It's been a long time since I've worked on my Zorn setting, been a long year. Now that I'm back in the mood to write, I've decided to finally jot down some thoughts on what the base classes for the setting may be.
For those unfamiliar, I've written Zorn to be a game with diagetic character choices. These options are always available, but many other classes may exist for those explorers who encounter the strange, the dangerous, the awesome, and the unknown. These are simply the mundane enough classes that anyone can freely take them.
Arcanist
Your whole life you've been fascinated by magic, the occult, and other unexplainable occurences. Everyone you've met before now has just laughed at you. Not here. In Zorn, even the most mundane is unexplainable and you're ready for it.
Skill: Arcane
Each Template: Gain 1 Knowledge Skill
A: Careful Study, Obscure Knowledge
B: Trick Magic Item, Deconstruct Magic Item
C: Well-Studied
D: Magical Tinkerer
Careful Study: You've learned enough about the unexplainable to reasonably identify it when you come across it. You can discover the obvious effects of magic items, places, and monsters with ten minutes of safe observation, this may not discover hidden effects or curses unless they are particularly obvious.
Obscure Knowledge: Once per session, you can declare a fact about a new and unidentified magical effect; it has a 25% chance of being at least somewhat true but is never catastrophically wrong. You do not know if it is true until proven otherwise.
Trick Magic Item: You can use any identified magic item, regardless of requirements. You still need to perform any required activities to activate the item, however.
Deconstruct Magic Item: You've gained ties to researchers in the few safe settlements of Zorn, when you are in one, you may deconstruct unwanted magic items. Roll an Arcane skill check, success means the item is successfully deconstructed and researched, gain 150% of its gold value and write the item down somewhere you won't forget, failure means it only yields 50% of its regular gold value, do not write it down. You can only use this on magic items you have yet to successfully deconstruct before (the researchers are not interested in items they already have seen).
Well-studied: Your obscure knowledge chance goes up to 75%, you can now use careful study with 2 actions in combat instead of ten minutes of peaceful observation.
Magical Tinkerer: Your knowledge of the unexplainable is master level. Every magic item you successfully deconstruct, you can now attempt to reconstruct. Make an Arcane skill check and expend 100% of the gold value of the item while in a safe settlement and it will be remade. You can also attempt to tinker with the magic before reconstruction, each additional effect from the list below requires an additional 50% of the item's gold value and add +1 to the roll (making it more difficult).
- Remove a Curse affecting the magic.
- Add an additional charge to the magic.
- Remove a requirement to the magic.
- Add an additional effect of a similar power level to the magic.
Adventurer
Most of the poor souls who end up in Zorn have little experience in foreign wilderness. Fortunately, this does not apply to you, in fact, one could say that that is the entire reason you are here. Perhaps you are picking up a hefty salary as a wilderness guide, maybe you think you'll fare better than most and actually strike it rich, or maybe you just like exploring new lands. Either way, your skills are almost necessary to the adventurers traveling these lands
Skill: Survival
Each Template: +1 to Environmental Checks
A: Well-Traveled, I've Seen This Before
B: Knowledgeable Guide
C: Seen It All Before
D: Master Tracker
Well-Traveled: When performing overland travel checks, you can secretly view any common encounter tables that the party rolls on.
I've Seen This Before: When coming across any kind of tracks or animal markings, you can unerringly name what caused them.
Knowledgeable Guide: When rolling overland travel encounters, you can shift the roll up or down by a number up to your total templates in this class.
Seen It All Before: You can now unerringly identify any kind of manmade marks. In addition, you automatically identify any traps you could theoretically see, this effect does not disarm them or tell you about any effects you couldn't tell through visual inspection.
Master Tracker: Once per session you can now declare the result of the next encounter roll of any kind, even declaring results that would not normally be possible.
Criminal
Some people are here by choice. You are not one of them. In your old country, you broke enough laws, pissed off the wrong people, or were just plain in the wrong place at the wrong time. As a result, you were detained, stuck on a boat, and dropped in this godforsaken land. Even here, the skills of a criminal can be valuable.
Skill: Thievery
Each Template: +1 Base Fortune
A: Always Prepared, The Heist
B: Opportunist
C: Scout
D: Lucky Hit
Always Prepared: In town, you may spend any amount of money to buy an Unlabeled Package. When the package is unwrapped, you declare what it contains, as long as the contents comprise the appropriate number of Inventory Slots, don’t cost more than you originally paid, and are available in town. You can put multiple items inside a large Unlabeled Package, including smaller Unlabeled Packages. You can have no more than two Unlabeled Packages at a time.
The Heist: Once per adventure or dungeon or campaign arc, you can gain a 10% bonus XP for any one valuable item you personally stole. It has to pass through your hands, or you have to be the one masterminding the theft. Unguarded or abandoned treasure does not count (unless there are traps). For example, a gem worth 1,000gp would give you 100 extra XP. If the bonus XP would cause you to gain a Level, you instead gain the exact amount needed to gain the level.
Opportunist: Whenever you get a situational bonus to an attack roll (surprise, elevation, etc) you deal an additional +1d6 damage.
Scout: You can spend one action to move twice.
Lucky Hit: Once per session, when rolling to recover from fatal wounds, you can declare that it was a "Lucky Hit", you are immediately cleared of your fatal wounds, but lose 1d4 to a random stat for each fatal wound cleared this way.
Priest
D: True Shepherd
Steel Will: Anytime you would roll against a fear, charm, or another mental effect, roll twice and take the better result.
Shield the Faithful: Each morning, elect a number of other people equal to the number of templates you have in this class. These people are protected by their faith in you and gain access to your Steel Will Feature.
Invigorating Protection: Spending an action to pray for your flock allows one of your faithful to regain a d6 of lost HP. You can do this a number of times each day equal to the number of templates you have in this class.
Adamantine Will: You are personally immune to the effects of fear, charm, and other mental effects.
Wrathful Mob: Your faithful gain +x to Damage and -x To Hit rolls, where x is equal to the number of templates you have in this class.
Divine Protection: Your faithful gain -x to Defense, where x is equal to the number of templates you have in this class.
True Shepherd: You can now truly push your body and your faithful to the very limits through will alone. You can continue using invigorating protection past its normal limits by making a Wisdom or Constitution check after the action but before it takes effect, this roll has a cumulative -2 penalty for each time it is used past the limit. In addition your Invigorating Protection provides an additional action on the target's next turn.
Chef
The food in Zorn is nothing like the mundane stock of home. Food gathered and hunted here is strange, mutated, unknown. Without proper preparation, it can do horrible things to a person, and with the best preparation, it can provide miracles. The creatures and plants of this world are so varied that food preparation is inconsistent at best, but with your training, you can help sway the tides of consumption.
Skill: Cooking
Each Template: +1 Food Die (d4)
A: Master of Preparation, Food Dice, Banquet Meal
B: Imbued Cooking, Risky Meal
C: Ingredients of Chaos
D: Master Chef
Food Dice: Gain a number of Food Dice equal to your templates in this class, they are d4s and used to fuel your chef powers. Dice that roll a 1-2 are preserved while dice that 3-4 are expended until you take a Good Long Lunch.
Banquet Meal: You can spend 10 minutes creating a Banquet Meal by expending a number of Food Dice, this meal heals HP equal to the amount rolled for all allies close enough to partake, people can only benefit from this ability once per day. You must expend a number of rations or special ingredients equal to the number of dice used, special ingredients still trigger their effects.
Master of Preparation: You have gained an innate sense of the special properties of the ingredients you handle, expend a number of Food Dice before cooking an ingredient to learn a number of properties it has equal to the amount rolled, these properties include special preparation methods, side effects, or random table results related to the ingredient.
Imbued Cooking: When cooking a meal with a special ingredient, you can roll a number of Food Dice and Imbue the total rolled into the meal. Anyone eating the meal can use it to shift the result of any save or random table result up or down by an amount up to the total number imbued. This does not grant any innate knowledge of the table results itself.
Risky Meal: When cooking a special ingredient, expend a Food Die to have the consumer roll on any special tables twice, taking both results. Any saves made as a result of this meal are at disadvantage.
Ingredients of Chaos: Any special ingredient can be converted into an Ingredient of Chaos, eating a meal cooked with this item will trigger a roll on the DMs choice of random effect, mutation, or spell table. raw ingredients of chaos can be inspected with Master of Preparation before cooking.
Master Chef: You've finally learned enough to innately control your meals to a fine degree. You can render any special ingredient into one entirely safe for consumption, losing any possible special benefits in addition to downsides. Your Risky Meals now generate a number of rolls on their random tables equal to the number rolled instead of just one additional roll.
Hunter
The wilderness here may be dangerous, but the worst parts are often the unusual beasts lying within. That's where you come in; you have the skills and expertise to take down these monsters. Traps, preparation, and ambushes are your trade, and it can help take down even the fiercest beasts.
Skill: Instinct
Each Template: +1 Trap Die (d6)
A: Trap Dice, Skilled Ambush, +1 Effect, +1 Trigger
B: Quick Trapper, +1 Effect, +1 Trigger
C: Perfect Ambusher, Safe Trapper +1 Effect, +1 Trigger
D: Master Hunter, +1 Effect, +1 Trigger
Trap Dice: You have a number of Trap Dice equal to your number of templates in this class, they are d6s and used to create traps. With 10 minutes of time, you can create a trap using a trigger, an effect, and a number of Trap Dice. The number of trap dice determines the [EFFECTDIE] where the number rolled is [EFFECTSUM] of the trap, do not roll these dice until the trap is triggered. If these traps are not spotted before being triggered, they automatically happen without a save, noticing them grants a save to the triggerer. Used Trap Dice are always expended until you Rest. Always effectively describe how your trap works, at least roughly, as this is how you and others will disarm or trigger the trap.
Skilled Ambush: If you are unnoticed at the start of combat, your first attack automatically hits and does an additional d6 of damage.
Quick Trapper: Your traps can now be placed with two actions in combat instead of ten minutes. When placed this way they are automatically noticed by anyone in the traps line of sight at the time of placement.
Perfect Ambusher: You can extend the benefits of your Skilled Ambush feature to the rest of the party, in addition you can never be surprised yourself.
Safe Trapper: You may provide an additional trigger condition that will automatically disarm the trap.
Master Hunter: You have reached the pinnacle of hunting. Your traps never require saves. Your Trap Dice are all d8s, and if they are unnoticed, they have either double [EFFECT] or return the expended Trap Dice on trigger (choose on trigger).
Trap Triggers (Pick 1 Each Time You Level Up):
- Noise
- Movement
- Light
- Humidity
- Magic
- Heat
Trap Effects (Pick 1 Each Time You Level Up):
- Melee Damage: Does [EFFECTSUM] Amounts of Damage to the Triggerer
- Ranged Damage: All targets in a cone of [EFFECTSUM]x2 feet take [EFFECTDIE]x2 Damage
- Area Damage: Does [EFFECTDIE]x2 Amounts of Damage in an area of up to [EFFECTSUM] feet around the trigger, can be freely shaped.
- Forced Movement: Forces triggerer to be slammed in a direction of the trappers choice [EFFECTSUM] feet away. Remaining feet are taken as fall damage when stopped.
- Crippling: Forces target to make a dismemberment roll with a penalty equal to [EFFECTDIE]. Cannot generate fatal wounds, always requires a save.
- Strong Grip: Prevents triggerer from moving for [EFFECTDIE] turns, or until they make a strength or dexterity check with a penalty equal to [EFFECTSUM]
- Spellcasting: Casts a scroll when triggered, can be imbued with an MD to prevent scroll destruction if a mage is available.
- Noise: Makes a noise, audible up to [EFFECTSUM]x10 feet away, can be intentionally quieter.
Soldier
As if Zorn itself wasn't dangerous enough, the people who come here are generally unstable, disloyal, and ready to kill. You're ready for these people, or maybe you've just convinced yourself that you are. You've been trained for head-on combat, and you're ready for anything from a feral Ashhound to hostile soldiers.
Skill: Mercenary
Each Template: -1 Attack Bonus
A: Survival Instinct, Impress
B: Notches, Quick Arm
C: Aimed Attack, +1 Attack Per Action
D: Reckless Maneuver
Survival Instinct: Once per day you can reduce incoming damage by 1d12 points. If you also choose to sunder your shield, you can reduce the damage by 12 points instead of 1d12. In addition, you can tell at a glance whether someone is obviously dangerous.
Impress: Whenever you win a fight against challenging foes, people who don't like you make a new reaction roll with a +4 bonus. This even works on people you just defeated in combat, unless you caused them undeserved or disproportionate harm. Hirelings get a +2 to Morale, or a new Save vs Fear.
Notches: : Each time you attain a total of 10, 20, 30, and 50 kills with a weapon type (such as 10 kills with a dagger), you unlock a new ability for that weapon, chosen from the list below. Keep track of your kills and special abilities on the back of your character sheet.
1. +1 Damage
2. Expanded Critical Range (+1)
3. Special ability (negotiated with GM, one per weapon)
Quick Arm: You can reload, draw, or stow your weapons freely without spending any actions.
Aimed Attack: You can take a +4 penalty on an attack in order to trigger a dismemberment roll on an enemy if it hits, this attack cannot generate fatal wounds unless it reduces the enemy to below 0 HP as normal.
Reckless Maneuver: Once per day when you take the attack action, you can attack twice as much at a +2 penalty.
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