Healing Side-Effects (Ukko)
Like with
their other spells, Finnish shamans call upon spirits of place, the Haltija, to
facilitate healing magic. Then, depending on the type of spirit present, it
will be better at helping with certain ailments more than others.
In the case
of ailments that the spirit is good at healing, the spell works automatically
for its full amount, unless the type of spirit has a particular dislike for the
shaman (see below).
In all
other cases, the shaman must bargain with the spirit, requiring a successful
Charisma check, modified by how respectful the shaman has been to such spirits-
per Referee, in order for the spell to work at all. If successful, then all
spell effects are rolled normally. If not, then the healing fails.
To randomly
determine what spirits are around or even how an injury has been caused, roll
1d12. Otherwise, select based on what kind of place the shaman is in when he
casts the healing spell.
1-2. Mountain Spirits: good at healing
wounds from iron, other metal, or stone weapons, as well as from falls and
other rugged perils.
3-4. Forest Spirits: good at healing wounds from natural attacks or wooden weapons,
as well as dealing with poisons and other sylvan dangers.
5-6. Water Spirits: good at healing diseases
and paralysis, acid or gas attacks, curses, blindness, deafness, along with any
other would-be permanent ailments.
7-8. Sauna Spirits: good at healing diseases,
as well as damage or other ill effects from the elements, including magic.
9-10. Field Spirits: good at healing any harm
from supernatural beings or methods (including magic), along with restoring
bravery, mental faculties, and even level loss, thanks to the presence of smiling
Ukko above.
11-12. Graveyard Spirits: good at
attempting to bring back the dead, though the one returned has a 50% chance of
coming back ‘different’ (evil)!
Spirit Type
If unsure how
respectful a particular shaman has been to a spirit that’s encountered,
determine what type of spirit it is beyond just the location where it dwells. Nature
spirits will be more commonly encountered (naturally), though others could also
be just as fitting (e.g. bear totems on mountainsides, forest fey, a fair
maiden bathing in the water, ancestral graveyard spirits, etc.) In any case,
roll 1d20:
1-2. Ancestral
3. Angelic
4. Demonic
5. Elemental
6-7. Fair Maiden
8-9. Fey
10-17. Nature
18-19. Totemic
20. Undead
See Volume II for
more info on spirits and how their motivations might fit (or not fit) with a
particular shaman. If they are especially congruent or incongruent in outlook, then
the Referee might award some additional boon or even have the spirit attack the
shaman instead, making the interaction more than just a Charisma check to
facilitate healing.
Next week: Shamans of Ukko, Part III!
