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The Grisly Eye

Ric Wood's Blog

Spirits of the Forbidden Lands

Due to the unpleasant situation surrounding Wizards of the Coast and the OGL 1.1, I (like many others) am moving away from Dungeons & Dragons and 5E. And an alternative that does tick all my boxes (low powered, skill-based, well-supported, etc.) is Forbidden Lands.

Of course, I can’t help tinkering. One of my players is running a sorcerer with some specific spells they’d like to transfer over to Forbidden Lands. So, I’ve quickly hacked a new magic discipline because I’m such a good GM…

Witchcraft

Witchcraft deals with worlds unseen. Planes that exist alongside the mortal world, yet separate. A witch acts as an intermediary with the strange beings that live there: the spirits. Druids and sorcerers practice this discipline, but the types of spirits each deals with aren't the same. A druid might commune with spirits of nature, or a sorcerer might speak with the things that live in the shadows.

Spell Rank Spell Rank
Insidious Whispers 1 Dark Revelation 2
Shroud 1 Spirit Door 2
Spirit Walk 1 Portal (Player’s Guide, page 133) 3
Summon Minor Spirit 1 Summon Spirit 3
Illustration of spirits

17th Century Pamphlet depicting the ghost of the Duke of Buckingham returning to warn of a plot to poison the King.

Insidious Whispers

RANK:
1
RANGE:
Short
DURATION:
Instantaneous
INGREDIENT:
A place where you can’t be overheard

You summon unseen spirits that whisper horrifying secrets to your enemies. This spell attacks a number of targets equal to the Power Level. It inflicts 1 Wits damage on each target. Each Power Level beyond this can be used to increase this damage by 1, against 1 target. Armour does not protect against this spell. It does not affect monsters.

Shroud

RANK:
1
RANGE:
Personal
DURATION:
Quarter Day
INGREDIENT:
Large covering, such as a blanket or sheet

You cover yourself in the mien of a spirit you are familiar with, perhaps a spirit encountered during a Spirit Walk (see below). You might appear as a dead person, a dark figure or an animal. Your size, attributes and abilities cannot change.

Summon Minor Spirit

RANK:
1, RITUAL
RANGE:
Near
DURATION:
One turn (15 minutes)
INGREDIENT:
A dark place

You summon a minor spirit, an insubstantial being from another plane. It always obeys your commands and can be used to stealthily observe and report back to you. It vanishes after the spell ends, or when you dismiss it.

Spirit Walk

RANK:
1, RITUAL
RANGE:
Personal
DURATION:
Quarter Day
INGREDIENT:
Hallucinogenic substance

You enter a trance-like state, and find your disembodied spirit wandering through the liminal paths of the spirit world, leaving your physical form behind. Here you can see and speak to spirits. With a successful MANIPULATION check, you might learn something of value, such as secrets only the dead might know, or the true name of a fairy.

Dark Revelation

RANK:
2
RANGE:
Close
DURATION:
Instantaneous
INGREDIENT:
Sharp object

You cut through the veil between worlds, revealing a horrifying glimpse of what lies beyond the mortal realm. The spell inflicts damage to Wits equal to the Power Level, to all creature in range. It does not affect monsters.

Spirit Door

RANK:
2
RANGE:
Near
DURATION:
Instantaneous
INGREDIENT:
A sharp object and a place you cannot be seen

Time and distance in the spirit realm do not work by the same laws as the mortal world. With this spell, you can create a passage to another NEAR location, taking a shortcut through the spirit world. For each Power Level above 1, you can take one additional CLOSE human-sized creature along with you. You can also spend a Power Level to open a door a SHORT distance away.

Summon Spirit

RANK:
3, RITUAL
RANGE:
Near
DURATION:
One turn (15 minutes)
INGREDIENT:
A dark place

You summon a spirit from the spirit world. Choose the stats of an animal from the table on page 126 in the Gamemaster’s Guide to represent this spirit. You cannot choose an animal with a Strength higher than twice the Power Level. This spirit possesses a random demon ability from the random table on page 82 in the Gamemaster’s Guide. It vanishes after the spell ends, or when you dismiss it. Spirits are usually helpful, but they have their own agendas and may not always be so inclined.

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