In the back of a room somebody opens up a spell book of sorts and starts reading. The barren desert now becomes forms a ancient abandoned asylum.
Everything grows dark as a snow storm swoops in.
Ghosts from the walls emerge out of nowhere because the punishment is coming
A tall lith creature wrapped in in a torn straight jacket laughs from down the halls as it points a wooden stick and shoots out a ray of acid shouting
” I told you I was Magic ! I told you I was magic!”
All this from a mage who is now invisible who has just been standing their reading a grim story.
The magic of story telling is very common among oldest of powers the most ancient of cultures have these in them all over the world.
This magic exists everywhere and there is a reason it exists. This magic exists so that nobody does certain things they shouldn’t.
Don’t go through the forest by on your own especially after dark they say. The bogey man might get you.
But will the boogeyman get you if you go into the forest…Well those who go into the forest at dark dont comeback out.
And nobody has come say say they found no bogey man at night.
So… if your confident that stories are often only stories, then do as you like.
Just remember every world culture says that a story can be far more than just a story.
The following are the advantedges of the copper dredfull
3rd level advantedge: Campsite story teller
You Create your core charecture of your grand narative. The details for doing so are listed bellow.
Your character may alone act on its legendary initiative and of 20 ,10, or 1 when you orate your tavern tale
You also pick up some a number of Standard Story Teller Bonuses as in proportion to your proficiency modifier.
6th level Advantedge: Copper dredful Ace
You know how to set tone and theme for your tales.
Choose a taboo that your character guards against and also choose all elements of tone that you want on your stage as well.
You may now call in elements of tone on initiative 10 a part of your legendary actions.
9th level Advantedge: Horror Novelist
You know how to paint a picture with words you can add all th elements of setting that you wish to have
All your setting elements now pop up on initive 20 and do as your command.
12th level Advantedges: immortal bard and playwright
You may choose one of these advantedges.
Grand Story Advantedges.
- Your relative proficiency bonus as a Copper Dredfull is increased by 2 permanently
- All typicaly evil monsters are now considerd neutral when you create shadow bogey for them.
- You Always have at least 250 gold per class level to produce new narratives
- You can grant all your characters up to 4000 gold in shadow equipment and technology when they take the scene.
- You may have two main characters
- Your actors can perform direct atacks on level one
15th level Advantedge: The Author.
You may polymorph yourself into a version of your main character with all there spooky abilities for the duration of the story.
Aditionaly you may choose one more Grand Story Advantedge.
Aditionaly the weapons and objects in your story become real please select one very rare object for yourself and one that is always with your main character.
18th level Advantedges: The Stuff of Nightmares
You can choose one more grand story advantedge.
Aditionaly somewhere in the world a character identical to your main character walks the world. They will send you messages via the sending spell from time to time.
Moreover your species template now exists in the universe and it can be adopted if you take a feat and spend 4000 gold to learn its secrets.
The first job of any Copper Dredful is to come up with a thrilling character to do this you may select one species of monster and apply this template to convert it toa boogeyman/ Woman Shade
- Divide their hit points by half
- Remove all spell like abilities, feats, and spell casting abilities.
- Reduce the number of core damage dice by one so for example a creature with a slam atack of 2d6 now has a slam attack of 1d6
- Reduce all ability scores by four
- Reduce the natural armor by two
- Reduce the to hit bonus by two
- Reduce the energy damage frome spells and weapon weapon abilities by 2 dice worth. For example if a dragons fire breath does 5 d6 damage it now does 3d6 damage.
- Finally subtract 5 from the creatures if that CR is equal to or less than your proficiency modifyer then congratulations you have a good concept you can use in your naritive.
- Just remember that each time you promote a creature by giving it a character element from a the table below you must grant your charecter one CR bonus. This may mean that while some monsters can become bogey shades not all bogey shades can be promoted very much.
- Some creatures may just be too abstract in order for them to make convincing charectures in a story a mortal mind might write.
- Generally speaking you can only create shades of entities who would work with you naturaly. A shade of a mind flayer might be possible to create if your powerful enough but once created in order for it to be true to its charecter it would need to attack you.
- However dont fret for as long as you have a common enemy it only takes a persuasion chec DC 12+CR to convince a being to unite with you.
- Remember once your story belongs to the world then you no longer own it. Thes shades dont need you to concentrate on them they come alive with your story
- Enjoy
Congratulations you now have converted a “monster” in a type of elemental called a bogey Shade. Each of which is an elemental force of shadow from the planes of death that live in our subconscious
When you recite you fiction these elemental shadows take stage you may have as many as as you have points into your proficiency bonus but the Chalenge rating for each can not be higher than your proficiency bonus itself.
Like any artist does you may develop your charecter more and more as you develop as an artist.
Below is the stats for a grade D ink wrought shadow of a revenant
This very weak revenant represents are initial concepts of what a revenant is based upon early knowledge as one develops as an artist this in turn grants the revenant more and more abilities of her parent species along with other abilities as well
Because art does not merly copy reality it adds our beauty to it.
Medium elemental (shadow/ revenant shadow), neutral
Armor Class 11 (leather armor)
Hit Points 65
Speed 30 ft.
STR
14 (+2)
DEX
10 (+2)
CON
14 (+2)
INT
9 (-1)
WIS
12 (+1)
CHA
14(+2)
Saving Throws Str +5, Con +5, Wis +4, Cha +5
Damage Resistances necrotic, psychic
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 1 (1000 )
Actions
Multiattack. The revenant shad makes two fist attacks.
Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +5to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature against which the revenant has sworn vengeance, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, the revenant can grapple the target (escape DC 14) provided the target is Large or smaller.
The next thing to do now that we have a character is decide the theme or message your character brings to share with the world
The magic of story tellers is ancient indeed and tales of monsters and boogeyman tended to serve one purpose to talk about a taboo
This could be either a crime so terrible that it must always be punished or it could be about something sacred that should never be neglected.
The merit of this belief may be reflected in how many people cheer for your charecter
However there are three basic elements every bogey shades gets and must choos
TABOO A : The Vengence Taker:
Bogey title: Punishment
Your Bogey moves on initiative twenty to surprise and punish trangressors. Your character gets these bonuses as such
- The character has 5 booster levels as an assassin.
- The character has a deadly weapon caring the power of shadow rot. < +3d6 acid or poison per hit>
- Your character has invisibility on them when first conjured
- Your character always moves on initive twenty and have invisibility cas on her in the first round.
TABOO B: The Fools Bane.
Bogey Title: Sage
Your bogey hates crimes of ignorance and ambivalence and may love to tease, joke, or torment others for the crimes they didn’t care enough about to prevent. Either way your character is very talkative. She gains these benefits.
- The charecter gets 5 booster levels in bard or nomad
- The charecter may cast any spell they know as a quickend spell
- Even when they cast a a non cantrip spell they can also cast any spell again of third level or lower assuming they have the action to do so
- The character may concentrate on two spells at the same time.
- With all this in mind they need time to consider their strategy thus they move on initiative 1.
TABOO C: Desecration:
Bogey title: Warden
Your bogey is shades come from the collective unconscious need to always defend certain people, places, and things. And thus will always avt when something a danger enrages them. your bogey gets these special features
- 5 bonus levels in Battle Master or Hunter Ranger
- + 2 natural armor
- Sacred ward: the being can use a reaction to cast sheild on herself or somebody else.
- Two feats of your choice and 40% more hitpoints
- With all this your bogey moves on initiative 10.
SPECIAL NOTE.
Its possible for you to keep your character with you when not in combat but your character can only use combat relevant abilities when for ten minutes per manifestation. After that they become a mostly insubstantial shade.
Character Development [Table A]
Standard Story Teller Bonuses
For every bonus in your proficiency modifier you get choose onee of these abilities and you can add one character element to their main character.
- Live Audience: Your allies are immune to the area effects you conjure.
- Rapid Response Wit: as long as you use your standard action to recite a narative you are considerd hasted and you get to have one more bonus action that round.
- Encore: You may recite a fictional narrative once more per short rest each time you choose this.
- A Story You Feel: you can recite your story and talk to your charectures telepathicly even when you are silenced.
- Your there in a moment: You introduce element of setting an tone all on initiative twenty.
- Bravo: Ally party members may heal your charectures by cheering as a bonus action this gives them 2d8 hp per cheer.
[Table A-1: Cunning charecture]
Each for each bonus in your proficiency you get a point. And for each point you spend here you get one of everything listed below.
- The charecture gets one more magical ability of its parent species it doesn’t have yet.
- All the spell the charecture casts are cast at +2 caster level.
- The character may cast spells as often as + one more time per manifestation.
- The charecture learns three spells of any variety that they can cast.
- The charectter gets a +2 to inteligence, wisdom, and charisma.
- The charecter gains two booster levels in whatever class of spell caster they are.
- The charecter gains one metamagic ability they choose.
- The charecter gains two socorcery points.
[ Table A-2 Feirce Charecter]
Each for each bonus in your proficiency you get a point. And for each point you spend here you get one of everything listed below
- The charecter gets 20% more hit points.
- + 1 more dice damage in combat. For example, if a slam atack only does 1d6 damage it now does 2d6 damage.
- 1+ more dice damage in weapon or claw energy damage. For instance if a spell like ability or weapon deals 3d6 fire damage it now does 4d6 fire damage.
- The charecture gets +2 in strength dexterity and constitution.
- +1 to natural armor
- +1 to hit in mellee and ranged atacks
- 1 Feat from the parrent species.
- + 1 dice upgrade so for example if your slam atack does a d6 damage it now does a d8 damage.
[Table-A-3 Charecture of Surprises]
Each for each bonus in your proficiency you get a point. And for each point you spend here you get one of everything listed below
- +2 booster levels in nomad or bard
- + 2 prestige bonus feats of any variety
- + 1 degree of rarity for one of the items being weilded by the charecter.
- Knowledge of 2 skills, languages, and tool kits.
- + 1 more uncomon item
- +1 active buff spell when conjured spell level can be up to level two.
- + energy or condition immunity.
Characters are the Stars of our show but we need to decide what kind of story we are telling here.
While its posible to be a a Copper Dredful that writes romantic comedies and uses her magic to just heal and help others the reality remains that you are a questing adventurer.
You will fight foes both magical and mechanicle. And because of that you need weapons
The stories that provide the best magical weapons are the ones that have the most deadly warriors and those tend to be horror stories about monsters.
While its posible for you to have romance and comedy stories also. (You can have a number of naritives equal to your proficiency bonus enchanted with shadow) the reality is you can only have one a day active and powerfull
Thus when you are fighting demons in a dungeon it may be very helpful to have some monsters of your own by your side thus the need for horror fiction.
Tone in your Story.
Beginning at level three you can elect to use you your standard action to to orate your story. You may also choose to compound the danger level of your main charecture with other threatening elements
For each point in your proficiency modifyer you may choose one frightening element to compond your charectures threat level please choose from the following
- Character is a master mind and a bane to her enemies. Your proficiency bonus is always considerd to be one point higher for all elements regarding this narative and this character.
- Your character is a kind of creatures that others can be transformed into. Bring in two other characters like the first one but their CR must be equal to your proficiency modifier – 1
- Your character is the product of some kind of plague that spreads add four more characters like your first to the combat but each of these should be CR 2
- Your character represents a force of nature that arives with it to do a job that needs doing.
- When your character arives on scen select one area of effect who’s level is equal to your proficiency modifier-1
- You may also have multiple area of effect spells going up their combined spell level must be less than your proficiency modifier.
- Your character comes with a curse on those who violate their sacred taboo choose a number of single target spells that dont do damage but imbue a status effect.
- A number of targets equal to your proficiency modifier can have this curse when your charecter shows up.
- You can also stack multiple different curses on one target but the total spell level may not exceed your profiency modifyer.
Once you have your story and narative sorted out. Its time to decide how you present that narative.
Natural you can orate that story in public. Typicaly you start off performing this in public DC 12+ CR of your main character. Once you put this performance together. It lives in the subconscious
From that moment on when you entered combat you can spend your action orating your story to gain three legendary actions.
One can be used to set the stage on initiative 20 even on the first round where area traps go off.
One can be used once initive ten to create tone and bring in secondary agents and spell afects
And one can be used once initive one which is the final climax where the best spell casters can take their turn.
However when we do this need to decide what artworks will manifest your story in the world.
For each point in your proficiency bonus you can apply one artwork to your story or you can professionalism and take an artwork twice
All bardic magic is the translation of art into magic so the more artfullness that enters a narative work the more powerful it becomes
Please look at the table below and decide how you present your narative to the world.
Each one of these requires a daily demand over three days effort.each requires a special skill or tool check equal to 12+ the CR number of your main character.
Please note each of these can be taken multiple times each time the effects stack up.
- A: Artistic ilustrations/painting. Painters tools DC 12+ CR of main protagonist. [ advantedge: you create halucinatory terrain and a major illusion on your stage]
- B: Writing: Caligraphy tools DC 12+ CR of main protagonist [Advantedge: you conjure 1d4 lesser shade actors to apear on scene to take non violent actions and act things out each actor has a CR of 1/2]
- C: Music: perform and musical instrument or singing DC 12+ CR of main protagonist [Advantedge: All alies receive a buff spell equal to your proficiency modifier]
- D: Acting: Perform and deception each DC 12+ CR of main protagonist [Advantedge: All actors get one level in bard.]
- E:Special effects Smith tools, Arcana, slight of hand checks DC 12+ CR of main protagonist [Advantedge: 1d4 glyphs of Warding shoot a level 1 magic missle at a foe 20 feet a way, and you get 1d6 5 by 5 squares that can contain anything up to uncommon magic value and 2 twenty twenty by ten foot walls of arcane force that can shoot blow darts at foes within 10 feet of the wall]
- Range: 10/20 feet (4+ prof modifier to hit) damage: 1d4 peircing + (1d4 necrotic damage per adoption of this trait)
- Each wall only has one magic dart to shoot.
- F:Stage direction for actors Persaision and Deception DC 12+ CR of main protagonist. [Advantedge: all party members gain 1 level in Nomad]
- G:Audience participation features such as with a game or a magical puppet theater. Smith Tools, Arcana, Carpentry, Nature.DC 12+ CR of main protagonist [ Advantedge: One ally takes on a racial template of your desighn for the duration of the effect]
Pleas note it is posible to take on the roll of a producer. Where other party members help you put on this performance for free. You can also hire artisans to work the weekend for you for 250 gold per variet of skilled labor. This covers you need for that narative. Thus for the cost of 4000 gold you could bring fourth a narative that includes 16 skills but if you do a at least three of these skills on your own you gain special advantedges.
