Paul Bunyan
Neutral Demigod of Lumberjacking, Manliness, & the Great Frontier
Tenets of Paul Bunyan
* Chop down trees whenever you can!
* The bigger, the better!
* And don’t forget to eat plenty of food as you explore the Great Frontier!
Clerics of Paul Bunyan
Special: Paul Bunyan is served by male clerics, all of whom are quite manly.
Allowed Weapons: Axe (any), club, short bow, knife
Allowed Armor: Hide, flannel, or bare-chested
Symbol: Axe, Ox (giant blue)
Can Turn: Wimps (males with both Strength and Constitution scores below 10)
Mysteries of Paul Bunyan: Up to once per day per level, clerics of Paul Bunyan can immediately cast a spell on someone they hit with their axe. Many prefer to even bestow their healing spells in this manner- ‘the lumberjack way’! In any case, being only a demigod, Paul Bunyan’s mysteries work just 75% of the time.
Magical Side-Effects
The magic of Paul Bunyan causes tall tales to abound, one way or another. Roll 1d12.
1. Get Them Flapjacks: Paul requires an offering for the spell to work, typically 1d6 pounds of food per spell level; half if it is lumberjack fare.
2. ‘Bunyan’? If a helpful spell, then the target’s foot grows strangely, reducing their movement by 25%. If not, then it is the cleric who is so affected. In any case, this homonym-derived hardship lasts for 1 turn, unless some cream is on hand to provide immediate relief.
3. Brrrr! The surrounding area drops 1d6 x 10 degrees for the next 1d6 hours. During that time, apart from the usual effects of colder weather, there’s also a base 25% chance of it snowing blue snow, freezing words on people’s lips, or even freezing torchlight solid (roll for each if it is cold enough).
4. Babe? The next animal the cleric sees doubles in size permanently. He should hope that it is friendly, or else it might now be double the trouble.
5. Big Country: All within 1d6 x 10’ (including the cleric) grow 1d6 x 5’ in size for the next 1d6 rounds. For each 5’ of growth, increase the individual’s attack, damage, and HD (if any) by 1. Now that should be hard to top!
6-8. No Side-Effect: The spell works normally.
9. Chow Time! You can’t cast magic on an empty stomach. As such, the spell gains a 50% bonus to its effect, range, or duration. Afterwards, the cleric must of course eat all the food he finds for the next 2d3 rounds.
10. Alone in the Woods... Even a frontiersman has to express himself. The spell can gain a 50% boost to its effect, range, or duration, but only if the cleric sings a hearty song for the next turn that he’s outdoors, evoking the little lumberjack inside of him or even his secret enjoyment of less-than-manly garb and shopping. Consequently, such singing will increase the chance of having a random encounter three-fold, along with likely embarrassment.
11. Timber!!! The spell’s effect, range, or duration is doubled, but only if the cleric has felled a tree that day or chops down one soon after the casting.
12. A Tall Tale Indeed: The spell works for twice its normal effect, range, or duration, as well as it not being expended that day. In addition, if it causes something dramatic- making a target larger, more numerous, or otherwise obviously bending the laws of reality- then the cleric gains a +1 bonus to all his rolls for the next hour, not to mention +6 for all rolls related to chopping down trees!
DCC RPG Conversion notes:
Can turn= Unholy creatures
Constitution= Stamina
Spell not expended that day= spell gains a +2 to its spell check
Additional notes:
With some modifications, a similar format can be used to create clerics of Herakles, Cú Chulainn, and other demigods. Of course, Paul Bunyan’s references to lumberjacking need to be replaced with some other manly aspect.
Next week: clerics of Paul Bunyan, Part II!
