PDA

View Full Version : [GIFT] The Gift of the End



The Demented One
2006-12-09, 05:10 PM
Throughout the course of history, mortal affairs have been shaped by four fundamental forces, four entities that would bring down all of civilization: War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death. These four forces, often personified as Horsemen, are, for the most part, abstract concepts - no god or demon has total domain over any of the four, despite what some may claim. However, at some crucial points in history, the end of the world becomes imminent, the fate of civilization cast into uncertainty. At these times, it is almost inevitable that four creatures, spread throughout the world find themself endowed with an apocalyptic gift, becoming a living avatar of one of the four forces of the end. The deliverance of these gifts is always cause for despair, and fortells great destruction in the future, for as soon as the gifts are received, their receivers immediately set out to lay waste to the world.

The Demented One
2006-12-09, 05:11 PM
War-Gifted

Those given the gift of War are fated to lead great armies in battle, to slay great foes, and to strike down all peace in the world. Many gifted with it do not desire, or even see, the apocalypse that they bring, but pure as their motives may be, they wield the blade that will kill the world. They wield a great and terrible power, and wherever they go, war and discord prevail.

The War-Gifted gains a number of unique abilities. These are not defined strictly mechanical - they are given broad, general descriptions, and the exact effects are left to the DM to adjudicate.

The chief ability of the War-Gifted is his ability to inspire conflict. The mere presence of a War-Gifted has a subtle effect on the humanoid psyche for miles around, making it far more likely to see violence as the only solution. Simply put, the sheer presence of a War-Gifted inspires bloody, violent wars that cannot be ended while he still loves.

Weaponry is something the War-Gifted will never want for. The War-Gifted can create in armament he should desire, from a magic sword to a catapult, from sheer willpower. The War-Gifted cannot simply distribute these weapons like gifts, however - unless he puts some degree of personal attention to them, they dissipate back into thin air. However, a War-Gifted entering combat will always be armed and armored with the weapons most useful for the situation.

An individual War-Gifted also gains some measure of destructive power, the specifics differing from one to another. Firestorms, acid rain, earthquakes, mass disintegration - anything the War-Gifted can imagine is possible.

All War-Gifted have an army. The exact nature of the army can vary greatly - noble but deluded paladins, shambling zombies, mindless constructs, it matters not.What matters is that the army is completely loyal to the War-Gifted, and the power of the army should correspond to the number and difficulty of encounters the army is needed to provide to the PC's.

A War-Gifted also gains certain statistical benefits. Like all Horsemen, they receive maximum hit points for every HD. They have a base attack bonus equal to their HD, and are proficient with all weapons and armor. They receive a +6 racial bonus to Strength, Dexterity, Constituion, and Charisma. A War-Gifted receives a number of Fighter bonus feats deemed appropriate by the DM - generally around one for every two HD/

The Demented One
2006-12-09, 05:12 PM
Famine-Gifted

Of all the apocalyptic gifts, that of Famine may be the heaviest burden. Those gifted with it find themselves cursed with an insatiable hunger that they can never satisfy. Food, life, souls - none can fill the void of Famine. Thus, though not all gifted with it are truly evil, few have claimed the gift of Famine and retained their sanity. Where a bearer of Famine's gift walks, crops wither, livestock die, and men curse their fates.

Famine-Gifted have loosely defined abilities, whose exact effects are left up to the DM to adjudicate. No mechanics are provided, and the abilities should be used as the DM sees fit.

A Famine-Gifted causes, of course, famine. Crops do not grow, cattle waste away, the seas are filled with dead fish - whatever food is grown or cultivated, the presence of the Famine-Gifted is inimical to it. Even magical attempts at creating or growing food fail. As a side effect, dust storms are very common in the areas around a Famine-Gifted, with all that implies. Should a Famine-Gifted spend a long amount of time in a particular area, it may begin transforming into a desert over time.

A Famine-Gifted gains a bite attack, and can devour anything it is faced with. Exactly how or what it feeds on may vary from horsemen to horsemen. A Famine-Gifted's bite can cause permanent hit point loss, ability drain, negative levels, or even more abstract effects. When a Famine-Gifted devours something, it will generally somehow gain something from it - ability bonuses, temporary hp, even experience points.

A Famine-Gifted burns with a mad hunger. This allows them to do things normally deemed impossible. There senses are magnified, they can easily scale great heights, fight off any fear or pain. In short, their bodies and minds are reverted to a more animalistic state, a fearsome, gruesome gift.

A Famine-Gifted also gains certain statistical benefits. Like all Horsemen, they receive maximum hit points for every HD. They have a base attack bonus equal to their HD, and gain a bite attack, which has an enhancement bonus equal to one-quarter the Famine-Gifted's HD. They receive a +6 racial bonus to Strength, Dexterity, Constituion, and Wisdom. A Pestilence-Gifted gains darkvision, scent, low-light vision, and possibly other sensory abilities.

The Demented One
2006-12-09, 05:12 PM
Pestilence-Gifted

The gift of Pestilence is a foul one, a heavy onus that eats away at its bearer's flesh even as it bestows the power of plague upon him. Those gifted with it are lords of filth and foulness, surrounded by vermin and the diseased. Unlike the other gift-bearers, those tasked with Pestilence are, for the most part, passive, with no control over their power. War fights, Famine devours, and Death kills, but those marked by Pestilence are often little more than unwitting plaguebearers.

The Demented One
2006-12-09, 06:32 PM
Death-Gifted

Death's gift is a dire power, and it is the Pale Horsemen that reigns chief amongst the four. He who is gifted with Death is, for the most part, neither cruel nor evil - but he brings death to thousands. The bearer of Death, unlike his fellows, is truly immortal - there is no weapon nor spell that can trump Death itself. However, should the other Horsemen be slain, and the chance at apocalypse ruined, the gift of Death will be withdrawn from its bearer, along with his life.

The Demented One
2006-12-09, 06:32 PM
Sample Campaign Seeds

The Prisoner
Ages ago, before the birth of mankind, the forces of the heavens bound a fiendish being of unspeakable power within a tomb of stone, which they let fall deep into the earth, plummeting down like a fiery fist. Seven gods of pure nobility had sacrificed themselves in order to create a powerful binding ward upon the prison, which would contain the daemonic demiurge trapped within, slowly draining it of its power. In time, a great city came to be built atop where the prison had been buried. Over the years, the fiend's strength has been worn down to a fragment of what it once was - within the span of a year, the spark of its black soul will go out forevermore. However, just as the fiend's strength has worn down, so too has the integrity of the ward, which has been slowly eroded by the collected evils of the city above it. Should some great evil - a vicious war, a dire famine, a foul pestilence - befall the metropolis above the prison, the ward may fail altogether, releasing a prisoner who still has the strength to destroy the world. At this moment, when the world itself may fall, the four apocalyptic gifts have been dealt, their bearers bringing about the release of the vile prisoner.

A skilled seer and metaphysicist has managed to divine the presence of the coming apocalypse. He does not know its exact cause, but he has discerned that it will come at the city, and has been able to formulate fragmentary identifications of the horsemen. He has sought out the adventurers to inform them of the imminent doom, with the hope that they might be able to foil the horsemen's plans until the fiend's life is worn out.

Lady Carmela d'Palatine, a War-Gifted Human Fighter 6/Paladin 4 is the bearer of the gift of War. Despite her gift, she intends to forestall the release of the prisoner. She has formed a noble army of brave soldiers and true paladins, and brought it to bear in defense of the city-prison, guided to do so by dreams she has interpreted as divine guidance. What she does not though is that her very presence brings war, summoning a host of enemies to her. She believes the gift of War is a divine boon from her god, and would give no credence to any who accuse her of bringing about the end. Should she remain in the city, she will doubtlessly bring about its fall.

The thief known only as Black Fate, a Famine-Gifted Elf Rogue 5/Assassin 5, bears the gift of Famine. Though for most of her life, he has wanted only for gold and women, but with his gift, he has acquired a taste for blood. He has felt drawn to the city-prison, but has resisted the urge, as he does not listen to strange voices as a matter of general principle, though he is slowly relenting to their demands. For th most part, he has stalked the principalities outlying the city, attacking innocents and rending their flesh with his teeth. He has taken care to leave all his victims alive, out of sadistic desire to leave them maimed and mutilated. He has not even noticed that wherever he goes, the people are thin and weary, the fields full of refuse and dust - and as his path of hunger slowly draws him nearer and nearer to the city, so do its people begin to feel the pangs of hunger.

Chloros Wolfblood, a Pestilence-Gifted Goblin Druid 7/Ranger 3, has received the gift of Pestilence, though he has no desire for it. He has seen the whole of his tribe die of disease, along with the wilderness he has revered for his whole life. He has some sense that he bears a responsibility for the plague, but has not yet realized that he is one of the Horsemen. Instead, he has convinced himself that it is the people of the nearby city-prison who have somehow brought about this disease. He currently resides in a plague-blighted wilderness, meditating on his plight, but more and more he becomes convinced that he should go to the city, and avenge his tribe and wilderness. Should he do so, it would spell the birth of the direst of plagues, and the death of thousands.

The mage Israfel, a Death-Marked Human Wizard 7/Loremaster 3, bears the gift of Death. He was the first of the Horsemen to realize his gift, and the only who has found a way to restrict his deadly powers, by means of a potent amulet he has constructed. As the head of the Wizard's College within the city-prison, he most likely knows more than anyone about the oncoming apocalypse. However, he has remained inactive, allowing events to fall where they may. The truth is that Israfel has lost all love and life, and every day wishes to release the bounds upon his power, and loose death upon the city. Should his fellow Horsemen come together in the city, it will be all that is needed to convince him to let Death roam free.

The Call of Apocalypse

The Far Realms, the weird realm born of madness, has for untold eons laid on the borders of the multiverse, isolated from all else. However, it is not unknown for some madness to emanate from the Far Realms like a vast tentacle, bringing madness to some distant world. Now, such an emanation seeks to intrude upon the Material Plane, bringing the mad horrors of the Far Planes to the world. This force has found itself rebuffed, driven back by the collective sanities of all living things, which has hitherto been an impassable barrier. But should something bring a great madness to the world, this barrier would falter, and the forces of the Far Realms would have free reign of the world. And thus, four foul spawn of madness have found themselves endowed with the four gifts, and seek to open the world to the gaping maw of madness.

The coming of the Horsemen has precipitated a brood of nightmares, which plague those sensitive to the realms of madness. A group of adventurers have been drawn together by the nightmares they share, and seek to slay the four monstrous Horsemen of the Apocalypse before they can complete their work.

Gyran, a War-Gifted Chuul Barbarian 3, has received the gift of War. Unseen to the eyes of man, it has created an epic war beneath the seas, turning the three great aquatic societies - those of the Sea Elves, the Sahuagin, and the Locathah - against each other. Within a brief span of time, Gyran's claw will have crushed all three of the civilizations, bringing madness to the seas. Already it lusts to venture to the surface, where there are so many more fools who it can lead to their death.

The foul mind flayer Pangloss, a Famine-Gifted Illithid Telepath 2, has received the gift of Famine. His powers over the mind have allowed him to insinuate himself into human society, where he masks himself as a philosopher and metaphysicist. Before receiving his apocalyptic gift, he made his living by corresponding with the best and brightest minds of society, luring them to him so he might eat their brains. But now, the hunger imparted on him cannot be sated by such means. He has begun seeking ways to find masses of people who he can feast on, and has begun working on a way to telepathically draw such a herd to him.

Rahu Olarion, a Pestilence-Gifted Lepidus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10431), has received the gift of Pestilence. A twisted mass of sickening flesh and diseased blood, he has roamed throughout his world at the behest of Count Alexander, his master and the Horseman of Death. Rahu has little will of his own, and all but mindlessly obeys the commands of Alexander. However, he often resists Alexander's commands to return when they cut short his chances to spread his beloved plague.

Count Alexander de Saint Germain, a Human Cleric 10, has received the gift of Death. For all his life, he has worshipped the aberrant forces that lurk at the edge of sanity, and with the coming of the Far Realms, he has found himself rewarded. Assisted by a host of aberrations, who serve him as loyal allies, he has created for himself a small, isolated domain, from which he plans to begin the next phase of his operations. He seeks to draw all four Horsemen together in one place, so that they may organize their final attack on the world of man.

Savage Dawn

Civilization arose only because mankind was able to triumph against the predators of the wild, the wolves and tigers that still haunt their dreams. Were it not for hot fire and sharp spears, such beasts might still rule the world today. But now, the strength of man has waned. He has let his spears go untended, and his fire burn out. Four beast have been gifted with the strength to kill this crippled civilization, to gut it like the fallen prey it is. Should the beasts triumph, there will be no man left to rebuild civilization.

Fenris, a War-Touched Advanced Winter Wolf with 21 HD, has received the gift of War. A huge beast, he runs unbound by any fetter along with his pack, savagely ripping apart the world. Already many kingdoms to the north have fallen beneath him, the bones of their inhabitants lying beneath an eternal snow. Only the sun's intensity has kept Fenris from the southern lands. However, winter is coming - and once the snow has fallen, there will be nothing between the wolf and his prey.

Behemoth, a Famine-Touched Advanced Bulette with 18 HD, has received the gift of Famine. He swims beneath the earth like a great shark, withering crops and devouring lives wherever he swims. An encircling range of mountains marks the bounds of his territory, which he has been content to remain within. However, if any report can be trusted, great gashes have been found in the roots of those mountains - it may not be long before the landshark escapes to find more prey.

Leviathan, a Pestilence-Touched Fiendish Advanced Huge Shark with 22 HD, has received the gift of Pestilence. The seas belong to this massive beast, and he has filled the world's water with blood and plague. Of late, however, little has been seen of the great beast, giving rise to the speculation that he may have met his match - or perhaps, that he has dived deep into the seas, seeking perhaps to corrupt the very heart of the world.

Ziz, a Death-Touched Advanced Hippogriff with 25 HD, has received the gift of Death. Though at first she relished her newfound power, carving great swathes of death throughout the world, she has recently realized the atrocities she has committed. If rumor is to be trusted, she has retreated to the highest mountaintop she can find, hoping that none will further suffer from her deadly power - but even if she has, she has failed, for the power of death still weighs heavily in the world.

Bearofbadnews
2006-12-23, 07:28 PM
Fantastic plot hooks!
Are you planning on giving the Horsemen Templatish stuff? Or some sort of "crunchy" notes? The descriptions are great, and if you are leaving at that, this is still a great set of plot hooks.

The Demented One
2006-12-24, 02:16 PM
Fantastic plot hooks!
Are you planning on giving the Horsemen Templatish stuff? Or some sort of "crunchy" notes? The descriptions are great, and if you are leaving at that, this is still a great set of plot hooks.
It's going to be more of a fast-and-loose approach, general descriptions of abilities with specific instances being adjudicated by each DM.

Bearofbadnews
2006-12-27, 05:33 AM
War-Gifted

Simply put, the sheer presence of a War-Gifted inspires bloody, violent wars that cannot be ended while he still loves.

Weaponry is something the War-Gifted will never want for. The War-Gifted can create in armament he should desire, from a magic sword to a catapult, from sheer willpower.


Famine-Gifted


Exactly how or what it feeds on may vary from horsemen to horsemen.

Just a few possible typos.

I do like the ability descriptions. It might be nice to see at least one fleshed out example of a horseman though...

The Demented One
2006-12-27, 05:34 PM
Just a few possible typos.
Thanks for catching those.


I do like the ability descriptions. It might be nice to see at least one fleshed out example of a horseman though...
With any luck, I'll have time to put those up.