Sunday 9 December 2012

More Useful Elements From Appendix N


Tamar

“Does not that Law say plainly: ‘That thou lovest all things in nature. That thou shalt suffer no person to be harmed by thy hands or in thy mind. That thou walkest humbly in the ways of men and in the ways of gods. Contentment thou shalt at last learn through suffering and from long patient years, and from nobility of mind and service. For the wise never grow old.’”

Tamar is a wise woman who lived in Dimsdale during the American Colonial period, the sister of Hagar. She followed the Law and used magic to heal and aid the locals, but the malice of Hagar and the appearance of the Wade children (Holly, Judy, and Crockett) from the future led to her being accused of black magic. The Wade children were again able to travel into the past on Halloween to give Tamar a chance to unhinge her cottage from time. Although beautiful in her own way, her face and clothing were plain. She now dwells in her own demi-plane which is connected to the material world through the Dimsdale Hedge Maze. She took Holly Wade as her apprentice.

Tamar is able to communicate telepathically in dreams through the dream pillow. She can focus spells through her familiar, Tomkit, and can use his actions to help indicate her desires. She can no longer invite people directly to her cottage through the Dimsdale Hedge Maze, however, and thus must interact with the material world primarily through dreams. The link between her cottage and the maze grants a +1 Luck bonus to any non-malicious, non-selfish checks made within Dimsdale town limits.

Tamar possesses a magic mirror that she can use to scry once a month. She can use it to locate anyone or anything she is aware of. She must be attempting to locate a specific item or a specific individual. The effort of using the mirror drains 1d6 hit points.

Tamar (Wizard 5/Herbalist): Init +0; Atk none; AC 10; HD 5d4; hp 10; MV 30’; Act 1d20 + 1d14; SP Spells; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +6; Str 9, Agl 11, Sta 10, Per 13, Int 13, Luck 15, AL L. Spells Known (+6 to spell checks): Find familiar, runic alphabet (mortal)(Mercurial Effect: breath of life), detect evil, make potion, planar step.


Tamar as a Minor Patron


Tamar may act as a minor patron to anyone who performs a patron bond ceremony within the confines of the Dimsdale hedge maze. She will only bond with Lawful characters. What she can offer is extremely minor; she has no specific patron spells, no real patron taint, and no special rules for spellburn. If patron taint is indicated, the character must plant some beneficial herbs within 1 week, or have a -1 penalty to Luck until this has been done. Roll 1d16 to determine the herbs to be planted: (1) mint, (2) bee balm, (3) costmary, (4) marigolds, (5) pennyroyal, (6) cowslips, (7) basil, (8) thyme, (9) rosemary, (10) rue, (11) meadowsweet, (12) red yarrow, (13) white yarrow, (14) sage, (15) purselane, or (16) pimpernel.

Invoke Patron Results

12-13 Sometimes it be true that the ills of the spirit lie harsher on mankind than do the ills of the flesh that he weareth for so short a span of years. Preoccupied with other matters, Tamar has little time to do more than bolster the caster’s courage. The caster gains a +2 bonus to Will saves for the next 1d6 + CL minutes.

14-17 Blessed Be! With a little more time available, Tamar can hear the petitioner’s problem and offer some sound advice (as determined by the judge). Due to the nature of Tamar’s timeless abode, the caster has an opportunity to have up to a 10 minute conversation with Tamar, all of which takes place in a seeming daydream, in a fraction of a second.

18-19 There must lie truth within the heart, lest thy every effort be doomed to failure. By spending one round gazing deep into her own soul, the caster can gather the will needed to make her next action more likely to succeed. Her next skill check, save, attack roll, or spell check is made using the next highest die on the dice chain.

20-23 The good, be it strong enough, will drive out the ill. If the caster is suffering from a spell, disease, poison, or curse, the influence of Tamar allows the caster to attempt another saving throw with a +4 bonus to the roll. If the condition does not allow a save normally, the caster may make an attempt at DC 15. If the caster touches an ally, she may aid the ally in this same way. The caster may aid one ally with each Action Die, and may continue to do so for CL rounds before the power departs.

24-27 Is my power great enough? How shall I know? The proof be in the doing. Tamar attempts to cast one of her spells through the caster. The judge chooses the most appropriate spell, but the caster is able to choose all particulars if the spell is successful. The spell is cast exactly as if the caster had cast it herself (and she gains the effects of Tamar’s mercurial magic for runic alphabet, mortal), but the difficulty in casting this way means that the spell is cast with a total modifier of -2. The caster never suffers corruption from this, but may experience misfire.

28+ So mote it be! Tamar’s power reaches out and reshapes the world in a minor way, imparting some form of blessing. The exact nature of the blessing must be determined by the judge, but it should be relevant to either the problem at hand, or some greater problem (or farther-reaching goal) of the caster. For example, Tamar blessed Crockett Wade with an amulet of wax to aid him in the skillful making of beautiful things, and Tamar blessed Holly Wade with the sure knowledge that her father - who had been lost and presumed dead in Vietnam - would return home.

Source: Andre Norton (Lavender-Green Magic: Ace Books, 1974)


Ishnuvakardi


Ishnuvakardi was a minor god, carried on the Roolanga, an aerial whaling ship flying out of Zalarapamtra. His idol was carved from a piece of vrishkaw, a foot high, ivory-white with red, green, and black striations. Ishnuvakardi is half human and half wind whale, with a bestial head, human torso, and the tail and flukes of a wind whale.

The little god of an aerial ship is worshipped on an altar of bone. The crew gives its thanks to the little god, who in turn passes those thanks - and his own - to the major god of the city. The devotions to Ishnuvakardi included the priestess or acolyte donning a wooden mask to which hundreds of pieces of red aerial brit had been glued, a fire burning in a wooden cup before the idol, and the crew falling to its knees. The language in which the service is addressed is not everyday speech, but rather a language reserved for religious services.

As with all the gods carved from vrishkaw, Ishnuvakardi exudes an overpoweringly sweet, intoxicating perfume, known as the divine perspiration. The first time one inhales the divine perspiration, a Fort save must be made each round. The second time, a Fort save must be made each minute. Someone who has become accustomed to the divine perspiration need only make the save every ten minutes, but that individual must be a priest or acolyte to gain this level of ability to resist the divine perspiration.

Merely inhaling the divine perspiration makes one feel happy and a little dizzy, without any save.

The first time a save is failed from the divine perspiration, the character feels drunk, taking 1d3 points of temporary damage to both Agility and Intelligence.

The second time a save is failed, the character feels very drunk, taking 1d3 points of temporary damage to Agility, Intelligence, and Personality.

The third time a save is failed, the character passes out, and remains comatose for 1d6 x 5 minutes. The character is helpless during this time.

The save DC for Ishnuvakardi is 10.

Source: Philip José Farmer: The Wind Whales of Ishmael (Ace Books, 1971)


Web Makers


These strange, six-legged creatures have round grey bodies approximately the size of a human head. It has a single large eye, and a slit-like mouth from which a long tooth protrudes. The creature attaches itself to the ceiling with a long slimy line of web-cable, then launches itself at potential prey. The creature coils this grey web-cable inside its body, so that it can control its distance to the ground.

When a victim comes within range, the web maker swings out on its cable, or drops from above, trying to grab hold with its poisonous claws. It aims for the head. If it hits, it clings to its victim, attempting to stab it with its long, hollow tooth. If it succeeds, it proceeds to drain blood at a rate of 1d6 hit points per round. If its poison has been effective, it will drain its victim in 2d6 rounds. The creature’s powerful poison requires a DC 10 + 1d6 Fort save to avoid instant death. The variable is based upon the number of claws that actually hit with a successful attack, and each claw leaves a reddish mark. The poison is a pale green liquid, stored within the creature’s body.

These creatures live in colonies in large chambers, which may number up to 1,000 individuals. They have an instinctive sense that allows them to time their attacks so that they do not interfere with each other. Usually, an attack is launched only once every three rounds. Characters which become aware of this pattern of attacks may gain a +4 bonus to AC by anticipating these attacks and moving to avoid them.

A web maker is paralysed when caught within strongly presented light, even torchlight. This does not prevent other web makers in the colony from swinging in to the attack.

These creatures spin spider-like webs out of a grey substance that contains bits of mica within it. The webs are easily burned or pushed through, but disturbing them alerts the creatures. The web makers can create such a web with astounding speed, so that, once one has gotten through, if that person looks back a minute or so later, the web is restored, and there is no sign of what has done it.

Web maker: Init +0; Atk claws +0 melee (1 plus poison) or bite +1 melee (1 plus blood drain); AC 8; HD 1d4; hp 2; MV 20’ or climb 20’; Act 1d20; SP Poison (Fort DC 10 +1d6 or die), blood drain (1d6), swing, paralysed by light; SV Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0; AL N.

Source: Philip José Farmer: The Wind Whales of Ishmael (Ace Books, 1971)


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