Friday, May 23, 2014

The Madcap Sorcerer's Paste [Magic Item]

MADCAP SORCERER’S PASTE
This magical treasure is an unpredictable and dangerous paste, typically found in exquisitely wrought phials studded with tiny glittering crystals. Sages tell its creator was the insane dweomercrafter Dyst Terrab, who was known in his lifetime as the Madcap Sorcerer.

Fitting with Dyst's quixotic and imaginative persona, the thick paste must be worked into the user's hair (or beard!) to be effective. Bald users may smear the paste on their heads (thereby using it up) but are not affected by it. Once applied, the user gains the use of one of the following spells once per day (roll d6):

1) Amnesia (when cast there is a 2-in-6 chance the spell affects the user and his allies)
2) ESP
3) Suggestion
4) Confusion (when cast there is a 2-in-6 chance the spell affects the user and his allies)
5) Feeblemind (when cast there is a 2-in-6 chance the spell affects the user)
6) Mnemonic Enhancer

Regardless of the user's actual level, the daily spell gained from the paste is cast as if by a 9th level magic-user.

The enchantment of the paste lasts for 1d6 days and cannot be negated except by a limited wish or wish spell. A dispel magic spell will nullify the effects of spells cast by the user normally, but has no effect on the paste itself. If the user chooses not to cast the spell gained from the paste on any given day, he loses 1d6 points of Intelligence and Wisdom as the paste eats away at his sanity.

If the user's Intelligence or Wisdom reach sufficiently low scores (or if the user is victim of his own feeblemind), the only spell available each day to the user is the lone daily spell from the paste. This spell still functions regardless of the mental acuity remaining in the user's wrecked mind.

Lost Intelligence and Wisdom recover at 1 point per day. If the user is reduced to 0 in either ability (or both), he goes insane, raves and drools, becomes a vegetable man, and so forth. Alternately, if the referee chooses, the user instead develops a permanent mental illness but is otherwise capable of regaining some or all of his former Intelligence and Wisdom scores with sufficient rest.

Usable by: Magic-users (and elves, if race as class is used in game).

This item could lead to an interesting, or completely nuts, cycle of feeblemindedness on the part of the spellcaster. Have at it!

Update: I've also added the racial secondary skills tables previously posted on the blog to the downloads page (or click here to get the PDF). The tables now include gnome and half-orc, in addition to dwarf, elf, halfling and human.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Fortnight of Chaos Booklet PDF

One last note before I'm off ... I've added the Fortnight of Chaos series of posts as a booklet-sized PDF called Chaos Hordes to the blog. You can download it from the Borderlands Downloads page (link up near top) or directly here. Cheers!


Thursday, May 8, 2014

Racial Secondary Skills Tables

The Borderlands blog will be going dark for the next couple of weeks while my wife and I take a holiday down in the Caribbean. This past winter was particularly long and cold, so this vacation is long overdue and we will definitely enjoy soaking up the sun. And rum. :-)

Today I'm posting my goofy little racial secondary skills tables for Labyrinth Lord (or any old-school games). Basically, I've taken the secondary skills/professions and rather arbitrarily broken them out and added some additional ones based on the stereotypical notions of the "basic four" fantasy races. It's pretty vanilla stuff and its origin goes way back to my Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay days in the late 80s.

Enjoy, and see you all soon!


SECONDARY SKILLS
Roll on the appropriate racial table below to determine your profession or occupation before you became an adventurer. You know how to do the things associated with your profession and the referee will determine when your knowledge is helpful or beneficial to adventuring situations.

SECONDARY SKILLS TABLE: DWARF

Roll d20
Profession
Roll d20
Profession
1
Archivist
11
Locksmith
2
Armorer
12
Man-at-arms
3
Artisan
13
Mapmaker
4
Blacksmith
14
Merchant
5
Cook
15
Miner
6
Engineer
16
Runescribe
7
Gemcutter
17
Slave
8
Initiate
18
Soldier
9
Jailer
19
Stonemason
10
Jeweler
20
Weaponsmith

SECONDARY SKILLS TABLE: ELF

Roll d20
Profession
Roll d20
Profession
1
Animal trainer
11
Hunter
2
Artisan
12
Initiate
3
Astrologer
13
Jeweler
4
Blacksmith
14
Merchant
5
Bowyer/Fletcher
15
Minstrel
6
Cook
16
Sage
7
Furrier
17
Smuggler
8
Gambler
18
Soldier
9
Guide
19
Vintner
10
Herbalist
20
Weaponsmith

SECONDARY SKILLS TABLE: HALFLING

Roll d20
Profession
Roll d20
Profession
1
Animal trainer
11
Herder
2
Artisan
12
Jeweler
3
Blacksmith
13
Locksmith
4
Brewer
14
Merchant
5
Butcher
15
Militiaman
6
Cook
16
Miller
7
Farmer
17
Scribe
8
Gardiner
18
Smuggler
9
Gypsy
19
Tailor
10
Herbalist
20
Woodsman

SECONDARY SKILLS TABLE: HUMAN

Roll d20
Profession A
Roll d20
Profession B
1
Animal trainer
1
Locksmith
2
Artisan
2
Longshoreman
3
Baker
3
Man-at-arms
4
Blacksmith
4
Mapmaker
5
Bowyer/Fletcher
5
Mercenary
6
Brewer
6
Merchant
7
Butcher
7
Miner
8
Cook
8
Scribe
9
Farmer
9
Slave
10
Gambler
10
Smuggler
11
Gardiner
11
Soldier
12
Guide
12
Squire
13
Herbalist
13
Stonemason
14
Herder
14
Street thug
15
Hunter
15
Tailor
16
Initiate
16
Tax collector
17
Jailer
17
Torch bearer
18
Jester
18
Vintner
19
Jeweler
19
Woodsman
20
Leatherworker
20
Weaponsmith
Note: Roll d6. On a result of 1-3, roll d20 on Profession A column. On a result of 4-6, roll d20 on Profession B column.