Silent People Class for DCC RPG (Empire of the East)

I discovered a lot of novels and literature through RPGs (heck, my first book - The Hobbit - was a direct result of buying D&D Black Box). So, thanks to DCC RPG Empire of the East I found Fred Saberhagen’s amazing trilogy. Because I hate spoilers, I avoided the gnawing temptation of reading DCC RPG Empire of the East until I could finish all the books and (like Black Company some 20 years before) that was the best thing I did. It is really a lot more interesting to approach an RPG after reading the source material.

This post is a direct consequence of that: the first thing that I looked for when I opened the DCC RPG adaptation was the Silent People class. It was not there! Where is my awesome owl-folk class? OK, time to make one!

Please bear in mind that this is my version of the Silent People, considering not only the Changeling Earth setting but the entire lovable mashup that is DCC RPG, D&D and d20 Fantasy in general (yes, I want to use this class together with Dwarves, Elves and Halflings).

As everything else that I post here this class is not playtested (and it is longer than I currently want for a DCC RPG), but I hope you can enjoy it.

THE SILENT PEOPLE

You’re one of the Silent People or Owl-Folk, a mysterious species of night predators that fly almost invisibly during the night. Few can see better in the darkness than you

Hit Dice: d6. You can fly but you have a fragile frame.

Attack: as a Thief of the same level.

Critical Hits: as a Halfling of the same level.

Saves: as Thief, but the second best save is Will, not Fort.

Feathers and Claws: Silent People are not trained in the use of any weapon and cannot fly while using any armor (AC 10). Their feet are clawed and can be used as natural weapons, dealing d6 of damage. Silent People that are flying can attack with both claws as Halflings with two weapons.

Owl Head: Silent People are very hard to surprise because they can turn their head to see what is happening behind them. Silent Owl can roll a free Luck check to avoid being surprised or backstabbed.

Owl Sight: you can see in the dark and that is not infravision. You shouldn’t be able to see in magical darkness. You also see farther than most humanoids. If a flying Silent People spend one round “aiming” at a target before diving they gain a +1 die step for the attack roll.

Light Sensitivity: a torch in your face will leave you blind for 1d4 rounds (a Reflex save might be in order). If you stay a few feet away and avoid staring at flames you will be fine (but without the benefits of Owl Sight). Sunlight leaves you completely blind.

On Owls & Goggles

A character that can’t see in bright daylight might be a pain in the ass, so the Judge should allow Silent People to have a special black goggle that they can use during the day. The google gives them normal vision to 30 ft. If you are using the Changeling Earth those goggles could be rare artefacts from the Ancient Ones.

Silent Wings: I’ll try to be simple here. You can fly with a Speed 60 bearing a light load. Anything heavier than and you’re toast. Theoretically you can glide while carrying something as heavy as you (a small or medium humanoid). To keep things simple, you can say that a Silent People need at least 3 feet of free space around them to fly. They can hover. That means that in a 6 feet tall and 9 feet wide tunnel or dungeon they could fly instead of walk (although a Judge is entitled to ask for a few Agility checks in such tight spots and Stamina checks after a while as flying in such places is tiring). Even in places where a Silent People shouldn’t be able to fly, they should be at least capable of jumping really high or gliding.

While flying, the Silent People gain a special bonus to stealth, as a Halfling of the same level. They can fly silent and quietly. If in darkness they are almost invisible. If you’re flying and attack, hitting an unaware target, that is an automatic critical hit (like a Thief’s backstab).

Scalebane!: Your favorite dinner is a leatherwing, a loathsome and (slightly) intelligent flying reptile. What few are aware is that actually Silent People are enemies of all Scalefolk creatures. Against such creatures you gain a +d3 Vengeance Die on all your attacks. This works exactly like a 1st level Warrior’s Mighty Deed of Arms. Your Vengeance Die increases to a d4 at 5th level and d6 ath 9th level. Silent People add their Luck modifier to damage rolls in these attacks (if that is a negative modifier, they can still choose to add it as positive bonus to damage rolls, but the negative Luck means that the Silent People have such a deep hate that they must ALWAYS attack enemies on sight, never retreating, unless restrained).

I hate Favorite Enemies!

This trait was based - of course! - in the Changeling Earth setting. However, I usually don’t like “Favored Enemy” traits because if that creature doesn’t show up in an adventure that ability is useless. So, if not playing in the Changeling Earth, feel free to ignore it or change it to something different. An option would be to change the name to “Natural Predator” and give the Vengeance Die against any humanoid enemy (with the creepy implications that Silent People here enjoy man-flesh). Humanoids are usually common enough to keep this trait useful.

 

Silent People Occupations for Funnel!

If you want to start a Funnel as a Silent People, you have +0 to attacks and saves, 1d4 hit points like everyone else and the traits Feathers & Claws (d4 damage, just one attack), Owl Head, Owl Sight and Light Sensitivity (no googles!). Plus, you get a special item/trait (roll a d6):

1 – Younglings Keeper. You are entrusted with 1d3 Silent People eggs. If you survive the Funnel and keep the eggs intact, you have that many Hirelings to work for you at 1^st level. The eggs are light but very delicate, so roll Luck after every crazy action you attempt while carrying the eggs (and you can’t carry anything else!) or they are kaput!

2 – Hunter. You’re good at getting food in the wilds. You start with fresh meat for 1d4 days (don’t ask where that meat came from). At the beginning of every game session, if possible (roll Luck) you start with food for 1d4 days (for one person!).

3 – Watcher. Light sleeper. You get a Luck check even while sleeping to awake up and let everyone one that “WE ARE BEING ATTACKED!”.

4 – Loner. You don’t get along with your kind, but you know a lot about humanoids. You get a Luck check to know enough about any humanoid language if you can her them speak for one night. This is enough to communicate basic stuff (like “We surrender!” but not “Where is the closest library?”).

5 – Heretic. You love the sun and the light! You get a Luck check to avoid the effects of a torch or sunlight for 1d4 rounds. All other Silent People hate you.

6 – Scavenger. The Judge should roll twice on the Occupations table (or any other table, check those Kender tables from Dragonlance if you are old enough). You start the game session with the trade goods rolled. You filthy thief!  

The Tree-Man, a new class for DCC RPG

I’ve finally finished the Empire of the East trilogy, thanks to the DCC supplement. However, before that I had finished (re)(re)reading the Lord of the Rings. It is kind of a ritual for me to go back to Tolkien every few years. It is always an enjoyable and refreshing reading, giving me tons of ideas (this was also the first time I read the original, before that I only read the – very well done – Portuguese translations). Oddly enough, this last time I got ideas for DCC RPG campaigns, where “you are no hero”. I hope to develop it more and here is a first sample.

The Tree-Man

You are a walking and talking humanoid shaped tree! Maybe you should not have eaten that magic mushroom during the Funnel, or maybe you are in fact the remnant of an Elder Race.

[You are all grown-ups and know what an Ent (or Treant) is, so I will leave the fluff to you. Here are the mechanics, based mostly on Ents as I see them; although I could also hack a Mushroom-Man for my Purple Planet campaign easily with this stuff.]

 

Hit Dice: 2d6. These guys are tough.

Attack Bonus: +1/level. Your Crit Die is like an Elf but you roll on the Monster table.

Saves: as a Dwarf.

Language: you can speak with normal plants. That takes really a long time and normal plants usually don’t pay attention to much, but they certainly remember things that hurt them.

Let us not be hasty: your Speed is 20 feet, fumble dice d12, and your Initiative is always a d10. The good news is that any forest or similar terrain do not hinder you.

Barkskin: your natural AC is 14. You cannot use armor. Reduce any damage from fire or axe by your Luck modifier (minimum 1). If you have a negative Luck modifier, you bark is old and dry (or maybe weak and scarred) and you suffer extra damage from fire or axe attacks equal to your negative Luck modifier.

Wooden Fist: you are always considered armed and do 1d6 with your fists. You are not trained with any weapon.

Strong Roots: Tree-Man do not bleed and are very resilient. Unless you were brought down to 0 or less hit points by fire damage (or something like disintegration) you ALWAYS succeed at the Roll the Body check. Also, you have a +1 bonus per level to any Strength check.

Water and Light: you do not need to eat and can go just fine with water and sunlight (if you spent a lot of time in the underworld the Judge is welcomed to decide if water is enough). You don’t need to breath, not like a humanoid, and usually can stay underwater or in the void for a few hours.

Tree Knacks: roll once per level (start with a d10 and reduce the die to roll for high level stuff).

1 – Axe-shatter: your bark is tick and strong. Your AC 18 and when you are hit you can suffer 1 Agility damage to destroy the weapon used to attack you (if not magical) or to leave it stuck in your bark (if magical or a natural weapon). Hitting stuck enemies is usually easier for you.

2 – Many-branched: you have more than two arms. In combat you have an extra d16 Action Die for attacks. Outside of combat you have 1d3 extra arms that can be used to carry stuff (or halflings).

3 – Living Wood: you can send your roots to entangle or trip foes (like the entangle spell), stretch your arms or even grow fruits that can heal 1d4 allies (healing 1HD of each). Basically, you can invent stunts like Groot. Each of these stunts must be approved by the Judge, takes some time, normally can’t be used in combat. Each stunt deals 1d4 Stamina damage (2d4 if you are hurry or in combat).

4 – Rock Thrower. You can throw f***ing big rocks! Thrown rocks deal at least d8. Each time your thrown a rock you can focus on smashing one target (bonus damage equal to your level) or getting 1d3 extra targets (if they are close). It is also great for storming castles and sinking small ships.

5 – Stone-bane. Given enough time your finger can work like roots but breaking in mere minutes what a normal tree would take centuries. You can destroy normal wood, stone or even metal (but not stuff like adamantine and such). Basically, you can destroy castle gates or even dig through a wall in a few minutes. You can also use this to climb any surface that you can break. If the material is really strong this might hurt you (Stamina or hit point damage).

6 – Language of Birds and Beasts: you turn/control plants and animals like a cleric of the same level (but not destroy or damage them). You can speak with any natural beast or monster.

7 – Just a tree. You can become a normal tree. This will fool anyone not using very specific magic to see you (in a forest even that might not be possible). While in this form you still pay attention to your surroundings and your need for water and sunlight are greatly diminished. You do not age or sleep like a normal creature. Yes, you can use this to be the (almost) perfect sentinel. Changing to tree form and reassuming you form takes 1d6 rounds.

8 – Huorn: Your hate runs deep. Your unarmed attack deals d8 and you roll critical hits on the Giant table of the core book.

9 – Treerage: You have a trigger for fire, axes, orcs and things like that. When faced with those triggers you can choose to rage or flee. If you flee you disengage from combat without suffering an attack and must run with a speed of 40 feet for to 1 turn (10 minutes). If you rage you must ALWAYS attack the source of your rage until it is destroyed, and you receive a +1 die step bonus for all attacks and damage rolls. Nice Judged can allow you a Will save DC 15 to break the rage. Be warned, you can’t distinguish between allies and foes (let the fireball-throw wizard know beforehand).

10 – The Last March of the Ents (disregard this one if you are not going full Tolkien, just re-roll or let the player choose): your Luck stat now is renamed Doom and cannot be diminished unless you burn it. Once burned it only increases back with you level up (1 point per level, until your original maximum). You can burn 1 Doom to gain an attack (roll 2d10 for the attack) or to ignore one damage roll made against you (even after rolling a save). You can burn 1 Doom to awaken a normal tree as a very angry huorn (treat it as fanatical follower with half your total hit points, same AC and saves, attack equal to your level, damage d6 plus your level). The huorn will serve you until dismissed or destroyed. It will kill humanoid creatures unless you specifically instruct it NOT to kill THAT creature. In the darkness/night, a huorn can move silently (d20 + level to sneak and hide). Huorns are very fast and have a speed of 40 feet. Once your burn you last Doom point, you either sleep becoming a tree or you become a mad raging huorn that WILL KILL everything on sight (restore your hit points to full). After that, there is no coming back.