The Rake - LotFP Custom Class

The Rake

          Some folks are just born a cut above the rest when it comes to wealth and power. It's a sad fact that one's station in life (at least initially) is not at all based upon any merit, but rather luck and circumstance. While most of those who begin in such a position wish nothing more than to simply exploit it to it fullest and join their fellows in debauchery and political games, some few yearn for adventure and danger that cannot be found in their pampered parlors or mahals. 

    These individuals leave a life of wealth behind to wander like vagabonds through the wilderness. Their companions have excuses; they need to climb to social ladder, or enrich themselves or chase down eldritch secrets. Rakes often adventure simply because they are bored. They also do not travel alone. Rakes attract followers like flies to honey, their easy going attitudes and deep pockets win them friends and sword-arms everywhere they go. Rakes are dependent on their abilities to win friends and influence others, drawing on a lifetime of barking orders and playing social games to solve their problems.

Level	XP	HP	Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Device	Magic	Largesse	Delegation
1	0	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	150sp	1 in 6
2	1,750	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	200sp	1 in 6
3	3,500	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	250sp	1 in 6
4	7,000	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	300sp	2 in 6
5	14,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	400sp	2 in 6
6	28,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	450sp	2 in 6
7	56,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	500sp	3 in 6
8	112,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	550sp	3 in 6
9	224,000	1d6	9	10	12	11	10	600sp	3 in 6
10	336,000	+2*	9	10	12	11	10	750sp	4 in 6
11	448,000	+2*	9	10	12	11	10	800sp	4 in 6
12	560,000	+2*	9	10	12	11	10	850sp	4 in 6
13	672,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	900sp	5 in 6
14	784,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	950sp	5 in 6
15	896,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	1150sp	5 in 6
16	1,008,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	1200sp	6 in 6
17+	+112,000/lvl	+2*	5	6	8	7	6	1250sp	6 in 6

*Constitution modifiers no longer apply

       

B/X & OSE Rules

Requirements	None
Prime Requisite	CHA
Hit Dice	d6
Thac0 Table	As Rogue
Maximum Level	14
Armor	Any, including shields
Weapons	Any
Languages	Alignment, Common

          Rakes only have two abilities, the first is known as Largesse, which represents either the Rake's authority to impress others into their service or to simply bribe them; Largesse in game terms is a Pool of resources (not necessarily money) which renews each time that the Rake gains a level. These resources are generally derived from either holdings that the Rake's family controls, a stipend from some sort of investment, or simply a legitimate or criminal enterprise that the Rake has created or had bestowed upon them. This pool of resources is used to entice people to work for them, to keep them in their employ, and to pay for any household costs that may arise. 

    Rakes may have followers beyond those they hire through their Largesse. In addition to having the resources or influence to hire independent help, Rakes need not pay for such things as death benefits or recruitment fees, but shares still must be paid - though at only a 50% rate, and they may be paid from the Rake's Largesse first.

       
          The Rake's second ability is known as Delegation, which represents the Rake's talent for convincing followers to take risky actions in spite of their Morale. Delegation takes time, people don't go to their deaths lightly. The Rake has to make a speech in length equal to minutes time the number of HD (usually hirelings only have 1 HD) of the Hirelings they wish to talk into a dangerous action. If the Rake were trying to convince 6 HD of followers to charge a band of Ogres, it would take them 6 minutes to do so. 

        Even with the power of Delegation, some actions are simply too foolish to consider. No one is going to grab a cursed item, or touch an artifact that just obliterated the last person who did so. 

        Whenever a Rake is injured while close to one of their minions they may make a Delegation check, if successful the Rake takes no damage and the follower is killed.

The Binder - LotFP Custom Class

The Binder

     When compared to the myriad threats and horrors arrayed against it, even a stout or cunning human can seem weak by comparison. While most either make peace with this fact or struggle against it through heroic efforts, faith or arcane talent, Binders take a different route by enslaving those things that humanity fears in service to their wills. From beasts, golems, undead and tulpa to creatures from the outer spheres, the binder has discovered ways to enforce their dominance over them, gaining an invaluable and often terrifying ally. Similar in approach to Magic-Users, most Binders are scholars or otherwise appropriate eldritch lore in their quest to shackle ever more powerful entities to their cause. Others favor more esoteric paths, such as developing creatures in their mind's eye and summoning them using psychic energies.

Level	Experience	HP	Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Device	Magic	Familiar Points
1	0	1d6	13	13	16	13	14	1
2	2,250	1d6	13	13	16	13	14	1
3	4,500	1d6	13	13	16	13	14	2
4	9,000	1d6	13	13	16	13	14	2
5	18,000	1d6	13	13	16	13	14	3
6	36,000	1d6	11	11	14	11	12	3
7	72,000	1d6	11	11	14	11	12	4
8	144,000	1d6	11	11	14	11	12	4
9	288,000	1d6	11	11	14	11	12	5
10	432,000	+2*	11	11	14	11	12	5
11	576,000	+2*	9	9	12	9	8	6
12	720,000	+2*	9	9	12	9	8	6
13	864,000	+2*	9	9	12	9	8	7
14	1,008,000	+2*	9	9	12	9	8	7
15	1,152,000	+2*	9	9	12	9	8	8
16+	+144,000/lvl	+2*/lvl	6	7	8	5	6	8

B/X & OSE Rules

Requirements	Minimum CHA 12
Prime Requisite	CHA
Hit Dice	d6
Thac0 Table	As Rogue
Maximum Level	14
Armor	Any, including shields
Weapons	Any
Languages	Alignment, Common

 The Familiar

   The Familiar itself natively only has 1 HP, an AC of 12, a movement speed equivalent to a PCs, an attack bonus of +1, a d4 damage die, and saves as a level 1 Specialist. Familiar Aspects are bought from the table below at a 1-for-1 cost (i.e three Aggressor Aspects would cost three Familiar Points.) Familiars who die deal backlash damage to the Binder equal to its HD. Conjured creatures may be replaced in a ritual in length equal to the HD of the monster that the Binder wishes to summon. Binders may conjure creatures with Familiar Points under their maximum if they wish. Familiar Aspects are cumulative. You may only have one Familiar at a time.

Aspect of the...	HD	Tier I	Tier II	Tier III
Aggressor	d8	The Familiar's melee damage die increases to d6.	+1 to attack bonus, melee damage die increases to d8.	+2 to attack bonus. Melee damage die increases to d10
Defender	d10	-1 to all saves.	-2 to all saves. +1 to AC.	-2 to all saves.
Eluder	d6	+1 to AC	+2 to AC	+3 to AC
Wanderer	d6	The Familiar may climb and swim as fast as they can walk.	The Familiar may fly as fast as they walk.	The Familiar may walk through walls.
Magus	d4	The Familiar has access to some sort of eldritch ability, equivalent to a 1st level spell. It may be drawn from either the Cleric or Magic-User list (subject to referee approval) and can be used as many times per day equal to 1/2 the HD of the Familiar, minimum 1.	As before, but the Familiar may cast an equivalent to a 3rd level spell. The Binder must be at least level 5 to select this aspect.	As before, but the Familiar may cast an equivalent to a 5th level spell. The Binder must be at least level 9 to select this aspect.
Skirmisher	d6	The Familiar gains a ranged attack with a d4 damage die and range modifiers equivalent to a Heavy Crossbow.	The Familiar's ranged damage die increases to a d6, the Familiar also gains a +1 to their Attack Bonus.	The ranged damage die increases to a d8, the familiar gains a further +2 to their Attack Bonus.

     So let's build a monster together, shall we? If we take a level 6 Binder, we will have 3 Familiar points we can spend. We want to build something of a guardian for ourselves, so we choose to spend two of our FP on the Defensive Aspect and since we value the Familiar's ability to shield us from harm more than we do their ability to inflict damage, we choose a Mobility Aspect with our remaining FP. The creature produced would have the following stat-line:

HP: 14 (HD 2d10+1d6+1)

AC: 13

Move: As a PC, but may Climb and Swim as fast as they walk

Attacks: Swipe +1, 1d4 damage

The Baitan - A Shapeshifting threat for OSR & 5th Edition

The Baitan (Druidic for Lurking Threat) is a sort of terror weapon employed by particularly extreme or otherwise aggressive Druid circles who wish to make civilized folk think twice about harming wildlife. Take a small woodland creature, preferably one which is harmless like a squirrel, rabbit or sparrow. Bind the creature’s spirit to a summoned elemental and then banish the elemental but without fully severing the link. The creature is then let loose close to an offending settlement. Druids do not generally make the creation of Baitans a secret, to the contrary they generally make the fact that they have done so known far and wide and will see any mayhem that the creatures cause from that point on to be have done with fair warning.

Aside from being exceptionally tough a Baitan is nothing more than a typical member of its species if left alone, but as soon as it is directly agitated or attacked the Elemental which it is linked to springs back into being to protect its host and savages whatever struck it. The changeover from beast to elemental is nearly instantaneous. The Spirit form is typically the size of a small cottage and is strong enough to tear a wagon apart with relative ease even without the help of their elemental abilities. Only a few moments after changing into their spiritual form, they switch back to the animal one. The animal recalls being attacked, but will generally respond as a normal member of its species would under duress, unless attacked again, in which case the process repeats.

I originally made the Baitan for my 5th Edition Westmarch style game, but I am presenting it here with stats for Lamentations of the Flame Princess

B/X Stats:

HD 9 (HP 64)

Armor: None if in Animal form, as Plate in Elemental form

Move: 10’ in Animal form, 40’ in Elemental form

Attacks: 1d2-1 meek bite in Animal form, 2d12+3 Smash as an Elemental
Special: Transforms into an Elemental on hit and appears as per Dimension Door next to the culprit. The Baitan remains in Elemental form until the end of its turn and then shifts back into its Animal form. The Baitan regains 5 HP whenever it transforms.

And here are the Fifth Edition stats:

Art Sources: I'm In Luck! & By Day She Made Herself Into A Cat by Arthur Rackham

The Stranger/The Gnome - LotFP Custom Class(es)

My classes so far have all been multi-purpose in nature; The Accursed covers berserkers, lycanthropes and Mr.Hyde types, The Monster covers most of the bestial humanoids such as ogres, orcs, half-giants and trolls, while the Ascetic rounds it out as a stand-in for the Monk, Cleric or Paladin. This class is similar in philosophy, hoping to cover the archetypes of stranger in a strange land fiction such as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Alice in Wonderland or John Carter of Mars as well as that of the Rock/Tinker Gnome. Unlike the others, I will be writing fluff sections for both of them, though the actual game statistics will remain unchanged. This is partially due to the fact that they're very similar, but also in acknowledgement of the fact that I couldn't come up with a name that would fit both of the archetypes at once.

The Stranger

          Strangers aren't from this place. Not in some pedestrian sense like from across the sea, or over some far horizon, but rather from another place entirely. They could be from a different time, a different planet or even something even more exotic like from another dimension entirely. Generally the place they are from is more technologically and socially advanced than the place that they find themselves.

          In comparison to others, most Strangers are pictures of health and comeliness, beneficiaries to advanced hygienic and medical products and services. Unfortunately, their lives often leave them ill-prepared for the difficulties of existence in times or universes outside of their own, and while they may be pretty and have nice teeth, most of them have not had to struggle to survive in the way the the place they now find themselves requires. Strangers are forced to rely on their educations and wits to survive in a strange and often bewildering land.

The Gnome

           A reclusive and secretive people, the Gnomes have sequestered themselves from the rest of the world so well that many forget that they even exist - just as they intended. Possessed with almost uniformly brilliant and curious minds, the Gnomes are naturally talented inventors, sages and craftspeople, but also anxious and somewhat paranoid. Wary of being taken advantage of by those larger and more brutal than themselves, the Gnomes bend many of their efforts towards being overlooked or otherwise hidden from the rest of the world at large. They jealousy guard their innovations from any proliferation outside of their fastnesses, which themselves are chosen for isolation, ease of obfuscation and defensibility. 

          The Gnomes are apart from the world, but they cannot leave it entirely; exiles and those stricken with wanderlust still trickle out over the generations, leaving the other races with little more than snippets of tall tales and singular devices of wonder to prove of their existence. Gnomes are perhaps half the height of Humans and are more finely featured and slighter than their Dwarven or Halfling cousins. Eyes and hair tend towards earth tones, most male gnomes have some form of facial hair, though not as uniformly as Dwarves.

Level	Experience	HP	Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Device	Magic	Skill Points	Gizmos
1	0	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	4	1
2	1,750	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	+1	1
3	3,500	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	+1	1
4	7,000	1d6	14	16	15	14	14	+1	1
5	14,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	+1	1
6	28,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	+1	2
7	56,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	+1	2
8	112,000	1d6	11	12	14	13	12	+1	2
9	224,000	1d6	9	10	12	11	10	+1	2
10	336,000	+2*	9	10	12	11	10	+1	2
11	448,000	+2*	9	10	12	11	10	+1	3
12	560,000	+2*	9	10	12	11	10	+1	3
13	672,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	+1	3
14	784,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	+1	3
15	896,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	+1	3
16	1,008,000	+2*	7	8	10	9	8	+1	4
17+	+112,000/lvl	+2*	5	6	8	7	6	+1/lvl	4

          *Constitution modifiers no longer apply

B/X & OSE Rules

Requirements	Minimum 9 INT
Prime Requisite	INT
Hit Dice	d6
Thac0 Table	As Rogue
Maximum Level	14
Armor	Any (appropriate to size if Gnome)
Weapons	Any (appropriate to size if Gnome)
Languages	Alignment, Common, Gnomish (if Gnome)

           Strangers/Gnomes are possessed of skills far in advance to the world around them, allowing them to invent objects and processes which seem almost magical to outside observers. Outside of their different selection of skills, the Stranger/Gnome's skills function exactly like those of a Specialist.

Skill	Use
Chemistry	Crafting poisons, drugs, explosives and more!
Engineering	Designing, constructing and repairing heavy or complex machinery.
Biology	Developing and using medical treatments, determining the abilities or habitats of monsters using autopsy or observation.
Statistics	Calculating probabilities, Making informed guesses (being given cold numbers by the Referee)
Scrounging	Finding exotic materials or metals for your various inventions.

     Gizmos are devices which Strangers or Gnomes have in addition to whatever inventions that they may build themselves over the course of the adventure. Gizmos are generally hand-held or easily portable. While the versions that Strangers possess may look very similar to products that exist within our universe, the Gnomes generally have devices which run on more exotic principles such as steam or magic. Gizmos are assumed to have nearly unlimited power unless the Referee decides it would be thematically or dramatically appropriate for it to not be so. Gizmos are not replaced or otherwise automatically repaired if they break, so they must be maintained and either hidden or defended from potential thieves. In the case of Strangers any Gizmos they have or eventually gain are either brought with them, retrieved from some hidden cache or jury-rigged, while in the case of Gnomes they were likely either stolen or smuggled from their homes before their exile or flight, with later additions being built from scavenged materials. Upon leveling, the Gizmo is considered to have been finished or otherwise gained during down time; a Gizmo can only be rolled once on the table, if the same result comes up, roll again.

1d12	Gizmo
1	Electric Light
2	Blowtorch
3	Firearm (More advanced than the rest of the world's if already present.)
4	Pair of Walkie-talkies
5	Power Drill
6	Chainsaw
7	Pressure Washer
8	Voice Recorder
9	Nail Gun
10	Taser
11	Theodolite
12	Arc Welder

Five Merchants!

          These are a quintet of merchant NPCs from my Fifth Edition Westmarch. Some of them travel around, some are in a fixed location; the ones in fixed locations have their base of operations in their write-up as well. My campaign setting is broken down into nine distinct regions, roughly dominated by a few different biomes. So far I have merchants finished for five of the regions.

Ylrhan the Slippery & The Old Lighthouse

         One of the better known landmarks on the coast, The Old Lighthouse was commissioned by the first Chapmaster of the Order of the Sword and Crown to come to the area. The stones used to build it were enchanted, the whole surface of the building issues a steady glow a soon as night falls completely. While not bright enough to blind or daze, it is certainly bright enough to read by if one was within a couple of dozen yards. The light counts as day or sunlight for the purposes of repelling undead, and it has long been known as a place of refuge and safety as a result. While abandoned for many years after the Sword and Crown were forced out of the area, it has recently been taken as a residence by a priest of the sea god Xerbo named Ylrhan the Slippery. Ylrhan is something of a jack-of-all trades, befitting a follower of the Lord of Coin and Waves, he is a merchant, sailor, pirate, fisherman, fortune-teller and more. The old priest will certainly offer services to any who seem both friendly and not likely to rob him. He has amassed a large stock which he keeps underneath the waters, using his ability to breathe underneath the waves as a defense against theft. A miser by heart, Ylrhan sees every interaction with another as a means to enrich himself, from his work as a merchant to that as an information dealer. He will not let anything go without a mark-up unless he absolutely has to.

Juzzek, Fishman Merchant

         Exiled from his home, Juzzek now plies the craft of a wandering merchant in the depths of Ingram's Tangle. Setting his shop up in any community that will have him, or simply on the side of a trail if need be, Juzzek's colorfol orange and red tent and equally colorful giant dragonfly mount Darner is sure to be a welcome sight to any party who has made his acquaintance before. Juzzek is a fast-talking fishman shaped vaguely like a catfish. He hails from far to the south, past even the Sivardian Plains and in the land of Doru. He stockpiles currency in an attempt to buy his way back into his old position as a member of the nobility, having lost his status and last name after his dissatisfied wives bought his place in the peerage out from under him. He charges fair prices and is willing to make a deal, as he tries to play the long-game and hopes for repeat business. Juzzek's wares focus primarily on arms and armor, both mundane and magical, but he will buy nearly anything if it catches his interest. Juzzek can be seen in Semuanya's Stone, Seven Willows, and the Lily Pad Villages.

Worldly Tue

         A goblin wizard and merchant from far to the east, Worldly Tue makes her way through the world from atop the shoulders of her magical beast of burden and guardian, Yultij. Specializing in scrolls, spell components and other assorted necessities of spell casting, Tue plies her trade not for profit (which she considers a crass motivation) but for the opportunity and means to experience and purchase new spells and methods of casting magic. As such she is not swayed by coin in the same way that most traders are and will routinely turn down offers of gold, gems or artwork in lieu of more of what she herself sells, provided that it is different from what he already has in stock. Though she is a Diviner by training, Tue is interested in any kind of magic, from divine, arcane to pact magic and weirder things besides. Items aren't valued by their absolute worth to her, but rather how novel and interesting she finds them; a clever or conniving party could certainly talk up the eldritch nature of their goods, but she is possessed of a fine discernment for value even without the aid of her revelatory magic. In business dealing the goblin does her best to affect a disinterested or otherwise apathetic attitude to the wonders she is presented with, but this facade quickly drops once something truly enticing crosses in front of her and while she will stop short of actual violence or threats, she will cajole or otherwise badger the potential purchase even after they've told her off. Tue is a short, sandy-skinned goblin with golden eyes and sharp, prominent teeth. She favors thick red & yellow robes, adding more layers of them as the weather grows colder, topping it off with a stiff, red peaked-cap. Yultij is an imposing orge-like creature who is nearly as wide as he is tall, he has a leahtery hide covered in stiff-bristled brown fur and a set of jaws large enough to eat his mistress in one bite. Tue has crafted a tented howdah that rests on Yultij's back, and she only gets out of it when he absolutely has to. The pair frequent most of the major settlements in Maaglurtet's Range, even going so far north as Hoaridga's Perch.

Doric Fortin

         A wandering trapper and merchant, Doric Fortin can sometimes be rarely seen at Ambershore Watch, but he is most often found wandering about The Rainwood and visiting the friendlier settlements, Aedui, Houndhall, The Iron Pine & Muz to trade. They tolerate the woodsman due to his fair prices, honest nature and the connections to the outside world that he provides. Most of the old man’s stock are pelts of animals he's hunter or goods helpful in wilderness survival. Doric is always looking to increase his profits and knowledge of the terrain, so he’ll trade in both goods and news. The old ranger is always dressed in deer furs, and he’s unusually burly and hirsute for a half-elf, an indication of his nature as a true-born Werebear. Doric partially chose his profession due to his ‘curse’ and he has no love for other lycanthropes. Any hint of others of his kind send him into a furious state, and he will offer goods in return for help in tracking them down.

Suxra Goldspinner

         A wanderer hailing from the Chasm of Glowing Webs and one of several merchants plying the gloomy trade routes which link the Mushroom Forest together. Suxra was originally one of dozens of giant spiders which had been been bred by the inhabitants of the Chasm, while smaller than most of his siblings he managed to stay alive long enough that the members of the Sprakling Recluse Tribe responsible for training spiders noticed the gleam of intelligence in his eyes. Intrigued, his handlers began to give him increasingly complex and abstract tasks and watched with great amusement when the runt managed every one, but they were stunned when Suxra began to haltingly speak in their own language back to them. Unable to recall such a thing happening before, the alarmed trainers brought Suxra to the Spinners for questioning. The elders of the Chasm found themselves in a conundrum with the spiderling, if they were to acknowledge him as an equal to the Ettercaps, they would be undercutting the labor their society functioned on, whereas if they were to deny him and treat him merely as another beast of burden, they would be denying themselves a potentially useful tool. Unwilling to make such a choice, the council used their connections with Alojos' Quiet Caravan to send Suxra there as a foster. Initially dismayed by the creature living among them, Suxra's naturally amiable personality and flair in artistic pursuits (specifically weaving) were enough to slowly win the Svirfneblin tolerance and eventual cold acceptance. After an abortive attempt to train him as a scout ended with him attempting to befriend a Quaggoth, he was apprenticed to a merchant. A natural friendly being, Suxra thrived in his new position, using his novel appearance as a means to strike up conversation and closing deals with a shrewd eye for value and the needs of his customers. 

         It only took the spiderling a few years to build up a small fortune, which he used to strike out with a caravan of his own. Gathering several of his closest friends from his adoptive home, Suxra began to ply a route between the Chasm of Glowing Webs, Iszra's Rest, N'kai's Embrace and Alojos' Caravan. Well known on the road for helping travelers and , he also acts as the eyes, ears and occasional agent of both the Chasm and his original Caravan. Suxra's Caravan takes the form of three large and covered sleds with nine members, including the spider himself. Travelling relatively light on guards, the caravan relies on Suxra's outgoing demeanor (and abilities at bribery) and the Svirfneblin's abilities of illusion and enchantment to keep the group safe. The spiderling himself is only of moderate size, perhaps the size of a large dog and is covered in fine brown fur with streaks of yellow running through. Though clothes are of course unnecessary, Suxra enjoys the idea and particulars of fashion a great deal, so he's made or has commissioned a bevy of different outfits for himself. In personality he is extremely outgoing, and he prefers to run, hide, bargain or bribe than to fight. His inventory is fairly general in nature, though he usually has some choice bits which he's managed to wrest from Juhuyutir's clutches.