Thursday, August 16, 2018

OSR: Revamping the Time Wizard



This idea was conjured from the ether by the great and powerful Chris Wilson, a man who walked where others feared to tread.  You can find the original here.  Some additions were made by Skerples here.

Anyway, I really shouldn't do this.  Time Travel is an immensely dangerous thing to introduce to any story, opening cavernous plot holes and creating whole new questions in the viewer's minds.  As such, if you are going to use this class, be very, very careful, and be prepared to improvise, as if you give the players a tool, you should expect them to abuse it in every way you expect and several you didn't.

So if you bring up the idea of playing a Time Wizard or tell a player they can play as one, be very careful.  You should be expecting your adventure to fly off the rails by that alone.  Additionally, you should have your ideas about how time travel works, how alterations to the past are made, and etc all worked out by now.  If there is some sort of Celestial governing body that controls the flow or nature of time, this Wizard is very likely to be an eyesore to them.  Or perhaps not, the choice is yours.  I'm operating under the assumption that Time Wizards are allowed to cast spells for the purposes of this post, but if there is say some sort of homicidal deity in charge of Time in this universe, you might want to be careful.

As for the applications of this Wizard sub-class, there are quite a few.  While there is only one spell that could conceivably damage someone by itself, there are quite a few spells related to defense, mobility and there are many spells that could be very dangerous, in the right hand.  Additionally, while Skerples has suggested that every Wizard sub-class have at least one directly damaging spell, I think its fine for the Time Wizard not to have one.  I mean, they can already manipulate Time itself, they don't need to be able to fling fireballs.  And if your players really want to, they they can play a Calcomancer instead.


But as it's been stated in numerous other places, Wizards are stupid.  A normal person, if you asked them if they wanted to travel through time, would probably be struck by all sorts of philosophical questions, or at least the worry that if they did so, they might catastrophically mess things up.  Most Wizards wouldn't let you get past the word travel before saying yes.  Time Travel is the holy grail of Wizarding, or at least, one of the Holy Grails.  The others, are of course, immortality, dimensional travel, resurrection, and some other stuff that is as dangerous as it is potentially world-shattering.

But unlike those other things, which are impossible with magic, Time Travel most certainly is not.

The Time-Master

Power: You can sense when alterations to the Time Stream happen automatically.  You know when history has been altered, time is looping ground-hog's day style, and when Time is stopped, you can still think and perceive events normally, but you cannot move or act.

Drawback: You know the exact time and place of your death.  It may become altered by Time Travel shenanigans, and will change, even if you don't based on the choices you make but you always know the date, no matter what.  For example, if attack a King and get captured, the date you are going to die will come up a lot faster then if you start a turnip farm in the middle of nowhere.  When you generate your character, roll 1d6 to see when this is.  1d6: (1= Within 1d6+2 days; 2= Within a 1d2+1 weeks; 3= Within 1d3 months; 4= within 1d6+1 months; 5= in one year on this day; 6= in 1d6 years).  When this date comes up, you die, no matter what.

Time Wizard starting spells:
1d12
1- Call Previous Self
2- Curse
3- Devil's Own Luck
4- Fling to the Future
5- Flux Shield
6- Mandom
7- Paradox
8- Revert Age
9- Safe Time
10- Stasis
11- Time on my Side
12- To Dust

13- Journey to the Past
14- Time Stop

Call Previous Self
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R: self        T: an empty space    D: [dice] minutes

A version of yourself from any point in the past suddenly arrives to assist you.  They will generally be helpful to you, and behave as you would at that age.  If they die, you must save.  On a failed save, you cause a Temporal Disturbance equivalent to a level 5 Paradox Spell.  After the duration, your previous self disappears back to their own time.

Note: If you use this spell, you are essentially opening yourself up to being summoned into the future by a future version of yourself.  The Wizard does not know this when casting the spell.

Curse
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R: 10'        T: creature        D: one action

You peer into a creature's future and choose one future you particularly like.  You may then describe that creature's future in [sum] words or less, and three of the words must be "I curse you...".  This future is unavoidable, and will happen soon.  For example, if you say a creature will be driven from their home by their loved ones and devoured by wolves, that will happen soon.  The Referee may alter slight details, times and circumstances, but the spirit of your Curse will come true.  If you Curse someone with death, nothing can kill them until the curse does.  Finally, this does not work on a creature that cannot hear you or does not understand at least one written language. 

Devil's Own Luck
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R: touch    T: creature        D: [dice] minutes

One creature within range becomes inconceivably lucky, as Time itself is protecting them.  The next [dice] attacks against them automatically miss, and they pass their next [dice] saving throws automatically.

Fling to the Future
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R: 30'        T: One Creature        D: one action

You fling a creature forward into the future!  They appear to vanish from reality all together only to reappear [dice] rounds later. An affected creature isn't aware of the shift in time; from their perspective everything appears to suddenly shift around. 

Flux Shield
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R: Touch    T: One Creature        D: Concentration

You surround the target creature with a temporal flux field. The field causes the target to take only half damage from physical attacks. The other half of the damage is flung into the future. When the target has taken [sum] future damage, the spell ends and then all that future damage is taken either all at once, or over time.  If one spellcasting dice was used to cast this spell, it will be distributed across the next hour.  If it was cast using two spellcasting dice, over the next day.  If it was cast with three spellcasting dice, it can be over the next week.  If it was cast with four spellcasting dice, it can be over a target's entire lifetime. Additionally any spells cast on the target take effect [dice] rounds later than normal.

Mandom
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R: self        T: self            D: one action

You travel [dice] rounds (5 seconds per die) into the past.  Everything resets to how it was back then, and no one but you and other Time Wizards are aware of this travel.

Paradox
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R: 30'        T: all around you    D: one action

This spell causes an impossible integer, a feedback loop that cannot be resolved.  The Timeline is thus wrenched apart and immediately puts itself back together.  When it does 1/2[dice] individuals must save.  On a failure, these individuals cease to exist.  On a success, the individuals are instead somewhere else, because of different, altered choices in their lives.  The other half of individuals that must save are chosen randomly chosen by the Referee.  You get to choose at least one person, minimum.

Revert Age
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R: touch    T: creature or object    D: one action

One object or creature you touch reverts to the state it was in the past.  The target, if it was a living creature, must then also save.  On a failure, they forget everything that happened before that time.  If the spell was cast with 1 spellcasting dice, it can revert them to how they were up to [sum] seconds ago.  If the spell was cast with 2 spellcasting dice, it can be any time up to [sum] days ago.  If the spell was with three spellcasting dice, it can be any time up to [sum] months ago.  If it was cast using four or more spellcasting dice, it can be any time up to [sum] years ago. 

Stasis
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R: touch    T: creature or object    D: [sum] minutes

One creature you touch is placed into suspended animation.  Unwilling creatures get a save.  Creatures with more HD than [dice] add the difference to their save.    Creatures with HD 3x greater than [dice] are immune.  While in stasis, the target's bodily functions cease and they grow no older.  This spell only affects creatures up to [sum] HD. If sum is 4 times the target's HD, the duration becomes permanent, and you can set the only condition that will cause the target to reanimate.

Safe Time
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R: self        T: self            D: one action

The caster vanishes and reappears exactly where they were, except [dice] people of the caster's choice are already dead.

Secret:
This spell transports the caster to a parallel universe almost exactly like their own, except for the fact that [dice] people they wish to see dead are already dead in this universe.  However, the more people the caster wishes dead, the further their spell has to look, and thus the more different this new universe might end up being.  When the Wizard rolls into this universe, there is a 1d10% chance equal to [dice] that one of their companions is different.  If the Wizard rolls that one of their companions are different, roll to see what the change is.

What is wrong with my companion?
1d6
1. Minor difference, such as a facial scar or a goatee.
2. Different gender.
3. Different class.  (Roll randomly.)
4. Inverted stats.  (18s become 3s.)
5. Different race.  (Roll randomly).
6. Actually an evil twin that will reveal themselves only at the worst possible time (basically turning into an NPC at that point, but let the player play them as normal until then, and don't even tell them).  Roll a d4 to see what alternate version they seem to be.

Time on My Side
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R: 0     T: Self     D: [sum] minutes

When you cast this spell, secretly write down [dice] readied actions in an If->Then format. If the condition occurs to trigger them, a high-speed time copy of you appears and performs the action or actions on the next initiative step. If the triggering event does not occur after [sum] minutes, the spell has no effect.

E.g. You invest 3 dice and write down, "If the Orc Warlord runs, I will 1) run to the door, 2) close the door, 3) cast Prismatic Ray targeting the Orc Warlord". 

To Dust
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R: Touch    T: One Creature or Object    D: one action

You isolate the target object's existence and shift it through the timestream to the instance of it's most decrepit state. Books rot into mold, wood softens into pulp, lamps burn out, but stone is unaffected. If cast on a creature, the target ages [sum] years and might suffer the maladies of old age.


Journey to the Past
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R: 30'        T: touch    D: special

You can leave a marker on one object.  This marks this moment in time and space.  At any time, you and up to [sum] others, (determine when the spell is cast) within range are transported backwards in time to the moment that you tagged. 

Time Stop
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R: self        T: self        D: [sum] seconds

Time stops for [sum] seconds.  You must stop Time for up to 5 seconds to take an action, otherwise you can merely use Time Stop to gain +[dice] to AC or a saving throw.  For every 5 seconds Time is stopped, you may take an action. Once [sum] seconds have passed, Time returns to normal.  Everyone but another Time Wizard or a Time-based Monster is unaware of actions that take place while Time is stopped.  For creatures that are like that, they can see and perceive things around them as normal, but they cannot move. However, if another person casts 'Time Stop' as well while Time is already stopped, you will only be able to move for [sum] seconds as per normal, then you will be frozen, as are they.  

Chaos and Corruption, simplified:
When you roll doubles, roll on the Chaos table.  The spell still goes through.  You receive 1d3 Doom Points. 
When you roll triples, roll on the Corruption table.  The spell automatically fails.  You also receive 1d4 Doom Points.
At 10 Doom Points, you invoke the Doom of Fools.
At 20 Doom Points, you invoke the Doom of Kings.
At 30 Doom Points, you invoke the Ultimate Doom.  


Chaos of the Time Wizard:
1d6
1- MD only return to your pool on a 1-2 for 24 hours.
2- Take 1d6 damage.
3- Random mutation for 1d6 Rounds, then Save with a -4 penalty. Permanent if you fail.
4- You lose your Perk for 1d6 Turns.
5- You lose all sense of time for 1d6 Turns. You automatically lose Initiative rolls and are always surprised.
6- You're stuck in a time loop. For the next d6 Rounds, Save or repeat your last action.

Corruption of the Time Wizard:
1d6
1- One random person within 100' ages a number of years equal to your current Doom Points
2- When you go to sleep tonight, time resets and the day repeats itself.  This continues for 1d4 times, with an exploding die.
3- A Lord of Time shows up and tells you that if you're going to mess with the timeline, at least do it competently.  Any rudeness or interruption of his lecture will be met with hideous, instant death.  This applies to both you and anyone else
4- You are teleported to a timeline where there are no humans, and are left to wander a wasteland for 1d8 hours.  Everyone else only experiences you being gone for 1d8 seconds.
5- One random person within 100' de-ages a number of years equal to your current Doom Points.  If this would be enough to reduce them to pre-fetal ages, they disappear and are never seen or heard from again.
6- Time Stops for 1d6 (1= 1 round; 2= 1d3 minutes; 3= 1 hour; 4= 1d6 hours; 5= 1d3 days; 6= 1 year).  No one but other Time Wizards and you experience this.  Everyone else doesn't even notice it.  Afterwards,if Time was stopped for more than 1 round, save vs madness.  Also, other Time Wizards are going to be looking for you, to punish you for your indiscretion.

Dooms:
Doom of Fools- A wound appears on your body.  This is a wound you will take in the immediate future.  It will do 1d6 damage. If you do not receive a wound from a source that matches the wound you will have, ex: if you see you will get shot in the arm, you need to get shot in the arm.  If you do not receive a wound like this within 1d6 minutes, you cause a temporal disturbance that acts exactly as if you cast Paradox as a level 1d4 spell.

Doom of Kings- As above, except the wound does 1d8 damage, and Temporal Disturbance caused by not taking such as wound is equivalent to a level 5 Paradox Spell.

Ultimate Doom- As above, except the wound does enough damage to kill you and then some.  The Temporal Disturbance caused by not killing yourself is equivalent to a level 8 Paradox Spell. 

This Doom can be avoided by traveling to another universe and killing another version of yourself to take his place, or by challenging the Lords of Time to a game and winning.

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