Has someone done a Sekiro class? I feel like someone has done a Sekiro class. But I can’t find it anywhere, so here we go, five years late.
A: Prosthetic Limb, +1 Stealth (or whatever you use in your system)
B: Advanced Tools, Opportunist, +1 Attack
C: +1 Prosthetic Tool Slot, Danger Sense, +1 Stealth
D: Master Tool, Surprise Tool, +1 Attack
Prosthetic Limb – You’ve replaced one of your limbs with an amalgamation of wood, bone, and string. Two prosthetic tools are cleverly spirited within its slots, powered by tightly wound torsion mechanisms. You also start with four prosthetic tools (see below), which you can slot in during downtime. You can buy new prosthetic tools in any metropolitan city, for a steep cost. The prosthetic can still grasp, push, and hold things but generally lacks the control and strength to do much else, like play instruments, write, or use non-prosthetic weapons. Prosthetic tools don’t take up any encumbrance slots (or whatever you use) but you get half inventory slots, otherwise the bulk makes it impossible to use the tools effectively. Using a tool requires giving up that round’s attack or a move, unless otherwise noted. Select the limb you replaced:
Dominant Hand – You apply double your attack bonus to attacks made with prosthetic weapons. You also have to use your off-hand for anything, call it a -4 or -6 or disadvantage to any actions that require delicate hand use.
Off-hand – No bonuses or penalties to the prosthetic, and you get to keep your main hand. Traditional choice.
Leg – Every prosthetic has 1 extra charge, but movement speed is halved.
Advanced Tools – One of your currently owned prosthetic Tools gets upgraded to an advanced tool (see below). You can upgrade other tools, but it requires rare crafting components and a massive cost.
Opportunist – Whenever you make an attack with a situational bonus (e.g. against a prone, stunned, surprised, etc. enemy) deal 1d6 extra damage.
Danger Sense – When you are surprised, you have a 50% chance to act in the surprise round anyway.
Master Tools – One of your currently owned advanced prosthetic tools gets upgraded to a master tool (see below). You can upgrade other advanced tools, but it will involve obscenely rare crafting components (probably the goal of a quest) and a ruinous cost.
Surprise Tool – Once per adventure, in response to a pressing need, you can declare that one of the prosthetics you’re has actually been a different prosthetic all along. All the uses of the prosthetic you replaced are attributed to clever practical illusions and shinobi trickery. The slotted in prosthetic has only half the usual charges (minimum one), and a charge must be used immediately in response to whatever situation has arisen.
Alternative Rule: Tension
Below, you’ll see that each prosthetic has a certain amount of charges they can use each day before failing. I’ve brainstormed an alternate rule/resource, called Tension, which is a shared resource consumed by all prosthetic tools. Tension replenishes when you rest for the night and advances at 6/10/12/16 with the templates you have. Surprise Tool costs 2 Tension to use, and can still be used only once per adventure. A leg prosthetic gives +4 Tension.
Tension makes the class a bit more of a blunt instrument and can get weird with some tools.
Prosthetic Tools
Not an exhaustive list. Charges restore when you rest for the night. You can only change tools during downtime or in town.
Fan Shield
It’s a shield. Infinite Charges. +1 Defense
Advanced – It’s a bigger shield. +2 Defense
Master – Parrying Shield. 2 charges or 4 Tension. On a missed attack against you, you can make an attack against the attacker.
Prosthetic Spear
It’s a spear. Infinite Charges.
Advanced – Loaded Spear. 3 charges or 3 Tension. The Spear can lunge outward to attack enemies at a distance. The first time this is use against an enemy that hasn’t seen it before, it counts as surprise for Opportunist.
Master – Disarming Spear. The lunging spear can be used to pull away weapons, armor, or the target itself. The target gets a save.
Quick Blade
It’s a knife. 4 charges or 1 Tension, but it swings back and forth so quick you can make as many attacks in a round against a single target as charges allow. Deals 1 damage. No effect against armored targets.
Advanced – Ultra-knife. 8 charges.
Master – Mortal Blade. 12 charges. Overcomes damage resistance, affects incorporeal creatures.
Firecrackers
Spreads powder in the air in front of you that shortly ignites, stunning the target if they fail a save. 4 Charges or 3 Tension.
Advanced – Ultraloud Powder. Target gets a disadvantage to their save.
Master – Ultraburn Powder. Target is stunned for 3 rounds if they fail their save. They are still stunned for one if they succeed.
Flamethrower
It shoots a gout of flame. 4 charges or 3 Tension. 1d6 damage. Save Negates. Can light particularly flammable things on fire.
Advanced – Shaped Spewer. 20′ range, no save.
Master – Naphtha Dispenser. 1d8 damage, lasts until target wipes it off.
Shuriken Launcher
It launches shurikens. 1d6 damage, must roll to hit. 6 charges or 2 Tension.
Advanced – Pull Line. After hitting a target with a shuriken, pull yourself to them and immediately make an attack with a +2 bonus. The first time this is use against an enemy that hasn’t seen it before, it counts as surprise for Opportunist.
Master – Serrated Blades. Blades deal 1d8 damage, double against flying or airborne enemies.
Prosthetic Axe
It’s an axe. 1d8 damage, no charges.
Advanced – Spring-loaded Axe. 4 charges or 3 Tension. You can use the axe to sunder an enemy shield, or two charges to bust down a door.
Master – Ultraspring Axe. 1d12 damage. After a successful attack, you may expend a charge to immediately attack with the axe.
Whetstone Wheel
A sharpening wheel, lashed into your prosthetic. 2 charges or 5 Tension. You can sharpen your (non-prosthetic) weapon with it as a free action. It gains +2 to hit and damage for next attack.
Advanced – Adamantine Wheel. 4 charges or 3 Tension. Doubles bonus to next attack.
Master – Infinite Edge. Your sharpened blade can send a slash of air 30′
Mist Raven
To be honest, I never understood what this was supposed to be in the game. It lets you teleport in place to dodge an attack. 1 charge or 6 Tension.
Advanced – Old Mist Raven. 2 charges or 5 Tension. You can now teleport at will, about 6″. This is enough to teleport through most doors and bars, provided that you’re right up against them, but not most walls.
Master – Great Mist Raven. 3 charges or 4 Tension. After teleporting, you can choose to not reappear for a full round.
Fans of Abduction
Fans that cause people to turn around without them noticing, opening them to a backstab or enabling stealth. 4 charges or 3 Tension. The target gets a save, but they still don’t notice you if they succeed.
Advanced – Golden Fan. When you use the fan, you can pick the targets pocket, or put something inside it. 4 Tension if you use the pickpocket ability, normal cost otherwise.
Master – Phoenix Fan. You can teleport the subject away entirely. If it’s a willing target, they can go anywhere within 200′. Otherwise, they’re teleported to a random room on this floor, or in a random direction. Disadvantage on saves to resist the normal ability. 6 Tension to use this particular function, pickpocket included.
Climbing Hook
It’s a climbing hook. Unlimited charges. You climb at normal speed.
Advanced – Grappling Hook. 4 charges or 4 Tension. Launchable up to 150′.
Master – Deployable Kite. You can shot the hook as normal, and the kite will deploy at the end of the trajectory. This can allow you to glide a 200 feet vertically in normal circumstances. Not useful at all indoors. Results not guaranteed, do not use in heavy winds.
Underworld Lamp
It’s lamp. 6 charges or 2 Tension, lasts an hour per charge.
Advanced – Blinding Lamp. Expend a charge/1 Tension to blind anyone within 10′ of you.
Master – Daylight Lamp. Expend a charge/2 Tension to shine as bright as daylight. Blinding effect goes to 60′, it effects undead as normal daylight, and dispels invisibility and illusions.
Shinobi Whistle
It’s a whistle. 4 charges or 3 Tension. Scares away or attracts animals. You can choose to make it audible to one person only.
Advanced – Apparition Whistle. Undead and Demons within audible distance must save or be stunned for a round.
Master- Hell Whistle. Undead and Demons no longer get a save. Deals 2d6 damage as well.
Healing Gourd
A gourd, dispenses 1d4+1 healing. 1 charge or 6 Tension. Requires a whole turn to use.
Advanced – Invigorating Gourd. After using a charge, gain +1 to all rolls for the rest of combat.
Master – Gourd of Immortality. Full heal. +2 to all rolls for the rest of combat.
Comments
The class is definitely meant to be a more combat oriented rogue/thief type. Some tools provide a lot of utility up front. The weapons aren’t terribly useful to start out with, unless you have the prosthetic on your main hand, but once they get upgrades they can turn into a combat powerhouse.
Their main weakness is similar to that of D&D wizards: they need to bring the right tools for the job. Otherwise, they’re just a less good fighter or a less good rogue. The last template gives them a chance to call a do-over in a specific scenario, after which they’re stuck with it till they get back to town.
The ability on Template C caused a great deal of agony for me. Originally it was the Great Escape ability, but I realized Mist Raven kind of does that already. I also considered Dramatic Infiltration but it felt like that might the class too complex or powerful. I definitely prefer the flavor of one of the two alternate options though. Ninjas are supposed to be tricksy.
I also like how upgrading tools offer an alternative to advancement past level 4. Players need a money sink as well. It feels more formalized than the usual spirit of GLOG character advancement, but I think it still works in the same framework.
They’re more dynamic than most non-wizard GLOG classes, and therefore more powerful, but I think that’s okay – it seems like GLOG wizards are the most popular class to write.
Of course, that is pure speculation on my part. I’ve never actually played a GLOG game, and was originally going to write this for the latest ‘edition’ of my fantasy heartbreaker, but no one but me even knows about it yet. Designing GLOG classes is a lot of fun anyways. Naturally, this means this class is entirely untested.
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