1.5.2 The Accursed
The Accursed are those men and women who have made pacts with otherworldly beings, intentionally or otherwise, and gained powers from that bond.
Benefits Of The Accursed
The Accursed is a partial Mage class that must be joined with a second partial class by an Adventurer. A Partial Warrior/Accursed might be a grim demonic warrior, a Partial Expert/Accursed might be a sinister tempter, while a Partial Mage/Accursed could be a sorcerer willing to pact with foul creatures for their powers.
All Accursed gain Magic-0 during character creation.
Even those who are not spellcasters must understand the ways of eldritch beings and the subtleties of sorcery.
While the arts of Accursed Blade and Accursed Bolt use Magic as their combat skill, Foci that normally apply to mundane weapons such as Armsmaster or Deadeye also benefit their relevant melee or ranged attacks.
For these Foci, read “Magic” in place of “Shoot” or “Stab” when gaining their benefits, including the granted skill and the stacking damage bonus that the first level of the Foci may grant.
1.5.2.1 Accursed Arts
An Accursed has an Effort score equal to their Magic skill level plus their Intelligence or Charisma modifier, to a minimum of one point.
Every Accursed gains either Accursed Bolt or Accursed Blade as a starting art, plus one more of their choice.
Accursed arts may be used in or out of armor.
| Level | Arts Gained at each level |
|---|---|
| 1 | Either Accursed Blade or Accursed Bolt and Any One |
| 2 | Any One |
| 3 | |
| 4 | Any One |
| 5 | Any One |
| 6 | Any One |
| 7 | |
| 8 | Any One |
| 9 | |
| 10 | Any One |
- Accursed Blade: As an On Turn action, manifest an occult melee weapon as a one-handed 1d8 weapon or a two-handed 2d weapon. Both add your Magic skill to the damage roll, have a Shock rating of 2/15, and use Magic as the attack skill and the best of Str, Dex, Int, or Cha as its modifying attribute.
- Accursed Bolt: As Accursed Blade, but you launch blasts of occult force instead of meleeing. Their damage is 1d8 plus your Magic skill, their range is 200’, and the bolts can be thrown in melee at a -4 penalty to hit. These bolts need both hands free to hurl them.
- Bewitching Distraction: Commit Effort for the day as a Main Action when talking to an intelligent target when not in combat. They must make a Mental save or become dazed, oblivious to their surroundings and forgetting you and all else that happened in that scene. Danger ends the daze but not the forgetting.
- Compelling Shriek: Once per scene, Commit Effort for the day as a Main Action and shout a command of no more than seven words. Chosen targets who hear and understand must make a Mental save or perform that action for one round, provided it is not totally contrary to their character.
- Devil’s Bargain: As a Main Action, consecrate a deal you’ve made with an uncoerced person. If they violate the deal or its spirit, you know instantly and may inflict 1d6 damage per level on them if desired.
- Dire Pact: Foes suffer a penalty equal to your Magic skill on all saves versus your Accursed arts. If they succeed, however, you gain one System Strain.
- Lying Face: Commit Effort as a Main Action; while it remains Committed, you can disguise yourself as any humanoid of the same general size, including clothing, scent, and voice.
- Night-Black Eyes: You can see clearly in perfect darkness. As a Main Action, focus on a particular visible object, person, or lo cation; you can tell if it is enchanted, though no details about the magic are seen.
- Pacted Protection: Choose a type of harmful energy: fire, frost, acid, electricity, or the like. You become immune to natural degrees of this energy and take half damage from magical attacks involving it.
- Rob Vitality: Once per scene, as an On Turn action, Commit Effort for the scene and target a visible foe. They must make a Physical save or lose their next Main Action, which you immediately gain instead.
- Scourging Curse: Commit Effort for the scene as a Main Action and target a visible foe. Your curse inflicts a -1 penalty to their hit, damage, and saving throw rolls for one round per level. At 4th level this penalty becomes -2, and at 9th it becomes -3. Only one such curse can be active at a given time.
- Shadowed Steps: As a Move Action, Commit Effort for the scene and teleport up to your Move distance. You cannot bypass walls or physical obstacles, but you can teleport vertically or into high places.
- Snaring Speech: Once per round as an Instant action, Commit Effort for the day when failing a skill check to persuade or tempt someone. They must make a Mental save or agree with your proposal if it’s something they would normally consider doing. Gain one System Strain when using this art.
- Sorcerous Battery: Once per day, as an On Turn action, Commit Effort for the day. You or a visible ally refresh the spell slot of a spell that has been cast since the start of the prior round. Gain one System Strain.
- Soul Consumption: As an Instant action, Commit Effort for the day when you fell an intelligent target with Accursed Bolt or Accursed Blade. They die instantly. You heal 1d6 hit points plus your level and lose one accumulated System Strain.
- Tendrils of Night: Commit Effort as an On Turn action. While Committed, you exude numerous tentacles or eldritch arms that can manipulate objects with your strength up to 20’ away. You gain no bonus actions, but the arms can melee at range. These arms have your AC, and you are damaged if they are hurt.
- Unseen Steps: As an On Turn action, Commit Effort for the day to turn invisible for 1d6 rounds plus your level. This invisibility breaks before you attack, cast spells, or perform other vigorous or violent actions.
- Weight of Sin: As a Main Action, Commit Effort for the day and target a visible foe. They must make a Physical save or lose their Move action for 1d6 rounds plus your level.
- Weeping Wounds: Once per round, Commit Effort for the scene as an Instant action when a visible enemy takes damage. They must make a Physical save or suffer 1d6 damage per round for one round per level. They cannot heal or regenerate any hit point damage during this effect. This art does not stack.
Partial Expert/Accursed
| Level | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus | Focus Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6 | +0 | 1 Expert +1 Any |
| 2 | 2d6 | +1 | +1 Any |
| 3 | 3d6 | +1 | |
| 4 | 4d6 | +2 | |
| 5 | 5d6 | +2 | +1 Any |
| 6 | 6d6 | +3 | |
| 7 | 7d6 | +3 | +1 Any |
| 8 | 8d6 | +4 | |
| 9 | 9d6 | +4 | |
| 10 | 10d6 | +5 | +1 Any |
Partial Mage/Accursed
| Level | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus | Focus Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6-1 | +0 | 1 Any |
| 2 | 2d6-2 | +0 | +1 Any |
| 3 | 3d6-3 | +0 | |
| 4 | 4d6-4 | +0 | |
| 5 | 5d6-5 | +1 | +1 Any |
| 6 | 6d6-6 | +1 | |
| 7 | 7d6-7 | +1 | +1 Any |
| 8 | 8d6-8 | +1 | |
| 9 | 9d6-9 | +1 | |
| 10 | 10d6-10 | +2 | +1 Any |
Partial Warrior/Accursed
| Level | Hit Dice | Attack Bonus | Focus Picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1d6+2 | +1 | 1 Warrior +1 Any |
| 2 | 2d6+4 | +2 | +1 Any |
| 3 | 3d6+6 | +2 | |
| 4 | 4d6+8 | +3 | |
| 5 | 5d6+10 | +4 | +1 Any |
| 6 | 6d6+12 | +5 | |
| 7 | 7d6+14 | +5 | +1 Any |
| 8 | 8d6+16 | +6 | |
| 9 | 9d6+18 | +6 | |
| 10 | 10d6+20 | +7 | +1 Any |