Behind the Scenes #45 (Patreon)

Dundip was inspired by D&D but I had to write down a lot of things. For instance, the characters spells were custom made for each one of them and more would unlock as they progressed through the story. Here are their abilities, many of which were never used in the campaign.

Belinda, Bratbarian

>Starting skills: 

[ENRAGE]

Once per combat, the Bratbarian can go into a bratty rage, becoming more aggressive and increasing the damage dealt at the cost of being careless against enemies. The rage will naturally disappear after a while, so after a fight is over the Bratbarian will be enraged even against their own party members. Any kind of soothing by a party member can help reduce the rage duration.

[AXE THROW]

The Bratbarian is an expert at throwing axes. This requires a dice roll. The difficulty increases depending on the distance and the enemy's ability to dodge.

[WILD SENSES]

A Bratbarian knows best how to move and live in the wilderness. This skill grants a bonus to anything survival related including, but not limited to: tracking animals, building campfires, making tools out of wood and stones, climbing, swimming, moving on difficult terrain, estimating position without compass and map.

[ROAR]

(unlocks after yelling/charging into battle a few times)

All party members within 30ft receive a motivational boost to break free out of restraining spells, traps or help them overcome a physical struggle. Once per day.

>Skills to unlock

[RAGEGRESSION] 

(unlocks when fighting in Bratty Rage for more than 5 turns)

While in bratty rage, the Bratbarian slowly becomes smaller and cuter, stage by stage, making combat more difficult, however adding to the damage bonus, as well as adorability. Ragegression naturally disappears within an hour after the Bratbarian has ran out of rage or stamina.

[AXE CHOP] 

(unlocks by training with axes for a few battles)

This skill allows the Bratbarian to pull off one single, but very powerful, axe swing. It requires the roll of a die. If this swing lands, it will cut in half an enemy no larger than a person. For larger enemies, it can cut off a single limb and cause a lot of damge regardless. This shot is easier to land on wild beasts than humans. 

[BOOMERANG THROW]

(unlocks after a few succesful axe throws)

Now a thrown axe can return back if thrown correctly. If the axe hits a target it stops and falls on the ground. If the axe kills the target it will return. If the axe misses it lands a few meters behind the target with a very low chance of hitting whatever is in that area.

Base dice roll: Easy.

(Very Easy and Bab at later levels)

[HARD SKIN]

(unlocks when dealing with immense physical stress or because of a death threat)

The Bratbarian's skin becomes as hard as tree bark for a brief moment. Ignores most of the damage dealt for a minute. Usable once per day.

Merry "Mommy" Holly

>Starting Skills

[HEAL]

This healing magic allows to heal some minor wounds like cuts, bruises and small bleeding on a single character. This magic can be used many times but it requires a full minute to be effective.

[SOOTHE]

Calms down an angry person. This spell doesn't change the alignment or thoughts of the target, it only helps to make them less aggressive and more likely to talk or negotiate.

[ONCE UPON A TIME]

Can tell the general story of an item by touching it: hints on its origin place, materials used, age.

[PRISMATIC RAY]

With the help of a crystal, the caster can emit one or more rays of light which change effect depending on the color. Each ray can be cast one single time per day, grouped with other rays or as a single attack. This spell needs natural sunlight in order to work. A dice roll is required if the target is very fast, nimble, flying or smaller than a young person. A ray can pass through multiple targets in a 30 ft line.

RED: Removes cold effects

ORANGE: Slightly burns , can cause some damage to cloth and leather equipment.

YELLOW: Blinds for two turns.

GREEN: Removes fatigue equivalent to an hour long rest.

BLUE: Removes burning conditions, the targets feel cool, refreshed and clean as if they took a cold bath.

INDIGO: Helps a spellcaster recover a single use of one spell. This applies to one of Prismatic Ray's casts as well.

VIOLET: Attempts to hypnotize a sentient creature. Lasts an hour.

[SHIELD]

(unlocks when the desire to protect grows stronger, or when an ally is about to die or endangered)

Summons a magic shield that protects an ally. This spell doesn't require concentration. The shield breaks after two physical attacks or one magic attack, or after a minute of it being cast. This spell can be cast once per day.

>Skills to unlock

[HEAL]

Tier II: the spell can heal severe wounds like deep cuts, major bleeding. Can also cicatrize. It cannot bring back missing parts of a body, like limbs or organs.

[SOOTHE]

Tier II calms down a non-magical beast

Tier III calms down an angry magical beast. 

[ONCE UPON A TIME]

Tier II can tell the general story of a magic item and the detailed story of an item (include name of the item, who made it, origins of the materials used)

[SHIELD]

Tier II: Two targeted allies can be shielded at the same time.

[MAGIC INSTRUMENT]

(unlocks when trying to play an instrument and learning a song)

By playing an instrument, different songs can have different beneficial effects. Only one song can be active at any time and it needs to play before the ally turn comes.

-BATTLE HYMN All characters within x ft can re-roll their dice when performing an action and take the best result

-LULLABY: enemies within 30 ft must roll to resist falling asleep. beasts rollf or hard, non magic humans roll for medium, magic beasts and sorcerers roll for easy.

-SONG OF THE PEACE OF MIND: altered statuses have a very easy roll to be countered.

[GOOD MANNERS]

Holly's charm is so strong that every creature can temporarily turn obedient if asked nicely.

[QUICK CHANGE]

(unlocks after changing a lot of diapers)

Can cast a spell that quickens the change time required for one person. The spell cast is instantaneous.

[CONJURE POWDER]

(unlocks by magic scroll or book)

Fluffy pink powder is conjured, it gives a morale boost and makes the changed character happier.

[CONJURE DIAPER]

(unlocks by magic scroll or book)

A diaper is created out of thin air. It's made of cloth and requires safety pins. It's not as good as the ones that can be bought in stores but it's better than nothing.

[NANNY ASSISTANT]

(unlocks by magic scroll or book)

Once a day, a magical nanny appears to help with anything for 5 minutes. The nanny is not capable of fighting but can protect or shield an ally with her own body.

Amelina Greenwood

Ice magic

<starting skills>

[CURSE]

A random word trigger is set each day. Words stack together if not triggered. Whenever that word is pronounced by Amelina, she is instantly regressed into a kid and the spells change accordingly. The clothes fit the new form, except for weapons and other items being carried such as a backpack. Amelina turns back into an adult after a full rest.

[ICE SHARD / SNOWBALL]

Adult: Shoots an fast, icy projectile that can cause damage to a target creature or item.

Smol: Summons a snowball. The snowball can daze the target for a turn if aimed right on their head.

[ICY GROUND / SNOW]

Adult: Creates a slippery, icy surface in a 3 meters radius. Any item is covered by a thin layer of ice. Any creature walking must roll a die to keep balance as they can easily slip and fall over. This spell lasts for 3 turns, the ice then melts leaving a puddle.

Smol: Summons a pile of snow, similar in look and consistency to shaved ice, as big as a watermelon. It lasts 3 turns before melting down into a tiny puddle.

<skills to unlock>

[BLIZZARD /SNOWFLAKES]

(unlocks by experiencing a blizzard while adventuring)

Adult: A furious blizzard manifests in a small, controlled area. It can influence up to 4 medium sized creatures. It lasts up to three turns if the caster focuses. Every creature inside the blizzard cannot move and is blinded. Any water which is not held in a container will freeze after the full 3 turns duration inside the blizzard.

Smol: Tiny slowflakes gently float in a snowglobe-like fashon on a single target for 1 turn.

[ICE GOLEM / SNOWMAN]

(unlocks by crafting any kind of golem/snowman)

Adult: Conjures an ice golem as big as a person. The golem can absorb ice/snow to increase it's size and heal. It can be maintaned alive as long as the temperature is cold or there's a supply of ice.

Smol: Small snowman that can throw snowballs, melts real quick. 

Can be casted once per day.

[ICE SHIELD/ ICE BUCKLER]

(unlocks by countering an attack with any other spell)

Adult: creates a large ice shield, more like a tower shield. The whole party can fit behind. It protects against most attacks and spells, byt anything fire related is very effective and melts it down.

Smol: Small ice shield that fits only on the caster's arm.

[CONJURE SPEAR]

(unlocks by spellbook/scroll)

Conjures a big, icy spear. It's very powerful and does elemental ice damage added to the piercing one. It can be thrown and it also returns back to its owner. Lasts for 5 minutes. Once per day cast.

Doesn't work in smol form, but doesn't expend the daily cast.

[FREEZE/COLD]

(unlocks by scroll/book)

Freezes a target in place.

[SHAPE ICE/SNOW]

(unlocks with spellbook/scroll)

Changes the shape of ice/snow.

Sera “Tsun” Nightshade

<starting skills>

[THE BOOK OF BINDING]

This mysterious arcane book can capture the essence and body of a dying person, to be summoned later. In order to capture a dying creature the caster must be in touch range and be able to pronounce the magic words. The creature must not be dead for more than a minute, as this spell captures both body and spirit.

Special pages are required to collect undeads. The book has 3 available pages until new ones are found. These undeads must be summoned using the SUMMON UNDEAD spell. They can be recalled at any time but for that to happen they must touch the book. Otherwise they are free to roam if the caster so desires. They maintain their knowledge and spells from their past lives. Stronger willed individuals will be harder to control, even if enslaved by the book.

[RAISE UNDEAD]

Uses a dead corpse to create a weak undead servant. Only the corpse of a small creature can be used (smaller than average adult human size) The corpse doesn't remember its past life or skills if it had any. It can only fight unarmed and execute simple commands as: attack, stand, go to. It cannot talk or emit sounds. The spell lasts for 24 hours before the undead dissolves into dust. Only one undead raised this way can be active at a time.

[ARCANE BOLT]

Shoots a magic projectile in a straight line. It requires a dice roll if the target is not in melee range or far away and able to move and/or dodge. This spell does very little damage but it can be cast instantly, making it a very effective and cheap ranged attack. It can be aimed at specific parts of the body or equipment. It can cut ropes, blast weak doorlocks, disarm a creature if hit with precision on their hand.

[EXPANSION]

This spell requires an hour to be cast. Increases the holding capacity of a container, bag or similar. The bigger the item, the more effective the spell is. Multiple items can be targeted as long as they are stacked together. It’s weaker than the bottomless enchanted bag but it turns out to be very useful for potion flasks, cauldrons, reagents bag and so on.

<skills to unlock>

[SUMMONING CIRCLE]

(spellbook or scroll)

The circle requires 5 minutes to be drawn. It requires a 5ft * 5ft free surface of any kind, as long as a chalk or even a scratch on the ground can make a distinct recognizable shape. Any undead summoned or raised within this circle doesn't require any casting time. They will also gain a special buff that will make them tougher in battle. This effect ends when the circle fades, even if the undead remains active. The summoning circle has a duration of 30 minutes before it vanishes and needs to be redrawn. The summoned creatures need to be within 90 ft to benefit from the circle's magic. Any damage caused on the surface where the circle is drawn will dissipate it, ending the spell effect.

[RAISE UNDEAD]

Tier II

Tier III

[SUMMON UNDEAD]

(spellbook)

Summons 1 creature from the book. Only one can be summoned at a time.

[BONE WALL]

(learned by putting two or more creatures in defensive position)

Summons once per day a large wall made of bones. The wall can be shaped like a straight line, an L or a C. It is 3 meters high and 10 meters long. It lasts for 1 hour.

[GRAVE HANDS]

(unlocks when raising a dead in a cemetery)

Hands pop out of the ground, beneath the target's location, in an attempt to grab them and slow them down. Any creature is slowed if they fail a hard dice roll. A creature that has more than 2 legs is saved with a medium DC. This spell does not affect flying or teleporting creatures.

[CORPSE EXPLOSION]

It does what is says. It also makes a mess.

[UNDEAD ARMY]

(unlocks by finding artifact)

Increases the maximum number of actively controlled undead by 1.

[ENSLAVE ELEMENT]

(unlocks by capturing an elemental spirit)

Catelin, Thief

>Starting skills

[SNEAK ATTACK]

Attacking an organic creature while not being seen makes for an instant, clean kill. This skill works on creatures that are medium sized or smaller. Larger, tougher creatures require more hits.

[ALTER-EGO]

Morphs into a different individualThe following features can be changed: hair lenght, hair color, hair style, eyes color, height. This is an illusion spell, any phisical changes are purely aesthetic and do not interfere physically. Touching the thief reveals the nature of the spell.

This spell has a low chance [VERY HARD] to make one's stomach a bit upset.

[INCREASED AGILITY]

Makes it much easier to: pickpocket, lockpick, sneak, climb, hide, balance.

>Skills to unlock

[ALTER-EGO]

Rank II

The thief can now change ear shape, grow tails, whiskers, horns or other small facial features. Skin color and pattern can be changed. Eyes shape can be changed too.

Rank III

The thief can now change size. Size doesn't affect the current thief volume, they cannot fit into smaller space or reach higher places.

Rank IV

The thief can grow fur, scales, wings, additional legs. In other words, they can morph into a whole different creature. This is an illusory spell, growing wings doesn't grant the ability to fly. Touching the thief reveal the illusory nature of their morphed bosy.

[SHADOWSTEP]

(taught by a master thief)

Slips into the shadows to reappear instantly at a short distance.

[DAGGER DANCE]

(unlocks by battling with daggers or knives)

Must have a dagger or knife equipped. The thief moves swiftly and rotates, throwing illusory blades that can harm multiple creatures at melee range with the thief. This skill doesn't do much damage but it's very good to create a distraction for an escape.

[EXTENDED GRIP]

(rare skillbook)

The thief can create two small portals, big enough to fit one's arm. The portals are linked and can be created on any surface or thin air within 5 meters. Anything can pass through them as long as it fits the small radius. It lasts up to a minute or until cancelation, being unconcious or other effects that can end a spell. The portal repels anything that is too big to pass through. When the portal is closed it pushes back everything that might be stuck in between at tremendous force, like a cannonball.

[CLONE]

(unlocked by deceiving others a lot)

Summons a clone that can distract creatures. The clone doesn't emit sound nor can be touched. Entering in contact with it reveals its illusory nature and it disappears.

[FAKE]

(skillbook)

Creates a fake dupe of a non magic item.

[INVISIBILITY]

Becomes invisible for up to 3 turns. (18 seconds)