







Marked characters share a special relationship or bond with either a Patron: a higher power, deity

,

or mysterious supernatural force far beyond their grasp. Sometimes they undertake these bonds willingly, while others fall into these connections through less than blessed means. They have received some type of gift or curse from a being many magnitudes more powerful than themselves.





In addition to choosing a vocation, the Marked chooses what higher power they have a relationship with, and each day writes the name of that being, creature, god or thing next to an attribute that doesn't already have a vocation or group assigned to it. You can change this at the beginning of each day.



The player should describe what their Mark looks like in a few descriptive words, like "Glowing tattoos covering the body," "Jagged and cracked scars," "A sulfurous odor," "Floating halo," or "Hands that look permanently singed." Work with the Referee to decide the theme of the relationship between the character and the being they are Marked by, as well as the terms of that agreement.





Marked characters can Beseech their patron for insight, a vision, or guidance through a per situation agreement between the player and the Referee once per session. It does not occupy a slot. On a successful task roll for the attribute that the Patron is marked, the character asks a question about the current situation or game world, and the Referee answers honestly and truthfully (though that doesn't always mean it is particularly helpful). On a failed task roll, you take -1 to that attribute.





Marked characters have slots for receiving gifts from their Patron in the form of passive bonuses. Here are eight options that can be learned as the character advances:

A special kind of sight such as darkvision, or farsight, or being able to see and interact with ethereal creatures. A magical weapon that you are bound to. Attacks with this weapon are made with a +2 AV bonus (negating any penalties incurred by size of weapon). While you are awake, you cannot be forced to give up or drop this weapon. When you Beseech your Patron, you can request supernatural aid in the form of a Miracle suited to your patron at the Referee's discretion. May incur an HP cost (per normal Miracle rules) per the Referee. Once per session, when you are dropped unconscious, you may roll a 1d6. On a 1, you die instantly and your soul is taken by your Patron. Otherwise, you wake up, stand, and regain 1d6 HP. You give off a Good, Evil, or Lawful aura within 10 feet that either increases allies' ST by +1, lowers enemy AV by -1, or you can activate once per combat to force a Morale Check from monsters. Forego the need for a single bodily function such as sleeping, eating, or breathing. Speak any and all languages, as well as read any writing. You can transfer HP from yourself to a willing target, or vice versa.





Marked characters gain an additional use of their Beseech feature if they have a charisma attribute of 13 or higher, and another additional use if they have 16 or higher.



They also receive a Wisdom bonus to ST: +1 at 13, and +2 at 16





While wearing a shield or armor heavier than studded leather, incurs a -2 attribute penalty on all task rolls. They have -2 AV when using missile weapons.





Example:





Yoshiro Nagi, level 1 Marked Demon Slayer

Stre 13, Dex 13 (Demon Slayer), Con 16 (Moloch), Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 9 (Demon Slayer)

ST 6, HP 5, AC 3, MV 30, AV 10; Marked Gift 2 (Katana); Common; Studded Leather, 32 gp





Notes: Moloch and Yoshiro have a strained relationship. He's a lesser fire demon who has left his mark on Yoshiro in the form of burn scars on the left half of his face, as well as a blue flame coming from his left eye whenever he gets emotional or stressed. In return for saving his life, Yoshiro has vowed to help hunt down the archdemon who framed Moloch and got him banished from the Hel.









This is a rough draft of my first homebrew class for Whitehack RPG ( ). The goal was to create a class that opened up options for players to be able to play classic archetypes like the demonic-dealing warlock, or even an alternative path to playing something akin to a cleric or paladin in service to their god or gods (because, let's face it, they're more or less the same thing, at least as far as trading the comforts of their normal life for divine or profane favors go).



Would love to hear some feedback and any suggestions. Run it and let me know what you think!



EDIT: Moved some stuff around for clarity.

EDIT II: A failed Beseech roll now incurs a -1 to that attribute. ------------------This is a rough draft of my first homebrew class for Whitehack RPG ( available here



























