jacinto adventures, classes, LotFP

i summon thee

I must confess that warlocks are (at least conceptually) my favorite DnD class. ‘orrible users of magic are pretty much the best. However, their implementation has historically been pretty lacking. I’ve also been thinking about graduated levels of success, and realized that such a thing already exists in DnD and retroclones: the reaction table.


This combines well with the idea of warlocks cutting Faustian deals with powerful beings, rather than having Something Bad happen before character creation that lets them shoot devil lasers (not that I have a problem with whizz-bang magic. It just doesn’t seem to fit). Using the reaction table gives GMs a framework for how the patron should deal with their client, rather than sitting backstage all the time. 

Warlock
A class for LotFP
HP and Saves as Cleric, XP as Fighter
Warlocks do not memorize spells like Magic-users. Instead, they forge pacts with spirits and use their power. All spirits have a domain (such as Ice or Love or Law), which dictates the kind of power and knowledge the possess. The pact is mutually beneficial; the Warlock gains access to magical knowledge and ability, while the spirit uses the Warlock to grow in power and intervene directly with mortal affairs. 

Spirits have the innate ability to answer questions about their domain; a spirit of ice instinctively knows what and who is buried in an avalanche, for example, and a spirit of fire can know what a person looked like simply by examining their ashes. Their grasp of magic is not quite as strong; they can cast any spell that pertains to their domain, but must first encounter it. Warlocks often serve this purpose and can claim spells much like the way Magic-users can inscribe them in spell books. Claiming a spell requires a ritual that takes a number of hours equal to the spell’s level, and once it is complete, the Warlock can assign it to a contracted spirit with an affiliated domain. Warlocks can claim spells of any level.

A Warlock can maintain a number of pacts equal to half level, rounded up. However, a Warlock has direct access to only one spirit at a time; if they wish to change which contracted spirit they may summon, they must complete an 8 hour ritual in a place of relative safety and reclusion. If a Warlock wants to forge a pact with a new spirit, they must find one in the course of play.

When a Warlock wants their contracted spirit to answer a question or cast a spell pertaining to its domain, they spend a turn summoning it, and the player makes a 2d6 Reaction roll with a bonus equal to half the Warlock’s level, rounded down, and a penalty equal to the spell’s level. 


At this point, the Warlock must convince the spirit to cast the spell or answer the question. How much work this takes depends on the spirit’s Reaction. If it is Cooperative, it requires nothing at all. If it is Interested, it might take a turn to cajole it into helping. If it is Annoyed, major bribes or favors might be necessary–one quarter of the silver pieces necessary to reach the Warlock’s next level (so 500 sp at level and 4,000 sp at level 4) or a session’s worth of adventuring, usually of an ethically dubious and/or legally questionable variety, to acquire an artifact, slay a rival, or perform some other dangerous task for the spirit is generally enough. Warlocks take a -1 penalty to Reaction rolls with a spirit for each favor they owe. Spirits are greedy, venal, and prideful, but they are not stupid. If a Warlock continually offers services but never performs them, the spirit will demand prices that can be paid immediately. Malicious spirits will completely enter the physical world and attack, but will often surrender before being defeated.

The HD of a spirit equals the Warlock’s level plus the highest level spell they know, and they deal d6+level damage in melee, plus any other special abilities the GM deems appropriate. Existing in the physical world is exhausting to spirits, and so they can cast each spell they know only once before needing to return to the aether to rest. Spirits will enter the physical world to fight for Warlocks, but will do so only for a major favor, regardless of Reaction, and only to complete a specific, pre-determined task. Spirits in the physical world reduced to 0 HP must rest in the aether a number of days equal to their Warlock’s level.

A level 1 Warlock begins play with a single spirit with a domain of their choice and a relevant, 1st level spell. Here’s a sample spirit:
Atri-Rathma, Entwined Divinities of Love and Spite
Begin with Charm Person and can acquire any spell that pertains to mental manipulation and domination, such as Suggestion or Forget. Can answer questions about someone’s love life, if an act was motivated by revenge, or anything pertaining to love, lust, and spite. They are fawning and flirty when in a helpful mood and sarcastic and deceptive while in a bad one.
Major Favors
  1. Help a star-crossed couple from the nearest village escape from their disapproving families and start a new life in the nearest city. There is a 50% chance the relationship is clearly headed for disaster.
  2. The constabulary force of the nearest city is about to shut down a brothel. For purposes of blackmail, Atri-Rathma wants you to plant evidence in the captain’s home that suggests he frequented the brothel himself.
  3. Help a woman from the second-nearest city murder her abusive husband, who recently humiliated her in a public affair.
  4. Acquire the Liqueur of Atri (a staggeringly powerful aphrodisiac), which is currently being guarded in the nearest temple of the stodgiest local religion, and return it to Atri-Rathma.
  5. Acquire the Liqueur of Rathma (an exquisitely deadly poison), which is curently being guarded in the nearest temple of the shadiest local religion, and return it to Atri-Rathma.
  6. Fund a wild bacchanal (must cost at least 25% of the silver pieces necessary to reach the next level) in the nearest city.

Batrabos, Grim Demon of Law
Begins with Command and can learn any spell pertaining to subjugation, imprisonment, and order. Can answer questions about legality, technicality, and jurisprudence. He is all patient patriarch when he’s helpful and BOOMING THEATRICALITY when he’s mad.
Major Favors
  1. Hunt down an escaped fugitive d6 miles from your location. There is a 50% chance he was convicted on a technicality.
  2. Kill a member of the nearest city’s constabulary, who has been accepting bribes from the biggest gang in town. 
  3. Acquire and destroy the Oneiric Needle (a powerful device of disorder), located in a cult hideout not far from the nearest village.
  4. Acquire the Hircine Lance, a weapon created from one of Batrabos’ horns, and return it to him.
  5. Clear a shrine belonging to one of Batrabos’ fallen sisters of the brigands that have taken up residence in it. It is located close to the nearest city.
  6. Fund an inquest into a decades-old cold case (must cost at least 25% of the silver pieces necessary to reach the next level) in the nearest city. 4 in 6 chance it find a culprit, and on a 1 it is someone important.

    First image is from Basic Dungeons and Dragons. Second image is from Tactics Ogre: Wheel of Fortune

    jacinto Carcosa, classes, is this gonna work, Pernicious Albion, World of Dungeons

    Pernicious Albion 2.0 Character Creation

    You are in Albion, where the Romans never left, the pagans never died, and the aristocracy keeps their sterling silver sacrificial daggers in the cupboard next to the fine china. The city of New Londinium, the oldest, grandest, and most horrible city in the world reaches over the horizon far to the west, but you are in Greyshire, a provincial little town known only for the quality of its cheese, the restlessness of its dead, and the large number of barrows, ruins, dungeons, and oubliettes that fill the countryside around it. 

    Dame Aggorath, Chief of the Knights Squamous, has contacted you with a job offer. A recent washout has exposed tunnels beneath Rope Crown Hill, a site of ill repute several miles from town, and several scholars have vanished exploring them. Bring back a report on what is happening there (along with compelling evidence), and you will be generously remunerated.











     +












    Cast the Dice

    When you try something risky or difficult, sum 2d6 and add an attribute based on the action you’re taking. Your success is determined by the total of your dice roll.
    • A 10+ is a complete success.
    • A 7-9 is a partial success and brings about a cost or complication.
    • A 6- is a complete failure. Bad things will happens.
    Step 1: Roll Ability Scores


    Your have six attributes. For each attribute, roll 2d6.
    • On a 6-, the value is 0.
    • On a 7-9, the value is +1.
    • On a 10 or 11, the value is +2.
    •  On a 12, the value is +3.
    1. Strength (Str): Capacity for brute force, physical violence, and melee combat.
    2. Constitution (Con): Ability to withstand pain, discomfort, and physical damage.
    3. Dexterity (Dex): Aptitude for agility, grace, coordination, speed, and dodging blows in combat.
    4. Intelligence (Int): Mental acuity, memory, and ability to learn
    5. Wisdom (Wis): Perception, sanity, foresight, affinity for spirits and gods, and ability to resist the effects of magic.
    6. Charisma (Cha): Attractiveness, force of personality, and ability to be persuasive.
    Step 2: Calculate Hit Dice and HP

    You have HD equal to 1+Con+Half level. When you rest, reroll your HD to determine your maximum HP. If you rest comfortably, set a single HD to 6. If you eat a satisfying meal, set another HD to 6.

    Step 3: Pick a Skills

    Pick one of the following:

    • Burglary: disable locks and traps and pick pockets
    • Bushcraft: hunt, track, identify flora and fauna
    • Linguistics: learn languages
    • Lore: recall esoteric and forbidden knowledge
    • Medicine: revive the fallen and restore the ill
    • Repair: fix and maintain armor, tools, weapons, and devices

    Step 4: Pick a talent

    • Hawkeye: Add your level to ranged weapon damage rolls 
    • English Magic: You start with any 2 1st level spells from the MU or Cleric LotFP lists (though I am only using the general gist of the spell descriptions). You can learn any number of spells, but you must first find them. You can cast any spell you know as much as you like, but magic is dangerous and unpredictable. Rolls generally involve Int.
    • Glamour: You can change your appearance and turn into creatures who height or length is equal to or less than twice your level in feet, but particularly subtle or potent transformations may not succeed. Rolls generally involve Cha.
    • Pact: You have made a deal with one of the great gods, demons, or fairies of Albion. You can call on them to use magic pertaining to one of their domains as much as you like, but the consequences of offending them or failing to control their power is dire. You gain an additional related domain every even level. Rolls generally involve Wis.
    • Prodigy: Every level, you gain an additional skill of your choice.
    • Prowess: Add your level to melee weapon damage rolls.

    Step 5: Pick a bloodline

    • Briton: You are from one of the chieftaincies beyond the grasp of New Londinium’s rulers. Your people made pacts with the spirits of the wild long ago; you can roll Wisdom to speak with animals. 
    • Changeling: You are descended from a true fairy. You cannot lie or break promises directly. Any oaths sworn to you cannot be broken.  
    • Deep One: You are descended from one of the marine monstrosities from far beneath Albion’s seas and lakes. As you are some sort of hybrid between fish and human (the specifics of how this looks is up to you), you can move with equal speed through water and over land, and you can breathe underwater.
    • Nephilim: You are descended from the race of giants born when exiled angels bred with humans. You are 6-8 feet tall. Whenever you roll your Hit Dice, add 6 to the total.

    • New Londoner: Your exposure to the radioactive knowledge-goddess Gloriana has given you a talent for chasing gristly secrets. When you study a fallen enemy, you learn a single fact or secret about their kind. 

    • Roman: The Empire’s rich tradition of poorly conceived sorcerous experiments not only deposited ancient Britain into the middle of Carcosa, but infused all of its citizens with a lingering taint of undeath. You can cast Speak with Dead.

    • Tiefling: You are descended from one of the soldiers that took part in Hell’s semi-successful invasion attempt a century ago. You can create and throw small flames at will. 

    Step 6: Items

    You start with 6 items. You can choose a number of them equal to 1+Cha. The rest are randomly determined. You may do the random rolls before you choose.

    1. Weapons
    1. Hatchet, 1 hand, d6+1 damage
    2. Spear, 2 hands, d6+1 damage, reach range
    3. Great-axe, 2 hands, d6+2 damage
    4. Shortbow, 2 hands, d6 damage, with 10 arrows
    5. Longbow, 2 hands, d6+1 damage, with 5 arrows
    6. Rifle, 2 hands, d6+2 damage, 4 bullets, very loud
    2. Armor

    Armor weighs you down, and you can wear just 1+STR pieces at once. Each reduces damage taken by 1.

    1. Cuirass
    2. Helmet
    3. Greaves
    4. Shield, 1 hand
    5. Bracers
    6. Heavy cloak
    3. Tools
    1. Grappling hook and 10’ rope
    2. Crowbar
    3. Caltrops
    4. 10 foot pole
    5. Weighted net
    6. 50’ rope
    4. Paraphernalia
    1. 1 pound of salt
    2. A book on a random subject
    3. A horseshoe
    4. A bottled soul
    5. A dowsing rod, 1 hand, d6 damage, can detect magic and water
    6. 10 feet of silver wire
    5. Odds and Ends
    1. 1 pound lard
    2. Bag of marbles
    3. Sack with live beehive
    4. Spyglass
    5. Choice cut of meat
    6. Box of matches
    6. Dubious Goods
    1. 1d6 bombs, 3d6 damage
    2. Vial of virulent poison
    3. Flask of fire oil
    4. A glass cutter
    5. Flask of acid
    6. A collapsible knife, 1 hand, d6 damage

    jacinto classes, is this gonna work, LotFP

    Witch 2.0

    Finally got to playtest the my LotFP-ified Warlock class in Akenia’s Spire of Asmodal. I think the core idea works, but I suspect the class as written would remove some of the need to plan carefully at lower levels and scale poorly with level. At level 1, it makes sense that for a witch to struggle to magic open a door, but at level 20, they should be able to at least try to throw around boulders. 
     
    final fantasy xiv
     Witch
     HP and experience as Cleric; saves and weapon and armor restrictions as magic-user

    All witches have a wand, which they need to cast spells. They can cast spells as many times as they wish, and casting a spell takes the same amount of time as attacking in combat. The range of a witch’s spells is equal to 20*level feet. A spell can replicate the effect of any simple weapon, tool, or mechanical object, such as a torch, grappling hook, bow and arrow, or ladder. Players must describe what a spell actually looks like.


    Witches start with a 1 in 6 chance of successfully casting any given spell, and if they fail a spell, they must wait 1 round (10 min) before they can try it again. They can allocate spell points to a spell in order to increase its odds of success. Witches start with 4 spell points, and gain 2 more every level. The list of spells is not set; players can invent them, as long as they fit the parameters for witch magic stated above. 

    The maximum number of spells a witch can have active at one time is half level, rounded up. Otherwise, spells last until dismissed. If a spell involves particularly strong resistance on the part of the target, the Witch must make a Charisma check with a bonus equal to their level.
     

    Sample Spell List

    Aegis (shield)
    Ascendance (pulley)
    Adherence (rope or chain)
    Attraction (grappling hook)
    Destruction (bow and arrow)
    Incandescence (torch)
    Inscription (marker)
    Quicken (roller skates)
    Repulsion (pole)

    If you find skill points too fussy, just use the Elf skill progression for Search as the skill for all witch spells, the way Tales of the Grotesque and Dungeonesque uses Hear Noise column for all thief abilities.

    jacinto Carcosa, classes, LotFP, Not Dead Yet, Pernicious Albion

    Pernicious Albion Character Creation

    Character creation is exactly the same as Lamentation of the Flame Princess, except that you pick a bloodline and choose from the following classes. You can assign attribute scores as you wish, but you can’t reroll attributes if the modifiers are negative.


    BLOODLINES
    All Pernicious PCs are approximately human, but there are several variations on that theme.
    1. New Londoner: You are from the city of New Londinium. Your cosmopolitan upbringing (and proximity to a slightly radioactive knowledge-goddess) has given you a talent for languages; you have +2 to your Languages skill
    2. Briton: You are from one of the chieftaincies beyond the grasp of New Londinium’s rulers. Your people made pacts with the spirits of the wild long ago; you can use your Bushcraft as Languages when attempting to communicate with animals.
    3. Roman: The Empire had a rich tradition of poorly conceived sorcerous experiments. It is this fact that deposited Albion into the middle of Carcosa, and it is this fact that infused the blood of all Romans with a lingering taint of undeath. You can cast Speak With Dead 1/day.
    4. Deep One: You are descended from one of the marine monstrosities from far beneath Albion’s seas and lakes. As you are some sort of hybrid between fish and human (the specifics of how this looks is up to you), you can move with equal speed through water and over land, and you can breathe underwater. 
    5. Tiefling: You are descended from one of the soldiers that took part in Hell’s semisuccessful invasion attempt a century ago. You can ignite a fist-sized flame in the palm of your hand at will. You can throw it or thrust it at your enemies to deal d4 damage. It lasts for 1 turn after it leaves your hand, sheds flickering light, and otherwise acts like a regular flame. 
    6. Changeling: You are descended from a bona fide fairy. You cannot utter a lie. Any promise made to you cannot be broken, and you cannot violate any oath you swear.
    7. Nephilim: You are descended from the race of giants born when exiled angels bred with humans. You are 6 to 8 feet tall and have a +1 to your Strength modifier. 
    8. Human: you and your ancestors are (rather improbably) unwarped by the magics, radiations, and influences of Carcosa, which makes you sensitive to malign presences. You can Detect Evil at will.
    CLASSES

    Cleric of The Grigori

    1. Cleric or Druid: as Lamentations of the Flame Princess Cleric. You are a priest, druid, or prophet for one of the gods or goddesses of Albion. You have access to 3 miracles (which depend on your deity), and you can cast them without preparing.
      1. Her Majesty Gloriana: Queen of Albion, Supreme Governor of New Londinium, Sovereign Goddess of Forbidden Knowledge and Black Magicks
        father dagon. by roryrory, distributed under creative commons
      2. Father Dagon: Patron of Deep Seas and the Beasts Therein
      3. Cernunnos: Horned God of Hunt and Wild
      4. The Morrigan: Black-winged Goddess of Crows and War
      5. Desdemona: Princess-Diabolic of the Iron City of Dis and General of the Infernal Expeditionary Army
      6. The Grigori: The Watchers, The Angels-In-Exile, The Banished Council, Fathers of Giants and Artifice
    2. Magician: as Lamentations of the Flame Princess Magic-User. You start with 4 random spells in your spellbook.
      a gentleman magician
    3. Fairy-Knight: as Lamentations of the Flame Princess Elf. You have sworn yourself into service for one of the great fairies of Albion. You are skilled at both magic and combat; you start with knowledge of 2 spells (which depend on your liege) and can cast any spell you know.
      fairy-knight of rose
      1. King of Roses Red: Fair Monarch of that Land Known as Earth and All Denizens of its Surface and Interior, Liege to the Knights of Rose and Knights of the Thorn
      2. The Regent of Midnight and Noon: Seneschal of All Hours, Steward of the House of Death, Lord of the Tower at the End of the World, Liege of the Knights Chronic
      3. Morgaine: Sorceress Supreme, Mother of All Witches, Sister of All Spiders, Keeper of the Last Breath of the True King, Founder of the Dark Knights
        Morgaine
      4. Gogma, the Last and Most Splendid of the Sea Giants, Mistress of the Castle Glaces, Benefactress of the Knights Undulant
    4. Fighter: as Lamentations of the Flame Princess Fighter. 
       

      fighter veteran

    5. Paladin: XP as Magic User, HP, Saves, and Spell Progression as Cleric; Attack Bonus as Fighter. You are a warrior who has taken holy vows to fight for one of Albion’s deities.
      1. Pick a deity from the Cleric list
    6. Specialist: as LotFP Specialist
      there are so many knives in that hat
    7. Wildling: HP as Dwarf. Skills, XP, and Saves as Halfling. You have learned to survive in the strange wilderness outside the walls of New Londinium. You can withstand more punishment than any other class.
      a wildling who is totally about to save vs death

    jacinto classes, is this gonna work, LotFP

    but i repeat myself

    Yet another draft of the Summoner class. Not sure why it has been so hard to nail down something that I like longer than a few days. I ran a game with someone playing the previous version, and one spirit felt almost too useful, while another seemed to be mostly a liability. Also, breaking creatures down by spell level is fussy and inconsistent and makes it hard to drop into any DnDish game. I also wanted to focus more on Things Going Wrong, as well as having more guidance on how the critters actually act. Also tries to scratch an itch I had with the 4e Warlock. The patrons felt more like an excuse for shooting laser beams than big nasties with motivations of their own.

    Summoner 
    A class for LotFP
    HP and Saves as Cleric, Experience as Elf


    Summoners call forth spirits. They can only summon spirits with whom they have made a pact. Forming a pact simply requires the spirit’s acquiescence, which can be acquired through violence, deception, persuasion, or bribery. Spirits follow commands delivered verbally and in person by their Summoner to the letter, and often try to twist the words of an imprecisely delivered order, though they will do their best to conceal their ability to do so.

    The sum of the HD of all Spirits a Summoner has pacts with cannot exceed the Summoner’s level. When a Summoner gains a level, they can either raise the HD of a Spirit they already have a pact with, or leave the level open to make another pact later. Summoners start with a single 1 HD spirit.

    Summoning or dismissing a spirit takes one full round. If a spirit is reduced to 0 HP or fewer, the Summoner takes d6 damage per spirit HD, and the spirit cannot be summoned until it has positive HP. Spirits recover a number of HP equal to their level per day. They cannot regain HP any other way.

    Spirits can only cast certain spells, but gain spells per day as a Magic-User. They do not need to prepare spells to cast them; instead, they can expend a spell slot to cast any spell with a level equal to or less than the slot’s level. Any negative effects from casting a spell are visited upon the Summoner.
    All spirits have the following attributes, unless otherwise noted:

    Max HP: +d6 per level
    Attack Bonus: equal to half level
    AC: 12+half level
    Saves: 12-half level
    Damage: d12 (melee)
    Movement Speed: As running unencumbered human

    Right now I only have 2 spirits because Lamentation of the Flame Princess has a relatively small spell list (especially at higher levels), and I want to keep the spirits’ spells distinct and thematically coherent.

    RED MADAMA
    Spirit of Insanity, Compulsion, and Change

    Red Madama is a wicked butterfly demon, a spirit of air and madness. When she is called forth, the Summoner can transform into her at will, leaving behind a single set of instructions that she will follow to the letter. In order to change back or give new orders, the Summoner must succeed a Wisdom check. In combat, Red Madama and the Summoner take separate turns, and track their HP, attributes, and status effects independently, transforming back and forth without a Wisdom check as their turns arise.

    When she is acting under her own power, Red Madama is grandiloquent, arrogant, and generally insane. She is willing to place herself in terrible danger in pursuit of impractical and elaborate schemes, which may or may not align with the Summoner’s interests. Red Madama often pursues extraordinarily violent revenge against those she believes have slighted her, but will also act with destructive generosity towards those she thinks have helped her.


    Spells Known
    Generally pertain to illusion, delusion, and transformation

    I: Cause Fear, Charm Person, Command
    II: Change Self, Forget, Phantasmal Force
    III: Howl of the Moon, Phantasmal Psychedelia, Suggestion, Fly (uses butterfly wings)
    IV: Confusion, Hallucinatory Terrain, Polymorph Self
    V: Chaos, False Seeing (Reversed True Seeing),  Insect Plague (red butterflies, not locusts)
    VI: Babble (Reversed Tongues), Geas, Phantasmal Supergoria
    VII: Unholy Word, Power Word Stun, Prismatic Spray
    VIII: Antipathy/Sympathy, Demand, Mass Charm Person
    IX: Shapechange, Polymorph Any Object, Symbol, Weird Vortex


    MOTHER OF THE DEPTHS
    Spirit of Secrets, Dark Knowledge, and Deep Seas

    clothing by Iris van Herpen


    The Mother of the Depths is a hadopelagic sea-demon from beneath the bottom of the world. She manifests as a tall woman wreathed with nautiloid limbs. She can only be summoned from bodies of water with a depth greater than an inch and a diameter greater than a foot, and she cannot set foot on dry land. However, she can move instantly between any two bodies of water in line of sight of each other. She can attack any target in melee range of any body of water in line of sight.

    When she find a way around her Summoner’s orders, The Mother acquires as many specimens, artifacts, and pieces of knowledge as possible. She holds power over secrets, and so she will also try to erase little-known pieces of information to which she already has access; this includes destroying books and killing people. The Mother is patient, and will sometimes forgo taking advantage of loopholes in her Summoner’s orders in hopes that they will make the same error at a more expedient time.

    Spells Known
    Generally pertain to necromancy, darkness, and the discernment
    I: Comprehend Languages, Darkness (Reversed Light), Turn Undead
    II: Forget, Locate/Hide Object, Ray of Enfeeblement
    III: Bestow Curse, Speak With Dead, Strange Waters
    IV: Polymorph Others, Wall of Ice, Wizard Eye
    V: Airy Water, Animate Dead, True Seeing
    VI: Shades, Tongues, Legend Lore
    VII: Part Water, Control Weather, Unholy Word
    VIII: Demand, Trap the Soul, Vision
    IX: Imprisonment, Time Stop, Power Word Kill
    jacinto classes, is this gonna work, spell

    As You Wish It…

    I lurve monster-conjuring, but Sword and Wizardry’s Conjure Monster spells just don’t do it for me, and LotFP’s Summon has too many Radiant Frond Phallus Crabs. I wanted a class that was thematically similar to Final Fantasy style summoning, but also something that matched the King Solomon style bossing-genies-around. Rotten Pulp has an excellent take on this, but I was looking for something a little different. Here it is.


    SUMMONER, a class for LotFP and retroclones

    HP as Cleric, Saves and Equipment restrictions as Magic-User, XP as Elf

    from final fantasy XIV

    Summoners call forth spirits. When they do so, the spirit appears before them and obeys all of their spoken commands to the letter. In order to call forth a spirit, a Summoner must make a pact with it. 

    There are 5 Order of spirits. A spirit’s Order determines how powerful it is and what kinds of spells it can cast. A Summoner can only make a pact with one spirit from each Order. This requires no more than the Summoner requesting a pact and the spirit accepting, though spirits are rarely accomodating. A Summoner can induce a spirit to accept a pact through bargaining, trickery, or violence.

    Summoning or dismissing a spirit takes a number of rounds equal to half the spirit’s HD. If a spirit is reduced to 0 HP, its Summoner takes d6 damage for every HD the spirit had and cannot summon that spirit again for a full day. Spirits recover 1 HP a day no matter what, and cannot be magically healed. 

    SPIRIT ORDERS

    Note: All spirits can cast at least 1 spell per day, and no spirit can cast more than 5 spells per day. Spirits learn spells by eating them, and can cast any spell they know; they do not need to memorize them beforehand like a traditional Magic-User
    1st Order Spirit: can cast a number of first level spells per day equal to the Summoner’s level. Has 2 HD, 10 AC, and deals d4 damage on a hit.

    2nd Order Spirit: can cast a number of second level spells per day equal to half the Summoner’s level. Has 4 HD, 12 AC, and deals d6 damage on a hit.

    3rd Order Spirit: can cast a number of third level spells per day equal to one third the Summoner’s level. Has 6 HD, 14 AC, and deals d8 damage on a hit.

    4th Order Spirit: can cast a number of fourth level spells per day equal to one fourth the Summoner’s level. Has 8 HD, 16 AC, and deals d10 damage on a hit.

    5th Order Spirit: can cast a number of fifth level spells per day equal to one fifth the Summoner’s level. Has 10 HD, 18 AC, and deals d12 damage on a hit.

    So ideally this class will be as much about phrasing commands intelligently and managing Spirits in multiple location as it is about having the right spell. I think I might set up a random tables for for when players send spirits out on a mission unsupervised. 


    OLD BAD WORSE VERSION FOLLOWS:

    Summoners call up Spirits. In order to do so, they must first enter a pact with it. Spirits in a pact will fight and cast spells at their Summoner’s command.


    Each Spirit is associated with a Spell Level; they can only cast spells of that level–no higher and no lower. Spirits can cast any spell of the appropriate level known to them. They learn spells by eating them (in written form).


    Spirits must agree to enter a pact. Summoners may induce a spirit to do so, through bargaining, trickery, or force. A Summoner cannot have a pact with two or more spirits with the same Spell Level. However, they can enter a pact with a Spirit more powerful than them. If a Summoner can track down and bind a Spirit, it is theirs to command.


    When a Summoner calls up a Spirit, it appears before them and asks for orders. It will follow orders to the letter, and continue to follow a command until its conditions are met or told to do something else. Spirits only follow orders directly vocalized by their Summoner. It takes a number rounds equal to a Spirit’s Spell Level to summon or dismiss it, and giving a Spirit a new command takes up a Summoner’s entire turn. If a Spirit dies, the Summoner takes d6 damage for every HD the Spirit had, and the Spirit cannot be summoned again until the following day. Otherwise, spirits can be called forth as often as the Summoner wishes. Spirits regain 1 HP per day, and cannot be magically healed.


    Spell Level
    HD
    AC
    Damage
    Spell Slot Progression
    I
    2
    10
    d4
    1/Summoner level
    II
    4
    12
    d6
    1/even  level
    III
    6
    14
    d8
    1/level divisible by 3
    IV
    8
    16
    d10
    1/level divisible by 4
    V
    10
    18
    d12
    1/level divisible by 5


    *Spirits start with 1 random spell of their Spell Level, regardless of Summoner level. The maximum number of spell slots a Spirit can have is 5.


    A Summoner begins play with a pact with a Level I Spirit who knows 1 random 1st level spell.


    EXAMPLE SPIRITS


    LEVEL I
    Homunculus: Child-sized figure made of darkness; possesses a toothy grin. Summoner can see through its eyes and speak through its mouth.
    LEVEL II
    Phantom: Can possess the remains of the fallen to gain +1 HP per HD the creature had in life.
    LEVEL III
    Lamia: Upper body of a human, lower body of a great serpent. Mundane snakes follow her commands.
    LEVEL IV
    Ifrit: Can throw balls of fire that deal d10 damage on a hit.
    LEVEL V
    Seraph: Can learn Level V Cleric spells, as well.


    jacinto classes, is this gonna work, LotFP

    Complete Arcane is completely terrible

    It’s interesting fitting homebrew into LotFP’s paradigm. Its classes are very spare—the four main classes each have this one Thing That They Do, and they get better at it every level, but they can’t do much else. So making a class that fits into LotFP means you have to boil a class down to a single mechanic. I don’t know if I will be including any of this in my current game, but I want to get it on paper so I can stop thinking about it.
    Okay, so first thing is two things.
    1. Warlocks from 3.5 are not very good.
    2. This short is charming:
    It also demonstrates nearly everything a warlock is trying to be, minus the diabolism. The witches are blasty-shooty magic-users that have a wide array of tricks they can use as much as they want.
    Witch, a class for LotFP
    From Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
     HP as Magic-User, Experience as Specialist, Saves as Cleric
    All witches have a wand. They require it to cast spells. They can cast as spells as often as they wish. A spell can affect anything within 100 feet of the caster. A spell can do the following:
    • Replicate the effect of any simple weapon, tool, or mechanical object, such as a torch, grappling hook, bow and arrow, or ladder.
    • Manipulate an object. The witch uses Charisma in place of Strength and Dexterity.
    A Witch can cast simultaneously a number of spells equal to 1 + half level. The maximum number of spells they can have active at one time is also 1 + half level. Otherwise, spells last until dismissed. 
    I like shapeshifting characters in theory, but in practice, it seems to require a lot of paperwork. I think LotFP’s one-class-gets-one-ability structure works well in this case.
     
    Beast Child, a class for LotFP
    HP, Experience, and Saves as Fighter
    Beast Children can turn into creatures. In order to be able to turn into a creature, a Beast Child must
    • Have a level greater than or equal to the creature’s HD.
    • Possess some part of the creature, such as a tooth, scale, or bone.

    A Beast Child can have a number of forms equal to 1 + half level. If they exceed this limit, they must choose which forms to keep and which to discard. They can regain lost forms by reacquiring the corresponding creature part.They can transform as much as they like. It takes a full turn to turn into a creature. When in the form of a creature, Beast Children:

    • Keep their max and current HP, saving throws and attack bonus.
    • Gain the Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, of the creature
    • Gain any special abilities the creature possesses.

    jacinto classes, is this gonna work, Pernicious Albion

    Druids

    I never liked druids because they always seemed like medieval ecologists. This is silly because I am pretty sure that if I lived in medieval Europe I would think more about nature red in tooth and claw than nature as a place where you have talking animals and babbling brooks and wind in the trees. If I were a medieval peasant and I heard an animal talk to me I would get an exorcist.

    I want a druid more in line with the creepy ones Julius Caesar talks about, what with the blood and guts and weird rites in the wilderness. Burning wicker men in the dark.


    Druids are not magical hippies. They do not care about nature. They do not like animals. Druids do not study in wizard school. They do not meditate in temples. They do not memorize spells or petition deities for miracles. Druids track down the numinous and kick the shit out of it until it does what they want.

    From Etrian Odyssey

    HP as Fighter, Saves and XP progression as Cleric  
    Druids summon and bind spirits. Doing so requires sacrifice—they must wound themselves for d4 damage to call forth a spirit with 1 HP, +0 Attack Bonus (AB), 12 AC, and 14 in all saves. Calling up a spirit takes a full round. A spirit under a Druid’s control will obey all of their verbal instructions to the letter.
    Greater wounds attract and snare more powerful spirits—for every additional d4 HP the Druid sacrifices during the summoning, they can do one of the following:
    ·         increase the spirit’s HP by d6
    ·         increase the spirit’s AB by 1
    ·         increase the spirit’s AC by 1
    ·         reduce the spirit’s saves by 1
    Druids can summon as many spirits as they like, and spirits last until dismissed or destroyed, but Druids cannot recover any sacrificed HP if they have any spirits under their control.
    At level 1, Druids can pick one of the following:
    Flame Spirit: you know the Old Word for fire, and can entrap spirits of heat and flame. Spirits you summon shed light like a torch, and can ignite flammable objects at will.
    Grave Spirit: you have a talent for snatching souls from the afterlife. Spirits you summon can reanimate bodies and skeletons, giving them +1 HP for every HD the creature had in life.
    Sight Spirit: you can see through the eyes of spirits you summon at will