Saturday, January 15, 2022

Building Bhakashal - Character Creation - PCs



Next up in the January character creation challenge is the Spellbinder. Spellbinders are the shamans of Bhakashal.


In Bhakashal, the spellbinder is a practitioner of direct necromantic magic, e.g. as opposed to regular warlocks (magic-users) who study and memorize spells, or seers/beastials (priests/druids) who pray for them, spellbinders obtain their spells by communing with the dead, specifically otherworldly spirits who did not move on fully to the afterworld. These spirits are bound to a middle place between the prime material plane and the afterworld and their “penance” is to be at the service of spellbinders. When called upon, they can create spell-like effects through the spellbinder, duplicating various seer, beastial and warlock spells. 


The advantages are impressive, spellbinders do not have “patrons”, they do not have to roll “to know” for spells, they do not have to find their spells, they do not roll for spell failure or harm, their spells have no material components, and their spell selection consists of all animal, plant and elemental spells from the seer, beastial and warlock lists. 


The main drawback is that casting spells is a process of demanding them from the capricious dead, so they often don’t get precisely what they want, in exchange for learning magic “naturally”, they forgo patrons and finding their spells, but they have ‘less reliable’ magic.


A spellbinder’s faction is the community from which they came, spellbinders leave home and “adventure”, returning when they feel they have learned what they need to know. When they find a patron their faction may change to one within the city, but they will always have a loyalty to their original community. The vast majority of spellbinders in Bhakashal are from the surrounding marshes.


Today I will roll up a 3rd level spellbinder


Process

A. Choose a character class

B. Choose a Playable Group and Faction 

C. Generate Stats

D. Calculate Saving Throw Bonuses and HP

E. Add Skills and Playable Group Abilities

F. Choose Deity and Languages

G. Choose Equipment and Clothing 

H. Pick Armor and Weapons and Assign Attack Bonuses

I. Calculate Wealth

J. Calculate Encumbrance

K. Assign Spells/Class Abilities

M. Assign Personality Traits (optional)

N. Customize Playable Group Lore (optional)

O. Name Character

P. Assign magic items (for creating NPCs and PCs above level 1)



A. Choose Class (d20)

Spellbinder - Faction - Bamai Village (Outer Marshes) [NG} 


B. Choose Playable Group  (3d12)

Rolled: Rakasta (cat people) 


C. Generate Stats

  1. For each stat roll 3d6 

6 3 4/ 5 2 1/ 6 4 4/ 3 5 2/ 2 5 2 /5 4 3

S13 / I 8 / W 14 / D 10 / C 9 / C 12


  1. Apply stat minimums

STR 10 WIS 13 CHR 14

S13/ I 8 / W 14/ D10 / C 9 / C 14 


  1. Switch any two stats (you cannot produce a result less than a minimum)

Switch DEX and CON

S13/ I 8 / W 14/ D9 / C 10 / C 14 


  1. Apply playable group bonuses

+1 DEX +1 CHA

S 13/ I 8 / W 14/ D10 / C 10 / C 15 


  1. Apply Ability Modifiers

S - 13 [+2] 

I - 8 [-1]
W - 14 [+2]
D - 10 [+1]
C - 10 [+1] 
C - 15 [+2]/+10%


D. Calculate Saving Throw Bonuses and HP

All classes get a +1 bonus per 2 levels of experience, so +2 at 3rd level 


Paralyzation STR and CON [+5]

Poison CON and DEX [+4]

Death Magic WIS and CON [+5]

Petrification CON and CHR [+5]

Polymorph WIS and CHR [+6]

Breath Weapon DEX and INT [+2]

Spell WIS and INT [+3]


Hit Points 

Class based, roll or take the average (1/2 HD), as an arcane class they get a d6, I will roll and get 1,3 and 4 so 8 HP.


Bhakashal - Hit Points

Table 1 - Hit Point Progression by Class

Class-Type

HD

0-level NPCs/monsters - do not gain further HP beyond start

d6

A. Beastial/Cavaral/Chimerist/Conjuror/Gyre/Jinx/Myrmidon/

Necromancer/Phantasmist/Seer/Spellbinder/Spider/Thaumaturge/

Theurgist/Vox/Warlock

d6

B. Justiciar/Mercenary/Spartan/Slayer

d8

C. Monster

d8

Notes

All PCs/NPCs have the option of “taking the average” rather than rolling for each level of HP. The average normally rounds up, but in Bhakashal you round down, so a d8 is 4.5, which rounds to 4hp. There is NO CON bonus to HP.

All PCs and NPCs should record their roll for HP at each level. At 6th level and every level thereafter the player can reroll any one of those rolls

All animals/monsters have rolled HP based on their listed HD.


E.  Add Skills and Playable Group Abilities

  1. PCs get a skill(s) related to their playable group

Gambler

  1. All PCs then get a roll on the Bhakashal Skill table once for every point of INT bonus

No rolls

  1. Playable groups also have abilities

Move 15”, climb walls 85+DEX% = 86%, infravision 120’, surprised on a 1 in 6, surprise others on a 3 in 6 and track as a Slayer.



F. Choose Deity and Languages

Chosen from playable group list: Poniar  (Plants, Earth, Spring, Growth)


Languages: Rakasta and Saan


G. Choose Equipment and Clothing 

Backpack, 50’ rope, (3) iron spikes, flint and steel, (3) torches, waterskin, iron rations, blanket - 200 gp encumbrance, 10 gp cost


Fur kilt and cape


H. Pick Armor and Weapons and Assign Attack Bonuses

For a 3rd level arcane character they get a +1 attack bonus by 3rd and have one weapon proficiency slot..


No armor, AC: 9


Weapons:

Spear [+3/+2], 1-6/1-8, WS:4, WvrsAC: -1M/+1L/+3N, Criticals: Set Against Charge/Dismount/Stab/Sweep

Encumbrance - 60gp


I. Assign Wealth

  1. All PCs start with 50 gp, a 50 gp gem and 50 gp piece of jewelry, plus 10gp per ability score bonus point in whatever form they want: 120gp, 50gp gem, 50gp jewelry

  2. For PCs and NPCs above 1st level, add [100 gp + 100 gp gem + 100 gp jewelry]/level plus 50gp per ability score “+” to wealth.   350gp + 200gp, +200gp gem, + 200 gp jewelry

  3. Deduct cost of equipment, armor and weapons - 12gp

  4. 20 gp, 600gp opal, 250gp ruby, 200gp gold ring, 50gp earring


J. Calculate Encumbrance

  1. Weapon Weights are found in the weapon listings. - 40gp

  2. Armor Weights are found on the Armor Table

  3. Equipment weight is precalculated for equipment packs, otherwise consult the Equipment Weights table - 200gp 

  4. Deduct 50gp per point of CON and STR bonus - 150Gp

  5. Total all weight and consult the Weight/Movement table - total: 90gp, 410gp can be added before slowing down


K. Assign Spells/Class Abilities

  • Outdoor survival and tracking as slayer

  • surprises on a 3 in 6 and is surprised on a 1 in 6 while in the wilderness

  • 3 spells per day

  • Talisman: dagger (rune covered, material component for all spells)

  • Spellbinders can cast spells of as high a level as half the spellbinder’s level (rounded up), e.g. a 5th level spellbinder may cast spells as high as 3rd level

  • A spellbinder has to meditate and pray to the dead for 2 hours every day before resting, and then rest a minimum of 4 hours after this in order to be able to call on the spirits again the next day 

  • At 3rd level the spellbinder gets access to up to 3 spells from the 1st and 2nd level list as follows:


First Level 

Offensive (d6)

1. Burning Hands

2. Entangle

3. Khostin’s Vermin Throng

4. Shillelagh

5. Shocking Grasp

6. Talons


Defensive (d10)

1. Affect Normal Fires

2. Animal Friendship

3. Fur

4. Invisibility to Animals

5. Invisibility to Insects

6. Invisibility to Lycanthropes

7. Protective Circle

8. Purify Air

9. Sinshara’s Astounding Salt Spray 10. Spider Climb

Miscellaneous (2d6)

2. Amillian’s Ambient Avian

3. Dancing lights

4. Devour

5. Find Familiar

6. Light

7. Locate Animals

8. Mending

9. Pass Without a Trace

10. Predict Weather

11. Purify Water

12. Speak with Animals


Second Level

Offensive (d6)

1. Cause Light Wounds

2. Charm Person or Mammal

3. Heat Metal

4. Jonnrigger’s Drive the Pack

5. Produce Flame

6. Stinking Cloud


Defensive (2d8)

2-3. Animal Senses

4. Barskin

5-6. Continual Light

7. Control Gases

8. Darkness 15' Radius

9. Eyes of the Swarm

10. Fight or Flight

11. Fire Trap

12. Jauncil Tinnobassar’s Avian Guardians

13.Presence of Danger

14. Pyrotechnics

15. Trip

16. Warp Wood


Miscellaneous (1d4)

1. Create Water

2. Cure light Wounds

3. Locate Plants

4. Slow Poison


  • When a spellbinder wants to cast a particular spell they call upon the dead to provide it, according to the following mechanic:

    • Roll a saving throw versus spell with a +1 bonus for every 3 levels of the spellbinder, and by the spellbinder’s CHA bonus from level’s 1-5 and by their WIS and CHA bonus from level’s 6 and up. If casting against others use the target’s saving throw, otherwise use the spellbinder’s saving throw.

    • Roll a natural 1: the spell fails entirely

    • Fail the saving throw: roll for the column (d6: 1-2: Offensive, 3-4: Defensive, 5-6: Miscellaneous), then roll for the spell

    • Roll the saving throw exactly: player picks a column, roll for the result

    • Roll over the required saving throw: The desired spell is cast

    • Roll a natural 20 or higher: the desired spell is cast at maximum efficiency (e.g. most damage, most targets, etc.)

  • At 3rd level the spellbinder gets to re-roll one spell casting result per day. Also, if a spellbinder dedicates a task to the dead, the task is challenging and completes that task successfully, they will get an extra single use re-roll. These can be banked up to their level, e.g. a 3rd level Spellbinder could “bank” up to 3 re-rolls earned in this way.  Finally, if a spellbinder slays a ghost, sending it on to the next world, they will get 1 “bankable” re-roll per HD of the ghost. 



L. Assign Personality Traits (Optional)

  • Up to four, rolled on DMG tables. Note that players should always get to:

  1. Refuse or re-roll a personality trait

  2. Interpret a personality trait

  • Loyal, honest, forthright, curious


M. Customize Playable Group Lore (Optional)

  • Smoking pipe, patient, shapes foliage 

N. Name 

  • Ukreeth Sonem 


O. Magic Items

For PCs and NPCs being made above 1st level, assign magic items as follows:

Level / 3 in permanent magic items

Level / 2 in temporary magic items


Rolled:

Mohrn the Mad’s Tippling Ring

Scroll of Protection from Lycanthropes

Potion of Polymorph Self


Mohrn the Mad’s Tippling Ring

The tippling ring is made from brass and iron mixed together, and makes the wearer completely immune to drunkedness no matter how much alcohol is consumed. In addition, the wearer has +4 on all poison saves. 



Ukreeth Sonem - 3rd  level Rakasta Spellbinder - Bamai Village (Outer Marshes) [NG}

MV:15” - AC: 9  - HP: 8


Ability Scores

S - 13 [+2] 

I - 8 [-1]
W - 14 [+2]
D - 10 [+1]
C - 10 [+1] 
C - 15 [+2]/+10%


Deity - Poniar  (Plants, Earth, Spring, Growth)

Languages - Rakasta and Saan

Appearance 

Skills/Abilities - Gambler

- climb walls 86%, infravision 120’, outdoors: surprised on a 1 in 6, surprise others on a 3 in 6, survival, track as a Slayer

- pray to dead 2 hrs/day rest 4hrs to regain spell casting

- re-roll up to 3 casting attempts per day

Saving Throws

Paralyzation [+5]

Poison [+8]

Death Magic [+5]

Petrification [+5]

Polymorph [+6]

Breath Weapon [+2]

Spell [+3]



Weapons - Class Attack Bonus: +1

  1. Spear [+3/+2], 1-6/1-8, WS:4, WvrsAC: -1M/+1L/+3N, Criticals: Set Against Charge/Dismount/Stab/Sweep


Equipment: Backpack, 50’ rope, (3) iron spikes, flint and steel, (3) torches, waterskin, iron rations, blanket  


Encumbrance: +410gp



Wealth: 20 gp, 600gp opal, 250gp ruby, 200gp gold ring, 50gp earring

Clothing:  Kilt, fur cloak

Personality: Loyal, honest, forthright, curious


Spells Castable Per Day - [3] 

  1. To cast a spell Spellbinders Roll a saving throw versus spell

    1. +1 bonus /3 levels, +CHA bonus (level 1 onwards), +WIS bonus (level 6 and up)

    2. If casting against others  = target’s saving throw, otherwise spellbinder’s 

    3. Roll a natural 1: the spell fails entirely

    4. Fail the saving throw: roll for the column (d6: 1-2: Offensive, 3-4: Defensive, 5-6: Miscellaneous), then roll for the spell

    5. Roll the saving throw exactly: player picks a column, roll for the result

    6. Roll over the required saving throw: The desired spell is cast

    7. Roll a natural 20 or higher: the spell is cast at maximum efficiency 


First Level

Offensive (d6)

1. Burning Hands

2. Entangle

3. Khostin’s Vermin Throng

4. Shillelagh

5. Shocking Grasp

6. Talons


Defensive (d10)

1. Affect Normal Fires

2. Animal Friendship

3. Fur

4. Invisibility to Animals

5. Invisibility to Insects

6. Invisibility to Lycanthropes

7. Protective Circle

8. Purify Air

9. Sinshara’s Astounding Salt Spray 10. Spider Climb

Miscellaneous (2d6)

2. Amillian’s Ambient Avian

3. Dancing lights

4. Devour

5. Find Familiar

6. Light

7. Locate Animals

8. Mending

9. Pass Without a Trace

10. Predict Weather

11. Purify Water

12. Speak with Animals


Second Level

Offensive (d6)

1. Cause Light Wounds

2. Charm Person or Mammal

3. Heat Metal

4. Jonnrigger’s Drive the Pack

5. Produce Flame

6. Stinking Cloud

Defensive (2d8)

2-3. Animal Senses

4. Barskin

5-6. Continual Light

7. Control Gasses

8. Darkness 15' Radius

9. Eyes of the Swarm

10. Fight or Flight

11. Fire Trap

12. Jauncil Tinnobassar’s Avian Guardians

13.Presence of Danger

14. Pyrotechnics

15. Trip

16. Warp Wood

Miscellaneous (1d4)

1. Create Water

2. Cure light Wounds

3. Locate Plants

4. Slow Poison



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