Sunday, April 12, 2020

The Necklace of Harmonia (for the d20 System)

We now return to the secretive world of the Amazons with a description of the legendary Necklace of Harmonia. It has been lost to the Amazons for millennia, and if player characters come into possession of it, they might gain them as powerful allies or deadly enemies.


THE NECKLACE OF HARMONIA
The Necklace of Harmonia was given by the goddess Harmonia as a gift to an Amazon who fell in love with an outside male, Cadmus, the first king of the ancient Grecian city-state of Thebes, and left her people behind to be with him. The necklace was meant to bring her health and happiness and for a time it did... but she was eventually assassinated by a cult of sorcerers in revenge for Cadmus slaying the water dragon they worshipped. They stole the necklace, and, although Cadmus had every member of the cult and their families hunted down and killed, it was never recovered.
   The Necklace of Harmonia has for centuries been a much-sought after treasure, because it is rumored give any woman who wears it eternal youth, beauty, and good fortune. However, the reality has been quite different for those who have found themselves in possession of it: They have come to swift and brutal ends, or have vanished without a trace... and the necklace has always gone missing again.
   The Necklace of Harmonia is crafted from gem-encrusted gold and shaped like two serpents with their tails intertwined and whose bodies are draped around the wearer's neck, with their heads meeting below the jugular notch. If inspected with detect magic, it radiates faint transmutation and abjuration magic.



Powers of the Necklace of Harmonia
The rest of the text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms.
   Standard Powers: A female who ages in the fashion similar to that of a typical human wears the Necklace of Harmonia for at least 8 hours every day from one full moon to the next sees her physical age gradually reverse itself a year. The continues until she is physically 27 years old. She remains this age until she stops wearing the Necklace of Harmonia for the time between two full moons, at which point she begins to age normally again.
   A female who wears the Necklace of Harmonia as described above, gains a +2 bonus to all saving throws and initiative rolls, as well as a +4 bonus to all Charisma-based skill checks.
   Amazon-Specific Powers: When worn by an Amazon, the Necklace also grants immunity to attribute- and level-draining attacks, spells, and spell-like effects from any creature who isn't a literal god--a divine being with the ability to grant spells to followers and so on.
   For Amazons who possess the True Love feat, the saving throw and initiative roll bonuses are extended to the identified object of her affection. Additionally, that person will age more slowly so long as the Amazon wears the Necklace of Harmonia, aging only 1 year for every 10 that pass. (To activate this effect, the Amazon must offer a prayer to Harmonia under a full moon. The target must be aware of the Amazon's desire and willing to have his life extended.)



   Drawbacks: For an Amazons, there are no drawbacks to the Necklace of Harmonia, so long she does not blaspheme against Harmonia or Harmonia's parents, intentionally betrays an Amazon or Consort, or intentionally betrays someone she has said she loves and who has been a loyal lover and friend to her in return. In such a circumstance, the Amazon loses all benefits from the Necklace and is immediately subjected to a curse that imposes a -4 enhancement penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks. The curse remains in effect until the Amazon atones for her transgressions and begs forgiveness from both Harmonia and the person she betrayed.
   When a non-Amazon wears the Necklace of Harmonia, she must roll a successful Fortitude save (DC18) or lose the benefits of the Necklace. Additionally, she is subjected to a -2 penalty to all Charisma checks, as well as automatic Hostile reactions from NPCs in any situation that might warrant it. These curses remain until she prays to Harmonia for forgiveness and passes the Necklace onto another person, or until she gives the Necklace to a representative of the Amazons. No matter what, she will never enjoy the benefits of the Necklace ever again.
   If a non-Amazon who is gaining benefit from the Necklace of Harmonia intentionally betrays someone she has said she loves and who has been a loyal lover, she loses all benefits of the Necklace and immediately ages 1d20 years. Every hour thereafter, she must roll a successful Fortitude save (DC22) or age 1d20+10 years.
   This rapid aging persists until the woman atones for her transgressions and gains forgiveness from the person she betrayed. If the aging is stopped before she dies, the woman still remains aged. If not stopped, the aging continues, causing the body to rapidly decay and eventually turn to dust.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

In Observation of April 1st...

A d20 System feat like no other....

MOE OPTIONS [General]
When you wake up in the morning, you are blessed with a supernatural benefit granted by the Three Great Spirits of Nyuk-Nyuk-Nyuk.
   Benefit: Roll 1d6 once per day and consult the table below. The character gains the indicated benefit until he or she goes to sleep that night or is dropped below 0 hit points.
   1-2. Damage reduction 10 for injuries suffered from unarmed attacks and blunt weapons.
   3-4. Successful unarmed attacks deal no damage, but instead you poke the opponent in the eyes, blinding them for 1d2+1 rounds.
   5-6. When in the company of at least two other PCs, the character may force all opponents to make Will saves (DC5+your character level) at the beginning of an encounter. Those who fail the saves are confused for 1d2+1 rounds. This is a standard action.


(All text in this post is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2020 by Steve Miller.)

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Bessie Love and the Magic Mirror

Although she is now all but forgotten, Bessie Love was a celebrated movie star and household name during the 1920s. Her most important role, however, was that of a crusader of against supernatural evil--the Love Bug!
   From 1925 through 1950, Bessie faced off against cultists, lycanthropes, vampires, elder gods, and evil sorcerers and witches. The full extent of the debt the world owes her will probably never be known, but one of her more dangerous encounters took place in 1928 when she squared off against a wizard who was trying to enchant massive amounts of people by embedding spells in motion pictures.
    As Bessie (in Love Bug guise) broke into the wizard's lair, she came upon a magic mirror that drew her into a pocket dimension behind the glass where she had to defeat an exact copy of herself, or forever be trapped while the copy of her took over her life in the outside world. Bessie was victorious, and not only did she free herself from the mirror realm, but 17 other men and women who had fallen victim to the mirror's magic over the past two centuries... and several of those liberated helped her slay the wizard and set his magic films ablaze.
   Bessie took the mirror as a souvenir, and it hung in her home until she passed away in 1986. It was not present when the executor took control of her estate and it was presumed stolen. The mirror remains missing. (In truth, the mirror was taken by an angel that had been trapped in the mirror and who was freed along with the others when Bessie Love broke the enchantment on it by defeating her mirrored foe.)


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Here's some RPG content (good for just about any version of D&D) inspired by Bessie's adventures, as has become our habit in these quarterly posts. The rest of the text in this post is released under the Open Game License, and it may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2020 Steve Miller.

RANDOM MAGIC MIRROR GENERATOR
Use these tables to generate magic mirrors in treasure hoards or the lairs of villains. Roll 1d6 against the tables below

MIRROR TYPE
   1. Handheld
   2-4. Wall Mirror
   5-6. Full-length Mirror

MIRROR ENCHANTMENT
   1-2. Reflection answers one question per day (as legend lore spell).
   3. Reflections of items in front of it, no further than three feet away, seem to glow if they are magical (as detect magic, three times per day).
   4. The reflection shows the true form of a being concealed behind an illusion, or in a different from due to natural, spell-based, or item-based shapeshifting or polymorphing abilities. If the being is a natural shapeshifter, but is presently in the primary form (such as a lycanthrope in her human shape), the reflection shows secondary shape.
   5. A demonic (1-3) or angelic (4-6) trapped in the mirror can, once per day, unerringly reveal the location and condition of a single person. The request has to be specific--"Where is the six-fingered man who killed my father?" or "Where is the fairest person in the land?".
   6. Anyone who sees his or her reflection in the mirror without saying a password is immediately sucked into a pocket dimension behind the glass. Here, they must fight exact copies of themselves, except the duplicates are utterly ruthless and irredeemably evil. If the duplicate wins, the real character is trapped in the pocket dimension while the mirror-spawned copy takes his or place in the world. If the real character wins, he or she is given the option by the powerful spirit (demonic 1-3, angelic 4-6) to either release those trapped in the mirror or to become its new master and enjoy eternal life and youth so long as at least one person is trapped in the mirror every 50 years.
   The mirror functions like result #4 for the master, as its enchantments are powered by a spirit trapped inside it.



Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Random Childhood Generator (for the d20 System)

If you to add a little more substance to player character backgrounds, add this to the character generation process in your d20 System games, immediately after the character's stats, and have the players roll 1d8s against the tables below. It gives players starting points for coming up with details, and it gives each character slightly different attributes at the beginning, beyond those outlined in the standard rules.

RANDOM CHARACTER CHILDHOOD GENERATOR


WHERE DID YOU SPEND YOUR CHILDHOOD? (Roll 1d8)
   1. In a traveling circus/carnival. (Gain 2 ranks in Acrobatics or Bluff or Sense Motive.)
   2. On the family farm, or on the family fishing boat. (Gain Endurance as a bonus feat )
   3. Traveling with your family as seasonal farmhands or temporary laborers. (Gain +1 Strength or +1 Constitution.)
   4. Helping around the family autoshop (Gain 2 ranks in Repair or Cautious as a bonus feat.)
   5. In a small town, with your loving middle-class parents. (Gain 2 ranks in a Craft or Perform skill of your choice
   6. With abusive, violent parents. (Gain Endurance or Stealthy as a bonus feat)
   7. With Con Artist parents. (Gain Trustworthy as a bonus feat).
   8. In a monastery or boarding school, as the child of teachers there. (Gain Educated or Studious as a bonus feat.)

HOW DID YOUR ADVENTURING CAREER START? (Roll 1d8)
   1-2. Ran away from home.
   3. Fell in with a bad crowd that came to a bad end.
   4-5. Your parents vanished mysteriously.
   6. You fell in love with someone your parents couldn't stand and eloped with him or her.
   7-8. You joined the army (or some other armed group that wields authority in many places), and the experiences you had made it so you feel like you can't go home again.

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(The text is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with it. Copyright Steve Miller 2020)

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Amazons & Artifacts for the d20 System

There's a new Wonder Woman movie coming out in June, and we here at NUELOW Games are really looking forward to it! While scheduling some anticipatory posts at Shades of Gray, our Head Honcho Steve Miller found himself getting ideas for a number of d20 System rules... and here they are! (And yes, this has been probably been done before... and it will probably be done again!)



WHO ARE THE AMAZONS?
The Amazons are a secretive matriarchy that, since the time of Atlantean dominance on Earth, have lived and thrived in a series of interconnected pocket dimensions scattered across the globe. They were devoted allies of the Olympians in the war against Atlantis. When the Olympians withdrew from Earth, they rewarded the staunch support of the Amazons with the hidden communities in which they thrive to this day.
   The cities of the Amazons are inhabited almost entirely by women, and most of them are so ancient that they witnessed first hand the Great Wars between Atlantis and the Olympians. There is roughly one male per 150 females in Amazonian society, and most of these males reside in and guard the points where the Amazon enclaves intersect with the rest of the world or connect to each other.
   Amazon society is a meritocracy where knowledge and skill is respected and valued above all else. It is, however, also a strict matriarchy where only women can hold positions of political power, and all decisions are made by the Queen and her Council of Mothers. Due to the male-dominated nature of most civilizations that have surrounded the Amazon cities, their men have, more often than not, served as go-betweens and ambassadors to the outside world. (The words "male" and "female" does not exist in the Amazon language; females are Amazons while males are Consorts.)
   When within their cities, male and female residents both are un-aging, physically immune to the passage of time. When in the outside world, however, they age and die at the rate of any normal human being.
   Amazons have kept up with the world as it developed and evolved outside their enclaves for thousands of years, adopting the best they found into their own culture. In most areas, their science and technology is equal to the most advanced on Earth, while in some areas they are more advanced.
   The rest of the text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. (As is usually the case in these parts, this material is designed with d20 Modern in mind, but it easily adaptable to other versions of D&D.)



NEW RACIAL TEMPLATE: AMAZON
During character creation, a player may choose to be an Amazon by adding the following template (with GM permission, of course).
   Prerequisite: Female Human
   Benefit: May choose Amazon feats in place of class bonus and starting feats. +1 Strength, +1 Constitution. The character is automatically fluent and literate in Amazon, as well as a number of additional languages equal to her Intelligence bonus.


NEW RACIAL TEMPLATE: CONSORT (Male Amazon)
During character creation, a player may choose to be an Amazon by adding the following template (with GM permission, of course).
   Prerequisite: Male Human
   Benefit: May choose Amazon feats in place of class starting and bonus feats. +1 Strength, +1 Charisma. The character can automatically speak, read and write Amazon, as well as a number of additional languages equal to his Intelligence bonus.


NEW STARTING OCCUPATIONS
The following starting occupations are available for Amazons and Consorts.

Amazon Ambassador
These members of Amazon society are trained to deal with the outside world. They frequently dwell away from the hidden Amazon enclaves. They are equal parts ambassadors (to those who are aware of the existence of the Amazons) and spies (to keep the Amazon leadership appraised on what is happening in the outside world.
   Prerequisite: Consort Racial Template, Age 20+
   Skills: Gain a +1 bonus to all Charisma-based skill. Gain an additional bonus to Sense Motive skill checks equal to your Charisma. Choose three languages that the character is able to speak, read and write.
   Bonus Feat: Choose two feats from the following list. Attentive, Confident, Deceitful, Diligent, Defensive Martial Arts, Endurance, Favored of Harmonia, Foresight, Investigator, Light Armor Proficiency, Persuasive, Specialty Martial Artist, Stealthy.

Amazon Healer
These individuals serve as doctors, nurses, medics, and even sometimes mystical healers. They are only rarely found outside Amazon enclaves, and always on a specific, short-term mission when they are.
   Prerequisite: Amazon or Consort Racial Template, Age 16+
   Skills: Gain +1 bonus to all Wisdom-based skills. with Heal becoming a permanent class skill. (If it is already a class skill, gain 2 ranks.)
   Bonus Feat: Choose two feats from the following list. Faithful, Favored of Artemis, Confident, Defensive Martial Arts, Light Armor Proficiency, SelflessSpecialty Martial Artist

Amazon Scholar
These are keepers of knowledge and history in Amazon society. They help everyone remember the past, so they can build a better future. Depending on their areas of expertise, they may spend more time away from the Amazon settlements than in them, oftentimes working with the ambassadors to gather or analyze specific information.Like the Amazon Ambassadors, they spend a good deal of time outside
   Prerequisite: Amazon or Consort Racial Template, Age 16+
   Skills: Gain a +1 bonus to all Knowledge-based skill checks. The character can Read/Write Ancient Greek script, Ancient Norse runes, and Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Bonus Feat: Choose three feats from the following list. Diligent, Dodge, Educated, Endurance, Investigator, Favored of Artemis, Light Armor Proficiency, Specialty Martial Artist,

Amazon Warrior
The are the most honored members of Amazon society.
Prerequisite: Amazon Racial Template, Age 16+
Skills: Gain +1 bonus to all Strength-based skill checks.
Bonus Feat: Choose two feats from the following list. Acrobatic, Combat Martial Arts, Combat Reflexes, Confident, Endurance, Educated, Favored of Ares, Foresight, Light Armor Proficiency, Specialty Martial Artist,

Art by Sergio Santos

AMAZON FEATS
When gaining feats, Amazons (male or female) may pick ones from the following list in addition to the selections from character classes. The character must still meet all prerequisites before a feat can be selected.

Existing Feats
Acrobatic, Alertness, Athletic, Diligent, Educated, Exotic Weapons Proficiency, Faithful, Fortune Telling, Light Armor Proficiency, Martyr, SelflessSpecialty Martial Artist, Stealthy


New Feats
The Favored of... feats are meant to reflect that the character special--and perhaps even personal--connection to the gods who are patrons of the Amazons. Players who wish to select one or more of these feats at character creation should be encouraged to explain how the character came to the attention of the god or goddess. (Maybe we'll create a random table at some point to help you along, since we love doing those here at NUELOW Games!)

Favored by Ares [Amazon]
You have a special relationship with Ares, and he has granted you a special power.
   Prerequisite: Amazon or Consort Racial Template
   Benefit: You have divine favor as a spell-like ability. Your effective caster level is your total character level, and you may use the ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus.

Favored by Athena [Amazon]
You have a special relationship with Athena, and she has granted you a special power.
   Prerequisite: Amazon or Consort Racial Template
   Benefit: You have resistance as a spell-like ability. Your effective caster level is your total character level, and you may use the ability a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom bonus.
   Special: Unlike the actual spell resistance, this effect cannot be made permanent.

Favored by Artemis [Amazon]
You have a special relationship with Artemis, and she has granted you a special power.
   Prerequisite: Amazon or Consort Racial Template
   Benefit: You have calm animals and purify food and drink as spell-like abilities. Your effective caster level is your total character level, and you may one, the other, or both, a total number of times per day equal to your Constitution bonus.

Favored by Harmonia [Amazon]
You have a special relationship with Harmonia, and he has granted you a special power.
   Prerequisite: Amazon or Consort Racial Template
   Benefit: You have message as a spell-like ability. Your effective caster level is your total character level, and you may use the ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus.

Favored by the Muses [Amazon]
The Nine Muses have watched over you since childhood, and they granted you special gifts.
   Prerequisite: Amazon or Consort Racial Template
   Benefit: Gain a +1 bonus to all Perform skills.
   Special: You may summon a specific Muse for assistance without suffering the initial 500XP drain.
   (For more d20 System rules and information about the Nine Muses, click here.)

Foresight [Amazon]
You have the ability to see a fraction of a second into the future.
   Benefit: You gain a permanent +2 adjustment to all initiative rolls.

Art by Bruce Timm


ARTIFACTS OF THE AMAZONS
When the Olympians departed Earth, the three whom the Amazons had provided the greatest service to--Ares, Artemis, Athena and Harmonia--each gifted them with a powerful artifact. These items are kept in a shrine, deep beneath the Queen's palace Themiscyra, the oldest of the Amazonian enclaves. They are considered the greatest treasures of the Amazons. In the more than 10,000 years since their creation, the items have only been removed from their shrine four times, each time to defend the world against grave danger.

The Bracers of Artemis
These golden armguards only provide benefits to a character with the Amazon racial template. They give the wearer a +2 bonus to AC/DR. In addition, if the wearer has initiative, she can take a full round action and deflect any incoming ranged attacks specifically targeted at her. She can even deflect attacks that otherwise might be unavoidable, such as the bolts of a magic missile spell, a lightning bolt, or a ray of disintegration.
   The wearer of the bracers may also deflect ranged attacks directed at other characters within melee range by taking a 5-foot adjustment in their direction and standing between them and the incoming projectile or spell.
    Drawbacks: None for Amazons and Consorts. If a non-Amazon (a character who doesn't have either the Amazon or Consort racial templates) wears the Bracers of Artemis, he or she must roll a Fortitude save every time projectiles are deflected. If the saving throw fails, the character is knocked to the ground and stunned for 1d4 rounds.

The Diadem of Athena
A sturdy piece of golden headgear that is inset with rubies and a five-pointed star symbolizing Athena grants its wearer a +2 bonus to all mind-affecting magic and spell-like abilities and effects.
   The wearer can also use the Diadem of Athena as a thrown weapon, with a +2 magical bonus to hit and damage (Weight 1 lb; Damage 1d4+2 (small), 1d6+2 (medium); Critical x2; Type bludgeoning; Range Increment 30 ft. (projectile); Category ranged; Proficiency simple weapon.). The diadem can strike a number of targets equal to the wielder's attack bonus. The targets must be declared when the character throws the diadem, and a separate attack roll is required for each target). The diadem unerringly returns to the hand of person who threw it at the end of the round, or falls to the ground near his or her feet if the character is unable to catch it for some reason.
   It is possible for someone to grab the diadem from the air using the snatch arrow feat (or other abiltilies), but if the attempt is successful, the character who caught it suffers 2d6+2 points of electrical damage (DC22 Fortitude save for half).
    Drawback: None, but the item confers no magical bonuses nor protection to non-Amazons (characters without the Amazon or Consort racial templates). It likewise does not function as a magical thrown weapon
.
The Shield of Harmonia
This front of this bronze buckler is decorated with symbols that resemble snakes and lightning bolts twisting around each other and a five-pointed star. In addition to the normal features of a buckler, the Shield of Harmonia grants the user an additional +4 bonus to all saving throws made against poisonous or acidic gasses and damage-dealing area of affect spells.
   Drawbacks: None, but the item confers no magical bonuses nor protection to non-Amazons (characters without the Amazon or Consort racial templates).

The Sword of Ares
This short sword was forged from an otherworldly metal that is so black its blade seems to absorb light rather than reflect it. When wielded by an Amazon or Consort, it is a magic weapon with a +4 bonus to-hit and damage. In addition, as the sword is first drawn during an encounter, the wielder may use fear as a spell-like ability against a number of targets equal to his or her Charisma bonus. The effective caste level is equal to the wielder's total character level.
   Drawbacks: When non-Amazons (characters without the Amazon or Consort racial templates) use the Sword of Ares, they must roll a successful Will (DC12) save each time they deal damage to a target. If the roll fails, the wielder is blinded. The character remains blind until subjected to a remove curse (cast at 20th level), or a wish spell.

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(Wonder Woman is Copyright and TM by DC Comics/Warner Bros and is used without permission.)

Sunday, February 9, 2020

From the School of Typomancy...

Here's a spell from the little-known School of Typomancy. Spells of this nature are generally discovered when game designers and writers type too fast and/or don't bother proof-reading text before letting editors see it

LIGHTNING BLOT (1st level, Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard)
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area of Effect: 10 ft radius
Effect: Burst of light and static electricity
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: See below
Spell Resistance: Yes

Creatures within the area of effect must roll Fortitude saves or suffer 1d3+1 point of electrical damage and be dazzled for one minute. If the saving throw is successful, the targets suffer no damage, but all their hair stands on end as they are subjected to extreme static electricity. This persists for ten minutes or until they touch another person or being, inflicting 1 point of damage upon the person touched, and suffering 1 point themselves. (If the touched being rolls a successful Fortitude save, it suffers no damage.)



The text in this post is released under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright 2020 Steve Miller.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Bessie Love and the Shawl of the Babushka

During the 1920s and early 1930s, Bessie Love was a popular movie star. Away from the adoring public, however, she led a secret life as the superhero Love Bug and defended Earth against supernatural evil. During her adventures, she collected a number of magical treasures. One of these was the shawl of the babushka. In this post, we reveal another of Bessie's secret adventures while describing this unique magical item in terms of the d20 System rules.


THE SHAWL OF THE BABUSHKA
In 1946, Bessie Love (in her guise of the Love Bug) battled Baba Yaga to save children abducted from a village in eastern Ukraine. At the end of that adventure, she walked away with a shawl that Baba Yaga had woven and enchanted for her most loyal servants. At one time, 13 of these were known to exist; two were destroyed during the encounter that Love had with Baba Yaga and three witches, but ten more may still exist. The secret to making this item is known only to Baba Yaga
   The shawl of the babushka is a triangular piece of cloth that is roughly 3 feet wide and 7 feet in length. If subjected to detect magic, it radiates faint transmutation magic.
    The fabric is a red so deep that it is almost black. It is embroidered with flowery patterns in bright yellow and blue and green, but if those patterns are carefully studied (1d6+2 rounds) and a successful Knowledge (Arcane) skill check is rolled (DC20), it becomes apparent that mystic symbols of demonic origin are concealed in harmless-seeming floral motif. The purpose of the symbols isn't clear. (Only high-ranking demonlords and Baba Yaga herself know the meaning of the symbols, but see below for more.)



Powers of the Shawl of the Babushka
When worn, a shawl of the babushka grants the following protections and powers to its wearer:
   *Immunity to normal hot- and cold-weather conditions. The wearer is comfortable in the hottest and coldest places on Earth.
   *Immunity to be located by any magical means, except through the personal and direct actions of a god.
   * +4 bonus to saving throws made to resist damage from elemental magic.
   * Use charm person as a spell-like ability at 20th-level effectiveness twice per day.
   There is one final power that is not revealed by identify or anything short of a wish spell. It can only be explained by Baba Yaga, a demonlord, or learned through experimentation.
   * Become one of three different human females: A plump and friendly-seeming old woman; a bent, boney, hag-like old woman; and an extremely attractive young woman. Although the character using this ability retains all of his or her own statistics, levels, and class abilities, this transformation does not register as a magical one; for as long as the character wears the shawl, he or she is the woman that he or she has chosen to be. Aside from a vague similarity in facial features (Spot check of DC18 for anyone to notice), there is nothing else to give away the character's transformation. The transformation remains in effect until the character is no longer wearing the shawl.
   The transformation is brought about with a successful Willpower saving throw (DC12) and a full round action. Until the character realizes that there are three different forms that can be adopted, the woman that he or she changes into is rolled randomly on the following table:

Random Shawl Transformation (Roll 1d6)
1-2: Plump Old Woman
3-4: Withered Old Woman
5-6: Beautiful Young Woman


Drawbacks of the Shawl of the Babushka
The shawl of the babushka is a magic item made by Baba Yaga specifically for her most loyal human minions, typically witches. Wearers to whom she has gifted it wouldn't necessarily view these effects as "drawbacks".
   * Whenever the character uses the charm person spell-like ability, the GM rolls 2d6+1. On a roll of 4 or 13, Baba Yaga gains the ability to see and hear everything the character does for an hour, even if the shawl is immediately removed. She also knows exactly where the character is located.
   * Whenever the character transforms into one of the female forms, the GM rolls 2d6+1. On a result of 13, the character is physically replaced by a succubus for 1d4+2 hours. While the character is trapped in the demonic plane, no harm will befall him or her, but he will be warned against trying to cross Baba Yaga, as well as being offered the opportunity to gain the Chosen feat as a bonus, or otherwise makes offers to tempt the character to serve them. (Even if the character refuses all offers, the demons will always be cordial and polite to the temporarily planeshifted character; they will even happily explain everything about the shawl and its powers.
   The interaction with the demon generally takes place in a richly appointed, parlor with comfortable couches and easy chairs. If the character is rude or aggressive, the demons try to remain friendly and polite but they will leave him or her alone if the character persists. If the character attacks them, he or she is immediately transported to a sweltering, dark void for the duration to the swap.



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All text in this post is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance to its terms. Copyright 2020 Steve Miller.