d12 Cult Summonings

Am thinking of some weird stuff for modern-era demon hunting where you can detect supernatural activity by how your phone phreaks out. With the right apps, you can enhance detection and communicate with beings from beyond. Spells that block communications including psionics and EM-based technology and others that scramble people's ability to speak or make sense. Demons can not only take the form of things from pop culture but then after the fact images of them in books change as if they always existed. Thus Garfield and Freddy Kruger or Alien or Predator could all fight and forms just masks for demons seeking human fantasy to manifest a form. In cases, your phones could invite entities into this world through the phone into the user then use their subconscious fantasies to build a corporeal form. In a more ye olde setting such manifestations instead interfear and interact with certain magic like divination or comunication. They might make certain items vibrate or glow in their presence - not a feature built in item deliberatley its the presence of magical beings from beyond.

But for quick use in my D&D game:

So devils and sometimes smarter demons leave out defective summoning devices and rituals that give the wielder knowledge of a ritual and words. The rituals only tease what they do and only an expert who has used these types can tell the difference. Some divination magic could help ID the type. 

d12 Cult Summonings

1 Some strange noises and seemingly anti-climactic. An evil spirit has been called and may d4 1=occupy location 2=occupy object 3=occupy cultists body 4=follow cultists home and spy on them and bringing about malign happenings to make them more foul

2 All feel a strange increase in air pressure, all save or get a blood nose. One cult member who fails will be chosen to provide material for a monster that will serve the cult. Often a hellhound or preferred monster of whom provided the ritual 

3 A violent thunderclap and clouds appear, from a cloud a blazing form or symbol of an evil planar lord appears, furiously yelling. Those who bow down receive a minor mutation and the cult leader gets a minor and a major mutation 

4 An imp or other lesser evil being appears but in the form of a small animal. It will have various minor magical abilities and could be recruited as a familiar. Enjoys tormenting and corrupting people and may feign service to do so

5 Pathetic d4 lesser demon, devil or daemon appear to serve the cult leader obediently

6 A lesser demon, devil or daemon appears possibly in animal form, offers service and seeks to convince the cult to sell their souls for a lesser wish from their overlord

7 Summons if CE an Incubi or Succubi who will perform lewd acts for the cult, IF NE calls a ferryman of the underworld who offers secret knowledge and adventure if LE summons a fury to judge each cultist and if not loyal and true will have their flesh shredded

8 Summons an evil elemental allied to CE, NE or LE

9 A greater evil spirit is manifested in the area with several monstrous and human and beast forms. It will seek to aid its summoner but will be willing to haunt a location for the cult

10 Summons gang of lesser demon, devil or daemon eager to serve for one night the cause. Not very bright and require leadership

11 Summons a major demon, devil or daemon who can be given one task for the night, if it senses weakness or fear it may challenge the summoner and destroy the. Make sure your protective symbols, wards and spells are working

12  Contacts a manifestation of a noble demon, devil or daemon who demands service offering boons for oaths, will record their names in a book and possibly perform some ritual where the lord or their form touches the client. Some chose may be gifted with sorcery or show the cult leader how to find the black university of hell for low tuition fee deals to learn wizardry 

d12 Cult Master

1 A local community leader well known as an influential trader who holds a public office
2 An elder of the community with many relatives and influence and is known as spiritual

3 A noble interested in pleasure, freedom, old values and slavery leads a cult in secret

4 A teacher or scholar or sage famed for knowledge and cleverness

5 A local soldier with some rank and subordinates to command and law of the land

6 A local healer who has helped everyone over the years and is present at the births of many

7 A strange hermit in the woodlands shunned by most seen sometimes by wary locals

8 A mysterious wealthy foreigner staying in the area, fancy by local standards

9 Local bandit or robber knight actually sacrificing victims using robbery as a front

10 Well-off farmer in areas who leads a faction of the village assembly

11 Local leader of thieves guild or criminal organisation

12 A local magician known as a local wonder-worker

d12 Midnight Ceremony Location

1 Ruins of the forbidden castle where a massacre took place once
2 Crossroads away from the common gaze
3 In a clearing in a spooky forest wth a stone altar
4 Blasted heath away from anyone subject to frequent bad weather
6 A stone circle left by some prehistoric people
7 In a graveyard or crypt
8 On a small island in a river or the sea
9 In a hidden cavern
10 Tunnels under a village or town
11 In an abandoned house or basement

12 Inside a dungeon of a destroyed castle

d12 Tonight's special meeting activity before summoning

1 Planning who to curse with spells and various members nominate their enemies
2 Initiating new members or discussing recruitment efforts

3 Drinking and singing and feasting

4 Discussing esoteric philosophy and disciples asking questions of the master 

5 Learning basics of spell casting theory and practice

6 Guest cultist giving talk on their own cult practices

7 Planning meeting for new evil schemes

8 Budget meeting and treasurers report 

9 Orgy d4 1=Bring your pets and familiars orgy day (no zombies!) 2=seniors night and raffle 3=regular boring orgy 4=supernatural being guest 

10 Discussion of local dungeons, haunted ruins and strange phenomena 

11 Negotiating with another cult or hidden humanoid species

12 Cultist punished for d4 1=breaking rules 2=offending the master 3=cowardice in forfilling evil duties 4=squealing a cult secret punishments include d6 1=whipping 2=burning 3=gauntlet of cult with whips or clubs 4=mutilation with scars or removal of body part 5=torture 6=rolled in blanket of nettles 7=disembowelled 8=stabbed by whole cult 9=strangled 10=roll three times and after they are healed or raised 11=killed and made into a zombie 12=fed to cult pet

d12 Things to go wrong

1 Someone accidently crosses or damages the summoning cirlce or pentacle
2 Astrology calculations mishap the stars are wrong
3 The sacrifice had some flaw unaceptable for powers that be
4 Some potion or incense ingrediant or other componant was flawed
5 Cult member missed rehersals and makes unspeakable gesture at wrong moment

6 Cultist has seizure and heart attack during rituals

7 Master misread or mistranslated the dread scrolls for the ritual 

8 This version on spell flawed as a deliberate trap, competant translator would notice 

10 The performance is lack luster, lacks comitment and they all look sad and tired

11 Naughty familiar sabotages ritual or command spells

12 A rival cult or an upstart seeking to has prepared this to destroy the master and replace them 

d12 Sighns this ritual is really happening

1 Strange howls and cries in the night of something not human
2 Swarms of buzzing insects or croaking frogs vibing to ritual or possibly protesting its unaturalness

3 Distant thunderclaps then lightning crack. Storm clouds gather and circle the ritual

4 See an unatural celestial phenomenon d4 1=winking bad star possibly odd colour 2=shooting star spotted 3=constelation is covered or only one visible from couds 4=hairy sparkling star falls from the sky

5 Flock of birds or bats circle chirping anxiously

6 Animals gather to watch and some may attack cultists for crimes against nature
7 Air preasure increases causing nosebleeds and headaches to all who fail save in area (-1 all rolls for duration)
8 Otherworldly vapours with strange odours that drowns out other scents and remains for a d4 days, d8 types 1=brimstone 2=sewerage 3=rotting vegetables 4=animal musk 5=cinnimon 6=sweet narcotic floral perfume 7=ash 8=musty rotten fungus and spores

9 Gust of wind or wave of preasure bursts from the ritual area perimeter, blowing things and shaking trees

10 Objects in are move and rattle about like rocks, sticks, leaves, adventurer equiptment

11 Monster species gathers to welcome evil (d4 1=orcs 2=goat folk 3=dire wolves 4=ogres) or hinder the ritual (d4 1=tree folk 2=elves 3=faeries 4=spirit)  

12 Empathic wave instilling some emotion over everything in the area save to resist. Sometimes the participants may be immune or gain more benificail effects d8 1=fear 2=lust 3=hunger 4=sleepy 5=berserk 6=diarreah or vomiting 7=spontanious bleeding eyes and other places 8=shift alignment temporarily more to the preferance of cult patron, on third time its permanant 

d12 Cult Treasure

1 Locked trapped chest of members donations and other loot with a ledger
2 Locked chest of robes, 2d4 holy symbold 30gp each, 2d4 bottles of unholy water, candles, goat skull, spooky sounding horn, 2d4 masks
3 Trunk of leather outfits, straps, whips, chains, collars and scented body oils and saucy pamphlet prints with witches and mosters
4 Chest of 2d4 occult books including a cult book with member list with cult names and codes
5 Chest with 2d4 levels of spell scrolls (or runestones or tablets or seals whatever best)
6 Chest with 2d4 favourite potions the cult uses and possibly makes

7 Chest full of drugs and drug paraphernalia including pipes, scales and a d4 bottles of drugged wine. Also bottles of local beer, wine and spiced rum for a part  

8 Roast joint of meat, vegetables and baked good for after cult dinner with plates and some tea cups and a kettle. Also jars of pickles and jams cultists swap at meetings

9 Small planar creature in a bottle or jar with a magic seal will do a favour if you free it

10 Ornate cult daggers d4 and come in d6 types d4 1=silver 2=+1 3=+1+3vs good 4=+1+3vs humans 5=coated in blade venom save or lose 1hp a round for 2d4 rounds 6=+2 dagger victims slain arise as undead if fail save but not especially under users control

11 Evil aligned cult weapon which tries to control wielders will, the personality of the weapon seeks power and murder and whispers terrible advice to weilder. Save when first pick up and eack battle blood is drawn +1+3vs good detect good 3 times a day protection from good once per day 

12 Wand 2d10charges d4 1=detect magic 2=identify 3=burning hands 4=magic missile