Belshar of the Five Eyes

Wishing you & yours a wonderful holiday season & a happy new year! Raven Crowking's Nest proudly presents Belshar of the Five Eyes
From where within the strange depths of space and time sprang the strange creatures known as the Brotherhood of Ten Wizards none can say.  Each appears swathed in an illusion of being a humanoid figure, whose features are hidden by a dark-shadowed cowl, in which a number of glowing and moving eyes – seemingly upon stalks or tentacles – are all that can be seen.  Those who have penetrated even part of this illusion tell of disquieting spider-like beings, although they seem keen to protect the dominion of men and the integrity of worlds. There are only ten of these beings known, and each has a different number of apparent eyes, from none to nine.  The Eyeless Brother and the Brother of the Nine-Eyed Face are said to be the most powerful among them, but Belshar of the Five Eyes may be deemed a worthy patron in his own right.  Like his brethren, he seeks out good-hearted wizards and other champions, who he seeks to position to the benefit of his chosen milieu.  Many of the Ten enjoy meddling with each other, and Belshar of the Five Eyes is known to have such a relationship with both Mungblesh of the Three Eyes and desert-dwelling Jawag of the Two Eyes (who is perhaps the most normal-appearing of the Ten, although also the shortest).  It is not unknown for each of these three to act as patron for three members of the same party, delighting in setting the sponsored wizards and elves against each other in minor ways for their own amusement. The ceremony for Belshar of the Five Eyes may take place in any large urban area.
Invoke Patron check results:
12-13	The caster hears the dry, thin voice of his patron, encouraging him to his best endeavour, for no other aid is forthcoming.  This encouragement can be used to recall one lost spell to the caster’s mind, or to give the caster a +4 bonus on a single die roll, but not both.
14-17	Belshar has a moment to spare for the caster, and will psychically give the caster advice regarding his current situation, or a known situation that is upcoming.  While Belshar does not have as full a knowledge as the judge, he has broad knowledge about many subjects, and can generally offer some hidden information or excellent advice.  The nature of the advice should be determined both by the questions the caster asks, and Belshar’s motivations…which sometimes include his own amusement.  At the judge’s discretion, this advice can give a total bonus of no more than +8, to be split among one or more die rolls related to the advice given.
18-19	Belshar grants the caster a single-use magic item, such as a scroll or a potion, to aid him in his current quest.  This item is chosen for its usefulness, and can be as powerful as the judge desires.  For example, Belshar may offer a scroll that slays all other wizards within a mile radius, or a potion that can shrink the caster to a size needed to enter a maze of rat’s tunnels.  These are intended to be useful, but may result in amusing circumstances, as the Ten work to entertain themselves as well as to aid the multiverse.
20-23	The Five-Eyed One places some importance on the caster, or on the mission the caster is currently engaged in, and sends strong encouragement and an exhortation for the caster to succeed.  This is so encouraging that the caster immediately gains 5d4+CL bonus hit points.  All future damage comes from these hit points first, but damage already taken is unaffected.  Bonus hit points cannot be healed.  At the end of CLd6 x 10 minutes, whatever bonus hit points remain fade away.
24-27	Direct Intervention!  Belshar takes control of the caster, and casts a spell through him using his next Action Die.  This spell is cast with a +8 bonus on the spell check, and is determined randomly.  It does not matter if the spell caster cannot cast the spell, and there is no penalty (corruption or patron taint) to the caster for failure.  The spell otherwise acts as though the caster had cast it.  Roll 1d5:  (1) choking cloud, (2) colour spray, (3) enlarge, (4) magic missile, or (5) magic shield.
28-29	Direct Intervention!  Belshar takes control of the caster, and casts a spell through him using his next Action Die.  This spell is cast with a +10 bonus on the spell check, and is determined randomly.  It does not matter if the spell caster cannot cast the spell, and there is no penalty (corruption or patron taint) to the caster for failure.  The spell otherwise acts as though the caster had cast it.  Roll 1d5:  (1) invisibility, (2) mirror image, (3) monster summoning, (4) spider web, or (5) strength.
30-31	Direct Intervention!  Belshar takes control of the caster, and casts a spell through him using his next Action Die.  This spell is cast with a +12 bonus on the spell check, and is determined randomly.  It does not matter if the spell caster cannot cast the spell, and there is no penalty (corruption or patron taint) to the caster for failure.  The spell otherwise acts as though the caster had cast it.  Roll 1d5:  (1) fly, (2) gust of wind, (3) haste, (4) lightning bolt, or (5) planar step.
32+	Eyes From the Overworld.  A thousand thousand glowing eyes emerge from some celestial overworld or another plane of the multiverse, surrounding the caster and up to CL allies within 100’ of the caster, protecting them from all harm and shielding them from all effects within the plane the caster currently inhabits.  The eyes transport the caster and his affected allies up to 10 miles through the overworld, emerging at a place chosen by the caster (or a random location if the caster does not choose).  The characters have CL rounds before they are transported to use spells or other means to aid themselves while so protected.  Once the characters re-emerge, the eyes fade back to the overworld.

Patron Taint:  Belshar of the Five Eyes
Dealing with Belshar is more annoying than corrupting, and most of the patron taint associated with the Brotherhood of Ten Wizards results from this.  Once all patron taints at all levels have been attained, the caster need not roll for patron taint in the future.  In addition, the caster gains a +5 bonus on all future rolls to determine corruption.
Roll	Result
1	Irritation:  So irritating is Belshar’s sense of humour that it can become difficult to call upon him.  When this is first rolled, the caster must succeed in a DC 10 Will save to cast invoke patron to call upon Belshar.  If rolled a second time, the DC raises to 15.  If rolled a third time, the DC raises to 20.  Ignore all future rolls.
2	Spying Eyes:  When this patron taint is rolled, a glowing eye appears on a random part of the caster’s body, as determined below.  Although the eye is not functional for the character, it is an extension of Belshar’s eyes, and the patron can observe through them if he so wishes.  Once this is rolled five times, ignore all future rolls.  To determine eye location, roll 1d12:  (1) right hand, (2) left hand, (3) forehead, (4) back of the head, (5) chin, (6) chest, (7) back, (8) right knee, (9) left knee, (10) right foot, (11) left foot, or (12) nose.
3	Mission:  Belshar sends the caster on a mission to defend the integrity of the local world or the multiverse.  When this is first rolled, the mission requires the caster to travel no more than 1d5 hours, and requires the caster to defeat a minor threat whose Hit Dice are no more than the caster’s Caster Level (and are likely to be 1d3 less).  When this is rolled a second time, the threat is equal to the caster’s Caster Level, and the caster must travel no more than 1d5 days to meet this threat.  When this is rolled a third time, the threat is equal to the caster’s Caster Level +1d5, and the caster may be required to travel up to 1d5 weeks, or to another plane of existence, to meet it.  Once all three threats have been neutralized, ignore future rolls of this taint.
4	Amusement:  This seems similar to a mission, as of on a role of “3”, above, but when the caster encounters the supposed foe, it turns out to be a joke of Belshar’s.  The danger may be real, but the caster may find himself opposing a friend, discover that the adventure revolves around some horrid pun, or is otherwise designed for the amusement of the Brotherhood of Ten Wizards.  This can only be rolled three times, as with “mission”, above.
5	Lecture:  Belshar calls the caster to hear a lecture on some boring subject.  The first time this happens, the caster must travel for 1d5 x 10 minutes to attend Belshar, and must succeed in a DC 10 Will save, or he will fall asleep, and must repeat this level of patron taint before proceeding to the next when it is rolled again.  The next level of patron taint requires the caster to travel 1d5 hours out of his way, and requires a DC 15 Will save to stay awake.  The third (and final) level requires a DC 20 Will save and takes the character 1d5 days out of his way.  Although boring, each of these lectures has some relevance to events in the campaign milieu, or to the current adventure, and the caster gains a +4 bonus to a die roll of his choice in the next 24 hours if he manages to stay awake, as it pertains to the point Belshar was belabouring.
6	Mungblesh and Jawag:  If it is not enough to deal with Belshar’s sense of humour, the caster must also deal with the mad comedy of Mungblesh and Jawag.  Each time this patron taint is rolled, Belshar’s rivals play some dark joke on the caster, which is not intended to be deadly, but will make the caster’s life harder in some way.  The judge is encouraged to come up with the most twisted jests he can, and play them out against the caster in addition to the normal encounters of a given adventure.  This patron taint can only be rolled five times; ignore additional rolls.

Patron Spells:  Belshar of the Five Eyes

Belshar grants three unique spells, as follows:

Level 1:  Belshar’s Unwinking Eye.

Level 2:  Belshar’s All-Seeing Eye.

Level 3:  Belshar’s Rays of Burning Sight.

Spellburn:  Belshar of the Five Eyes
Belshar does not approve of spellburn, and grants it only reluctantly.  When a caster utilizes spellburn, roll 1d4 on the table below, or build off the ideas presented therein to create an event specific to your home campaign.
Roll	Spellburn Result
1	Belshar is repulsed by the idea of spellburn, and does not grant it at this time.  Unless the caster has another patron to call upon, he cannot utilize spellburn for the next hour.
2	Belshar reluctantly agrees to grant spellburn, but will grant no more than 5 points.  The caster’s soul is connected to a benign overworld, which drains his energy (manifesting as Strength, Agility, or Stamina loss).
3	Belshar grants the effect of 1d5 points of spellburn without cost.  Unless the caster has another patron to call upon, he cannot utilize spellburn for the next 1d5 hours.
4	Belshar grants the effect of 1d5 points of spellburn without cost.  Unless the caster has another patron to call upon, he cannot utilize spellburn for the next 1d5 days.