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Elemental Combatants
Those who wield elemental magic for physical or ranged combat.Lunascutator
Type: Bodyguard A non-man attuned to the moon they live on. They gain power from the gibbous phase, which, while on the moons, is opposite that which it is seen on Shem. Lunascutators attune to the moons via rituals of witchcraft, usually appointed by a local coven to be their chosen warrior.There are three moons around the world of Shem: the Grey Moon, the Green Moon, and the White Moon. The cycles of the moons affect the amount of elemental moon energy cast upon the world. The White Moon is the weakest, but it is better when used for attacks and bindings. The Green Moon's is the next weakest, but it is best used for transformations and emotional magic. And the Grey Moon's is the most potent, which is best used for protections, healing, and findings.
The White Moon has a 30 day cycle; the Green Moon has a 24 day cycle, and the Grey Moon has a 28 day cycle. Lunar magic is solar magic reflected from the moons.
Lunascutators are granted their abilities by the moons themselves and the witches who selected them. Often they are novice witches who show promise as warriors, and thus, the witches encourage them to become lunascutators.
Some abilities that are common include the following:
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Gibbous shield: the lunascutator can make their shield reflective like the moons, allowing it to repel esoteric energies.
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Binding circle: the lunascutator can create a semicircle of light on the ground that binds a target in place and possible inflicts hexes, curses, or geases on them by throwing a whip or circular weapon at the feet of their target.
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Cyclical strike: the lunascutator can invoke the cycles of the moons and inflict a wound that gets worse or returns under the gibbous phase of their moon.
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Lunar empowerment: the lunascutator gains bonuses and penalties to combat and magical abilities based on the phases of their specific moon (+3 gibbous, +2 other).
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Triple form: the lunascutator can create two illusory selves if their moon is gibbous, even if it is day.
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Soft light: the lunascutator may create a soft light in the palm of their hands to light the way.
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Unseen cloak: the lunascutator may make their cloak reflective such that light ripples off it and makes them temporarily invisible if there is a gibbous moon in the night sky.
Other abilities may be possible. Consult the GM.
Lunascutators are rare and serve their covens and nature. They are often given a specific quest or task or have a specific enemy of the witches they must face, often a witchfinder. They are always non-men, as they are empowered by the witches to defend against purveyors of patriarchal violence.
PRO +3 ATH +3 STR +2 AWA +2 WIL +1 PRS +1 STH +2
Martelist
Type: Warrior Martelists are warriors who wield warhammers with the weight and power of meteorites. To gain the power to wield these, they must either catch a meteor as it falls through the atmosphere or find it freshly after it has struck, then allow it to burn their body, merging with it. Those who are worthy - who have the strength and prowess, who are attuned to the universe after years of study and meditation on the stars, and who are devoted to protecting the cosmos - will gain the ability to lift the meteorite despite its immense weight. Those who are unworthy will be badly burned. Martelists must constantly prove themselves as protectors of the cosmos. They are attuned to the bodies orbiting the nearest sun - in this case, Sol Angelos - and when these align in different ways, they are required to engage in specific quests or tasks on behalf of the cosmos itself. These often involve fighting those who would conquer, consume, or destroy, pollute or control, rather than be attuned to the gravitational pull of the cosmos itself. Martelists gain different objects depending on their quest or purpose, but they all end up gathering the following over the years:- Meteor hammer: the basic weapon of a martelist, a hammer made from a meteorite, is impossible to lift by any except a martelist. It will have different properties depending on the martelist, but may include fiery power, magnetic energy, radiation, gravitational pull, or concussive impact.
- Star armor: armor made of bia, a form of starmetal, that protects the martelist and allows them to move through outer space safely (but not quickly).
- Helm of shooting stars: helmet made of bia, a form of starmetal, that allows them to move through outer space with incredible speed.
- Cosmic shield: a shield made of bia, a form of starmetal, that repels infernal powers.
- Gravitational pull: spinning with the hammer in preparation for a hit and drawing the target in.
- Orbital strike: the martelist leaps hundreds of feet into the air and drops down from orbit to hit the target.
- Impact event: the martelist slams the hammer into the ground, and it hits like a meteorite.
- Meteor shower: the martelist sacrifices either themself or one of their magical objects to call a full on meteor shower to slam into the ground around them.
Minjadar
Type: Pirate Minjadari are pirates of the cosmos, flying in cosmic fish-ships, raiding colonial and merchant ships. They are vicious and usually native to the stars rather than the planets. While there will usually be a plicator on the minjadar crew, the warriors among the crew are the minjadar, wielding astral weaponry and magic. To become a minjadar, one must be sworn to the crew and given powers by them, who will all have attuned themselves to various stars, constellations, galaxies, nebulae, and other cosmic bodies. Once sworn, one must spend time as part of the crew learning and studying the cosmos before attuning to something in the vast openness and infinite beyond. This may take months, years, or decades, but once done the minjadar gains abilities based on the cosmic body they attuned to (which must be outside the solar system):- Starfire blast: the minjadar may gain a staff that unleashes a blast of starfire, cold radioactive flame.
- Cosmic wind: the minjadar may summon cosmic winds to push the ship through the cosmos.
- Galactic spiral: the minjadar may draw in all around them by spinning, then hurl them throw the openness.
- Dust aura: the minjadar may form a nebula around themselves as protection from esoteric magic and blinding enemies.
- Pulsar beam: the minjadar may emit an electromagnetic beam that irradiates targets.
- Blackhole bend: the minjadar may alter reality around them to move rapidly as if bending space with massive gravitational magic.
- Quasar cell: the minjadar may infuse something with the energy of a quasar to power their ship.
- Stellar blade: the minjadar may make a sword of starmetal that unleashes cold radioactive flame.
Qursan
Type: Pirate Qursans are pirates of the dry fields of the White or Grey Moons. They ride in sandships and control the sands with powerful magic. To become a qursan, one must be sworn into the crew, then tested via five rituals of survival on the lunar mare and other desert-like landscapes of the moons. If they survive the tests, the crew grants them access to the secrets of the magic of sand and aridity, of the barren places, and they give them a portion of the spoils of the plunder. The five rituals are as follows:- Windless sails: the empty skies above the lunar mare and other barren places of the moons are no barrier to moving the sandships of the qursan.
- Zone of aridity: the qursan can create a zone around them that destroys water instantly, dehydrating everyone within it, about 30' in diameter.
- Sandcloud aura: the qursan can surround themselves with clouds of lunar sand and dust, blinding enemies, damaging their metallic objects, and rasping their flesh.
- Dust blade strike: the qursan can create a blade of moon dust that sucks water or blood from the target for power.
- Heart of the dry mare: the qursan can commune with the barren places and survive without food and water for long periods of time.
Redblade
Type: Warrior Redblades are warriors of flame, of wildfire, of the fires of war. They draw power from burning and destruction, from elemental flame as a weapon, not as a natural force, and they do so by rituals of self-immolation, sacrifice, and violence. They do so, though, in the name of making war on the polluters and colonizers. On the moons, their powers are very temporary and difficult to wield. To become a redblade, one must perform the three rituals of the fires of war: the Ritual of Fiery Combat, the Ritual of Razing Flame, and the Ritual of the Burning Heart. Each of these requires facing the fires themselves, wielding them, and risking one's life. If they survive, they gain many abilities.- Redblade strike: the commonest ability is making their weapon a burning brand; this can only last one round in an airless or low-air atmosphere, but it burns very hot.
- Heartsflame: the ability to turn the blood in one's veins into fire, warming oneself and burning away any emotional effects.
- Razing roar: a ferocious warcry that gives the redblade the power to hurl fire at a structure within 40', setting it ablaze.
- Burning touch: the ability to make one's flesh extremely hot, burning anyone who touches the redblade, including melting or burning their weapons.
- Firebird flesh: the ability to make one's flesh like that of a firebird, recovering from wounds rapidly.
- Flamecat form: the abiliy to turn into a large cat made of flame to fight as.
Searer
Type: Warrior On the moons, days last many turns around the world, and the temperatures rise dangerously. Those native to the moons have innate abilities to cope with it, but visitors must find magic to survive there. But many natives attune to these extremely hot periods, and learn to wield the heat in defense of their natural homes. A searer wields flat metal clubs that rise to extreme tempertures, hundreds or thousands of degrees without melting, absorbing and unleashing the heat in deadly waves. To do this, they must be attuned to the moon they dwell on, to the sun that they revolve around, and to the heat itself. They are sometimes called day-warriors. To attune, they spend years training and studying, being tested, and eventually surviving alone in the harsh wilds an entire day (14 turns on the Grey Moon, 15 on the White Moon, or 12 on the Green Moon). During this extended survival period, they will be visited by sun and fire spirits that give them their abilities:- Searing club: a metallic, flat club, almost like a giant spatula, that absorbs the sunlight rapidly and becomes superheated.
- Daylight aura: an aura of light around the searer that absorbs sunlight and gives them healing or protection.
- Rising sight: increased visual perception in the dawning hours.
- Goldflame barrier: a barrier of golden flame that prevents any magical attacks from hitting the searer.
- Dayslong endurance: increased endurance and no need to sleep during daylight.
Shockfoil
Type: Fencer A fencer who wields elemental lightning as their foil.A shockfoil gains this power via rituals of weather magic. The learning process involves attuning to nature, specifically to different forms of weather, by meditating in them, using various ingredients including animal parts, plants, and special rituals to better attune to it, and by learning special spells (kept in ancient books called synnegrims). After years of study, a shockfoil must dance under a thunderstorm with their weapon and perform a ritual to capture lightning in their sword. If they succeed, they then practice for years to perfect their wielding of it. Wielding it eventually uses it up, so they must seek out and absorb lightning every so often. Many store multiple bolts to be ready.
Shockfoils are protectors of nature. They are often chosen for specific foes or tasks by the weather elementals in an area, or invoked by local groups who seek a champion to fight for them. Their powers blend the weapon arts of the empires and colonies with the magic they have forbidden, making them the choice for when a noble or member of high society is an enemy to nature.
The gain some of the following abilities. Other abilities may be possible. Consult the GM.
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Lightning foil: their sword pulses with lightning, giving it a damage rating of 21/27/33/39.
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Rapid riposte: the shockfoil can move with lightning speed to riposte, gaining +9 on a single counter attack per combat.
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Shocking parry: if the shockfoil parries an attack, they can send a shock through their weapon if the opponent is using a metallic weapon, causing stun at a power of 22, once per combat.
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Dazzling feint: the shockfoil can create a dazzling lightning flash to feint at an opponent, giving themselves +3 or high die the following round to hit.
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Thunderous beat: if they choose to use a beat to start a combat (tapping the opponent’s weapon to signify the start of a duel), they can unleash a peel of thunder that makes the opponent lose their next action.
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Electric lunge: on a lunge, the shockfoil can spike the electrical energy in their weapon once per combat and give another +6 to the damage caused.
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Static disengage: they can disengage from an opponent by sending a shock of static electricity through the blades, giving them high die on disengagements.
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Cloud step: they may retreat from a battle by vanishing into a dark cloud.
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Ominous advance: if they advance on their opponent, it has the feel of an approaching storm, giving them +3 to intimidate.
Shockfoils favor speed to strength, and they often have training in the ruling class’s traditions of fencing and dueling.
PRO +3 ATH +3 STR +1 AWA +2 WIL / PRS +1 STH +1
Tephralist
Type: Artillerist Tephra is any fragmented material released during a volcanic eruption. Tephralists wield this in artillery. There are volcanoes on the Green Moon, and some who dwell there commune with them for power and protection, usually to protect themselves from polluters, colonizers, or conquerors. Among them are the tephralists, those who learn to wield volcanic magic via large guns. They take this magic and serve on ships or in towns, citadels, or in armed forces facing off against the colonizers. To become a tephralist, one must be a servant of the volcano, and one must have trained and studied for years to be strong and skilled enough to wield the powers. They must enter the volcano, gather lava, and bring it back in their bare hands. If they manage this, they have been deemed worthy of the volcanic power, and they may place it in a cannon or other large gun that becomes theirs to wield. Tephralists lose their abilities if they lose their source lava, if they betray their people or volcanic benefactor, or if they become too cold. Their source lava is like a battery that must be recharged every so often in a volcano or other pool of lava or magma. They gain some of the following abilities:- Tephra gun: a large gun, usually a small cannon, that fires tephra, powered by the source lava.
- Pyroclastic blast: an extra large blast shot by the tephra gun that hits a larger area with concussive and fiery force.
- Molten armor: armor made of molten rock that protects the tephralist. It grows stronger the hotter it gets.
- Tuff shot: a solid, non-molten shot of volcanic rock, used for concussive or crushing damage.
- Lava bomb: extra-explosive tephra shot from the cannon.
- Sulfuric cannister: a cannister that releases sulfuric acid in a large cloud.
Werewolf
Type: Zoanthrope A werewolf is a metahuman who can turn into a wolf or anthropomorphic wolf form. Only metahuman or human-like adelfoi can be a werewolf. They gain this power by running with wolves on the moons, communing with them and the moon they are on, and then hunting with them and taking the skins of prey, knitting together a faux-wolf fur to wear. After three Shem-years and three days of this, on a day when the moon they are on is full, they will be visited by wolf spirits and given the powers to become a wolf. Werewolves on the moons work differently than those on Shem. They always have control of their abilities, and they are attuned to and protectors of the moon they dwell on. Most are from the Grey Moon. They are hunters, warriors, and killers, all in the name of defending their territory and the animals of the moons. All werewolves have one or both of these:- Wolf form
- Wolf folk form
- Infectious bite: some werewolves, if they bite someone, that person must roll STR or risk being infected with a disease of delusion that harms them during times when the moon they are on is full.
- Heightened smell: some werewolves may have the olfactory senses equal to that of wolves.
- Howl: some werewolves may howl to call all wolves in a certain range.
- Wolfspeech: some werewolves may have the ability to speak to and understand wolves.
- Nightwalking: some werewolves may let their consciousness or souls leave their bodies at night to stalk and investigate.
- Pack bonding: some werewolves may bond either with other werewolves or with wolves.
- Accursed bristle: some werewolves have bristles under the tongue that inflict curses on those they bite.
- Tailless shadow: some werewolves' shadows have no tails, revealing what they are, but also giving them extra stealth (-2 PRS, +2 STH).
- Night hunting: some werewolves have the ability to move through the cold lunar nights without rest if they are hunting.
- Darkvision: some werewolves can see without need of light or in low-light without penalty.
Yuthoth
Type: Vigilante Yuthoths are vigilantes who commune with the lunar night in order to stalk the lands and fight against injustice. They fight polluters, colonizers, destroyers, and enemies of the moons. Many are women who fight for other women or gender-nonconforming people fighting against patriarchy in the colonies. Most come from the far side of the moon they dwell on. Yuthoths are usually initiated into their work by other yuthoths, often victims of injustice who seek a way to fight back. They are trained, tested, and sent into the long lunar nights to survive without help. If they survive, they gain power from spirits of the lunar night, and they are given special abilities if and only if they vow to use them in service of the moon they dwell on. Yuthoths wear silver and black as a uniform, and they wield crescent-bladed chain-sickles.- Shadowstep: the yuthoth may teleport anywhere where shadows lie within 500' with this ability.
- Night double: the yuthoth may form a shadow-self double after three turns of night and before three turns till day.
- Chilling aura: the yuthoth may draw in the chill of the night and protect themselves from fire and heat, intimidate people, and freeze attacks.
- Darkling chains: the yuthoth may create chains of darkness that bind targets and drain them of light and heat.
- Moonshadow glide: the yuthoth may glide through the dark skies if the moon they are on is new.
- Whispering black: the yuthoth may whisper into the dark and be heard only by those they wish to be heard by.
- Blackice slick: the yuthoth may create patches of black ice if it is night.
- Shadowspeech: the yuthoth may listen to whispers of shadows.
- Vision of the full moon: if the moon the yuthoth is full, they can see anything invisible or hidden within visual range.
GrandGuignol
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