Reaching for Things You Shouldn't (Class: Wizard)

Another remix of Loch's immaculate Wonder-Worker, meant for a theoretical all-wizards game in the style of gnome comic Witch Hat Atelier.

ghst410

Mage

Start with: Traveling clothes, your Grimoire (1 Slot), three non-taboo Implements of your choice (see below), a light pocket knife. 

A - Crown, Spellcasting, +1 MD
B - Enchantment, Second Sight, +1 MD
C - Specialization, +1 MD
D - Artifice OR Gramarye, +1 MD

Crown
Like most living beings, you have a Crown, which is an invisible extension of your anima, or soul.

Unlike most living beings, your Crown extends [templates] * 10 paces around you, allowing you to cast spells onto anything that you can see within it. Spell effects that would leave your Crown falter and fail unless otherwise stated.

All spells you cast must originate within your Crown. 

Spellcasting
You can cast spells by combining a Word with up to [templates] Implements. You start with the knowledge of 2 Words, rolled randomly from the d60 list below.

Your Words are kept in your Grimoire. You can only use Words if you have a physical representation of them on your person (usually in, say, your Grimoire). Having a Word inked or branded onto your body bypasses that restriction, but marks you as a maleficar, an outlaw mage.

Words can be found in Grimoires of other spellcasters or in places where mages congregate or once congregated, but also inscribed on walls of ancient ruins or innards of powerful Monsters. When in a Libram, a place of great knowledge, you must roll randomly for the Word from its list.

It takes 2d6 days of downtime and uninterrupted access to the source of a Word to copy it into a Grimoire. A Grimoire has no practical limit on the number of Words it can contain. 

New Implements must be found in the world, or bought from artisans, which are available in most towns with a heavy mage presence.

Addendum: Magic
To cast a spell, dedicate a number of Magic Dice (MD) to it and roll them. They return on 1-3 and expend on 4-6, as usual, and are replenished at the start of each day after a night's sleep.

A given spell has [sum] points of power - dealing [sum] damage, reducing [sum] damage, etc.

Things beyond just damage allow creatures with the same or more HD than you to save. 

If you roll doubles when casting a spell, a Mishap occurs. Consult the following table, using the [value] shown on the doubles to determine the specific Mishap:

1. Fizzle - The spell fizzles out in a harmless, but messy and noticeable burst of [word].
2. Scatter - The spell affects a different target from the intended one, chosen at random.
3. Mangle - [word] is twisted into a different, related Word that weakens the intended effect.
4. Backfire - The spell works as intended, but you take [dice]d4 damage as [word] lashes back at you.
5. Overflow - Immediately add another MD to the spell, potentially causing additional Mishaps or Catastrophes. If you have no MD left to add, take 1d6 damage instead.
6. Reversal - The spell produces the opposite of its intended effect, and [word] is replaced with the appropriate opposite Word if possible. 

Kamome Shirahama

If you roll triples, the spell causes a Catastrophe in addition to any intended effects as its magic grows too wild to control. In that case, you must choose how the Catastrophe manifests:

• Transformation - Suffer [value] cosmetic changes themed around [word], with every third total change also granting a [word]-related ability. Reaching 10 total changes results in your body being fully consumed by magic as you permanently transform into a Monster.
• Desolation - Afflict an area within [value] bowshots around you with [word]. The effect is always disruptive (if not outright harmful) and long-lasting (if not permanent), creating a notable local landmark.
• Incarnation - Embody the magic into a new type of Monster of the [word] with [value] HD. Note that this creates a type of Monster and not necessarily a singular specimen, meaning that it will be permanently unleashed onto the world unless immediately taken care of.

Naturally, causing a Catastrophe marks you as a maleficar, provided it can be traced back to you.

Enchantment
Instead of simply casting spells, you may now use them to enchant items.

To enchant an item, cast a spell with a Word and chosen Implements onto it like you normally would by rolling MD. Enchantment takes 1 hour per MD used.

MD used for enchanting are indefinitely invested into the item and do not return to the mage's pool until they are reclaimed by the mage at any point afterwards or the item is destroyed, ending the enchantment in either case. Spent MD remain spent upon being reclaimed.

If an enchantment must grant a numerical bonus beyond obvious utility, use [dice].

Rolls of doubles during enchanting cause an Enchantment Mishap to occur, which is determined using its own table:

1. Breakdown - The enchantment fails and the item breaks, remaining unusable until fixed.
2. Outburst - The spell cannot be contained within the item, and is resolved as if cast normally.
3. Binding - Invested MD fuse with the item and can only be reclaimed by destroying it.
4. Drift - [word] is twisted into a different, related Word that weakens the intended effect.
5. Awakening - The item gains sentience and a colorful personality befitting of [word], and may refuse to cooperate in the case of a conflict of interests.
6. Curse - The item gains a malevolent downside, utilizing [word] to hinder its user in some way.

Rolls of triples cause a Catastrophe like they would during spellcasting.

Second Sight
You gain the ability to see Crowns.

This allows you to identify fellow mages and other spellcasters and tell how powerful they are at a glance, as well as see incorporeal beings (like spirits, whose bodies and Crowns are essentially one and the same) and recognize the presence of other living creatures (for example, you could tell if someone is in a pitch black room with you, but not who it is).

Specialization
Select one Word you know and one Implement in your possession.
Spells you cast that use this Word or this Implement retain MD on rolls of 1-4.

Artifice
You can now create Implements. 

To make an Implement, you must take a mundane object and ritualistically prepare it over 3d6 days of downtime. The object becomes an Implement, gaining the appropriate effect. If there is no effect already associated with this type of object, you may suggest a new one.

You automatically gain specialization with every Implement you make.

Gramarye
Once, at any point after taking this template, you may invent a new Word.

This can be any Word from the lists below that you haven't encountered yet, or you may propose an entirely new one. In either case, you gain specialization with this Word, and may cast spells with it even if it's not present in physical form on your person.

It only takes 1d6 days for you to inscribe your Word onto a physical object. Even if you choose not to, others will be able to learn it by cutting you open and transcribing it from your internal organs.

pseudokap

Words

A Grimoire taken from another mage will usually contain 1d3 Words. A Libram can offer the knowledge of 4-8 Words, often vaguely linked by a common theme.

1d60 Words:

1. Slime
2. Ice
3. Vermin
4. Paper
5. Courage
6. Crystal
7. Silk
8. Confusion
9. Rain
10. Invisibility
11. Rope
12. Fish
13. Fungus
14. Mending
15. Smoke
16. Song
17. Healing
18. Light
19. Water
20. Wax
21. Silence
22. Clouds
23. Acid
24. Fire
25. Wood
26. Soil
27. Gold
28. Web
29. Gravity
30. Sand
31. Embers
32. Steam
33. Snow
34. Heat
35. Oil
36. Iron
37. Birds
38. Ash
39. Plants
40. Awe
41. Whisper
42. Echo
43. Dream
44. Waves
45. Stone
46. Frost
47. Silver
48. Joy
49. Lightning
50. Livestock
51. Mist
52. Growth
53. Mud
54. Calm
55. Wind
56. Mechanism
57. Roar
58. Shadow
59. Flowers
60. Clay

This is not an exhaustive list, and many other Words can be found in the world.

1d20 Taboo Words:

1. Flesh
2. Hunger
3. Ruin
4. Phantasms
5. Charm
6. Chaos
7. Disease
8. Memory
9. Pain
10. Fatigue
11. Poison
12. Fear
13. Sorrow
14. Beholding
15. Ghosts
16. Decay
17. Bone
18. Void
19. Rage
20. Blood

Casting spells that utilize taboo Words, as well as their mere presence within one's Grimoire, marks the person in question as a maleficar.

Conner Fawcett

Implements

Implements take up 1 Inventory Slot unless otherwise stated.

1d20 Implements with Direct Effects:

1. Wand - Create or conjure [word] at a distance.
2. Rod - Make a strike charged with [word].
3. Staff - Fire a cone-shaped blast of [word]. 2 slots.
4. Sword - Cut through [word]. 2 slots.
5. Orb - Get a vision of nearby [word], or something in nearby [word].
6. Censer - Affect all in your Crown with [word]. 
7. Horn - Drive out all [word] from your Crown. 
8. Jar - Draw in [word], sealing it within. Contains 1 thing at a time.
9. Hammer - Break [word] with a strike.
10. Veil - Become invisible to creatures of [word], and [word] itself. 
11. Lantern - See through [word] in your Crown.
12. Mask - Speak and ask questions of [word] for a time.
13. Alembic - With an hour’s work, distill a Potion of [word]. 2 slots.
14. Spindle - With a touch, mend something with [word], or [word] itself.
15. Fan - Move [word] within your Crown. 
16. Chain - Contain or immobilize [word], holding it in place. 
17. Key - Create a path through [word], allowing for harmless passage.
18. Bell - Animate [word] or a construct of [word] to obey simple commands.
19. Scissors - Separate [word] from something, or something from [word].
20. Chalk - Summon a spirit of [word]. Consumable, has 6 uses.

Consumable implements vanish upon use, necessitating finding or buying more.

1d20 Implements with Modifying Effects:

1. Antique Pentacles - Spend 1-to-1 to increase [sum]. Consumable. Start with 10.
2. Linen Tunic - Increase [sum] by 3 as long as your bare skin is in direct contact with the earth.
3. Spark-split Branch - Affect up to [dice] extra targets, but reduce [sum] by the number of targets.
4. Gearwork Dial - Delay an effect for up to [sum] minutes, setting a condition upon which it triggers. You don’t need to be conscious for it to trigger. If the time passes without it triggering, the effect simply doesn’t occur.
5. Bullhide Belt - While the belt is buckled, the [sum] of spells affecting you is lowered by 3.
6. Furled Bloom - Spells overspill to things near them. Consumable. Start with 6.
7. Silvered Mirror - The next spell that affects you is deflected back at its source. Consumable, has 2 uses: cracks on first use, then shatters into pieces.
8. Cricket Brooch - Increase [sum] by 1 for each day spent without sleep.
9. Albatross Feather - Replace [word] in this spell with gale. Consumable. Start with 6.
10. Flint Arrowhead - Imbue the spell into a projectile, like an arrow or a slingstone, that you must immediately fire. The spell is cast on impact. Consumable. Start with 6.
11. Communion Chalice - You may add your MD to spells of those who drank from this chalice, as long as you're within each other's Crowns. You both suffer Mishaps and Catastrophes.
12. Beeswax Candle - When lit, anything illuminated by the candlelight is considered to be inside your Crown. Consumable. Start with 3.
13. Hush Scarf - While wearing this, your spells are no louder than a whisper, and people in your Crown must save to realize that their effects originate from you.
14. Twin Rings - As long as you wear one, its twin produces a [templates] pace wide "bubble" of your Crown around itself. If the twin ring is worn by another, you share each other's Crowns.
15. Thrumming Diapason - The spell's effect repeats [dice] rounds in a row. 2 slots.
16. Horn Cane - Allows you to affect horned animals you can see, even if they’re not in your Crown.
17. Sun Medallion - Increase [sum] by 2 when in direct sunlight. Moonlight and starlight versions also exist.
18. Scrivener's Ink - Spend 10 minutes to inscribe a sigil on a surface as you cast the spell. The spell takes effect when the sigil is touched, even outside your Crown. MD used to cast the spell remain invested until the sigil is activated. Consumable, has 3 uses.
19. Beast Familiar - A loyal animal companion. Has its own Crown of 5 paces around it, which counts as yours as long as the familiar trusts you. Any 1 HD animal can be a familiar.
20. Enchanting Salts - Used to substitute MD during enchantment, allowing to enchant items permanently without investing own MD. Consumable, required quantity scales with MD used for enchanting: a 1-slot lockbox (1 MD), a barrel (2 MD), a cart (3 MD), a ship's hold (4 MD).

As with Words, the Implements list is not exhaustive, and others may exist.

1d12 Taboo Implements:

1. Bone Dagger - Cut yourself with this dagger, adding damage you take to [sum].
2. Mage Femur - Add 4 to [sum] if harming another spellcaster. 2 slots.
3. Leaden Coils - Reduce your Crown to [template] paces as long as you wear them, making it invisible to those who can see Crowns.
4. Patchwork Poppet - The body of the last person whose blood was spilled on it is considered to be inside your Crown, at any distance.
5. Bronze Needles - Snap one in half to allow your spells to affect the inside of living creatures. Consumable. Start with 6.
6. Black Powder - Causes [word] to violently explode. Consumable. Start with 6.
7. Dried Tongue - When you see another mage use a Word, you can mangle that Word into a related one. Consumable, has 6 uses, then burns to ash.
8. Onyx Tablet - Infuse a corpse with [word], giving it motion and a strange power. You command the resulting shamblers. 2 slots.
9. Horvat's Nails - Your Crown also originates from any body, living or dead, that has 3 or more of these nails in it. You start with 8.
10. Funerary Brazier - Replace [word] in this spell with ghostflame. Ghostflame is pale in color and burns things without sound, light, smoke, or heat. 2 slots.
11. Cracked Hourglass - Spend years off your life 1-to-1 to increase [sum], growing visibly older.
12. Ritual Paint - Transform yourself or another into [word] or a creature of [word] for a time. Consumable, has 6 uses.

Needless to say, possession of taboo Implements marks the owner as a maleficar.

Heikala

Addendum: Mage Robes
Mage robes are comprised of a set of well-made robes decorated with charms, talismans, and esoteric patterns, commonly accompanied by a traditional pointy hat. A mage who dons them at the start of the day gains an extra MD that lasts until they are removed, usually before going to sleep.

In addition to their spellcasting utility, mage robes also serve as uniform and status symbol both, making their wearer appear unmistakably as a mage, with onlookers reacting accordingly.

Addendum: Maleficars
Mages who engage in dangerous magic and forbidden practices are called maleficars, and are considered outlaws of the highest order. Identification, apprehension, and prosecution of suspected maleficars falls under the purview of Wardens of the Sovereign Curia of Conduct and Rectification.

Maleficence is punished by Abdicatio, or Un-Crowning - the removal of all magical ability.

 

***  

This class is meant to be less setting-specific and more setting-defining, hence the number of additions compared to the original. By extrapolating its features, it should be easy enough to get a world where:

• All magic is defined through Words.
• All magical items are made using the enchantment process outlined above.
• Dungeons and other adventure-worthy sites have come to exist as a result of past Catastrophes...
• ...and so have all monsters, whether made by wizards or from wizards.

In short, think of a world where "a wizard did it" is the expected explanation for everything.

 

GLOGllow Knight: The Whole-Ass Game, kinda

Do you remember when I said that I'm gonna elaborate more on the advancement and gameplay loop of my Hollow Knight GLOGhack? Unfortunately, I DID disappear into the Silksong mines.

Then I ran a couple of playtests for my hack, got it to version 0.3, whatever that means, and ultimately ended up not being as satisfied as I'd like to be with it, so I decided to let it rest for a couple of months.

...until Hilander decided to host the Micro Manual Jam.

This seemed like a fun enough challenge, and I did happen to have a WiP hack and some layout experience under my belt, so I figured why not?

After roughly three weeks of work, I present:

Click on the image to open the itch.io page

However, this is very much NOT the system I wanted to make originally, as many things ended up being cut from my drafts to fit the jam format (which was a good and enlightening exercise that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone). 

For example:

• Paths, aka Class/Template equivalents? Gone.
• Traits (as well as Spells and Weapon Arts)? Simplified to only take a couple of lines each.
• Combat? Drastically streamlined, no more dedicated lists of minor and major actions to perform.
• Exploration procedures? Camp actions? Death rules? Massively simplified or removed outright.
• GM resources? Mostly added, actually, cobbled together from the tools I actively use to prep my games, although I did have to streamline some of them still. 

Even after all of those manipulations, the resulting game ended up being similar to something like Mausritter in complexity. I might return to the game later and re-add some things for an experience that's closer to what I originally imagined, or I might not, we'll see.

Is the game good? Go check it out for yourself, it's free, god forbid I begin contributing to the commodification of the hobby.

Also, the whole thing was made in Google Docs because I'm a freak. As a word of caution, please be more reasonable when making your pretty PDFs and actually learn some proper software, don't do what I did.

The Beast of Brynmor Farm

Made using the Monster-Making d666 by Louis Garamondia and Loch Nothic's Eye.

***

Brynmor Farm is located at the center of a hex of farmland. Surrounded by acres of untended wheat fields, the farm is the only notable feature in the hex.

As long as it lives, replace all encounters within the hex with The Worg.

Samantha Mash

The Worg is a horrible, horse-sized wolf with shaggy dark fur and teeth too big for its mouth. It stalks the fields, hiding in the wheat, looking for an opportunity to ambush all who dare to trespass.

Right before the ambush, the beast will hurl curses at its victims in a human voice. 

Three days before the party enters the hex for the first time, it snuck onto the farm and killed everyone in it, tearing most of them apart with its claws and devouring the rest. The beast turned the ruined farmhouse into its lair, and will retreat there after prowling the fields.

Most of the farmhouse's walls are broken, bashed in as if by a stampeding bull. Furniture is overturned and splintered, the floors are covered in straw mixed with dirt and blood. The torn body of old man Brynmor is splayed next to the fireplace, still clutching a bloodied scythe.  

The remaining animals, consisting mostly of chickens, pigs, and a small herd of cows, are scattered around the farm, hiding in dilapidated barns and sheds in terror. The Worg is aware of where they are, but tries to pace its hunger, as it does not know how much longer it will have to stay on the farm.

***

The Queen of Fangs rules from a small and ancient keep deep in the woods. Once known as the Wolf-Mother, she is a powerful presence, as old as the forest itself, if not older. All wolves (or at least, the more reasonable ones) swear fealty to her, but none serve her more loyally than her Fanged Knights.

Any man bold enough to seek out the Queen earns the right to stand audience before her. If he passes the trials and proves his worth, the Queen grants him a singular offer to join the ranks of the Fanged Knights. If he agrees to the pact, he stays in the keep, never returning to civilization and his old life ever again.

Then, the new knight is granted a wolf's pelt by the Queen herself, and is bound to it, free to exist as both man and beast, but never fully either, forevermore.

However, there is a cost to be paid. Upon joining, the Fanged Knight forswears all material possessions except those granted by his order. To bind this vow beyond the knight's will, the Queen's pact ensures that all gold becomes anathema to her knights, burning their skin in excruciating pain on the slightest contact.

Moreover, the knights are forbidden from ever consuming flesh both human and canine, as doing so means turning one's fangs against kin. No other transgression or act of treachery will bring as much of the Queen's ire as this.

All of the above are common knowledge to anyone who has heard of the Queen of Fangs.

***

Dafydd was once a Fanged Knight, but fell victim to a dark hunger and consumed the flesh of his kin. As punishment, the Queen of Fangs cursed him to become one with his pelt, a creature stuck between man and beast, but lower than either.

Once banished, Dafydd grew to enjoy his new form, in a way. No longer bound by arbitrary laws of civilization or his old order, the cursed knight fully gave into his unsavory instincts. Now known as The Worg, Dafydd spends his existence maiming, torturing, and killing all unlucky enough to encounter him not for sustenance, but for sport.

Despite his current appearance, Dafydd is still perfectly capable of speech, and will put this ability to great use by taunting his opponents with a constant stream of curses and vulgarities. He does it for no reason other than to derive a twisted sense of pleasure from the process.

 

babezord

THE WORG, Cursed Knight Dafydd
HD 6 AC chain Move 2x normal
Attacks 1d10/1d10 claws OR 2d6 bite + devour (see below) Morale 10
Intelligence wicked cunning, unraveling at the edges Disposition horrible bastard

• Pact-bound - Dafydd's pact with the Queen of Fangs still holds sway over him. Gold in all forms burns him like molten metal, and golden weapons deal double damage (preferably actual weapons, but improvised ones like a golden candelabra or gold coins stuffed into a sock will do in a pinch).
• Devour - The target hit by The Worg's bite attack must save or be swallowed whole, taking 1d4 acid damage per round. The Worg must take 8+ damage in a single instance to be forced to spit out what it swallowed.
• Regurgitate - Instead of making an attack, The Worg may vomit out the corpse of a random creature it previously devoured, which then reanimates and joins the fight. By the time the party encounters the beast, it has already eaten three farmhands, two pigs, and a single guard dog.

Inside the beast's gullet is a gloved hand of a nun clutching a golden holy symbol. The sharper edge of the symbol is tightly embedded into the flesh, and it's slowly working its way deeper. 

In a month, it will pierce the monster's heart and kill it. The Worg is vaguely aware of this impending doom, and will grow more reckless and violent as the day approaches.

If killed, the beast may be skinned for its pelt, which grants its wearer the ability to shapeshift into a 4 HD dire wolf once per day. This is a rare opportunity to obtain such a pelt without invoking the wrath of the Queen of Fangs or joining the ranks of the Fanged Knights.

Alternatively, the pelt may be brought back to the Queen. She will offer no material reward for it, but instead will grant a single favor from her and her knights.

After skinning, all that remains of The Worg is a beaten, haggard corpse of a man.

*** 

d666 Results:
FORM - WOLF
DANGER - BEING EATEN 
MIEN - REPUGNANT
HABITAT - FARM CROPS
DRIVE - TERMS OF CONTRACT
WEAKNESS - GOLD

Philosophical Metals

Igor Ivanov

Mors

Under certain rare conditions, mundane metal will rot and putrefy as flesh does. Mors (also known as Morzt, or Corpsemetal) is the end product of this process.

It resembles aged, heavily corroded iron, encrusted in layers of characteristic black rust. Mors does not exist in raw form, nor can it be produced deliberately. It can only be found: in weapons and armor buried under ancient battlefields, or stashed in crypts and tombs together with other grave goods.

Mors exists on both sides of the veil between the dead and the living, and incorporeal undead like ghosts and shades interact with it as if they were corporeal. This means that they may wield items made of it freely, but also may be restricted by them, like being wrapped in chains or put in shackles made of mors.

This also allows mors weapons to damage incorporeal undead and other creatures that belong to the Underworld. On the other side of the veil, a wound dealt by a morsblade to the living will never heal naturally (track how much HP damage is caused by mors weapons), and can only be healed through magical means.

Corpsemetal armor suppresses the subtle signs of life by which the wearer may be perceived: the sound of breathing, the rhythm of a heartbeat, the warmth of the body itself. Mindless undead will recognize the wearer as one of their own, and even the thinking ones could potentially be fooled by such a disguise. Naturally, most would assume someone wearing armor made of mors to be a graverobber, and treat them accordingly.

While it is not impossible to work mors into different shapes, attempts at refining and otherwise repairing items made of mors reduce them into uselessness. Instead, mors is reinforced by further deterioration, as the buildup of rust itself mends the cracks and notches in the metal, twisting its appearance even further. As folklore goes, the easiest way to repair something made of mors is to throw it to the bottom of a deep well or bury it in graveyard soil for a month and a day.

Rust monsters despise mors and will never interact with it willingly. To them, mors is poison.

With proper reagents, a master blacksmith or alchemist may attempt to purify mors. If all preparations are right, most of the metal will crumble into black dust, revealing the pale white core underneath. This is how albin is made.

Aleksander Rostov

Albin 

Albin is the purest of all metals. Also known as Truesilver (for surpassing mundane silver in all its qualities), and often mistakenly called Alabaster, it lacks the expected metallic sheen of its less pure siblings, more resembling white, slightly transparent ceramic.

Albin never rusts, and never tarnishes. Being synonymous with purity, it has the unusual property of staving off decay and bestowing that same purity onto anything it comes in contact with, although prolonged contact is often required for the effect to take place. 

If filled with stagnant water, an albin flask will purify its contents and make them safe to drink in about an hour, but most instead choose to put a (much cheaper) small albin tablet into a flask, which achieves a similar result over the course of eight hours. Similarly, albin kitchenware could be used to neutralize poison, akin to a unicorn horn carved into a goblet, although taking effect nowhere near as fast.

Weapons made of albin can hurt anything a silver weapon could, and it is impossible to fumble with one, even if wielded by inexperienced hands. Wounds left by albin never fester: they are always sterile and heal exceedingly quickly, making an albin scalpel any surgeon's prized possession.

Gleaming porcelain-like plates of albin armor are a mark of exceeding wealth, never showing signs of wear or needing to be polished. Although it does not offer more protection than mundane armor, it has the side-effect of making any toxin or disease plaguing the wearer run its course twice as fast.

Under the right circumstances and the careful direction of a master astronomer or glassmaker, albin may be exposed to concentrated sunlight, awakening its own inner radiance and transforming into xanth.

 

GOJUKU

Xanth

The glow of luminous Xanth, also known as Sunsteel, is bound to the procession of the sun. 

As the daystar reaches its zenith, so does the inner light of the metal intensify, shining as brightly as a torch. Once nightfall comes, the glow dims to the light of a candle, but never goes out entirely. This solar connection knows no bounds, and the light endures if brought deep below the earth, allowing one to unerringly track the time of day as surely as beneath the open sky. 

Partially composed of the sun's own radiance, xanth is not fully solid. Items made of it are imbued with unexpected lightness, weighing as if they were one size smaller. A sword made of xanth feels as light as a dagger, while a xanthine chainmail burdens the wearer no more than leather armor.

Functionally, the light emitted by xanth is no different from direct sunlight. Vampires and other such creatures of darkness suffer double damage from xanthine weapons, while shades and grues are destroyed outright. A blade of xanth may cut through magical darkness as if it were solid matter. 

A metal of exquisite rarity and splendor, xanth has served as the ultimate symbol of rulership and authority throughout known history, earning itself the moniker of Sovereign Gold. The provenance of most xanthine objects leads back to the great rulers and high priests of ages past, and the metal is often found incorporated into ancient relics such as scepters, crowns, and holy symbols. To own and display xanth openly is to assert your own authority, and to accept the risk such ownership carries.

A master artificer or enchanter familiar with the more forbidden aspects of their craft may attempt to fulminate xanth, a process both dangerous and volatile. When the smoke clears, only red and raw rubricum remains.

 

Ami Thompson

Rubricum 

Unceasing Rubricum never stops moving. It has no other names besides its own.

It is as much metal as it is boiling liquid trapped in place, as it is ever-expanding gas forced into a singular shape. It moves as if it were living (perhaps it is), contracting and sputtering and twisting in on itself. It is red, and raw, and looking at it is like looking into a pool of blood, and you swear you can see something moving under the surface.

If you touch it, it's warm as a living body, and you can feel the thousands of microscopic movements on its surface through your fingertips. In the presence of other living warmth, you swear you can feel it move even more.

You have a feeling it's aware of the shape it's forced in, perhaps even understanding its expected function, and it begrudgingly accepts both. Tools made of rubricum strain towards their purpose with uncanny intent: a rubricum lockpick will seek the tumblers on its own, a rubricum needle will thread itself and guide the hand of the wielder with unsettling accuracy. When the exact effect is unclear, treat it as granting Advantage to rolls related to their use. 

Even then, only in the heat of battle may rubricum truly sing.

On successful attacks, rubricum weapons roll double the damage dice and take both, adding them together. If doubles are rolled, another die of the same size is rolled and added to the total, and another if the rolled value matches the previous two, and so on and so forth. When this happens, the weapon twists outside its own forged bounds, leaping and turning as it slices and smashes and pierces through matter with ease.

Whenever an attack trying to strike someone wearing rubricum armor fumbles, the weapon shatters into pieces, persuaded by the armor's constant maddening reverberations. If the wearer is willing to let rubricum armor touch their bare flesh, the armor shall forever fuse with their body, becoming as weightless and unrestrictive as a second skin, which it might as well be.

As far as most people are concerned, rubricum doesn't exist. Even those that have heard of it treat it as nothing but a myth. There are no records, no histories, no names attached to rubricum, only hints in chicken-scratch notes in the margins of an occasional dusty tome.

Pray that rubricum never falls in the hands of a master fleshcrafter or boneturner.