JAZZ ENSEMBLE (GLOG Class)

Some people are content with playing as a single musician; a bard, a chanter, a vielleur, &c. Not you, however. You're an entire band.

Idea shamelessly stolen from deus ex parabola and Walfalcon, mechanics mostly from Skerples' Many Goblins, Lexi's Bard, and Xenophon's Chanter.

By Leonid Afremov

You get +2 HP for each Jazz Ensemble template you have.

Start with: far too many trumpets, saxophones, pianos, trombones, clarinets, banjos, and basses, sharp suits for every band member, at least one drum set

Skills: street smarts, musical history, freestyle performing

A: Shared Totals, Musical Talent, +1 MD
B: Magic of Music, +1 Soloist, +1 MD
C: +1 Song, +1 Soloist, +1 MD
D: +1 Song, +1 Soloist, +1 MD

Shared Totals: The Jazz Ensemble share HP, as though a single character. Every point of damage causes a single band member to die in a background sort of way, likely with a musical goodbye. Area-of-effect attacks, abilities, and traps only affect them once. Save-or-Die effects instead cause a loss of 1 HP. Most single-target spells (as well as mutations) instead effect all band members. Together, you only consume the ration of one person.

If the Ensemble gets brought to 0 HP, they lie about, wounded, moaning, and unwilling to do anything until healed. If hit below 0 HP, they all die, save soloists.

The Ensemble has 5 total inventory slots. They can carry more, but only temporarily. Instruments and armour do not occupy inventory slots. If you need to determine just how many members the Ensemble currently has, roll 1d12+6. This number can change across rounds, turns, or encounters. Whenever possible, they occupy 20' square, spreading themselves as needed. They're rarely keen to do work, but count as 10 workers for the first hour of labour, 5 beyond that, and stop after the third.

Musical Talent: You're a very good bunch of performers. Songs you play are likely to catch people's attention, with a [templates]-in-6 chance of a group forming around you in a crowded space. The Ensemble has a pool of Music Dice, equal to [templates] plus one. You can spend one  while playing a mundane song to evoke a powerful but nonspecific emotion in your listeners — amorous, but not towards specific people; very sad, but not suicidal.

Magic of Music: You can cast spells by spending MD and performing music, as the Chanter's Spellcasting feature and a character of one level lower. Most of them take place over a duration, and you can only maintain one Song at a time. You learn spells and suffer Mishaps the same way.

Soloists: Some members have made a name for themselves. Once each encounter, for one round, they can do something different from the rest of the Ensemble. At the end of that round, they rejoin the rest. Give them a name and a snappy description. If the Ensemble dies, each Soloist becomes a level 1 character with 2 HP and the A template of another musical class of your choosing. If they come across more musicians they could potentially convince to join their band, they form a new level 2 Ensemble. Only one Soloist survives the process.

Zapgun On Your Shoulder (Zouave Expansion Pack: Space)

Inspired by some discussion had on the OSR discord, I decided to write some stuff for deus ex parabola's Zouave, expanding it into a sci-fi setting. Many thanks (and apolgies) to the folks of #glog-spillway, especially Vayra & deus. Features 12 Tall Tales, skills and starting equipment, and a fitting version of Respect. Not a full class, view the original Zouave post for the other important bits. Feedback is very much appreciated.

By Diego Gisbert Llorens

You are a SPACE-ZOUAVE, a light infantry soldier specialising in ambush, scouting and long periods in the field. You aren't a rich entrepreneur, but you're no earther either. You offered yourself up to join the Legion and protect your homeworld, to fight back. You used hand-me-down gear, trained in strategy, made our way through the military, became a veteran fighter, overcame the odds with just your zapgun and a knife; and then the war ended, and all was well.

Skills (1d3): xenobotany, field surgery, engineering

Start with: a pompous and outdated uniform (as leather), a vibroknife (as a dagger), a laser-rifle (2d6 damage, minute to reload, fires with disadvantage if you moved last turn, -1 to-hit for every 10 feet between you and the target), old gravity boots, a quality knapsack

Astronomical Exploits:

Some setting-appropriate mostly-true things you say did before you became an adventurer. Roll 1d12 to pick one at random; if you get the same result twice, go for the one above or below it, or re-roll.

1. Captured by a Tlal’ek, Escaped. Once, you were caught in the grasp of a ferocious beast. It trapped you in its lair (or so you claim) and left you there — likely its next meal. As it slept, you fled — getting away with your life, though without your favourite boots.

If someone grappling you is distracted, even just for a moment, you can slip free. You have a 4-in-6 chance of escaping mundane bindings like ropes, chains or trapped limbs, and a 2-in-6 chance for more advanced ones such as space manacles or an aetheric chokehold.

2. Been Everywhere Around. At various points in your life, you've visited each and every back-water planet in the galaxy — and been chased off of more than your fair share of them too. They tend not to like it when you insult the local delicacies or their big hats; you know from experience.

You can read signs and decipher maps in any language, and always know how to ask for directions.

3. Traversed the Frozen Wastes. You crossed the barren ice sheets of one of the coldest planets known to space-zouave, nearly dying several times — crevasses, dehydration, you name it — but you managed to hold out, surviving a snowstorm in the carcass of a whale-worm. Other members of your troop were not so lucky. 

You never suffer the ill effects of the cold, and can always find shelter from extreme weather given 5 minutes. 

4. Through the Endless Asteroid Field and Out the Other Side. Ambushed and with old enemies hot on your tail, you decided to try and shortcut through an asteroid belt. Old Bertha (a freighter you’ve since gambled away, and miss terribly) got you through with a few dents, though some of your comrades weren’t so lucky. 

You, your party, and your ship can travel impassable terrain as though it was rough. 

5. Made the Atbanraat Run in 24 Parsecs. You made it from one end of the galaxy's most important shipping (and most infamous smuggling) route in record time, faster than any other pilot before you. It involved a slingshot and some less-than-legal fuel , but you wear the badge with pride. 

If you wish, you can get to any destination in half the time, but your ship or vehicle will always need 1d100*10 credit's repairs before it can be driven, rode, or flown again. 

6. Smuggled a Saquab Squid. You managed to sneak a large, endangered animal through an imperial blockade of a rebel planet. Even after a thorough search, the guardsmen walked right past it. You received quite a handsome reward for that one. 

If you or your vehicle are searched, you can choose something to not be found, regardless of its size or actual hiding capability. 

7. Took Out a Dreadnought. In an attack on an imperial battleship, your entire company was killed by a batch of unexpected reinforcements, save you. In a valiant last stand, you managed to fire at just the right spot — surprisingly easy, really. Your compatriots didn’t survive to tell the tale, but they surely live on in your memories. 

If you make a successful attack roll, you can choose exactly where your blow hits. 

8. Rode Too Close to a Black Hole. While travelling through the vacuum of space, you got yourself stuck somewhere near a black hole, the ultra-dense corpse of a once-bright star. You were dragged into orbit for what felt like decades — at least 1d6*10 years off your life. 

People will always assume things you tell them are true, unless given a compelling reason otherwise. 

9. Stared at the Sun From 100 Feet Away. You were out doing some regular maintenance on your ship after colliding with some space junk, but turned out to be much closer to a certain star than you first thought. Your visor helped a small bit, but could hardly do anything to really stop its rays. You haven't been quite the same since.  

You can sense heat, even through walls. 

10. Illicit Experimentation. You were the subject of a series of dubiously successful tests run by a very keen and very unlicensed military scientist in an attempt to create a new strain of mutagenic material. 

You have advantage on saves against poisons, mind-altering drugs, all forms of chemical concoction, and anything that might reasonably have been tried on you. 

11. One-Wing Wonder. You were flying away at top speed from some enemies of the Legion when your pursuers took out an engine of yours. Not one to let that stop you, you handed things over to your co-pilot Steve, got out there, repaired it yourself, and lived to tell the tale. 

You can fix anything, given ten minutes, duct tape and a bottle of liquor. It has a 1-in-6 chance of blowing up every ten minutes of use until properly repaired. 

12. Fell Through a Wormhole. You came here from somewhere else, a world far beyond the known. You might refuse to share quite how you got here, but your home world or timeline left its mark.

Due to your altered relationship with reality, you can sometimes perceive things before they happen, or at least get a good idea of potential futures. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation with no easy way out, you can ask the DM a single sentence question about a potential plan you or the party make. They must give a (truthful) single sentence answer, albeit with a 1-in-6 chance they answer randomly instead. This goes up by 1 each time you use the feature, resetting each day.

Respect:

You aren't just another soldier. The title of Zouave means something, and some people are starting to remember that. Militias and similar low-"ranked" warriors will look up to you. Sometimes officials or enterprisers will take notice if you make some noise, though it doesn't mean they'll act on it (save perhaps a punishment). As well as this, NPCs take challenges from you just that bit more seriously. Their response is determined by a d6 and depends on their social level:

Colonist:
1: Disbelief and derision
2-6: Intimidation and apology

Spacer:
1: Loud mockery. Expect their friends to try and beat you up
2-5: They accept. Expect a fistfight or, at best, a choice of two sturdy clubs
6: Intimidation and awkward verbal submission

Capitalist (shitty):
1-2: Taser-beating
3-6: They accept. Name your terms.

Capitalist (even shittier):
1: Guards! Guards!
2-5: Taser-beating, followed by a second, more brutal taser-beating
6: Rad-pistols at dawn

PRIEST OF THE BLADE (GLOG Class)

You are a PRIEST OF THE BLADE; a disciplined and pious fighter. You are devoted to honing your skills and your sword, the latter acting like an extension of your self.

By Saranit Klinklaykun

Start with: a sword (give it a name), robes (as leather), an unadorned shield, holy vows you must uphold (come up with three, write them down), a tattered prayer book, oil and a whetstone

Skills (1d3): religion, history, smithing

A: Divine Violence, Way of Steel
B: Miracles of Might, Parry
C: Aura of Might
D: Sword-Saint

Divine Violence: Whenever you kill something that opposes you, your god, or your vows, you gain a Violence Die, expiring when you next rest. You can hold VD equal to your Priest level, and spend any amount of them when you hit with an attack to deal an extra [sum] damage (credit to Vayra for VD).

Way of Steel: You get +1 HP and +1 to-hit for each Priest template you have.

Miracles of Might: You can expend VD to call on minor favours from your god. Choose one manifestation of divinity now, and another reach time you take a Priest template or encounter a holy relic.
* Heal someone for [dice], or [sum] outside of combat.
* Call forth light, blinding enemies for [dice] rounds.
* When you slay an enemy, inflict [sum] damage to another adjacent one.
* Your allies deal an extra [dice] damage for the next [dice] rounds.
* Cut through a spell cast with fewer than [dice] dice.
* Reduce an incoming attack's damage by [sum], or full if you sunder your shield.

Spiritual Sustenance: Lunch restores an extra 1 HP to you and all members of your party, provided you spend an extra 10 minutes in prayer or solemn contemplation.

Aura of Might: Allies can make saves against fear and magic using your stats rather than their own.

Sword-Saint: You are revered by other followers of the Way, bearing the title of Blessed. You may make an extra attack each round, and take 1 less damage from all physical sources. When you die, another may take on your Blade and title, gaining the benefits of a 1st level Priest.

SERVANT OF THE SEAS (GLOG Class)

You are a SERVANT OF THE SEAS, a warlock of the ocean, bound by pacts to It That Lurks In The Depths. You are your patron's herald and agent in the dry world, even if it might not know you exist.

Warning: my first proper caster class. Pulls from WotC's Lurker in the Deep Unearthed Arcana, Skerples' Drowned Wizard and Orthodox Spell List, u/imminentchurchengine's d200 level-less spell list, and probably some other places I'm forgetting.

By Antonio J. Manzanedo

Start with: tattered robes, an incomplete map, an arcane focus, a stave, accursed knowledge, a dagger

Skills (1d3): Religion, Sailing, History

A: Gifts of the Abyss, Pact Magic, +1 MD
B: Old Tongues, +1MD 
C: Fathomless Form, +1MD
D: Depth Perception, +1MD

Gifts of the Abyss: You can communicate with creatures of the deep as though fluent and move through marshes and bogs at regular speed.

Pact Magic: You can cast spells using MADNESS DICE (MD), beginning with a single cantrip (listed below) and two spells from the first 6 on your list. You gain an additional spell each time you take another template as a Servant, and can learn spells from other magic-users by killing them and eating their brains.

Old Tongues: You can speak to stone, ancient plants, bodies of water, and the souls of the dead.

Fathomless Form: You can drink all water as though it were clean and your clothes will never get wet. You may pass through gaps as though you were made of water, but every time you do this beyond the first each day causes you to suffer a Mishap.

Depth Perception: You can sense when anything you can communicate with using your Gifts or the Old Tongues is within 100 yards of you, and are now able to swim at the same pace you walk.

Spells:
Distance is as the Black Hack or ICRPG.

Cantrip: Grasping Tentacle: 30ft. or so long, a spectral limb appears around your hand. You can use it to open lids, move objects in or out of containers, manipulate NEAR items, &c.; it can’t attack, channel magic, or carry anything heavier than a single slot.

Roll 2d6 at A, 1d8 at B, 1d10 at C, choose 4 at D.
1. Control Water
2. Coldsnap
3. Gust
4. Summon Rain
5. Sleep
6. Lifedrink
7. Fog
8. Light
9. Mist of Invisibility
10. Compel
11. Devouring Maw
12. Unleash Twisted Depths

Mishaps:
When MD result in a double, roll 1d6:
1. 1d6 damage
2. MD only return to your pool on 1-2 for 24 hours
3. Random depth-related mutation for 1d6 rounds. Permanent if fail a save with advantage.
4. Lungs temporarily fill with water for 1d6 rounds. Can't speak or cast spells.
5. Grow incredibly thirsty. Must consume a ration at next rest, and receive no healing from it.
6. Vomit 1d100 litres of seawater.

Dooms:
When MD result in a triple, advance down the Doom chart.
1. Body empties of moisture for 24 hours. Inventory filled with exhaustion, and can't cast spells.
2. As above, but for a week.
3. Tide rises where you stand. 1d20+5 assorted merfolk, water elementals, and bloated corpses appear to drag you out to sea. Fend them off or die.

Dooms can be reduced by discovering secrets unknown to anyone alive, eating the hearts of sea monsters, or by disguising your soul.

1. Control Water:
R: FAR T: a bucket's worth of liquid D: concentration
Command a small amount of water. At 1d, able to: (a) push a small boat, (b) move a small item along, (c) allow someone swim at twice speed, (d) halve someone's swimming speed, (e) splash something CLOSE to the water, (f) make something wet dry, (g) freeze the target throughout
Each extra [dice] increases the magnitude of effects.

2. Coldsnap R: FAR T: n/a D: 1 hour An area of diameter [dice] x 5’ (or NEAR, FAR at 3d+) experiences a sudden burst of frigid cold. Creatures in the area take [sum] cold damage, water freezes, & so on. Normal temperature will return over about an hour or so.

3. Gust R: DISTANT T: Up to [dice] objects or creatures D: n/a A strong winds picks up quickly. Target saves or is thrown back 10’ per [dice] (move one distance band away from you). All targets (if multiple) must be CLOSE to one another.

4. Summon Rain
R: FAR T: n/a D: [dice] rounds
Affects an area 5’x[dice] in diameter. A flurry of snow falls in the region for the duration, freezing everything within and making it impossible to see. Only works outside. At the end of the duration, the snow will be subject to the normal effects of temperature.

5. Sleep:
R: FAR T: [sum] HD of creatures D: 10 min / permanent
The target falls into a magical sleep, and won't be woken by anything less than a slap. Non-alert, unaware targets don't Save.  If [sum] is at least 4 times the creature's HD, the duration becomes permanent (until slapped) and the creature no longer needs to eat or drink while sleeping. If you also invested 3 [dice] or more into this spell, the duration becomes permanent, and you can set the only condition that will cause the creature to awake.

6. Lifedrink:
R: FAR T: creature D: n/a
A dark blast emanates from your hand (or other extremity), winding its way towards your target. They suffer [sum] damage, and you regain [dice] HP.

7. Fog:
R: n/a T: Self D: [dice] minutes, or until dismissed
For the duration, your breath becomes dense with water. All air within 30' of you (or NEAR) becomes as thick as pea soup, and just as difficult to see through.

8. Light:
R: touch T: object or creature D: [dice]x2 hours
Object illuminates as a torch, bathing all NEAR objects in light. Alternatively, you can make an Attack roll against a creature with eyes. If you succeed, the creature is blinded for [sum] rounds and takes [dice] damage.

9. Compel
R: touch T: creature D: [dice] days
The target saves with a [dice] penalty. If they fail, they regard you as a trusted friend for as long as the spell lasts. They aren’t aware that they’ve been charmed until it wears off.

10. Mist of Invisibility:
R: touch T: object, creature, or self D: [dice]*10 minutes
A thin layer of mist comes over the target, making it invisible for the duration. Each round it moves reduces the duration by 10 minutes. Invisible creatures can see other invisible objects.

11. Devouring Maw:
R: FAR T: up to [dice] objects and/or creatures D: [dice] hours
A giant spectral mouth appears for a moment, swallowing the target(s) whole. When the duration ends or when dismissed, the mouth reappears to spit them back out, having taken [dice] damage unless you wish them unharmed.

12. Unleash Twisted Depths:
R: FAR T: up to [dice] objects and/or creatures D: [dice] rounds
You call forth a manifestation of your patron from a point in range. Great tentacles pour forth, grabbing all targets in their slimy grip. They take [sum] damage and must save or be restrained until the spell ends.

OCTOPUS KNIGHT (GLOG Class)

You are an OCTOPUS KNIGHT, a petty noble, debatably skillful warrior, and one snooty cephalopod.

Starting items: a single piece of human plate armour, a somewhat rusty medium or large weapon, a small trinket scavenged from the sea, a craving for shrimp, crawfish, clams, lobsters, seagull, or snail

Skills (1d4):  formal etiquette, competitive eating, long-distance swimming, ocean lore

A: Octopus, Knight
B: Cleave, Ink Ejection
C: Super-Suckers
D: Weapon Mastery

Octopus: You are an octopus, with all that entails. You have eight limbs, slightly less dextrous than human ones, each covered in suckers. You can move about as fast as a person, and while you can't wear armour, you can use a shield (preferably a shell), and have base AC as medium. You can change colour at will, and with a bit of concentration blend in with your surroundings. You can't speak, but may communicate through gesture, colour, and interpretative dance.

Knight: You are a lowly noble of some far-away underwater kingdom, and a chivalrous man-at-arms. You get +1 to-hit for each Octopus Knight template you take, and other denizens of the sea or coasts (sailors included) have a 1-in-6 chance of recognising your title, increasing by 1-in-6 for each other Octopus Knight template you take.

Cleave: Whenever you take a foe to 0 HP, you may make another attack roll against another enemy within reach.

Ink Ejection: You can shoot ink from your sacs at will, temporarily stunning any CLOSE individuals or a single NEAR one. After being ink'd for the first time in an encounter, people are no longer stunned by it, though may be displeased. Defaults to black, but can be any colour you wish. Likely to leave stains.

Super-Suckers: The grip of your pores is so strong, it can defy gravity, allowing you climb up walls and along roofs.

Weapon Mastery: You've grown skilled with your armament of choice. You may make an extra attack each round to no penalty.

SPEAKER OF THE BURNING GROVE (GLOG Class)

Before all things, there stood the Grove, and in the Grove the Flame, and the Flame burned. The Flame fed itself on the Grove, and the Grove on the heat of the Flame, and neither was consumed, and by that the Grove continued to prosper and the Flame continued to blaze.

From the Flame came the light of life, and from the Grove came growth, and from both all worlds were born. Once, mankind heard the crackle of the Flame, and worshipped it,  and watered the Grove, and fed and nurtured them both. As they turned to other gods and masters, the Flame subsided and began to smoulder, and the Grove began to wither.

Once more, you hear the crackle of the Flame, and worship it, and water the Grove, and feed and nurture them both, and by this the Grove shall continue to prosper and the Flame shall continue to blaze, forever.

Art by Pizza Surgeon (DA)

You are a SPEAKER OF THE BURNING GROVE; a practitioner of ancient religion and wielder of the arcane arts. You worship the eternal Flame and everlasting Grove at the heart of the world, and see their presence in all things that live, as all mankind once could.

Start with: tattered and scorch-marked robes (as leather), a bag of seeds, a staff, religious symbol or icon, zealous fervor

Skills (1d4): gardening, bushcraft, arson, religious history

A: Ever-Burning, Mystic of the Thicket, +1 MD
B: Fireweaving, +1 MD
C: Thirsting Pyre, +1 MD
D: Ignition Augury, +1 MD

Ever-Burning: You wield the power of the Flame. Given time and fuel, you can start a fire under any conditions. You can summon a small flame (as that of a candle) with a snap of your fingers, and fluently speak the language of fire and all things that burn. You may communicate with plants by setting them on fire. Most answers will be somewhat cryptic or otherwise unhelpful. Regardless of size, they will always be consumed by flame after 1d6 minutes, at which point the conversation ends.

Mystic of the Thicket: You wield the might of the Grove. You may consume bark, garden plants, or the charred remains of either rather than a ration. You possess d6 Magic Dice, beginning with one and gaining another for each Speaker template you take. You can spend them to summon a flame anywhere within your vision, inflicting [dice] damage and lighting things on fire for [dice] rounds, or to heal a target you can touch for [sum] HP. Damage dealt upgrades to [sum] at D.

Fireweaving: You can will certain shapes or forms appear within a fire. Only those you choose will be able to see it. It takes a few seconds (or an action) to call up a new shape. You can command fires (without spending MD) to grow or shrink temporarily, or change colour.

Thirsting Pyre: You can restore expended MD by swallowing fires, drawing their heat into yourself.

Ignition Augury: You can spend MD to conjure visions of distant places in a fire.  Your target person, place, or object must be within approximately [dice] miles or one you know well, with the vision lasting [sum] minutes or until dismissed. You can choose whether or not others can see the vision.

KNIFE-HAWK (GLOG Class)

You are a KNIFE HAWK. You are a hawk, you have a knife, you're good at using it. You're a blade-wielding bird and one aggressive avian. Inspired by an image originally posted by deus ex parabola in #brain-fuel on the OSR Discord. I hope I did the idea justice.

Start with: a decently thick coat of feathers (as leather), a knife

Skills (2d6): eagle eyes, darksight, bird law, intimidating peddlers, nestcraft, doing cool tricks

You get +1 to-hit for each KNIFE-HAWK template you take.

A: Accipitriform, Dive-Bombing
B: Opportunist
C: Dung Discharge
D: Hawker of Death

Accipitriform: You are a hawk, with all that entails. You can understand human speech, and somewhat communicate with people through gesture and squawks. You can carry up to two things in your claws at once, and up to one in your beak. 

Dive-Bombing: If you drop down onto an enemy from a great height, you get advantage on your first attack roll against them this round.

Opportunist: If the target of your attack doesn’t see you coming, you deal an extra 1d6 damage to them. Increases to 1d8 damage at C.

Dung Discharge: You can release excrement on foes on command. The target must save against their choice of getting hit or becoming annoyed (charm). If they fail, their attention will turn to you when they next act, and most will do their best to get you back for it.

Hawker of Death: You can attack twice each round without penalty, rather than only once. Stacks with damage bonuses (including Opportunist).

DRACONIC DISCIPLE (GLOG Class)

You are a DRACONIC DISCIPLE — a martial artist who has chosen to devote themselves to the Path of the Dragon, styling your fighting after the great winged beasts.

Art by Filip Burburan

Start with: patterned robes (as leather), a staff, memorised poetry and scripture, scaled skin

Skills (1d4): ancient history, religion, acrobatics, cartography

A: Talented Warrior, Path of the Dragon, +1 MD
B: Maw of Fire, +1 MD
C: Flurry of Blows, +1 MD
D: Drakeform, Agamid Alacrity, +1 MD

Talented Warrior: You're a competent fighter, getting +1HP and +1 to-hit for each DISCIPLE template you take. You can make unarmed attacks with any body part, even while restrained, and they deal damage 1 set of dice higher than a regular unarmed attack, to a minimum of 1d6.

Path of the Dragon: You can speak, read, and understand the language of all lizards and dragons, summon a non-harmful flame with a snap of your fingers, and have advantage on saves against fire. You begin with 1 Mysticism Die (MD), gaining another each time you level. You can expend MD to add [sum] to a successful hit’s damage, or reduce the damage of an incoming attack by [dice]. They vanish on a 4-6, returning the next morning.

Maw of Flame: You can spend MD to ignite your breath, dealing [sum] damage to everything in a narrow arc that fails a save. You can eat fires to restore lost MD.

Flurry of Blows: You can now make two attacks in a round without penalty.

Drakeform: You can spend MD to temporarily take on the shape of a (small) dragon. It lasts for [dice] rounds, during which you can fly, deal the higher of [dice] or [best] damage instead of anything else, and refresh to 4 MD each round. When you revert to squishy human form, you return to the amount of MD you had before becoming a dragon, minus the [dice] you spent on the ability.

Agamid Alacrity: You no longer need to sleep while resting, have advantage against stunning and paralysis, and always go first in initiative, regardless of surprise. 

SNAKE-WIELDING MONKEY WARRIOR (GLOG Class)

You are a SNAKE-WIELDING MONKEY WARRIOR. You can't wear armour unless designed for a monkey, but have base AC as leather.  Weapons that require advanced manual dexterity are beyond your capabilities, but simple ones (clubs, axes, snakes) are just fine. You can't speak human language, but you can understand it and communicate through sign.

This could be you! Image edited by iemcd

Start with: a single pet snake (give it a name!), a children's rattle, a toy bird, mild resistance to poison

Skills (1d4): flute-playing, rat-catching, formal etiquette, woodworking

You get +1 to-hit for each SNAKE-WIELDING MONKEY WARRIOR template you have. If or when one of you snakes die, a very similar one will replace it when you next have a good night's rest.

A: Reject Civilization, Serpentine Sympathies
B: Rattle-me-Bones
C: Venomous
D: Dual-Wielding Snake Action, Simian Stardom

Reject Civilization: You are a monkey. You can climb things very well, hold onto things using your "feet," stand on your hands, rob people blind, jump large gaps, stabilize yourself with your tail — anything you could reasonably expect a monkey to be good at.

Serpentine Sympathies: You can speak to snakes and wield them as medium weapons, dealing 1d6 damage. Ones you aren't friends with won't be happy about this. You can throw them a bit further than a regular object of the same weight and size, and can tell them to grip onto things about as tightly as a human hand can. You can give instructions to your snakes provided they're NEAR, and unless it means they will surely die, they'll obey.

Rattle-me-Bones: You now have an extra snake, and will get another one at C and D. All of your snakes have a rattle, loud enough to warrant investigation by people nearby who can hear.

Venomous: All of your snakes have sharp teeth and small poison sacs, dealing 1d8 damage on a hit instead of 1d6.

Dual-Wielding Snake Action: You can make two attacks in a round without penalty, provided both are with snakes.

Simian Stardom: At least one monkey in any place with monkeys has heard of you, and you get +2 to reaction rolls with other monkeys. On an 11+, they'll do their best to offer help. Anymonkey who witnesses you wield your serpents is appropriately awed.

LICHADOR (GLOG Class)

From the doors of death itself... here comes the LICHADOR! You are a masked warrior, an entertainer, and decidedly dead. Honor, fame, and the glory of victory ruled your life, and these things pulled you back from the other side.

Full credit for the class's inspiration goes to hey it's hoop on the OSR Discord, specifically this post in #d30-dice-democracy.

Source

Features:
Start with: a mask that holds your soul, a folding chair, a skin-tight costume (counts as medium armor), championship belt
Skills (1d4): impressing others, acrobatics, disguise-craft, making kickass tamales

A: Professional Wrestler, Veil-Touched, +1 HP
B: All Oiled Up, Soul Contender, +1 to-hit
C: Challenge, Death's Grasp, +1 HP
D: Peak Physique, Pass on the Mask, +1 to-hit

Professional Wrestler: You get +2 to initiative, grappling, and rolls to do things in combat for the sake of flashiness. Your unarmed attacks can be made with any body part. 

Veil-Touched: You can speak to spirits of the dead, commune with your ancestors, and punch ghosts.

All Oiled Up: You keep yourself covered in oil, always.  If someone else is restraining you, you can slip out as an action, and have advantage on checks made to slip out of handcuffs or the like.

Soul Contender: You have advantage on avoiding the effects of disease, poison, and mind-altering magic.

Challenge: You can issue challenges to anyone able to understand you. In "civilized" places, this means arranging a duel; time, place, weapons, etc. In combat, the target makes a save; if failed, they feel compelled to attack you.

Death's Grasp: Damage you deal is magical, necrotic, and can't be resisted.

Peak Physique: You can leap great heights and distances with even greater ease, and can now attack twice in a turn without penalty.

Pass on the Mask: When you die (again), someone else can don your mask, becoming a Luchador and gaining template A. Your spirit joins the voices of their ancestors.

What's in a Name?
When you put on the mask and became a LICHADOR, you created a persona for yourself, a character you play out on the world's greatest stage: the ring. An important part of every character is a fitting name.

IRON STOMACH (GLOG Class)

You have an IRON STOMACH, perhaps literally. You're able to eat nearly anything without injury and can store things in your gut, regurgitating them when necessary.

By Mingchen Shen

Start with: a medium sword (perfect for swallowing), light armour, portable stove, an extra week of rations

Backgrounds: part cow, chef, have a pocket dimension in your small intestine, geologist, champion pie eater

A: Stomach Storage, Refined Palate
B: Projectile Vomiting
C: Reinvigorating Rests
D: Edible Ornamentation

Stomach Storage: You can swallow just about anything to no ill effect, store things in your stomach for later, and digest whatever you want given time. You get an extra 5 SLOTS, and an additional one for each other IRON STOMACH template you take.

Refined Palate: You always know the best place in town to go for something to eat, and have advantage on rolls to avoid the effects of ingested poison. You start with an extra 1 HP, and get an extra 1 each time you level up (on top of any other gains).

Projectile Vomiting: You've mastered the art of chucking your guts; items you spit (as an action) can hit anything NEAR, dealing 1 damage to their target. You can destroy that item permanently to deal 1d8 instead. Every extra IRON STOMACH template you take makes this deal an additional 1 damage.

Reinvigorating Rests: Lunch and a good night's sleep both restore an extra 1 HP to you and all your allies.

Edible Ornamentation: You may destroy items stored in your gut rather than eat rations.

DESERTER (GLOG Class)

You are a DESERTER. Once, you served in an army, mercenary company, or other such group of fighter-types, but no longer. You took what you could and fled. Anyone with potential ties to your group or who you interacted with while spending time with your organisation is likely to recognise you, and have a 3-in-6 chance of knowing of your desertion.

Draws inspiration from deus ex parabola's Zouave, Arnold K.'s original GLOG martial classes, and probably some other places I'm forgetting.

By Tomas Duchek

Start with (all stolen): medium armour, a shield bearing your former affiliation, a medium weapon, a weight on your conscience, good boots, an extra 10 coins

You get an additional +1 HP at A and C.

A: Fleet of Foot, Basic Training
B: Well-Travelled
C: Unperturbed
D: Danger Sense

Fleet of Foot: You move at twice speed while running away from a fight, and your entire party is never impeded by bad terrain.

Basic Training: You can tell a creature's HD after seeing it fight for a round, and have advantage on rolls during combat to do things other than attack.

Well-Travelled: You've been everywhere since you ran away. You can read road signs in any language, and have a 2-in-6 chance of knowing a single fact about any object from a Far-Off Land.

Unperturbed: You've seen a lot, both before and after you defected. You have advantage on saves against fear, and so do your allies if you roll and succeed first.

Danger Sense: You have a good nose for when things are about to go south. You can't be surprised, and can make a free attack at the start of combat at someone or something CLOSE, regardless of initiative.

Example Backgrounds (1d6):
Feel more than free to adapt these to your own games, settings, and characters as you wish, and of course to make your own or ignore them entirely.

(1) Riverspoke Piker: Peasant militia that guard the south-west border of the Commonwealth from attack. You can speak to and understand fish, voles, and beavers. They won't always speak back. Start with a chain shirt for armour, a pike as weapon, and a shield bearing a pair of beavers atop a wall. 

(2) Sons of the Sea: A notorious pirate crew, feared across the True Sea. You weren't quite cut out for that life. You always know where to find the best place to drink in town, and in a pinch can drink sea water as though it were clean. Start with a scale-mail coat, a cutlass, and a shield displaying a white crown on a blood-red skull.

(3) 403rd Light Infantry Regiment of Their Liege: Foot soldiers in indentured service to the office of the High Liege. You can never be picked out of a crowd if you don't want to be. Start with hide armour, your choice of crossbow and 20 bolts or a club, and an unadorned shield.

(4) Fargrath Freelancers: A mercenary group, providing soldiers for hire to nobility across the land. One of the less notable houses in your time with them, but now on the rise. You can nick things as a 1st level Scavver. Start with a spear or sling, a worn breastplate, and a shield featuring crossed spears and an open eye.

(5) Celestial Legion Gamma-Blue-23: You fled so far and so fast, you left your home world and ended up in this one. Other otherwordly beings recognise you as being part of the Celestial Legion, and mundane folk have a 3-in-6 chance of knowing you're out of place (rather than recognising who you are). You may be actively hunted. Start with a weapon no one recognises, armour crafted from a never-seen-before metal, and a "shield" coloured in solid octarine.

(6) Siblings of St. Uryuvkos the Devout: A holy order of pious warriors, looking to spread their Holy Teachings and bring light to all the world; the strict code didn't sit quite right with you. You can see in the dark as though it were dim light, but can't read. Start with a club, a second-hand half plate, and a shield showing a purple rose in front of a set of scales.

The Guardian (GLOG Class)

You are a GUARDIAN; a defender of the weak, a sworn servant of the Church, a disciple of Their Holiness. You aid your allies to the best of your ability, and may put your life on the line in doing so.

By Darko Stojanovic

Start with: a shield, medium armor, a medium weapon, an unbreakable vow, a book of prayers

Backgrounds: Paladin (symbol of your Order), Ardent (memorised holy texts, medicine kit), City guard (reputation among Watch members)

You get an additional 1 HP for each Guardian template you possess.

A: Sublime Sense, Bodyguard, +1 to attack rolls

B: Mighty Aura,

C: Sundering, +1 to attack rolls

D: Holy Sustenance

Sublime Sense: You can smell heretics, undead, and the unholy. A successful Wisdom check (or system equivalent) will provide more clarity. 

Bodyguard: You can allow damage affect you rather than an adjacent ally. 

Mighty Aura: You may have allies roll using your stats rather than their own to save against others' negative effects. If you choose to do so, you make that save with disadvantage.

Sundering: You can let an item on your person be destroyed rather than take a physical attack’s damage. (Can stack with Bodyguard.)

Holy Sustenance: You may pray loudly or make an offering of 10 coins rather than consume rations.

I would love to hear any feedback on the class!

PIGEON TAMER (GLOG Class)

You are a PIGEON TAMER. You've always had quite a close bond with the birds, to the point that's it's almost supernatural.

From Wikimedia

Starts with: A technicolour feather cloak with many pockets (+3 inventory slots), two loaves of stale bread, a complete indifference to bird droppings, a dagger

A: Columbidaen Companionship, 5 pigeons
B: Avian Affinity, +1 pigeon
C: Distant Decrees, +1 pigeon
D: Dung Discharge, +1 pigeon

Columbidaen Companionship: You possess 5 pigeons, and gain an additional one each time you level or convince a new one to join your flock. How you befriended them is unimportant, but as long as they are CLOSE to you you may communicate fluently. So long as you can continue to feed them and they stay within earshot, they will do their reasonable best to carry out your wishes. It takes an action to instruct them and their beaks deal 1 damage.

Avian Affinity: As long as they are within earshot, you can communicate fluently with your pigeons and perceive the world through their senses.

Distant Decrees: Provided you give them a single instruction, your pigeons will now carry out your wishes over any distance (useful for things like message-carrying).

Dung Discharge: You can command your pigeons to release excrement whenever and wherever you wish; it’s sticky, quick to dry, and will leave stains.

Quirks (1d6, or choose one):
• You can always retrace your steps to the last place you ate.
• You always know which way is north, and can tell when something is magnetic.
• You can pass through any gap one of your pigeons could pass through.
• You can see all colours, and with a moment’s focus can see through illusion.
• You can consume stale or rotten rations as though they were unspoilt.
• Your intentions will always seem peaceful to animals and other characters, provided none of your party are holding a weapon.

THE HIVE (GLOG Class)

You command a HIVE OF BEES. You might be made of bees, your body might act as a hive, you might just be a beekeeper. Who am I to say.

THIS COULD BE YOU!

Start with: 20,000-odd bees, a stockpile of honey, a tiny crown, intimate knowledge of bee law, immunity to stings and insect bites

A: Hive Mind, Stinger Strike
B: Apian Augury
C: Paralyzing Prick
D: Wannabees

Hive Mind: Your bees follow you wherever you go. You can perceive through their senses, provided they are CLOSE to the centre of your hive (within 5ft). They will carry out your telepathically-communicated instructions, to the best of their ability.

Stinger Strike: Your bees can inflict wounds. CLOSE enemies will suffer 1d4 damage, those further away a measly 1.

Apian Augury: You can view the world through one of your bees no matter how far away they are from you.

Paralyzing Prick: Creatures stung by your bees now become incapacitated for a round unless they beat a save.

Wannabees: By commanding your bees to organise themselves into the shape of a certain object, you may use them as though they were that object. Not too shab-bee.

Character Quirks (1d6, or choose one):

• You have an incredible sense of smell.
• You can generate as much (s)warmth as a summer's day with a minute of focus.
• You're an expert dancer.
• Your beeswax can bind as glue.
• You can buzz as loud as the average person can yell.
• You don't have to fall asleep to rest.

Many thanks to iemcd and the denizens of the #glog-ghetto on the OSR discord for their help.

Any and all feedback, feelings, and grievances would bee much appreciated. (I know these puns sting.)

BLLOG Backgrounds (d100 Table + Rulings)

100 backgrounds for the Black Lotus Laws of Gaming, a GLOGhack set in a fantasy world inspired by Louisiana. See a brief setting intro here.

My planned background "rules" for BLLOG are as follows: for tasks related to your background, you won't need to roll where others might. For more difficult or potentially consequential tasks, the DM may still ask you to roll with advantage (roll 2d20, take the better). Where others might roll with disadvantage, you roll normally, etc. If you would prefer to use a different system, by all means do so.

First and foremost, these backgrounds are intended to give you new tools with which to approach the world of Eralou, opening up opportunities for interactions and solutions to problems that might not come up otherwise.

A crawgiant. By Josh Shelnutt

The Table:

1:	Chef	51:	Candlemaker
2:	Waiter	52:	Athlete
3:	Bokor	53:	Homemaker
4:	Farmer	54:	Teenage rebel
5:	Fisherman	55:	Glassmaker
6:	Pickpocket	56:	Architect
7:	Art forger	57:	Construction worker
8:	Virtuoso	58:	Music historian
9:	Aristocrat	59:	New Alores historian
10:	Chorus singer	60:	Storyteller
11:	Former zoulev practitioner	61:	Prankster
12:	Researcher	62:	Humble heir
13:	Shady butcher	63:	Loan shark
14:	Raised by mushrooms.	64:	Ramshackle inventor
15:	Born in the bayou	65:	Gator haberdasher
16:	Carpenter	66:	Local expert
17:	Tour guide	67:	Conservationist
18:	Smuggler	68:	Untrustworthy almanac writer
19:	False seer	69:	Unscrupulous mortician
20:	Failed bureaucrat	70:	Bottle-golem sculptor
21:	Marshcroak breeder	71:	Lotus ale brewer
22:	Tomb attendant	72:	Moderately successful flourist
23:	Bartender	73:	Wannabe adventurer
24:	Barfly	74:	Serpent hermit
25:	Riverboat pilot	75:	Parent of 3d4 children
26:	Boat engineer	76:	Talisman salesman
27:	Circus performer	77:	Huntsman
28:	Teacher	78:	Descendant of a saint
29:	Beekeeper	79:	Champion beignet eater
30:	Devil wrangler	80:	Former deputy
31:	Trufflemonger	81:	Got lost in the bayou, wandered out one day
32:	Crawgiant rider	82:	Maid to the royal family
33:	Swooprat (bat) tamer	83:	Courier
34:	Balloon engineer	84:	Cheese consultant
35:	Bounty hunter	85:	Fireworks enthusiast
36:	Local celebrity	86:	Misunderstood poet
37:	Local crackpot	87:	Trashtalker
38:	Failed author	88:	Very trusted merchant
39:	Surgeon-in-training	89:	Exotic animal handler
40:	Infamously bad barber	90:	Town gossip
41:	Gambler	91:	Gazette writer
42:	Subject of a famous song or painting	92:	Experimental stiltwalker
43:	Jewel thief	93:	Parade float judge
44:	Street partier	94:	Plagued by vicious rumors
45:	One hit wonder	95:	Outlandish hoax-crafter
46:	Obscure collector	96:	Perfume connoisseur
47:	Tourist	97:	Ten times failed entrepreneur
48:	Orphan	98:	Victim of a minor irreversible curse
49:	Mobster	99:	Child of the mayor
50:	Fireman	00:	Reroll twice. Both backgrounds apply.

Black Lotus Laws of Gaming (BLLOG)

Eralou is a fantasy setting inspired by the culture and folklore of Louisiana, originally created by Simon Williamson for their custom Magic: the Gathering set of the same name. (You can view the in-progress re-imagining of set here, which is the version of the world this content will be based on. Some flavor divergences here and there, but the former gives a good idea of the setting.) This post — and likely quite a few future ones — is my attempt to transfer that setting to a TTRPG, specifically a variant of Arnold K.'s GLOG, with inspiration being drawn from a wide variety of different blogs and hacks.

One of the most important elements of the setting is the black lotus. These plants are imbued with great magic, and can be used for many purposes: making food taste better, bargaining with spirits, enhancing a musician’s abilities; the list goes on. They can be somewhat rare, and are often quite valued — many would do a lot to get their hands on one. Once each year, during the festival of Plume de Val, all of the plane's lotuses bloom — magic is in the air, the great Phoenix rises, and celebrations can go on for weeks.

Some things you can expect from the setting include...

• Sentient fungi and frogs and birdfolk, oh my!
• No fewer than eight classes, including three distinct types of magic user.
• A research organisation headed by an owl from another world.
• Far too many tables, for likely completely unnecessary things, including...
• 1d20 Lies the royal family will tell you about themselves
• 1d100 Mildly magic trinkets
• 1d20 Rumours heard muttered in the bar
• 1d66 Folk saints and their feast days
• 1d100 Meals you can find in a restaurant in New Alores (the largest city around)
• A church dedicated to a long-dead angel.
• All manner of odd creatures and encounters.

By Vyacheslav Safronov

All to come in future posts! For now, have 1d100 possible backgrounds from  the setting:

The Survivalist (GLOG Class)

Here's my take on the ranger/wilderness-person class, drawing inspiration from Arnold K, Velexiraptor, and zoeology's Ranger classes, and probably some others I'm forgetting.

Art by Aurore Folny

You've spent a long time living in the wilderness past the edges of the City, beyond the borders of any town. With skill and stealth, you meet the untamed frontier. 

Starting Equipment: Light armor, sword, bow, quiver of 20 arrows;

Starting Skills (1d4): Athletics, Botany, Cartography, First aid;

A: Wildspeak, Favoured Terrain

B: Trophies

C: Second Wind
D: Enhanced Awareness, Fighting Style

Wildspeak — You're skilled at communicating with and instructing animals, getting +1 to any roll to do so. You may take on one mundane animal with HD less than your <templates> at a time as a companion, which you may give commands to as an action. It can't attack, has hearts equal to your level, and you may communicate with it fluently.

Favoured Terrain — When you gain this feature, choose a terrain type. You get advantage on all rolls to hide, hunt, or forage while in that terrain.

Trophies — You can take trophies from freshly slain corpses. Each occupies one inventory slot, and, provided you wear them prominently, gives +1 to your Defence and grants advantage on rolls to avoid the abilities of creatures of that type.

Second Wind — Living in the wilds and through the course of your adventuring, your stamina has improved. Once each rest, you may draw on your reserves to restore hearts to yourself equal to your CON bonus.

Enhanced Awareness — You can no longer be surprised, and now get +1 to initiative rolls.

Fighting Style — You've become even more accustomed to using a weapon of your choice in combat. Increase the damage die you use for that weapon by one size. (This stacks with other similar features.)

Critique and feedback appreciated!

Mafia Knight (GLOG Class)

This isn't quite my first GLOG class, though it is the first post to this blog — inspired by an art piece I came across, by Daniel S. Alessi, here's a Mafia Knight.

Mechanics draw from some of Arnold K's martial classes, Archon's and Skerple's Brawlers, and probably someone else I'm forgetting.

By Daniel S. Alessi

Mafia Knight

You are a loyal servant of a not-so-noble house of your choosing, and a talented combatant.

Start with: A tux, heavy armor bearing your house's crest, a fearsome reputation, and a large weapon of your choice fondly named the Legbreaker.

While wearing your tux, you receive no movement penalties due to heavy armor.

A: Criminal Contact, Bonecrusher

B: Cleave

C: Powerful Aura, Exceptional Athlete

D: Tough

Criminal Contact

You have at least one reliable contact within your crime family, who you can get a message to from almost anywhere (though it may require a bribe or two). They'll act as a liaison and do their best to provide you with whatever criminal information you seek.

Bonecrusher 

Once each day, you may choose to make a particularly devastating blow with the Legbreaker. You may add your an additional 1d6 to an attack's damage, or you may inflict an injury in addition to the regular damage (thanks for the suggestion, Euclidean!). Outside of combat, you may choose where to inflict the injury, while during battle you must roll randomly for hit location (the table below, as an example). Feel free to use whatever injury rules you wish, though a simple solution might be -3 to all rolls involving that body part while injured.

d6 Hit Location

1-2. Arm

3-4. Leg

5. Torso

6. Head

Cleave

Whenever you reduce a creature to 0 HP using the Legbreaker, you may make another attack with it against another enemy within reach. You can only cleave [template] targets in a single round.

Powerful Aura

Nearby allies may use your bonus for STR, CON, or fear-based saves rather than their own.

Exceptional Athlete

Once each day, you may re-roll a single STR or CON check of your choosing. 

Tough

Reduce all damage that would be dealt to you by 1.

Critique and feedback appreciated!