DESERTER (GLOG Minizine)

The DESERTER is one of the most-viewed posts on this blog, ever — an ex-soldier, one who ran away from it all, leaving their life as far behind them as they could get it, a class for Arnold K's Goblin Laws of Gaming. It drew on a few different inspirations, first and foremost that of G. R. Michael's Zouave; it remains among the most popular things I've ever posted, nearly three years on.

I've had thoughts about zines for a while. Self-published, small, DIY — it has a definite appeal, with zines remaining a common enough format for tabletop RPG "content", especially with Kickstarter's annual Zinequest. It's something I'd long wanted to try my hand at, in some fashion or another. A month or so ago (yes, that's how long it's taken me to write this) I decided to give it a go, at long last, using some old work of mine. I trawled through my backlog and landed on the Deserter as a good fit, especially with the original post's inclusion of possible backgrounds. I remembered a format I had seen used before, for SaltyGoo's Cradle of the Gods (a collection of deities), which takes only a single A4 page.

After a few hour's experimentation, playing around with design and layout and content (and some furhter trial and error with cutting and folding), I arrived at what I'm calling the final product, at least for now. Not sure if I'll ever see someone else use it, but I found it an enjoyable and enlightening experience, one that I may yet follow up on.

apologies for the questionable quality

You can find a PDF version here, or a PNG file here. I'm happy to answer any questions or queries, either about the process or about the zine itself; I've no idea, still, if this was the best way to go about it, but I can't pretend I'm not content to finally see some of my work in physical form, even if from a home printer.

 

The Mists Upon the Moor (Patron: The Fae)

For he comes, the human child,

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than he can understand.
—W.B. Yeats, 'The Stolen Child'

A prince of the Autumn Court, a luchorpán, the Wailing Washerwoman; a denizen of the Otherworld, that half-forgotten realm of mists just beyond the borders of our own, the place below the barrows and beyond the Ironwoods. Inhuman all, with motivations as inscrutable as their nature, the Good Folk live at the fringes of the mortal realm, descendants of those who lost the war for Heaven yet escaped Damnation.

By Jakub Rozalski

Perk: Can see through darkness, and always sense the way to the nearest gateway to the Otherworld.
Drawback: People can tell there's something off about you. Normal mortals are always keen to distrust you.

The boon of your pact looks rightfully not of this world—deeply unnatural colours, just-off proportions, a scent it shouldn't have, &c.

Whether you fell asleep aside a barrow mound, danced too close to the Midsummer bonfire, or followed the fairy light into the heart of the forest, those sworn to one of the Fae are left... changed. The mark you bear takes the form of...
1. Eyelids that close sideways.
2. A forked tongue.
3. Pointed ears.
4. An uncanny stare.
5. Scarlet-red hair.
6. Six fingers on each hand.
7. An unnaturally sing-song voice.
8. A constant sickliness.
9. A permanent, too-wide smile.
10. Each of your eyes is a different, inhuman colour.

Mishaps:
1. 1d6 damage to you.
2. MD only return to your pool on a 1-2 until sunrise.
3. You lose all benefits of your boons for 1d6 rounds.
4. Illusions overtake your mind for 1d6 rounds on a failed save; you see things that aren't there, swiping at nonexistent enemies and dancing to a nonexistent tune.
5. You begin to scream for the next 1d6 rounds; on a 6, so does everyone who can hear you.
6. You lose your voice until you next rest.

Dooms:
1. Your eyes are now white as snow. You cannot keep a secret from those who know your name.
2. Your hair is now white as snow. You cannot disobey those who know your name.
3. Your skin is now white as snow. You feel an overwhelming *itch* to go back to the Otherworld. Home.

---

Another warlock patron; see this post for context, and either of these for further content. Bits taken from a variety of sources; deus ex parabola's Oberon and Titania most significantly.

STORM HERALD (GLOG Class)

You wield the primal powers of wind and sky, nature's fury shaped by your will. You are a tempest of righteous rage, a swirling storm of steel, adrenaline flowing through your veins like lightning.

A GLOG-ification of a 5e Barbarian subclass; Berserk stolen wholesale from deus ex parabola.

Start with: a medium or heavy weapon of your choice, medium armor, an impressive amount of scars, shredded pecs, an animal-hide cloak, an uncanny sense of coming weather 

A: Berserk, Sheltered from the Storm
B: Raging Storm
C: Whirlwind
D: Furious Storm

Berserk: You possess a pool of rage points, starting with 2 at A and gaining another at each level. You may expend a point at the beginning of combat to receive half damage from all sources for the duration, or when performing a feat of strength to automatically roll a 20. A crack of thunder accompanies each expenditure.

Regain a point whenever you eat a big meal and get a good night's rest, or when you go without food or rest to brood on your many enemies. While your pool is full, make a Save against flying off the handle whenever you face disrespect.

Sheltered from the Storm: Extreme environments have no bearing on you. You move unhindered through harsh weather, suffer not the effects of severe cold, and may breathe underwater. Your claps sound as loud as thunder, and your steps may shake the ground.

Raging Storm: Whenever you enter a rage, the air around you now ignites. You may call down a single lightning strike anywhere you can see, inflicting 1d8 damage to everything adjacent to that spot. Clouds gather overhead, wind begins to howl, nearby doors and windows slam open. The storm continues to rage as long as you do.

Whirlwind: Each round, you may make an extra attack for free; alternately, you may forgo all other attacks in a round to strike each opponent you could reasonably hit a single time.

Furious Storm: You have become one with the spirit of the storms. Now, whenever you enter a rage, your lightning strikes instead deal 2d8 damage to those effected. While raging, all of your attacks deal an extra 1d6 to those they hit. Your wounds have no impact on you until the fighting's over.

Unwaking from the Dream of Life (The Lich)

Why should a man desire in any way
To vary from the kindly race of men
Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance
Where all should pause, as is most meet for all?
—Alfred Tennyson, 'Tithonus'

A mage, great in power and hubris both, who has overcome Death itself. Trading form for immortality, liches give up their bodies, binding their mind instead to their demesne—a fortress-city, a citadel of bone, perhaps an ancient tower—saving themselves from the tides of time, but binding themselves in place for eternity. Thus, they rely on agents to act on their behalf beyond the borders of their demesne.

By Blake Rottinger

Perk: You speak the tongue of spirits. Passing on decays the mind; corpses often ramble or go on cryptically, and rarely can they recall their deaths.
Drawback: You do not heal naturally. Instead of a ration, you must consume the flesh of a freshly slain creature; broken bones must be replaced with ones scavenged from elsewhere.

The boon of your pact looks as something pulled from a long-forgotten tomb—it might be composed of bone or dark stone, it may look worn with age, it may bear a permanent layer of dust, &c.

All who are sworn to a lich are... twisted, in some way, by their bond. The mark you bear takes the form of...
1. Ghost-pale skin.
2. An ever-present chill.
3. Entirely black eyes.
4. A constant gauntness.
5. A pungent scent of rotting flesh.
6. Permanent bloating.
7. Teeth eerily long and yellow as old bone
8. A different voice, much older than your face.
9. Nothing humans can sense, but animals find you... wrong.
10. One eye that never ceases weeping.

Mishaps:
1. 1d6 damage to you.
2. MD only return to your pool on a 1-2 until sunrise.
3. Random mutation for 1d6 rounds, then make a Save. Permanent if you fail.
4. For the next [sum]*10 minutes, you may see into the realm of spirits and magic directly, but the mortal world is totally dark to you (stolen from Lexi). 
5. 1d6 nearby corpses raise as revenants, eager to attack.
6. Save against your body rejecting your spirit. If failed, your spirit shoots out of you as a ghost - choose which one you're controlling, the other causes mayhem. The ghost can do spells and wizardy shit, the body can and will break things and strangle people (courtesy of Locheil).

Dooms:
1. You die. Your spirit is flung from your body until the next sunrise, and from now on you are as any other undead—your form will begin to rot, and you gain another feature from the d10 table above.
2. As above, but your body's rotting progress more rapidly while you are outside it. Disadvantage on initiative rolls and any checks related to reflexes or speed from now on.
3. As above, but your spirit is cast out forever. Your passing tears a hole in the Veil. 4d8 spirits leak through, possessing nearby corpses where available and hellbent on causing harm.

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A continuation from some earlier posts.

May You Be Spared G_d's Judgment (GLOG Classis: Cleric)

Priest. Ardent. Wise One. Monk. Known by many names across many lands, you are one favoured by the G_ds, blessed with some small semblance of their power. You may be part of an organised faith, a devout member of a once-mighty cult, a lone pilgrim on a holy path entirely your own, or any number of things; as long as you work in service to some G_d, hold some sway with Those Of HEAVEN, this may be the class for you.

By Silvia Meiliani

Starting items: signifier of your faith (embroidered robes, porcelain mask, tattoo, &c.), a walking staff, a small weapon, a prayer scroll or sacred text
Skills: religion and (1d3) public speaking, history, or commerce

A: Voice of the G_ds: Common folk recognise you as a person of religious disposition. People are keen to take any advice, counsel, or explanations you offer them, and will likely offer temporary sanctuary or a meal in return for any favours. Oaths said afore you are considered binding, and you may oversee religious ceremonies of many sorts.

A: Augury: You may perform a ritual—as outlined in your particular domain's description—to discern some truth about the world. Roll [template]d6 each time you do, asking up to [highest] questions. Answers given take the form of 'Yes', 'No', or 'Unclear'; if the question relates to your domain, instead you may receive 'Certainly', 'Possibly', 'Unclear', 'Consider Further', 'Unlikely', or 'Impossible'.

B: Reveal Deception: You can sense if those you meet are opposed to the interests of your domain, and dispel illusions & invisibility with a minute of concentration. You may spend ten minutes to ward a site against intruders until sunrise; any unwanted entry immediately alerts you.

B: Proselytize: Whenever you preach in a crowded place, you draw an audience including [template]d6 believers; afterwards, you may hire up to [template] of them on as hirelings to follow you. All believers—those paid and those not—will treat you with reverence and perform small domain-appropriate favours as you instruct, provided they don't aren't put in jeopardy as a result. 

C: Turn: You may force those opposed to you and your domain to test morale; on a failure, they will cower before you or flee in terror. If they succeed, you cannot turn them again until the next day.

D: Sect: You may start a splinter of your own. Make sure to note some distinguishing tenets or heresies, preferably ones your character already holds to. Hirelings you choose to ordain count as CHOSEN of the first level, with your title passing to one of them when you die.

G_ds Great and Small

1. Idona, the Watcher, They Who Birthed Nations
Domains: Time, Life, Death
The First God, from whom came all and unto shall all return. They were among those who raised the Mountain from the depths of Chaos, but refused to rule from the Throne of Heaven. Burial is but a return to their embrace, for the devoted. Patron of midwives, gravediggers, and all those who care deeply for others.

Starting items: Your holy symbol is a golden circle hanging from a chain necklace, your weapon a half-moon sickle. In addition, you carry a copy of Alsther Wisborne's Alamanac of Common Kyures and Ailments and a roll of bandages.
Augury: You know the True Tongue of ancient things; you may spend an hour in contemplative silence to consult with the souls of rock and stone, those mighty forests that stood long before mankind lay foot in these lands.
Benefit: You have knowledge of many non-magical diseases, as well as simple cures for them. You may craft poultices from common herbs, and have enough training to lessen the long-term effects of a wound provided you get to it within a day.
Drawback: When an innocent in need requests your help, your oaths oblige you to help; doubly so if it concerns a loved one of theirs. As a rule of thumb, an "innocent" is anyone with less than 1 HD who isn't trying to start a fight.

2. Tadhros, the Burning One, She Who Scattered the Stars
Domains: Fire, Light, Violence
The sun, by whose light the world may live. A thousand times she led her armies against the forces of endless night, a thousand times mankind saved by their shed blood. Only once her armies' swords laid to rest, a thousand sacrifices made at once to banish the dark forever more, their bodies scattered now across the blackness.

Starting items: Your holy symbol is a robe emblazoned with a white sun, your weapon a short sword. In addition, you carry three sticks of heavily-scented incense.
Augury: Light a fire, burning something of value—1gp or sentimental memory per question—and stare at its heart. It will burn itself out in ten times [dice] minutes; you may derive answers from the ashes.
Benefit: You may snap your fingers at any time to create a spark as that of a flint and steel.
Drawback: You are forbidden to put out a fire before it burns itself out naturally. All food you eat must be cooked.

3. Solgrannis, Plague-Bearer, Who Lurks in the Night
Domains: Disease, Squalor, Darkness
Be it demon or g_d true, all who know his name know it something to be feared. Uncountable tales of its nature are told across lands near and far, by drunkards in tavern corners and old wives at the village well, tales of a great shambling blackness, a lurching corpse crowned in blood, a foul beast and devourer of children. Each bears some facet of its truth, each is wildly wrong. As the dark itself, he resists comprehension, an ever-shifting form lying just beyond reach.

Starting items: Your holy symbol is a porcelain mask, the face of a plague-bearer transfixed in pain, your weapon a ritual dagger. In addition, you carry a single dose of strongly hallucinogenic fungus and are followed by a raven.
Augury: Slit the belly of a freshly-deceased corpse and make a reading of its internal parts. A hare provides enough entrails for a single question, a human around three.
Benefit: You speak the tongue of all the foul things that prowl in shadow—you may hold conversation with rats, mice, and scavenging beasts as though fluent, though they may not be inclined to listen to you.
Drawback: You posses a permanent whooping cough. People may react as they would to any other sick person, even while the recognise you for a holy person.

Don't Forget the Fine Print

I burned my life, that I might find

A passion wholly of the mind,

Thought divorced from eye and bone,

Ecstasy come to breath alone.

I broke my life, to seek relief

From the flawed light of love and grief.
—Louise Bogan, 'The Alchemist'

A follow-up to an earlier post of mine; another patron, another pact.

Patron: The Deep

Be it a Great Beast of the Sea, a mighty kraken, or a primordial of the Elemental Ocean, you have bound yourself to some ancient being from creation’s first days. For some masters, you may act as their eyes and ears on the realm of land, advancing whatever esoteric goals they seek; for others, your "master" may be so alien as to be unaware of your mere existence.

By Elisa Serio

Perk: You can communicate with creatures of the water as fluent, and move through marshes and bogs unhindered.
Drawback: You cannot drink fresh water; derivatives thereof—tea, beer, &c—are fine.

The boon of your pact looks as it should for an object of the oceans—dark blues and greys, seaweed dangling off of it, a thin layer of slime, &c.

Those who swear themselves to a being of the Deep carry a sign of their pact. The mark you bear takes the form of...

1. Webbed hands and feet.

2. Translucent, mildly luminescent skin.

3. Fish-like scales.

4. Visible gills.

5. Constantly damp & oily skin.

6. No eyelids.

7. Unnaturally pointed teeth.

8. Unusual pallor.

9. Bulbous swim bladders.

10. Spit solidifies slowly after contact with air.

Mishaps:
1. 1d6 damage to you.
2. MD only return to your pool on a 1-2 until sunrise.
3. Random marine-related mutation for 1d6 rounds. Permanent on a failed save.
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:

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.

Pact: The Tome

Where other practitioners take paths of simple-minded violence or request vain gifts, your boon of choice was knowledge—power in its purest form, at least in your eyes. You need not runes nor wands nor incense; you are a spellcaster, capable of imposing your whims on the world as you desire.

A: Spellcasting: You may expend MD to change the world around you, wielding the powers described below. For each Working you perform past the first, add an additional Instability Die—they do not contribute to [dice] or [sum], but do count for the invocation of Mishaps and Dooms. This count resets each sunrise, though a warlock may voluntarily roll extra ID to further empower their workings.

Harm: Deal [sum]+[dice] damage to any target you can see; creatures may Save to negate. This takes a pact-appropriate form—a blast of fire, a sudden gust of lacerating wind, the howling screams of damned souls.
+1 ID for each other Working you've done since sunrise
+1 ID for each additional target

Alter: Make a declarative statement about any target you can see you can see. That statement becomes true for [dice] rounds. It cannot cause damage (Harm), create a new object (Create), or move the target; creatures may Save to negate.
+1 ID for each other Working you've done since sunrise
+1 ID for each additional target
+1 ID to affect an area the size of a wagon
+2 ID to affect an area the size of a cottage
+3 ID to affect an area the size of a village
+1 ID to make the effect last [dice] minutes
+2 ID to make the effect last [dice] hours
+3 ID to make the effect last [dice] days

Create: Create a creature or object. It lasts for [dice] rounds, and begins person-sized or smaller (with 2 or fewer HD if a creature). Creatures created cannot inflict damage and objects may not inflict magic damage or create permanent effects, but may be magical—you can make a flying carpet, but a healing potion will only last the duration listed. A regular sword, not BITTER MARTYR WOE, a well-learned heavy langmesser matte, with a silvered edge that cuts through fire.
+1 ID for each other Working you've done since sunrise
+1 ID for each additional creation
+2 ID to increase the created creature's HD by 4
+1 ID to create an object the size of a wagon
+2 ID to create an object the size of a cottage
+3 ID to create an object the size of a village
+1 ID to create a magical or otherwise notably strange object
+1 ID to make the creation last [dice] minutes
+2 ID to make the creation last [dice] hours
+3 ID to make the creation last [dice] days

A: Ancient Tongues: When you come across a fragment of some long-forgotten language—scrawled on a ruin, carved into a talisman, &c.—you have a [templates]-in-6 chance of understanding it. Not the entire language, but enough for that piece.

B: Intuitive Understanding: You can read any text—fine print included—in the time it's taken you to read this description.

C: Accurate Insight: By staring very deeply into someone's eyes, you may read their thoughts, quite literally printed on their pupils; it's there for everyone, but the text is very small (credit to Archon).

D: Spell-Theft: You may cast any spell you come across in another magic-user's grimoire or the mind of one you've killed without rolling or incurring ID. Your Mishaps and Dooms may still apply; spells cast this way once are rendered unusable.

---

The Magic-User to the Blade's Fighting-Man. Thanks to Sundered for the name; here's the patron you asked for in return. Feedback appreciated, &c., &c.—more patrons and pacts to come.

DISCIPLE OF THE FORGE (GLOG Class)

You are a devotee of Caelis, the Smith, endowed with a fragment of his power either through intent or accident—you may have drawn his attention, forged a pact, or simply swallowed an odd bit of metal. You do not necessarily worship him—indeed, many have turned their back on the G_ds of old—but you follow in his path nonetheless.

By Raymond Swanland

Starting items: smith's tools and leathers, a sacred icon, a medium weapon, a surprisingly portable anvil, 3d4 bits of thumb-sized metallic junk
Skills: metalwork and (1d6): appraisal, architecture, percussive maintenance, bartering, clockwork, scripture

A: Blessings of the Forge, Reshape
B: Artisan's Gifts, Kindling
C: Steel-Saint
D: Reforged

Blessings of the Forge: You may infuse up to [template] items with magic at any given time; the process takes an hour of constant prayer recital. Blessed objects never rust nor tarnish, cannot be damaged by mundane means, and count as magical.

Reshape: You can mold metal in your hands with the ease and accuracy of soft clay. Anything crafted this way is liable to fall apart after 1d6 uses.

Artisan's Gifts: You may replicate any object in metal perfectly, provided you have the original to hand. The process takes minutes for simple things smaller than your hands, hours for something more complex or about as large as an arm, and days or weeks for the largest or most intricate work.

Kindling: You can rub any two flammable objects together in between your palms to set both alight, at no immediate risk to yourself.

Steel-Saint: Damage dealt by blessed objects scalds as boiling water. You may transmute earthen materials (soil, rocks, bone, so on) into workable metal—a fist-sized quantity in a minute, a light sword's worth in 10, &c. It is weaker than natural ore, but just as usable for your purposes.

Reforged: The flame has altered your soul and body alike. Mundane fire is no longer dangerous to you, and objects bearing your blessing strike with all the force of a falling anvil.

---

𝟭𝟯 𝗔𝗡𝗗 in the earliest days, when Man was but an idle thought, the G_ds did wrest from Chaos the reigns of creation, and the Void they did fill. The Mountain was raised by the Daughters of the Earth—Keldat, Maken, Isla, Tarn all—and at its peak was raised the City now called Heaven, that place of bounty now marred by War. And in that City were made wonders, true works of the divine, beyond the design of the finest craftsmen and beyond the mind of the highest King of Kings among all on earthen soil, each a miracle in its own. 

𝟭𝟵 𝗔𝗟𝗦𝗢 among their number, those architects of the Sacred City, stood the Firesoul, the Smith, He Who is Called by the Heat of the Forge; that divinity known in the True Tongue by the clang of the hammer; in the old speech of the first peoples, Klissian; and in the common tongue of those born in the wreckage of the Scattering, Caelis.

𝟮𝟬 𝗛𝗘 shaped the fruit of the earth as none other, not merely reshaping it but forming it anew in whole, creating new substance from the ancient and molding it as he pleased. By him were forged the weapons that slayed Those Who Came Before, before the birth of the Mountain and its Heaven—the blade of Nazgas, the powerful one swung about the head of Tel'turon, the mighty bow lost-to-the-ages—and within the City his works were many. Grand palaces of iron, mighty towers as tall as the Mountain itself, new constructions, unlike any come before; to list his works would be as futile as the singing of his endless praises.
—Excerpts from Lebor Breth-Sleev ags a Bhailid, The Book of the Birth of the Mountain and its City, translated in the year 724 by Brother Benedach

---

A GLOG-ish spin on one of the more tolerable 5e subclasses, albeit with a number of creative liberties. Kindling stolen from deus ex parbaked's Manufactory. All feedback appreciated, especially on the ~faithposting~ at the end.

PALADIN OF THE COMMON FOLK (GLOG Class)

You are a PALADIN OF THE COMMON FOLK; you serve not the corrupt G_ds of the Church, instead following the True Ways—the ancient beliefs of Man when they first arrived from the Old Countries. Once an everyday person-of-faith, you've chosen to devote your life to religion and take up the discarded vows once more.

DISGUSTING.
By Simon Fetscher

Start with: medium armor, a peasant's tool of your choice (give it a name—CAST OUT THE NIGHT, for example), healer's pack, holy symbol, oaths of charity and protection, venomous hatred towards established religion

Skills (1d6): farming, smithing, fishing, carpentry, butchery, baking

A: Humble Weaponry, the Ancient Tongues

B: Blessed Rites, +1 MD

C: Stand Tall, Stay Fast, Sacred Senses, +1 MD

D: Smite Those Who Oppose, +1 MD

Humble Weaponry: You shun the greed and extravagance of "normal" priests and paladins; rather than plate or blade, you wear simple armor and wield the implements of your former craft. You can use tools as medium weapons. They count as holy objects.

The Ancient Tongues: As a disciple of the True Ways, you worship the rightful G-ds of this world; you were never one for the high-above "angels" those papist heretics claim to follow. You can speak to the spirits of nature itself, the idols of your devotion; older spirits see less, but know more. Not all wish to share.

Roll 1d6 now, and gain another language each time you receive a PALADIN template:

1. Stone

2. Soil

3. Water

4. Plants

5. Fire

6. Rot

Blessed Rites: You have a single Miracle Die, which is very similar to—but not necessarily interchangeable with—a Magic Die, representative of your favour with the spirits. You receive an additional one each time you take a PALADIN template, and can spend them to heal an ally you can touch for [sum] or give a nearby party member +[highest] to-hit for a round.

Stand Tall, Stay Fast: A beacon in the field, allies look to you in times of terror. You may choose to make save rolls before the rest of your party. Whenever you succeed, everyone else makes their checks with advantage.

Sacred Senses: You have been blessed with the ability to smell it; demons, devils, angels, and devotees of the false G_ds. It is unlike any other smell, though it pervades it touches. Listening to your nose could get you far.

Smite Those Who Oppose: Your tools' damage now counts as magical. They speak to you in mutters and whispers, always wishing to be used. When you make a successful attack roll, you can expend any amount of MD to deal an additional [sum] damage to your target.

Identity Theft Is Fine And Good, Actually (GLOG Class: Face-Stealer)

You are a face-stealer. You may have been human once upon a time, but no longer. You step in and out of identities as another might suits; whatever semblance of “true self” once existed is now all but worn away, corroded by the ceaseless tide of change.

By Sam Flegal

Start with: two glass daggers, reversible clothing (a suit on one side, "scruffy" clothes on the other), a bowler hat, no memory of your original identity

Skills (1d4): forgery, tailoring, cat-burglary, juggling

A: Swap Selves, Right Where You Belong
B: Residual Recollection, Unnerving Stealth
C: Memory Theft
D: Persona Pool

Swap Selves: You can spend 10 minutes to copy other people's features, replacing the current set you have. Those aware of what you're trying to do can resist, perhaps by making funny faces. 

Right Where You Belong: You're an expert at blending in, exuding an air of confidence in your actions. People will always believe you’re in the right place, until they get a reason not to.

Residual Recollection: You don't just take faces. When you copy features, the last day’s worth of memories come along with them. 

Unnatural Stealth: Your footsteps are silent, no matter what surface you walk on.

Memory Theft: When you copy a person’s features, you can ask the Referee up to three questions about things that person might know. They must answer honestly.

Persona Pool: You can keep up to three sets of features memorised, swapping between them with 10 minutes of conscious effort. You can loan these features out to others, for up to a day at a time; recipients must be willing to receive them.

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.

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.