The spells of Ermard the Entomomancer

The mage Ermard the Entomomancer lives in the cellar of a ruined keep a hour out of Tealove village. His specialties are insects, spiders, and bug magic. In his spellbooks are common spells like web and delay poison, as well as some unique spells researched by Ermard himself.

False Tremors

Level: Magic-user 1

Duration: 1d6 rounds

Range: 60’

This spell causes small tremors in one spot designated by the caster. At the same time, any vibrations the caster makes are masked. Blind creatures that detect their prey by sensing tremors (giant centipedes, for example) will mistake the false vibrations in the ground for a moving creature  in contact with the ground, and will focus on that spot.

Swarm Form

Level: Druid  2, Magic-user 2

Duration: 1 round per level

Range: 0

As soon as this spell is cast, the caster’s body breaks up into a number of crawling ants, beetles, or spiders equal to his age. The caster’s clothes and possessions fall unchanged to the ground. The insect swarm occupies an area of 10’x30’ and may engulf an opponent. It does not need to roll to hit, and inflicts 2 points of damage per round to the person engulfed. Double damage is dealt to characters wearing no armor. The swarm does not sustain damage from weapons, but fire, such as that from a torch, does 1d4 hit points damage. Other fire-based and cold-based attacks do normal damage. Smoke or water may be used to ward off a swarm.

After the duration ends, all surviving insects crawl back in the clothes of the caster and transform back into his body. If more than half the bugs survive, the body will be intact. If more than half of the insects is slain, the body may miss a finger, hand, or other body part.

The spells of Ostal the Ornithomancer

The mage Ostal has dedicated his life to the study of birds. He lives with his apprentice, a 10-year old girl by the name of Lessie, in a tower with many nests, birdhouses and a dovecote on the roof.

His spellbooks contain some unique bird-related spells, researched by Ostal himself.

Carrier Pigeon

Level: Magic-user 1

Duration: One delivery

Range: 40’ per level

Casting this spell calls to the caster the closest bird, be it a normal bird or of the giant variety. The bird will be friendly or non-threatening to the caster, and will allow him to tie a letter or small package to its paw. If the package is light enough for the bird to carry, it will then deliver it to the person named by the caster.

The recipient must live within half a day flying. If there’s no bird in range when the spell is cast, no bird will come.

Stork’s Legs

Level: Magic-user 1

Duration: A number of turns equal to the caster’s level

Range: 0

The caster’s legs grow to a length of 2 yards. The caster can use stork’s legs to reach for things on the upmost shelf of a cupboard, look over walls, and look into a window on the second floor.

When walking, the caster moves at 1.5 times his normal speed. His clothing and shoes grow as well to fit his new legs. The caster can dismiss the legs before the spell’s duration is over.

The Spells of Bymen the Botanomancer

The magician Bymen is the world's leading authority in the field of plants and plant-like creatures. He lives in a small hut surrounded by a beautiful garden, where many rare and endangered plants grow.

In addition to more common spells like find plant, speak with plant, etc., Bymen’s spellbook contains dried leaves and flowers, and some spells of his own devising.

Flower Bomb

Level: Magic-user 1

Duration: 2d6 turns

Range: 120’

The mage throws an acorn, peanut, pine cone or similar nut to his opponent. It explodes in a cloud of colorful flowers, which remain whirling in the affected area. All creatures in the area must save vs. spell or become trapped in the area of swirling flowers. Mesmerized and disorientated, the victims cannot leave, cast spells or perform other significant actions, and can talk about nothing else except the beautiful colors and wonderful fragrance of the flowers. After the duration expires the flowers float to the ground and the victims are freed.

Unaffected creatures can try to pull a victim out of the cloud but must make a new save or become stuck themselves. Flower bomb does not work on undead or very large creatures like dragons.

Lovely Fragrance

Level: Magic-user 1

Duration: 12 turns

Range: 60’

The mage casts this spell on a flower, plant, or weed, which will grow a pink flower. This new flower gives off a delicious sweet scent that anyone within 60’ who smells it is filled with romantic thoughts and feelings. Creatures in the area of ​​effect must save vs. spells or fall in love with someone of the preferred sex (if present) or else the non-preferred sex (if the player agrees). Furthermore, all victims receive a -4 on saves against charm and similar spells while still in smelling range of the flower.

When the duration ends, the flower wilts and the smell disappears. The player (in the case of a player character) or the DM (in the case of a sample or NPC) may determine if the infatuation also ends.

Magic in Weird opera

These are my house-rules for Magic in the Weird Opera campaign. Most of the rules are cobbled together from various sources, mostly Swords & Wizardry and Labyrinth Lord.

In Weird Opera, there’s no distinction between arcane and divine spells. However, many spells are kept secret by the Guilds or other powerful groups. For example, most spells on the Druid spell list are kept secret by the Druids of the Ancient Mother. Often the only way to learn such a spell is joining the group, or steal it.

Spells and Spellbooks: A spell is an semi-living thing with a disposition and instincts of its own. When a Mage memorizes a spell, it actually leaps off the parchment into the wizard's mind, where it waits impatiently to be released. During that time it’s no longer in the Mage’s spellbook, leaving behind a blank page.

When it’s released, the spell reappears on the page of the spellbook, unless in the meantime something else was written on that page. If a spell is unable to return to its page, it starts wandering and is lost to the Mage.

Spell Casting: The number of memory slots a Mage has is equal to the sum of his INT bonus and his experience level. All memory slots have equal value. The higher the spell level, the more slots that are required to memorize it. One slot equals one spell level. For example, to memorize a  4^th level spell a Mage must use 4 slots.

If you don't have enough slots to even memorize the spell, then it's too advanced for you to attempt to memorize it. Otherwise, there’s no restriction to what spell levels a Mage may memorize. A Mage of 1^st level with an Intelligence score of 18 (INT bonus +3) may use his 4 memory slots to memorize a single 4^th level spell, for example, as long as he has that spell in his spell book or on a scroll.

Knowing Spells: A beginning Mage’s spellbook contains detect magic plus four other first level spells, determined by the DM. Since the Mage received these spells as an apprentice, the DM should take the Mage’s teacher into account when selecting these spells. Beginning spells do not require a roll to see if the Mage can understand them.

New spells are found during play; a wizard must find the higher-level spells in dungeons or musty libraries and copy them into a spellbook, or trade copies with other Mages. If a Mage finds scrolls of spells or other Mages’ spell books while adventuring, these spells can be added to the Mage’s spellbook. There is no limit to how many spells a wizard can learn at a given level.

Check each new spell to see if the Mage can learn and know it, by making an Intelligence check modified by the spell's level. For example, to learn a new 5^th level spell, the Mage must make an Intelligence check with -5 penalty. Each time the magician gains a level (if the DM permits) he or she may re-check the spells not understood before, to see if increased experience has granted new understanding.

High-level Magic: In Weird Opera, spells go up only to 6th level. All the higher-level spells are rituals. To learn and cast a ritual spell is a serious undertaking of magic, requiring research, adventuring, and the expenditure of huge quantities of gold. There are books to be found and studied, expensive arcane components to locate, particular times of the year or lunar cycle when the magic can be performed, runes to know, circles to scribe, and other strange and forbidden knowledge to be researched.

As a rule of thumb, learning a ritual should cost at least 1,000 gp, and casting the spell would require about 500 gp per spell level.

Subagua

Description: Miles of the Necharan coast six rusty iron fortresses rise up from the waters of the Heart Sea.  These large strongholds guard the great elevators that give access to the underwater cities of Subagua.

The six cities were built in ancient times, but it is unclear who built them. Some say they were surface cities that sunk into the waves during the Great Deluge. Others claim they were built by an unknown species of aquatic fairies. Now, the Subaguan cities are primarily inhabited by humans, who live in artificial air pockets created by noisy machines of massive size and made of stone. Whole districts are completely submerged, and are home to sea devils (sahuagin), haimaidens (shark mermaids), weeds (aquatic botanoids) and other intelligent water breathing species.

Ruler: The cities of Subagua are dictatorships, ruled by the members of the Unbreathing Court. Court members travel between the cities without an established schedule, ruling a city for an unpredictable time before leaving for another. Sometimes two or more Unbreathing are in the same city at the same time, and they either work together, or start a small scale civil war. Although the court doesn’t really have a leader as such, most Unbreathing obey Ayafun the sea witch, a shape shifting creature of unknown origin, often appearing as a beautiful maiden or a terrifying squid-like monster.

Population: The inhabitants of Subagua react to the chaotic, ever-shifting rule of the Unbreathing by living their lives as rigidly structured as possible. Every Subaguan carries with him a calendar and a day planner, which are consulted multiple times a day. A common joke about Subaguans says they even schedule the times they consult their schedules.
All Subaguans have pale skin, often with small fish scales on their hands and feet. Relationships between the human and non-human populations are good, and half-breeds are common. They have developed a bizarre religion around the act of drowning. They believe water is the same substance spirits are made of, and the sea consists of all souls that died or will be born. Sea priests regularly drown in religious rituals, trying to gain visions of the future by staying under water for the longest possible time.

Cascade: In Subagua, Cascade is known as the seventh city. It isn’t connected to the surface by elevator as the other cities are, and its ruler isn’t part of the Unbreathing Court. Cascade is the home base of the dreaded submarine pirates who regularly attack ships on the surface and raid the coastal cities of Necharan and Terre Sainte.

The Guilds

The cities of the Weird Opera world each have a multitude of craft associations, business organizations, and trade guilds. However, when an inhabitant of Seralin mentions a Guild, he is usually talking about one of seven worldwide organizations.

The Guilds each have their own distinct culture, which is often visible in areas influenced by a Guild. Just like the Catholic Church in medieval times, the Guilds bring their own symbols, rituals, traditions, and so forth, which modify local customs and way of life.

Company, Inc.: Also known as simply “the Company”, Company, Inc. is the only multinational conglomerate on Seralin. Originally it was a large trading company like any other, but in recent decades its power grew to include all commerce in the broadest sense of the word. In addition to trade, Company Inc. is in the business of production and manufacturing of goods, mercenary hiring, real estate, prostitution, opium smuggling, slaving, and tourism.

Benefits: A member of the Company can expect to pay the best price for any purchase he makes from another member.

Druids of the Ancient Mother: The order of druids exists since the earliest days of mankind. The druids are servants of nature, which they call The Ancient Mother. They revere – and bargain with – the pagan nature spirits of the dark forests to gain knowledge of the mysteries of Seralin. They have many ancient rites, some involving human sacrifice.

Druids have a worldwide organization. One enters the order as initiates. The titles of Druid, Archdruid, Great Druid and Grand Druid are won by challenging higher level druids in ritual combat.

Benefits: Without joining this Guild, a character cannot gain levels in the druid class.

Knights of the Ark: Also known as amazons and sometimes as valkyries, the Knights of the Ark is an all-female knightly order. Their home base is an ancient ship called Utnapishtim, which some say is the same ark build by Deucalion to save mankind in the Great Deluge.

The knights are champions of neutrality, trying to preserve the delicate balance between Law and Chaos. As such, they often come into conflict with lawful Guilds like the Temple and Company, Inc.

Benefits: One has to be female to join the Knights of the Ark. A Knight of the Ark may apply either her DEX or CHA bonus to AC. She may borrow special equipment needed for a quest or adventure for a period of one week. If the borrowed equipment is lost, the knight is responsible for replacement.

La Révolution: Depending on whom you ask, La Révolution is either a terrorist organization or an army of courageous freedom fighters. The Guild is opposed to hereditary rulership, and believes people should be able to choose their own leaders. Of course, in nations where the government is chosen democraticly, La Révolution claims the regime is corrupt and should be overthrown. There’s just no pleasing some people.

La Révolution is organized in small, localized cells. Each cell claims to be independent, but it is often rumored the Guild is under the influence of a single individual; someone using the revolutionaries for his own political purpose.

Benefits: Because of their free spirit, members of La Révolution gain a +4 on saving throws against charm, domination, and similar mind-influencing effects.

The Secret Masters: The Secret Masters are an order of political assassins. The Guild’s masters steer the course of politics and diplomacy by assassinating specific targets, often letting others taking the blame for the murder. The Guild can be hired, but it only takes on an assignment when the elimination of the proposed target agrees with the Guild’s master plan for the world.

Benefits: Members of the Secret Masters may petition for people of authority to be assassinated. The member must present his case for a lesser Guild official, basically having to convince him that assassinating the target is in the Secret Masters’ benefit. If the Guild agrees, the target will be killed in 3d10 days. PC members of the Secret Masters may be placed in influential political positions at higher levels.

Society for Language, Vocabulary and Idiom (SoLVI): The common language on Seralin is a constructed language. The members of SoLVI are the ones constructing it. Once every decade or so they update the vocabulary and grammar of the common tongue and publish the updated rules in a new edition of the Green Tome.

Common was supposedly designed to be easy to learn and understand for native speakers of all languages. However, the correct spelling of words has changed so much over time, nobody except SoLVI members is really sure what is correct.

Benefits:  SoLVI members can automatically comprehend languages and read languages, both once per day.

The Temple: On Seralin, philosophy is much more important than religion is. Most people are either atheist, follow philosophies like Humanotheism or the Path of the Self, or use their faith in higher powers as part of the quest for self-improvement and Enlightenment. As a result, most gods have only a small area of influence and are worshipped very locally. To protect their faith from the rising threat of atheism, several churches banded together to form one large meta-church, known as The Temple.

The Temple consists of many different orders, all dedicated to a single god or pantheon. However, all churches within The Temple make use of the same holy symbols and rites, often with minor variations. Cathedrals of The Temple have many shrines and chapels dedicated to some of the better known gods, as well as to important local gods and saints.

Benefits: When joining The Temple as a priest, a character gains a granted power according to his faith. Mage-priests gain access to the large libraries of The Temple, as well as many secret spells the churches possess, including some normally reserved for clerics. (The cleric class doesn’t exist in the Weird Opera campaign.)

Dharma, Karma, and Reincarnation

The concepts of karma and reincarnation are part of the teachings of almost all philosophies and religions on Seralin. Humanotheism, the Path of the Self and the Obedience of Law are all paths to self-improvement and Enlightenment, and many religions teach that the only true way to Enlightenment rests in the worship of its god.

Karma is a form of cause and effect between this life and the next. It proposes that good actions will cause good consequences, and bad actions will cause bad consequences. Dharma is a man’s obligation in life. It helps him to achieve good karma by fulfilling the duties to which he is bound by his station.

If he leads a good life, performing the duties his dharma dictates, he will be rewarded by a better position when he is reborn in his next life. If he leads a bad life he will be punished by being reincarnated as a beggar, slave, or maybe even as an animal.

A PC's dharma is a combination of character class and alignment. In order to follow his dharma, a character must behave according to the alignment guidelines given in the Player's Handbook. These tenets must be followed strictly, or the character will suffer a karma penalty (see below). For example, a Lawful Good character who participated in the theft of a magic sword would be violating his dharma, for he would be breaching his duty to respect the laws of the land,

Characters should follow the behavioral guidelines of his alignment strictly. In addition to alignment, each player should work with the DM to define his character’s dharmic duties, using his race, class, social status, philosophy, religion, and any other important elements in his background. Example dharmic duties are given below.

Assassins: Get the job done, no matter what. Never let emotion come in the way of an assignment.

Druids: Revere nature. Never harm plants or animals without reason.

Fighters: Always be brave. Never flee from danger while an ally fights on.

Humanotheism: Strive for perfection, both physical as mental.

Knights: As fighter. Fight with honor. Always help the weak and needy.

Mage: Pursue knowledge and pass up no chance to learn new spells or acquire magical items.

Merchants: Attempt to acquire wealth for your own benefit and for your family.

Nobles: Serve your lord. Protect your vassals.

Path of the Self: Place yourself above all others.

Priest: Devote yourself to your god and your church. Recruit followers for your faith whenever possible.

Rangers: As fighter. Revere nature. Never harm plants or animals without reason.

Thieves: Attempt to acquire wealth, either for your own benefit or to help others. Rely on stealth, trickery and cunning.

A character gains a point of karma every time he goes up in level. If his dharma and karma played a big role in the gaming session, the DM may reward another karma point to the character. If a character violates his dharma, he loses a karma point.

It is entirely possible for a character to have conflicting dharma requirements. If, for example, the dharmic duties for a character’s class go against those of his alignment, violating either still results in the loss of a karma point.

After the character dies, his player doesn’t create a new character, but rolls 2d6 on the table below to see what he comes back as.

	Karma Points
2d6	0	3-5	6-10	11-15	16-20	21+
2	Giant snail*	Ogre*	Gnoll*	Porcine*	Morlock*	Human*
3-5	Ape* or Baboon*	Minotaur*	Pig* or Porcine*	Morlock*	Human*	Paragon*
6-8	Lizardfolk*	Pig* or Porcine*	Neanderthal*	Human*	Human+	Paragon+
9-11	Pig*	Neanderthal*	Human*	Human+ or paragon*	Human++	Paragon++
12	Neanderthal*	Human*	Paragon*	Paragon+	Human+++	Enlightenment
*: Create a new character of the indicated race. Transfer the old character’s INT, WIS and CHA to the new character. All other stats are rerolled. The new character starts at level 1.
+: Transfer the old character’s INT, WIS and CHA to the new character. All other stats are rerolled. The new character starts at a level 1d4 lower than the old character.
++: Transfer all stats of the old character to the new. The new character starts at one level lower than the old character.
+++: Transfer all stats of the old character to the new. The new character starts at the same level as the old character.
Enlightenment: The character is elevated to a higher state of existence. Create a completely new character. The new character receives a +2 bonus to all saving throws.

The new character will show up after 1d6 days. The character starts with 0 karma points and has only vague recollections of his previous life.

The reincarnation spell grants a roll on the table above, but the player rolls 1d6 to determine the new character’s level, and the character starts with a number of karma points equal to his level.

Raise dead or similar spells used on the previous character’s body will raise him normally, causing the new character to die. The character is taken out of the reincarnation cycle, and will never reincarnate again, not even with the reincarnation spell. People living outside the reincarnation cycle are known as beimaan (cheaters). Beimaan are seen as unnatural creatures equal to demons. Beimaan are considered chaotic outsiders for purpose of all spells, magic items and spell-like effects, in addition to their actual alignment and race. When in conflict, the chaotic designation takes precedence.

Notes: These rules were inspired by existing rules, and were reworked and restated for use in my Weird Opera campaign. The reincarnation table was written for the world of Anderove, which has no elves, dwarves, or other common demi-humans. DM’s wanting to use these rules in their own campaign should devise their own table.

The Paragon Colonies

Description: In the southwestern wilderness of the tropical peninsula lie the independent city-states known collectively as the Paragon Colonies. They were founded in a period about 1000 - 1200 years ago by colonists (some say, criminals) from Pretomournon and Woulph. Around 800 years ago, paragons claiming to be the reincarnations of the original founders started to arrive. After hypnosis and magic confirmed their claims, they quickly took control of the city’s ruling families. In less than two centuries, every one of the eight cities was under the power of paragons.

Asuras is a decadent city of hedonists. Breathing is most famous for its plantations. Its major exports are coffee and tobacco. Godsgrace was built around an ancient tower only paragons are allowed to enter.  Everlost is the shadow of a city existing in another reality. It only enters Seralin when its Emir wills it. Illuminate is ruled by the bodhisattva Julemorus, who has reached enlightenment but chose to stay on the material plane to guide his people. Refuge is a city of thieves, criminals, murderers, whores, poisoners, slavers and politicians. Southpoint is the most southern city on the continent, famous for the beautiful orchids it grows. Vulture is also known as the “city of alchemists.” It is build upon an ancient dungeon of unknown origin. It is said deep below the city there’s a time portal that transports the user to an aeon of long ago.

The peninsula jungle is hot, wet, and dangerous. Many species of spiders and snakes, all lethally poisonous, can be found in the jungle, and bigger predators like tigers, dinosaurs and manticores also dwell here. Numerous tribes, all independent with their own laws and customs, make their home in the deadly jungle. Although the jungle tribes have a reputation for hostility and violence, they are actually peaceful hunter-gatherers. Disputes between different tribes are resolved in ritual combat without bloodshed.

Ruler: Although the colonies form a very loose alliance, every city is ruled independently and has its own prince, emir, lord mayor or patriarch. The paragon families of the cities plot against one another constantly.

Population: Society in the Paragon Colonies is heavily stratified. All paragons in the cities are automatically part of the noble class. Below the nobles are citizens, those wealthy human merchants and that are allowed to own property, including slaves. Individuals belonging to the freemen class may not own property but are allowed to rent it from those who do. Inhabitants of the small villages providing food to the cities are usually freemen. On the lowest rung of society’s ladder are the slaves. More than half of each city’s population consists of slaves. Many slaves are taken in slave raids on villages of the native jungle tribes, but white slaves, pigs and Neanderthals are imported from the north.

The Paragons follow the philosophy known as The Path of the Self. It teaches individuals to strive to be better than his peers. Followers of the Path are often selfish and cruel, and only work for personal gain.

Nechara, Land of a Thousand Pyramids

Description:  Wedged between the Heart Sea in the north and the Unsaid Ocean in the south, the southern empire of Nechara is a tropical land of humid rainforest. The vast jungle covers most of the realm. Forest trolls, lizardmen, botanoids, and intelligent baboons make their home in the jungle, as do dinosaurs and other ancient creatures from before the time of men.

Most human settlements lie along the outer edges of the rainforest.  In the deeper parts of the forest lie the ruins of the many pyramids that give Nechara the epithet of “land of a thousand pyramids”. These huge mausoleums are the tombs of Nechara’s emperors of past dynasties. Many of the oldest of the ancient pyramids are protected by odd astronomical time locks that track the positions of far away stars. When the stars are right, the tombs will open and release whatever secrets are buried there.

Ruler: Empress Emuishéré, assisted by her two husbands: General Mdjai, commander in chief of the Necharan legions, and chief bureaucrat Khenti of the imperial bureaucracy. Although the traditional marriage between empress, general and bureaucrat is formal procedure, Emuishéré has managed to maintain romantic relationships with both her spouses.

Population: The original inhabitants of Nechara were a dark-skinned people. However, millennia of invasions, conquest, mercantile relations and migrations have mixed Necharan blood with that of many different races. Modern-day Necharans have brown skin. Hair ranges from blond to black, eyes are most often brown. Green eyes are believed to be a sign of sorcerous talent, and green-eyed children are sold as apprentice to mages at a very young age; sometimes as young as six years old.

Necharans believe in a version of humanotheism, a philosophy that states all people must strive to be the best they can be. Necharan humanotheism says humanity was created by a mother goddess, which charged her children with the quest for divinity. When humans have reached divine perfection, she will permit them into her divine realm.

Lambakota: The imperial capital has a population of about 13,000. Its ancient streets are laid out in concentric circles around the Great Pyramid. This gigantic building is said to be the oldest pyramid in the empire, and maybe even the oldest man-build structure in the world. Recent study of the astronomical lock shows the pyramid will soon open its gate.