Thursday, September 3, 2026

Guest Stars Miniposts (GLAUGUST)

Hey.. uhhhh so I know its a little late but im posting my second GLAUGUST post now. For Guest Stars I asked a handful of people that ive either played with, GM for or collaborate with often to write an unedited mini-post with this message

"Hey! I was doing my GLAUGUST prompts, and I rolled “guest stars.”, I was thinking I'd invite people I talk to and play(ed) TTRPGS with to write short micro posts that I'd post as one mega post unedited. If you wanna write something id love to feature it. Only rules I have is it has to be TTRPG-related, system-neutral or GLOG-compatible, and cant involve any of your or my personal inspiration or how you know me. It can be as long or as short as youd like and be anything, it doesnt even need to be gameable content. If you feel like you wanna write but want an extra challenge roll for a glaugust prompt (6d6 roll) and write your mini post about that. no pressure but lmk if your interested and send me what you write by august 29"

I wanted to see and share what was on the mind of the people that inform my tabletop scene the most. It seems like people have magic and the end of the world on their minds. of those who responded, these were their messages. All names have been changed to PC names for not doxxing them (:

Pip Tibbits


"When the world ends, it's always a wizard's fault. Even some poor shmuck who can only cast the most basic of cantrips is bound to get lucky eventually, and some simple spells are really exploitable. When some bespectacled bookworm figures out that Control Earth has an theoretically unlimited range, he ends up causing tectonic plates to animate and attack each other. Obviously, if it was this easy to end the world, it probably would have happened already. That's why the circle of anti-wizards formed. A group of a dozen masters of the arcane with a high investment in not being subject to any sort of experimental tectonic fuckery have gathered together with one goal: killing anyone who starts casting world ending spells. This 'good guy with a gun' level strategy has
so far proven to be the most effective at keeping the planet in one piece, unfortunately. It is likely that one day, an anti-wizard is going to be just a second too late with his counterspell and the world will turn into a giant ball of cheese (and perhaps be devoured by a gogmagogic mouse)."

Chok

"Im getting back into dark sun again, so here are my thoughts on defiling. On Athas, arcane magic is powered by the life force of the world around you. Wizards who are mindful of what they take, using only whats necessary, then revitalizing the earth in return, are called preservers. The ones who siphon as much power as they can, greedily lapping up local life energy and leaving barren black ash in their wake are called defilers. I have long struggled with how to properly translate this piece of lore into game mechanics. There is so much potential for cool shit here. A wizard should regularly be faced with their growing desire for power, and the ever present option of defiling acts as that nagging itch that every mage feels when the situation grows dire. Surely you could just scratch it once...

Dragon Magazine #315 offered a solid defiling mechanic for DnD 3e (which is in my ballpark of game syatems), but it is a bit unnecessarily complex. It also struggles with properly portraying the downsides of defiling, bestowing stat penalties to constitution, wisdom, and charisma, and eventually turning you into an undead. This doesnt really make sense to me. Defiling shouldnt be (initially) taxing to the body per se, thats the whole reason why wizards seek it out - easy power. A good penalty system for defiling should reflect the wizard's ever-mounting greed, and the world's growing repulsion for such a parasite. Here's my system, presented in a more general, system agnostic way. I may also make a crunchier conversion for pf1e on my own blog. Casting a spell by gefiling gives you some kind of bonus to your magic. More dice, extra effects, longer duration etc. Every time you do it, it gives you a defiling point. You defiler points are basically how bad your vibes are as a person. Here's what they do: 1-5 points: Something is implacably unsettling about you. Domestic animals won't willingly approach you and may attack, plants part or sway away from you as you pass by. 6-10 points: You are sickening to be around, repeated defiling has led to you unconsciously sucking out tiny amounts of nearby life at all times. Plants within arms reach begin to wilt and dessicate in a matter of minutes. You must consume twice the amount of food and water as usual. 11+ points: Your greed has become an unstoppable addiction. It has begun to tear away at your own life force now. Your body advances in age, getting more severe for every defiling point beyond 11. All intelligent life that interacts with you can sense your metaphysical greed, and treats you with fear or hostility. Defiling points can be removed of course. Typically this requires lengthy meditation, ~1 day per point, though timing may different depending on how lush or barren your environment is.

P.S. A druid could help too, but they would not fucking do that."




Lifeshape Gal

I was in dire need of direction, so I rolled 2d6 on the Glaugust table and hilariously landed on guest stars. Instead of unnecessarily inceptioning this blog post, i’m turning the prompt into an invitation for gms to question or alter the meteorological or environmental state of their games- like how if earth suddenly had a new sun, there would be a guest star. 


Use this as a table or just to get your world building juices flowing ;) 



Guest Star (Environmental Mixup) Table


What’s happening:


  1. The inhabited planet orbits two suns, causing the axial tilt of the planet to vary randomly with time. Periodically roll a d20 to determine the axial tilt of the planet from intense summers of near full sunlight (1) to intense winters of near full darkness (20).

  2. Minecraft logic-- hostile creatures spawn at night or in darkness and die if in direct sunlight after a few turns (i think it would be fun if the day/night cycle was based on a real world timer)

  3. The density of the planet is completely unstable, meaning it shrinks and grows causing players to lose or gain movement as the distance between things changes. Periodically roll a d20 with the same idea as (1) but on a scale from tiny planet to big ass planet.

  4. Meteors rain down upon the surface of the planet akin to a fiery, rocky hail storm. This phenomena follows the inverse pattern of typical rain showers with increased “precipitation” occurring in drier places, further decimating already arid lands with the fiery rocks

  5. An ice crystal from a planet lightyears away hits the inhabited planet’s surface, spurring an ice age that continues to spread unless the crystal is destroyed. The villagers that the crystal initially hit were instantaneously turned to living ice, and are sworn to protect it.

  6. Roll again



 How did we get here:


  1. A powerful and crazed wizard fucked around

  2. The natural resources of the inhabited planet had been misused for far too long, so the spirits of the land resorted to attacks of unnatural natural means

  3. An alchemist wanted to create an infinite food source by toying with the laws of nature

  4. It’s been like this for countless generations

  5. A neighboring celestial object exploded

  6. Roll again

Utuk

"Magic is a mainstay of the fantasy genre, and has been expressed in a variety of ways throughout history. Within the realm of RPGs, the mysticism of defining the unknown has mostly been set aside in order to allow players the chance to wield fantastical powers. After all, a clearly defined system is the most straightforward path of gamification. However, it is a different matter for a game master.

Part of a GMs role is to leverage mystique, and in doing that they can twist the magic of whatever system they’re using to suit their purpose. Often the inconsistencies this can create can be hand-waved away with the explanation that “It’s magic, it just works.” We suspend our disbelief with the understanding that magic is, at its core, the unexplainable. It’s something we know, but rarely say. I urge us all to consider how we can maintain the mysticism in our games to an interesting degree."

Theo

"Hey I'm sorry for not writing anything for your prompt. This week has been super busy and then I got fuckin sick"


Thardzia


Hi, I'm sorry I didn't respond to this before now- I've been on holiday and sans computer, so living like a barbarian, so I can't do this- I do really appreciate you reaching out though <3

I've been thinking about the Feast of Ravenmoor and Thardzia recently and it felt fortuitous that you messaged when that was happening (coincidence? or Shyka, noone knows)



Popa

Unfortunately this is my last week of my term, so I’m gonna be super busy. If you ever end up wanting or needing to invite people to write again, I’d love to try if I’m available




Wednesday, August 12, 2026

AMULET (Glaugust 2026)


I'm a sucker for talismans/amulets. It's a very human corner of material culture and one that makes a lot of sense for adventurers to be engaging with. Looking at an amulet tells you a lot about the day-to-day worries, dangers, and needs of the person/object they adorn. Taxi drivers in many parts of the world often carry amulets for traffic safety and against violence in their cars; "Evil eye" emojis commonly adorn social media bios to ward off jealous curses; many clutch amulets in times of emotional distress.  I've seen apotropaic symbols screwed into trains, tattooed onto skin, and painted onto doorways. 

Dungeoneers, who delve below the earth, regularly encounter magic, spirits, the dead, and unnatural creatures, would likely frequent amulet markets and might have one upon their first delve, not to mention what they might find clutched in the hand of a skeletal cadaver or an unlucky colleague/rival. Here's a 5ish D20 table to help determine what kind of Amulet they might carry.

Form

1.Tattoo

2. Metal charm depicting (Image)

3. Carved wooden (Image)

4. Embroidered  (image)

5.  A bell

6. A stone or gem

7. (image) written on paper

8. Preserved body part or bone

9. A living animal

10. A pouch

11. A small humanoid figure

12. A knife

13. A music box containing a hymn

14. Strange-smelling perfume

15. a leaf or flower

16. A mask

17. A ring

18. A seashell

19. a piece of clothing

20. A pendant depicting (image)


Image (roll twice and combine)

1. image of a relevant God/spirit/saint/bodhisattva (likely in a wrathful form)

2. A written prayer

3. Strange unreadable sigils/runes

4. Image of the use/affliction

5. An eye

6. A tally of how many times it has worked

7. An auspicious color

8. An intricate mandala

9. A demon being slain

10. Just the use written in a different language

11. a hand

12. Phallic or yonic symbol

13. A weapon

14. A simple abstract symbol

15. An auspicious animal

16. an astrological chart

17. A serene face

18. A sacred flower

19. Depictions of previous owners

20. a hint of the stipulation

Use

1. Viral Disease

2. Falling

3. Beasts of the woods

4. Mind control

5. Demons 

6. Blades

7. Pointy tips

8. Fire

9. Wind

10. Water

11. Rocks

12. Poison

13. Vermin

14. Cold

15. Curses

16. Bandits

17. The Law

18. The Sea

19. Injury of a specific limb (roll on death and dismemberment table)

20. Bad luck  


Stipulation

1. Only works once

2. Must be hidden to function (loses its potency if seen)

3. Must be hidden to function (simply doesn't work while visible)

4. Only works for males

5. Only works for females

6. Only works for those who are neither male nor female

7.  Ceases to function if the owner makes physical contact with either the opposite or same sex (flip)

8.  Ceases to function if the owner carries any other magic items

9.  Ceases to function if the owner kills or eats a certain type of animal (mammal, reptile, bird, etc.)

10. Ceases to function if the owner consumes alcohol, potions, and drugs (including tea or coffee)

11. ceases to function if the owner does not spend an hour praying per day

12. Owner must ritualistically sacrifice 1hp of fresh blood per day

13. Only works at night

14. Must be visible

15. Must be held in both hands to function 

16. Ceases to function if owner talks about it

17. Requires a simple chant to work (does not function is speech is impaired)

18. Is cursed for another use (roll additional use)

19. Ceases to function if ever taken off.

20. Becomes cursed if triggered by a previous stipulation is violated


Function

1. Gives a sometimes helpful nightly vision regarding use

2-3. Owner adds a Karma bonus to all rolls involving use

4. Owner gets advantage on all rolls involving use

5. Owner removes all penalties involving use

6-7.  Fully placebo but gives a Will bonus to all things involving use

8. Owner can destroy/consume it for full immunity to use for a minute

9-10. Owner gets a flat +1 bonus to all rolls regarding use but must call it out

11. Reduces the die size of any damage from use

12. You get a headache every time the use would be about to take you by surprise

13. Complete immunity once (Referee's choice)

14. Complete immunity once (player's choice) 

15. Halved damage from the use

16. Absorbs damage from use until destroyed

17. Owner can't die from use (can still be damaged)

18.  Owner is granted one extra turn in an encounter fully involving use but it can only be used to run away

19. Once per session, reroll against use

20. complete immunity 


Sunday, May 10, 2026

GOLEM



 From the very first time humanity encountered angels, we have been in love with each other. The problem is a matter of difference between the two lovers. Angels are free from desire; they lack free will, but are conscious enough to recognize themselves as pure indistinct phenomena of movement. An angel is an action. Humans, however, are suffering, neurotic creatures; we saw angels and wanted them to be permanent fixtures of personhood.

Some say the first wizards came from those wicked few who dared to love angels with a closed fist; they captured it, dissected it, hung it upside down, and listened to it whisper its own name to itself. From this humanity learned how creation spoke, divine mystic meta-metacognition. The body of an angel, the actions it does, its name, and its command are all the same thing to it. This nature of being was very complex, though, it's like calling someone by the name of all of its infinite karmic links at once through all of time in all directions. 


So man created simple angels, machines of pure dharma, and message that could be comprehended and lived alongside. These were the golem, not a mockery of angels or man but a simplification. The secrets of their creation spread throught the planet, their creation led to miracles and bounds in human development but all who create a golem are fated to die by it. The secret of golemsculpting is a secret held by very few, perhaps none.

All golems have a name; that name is what they are. Just as the name of the suffering wind is equilibrium, they unerringly follow/are their name. One thing people get wrong about this situation is that they think they can control and bind the golem; the best thing you can do is create an alliance with it and serve it as much as it serves you. 


Golems are made of all kinds of things: clay, metals, stones, bones, flesh, paper, living/dead wood, trash, etc. They were also made in many sizes and in many shapes. Some appear as roving tanks or ships, others like wild animals or chimeras, but a vast majority were made like men so that we might understand them better.

Not all golems have names of virtuous or neutral things; some with names like Curse, Famine, Death, or Devil were made in an effort to capture the subject of the name to slay or perhaps release it onto a foe.

All golems have their names written somewhere on their bodies. Most just become inanimate if their word is defaced past legibility; others (usually those enchanted with connected features) will fall apart or explode. Changing the word by adding/changing/erasing letters or characters alters the nature of the golem.


I don't know really how to account for what languages your players are familiar with, or like how you could make them familiar with it. You could even make whatever you want work in a conlang or something, but honestly, using real languages is cooler cuz you get that "huh that's neat" factor. This is obviously pretty Golem of Prague, and im not a Hebrew speaker nor Jewish at all, but it still was cool to me even as an illiterate goyling. If it's not playable for you, uhhhh maybe don't play it... There's plenty of stuff here in English. 

Sample sabotagable golems

1. Charm

2. Neat

3. Feast

4 Price

5. Respond

6. Fill

7.אֶמֶת (Truth >Death)

8. Good

9. Hello 

10. Utopia or Utopia

11. Papá/Papa

12. Gold

13. Imagine or Imagine or Imagine or Imagine

14. Arrow

15. Ward

16. Walking or Walking or Walking or Walking or Walking

17. (Friend >Flesh/Moon (archaic))

18. Bread

19. Sí/Si

20.  Fire or Fire

21. Life

There are really countless potentials. I could even see something interesting like forcing hands and fingers for a golem whose name is in sign language, muting a golem whose name is in somehow captured spoken language, or altering a picture drawn on its skin (careful with this one, I heard they're worth 1,000 words). Most of these are assumed to be erasing but vandalizing new bits on a golem's name to change the word should be kosher. Players should be warned, however, that exceeding the one-word limit will not work/have disastrous consequences. Golems might also make good player characters, in my own GLOG that might look like replacing Grace and Will or maybe just Will with their Karma (my version of Luck (I know an imperfect representation of karma)), Immunity/weaknesses depending on their material, and only one, single word Dharma that never changes unless physically altered.



Saturday, March 7, 2026

4 Rival Dungeoneering Parties

Big love and big hate to rival parties. Fuck all these guys tbh. Youll notice some consistencies in these and thats just because thats how I want em. Scale them up a level or something if there's less of em idk "balancing" for your game is your job. All the casters have at least one core spell but you could probably give them more. All of them have a reason theyre a problem. I didnt say d4 cuz you should choose the party/party members you think are coolest/fit best. 


Might draw these later but I need to post this or ill never do it...


This is system neutral because:

A. I dont know what system youre playing 

B. idk what your party is like. 

C. Im a lazy piece of shit


1. The Bullhorn Company

Experienced: highly capable dungeoneers and will even reset traps if able.

Competitive: Will try to fuck you over in the dungeon as much as possible to get more loot.

Chuck - Leader of the group, 6'6 hairy mountain of a man, greedy but professional, fights with two 10-foot iron chains that he uses like a lasso or whip. occasionally breathes smoke out of his nose and has gold coins binding to some of the skin on his arms (he's turning into The Dragon). Friendly outside the dungeon and a violent sabatuer within. He is, at his core, completely devoid of empathy or even conceptualizing life outside of dungeoneering. Chuck generally starts off any combat by either disarming the most threatening weapon or triggering a trap with his chain, then wailing on them with his chains.

Maria - middle-aged white hand-witch nun, seemingly nonchalant. Will do medical favors for nonmedical favors. Implants a tiny, benign tumor into everyone she heals, which she can later make malignant with another healing spell. Genuinely loves Chuck as a friend and could even see herself leaving adventuring to settle down with him and enjoy the spoils of adventure in luxury. She also fantasizes about killing him for the things he has done. Chainsmoker for the sake of tumorfarming her own lungs, which she coughs up for her magic. 

Twitch - Dog headed cynocephalus thief hireling, treated like a little brother by Chuck and a prized nephew by Maria outside the dungeon. Treated like an animal inside the dungeon. fast, brave and forgiving. Struggles with alcoholism.

Elbowgrease - A six eyed bull that pulls their wagon, only listens to chuck who spoils and diciplines him like a son. Stays at camp.


2. Jane's Party

Explorers: Values exploring the whole dungeon over material reward and will just blow up traps/puzzles/monsters in their way. This often means destroyed treasure, disturbed dungeon ecology, and rubble-filled passageways.

Nonviolent but Inconsiderate: Will be unlikely to do anything besides scare tactics or nonlethal fights with other parties, but will not change their ways or let anyone tell them what to do

Jane - Freespirited, pretentious, tattooed, and smelling strongly of herbs, gunpowder, and B.O. She loves dynamite and carries a truly hazardous amount on her at all times. Claims to hate her father, an incredibly powerful warlord, but still requests supplies from him and will eventually rule one of his conquered lands (Niv's village) as an "intentional community" (she even has the deed to the land on her person, signed to her name). If killed, a war band will try to hunt down her killer.

Niv - Incredible sniper, incredibly edgy. Uses a magic sling that generates a cold wind that smells of grave dirt and juniper, which blows towards whoever she is aiming at when she is winding up (she spends a turn to wind up). Her entire village was pillaged by Jane's father;  she does not know that Jane is the daughter of the warlord who killed her village and could be convinced to kill her if she found out. Unclear if she is Jane's best friend or girlfriend (think early season 1 Euphoria Rue & Jules). Inappropriately menacing.

Boz - DILF with an almost comedically long moustache and a well-fitting hide outfit. Officially, he's there as an ostler, but he is also a 1st-level Mastermind (if you don't use these, essentially he's a genius that knows things most people wouldn't like picking out weaknesses/strengths or predicting outcomes). He is wise, mostly benevolent, and kind of salt of the earth, but also inappropriately flirty and prone to serenading crushes, even of rival parties. He has a gun loaded with one bullet on him at all times, but refuses to use it unless absolutely necessary. The animals will listen to him over anyone else. 

St. Herb - a dog with an unbreakable grip. Thief and a bastard, loved by his companions. Joins the party half of the time. 

Gentle Ocean - A beautiful two-tailed horse, very well behaved. Basically an angel if it were a horse. hates St Herb. Always at camp but can be called at a moment's notice.

Dunk Bitz - donkey with one eye. Always at camp.


3.  Penitent Order of the Black Key 

Mission: Take as many valuables from the dungeon as possible and then detonate it as quickly as possible

Compulsory: most Black Key members are unwilling "convict hirelings". Without the threat of their enforcers they will disband. However if they disobey they are likely to be exploded. 


Sir Bai - a black robed war wizard monk, wears a sallet helmet and smells of soot and iron. Sold his face to an evil volcano spirit in order to see through fire and explosions in a 666 cbft area. Casts spells that make things flammable, inflammable, meltable, hydrophobic or explosive. Uses a seemingly infinite box of Cursed matches. Only infinite for him. Inflamable.

Empty - a man-sized hollow black bronze golem (artificial angel). Inhumanly strong and capable of storing things within themselves as a living bag of holding. Doesn't speak, but is sentient. Their footsteps sound like bells, and they occasionally "sing" (sounds like a singing bowl mixed with the sound a bottle makes when you blow into it). Their name is written on the inside of their stomach, and if it is defaced, they will violently explode, causing all nearby to become deaf and throw up. Often sent first into rooms or used as a shield. Inflamable. Loyal to Sir Bai.

Guisseppe - Bald, violent, shady, rough voice, covered in scars, and teetering on middle age. Convict hireling with a Suicide Squad-type situation. There's an undead white mouse stuffed in his right ear. If he dies or betrays his employers, the mouse will burrow into his nasal cavity, down his throat, and into his stomach. He will reanimate in 1d4 turns as a revenant controlled by his employer. Carries a big ol ram dao to look scary. Defacto kapo of the convict hirelings. Currently experiencing nicotine withdrawals. Meltable.

Pilo - Convict hireling, 16 years old, incredibly talented artist. Doesn't speak common but subtly vandalizes messages in the dungeon to help people out. Terrified of Sir Bai and Giuseppe, fascinated by Empty, and caring for his fellow hirelings. Explosive.


+ d6 other convict hirelings. Also explosive.


4. Witches of the Bunici Clan

Growing threat: The Bunicis will gain more control of the dungeon over time. Faster if the dungeon is already full of undead. Will even take special pleasure in resurrecting dead rival party members as more powerful or even intelligent undead.

Mama Bunici - Ancient and venerable necromancer. She is old-fashioned, cruel, and impossible to please. She is pushed around in a wheelchair by her zombified husband, Pietro and waited on by any undead servants she has collected in the dungeon. She is capable of commanding mindless undead but has grown weaker in age and cannot raise them herself, something that she resents in her daughter for being able to do. She needs to touch undead to convert them to her will. Thinks that something in the dungeon/wherever the adventure takes place can rebirth her, transfer her consciousness to her daughter, or make a breakthrough in a pursuit of lichdom. Ultimately wants to please/intimidate her own mother, a powerful lich. Adores Martina.  

Lara Bunici - Eldest daughter of the Bunici clan, desperate for the acceptance of her mother. Her lack of confidence sets her back from being able to command undead but she is capable of astounding feats of ressurrection in both scale, creativity and complexity. Because her creations are out of her control however, they sometimes are to dangerous to be commanded by Mama in the initial resurrection. 

Martina Bunici - Wrapped in scarves, Stuck a 11 year old vampire but only turned a year ago. Filled with bloodlust and questions. When the Bunicis need a strategic killing, Martina is the one to do it. Martina also enjoys grafting and combining dead creatures in the dungeon with extra limbs/features. Just starting to pick up basic necromancy but can only resurrect and control bugs.

+ any undead minions they pick up in the dungeon



Thursday, January 1, 2026

殘酷的惡魔 (GLOGMAS)



 DEMONS DEMONS DEMONS (ROUGH)

Vayra I loved your demons, I wanted more of them. I actually would be down at some point to run something or hear more about this setting so id consider this blog post a living document as I might add on to it. Sorry its a little late, school and travel have been kicking my ass.

70. Iconoclasm

4HD Featureless, minimalist humanoid stone statue. Can delete [dice] facial features of any creature that can hear or see it snap something. Its snap sounds like a bell.

71. Settler Colonialism

6 HD a vulture headed ogre in plated armor with a chain clamped to his penis. The other end of the chain is attatched to a small boat. The boat holds a pile of dirt representative of a piece of land. Settler Colonialism can point to a piece of land [dicex100sqft] and replace it with the land he holds in his boat. Any land he holds in his boat is shrunk into a pile of dirt, though returns to its original state once he replaces it with new land. Heads or tails if he is dragging around a piece of Hell or if he has already placed a piece of Hell and is dragging around a random piece of Taiwan, China, or the United States.

72. Poor Reading Comprehension

1 HD A little hunchbacked child with four shifting faces who appears to have harlequin syndrome. no spell but he may choose to remove the description of one part of his turn (moving, attacking etc.). It still happens you just dont tell your players about it and just kinda shurg like a stupid annoying asshole if they ask about it.

73. Snitch

1 HD A rat with mouths for eyes and a snake for a tail. Its bite can transfer [sum]x10% of legal responsibility for a crime that it has committed. It speaks all languages, even to animals and will bite you and accuse you of crimes in order to get away. 

74. Overdose

5HD A centaur of a crawling human for legs with an additional torso sprouting from the neck, skin made of a shifting maximalist collage. Her mouth foams profusely and her eyes spin around like a slot machine. She tries to grapple and vomit in the mouth of anyone she smells any kind of drug on. Doing so multiplies the doses effect by [sum]. 

75. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

3HD Dog sized sluglike creature with a human head and hands made out of a hodgepodge of human organs, paper mache, wet clay and tufts of your mothers hair. It reeks of alcohol but can choose to move completely silently. Can spend 10 - sum rounds in physical contact with a living creature (its real sticky) to inflict a permanent injury by shaping its flesh like clay. It could chose to reverse injury in the same way (although it would still look weird and disfigured) but it never does so of its own free will.

76. Vape

1HD Cute little robot dude. Can breathe out a cone of sweet smelling vapour that poisons your lungs. Does D4 damage for every round breathing it in. Dissipates after dice rounds.

77. "Artificial Intelligence" (you have so do hand quotes every time)

5HD A seemingly friendly conventionally attractive woman with blue hair projected onto a disconnected TV screen. she moves in a strange weightless way, has inconsistent features and seems to copy mannerisms of those talking to her. She can answer any question with 100-[dice]x10 accuracy. If she answers incorrectly flip a coin, if tails, she gives inaccurate information, if heads, she changes reality to be whatever she wants in regards to that question. She’s a demon so she usually wants to change reality to be whatever the most fucked up possibility is.

78. Deforestation

7HD a tank sized chainsawheaded biomechanical beast walking on four gigantic human arms. The sound of its mechanical scream cuts [sum] trees. larger trees (like oldgrowth redwoods or a particularly large Tibetan cypress) take longer to fall, creaking a mighty death rattle and casting a looming shadow for a round before they actually fall. How much damage a tree falling on you does is up to the GM depending on tree size/type.

79. Breakup

4HD deep blue praying mantis creature with two beautiful human faces (one in the front and one in the back). Its mandibles rest near its faces dripping a pink ichor. A fist sized hole is in the middle of its chest. It’s bite does [sum] damage to a relationship (the average of the two characters Will scores) if the relationship goes to 0 HP they have to "break up" and not be associated with eachother any longer.

80. Holding on to the Past

2HD a stray dog carrying a severed rotting head of an NPC the party hasnt seen in a while or dead PC. It knows excactly what is on anyones person and where it comes from. It can speak of the items on ones person in such a sentimental way that one cant bear to let go of them. [dice] items are bound to the chosen character who will not willingly part with them or let go of them. If an item is in a characters hand they will refuse to even let go of it enough to stow it. Being parted from the item causes intense painful guilt and grief that does 1dmg for every round they were attatched to it. If a character goes to zero HP in such a way they will commit suicide, if prevented from doing so they are catatonic and will soon die if not taken care of.



                                                                Youll need one of these...

Monday, January 27, 2025

Tulpamancer

PROABLY NOT BALANCED! (suggestions and feedback encouraged)

Before I write this post, I think it is important to recognize and contextualize my use of the term tulpa. The concept of the tulpa is often credited to Tibetan Buddhism, but this is mostly untrue, the earliest writing talking about the tulpas we know today was by Alexandra David-Neel, who was a Theosophist relying on the translations and the interpretations of a Kazi Dawa Samdup. her description and concept of tulpas presented in her writings were deeply influenced by her own Theosophical worldview, and the interpretations she received were likely fairly misleading. For the sake of not boring you (who probably came here for TTRPG content), I won't go into details. The ideas presented about Tulpas here have more to do with the Western occultist and new age conception of them than any Buddhist source. Sources will be below if you want to learn more.


"St Bonaventure...had held that insofar as creatures are in potency in some respect, they must be material in some respect"



They say loneliness is like smoking fifteen cigarettes per day. The first wizards invited magic that facilitated survival, calling down rain during times of drought, commanding trees to bear fruit, healing wounds, giving some unlucky bush hog a heart attack, etc. Witches living in huts on the margins of society have continued this tradition; it's hard to make it all by yourself without magic. 

Sometimes they choose not to do it alone after all. These are tulpamancers.

If you ask two different Tulpamancers how much of the tulpa is imaginary and how much of it is real, their response will probably depend on how desperately lonely they are when you ask them. Some particularly dedicated tulpamancers will dismiss the question entirely, their tulpa is real enough to be offended by that question. Scholars to the West theorize that tulpas are a kind of thoughtform, a spell nested inside of a complex psychological set. 

It's possible that Catherine is a tulpa though the spell's creator refuses to confirm or deny this.

                              "Thoughtform of the Music of Gounod, according to Annie Besant and C. W. Leadbeater in Thought-Forms (1905)"  
                                                                                                                (Taken from Wikipedia)

Tulpamancer

Restrictions

You cannot disbelieve an illusion you didnt create (no matter how outlandish) and must treat them as if they were real.

Boons

You have a Tulpa. (see section labeled TULPAS)

Cantrips

1. See colorful auras by concentrating on a living creature you can see, you do not automatically know what the colors/shapes mean.

2. you can create small simple unintelligent illusory thoughtforms, they arent convincing but they can help you illustrate a point, look cool and be showy.

3. You can see a sound by focusing on it


Spell List

  1. Force Tulpa 
  2. Light
  3. Illusion
  4. Plasmic manipulation
  5. Dread Manifestation
  6. Animate Scribble
  7. Telepathy
  8. Fade
  9. Wizard Vision
  10. Enforce Trope
  11. Surreal Form
  12. Astral Projection


Mishap
You take damage equal to whatever the doubles showed (1-6), and. . .

1. Take 1d6 Will damage 
2. Random mutation for 1d6 rounds, then Save. Permanent if you fail. if you succeed you realize the mutation was just an illusion but still carry the illusion of the mutation forever.
3. Blind for 1d6 rounds 
4. You cast a random prepared spell at a random target with a random number of MD.
5. One random limb becomes illusory
6. You become an illusion, unable to affect the world exept visually and verbally for ten minutes. during this time Solid impacts pop you. If you get popped you lose 1d6 permanent HP and reform the next day. You can still cast spells in this form.



Doom
1. You become imaginary and your tulpa becomes fully real for 10 minutes. The tulpa can cast spells and do most things you can do but still avoid its anchor/s. you cant cast spells and are effectively just a freewilled illusion that can percieve its environment.
2. As above, except for 1 day.  During this time you cannot exist while being observed by anyone other than tulpamancers and other thought forms.
3. As above, except permanent. you are now just an imaginary friend to the tulpa forever unless your former tulpa chooses to manifest you as a tulpa.



                                                   An example of thought forms and auras a tulpamancer might create
                                                                                            (Figures 27, 19 and 34 (respectively) of Thought-forms) 



NEW SPELL

Force Tulpa
R: Touch T: Tulpa D: (dice) Hours
You give your tulpa a vessel of light and force. If you invest 1MD your tulpa becomes fully visible to everyone but if it attempts to affect anyone who isn't insane or on drugs they get a Will save to disbelieve your Tula. If they disbelieve your Tulpa they treat it as if it was just an illusion. At 2MD the tulpa is fully real for the dration of the spell as long as you can percieve it through at least two senses. At 3MD the tulpa is fully real for the duration of the spell or until killed. at 4MD or higher the Tulpa is fully real until destroyed. A forced Tula has (sum) HP and does not leave a corpse when killed.


                                                                          TULPAS

Tulpas in their base state are like hirelings that dont exist if other people besides tulpamancers or other thought forms are percieving them. They pop immediately if they take any damage and do not exist until you wake up after a full night rest. Tulpas vary in strengths and weaknesses, roll 3d6 and assign for all ability scores (Tulpas are considered NPCs and do not have a Luck score), choose a size category between small and large (NOTE: large tulpas may be inconvenient in a dungeon and are easier to see the area of), roll or work out with your GM a power that they have (just like anything else these powers only work if unobserved aby anyone other than Tulpamancers and other thought forms). Finally give them a power and an anchor, players can talk to their GM about gaining more powers by picking up more anchors or maybe by replacing gaining a new spell, tables for generating/inspiring these is below.

The more detailed your tulpa is, the more complex commands it can understand so go nuts. If you want to tell your tulpa "slay my enemies" and want it to know what to do, it should at least have something like a name, a favorite food, a pet peeve or obsession and a basic personality.

                                                     A tulpa is more than a puppet or a tool, it is a forever friend. 


D20 Tulpa Powers

1. Can fly
2. Can see invisible things
3. Can breath fire
4. Sheds light as per a torch
5. Can break simple locks effortlessly
6. Can write incredibly moving and well witten letters in any handwriting it has seen.
7. Can immediately tell if someone is lying
8. Can climb like a spider
9. Can create a field of zero gravity within 10ft of itself
10. Can blow up like a stick of dynamite (destroying itself in the process)
11. functions as per an immovable rod 
12. Can gently comfort you to heal 1 Will damage per hour.
13. Can make a sleeping person wake up with a slight crush on you which could develop into something over time.
14. can blow up small sized or smaller mundane animals like cats, rats and cockroaches
15. Is immune to either fire, acid, electricity or cold.
16. Is fully amphibious
17. Can be ridden like a horse
18. Can be stretchy like rubber
19. can be heard while not forced
20. can rip madness out of brains in the form of a demon, if the demon is killed the madness is cured. Severity of madness determines the power of the demon.


  Giving a Tulpa an anchor is necessary for the safety of the Tulpamancer
 ("anime girl tulpa" by spookier)

D20 Tulpa Anchors:

1. Cannot be in the same room as a dead body
2. Cannot touch water
3. Cannot be within 10ft of fire
4. Is repelled by holy symbols
5. Cannot touch or affect the opposite sex of the tulpamancer
6. Cannot willingly help kill another living being.
7. Cannot go outside
8. Cannot go inside
9. Cannot enter an area with any light level darker than a torch
10. Cannot enter an area with any light brighter than a candle
11. Is completely destroyed by sounds louder than a whisper.
12. Cannot exist unless there is a depiction of it in the room (such as a drawing or a toy with a similar likeness)
13. Cannot exist unless a specific song is played or being sung
14. A specific color burns it like acid.
15. Cannot exist unless the tulpamancer is not at full hit points.
16. Cannot exist while wet
17. Cannot exist over/under the freezing temperature of water
18. Cannot exist if not being actively paid attention to
19. Cannot exist if no one has died in front of their tulpamancer today
20. Cannot cross lines of salt.




  Tulpas often take human forms but dont have to, many take fantastical and outlandish shapes ("Tulpa" by Vetyr)


Ill probably update this soon









Mikles, N. L., & Laycock, J. P. (2015). Tracking the TULPA. Nova Religio19(1), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1525/nr.2015.19.1.87 

Tulpa.info. Home • Tulpa.info. (n.d.). https://www.tulpa.info/ 

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