[C&C] Houserule: Birth Signs

[serleran]

Birth Signs
(1d12)

1: The Apprentice
Description: Those born under this sign have increased magical potential, but have a weakness against magic.
Benefit: You may cast an additional spell of the highest level available to you per day, providing you have access to spells. If you have innate spells, you may use each ability an additional time per day; if the ability is used without limit, its effects are considered to be one level higher than normal.
Downfall: If you are a member of a race with Spell Resistance or Arcane Resistance, you do not gain that ability. In addition, you suffer a -3 penalty on all saves versus arcane spells. Items which grant Spell Resistance bestow half their normal amount.

2: The Mirror
Description: Those born under this sign have the ability to resist, by absorbing magic used against them.
Benefit: You have Spell Resistance equal to 1 + ½ your level, rounded down. If the check succeeds, you do not suffer the spell’s effects, and gain 1 die per level of the spell absorbed. Each die may be used to heal yourself or another for 1d4 points, or may be used as a ranged attack that counts as a ray to inflict 1d4 points of non-elemental magical damage.
Downfall: You cannot be a spellcaster, nor can you use items that grant Spell Resistance.

3: The Beacon
Description: Those born under this sign have increased endurance and force of personality.
Benefit: You gain the Survival ability of the Ranger class and a +2 bonus to your Charisma saves.
Downfall: You attract attention and cannot use the Conceal or Hide class abilities, if you possess them. In addition, if you use a spell effect to become invisible, all creatures which would have otherwise been able to see you gain a Wisdom save to notice you.

4: The Troll
Description: Those born under this sign heal faster than others, but have a weakness to fire.
Benefit: You have the extraordinary ability to heal hit points at a rate of one per turn. This ability cannot bring you to positive hit points.
Downfall: You suffer a -4 save against all spells with the fire descriptor and suffer an additional 1 point of damage per die caused from fire sources. Damage inflicted by fire or acid cannot be regenerated.

5: The Lovers
Description: Those born under this sign have increased agility and can paralyze others with a kiss.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to your Dexterity saves. You may attempt an unarmed grapple to kiss an opponent, with a -4 penalty on your attack roll; if you are a Monk, you suffer a -2 penalty instead. If the kiss is successful, your opponent must make a Charisma save or be paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. This kiss attack may be used once per day, whether successful or not.
Downfall: You are susceptible to disease, and do not gain any ability which grants resistance or immunity to it. In addition, against such saves, you take a -3 penalty.

6: The Blessed Priest
Description: Those born under this sign may heal themselves and turn undead.
Benefit: You gain the Paladin class ability of Lay on Hands. If you have the ability to turn undead, your effective level is increased by one. If you do not have the ability to turn undead, you may turn undead as a Cleric of three levels lower than your actual level.
Downfall: Undead have a particularly strong aversion to you, and gain a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls against you.

7: The Serpent
Description: Those born under this sign may use their own blood as poison.
Benefit: You have the Assassin class ability of Poison Use. You may poison any bladed or piercing weapon with a virulent poison, but must sacrifice hit points to do so. The save difficulty against this poison is ½ the hit point amount sacrificed, but a failed save causes your opponent to suffer twice as much damage as the amount you sacrificed. You must use the poison within three rounds or it loses its potency. This ability can be used once per day.
Downfall: Damage which is self-inflicted in this way cannot be magically healed.

8: The Shadow
Description: Those born under this sign can make themselves invisible.
Benefit: You gain a +3 bonus on Hide checks. Once per day you may cast invisibility as a wizard of your class level.
Downfall: You suffer a -3 penalty on all social interaction checks, effectively having your Charisma score lowered by three; this does not affect your Charisma-based saves.

9: The Steed
Description: Those born under this sign move faster than others.
Benefit: Your base speed is increased by 10 feet.
Downfall: This ability does not add with that of Fast Movement. You must not be wearing armor for this ability to apply.

10: Shieldbearer
Description: Those born under this sign are more difficult to strike in combat.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to armor class, similar to the Martial Prowess ability of the Half-Orc race.
Downfall: You cannot wear armor for this ability to apply.

11: The Key
Description: Those born under this sign can open doors magically.
Benefit: Once per day you can cast knock as a wizard of your class level. If you have the Pick Locks ability of the Rogue class, you gain a +2 bonus when using it.

12: The Warrior
Description: Those born under this sign are more accurate with weapons.
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus on all attack rolls.


I haven't thought of a good enough downfall for the last two.. so, I've not fully implemented this into my games yet. Any ideas? Things you'd do differently?

[Akrasia]

This looks familiar ... adapted from 'Morrowind' maybe?

[serleran]

Yes, I was inspired by Morrowind to develop this, but also by Relics and Rituals II, which has a smiliar thing as well. Most of this, though, was directly converted from Morrowind.

Actually, let me clarify that... I don't have the game. My brother did, and somehow, his book ended up in my stuff... and I liked the concept so I translated it to C&C terms.

[Maliki]

Nice work, this could make for interesting backgrounds.

[Rhuvein]

I like it! Although, the Steed sign ability seems quite a bit weaker than the others.

[serleran]

Although, the Steed sign ability seems quite a bit weaker than the others.

That's true, it is weaker. I've been tossing around the idea of giving a "Powerful Build" ability as well, which effectively reduces the encumbrance category by one level, so a eavily encumbred character would be only moderately, or moderate to light, and light to none. Of course, then I'd need to remove the armor restriction, and replace with something else... Another idea is to grant a +2 bonus on Strength and Constitution saves, but keep the rest as is.

[Moorcrys]

I like it, and did for Morrowind as well. I also loved the astrology stuff in Relics and Rituals... my only question is, what in the game world grants you these abilities? Certainly not every human or humanoid born under the same sign possesses these extraordinary gifts... is it limited to PCs or classed NPCs, is it unlocked somehow by a priest of a certain deity? What brings it about?

Moorcrys

[serleran]

is it unlocked somehow by a priest of a certain deity?

Do you remember the Unearthed Arcana spell "Ceremony?" It is used by druids, and by astrologists (converted from The Arcanum), to unlock a person's star sign. Monsters like orcs and goblins, as well as kobolds, that have "witch doctors" also can make use of these abilities, and in fact, are often more prodigious in mating at certain times of the year to ensure the next generation has specific traits, especially that of The Warrior.

[gideon_thorne]

Might be a good hook to use in an initiation ceremony to awaken ones inner birthsign or something?

[Moorcrys]

You know, I was thinking that you could have birthsigns' potential unlocked by different priests of differing faiths... perhaps the 'sign of the steed' could be the 'sign of the nightmare' in the teachings of an evil faith, granting different (and surprising to the PCs) abilities to one participating in a ceremony presided over by an evil priest. Just a way to potentially mix it up a bit and keep PCs guessing. Additionally pantheons or regions could unlock the powers of different signs in the same group of starts, thereby allowing you more options for groups the PCs encounter...