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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Grumpy Celt" data-source="post: 3054814" data-attributes="member: 1019">Dangers Associated with SpiritsSpirits are not simply domesticated rabbits to cage, skin and eat at leisure. They are sentient manifestation of life, in all its often-terrible fury and appetites. Dealing with spirits is a risky business and best not undertaken by the unprepared or foolhardy. In example 01, if Bill had failed in his attempt to bargain with the dim spirit cottonmouth, it may have attempted to inflict him with blinding sickness, called real cottonmouths to attack him, attacked him itself, or all of the above.In example 02, if John had botched in his attempt to bargain with the bright raven spirit, then it probably would have granted him the ability to fly, and then abruptly ended the spell (yes, they can do that) and let him drop.Generally, if they can angry spirits places curses (as the spell) on individuals, in addition to stalking them from their home plane (the ethereal plane or shadow plane) and frequently inflicting whatever kind of punishments on the victim they can. Certain charms can be used to discourage dim spirits. These are worth 5 gp. per point of bonus they offer, thus a +2 charm would be worth 10 gp. The bonus of the charm applies to any and all saving throws and attempts to resist the efforts of a dim spirit.Some herbs also provide a temporary advantage to dealing with spirits, with ingested in some fashion (drunk, eaten, smoked) or when a character bathes (lets the smoke drift over them) in the smoke. After this, the character enjoys a +1 bonus, applies to any and all saving throws and attempts to resist the efforts of a dim spirit, for 1d4 hours. Taboo: This is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbidden. Basically, do not offend the spirits.Violating taboos incur both social and spiritual penalties, both of which may be severe. The spirits – upon whom many communities of humans, elves and other mortals depends – are often mercurial and brittle tempered. The spirits demand things from people in exchange for helping them, or even for leaving them alone. Some of these demands are material and other demands are for a particular behavior. The former are sacrifices and the latter are taboos. If someone violates a taboo, then they are violating an agreement with the spirits, who will then stop assisting people and/or may seek to do them harm.Three are so many different types of spirits that there can be few taboos they all demand people observe, with a few exceptions. First, spirits usually require that their living counter parts be left alone, unless a significant sacrifice is made to the spirit if the living counter part is harmed. For example, a taboo spirit beaver impose on an individual in exchange for helping them is that the character must not harm living beavers. If the character were to harm or kill a beaver, then at the very least the spirit beaver would leave – it might try to harm to character as well.Second, spirits also want informal sacrifices made to them. Formal ones are those offered during actual rituals, informal ones are made in a causal way and are usually part of anything the spirit has provided. The demands of sacrifices – both formal and informal – are usually related to the spirit’s living counter part, if it possesses one. For example, beavers eat fish. A spirit beaver that assist a character in his fishing will want, as an informal sacrifice, at least one fish of a catch tossed into the water.</blockquote>

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