#velstrac

(art by Lyno3ghe on DeviantArt)

Few things are more tragic and traumatic than mass death. It’s the sort of thing that we evoke in our horror fiction as the cause of many surges of undead rising. Whole villages populated by the walking dead living out a mockery of their former lives until the living dare intrude upon them, or amalgamated spirits fused together into a howling knot of trauma.

However, not every tragedy like this need to beget more tragedies, and such is the case with today’s subject: the Plague Eater.

The land of Iobaria is nearly not a nation at all by most definitions, not anymore, that is. The nation is mostly abandoned after centuries of plagues and periods of regrowth, leaving ruins dotting the landscape where they haven’t been reclaimed by the forest.

With those disease come hordes of unquiet spirits that have banded together, but instead of becoming some manner of undead horror, these groups decided to instead bind with a survivor or perhaps a sympathetic soul, swearing to protect them not only from physical harm, but also the same sort of diseases they perished by.

In this way a plague eater is a spiritualist that has not one phantom, but many, though they still can only access one at a time, switching out for a different one each day if they so wish.

Followed by such a horde, these mystics may struggle with them, but there is no denying their versatility.

These spiritualists literally contain multitudes, and when they rest they can bring up one of these spirits to serves as their phantom, letting them bring new sets of emotions to the front. However, this does weaken their overall bond, making their phantoms slightly weaker than others. Additionally, the phantoms are more focused on protecting the spiritualist from disease than they are offering their insight. As such, no matter what spirit is currently in front, they always grant protection against disease while within the spiritualist, while also granting a bonus to a single skill that changes every time the plague eater changes the phantom.

At first, their protection against disease is only when within the head of their master, but later on, their manifested ectoplasmic form helps ward them while they are nearby.

Naturally, these mages also learn to fight against disease themselves, starting with a simple spell that suppresses the worst of symptoms and helps bolster recovery and the immune system.

However, they can also turn this power against foes to mark them with the painful outward signs of the plague that slew their spirits, though not actually infect them with the disease.

As they grow more powerful, they can magically cure diseases with a touch as well.

They also continue to gain the benefits of their phantom’s guidance and protection even once they manifest as well.

Eventually, they become completely immune to disease, allowing their manifested phantom to begin spreading this protection to others nearby.

Finally, powerful plague eaters can not only cure diseases, but pull the infection out of someone magically and inflict it on an enemy with a touch, should they be so cruel.

The protection this archetype grants against disease may be quite useful in some campaigns, but not so much in others. However, the ability to trade out your phantom’s focus from day to day with only one loss in the companion’s level can make for a very versatile spiritualist if you can predict the sort of foes you’ll be going up against each day. I recommend taking a few divination spells for exactly that reason, though the rest of your build is probably going to be more generalized in order to accommodate the differences in play style each emotional foci brings with it.

This archetype is interesting, because if I’m not mistaken, it is the only one that lets a spiritualist change their phantom’s emotional foci without story reasons of them being released and them getting a new one. With that in mind, I think there’s plenty of room to create homebrew variants of this archetype that replace the disease-related abilities with others, perhaps tied to some other cause of mass death, for example.

When the superstitious shogunate discovered the location of Biiyon Village, he sent his armies to slaughter the kitsune living there. The defenders fought valiantly, but could not stand before them, and only those that fled into the forest survived. Now, one of those survivors has grown into a beautiful young woman, and she plans to tear down the shogun, with the entire deceased population of her home at her side.

The party was investigating a ruin when they discover an auger velstrac fleeing as if the horrible ball of meat and iron’s life depended on it. Giving chase is a fierce-looking woman and a shadow of blurred shapes and faces. Whatever the explanation, not just anyone can make a velstrac flee.

did this redesign of shinigami as a velstrac! tried putting in some syo/jack energy deliberately with a bit of a scissors themiung and it came together pretty scarily if i do say so myself. first time ive really fucked around with any amount of blood or gore tho

(photography by DimHorizonStudio on DeviantArt)

Nobility and other authority figures alike often need to have skilled and loyal bodyguards to protect them lest they be easy prey for their political enemies, and while such guardians can take many different forms, today we’re looking at a fighter that specializes in this role.

In the Lost Omens setting, these bodyguards are often associated with Taldan nobility, one part because of their desire for safety, another for perhaps envy of the Ulfen Guard, the warriors from the far north that pledge themselves to a time of service to the king of Taldor.

No matter their origins, these figures are utterly devoted to protecting their charge, no matter their status, though they are most commonly seen among nobility, naturally.

Naturally, these warriors are more knowledgeable about nobility than other fighters, and they can declare someone their chosen charge each day.

Never far away, they can reflexively move close to their charge, often putting themselves in the path of an oncoming foe.

They are also extremely adept at striking foes that open themselves up by ignoring them as well, helping them cut down foes targeting their charge.

Their loyalty is also unquestionable, and they are quite proficient at resisting magic which would undermine that loyalty.

They also learn to better interpose themselves between incoming attacks and their charge, blocking said blows and even taking them for their ward.

A fun choice for a build dedicated to defending another character, this is a thematic choice if another party member is nobility of some kind, and otherwise is quite useful for helping keep the squishier members alive.

Devotion is the name of the game with these characters. The concept behind the archetype really doesn’t work without it. Of course, devotion is only one emotion, and like any person, these guardians can feel many, which can lead to some very interesting character moments between them and their charge or charges, let alone others.

Afflicted with a curse of battle-madness that turned friends into foes, Kuldor did the unthinkable, and though the curse was removed and he was absolved by the understanding king, the guilt remains. Even now, the shadow of the prince, his former ward, weighs heavily on his soul.

Though the nation of Gos-Nekan is fairly open to people of all ancestries, no one has much faith in a goblin serving as a bodyguard for nobility. But they do not know Keegra, and she is eager to demonstrate exactly what she can do.

 Many martial arts styles resemble dances in their grace and poise. In fact, some, like capoeira, were in fact specifically designed to resemble dancing as a way to disguise their training and practice under the watchful gaze of oppressors.

In other styles, the martial arts are honed into a dance-like art form to demonstrate the user’s mastery over their own body.

Regardless of the specific style, however, there do exist those martial artists who fight with dancing styles, becoming a blur of motion that moves between foes with ease. That being said, this archetype is heavily based on capoeira, even coming from the former Cheliax colony of Sargava in the Mwangi Expanse before it fell and became modern Vidrian.

We’ve covered similar archetypes before, but those are mostly associated with bards or the occasional skald. Today’s archetype favors the martial arts side of things over performance and magic.

 As their style is as much performance as it is a combat style, these battle dancers use the instinctive passionate movements of their bodies to master various combat techniques.

The acrobatic style that these brawlers use leaves them in constant motion when attacking rapidly, flipping and kicking foes. As such, with every attack during a flurry, they move a little, which often leaves them dancing between foes or moving in circles around a single one. This does mean they can more effectively spread their attacks around, but also could leave them out of position if they do not plot their course carefully.

These acrobatics also aid them in defense, letting them flip and roll away from foes as needed.

Later on, they even master the ability to distract foes with their attacks, allowing them to provide the advantages of flanking even if they only exist across from an ally for a second before moving on, assuming the enemy and ally remain roughly in the same place, of course.

Positioning is the name of the game with this archetype, and they essentially have the ability to spread multiple attacks among foes while constantly moving into a more favorable position. Because of this, methinks your feats should revolve around combat maneuvers to better control the battlefield, using martial flexibility to pick up the slack in various ways when needed.

 Given that this style has such links to oppressed people, it only makes sense that even among those who are not trained in the style, it remains an iconic part of their culture. If your game uses such lore, consider how members of that culture will react to masters of the style, or those from outside the culture who have learned it.

  A century ago, the Shukah people defeated the white dragon Veeloc who had enslaved them, surprising him with martial arts they had disguised as their ceremonial dances to honor him. Now, Veeloc has returned as a ravener, hungering for their souls, rather than their supplication.

 Hidden away in enclaves in the Shadow Plane, the fetchlings live ever watchful for their velstrac tormentors. In preparation for being discovered, their martial arts styles are acrobatic and dance-like, making sure that any kayal that falls to velstrac corruption can be found out due to their masochistic tendencies showing in their style.

 You know, funnily enough there’s a lot more to the god Dionysus than one might expect. I recommend looking up Overly Sarcastic Production’s video on him to get a picture of how the god of wine and madness evolved over time.

The reason that’s relevant is because Dionysus in his aspect of Bacchus is the namesake of today’s entry!

The line between the exhilaration of battle and that of parties begins to break down once you realize they are both based on an adrenaline rush, one from the fight to survive, the other from the energy that only raw, manic joy can bring.

Inspired no doubt by satyrs and their more mature cousins, the seilenos, the skalds known as bacchanals treat every battle like a party (and occasionally, party like they’re battling), whipping not only themselves but others into a mad frenzy that is in part fueled by alcohol.

 True to their namesake, fermentation is strongly associated with these skalds, allowing them to cast a modified version of the goodberry spell which causes the targeted fruit to ferment, providing a bit of drunken bravery rather than sustenance in addition to the minor healing.

They are also adept at eating and drinking while fighting, consuming potions and normal goodberries with ease without leaving themselves open, or consuming alcohol or their fermented goodberries to maintain their raging song instead of expending their reserves. Additionally, more powerful bacchanals can expend some of that energy alongside the alcohol to heal, recover their resolve, or even bolster themselves with heroic vigor. However, be warned that the consumption of alcohol eventually catches up to them unless they have the rage-based fortitude to resist.

Tying into the connection that Dionysus, and by extension satyrs, fauns, and seilenos have with nature, they learn a song that crosses all language barriers, letting them develop camaraderie or strike fear into animals, plants, and the drunk with ease, though it is trickier with non-animals.

They also learn a performance that induces madness in others, causing a single foe to behave erratically while also dancing. What’s more, allies joining in amplify it’s power, allowing it to sway more targets.

This archetype recommends rage powers that bolster fortitude, grant power from intoxication, and resistance to fear and pain, as well as others.

Interested in a thematic skald that buffs themselves up and takes control of the situation with either madness or the universal language of a good time? This archetype may be for you. You’ll definitely want to pack a few barrels of your character’s preferred intoxicant, as well as plenty of potions to use liberally, and focus on spells that buff allies and debilitate foes.

 Whether or not a deity of alcohol brewing and imbibing exists in your setting, there is definitely a supernatural influence tied to debauchery and carousing associated with this archetype. In keeping with Dionysus’s worship, consider who these skalds cater to. Do they cater to the rich and powerful who spend their time partying, or do they harken back to the wine god’s early days and party with the lower classes of society, reveling in how all are equally fools under the influence of strong drink?

  Many bacchanal skalds revere The Fool as the patron of their craft, and they seek new experiences to better experience greater heights of revelry. However, ever there are velstracs in the shadows, eager to tempt such devotees with extremes that cannot be returned from.

 Legends say that a wine of transcendant flavor and intoxication is brewed in Shan Veroc. It is guarded, however, by lashunta warriors that drive themselves into an alcohol-fueled battle madness to better protect the sacred liquor from interlopers.

 I ended up being really busy yesterday, so today we’re doing two entries!

The first one on the docket is a classical ideal in fiction and fantasy: the literal “Devils Advocate” that is both lawyer and worshipper of fiends.

Named for Pathfinder’s capital T.D. “The Devil”: Asmodeus, these clerics are indeed trained barristers in addition to being clergy, so you can imagine that no matter which side of a case they are on, they are serving Hell’s will in defending monsters and tyrants, prosecuting the innocent or the potentially redeemable, and generally wielding the power of law for selfish reasons.

Of course, outside of the Lost Omens setting, these attorneys may be associated with any diabolic power that commands devils, not just Asmodeus or his minions.

What really sets these clerics apart from others that are simply trained to be barristers as well as clerics that few beings have mastered the art of the technicality, the loophole, and the vaguely-defined wording of laws as they have. What’s more, they bond with supernatural allies that serve as symbols of their office and role.

 As one might expect, these priests must be devotees of Asmodeus (or other lawful evil power if the GM allows), and they only gain one domain: the Trickery Domain or one of it’s subdomains.

Instead of a second domain, they gain a talking viper familiar, which they can choose to upgrade to an imp later on, giving them a small ally just as sinister as they are.

Additionally, these clerics are so used to speaking and behaving in a legally-savvy way that they can apply their simultaneously exacting and noncommittal legal diction in social situations, and are extremely skilled at law and linguistics as well.

With their familiars backing them up and their skill in legal acumen, these clerics promise to be incredibly competent legal and social players. However, their focus on deception both with the trickery domain and in terms of purely mundane affairs, this archetype can make for a cleric that manipulates things from behind the scenes. You only lose out on a domain too, so you have freedom to build them however you like beyond focusing on deception-based support.

 The evils that these advocates perpetuate are numerous, from poorly-worded laws that seem innocuous at first glance but give way to oppression, prosecution and bargains that doom their target, the protection of the worst figures imaginable, and more. For those that believe in the order that Hell offers, such things might seem necessary or a natural side effect of something desirable, so twisted are their perspectives.

  Rapidly proving much more than a nuisance, a peluda dragon has taken up residence in the moors outside of Balgran, preying on travellers. While the prideful dragon would never admit to being a pawn, if it could be tricked into boasting, it would reveal that it was no mere chance or opportunity that brought it here, but rather, the suggestion of a sinister lawyer seeking to make trade difficult for his client’s merchant rivals.

 Normally fiendish advocate clerics follow devils, but they also appear among the velstrac cults of The Opener of Doors, She Who Invites. Such advocates are accompanied by auger velstracs, rather than imps, and offer wondrous new insights and pleasures for those willing to accept the rule of kytons.