Beware this wizardly cadaver! His spells might not kill you, but you will wish they had…
Appearance:
Sorcerguls appear as emaciated cadavers, with their empty eyesockets blazing with cold blue light. Their mouths, filled with blackened, sharp teeth, are stained red by their gruesome diet. They are typically garbed in once fine robes or other clothing associated with magi, but are invariably in bad shape and as heavily bloodstained as their faces.
Details:
The Sorcergul is an undead spellcaster of significantly less power then the better known Lich. Most closely related to the common ghoul, they are generally much smarter and more powerful.
In addition to whatever spellcasting abilities that they may have had in life, they acquire a powerful touch attack that may be drawn from the following list:
- Progressive Paralysis. At first the target is slowed, then paralyzed, and eventually breathing and heartbeat is stopped.
- Withering cold. Touch draws immense amounts of heat from the target, freezing the affected area. Can range from simple frostbite, to total loss of the affected area.
- Clutch of the Grave. Entropy as it affects all things is accelerated. Target person or object is aged.
- Infestation. Target is subjected to the effects of The Ghastly Sack of Garthian
Feeling that physical combat is beneath it, the Sorcergul will always prefer to use its magic.
Having fallen short of the Lich form, the Sorcergul’s years are numbered. In a mere century after creation, the magics holding the form together begin to fail and the spirit will pass onto whatever fate awaits it in the afterlife. Prior to its passing, the final days will be marked by excellerated rotting. Parts will begin to drop off, an unholy stench will arise, and colonization by vermin will mark its end. Many sorcerguls will destroy themselves by magic rather then undergo this final stage.
Sorcerguls sustain themselves with escaping life forces, though are unable to drain it directly as some undead can. Instead they devour their fresh victims - preferably still alive but restrained by magic.
Creation:
Sorerguls are known to arise either from a deliberate ritual, or from failed attempts to become a Lich.
The ritual which transforms one to a lich is quite difficult and risky, and the normal result of failure is death. However, a different fate is sometimes possible, and that is the transformation into the Sorcergul. The would-be lich is instead trapped into this inferior form, denied the powers that lichhood would have brought.
The second means is use of a deliberate transformational ritual. The sorcergul form is not powerless, and the ritual is much more likely to succeed. In addition the various materials and costs are much lower.
Campaign Use
A perpetual runner up and driven to improve its lot, the Sorcergul makes a good low to mid level villain, smart enough to scheme and powerful enough to hold it’s own against low to midlevel PCs. For higher level games, the creature can serve as lieutenants for more powerful forms of undead.
This is the End
A sorcergul, after having for decades attempted to achive full lichhood, has failed and its time is up. It chooses to take as many other with it before it goes and it plans a suitable end for itself. Seeking a magical disaster allowed by some means, the PCs must prevent it from obtaining the device/ritual/monster, and perhaps advance its timetable of self-destruction.
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Codex
School of Parasitism
By: valadaar
( Systems ) Mystical -
General Not all magic is pretty, or fair. Some is cold and exploitive. This is that kind of magic.
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School of Parasitism
The School of School of Parasitism is an uncommon and unpopular branch of magic. It’s hallmarks are the sapping of strength, subtlety and disease.
Practitioners of this art typically are employed to subtly weaken enemies. The Parasitists generally become immune to disease and toxins imparted by parasites, both natural and magic. Otherwise, they would not survive to become serious practitioners. The school is closely associated with insects and similar creatures, but is sharply focused on the concept of parasitism. Normally a caster would not rely solely on this school, as it is fairly limited in it’s scope. There are other schools, such as necromancy and Zoimorphists which would work with this one.
Dominator Parasite
This spell calls into being a Dominator Parasite, a disgusting worm-like parasite about 8" in length and 2" in diameter. When placed on a non-resisting victim (or at least well bound), it will burrow into the victim with a specialized tail, leaving a small head exposed. It avoids damaging major organs and seals off most blood vessels. It then integrates with the victim’s nervous system and takes over. At greater degrees of proficiency the caster may share the senses of the victim.
Dread Parasite
Summons forth a Dread Parasite, one which causes severe affects upon the victim. The Parasite must be delivered to a victim either directly by the caster (by touch) or at a distance through use of the Infestation spell.Sample Dread Parasites:
Mingoven Brain Worm
Appearance: Black worm with chitinous bands, 1" long and very thin.
Mode of Operation: Enters ear or burrows through skull (the latter only on immobile victims). Causes acute insanity. Interestingly enough, the parasite completely seals the skull once it enters.
Silderian Heart Borer
Appearance: Pale green grub-like worm with dramatically shaped cutting mandibles, about 1/4" in diameter and 2" long.
Mode of Operation: Enters the chest and burrows into the heart. Victim weakened to the point of immobility. Excess stress could easily kill the victim.
Lyvoran Gut Worm
Appearance: Appears as a very wide tapeworm with oddly human-like eyes. Initially is it vanishingly small until it makes its way into the digestive system.
Mode of Operation: Enters the body through either mouth or nose and makes it’s way to the stomach. Victim cannot obtain nutrition from food until cured.
Tyanic Eye Wasp
Appearance: Blue and grey striped wasp similar in size to normal wasps.
Mode of Operation: Wasp lands upon victims eyes, and injects egg. If not removed (by surgery or equivalent magic), will result in total eye loss when the eggs hatch. Until that time, the victim can see spots in their vision that get gradually larger.
Velathian Spinal Leech
Appearance: Dull purple leech with an array of small tentacles near the mouth.
Mode of Operation: Attaches to spine and draws forth spinal fluid, causing intense pain and incapacitation.
Greathian Nerve Flea
Appearance Unless viewed with magnification, appears as a little black flea. Magnified, it appears a dark metallic green.
Mode of Operation: Bite causes local nerve tissue to dissolve, eliminating control and sensation in affected area.
Draw Strength
This spell when cast on a victim will leech away vitality and continually stream it to the caster until the spells duration expires, or the spell is otherwise removed. The victim feels exhausted until the spell is over and will be impeded in many activities. The caster gains a boost in physical strength and endurance while the spell is in effect, and the caster may have more then one victim at a time, so long as they remain in range of the spell.
Infestation
Target pointed at becomes Infested (as per Infesting Touch). Once infested, the caster requires less effort to cast additional spells on the victim (Spells that require touch now become line of sight).
Infesting Touch
Victim becomes Infested with a swarm of parasites, generally causing minor damage and a great deal of horror and revulsion. Willpower is required to ignore the critters and proceed normally. Tasks requiring concentration will be impeded while so infested. Critters include lice, mites, ticks, and worse.
Lurking Pestilence
Caster creates a magical trap that will deliver another spell in this domain onto the target. Involves planting some token, usually grotesque, that the next person to touch will deliver the spells.
Malarial Swarm
Summons a swarm of malaria-bearing mosquitos under the casters control. The Malaria is exceptionally virulent, causing symptoms almost immediately.
Convulsions, vomiting, shivering and eventual collapse and death are the hallmarks of this disease.
Mindworm
The victim becomes susceptible to suggestions and impulses insinuated by the caster. This effect remains so long as the victim does not pass to far away from the caster. If sufficient distance separates the two, the spell is ended. The victim may or may not be aware of these being of external origin.
Parasite form
Caster assumes the form of a massive swarm of parasites which can then disperse to the four winds. The caster can choose to Infest a target, but may not engage in further spellcasting until they regain their original form. Caster is unhurt even if the swarm is damaged so long as a single parasite remains alive - the caster can shift their consciousness from critter to critter as desired, even if the current one is slain.
Parasitodial Summoning
Target becomes the host for some large insect or insect-like horror. Victim is generally paralyzed and 2-7 days later, young creatures will burst forth, killing the host. This is used by the Parasitists to produce some of their creatures, including familiars. It is rumored that insectioid practitioners of this art can use this spell for their own reproduction.
Sunder’s Coat of Vermin
This spell, when cast, covers the wearer with a cloak of wiggling parasites (species as desired by the caster). It is a minor defence primarily intended to make people stay away, as any who come within 3’ of the wearer are subject to infestation by the horde of parasites.
Taint Water
Infests water with disease-causing water-borne parasites, including nematodes and leeches. Once introduced, the critters will multiply naturally though will be somewhat more tolerant to harsh conditions for several days.
Touch of the Leech
By touching a victim, the caster may draw blood from them, which will in turn revitalize the caster.
Touch of the Spirit Leech
As Touch of the Leech, but instead of blood, spiritual energy is drawn, and can be used to restore caster’s manna. See Spirit Leech.
Summon Demon Ticks
Summons a swarm of Demon Ticks.
Plot Ideas and Campaign Use
Used only by the most horrid of individuals, it is a tool for villains and others that would use revulsion and horror as weapons. The school can also include other pest-related spells already present in your game world.
The Street King
Gerthic, poor and living in the worst places, where no other riffraff would dwell, was kicked around and beaten by pretty much everyone. A runt, with little hope, he fell into the influence of an infernal power. The devil granted knowledge of the School of Parasites, and with this fell knowledge, he came to increase his station. Now he is a petty crime lord, using his powers to enhance his position. Numbers of his followers are infested, unwittingly lending him their strength. He occasionally hires out his services, either to weaken or kill targets as the contract requires. Perhaps the PCs are selected as a target.
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New Submissions
August 1, 2007, 18:47
January 12, 2009, 18:34
January 12, 2009, 19:00
January 12, 2009, 20:42
Secondly the following sentence conjured up some nice visuals:
"Sorcerguls sustain themselves with escaping life forces, though are unable to drain it directly as some undead can. Instead they devour their fresh victims - preferably still alive but restrained by magic."
As for the creature itself: Well, it is certainly down to earth and usable. Might fit right into the monstrous compendium of some Dungeons and Dragons game even.
But this is also my main reason for awarding but a 4/5.
They fall between the chairs of a vampire mage and a lich. The Sorcerghul, for all their nice visuals, are yet another D&D undead clone, with little to separate them from the meat and staple undead of rpgs in that vein.
This might sound harsh, but is not meant to be. I just had to justify the 4, the chain of thoughts leading up to that score.
To get a 5/5 you would have to keep the kick-arse elements, but also do some work to raise these beings above the rest. (Not power-wise, but submission-wise)
January 12, 2009, 22:55
I wish I could get me a game group together because I would definately use these flawed undead as protagonists. A lich could make them from his failed apprentices, undead leaders for his zombies, or mini-bosses to keep the riff-raff out of his nefarious plans. Could a sorcerghul turn a magic user into an undead like itself?
January 13, 2009, 7:10
I am actually quite happy with the reception since it was originally a stub for another submission.
As for the D&D comment - guilty as charged, I have played very few other systems in my time, so everything I do likely has D&D influence. This one, by referencing directly Liches and ghouls is probably the most direct of my subs.
The big thing I think they have is their motivation to achieve something other then their current form. They are not dead yet, and they know that these inferior forms are not going to last forever. They have the intellect and power of a mage, so they are aware, generally sane and able to plan. Being hungry but not motivated by hunger itself allows them far more flexiability then the majority of the undead in D&D, while still making them dangerous and not nice people.
January 13, 2009, 16:51
February 18, 2012, 3:49
I like it, especially the faile lich angle of it. Nice to have some options if a spell failed. Maybe initially it would appear the spell worked and the powers are there but upon an extreme usage they are burned out and realize their attempt had failed. I only mention that because in my head I have the adventurers come upon a newly formed Lich and during the attack the Lich realizes, the hard way, he is only a Sorcerghul. Thought that would be fun to play out.
September 23, 2012, 17:10
September 23, 2012, 18:07
Bad Strolen! Bad! :)
September 23, 2012, 18:24