Available to NEC/WAR 1+. To activate this deed, roll and sacrifice a Risk Die. If the die result is not '1': each living flesh and blood creature within thirty feet of you must make a saving throw versus this spell-like effect using the Moldvay saving throw table. Failure indicates that the creature loses 1 HP and you gain that hit point. This can heal you up to your maximum normal hit points, plus your Necromancer level in temporary hit points. Using this ability on allies, bystanders, or helpless individuals may move your overall alignment toward chaotic evil. Regardless, it will cause you to detect as evil for the next full turn. There is a percentage chance equal to the number of hit points so drained with this deed (to a maximum of eight) of gaining ten percentile points to a random ability score.

The Earth, It Cares Not!
Part 10: After Overnighting With Caddyshanks

1,540 words

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6:12 am, 26th Oct. 204 PR

Matthias and Earnest Thromb sit with Grant Caddyshanks at the old man's breakfast table, eating eggs and bacon, and drinking querma. Old Man Caddy has thick, shaggy gray hair and a scruffy beard. He sets down his cup of querma and says, "Okay, let me see if I've got this straight: gnolls attacked in the night, there was a pitched battle, the two of you were the only survivors, and I slept through the whole ordeal. Does that about cover it?" he asks querulously.

"Well, when you put it like that, it does sound hard to believe, Cad, but yeah, that's about the size of it."

The old man takes another sip of querma, finishes off a strip of bacon, wipes his mouth. "Okay. Well, why didn't you wake me after the battle?"

Merchant Thromb sighs, hangs his head momentarily. "Truthfully, I did try, old friend. I spoke, then louder, then shook you. You didn't wake. Not to be indelicate, but you smelled of your lightning water. You still do, this morning."

Fuck you, Ernie! I didn't drink that much. You are dissembling." He comes to his feet, sloshing coffee. "Fine! I'll drink the swill you've poured out so far. But now, let us go and speak words of remembrance over your fallen."

Earnest Thromb comes to his own feet, palms out placatingly. "Cad, please, just--"

"Fine! Forget the fallen. Show me the corpses of the gnolls!" The old man's voice drops an octave on the last two words, and his chest expands, bursting the seams of his nightshirt. His forehead grows more pronounced and the hair on his forearms thickens.

Matthias remains seated but smiles beatifically at this development. He takes up the knife and carves a few more slices of jerky from a roll on a cutting board. He tosses a bite to the old mutt lying next to the iron stove near the breakfast table. Putting a bite into his own mouth, he chews thoughtfully and releases a spell -- Asmodeus' Disdain.

Caddyshanks feels the harm wash over him and assumes that the deceptive halfling caravan master has worked some evil magic against him. Cad's transformation completes and the werewolf leaps upon his friend of many years, claws raking, wolfish mouth crushing the halfling's throat even as Matthias buries the sharp sausage knife -- now coated in Hellbane -- in the changeling's back.

The knife inflicts another 4 damage, and Matthias drops into a forward roll, narrowly dodging those wickedly sharp claws as Cad spins around, scything the air. The warlock regains his feet and dashes from the kitchen onto the old farmhouse's front porch, ripping his short sword from its scabbard as he leaps sideways to the left of the door leading into the house, back pressed against the clapboard wall.

The werewolf bursts from the house, arms impossibly long, their claws and those of his feet serving to brake his momentum at the expense of the porch's floor boards. As the werewolf rounds on the warlock, the poison of his wound kicks in, dealing 2 CON damage and 4 more HP of injury to the werewolf.

Cad rakes claws at Matthias, and the warlock, using Total Defense, barely manages to avoid being disemboweled, still suffering 5 HP (leaving him at 1 temp HP above his normal maximum).

Matthias puts up a Total Defense, dropping his AC from 4 to -2. Even so, one of the changeling's claws rakes him for 7, dropping Matthias to 24/30 HP. And then, the Hellbane poison attacks Cad's system once more, dropping his Constitution another 5 points and inflicting an additional 10 more HP damage, and the lupine falls back, giving ground while vomiting.

The warlock surges forward, swiping his sword in an arc so that the werewolf pulls back his long arms in defense, and Matthias smacks the changeling right on the snout, delivering an Asmodeus'; Touch cantrip using a 1st level spell slot and inflicting 8 on the wolf. Matthias regains 4, putting him back at 28/30 HP. Unbeknownst to the warlock, the werewolf has a single HP remaining.

Sensing his impending death, the werewolf attempts to close with the warlock, perhaps to take him down into the darkness as well, but he is too weak, and the Hellbane finishes him. He collapses at Matthias' feet. The warlock chops twice at the fallen creature's throat, not willing to take any chances, then carves out the beast's heart with a dagger.

For a moment, he holds aloft the heart, declaring "For the glory of Asmodeus!", and then he bites into it, blood running down his chin, staining his robe. He chews, swallows, and is unaware that a pinprick of red light now lies at the center of each eye's pupil.

◦◦◦

Earnest Thromb gasps weakly for air in his final moments, hands unknowingly playing with his own exposed viscera. In the clarity of approaching death his mind is cleared of Matthias' beguilement from the previous evening, and the halfling cranes his neck to regard the warlock who has re-entered the kitchen. "Why, lad?" he asks of the young man he'd befriended eight years earlier.

Matthias walks over and takes a seat on the rough-hewn kitchen floor boards. "I don't expect you have sufficient time left to hear the full answer to that question, Thromb." The warlock absently twists a new ring that only a minute earlier graced his finger for the first time. "This is Carceri's Ring, created by its namesake over four millennia ago, as revealed by my infernal insight. Ah, but you wanted a reason for the justice I have meted out to you today: you skimped on expenses for the caravan journey. You put profits before safety and loyalty to friends."

"Wh-what? No, I never--"

"And because of your greed," Matthias continues, cutting off the dying halfling in mid-sentence, "my best friend was slain. A few more mercs out of Eastdale would have made all the difference, and the Silver Standard Trading Company actually mandates three or more guards for each and every wagon in one of their convoys. Did you know that? But of course you did!"

"Not ... my fault," the halfling wheezes, blood frothing from his lips. "An ... oversight ... accidental." The halfling struggles for breath. "My business. For ... thirty years I've ..."

"--Busted you hump to turn a profit? Saved up for your children's future? Oh, what will happen to my precious family without me? Blah, blah, blah!"

After a few moments: "Are you still with me, Thromb?" Matthias watches a bloody bubble form and pop on the halfling's lips, and notes that the eyes, though weak, still track him. "I am not without mercy. Pledge your fealty to me and to Father Asmodeus now, and you can yet live. This needn't be the end of your story. You can return home to Isabel. But you'd better choose quickly..."

A second passes ... three ... ten. Thromb gasps, "All right! Father ..." A fit of coughing almost spares the merchant his soul. But fate gives him another breath, and "Asmodeus, I am yours".

"There, now! See, that wasn't so bad, was it? Oh, and look. Your guts are creeping back into your innards. Actually, you don't want to see this -- trust me. At any rate, you aren't going to die ... yet. That's good news, eh? But I cannot fail to leave you some reminders of your guilt, and that you are no longer your own creature." Matthias squeezes Thromb's arm. The halfling shrieks in agony, and tears course down his cheeks. "Oh, come now, my newest servant. Don't cry and take on so." And the warlock brushes tears from the recumbent figure's cheek, eliciting redoubled screaming.

Thromb's eyelids flutter open weakly. He slowly takes in his surroundings. He is in a warm if not entirely comfortable bed. A lantern on a bedside table gently illuminates the room but casts some of it in shadows. He glances down where his arms lie atop the folded down quilt -- taking in his transformed right arm numbly, his recent ordeal permitting no greater reaction.

"Ah, you are awake, Revole. Excellent! We have much to discuss," comes the warlock's voice from the corner of the room.

Thromb turns his head painfully to regard Matthias' silhouette. "What did you call me?"

"Revole. That's your new name. Revole Ting. Earnest Thromb was another life, and a name you will hereafter answer to only in subterfuge, serving my own designs.

"You promised!" the halfling says, voice cracking with emotion. "You said I could go home to my wife!"

The warlock clucks his tongue. "Oh, Revole. You shall learn to trust my word. You shall indeed go home. But first, you shall fulfill your preexisting obligation by conveying me to Caldamis, for I must attend to our Father's business there in a matter of some importance," Matthias chides, observing the halfling's expression. "You were going to be gone from home at least a couple weeks anyway. Nobody expects you back before then."

Continue the story

Carceri's Ring is over 4,000 years old, fashioned by an archmage of that long-ago period to help him survive a curse for which he could find no cure. The ring has the following functions:

• Regenerate 2 hit points per round (20 HP/minute)
• Purges the wearer of poisons and diseases
• Regrows lost appendages/limbs in four hours
• Is proof against level-drain and Constitution damage

This powerful magical artifact passed from Carceri into the possession of a mighty druidess who wore it for three decades, but was taken from her corpse by a group of adventurers working for the Outsider Triskelion.

The item lay vaulted in Triskelion's keeping for nigh on six hundred years, for though the Outsider had long ago outgrown any need of its particular powers, still he begrudged that anyone else might benefit from it.

In more recent ages, the ring had come into the possession of the mighty barbarian Lays Waste With Frosted Claws — an awakened polar bear of the Great Tundra. This worthy used its powers to great effect in slaughtering incursions of Shou into its territories in the decades leading up to The Ravaging.

Within living memory, the ring was taken from polar bear bearer by Morda the Witch Queen, who held is a scant fourteen years before adventurers from Westmark laid her low. Carried briefly by Adelbrin the Ranger, it came to Volkeg, father of Caddyshanks, in 193 PR ... and now, from Caddyshanks to Matthias d'Slaytonthorpe.

Add your Dark Magic trait value to the saving throw penalty imposed when you cast an infernal or necromantic spell. The value of this trait may also be applied to damage inflicted by your spells or abilities.

Warlock 1+. When the warlock is successfully targeted by a spell he did not cast himself, he may sacrifice a Risk Die by rolling it. If the result isn't '1', choose to divide {Risk Die Result} any way you wish between damage done to the offending caster and a penalty applied to their next roll within the current encounter. For Warlock 3+, add your Warlock level to the Risk Die Result before assigning damage and a penalty. After applying this damage and this die roll penalty, steal 10% of the target's remaining hit points (no saving throw) and add them to your own.

Available to Thief 7+, Thief subclasses 4+. When you successfully Circle attack or Backstab a foe, add your total Thief and thief-subclass levels to the doubled or tripled base damage, instead of the usual Dex or Str modifier being added. You still add any weapon bonuses as usual.

Armor Class

In many systems, Dungeons & Dragons, Scarlet Heroes, and — yes — in my own Scarlet Horizons, the goal of a to-hit roll is to get a d20 die result equal to or higher than a certain target number.

In the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons, that target number is an Armor Class, and in the modern 5th edition of the game, the higher the Armor Class, the more difficult it is to penetrate with an attack.

But in earlier versions of AD&D, Armor Class did not range from 10 to (the upper thirties, or even higher). Rather, in these older systems, Armor Class ranged from negative ten, to positive ten, and the lower an Armor Class, the better. (see also here). My system, Scarlet Horizons, uses this older AC system, but expands the range of armor classes from +10 all the way down to -30.

Magic Weapons and Damage Inflicted

Magical weapons may have a bonus ranging from +1 to +3. This bonus applies to any attack roll made while using the weapon. When determining damage inflicted by the weapon when used in the hand(s) of a hero, use the standard Scarlet Heroes rules and then choose to add the weapon's bonus to one die's result.

We always add a magic weapon's bonus to one of its die rolls, before converting to HD of damage. You can see, then, the desirability of magical weapons compared to their mundane counterparts.

We can see, from the above table, that in the hands of an average-strength combatant, a short sword (which deals 1d6) could, upon conversion of the die roll to damage, inflict 0 damage, 1 HD of damage, or (at most) 2 HD of damage. Even as that average-strength combatant gains levels, the best they can hope is to deal 2 HD of damage with a single attack. But what if that short sword has a +2 magical bonus? Now in the hands of the same average-strength combatant, that short sword can inflict between 1 and 2 HD of damage. And if that combatant has a +2 STR bonus? Now, that +2 short sword can inflict between 1 and 4 HD of damage. Even a massive ogre could be felled with a single blow by a strong fighter using such a magical sword.

When not using Scarlet Heroes-style damage, weapon dice may explode.

Heroic Deeds

Heroic Deeds cost Risk Dice and yield a chance of something beneficial occurring for the PC. They are special actions heroes can attempt, or desirable circumstances they can bring about.

Heroic Deeds are class-gated and sometimes also level- and/or ability score-gated. Unless stated otherwise in a specific Heroic Deed's description, a Heroic Deed used during combat can be done in addition to your normal movement, Fray Die usage, and melee/ranged attack.

Unless a particular Heroic Deed's description says otherwise, all Heroic Deeds require a Risk Die to be rolled and sacrificed in order to activate the effects of that deed — and any result other than a '1' on the d8 Risk Die roll indicates success. This sacrifice by rolling mechanic, with success indicated on Risk Die result greater than 1, is implied for all listed Heroic Deed descriptions unless explicitly stated otherwise.

A Risk Dice Pool powers Heroic Deeds. With very few exceptions, any time a Heroic Deed is attempted, a Risk Die must be sacrificed from the pool. When your Risk Dice pool is empty, you cannot attempt any further Heroic Deeds until a short rest restores a single Risk Die, or a long rest restores your full Risk Dice pool.

You may attempt to use up to three Heroic Deeds in a given round. If possible, using Dual Activation of two of these deeds is the smart play, because it counts as a single deed use. You may not use Dual Activation more than once per combat round.

A new PC in Scarlet Horizons begins play — at level 01 in a core class — knowing three Heroic Deeds, and with a Risk Dice Pool of four d8 dice. Upon attaining a new level, a PC gains additional Risk Dice and Heroic Deeds as shown in the table below — your PC may retcon known Heroic Deeds as desired when leveling up.

Risk Dice Pool size and Known Heroic Deeds are a function of overall character level.