No peace for the heathen — Sentient Relics #2

Game Design Log #21

I was paralized before this. The game got somehow stiff in my mind and I felt like I didn't have much to put into it. But after I started getting into the design of the sentient relics, and really, when I started drawing them, the flame was lit again.

Now, I'm having fun with the game design, now the ideas have begun to stir in my mind.

Sometimes you just need a different approach.

So yes, these days I've been in full drawing mode. My style has changed a bit from drawing to drawing, but I think this is OK.

A couple of days ago, I was struck by the thought of whether the art I was doing for the game was too dissonant. But I just needed to air these feelings to realise that every style has its purpose, and that even the different styles in which I have been drawing the sentient relics had some connection to the design and setting of the game, as I will include these drawings in the game as if they had been drawn by people who had found themselves in the presence of these relics.

The thing is that I love games that include many styles, where even many artists bring their vision to a game, where I can see through different lenses the world the game is presenting to me (Dolmenwood it is a beautiful example of this). I just needed to share my fears to realise that what I like can also be true for my game, even if I am doing it alone.

Now, here I have four new sentient relics!

What do you think of them? Are they something you'd feel excited to find in a home game? Would you like to throw these at the players at your table as creatures from a dungeon?, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

All of these creatures make reference to something call “Grief” and sometimes to a tactic/attribute/stat of the PCs, so if you want to use them in your OSR game…

…for something like OSE you can use this:

• Grief → XP or Treassure carried by PCs or sum of both (divided by 1000).

• Strong → STR

• Agile → DEX

• Imposing → CHA

• Resilient → CON

• Sneaky → DEX

• Observant → WIS

…for something like MÖRK BORG you can use this:

• Grief → Omens, or Silver dived by 100, or the sum of both.

• Strong → Strenght

• Agile → Agility

• Imposing → Presence

• Resilient → Toughness

• Sneaky → Agility

• Observant → Presence

…for both you could also add this:

• Let the PCs spend “X” HP to increase their roll by “X”.

Flaming heart of the penitent mother

• Chasm 2d20 (Blood/HP).

• Imposing 3d8 (stat for everything).

• Candles = Imposing

• It has as many red candles as the max Grief of those looking at it

• What it does?

  • Speaks with compassion

  • Offers to being free from Grief

    • Grief freed in this way makes 2d4 of your blood to become black.

    • Each blown out candle becomes white.

  • Can command anyone full of black blood

  • Can throw each white candle as a fireball.

    • 6d6

    • reach 150’

    • area 30’

Combat Patterns are used in Tactical Combat when using a grid.

First Tree of Fervour

• Chasm 3d10 + followers (Blood/HP).

• Imposing 2d8 + followers (stat for everything).

• To followers of the man king god it is manifested as a beautiful golden tree

• its roots spread through the whole village, and it knows the beliefs and the price of the faith of those stepping on them.

• What it does?

  • Makes the “offering to other gods and spirit” to burn the skin of those carrying them

    • 2 chasm to activate.

    • 2d6 direct damage.

  • Lures those with no blood to join the other souls it carries.

    • 1 chasm to move 10’ those with no blood.

    • 2 charms to consume them.

  • Root lash → 1d6 + victim Grief / 90’

  • Penitent Ghosts

    • as many as the max Grief of those looking at it.

    • Each penitent ghost can scream → 1d4

    • Can relocate 1d6 Ghost at the end of its turn.

Combat Patterns are used in Tactical Combat when using a grid.

Undying holiness of eternal repentance

• Chasm 2d20 (Blood/HP).

• Imposing 3d8 (stat for everything).

• Stone statue, sword throbs like a heart.

• Those in the same room get cold to the bone:

  • They get the condition Frozen (- own Grief)

• What it does?

  • Distort space

    • 1 chasm per target

    • It can move anyone 10 x (victim Grief) feet.

  • Freezing Wind → 2d4, cone 30’

  • Mind space

    • 5 chasm to activate

    • Anyone with more Grief than Blood falls asleep into the mind space.

    • In the mind space, the Undying holiness of eternal repentance:

      • Can teleport at the end of its turn

      • Fights with a great sword, 1d10:

        • Air cut, line 30’

        • Tornado → 10’ around him

Combat Patterns are used in Tactical Combat when using a grid.

Leviathan of Holy Scribes

• Chasm 3d10 (Blood/HP).

• Imposing 1d8 + number of letters on target’s name (stat for everything).

• Giant scribe (8 feet)

• Holy scriptures tattooed on his skin.

• Embalmed and vacuum-sealed.

• All that is spoken in his presence is tattooed on his skin. His skin shines when this happens.

• What it does?

  • Any word tattooed on his skin, he can use as a weapon against whom spoken it:

    • weapon die → (number of word’s letters) x d4

    • reach 120’

  • Erase name

    • 1 chasm to activate

    • 1d4

    • reach 10’

    • Each hit crosses out a letter of the victim’s name.

    • Without a letter to cross out, a hit erases your name from existence.

    • without a name in each hit, the Leviathan can give you one condition with a modifier equal to the number of letters of the condition.

      • Instead of suffering the condition, you can choose to take the condition as your new name by adding it as a compulsion.

  • Cacophony → 1d6 + victim Grief