Gruagach
Neutral Pictish God of the Rustic Way, the Sun,
& Magic
Tenets of Gruagach
* Grow your
hair long, just like Gruagach
* Acquire
cattle
* Acquire the
sun (somehow)
* Eschew civilized things, live the rustic way!
Sorcerers of Gruagach
Special: Gruagach has no
clerics in his service, only sorcerers, shamans, and druids. The latter two
classes are detailed in Volume II.
Allowed Weapons: Club, staff, spear, sling, rocks
Allowed Armor: Woad paint, whether applied
temporarily or permanently tattooed, it improves AC and chances to scare others
by 2, but also reduces all Charisma checks made with non-Picts by 7
Holy Symbol: Spirals, Ogham
Can Turn: Demons, mutants
Gruagachan Mysteries: In keeping with their
animistic ways, the faithful of Gruagach can gain a +2 bonus to all rolls
related to spirits, but must not touch metal during that time and for at least
24 hours beforehand. Any contact with metal, whether a weapon, armor, or even a
tool, utensil, doorknob, or coin, interrupts the bonus.
Pictish Sorcery: Being that
their magic is quite archaic, Pictish sorcerers must achieve one higher class
level to cast spells than clerics of other gods do. For example, if using
Labyrinth Lord rules, they need to be 4th level in order to cast 2nd level
spells (rather than 3rd), 6th level to cast 3rd level spells (rather than 5th),
etc.
In return, they have a 3 in 6 chance of being able to cast each of their
spells an extra time per day (roll after a spell is cast to see).
What is more, a Pictish sorcerer’s spells might even go off when he
doesn’t wish them to! Whenever under stress- whenever he loses half his hit points, has to make a save, the sun sets, or the like- there is a 1 in 20
chance of one of his spells (determined at random) being cast on a random
target in range. If this occurs, treat it as if the sorcerer cast it himself.
Consequently, they typically meet strange fates, either from their own magic
or from irate companions who were accidental victims of said magic. Note that
the followers of other Pictish divinities, such as Scathach, might have other
triggers for the spells to be automatically cast, like the phases of the
moon.
Next week: Sorcerers of Gruagach
(Part II)!
