola's The Extras and Skerple's Many Goblins.

A: Cult Mentality, +1 Charming Sociopath, Recruit
B: +1 Cult Lieutenant
C: +1 Cult Lieutenant
D: Secret Sadistic Ritual


Cult Mentality
The Cult has a shared HP pool just like a normal character. 1 point of damage causes a single cultist to die. Area of effect attacks and traps only affect them once. Single-target Save or Die effects instead cause the Cult to lose 1 HP. Other single-target spells effect the whole Cult.


Charming Sociopath
It takes a certain charismatic insane individual to run a cult, and that person takes the form of the Charming Sociopath.

The Charming Sociopath is the de facto leader of the cult, and his presence is required when the cult attempts to recruit new members because—and let's be honest—this whole cult thing hinges on his charisma.

The Charming Sociopath is a level 1 Cleric, but otherwise functions identically to a Cult Lieutenant (see below).

If the cult should perish, none but the Charming Sociopath survive. Then if he survives the adventure he may return to town and recruit d20 gullible cultists.

Recruit
Once per week, the Charming Sociopath can climb up on his soap box and spew his ideological vitriol to the masses. This requires a Charisma Save, and if successful The Cult recruits d6 members and gains the same amount of hit points.


Cult Lieutenant
Lieutenants are named characters that hold more sway in the cult than its lesser members, but not as much as the Charming Sociopath obviously.

Once per encounter, a Cult Lieutenant can act independently of the cult.


Secret Sadistic Ritual
Once per day the cult may convene in a secret area and enact a secret sadistic ritual. During this ritual the Charming Sociopath can sacrifice up to d6 members of the cult. The Cult loses the same amount of HP permanently. For every member sacrificed, the Charming Sociopath's gains +1 Casting Die and +2 Spells until dawn the next day.

GLOG: Rules: Spellcasting

What are spells?
Spells are spirits. They are sentient and can be consulted. Spirits can invade and possess living creatures in order to mutate them. When a person dies, they become a spirit, and by extension a spell.

Spellcasters throw spirits at their targets like ammunition. Different spellcasters utilize the spirits of different creatures.

Wizards use the spirits of their ancestors.

Necromancers torture and curse spirits, caging them in the bodies they left behind.

Druids use the spirits of fae creatures, such as dryads and fairies.

Warlocks use the spirits of demons and devils.

Sorcerers call upon the power of their own spirit.


What are Emblem Spells?
Most spellcasters have 0-3 emblem spells. Emblem spells are the capstone of a spellcaster's magic. In other words they are the strongest spells available to a spellcaster

Despite being listed, they are unobtainable through advancement. The spellcaster must go out into the world and discover their emblem spells.


What are casting dice?
Casting dice represent a spellcaster's mileage. The more casting dice a spellcaster has in their pool, the more magic they can use.

A spellcaster gets 1 casting die (CD) per template up to a maximum of 4.

Some magic items and effects provide bonus casting die.


What are spell slots?
Spellcasters train their mind to house multiple spirits. This is represented by spell slots.

1 spell slot can hold a single spell.

A spellcaster gets 1 spell slot per template up to a maximum of 4.

A spell inhabiting a spellcaster's skull is considered to be memorized.


Can I move spells anywhere else besides my skull?
Yes.

All spellcasters possess the ability to move 1 spell from their skull to another creature's skull and vice versa. This process is 1 hour long.

Assume any non-spellcasting creature can fit 1 spell inside their skull; any further spell will cause their head to explode. The creature need not be alive.

Skulls used in this fashion are known as Cerebra.

Skull of Orm, from Magic: The Gathering

Why Skulls?
The brain cavity is where the soul resides. As a result spirits are drawn to it naturally.

Other spellcasters, such as Wizards, can store spells in other vessels besides skulls.

Can I cast spells from a Cerebra?
Yes you can. It's called Skullcasting.

Anyone can skullcast with a cerebra. The residual magic provides the cerebra with 1 bonus casting die. However spellcasters can invest their own casting die while skullcasting if they so desire.

Non-spellcasters must roll Save when they skullcast. Failure means the spell fizzles and the caster suffers a mishap, then the spell hibernates until the next dawn. 

If the Save is successful, or a spellcaster uses it, the spell takes effect then hibernates until the next dawn.

How do I cast a spell?
Step 1: Pick a spell you have memorized

Step 2: Chose how many casting dice you want to invest in the spell.

Step 3: Roll your casting dice and sit back as the spell takes effect.

Step 4: Casting die with results of 1—3 are returned to your pool.

The more casting dice you roll the more powerful the spell. Spell effects are based of the number of [dice] rolled and/or the [sum] of those dice.


What are mishaps?
If you roll doubles while casing a spell, you suffer a mishap, and roll on this awesome mishap chart.

You can avoid mishaps by investing only 1 casting die per spell (but that's boring.)


What are dooms?
If you roll triples while casting a spell, you suffer a Doom.

Each spellcasting school has three unique dooms. The first and second doom tend to be survivable. The third doom usually kills you.

You can avoid dooms by investing 2 casting dice or less per spell.


What are Magic Items?
Some spellcasting schools are capable of creating distinct magic items.

The specifics of each magic item is outlined in each spellcasting class's specific write-up.

Tchotchkes are in the Druid write-up.

The Eleven Epochs of Elsai

Arnold K is whipping the horses. Skerple is riding shotgun. Dunkey Halton is still trying to make room in the backseat. And now it's my turn to jump on this bandwagon.

Hemisaurgnath Epoch, aka the Foundation
A race of space-faring lizardmen known as the Skarazi discover the budding core of a world and construct Skarazi Gamma 8, or SG8, a space station the size and shape of a planetary ring system. They begin to collect kindling metals such as Iron and Zinc until the core is lit.

Terraphysis Epoch, aka One Small Step for Lizard-kind
The Skarazi take the first steps on their new planet. They name is Elsai, which mean "hatchery mother" in their tongue. The landscape is arid, rocky, and barren, just the way the Skarazi like it.

Archihylo Epoch, aka the Fae Invasion
Skarazi detect an infection of Fae on Elsai. Measures are taken to quarantine the infection. Glassl domes encircle spreading forests to stop ensuing oxygenation. Quarantine is successful, but ecological changes make the planet unsuitable for Skarazi life. A majority leave Elsai behind and abandon SG8 to disappear behind the stars. A small majority dig in in more arid regions of Elsai, or on SG8 itself. 

Xenoteuthis Epoch, aka Elder Things Cometh
Elder Things arrive on Elsai, bringing with them primitive man in the form of homo erectus as slaves, and construct eight cyclopean settlements from obsidian steel. They hide their secrets there, but none know why.

Hylobellum Epoch, aka Two Epochs Later
Elder Things accidentally break the quarantine established by the Skarazi. A war ensues between fae and elder forces. Elder Things are victorious and the Fae are never the same afterwards.

Exoteuthis Epoch, aka the Exodus
The Elder Things abandon Elsai for unknown reasons, and like their forebears, disappear behind the stars. At this point SG8 has deteriorated; massive chunks of metal begin to bombard Elsai. Homo erectus is left behind for unknown reasons.

Homoascensus Era, aka Rise of Man
Homo Erectus grows in intelligence thanks to constant contact with the Elder Things' settlements and takes up the mantle of Man. Man re-organize into eight great city-states.

Modernis Urbanis Epoch, aka Tensions Rising
Man continues to prosper and evolve. Man obtains a level of advancement similar with mid-80s level of technology. The Eight Great City States begin to butt heads

Explocalypso Epoch, aka Everything Explodes
Everything explodes. Man somehow survives. Those men that remember die off and fail to fling the lessons of the past into the future. It is at this time that the Godling Gathox arrives on Elsai. It is not known if its arrival was a cause or result of the Explocalypse.

Tenebrae Epoch, aka Crawling out of the Woodworks
Forces native and foreign to Elsai begin to invade. Their target is the Eight Great Cities for unknown reasons. Giants harry Wundegauss to the north. Time travelers pester Sublagauss in the Skouring Sands of Skourenthe.

Astravis Epoch, aka Birds from the Sky
Certain city states make establish relationships with space faring civilizations, which they call Birds. Birds begin to use El-sai as a cosmic dump for their radioactive waste and garbage, mainly in the Skourenthe region. Elsai and its denizens are considered primitive on the cosmic scale by their neighbors.

Ringo Vinda, from Star Wars

Why eleven? Because the Astravis Era is the present era, and if my players find a weird artifact I can roll a d10 to determine which era is comes from. 

Could also come in handy for time travel, or an epochal campaign in which one party's action in an earlier epoch reverberate into another party's experience in a later epoch.

GLOG: Druid Circle: Woodland Protector

A long time ago the Squirrel Princess was singing on her branch-balcony when a terrible hawk snatched her away for lunch. Her father, the Earl of Squirrels, was outraged.

The Earl sent word to all the lords of the Woodland Realm and they convened at his court. It is there that they decided they were done living their lives in constant fear from their predators.

The Woodland lords and their constituents drafted a declaration of war and presented it to the Unseelie Court. Unfortunately the declaration was declined by the court, cited as "petty" and "selfish."

Then the Woodland lords presented their declaration to the Seelie Court, and again it was denied. But the gentle adjudicators of that court offered the Woodland lords a trial.

The prosecution was of course the Woodland lords. The defendants their predators. Acting as judge was illustrious Prince Obristo of the Faerie Clan of Yarnborough.

The trial was long and arduous but eventually a settlement was met. A law was put into place forbidding the hunting of the Woodland lords and their constituents. To enforce this law, the Seelie Court conscripted a special unit of Druids that would work closely with the Woodland Lords to ensure their protection.

This special unit was dubbed the Woodland Protectors.

by Diego Rodriguez

Woodland Protector

Keeping with the police metaphor, Woodland Protectors are more like boy/girl scouts than full fledged officers.

They are given special privileges by the Woodland Lords in the form of conscripted soldiers. Squirrel Knights, Raccoon Spies, and Siege Platypuses are all on standby to assist the Protector at a moment's notice.

However they are enchanted to be easily swayed by authority figures. Most druids are not critter sized and the lords realize this. They want to keep their protectors gullible and trusting.

Banes

• If a critter is in danger, you must answer the call to protect them. Refusal to due so results in a revocation of your spellcasting ability. Said revocation may be disputed in Fae Court. A critter is defined as a non-predatory mammal no bigger than a capybara, a non-raptorial bird, or a frog.
• You're terrible when it comes to dealing with mayors, kings, lords, and authority figures. -4 to your Charisma checks when trying to convince them.

Boons

• When you level, instead of learning a random spell you may choose to learn wildshape if you don't already know it.
• Whenever you deal damage with one of your spells, you call that many critters to arms. The critters obey your commands and fight for you. They act on their own initiative and function as a horde.*
• Whenever you cast the Bigify spell on yourself and you know wildshape, you can choose to shapeshift into a giant animal. A giant animal is defined as any animal bigger than a wagon.

Spells

1. Befriend
2. Smolize
3. Bigify
4. Wildshape
5. Aura of Innocence
6. Goodberry
7. Raucous Joy
8. Flamestart
9. Cloud of Faeries
10. Fireseed

Befriend
R: 50' T: creature D [dice] hours
You charm a creature. A charmed creature will place themselves into danger for you, up to and including combat, but will not take on extreme risk.
If you invested 4 [dice] or more, the duration becomes permanent.

Smolize
R: touch T: creature D: [sum] minutes
You shrink a creature to a fourth of its original size, causing them to lose [dice] HD and deal -[dice] damage (minimum 1HD and 1 damage). The creature gets a Save to negate the effect.

Bigify
R: touch T: creature D: [sum] minutes
You grow a creature to four times its original size, granting them [dice] HD and +[dice] damage. Unwilling creatures get a Save to negate the effect.

Wildshape
R: 0' T: self D: [dice]*10 minutes
You shapeshift into an animal of your choice. The animal can be no bigger than a horse. The animal's stats are overlaid onto your own, but you maintain your own mental aptitude. Your DM has their stats.

Aura of Innocence
R: 0 T: self D: [dice] rounds
You emit pure innocence, causing creatures to want to avoid harming you. Before a creature attacks you, they roll a d6. On a roll of [dice] or less, they have to redirect their attack or give it up.

Goodberry
R: 50' T: ground D: instant
You grow a goodberry bush that bares [sum] berries. Each berry restores 1 HP when eaten. If two or more dice are invested, the berries restore d4 hit points each. The berries shrivel away at dawn the next day.

Cloud of Faeries
R: 200 T: [dice]x20' area D: [dice] rounds
You summon a kaleidoscope of faeries equipped with toothpick-swords. They fly around hostile creatures and sting them like angry hornets. The combined efforts of the faeries deals d6+[dice] damage per round.

Raucous Joy
R: 50' T: [dice] creatures D: [dice] rounds
You infect a creature with overwhelming joy, which causes them to fall to the floor laughing uncontrollably for [dice] rounds. They get a Save at -2 to negate the effects.

Flamestart
R: 0 T: 1 creature D: [dice] turns
You summon a small flame at your fingertips that emits light up to [dice]x10'. If 2 or more dice was invested, you can throw the flame for [dice]xd6 damage. The flame ignites clothes and flammable objects.

Fire Seed
R: 0 T: palm of the hand D: [sum] minutes
You grow a group of fire seeds in your palm or the palm of another creature. The fire seeds can be thrown up to 40' and deal 1d8+[dice] damage in a 10' area. If the fire seeds are not thrown, they will explode in [sum] minutes from being grown.