Alerad
2016-10-30, 08:51 AM
I recently got a set of Shagai (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shagai), a Mogolian bone dice used for games and fortune telling, and decided to think of a way to use them in my DnD games.
These rules make ritual casting more interesting and engaging, but also nerf it! Decide between your DM and players if you want to use them or change them.
In short, Shagai has 4 bone dice, which are made of the ankle bones of sheep (wikipedia also says goats) and have 4 distinct sides on which they can land, making them very neat d4s.
The four sides are: horse (4), sheep (3), camel (2), goat (1). The numbers are in case you use d4s, the actual Shagai doesn't assign any numbers.
When you ritual cast a spell, throw the bone dice and count the faces. The spell is successful as long as you have any horses faced up. (Any number of 4s out the four d4s)
4 horses
The ritual succeeds
Complete casting in 1 minute
The spell has double duration
Recover one 5th level or lower spell slot
3 horses
The ritual succeeds
Recover one 3rd level or lower (sheep), 2nd level or lower (camel) or 1st level (goat) spell slot
2 horses
The ritual succeeds and:
2 sheep
Complete casting in 1 minute
2 camels
Double the spell duration
sheep & camel
Double the spell range and area of effect
2 goats
Backfire: the spell is successful, but you can't use it again until you take a long rest
goat & sheep
The casting takes 20 minutes to complete
goat & camel
The spell has half duration
1 horse
The ritual succeeds and:
3 sheep
Complete the ritual in 1 turn
3 camels
The spell has triple duration
Sheep & camels
The spell has triple range and area of effect
More goats
Spend 20gp of spell materials or lose the ritual
You can't use the spell until you take a long rest
More sheep
Spend 20gp of spell materials or lose the ritual
Complete casting in 1 minute
More camels
Spend 20gp of spell materials or lose the ritual
Double the spell duration
1-of-each
Roll on the Wild magic surge table
No horses
The ritual fails and:
Sheep & camels
No side effects
Any goats
Lose a spell level slot equal to the number of goats faced up or suffer 1 level of exhaustion
These rules make ritual casting more interesting and engaging, but also nerf it! Decide between your DM and players if you want to use them or change them.
In short, Shagai has 4 bone dice, which are made of the ankle bones of sheep (wikipedia also says goats) and have 4 distinct sides on which they can land, making them very neat d4s.
The four sides are: horse (4), sheep (3), camel (2), goat (1). The numbers are in case you use d4s, the actual Shagai doesn't assign any numbers.
When you ritual cast a spell, throw the bone dice and count the faces. The spell is successful as long as you have any horses faced up. (Any number of 4s out the four d4s)
4 horses
The ritual succeeds
Complete casting in 1 minute
The spell has double duration
Recover one 5th level or lower spell slot
3 horses
The ritual succeeds
Recover one 3rd level or lower (sheep), 2nd level or lower (camel) or 1st level (goat) spell slot
2 horses
The ritual succeeds and:
2 sheep
Complete casting in 1 minute
2 camels
Double the spell duration
sheep & camel
Double the spell range and area of effect
2 goats
Backfire: the spell is successful, but you can't use it again until you take a long rest
goat & sheep
The casting takes 20 minutes to complete
goat & camel
The spell has half duration
1 horse
The ritual succeeds and:
3 sheep
Complete the ritual in 1 turn
3 camels
The spell has triple duration
Sheep & camels
The spell has triple range and area of effect
More goats
Spend 20gp of spell materials or lose the ritual
You can't use the spell until you take a long rest
More sheep
Spend 20gp of spell materials or lose the ritual
Complete casting in 1 minute
More camels
Spend 20gp of spell materials or lose the ritual
Double the spell duration
1-of-each
Roll on the Wild magic surge table
No horses
The ritual fails and:
Sheep & camels
No side effects
Any goats
Lose a spell level slot equal to the number of goats faced up or suffer 1 level of exhaustion