Soul Caster
This is two things. One, a bandwagon post. Mike from A Sense of Immersion started it. Two, a take on a kind of casting I have long thought would be neat, which is, the mage is defenseless while charging up a spell, but if they manage to charge it, it's quite powerful.
SOUL CASTER
Start with: Wizard hat covered in hooks; tacklebox with a magic password to open it; six-pack of wizard beer.
A: Silver Cord; Fish Magic
B: Bite; Spellfish
C: Soul Aquarium
D: Soul Farm
SILVER CORD. You have a special fishing line that can be cast into the soul of a living creature. When attached to a rod, this is a ranged weapon (30ft optimal, 60ft long range) that deals 1d6 magic damage. It doesn't affect anything that doesn't have ability scores.
FISH MAGIC. You have 1 Magic Die and you know 2 spells that you can convince your game master have something to do with fish.
BITE. After you hit a living creature with your Silver Cord, you can begin reeling until the start of your next turn or until the target dies. While reeling, you can't dodge or move or use your hands for anything else, and your target can't move further away from you. When you stop reeling, make a Strength check. On a failure, you stay reeling until the start of your next turn. On a success, you pull a Spellfish from the target (if you're using bait, that is).
SPELLFISH. There are six main kinds of Spellfish, unless your game has a different number of ability scores. When caught, they thrash around and release their magical power. The bait you put on your Silver Cord determines what you'll catch.
- Blastfish - The DC to catch a Blastfish is equal to the target's Strength score. Deals damage equal to target's Strength score to up to [templates] targets. Blastfish bait is made with ordinary food, 1 ration = 3 lures.
- Slipfish - The DC to catch a Slipfish is equal to the target's Dexterity score. You turn into a ghost until you move [templates]x10 feet. No one can sense or interact with you. If you stay still for an hour while you're a ghost, you stay a ghost forever (you die). Slipfish bait is stolen gold with a hole punched through it, 1gp = 1 lure.
- Spiritfish - The DC to catch a Spiritfish is equal to the target's Constitution score. [Templates] creatures who died while you were reeling in the Spiritfish return to life at 1 HP. Spiritfish bait is taken from your permanent maximum HP, 1 max HP = 1 lure.
- Dreamfish - The DC to catch a Dreamfish is equal to the target's Intelligence score. Up to [templates] targets use their most devastating power on an ally at the next opportunity. Dreamfish bait is written material not intended to be used as bait, 1 page = 1 lure.
- Timefish - The DC to catch a Timefish is equal to the target's Wisdom score. A target ages a number of years equal to the target's Wisdom score. Timefish bait is any magic item, even one temporarily enchanted or created.
- Kingfish - The DC to catch a Kingfish is equal to the target's Charisma score. The next words you speak or write, up to a number equal to the target's Charisma score, will be believed and taken kindly by whoever next hears or reads them, unless or until provably false. Kingfish bait is worms.
- Other spellfish - Perhaps you can catch a dragon's breath weapon as a fish by rolling Strength against the dragon's save difficulty? Ask your game master.
SOUL AQUARIUM. You can keep caught spellfish in your own soul. Instead of releasing a fish's power when you catch it, you can deal your target 1d6 damage and place the spellfish in your soul aquarium, where it will consume 1 ration each day at sundown, or die. If there are more than one fish in your aquarium at dawn, roll a d20. Any fish whose scores are lower than the result are eaten by the others (one always survives). Spiritfish placed into your soul aquarium can be eaten instead of other fish, at your discretion. Any fish that dies in your soul aquarium instantly releases its power and your game master picks the targets. You can release a fish from your aquarium to use its power as an action on your turn.
SOUL FARM. At dawn, any fish in your aquarium whose score exactly matches the d20 result breed a new spellfish together. The new fish might combine their powers or have a new power. Work with your game master. You also learn a new spell: Cultivate Spellfish - Bump the result of your Soul Aquarium roll up or down by up to [sum].