Brave New World
I also created faiths for the world. Unique religions also provide quite a bit of flavor for a world.
Combined with last month's player handout info, these traits and faiths help players create characters for Cursed Earth.
Campaign Traits
These campaign traits work well for Cursed Earth, conjuring up images of dark heroes and survivors of a battered world.
Armored Shell
Prerequisites: armor proficiency.
Background: You like to be covered by a shell of armor--perhaps a reaction to getting stabbed before you started wearing it or perhaps you made it or found it yourself.
Benefit: When you wear armor of any sort, reduce that suit's armor check penalty by 1, to a minimum check penalty of 0.
Iron Hero
Prerequisites: BAB of +1 at 1st level.
Background: You may distrust magic or simply like to fall back on simple steel.
Benefit: You gain the feat exotic weapon proficiency.
Lashed
Background: The Backlash has twisted your body. The taint may run in your family's blood or you might have been hit by a recent surge of Backlash magic.
Penalty: Your speed is reduced by 5 feet.
Benefit: You gain a +4 trait bonus to initiative.
Natural Born Killer
Background: You made your first kill at a very young age and found the task of war or murder to your liking. You either take particular pride in a well-placed blow, or find vile pleasure in such a strike as you twist the blade to maximize the pain.
Benefit: You deal additional damage equal to your weapon's critical hit modifier when you score a successful critical hit with a weapon; this additional damage is added to the final total, and is not multiplied by the critical hit multiple itself. This extra damage is a trait bonus.
Proud Pagan
Prerequisites: You do not possess any levels in a class that grants divine spellcasting power.
Background: You reject the idea that the gods give a damn about anyone on this cursed earth which often causes you or those you love to be treated as pariahs. You have turned your back on religious teachings.
Benefit: You gain a +1 trait bonus on all saving throws made against divine spells.
Rubble Runner
Prerequisites: Dexterity 12+.
Background: You may be quick to flee from danger or you may simply be fast and fleet.
Benefit: Increase your speed by 5 feet.
Star Cursed
Background: The terrible light of a gibbous moon hunching murderously in the sky changed you or perhaps the putrescence of a terrible falling star corrupted your very being.
Penalty: Roll 2d20 for all saving throws and take the lowest result.
Benefit: You add two hit points per level. Roll 2d20 when you roll to stabilize and take the best result.
Touched by a Dying God
Background: You have a touch of a dead god in your soul--which may be seen as a curse or a blessing. Did you receive the god touch through a mystical event like bloody rain? Woke up with it from a fever? Or do you suffer (enjoy) visions?
Benefit: As a standard action, you may automatically stabilize a dying creature merely by touching it.
Faiths Part One of Two
These faiths represent different ways of viewing where divine magic comes from.
Balance
Another spirit faith, those who follow Balance concentrate mostly on the natural world. Nothing taken should be wasted and something should be given back to the plants, animals, water, earth, and air of the world.
Spirits in this faith are believed to stay on in a balanced mirror image version of this world called the Spirit World. The Spirit World has nothing in it shaped by creatures; instead all of its natural plants and animals care and nurture for each other.
A heretical branch of Balance is called necromancy. Necromancy accepts the existence of the Spirit World, but followers are also willing to bargain with demons and other evil spirits.
The Great Old Ones
The creatures that live in Darkearth worship the Great Old Ones, cosmic aberrations of mind-bending power and alien thought. The Great Old Ones' sometimes turn hideous and blasphemous thought toward Kruvil and at that time catastrophe follows and millions die. Many believe an Old One looked on Kruvil for just a moment and then the Backlash struck.
The Narrow Road
Before the Backlash struck, the gathered tribes that followed a god called the Creator were visited by a man who claimed to be their god. His name was Joshua but ancient prophecies called him the Avatar. The Avatar called on his people to turn away from turning magic to evil purposes, as magic was simply a reflection of the power the Creator had used to begin the world. The Avatar scolded the brothers and sisters of his tribe for not caring for the weakest among them and for living by law rather than love.
These tribes rejected Avatar's claim and executed him. As Avatar was staked out dying, the Backlash struck the world. Avatar had come to save the world from the Backlash which was the natural result of twisting the magic that came from the Creator's power to evil ends, he had claimed, but the world rejected him. The Narrow Road faith records that Avatar took the brunt of the Backlash into his own body, allowing himself to die so that some could live.
The Narrow Road refers to the difficulty the followers of Joshua Avatar, called Walkers, face. Walkers believe that spirits will only truly enjoy a continuing existence after death if they acknowledge their part in creating the Backlash, they recognize the Avatar as their Creator, and they turn to helping others and opposing evil. Walkers must die to themselves so that others may live, just as Joshua Avatar did. Unlike other faiths, Walkers are encouraged not only to care for the weak and oppose evil but also to evangelize. All three tenets of the faith create many martyrs but even more converts.
Despite the fact that many non-believers find Walkers annoying, rude, crazy, or even dangerous it is hard to deny that Walkers are among the first to go into a plague ridden village to care for the dying or one of few to stand fast refusing to yield to a vampire's demand even under torture and death. And the Walkers say that they could not stop urging non-believers to seek the Avatar any more than they could refuse to approach a man dying of thirst in the desert to point him to the nearest oasis.
Next Month
Part two of faiths and human cultures of Cursed Earth.
Fight Another Day (survivor farewell),
Charlie
