Forlorn Philosopher

Features

Abilities

The Roots of your Dejection? (d8)

1. Your mother alternated praise and humiliation leading to grandiose self-image and burning self-hatred.
2. You wanted to be a warrior or great leader but you can’t! Stop! THINKING! STOP THE THOUGHTS!!
3. Ambient stupidity and bright lights cause your hypersensitive mental tissues to INFLAME.
4. You could save this doomed world! If only the unwashed masses would understand your GENIUS!
5. You fell victim to the mental virus of “love,” then the object of your affection went to live in a hole.
6. You encoded your omnivalent philosophy in a single tome for safekeeping and saw it burn as you fled. All is lost.
7. Udok cultists captured your family and forced you to debate with them while they devoured your parents alive.
8. You were the Holy Chosen Realm most revered philosopher—which sank into the sea and now everyone ruthlessly mocks you.

You also begin with one of the following (d6)

1. Thorns of Comprehension: When worn, thorns pierce your flesh (d2 damage) and you Perceive All (-4DR to your next test and ignore the next two attacks to hit you as you weave aside). To regain the effect you must crown yourself anew. The damage steps up by one each time (d2 to d4 to d6 etc), until after a night’s rest.
2. Hegelian Owl: This philosophical beast is a bitter, reluctant and hypersensitive assistant—persuaded with a DR12 Presence test. After two acts of aid it regards you with mute contempt. It can fetch small items, attack enemies and find traps. By night the owl delivers understanding of what you should have done today in dreams. The Owl is too quick to hit. Claws/bite d4. Attacks are DR8.
3. Prism of Ambiguity: An external light source and a Presence DR10 test are needed to activate the prism. Its light may shine on up to two creatures healing d6 HP. For the next hour one of them lowers all test DRs by -2. If the test is failed they suffer d4 damage and their armor or a weapon is destroyed. You can use the prism twice per day.
4. Flute of Tosk: Once per combat, when a creature dies, you may play this bone flute’s Echoing Fugue. This deals an ‘echo’ of the fatal damage to a random enemy in the vicinity.
5. Sash of the Stylite: The MIND controls the body! Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so including calories and protein. Wearing this belt means you feel no hunger and only need to drink water to regain HP when resting. Wearing it for more than d4 days causes you to collapse. It takes a day to regain its power.
6. Marked by Obscurity: An ever-shifting Tablet of Ochre Obscurity is tattooed on your flesh. Roll each morning which tablet it is. The tablet can only be used once per day but automatically succeeds.