Crimson Blades is now available on RPGNow

#1 on RPGNow

I'm looking forward to giving it a solid read through over the weekend.
But for now I'll say that I really like the approach to HD and AC.

Incidentally, I'll be uploading a revised version when I've corrected a few minor typos and so on. The upload will include bookmarks. By the way, if anyone wants to leave reviews/ratings on RPGNow that'd be good (as long as they are good, that is! ).

I've been working on Crimson Lords, the supplement. I'm including three/four new classes (2 slightly modified from Woodland Warriors classes) - Wayfarers, Griots, Dragon Riders and maybe something derived from the Sawbones (from the "At SEa" supplement) . Here is the first

GRIOT
Griots are historians, storytellers, praise-singers, poet and/or musicians. The griot is a repository of oral tradition and is also often seen as something of a societal leader due to his or her traditional position as an adviser to royal personages. As a result of the former of these two functions a griot is called a bard or a skald in some regions of the Crimson Lands. A griot’s wit can be devastating and his or her knowledge of local history formidable. Although they are popularly known as "praise singers", griots may also use their vocal expertise for gossip, satire, or political comment.
 
Prime Attribute: Charisma. If CHA is 13+, you gain +5% to XP earned.
Primary Save: Will
Hit Dice: 1D6 at 1st level, then as the Griot Advancement table
Armour/Shield Permitted: Quilted, leather, chain no shields
Weapons Permitted: Light & medium only

Summoning: Whilst griots aren’t known to be summoners, they are actually able to summon either undead or demons of knowledge (chosen at outset). This is how they know so much – if they want to know about a battle, they summon the shade of someone who was there; if they want to know about a specific place or artifact, they summon a demon knowledgeable of these things. They don’t do this in public, of course. Griots aren’t known to bind their undead or demons, but that isn’t to say they aren’t able to.
 
At 1st level, the griot chooses which of the following skills will be his primary (best), which will be secondary and which will be tertiary (least good). He or she chooses two skills for each category. Most of these skills assume the griot is carrying out the task at some speed or under a degree of pressure. If the griot has time, the GM could give a small bonus; say +1 to the roll. Some skills benefit from good equipment. These abilities aren't available to other classes.

Followers: Griots are able to gain followers as if they were hirelings, without the need to pay them, by making a successful roll. They can also add 1 follower to the normal number of hirelings allowed for every level of griot.
 
King’s Ear: Some griots advance to such a position that wherever they go they are welcomed by the nobility of that land. This connection provides status and a certain level of protection (Griotic Immunity) from the law. In the griot’s homeland, this protection is absolute (though violating the laws of the land can sometimes lead to trouble for the griot). In other lands this can be a little less certain. Mostly, this is role-played, but when used during a confrontation, a griot can invoke his or her Griotic Immunity by succeeding the die roll. It functions as the sorcerer spell sanctuary but only against people that can hear and understand the griot. It lasts for 1 turn per level. It has no effect on monsters or animals.
 
Performance: A griot can spin a web of words to attract an audience. Creatures must be able to hear and understand the Griot to be affected. Affected creatures take a -2 penalty to Notice checks (as they are so fascinated by the web of words the griot is creating). This is useful as a distraction for various purposes.
 
Suggestion: A Griot can subtly work a suggestion into their tales once per day, like the sorcerer spell. The target is entitled to a Will save. Observers must make a notice check to spot the suggestion being used against them.
 
Trained Memory: A griot forgets little of what he or she knows. If he or she takes the time to memorize something, he or she can recite it perfectly at any later date with a successful roll. The time taken depends on the thing to be memorized, but as a rule of thumb it takes three times as long to memorize a piece of text as it takes to simply look over it.
 
Voice: A griot has an incredible vocal skill and can perform a number of almost magical effects with his or her voice. He or she can “throw” his or her voice, to make it appear to come from another location. A griot can also mimic other people’s voices and accents if they’ve heard them before and can also make simple sound effects with their voices – animals in the forest, doors opening, floorboards creaking etc.
 
Griotic School: At 10th level, a Griot is called a Master Griot and can establish his own school for students of poetry, music and entertainment. It will attract a number of paying students eager to learn more.
 

Last edited by Simon W (6/07/2014 12:02 am)