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Saturday, 29 February 2020
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
The Channeller - flexible but unpredictable magic class
This is my custom magic-using class for an OD&D hack. I prefer magic to be looser than a list of prescribed spell effects. It should be unpredictable - even the caster can't be sure what's going to happen. It should be terrifying - people are wary of casters for a very good reason.
I like the idea of casters tapping into the flows of magic around them, channelling streams in such a way as to combine different aspects to achieve a particular magic effect. And as rivers burst their banks, so too do magic streams overflow and flood anything and anyone around them.
Wizards order takeaways. Channellers scavenge ingredients.
Much inspiration drawn from Emmy Allen's Conjuror Class.
For use with other systems, treat a Channeller as a Magic User and just use the last two columns below. For Channel Points, total up the spells slots available to a Magic User of the same level (so two level 1 spells and one level 2 spell becomes 4 Channel Points). Use appropriate dice to roll against saves.
Encumbrances take up inventory slots, and need significant recovery.
Channellers may retain a number of streams by binding it to an object during a rest. They must carry this object to use it.
List 1:
List 2:
When rolling doubles:
Suggested spell power:
I like the idea of casters tapping into the flows of magic around them, channelling streams in such a way as to combine different aspects to achieve a particular magic effect. And as rivers burst their banks, so too do magic streams overflow and flood anything and anyone around them.
Wizards order takeaways. Channellers scavenge ingredients.
Much inspiration drawn from Emmy Allen's Conjuror Class.
For use with other systems, treat a Channeller as a Magic User and just use the last two columns below. For Channel Points, total up the spells slots available to a Magic User of the same level (so two level 1 spells and one level 2 spell becomes 4 Channel Points). Use appropriate dice to roll against saves.
Encumbrances take up inventory slots, and need significant recovery.
The Channeller
Lvl
|
XP
|
Hit Dice
|
Combat Bonus
|
Saving Throw
|
Channel Points
|
Magic Streams
|
Retained Streams
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
+0
|
5+
|
1
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
2,500
|
1+1
|
+0
|
5+
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
5,000
|
2
|
+0
|
5+
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
10,000
|
2+1
|
+0
|
4+
|
8
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
20,000
|
3
|
+1
|
4+
|
13
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
40,000
|
3+1
|
+1
|
4+
|
18
|
3
|
3
|
7
|
80,000
|
4
|
+2
|
3+
|
22
|
4
|
4
|
8
|
160,000
|
4+1
|
+2
|
3+
|
29
|
4
|
4
|
9
|
320,000
|
5
|
+3
|
3+
|
34
|
4
|
5
|
10
|
640,000
|
5+1
|
+3
|
2+
|
39
|
5
|
5
|
Weapons & Armour
Channellers
may only wield daggers or staves, and cannot use armour.
Saving
Throw
Channellers get a +1 bonus on saving throws vs
spells, including those cast from staves and wands.
Experience
Bonus for Wits
Channellers with a WIT (or INT, for most retroclones) score of 15+ get an extra 10%
to all experience awarded.
Spellcasting
Channellers create spells by combining magic streams
together, refreshed daily. After every rest, roll a d66 for every Magic Stream
slot and note the word. The player may choose which table they roll on for each
word.
The
player may combine 2+ words and agree with the referee a spell effect. The
referee will say what spell tier the effect would be (see suggested tiers
below).
Choose
how many d6 to roll – the number that succeed against the Channeller’s saving throw counts as the level at
which the spell was actually cast. Subtract the spell’s level from the PC’s
Channel Points. Negative figures convert to Encumbrances. Channel Points
refresh each rest.
If,
when casting the spell, the player rolls double or more of a number, roll on
the Burst Channel table to see what magical mishap befalls the Channeller,
with -1 for each duplicate after the second (so trebles would roll 2d6 - 1).
Channellers may retain a number of streams by binding it to an object during a rest. They must carry this object to use it.
List 1:
d66
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
1
|
Absorb
|
Blind
|
Divide
|
Grow
|
Inflict
|
Shrink
|
2
|
Animate
|
Commune
|
Extract
|
Hasten
|
Manipulate
|
Slow
|
3
|
Attract
|
Confuse
|
Find
|
Heal
|
Open
|
Summon
|
4
|
Awaken
|
Deafen
|
Fling
|
Heat
|
Paralyse
|
Teleport
|
5
|
Banish
|
Diminish
|
Form
|
Hide
|
Project
|
Understand
|
6
|
Bind
|
Disguise
|
Freeze
|
Hold
|
Seal
|
Ward
|
List 2:
d66
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
1
|
Acid
|
Death
|
Earth
|
Gold
|
Memory
|
Silver
|
2
|
Air
|
Decay
|
Fear
|
Human
|
Message
|
Sound
|
3
|
Animal
|
Desire
|
Fire
|
Iron
|
Plant
|
Stone
|
4
|
Clothing
|
Device
|
Flavour
|
Life
|
Relationship
|
Water
|
5
|
Courage
|
Disgust
|
Flesh
|
Light
|
Salt
|
Weight
|
6
|
Darkness
|
Door
|
Fog
|
Limb
|
Silence
|
Wood
|
When rolling doubles:
2d6
|
Burst Channel Effect
|
1
|
Drop to
0 HP and gain 5 Encumbrances.
|
2
|
Each
rest, save vs
turning into a cat for the day.
|
3
|
Randomly reassign your attribute scores.
|
4
|
An ethically mirrored version of you
attacks.
|
5
|
Your
skin glows in the dark.
|
6
|
You get 3d6 years younger.
|
7
|
Your
sweat corrodes metal.
|
8
|
You
lose
all hair. It never grows again.
|
9
|
The
nearest animal becomes sentient.
|
10
|
You
grow to 7ft
tall.
|
11
|
A
third eye appears in your left palm.
|
12
|
Increase
a random attribute by 2.
|
Suggested spell power:
Spell Tier
|
Total HD affected
|
Duration
|
1
|
1
|
1
minute
|
2
|
Up to 4
|
1
hour
|
3
|
Up to 9
|
1
week
|
4
|
Up
to 16
|
1
year
|
5
|
Up
to 25
|
1
decade
|
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