35 Techniques for the Avatar GLOG

As the title says. I’ll be making five techniques for each of Xenophon’s Avatar Glog(https://xenophonsramblings.blogspot.com/2020/06/avatar-glog-i-guess.html?m=1)’s classes(including each kind of bender).

Note. I own none of the gifs, and each of the martial classes’ example four template technique is meant to let them stand toe to toe against a Bender.

Firebender

Combustion Bending:

Prerequisite: Firebender A

You can make points you see explode through firing a beam of fire at them. The explosion has a radius of [dice * 10]’, dealing [sum] damage to all inside. You must be still to use Compustion Bending, and solid objects that you can see through(like glass) stop the beam and make it explode, in-fact anything that stops the beam makes it explode.

However, you cannot firebend the same hour as you Combustion Bend, not without exploding due to your Chi not being wired the right way to do so.

Body Heat Control

Perquisite: Fire Bending A

You can now use your fire bending to raise or lower your own body heat by breathing.

Heatbending:

Perquisite: Body Heat Control

You can use your bending to increase the temperature of a object you can see by [sum] through pushing your own heat into it.

Azure Fire

Perquisite: Firebender D

You can now create and bend blue colored fire, which is hotter then normal fire. Bending attacks made with it deal twice as much damage, but anything within [dice * 5]’ of the target, including you, take [sum] damage as well from the heat.

Energy Reading

Firebender A, 13+ Spirit

If you touch a living creature, you can diagnose any condition they may be suffering through reading their body heat and guiding along the body’s pathways.

You may also use this technique to try and heal a spiritual wound done to someone on a [dice] in 6. All BD used in this fashion are automatically expended.

Waterbender

Plantbending

Perquisites: Waterbender A

You can control plants with your waterbending through controlling the water inside of them.

Water Drain

Perquisites: Waterbender A

You can desiccate plants to draw water out of them - 1 ounce for a flower, one cup for a shrub, one gallon for a tree. 

Water Vampirism:

Perquisites: Water Drain

You can drain water from animals. When you make a bending attack, you choose for it to be a drain attack. The target must Save vs your bending or take [Sum] damage as [Sum] ounces of water are removed from their body. 

Aqua Constructs:

Perquisites: Waterbender A

You can invest BD to create semi-solid objects out of water. The invested BD can only be used to bend the constructs, and removing the BD from them causes the construct to collapse, and they only act fully solid when being bended.

Spiritbending:

Perquisites: Healing Hands, Spirit 13+

You can use Healing Hands on a spirit or such to rid it of impurities or add impurities to it. If it doesn’t want you to do it, you have to succeed on a Bending Attack to do so.

Earthbender

Sandbending

Perquisites:  Earthbender B

You can control sand with your earth bending, though the style to do so resembles air or water bending more then normal Earthbending.

Glassbending

Perquisites:  Sandbending

You can now control glass with your Earthbending, and use it to turn sand into glass. Bending attacks made with glass bending can cut things instead of just smashing them with a rock. 

Earth Armor

Perquisites: Earthbender A

You can invest BD to create armor of earth around yourself. The invested dice cannot be used to bend the armor and removing the BD from it causes it to collapse. The user of this technique takes -[dice invested] damage.

Bonebending

Perquisites: Earthbender D

If you are underground, you can bend the bones of living things you see. You can’t use it to take control of somebody’s body, as Earthbending is too stiff to do so, but you can force them to move [sum]’, their body sliding across the ground, as part of a successful bending attack.

Earth Sealing

Earthbender B, 13+ Spirit

You can use your Earthbending to seal immaterial things, such as spirits or ghosts, into objects that you can bend. Once you seal something into a object, you must lay down [dice] rules on how the bound thing acts, including a clause for the being to free itself. Binding a being that does not agree with the terms/rules requires a number of successful Bending Attacks from the sealer equal to it’s HD/Level.

Airbender

Sound Bending:

Perquisite: Airbender A

You can roll BD to perfectly replicate sounds through directing vibrating jetstreams. The sound can emerge from any direction, but it is audible only by up to [sum] targets.

(This technique came from BaaL over on the OSR server, and was posted with his permission)

Shattering Song

Perquisite: Sound Bending

You can roll your BD to shatter solid objects by bending the air to create a frequency that resonates with it. Up to [sum * 10] of the material, originating from a point the user can see, breaks apart. When used on living things or something worn by a living thing, treat it as a bending attack, with the destruction of the target’s armor or such as additional effect.

Silence: 

Perquisite: Sound Bending

You can use your Sound Bending to cancel out up to [dice] sounds per use, through creating a frequency that cancels out the sound’s own frequency.

Wind Slam:

Perquisite: Airbender A

When you succeed on a bending attack, you can choose to instead of doing damage, move the target [sum]’ in any direction.

Astral Projection:

Perquisite: Airbender A, 13+ Spirit

You can remove your spirit from your body and travel outside of it. As a spirit, you cannot be seen or heard by the physical world, but cannot physically interact with anything. Your spirit automatically returns to your body within [dice] hours, and if your body dies, your trapped as a spirit for [dice] days, after which you die.

Warrior

Cleave:

Perquisites: Warrior A.

When you reduce a enemy to 0 HP, you can make another attack on a enemy within range, through continuing on the momentum with your previous attack.

Iron Whirlwind

Perquisites: Warrior B, Cleave

You can make a extra attack per round. In addition, when Cleave triggers, you can move before attacking.

Armor Master 

Perquisites: Warrior B

The DR of Armor you wear is increased by one.

Juggernaut Smash

Perquisites: Warrior C

You add the DR of Armor you wear as bonus damage to your melee attacks you make, as you add the weight of your armor to the blow.

Heaven Cutting Blade:

Perquisites: Warrior D, Expert Swordsman, Spirit 13+

You come to a enlightenment about the nature of conflict. Write it down on your character sheet.

Expert Swordsman takes effect as long as you wield a edged weapon. In addition, you gain 4 Cut Die(CD). These work as bending die, but for cutting things, and their dice size is equal to the size of a bladed weapon your wielding’s damage dice. You cannot use CD if doing so contradicts your enlightenment on the nature of conflict. 

Acrobat

Graceful Dance:

Perquisites: Acrobat A

When you succeed on a Dodge check to dodge a attack, you can also move, even if you have already moved this turn.

Counterstrike

Perquisite: Acrobat B

When you succeed on a Dodge check to dodge a attack, you can make a attack against the target that automatically hits.

Disarming Strike

Perquisite: Acrobat B

When you succeed on a attack, instead of doing damage, you can remove a weapon from the target’s hand, sending it flying up to [your level * 5’] in any direction.

Water-Running: 

Perquisite: Acrobat C

You can treat liquids as solids for the purpose of moving across them, but if you stop, you will instantly sink from breaking the liquid’s tension.

Endless Road Walker

Perquisites: Acrobat D, Water-Running,

13+ Spirit

You come to a enlightenment on the nature of freedom. Write it on your sheet. This enlightenment allows you to walk on the fabric of the world itself.

Water-Running no longer fails when you come to halt on liquids.

You gain 4 Distortion Dice(DD). These work as Bending Dice, but for teleportation. These are d10, but are reduced by 1 step(d10->d8->d6->d4), per point of dodge penalty your under. You cannot use Freedom Dice if doing so contradicts your enlightenment on the nature of freedom. 

Rogue

Toxic Surprise

Perquisites: Rogue A

You have learned how to use poison against your foes, and how to minimize how much you use without losing effectiveness. When you deal damage with a Sneak Attack, you can make the target Save or suffer the effects of one poison in your inventory.

Shadow Walk:

Perquisites: Rogue B

You can move in shadows easily and quietly. When you are in shaded areas or darkness, you can choose to become effectively invisible for as long as you want, unless you enter a area brighter then a shaded one. You still make noise however.

Terrifying Stalker

Perquisites: Rogue B

You’ve learned how to take advantage of your enemy’s fear. The effects of Sneak Attack now apply to any enemy who is scared of you. If a target is scared of you and unaware of your presence, Sneak Attacks deal 4x damage.

Life Thief 

Perquisites: Rogue C

You have learned how to, when you strike from ambush, how to steal life from your enemy. When you land a Sneak Attack, you heal HP equal to one half(rounded up) of the damage of that Sneak Attack. 

Gift Taking Shadow

Perquisites: Rogue D, Life Thief 13+ Spirit

You come to a enlightenment regarding the nature of power. Write it on your sheet. This enlightenment teaches you how to take power.

When you hit a creature with Sneak Attack, instead of damage, you can take one of the following from your target:

• A Bending Dice, which you can use to bend their element. While you have it, they lose a Dice, but it’s always depleted when used. (This can also be used on Cutting or Distortion Dice)
• A supernatural ability(like invisibility). Such taken abilities return to their owner after they are used. (Ie after you use the invisibility and it runs out)

A ability only becomes permanently yours if you kill the being you took it from. You cannot take a ability if doing so contradicts your enlightenment on the nature of power.

Adapting FOE to the tabletop.

 I, am a massive Etrian Odyssey fan. I would be lying if I didn’t say it was not a massive influence on how I run tabletop games.

And I’ve always wanted to adapt FOEs to the tabletop. 

Now, let’s explain what a FOE is. In Etrian Odyssey, a FOE(Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens or Field On Enemy depending on the translation), is essentially a on-field miniboss. In game, each has different rules for how it moves on the field. One patrols a specific territory, another charges if you get in front of it, etc.  You either learn how to avoid it in a very OSR fashion, or get attacked by a miniboss that will kick your ass.

Now for the system agnostic stuff to use in your games. Every FOE has 3xHD. Ie, when you roll the FOE’s HP, triple the result. Or after however you determine a monster’s HP, triple it.

Evey FOE also has a Chase Trigger. This is a event/action that when triggered, causes the FOE to start chasing the party. Every time there is a encounter in the dungeon when the FOE is chasing the party, roll a 1d8. On a 1 through 6, the FOE is closing in and will attack in 1d4 turns/minutes unless you move on.

To get a FOE to stop chasing you, you must either leave the floor of the dungeon/the area your in, hide where it cannot find you, kill it, or otherwise drive it off. Some FOE’s may have special ways to drive them off. If the party splits up, have the groups roll 1d20 Which group that gets the highest result is the one being chased(GM choses on a tie).

Chase Behavior sums up how a FOE acts when it’s chasing you, any special ways to make it stop, and what it’s opening move is when it catches you. For making and using FOEs, I recommend reading Skerple’s post on better boss fights, linked at the bottom of the post.

Both FOE stat blocks will have flavor text next to their attacks to help the GM describe them.

Example FOE 1:

Jungle Killer

HD: 2d8 x3

Chase Trigger: Moving too quickly past their perch.

Chase Behavior: Quickly follows the party. When it enters combat, enters behind the party and uses Numbing Sting on the nearest player character. Despite their size and power, they are ambush predators, so a loud enough sound or party may drive them off.

Movement: As a horse, but without making noise. Can climb on walls.

It can make one Attack from the following list per turn.

Claws: 1d8 Damage. “It’s scissor like claws snap towards their prey, ready to cleave them in half.”

Numbing Sting: 1d8 Damage +  Numbness. “The beast’s tail darts forwards, like a spear dripping with violet toxins.”

Pounce: Move up to it’s movement, target must save or be knocked over. Then the Jungle Killer makes a non-pounce attack. Cannot be used on adjacent enemies. Attacks made on knocked over targets automatically succeed. “The jungle killer hurls itself into the air, ready to come crashing down on it’s prey.”

Keen Hunter: Once per round, whenever a enemy fails a roll, the Jungle Killer can make a attack against them as a reaction.

Numbing Blood: If the Jungle Killer takes damage, all adjacent enemies must Save vs Poison or suffer from Numbness.

Numbness: Each turn the player can choose to be paralyzed or act normally. If they act normally, all rolls are made at a disadvantage(roll twice, take the worse result). If they act paralyzed, remove this status condition and skip their turn.

Description:

A massive green scorpion, the size of a large horse with a head shaped like a demonic skull. It’s large black tail whips through the air silently, a crimson stinger tracing death with every movement.

Example FOE 2:

The Golden Ghoul

HD: 3d6x3

Chase Trigger: Picking up the Golden Idol.

Chase Behavior: Relentlessly pursues the party as long as they have the Idol in their possession. When it catches up to the party, it inflicts The Golden Curse to whoever has the idol and then uses Hellish Scream.

Golden Touch: 1d6 Damage + The Golden Curse. “The massive corpse jerks at you, fingers of rotten gold reaching to you.” 

Hellish Scream: All who hear it must Save vs Magic or take 1d4 damage and be forced to flee. Anyone who suffers from The Golden Curse must instead Save vs Magic against the Curse. If the Golden Ghoul takes damage, it can perform this attack as a reaction. “A hellish scream rips through the air, driving needles into your brain.”

Phantom: The Golden Ghoul can pass through surfaces not made of Gold should it wish, and as a result takes no damage from all non-magic attacks, unless said attacks are made with gold weapons or catch it by surprise.

The Golden Curse: All who suffer from the curse must, every time they do something stressful(Ie every turn in combat and every time they roll out of combat) and at the start of every day, must Save vs Magic or have a part of their body(their choice) turn into immobile gold. Starts off as small bits, like fingers and eyes. If this would kill the target, they completely turn into gold. Any direct contact with the Ghoul inflicts the curse.

Description: A moving corpse, the size of a small elephant. White fabric that vaguely resemble a priest’s robes hang off it’s rotten flesh, which seems to be made of golden and rotten sludge. A thick and stiff mask of gold is bolted to it’s face, two burning red eyes glaring past the eye holes.

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Link to Skerples’ Boss Fight Design post: https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/06/osr-boss-fight-design.html?m=1 

I recommend reading this, as FOEs are basically bosses that hunt down the party.

Also this post has no pictures as I couldn’t find any I liked for this.

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Grand Spellcasting: Animist Wizard

Adapted from here: https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.ca/2017/06/osr-animist-wizards.html

Continuation of: https://tomeofdreams.blogspot.com/2020/08/grand-spellcasting-high-powered-spells.html?m=1

So, last post I introduced the sub system and created the Grand Spells for Skerple’s Orthodox Wizard. So, I’ll now do the same for their Animist Wizards.

1. Grand Powerful Presence - Splendor of Oblivion 

R: 0 T: self D: [dice] days

The caster gains a aura of existential power and dread. While this spell is active, they are immune to mind affecting magic. Everytime a creature gazes upon the caster or hears them, the caster can make that creature become afflicted with existential dread, as it becomes terribly aware of it’s own mortality and inevitable death. Afflicted creatures automatically fail all saves vs anything that effects their mind, as the existential dread undermines their sense of self and reality for as long as they’re afflicted.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard

Author’s Note: With this, you can turn a army into cowards with minds of putty, tear down a religion by shattering the faith of it’s highest leaders, and turn kings into fools who will beg for their lives in the face of your wrath. It’s effectively a Power Word Kill equivalent for social stuff, and you can do all kinds of things with it.

2. Grand Telekinetic Shove - Fall as Stars From the Sky

R: Sight‘ T: See the description D: 0 

When you cast this spell, wave your hand infront of you. Any creature or object your hand covers 1/4th of it or more when you wave your hand, is a target if you wish it. Then, imagine a being or location within [sum] miles of you. That is the second target. Each target is banished from your sight, hurled through the sky as if they where a crimson star, landing within a mile radius of the second target. When they land, they take [dice]d6 damage, with a additional dice added for every mile traveled. If they hit someone, said someone also takes the damage.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard

Author’s Note: This basically lets you use a enemy army as artillery, which is aways cool. And the mental image of waving your hand, banishing a army so they fall as crimson stars across your enemy’s domain is just beautiful.

3. Grand Shrivel - All that Lives, Withers and Dies

R. Sight' T: As many creatures as you can see D: Permanent

Every target Saves with a penalty equal to [dice]. If they succeed, their Max HP is reduced by [sum + half the target’s max HP], to a minimum of 1, and all six of their stats are halved as they violently aged, appearing as if they where in the twilight of their life. If they fail the save, their stats and Max HP all become 1, as they are aged to the brink of death. If you invest 3 or more Dice, for the next [dice] minutes, every creature within [dice x 5]’ of a afflicted creature must save or suffer the spells effect, including this effect, starting when they first enter the target’s presence, then every minute afterwords if they do not leave.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard

Author’s Note: This basically renders whatever it hits a walking corpse. A single poke and they die. A army hit with this? Probably getting crushed to death under their own armor. The contagiousness let’s you cause all sorts of havoc depending on where you drop it.

4. Grand Control Water - Bend the Seas to Me

R: Sight’ T: All water you can see D: concentration 

Control the target as if it where a limb. At one [die]: you can capsize a boat, make a river flow backwards, flash freeze or boil a whole lake. Each [dice] you invest increases the scale of the target. 2 [dice]: A body of water the size of a large lake or smaller, even the water you can’t see. 3 [dice]: A body of water the size of lake superior, 4 [dice]: A entire ocean.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard. The cost applies when concentration is broken.

Author’s Note: Remember how I said Grand Knock can part the seas? This can do that and more. On the coast, this is effectively a city killer if used well.

5. Grand Sleep: See the previous post on Grand Spellcasting, just change the cost.

6. Charm Person - Forever Shall The Masses Listen to Me

R: Sight T: Up to [sum * dice] living things you can see D: Permanent

The target instantly and completely trusts you as a authority figure, and as such will obey you. The first (10 - [dice]) times you break their trust, they get a save to be freed from the spell’s effects.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard.

Author’s Note:  I was told this had a very fairy tale feeling to it what with the 6+ times a victim has to escape. I’m considering that a success then.

7. Grand Dream Eater - Feast Upon The Psyche Of The Wise

R: Special T: All sleeping creatures in range. D: 0 

At 1 [dice], this effects a small city. 2 [dice], a large city. 3 [dice], a small kingdom. At 4[l  [dice], a large kingdom.

All sleeping creatures in range take damage equal to [sum] plus the modifiers of their INT, WIS, and CHA as you feast upon their mind, like maggots on a corpse. For every ten creatures killed by this, you gain 1 Max HP and live another year, and you gain the knowledge of all you slay with this spell, for you devoured their very minds. If you don’t know Grand Sleep when you learn this spell, you have a level-in-10 chance to learn it. The ghosts of those slain by this remember absolutely nothing about anything.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard. 

Author’s Note: This is a immortality spell let’s be honest. Also, it’s really effective on rival wizards and churches full of annoying clerics, as they tend to have higher mental stats.

8. Grand Scorching Ray - Let Loose The Fires of Hell!

R: [sum x 100’] T: See description D: 0 

The caster fires a massive beam of flame at the targets. The flames are a dark green and dance like oil. It deals no damage, instead everything hit must Save with a penalty equal to [dice + 2] or be sent straight to the fires of hell. It matters not what is in the beam’s path. Sinner or saint, king or peasant, the fires of hell hunger for the flesh of all.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard.

Author’s Note: Yes this is a Disney reference, because that scene is awesome.

9. Grand Scry - None Shall Escape My Sight

R: Anywhere on the planet' T: One location/event you can name D: concentration + [dice] minutes

When you cast this spell, name a location or event. By doing so, you conjure a terrible demonic eye that watches the location with all the malice of your blackened heart. You become aware of everything going on there, down to people’s thoughts. In addition you can cast any spell you know as if you where there. You can also manifest a illusionary avatar there, and communicate to anyone and everyone there, either verbally or telepathically. When the spell ends, the demonic eye vanishes by melting into sticky black blood that rains over the target.

 

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard. The cost applies when concentration is broken.

Author’s Note: And this references the Eye of Sauron! And yes. You can cast Grand Spells through this. 

10. Grand Alter Self - Ascend Beyond Your Earthly Shell

R: 0 T: self D: Permanent 

When you cast this spell, swallow the flesh of another creature. You permanently become a member of that creatures’ species, with a HD equal to your level + [dice - 1], with all the powers and instincts that entails, however you can also choose if you look like the ‘donor’ or not upon casting. Be cautious, many a wizard turned dragon or demon has completely lost themselves to the instincts of their new forms.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard.

Author’s Note: If I ever play a Wizard who can cast this, I am using it to become a dragon. I never liked how DnD and such shy away from giving you the powers of stuff you shape-shift into, because that’s..  literally half the reason to do so in my opinion.

11. Grand Doom - The Cold Grasp Of Fate

R: Sight' T: One thing you know the true name of.  D: 30 - [Sum] Months(1 MD), Weeks(2 MD), Days(3 MD), Minutes(4 MD).

As you cast this spell, speak the true name of your target, and Doom them with all of your heart. For the spell’s duration they cannot die no matter what happens to them. Then, when the spell wares off.. they die completely and utterly. Every cell in their body turns off at once, a slow and painful moment that leads to silence. Their soul is shattered and flayed until nothing is left. All memory and record of them is purged from the world, and everything they have made, from children to nations, shall soon die alone, forgotten, and unloved. There will be no trace of them left in the world, for you have erased them.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard. 

 

Author’s Note: This isn’t limited to creatures. If this is used on a kingdom.. well brief moment of prosperity before the kingdom is wiped from the face of the earth and the memory of everything.

12. Grand Curse - Damnation Comes to All.

R: Sight T: Up to [dice] creatures or group of creatures D: permanent

Your target becomes cursed. Name [dice] horrible fates for them when you cast this spell, and it shall occur. To lift the curse, they must get sincere and genuine forgiveness for every wrong they have ever done, from the victims. If any of the targets die without lifting the curse, they go straight to hell. Dice used to cast this spell are automatically exhausted. You cannot dispel your own curses.

Cost: Doom of the Animist Wizard.

Author’s Note: Again. You can hit a kingdom with this. Or kingdoms even. I can totally imagine a player doing something crazy like turning a kingdom into vampires.. then making it so it’s always day in the kingdom. Really this lets you just bust out Old Testament curses on people if you feel like it.

-On Grand Animist Wizards-

The response to these by civilized society is always the same. A crusade to kill them. To kill them and whoever or whatever let them get so powerful in the first place. Why? Simple.

The Doom of a Animist Wizard turns them into a monster. A thing of hunger and want, yet still capable of wielding magic. When a Grand Animist succumbs to their Final Doom.. They become more then that.

They become a Demon. A thing of pollution and creeping entropy, who’s very presence ruins the world, which can wield terrible magic. All that was good in them, all that was them, has melted away, consumed by endless greed and power. A hollow hole in the world that can only be filled with death.

Perhaps they take the form of a beast made of purple smoke that stains the sky. A living river of corruption, dotted with hateful eyes.  Living darkness that consumes all light. Whatever it is, their flesh becomes curses and if left unchecked the world will suffer and decay. For it is a living calamity with no traces of who they once where. And as such, it‘s birth cannot be allowed to occur..

[This is the kind of Demon I mean, a living disaster that brings forth ruin.

Image belongs to Nintendo]

Grand Spellcasting - High Powered Spells for the GLOG

 This post is a addition to the normal GLOG spellcasting system. (Best post on that is found here: https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2017/07/osr-condensed-spellcasting-rules.html?m=1)

I adore the idea of Dooms, as a tangible risk to Magic that dooms all wizards, which contributes to the OSR’s weird fantasy themes. however they rarely come up in play. However on the OSR discord, we where discussing how Mishaps and Dooms weren’t common enough. The idea of willingly suffering a Mishap or Doom to supercharge a spell you cast came up, which led me to this.

At the fourth class template, a GLOG wizard or other MD using class can gain the following feature with the GM’s Permission: 

Grand Spellcasting: You can cast the Grand version of spells you already know. Each spell has a Grand Version, a super-powered spell that does at least one of the following: 

• Does what the original spell did but far better. (Ie Grand Fireball flat out incinerates anything in the AoE instead of dealing [sum] damage).
• Breaks the rules of the original spell. (Ie Grand Raise Dead can return a dead creature to *true* life.)
• Makes the effects of the spell permanent. (Ie a creature sent to sleep by Grand Sleep is not waking up at all, not without outside help.)

If you do not have Grand Spellcasting, then you may be able to find Grand Spells through play, as rewards for high level dungeons or such. 

Casting a Grand Spell has a cost though. No matter what, when you cast a Grand Spell, you will suffer the Doom of the original spell’s School, though for spells with the concentration duration, the Doom will apply when concentration ends. This counts towards your three doom limit/progression, but only for spells of that school. In combat, casting one is incredibly obvious, as even the lowest of vermin can sense the power channeled to cast a Grand Spell. Casting a Grand Spell takes a entire round by default, and the spell only goes off on the start of caster’s next turn, if the caster is still alive. 

(This kind of fire power. Source: Wrath of God by Kev Walker, for the MTG card of the same name, which is the intellectual property of Hasbro and Wizard of the Cost.)

I will now give the Grand Spells of Skerple’s Orthodox Wizard(https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2018/01/osr-orthodox-wizards.html?m=1 ) as examples of this concept.

Grand Spell Template

Grand [Base Spell] - [Unique name of the Grand Spell]

R: [range], T: [target], D: [Duration]

[Effect]

Cost: [which school’s Doom it inflicts on you]

1. Grand Lock - Eternal Ward

R: Sight, T: [Up to Sum + Level] Objects you can see, D: Permanent.

Each of the targets becomes magically locked, and can only be opened with your permission or if [Dice] conditions of your choice per object are met. You can close these objects with a thought. These objects do not have to be doors or such, anything that can be argued to be opened and closed(such a sword that is sheathed in it’s scabbard), can be effected. 

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard.

2. Grand Knock - Sunder All Barriers

R: Sight, T: [Up to Sum + Level] objects, D: 0.

The targets are destructively forced open, no matter what. Only Eternal Ward can prevent this. Heavy doors are thrown open, lesser doors are turned  to dust. Locks shatter, bindings disintegrate. Any creatures targeted must save or have their bodies violently opened, gutting them like a fish.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard.

3. Grand Grease - Sea of Incandescent Oil 

R: Sight' T: surface D: [dice]x2 weeks. 

Can be cast directly on a creature or [sum * dice]100’ x 100’ surfaces. Creatures moving across the area must Save vs Dexterity or drop held objects, or, if moving, drop prone.  In addition if the Oil is exposed to fire, it all instantly bursts into clingy green fire that deals [dice + level] damage per round, and can only be extinguished by completely dunking the flames in water.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard.

4. Grand Force Field - Aegis of Forgotten Heavens

R: Sight' T: One creature or one location with a radius of [sum] Miles or less. D: Permanent.

Creates a shimmering force field that looks like transparent black lighting arching from a five pointed star, 10‘ larger then the target and centered around the target. It has 5 HP, however all attacks that deal less rhen [Dice + Sum] damage do no damage to it, and all attacks that deal [Dice + Sum] or more damage only deal 1 damage to it.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard.

5. Grand Levitate - Embrace of The Devil’s Might

R: Sight, T: [Sum + Level] creatures or objects D: concentration 

You will the targets and all of their components to move in any direction, even inwards on themself you cannot move them more than [Sum]* 10' per turn. Maximum weight is [dice]x500 tons per target. Lasts as long as you concentrate, but each round after [dice] rounds you suffer a mishap. Any damage directly done by this spell deals [sum] damage.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard. 

6. Grand Magic Missile - Arrows of The Scorned God

R: See effect, T: [Up to sum] beings you know the name of, D: 0.

As you cast this spell, name each target of this spell, with a orb of light forming with each target named. (In combat, you can name a target per round.) When you name the last target, the orbs transform into arrows of light that hunt down their target, moving at light speed. If the target is within one Light Year of you, they will be hit, and on a hit they must Save or Die. Creatures of [Dice + 2] HD or less automatically die. On a success they take [Sum * 2] damage.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard. 

7. Grand Feather Fall - The Gift of Heaven’s Freedom

R: Sight T: [Up to Sum + Level] creatures or objects of [Sum] x 100 tons or less each D: [Dice] days. 

The targets gain the ability to telekinetically fly at a rate of their movement * [Dice], and do not fall unless they will it. Objects effected merely cannot fall without being pushed by a creature and become as light as a feather instead.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard. 

8. Grand Sleep - Slumber Until The Stars Die

R: Sight T: See effect D: Permanent.

Targets must Save falls into a magical slumber, does not age while under the spell’s effect and can't be awoken by anything but your verbal command or a condition of your choice being met. Non-alert, unaware targets are not allowed a Save. Can affect [sum * Dice] HD’s worth creatures. If [sum] is at least 4 times a effected creature's HD, it gets no save.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard. 

9. Grand Light - The Sun Shall Descend

R: Sight T: a point you can see D: [dice]x2 weeks

A small sun appears at the point you designate. It has a radius of [dice] * 10’, and sheds light as the sun for [dice + sum] miles. Anything that is inside of the sun is disintegrated unless it is immune to fire. Creatures within [dice + sum]’ of the mini sun take [sum] damage per minute, and creatures farther away yet still within the range of it’s light take [dice] damage per hour spent in the light due to the heatwave it causes. The sunlight’s color is chosen when you cast it, but making it octarine is.. ill advised.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard. 

10. Grand Wizard Vision - Crown of the Akashic Watcher

R: Self T: Self D: Permanent

You permanently become aware of all magic within [dice] * 20’ of you, and what said magic does, as well as become immune to illusions and magical darkness. You can read/learn the history of everything within the radius, and as a action, force one thing that fits within the radius to Save or have [dice] facts about it’s past changed by you, but this cannot prevent it from having entered the radius in the first place. Large enough changes to the past will summon 1d4 (exploding) Paradox Angels(https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2017/05/osr-creature-paradox-angels.html?m=1) who will then try to kill you and everything nearby. In addition you mutate in some obvious and grand way that calls to mind a crown, such as gaining a halo or a nest of demonic horns growing from your head.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard. 

11. Grand Prismatic Ray - Rainbow of Infinite Destruction 

R: See Target’ T: A 100’(length) by 15’(width) beam originating from the caster, D: Concentration 

Fire a raging rainbow colored laser of destruction. Roll a 1d8 up to [Dice] + 1 times, rerolling duplicates, to determine the make up and effects of the beam.

-1. Red: Everything flammable in the beam bursts into flame and takes [sum] damage per round until the flames are put out.

-2. Orange: Everything in the beam that weighs [sum] tons or less takes [sum * 2] bludgeoning damage and is sent flying out of the beam, length wise.

-3. Yellow: Everything within the beam takes takes [sum * 2] lightning damage, and becomes magnetically attracted to everything magnetic for [dice] hours.

-4. Green: All metal in the beam is corroded into rust, and all living things in the beam lose [dice] HD. If this reduces them to 0 or less HD, they are corroded into nothing.

-5. Blue: Everything in the beam must save or die by being frozen solid. +4 to the save if Red is selected.

-6: Indigo: Everything in the beam with [dice] or less HD in the beam dies. Anything that is slain by the beam  or any corpse touched by the beam, will rise as a zombie loyal to the user in [dice] minutes. 

-7: Violet: Everything in the beam takes [sum * dice] damage and is blinded, and anything besides the caster that looks at the beam must Save or take half the damage and be blinded for [dice] weeks. 

-8: Octarine: Reality within the beam is torn asunder. Anything caught in the beam is instantly afflicted with the effect of a random damaging spell, casted with 4 MD, with the roll of each treated as 6. For the next [dice] weeks, the effects of a random spell happen to: Everything touched by the beam and everything that looked at the beam besides the caster.

As a action, the caster can move the beam up to 10 degrees in any direction, but for each round the beam is active beyond the first they lose 1 max HP. The effects of the beam go off during the turns of the caster.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard.

12. Grand Fireball - Let Loose The Fires of Hell

R: Sight' T: One point you can see. D: 0 

Everything within a radius up to [dice] * 50’ long, centered around the targeted point, including the caster, is instantly incinerated by a massive sphere of hellfire that takes up the radius. The resulting shockwave flattens everything within [sum * level] miles of the target, dealing [sum + level] * [dice + level] bludgeoning damage to everything it touches, including the caster.

Cost: Doom of the Orthodox Wizard.

Notes: Casting this without a way to survive the shockwave will kill you. If you are caught in the fireball itself, you will die no ifs or buts about it.

Handling Grand Spells

While at first glance these spells look overpowered as hell remember the following. The mildest doom, ie that of the Orthodox Wizard, robs you of your ability to use magic permanently when it reaches the third doom. And that casting one of these will draw attention from *every* major player due to the sheer power of these spells. In other words. Balance them by being harsh as hell with the Dooms and having serious in game consequences for knowledge of casting these getting out. Such as entire factions making strong arming or killing the caster a immediate goal.

The Lake that Hates

It is a lake, set in a thick and heavy forest. A forest filled with rotten ruins. Dotted with towns, many half empty. Yet the soil is fertile and the woods rich with wood. The waters are a mirror like grey, the lake deep and pure. The lakebed is home to countless caves, a few half above the water.  Many rivers feed from it, by means of the underwater caves. The waters hate you.

The waters are home to a demonic spirit, a shapeless being tied to the water. It hates. Again and again when it’s forest has been approached upon, it will call all those who have drank of it. It will call the fools to it’s waters. They will walk in and drown, of their own free will. The bottom of the lake and it’s caves are covered in corpses. Sometimes it makes these corpses crawl out of the waters and drag more people into them, kicking and screaming as the waxy and bloated faces of their mothers and brothers and daughters are all filled with hatred, cold and raw.

These corpses, are the Drowned. They are the spirit’s hands and eyes, as it’s power is limited beyond the scope of the waters. Their souls have been devoured, the void filled with the hatred of the Lake. When struck, their flesh bleeds not blood, but water.

They crawl from the water and enter the town, adorned in soaking rags. They seed the wells with the waters of the lake, silently abducting the unlucky in the dead of night. Anyone, especially children who enter those haunted waters risk never returning, as clammy hands wrap around limbs, and in a instant, pull. Dragged down into the water in a heartbeat, those waterlogged claws pry open the mouth, rotten feet and knees slamming into the lungs, forcing out air and letting in water. Struggle in vain, waste your breath, close your eyes, and soon death will come. 

Deaths by drowning and abduction, reports of corpses crawling out of the water at the dead of night, all leading to a town walking into the water, never to be seen again. 

And when that fails. When it encounters resistance or a threat that it’s Drowned cannot defeat, it’s shadow concentrates as Drowned gather, forming a soaking amalgamation of driftwood, rot, and marrow. They scream in the voices of your friends and family, begging you to join them, or scorning you with all their hatred.

They lumber after you, rotten limbs like clubs smashing the unwary into the ground, before dragging them into the reach of a dozen hungry maws. From the maws and the wounds comes water, twitching, lashing, hating streams and burst and whips of water.

The shadow of the Lake that Hates grows with every day. It’s touch corrupts water into a worthy vessel, spreading through lakes and water ways like a ancient virus. 

It cannot be allowed to reach the ocean snd the seven seas, no matter what.

—————

The Drowned

HD/HP: 1d8

AC/Defense: As Leather

Movement: As Human, twice as fast as human.

Attacks: Grasp(1d6 + Grab), and any weapon they have grabbed.

Special Abilities: 

Takes half damage from fire.

What one perceives/knows, they all perceive/know.

+1d6 Damage to all melee attacks per Drowned that is next to them.

——————

1d6 Plot Hooks of the Lake that Hates

1: The blacksmith’s daughter has gone missing. She was complaining about hearing wet thumps, below the floorboards of her room.

2: The crew of a ship that set sail down the river have all turned up dead, on the shores of the town. They all drowned, and yet are.. smiling. The town priest will pay handsomely if you figure out why.

3: Someone the party cares about has gone missing, and where last seen waking towards the lake.

4: One of the party members is having horrible nightmares of being drowned by the water logged corpses of the other party members. The farther away from a body of water they get, the worse the nightmares.

5: A wizard has gone mad after using the water for divinations. They  bounce between drinking nothing and allowing no one they see to drink, to attempting to drown as many people as possible. The mayor wants the party to deal with them.

6: The party awakes to find their campsite surrounded by wet footprints, the air smelling of wet rot. Something has been taken, and the footprints lead to the nearest water source.