Cronos
Neutral Greater Titan of the Golden Age, Reaping, & Time
Methods of Cronos
* Seek a return to the Golden Age
* Reap all that stands in your way
* Unravel the power of Time, but beware, else it unravels you
Wizards of Cronos
Special: Being a titan, Cronos is followed by wizards (see Time Magic, below).
Allowed Weapons: Sickle, scythe, harpe* (short sword that only does 1d5 damage, but chops off smaller, hanging body parts on an attack roll of natural 20)
Allowed Armor: None
Symbol: Sickle, Scythe, Harpe, Grain, Sundial
Can Turn: None
Time Magic: Cronos wizards are magic-users who automatically have access to and learn Cronos’s spells, even gaining a +1 bonus to all rolls for them. In return, they only have a 25% chance of being able to learn other magic-user spells, in addition to any other requirements, and suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls for those spells even if they do learn them.
Magical Side-Effects
The magic of Cronos is very potent and dangerous, revolving like hours on the clock. Roll 1d12, but be warned: getting the same Magical Side-Effect number twice in a row causes a temporal paradox, triggering a test (see next week’s article).
1. By Harpe: Something small and hanging must immediately be chopped off a person for the spell to work. If not, then the wizard takes 1d4 damage instead and even has a 10% chance of losing something small and hanging of his own!
2. Reaping’s Price: The scythe of Cronos passes through the wizard, causing him to save vs. death or immediately age 1d4 years. Depending on his current age, such additional aging may have a permanent, negative effect on him, ranging from increasing decrepitude to even death (per Referee).
3. The Weighs of Father Time: The wizard is temporally slowed, only being able to move at 1/2 his normal speed and take 1/2 his normal number of actions each round for the next 1d3 rounds.
4. Consuming One’s Progeny: A random item is taken from the wizard, either on his person or one held treasured. It quickly rusts away and corrodes back into Cronos’s belly, reverting the wizard to a simpler, Golden Age state.
5-8. Standard Casting: All that is needed is chanting and the use of strange components worth at least 1d6 gold pieces per spell level. Wizards typically have such materials on hand (a base 85% chance) of course, if they’ve had the time to assemble them.
9. To Better Days: A broken or damaged item of the wizard is miraculously repaired, shining brightly as a Golden Age gift.
10. The Ways of Father Time: The wizard is made temporally faster, being able to move at twice his normal speed and take double his normal number of actions per round for the next 1d3 rounds.
11. Reaping’s Prize: The scythe of Cronos passes through the wizard’s foes, causing all within 120’ to save vs. death or immediately age 1d4 years. As in result #2 above, such additional aging may have a permanent, negative effect on them, ranging from increasing decrepitude to even death (per Referee).
12. For Harpe: If something small and hanging is chopped off a person, then the spell works for triple effect in all regards. If not, then it functions normally this time.
DCC RPG Conversion notes:
Can turn= Unholy creatures
Magic-users= Wizards
Referee= Judge
Save vs. death= make a Will save DC 10
Additional notes:
Cronos is similar to Saturn and Janus, but the latter two are both Roman and thereby more ritualized and less personal. Saturn focuses on harvests and enjoying the Golden Age, while Janus is a god (and thereby served by clerics and priests) who also involves beginnings, gateways, and space (see article here).
Next week: wizards of Cronos, Part II!
