New Birth Augurs

[Yag-Kosha]

Hey all - long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been recently(ish) really getting into the DCC RPG, and have come up with a few new birth augurs to supplement the ones given in the core rulebook. I would love to eventually have a birth augur chart the size of the starting profession chart (i.e. 1 - 100) to choose from. If any of you have any new augurs to share, I'd love to see them.

If anyone uses one of these in their game, let me know how it worked, what you tweaked, etc.

(Numbering picks up from the augur chart in the core rulebook):

Roll Birth Augur and Lucky Roll
31 Born under a caul: Rolls to resist asphyxiation; Stamina loss from
asphyxiation altered by Luck modifier
32 From mother’s womb untimely ripped: Natural aging penalties altered by Luck
modifier (for magical aging the modifier is doubled)
33 Witchmarked (typically a third nipple): Rolls to Invoke Patron
34 Stillborn twin: Melee attack and damage rolls against un-dead or creatures
raised from the dead
35 Solar Eclipse: On a successful critical hit, you may forgo inflicting damage and
instead regain Luck points equal to your original Luck modifier. (Luck points gained
beyond your original Luck score are temporary and are lost within 24 hours.)
36 Sole survivor: Luck burned to enhance die rolls is altered by modifier
(minimum 1).
37 Eyes of different hue: See in darkness (each +1 = +10’ distance)
38 Titian hair: Spellburn enhanced spell checks
39 The trembling earth: Armor based physical and arcane check penalties
40 Changeling: Spell checks for spells cast against you
41 Blood of the martyr: Melee damage rolls made against you by non-magical
piercing or slashing weapons

[Skyscraper]

Hey all - long time lurker, first time poster.

I've been recently(ish) really getting into the DCC RPG, and have come up with a few new birth augurs to supplement the ones given in the core rulebook. I would love to eventually have a birth augur chart the size of the starting profession chart (i.e. 1 - 100) to choose from. If any of you have any new augurs to share, I'd love to see them.

If anyone uses one of these in their game, let me know how it worked, what you tweaked, etc.

(Numbering picks up from the augur chart in the core rulebook):

Roll Birth Augur and Lucky Roll
31 Born under a caul: Rolls to resist asphyxiation; Stamina loss from
asphyxiation altered by Luck modifier
32 From mother’s womb untimely ripped: Natural aging penalties altered by Luck
modifier (for magical aging the modifier is doubled)
33 Witchmarked (typically a third nipple): Rolls to Invoke Patron
34 Stillborn twin: Melee attack and damage rolls against un-dead or creatures
raised from the dead
35 Solar Eclipse: On a successful critical hit, you may forgo inflicting damage and
instead regain Luck points equal to your original Luck modifier. (Luck points gained
beyond your original Luck score are temporary and are lost within 24 hours.)
36 Sole survivor: Luck burned to enhance die rolls is altered by modifier
(minimum 1).
37 Eyes of different hue: See in darkness (each +1 = +10’ distance)
38 Titian hair: Spellburn enhanced spell checks
39 The trembling earth: Armor based physical and arcane check penalties
40 Changeling: Spell checks for spells cast against you
41 Blood of the martyr: Melee damage rolls made against you by non-magical
piercing or slashing weapons

I particularly like the eyes of a different hue and titian hair augurs.

The first two are very specific. Unatural aging? Is that likely to happen in any given character's lifespan?

[Yag-Kosha]

I particularly like the eyes of a different hue and titian hair augurs.

The first two are very specific. Unatural aging? Is that likely to happen in any given character's lifespan?

Glad you liked them.

As for your question . . .

*SPOILER*


I believe Jewels of the Carnifax has an "aging-gas" trap in it that magically ages characters who run afoul of it. So yeah, it can happen. There are also a couple of older D&D modules that feature aging issues, for those who convert them to DCC RPG. I'll admit it's not the most common problem in the world for characters to run into though.


*END SPOILER*

As for Born under the caul - drowning/asphyxiation has been deadly in pretty much every iteration of D&D. That particular augur was inspired by the Lizardman monster entry and how they can submerge and drown characters they attack. I remembered the folklore about sailors purchasing cauls to protect them from drowning. (For some reason it just came to mind when I read the Lizardman entry, and it sparked the idea for the augur, which in turn led to the entire list I created.)

Hope you get some use out of them!

[Yag-Kosha]

Thought I'd update this old thread with some tweaks I made to the new birth augurs above. I really love the whole birth augur concept and wanted to expand the options available.

It's now a complete, useable table (incorporating old and new birth augurs) based on the d24 Zocchi die. I also personally use negative birth augurs in my games (I know that not everyone does) and liked the idea that I saw on another thread on these forums to give birth augurs corresponding to a negative Luck modifier a different but related name.

So . . . enjoy! Hopefully someone gets some use out of them.

Roll 2d24:
Roll Birth Augur (Lucky / Unlucky Rolls)
2-3 Ordinary Birth: no particularly lucky or unlucky rolls (Luck can still be burned as usual)
4 Harsh Winter / Summer’s Child: All attack rolls
5 The Bull / The Lamb: Melee attack rolls
6 Fortunate Date / Born on the Ides: Missile fire attack rolls
7 Raised by Wolves / Life of Privilege: Unarmed attack rolls
8 Conceived on Horseback / Allergic to Horses: Mounted attack rolls
9 Born on the Battlefield / Conceived in Time of Peace: Damage rolls
10 Path of the Bear / Heralded by Doves: Melee damage rolls
11 Hawkeye / Cataracts: Missile fire damage rolls
12 Pack Hunter / Cannon Fodder: Attack and damage rolls for 0-level trained weapon
13 Born Under the Loom / Sold into Slavery: Skill checks (including thief skills)
14 Fox’s Cunning / Breech Birth: Find/disable traps
15 Four-Leafed Clover / Accursed Fetish: Find secret doors
16 Seventh Son / Eunuch: Spell checks
17 The Raging Storm / The Calm Sea: Spell damage
18 Righteous Heart / Vainglorious: Turn unholy checks
19 Survived the Plague / Leper: Magical healing
20 Lucky Sign / Dark Omen: Saving Throws
21 Guardian Angel / Haunted: Saving throws to escape traps
22 Survived a Spider Bite / Anemic: Saving throws against poison
23 Struck by Lightning / Nearly Drowned: Reflex saving throws
24 Lived through Famine / Want for Nothing: Fortitude saving throws
25 Resisted Temptation / Sinful: Willpower saving throws
26 Charmed House / Once Proud Now Paupers: Armor Class
27 Speed of the Cobra / Pace of the Snail: Initiative
28 Bountiful Harvest / Blight and Locusts: Hit points (applies at each level)
29 Warrior’s Arm / Sickened by Blood: Critical hit tables
30 Unholy House / Hunted by Devils: Corruption rolls
31 The Broken Star / The Frayed Rope: Fumbles
32 Birdsong / Dullard: Number of languages
33 Wild Child / Lame: Speed (each +1 = +5’ speed)
34 Born Under a Caul / Sickly and Frail: Rolls to resist asphyxiation; Stamina loss from asphyxiation altered by Luck modifier
35 From Mother’s Womb Untimely Torn / The March of Years: Aging penalties altered by Luck modifier
36 Witchmarked / Bartered Soul: Rolls to Invoke Patron
37 Stillborn Twin / Damned: Melee attack and damage rolls against un-dead or creatures raised from the dead
38 Solar Eclipse / Blood Moon: If Luck modifier is positive, on a successful critical hit you may forgo inflicting damage and instead regain Luck points equal
to your original Luck modifier. (Luck points gained beyond your original Luck score are temporary and are lost within 24 hours.) If Luck modifier is
negative, if an opponent scores a critical hit against you, you lose a number of Luck points equal to your original Luck modifier for 24 hours.
39 Sole Survivor / Scapegoat (or Whipping Boy): If Luck modifier is positive, Luck burned to enhance die rolls is altered by modifier (minimum 1). If Luck
modifier is negative, Luck burned is only half as effective (i.e. 2 points must be burned to achieve 1 point of benefit).
40 Eyes of Different Hue / Night Without Stars: See in darkness (each +1 = +10’ distance)
41 Titian Hair / Pockmarked: Spellburn enhanced spell checks
42 The Trembling Earth / The Gentle Breeze: Armor based physical and arcane check penalties
43 Foundling / Bastard: Spell checks for spells cast against you
44 Blood of the Wyrm / Blood of the Martyr: Melee damage rolls made against you by non-magical piercing or slashing weapons
45 Changeling / Morlock: If Luck modifier is positive, reroll 3 times (ignoring and rerolling the Blood of Kings / Cursed by the Gods augur below). Each day,
you may select one of these three augurs to apply for that entire day. If Luck modifier is negative, the negative augur that applies is randomly selected
each day.
46-47 Master of Your Own Destiny / Pawn of Fate: If Luck modifier is positive, choose any birth augur (except Blood of Kings / Cursed by the Gods). If Luck
modifier is negative, Judge will select birth augur.
48 Blood of Kings / Cursed by the Gods: Reroll twice and keep both results (ignore and reroll this result if rolled again).

[oncelor]

Those are good. Thanks!

[Cthulhuoid]

Great job!

Love the witchmarked, and still born twin concepts.

[celticgriffon]

Hey,

I like the idea of having a d100 birth augur chart.

With your current chart being 2d24 please note you are now using a bell curve in terms of end results. This means the results will weigh themselves in the middle of the pack.

Perhaps you may wish to go to a different (non-additive) roll to obtain the most even spread of results.

Cheers,
Michael

[Raven_Crowking]

For example, 1d24 and 1d6, where the d6 is used to indicate 1-24 (1-3) or 25-48 (4-6).

[Weisenwolf]

Or add another couple and roll a D50

Excellent work

[Yag-Kosha]

Based on some of the excellent suggestions above, here's a slightly edited list based on a d50.

Roll 1d50:
Roll Birth Augur (Lucky / Unlucky Rolls)
1-3 Ordinary Birth: no particularly lucky or unlucky rolls (Luck can still be burned as usual)
4 Harsh Winter / Summer’s Child: All attack rolls
5 The Bull / The Lamb: Melee attack rolls
6 Fortunate Date / Born on the Ides: Missile fire attack rolls
7 Raised by Wolves / Life of Privilege: Unarmed attack rolls
8 Conceived on Horseback / Allergic to Horses: Mounted attack rolls
9 Born on the Battlefield / Conceived in Time of Peace: Damage rolls
10 Path of the Bear / Heralded by Doves: Melee damage rolls
11 Hawkeye / Cataracts: Missile fire damage rolls
12 Pack Hunter / Fodder: Attack and damage rolls for 0-level trained weapon
13 Born Under the Loom / Sold into Slavery: Skill checks (including thief skills)
14 Fox’s Cunning / Breech Birth: Find/disable traps
15 Four-Leafed Clover / Accursed Fetish: Find secret doors
16 Seventh Son / Eunuch: Spell checks
17 The Raging Storm / The Calm Sea: Spell damage
18 Righteous Heart / Vainglorious: Turn unholy checks
19 Survived the Plague / Leper: Magical healing
20 Lucky Sign / Dark Omen: Saving throws
21 Guardian Angel / Haunted: Saving throws to escape traps
22 Survived a Spider Bite / Anemic: Saving throws against poison
23 Struck by Lightning / Nearly Drowned: Reflex saving throws
24 Lived through Famine / Want for Nothing: Fortitude saving throws
25 Resisted Temptation / Sinful: Willpower saving throws
26 Charmed House / Once Proud Now Paupers: Armor Class
27 Speed of the Cobra / Pace of the Snail: Initiative
28 Bountiful Harvest / Blight and Locusts: Hit points (applies at each level)
29 Warrior’s Arm / Sickened by Blood: Critical hit tables
30 Unholy House / Hunted by Devils: Corruption rolls
31 The Broken Star / The Frayed Rope: Fumbles
32 Birdsong / Dullard: Number of languages
33 Wild Child / Lame: Speed (each +1 = +5’ speed)
34 Born Under a Caul / Sickly and Frail: Rolls to resist asphyxiation; Stamina loss from asphyxiation altered by Luck modifier
35 From Mother’s Womb Untimely Torn / The March of Years: Aging penalties altered by Luck modifier
36 Witchmarked / Bartered Soul: Rolls to Invoke Patron
37 Stillborn Twin / One Foot In the Grave: Melee attack and damage rolls against un-dead or creatures raised from the dead
38 Solar Eclipse / Blood Moon: If Luck modifier is positive, on a successful critical hit you may forgo inflicting damage and instead regain Luck points equal to your original Luck modifier. (Luck points gained beyond your original Luck score are temporary and are lost within 24 hours.) If Luck modifier is negative, if an opponent scores a critical hit against you, you lose a number of Luck points equal to your original Luck modifier for 24 hours.
39 Sole Survivor / Scapegoat: If Luck modifier is positive, Luck burned to enhance die rolls is altered by modifier (minimum 1). If Luck modifier is negative, Luck burned is only half as effective (i.e. 2 points must be burned to achieve 1 point of benefit).
40 Eyes of Different Hue / Night Without Stars: See in darkness (each +1 = +10’ distance)
41 Titian Hair / Pockmarked: Spellburn enhanced spell checks
42 The Trembling Earth / The Gentle Breeze: Armor based physical and arcane check penalties
43 Foundling / Bastard: Spell checks for spells cast against you
44 Forbidden Lore / Failed Apprentice: Number of spells known at 1st level
45 Blood of the Wyrm / Blood of the Martyr: Melee damage rolls made against you by non-magical piercing or slashing weapons
46 Whipping Boy / Brittle Bones: Melee damage rolls made against you by non-magical bludgeoning weapons
47 Chosen One / Thrice-Damned: Melee attack and damage rolls against summoned creatures or creatures born on another plane
48 Changeling / Morlock: If Luck modifier is positive, reroll 2 times (ignoring and rerolling this augur and the Blood of Kings / Cursed by the Gods augur below). You may select one of these two augurs to apply during the day, and the second to apply at night. If Luck modifier is negative, the negative augur that applies is randomly selected each day by the Judge
49 Master of Your Own Destiny / Pawn of Fate: If Luck modifier is positive, choose any birth augur (except Blood of Kings / Cursed by the Gods). If Luck modifier is negative, the Judge will select birth augur.
50 Blood of Kings / Cursed by the Gods: Reroll twice and keep both results (ignore and reroll this result if rolled again).

[Weisenwolf]

Excellent list

Just one thing regarding the Whipping boy / brittle bones; not sure bludgeoning weapons works for both descriptions, how about something like

Whipping boy / Heavy bleeder - damage inflicted by bladed weapons & whips

OR

Skeleton of Granite / Brittle bones - damage inflicted by blunt weapons