Tuesday 20 May 2014

Hacking the Classics: Unicorns

Inspired by new pathfinder pony book here is my games unicorns.

Unicorns are freaking awesome. I dont mean a pretty pony I mean more goatlike savage and wild and dangerous guardians of secret woodland places that will mess your shit up. Unicorns like maidens but but not for any decent wholesome reason. Male unicorns are lascivious, female ones more aggressive at killing hunters and intruders. They are not cool like guy up here they will make your life a mess.

I did once have elf king turn party into unicorns as a test

My normal setting hybrid piebald unicorns are 1in10 and probably insane products of chaos
On Planet Psychon 1in2 are hybrid and one in four have 1d3+2 colours and are all crazy

Only 1in10 of my unicorns talk, they are from other planes. Unicorns are mostly jerks even if they can talk. 1in6 talkers has spell casting abilities of 10th level but generally dont like book based wizardry and can plane shift once per week.

Unicorn horns can be made into a thrusting spear or dagger like weapon or a military pick most easily but some can make swords or axe blade edges. If enchanted in a secret method can cause damaging effect of unicorn horn attack.

A unicorn wand made can have the following powers (roll 1d6) and acts as a holy symbol
1 All the free at will spells on second description line
2-4 Can cast the x3 use day spell
5 Can cast the x3 use day spell
6 All spell like abilities above mentioned

d12 Random Unicorn Colour
All unicorns can sneak silently and hide and are good at losing trackers
All unicorns have night vision
All unicorns score a critical hit for double damage on 18+ on d20 hit roll with horn
All unicorns can teleport once a day and may graze world wide
All unicorns allow virgin human or elf women to ride them but have alignment preferences

1 Vampire Unicorn (Crimson
These savage blood drinkers are LE and serve evil, no special weaknesses, wet with steaming gore
Can turn into gaseous form at will and leave bloods stains like hoofprints with a touch
Can create unholy water x3 a day, Cloak of Fear x1
Half damage it inflicts with horn heals it
Blood unicorn dung are black scabs that if buried become a blood gremlin

Bread by blood druids in he war on civilisation to help cull human kind. Stories of them are terrifying and they even enter buildings as gas to kill leaders and important people to sew disorder. Blood druid elf princess Tarkalla was the most famous rider who rose to devilish aristocracy in the hells with her unicorn Hearteater.

2  Heart Unicorns (Magenta)
These soppy unicorns run about spreading love and friendship and are CG preferring good riders
Can create food and drink x3 day for parties and heroic feast once per day (heals 2d8 HP and fatigue)
Cast friends x3 a day they use on others mostly and mass charm once per day to make parties
Can charm person with every hit (might not damage foe) can transfer feelings to another touched
Heart unicorn dung is white and delicious smelling and o eat like cake, elves love it

Of course the pink unicorn is the worst. While battling some monsters a pink unicorn will run from hiding charm everybody, make everyone get along and put on a spread of food so everybody has a nice time then leaves when work is done. Now you are best buddies with orcs for who knows how long. If either or both shrug off charm, lingering feelings of fondness remain. They try to bring peace but often horrible tragedy ensues. Most famous rider was the paladin Mary of the lake who rode off to heaven decades ago with her unicorn Purity.

3 Storm Unicorn (sky, light blue)
Sky unicorns dwell in the cloud kingdoms of the air, LN prefer lawful riders and are snooty
Always feather fall and detect weather
Can shoot lightning bolt x3 a day and fly x1 a day
Every hit with horn is 1d8+1 shocking grasp
Storm unicorn dung has a static charge inflicts one point if touched and smells of ozone

These testy sensitive unicorns are very judgemental and obsessed with truth and order. They blast those who disagree. They live in the cloud lands and stampede in the thunder head. The most famous rider was Tyril Stormrider who hunted chaos giants in the mountains and the cloud lands with her unicorn Skyhammer.

4 Aqua Unicorn (sea, turquoise, aquamarine)

Sea unicorns breathe water and can change lower half into fish tales, CN prefer neutral riders
Can purify water from salt or make fresh water salt with a touch
Can cast breathe water 3 x day water walking x1
Charm with every hit, then lure into water to drown them
Aqua unicorns dung  is chunks of ice with occasionally crystal quartz worth 1d10 gp

These unicorns like to inhibit human growth around coasts and water ways. Sea druids love them and call them from other planes. Marratzir Targ a sea elf rider cleansed several islands of humans till whalers and sealers hunted her with hired wizards and she disappeared with her unicorn Princess Crystal.

5 Swamp Unicorn (
Yellow)
Swamp unicorns are horrible stinking beasts are CE preferring any evil rider
Disease touch horns and pollute food and water by touch
Stinking cloud 3 x per day cast curse once a day and rock to mud x1
Any wounds inflicted heal 1hp/day max naturally
Swamp unicorn dung is filled with disease and they like to foul ground water

These foul stinky horrors spread diseased bogs, ruin roads, walls, wells and other mischief. They serve the spirit of Hellwood bog, a self aware evil swamp. A few can bring ruin to a settlement. Mos Famous rider was the she orc Kerabus who also kidnapped men to torment. Some say she is dead, other say she is a guardian at the heart of her maze with her unicorn Stinkhoof.

6  Fire Unicorn (Tangerine)
Fire Unicorns are pyromaniacs who want to see world burn CE prefer any evil rider
Ignite by touch with sparks from horn and can sense flammable to assess arson opportunities
Cast burning 6d6 fireball x3 per day and firewall x1 per day
Horn +1d4 fire in battle and on a critical victim burns 1d4 for 1d4 rounds
Fire unicorn dung burns for days but emits stink sulphur odour

These sadistic mad fiends come to earth to destroy. They eat charred vegetation only. Always hunted most famous was Arch Arsonist of the fire mountain Ceria Korg with her unicorn Ashley. They guard the volcanoes that lad to Tiamats palace in hell.

7  Jade unicorns (Emerald
Fight for the cosmic balance BN, accept any rider who serves the balance
Detect alignment at will
Cast protection from (alignment) x3 per day, plane shift x1 day
Hits from a horn save vs WIS or make one step alignment change per unicorns needs
Jade unicorn dung can protect a person from many basic environments of other planes for 1 hour

These alignment obsessed unicorns flip flop on who they aid as they are always addressing the cosmic balance. They helped the heroine Arlea Starhand who helped bring about great stalemates in the Empire civil war with her unicorn Greenfire

8  Forest Unicorn (
Green
These forest unicorn are part plant and hate loggers, are N prefer neutral riders like druids
Sprout flowers or vegetation on touch even on flesh
Cast entangle x3 a day and spike growth x1
Horn plants a seed in victim, save or cure or will die in a month and a fast growing tree will sprout
Forest unicorn dung full of seeds and the unicorn sews thorn hedges and fruit trees

The plant like forest unicorn is hostile to many animals especially beavers as well as races like humans and dwarves and orcs who are tree choppers. They spread forests by killing humans able to slaughter whole villages. The have a creepy serene alien presence about them. Dorana Zebar the Elf lady with her unicorn Sprout managed to help wipe out the people of the Ghostwood.

9  Deep Unicorn (Violet)
Pale creepy underground unicorns guard fungus forests NE prefer evil riders
Can ruin foodstuff with a touch turns mouldy
Cast Phantasmal Force x3 day, Illusionary Terrain x1
Horn attack infect victim with poison
Deep unicorn dung is filled with exotic giant fungus spoors spreading fungi ecology

Favoured mounts of dark elves and mushroom folk and goblin warrior queens. Mostly preserve and spread fungus forests but if teamed up with a rider become terrible destroyers of communities. Zabaa Dhan the dark elf princess with her unicorn Purple Haze was a menace to mountain tribes near underland entry caves.

10 Night Unicorn (Lapis ) 
Night unicorns are allied to shadows and darkness NE prefer evil riders
Can turn invisible in darkness at will but not rider
Cast darkness 3x a day, smoke form x1 a day
Each hit victim by horn must save vs blindness for a turn
Night unicorn dung heals poultice can cure many forms of blindness

These unicorns are killers by night who enjoy killing for its own sake. May go on city rampage and teleport away for kicks if being cornered. Tzabora Garnak the Dark elf sorceress used to roam land killing and robbing wizards and killing their protectors with her unicorn Shadowhorn

11 Bright Unicorn (
Ivory
Typical best known bright unicorns are CG only like good riders
Detect evil, purify food and water by touch with horn
Cure light wounds 3x a day, neutralize poison 1x day
Unicorn horn wounds keep bleeding 1hp/round for a turn
Bright unicorn dung heals 1d damage in a poultice

These are typical and hunted by humans from the Wolfhead lodge before Elves and the Barron allied and made hunting them illegal. Some still poach but the Barron gives them to the elves. Unicorn horn prices are steeper than ever now. Frehella Moonriver a elf leader now guards the famous unicorn run with her unicorn Sparklemane.

12 Dark Unicorn (Jet)

Nasty evil dark unicorns or anti unicorns serve CE but tolerate any evil rider
Detect good, detect living at will
Cast fear x3 a day, death ray x1 a day
Drain energy level with a touch of horn victims arise as wights
Dark unicorn dung drains 1d4 hp damage if touched but whoever eats it gets half lost hp back

Dark unicorns serve the underworld and are killers. Neromancer and anti paladin women desired them most for mounts. Many undead outbreaks start with them. Saraga Garak the priestess of the underworld godess lay waste to the lost kingdom  with her unicorn Doommane

This is dedicated to my unicorn life partner gary

2 comments:

  1. One of thew PCs in my group got skewered by a monoceros (bad guy unicorn) years ago and my veteran players refuse to trust any of them these days.

    ReplyDelete
  2. http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/09/equoid

    You may enjoy this...

    ReplyDelete

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