Sunday, May 10, 2026

The Hearthrealms

There exists a peculiar exhaustion known only to those who wander too long between worlds. It is not merely the fatigue of the body, though the body certainly protests with admirable theatricality after several weeks sleeping beneath damp wagons, broken towers, or the roots of trees that whisper in languages no scholar has yet catalogued. No, the greater wound settles deeper. One begins to feel stretched thin across existence itself, as though the soul has become parchment repeatedly folded and unfolded until the creases threaten to split entirely. It is during such seasons that the Hearthrealm reveals its true value. I have stepped across those impossible thresholds more than once with mud upon my boots, blood upon my cuffs, and despair sitting quietly behind my eyes, only to discover the extraordinary restorative power of a door capable of closing against the entire universe.

What fascinates me most about the Hearthrealm is not its utility, though utility alone would justify its study among any serious dimensional practitioner. Rather, it is the intimate manner in which these spaces reflect their creators. A man may conceal his nature from colleagues, lovers, kings, and even himself for astonishing lengths of time, yet the realm beyond his Anchor eventually betrays him utterly. I once visited the Hearthrealm of a necromancer who insisted he feared death no longer, only to discover a residence constructed as an endless summer vineyard untouched by decay, where phantom cicadas sang eternally beneath golden evening light. Another wizard fashioned his refuge as a fortress of black iron suspended over an abyss without bottom or stars, despite presenting himself publicly as a cheerful academic. The dimension listens while it is being formed. More troubling still - I believe it remembers.

My own Hearthrealm has changed over the years in subtle and deeply concerning ways. Corridors lengthen where none existed before. Books occasionally appear upon shelves precisely when I require them, despite possessing no recollection of placing them there. The kettle is warm more often than probability should comfortably permit. Yet I confess there are evenings, particularly after the uglier sorts of expeditions, when I have stood beneath cold rain with shaking hands upon my Anchor and felt something dangerously close to gratitude at the knowledge that somewhere beyond ordinary reality there exists a lantern-lit room that knows my footsteps by heart. In a cosmos filled with hungry gods, collapsing civilizations, and dimensions that would happily digest both memory and bone alike, there is profound comfort in possessing a place that asks nothing of you except that you return alive.

Hearthrealm, Lesser

Conjuration (Creation, Teleportation)

Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 5, Bard 5
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

You establish a permanent bond with a small extradimensional refuge existing beyond the Material Plane. This refuge, known as a Lesser Hearthrealm, is a stable pocket dimension containing up to 1,600 square feet of floor space. The shape and layout of this space are determined by the caster at the time of creation and may consist of multiple rooms, levels, corridors, alcoves, stairways, balconies, or similar architectural features. No individual chamber may exceed 20 feet in height.

Upon completion of the spell, you designate a Tiny object as the realm’s Anchor. Common Anchors include rings, lanterns, keys, lockets, books, bags, masks, mirrors, or similar items.

Any creature holding the Anchor may speak a command word as a standard action to open a portal to the Lesser Hearthrealm. The portal appears adjacent to the bearer and remains open for 1 round per caster level unless dismissed earlier. Creatures entering the portal are transported into the Hearthrealm. Exiting the Hearthrealm returns creatures to the space adjacent to the portal from which they entered, or the nearest safe adjacent square if that space is occupied.

The Hearthrealm is furnished as a modest but comfortable dwelling according to the caster’s desires at the time of casting. The realm may contain sleeping quarters, tables, shelves, bathing facilities, storage space, cooking implements, and similar nonmagical furnishings. The environment is clean, dry, and temperate.

The caster may define weather conditions, ambient lighting, apparent sky coloration, and day-night cycles within the realm.

Objects left within the Hearthrealm remain there indefinitely. The realm cannot create valuables, consumable goods, spell components, alchemical substances, or magic items.

The Lesser Hearthrealm possesses the following planar traits:

Normal gravity
Normal time relative to the caster’s native plane
Finite size
Normal magic

Spells attempting to locate or observe the Hearthrealm remotely must succeed on a caster level check against DC 15 + the caster’s level.

If the Anchor is destroyed, the Hearthrealm remains intact but inaccessible until a replacement Anchor is attuned during an 8-hour ritual performed by the original caster.

Material Component: Silver dust, crystal fragments, rare incense, and dimensional reagents worth 2,500 gp.

Hearthrealm

Conjuration (Creation, Teleportation)

Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 7
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

This spell functions as Hearthrealm, Lesser, except as noted here.

The Hearthrealm contains up to 22,500 square feet of floor space arranged in any configuration desired by the caster. No individual chamber may exceed 40 feet in height.

The realm may contain multiple structures, towers, laboratories, libraries, gardens, shrines, workshops, courtyards, bridges, or similar features.

The caster may define weather conditions, ambient lighting, apparent sky coloration, and day-night cycles within the realm.

The environment may contain simple magical conveniences such as continual flame lighting, self-filling wash basins, warming hearths, unseen servant-like maintenance effects, or similar minor magical comforts.

The caster may designate up to three Anchors tied to the same Hearthrealm.

The Hearthrealm possesses the following planar traits:

Normal gravity
Normal time relative to the caster’s native plane
Finite size
Normal magic

Spells attempting to locate or observe the Hearthrealm remotely must succeed on a caster level check against DC 20 + the caster’s level.

Material Component: Silver dust, crystal fragments, rare incense, dimensional reagents, and stabilized planar catalysts worth 15,000 gp.

XP Cost: 1,000 XP.

Hearthrealm, Greater

Conjuration (Creation, Teleportation)

Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 8
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

This spell functions as Hearthrealm, except as noted here.

The Greater Hearthrealm contains up to 250,000 square feet of total space arranged in any configuration desired by the caster. No individual enclosed chamber may exceed 100 feet in height.

The realm may contain terrain features including forests, ponds, marshland, stone courtyards, caverns, bridges, towers, cliffs, rivers, or similar environmental structures.

The caster may define weather conditions, ambient lighting, apparent sky coloration, and day-night cycles within the realm.

The realm may sustain livestock, gardens, orchards, and nonmagical ecosystems indefinitely.

The caster may designate up to five Anchors tied to the same Hearthrealm.

The Greater Hearthrealm possesses the following planar traits:

Normal gravity
Normal time relative to the caster’s native plane
Finite size
Normal magic

Spells attempting to locate or observe the Hearthrealm remotely must succeed on a caster level check against DC 25 + the caster’s level.

Material Component: Silver dust, crystal fragments, rare incense, dimensional reagents, stabilized planar catalysts, and attuned astral gemstones worth 35,000 gp.

XP Cost: 2,500 XP.

Hearthrealm, Sovereign

Conjuration (Creation, Teleportation)

Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 9
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

This spell functions as Hearthrealm, Greater, except as noted here.

The Sovereign Hearthrealm contains up to 27,878,400 square feet of total space arranged in any configuration desired by the caster. No terrain, structure, or environmental feature within the realm may exceed 500 feet in vertical height or depth.

The realm may contain fully self-sustaining environments including rivers, hills, forests, villages, roads, harbors, fortresses, oceans, caverns, mountains, or similar large-scale features.

The caster may define weather conditions, ambient lighting, apparent sky coloration, and day-night cycles within the realm.

The realm may contain permanent magical effects including unseen servant populations, magical illumination, climate regulation, purification effects, and similar noncombat magical infrastructure.

The caster instinctively knows whenever a creature enters or exits the Hearthrealm.

The caster may designate any number of Anchors tied to the same Hearthrealm.

If the caster dies, the Hearthrealm persists indefinitely and may become accessible through planar travel, powerful divination, or possession of an Anchor.

The Sovereign Hearthrealm possesses the following planar traits:

Normal gravity
Normal time relative to the caster’s native plane
Finite size
Normal magic

Spells attempting to locate or observe the Hearthrealm remotely must succeed on a caster level check against DC 30 + the caster’s level.

Material Component: Silver dust, crystal fragments, rare incense, dimensional reagents, stabilized planar catalysts, attuned astral gemstones, and sovereign planar matrices worth 100,000 gp.

XP Cost: 5,000 XP.

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Feat - Dimensional Precision

Feat: Dimensional Precision

Prerequisites: Ability to cast plane shift, Knowledge (the planes) 10 ranks, Spellcraft 10 ranks

Benefit: When you cast plane shift, you gain significantly greater control over your destination.

You reduce the arrival error from 5d% miles to 1d10 × 10 miles (10–100 miles).

If you are personally familiar with the destination (have physically visited it), the error is reduced further to 1d10 miles.

If you possess a strong sympathetic link to the destination (such as a personal item, attuned focus, or detailed study for at least 1 hour), you may choose to arrive within 1 mile of your intended location.

Additionally, you may designate yourself as an anchor point for the spell:

All affected creatures arrive within 30 feet of you, rather than scattering within the arrival area.

Normal: Plane shift deposits travelers 5 to 500 miles from the intended destination, and arrival positioning is uncontrolled.

Special: This feat only applies when you are the caster of plane shift. It has no effect on other forms of planar travel unless explicitly noted.

Cataclysm of the Dimensional Graveyard

Evocation [Force]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 60-ft.-radius spread (see text)
Duration: Instantaneous and 1 round/level (see text)
Saving Throw: Reflex partial; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

You rend open a vast and screaming aperture into the dimensional graveyard and seize an immense fragment of a dead reality - a continent of broken existence that no longer belongs to any plane. For a single, catastrophic moment, you force it into your world… and it collapses.

Primary Impact

The fragment manifests overhead and implodes into the target area.

All creatures and objects within the area take 40d6 points of force damage. A successful Reflex save reduces this damage by 20d6 (not halved; roll damage normally, then reduce the result by 20d6).

Creatures and objects within the central 20-ft.-radius take an additional 10d6 points of force damage (no save).

Objects take full damage from both effects.

Unstable Reality Collapse

The area does not recover. For 1 round per caster level, the region remains violently unstable:

Movement within the area costs double (as difficult terrain)
Creatures take a –4 penalty on attack rolls, Armor Class, and saving throws
At the start of each creature’s turn in the area, it takes 4d6 force damage (no save)
Casting a spell within the area requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + spell level) or the spell fails

The terrain continuously shifts between fragments of incompatible realities - ground becoming sky, angles bending, horizons overlapping.

Dimensional Rejection Event

When the duration ends, reality violently reasserts itself.

All creatures and objects still within the area take 15d6 points of force damage (no save) as the fragment is forcibly expelled and existence snaps back into place.

Planar Catastrophic Backlash

You force your mind to grasp and direct a truth no mortal intellect was meant to hold.

Upon casting, you suffer:

15d6 points of force damage (no save)
You are stunned for 1 round
You become exhausted
You take 1d4 points of Intelligence drain

If you cast this spell more than once in the same day, the Intelligence drain increases by +1 per additional casting.

Special

This is a force effect and affects incorporeal creatures normally
Objects and structures take full damage from all stages of the spell
The fragment’s appearance varies - shattered oceans, inverted cities, alien skies, or impossible landscapes collapsing inward
For a brief moment, observers can see into the dimensional graveyard itself - an endless expanse of drifting, broken realities

Greater Dimensional Shard Volley

Evocation [Force]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 5
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Area: 20-ft.-radius spread (see text)
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

You tear open a violent aperture into the dimensional graveyard and drag forth massive, unstable chunks of collapsed realities, hurling them into your world as catastrophic weapons before existence can reject them.

You conjure one major shard per two caster levels (maximum 10 shards). Each shard detonates in a 20-foot-radius spread. You may place each shard’s point of impact anywhere within range.

Each explosion deals 1d6 points of force damage per caster level (maximum 15d6). Creatures caught in multiple overlapping bursts take damage from each and attempt a separate Reflex save for each explosion.

Unstable Cataclysm: Creatures that fail their Reflex save against a shard must also succeed on a Fortitude save (same DC) or become partially phased for 1 round. A partially phased creature treats all terrain as difficult terrain, takes a –2 penalty to AC and attack rolls, and cannot take 5-foot steps.

Planar Backlash: The strain of dragging full fragments of dead worlds is severe. After casting, roll 1d20:
1–3: You take 1d6 force damage per caster level and are stunned for 1 round.
4–7: You are dazed for 1 round and teleported 1d10 × 5 feet in a random direction.
8–20: No effect.

Dimensional Rejection: These massive fragments cannot remain. Immediately after impact, they warp, fracture, and are violently pulled back through reality, vanishing into the dimensional graveyard. For a brief moment (no more than 1 round), the affected areas display unstable visual echoes - broken horizons, alien structures, or impossible spatial distortions. These effects are purely visual.

Dimensional Shard Volley

Evocation [Force]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets: One or more creatures (see text)
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Reflex half (see text); see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

You reach beyond your world into the drifting graveyard of destroyed dimensions, wrenching loose jagged fragments of annihilated realities and hurling them at your foes before they can fully resist your will.

This spell creates one dimensional shard per caster level (maximum 10 shards). You may divide these shards among targets as you choose. Each shard deals 1d6 points of force damage. A creature struck by multiple shards takes the total damage and may attempt a single Reflex save for half damage.

Unstable Rupture: The shards attempt to impose their original, broken existence upon impact. Any creature that fails its Reflex save must also succeed on a Fortitude save (same DC) or become disoriented for 1 round, taking a –2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws.

Planar Backlash: Pulling from dead dimensions carries risk. After resolving the spell, roll 1d20:
1–2: You take 1d6 force damage per shard created (no save).
3–5: You are dazed for 1 round.
6–20: No effect.

Dimensional Rejection: The shards are inherently unstable within your plane. Immediately after dealing damage, they distort and are violently expelled from reality, vanishing back into the dimensional graveyard. For a brief instant (no more than 1 round), the struck area may display flickering afterimages of alien skies, impossible landscapes, or distorted geometry. These effects are purely visual.

Friday, May 1, 2026

Spell - Pocket Sand (Cantrip)

Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Sor/Wiz 0, Beguiler 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous; blindness 1d4 rounds
Saving Throw: Reflex negates; see text
Spell Resistance: Yes

You conjure and hurl a small blast of fine, irritating sand directly into your target’s eyes.

The target takes 1 point of nonlethal damage. In addition, the target must succeed on a Reflex saving throw or be blinded for 1d4 rounds. A creature that does not rely on sight (such as one with blindsight) is immune to the blindness effect but still takes the damage.

Creatures with protected or sealed eyes (such as those wearing fully enclosed helmets or benefiting from effects like protection from elements against particulate matter, at the DM’s discretion) gain a +4 bonus on their saving throw.

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Expanded Familiars

The familiar options presented in the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Player’s Handbook are, by any practical measure, woefully inadequate for a game that otherwise celebrates variety, identity, and player expression. The list is short, narrow in scope, and largely confined to a handful of small, conventional creatures, offering limited mechanical differentiation and even less thematic breadth. For many spellcasters, the familiar is meant to be a defining companion - an extension of personality, philosophy, or magical tradition - yet the existing options often reduce that relationship to a predictable and repetitive choice.

The expanded familiar table presented here addresses these shortcomings by greatly increasing the range of available creatures while maintaining full compatibility with existing rules and expectations. Each familiar provides a clear, concise benefit consistent with established design patterns, allowing players to select companions that meaningfully reflect their character without introducing unnecessary complexity or bookkeeping. By broadening both the mechanical and thematic landscape, this update restores the familiar to its intended role: not merely a minor class feature, but a distinctive and flavorful bond that enhances both play and storytelling.

EXPANDED FAMILIARS

Familiar - Benefit to Master

Albatross (tiny mystical variant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Profession (sailor) or Survival checks made at sea
Alligator hatchling - Grants a +2 bonus on grapple checks
Ant (juvenile giant, soldier) - Grants a +2 bonus on Strength checks
Ant (juvenile giant, worker) - Grants a +2 bonus on Profession (miner) checks
Axolotl - Grants a +2 bonus on Heal checks
Badger (lesser combat) - Grants a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Bat (greater variant) - The master gains blindsense out to 10 feet while the familiar is within arm’s reach
Beetle (scarab) - Grants a +1 natural armor bonus
Blind cave lizard - The master gains blindsense out to 5 feet while the familiar is within arm’s reach
Canary - Grants a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves against inhaled poisons and gases
Cat (wild variant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Jump checks
Centipede (greater) - Grants a +2 bonus on Move Silently checks
Chameleon - Grants a +2 bonus on Hide checks
Chipmunk - Grants a +2 bonus on Move Silently checks
Cobra (tiny variant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks
Cricket (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Listen checks
Crocodile hatchling - Grants a +2 bonus on Swim checks
Crow - Grants a +2 bonus on Appraise checks
Dog (tiny breed) - Grants a +2 bonus on Listen checks
Dragonfly (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Spot checks
Falcon - Grants a +2 bonus on initiative checks
Ferret - Grants a +2 bonus on Escape Artist checks
Firefly (giant) - The familiar sheds light as a candle and grants a +2 bonus on Search checks made in areas of shadowy illumination or darkness
Fox - Grants a +2 bonus on Bluff checks
Frog - Grants a +2 bonus on Jump checks
Gecko - Grants a +2 bonus on Climb checks
Gila monster (tiny variant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Goat (miniature) - Grants a +2 bonus on Climb checks
Goose (aggressive) - Grants a +2 bonus on Intimidate checks
Hawk (keen variant) - Grants a +2 bonus on ranged attack rolls made against targets within 30 feet
Hedgehog - Grants a +1 natural armor bonus
Heron - Grants a +2 bonus on Balance checks
Horned lizard - Grants a +1 natural armor bonus
Hornet (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on initiative checks
Iguana - Grants a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Kite (bird) - Grants a +2 bonus on Spot checks
Kingfisher - Grants a +2 bonus on Spot checks made near bodies of water
Magpie - Grants a +2 bonus on Search checks
Millipede (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Miniature boar - Grants a +2 bonus on Concentration checks
Mole - Grants a +2 bonus on Survival checks made underground
Mongoose - Grants a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Moth (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Hide checks made in areas of shadowy illumination
Newt - Grants a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Nightjar - Grants a +2 bonus on Move Silently checks
Opossum - Grants a +2 bonus on Bluff checks
Otter - Grants a +2 bonus on Swim checks
Owl (woodland variant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Spot checks
Parrot - Grants a +2 bonus on Decipher Script checks
Peacock - Grants a +2 bonus on Bluff checks
Praying mantis (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on melee touch attack rolls
Rabbit - Grants a +2 bonus on Hide checks
Raccoon - Grants a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks
Raven (arcane-leaning) - Grants a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks
Salamander (mundane amphibian) - Grants a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) checks
Scorpion - Grants a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves against poison
Seagull - Grants a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Sea snake (tiny) - Grants a +2 bonus on Swim checks
Shrew - Grants a +2 bonus on initiative checks
Skink - Grants a +2 bonus on Escape Artist checks
Skunk - Once per day, the familiar can emit a noxious spray; creatures within 5 feet must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 the master’s level + the familiar’s Constitution modifier) or be sickened for 1 round
Small constrictor snake - Grants a +2 bonus on grapple checks made to deliver touch spells
Snapping turtle (tiny) - Grants a +2 bonus on damage rolls for melee touch spells
Songbird - Grants a +2 bonus on Perform checks
Spider (hunter) - Grants a +2 bonus on initiative checks
Spider (web spinner) - Grants a +2 bonus on Climb checks
Squirrel - Grants a +2 bonus on Balance checks
Stick insect (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Hide checks
Swan - Grants a +2 bonus on Diplomacy checks
Termite (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Knowledge (architecture and engineering) or Knowledge (dungeoneering) checks
Toad (swamp variant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Survival checks made in marsh or swamp environments
Turtle - Grants a +2 bonus on Concentration checks
Viper (lesser) - Grants a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves against poison
Vulture - Grants a +2 bonus on Survival checks
Wasp (giant) - Grants a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Weasel (dire variant flavor) - Grants a +2 bonus on grapple checks
Woodpecker - Grants a +2 bonus on Listen checks

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Feat - Demolitions

Demolitions [General]

You are trained in the precise preparation and placement of explosive charges, allowing you to maximize the destructive force of gunpowder against structures.

Prerequisites: Craft (Engineering) 4 ranks

Benefit: You may prepare gunpowder for demolition as described in the firearms rules. When preparing a barrel of gunpowder for demolition, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Craft (Engineering) checks made for this purpose.

In addition, preparing a barrel of gunpowder for demolition requires only 1 minute instead of 1d4 minutes.

Normal: Without this feat, a character cannot prepare gunpowder to maximize its destructive potential and may only detonate it as a normal explosive.

Special: A fighter may select Demolitions as one of his bonus feats.

Rule - Firearms

Firearms

Firearms are Martial weapons. While powerful and relatively simple to use compared to bows, they are temperamental devices that can misfire or catastrophically fail.

All firearms require black powder and shot to operate.

Misfire and Catastrophic Failure
Firearms are prone to misfires. Whenever the user rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll with a firearm, the weapon misfires.

On a misfire, the attack automatically fails and the weapon becomes jammed. A jammed firearm cannot be fired again until it is cleared.

Clearing a jam requires a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

If a misfire occurs and the user fails a DC 10 Reflex save, the firearm catastrophically fails and explodes. The explosion deals damage to the wielder equal to three times the weapon’s base damage (for example, a blunderbuss deals 2d10 × 3 damage). The firearm is destroyed.

Masterwork Firearms

A masterwork firearm is a finely crafted weapon built with superior materials, tighter tolerances, and more reliable firing mechanisms.

A masterwork firearm grants a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls.

In addition, the wielder gains a +2 circumstance bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid a catastrophic failure caused by a misfire.

Special: When using a masterwork firearm, the wielder may clear a jam as a standard action instead of a full-round action.

Masterwork firearms cost an additional 300 gp over the base price of the weapon.

Firearm Table

Blunderbuss
Damage 2d10 (piercing)
Critical 19–20/x3
Range Increment 15 ft.
Weight 7 lb.
Cost 150 gp

Special: Blunderbuss weapons (including hand blunderbusses) target touch AC when fired within their first range increment.

Blunderbuss, Hand
Damage 1d12 (piercing)
Critical 19–20/x3
Range Increment 10 ft.
Weight 4 lb.
Cost 90 gp

Special: Blunderbuss weapons (including hand blunderbusses) target touch AC when fired within their first range increment.

Flintlock, Light
Damage 1d8 (piercing)
Critical 20/x3
Range Increment 20 ft.
Weight 1 lb.
Cost 25 gp

Flintlock, Medium
Damage 1d10 (piercing)
Critical 20/x3
Range Increment 30 ft.
Weight 2.25 lb.
Cost 45 gp

Flintlock, Heavy
Damage 1d12 (piercing)
Critical 20/x3
Range Increment 50 ft.
Weight 3 lb.
Cost 75 gp

Flintlock, Musket
Damage 2d8 (piercing)
Critical 19–20/x3
Range Increment 100 ft.
Weight 10 lb.
Cost 120 gp

Ammunition

Powder and shot are sold together in pre-measured quantities.

A pouch of powder and shot costs 2 sp, weighs 1 lb., and provides enough material for 12 shots.

Reloading Firearms

Reloading a firearm requires 2 full rounds. The user cannot move while reloading.

If the reload process is interrupted, it must be started over.

Gunpowder

Gunpowder is a volatile but stable substance when properly contained.

A standard barrel of gunpowder has hardness 5, 15 hit points, contains 10 lb. of usable powder, and costs 100 gp.

Pelleted gunpowder is specially prepared for use in blunderbusses. It weighs the same as normal powder but costs twice as much (200 gp per barrel). One pound of pelleted gunpowder provides 50 pellets.

Exploding Gunpowder Barrels

A barrel of gunpowder can be used as an explosive device.

When detonated, it deals 3d6 fire damage and 3d6 slashing and piercing damage to all creatures and objects within a 15-foot radius.

A barrel detonates under the following conditions:

It takes 6 or more points of fire or acid damage in a single instance (overcoming hardness)
It takes 20 or more points of damage from a single physical attack
It is ignited via a prepared fuse
It is crushed by environmental forces

Gunpowder is otherwise stable and will not explode from ordinary movement or jostling.

Gunpowder for Demolition

Gunpowder may be deliberately prepared to maximize its destructive potential against structures.

When properly prepared, a barrel deals 36 points of damage and ignores material hardness lower than 10.

For materials with hardness 10 or higher, subtract the hardness value from the damage of each barrel.

Preparing Gunpowder for Demolition

Preparing a barrel for demolition requires the Demolitions feat, a suitable fuse, and 1d4 minutes of work.

The character must succeed on a Craft (Engineering) check with a DC equal to 10 + the hardness of the target material.

Failure means the barrel functions as a normal explosion instead of a prepared charge.

Characters without the Demolitions feat cannot prepare gunpowder in this way.

Safe Handling

Gunpowder may be rendered temporarily inert by mixing it with an inhibitor such as sand.

Separating the mixture requires 1d4 hours of careful work, during which 10% of the powder is lost.

Safer Containers

Gunpowder may be stored in reinforced metal casks.

A metal cask has hardness 10 and 20 hit points, contains 10 lb. of gunpowder, and costs 150 gp.

Friday, April 24, 2026

Rule: 100 Resurrection Effects

100 Resurrection Effects

Not all returns from death are equal, no matter how clean the magic appears on the surface. The rituals of raise dead, resurrection, and even true resurrection are often described as precise, reliable workings - but they reach into a place that is anything but orderly. The soul is not a passive thing waiting patiently to be retrieved; it moves, changes, lingers, or is claimed. Some return reluctantly, others eagerly, and still others are pulled back through circumstances they scarcely understand. In that journey, something is always left behind… or something else comes back with them.

Even the most experienced priests and arcanists will admit - quietly, and only among peers - that resurrection is less a perfect restoration and more a negotiation. Forces beyond mortal comprehension may take notice, impose conditions, or leave subtle marks upon the one returned. These effects are not always curses, nor are they always blessings, but they are almost never without consequence. A resurrected soul may find their body altered, their perceptions shifted, or their place in the world slightly… misaligned. To die is to cross a threshold. To return is to do so imperfectly.

Whispers in the Dark
In the weeks following your revival your hair and body become colorless (albino). You may retain only three languages of your choice; all others are lost. You take a -2 penalty on Will saves against sleep effects.
Weakness of the Thread
You have returned to life but your hold on it is tenuous. You die at -5 hit points instead of -10. Natural healing restores only half the normal amount, and cure spells heal -1 hit point per die (minimum 1 per die).
Preparation is Obvious
Certain of the need to prepare for death, your alignment shifts one step toward Law. You gain a +1 bonus on Will saves against compulsion effects.
It is All Lies and Vanity
Death cannot be prepared for. Your alignment shifts one step toward Chaos. You gain a +1 bonus on saves against fear effects.
Message from Beyond
Over the next three months you are visited by dreams bearing meaning. Once per week, you receive the effect of augury (caster level equals your Hit Dice).
One with Death
You appear to the undead as one of their own. Mindless undead ignore you unless attacked. Intelligent undead must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + ½ your HD + your Cha modifier) to treat you as hostile.
Unnatural Fear
Your brush with death has weakened your soul. You take a -2 penalty on saving throws against death effects, energy drain, and negative energy effects.
A Place at Odin’s Table
You have seen your afterlife and are at peace. You gain a +4 bonus on saves against fear and a +2 bonus on saves against death effects.
The Creek of Old Bones
You are unnaturally aged. You take the physical penalties of the next age category but do not gain the mental bonuses.
I Shall Not Look on Life
Your memories of death haunt you. You are dazzled in daylight and blinded in direct sunlight.
My Father’s Marble Halls
You have glimpsed history firsthand. Knowledge (history) and Knowledge (nobility) become class skills for you, and you gain a +2 competence bonus on both.
I Am But a Memory Here
You are infertile and cannot produce offspring.
Holy Burden
The gods returned you for a purpose. You are under a geas/quest effect (no HD limit; caster level equals your HD).
I Have Seen What Is to Come
You retain a fragment of prophecy. Once ever, you may ask a question as commune (no material component required).
Spirit Meld
Your soul adheres tightly to your body. You gain the native outsider type (retain any subtypes).
Spiritual Severance
Your soul is loosely bound. Whenever you are affected by positive or negative energy, you must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + spell level) or become incorporeal until the end of your next turn.
Outside the Spiral of Life
You no longer require food or drink, though you must still rest to regain spells and abilities.
By Death Damned
Your body requires magical sustenance. Each day you must receive magical healing or take 1 point of Constitution damage.
Neither Here nor There
You do not register as alive or undead to detection spells.
Stone Soul
A gemstone rests embedded in your body. It has hardness 10 and 5 hit points. If it is destroyed, you immediately die.
Not Quite Whole
Your soul lags behind your body. After moving more than 30 feet in a round, you take a -1 penalty to AC until your next turn.
Corpse Whisperer
You can speak with the recently dead. You gain speak with dead as a spell-like ability usable once per day (CL = HD, DC 10 + ½ HD + Cha).
Empathy for the Dead
You feel each life you take. Whenever you kill a creature, you must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + creature’s CR) or take a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks for 1 hour.
See Beyond the Pale
You can see ethereal creatures as if under see invisibility.
Stared Into the Face of Death
Your presence unsettles others. You gain a +2 competence bonus on Intimidate checks.
Not-Reincarnation
You retain echoes of another life. Gain one additional language and a +2 bonus on one Knowledge skill.
A World of Shadows
The world seems dull and lifeless. You take a -2 penalty on Listen, Spot, and Search checks.
Walker in the Mists
A phantom fog clouds your perception. Range penalties for ranged attacks and Spot checks are doubled.
No Rest for the Weary
You only gain restful sleep when lying in dirt, a coffin, or under a burial shroud.
It is the Old Wound, Sire
Old injuries linger. Whenever you take a critical hit, you are sickened for 1 round.
I Have Seen… Things
Your eyes carry horror. Once per day, creatures within 30 ft must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + ½ HD + Cha) or be dazed for 1 round.
Aura of the Unquiet
Animals react poorly to you. You take a -4 penalty on Handle Animal, Ride, and Wild Empathy checks.
Light Aversion
Light recoils from you. You gain a +2 bonus on saves against heat effects but take a -2 penalty on saves against cold effects.
Hunger of the Dead
You no longer feel hunger or thirst, though you still suffer normal penalties for starvation and dehydration.
Pleasures of the Flesh
You develop an unhealthy indulgence. You take a -2 penalty on Diplomacy checks but gain a +2 bonus on one Craft or Profession.
Binding
You are bound to an object tied to your death. You gain a +2 bonus on saves against death effects. If the object is destroyed, you must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15) or die.
Death’s Servant
You were returned by a death power. Clerics must change domains to those of a death deity.
Burden of Truth
You are aware your life came at another’s cost. You take a -1 penalty on Will saves vs mind-affecting effects.
Kindred Spirits
You sense those who have died. You are under a constant detect undead effect (60 ft).
Taste for Blood
You must consume blood daily or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage each hour after the first missed day.
The Line
You remember those left behind. You are compelled to complete a minor task (as geas).
Water in Your Veins
You are immune to bleed effects. Effects requiring your blood automatically fail.
Purge of Sin
Your alignment shifts to Good.
Memories of the Great Beyond
You suffer occasional visions. Once per day (1% chance), you are sickened for 1d4 rounds (Will DC 15 negates).
Sleep of the Dead
You take a -5 penalty on Listen checks while sleeping, but gain a +1 bonus on saves vs mind-affecting effects.
The Dark Path
You gain +1 on saves vs fear in shadowy illumination and +2 in darkness.
Attuned to Auras
You can determine creature attitudes as if using Sense Motive without a check.
Probation
Another creature holds a token linked to your life. If used, you die (no save).
The Way of All Flesh
You gain DR 3/slashing. Magical healing leaves you staggered for 1 round.
Unliving
You do not need to eat, drink, or breathe. You are immune to poison and nausea, but cannot benefit from ingested items.
Rag Doll
Your body is filled with strange material. +1 Dex, +1 Con, -2 Str. Heal skill does not function on you.
The Ferryman’s Coins
Coins appear over your eyes after rest. If removed by another, you enter a rage (as barbarian of your level).
Graveworm
You must consume grave dirt monthly or be sickened for 24 hours.
To the World, a Servant
You become a cleric of your deity (or death). Replace previous class levels.
Balance of Forces
An equal-level opposite-aligned rival exists somewhere.
Dr. Jekyll
If awakened early from rest, you function as a zombie until rest completes.
Breath of the Grave
1/day you may use stinking cloud (CL = HD) but take 1 Con damage.
No Memories of the Grave
You lose all memories from your previous level.
Second Chances
You gain the young template.
Claimed
You are marked by a powerful outsider.
Danse Macabre
+4 bonus on Knowledge (religion) checks involving undead.
Lightly Upon this Earth
You cannot awaken naturally; only damage or magic wakes you.
Divine Script
You bear a supernatural tattoo detectable as magic.
Altered Anatomy
You have unusual anatomy (25% chance to negate critical hits).
Half the Minority
You take a -2 penalty on Diplomacy checks due to unsettling appearance.
Announcement of Return
All acquaintances become aware of your return.
We Are Not Alone
A harmless ghost follows you constantly.
Hallowed Presence
You emit a 5-ft consecrate or desecrate effect.
It Should Have Been Me
A spirit haunts you, causing minor magical effects daily.
Waking Death
You are considered dead while sleeping.
Ancestral Voice
You gain a +2 bonus on one skill.
Not Quite Alive
You register as undead to detection effects.
Mortal Fear
+1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves, but -2 on saves vs fear.
Not a Mortal Creature
You no longer suffer aging penalties.
Nameless
You lose all personal memories.
Asleep as Unto Death
Animals treat you as a corpse while you sleep.
Rebuker
You may rebuke mindless undead using Intimidate.
Stone Cold
+4 on saves vs enchantment, -4 on Diplomacy and Bluff.
Undead Habits
You develop odd compulsions. -1 on Diplomacy checks.
Miranda
Occasional visions force a Fort save (DC 15) or be sickened for 1d6 rounds.
Positive Aura
Undead within 30 ft take -2 on attack rolls.
Borrowed Body
1/week, a spirit controls your body during rest.
Lost Potential
You take a -1 penalty on all saving throws.
Beast Spirit
+4 Handle Animal (one species), -2 Diplomacy.
Divine Gift
You gain a random magic item (25% chance cursed).
Groupies
You attract followers equal to half your Leadership score.
Forgotten by the World
Most people do not remember you. -4 on Diplomacy checks.
Soul Companion
A tiny spirit creature accompanies you constantly.
Resurrection Trauma
You occasionally suffer flashbacks (Will DC 15 or be shaken 1 round).
Private Enemy
You are occasionally attacked by extraplanar creatures (DM discretion).
Temporal Echo
You briefly see your own death; +2 initiative for one encounter per week.
Familiar Displacement
You and your familiar swap bodies.
Altered Form
Your sex changes, but abilities remain unchanged.
Rejected by Outsiders
Outsiders are initially hostile toward you.
Divine Game
Your life is part of a greater cosmic plan (no direct effect).
Identity Swap
You and another resurrected creature swap bodies.
Strange Hair
Your body hair becomes unusual; -1 on Diplomacy.
Animal Attraction
Small animals are friendly toward you.
Rebirth
A nearby creature becomes mystically tied to your existence.
Biological Reset
For 2d4 weeks, you take a -2 penalty on Charisma-based checks due to awkward physical changes.

Class: Sage

Sage

The Sage is a master of knowledge, deduction, and intellectual precision, turning information into a weapon as potent as any blade or spell. Rather than relying on raw magical power, the Sage studies the world deeply, identifying weaknesses, predicting outcomes, and guiding allies through superior understanding. In the hands of a skilled player, a Sage becomes the mind behind victory, shaping the battlefield through insight alone.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d6.

Abilities: Intelligence is the Sage’s most important ability, governing nearly all class features and knowledge-based abilities. Wisdom aids perception and insight, while Constitution helps compensate for the Sage’s low durability.

Class Skills: Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (—), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

To Hit: As per Wizard.
Saves: As per Wizard.

Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Sages are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any armor or shields. Armor interferes with many of their abilities.

Special Abilities:
• Scholarly Focus (Ex): At 1st level, a Sage selects one Knowledge skill. This becomes their Scholarly Focus. They gain a +2 bonus on checks with that skill. This bonus increases by +1 every 5 levels (5th, 10th, 15th, 20th). At 10th level, they may select a second Scholarly Focus.
• Lore (Ex): A Sage accumulates obscure knowledge. This functions like Bardic Knowledge, using Sage level + Int modifier.
• Analytical Insight (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, a Sage may make a Knowledge check (appropriate to the creature or situation) as a swift action. For every 5 points by which the result exceeds DC 10, the Sage gains a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls, AC, or saving throws against that target or effect for 1 minute. Maximum bonus equals Sage’s Int modifier.
• Exploit Weakness (Ex): At 2nd level, after successfully identifying a creature with a Knowledge check, the Sage may designate it as studied. Against studied targets, the Sage deals +1d6 precision damage. This increases by +1d6 every 4 levels (6th, 10th, 14th, 18th).
• Eidetic Memory (Ex): At 3rd level, a Sage may take 10 on any Knowledge check, even under stress. At 9th level, they may take 20 once per day without additional time. At 15th level, this becomes at-will.
• Quick Study (Ex): At 4th level, a Sage may attempt Knowledge checks as free actions once per round instead of swift actions.
• Forewarned (Ex): At 5th level, a Sage gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks and cannot be caught flat-footed unless physically immobilized or unaware of combat entirely.
• Tactical Prediction (Ex): At 6th level, once per encounter, the Sage may grant themselves or an ally within 30 feet an immediate reroll on an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check after seeing the result but before knowing the outcome.
• Expanded Lore (Ex): At 7th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the Sage gains a +2 bonus to all Knowledge checks.
• Mental Fortress (Ex): At 8th level, the Sage gains a +4 bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects.
• Perfect Recall (Ex): At 9th level, the Sage can perfectly remember anything they have seen or read. They gain a +4 bonus on Decipher Script and may retry failed checks without penalty.
• Exploit Vulnerability (Ex): At 10th level, Exploit Weakness also ignores damage reduction equal to the Sage’s Int modifier.
• Moment of Clarity (Ex): At 11th level, once per day, the Sage may treat any one d20 roll as if they had rolled a natural 15 before modifiers.
• Reactive Analysis (Ex): At 12th level, whenever the Sage is targeted by an attack or effect, they may immediately make a Knowledge check (free action) to gain Analytical Insight benefits against that source.
• Improved Forewarning (Ex): At 13th level, the Sage gains Uncanny Dodge and a +4 initiative bonus total.
• Unravel Magic (Su): At 14th level, as a standard action, the Sage may make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level) to suppress an ongoing magical effect for 1d4 rounds. Usable Int modifier times per day.
• Masterful Exploitation (Ex): At 15th level, Exploit Weakness damage applies to creatures normally immune to precision damage, though they take only half extra damage.
• Foresight (Su): At 16th level, the Sage gains a constant effect similar to the spell Foresight, but only for surprise and immediate danger awareness.
• Perfect Prediction (Ex): At 17th level, once per day, the Sage may declare the outcome of a single roll they can see. That roll is treated as a natural 20.
• Greater Tactical Insight (Ex): At 18th level, allies within 30 feet gain half of the Sage’s Analytical Insight bonuses.
• Unassailable Mind (Ex): At 19th level, the Sage becomes immune to mind-affecting effects.
• Living Library (Ex): At 20th level, the Sage embodies knowledge itself. They may treat any Knowledge check as if they rolled a natural 20. Additionally, once per encounter, they may automatically succeed on any one attack roll, saving throw, or skill check.

Feat - Inscribe Magical Tattoo (Item Creation)

Feat: Inscribe Magical Tattoo (Item Creation)

You can craft magical tattoos.

Prerequisites: Craft (calligraphy, paintings, or tattoos) 5 ranks, caster level 5th.

Benefit: You can create magical tattoos, magic items inked directly into the flesh of a willing or helpless creature. Both you and the recipient of the tattoo (if the recipient is not yourself) must be present during the entire tattooing process. Magic tattoos must be placed on a part of the body normally able to hold a magic item slot, but they do not count against or interfere with magic items worn on those slots. A single slot can only hold one magical tattoo (non-magical tattoos and tattoos acquired from the tattooed sorcerer archetype do not count against this limit). Tattoos may be inscribed on the following slots: belt, body, chest, feet, hands, head, neck, shoulder, ring (up to two), or wrist. They cannot be inscribed on armor, eye, headband, or shield slots.

Magical tattoos are difficult to destroy, though they count as magic items for the purposes of dispel magic. The spell erase can permanently destroy a magical tattoo, but the bearer of the tattoo can resist the spell with a Will save, in addition to the caster needing to make a successful caster level check to erase the tattoo. Physically removing a magical tattoo with a sharp instrument or defacing it with fire or acid can destroy it as well. Doing so is a full-round action that not only requires the target to be willing or helpless but also provokes attacks of opportunity. At least 2 points of damage per caster level of the tattoo must be dealt to destroy a magical tattoo in this manner.

Magical tattoos follow the rules for magic item creation as though they were wondrous items, except that they can use the Craft (calligraphy, paintings, tattoos) skill. New magical tattoos can be researched and designed using the guidelines for pricing new magic items. Magical tattoos are treated as slotless magical items for pricing purposes.

Companion Tattoos are found here.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Race: Bayou Faerie

Bayou Faerie

Size/Type: Tiny Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6 (3 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares), fly 60 ft. (good)
AC: 16 (+2 size, +4 Dex), touch 16, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–12
Attack: Needle dart +6 melee (1d2–4) or swamp thorn +6 ranged (1d2–4)
Full Attack: Needle dart +6 melee (1d2–4) or swamp thorn +6 ranged (1d2–4)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Woodland snare, mire hex
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, DR 5/cold iron, bayou camouflage, glamour form, fey resilience
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +4
Ability Scores: Str 2, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +20, Listen +6, Spot +6, Search +4, Perform (sing) +6
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Warm marshes and bayous
Organization: Solitary, pair, or whisper (3–8)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +2

Description

Bayou faeries are creatures of slow water and heavy air - born not of bright groves or dancing glades, but of still pools choked with reeds, cypress knees rising like knuckles from black water, and the constant, whispering hum of life that never truly sleeps. Their wings resemble the thin, translucent membranes of dragonflies, often tinted with oil-slick iridescence, catching lanternlight in shifting greens, violets, and sickly golds. Their skin tends toward muted tones - moss-green, peat-brown, or pale gray - allowing them to vanish effortlessly against bark, water, and fog alike.

Their eyes are large and luminous, reflecting even the faintest light with an unsettling clarity. In darkness, they gleam like distant swampfire, hovering just above the waterline before vanishing entirely. Their voices carry strangely in the bayou - sometimes lilting and melodic, other times distorted and distant, as though traveling through water even when spoken in open air.

Unlike their woodland kin, bayou faeries are patient to the point of eeriness. They can remain still for hours, even days, observing without movement, their presence betrayed only by the faint ripple of wings or the occasional flicker of reflected light. They prefer not to be seen - not out of fear, but because being unseen gives them control.

Lore

Bayou faeries are deeply tied to the stagnant, fertile ecosystems of marshlands, where decay and life exist in constant, intimate proximity. To them, rot is not death, but transformation - an essential turning of the wheel. They are caretakers of this cycle, ensuring that nothing is wasted and nothing escapes its place within the greater rhythm of the swamp.

Their magic reflects this philosophy. Where woodland faeries entangle with vines and roots, bayou faeries call upon sucking mud, grasping reeds, and creeping waters. Their mire hex is particularly feared among those who traverse the swamps without respect - causing ground to soften, paths to vanish, and footing to betray even the most careful traveler. Many who wander too confidently find themselves slowly claimed by the very earth beneath them.

They are also known to form quiet, watchful relationships with the creatures of the bayou. Alligators drift where they will, undisturbed by unseen guidance. Birds take flight at subtle signals. Even insects seem to gather and disperse with uncanny coordination. A bayou faerie is never truly alone - it exists within a vast, living network of awareness.

Despite their alien nature, some bayou faeries are drawn to mortals - particularly those who show reverence for the swamp or who survive it through wit rather than force. These faeries may guide, mislead, test, or protect such individuals, often all at once. Their aid is never straightforward, and their lessons are rarely gentle.

To harm a bayou faerie is to earn the quiet enmity of the swamp itself. Trails twist. Water rises where it should not. Sounds carry in misleading ways. And somewhere, just out of sight, something watches - waiting for the moment when the balance may be restored.

Special Abilities

Woodland Snare (Sp): Once per day, a bayou faerie may use entangle (caster level equal to its Hit Dice; save DC 12). In marsh terrain, this effect manifests as grasping reeds, sucking mud, and creeping water rather than vines.

Mire Hex (Su): Once per day as a standard action, a bayou faerie may curse a 10-foot-radius area within 30 feet, causing the ground to become unstable and treacherous for 5 rounds. Creatures within the area must succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save each round or be treated as moving through difficult terrain and suffer a –2 penalty on Balance and Reflex checks. Flying creatures are unaffected. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Bayou Camouflage (Ex): A bayou faerie may use the Hide skill in marsh or swamp terrain even while being observed, so long as it is within 10 feet of water, reeds, or heavy vegetation.

Glamour Form (Su): At will, a bayou faerie may assume a Small humanoid form (as alter self, self only). While in this form, it loses its fly speed, its Strength becomes 10 (if lower), its Dexterity becomes 10 (if higher), and its size modifiers adjust to Small. This is a physical transformation.

Fey Resilience (Ex): Bayou faeries gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment effects.

Kelwyn’s Notes

Ah… now this is a faerie that understands patience.

The bayou variety does not dance for your amusement, nor does it flit about in charming circles as so many stories would have you believe. No - this one waits. It watches. It allows you to reveal yourself fully before it decides what you are worth. There is a… deliberateness to it that I find quite admirable.

You see, the swamp is an honest place, in its own peculiar fashion. It does not pretend to be safe, nor does it disguise its nature beneath pleasant illusions. It rots, it sinks, it devours - and yet, in doing so, it creates. The bayou faerie embodies this truth perfectly. It is not cruel. It is not kind. It is correct.

I have observed that those who enter such places with arrogance tend to fare… poorly. The ground betrays them, the water confuses them, and the very air seems to conspire against their progress. This is no coincidence. The faerie is not attacking in the way a beast might. It is simply adjusting the balance - correcting an intrusion.

And yet… for those who approach with respect, with a certain humility, the experience becomes something altogether different. Guidance appears where none should be. Safe footing reveals itself. One might even feel… accompanied. It is a rare and quiet sort of favor, and not one given lightly.

So I would advise, most sincerely - if you find yourself in such a place, and you feel as though something is watching you… it almost certainly is.

Do try to be worth the attention.

Coca Wine

Type Ingested; Addiction Moderate; Price 15 gp (bottle, 6 doses); Weight 1 lb.

DESCRIPTION

This deep red tonic wine is produced by steeping coca leaves in strong alcohol, extracting their stimulating properties into a pleasantly bitter, invigorating drink. Among the upper classes, it is considered fashionable - a civilized indulgence for artists, nobles, and those suffering from “nervous exhaustion.”

A standard bottle contains 6 doses.

EFFECT

A creature may drink a dose of coca wine as a standard action.

Upon consumption, the user gains the following benefits for 1 hour:

+2 alchemical bonus to Strength and Charisma
+1 alchemical bonus on attack rolls
+2 alchemical bonus on Fortitude saves against fatigue and exhaustion effects
The user ignores the effects of fatigue (but not exhaustion) for the duration

Additionally, the user gains a +2 alchemical bonus on Concentration checks and initiative checks due to heightened alertness.

DRAWBACKS

Coca wine places strain on both body and mind.

When the duration ends, the user must succeed on a DC 13 Fortitude save or suffer:

Fatigue for 1 hour
–2 penalty to Wisdom for 1 hour

If already fatigued, the user instead becomes exhausted.

ADDICTION

Coca wine is moderately addictive.

Initial save: DC 13 Fortitude
Secondary save: DC 13 Fortitude (after 24 hours)

Failure indicates addiction. An addicted character who goes 24 hours without coca wine takes:

–2 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Charisma
–1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks

These penalties persist until the character consumes a dose.

OVERUSE

If more than 2 doses are consumed within 1 hour, the user must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or become:

Shaken for 1 hour
Suffer 1 point of Constitution damage

SPECIAL

Coca wine counts as both an alchemical substance and an alcoholic beverage.
Effects from multiple doses do not stack; only the duration is extended.
A creature immune to poison is immune to addiction and negative side effects, but still gains the benefits.

LORE

Coca wine first emerged from the blending of old viticulture and exotic southern leaves, its rise fueled not by necessity, but by fashion. What began as a curiosity quickly became a staple of refined society - a drink that promised vigor without vulgarity, stimulation without stigma. Its adoption by the elite ensured its rapid spread through salons, courts, and private studies alike.

Physicians and apothecaries eagerly promoted it as a remedy for nearly every ailment of modern life - melancholia, nervous weakness, poor blood, creative stagnation. Whether these claims hold truth is a matter of debate, though few deny its immediate and unmistakable effects.

Among the working class, coca wine is viewed with suspicion or outright distrust - too expensive for common use, and too closely associated with the peculiar habits of the wealthy. Yet in certain urban circles, particularly among performers, writers, and dilettantes, it is consumed with an enthusiasm that borders on dependency.

CONSTRUCTION

Coca wine is not a magic item and requires no spells to create.

Craft (Alchemy) DC 15; raw materials cost 5 gp per bottle.
Ingredients: Fine red wine, dried coca leaves, mild stabilizing reagents.

Kelwyn’s Notes...

Ah… yes. One encounters this particular indulgence in the quieter corners of society’s more respectable decay - a drink spoken of in polite tones, as though refinement might soften what it so plainly is. Coca wine. A stimulant masquerading as sophistication, dressed in the trappings of culture so that its consumers may pretend they are not merely indulging, but participating in something elevated.

Let us not be charmed by its presentation. This is not a tonic. It is not a remedy. It is a leash - silken, perfumed, and willingly fastened about the throat. The body is coaxed into false vigor, the mind into borrowed brilliance, all while something quieter and far more insidious takes root beneath the surface. What it grants is not strength, but the illusion of it, purchased on credit from one’s own future.

I have observed its devotees - artists who swear it sharpens their genius, nobles who claim it steadies their nerves, and the perpetually weary who insist they have finally found relief. And yet, in time, they all arrive at the same destination. The hands tremble. The will softens. The self - that most precious and fragile of constructs - becomes negotiable. One begins by taking coca wine… and ends by quietly rearranging one’s life to ensure it is always close at hand.

They are not wicked, these people. No, that would be simpler. They are… diminished. Reduced, not by cruelty, but by surrender. There is a particular sadness in watching a mind learn to lean upon something that cannot love it in return.

I find it repugnant. Not merely for what it does, but for how elegantly it convinces its victims to participate in their own undoing. There is a vulgar honesty in many vices - drink, excess, indulgence - but this… this insists upon calling itself medicine. That, I think, is the greater offense.

And so it persists, passed between hands that would recoil were the truth made plain, praised in circles that would condemn it under any other name. A most fascinating thing, really - how eagerly one will sip poison, provided it is served in a crystal glass and introduced with proper etiquette.

One cannot help but wonder which is more potent - the substance itself… or the lie that accompanies it.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Traiteur (NPC Class)

The humble healer of Aurelisse’s living earth

Class Overview

Alignment: Any Good (usually Neutral Good)
Hit Die: d6
Class Skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis)
Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Traiteurs are proficient with simple weapons and the sickle. They are proficient with light armor but not shields.

Class Table (Summary)

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Gift of Aurelisse, Traitement (minor), Herbal Lore
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Lay on Hands
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Traitement (lesser)
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Marsh Sense
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Remove Affliction
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Traitement (moderate)
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Spirit Intercession
8th	+6	+6	+2	+6	Greater Lay on Hands
9th	+6	+6	+3	+6	Traitement (greater)
10th	+7	+7	+3	+7	Avatar of the Living Earth

Class Features

Gift of Aurelisse (Ex)

A traiteur does not learn healing - they inherit it. This gift cannot be sold or willingly exchanged for wealth.

A traiteur who knowingly charges coin for healing loses all supernatural abilities until they perform an act of atonement.
They may accept humble offerings (food, herbs, tokens) without penalty.

Traitement (Su)

The core healing ritual - a mix of whispered prayer, touch, and intention.

Functions similarly to spell-like abilities but requires touch and 1 minute of quiet focus.
Uses Wisdom for all effects.

Daily Uses: 1 + Wis modifier

Scaling Effects:

Minor (1st): Cure Light Wounds, stabilize, remove fatigue
Lesser (3rd): Cure Moderate Wounds, remove disease (1/day)
Moderate (6th): Cure Serious Wounds, neutralize poison
Greater (9th): Cure Critical Wounds, remove curse

Important Cultural Limitation:

Traitement fails if the target is across a large body of running water (DM discretion - major rivers, not streams)

Herbal Lore (Ex)

A traiteur may use the Heal skill to:

Treat deadly wounds in 10 minutes instead of 1 hour
Gain a bonus equal to class level on Heal checks involving natural remedies
Identify natural poisons and diseases automatically with a successful check

Lay on Hands (Su)

Beginning at 2nd level:

Heal a total number of hit points per day equal to class level × Wisdom modifier
Standard action, touch-based

Marsh Sense (Ex)

At 4th level, the traiteur becomes attuned to wetland and fertile environments:

Cannot be caught flat-footed in natural terrain
Gains +2 bonus on Survival and Initiative in marsh, swamp, or river regions

Remove Affliction (Su)

At 5th level, once per day:

Remove disease, poison, or blindness/deafness
Requires physical contact and a short prayer ritual

Spirit Intercession (Su)

At 7th level:

Once per day, reroll any failed healing effect or saving throw affecting an ally within touch range
Must accept the second result

Greater Lay on Hands (Su)

At 8th level:

Lay on Hands may now also remove:
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Ability damage (1 point per use)

Avatar of the Living Earth (Su)

At 10th level, the traiteur becomes a vessel of Aurelisse’s will:

Fast Healing 2 while in natural terrain
Allies within 10 ft gain +2 on saves vs disease, poison, and fear
Once per day, may maximize any healing effect

Role in the World

Traiteurs are not adventurers first - they are anchors of community. They live among the people, often in quiet homes filled with drying herbs, bones, and whispered memory. When they travel, it is not for glory, but because someone, somewhere, is suffering.

They are deeply respected, sometimes feared, and almost never understood by outsiders.

Lore

The gift of the traiteur is rarely spoken of as something learned - it is recognized. Elders will say that the signs appear early, though never loudly: a child who stills a fever with a touch, who knows which root to pull without being taught, who listens more than they speak when the wind moves through the reeds. Yet the knowledge itself is not given freely. It is passed in hushed moments near the end of a teacher’s life, often across generations and often across gender, as tradition quietly insists. The words of the traitement are never written, never recorded, and never spoken aloud outside their purpose. To do so would be to strip them of meaning, like pulling a plant from the soil and expecting it to live.

Among the bayou communities, traiteurs exist in a delicate balance between reverence and familiarity. They are called upon in moments of need - burns, sickness, lingering pains that refuse to fade - but are otherwise left to their quiet lives. It is considered improper to thank them directly, not out of ingratitude, but out of respect for the source of the healing itself. One does not thank the river for flowing, nor the earth for bearing fruit. Instead, gratitude is shown in subtler ways: a basket left at the door, a warm meal prepared, a roof mended without being asked. In this way, the traiteur remains part of the community, never elevated above it, never separated from it.

Yet there are whispers, carried as all things are through the slow waters of the marsh, that not every gift remains untouched by shadow. There are those who have tried to bend the tradition - to take coin in secret, to force the healing where it is not welcome, or to carry their influence across the running waters that were never meant to bear it. Such acts do not fail immediately. That would be too merciful. Instead, the land itself begins to withdraw. Herbs lose their potency in their hands. The words of the traitement feel hollow. And in time, what once healed begins only to quiet the pain, not remove it. The oldest among the traiteurs speak of this not as punishment, but as a correction - the living earth reclaiming what was never meant to be owned.