Art by Zack Stella
Nephilim
Powerful Anchestry
Since ancient times, dragons instilled fear into humanity but at the same time humans were fascinated and desired the power dragons possessed. The nephilim, also called half-dragons or abominations, embodied all humanity wished for, combining the ferocity and might of dragons with the adaptability and cleverness of humans.
Unnatural Creatures Nephilim are small in number and cannot call a specific nation, land or kingdom their home but often appear in areas that are or were occupied by dragons. They are artificial creatures, created by transforming a human fetus with an ritual that involves the blood of a dragon into a human-dragon hybrid. It is unclear who created that ritual at first. Some believe that the dragons created it to communicate with humans. The ritual is often as a secret by some dragon worshiping cults, mages or alchemists and the reasons to create nephilim vary greatly. Some create them as prophets for their dragon gods, others create powerful soldiers for the highest bidder and for others their creation is not more than another experiment. Nephilim age faster in the beginning than other races, maturing within 8 years and nobody knows how old they can become.
Transformed Body All nephilim tower over humans with powerful bodies that combine the features of dragons and humans, even though their appearance varies greatly. Some feature a perfect alignment of draconic and human features, looking as they are art pieces created by a god while others look like grotesque creatures, assembled of not fitting body parts. All nephilim are resistant to fire and magic that tries to alter their mind. During their growth they also gain natural weapons like their dragon ancestors and the ability to breathe fire.
While growing and gaining power the bodys of a nephilim is still shifting, bones expanding and shrinking, muscles moving below the skin. While this feeling is disturbing and painful it enables their bodys to adapt by growing stronger scales, the ability to breathe more fire or increase the sensitivity of their senses.
Conflicted Soul A nephilim once had a human mind but as a result of its transformation parts of it have become draconic. As a result alien thoughts and emotions flood the mind and are in constant rivalry with the human ones. The constant struggle bettween their draconic and human nature puts them constantly under stress. Shall they relish their draconic temper by unleashing the power available to them, or suppress their desires to support others where necessary?
Common Names asdasd
Creating a Nephilim
- Attribute Scores Strength 11, Agility 9, Intellect 9, Will 11
- Perception equals your Intellect score + 1
- Defense equals your Agility score
- Health equals your Strength score
- Healing Rate equals one-quarter your Health, round down
- Size 2, Speed 10, Power 0
- Damage 0, Insanity 2, Corruption 0
- Languages and Professions You speak the Common Tongue, and you can either speak one additional language or add a random profession.
- Shadowsight You see in areas obscured by shadows as if those areas were lit.
- Fire Resistance You take half damage from fire.
- Dragon Blood You make challenge rolls to resist putting asleep, charmed or frightened with 1 boon.
- Powerful Ancestry When your group attains level 1, you do not choose a novice path. Instead, whenever the Advancement table in Shadow indicates you would gain benefits from a novice path, you gain the benefits from your ancestry for that level.
Level 1 Nephilim
- Attributes Increase two by 1
- Characteristics Health +5
- Draconic Blood When you take damage you can use a triggered action to heal damage equal to your healing rate. If you would drop to 0 hit points the round you used draconic blood, you drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this talent, you cannot use it again until you complete a rest.
- Natural Weapons You can grow fangs, claws and a tail that are natural weapons for you as an action or triggered action and retract them as an action or triggered action. Each of that weapons has 1d6 base damage with different properties. Your fangs are off-hand weapons that deal 3 bonus fire damage on a hit, your claws are off-hand finesse weapons and your tail a off-hand reach +1 weapon.
Level 2 Nephilim
- Characteristics Health +5
- Draconic Power Choose a draconic power from the ones described below.
Level 4 Nephilim Expert
- Characteristics Health +5
- You either learn one spell or gain Draconic Prowess.
- Magic You discover a tradition or learn one spell from a tradition you have already discovered.
- Draconic Prowess Your attacks with weapons deal 1d6 extra damage.
Level 5 Nephilim Expert
- Characteristics Health +5
- Breath Fire You exhales flames in a 6-yardlong cone originating from a point it can reach. The flames deal 4d6 damage to everything in the area. A creature in the area can make an Agility challenge roll. Each creature in the area takes half the damage with a success on an Agility challenge roll, or catches fire on a failure. Once you use this talent, you cannot use it again until you complete a rest.
- Draconic Power Choose a draconic power from the ones described below.
Level 8 Nephilim Master
- Characteristics Health +5
- Dragon Wings As an action you grow a pair of wings that you can use to fly while you are not encumbered or slowed. You gain a flying speed equal to your movement speed. You can retract the wings as a triggered action or action.
- Draconic Power Choose a draconic power from the ones described below.
Draconic Powers
- Magic You increase your Power by 1, discover a tradition, and learn one spell from that tradition. If you choose this draconic power a second time increase your Power by 1, discover a tradition, and learn one spell from that tradition.
- Draconic Weapons You reduce the number of banes from the attack with your natural weapons as part of an attack with two weapons by 2. If you choose this draconic power a second time, your attacks with weapons deal 1d6 extra damage.
- Powerful Senses You gain darksight. You can see in areas obscured by shadows or darkness within medium range as if those areas were lit. Beyond this distance, you treat darkness as shadows and shadows as lit. If you choose this talent a second time you gain sightless. Your other senses besides sight are sharpened, so that you can perceive you surroundings within a long range. Creatures within the area have 2 banes on challenge rolls to hide from you, and you ignore banes imposed by obscurment on rolls to perceive things. You are never subject to the blinded condition to perceive your environment within long range.
- Dragon Fire You gain a natural off-hand range weapon (short range) that deals 1d6 fire damage. If you choose this draconic power a 2nd time, the damage of your dragon fire is increased by 1d6 and a creature hit by it must make an Agility challenge roll. On a failure, the target is set on fire.
- Spell Resistance You make any challenge roll to resist a spell with 1 boon. If you choose this feature a second time, a creature attacking you with a spell makes the attack roll with 1 bane.
- Draconic Combat When attacking with a weapon, you make the attack roll with 1 boon. If you choose this draconic power a second time, you can use a triggered action to attack a creature that moves within your reach.
- Draconic Scales Increase your defense by +1. If you choose this draconic power a second time, your scales impose 1 bane on attack rolls with weapons made against your Defense.
Size 2 Creatures
As a Cyclops, you are a Size 2 character, which makes you quite a bit larger than most other player characters. Size 2 characters have several benefits and drawbacks, summarized here.
- Your reach is 2 yards (Shadow, page 37)
- Your movement might be restricted by space (Shadow, page 38)
- Size 1/2 and smaller creatures can freely move through your space (Shadow, page 38).
- Armor and weapons cost double the listed price (Shadow, pages 100 and 102)
- Your attacks with weapons that normally deal 1d6 damage or more deal 1d6 extra damage. Your attacks with weapons that normally deal less than 1d6 damage instead deal 1d6 damage (Shadow, page 102)
Nephilim Age
| 3d6 | Age |
|---|---|
| 3 | You are a child, no more than 3 years old. Reduce your height and weight by 50 percent. |
| 4-5 | You are an adolescent, 3 to 8 years old. Reduce your height and weight by 25 percent. |
| 6-8 | You are a young adult, 8 to 80 years old. |
| 9-12 | You are a middle-aged adult, 81 to 150 years old. |
| 13-15 | You are an older adult, 151 to 250 years old. |
| 16-18 | You are a venerable adult, 251 years old or older. |
Nephilim Build
| 3d6 | Build |
|---|---|
| 3 | You are short and spindly, under 8 feet in height, and weighing about 500 pounds. |
| 4-5 | You are short, standing about 8 feet tall. |
| 6-8 | You are thin, weighing about 400 pounds |
| 9-12 | You are a typical nephilim, standing between 8 and 10 feet in height and weighing between 400 and 800 pounds. |
| 13-15 | You have a big frame and weigh more than 800 pounds. |
| 16-17 | You stand 9 feet tall and weigh 800 pounds. |
| 18 | You are enormous, 11 feet tall and over 1000 pounds. |
Nephilim Personality
| 3d6 | Personality |
|---|---|
| 3 | You are prone to give in to your draconic temper and regret it afterwards. |
| 4-5 | You enjoy unleashing your power and feel the heat in your veins when unleashing your draconic might. |
| 6-8 | You believe you were made for a reason. Without a master, you have no purpose. |
| 9-12 | You take care of yourself, take what you want, and do what you want. |
| 13-15 | Might is right. |
| 16-17 | You have little use for the customs of your people. It’s time to move past the dusty caves and seek out fortunes elsewhere. |
| 18 | Your honor and duty guide everything you do. |
Nephilim Background
| d20 | Background |
|---|---|
| 1 | You succumbed to your draconic temper, tearing helpless people apart and consuming them afterwards. Gain 2 Corruption |
| 2 | Your draconic mind establishes itself as a whispering with seemingly an own intelligence, that tries to influence your actions. Start the game with 1d3 Insanity. |
| 3 | Fearful townsfolk drove you out of your hometown. You have grown to hate them and plot revenge. |
| 4 | Your maker treated you poorly. You escaped and now fear your maker will find you. |
| 5 | You were created as an experiment and in order to prevent others from suffering the same fate you killed your creator. Gain 1 Corruption. |
| 6 | You were created and raised by a dragon and your with your human thoughts and emotions are hard to grasp for you. |
| d20 | Background |
|---|---|
| 7 | You fell in love with a human and were spurned for your affections. |
| 8 | You have been created to serve as a powerful soldier and were enslaved for 2d6 years. |
| 9 | Your creator took good care of you and gave you the best possible education. You can read and write one language you know. |
| 10 | You earned a living working in your profession. |
| 11 | You were a henchman to a powerful wizard. |
| 12 | You spent 1d6 years as a prisoner in a dungeon. |
| 13 | You left your homeland to see the world. |
| 14 | You saved your town from terrible monsters. |
| 15 | You traveled extensively. You speak one additional language. |
| 16 | After battle you took a special weapon from a corpse. The weapon is fine and covered in runes, though it does not appear to be magical in nature. |
| 17 | Someone important and powerful owes you a favor. |
| 18 | You were created to serve in a military conflict. Add a random military profession to your list of professions. |
| 19 | You were created to be a prophet and holy figure of a dragon cult. Add a random religious profession to your list of professions. |
| 20 | You found a great treasure. Begin the game with one enchanted object created by the GM. |
Dragon Disciple Story Development
| d6 | Story Development |
|---|---|
| 1 | You studied the rituals that transformed you and learned to transform others into similar beings. |
| 2 | You felt lonely because there were no others like you and thus try to find a way to create others like you. |
| 3 | Your transformation was imperfect in your opinion and thus you studied different rituals to transform others into dragons, testing them on other creatures. |
| 4 | You found an ancient tome that explained to you how you could transform other humanoids and beasts into spawns that you can control. |
| 5 | A dragon taught you how to use your blood to create dragonspawns for the condition that you help it to defeat one of its rivals. |
| 6 | You turned to ancient writings to learn more about yourself and your potential. You might have pursued this course as part of your magical studies or sought out one knowledgeable in Alchemy to teach you how to control your nature. |
Dragon Disciple
Expert Path
Nephilims that embrace and favour their draconic nature over their human nature often look for ways to enhance their draconic abilities. Usual traditions cannot help them to fulfill their wishes and so they have to dig deeper, looking for ancient knowledge or experiment to create it anew.
Dragon disciples are nephilim that are successful with their research and increased their draconic ablities and are capable to transfrom into a dragon for a certain time. As a result of the enhancement and the transformation, the draconic temper is more in conflict with their human nature than usual for a nephilim and their psyche often takes a toll.
To choose this expert path, you must be a nephilim.
Level 3 Dragon Disciple
- Attributes Increase two by 1
- Characteristics Health +5
- Languages and Professions You speak another language or add a profession to your list of professions.
- Dragon Form If you are not fatigued, you can use an action to transform into a dragon. While you are transformed into a dragon, you gain all of the following benefits and drawbacks.
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- You gain 10 health.
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- Your size increases up to 1 size.
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- Attacks with your natural weapons deal an additional 1d6 damage.
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- Your Defense equals your Agility + 2.
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- You gain a fly but must land at the end of your turn. When you have fly from another source ignore the land at the end of turn.
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- Everything you are wearing or holding is subsumed in the new form, though if such an object leaves your possession it immediately returns to normal.
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- You can talk and cast spells but have trouble to manipulate some objects (up to your game master). Depending on the object your game master can give you boons or banes for the interaction.
- You transform back after 1 minute, as a triggered action or when you become unconscious. When you transform back from your dragon form, you become fatigued for 1 minute and you must get a success on a Will challenge roll or gain 1 Insanity.
- Dragon Power Choose one dragon power from the ones described below.
Level 6 Dragon Disciple
- Characteristics Health +5
- Great Dragon When you assume your dragon form you gain the following additional benefits.
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- You have a +2 bonus to speed.
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- While flying you no longer must land at the end of turn.
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- Your Defense equals your Agility + 3.
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- The range of breath fire is increased by 3 inch and Agility challenge rolls against your flame breath are made with 2 banes.
- Dragon Power Choose one dragon power from the ones described below.
Level 9 Master Dragon Disciple
- Characteristics Health +5
- Ancient Dragon When you assume your dragon form you gain the following additional benefits.
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- Your size increases up to 2 sizes.
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- The damage of breath fire is increased by 2d6.
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- Your scales impose 1 bane on attack rolls made against your Defense.
- Dragon Power Choose one dragon power from the ones described below.
Dragon Powers
- Keen Senses You make all Perception rolls with 1 boon.
- Spell Resistance You take half damage from spells.
- Powerful Fire Lungs You can use breath fire twice.
- Dragon Tyrant You can use an action and each creature within short range who is not a member of your group must get a success on a Will challenge roll or become frightened for 1 round. Any creature that succeeded on the challenge roll or was frightened by you is immune against this ability until it finishs a rest.
- Dragon Weapons When attacking with a natural weapon, you make the attack roll with 1 boon. Depending on the natural attack you are using a special effect is added, when the total of your attack roll is 20 or higher and exceeds the target number by at least 5.
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- Claws You can use a triggered action and make an additional attack with your claws against the same target. This attack is made with 2 banes.
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- Tail The attack deals an extra 1d6 damage and the target is knocked prone.
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- Fangs The attack deals an extra 1d6 fire damage and the target catches fire.
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- Prolonged Transformation You can transform into a dragon up to 1 hour. When you transform back you are fatiqued for an equal time.
Dragonspawner
Expert Path
The blood of some nephilim is a potent transformation tool and with the right tool they can use it to transform bodies of living and death into dragonspawns. These are dragon like creatures with the inelligence of an animal that can manifest different draconic attributes upon their transformation. They vary in size and power, ranging from small dog like creatures up to the size of great bears.
The nephilim that create them are called dragonspawner and control their dragonspawns with a harmonic pressure that enables their spawns to follow slight gestures and mimics to understand more complex maneuvers.
To choose this expert path, you must be a nephilim.
Level 3 Dragonspawner
- Attributes Increase two by 1
- Characteristics Health +2
- Languages and Professions You speak another language or add a profession to your list of professions.
- Dragonspawn Creation You can spend 1 hour to perform a special ritual, involving your own flesh and blood and corpses to transform the dead creatures, or defenseless living creatures you have restrained, into your dragonspawn. You have to sacrifice an amount of health equal to your healing rate and the combined sizes of the creatures you use must be at least the size of the dragonspawns you create. For example the creation of two size 1/2 dragonspawns can be done with one size 1 creature or two size 1/2 creatures, while the creation of a size 2 dragonspawn requires two size 1 creatures or one size 2 or bigger creature. You decide the dragonspawn’s appearance but it usually resembles parts of your draconic heritage. If you use this talent on a living creature, you gain 1 Corruption. The dragonspawn is compelled by you and you always know its direction. When you die, your dragonspawns die. When you create more dragonspawns than you can control, they remove the compelled affliction from themselves, starting with the oldest, up to a number you can control.
- Dragonspawn You can control one small dragonspawn.
- Shared Mind While you are within 1 mile of a dragonspawn commpelled by you, you can communicate with that dragonspawn telepathically even if you do not have languages in common.
Level 6 Dragonspawner
- Characteristics Health +2
- Shared Blood When you are healed, your dragonspawns are also healed for the same amount.
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- Shared Fire When you use your breath fire and one dragonspawn is within medium range of you, it can use a triggered action so that you use the position of your dragonspawn as the point of origin for your breath fire effect.
- Powerful Dragonspawns You can control one medium or two small dragonspawns.
Level 9 Master Dragonspawner
- Characteristics Health +2
- Great Dragonspawns You can control one large or one medium and one small or three small dragonspawns.
- Harmonic Pressure You can use an action and give up to 3 boons to the next attack or challenge roll of your dragon spawns until the end of the round. You can divide the boons between your dragonspawns so that the sum is 3, for example give one dragonspawn 3 boons and the other none or one 2 boons and another one 1 boon.
Art by Cwalton73
Small Dragonspawn
Size 1/2 monster
- Perception 11; darksight
- Defense 13; Health 15; Insanity 0; Corruption 0
- Strength 12 (+2), Agility 10 (0), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 11 (+1)
- Speed 10
- Immunity damage from fire, asleep, dazed, charmed, frightened
Attack Options
Natural Weapon (melee) +2 (1d6)
Medium Dragonspawn
Size 1 monster
- Perception 12; darksight
- Defense 14; Health 35; Insanity 0; Corruption 0
- Strength 13 (+3), Agility 10 (0), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 12 (+2)
- Speed 10
- Immunity damage from fire, asleep, dazed, charmed, frightened
Attack Options
Natural Weapon (melee) +3 with 1 boon (1d6 + 2)
Large Dragonspawn
Size 2 monster
- Perception 13; darksight
- Defense 14; Health 55; Insanity 0; Corruption 0
- Strength 15 (+5), Agility 11 (+1), Intellect 6 (–4), Will 13 (+3)
- Speed 12
- Immunity damage from fire, asleep, dazed, charmed, frightened
Attack Options
Natural Weapon (melee) +5 with 1 boon (2d6 + 4)
Dragonspawn Powers
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Your small dragonspawn has one, your medium dragonspawn has two, and your large dragonspawn has three of the following traits, attack options, or special attacks.
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Superior Movement The dragonspawn gains the climber, flier, or swimmer trait.
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Sightless The dragonspawn loses its darksight and gains the gains the sightless trait (Shadow, page 215) for a medium range instead of a long range.
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Scaled Armour Your dragonspawns scales impose 1 bane on attack rolls made against your Defense.
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Poisonous The dragonspawn gains the poisonous trait (Shadow, page 263).
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Pack Fighting The dragonspawn gains the pack fighting trait (Shadow, page 263).
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Double Attack The dragonspawn can use an action to attack twice with its natural weapons.
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Murderous When the dragonspawn attacks a creature with a smaller size than it, it makes the attack roll with 1 boon. When the dragonspawn attacks a creature that with a bigger size category than it has its attacks deal 1d6 extra damage.
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Strong Vitality The dragonspawns health is increased by 15.
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Fire Breath The dragonspawns gains a range attack and the damage depends on its size. (medium range) (1d3 for size 1/2, 1d6 for size 1, 2d6 for size 2).
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Snacking When a creature dies within short range of the dragonspawn, it can use its triggered action and consume a part of that creature. For 1 minute it makes strength attack rolls and challenge roll with 1 boon.
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Fire Eater When your dragonspawns attacks a creature that is set on fire it deals an 1d6 bonus fire damage.
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Frightful Dragon Your dragonspawn gains the frightful trait (Shadow, page 214).
Art owned by Privateer Press