These classes were invented for A Bright Place in the Sky, a setting that the inimitable Locheil (of The Nothic's Eye fame) and I began to work on in collaboration about half a year or so ago. The initial basic prompt was Sengoku period Japan meets Mughal India, but as we kept poking at it the scope of inspiration has expanded somewhat.
Lacking the energy to give an exhaustive summary, I will simply say that it is a setting of sky islands, where the aerography of the world matches the psychogeography of the people—as people grow united, their islands draw together and merge, and conversely schism and controversy can cause the land to crack and fall apart. The center of the world is ostensibly under the authority of the great Noonday Empire, whose immortal porcelain golem-emperor and current possessor of the Mandate of Radiance is a sad twink in an impenetrable sky palace. His lands are divided and fractuous, and many usurpers have risen with a dream of unifying the lands.
It is said that a prophesied world-conqueror will one day arise with the Mandate of Earth and bring together all the lands under heaven into a single goddess-island, Pangæa, but this has yet to take place.
Beyond the remit of the Noonday Emperor, the world devolves into extremes. The six dikpālas, or directional deities, rule the six corners of the universe. Each presides over, or represents, a primordial energetic process or principle, and exists in a syzygy with their opposite—they are Radiance and Darkness, Sea and Sky, and Fire and Fertility. Earth, the goddess Pangæa, will be born when all the dialectical tensions are resolved.
The number six is important.
Here are two classes for this setting, representing the forces of Radiance and Darkness. We are currently writing for g24, which seems to increasingly be emerging as the “default” GLOG within the milieu we inhabit, but this is of course subject to change.
Censor
+1 INIT on even levels, +1 SAVE on odd levels
Starting Equipment: An officious blue-and-white robe and saffron headband, a tall and distinctive hat, a writing kit (inkstick, instone, paper scrolls, brushes), sturdy travel boots, a spyglass, a jar of fine wine, and your medium Sword of Judication.
Skills: Calligraphy and 1) Herblore, 2) Oratory, 3) Autopsy, 4) Couture, 5) Fire Investigation, 6) Traditional Dance.
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| Source: yixique or "eunuchboy" |
A: Sword of Judication
You possess a Judicator Devil - a spirit of terrible poison heat and bone-prickling light, bound physically into a sword-shaped ceramic shell, and spiritually by a series of oaths sworn to the Noonday Emperor. So long as the Emperor yet lives (and he has lived for a very, very long time), your Devil is sworn to uphold the law and punish lawbreakers. In practice, this weapon is a medium golem-sword which hovers eternally at your side, taking up no slots in your inventory.
If you issue a formal accusation of a crime against somebody, you gain a cumulative +1 Hit with your Sword of Judication against them for each of means, motive, and opportunity you can correctly identify. If you are able to state all three, you are able to unsheath your Devil from their ceramic shell, revealing a blade like a forked tongue of brilliant howling flame.
In this state, your Sword hits against AC 10, deals an extra die of damage against your target and all known accomplices, and inflicts horrific searing wounds that do not naturally heal. Once your target surrenders or is slain, the Sword will return itself to its sheath.
If an enemy offers false surrender and tries to attack you or flee, you can instantly interrupt them with an iajutsu slash with the unsheathed blade - if successful, your strike is guaranteed critical hit.
A: Sacrosanct
You are legally and spiritually sacrosanct. Anybody of lower rank than you must SAVE to be able to willingly harm you unless you have attacked them first; those who consider themselves particularly honorable or loyal will feel themselves obligated not to strike you even if you do attack them first.
B: Measurer of Men
At the conclusion of a conversation with an intelligent being, you can ask and receive truthful answers to 2 of the following questions:
- What do they want the most?
- What do they fear the most?
- Who do they trust the most?
- Who do they despise the most?
- How do they feel about me?
You can use this ability multiple times on the same person, but only once on any given day. If you obtain answers to all five questions about a person, then you have their measure and can no longer be surprised by them, even in your sleep.
B: Requisition
You may submit written mail to any bird (save the perfidious crow) and have it safely delivered to the palace of the Noonday Emperor, where it will be read by one of countless eunuch functionaries. In addition to updating your bosses on your progress, you may requisition equipment necessary to the completion of your duties.
You may safely ask for commonplace equipment and items, which will be shipped to you at no cost. More complex requests can be negotiated, but the most requested (and most regulated) special dispensation is the delivery of additional MD, which do not return to your pool once expended.
Keep track of the total number of MD you have requisitioned—each time you do so, roll 1d[Templates]. If you score equal to or under your current tally, the palace will refuse to send you anything more or respond to any of your mail until you complete a major service on their behalf, at which point your count resets.
It takes requisitions 1d6 days to arrive in civilized areas, 1d8 days in the boonies, 1d10 days in the wilderness, 1d12 in foreign cities, and 1d20 otherwise.
C: Solar Glare
Your eyes shed sunlight like bullseye lanterns at will in a 60’ cone, and dim light for another 60’ beyond that. You can see lies and ill-intent as clouds of bruise-purple and ocher-red smoke, respectively.
You can release a blinding flash of light from either of your eyes, causing anyone in the sunlit area to check HRTS or else be blinded for 1d6 rounds. Using your glare in this way is highly taxing on the vision; you must keep that eye closed until you perform two of the following: spend ten minutes in total darkness, drink a cup of tea, go to sleep.
If you flash both your eyes at once, the check is made with disadvantage and the blindness lasts for 1d6 turns.
D: Last Judgement
When you unsheath your Sword of Judication, you can do so with a blazing draw-cut that turns your target into a walking ghost, dealing 3d6 damage directly to the victim’s STR and CON scores at the rate of 1 point each day.
With bedrest and medical attention they can check with HRTS each to forestall the damage, but this will only prolong their suffering. If there is a cure, it is a closely-kept secret.
Δ: Destroyer of Worlds
Fire your Atomastra at something totally impenetrable and survive the consequences.
You are immune to ability score damage from all sources. Those who make eye contact with you see a reflection of that which you have wrought, and must SAVE or be terrified.
Psychopomp
+1 SKLL on even levels, +1 SNEK on odd levels
Starting Equipment: A black-and-indigo headwrap and bodysuit set, a light lacquered forehead-protector and disc-plate, a pair of smoked-glass spectacles, two light sickles of matte steel, a light matchlock pistol, a spool of garotte-wire, a straw rain-cloak, an alms bowl, and a box of agarwood and dragons-blood incense.
Skills: Moving Quietly and 1) Ventriloquism, 2) Massage, 3) Knife-Grinding, 4) Ropework, 5) Acrobatics, 6) Vocal Mimicry.
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| Source: Mizushyne |
A: Wheel-Turner
It is a deep and profound truth of existence that all things are transient, excepting the state of non-existence. All people will inevitably die, and be reborn as according to their karma—as such, many believe that there’s not much virtue in punishing bad men.
Your opinion, and the opinion of the sect that trained you, is that there’s nothing wrong with giving the universe a little helping nudge.
You have a Karma score. When you kill a wicked person, gain a point of Karma for each infamous deed they have committed. Your maximum Karma score is equal to your [Templates] x 2.
Whenever you roll equal to or under your Karma on any d20 roll, you can treat it as an automatic success if it were to be advantageous to you.
A: Thunderbolt Tantra
Most of those charged with the moral cultivation of the sangha achieve their work through long, patient teaching. Your brand of illumination comes in a single razor-sharp stroke of inspiration.
When you strike a surprised person, spend one or more points of Karma to deal [Karma]d6 additional damage. If you could reasonably describe your maneuver as a plunging attack, you may also add any falling damage you would’ve taken.
B: Weight of Sin
While clasping your hands in prayer, you may choose to modify your physical weight according to your karmic burden. At 0 Karma, nothing happens; at 1-2, you can tread silently and don’t set off pressure plates or cause floorboards to creak; at 3-5, you are light as a feather and can fall unharmed, ride wind currents, and skip across the surfaces of water; at 6-8, you are effectively weightless and can move around as if under microgravity; theoretically, at 9+ you would ascend into the Heavens like a helium balloon.
You can spend Karma to force another to bear the weight of their sins with a touch—multiply their weight by 1 + [infamous deeds], and reduce their SNEK and INIT bonuses by as much, for [Karma] days.
C: Shinigami Eyes
You have truesight, which is entirely independent of your actual eyes (or lack thereof). Your vision automatically penetrates all illusions, shows the true forms of shapechangers, reveals the nature of yōkai, fairies, and demons, and allows you to see people’s sins, engraved upon iron tally-sticks hanging from their necks on heavy leaden chains.
As a side-effect, when looking at someone you can see their name, HD, and their remaining natural lifespan. Sentient magic swords and spell-spirits count as “someone.”
C: Web of Silk and Shadows
All things are bound together in a great causal spiderweb. If you know at least one of the following about a person, you can spend Karma to have up to [Karma] more revealed to you:
- Their name.
- Who they serve.
- Their most notorious deed.
- What they look like.
- What they sound like.
- If they’re alive, dead, or undead.
If you know all six of the above, then you unfailingly know the location of the person in question.
D: Samadhi
Through intense meditation and judicious application of murder, you have attained a state of perfect mental equanimity. You are immune to charm, fear, and any undesired emotion.
You may spend Karma to gain [Karma] extra MD which do not return to your pool once expended.
D: Vipassana
Through painful meditation and thorough application of murder, you have attained a state of perfect mind-body awareness. You are immune to pain, exhaustion, and exposure to the elements.
By spending Karma, you may make [Karma] additional attacks in hand-to-hand combat on your turn.
Δ: Arahant
Obtain this by remaining at 7+ Karma for a year and a day.
Upon death, spend all your remaining Karma to be reincarnated into a suspiciously-similar character who dreams vividly of your life each night and starts with [Karma] x 100 XP.
Spellcasting
Works as usual for a GLOG. Your character rolls 1d6 on their spell list at A and B, and 1d8 at C and D. It is safe to assume that spells can be taught fairly reliably to other casters of the same class, and with some difficulty to casters of other classes.
Mishaps and Dooms are a hazard for full-casters, but I am realizing as I prepare to post this that I forgot to write any, so - these guys might not have to worry about them. I don’t know.
Censor Spells
- Ward
Invest MD to mark up to [Sum] paper talismans with eye-glyphs and seals of Imperial authority in cinnabar ink.
You can close your eyes to shift your vision to any one of your warding talismans at any time.The talismans can be placed individually, or can be grouped together into a polygonal chain or closed polygon no more than 100’ to a side, creating an invisible barrier that spans between adjacent talismans.
You are automatically made aware when living things cross the barrier, and can make it impenetrable to supernatural beings of [Dice] HD or less. -
Tongues
For [Sum] hours, your tongue becomes a dancing ribbon of brilliant yellow-white flame, allowing speech and understanding of all human languages plus [Highest] of the following: - The crackling language of fire…
- The babbling language of rivers…
- The barking language of dogs…
- The purring language of cats…
- The musical language of birds…
-
The whispering language of winds…
-
Command
You may issue a verbal command of [Dice] words to up to [Sum] targets in a language they understand, or [Sum] words to a single target—they must SAVE or immediately obey for up to [Highest] rounds or until it is complete, whichever comes first.
Intelligent creatures SAVE at +4 if the command is deeply opposed to their values, and all living beings with a survival instinct automatically resist obviously suicidal commands. -
Prism
Conjure a gleaming prism that fires up to [Highest] + [Dice] total pencil-thin rays of coherent light using your Hit bonus for 1d6 damage each, choosing separate targets for each ray, before splintering into fast-dissolving shards. You may fire as many of your allotted rays as you want in a single round in place of a normal attack.
While your prism exists, you may clap your hands to cause it to expand and envelop you in a refractive shield, giving missile and beam attacks against you a [Dice]-in-6 miss chance. -
Stasis
One person or object (yourself included) is wrapped in binding chains of pure golden light, freezing them in space and time relative to the most sensible reference frame for [Sum] + [Dice] rounds. During this period, they are unable to act but are also immune to all damage and new effects. Any emanations (heat, light, magic) are also suspended.
At the conclusion of the spell’s duration, they experience all the forces they were subjected to under stasis as a single impulse, potentially flinging them at great speeds.
You can take -1D to cast this spell as a reaction. -
Glitterdust
Blow into your cupped hands to release a plume of glittering golden dust in a [Dice] x 30’ cone. The dust lingers in the air for one round, obscuring vision, before settling on all available surfaces. Up to [Sum] individual people or objects can be spared at the caster’s volition—the dust will simply slide off of them like water off a duck’s back.
Glitterdust is nearly impossible to clean off by conventional means, and has been known to leave people and objects faintly sparkling for decades after exposure. The only surefire way of getting rid of it is to wash it off with aqua regia. Dilute carefully and take your time! -
Emblem - Dominate
Conjure a radiant halo which hovers above your head, shedding a beautiful, hypnotic golden light. Anyone the light falls upon must SAVE or be compelled to approach you in a state of awe and pay obeisance to you, unable to raise arms against you and compelled to kneel. The halo emanates for [Dice] x 10 minutes.
You can discharge the power of the halo by laying your hand upon the head of someone who has failed the save. Instill in them an order up to [Sum] words long which they are bound to follow, or they become a walking ghost, per Last Judgement. -
Emblem - Atomastra
Conjure radiant bow that fires a single arrow for [Sum] + [Dice] damage in a straight line of indefinite length.
If it strikes something that it can’t penetrate… well, the first thing they teach you at Censor Academy is don’t shoot it at something it can’t penetrate.
Psychopomp Spells
- Pain
You may link up to [Dice] + 1 targets you can see (including yourself) with faintly iridescent red strings. Anybody linked is immune to all conventional damage—any damage that would be dealt to them, however, is divided equally amongst all those they are linked to.
Somebody can remove themselves from the web by spending time cutting through the strings; otherwise, it automatically ends when all but one of the bound targets are dead or incapacitated. Unwilling targets may SAVE to avoid being bound. -
Shadowplay
Cause your shadow to lengthen and extrude a [Sum] x 5’ tendril beginning at any point your shadow would naturally fall on. It can pass along any flat surface, climbing walls and such.
Regions of contiguous shadow it passes through do not count against its total length. If any part of your shadow (including your ‘natural’ shadow) would touch another living being’s shadow, you can attempt to puppet it. The target may SAVE at -[Dice] and, on a failure, is forced to perfectly mimic any physical action you take until you choose to break the binding. -
Fuligin
For [Sum] minutes you become a fuligin silhouette, blacker-than-black. You are completely invisible in shadow and darkness, even to creatures with night-vision, and are immune to radiant damage.
If cast with 4+ MD, you are not a mere silhouette but a hole in the world. You are immune to all damage but cannot interact normally with objects (they fall into you). Anything that is fully enveloped in your body is transported to a lightless void where it falls, forever. -
Nails
Invest MD to conjure [Dice] + 1 ring-hilted poniards of black iron with red lacquer handles. These are throwable light weapons of +1 quality, and can be made to vanish and reappear in your hands as a move.
When driven into a solid surface, the nails become firmly affixed, requiring a MOVE check of DC 10 + [Sum] to wrest out of place. If a living being’s shadow is pierced, the analogous body-part is paralyzed and tethered in place relative to its shadow.
- Bilocation
Split yourself into [Dice] + 1 Shadows. Each has HP, AC, ability scores, and movement equivalent to yours, acts on the same initiative, and is capable of acting independently and in coordination with one another under your ultimate direction.
Your Shadows take 1 damage each round they are exposed to bright light, and 2 damage each round they are immersed in direct sunlight. They are capable of interacting with the physical world, albeit with a -4 penalty to their MOVE score.
At any point, even during somebody else’s turn, you may cause all of your Shadows to vanish, causing your “real” self to reappear at the position of any one of them with that Shadow’s respective HP score. -
Kundalini
For [Sum] rounds, you are endowed with the flexibility and cunning of the serpent. You gain [Highest] of the following benefits: - Resistance to bludgeoning damage…
- Advantage on SNEK checks…
- You can squeeze through any space larger than the diameter of your head…
- You can grasp and manipulate objects as dexterously with your feet as with your hands, and walk as quickly on your hands as with your feet…
- You can support yourself in any pose so long as you have at least one finger or toe firmly planted on a solid surface…
-
You can choose to deal [Dice] damage each round automatically via constriction to anyone you are grappling.
-
Emblem - Gu
Invest MD in a jar of [Dice] slots, filling it with venomous centipedes and scorpions and sealing it fast. The jar must “cook” for [Sum] days—at the completion of this period, it will be full of the most noxious and terrible poison known to man.
Gu poison instantly sublimes into a gas at atmospheric pressure, creating a cloud of [Dice] x 10’ radius upon release. Anybody within the cloud takes [Sum] + [Dice] total damage inflicted across a period of [Lowest] rounds.
There is also a [Highest]-in-6 chance the jar will contain a centipede demon of HD [Dice] x 2, which will be unleashed upon the jar’s opening.
Certain very senior assassins know the secret of making Gu metastable at standard temperature and pressure, allowing it to be slipped into food, smeared on weapons, &c. Somebody who knows this method could procure [Sum] doses of poison from a given jar—when directly ingested or delivered via a poisoned weapon, Gu causes its victims to quite simply SAVE or die. -
Emblem - Teleport
If you know someone’s location to within a 5’ margin of error, you can step into total darkness and emerge from their shadow from up to [Sum] miles away, taking [Lowest] freezing damage as the price of your passage. Most people tend to be surprised by this.
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