Fantasy Core RPG: The Witch Part 1

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.
Fantasy Core PDF 
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NPC Index

The Witch

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Spell Level Limit
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	1
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	1
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	2
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	2
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	3
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	3
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	4
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	4
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	5
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	5

Description: This is an ancient tradition, the origins of which are lost to time.  Witches gain their magical powers via a Pact with a supernatural entity.  Knowledge of this Pact is usually generational, passed down among female family members.  This arrangement only works for women.  While Witches who Coven together do not need to be related, there needs to be a familial blood bond between a teacher and a student.

● Witches are normally part of a Coven.  This association can take all sorts of forms, such as a loose band, trading spells and for mutual protection; a tripartite family affair of grandmother, mother, and daughter; or a business or cause-related group.  Individual Witches and Covens may sell their services, often in exchange for future favors.  Witches may be in the employ of individuals, communities, and cults.  Witches themselves often employ adventurers for protection or errands.

● Note: Many Witch abilities are listed here as optional.  Given the non-standard training of any given Witch, it is certainly possible that different Witches might have different powers and specialties.  The Three-Fold Law is a real Witch belief, but using that and demonic Pacts are up to you.

Hit Die: d6.

Prime Ability: Int and Wis.

Subprime Abilities: Str and Con.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Witches are proficient with daggers and darts (both often covered in some sort of poison). They do not wear armor or use shields.   

Standard Starting Gear: 5+1d10 GP, 4 useful items, spellbook, parchment, quill and ink, spell paraphernalia pouch (good for preparing 2d4 spells), dagger, 4 darts.

Pact: Unlike Wizards and some other spellcasters, Witches do not have an inborn ability that allows them to cast spells.  Through a secret rite passed down through relatives, a Witch makes a Pact with a supernatural entity which gives them the spellcasting ability.  This entity is neutral and enforces that belief with the Three-Fold Law (see below).  This entity only wants the Witch as a conduit into the physical universe, probably for some existential voyeurism.  The Witch Pact is very potent.  While other supernatural Pacts can allow ungifted people to cast certain spells, this particular Pact allows any spell to be learned, including Epic level spells that even Wizards can’t cast. 

Witches may make a Pact with an “evil” entity, but only after becoming a Witch and making a separate Pact.  (See the Selling Your Soul entry below.)  Making such a deal and having child afterward that means having a Tiefling offspring, who are all born sterile.  Thus the Witch tradition could not be passed down past their direct offspring.   

In a practical sense, while can Witches can be about as powerful as a Wizard, casting is harder for someone without the natural ability.  Thus, Witches cast spells in a more complicated process.  Given their potential power and lacking an overseeing organization (like the Wizard Council) or a Divine mission (like the Paladins), everyone tends to be somewhat leery of Witches.  Except for those serving an evil entity though, Witches are not compelled to misuse their powers.

Magic Workshop: Witches have a permanent space where they store magical components, spellbooks, and other magic-related items.  This is where they enchant and recharge their Focuses via simple magical rituals.  If the space is shared amongst a tight-knit Coven, this is also where they cast their Ceremony spells.  The Workshop is probably hidden with permanent magical and mundane alarms and traps.  A Witches’ Familiar is likely to be keeping an eye on the place when at home. 

The Three-Fold Law (Optional Rule): “And it harm none, do as ye will,” is the Witch creed.  Those words are part of their supernatural Pact and enforced in a rather potent fashion.  Any magic used directly for selfish ends that harms another or acts of unwarranted aggression are visited back upon the Witch with three-fold intensity.  This retribution is not necessarily immediate, perhaps not even entirely commiserate with the act, but knowing that you’re going to be badly punished for abusing your powers is a potent self-regulating ethical mechanism.  (I’m not providing any game rules for this.  The punishment should be poetic, but never lethal, as continued suffering is part of the penalty.)

Wizards and Paladins know this.  What they also know is that any indiscriminate punishment against Witches, allows them to “take the gloves off.”  With the frighteningly potent ability of Witches to Coven, any unwarranted retribution against individual Witches or the group as a whole could have disastrous consequences.  For now, the Council and the Elders have to live with unsanctioned magic-users practicing their craft and hoping that only a few of them go bad.  You see, there’s a small loophole to this Three-Fold rule (see below).

Selling Your Soul (Optional Rule): While the debt of evil magic use has to be paid, it doesn’t necessarily have to be paid in your lifetime.  There are demonic entities that will take on that burden for you while you live, and the price is paid in the afterlife.  All it takes is an individual with magic powers finding the right names of the entity, a blood-letting sacrifice in a magic ritual, and swearing an oath.  Suddenly, the Witch is immune to the Three-Fold law in this lifetime and can cast whatever spell they want for any reason.  You can even get favors from your patron for bringing others into their service. 

Some entities will want an actual contract (written in blood) that spells out the terms of the arrangement.  “The devil is in the details” as they say, often spelling out regular tribute (usually human sacrifices) and an expiration date for the agreement (upon which the Witch goes to their final reward, unless they can find a willing substitute to buy themselves some extra time.)

Other Witches look askance at those making such deals, but may still have reciprocal arrangements with them for spell sharing and assistance.  (A Coven for mutual defense is usually voided by a member taking a demonic Pact, unless everyone takes part.  Most Witches will not enter into a mutual defense Coven with an “evil” Witch.  They make too many enemies.)  They’ll even work together against a common threat.  It’s telling that there’s no equivalent pejorative, such as “Warlock” (oath-breaker), for such Witches, as there is for Wizards.  (Baba Yaga and Glenda the Good both have the title of “Witch.”)  The Sisterhood is strong.  “Good” (really neutral) Witches will neither help or hurt those hunting “evil” Witches unless such Witch has done them direct harm.  If there’s such a thing as a “morally ambiguous high ground,” the Witches have it staked out.

Of course, with any large society of women, there’s going to be cliques, cat-fighting, and rumor-mongering like a High School Girls’ locker room.  With the slightest pretext, they’ll go after each other with their full magical arsenal, bringing in their girlfriends if they can.  In the meantime, they snipe at their rivals and try to destroy their reputations amongst their peers and in their community.  Just like Wizards, the big egos of magic-users and their coveting of others’ magic spells ensures that most alliances are just temporary.            

Any given Witch already has tremendous potential power, and they may use those powers, without fear of supernatural retribution, against anyone who has harmed them.

Any Witch enacting a “Soul-selling” Pact, or even seeking such knowledge, is doing so ONLY for selfish and murderous reasons.  After they’ve done it, there are no ethics or morals left in the individual.  Any deal with an evil Witch is only honored by them if it is enforced by a greater power than theirs. 

Spells

A Witch begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level Wizard spells plus one 1st-level spell of the player's choice. For each point of Int bonus the Witch has, the spellbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of their choice. With each new level, Witches gain two new spells of their choice, up to the highest level they can cast, from their coven or from trading with other Witches.  New spells (including ones bought, bartered, found, and stolen) must be copied into their spellbook and practiced before being used in the field. Assume a day per spell.

Spellcasting

Witches must prepare spells before using them.  They enchant an object, a Focus, with the spell and then activate the spell with it.  Focuses can include wands, rings, amulets, and so on.  A Witch may prepare Focuses equal to ½ level (up to 5 max).  Each Focus may be charged with spells up to the Witches’ Int Bonus (4 max).  So, a 10^th level Witch may have 20 prepared spells on them at the absolute top level.  Unless permanently enchanted (see below), these Focuses are completely replaceable for the Witch and are essentially useless to anyone else.

If they are preparing Focuses at their magic workshop (or someone else’s fully stocked one), success is automatic and can be done within an hr per Focus.  Recharging a Focus in the field (assuming they have access to magic components), requires a Spellcheck: Int bonus + ½ level vs. DC 12 + Spell Level and takes 1 turn to place 1 spell on 1 Focus.  With 3 consecutive failures to recharge a Focus, all magic use is suspended pending 1 hr of rest.

To activate a prepared spell from a Focus, another Spellcheck is made, but with different stats: Wis bonus + ½ level vs. DC 10 + Spell Level is necessary to activate the spell.  (Cantrips are DC 8.)  With 3 cumulative failures in a turn/encounter, all magic use is suspended pending 1 turn of rest.  The charge in the Focus is not used until the Witch successfully activates it.

The Spell Level Limit is the highest spell level that a Witch can cast.  A spellcaster must roll to activate a spell, even if their Spell Check is greater than the spell’s DC.  A Natural 1 is a Botch, meaning all spellcasting is immediately suspended until the caster has had 1 turn of rest.  A Saving Throw against a spell has a DC of 12 + 1/2 caster level.

Individual Witches may NOT cast Ceremony spells or spells over 5^th level.  A Coven is required for all of them (See Coven section below).

Forbidden Spells (Optional Rule)

Some spells on the Spell List have been marked as Forbidden.  Typically, these would be spells summoning monsters, creating undead (Animate Dead), or spells of mass destruction. They are not taught or commonly available and should be considered rare in the extreme. 

Individual Witches may have ethical issues with casting these spells, but there is no “Witches Council” regulating such actions and nor do they recognize the Wizard Council as having any authority over them.  There’s no love lost between these groups.  (Female Wizards are often seen as sell-outs, and the Witches absolutely despise “Pixies” for obvious, petty reasons.)  The Wizard Council and Paladins will intervene against any Witch caught using Forbidden spells, but otherwise they generally leave Witches alone (because of their Coven abilities), though their disdain for openly un-regulated spellcasters is palatable.  

Witch Continued

Fantasy Core RPG: Druid Spells

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.
Fantasy Core PDF 
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Druid Spell List

These are the spells available to Druids.  They are taught all the spells in a given level.  This knowledge is all orally taught; they have no spellbooks.  Druids focus on natural and elemental forces.  The example here is assuming an arboreal/forest-based group.  Druids (or rather Druid-like groups) could also be present in jungle, swamp, arctic, and desert environments.  They would have spells more suited to their region.

0-LEVEL DRUID CANTRIPS (DC 10 to cast)

Arcane Mark: Inscribes a personal rune (visible or invisible).  Permanent unless removed by Dispel Magic.  (Caster Check, those set by the Druids on their members are done with the Supreme Grand Master Council are at DC 17)

Create Water: Creates 2 gallons/level of pure water.

Detect Poison: Detects poison in one creature or object.

Ghost Sound or Lights: Figment sounds or lights.  (DC 12 Will Sv to distract)

Know Direction: You discern north.

Light: Object shines like a torch.

Purify Food and Drink: Purifies 1 cu. ft./level of food or water.

1ST-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS (DC 13 to cast)

Calm Animals: Calms (2d4 + level) HD of animals. (Will Sv)

Charm Animal: Makes one animal your friend. Lasts 1 day or 1 encounter.  (Will Sv)

Entangle: Plants entangle everyone in 40-ft.-radius. (Ref Sv to avoid. DC 18 Str to break or Escape Artist skill.)

Obscuring Mist: Fog surrounds you.  Lasts 1 turn.

Burning Hands: 4 + Spellcheck fire damage + 1d4 continuing damage until extinguished. (Ref Sv all damage) Close range.

Goodberry: 2d4 berries each cure 1 hp (max 8 hp/24 hours).

Obscuring Mist: Fog surrounds you.  0 Bonuses to make a Ranged attack.

Pass without Trace: One subject/level leaves no tracks for 1 turn.  DC 18 to Track.

Shocking Grasp: 4 + Spellcheck electrical damage + Stun 1 rd. (Ref Sv all damage) Close range.

Speak with Animals: You can communicate with animals.

2ND-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS (DC 14 to cast)

Animal Messenger: Sends a Tiny animal to a specific place.

Animal Trance: Fascinates 2d6 HD of animals for 1 turn/encounter.

Barkskin: Grants +2 (or higher) enhancement to natural armor.  Lasts for 1 turn/encounter.

Delay Poison: Stops poison from harming subject for 1 hour/level.

Fireball: 6 + Spellcheck fire damage + 1d6 continuing damage until extinguished, 20-ft. radius. (Ref Sv ½ damage) Medium range.

Fog Cloud: Fog obscures vision.  Fills immediate area. 0 Bonuses to Melee or Ranged attack.

Gust of Wind: Blows away or knocks down smaller creatures, holds larger creatures 1 rd.

Spider Climb: Grants ability to walk on walls and ceilings. 1 turn/level.

Summon Swarm: Summons swarm of bats, rats, or spiders. No damage, but causes a constant distraction until warded off, 1 rd.

Tree Shape: You look exactly like a tree for 1 hour/level.

Warp Wood: Bends wood (shaft, handle, door, plank).  (Ref Sv if trying to disrupt a wooden weapon.)

Wood Shape: Rearranges wooden objects to suit you.  5’ area/level.  Permanent.

3RD-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS (DC 15 to cast)

Diminish Plants: Reduces size or blights growth of normal plants.  10’ area/level.  Plant based creatures will flee.

Lightning Bolt: 6 + Spellcheck electrical damage + Stun 1 rd + Knocked Down. (Ref Sv ½ damage) Medium range.

Meld into Stone: You and your gear merge with stone, 1 hour/level.

Speak with Plants: You can talk to normal plants and plant creatures.

Stone Shape: Sculpts stone into any shape. 10’ area/level.  Permanent.

Water Breathing: Subjects can breathe underwater. 1 turn/level.

Wind Wall: Deflects arrows, smaller creatures, and gases. Encounter.

4TH-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS (DC 16 to cast)

Chain Lightning: 10 + Spellcheck electrical damage + Stun 1 rd + Knocked Down + Two secondary bolts 4 + Spellcheck damage + Stun 1 rd. All three bolts may be aimed at different targets. (Ref Sv ½ damage) Medium range main bolt, Short range, secondary.

Control Water: Raises or lowers bodies of water.

Control Weather: Changes weather in local area. 1 day/level.

Shapechange: May take the form of any normal small, medium, or large natural creature with their stats and abilities.  Lasts for 1 turn/encounter.  Requires 1 rd to shift form. 

5TH-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS (DC 17 to cast)

Earthquake: Intense tremor shakes 80-ft.-radius.  Everyone in area (except the caster) is knocked prone.  Fragile structures collapse.

Move Earth: Digs trenches and build hills. 10'/level

Passwall: Creates passage through wood or stone wall. 1 turn/level.

Stoneskin: Ignore 10 points of damage per attack.  Lasts 1 turn/encounter.

Stone Tell: Talk to natural or worked stone.

Transmute Mud to Rock: Transforms two 10-ft. cubes per level. Lasts 1 turn/level

Transmute Rock to Mud: Transforms two 10-ft. cubes per level. Lasts 1 turn/level

Wall of Fire: 8 + Spellcheck fire damage + 1d8 continuing damage until extinguished out to 10 ft. and 1d6 out to 20 ft. Passing through wall deals x2 damage. Lasts 1 rd per ½ level. (Ref Sv ½ damage to avoid initial appearance.) Short range.

Fantasy Core RPG: The Druid

FANTASY CORE RPG
(c) Jerry Harris, 2012
Published here as Open Game Content.
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NPC Index

The Druid

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Druid Spell Level Limit/Call Com.
1st Initiate	+1	+0	+0	+2	1
2nd Initiate	+2	+0	+0	+3	1
3rd Acolyte	+3	+1	+1	+3	2+Call 1 HD
4th Acolyte	+4	+1	+1	+4	2
5th Master	+5	+1	+1	+4	3+Call 2 HD
6th Master	+6	+2	+2	+5	3
7th High Master	+7	+2	+2	+5	4+Call 3 HD
8th High Master	+8	+2	+2	+6	4
9th Grand Master	+9	+3	+3	+6	5+Call 4 HD
10th Supreme G. Master	+10	+3	+3	+7	5+Permanent Call

Description: Members of a very long-standing mystical nature cult with their own inscrutable goals (in other words, up to the Ref).  Druids gain their magical abilities via a Pact with nature spirit present in their native environment.  Groups may keep to themselves, actively protect their native environment and sacred shrines, or even use their powers to actually rule over some backwoods and barbarian areas. 

Hit Die: d8.

Prime Abilities: Wis and Dex.

(Many skills otherwise requiring the Int stat, have replaced by the Wis stat for Druids.  This represents the nature of their teaching and their familiarity with their environment.  Out of their element, those skills would be figured normally.)

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Druid is proficient with scimitars, daggers, clubs, spears, javelins, short bows, and longbows and with light animal hide and rough hide, but not shields.  Their scimitars are ceremonially significant to the group and identify them as members.  (Other items could be used for such symbolic purposes.)

Standard Starting Gear: 5+1d10 GP, pack, 3 days rations, waterskin, 2 useful items, short bow, 20 arrow quiver, scimitar, dagger.

Crack Shot: A Druid may make a successful bow attack into a melee fight without making a Called Shot, but only making a single bow attack that rd.

Mounted Archery: A mounted Druid may make a ranged bow attack with their full BAB, but only a single attack.

Animal Companion (Optional Rule)

Druids have an innate magical ability to call upon a Companion creature when in their native environment.  It is not an actual animal, but a supernatural force taking the form of a natural animal native to the Druid’s normal environment.  For the forest, it could take the form of a wolf, a mountain lion, a bear, a stag, and so on.  (Generally, the more HD, the bigger the type of creature.)  It is capable of traveling outside of that environment.

This ability is gained at 3^rd level and increases with every odd level.  It is a full rd action to call this companion, but success is automatic, and it will appear the next rd.  Druids may call their Companion once a day.  The creature will loyally and fearlessly serve for 8 hours (unless killed, or if the Druid is killed) before disappearing.  It may be Called again after the next sunrise. 

The stats for this creature take the same form as a Summoned Monster.  1^st Level Call: 1 HD, 8 hp, +1 to hit, 1d6+1 damage, Sv Ftr 1; 2^nd Level Call: 2 HD, 16 hp, +2 to hit, 1d6+2 damage, Sv as Ftr 2; and so on up to 5 HD. 

Exotic Mount: Druid High Masters (7^th and up) may use their Companion as a riding animal, such as taking the form of a Giant Stag or a Bear or any natural animal of their environment that could bear their weight.  This animal may still make their attack with a rider on them.

Permanently Called Companions:  Supreme Grand Masters will have permanently Called creatures in their service equal to their Wis Bonus, instead of having to Call for them.  Their stats would be 5 HD, 40 hp, +5 to hit, 1d6+5 damage, Sv as Ftr 5.  If killed, they can be Called again at the next sunrise.

Detection: A Druid may detect ambushes and traps adding Wis bonus + ½ level to the attempt, but only in the forest (or their normal environment). This does not apply to trapped items.

Stealth: A Druid may sneak and hide adding (Dex + Wis bonuses)/2 + ½ level to attempts, but only in the forest (or their normal environment).

Track: A Druid adds Wis bonus + ½ level to the attempt. Assume DC 12 for a fresh trail by someone not trying to hide, DC 18 on an old trail or by someone covering their tracks, but only in the forest (or their normal environment).

First Aid: A Druid knows how to apply first aid to heal the wounded.  Masters can also identify poison (DC 12) and treat poisoning (DC 18), Wis Bonus + ½ level. 

Spells

A Druid is taught their spells orally from their superior after they have been found worthy.  At every odd level, after an appropriate trial, they are given instruction and practice for week at their camp or lodge, and gain all of the spells of that Druid level.  (The Druid spell list follows this Class description.  These are the only spells they may cast.)  Druids start with all 0 and 1^st level spells.

Spellcasting

Druids may cast any spell they know by making a Spellcheck: Wis bonus + ½ level vs. DC 12 + Spell Level. (Cantrips are DC 10.)  With 2 cumulative failures in a turn/encounter, all magic use is suspended pending 1 turn of rest. The Spell Level Limit is the highest spell level that a Druid cast and only from their special spell list.  A spellcaster must roll to activate a spell, even if their Spell Check is greater than the spell’s DC.  A Natural 1 is a Botch, meaning all spellcasting is immediately suspended until the caster has had 1 turn of rest.  A Saving Throw against a spell has a DC of 12 + ½ caster level.

Druid Orgaization

Members must be initiated into the group with a dangerous task and a series of vows.  Thereafter, members must be further tried by a superior before attaining any odd level.  After the trial, they are given a new group of spells. 

Druid groups may be full-time outdoorsmen living at a hidden camp or lodge.  They might also be a part-time Secret Society, only congregating on ceremonial days at a temporary hidden camp around a temporarily erected shrine.  Those below the Master level will not know where the hidden site is.  They would have to be lead the location after being blindfolded or disoriented.

In either case, the main secret of the Druids is knowledge of the nature spirit which grants them powers and supernatural animal companions.  Outside of their environment, this spirit is obscure or completely unknown.  What the Druids’ end of the deal is to gain their powers is left undefined.  Perhaps sacrifice is required, killing any interlopers that see the nature spirit’s shrine (there should always be a dedicated shrine), or something else that outsiders would not approve of.  At the least, they will attempt to kill any members who leave or divulge knowledge of the group.    

Other character classes might be a part of the Druidic group.  Rangers, Barbarians and Fighters might be “muscle” guarding lodges and camps.  Wizards and Warlocks seeking magical knowledge in the wilderness may throw in with a group to get their help.  (Witches are not trusted however, because they’ve already made a supernatural Pact.)  Half-Elves may find Druids to be kindred spirits.  These individuals are allied with the cause, but are unable to gain Druidic abilities for whatever reason.   

Notes

Given a large enough wilderness with a sufficiently large population, why limit yourself to one group of Druids?  There could be a White Lodge Secret Society of settlers, dedicated to the protection and defense of the settlements (by any means necessary).  They train in the woods at a hidden camp, worshipping a somewhat beneficial nature deity, who keeps them all safe in return for some sort of sacrifice of malefactors.  There could be a Black Lodge Secret Society, where rich elitists from the nearest city congregate at during full moons to perform evil rites to a dark force in the woods.  They have a luxurious hidden lodge in the mountains.  There could a Red Lodge of hardcore survivalists deep in the woods.  They demand tribute and sacrifice from small settlements and barbarian tribes in the area.  Their motives and habitation is unknown.  

(Druids aren’t as martially good as a Ranger, nor as magically good as an Arcane Ranger, but at least you get a pet.  A Druid Player Character’s motivations would not be their own, unless they were on the run from them.  Certainly they could be dangerous enemies.  Encounters with a Master and a troop of Acolytes and Initiates could quickly go sideways for a group of Characters, if the Druids start Calling for Companion help.  Maybe this is why the Wizard Council and the Paladins don’t make much of an effort to root them all out.  The Companion rule was listed as optional, in case it seemed a bit too goofy.  Perhaps more pathetic Druidic cults don’t have access to this ability, or they have some trained large animals that serve the entire group.)  

Druid Spells