I have a fondness for Halloween and Halloween themed issues of magazines. It is only natural that for my own, Yggdrasil MGZ, that the third quarterly issue would follow suit. I already had the seeds in place with the second half of the comic I was finishing for it – it’s a ghost story – so it didn’t take too much work to add on top of it.

What follows is the first draft of one of the several classes making their way into the issue. I love how the Torchbearer RPG handles classes. The progression of abilities, the choices you have to make reflecting your interest, and the flexibility to translate concepts into functioning classes all come very easily with the game. At some point I may write an article about the process.

Instead, today I am going to share with you the first draft of one half of a pair of classes that work synergistically together. They are the Grey Guardian, agents of the mysterious Order, who hunts the unquiet dead and the unbound necromancers who use them in their nefarious plots. And like all things Halloween, they may not be the good guys they appear on the surface.

The Grey Guardian

In the Testament, Beli admonished all mortals to not disturb the dead in any form for necromancy endangers the whole world. We learned this with bitter tears when the Nine Realms were nearly completely destroyed before this current age where we clawed our way up from the ruins of the past. And yet, fools walk these roads still, using the dead as sources of power and means for immortality. Always the world lives on the edge of the knife with these madmen.

You refuse to allow this to stand. You saw this evil and took steps to bring it to an end. You slay those too far gone to be bound. You bind the young to keep them from bringing the world to ruin once again. You live in the grey space between the bright virtue you seek to preserve and the dark deeds you must commit to ensure it says so.

The Grey Guardian has made their life’s mission one of destroying necromancers, their vile creations, and binding children who show the potential to be necromancers. They have trained themselves to face down the unquiet dead and the mortals who would ally or command them.

• They begin the game with leather armor and a helmet, plus a flail, mace, or sword.
• You begin with an empty pair of binding bracelets waiting to be used (pack 1), bound to another player who is playing a Bound Necromancer, or you may create a Bound Necromancer and play two characters at once.

Stock: Any Human
Abilities: Distribute 8 points between will and health. Neither may be lower than two or greater than six.
Skills: Fighter 4, Hunter 2, Scout 2, Criminal 2, Pathfinder 2, Ritualist 2
Trait: Relentless
Weapons: Any one handed weapon.
Armor: Any

Traits

Relentless
Never give up. Never back down. Compassion is a weakness. Surrender is unthinkable. You will save the world from the threat of the unquiet dead no matter the cost to you or anyone else.

Deathless
Pain nor fatigue no longer devil you. Your body has become a lifeless monument to your blindness to what the mission has done to you. Pale and gaunt, you are a mockery of life. You are what you hate and hunt, seemingly unaware of the irony.

Level 1

Grey Guardian: Grey Guardians may wield any weapon and wear any armor, wear helmets, and use shields. They are immune to the paralyzing effect of various unquiet dead provided they have no conditions (except fresh).

Level 2

Secrets of the Dead: When in a fight with the unquiet dead your knowledge of their weak spots provides you with and edge when you attack. You are granted a +1D to Attack actions in a conflict with unquiet dead.

Secrets of the Necromancers: You have trained yourself to resist the machinations of necromancers. Any incantation or ritual used against you by a necromancer suffers a +1Ob..

Level 3

Exhaustive Training: Your training has hardened you against the degradation of wounds brought on by fights with the unquiet dead. Add +1D to recovery from conditions brought on by conflicts with monsters of the undead type.

Relentless Hunter: You have trained your whole life to capture or kill necromancers no matter where they hide. You are granted a +1D to Pathfinder, Scout, and Hunter in service of this mission.

Level 4

Fight Fire With Fire: The unquiet dead use darkness as a weapon and so you have adapted a necromancy weird to combat this edge. Your raised fist glows with a sickly green light the equivalent of a torch and lasts for three turns. At 6th level this benefit acts as a lantern for a phase. You may extinguish  the light when you desire, but it will also fail if you take the Deathless trait. You may use this benefit once per adventure phase.

Ward Against Decay: Unbound necromancers love to use their powers to accelerate the decay of both animate and inanimate objects. You have tattooed your skin with wards that provided added protection to you and all you touch from these wyrds. Any wyrd that artificially ages or decays you or something you are touching suffer a +2Ob.

Level 5

Apprentice Guardian: A hopeful young guardian-in-training swears their service to the Order and has been assigned to you. Your apprentice stands by you and helps you with Fighter, Hunter, Scout, Criminal, and Pathfinder tests. Add +2D to your roll when your apprentice helps. To gain their help in a conflict, you must assign them a point of disposition. Your apprentice also has three available inventory slots and requires a portion of food and water in camp.

Dirge of the Damned: You may use your Ritualist skill to sing a haunting dirge and put all undead or necromancers that hear it in a state of stupefaction. To set the obstacle, total the Might of all the creatures the guardian wishes to target. They can target a total value equal to twice their Might but cannot  affect any target whose Might is greater than his own. Success indicates the victim is stunned and will not move for an hour or if struck in violence. This benefit requires one turn to perform and may be done while performing other actions.

Level 6

Kidnapper: You have honed your ability to kidnap unsuspecting necromancers for trial and execution or to bind for service. When you are the conflict captain for a Capture or Flee/Pursue you gain a bonus of +2s for Attack actions.

Necromantic Void: You have become powerfully immune to the powers of the unquiet dead. Once per adventure, you may remove a condition placed upon you by rolls involving monsters of the undead type. No roll is necessary. You can do this at any time.

Level 7

Death Dealer: You have forged a relic of bones from those unquiet dead you have put to their final rest. While worn, increase your Might by one and increase your Precedence with undead, grey guardians, and necromancers by one. You must have the Relentless trait to gain this relic’s benefits. Choose:

• Crown (worn/head)
• Amulet (worn/neck)

Soul Drained: This life has taken its toll on you and you are no longer like other mortals. Replace one of your Nature descriptors with Frightening. You are also now immune to the effects of Thread of Friendship, Somnific Trance, Sorcerous Suggestion, Inspiring Aura, and Poison Mind.

Level 8

Violent Release: Increase your Might by one when you are the conflict captain and facing the unquiet dead. Combine this bonus with other bonuses from spells, invocations, and magical items.

Wyrd Slayer: Increase your Might by one when you are the conflict captain and facing mortal wyrd users. Combine this bonus with other bonuses from spells, invocations, and magical items.

Level 9

Heroic Ability: Chose Fighter, Hunter, or Scout. The chosen skill becomes “heroic.” When rolling  this skill, 3-6 indicates a success (rather than the standard 4-6).

Transformed: Change a Nature descriptor to one of the following: Decapitating, Kidnapping, or Binding. You may use this benefit to replace a lost Nature descriptor.

Level 10

I am the Monster: Your refusal to yield to the weakness of your body in service of your mission has finally taken its toll. You have become the thing you hate most, a walking corpse who refuses to die. Replace one of your Nature descriptors with Slaying and take the Trait Deathless (L3). The Order has marked you and your charge for destruction. You now have an enemy on your trail. Name them.

Prophet: Your deeds have drawn the attention of others in search of answers. Increase your Precedence by 1. Your Circles becomes heroic when looking for followers to add to your mission (when rolling, 3-6 indicated success rather than the standard 4-6). In addition, 2d3x10 mortals flock to your banner. For each, select a different profession from the Scholars Guide. Their ranks swell during each respite. Role 1D6. On a 4-6, 10 more join your cause.