The Red Lantern

Far From Them Was The Cruel Sea (Magos Order)

For the Magos class, of course. Spell mechanics were mostly adapted from Skerples and Library of Attnam.

THE ORDER PROTEOI
Spirits: Monstrum
Skill: Sailing Augury: Casting of stones on maps.
Jewelry: Silver veil.
Robes: Black and white
Ritual Item: Silver thread

The Proteoi are an order of Magi that command the Monstrum, the flesh-bound, shape-shifting spirits of the deep places, the changing tides, and the capricious moon. The Monstrum are the descendents of the mercurial Ocean, the Titan that rings the world.

For this reason, their symbol is the fish, the ever-varied creatures that inhabit the ocean.

None know where the Proteoi began, and some even believe the order to be extinct. It has been proposed that the Monstrum themselves crept from the sea to form a pact with the first Proteoi, though this has never been confirmed. The order is feared and shunned, so they rarely have the opportunity or desire to explain their history.

WORKS

  1. SelinĂłfoto (Moonlight)

She appears as an old human woman, bearing the head of an anglerfish and the wings of a manta ray. Her skin is the color of the night sky, speckled with pinpoints like stars. Kind and matronly towards her magi and fellow monstrum, but callous and dismissive towards other land dwellers.

Can light her surroundings with the light of a full moon for [dice]+[expended] hours. This carries the qualities of natural moonlight, if it matters. Alternatively, can inflict a target with a fixation towards the moon, rendering them stunned for [dice]+[expended] rounds as long as their HD does not exceed [sum]. If the moon is currently visible in the sky, creatures with less than [dice]x2 HD must save or gain a permanent obsession with the moon.

  1. PnĂ­go (Drown)

She is a small shark covered in shifting patterns, capable of swimming through the air. Unlike many monstrum, there are many Pnígo, each one unique to their Magos. They are playful and enthusiastic, especially about killing land-dwellers. They sometimes talk about “mother.”

Drown swims to a target and latches onto their neck, draining blood and filling the lungs and veins with seawater. Deals [sum] damage to a single target and forces them to take 1d6 more damage whenever they do anything besides vomit up seawater for the next [dice] rounds. Creatures that can breathe seawater take half damage with no lasting effect. If this damage kills the target, they appear to rise into the air as if floating as seawater pours from their mouth... to non-Magi. Magi see the truth: “mother,” the real Pnígo, appearing as an enormous wide-mouthed toothless shark, emerges from below and consumes the target, draining their life away utterly before vanishing and leaving their husk behind. Forces a morale check on creatures with supernatural sight (such as all Magi).

  1. PalĂ­rroia (Tide)

He appears as a huge crab, shorter than a man but much wider, with one small claw and one large claw. He alone among the monstrum appears clothed, wearing a toga and golden wreath atop his carapace. Talkative, dramatic, and self absorbed, he believes his command over water itself makes him superior to his brethren.

Palírroia allows you to command water as long as you devote your full concentration, up to [sum] rounds, with the amount increasing based on MD invested. One MD allows you to affect a bucket-size amount, two can control a barrel’s worth, three a chariot-sized amount, four is sufficient amount to capsize a ship.

  1. KakodaimonĂ­a (Cacodaemon)

Cacodaemons are highly variable on top of their ability to shapeshift. Every Magos with this spirit has a unique one with a unique appearance, though all appear marine. Personalities also vary, though they tend to be violent and not fond of complex plans.

Cacodaemons, as a baseline, have [dice] HD, [sum] HP, a natural attack that deals 1d6 damage, and can decide between being fully aquatic or amphibious. Additionally, they gain [dice] additional negotiated qualities, such as chitin armor, more powerful or plentiful attacks, or venom. They obey your commands in a general sense, but tend to ignore small details or collateral damage. Changing their form requires 10 minutes per HD of the new form.

  1. Brankhion (Gill)

He is a very fishlike humanoid creature, green-scaled, finned, and with a mouth full of shark-like teeth. Has webbed feet on land that fuse into a tail in the water. Loves the sea and all its beauty, confused why anyone would choose to live on land instead. Some believe him to be a human that became a sea creature.

Brankhion can grant gifts of the sea to his caster, up to [dice], for [sum]*10 minutes. Unspent [dice] can be spent to extend these gifts to others. These gifts are gills, allowing the target to breathe water instead of (not in addition to) air, webbed and finned limbs, allowing the target to swim as fast as they could move on land, and the water’s favor, allowing the target to ignore any and all penalties to fighting underwater.

  1. Deimos (Fear)

Its form is ever-shifting, forming and reforming different terrifying aspects of the deep sea creatures, though it always has a pair of huge, black eyes that show even more horrors to those who look into them. For any given viewer, it will consistently hold an aspect of the deep sea creature they fear most. In actuality, this is all a shifting illusion projected by the true Deimos, a small isopod-like creature that hides among the ever-shifting mouths. Rarely speaks, afraid of anything bigger than its true self.

[sum] targets, max [dice] HD each, save or flee in fear as Deimos reveals itself to them in all its terrifying glory. Thalassophobic creatures treat [dice] as doubled. Creatures with less than [dice]-1 HD become permanently thalassophobic.

  1. Plokami (Tentacle)

Normally only seen by the thrashing, grabbing tentacles that burst from the ground or water. When spoken to, you only see its great eye. Few have seen its true self. Surprisingly friendly and curious.

A swarm of writhing tentacles covering a ‘10 diameter area bursts out of a solid surface or body of water. Anyone who enters the area must save or be grabbed. To escape, treat as a grapple with a creature with a +[dice] strength modifier (or equivalent in your system).

  1. MalakĂłno (Soften)

They appear as a shifting, multicolored sea slug-like being, never the same colors and shape when you look at them. Translucent tendrils and appendages grow and recede as you watch. Vain and arrogant, they despise touching other creatures and look down upon vertebrates.

Removes the rigidness from the Magos’ bones while making their organs resistant to damage from squishing for [sum] minutes. Movement is slowed to a crawl and standing and attacking is impossible, but the Magos can squish through tight spaces no smaller than 2 inches wide. Additionally, apply [dice] of the following: Ability to move normally, ability to apply the effect by touch to other targets (unwilling targets are only affected for [sum] rounds, and may save to resist), increase the number of targets by 2, increase the range to a stone’s throw, cause all affected to have poisonous flesh that deals 1d6 poison damage to anyone who touches it (2d6 if bitten, 4d6 if swallowed).

  1. Maska (Mask)

It appears to be a man at first glance, but closer inspection reveals it to be something more akin to a long-tentacled octopus in the shape of one. Moves surprisingly gracefully, its false face changes whenever you look away. Anxious, but surprisingly social, especially for a Monstrum.

Maska can alter your form to resemble another creature of your type (usually a different human) for [sum]*10 minutes. These alterations are surface level and grant no abilities, nor do they cause any internal changes. If disguising as someone specific, those who know the person you’re impersonating can see that you’re a fake if they inspect you with more scrutiny than you have inspected the real person. If cast with at least three MD, you may select a second disguise, and may change between either one or your true form at will with only a few seconds of concentration.

  1. Dynami (Might)

He appears as an orca twisted into humanoid shape, fins changed into clawed arms and tail into a pair of muscular legs with webbed feet. His skin is ridged rather than smooth, and his voice is as deep as the sea itself. Viciously cruel towards enemies or prey, but violently protective of those he considers friends.

A creature within a stone’s throw is imbued with Dynami’s power, growing in size and becoming physically more monstrous for [sum] rounds. They gain [sum] temporary HP, +[dice] to all damage and strength rolls, and become incapable of tactics, kindness, or retreat. They retain their ability to distinguish friend or foe, but do not accept surrender from enemies under any circumstance.

  1. Allasso (Change)

They are a hive mind of tiny, glowing plankton that swarm around the Magos and their targets. Think of themselves as artists with flesh as their canvas, they see land creatures as unfinished drafts, and enjoy modifying them into “better” forms. Enjoy seeing their Magos progressively transform as their hubris increases, and will frequently suggest they use their ability to Transform in order to encourage this.

Target gains [dice] random mutations, flavored as sea-themed, permanently, save to instead gain [expended] random mutations for [sum] minutes. They can be cured with a lengthy, difficult ritual beseeching the gods, which cannot be performed on or by a Magos with any hubris. A willing target may voluntarily fail the save, in which case they roll [dice]*2 mutations and pick [dice].

  1. AnagennitheĂ­s (Regenerate)

They are a massive starfish with many arms, the exact number shifting constantly. Eyes, mouths, fins, and other appendages from various sea creatures appear and disappear all over their body. Not known to speak, though those affected by them always feel a fundamental sense of unease.

Heals a currently living thing a total of [sum]+[dice] HP at a rate of [dice] per round. Can heal broken bones and similarly severe injuries when cast at 2 or more [dice], reattach severed limbs and restore damaged (but not destroyed) organs at 3 [dice], and regrow entirely new limbs and organs at 4 [dice]. Roll for a mutation whenever a limb or organ is regrown.

HUBRIS
5: At 5 hubris, your eyes bulge just a little and your skin grows cold. You smell faintly of fish and blink less frequently. Hiding your status as a proteoi is difficult.
10: Your skin changes, resembling a creature of the deep. Scales, slime coating, sandpaper shark skin, something of this sort. Roll on whatever table you use for Mutate until you get something mostly cosmetic. You will likely be seen as something monstrous, but you’re slippery enough that it’s hard to restrain you without piercing the skin.
15: At 15 hubris, you no longer can subsist on just air. If you go more than 8 hours without drenching yourself in seawater, you start to dry out, which is eventually fatal. However, you can also breathe seawater without issue.
20: At 20 hubris, your transformation is complete. You are now completely aquatic, and no longer have legs or lungs. If you’re close to seawater, you can probably live in your new state if you act fast. If not, you will suffocate or desiccate.