Sunday 15 May 2011

Community random table: Sacrifices to cosmic powers

Spoiler warning (at the top this time ;) -- players in my Labyrinth Lord game are advised to not read the table entries.

In my Labyrinth Lord game I've been allowing the use of carousing as a means of gaining additional XP (using a system based on Jeff's party like it's 999). One of the players in particular (and notably the only character who's made it to 2nd level thus far) has been making a lot of use of the carousing option, and it's worked out really well so far.

I've always had in mind that another way for characters to gain extra XP by spending gold is to make sacrifices to various cosmic powers (deities, demi-gods, demons, devils, etc), the idea being that the favour of the power in question aids the character (which equates to XP). But of course, very different events can occur while gambling & boozing to those which can occur while supplicating oneself to a deity -- we need another table! Here's a few ideas to start things rolling, but any community input would be awesome! I'm hoping for a d30 table in the end, with some beneficial and some not so beneficial side-effects. By the way, I'm assuming that most cosmic powers are vain, selfish, and weird, so pretty much anything goes!

1. The cosmic power grants the character an additional blessing -- the one-off ability to cast a 1st level clerical spell.
2. While in the temple, a priest tells the character that he has seen him / her in a dream and that he / she is destined to become a powerful instrument of the cosmic power. (If this ever manifests, and where it may lead, is up to the DM.)
3. The character becomes obsessed with the cosmic power, and will make an equal or greater sacrifice the next time he has sufficient funds.
4. The cosmic power sees fit to transmute the character into a more pleasing form (depends on the power's whim) for the next 1d4 sessions. Save vs polymorph to avoid.
5. The blessing is great -- gain 1d6 hit points during the next session.
6. A quest is placed upon the character.
7. The cosmic power is "not available", or some astral wires have got crossed, and the blessing -- roll again -- is provided by a different power to the one intended; in most cases, this will be an allied or friendly power, but there is a 1 in 6 chance that the recipient will be an opposed or at least mischievous entity. (kelvingreen)
8. For the next week, animals will be terrified of the character. (anarchist)
9. For the next d30 days, all worshippers of the cosmic power will be unable to look the character in the eye. They will not be aware that they are doing this. (kelvingreen)
10. For the next d4 days, the character can see in the dark. If they could do so already, there is no effect. (kelvingreen)
11. For the next d8 days, the character will hear an angelic choir at all times. If the character understands the language of these angels, they will discover that the choir is narrating -- in song -- the character's actions as they take them, in a suitably bombastic manner. No one else will be able to hear this choir, except for a cleric of the cosmic power, if they roll under their level on a d20. (kelvingreen)
12. The character acquires the company of a cat which will follow them everywhere. It will hiss at and urinate on anyone who, in its opinion, is not showing the character due deference and will bestow +1 on all saving throws for the character and anyone conducting themselves in a sufficiently obsequious fashion towards its new-found friend. Should anything 'happen' to the cat, the character will begin to manifest feline behavioural traits (up to the DM to decide) until he/she has made sufficient contritional sacrifices at the temple. (Daddy Grognard)
13. The ground is now not holy enough for the character to be in contact with and he/she will consequently hover about 2" above it at all times. (Daddy Grognard)
14. Women of childbearing age will become driven by a strange desire to bestow gifts of fruit upon the character. (Daddy Grognard)
15. Some time during the next 1d4 sessions, the character receives a visitation from an emissary of the power. If the character is a cleric of the power, the emissary will test him / her in some way. Otherwise the emissary will "suggest" that the character should swear an oath of loyalty (whatever this may imply) to the power.
16. The character awakes the next morning to find a holy symbol of the cosmic power on his or her person.
17. The character acquires the ability to bring back the dead to life merely by being nearby (range is at DM's discretion). This of course means everything that has died, including the meat and fish in the kitchens, the animal skins that nobles wear around their necks, the inhabitants of local graveyards, who might have been enjoying their eternal rest... (and if the DM wants to be particularly annoying, leather boots and armour might start going Mooo....) (Daddy Grognard)

14 comments:

  1. 7. The cosmic power is "not available", or some astral wires have got crossed, and the blessing -- roll again -- is provided by a different power to the one intended; in most cases, this will be an allied or friendly power, but there is a 1 in 6 chance that the recipient will be an opposed or at least mischievous entity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 8 For the next week, animals will be terrified of the character.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent idea. I like the whole carousing thing, although have yet to try it, but it seemed to be missing something. This is it. It wouldn't be hard to knock up something similar for say magic-users investing their treasure in furthering their magical research through experiments, with varying results.

    ReplyDelete
  4. austrodavicus, I was thinking the exact same thing earlier today!

    ReplyDelete
  5. 9. For the next d30 days, all worshippers of the cosmic power will be unable to look the character in the eye. They will not be aware that they are doing this.

    10. For the next d4 days, the character can see in the dark. If they could do so already, there is no effect.

    11. For the next d8 days, the character will hear an angelic choir at all times. If the character understands the language of these angels, they will discover that the choir is narrating -- in song -- the character's actions as they take them, in a suitably bombastic manner. No one else will be able to hear this choir, except for a cleric of the cosmic power, if they roll under their level on a d20.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brilliant Kelvin, love the angelic choir! :) This is why collaborative creation is great -- other people seem to have a knack of coming up with stuff one would never come up with oneself!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The character acquires the company of a cat which will follow them everywhere. It will hiss at and urinate on anyone who, in its opinion, is not showing the character due deference and will bestow +1 on all saving throws for the character and anyone conducting themselves in a sufficiently obsequious fashion towards its new-found friend. Should anything 'happen' to the cat, the character will begin to manifest feline behavioural traits (up to the DM to decide) until he/she has made sufficient contritional sacrifices at the temple.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh yes, and that'll be number 12. Sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 13. The ground is now not holy enough for the character to be in contact with and he/she will consequently hover about 2" above it at all times.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 14. Women of childbearing age will become driven by a strange desire to bestow gifts of fruit upon the character.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Daddy G. -- love the ambiguity of the phrase "gifts of fruits"!

    ReplyDelete
  12. 15. Some time during the next 1d4 sessions, the character receives a visitation from an emissary of the power. If the character is a cleric of the power, the emissary will test him / her in some way. Otherwise the emissary will "suggest" that the character should swear an oath of loyalty (whatever this may imply) to the power.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 16. The character awakes the next morning to find a holy symbol of the cosmic power on his or her person.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 17. The character acquires the ability to bring back the dead to life merely by being nearby (range is at DM's discretion). This of course means everything that has died, including the meat and fish in the kitchens, the animal skins that nobles wear around their necks, the inhabitants of local graveyards, who might have been enjoying their eternal rest...
    (and if the DM wants to be particularly annoying, leather boots and armour might start going Mooo....)

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.