Splatter-Elf Week Day 4: The Curse of Blood Magic
Welcome back for Day 4 of our introduction to Splatter-Elf: The Darker than Grimdark Roleplaying Game. It’s So Dark You Can’t
See Shit! (Thanks to The Godfather of Splatter-Elf, Philip
Overby, for that one.)
On Monday we introduced
the game and genre, on Tuesday we showed you how
to make a homicidal lunatic character, and yesterday was all
about the Combat! Today we touch on
everyone’s favourite element of any fantasy game or story: The Magic! Just like
everything else in Splatter-Elf though, the magic has to be grim and bloody. In
that case what better way is there to fuel the magic but with the POWER OF
BLOOD™!
What is Sanguine Sorcery?
Magic is very real in the world of Splatter-Elf, and
though it is powerful the price for its use is very high. Some magicians gain
their arcane ability through pacts with other-dimensional entities, but the
most common (though hardly safer) method of fueling magic is through the power
of blood.
The life force stored in the blood of intelligent
creatures is potent, and a skilled individual can manipulate and twist this
power to create unnatural, reality-altering effects through sanguine sorcery (sometimes called
“Blood Magic” by the uninitiated). To
use sanguine sorcery requires both an innate talent in sensing the invisible
energy that courses through all living things as well as intense training and
dedication in order to be able to pervert this energy to manifest in the
natural world. It also requires its dabblers to be willing to do some evil
and degenerate things.
Casting a Blood Spell
The two primary users of sanguine sorcery – splatter-elves
and hematic thaumaturges – cast their incantations the same way. A few words of
the Black Forsaken Speech are invoked and certain vulgar hand gestures are made
in order to focus the caster’s mind and allow him to draw upon the dark
energies stored within his being to produce the desired magical effect. Each spell requires its own particular
gestures and magic words, which must be learned and mastered as part of
researching the spell.
Actually casting the spell doesn’t take much time, but it
does require concentration on behalf of the caster. When the caster’s turn
comes up in the initiative order, he announces which spell he is casting and
spends the required number of blood points from his blood pool. If any other
characters were expecting him to cast a spell and held their attacks for this
moment, they may immediately attempt to interrupt his casting. If the caster is
attacked and suffers damage during this time (between announcing the spell and
completing the casting), he must make a successful Mettle skill check or the
spell is ruined and any blood points spent are wasted.
Once they have learned the spell and mastered the
appropriate techniques, thaumaturges copy their rituals into a spell book and
keep them in a safe place. By taking 24 hours to study their book, they may
prepare and hold up to 12 spells in their memory at a time. They can always
cast any of these spells at a moment’s notice as long as they have sufficient
points in their blood pool. They can hold these spells in memory indefinitely.
By retrieving their book and studying for another 24 hours, they may change
their compliment of spells to any new 12 spells they wish.
Blood Pool
Art by Katarina Sokolova |
All hematic thaumaturges and splatter-elves have a
"blood pool," a measure of magical sanguine energy stored within
them. They gain this power through the
souls of intelligent creatures, and it used to fuel their spells. The more powerful the sorcerer, the more
blood energy they can store within themselves.
Most blood magic casters begin with 2 blood points, and this
total is modified by their Wisdom bonus.
Their maximum blood pool size increases as they increase in level. Each sanguine
sorcery spell has a casting cost associated with it; in order to cast the
spell, the sorcerer must expend that number of blood points.
Regaining Blood Points
While hit points are regained naturally through rest,
blood points are not. As blood magic is not a natural power, it must be fueled
by unnatural means. There are three ways a caster can regain expended blood
points:
1. Performing
a special ritual (known by all blood casters) over a recently-deceased
intelligent creature. It must have been killed within the last hour. The ritual takes 10 minutes to perform and
does not cost any blood points to. At
the end of the ritual the caster regains 1 blood point.
2. Performing
the same ritual over a live
intelligent creature. The ritual still
takes 10 minutes, so the victim must be willing or restrained. At the end of the ritual, the caster slays
the victim (usually violently, preferably with a blade through the heart or
across the throat) and regains blood points equal to the creature's Hit Dice /
Level.
3. Sacrificing
his or her own life force to fuel the magic.
By concentrating and taking no other actions for 1 round, the caster may
convert as many hit points as they wish, one-for-one, into blood points. The caster must then immediately use these
blood points on the next round to cast a spell or they are otherwise lost. The caster may choose how many hit points
they will transfer, and may temporarily increase their blood pool above its
normal limit. This ordeal is very taxing to the caster's body - they may not receive magical healing for at least
1 hour after willingly sacrificing their own life force - the magic simply
won't take.
Sample Blood Magic Spells
Salaman’s Boiling Blood
Minimum Caster Level: 1Availability: Common
BP Cost: 2 or more
Duration: Instant
Range: 25' + 5' level
The blood caster points at a target and the victim's
blood immediately heats up, causing searing pain and tissue damage. No roll is necessary; the attack always hits
and there are few defenses against this assault.
The spell inflicts 2 damage (plus Wisdom bonus) at level
one, though at each additional level the caster may spend an additional blood
point to increase the damage by another 2.
For example, at 5th level, the caster may spend up to 6 blood points
(total) to inflict 10 damage.
Swarm of Gnats
Minimum Caster Level: 3Availability: Common
BP Cost: 4
Duration: 1 round/caster level
Range: 30'
The caster creates a thick cloud of swarming, filthy
black flying insects in a cube 20' per side.
The caster makes an attack roll + caster level against the Fortitude of
any living victims within the area of effect.
Creatures who are hit are helpless, as they swat at the bugs and try to
fight from choking on the bugs flying down their throats and up their
nose. The targets cannot attack or
defend themselves, and can only try to move out of the cloud. This helplessness lasts as long as the
creature is in the cloud and for another round after it leaves.
A creature that successfully avoids the attack is not
affected by the helplessness and may act normally as long as they move out of the
cloud on their turn. If they do not move out of the cloud (or if another
creature enters the area while the swarm is in effect) the caster can
immediately make another attack against the Fortitude as described above.
Belching Paroxysm of Searing Hell-Flame
Minimum Caster Level: 5Availability: Rare
BP Cost: 6 or more
Duration: Instantaneous
Range: 40’ + 5’ /caster level
The caster draws up a burst of green flame from the
depths of hell to smite his enemies. The
spell creates a 20 foot-tall pillar of hellfire 20’feet in diameter centered on
any point within the spell’s range. Any
creatures within the area suffer an attack + caster level against their Reflex.
Those that “avoid” the attack still take 10 damage from the intense heat. On a
hit, the caster inflicts the difference on the attack roll +15 damage, and
ignites any flammable objects in the area (possibly including the victims’
clothes).
For each of his levels above 5, the blood caster may
spend an additional blood point to EITHER increase the diameter of the burst by
5’ OR increase the damage from a successful hit by 5 points (the damage on a
miss does not change). The caster may mix these two effects. For example, a
tenth-level caster may spend 5 extra blood points to increase the diameter by
10’ and increase the damage by 15 points.
Character Class: Hematic Thaumaturge
Art by ninja1361 |
Though the average peasant does not understand it, and
may have never seen it, magic is real. It is as real as the heat from the blood
of a beating heart. Primitive tribes have understood for thousands of years
that blood and magic are intrinsically linked, but it took the twisted minds of
hematic blood mages to turn this knowledge and spiritual connection into a
weapon.
Hematic Thaumaturges – called “blood mages” in hushed terms
by the general populace – are foul magicians who have discovered how to steal
the life force out of intelligence creatures and turn it into degenerate, reality-manipulating
magic. There are no organized schools that teach this forbidden skill; thaumaturges
usually pass their knowledge down to one or two apprentices at a time, and very
often the apprentices kill their masters or fellow students in order to protect
their knowledge and secrets. This treachery and paranoia is actually welcomed
by the other denizens of Groteskia. If the blood mages could organize and work
together, the world would be doomed.
Thaumaturges tend to be loners because most people fear
and distrust them, though those blood mages who are willing to work with small
bands of mercenaries or thieves are highly sought after. Their magic can turn
the tide of battle, and a few strong swords to protect him will make up for the blood mage’s
lack of combat skills.
Attribute Modifiers: Wisdom +1
Movement Rate: 30' (6 squares)
Weapons Allowed: Staff, wand, dagger, rod. Though
blood mages can technically use any weapon, they can only cast their magic
while holding any of the above tools, as they have trained specifically to
use such items to focus their spells.
Armor Allowed: None. Not only are
thaumaturges not properly trained in wearing such gear effectively, but heavy
coverings also interfere with their connection to the magical life force
permeating the world.
Skills Allowed at First Level: History (INT), Occult (INT), Sawbones (INT), Acuity
(WIS), Guile (CHA)
Skill Bonuses: Occult +1
Spell Casting: See sanguine sorcery, above.
Tomorrow: Odds, Ends & Uffs!
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