My old blog fizzled out pretty quickly, though it did function as the seed for my podcast Camping With Owlbears which had a pretty good run during the COVID 19 pandemic. Almost 70 episodes. But that too eventually went dark in late 2021.
I was catching up on my favorite ttrpg podcast last week - Blogs on Tape by the brilliant Nick LS Wheland - when I was simultaneously introduced to and learned of the demise of the OSR blog Basic Red RPG. Nick has recorded a number of episodes lately in an attempt to preserve some of the creativity that once lived in that space and I was inspired to take another stab at participating in the OSR blog-o-sphere.
Episode 149: Basic Red Multipost: Classes, by Daniel Dean grabbed my attention in particular - specifically the Cleric of Sinistar. I don't know why these insane and probably game-breaking classes appeal to me the way they do. I'm looking at you Skerples , and you're god-damned mute paladin and those fucking sorcerors!
Like many of the best OSR blog posts the Cleric of Sinistar was more stream of conscious creativity than a presentation of a polished and play-tested concepts. I’ve come to appreciate how this sort of brainstorming in the public sphere inspires me though. It offers permission for others to gather up the threads laid out and weave something of their own ideas into the larger tapestry. It excites the imagination in a way that I think is important to the creative process. It stirs the pot and revs the engine before the hard work of making it fit within your previously defined design framework.
Compared with the Skerples classes the Cleric of Sinistar is not too outrageous, despite it being high-gonzo. I still wouldn't let just any of my group play one however. It would have to be the right kind of player. I could definitely see using a Cleric of Sinistar as the leader of an antagonistic faction.
Like a lot of OSR game masters, I find game design as interesting and enjoyable as actually play. Over the past seven years of consistent play with the same group of friends my collection of house rules turned into its own interpretation of the D&D oeuvre. It’s called GLAIVE and you can check it out if you wish.
I thought I would adapt the idea of the Cleric of Sinistar into Glaive terminology in an attempt to keep the spirit of Basic Red alive a bit longer - at least until this blog inevitably goes quiet, becomes a footnote in the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, and, eventually, is no more. Such is the way of things.
A very un-Glaive practice of level-gating some of the talents below felt neccesary. I'm okay with that. Glaive is just a generic tool-kit. Exceptions for setting specific flavore should be encouraged. A glossary of Glaive terms is provided at the end of this post*.
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| art by Sunflower 204 on DeviantArt |
CLERIC of SINISTAR
a Glaive interpretation of Daniel Dean’s original idea.
There is a whole planet who hates you, made of flesh and metal. He is hungry. He is coming. A planet with a meany face. You can only select Talents from the Cleric of Sinistar list. You have no other powers. Why would you need them?
“BEWARE!” (R0+1 zone for every two character levels you possess). A cleric may save vs WIL to inflict the fearful condition on [HL] creatures for 1d3 rounds. The creature(s) make saves and attack rolls with DISADV. Creature(s) may not willingly move closer to the source of their fear - you.
“I HUNGER!” Sinistrenes can eat anything - up to their body weight per day - like Matter-Eater Lad. Every human-sized body (or 2 goblin-sized bodies) consumed in this manner grants +100 bonus xp.
You consume your massive meal in the time it takes a regular person to consume 1 ration and it incurs the same benefits.
“WAARGH!!!”. Prerequisit: Level 2+. [HL] times per day you can scream as a free action to gain ADV on your next attack & damage roll against a creature. On a critical success you vocally explode a creature with HD ≲([L]x2). Otherwise, do double-damage.
You get no xp or treasure for exploded creatures. Sinistar Ate Your Quarters.
TRAPJAW. Prerequisit: Level 2+. Gain a bite attack that does [HL]d6 damage & counts as magical for purposes of overcoming damage resistance.
FLESH OF SINISTAR. Prerequisit: Level 3+. You now take ½ damage from non-magical attacks. You can survive in a vacuum by entering a rage-filled stasis. A furious nap, if you will.
TWELVE FACES OF FEAR. Prerequisit: Level 3+. You have 360 degree vision. You are immune to Backstab/Seak Attack and you cannot be surprised.
“FIGHT ME!”. Prerequisit: Level 4+. Gain an extra attack and a one-time +10 hp bonus.
TRANSVECTION. Prerequisit: Level 4+. You literally float a few inches off the ground. In combat only, gain a free move action. GM’s discreation regarding how/when obstacles affecting movement in a zone affect you.
Talent. Like a class feature or a feat in the vanilla game.
R. Range expressed in zones. R0 is the zone your character is standing in. R1 is any zone adjacent to that, etc.
[L]. Character level or creature hit dice (HD).
[HL]. Half-Level. 1/2 your character level, rounded up. ex. HL of a 3rd level character = (1.5 rounded up) 2.
Zone. An abstract measurement of physical space. The distance a typical character can move unempeded in 1 round of play. Actual size is fluid based on terrain difficulty and obstacles.
