Overlord GLOG Class
Here's a class inspired by the old minion-commanding Overlord games.
Overlord
Skills: Courtesy and (1d6) Logistics, Foreign Parts, History, Literature, Soldier, Poetry
Starting Equipment: Black Leather Armor, cool cape, a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon and a shield, a whip
- A) Dark Lord, Black Spikes, Minions, +2 minions
- B) Warlord, Sacrifice, Dark Servant, +2 minions
- C) Commanding Voice, The Lash, +2 minion
- D) Dread Master, Dark Lieutenant, +2 minions
You get +2 on saves against fear, charm, and compulsion per [template].
A: Dark Lord
You are, in some respects, nobility. You are treated as a member of the nobility, understand etiquette, and can read and write well. Even without a formal rank, you are taken seriously by nobility and (begrudgingly) the church. Peasants view you as dangerous nobility (like a lord with a temper).
A: Black Spikes
You may grant your armor, weapons, and clothing a black, spiked appearance (or similar aesthetic), and it looks good (on you, at least). This has no mechanical effect, and ends when another creature takes ownership of the item (if the creature is consciously borrowing it, the effect persists).
You can wield weapons in a single hand as though you were two-handing them, so long as you're not using the other hand for a weapon or shield. Additionally, the overlord and his allies may choose to beat opponent within an inch of their lives instead of killing them.
A: Minions
Though you are always surrounded by a small horde of flying imp-like minions, they are not particularly effective and can collectively only perform a limited number of tasks. Minions always act on your turn, and do not have the initiative and will to be sent off on missions beyond your presence. They are surprising sneaky and always use your stealth roll.
As an action, you can command [templates] minions (if not in combat or another fast-paced scenario, you may instead command them all), assigning them to tasks of your choice. Some minions tasks require them to ROLL. On a 4-5, they are expended for the encounter (until you can take a minute to berate and torment them). On a 6, they die while performing the action. Multiple minions assigned to a single task ROLL together. Intelligent creatures can easily identify what task minions are assigned to, and single-target effects (such as attacks) can eliminate from specific assignments. A minion cannot act in its prior task and be assigned a new task in the same round.
When an effect refers to your command range, that range is 20 feet per [template], so long as the path there is not blocked or extremely obstructed. Any source that deals damage within 20 feet of you can target the minions (defense 10) - successful attacks expend 1 minion if they deal at least [templates] damage, and area-of-effect attacks that deal at least [templates] damage expend 1d3. If all minions are expended, they are instead killed. New minions will come to you when you rest, and always seem able to keep up with you when you move.
If a specific minion's stats are needed, they are as follows:
- 1 HD, [templates] HP
- [4 + templates] for all abilities
- attack for 1d3
- stealth [10 + templates]
B: Warlord
Whenever you use your action to attack, you may also command a minion.
B: Sacrifice
You may sacrifice a minion (including an expended minion) to do any of the following as a reaction (no more than once per round). You must spend a minute to berate and torment your minions before you may use this ability again.
- make an example of it, penalizing an enemy morale check by [half templates] (or grant a similar bonus)
- use it as a shield, reducing the damage you take from any source (even normally unerring or unblockable sources) by [1d6 + templates]
- make a melee attack (the minion accidentally gets in the way)
B: Dark Servant
Once per day, with a ritual that takes ten minutes and requires the sacrifice of a sentient (including a lower sentient, such as a minion or a goblin), you may conjure your dark servant. It lasts until it dies, is dismissed as an action, or you use this ability again. It is a monster with [templates - 1] HD, 6 HP per HD, AC as chain, can see in the dark, attacks for 1d8, and understands your languages. Choose [templates] of the following benefits (each benefit can be chosen only once):
- It can serve as a mount, and has doubled speed.
- It can walk on water or over difficult terrain without penalty. You may take this again to grant it flight.
- You share its senses and communicate with it telepathically.
- It and its rider get +[templates] on stealth.
- Its attacks are +1 magic weapons.
- It attacks an additional time.
- It gets [3 x templates] additional health.
- it gets +2 defense and allies within its reach get +1 defense.
- It can speak.
The dark servant does not breathe, eat, or sleep.
C: Commanding Voice
Magical effects, injuries short of death, and physical muffling cannot bar your speech, and you can speak as loudly as 10 men. When combat begins, you immediately command a minion. Particularly weak-willed and pathetic beings, such as goblins, kobolds, common undead, levies, and serfs have difficulty resisting your commands when otherwise leaderless.
C: The Lash
Whenever you command as an action, you may either command an additional minion or increase [sum] for a single minion roll before the start of your next turn by [templates].
D: Dread Master
You are immune to being frightened, charmed, or compelled. At the start of your turn, you may command a minion.
D: Dark Fortress
You may, with a day's work in a fortified location you have well-established control over, turn it into a dark fortress. Your dark fortress has an additional number of minions each day equal to your limit, though you cannot bring them with you. Each round, 4 are automatically assigned according to your will to defend the fortress and perform duties around the fortress. While in the fortress, you choose how they are assigned and your range is extended to the entire fortress.
You can always find shady hirelings, and they are unusually loyal to you and cost only half what they would normally (unless of a variety that would expect a share, in which case they expect a share as normal).
You may have multiple dark fortresses, but not within a single region (typically, a day's travel by horse).
Tasks
Note then when minions are carrying specific items, they can only carry it up to your speed in the round they pick it up and twice your speed when they start the round carrying it (likely representing one or more handoffs), though they may always carry it (or otherwise move) to keep up with you.
- Serve: the minions follows you around, and can obey your commands to take small, easy actions within range, such as opening doors, moving and carrying 1/3 slot or slot less items, bowing and scraping, etc. Outside of combat, you are treated as having [templates] additional minions assigned to serve (during combat or other intense situations, these minions cower, get knocked out, or are simply ineffectual). These minions cannot be sacrificed for class features or weapon practice. If they die, they refresh after about a minute.
- Carry: the minions pick up, carry, or move a slot worth of items. You and allies within range may take carried items as though they were in quick slots. Two minions can drag an unconscious or dead person along the ground at half speed. You may ROLL to have them move an item of up to [dice + sum] slots up to twice your speed.
- Attack (assign only in combat): on your turn, the minions attack enemies of your choice. ROLL (per target) and deal [sum - dice] damage to the target.
- Guard (assign only in combat): Whenever you or an ally within range would take damage, you may have any guarding minions attempt to protect them, ROLL and reduce incoming damage by [sum - dice]. A given assignment can only guard once per round.
- Aid: The minions attempt to treat an injured creature within range. ROLL and, for every 5 points of [sum], they treat a fatal wound (or other first-aid appropriate injury).
- Expended: Expended minions cannot be reassigned until you spend a minute berating and tormenting them (collectively), after which they are assigned to carry or follow. Expended minions perform no tasks.