Class questions

There are some good built-in questions that you can ask in D&D to flesh out your character and your story based on the class you've chosen, but the game doesn't actually ask these questions, so they can be easy to ignore. Here are some good questions for any D&D character, starting with "What are you hiding?" Each class will also have two more specific questions as well.

Barbarian

• What are you hiding?
• What do you rage against?
• What confuses you about these people and their customs?

Bard

• What are you hiding?
• What do you play?
• Why do you play it?
  

Cleric

• What are you hiding?
• Why were you chosen?
• What do you miss about the church?
  

Druid

• What are you hiding?
• How did you first wild shape?
• What do you hate or fear most about civilization?
  

Fighter

• What are you hiding?
• Where did you fight before?
• Who do you admire?
  

Monk

• What are you hiding?
• How were you trained?
• Why did you leave the monastery?
  

Paladin

• What are you hiding?
• What do you stand against?
• How do you pray?
  

Ranger

• What are you hiding?
• Who is your favorite animal?
• Why do you hunt for yourself?
  

Rogue

• What are you hiding?
• What was your greatest heist?
• How have you lost it?
  

Sorcerer

• What are you hiding?
• How has your bloodline affected your family?
• How did your bloodline awaken?
  

Warlock

• What are you hiding?
• Why did you take the deal?
• How do you feel about your patron?

Wizard

• What are you hiding?
• Who taught you magic?
• What do your spells look like?
  

Artificer 

• What are you hiding?
• What was the first magic item you saw?
• How do you get materials?
  

Notes

The incredible Cavegirl over on Cavegirl's Game Stuff is working on an incredible game called Dungeon Bitches. That's where I got this idea from, and I highly recommend checking out her blog (if you somehow follow this one but not that one). This was fun to make because it's kind of easy to come up with questions but each one creates so much empty space that people could fill out with their characters. I have a lot of trouble writing characters, so I really like seeing stuff like this (again, thanks Cavegirl) because it helps guide things a lot more. No art this time, but I hope you enjoy the stuff that I've made anyways.

My favorite class, fun generators, and a new direction

The Soulknife was my favorite class concept when I only knew about the 3.x games. I emphasize concept there because the actual mechanics of the class were hot garbage. It was described by some as a straightjacket that would ruin any build (I know), it was purely combat based with poor stats for combat and a core ability that neither meshes well with any other class nor outperforms the magic equipment you should technically be getting as you level, according to RAW. So I redesigned it with GLOG sensibilities, then updated that design recently with more experience and insight into RPG design, then read the latest GLOG rules and updated it again to be as fully compatible as I could manage. I probably won't be posting much in the way of classes aside from this, since it's my favorite.

Soulknife

Each level of Soulknife gives you +1 to throwing attacks.

A    |mind blade

B    |steelmind, nightmare

C    |gravitation

D    |shatter

Mind Blade

Conjure a blade of mental energy in the form of a dagger or any weapon you've used in combat. It can also imprint the form of a tool, such as a rope or shovel. It takes an action to conjure and disappears if it leaves your hand for an hour.

Steelmind

Channel your mind blade energy through a physical weapon, increasing its attack by +2, but adding a damage marker every minute it remains channeled.

Nightmare

Steal the dreams of a sleeping person, leaving them with a restless night and allowing you to imbue one mind blade attack with an additional die of damage. Cannot imbue while channeling steelmind.

Gravitate

Your mind blade can pull you to its location as long as it is within view, at two times running speed.

Shatter

Explode your mind blade on command as an action, or instantly if someone attempts to disarm or sunder it. This deals 2d6 damage to anyone within melee range excluding yourself, and you cannot summon it again until you retrieve it within your dreams.

The Beginning of the End by RAHDS

I'd also like to take a moment to outline my current philosophy when designing a GLOG class. It's pretty challenging and strict, but I think it works with the framework of 'constraint inspires creativity.' At template A you obviously have the core idea of the class, which I like to include with some level-independent progression if possible. Template B is great for multiclass synergy type abilities, so people can take 2/2 and get some cool combinations. Template C is kind of like a free space where you can flesh out or expand the core class idea, but it's unfortunately too late to really start with the progression ability. Then template D is good for the capstone ability, which I think should be cool and flashy but risky or costly to use. I've heard arguments against capstone abilities, but as long as you're good at designing the abilities leading up to it that shouldn't be a problem.

 

Generators

If you both really want to design wacky classes, but have managed to run out of ideas, this should give you some weird ones:

Fantasy tree generator. Some of the results are pretty wild, but most should be scaleable to either mundane rumors or arcane foliage of myth:

And here is a fashion trend generator. It won't give you a specific outfit, but should prompt enough broad traits to build a sense of style for a locality:

Faint Slumber by Pavel Kolomeyets

Priorities

Finally, I've decided to stop working on systems, or at least stop focusing on them, until I get some more experience running things at the table, and probably read more existing systems. The most useful things I find on other blogs are environments, characters, items, puzzles, and monsters (in descending order of usefulness), and then after that there are mechanical and philosophical considerations that can sometimes be interesting. I'll be using Arnold's most up to date GLOG rules as my basis for mechanics, but mostly using a fiction-first focus. Surely everyone is even more excited to read about this than I am to write it.

Blank space and mechanical fluff

Perhaps my favorite part of any character sheet is the 'appearance' section, especially if it has an area for drawing a character portrait.

People should be allowed and encouraged to engage in creative pursuits, irrespective of technical skill, and it helps them to explore the character. Likewise, when I'm having trouble fleshing out a character, it can really help to have some guidance or framework to start with. To this end, part of the character creation process in my game generates connections to the larger setting, along with open-ended questions inviting further worldbuilding on the player's end.

one million by Lois van Baarle

It's important to have this kind of blank space, and sometimes it's necessary to point players toward it. Some games try to make every part of character development mechanical, and I generally find that to be a very clumsy, unhelpful approach (generally mind you, there are exceptions) much like trying to mechanically simulate every physical element of a fight or adventure. Oftentimes it's best to just leave the relatively unimportant details up to the players, they can reason a situation intuitively or come up with interesting details for themselves.

Part of this is how magic users in Skies Below must keep an arcane focus to use their magic in combat. This can be any item they possess, such as a wand, tome, or lute, or even such items as a hat, flaming sword, or key. The arcane focus doesn't do much mechanically, besides adding some tension if it gets lost or stolen, its main purpose is to make the player think about their magic, what it looks like and what it says about their character. A character who casts magic through a musical instrument might think of their character as sort of a bard, or one with a blanket may think of that as a shelter the character has held onto their whole life.

Tavern Hijinks by Lap Pun Cheung

Now I'm extending this philosophy to some of the martial classes. In order to enter rage, a berserker must perform a brief, ritualistic action such as eating a certain food or calling out a warcry. Similarly, to use their cooperative abilities, the infantry must use a team name that the party has agreed on. These mostly won't impact actual gameplay, but will push players to add a bit of character building to their PCs, and the infantry's team name encourages them to talk to the other characters and really work together creatively.

Berserker rage ritual

1. Shout out "For mount and stone!"
2. Call out "Blood of the bloodmaker!"
3. Declare "By the skulls power!"
4. A quick, violent dance.
5. Don a fierce mask.
6. Remove a placid mask.
7. Swallow a flame.
8. Bite into shield.
9. Devour raw meat.
10. Drink personalized draught.
11. Anoint in sacred perfume.
12. Anoint in ash.
13. Anoint in honey.
14. Cut a rune into chest.
15. Shatter a clay disc.
16. Rip a sacred cloth.
17. Crush a soul cricket.
18. Crack knuckles.
19. Tear off shirt.
20. Clasp hands in a moment of meditation.

Holographic battle by Diana Tsareva

Skies Below character creation & some basic rules

Skies Below is intended to be a game that makes the player really feel the human struggles of their character. To that end, it may be best to start with how those characters will be created.

A Home Up High by Chris Lambert

It is recommended that you first come up with a name, then roll a background, secret, and connection. You can also roll other things for your character's history and personality, such as memories, fears, or attitude, or you may want to wait until after rolling your core attributes. These are generated with 3d6 each in order of will, strength, and agility, with one optional reroll. This will give scores ranging from 3 to 18, and each will have a bonus depending on the number.

Score          Bonus
3, 4, 5            -2
6, 7, 8            -1
9, 10, 11        +0
12, 13, 14      +1
15, 16, 17      +2
18                  +3

Saves can be made by rolling 1d20 equal to or lower than the associated attribute, such as rolling a strength save to resist petrification or lift a falling door, or rolling a will save to fend of mental effects. Each attribute score and bonus contributes to another secondary attribute. The will score determines your base number of skill slots and the bonus determines your magic score. The strength score determines your base number of inventory slots and the bonus adds to your attack bonus. The agility score determines your base stealth and the bonus adds to your speed bonus.

Potions Fact by A. Shipwright

A level 1 character starts with 6 maximum Vigor, and increases their maximum by 1d6 every class level. This represents not necessarily physical health, morale, or willpower, but rather a general sense of your character's ability to keep fighting on. If you take damage at 0 vigor, you take a wound. Each time a character becomes wounded they must roll 1d6, and if the result is equal to or lower than their number of wounds then it is a fatal wound. They should be allowed to choose whether they die there or sometime within the next week, within reason.

Each player character can start at level 1 unless running a character funnel. For new players or a new campaign, only a few starting classes should be available until people get more comfortable playing or as the campaign develops. Most characters will get an outfit and skill from their background, and most classes start with a weapon and some interesting items.

Old Spanish Treasure Chest by Samuel Sheath

When you spend money on personal comforts and luxuries, you gain experience points. It costs 200 exp to reach level 2, 400 to reach level 3, and 800 to reach level 4. To level up, you spend a month in town relaxing, carousing, or training as the player sees fit.

Character sheets are still work-in-progress, but can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1asE7RCAgWk631BltsCveVAw3HdVmEyjV-dCA08Uow7o/edit?usp=sharing
Backgrounds, secrets, and connections can be found here, along with some other backstory elements: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/10/character-history.html
Starting classes here: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/10/revised-starting-classes.html
Other classes here: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/10/martial-classes.html
And here: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/09/magic-user-classes.html
Partial combat rules can be found here: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/03/proficiency.html

Martial classes

Infantry

Fight well on a team, acting easily as leader or support. Combat trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 blocking defense every level
• Starting items: chainmail, large shield, spear (balanced weapon), lucky charm
• Skill: archer, surgeon, or tactician

Level 1: phalanx, siege diet

Level 2: squad support

Level 3: mentor, heroic sacrifice

Level 4: team attack, rally

• Phalanx: when you block alongside allies in the same melee, gain +1 defense for each, or +2 for each who is also infantry.
• Siege diet: split your meals with close companions (other player characters) to each get by on one ration per day.
• Squad support: if an ally within reach would take damage from a ranged attack, you may take the hit in their place.
• Mentor: if you have fought alongside an ally through at least one level up, when you see them perform a non-magical technique you can declare that you will practice it, and can use it once in a later encounter. This also works for skill stars if you have the same skill, but you can only be practicing one ability at a time.
• Heroic sacrifice: whenever an ally in the same melee would take a wound, you can choose to take the damage in their place.
• Team attack: +1 damage for each ally attacking the same target at the same time.
• Rally: once per day, call out encouragement to your ally and restore vigor for all who can see and hear you by 1d6.

warrior by Khoa Viet

Duelist

Focus your skills on a singular opponent. Combat trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 defense per level when parrying
• Starting items: gambeson, rapier (balanced weapon), fine hat
• Skill: thug, writer, or brawler

Level 1: duel, trophy

Level 2: defensive posture, flourish

Level 3: guard break, dignity

Level 4: match and break

• Duel: goad a target into facing you in a one-on-one fight if they fail a save. In civilized areas, the time and place of the duel must be agreed upon. Anyone else attempting to attack either of you during the fight will have -1 attack, in addition to cultural repercussions.
• Trophy: when you defeat a prestigious foe, you may take a trophy of your victory from their person, either a valuable accessory of even a piece of their body in more brutal lands. This trophy can later be brandished to exercise their authority for your own ends for one interaction. Only one trophy can be held from a given figure at a time, and repeated use may weaken their authority.
• Defensive posture: block with a balanced or light weapon as if it were a small shield.
• Flourish: when you achieve an impressive victory (against a particularly tough foe, or within one round for example), you may call for unfriendly onlookers to reroll their reaction rolls with a +4 bonus.
• Guard break: a special attack option that will lose against a fast attack, parry riposte, or feint attack, but will deal full damage against a blocking opponent as if their defense were zero.
• Dignity: when your vigor is full and you haven't attacked your duel opponent yet, they must make a Will save in order to strike you.
• Match and break: when you make the same attack as your foe, you deal full damage.

Cavalier

Manage engagements to fight off multiple foes. Combat trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 speed every two levels
• Starting items: chainmail, crest (small shield), greatsword (great weapon)
• Skill: politician, armorer, or tactician

Level 1: rampart, hit and run

Level 2: living barrier, split focus

Level 3: imposing figure, disengaging blow

Level 4: thrill

• Rampart: when you block, each time an enemy attacks you may choose to reroll your block defense before the next attack.
• Hit and run: strike an opponent as you pass, or lunge in before stepping back. This requires your target to win a speed contest in order to engage in melee with you.
• Living barrier: any failed attempt to hold ground can be rerolled once.
• Split focus: when engaged with multiple foes, you may choose two attack options and target each enemy with one of the two.
• Imposing figure: instead of attacking, you may inflict one enemy with a -1 attack penalty until you are successfully struck.
• Disengaging blow: strike an opponent as you move away. This allows you to retreat while making an attack.
• Thrill: if you wound a foe, you can make a new attack against any other engaged foe.

Berserker

Enter a bestial rage to become stronger and more reckless. Combat trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 maximum vigor every level
• Starting items: fur cloak, 2 hand axes (mass weapons), human skull
• Skill: survivalist, thug, or apothecary

Level 1: rage

Level 2: brutality, adrenaline

Level 3: fury

Level 4: unbreakable, wrath

• Rage: once per day, go berserk to become seemingly invincible and unstoppable for three rounds. This grants +1 attack and defense, as well as ignoring wounds and postponing death rolls until the rage ends. Attack choices are ignored by your aggression, causing you to take and deal full damage with only defense to mitigate it. If you rage while wearing medium or heavy armor you become strained, and if you spend a round raging and don't attack something, make a will save to avoid eating your weapon.
• Brutality: become more skilled in fighting without a shield, increasing the attack bonus from dual wielding to +2, or granting +1 attack when wielding a weapon two-handed.
• Adrenaline: for one round per day, treat your strength as 20. Can be used in or out of combat.
• Fury: enter a rage up to three times per day, and each time you wound a foe while raging you may choose to extend the duration by one round.
• Unbreakable: gain a natural defense bonus of +1 at all times.
• Wrath: your rage now grants +2 attack and defense, as well as immunity to pain or fear based effects.

Thief

Use stealth, skill, and luck to steal and accrue valuables. Partially trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 stealth every level
• Starting items: blackjack (light weapon), dark cloak, lock & key
• Skill: cook, jeweler, or panhandler

Level 1: thievery, counterfeit

Level 2: lucky, perfect crime

Level 3: slippery, change hands

Level 4: very lucky

• Thievery: gain the locksmith and pickpocket skills with one star each.
• Counterfeit: forge a false copy of any item you've stolen, which will pass for the real thing under immediate scrutiny, but may be caught out later.
• Lucky: once per day, reroll any d6 roll you made, including damage rolls, skill checks, and others.
• Perfect crime: whenever you steal something that is being actively guarded, if nobody spots you or notices your passing then you will immediately gain bonus exp equal to half of the spending value of what you stole.
• Slippery: get a +3 speed bonus to retreat from melee.
• Change hands: retroactively declare that you swapped one or more items with another player character, no matter how far separated at the moment.
• Very lucky: reroll up to three separate d6 rolls per day.

Assassination by Yiming Nie

Assassin

Use stealth and manipulation to kill without fighting. Partially trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 to attack every two levels
• Starting items: 3 throwing knives, disguise kit, vial of poison, contract for assassination
• Skill: launcher, politician, or acrobat

Level 1: opportunist, assassinate

Level 2: cold read, pierce

Level 3: bet my life

Level 4: fadeaway

• Opportunist: any time you attack with a distinct advantage, such as from behind, while hidden, or from above, you deal an additional 1d6 damage. This applies to attacks made while grappling.
• Assassinate: for every secret of the target's that you know, gain +1 damage during the first round, up to +5.
• Cold read: the first time you get a good look at someone, you can examine them to determine one of their secrets at random. Can alternatively be used before combat to determine what the opponent's first action will be.
• Pierce: attacks on unaware or immobilized opponents bypass defense.
• Bet my life: non-magical poisons that you have added to food or drink, or your weapon, will not affect you unless you wish.
• Fadeaway: if unengaged during combat, you may roll a stealth check to disappear, and perform a stealth attack on your next turn.

Hunter

Specially skilled in subduing large beasts and laying traps. Partially trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 quick inventory slot every level
• Starting items: hunting knife (light weapon), trapping kit, bow, quiver, animal skull
• Skill: survivor, butcher, or archer

Level 1: trapper, astride

Level 2: wrangle

Level 3: provoke, fast trapper

Level 4: steer

• Trapper: create traps outside of combat to either halt, damage, or alert you when passed through. You must spend an hour every morning preparing your trapping kit. More elaborate or useful traps can be made using specific items at GM discretion.
• Astride: climb on top of large beasts to strike vulnerable areas for a guaranteed hit. Beasts can spend their turn attempting to shake off an astride hunter with a strength save, but if the hunter spends their round clinging on, it becomes a strength contest.
• Wrangle: using a rope, attempt to tie down a beast through a strength contest. Anyone can contribute, but any non-hunters will be knocked prone if the beast wins. Any tied down beast will remain prone until it can succeed a difficult strength save.
• Provoke: take an action to impel beasts into charging at you. They will take 1 damage if you are beside a wall.
• Fast trapper: once per encounter, a trap can be laid during combat. This takes one full round, and includes movement to lay tripwires or hazards.
• Steer: while astride, a hunter can force the beast to move if they succeed on a strength contest.

Wild Hunter by Russell Dongjun Lu

Revised starting classes

These classes are available from the start, and players can unlock others by performing certain feats and quests in the campaign.

Warriors and Mages of Nathune - Concept by Narthyxa

INFANTRY
Fight well on a team, acting easily as leader or support. Combat trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 blocking defense every level
• Starting items: chainmail, large shield, spear, lucky charm
• Skill: archer, surgeon, or tactician

Level 1: phalanx, siege diet

Level 2: squad support

Level 3: mentor, heroic sacrifice

Level 4: team attack, rally

• Phalanx: when you block along with allies in the same melee, gain +1 defense for each, or +2 for each who is also infantry.
• Siege diet: split your meals with close companions (other player characters) to each get by on one ration per day.
• Squad support: if an ally within reach would take damage from a ranged attack, you may take the hit in their place.
• Mentor: if you have fought alongside an ally through at least one level up, when you see them perform a non-magical technique you can declare that you will practice it, and can use that technique once in a later encounter. This also works for skill stars if you have the same skill, but you can only be practicing one ability at a time.
• Heroic sacrifice: whenever an ally in the same melee would take a wound, you can choose to take the damage in their place.
• Team attack: +1 damage for each ally attacking the same target in the same round.
• Rally: once per day, call out encouragement to your allies and restore vigor of all who can see and hear you by 1d6.

Berserker by Dominik Mayer

BERSERKER

Enter a powerful rage to become strong and reckless. Combat trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 maximum vigor every level
• Starting items: fur cloak, hand axe (2), human skull
• Skill: survivalist, thug, or apothecary

Level 1: rage

Level 2: brutality, adrenaline

Level 3: fury

Level 4: unbreakable, wrath

• Rage: once per day, go berserk to become nearly invincible and unstoppable for three rounds. This grants +1 attack and defense, as well as ignoring wounds and postponing death rolls until rage ends. Attack choices are circumvented by your aggression, cause you to take and deal full damage, mitigated only by defense. If you rage while wearing armor, subtract its defense from 6, and roll 1d6 under the result or become strained. If you spend a round in a rage without attacking something, make a will save or eat your weapon.
• Brutality: become more powerful without a shield, increasing the attack bonus from dual wielding to +2, or granting a +1 attack bonus when wielding a weapon two-handed.
• Adrenaline: for one round per day (or a 10 second span), treat your strength as 20. Can be used in or out of combat.
• Fury: enter a rage up to three times per day, and each time you wound a foe while raging you may choose to extend the duration by one round.
• Unbreakable: gain a natural defense bonus of +1 at all times.
• Wrath: your rage now grants +2 attack and defense, as well as immunity to pain or fear based effects.

Thief by Joya-Filomena

THIEF

Use stealth, skill, and luck to steal and accrue valuables. Partially trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 stealth every level
• Starting items: blackjack, dark cloak, lock & key
• Skill: cook, jeweler, or panhandler

Level 1: thievery, counterfeit

Level 2: lucky, perfect crime

Level 3: slippery, change hands

Level 4: very lucky

• Thievery: gain the locksmith and pickpocket skills with one star each.
• Counterfeit: forge a false copy of any item you stole, which will pass for the real thing under immediate scrutiny, but may be caught out later.
• Lucky: once per day, reroll any d6 roll you made, including damage rolls, skill checks, and others.
• Perfect crime: whenever you steal something that is being actively guarded, if nobody spots you or notices your passing then you will immediately gain bonus exp equal to half of the spending value of what you stole.
• Slippery: get a +3 speed bonus when retreating out of melee.
• Change hands: retroactively declare that you swapped one or more items with another character, no matter how far separated you currently are.
• Very lucky: reroll up to three separate d6 rolls per day.

The Summer by ashpwright

DRUID

Grow useful plants when you need, using natural magic. Magic user.

• Stat bonus: +1 ration per inventory slot every level
• Starting items: cudgel, pouch of common seeds from your homeland, druidic passphrase
• Skills: thug, survivalist, or cook

Level 1: bramble, naturalist

Level 2: vine, command

Level 3: heartfruit

Level 4: arbory, wither

• Bramble: throw down a handful of bush seeds into the dirt and cause them to magically grow immediately, forming a semi-rigid barrier or short step up. These bushes will have no seeds, but fruit or vegetable bushes can provide 1 ration.
• Naturalist: none of your druid powers can be used while you knowingly touch metal, or until the next new moon after you do so. You and companions (not including vehicles) are impossible to track through natural terrain by any normal means, as long as you all travel reasonably carefully.
• Vine: throw down vine seeds into dirt, which grow up to ten meters instantly across the nearest upright solid surface. These can be used to climb easily, or they can pull down weak structures or immobilize one target, who can escape with a strength save or assistance. They will produce no seeds.
• Command: once per day, you can put any magical plant under your control for 1d6 minutes. They may remember what happened during this time, but might understand your motives.
• Heartfruit: call upon the protection of nature to grow a plant with healing fruit. It has no seeds and grows after a month of care, from then on producing a new fruit after a week, and new ones a week after harvesting. The fruit itself has thick, dark red juices and tastes salty, restoring all vigor or healing one wound.
• Arbory: once per day throw a tree seed into dirt, causing it to grow swiftly and unstoppably up to twenty meters. This tree will grow no seeds, but fruit trees can provide 1d6 rations.
• Wither: once per day, you can cause any plant to wither up and die with a touch. Deals one wound to plant creatures.

Combat trained classes are proficient with all weapons and armor. Partially trained classes can choose to be proficient with either light armor, heavy armor, or shields, as well as either proficiency with balanced weapons, mass weapons, or great weapons, or one skill star in archer or launcher. Magic user classes can choose any of their items as an arcane focus or roll for an additional item as one. Everyone is proficient with light weapons, and can gain proficiency with one particular weapon by landing three successful attacks with it. This proficiency can be gained for a new weapon, but the previous one will be lost.

Magic user classes

Magic users may select an object in their possession as a magic focus. With a focus in contact, all magical techniques take one round to perform unless otherwise noted. If the focus is lost or destroyed, a new one can be assigned through a week long, arduous but not challenging process. Without a focus, magical techniques can be performed outside of combat with a ritual that takes one minute to complete.

Druid

Grow useful plants whenever needed, eschewing metal items.

• Stat bonus: +1 ration per inventory slot per level
• Starting items: cudgel, druidic passphrase, pouch of common seeds from your homeland
• Skill: cook, survivalist, or builder

Level 1: bramble, naturalist

Level 2: vine, botanium

Level 3: heartfruit

Level 4: arbory, wither

• Bramble: throw down a handful of bush seeds and cause them to grow immediately. They require a decent amount of dirt and form a sturdy but not fully rigid barrier. Fruit bushes can provide 1 ration, but plants created with these magics produce no seeds.
• Naturalist: none of these powers can be used while you knowingly touch metal, or until the next new moon after. You and your companions (not including vehicles) are impossible to track through natural terrain by any normal means.
• Vine: cast vine seeds which grow up to ten meters instantly, across any solid surface. Can be used to climb walls, destroy weak structures, or immobilize an enemy until they succeed a strength test or are freed.
• Botanium: one per day, you can put any magical plant under your control with a touch. This lasts one hour, and they can remember what happened but may be understanding.
• Heartfruit: call upon the providence of nature to grow a plant which can bear healing fruit. It grows after a month of care, from then on producing a new fruit one week after harvesting. The fruit has dark red juices and tastes salty, fully restoring vigor or healing one wound.
• Arbory: once per day plant a tree seed, causing it to grow swiftly and irresistibly up to twenty meters. Requires plenty of soil, and fruit trees can provide 1d6 rations.
• Wither: once per day, you can cause any normal plant to wither up and die with a touch. Deals a wound to plant creatures.

Witch

Gain the forms of animals and their natural talents, forgoing metal items.

• Stat bonus: +1 stealth in wilderness per level
• Starting items: broomstick, journal, stone axe
• Skill: butcher, cook, or politician

Level 1: wild shape, blessing

Level 2: mode of the swift, natural aspect

Level 3: cast of sky

Level 4: dominant will, beastly form

• Wild shape: become an animal at will, gaining its physical attributes but becoming unable to use normal items, techniques, or magic. You can take the form of any animal you have been turned into by magic, as well as an antelope or wolf. If you knowingly touch metal, these abilities are lost until the next full moon.
• Blessing: perform a ritual to gain the forms of wild animals by putting your hand over their eyes for ten seconds. Only works on nonmagical animals, no larger than twice your size or smaller than half, and grants you their form whether by friendship or force.
• Mode of the swift: gain the forms of a fox and cobra.
• Natural aspect: partially transform, gaining one conspicuous attribute from the animal form while still being able to use your normal equipment and abilities.
• Cast of sky: gain the form of an owl or similar sized bird (at GM discretion).
• Dominant will: with a touch, impell your will upon a nonmagical beast once per day, forcing it to obey a single word command along with pointing. Cannot be used on a beast again if your command caused harm.
• Beastly form: gain the forms of a shark and tiger.

Summoner

Call upon alien entities and unleash them.

• Stat bonus: +1 skill slot every two levels
• Starting items: whip, ritual mask, chalk
• Skill: navigator, linguist, or tailor

Level 1: summon entity

Level 2: alien contact

Level 3: alien mind, twin passages

Level 4: stable conduit

• Summon entity: once per day you can conjure an alien presence into your realm, to act for six rounds plus your will bonus (or sixty seconds +10 per will bonus). Every level, the summoner can call upon an entity one additional time per day and gain access to a new entity, generated by the GM or rolled from a list the GM has prepared. If you find a summon scroll, you can discern the nature of the entities, and permanently learn to summon one.
• Alien contact: once per summon, you may roll a magic check to give your entity a one-word command that it must obey, along with necessary gestures. For example, you command it to 'kill' and point at a creature.
• Alien mind: once per day, make a magic check to give your entity a single complex order that it must try its best to carry out. For example: you command it to lift a portcullis and prevent non-allies from passing by.
• Twin passages: up to two entities can be summoned simultaneously.
• Stable conduit: once per day, summon an entity for one hour plus one minute per will bonus.

Illusionist

Conjure illusions which can be manipulated in many ways.

• Stat bonus: +1 speed per level to maintain distance
• Starting items: fine clothes, copper mirror, whip
• Skill: writer, engineer, or painter

Level 1: minor illusion, duplicate

Level 2: shroud, quasitangible

Level 3: lifesize

Level 4: dualize, unreality

• Minor illusion: create an illusion of a common handheld object that you are familiar with. When someone first sees an illusion and each time they see it do the impossible, they make a will save to see through it. By focusing, you can see through illusions you know of as if they were transparent. You can maintain one illusion at a time, and it disappears if your concentration breaks.
• Duplicate: make an illusory copy of a particular object you have with you, or have had time to examine outside of combat.
• Shroud: by touching a target, you may cover it with an illusion of similar size. For example, you could disguise a sword as a broom, or make a bag of gold appear as an apple.
• Quasitangible: your illusions are solid and tangible to anyone who does not know their true nature. You always know that your illusions are false.
• Lifesize: create illusions up to the size of a person.
• Dualize: you can maintain two illusions at once, but only so long as you do nothing else.
• Unreality: if you can imagine it, you can create it, up to the size of a house. Your illusions can break the laws of physics without allowing a new save from viewers, unless it fails to affect the environment in ways it should. For example, if you make a figure of lightning walk through dry grass without burning it, a new save would be allowed.

Necromancer

Resurrect and control undead as minions or tools.

• Stat bonus: -1 vigor, +1 magic per level
• Starting items: shovel, dagger, coffin
• Skill: apothecary, surgeon, or historian

Level 1: corpus

Level 2: spiritus, vitae

Level 3: quietus

Level 4: animus

• Corpus: resurrect a dead person as a wight, so long as they have been dead for less than one week. It will retain any class techniques and physical abilities from life, not including magic. If you raise a wight while you still have one, the old one will crumble into dust.
• Spiritus: give life to the bones of a person who has been dead for less than a week, raising them as a skeleton with normal skeleton attributes, totally loyal to you. Command up to one skeleton at level 2, three at level 3, and five at level 4 without them going wild and attacking everything.
• Vitae: touch an undead creature and drain vital essence from it, lowering its vigor and raising yours by 2d6. If you roll higher than its current total, you completely absorb it.
• Quietus: touch any dead flesh and preserve it from all natural forms of decay. This does not require a thinking being or even a complete body, but only one continuous piece of animal flesh can be preserved at a time. This cannot be used again on the same flesh.
• Animus: within any container crafted of bone, you can hold a dead person's soul. Only thinking creatures have a soul, and it must be captured within one hour of death. The soul contains all their memories, personality, and magical aptitude, but can do nothing aside from speaking when captured. You can place a soul within your wight, which will grant it all of the soul's traits and no longer count as your captured soul, but will also make it no longer obedient, and the soul cannot be re-captured when the wight dies.

Sorcerer

Redirect elemental forces.

• Stat bonus: +1 speed per level when retreating
• Starting items: arming sword, robes, alchemical battery (one charge)
• Skill: alchemist, brawler, or politician

Level 1: channel, elemental channels

Level 2: warp, infuse

Level 3: twin channel

Level 4: redirect, transmogrify

• Channel: when in contact with a visible amount of water, oil, fire, or lightning, you can channel it into a 10 meter line. While channeling, you take no damage from ice, fire, or lightning for the round.
• Elemental channels: each day, you have a number of channels equal to your sorcerer level. Channeling water or oil deals 1d6 damage and soaks everything along the line. Channeling ice, fire, or lightning deals 2d6 damage, fire can ignite the target, and lightning can paralyze them.
• Warp: alter your elemental blasts to take different shapes. New forms can be created at GM discretion, and any number can be combined, but each additional warp consumes one additional channel.*
• Infuse: absorb up to a person-sized amount of any element into your body, to be channeled at a later time. Requires at least a cup of water or oil, a torch worth of flame, or any electrical charge greater than a static shock. Only one infusion can be held at a time.
• Twin channel: when touching enough of more than one element, both can be channeled at once and aimed at separate targets, consuming three channels.
• Redirect: if struck by elemental attacks, you can negate one and channel it in the next round without spending any channels, but losing your infusion if you have one. If a sorcerer targets you and also has this ability, the one who rolls higher damage or spends the most channels wins.
• Transmogrify: when touching two elements at once, you can expend two channels to convert them both into any other element and channel that. Infusions can be expended for this, but not gained.

*some possible warps: a bend in the line, allowing it to hit around corners. A single-target projectile that can hit up to 30 meters, but only one target. A wide burst that hits everyone in melee.

These are the core magic classes for my game. It's possible more will be added, but they'll more likely be put in my 'advanced magic' folder which may or may not ever see use.
Some magic plants to start you out: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/09/magic-plants.html
General animal stats: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/09/stats-for-some-common-animals.html
Summon entities: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2018/09/aberrant-summon-generator.html
Undead attributes and worldbuilding: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/09/undead-stats-and-attributes.html
Elemental generator: http://wordsforyellow.blogspot.com/2019/04/elementals-generator.html

Curses as classes

These cannot be unlocked for new characters, and gain no proficiencies, skills, or starting items. Curses can deepen similar to gaining class levels, and replace class levels if they would otherwise exceed the limit of four. They can also be cured by fighting and evading the curse. There's no fourth level so that players can still have classes, but if you want to allow players to become outright monsters, feel free to add that.

Vampire

• Stat bonus: +1 will, -1 strength per level
• Deepen: drinking the blood of a living person you haven't already fed on counts as 10 exp.
• Cure: go 10 intervals without feeding.
• Signs: fangs, pallid skin, unnatural eyes.

Level 1: burning, bloodthirst

Level 2: drowning, regeneration

Level 3: ageless, hypnotism

• Burning: sunlight will burn your flesh. In direct sunlight, you take 2d6 damage per round. In open air during daylight, you take 1 damage per round even in shade.
• Bloodthirst: you must drink blood instead of eating food, regaining 1d6 vigor each time. Whenever you see a suitable victim and have not fed within one day (at level 1)/month (at level 2)/year (at level 3), you must make a will save to avoid attacking them immediately to feed on them. This save is made at a cumulative -1 penalty each interval since you last fed, as well as a -4 if they are bleeding.
• Drowning: if you enter or knowingly pass over running water, you must make a vigor save each round or lose consciousness.
• Regeneration: whenever you take a wound, you can turn into mist and return to your coffin or other place of rest, as long as the way is not blocked by airtight barriers. Each hour of rest restores one wound. Only sunlight or a stake through the heart can truly kill you, any other death will simply turn you into mist and return to your coffin, where your body will lie inert for one day before recovering.
• Ageless: you can live forever, with no need to sleep, breathe, or even feed, though you must still make saves to keep yourself from attacking mortals.
• Hypnotism: by staring into the eyes of any mortal creature for ten seconds, you can force them to obey a single word command, along with pointing to direct them. You are completely vulnerable to attacks while doing this.

Leprocist

• Stat bonus: +1 strength, -1 will per level
• Deepen: attaching the limb of a creature you killed grants 10 exp.
• Cure: let one body part per leprocist level fall off, and be taken care of for one month. This will not regrow the limbs lost.
• Signs: decayed skin, mismatched body parts, seams between parts.

Level 1: falling apart, metabolize

Level 2: preservative

Level 3: beyond natural, chaotic anatomy

• Falling apart: your face, arms, and legs will slowly decay and fall off over the course of a month, but you can replace them. Losing an arm decreases your strength by one, and losing a leg decreases your agility by one. Each limb you take from a creature increases or decreases your strength and agility if the creature was stronger than you or more agile, respectively. Once all of your limbs fall off, your head and torso will begin to take 2d6 damage per day unless fed and cleaned carefully.
• Metabolize: expend a body part, pushing it past its limits and ripping it apart to add 1d6 to any roll.
• Preservative: choose one of your body parts to remain intact as long as you have other limbs, similar to your head and torso.
• Beyond natural: attach additional body parts, including extra heads, up to a total of half your maximum vigor (or 6, whichever is higher).
• Chaotic anatomy: if each of your body parts is from a different type of creature, they will decay after a year rather than a month.

Midas' Flesh

• Stat bonus: +1 strength, -1 agility per level
• Deepen: hoard ten times the normal amount of gold instead of spending it. Stolen or lost money is not deducted, but spent or used money is.
• Cure: go one month per level without holding any money, except to give away for nothing in return.
• Signs: golden eyes, golden flesh.

Level 1: personal value, fool's touch

Level 2: weight of riches, gold to anything

Level 3: liquid assets, pure profit

• Personal value: stop rolling for vigor. Insted, each level of curse roll 1d20 for gold vigor as your body transforms. Each point of gold vigor is worth 10gp if ripped off of you, and if gold is taken from your body it takes a week to recover. You must consume a gold coin for each point of wear you wish to recover, instead of eating and resting normally.
• Fool's touch: touch an enemy to encase them in pyrite, immobilizing them for 1d6 rounds. Doing this causes you to take 1d6 damage if you've used it before on that day.
• Weight of riches: your golden body is immensely heavy. Anything weaker than stone will collapse underneath you, you will sink like a rock in any liquid, and it takes at least three people to carry you.
• Gold to anything: you can change your gold into any mundane metal or stone, though its shape remains the same. It takes about 20gp for each inventory slot of materials.
• Liquid assets: shoot molten gold from your hand at anyone within ten meters. Deals damage based on how much gold you expend; 1 damage for less than 10gp, 1d6 for 10gp, 2d6 for 100gp, 3d6 for 1000gp, and so on.
• Pure profit: your body is entirely gold, remove all non-gold vigor, and if you run out you will die and your body will crumble into 2d20 gold coins.

Lycanthrope

• Stat bonus: +1 agility, -1 will per level
• Deepen: each person your beast form kills grants 10 exp.
• Cure: spending a full moon completely restrained and imprisoned counters10 exp.
• Signs: wild hair and nail growth, hunger for raw meat.

Level 1: full moon, unnatural

Level 2: wilderness within, man or beast

• Full moon: on any night when the moon is full, you will transform into a powerful beast that goes on a violent rampage, targeting the things you care most about.
• Unnatural: mundane weapons and attacks cannot kill you, except silver.
• Wilderness within: you can make a will save to transform regardless of the time. During this time, whenever your beast form kills and eats a creature, you can choose to revert. Gain a cumulative +1 to this save for each night since you last transformed.
• Man or beast: when you are in beast form, you can make a will save to take control for 1d6 minutes. If people you care about are trying to help, gain +4 to this save.

Wendigo

• Stat bonus: +1 strength, -1 will per level
• Deepen: eating a frozen corpse of the same species grants 20 exp.
• Cure: each night spent without food and out of the cold counters 20 exp
• Signs: white skin, antlers, claws, unnatural eyes.

Level 1: flesh hunger, frigid phantom

Level 2: starvation, hunt

• Flesh hunger: whenever you eat a frozen corpse of your species, you regain all vigor and recover one wound.
• Frozen phantom: gain +4 to stealth when moving through snowy or frozen environments, gain immunity to cold weather and resistance to cold damage. Take double damage from fire, and you must make a will save to approach any fire larger than a candle.
• Starvation: eat a frozen corpse at least once a week or die.
• Hunt: you can see in the dark and perfectly mimic any voice you've heard.

Everyone else participating in this project. If you found your way here you should definitely check them out: Oblidisideryptch: https://oblidisideryptch.blogspot.com/ Archon’s Court: https://archons-court.blogspot.com/2019/08/glog-class-nanoweapon-poisoned.html Walfalcon: https://sameissharkinjapanese.blogspot.com/2019/08/glog-class-so-im-participating-in.html Ancalagon: https://slugsandsilver.blogspot.com/2019/07/curse-as-class-contest-ogre.html Lexi: https://crateredland.blogspot.com/2019/08/holding-out-for-hero.html Belac93: http://anxiousmimic.blogspot.com/2019/08/glog-class-oath-cursed-and-oath-rot.html Iemcd: https://benignbrownbeast.blogspot.com/2019/08/restless-dreamer.html Zoeology: https://princesses-and-pioneers.tumblr.com/post/186756775968/mirror-struck

Valker: https://parasitesandparadoxes.blogspot.com/2019/08/glog-class-doppelganger.html B44l: https://bugbearslug.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-abattoir-god.html

The Hearts of War

Haruspices and surgeons of the dead can attest that years of battle and training can twist the body in subtle ways, most notably in the heart. Certain kinds of adventurers will even develop strange, signifying changes to that fleshy core of their being.

Infantry

Textured similar to chain mail, with a form that is resilient and almost protective in a way.

Cavalier

Swift and powerful, pumping the lifeblood perhaps a big too eagerly. It stops beating very soon after death.

Duelist

Beating in precise strokes, with a mildly dazzling sheen.

Berserker

Burgeoning with small blades of iron, gushing blood and beating excitedly for the next battle.

Blademaster

Growing in strange ways, taking an unfamiliar shape with thorns and sometimes even grasping tendrils.

Thief

Sometimes filled with little gold-like pellets, as though the heart of a thief is trying to turn itself into a kind of coin purse.

Assassin

Dark and sharp, shaped almost like a living blade. It seems to disappear somewhere every time you look away.

Hunter

Covered in patterns like leaves, and colored with a hint of dark forest green.

Guardian

Shaped slightly like a shield, there are stories of them turning aside the surgeon's blade.

Inquisitor

Slightly twisted and drained of color, healers who use magical means report difficulty with this kind of stubborn organ.

The Minds of Magic

It is no secret or mystery that magic warps the mind and body. But rarely does one shatter the skull of a dead mage and root around at the flesh within. Those who do will find strange things inside...

Dragoner

Beginning to grow scales, and burning like embers from between the folds.

Shrine maiden

Open and porcelain, it can hold a candle and allow it to burn indefinitely.

Necromancer

Pale and wet, it softly steams with smokey blue flame, especially if pierced or pressed.

Witch

A squirming, crawling thing with teeth and fur between the folds of its flesh, it will crawl away and escape if left alone.

Summoner

Full of holes, none of which lead where they should. It amplifies sound.

Illusionist

Mirrored and shining, it is heavy but cannot be touched as long as you can see it.

Druid

A fibrous mass of slowly growing plant matter. May be hard to remove, if the roots have spread into the skull.

Sorcerer

Shaped like a spiral, with traces of energy and fluids swirling around its folds.

Magician

A dazzling but fragile thing, its blood is flashing lights and its substance is mush.

Holy medium

Dry, brittle and pale, but with a soft glow. If water is poured through it, the water will be pure and clear.

Magic user brains can be used as Ingredients for Alchemy.

Starting classes

Class format is based heavily on the GLOG format from Goblin Punch. That being said, while I borrow a few things from the GLOG core rules, the combat system (to which most of these are related) is completely different.

Infantry

Fight well on a team. Combat trained.

• Stat bonus: +1 blocking defense every level
• Starting items: chainmail, large shield, spear, lucky charm
• Skill: archer, surgeon, or tactician

Level 1: phalanx, siege diet

Level 2: team attack, mentor

Level 3: squad support

Level 4: heroic sacrifice, rally

• Phalanx: when you block alongside allies in the same engagement, gain +1 defense for each ally, and +2 for each infantry ally blocking with you.
• Siege diet: you can split your meals with an ally to each get by on one ration per day.
• Team attack: gain +1 damage for each ally engaged with the same target in the same round.
• Mentor: if you have fought alongside an ally through at least one level up, once per encounter you can perform one non-magical technique they have performed during the same encounter, including skill checks if you have the same skill.
• Squad support: if an ally within reach would take damage from a ranged attack, you may take their place.
• Heroic sacrifice: whenever an ally in the same engagement would take a wound, you can choose to take the damage in their place.
• Rally: once per day, call out inspiration to your allies to restore 1d6 hit points to all who an see or hear you.

Thief

Use stealth, skill, and luck to steal. Combat capable.

• State bonus: +1 stealth every level
• Starting items: blackjack, dark cloak, manacles with key
• Skill: sleight of hand, jeweler, or panhandler

Level 1: thievery, change hands

Level 2: lucky, stash

Level 3: slippery

Level 4: very lucky, great escape

• Thievery: gain the locksmith and pickpocket skills at rank 1.
• Change hands: once per session, you can declare that you retroactively swapped items with another character in the party, no matter how separated you are.
• Lucky: once per day, reroll any 1d6 roll immediately after the result has been seen. Can be used for damage, a skill check, or any other 1d6.
• Stash: by storing treasure in a hidden way, you can keep up to half of your next level's worth of treasure safe from other thieves at night or during the day.
• Slippery: get a +5 bonus to speed when retreating out of a melee engagement.
• Very lucky: reroll up to two additional 1d6 rolls, as lucky.
• Great escape: once per day, you can instantly escape from anything you could plausibly have escaped from, no matter how difficult it would have been.

Hunter

Specially skilled in subduing large beasts and laying traps. Combat capable.

• Stat bonus: +1 to stealth every two levels
• Starting items: hunting knife, trapping kit, bow, quiver, animal skull
• Skill: survivor, butcher, or archer

Level 1: trapper, astride

Level 2: wrangle

Level 3: provoke, fast trapper

Level 4: steer

• Trapper: improvise traps outside of combat to either halt, damage, or create an alert when passed through. You must spend an hour in the morning preparing your trapping kit. More elaborate or effective traps could be made using specific materials at GM discretion.
• Astride: climb on top of large beasts to strike vulnerable areas for a guaranteed hit, along with a +3 damage bonus. Beasts can spend their turn attempting to shake off a hunter with a strength save, but if the hunter spends their turn clinging on, it becomes a strength contest.
• Wrangle: using a rope, attempt to tie down a beast with a strength contest. Anyone can contribute to this contest, but any non-hunters will be knocked prone if the beast wins instead. Any tied down beast will remain prone until it can succeed a difficult strength save.
• Provoke: take an action to impel beasts into charging at you. They will take 1 damage if you are beside a wall when you do this.
• Fast trapper: once per encounter, a trap can be improvised during combat. This takes one full round, accounting for movement to lay tripwires or hazards.
• Steer: while astride, a hunter can force the beast to move if they succeed on a strength contest.

These are the three classes I recommend having available from the start, to ease players into the game, and to facilitate a lower starting power level and magical scale. After they play for a bit, and do various interesting things, I recommend opening up class options, including magical classes which will be detailed in a later post.