Champions of the Gods

Sometimes, you need more than a character. You need a Champion, a hero for the ages. And as promised, here are a few select alternatives for the great and powerful, at least equal to Spellfire.

 

Descendant of Deities

In ages past, Gods had a habit of enjoying the company of pretty young mortals, who rarely objected. Naturally enough, this left a considerable number of offspring running about, mostly human with with the blood of deities running in their veins. Not all of them know the sources of their power, but they do know they’re different from those around them. Somehow, they’re stronger, smarter, or tougher than anyone they’ve ever known. Even an experienced “normal” adventurer with magical assistance might not match one.

For good or ill, they rarely live a conventional life. Something in the divine blood cries out for danger and greatness, and they eventually must pursue it. And even when it promises only to a bloody death, it must be a great death – a story worthy of legend. A thousand years from now, no one will care what cause they died in. No, all that matters is that the Descendant died well. That’s what’s important.

Mechanics

Pick an attribute. Increase it by +5. Pick a different one and decrease it by -2 (this should almost always be Wisdom). Pick two major uses of your enhanced attribute (such as  a common skill check, or bonuses like damage to weaponry, control over spellcasting, or bonus to AC) and use it in place of different attribute.

Eclipse Rules  (30 CP)

Self-Development III (12 CP; Corrupted – Your ancestry is obvious. Everyone instantly knows what you’re good at.)

Finesse II (12 CP)

Attribute Shift: +2 for the favored attribute, -2 on a different attribute (6 CP)

This trick is obvious enough, but damn if it isn’t fun. The Self-Development would cost twice as much if this weren’t a Template, but like all templates receives a half-cost modifier on attributes. Note that the real power here is not in the attribute bonuses so much as the Finesse abilities, which make the character extremely reliant on only one attribute – which was just enhanced to superhuman levels!

 

Favored by Fate

Most people don’t have the power to truly alter their own destiny. Competition for the best opportunities is fierce. They must settle for avoiding a cruel death, hopefully improving their own position, and saving up for a rainy day. The lucky find a good chance and take it, hoping their luck holds while they build a small business. A few manage to strike it rich, becoming wealthy and powerful. But the Favored by Fate beats them all at their own game.

People may define this gift as fortune or luck, but both are wrong. Instead, the Favored man or woman twists chance, altering destiny and possibility. They may never even realize they can do this at all, but somehow everything goes right for them. When not on adventure, their trades somehow come out right, opportunity falls into their lap, and daily life smooths out. When danger threatens, it always seems to land elsewhere while the Favored’s attacks or spells hit home.

Mechanics You gain a total of thirty +1 bonuses. You can add any number onto any roll, but only to increase the die roll you made normally up to the maximum for that die. You can apply this to any die roll you make – attack, damage, spell penetration – anything you like. If you increase it a d20roll to maximum, it does still counts as a natural 20.

Eclipse Rules (30 CP)

Luck (6 CP) +Fortune (6 CP) +Bonus Uses II (12 CP)

Immunity: Break down Luck into +1’s (6 CP)

I assume that on average, a Luck adds +10 to the result of the roll. So Luck and its Bonus Uses each add ten “+1’s” for the player to use. The Immunity breaks it down into those smaller bits. It should really cost more, but this is the player’s piece of cheese.

 

Gifts of Gods

For reasons unknown to most, Gods, demons, and many other mysterious or incomprehensible powers choose some mortals for special attention. Perhaps they have a special destiny, or perhaps the individual chosen doesn’t matter at all, merely being a convenient vessel for an inscrutable divine game.

In the end, who cares? Some god hands you immense gifts for free,except that you may go and use them however you please. They’re yours until death (and often beyond) – books of mighty spells unknown to mortals, weapons forged for the personal armories of gods, magical creatures willingly serving you. Perhaps only the unwise would accept them and try to use them, but what madness would it be not to try it? Perhaps only the young and foolish would try to live their dreams this way, but would not anyone’s heart be made decades younger and more foolish with such a chance? However, it might end, you have a chance to become a king or hero, to ride across moonbeams or delve ancient mysteries.

Mechanics

Usually, a character gets a weapon or special item created by a deity or other power, along with a powerful pet. However, it’s always a flexible ability. The gifts could be almost anything the player can think up, as long as the poor GM will put up with it. (Won’t anyone think of the Gamemasters?)

As a base, assume the creature is a familiar, special mount, animal companion or whatnot with a base of two hit dice. Add a +4 ECL template of your choice – Half-Celestial is very popular and comes with wings. Add a further +2 to the creatures Base Attack Bonus, all saves, and armor class, as well as any two feats of your choice. The item granted should never simply be a +5 weapon or something plain. It shouldn’t grant attribute bonuses, either. Instead, get something unusual and unique, which changes your entire experience.

Eclipse Rules (30 CP)

Companion (6 CP) +Template II (12 CP) +Might (6 CP)

Privilege (3 CP) +Major (3 CP)

Calling it a Privilege might be pushing the point, but Eclipse doesn’t actually deal with Equipment. Again, this is cheese by design.

 

Protection of Powers

St. George fought the Dragon without aid from any man, but he was never alone. He could not even approach without falling prey to sheer rank poison of its breath, but his guardians raised him from the very door of Death itself – and more than once at that.

The Powers are always mysterious. Even if they’re emissaries of some known God or being, they represent the infinite touching the human, and no mortal may truly know their mind. They act according to their own lights, when and where they see fit. Yet some mortals attract their attention repeatedly. Not everyone can earn this level of protection – it takes dedication, even foolhardy devotion, to a worthy cause. Not everyone so protected need show any particular morality, for wicked powers act as much as good in this.

Mechanics

You buy magical effects at will, as if you had a spellcaster right next to you willing to sell. They just have the ability cast any healing or other recovery spells, affecting the character only. The maximum spell level you can receive is equal to a cleric of the character’s level, or level divided by 2, rounded down.

It doesn’t take an action; just act as if you always have a friendly cleric ready to heal you. You don’t have to pony up cash immediately, and anyone can beg for an immediate effect in need and pay it back later.

Eclipse Rules (30 CP)

Mystic Link (3 CP) +Power Link (3 CP)

My Little Pony (24 CP)

Alright, alright. The 24 points would go into detailing the powers of the being casting spells on the character, but it’s not worth putting out specific abilities, since it amounts to a Companion or ally which the party will probably never meet, and even if they did couldn’t fight.

Plus, I think it’s hilarious to imagine a mighty warrior protected by a cartoon pony.

 

Source of Might

For reasons incomprehensible to mere men, a few children born on this world know immense magical powers. They do not know mysterious spells or do things innately. Instead, they have power coursing through them – almost unlimited power. They take to magic easily, simply because they don’t run out of energy. Magical experimentation impossible for most, mystic journeys too long for common wizards, and even feats of endless magic – they may accomplish all this and more. Their destiny is up to them, but they have potential might far beyond that of other men.

Mechanics

You get three spell levels per round, available for almost anything you like. Spontaneous casters do very well with this, although you have no ability to store magic for later, more potent effects. However, it only takes a few minutes to restore your spells, and you can easily charge magic items or channel magical energy into objects. You can use Prestidigitation all day long.

Eclipse Rules (27 CP)

Shaping (6 CP) +Pulse of the Dragon III (21 CP; Specialized – Magical Nexus) Magical Nexus: Sources of Magic awaken magical energies and attract trouble. Ancient evils might reawaken when a Magical nexus comes around, or teleporting wizards get trapped by the Nexus’ field. The GM has a license to screw with you, and when trouble occurs, it almost always hits you first.

The Source has immense magical power – and enough trouble to pay for it twice over.

 

Weaver of Magic

Some possess the gift of pure magical might. They absorb and redirect magic, canceling spells thrown at them and turning them into fuel for their powers. Where the Source of Might has infinite reserves, the Weaver of Magic has incomparable flexibility.

Those gifted with the ability to Weave Magic need no spellbooks or long training. Instead, they twist magical flows to their whim as if any child could do it. While it’s quite possible for them to develop even more magical powers the usual (difficult) way, they often shrug and focus their training elsewhere. Why work hard for more when you already mastered the Art, after all?

Mechanics

This is basically Spellfire, but with some more definite rules. You can use Prestidigitation all day long, but you also have immense and flexible powers over raw magical energy. Using any of these abilities other than Absorbing magic is a Standard action. You can…

* Convert spell levels into attacks at 1d6/spell level radius or 2d6/ spell level on a single target.

* Put up a shield which cancels 4 damage per spell level used. It only lasts one round.

* Transfer spell levels into other characters on a 1-for-1 basis.

* Absorb up to Int score spell levels from incoming attacks per day with a maximum reserve equal to twice your Con score. Spells absorbed fully don’t take effect, including area spells. (Yes, your friends may throw spells at you and so forth.)

* Pick up to 20 total levels’ worth of spells (with no spell more than level 4) and use your stored spell levels to power them.

Eclipse Rules (30 CP)

Shaping (6 CP) +Dragonfire (6 CP) +Eye of the Dragon (6 CP) +Ride the Dragon (12 CP)

Straightforward enough. These are some of the flashiest and most potent abilities in Eclipse.