Torchbearer Halloween: The Witch

Jared Sorensen ·

Human Witch

Often wise, sometimes wicked, the witch is a hedge magician who resides far from the civilized world. When all seems lost, you may seek her out...if you dare.

Raw abilities: Distribute 8 points between Will and Health; Health may not be higher than Will.

Skills: Alchemist 4, Healer 3, Survivalist 2, Cook 2, Peasant 2
Trait: Moonchild—You were born under strange circumstances, when the moon shone blood red or turned black as pitch. Beasts howled, streams ran backwards and wine turned to vinegar. Your very essence hums with eldritch power and you are viewed with a mixture of both awe and suspicion by everyone around you.
Weapons: Dagger.
Armor: None.

Level benefits

Level 1

Witch: You wear no armor and may only wield a dagger as a weapon. You gain the ability to brew magical potions and herbal poultices in camp and in town. You also have a mundane animal companion. You share an empathic bond with this creature and although you cannot speak to it without magical assistance, you instinctively know its whereabouts and well-being at all times. Likewise, it will sense your presence and instinctively know your desires, allowing you to give it simple commands.

Rather than spells or prayers, you have recipes. Recipes are used to instill alchemical potions with spells and prayers. These potions are one-use items, functionally equivalent to scrolls. Recipes take time to prepare and “cast,” unlike spells but using a potion doesn’t normally require a test. Witches collect their recipes in recipe books (or cookbooks) and these books are required to craft potions. The exception: a witch may memorize one recipe at each level. Potion creation is done using the normal alchemist rules. Use the cook skill to "cast" a spell into a potion, use the healer skill to "cast" a prayer into a potion.

At each level, you may add two more recipes to your book. At level 2+, you may choose to memorize one recipe you have written in your book.

1st circle recipes

Spells
Arcane Semblance: Potion of Polymorph
Daemonic Stupefaction: Potion of Confusion
Destiny of Heroes: Potion of Might
Lightness of Being: Potion of Levitation
Supernal Vision: Potion of Wizard's Sight
Thread of Friendship: Love Potion
Wisdom of the Sages: Potion of Athena
Wizard’s Aegis: Waters of Styx

Prayers
Balm of the Lords of Serenity: Calmative Elixir
Benediction of the Lords of Creation: Restorative Elixir
Benison of the Lords of Valor: Elixir of Tyche
Breath of the Burning Lord: Elixir of Warmth
Execration: Cursed Elixir
Grace of the Lords of Plenty: Elixir of Sustenance
Malison of the Lords of Terror: Elixir of Phobos
Sanctuary of the Lords of Shields: Elixir of Protection

2nd circle recipes

Spells
Devilish Laughter: Potion of Mania
Eye of Omens: Potion of Seeing
Greybeard’s Bane: Waters of Lethe
Lord of Dreams: Potion of Morpheus
Phantasmal Vision: Potion of Illusions
Veil of the Chameleon: Potion of Invisibility
Water Lung: Tears of the Mermaid

Prayers
Chains of Fate: Elixir of Ice
Cloak of the Lord of Forges: Phoenix’s Breath
Divination: Elixir of the Prophetess
Favor of the Lords of Valor: Elixir of Nike
Invocation of the Saint of Sailors: Elixir of Amphitrite
Tongue of the Lord of Beasts: Dragon’s Blood

Torchbearer Halloween: The Revenant

Jared Sorensen ·

Revenants

The shambling undead are mindless, silent and hungry. Some retain their personalities after death. These are the revenants; terrifying to behold. If killed unjustly, cruelly or in circumstances where bloody revenge is the only recourse, that person might rise from the grave to exact righteous vengeance.

All revenants have a Belief and a Goal focused upon some kind of obligation: to avenge their deaths or the deaths of their loved ones, to fulfill promises made during life or to complete some great task that was left unfinished. Only when both their Goal is met and their Belief is altered may the revenant find peace in eternal rest.

Conditions

Revenants start with the dead condition. Revenants may become hungry or angry after a failed test or due to the Grind. Revenants may be injured but only as the result of a failed test or conflict. If "killed," a revenant suffers a loss of one Health point. They are immune to afraid, exhausted and sick. Do not mark a lesser condition.

Revenants recover from being hungry by eating fresh meat; preferably the flesh of the living or the recently slain. Revenants may choose to recover from the hungry condition after any Kill conflict. Water will not slake the thirst of a revenant but fresh blood will.

Revenants may recover from the injured condition by sacrificing an ability point (Health, Will or Nature) or through level benefits. Revenants may not make tests to recover from injured, nor may they be healed through magical or mundane healing.

Ability scores

Revenants retain the Health rating they possessed at the time of death. They cannot advance Health except by levelling up. A revenant that reaches zero Health is destroyed. Revenants retain the Will rating they possessed at the time of death. A revenant that reaches zero Will becomes a mindless zombie.

A revenant's nature (Avenging, remembering, shambling) is determined by answering these questions:

Was your death quick and painless or did you suffer horrible torment?
• If you suffered pain and degradation before your death, increase Nature by one
• If death came swiftly, your Nature is unchanged but gain the Calm or Patient trait.

Did you leave family or close friends behind or did you die alone and unloved?
• If you were survived by kith and kin, or they suffered a similar fate, increase Nature by one.
• If no one grieved at your passing and you had no one to live for, gain the Loner trait.

Are you a newly risen soul or have you suffered the ravages of un-life?
• If you’ve endured many trials as one of the undead, gain the Scarred or Lame trait.
• If the grave dirt under your nails is still fresh, increase your Nature by one.

A revenant’s Nature cannot fall past 1 or rise past 6.

Skills and Traits

Revenants retain the skills and traits they possessed in life, unless altered by answers to the three Nature questions.

Level benefits

Level 1: Revenants may use whatever armor and weapons they could use in life. They do not retain any of the level benefits from their former lives. 

Levels 2+: The revenant may remember any level ability it previously had when it reaches that level or it may regain a lost point of Health.

InSpectres OST

Jared Sorensen ·

InSpectres: The Movie Original Soundtrack by Chris Lott

In a world where ghosts, ghouls, and goblins are a common place, the InSpectres are the only exterminators capable of eliminating these supernatural nuisances! After a run in with a zombie, Lucas joins the InSpectres as an agent in training. He, his mentor Tracey, and company embark on eerily funny adventure aimed at re-capturing entities freed from a government holding facility by a corporate saboteur. They encounter a variety of released oddities on their path to identifying the saboteur: an invisible Hollywood fan-boy, a party animal wolf-man, and a group of German gremlins who fix 8-Bit arcade machines. The motley crew tracks the culprit across the country to prevent Armageddon. In the end, the Inspectres' heart and persistence prove exactly why they are the ones who "...fight the forces of darkness so you don't have to!" 

www.imdb.com/title/tt1705111

credits

released 07 October 2014 

Torchbearer: Halfling Thain

Jared Sorensen ·

It's not all cooking and riddles and lurking around in the shadows. The thain is the military leader of the halflings and is a well-respected figure in the community. But what happens when you fail your duty and your village is torn apart by marauding monsters?

Raw abilities: Distribute 8 points between Will and Health; neither stat may have a rating lower than 3 or higher than 5.

Skills: Fighter 3, Cartographer 2, Commander 2, Sailor 2, Scout 2, Steward 2

Trait: Hidden Depths or Grandiose—As a Thain, you’re the most military-minded of a mild and gentle people. In times of trouble, you’re expected to take charge and protect your shire from danger. This kind of responsibility can go to a little fellow’s head; your courage, if perhaps not your wisdom, knows no bounds.

Weapons: Any weapon except the crossbow, two- handed sword, halberd, polearm and lance.

Armor: Leather, chainmail, helmet and shield.

Level benefits

Note: Descriptions of the level benefits may are found under human warrior and halfling burglar.

Level 1: Halflings may wield any weapon except two-handed swords, halberds, polearms, crossbows and lances. They may wear leather and chainmail armor. They can also use shields and wear helmets.

Level 2: Choose either Stone Thrower or Abstemious

Level 3: Choose either Stubborn or Skirmisher

Level 4: Choose either Cool-headed or Plucky

Level 5: Choose either Companion or Helpful

#Torchbearer Sagas...At Sea

Jared Sorensen ·

A quick preview of some of my "At Sea" rules for #Torchbearer Sagas: Outcasts. Very useful for sailors and for characters like the half-orc pirate and sea elf mariner.

New Town: At Sea

Avast, me hearties. You've set sail for fame, fortune and glory but now you're looking at a week under the blazing sun, the salt sea and the cries of gulls. Pull your weight, boyo, or you'll be stripped to the waist, tied to a yardarm and lashed with a cat o' nine tails!

Available Locations At Sea

• Tavern (anywhere there’s a cask of rum and a sea shanty)
• Street (on the deck, napping under the stars—do not roll on the Streets Events Table)
• Stables (belowdecks in the cargo hold, with the rats)
• Flophouse (bunking with the crew)
• Hotel (ah, the Captain's Quarters!)

Alignment: Unaffiliated (Merchant ship), Law (Naval ship), Chaos (Pirate ship)

New Home: At Sea

You were raised aboard a ship and know life at sea better than the back of yer own hand.

Skills: Pathfinder, Carpenter, Sailor

Traits: Sea Legs, Scarred

Sea Camp Events

Use these events when At Sea.

Disaster At Sea

1 - Typhoon winds and hail the size of sling shot. Take cover!

2 - You run aground on an uncharted sand bar. Spend all night getting free.

3 - Pitching waves present problems. Sail on and hope for the best; else all characters make a Health test (ob3) or become Sick before camp

4 - Smell of rotting fish and seaweed is everywhere. Disgusting.

5 - Leviathan prowls these waters, thrice the length of your ship. You must leave here.

6 - Sea monsters, winged creatures or raiders attack!

Minor Inconvenience At Sea

1 - Water barrels fouled. You may not refill your skins.

2 - Lost at sea (Sailor or Cartographer roll required to get back on track).

3-4 - Mice or other vermin crawl all over your ship and spoil food for one character.

5 - All of this open space gets to you, there’s nowhere to hide (increase recovery obstacles for angry and afraid by one for one character).

6 - Someone breaks a piece of gear (roll randomly for character and equipment).

Minor Break At Sea

1 - Clear skies and useful landmarks (+1D to next Sailor or Cartographer test).

2 - Good fishing spot! (+1D to Hunter, Scavenger and Fisher tests).

3-4 - You find shelter in a peaceful cove (+1D to recover from exhausted).

5-6 - Gentle rain refills the water barrels. Drink up, me hearties, drink up!

Lucky Break At Sea

1-2 -Find an oyster bed (counts as one portion of forage for all characters).

3-4 - Clear skies and good tailwind (+2D to next Sailor or Scout test).

5 - Ship ahoy! A ship flying friendly colors comes into view.

6- Dolphins frolic in the waves (automatically recover from angry and afraid).

 

D&D 5th edition

Jared Sorensen ·

Had a chance to peruse the Player's Handbook and make a character for an upcoming game. Gotta hand it to Mearls and Co., the book is sharp. Lots of good decisions—namely eliminating a lot of the bookkeeping and math. It still looks like D&D but streamlined. Making a character (half-orc monk) was a snap and most of the decisions are related to the character's background, which is a huge shift to more avatar/moral-based decisions at the start of the game.

So let me tell you about my character...

Coming soon: The Outcasts

Jared Sorensen ·

After the success of my Wanderers supplement for Torchbearer I wanted to take a stab at some new character stocks. I knew I wanted to include a classic from BW (the rat-like roden) as well as AD&D-esque gnomes (because who doesn't love a gnome? Don't answer that!). So what...small folks? Burrowers? What's the angle going to be?

When I put it to a vote on Twitter, the minotaur and the roden were both strong contenders. I figured, why would roden and gnomes and minotaurs be adventurers? What makes them unique? Then it hit me: if the first group of character classes were Wanderers, then these should be Outcasts.

So hopefully in a month or two I'll have six new character classes done and ready for download:

  • Dark Elf Sorcerer
  • Gnome Illusionist
  • Half-orc Pirate
  • Minotaur Pit-fighter
  • Roden Guide
  • Sea Elf Mariner

Roden illustration by Jordan Worley