I'm working on an adventure/source book for the Ravensreach Jungle. The Adventure is called "The Lost City of Basalt" and leads players on an expedition deep into the Ravensreach Jungle. The Source book will feature new races (Some playable PC races) and a new type of magic. Hear is an as of yet unplaytested teaser:
Ghul
The prehuman ancestors of the Ghul were created as a slave race to serve the decadent Ophidean Empire. In secret they organized and stole the secrets to their masters dark magics. They rose up and brought down their masters, but became corrupted. The Ghul appear as tall, pale, emaciated humans. Hair is almost always white, black or gray. Their teeth are sharper than a normal human, and their eyes are very strange, lacking an iris, and sometimes even a pupil. Though they may sometimes appear to be undead, Ghuls are living beings. They age very slowly and can live 200 years.
Stong Will: Add 10 to starting WIL
Blood Frenzy: Add 10 to STR and DEX, Subtract 10 from LOG and WIL for one hour following a meal.
Heightened Senses: Ghuls receive +20 to perception checks involving, vision, hearing, or smell.
Grave Touched: Most undead will recognize a Ghul as one of their own. Unless provoked or otherwise ordered to attack they will ignore the Ghul.
Ghoulish hunger: May only eat raw meat and drink blood. Must consume at least a pound of raw meat and consume a pint of blood every day. Failure to do do results in Fatigue.
Ophidean Constrictor
Add 10 to starting STR
Add 10 to starting DEX
Big: Constrictors are nearly 12 feet ling from tip to tail, though they rarely stand taller than seven feet. This allows them an additional space of reach.
Ophidean Viper
Standing just over five feet in height, Ophideans are serpent headed humanoids.
Add 10 to starting DEX
Add 10 to starting LOG
Bite 1D + Poison duration continuous, resist STR (poison), effect 1D and poisoned (slowed and dazed)
Eldritch Sorcery (WIL)
Before the Gods gifted mortals with magic those who wished for supernatural power had to bargain with otherworldly beings. The Giants were the first to practice these ancient arts, and they taught the secrets to the Ophideans and the Ghul. When the Gods banished the giants the secrets of Eldritch Sorcery where thought lost. However with the return of the Giants, these secrets have resurfaced.
Dark Gifts At each level chooses a dark gift. Each gift comes with a price.
Eldritch Servitor An otherworldly imp comes into the summoner's service. At dawn the Sorcerer selects a single spell from the Spellcaster spell list. The imp may cast this spell as if it had the Spellcasting skill at the sorcerer's ES level. The Sorcerer may select a new spell each morning to replace the previous days spell.
Eldritch Imp- STR 10 DEX 60 LOG 60 WIL 40 BP 5
This small two foot tall creature serves an Eldritch Sorcerer. If killed, it re-materializes near it's master the following sunrise. It will not intentionally enter combat, except to cast it's spell.
Spellbreaker This functions as the spell Dispel, except that it also works on enchantments, magic wards and curses.
Summoning This ability functions exactly as the SUMMON spell, except it is not limited to once per day. Only one summoning may be active at a time, and creatures summoned are always otherworldly versions of the animal summoned.
Dark Gifts
Acid Tongue Spit a stream of acid up to two spaces away. (Eldritch Sorcery to hit, 2D of acid damage the first turn, 1D the following turn.) Price: The Sorcerer now has a forked tongue.
Blood Pact: Creatures summoned remain until dismissed. Price: 10 BP of the Sorcerer's blood. This cannot be healed until the summoning expires, it then heals normally.
Celerity +1D to initiative, +4 to Movement. Price: Hunger, requires twice the normal amount of food and water.
Claws Black claws now tip the Sorcerer's fingers. They do 1D+1 damage and use the higher of Eldritch Sorcerer or Warrior, melee. Price: The claws cannot retract and are clearly unnatural.
Cloak of Shadow: Become invisible in Dim light or Darkness. (+40 to Sneaking) Price: Bright light causes discomfort, -10 to all actions in bright light.
Darksight The Sorcerer may see in the dark as well as in daylight. No roll required. Price: The sorcerer's pupils become cat like.
Dread Augury The Sorcerer spends a turn (a full turn, not just an action) perceiving the web of fate. On a successful Eldritch Sorcery check the Sorcerer may swap the tens die with the ones die on any one skill check or resistance check during the current encounter. (i.e. a rolled 91 could become a 19) On a critical success the ability effects all of the Sorcerers rolls for the current encounter. Price: Fickle fate: On a critical failure, the GM may swap the players die roll once during the next 24 hours.
Eldritch Hex: The target of the hex suffers-20 to all rolls for the next 24 hours, or until the Sorcerer who cast the hex is slain, or chooses to end the hex. Price: for the duration of the hex, the Sorcerer suffers -10 ro all Strength or Dexterity checks, including skill checks related to those stats.
Fearful Gaze: WILL check to lock eyes with a living being capable of fear, the target must make a WILL resistance check or flee for 1D rounds. Price: Children and animals find the Sorcerer to be unsettling.
Flight: The Sorcerer may fly at twice his Pace. Price: Grows a small pair of bat-like wings.
Spiderwalk: May move at full pace along vertical or inverted surfaces. Price: Hands and feet must be bare to use this ability. The Sorcerer's fingers and toes grow ridges like a gecko's foot.
Swarm: The Sorcerer transforms into a swarm of insects. While in this form the sorcerer is immune to most physical attacks. Area attacks (such as a fireball) do double damage. The Sorcerer may fly at normal pace, and slip through small cracks (GM call) Price: A small number of gnats, flies, or other flying insects continuously buzz around the Sorcerer.
Unearthly Strength: +20 to Strength Price: 1D damage every time a STR check fails. 2D on a critical failure, do to muscle strain.
Albino Serpent-man
The degenerate descendants of the Ophideans live in primitive tribes and occupy Ophidean ruins throughout Ravensreach. They have lost the use of language, though they maintain some semblance of intelligence. They are able to make primitive tools and use the weapons they find or capture from intruders. They are xenophobic and violent to the extreme, though some tribes tolerate lizard-kin. They fear and venerate the Ophideans. A single albino serpent-man isn't likely to present much of a threat, when facing intruders they come in great numbers. If a lone albino serpent-man encounters intruders it will attempt to remain unseen and spy on them for a time, learning their scent and assessing their abilities. After a few hours (or if spotted) the serpent-man will retreat, returning later with a large group of serpent-man warriors.
STR: 50 BP: 10 Rank:1
DEX: 60 INIT: 1D Nature: Evil
LOG: 35 DR: 0
WIL: 30 MOV: 9 Travel: 10 leagues
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Kergillian - Neat setup. I like the idea of magic via bargaining with the supernatural. I always liked the distinction between that and casting magic in the Elric books and games. A couple observations though:
Eldritch Servitor does not appear to have a price.
Some of the other prices do not seem like much of a drawback. Maybe add in-game specifics? Acid Tongue's price, for example, could be: The Sorcerer now has a forked tongue, if noticed -10 to social interactions, -10 to be understood verbally, and user cannot use any verbal-based powers or magic, due to an inability to pronounce certain words.
For others, swap in appropriate disadvantages from similar races from Flesh and Blood, such as the winged races (can't fly in armor heavier than leather IIRC).
Eldritch Servitor does not appear to have a price.
Some of the other prices do not seem like much of a drawback. Maybe add in-game specifics? Acid Tongue's price, for example, could be: The Sorcerer now has a forked tongue, if noticed -10 to social interactions, -10 to be understood verbally, and user cannot use any verbal-based powers or magic, due to an inability to pronounce certain words.
For others, swap in appropriate disadvantages from similar races from Flesh and Blood, such as the winged races (can't fly in armor heavier than leather IIRC).
Thanks for the feedback. These are early notes and subject to revision.
Eldritch Servitor is one of the four base abilities and has no Price, as it is not a Dark Gift.
Your other notes are spot on. The prices need to be fleshed out a bit more, though in truth I want to keep them flexible, and leave some of the specifics up to the GM.
I like your Dark Gifts mechanic requiring a price. Much more of a roleplay mechanic than leveling.