I challenge you, ENWorlders!

[Tristissima]

I heart RPGs. I heart poetry.

Are these two great tastes which can taste great together?

Let's find out!

Here's the challenge: I will post a snippet of poetry, and see what kinds of crunch and/or fluff it inspires? Will Blake inspire a new feat? Maybe Byron will birth a new base class. What would a Langston Hughes-style spell look like? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Any system or world is available to feel the bite of our literary aspirations.

The first snippet of poetry shall be from the beginning of Song of Lawino, by the African poet Okot p'Bitek.

My Husband's Tongue is Bitter
Husband, now you despise me
Now you treat me with spite
And say I have inherited the stupidity of my aunt;
Son of the Chief,
Now you compare me
With the rubbish in the rubbish pit,
You say you no longer want me
Because I am like the things left behind
In the deserted homestead.
You insult me
You laugh at me
You say I do not know the letter A
Because I have not been to school
And I have not been baptized

You compare me with a little dog,
A puppy.

My friend, age-mate of my brother,
Take care,
Take care of your tongue,
Be careful what your lips say.

First take a deep look, brother,
You are now a man
You are not a dead fruit!
To behave like a child does not befit you!

Listen Ocol, you are the son of a Chief,
Leave foolish behavior to little children,
It is not right that you should be laughed at in a song!
Songs about you should be songs of praise!

 

[Mark CMG]

Naming Word
Transmutation
Level: Sor/Wiz 9, Trickery 9
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: One creature
Duration: 24 hours
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
This spell functions like polymorph any object, except that the target inadvertantly chooses the form into which they change. Once cast, the target will change into any variety of creature or object whose name is next spoken in anger. If the target is aware of the spell, they cannot purposefully choose a new form. The form must be chosen accidently and in anger.
In other respects, but for the duration being set, the spell functions as per the spell polymorph any object.
Arcane Material Component: Mercury, gum arabic, and smoke.

 

[Cedric]

FEAT:

Intimidating Motivation [General]

Prerequisite:

5 Ranks in Intimidate, 5 ranks in Diplomacy

Benefit:

Make an Intimidate Check (with a +4 bonus). If you succeed you inspire the target to try harder. Subject immediately gets to reroll a failed skill roll with a +5 bonus/+1 per 2 points by which the intimidate check succeeded to a maximum of +10.

 

[Land Outcast]

Maybe a bit goofy, but wanted to stay apart from the obvious

Foolsfruit
The fruit has first a pleasing -not delightful- taste, when it is almost totally consumed, its taste starts turning progressively bitter.
Anyone consuming this fruit will suffer the effects from feeblemind (CL 15).

Born of Bitterness
Small Undead
HD 1d8; hp 4;
Init +3;
Spd 40 ft.;
Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.;
AC 15 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12;
Base Atk +0; Grp -4;
Full Atk Bite +4 melee (1d4 plus disease);
SA Disease;
SQ Darkvision, scent, undead traits;
AL Always NE;
SV Fort +0, Ref +3, Will +2;
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 17, Con -, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 4
Skills: Hide +8, Listen +4, Move Silently +4, Spot +4
Feats: Ability Focus (Disease), Alertness
CR: 1/3
Disease(Ex): Filth fever-bite, Fortitude DC 13, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.
Looks like a disease-ridden puppy.

 

[Agent Oracle]

Absolute brilliance from all parties concerned! Perhaps more prose to further stimulate the masses? This is from the more contemporary Ogden Nash?

The Tale Of Custard The Dragon
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse, she called hum Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.

Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
and Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.

Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.

Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.

But up jumped Custard snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

The pirate gaped at Belinda's dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets, but they didn't hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.

Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.

But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,
I'd been twice as brave if I hadn't been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We'd have been three times as brave, we think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me.

Belinda still lives in her little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little gray mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio little pet dragon.

Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.

 

[Herobizkit]

Barrel Full of Bears
This item functions exactly like a Tan Bag of Tricks, save that it can be used once every round and the random animal generation table contails all types of bears.

 

[Land Outcast]

Fearless (Template)
Fearless is a template which can be applied to any Animal or Magical Beast.
Saves: The templated creature gains a +8 morale bonus on saves against fear and Fear effects.
Abilities: +4 Cha
CR: +0

Cumbrous Braveheart
Benefit: Once per day, as an immediate action, you gain immunity to fear and Fear effects. This effects lasts one minute per HD. For the subsequent 24 hours you have a -8 moral penalty on saves against fear and Fear effects.

 

[awayfarer]

Don't have time to post it up now (OMW to school), but the initial poem reminded me of Stephen Cranes "Heart".

 

[Tonguez]

Belinda lived all alone in a little white house,
cept for he kitten her dog, he dragon, her mouse,
No Father No Mother to send her to bed
and the people who visited all ended up dead

She had bones in her garden
and blood in her bed
and her eyes shone like scarlet
when full moon rose overhead

her kitten transformed pseudonatural
and her dogs two heads were howling
and her ratling child said skeee
and left the dragon quaking

and Belinda smiled her little smile
she loved her pets full well
as yet more guest came to her door
and she welcomed them to hell

 

[Belen]

I heart RPGs. I heart poetry.

I think you forgot your verb. Heart is not a verb.