d20 RPG Objects Blood & Relics.pdf

Charles Rice

Additional Game Design By

Chris Davis

Cover Art

Jeremy Simmons

Interior Art

John Longenbaugh

Marcio Fiorito

Layout

Chris Davis

Editing

Andy Rau

Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game,

published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of

Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other

countries and are used with permission

‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of

Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to the

terms of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy of this

License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.

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Visit our web site at www.RPGObjects.com.

ﬁghting a war of Blood.” Seeing the red soak through

the bandages the snifﬂing girl had wrapped around

her hands, Malcolm thought he understood. Or that

he was losing his mind.

Longino (the Roman spear that pierced Christ’s side,

now a weapon for the enemies of the Holy Blood)

can be found here, as well as lesser-known items such

as Brandea (healing cloth buried for a time with the

Saints), Encolpion (a potent holy symbol given sacred

power by the small sliver of a relic contained inside),

and Liturgical Tomes containing lost rituals of power,

both sacred and profane.

As if that weren’t enough, Blood and Relics also

contains a Secret History of the World, providing

GMs with an overview of the Blood War ranging

from the Great Flood, through the ﬂight of the Sang

Real from Roman butchery, through the horrors of the

Inquisition, up to the present day!

Introduction

Malcolm glanced up at the rear view

mirror as a ﬂash of lights alerted

him to the presence of pursuers.

Damn. I thought I’d lost them in

that last switchback. A narrow dirt

path branched off into the dark forest that

blanketed both sides of the desolate country

road. Without a second thought, Malcolm hit the gas,

banked hard, and veered onto the trail. As soon as

he turned, he killed the lights, steering through the

darkness by feel and instinct as much as by sight. Out

of the corner of his eye, he watched the girl sitting

next to him shift uncomfortably. She was crying.

Why those thugs were after her was beyond him, but

Malcolm was damned if he was going to let some

misguided cult sacriﬁce a nine-year old girl because

of some religious delusion. “Don’t worry, sweetie.

They won’t catch us.”

The girl shook her head, raising her hands up into

the sickly green illumination of the car’s speedometer.

Both hands were wet with blood. Malcolm checked

the mirror brieﬂy — no lights. He hit the breaks and

switched on the overhead map light. She was bleeding

from her forehead as well. And from her side.

The overpowering smell of roses ﬁlled the cabin of

the car. Malcolm tried to ignore the tight ball in the

pit of his stomach as he pulled the ﬁrst-aid kit from the

glove box, handed it to the girl, and gunned the engine

again. The lights behind him had returned.

Malcolm could still remember the words of that

crazy old man he had met on a dusty Cairo side

street a month ago... a month that seemed an eternity.

“From the dawn of time, they have walked among us,

since Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise,

Welcome to Blood and Relics , a supplement for the

Modern system that brings gothic conspiracy to life in

the modern world! This edition of Blood and Relics

focuses on the Blood War between the Sang Real,

servants of the Higher Power, and those who serve the

Dark Powers—the butchering Caeder. The Blood War

has been fought in secret since the dawn of the time,

unnoticed by the bulk of humanity; its battles have

unfolded even in the halls of the Vatican itself. It is a

war fought not only over lost artifacts of power, but

over knowledge and the soul itself. Blood and Relics

provides a variety of new advanced classes for your

Modern game: Relic Seekers and Grave Robbers who

hunt ancient treasures in a personal bid for fortune and

glory; dark Cultists who worship and serve ﬁendish

masters, currying favor through offerings of blood;

the Dark Warrior, who willingly invites ﬁends by the

dozen into his body to increase his sinister power; to

the Monitors, vigilant guardians of the most precious

treasure of all, the Sang Real; and lastly the Believer,

able to perform miracles of healing.

Blood and Relics also introduces a completely new

system for magic, one based on ritual, veneration, and

sacriﬁce, to represent the legendary abilities of priests

and warlocks. New monsters stalk the modern world

as well, including many new types of ﬁends—ranging

in power and scope from the lowly Servitor Fiends

who serve and partner with Cultists, to the powerful

Caeder, the inhuman butchers who have sought for

millennia to eradicate the Sang Real.

Next come a series of items pulled from the legends

of the world—artifacts sought by both sides in the

Blood War. Powerful Relics such as the Shroud of

Turin, the Nails of the True Cross, and the Lance of

Disclaimer

No disrespect is intended by this work toward the

billions of people who draw comfort from faith. This

work is a fantasy, and is meant only for entertainment

purposes, not to attack or espouse a religious view of

any kind. Some of the subjects dealt with in Blood

and Relics may strike a nerve: the Cruciﬁxion and

Resurrection of Christ; the Inquisition; the Holocaust.

These real events have been twisted and cast in the

light of fantasy, conspiracy, and whimsy in a fashion

meant to be enjoyable to everyone. Wherever

possible, care has been taken to be fair to all the

world’s religions. Heroes in Blood and Relics come

from all religions and venerate many different Higher

Powers. Catholic Priests, Islamic Suﬁ, and Jewish

Kabbalists walk side by side in the Light.

Last, but certainly not least: I’m a writer, not an

historian! In most cases, historical inaccuracy is

intentional, and was done in the interest of making the

game more fun.

Blood & Relics

Page - 2

Chapter 1: Characters

one of those deﬁned by the world’s major religions

(Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam, to name

only a few). Depending on the campaign, this higher

power may take an active role in the character’s

affairs, or might simply be a philosophical ideal to

which the character strives to adhere.

Dark Power

The character bears allegiance to an

otherworldly entity associated with evil

religions—often those focused on the undead,

human sacriﬁce, or similarly grim subjects. The

existence and nature of these Dark Powers are hinted

at in the most ancient tomes; characters with this

allegiance seek to contact these powers directly,

desirous of the power such beings are rumored to

grant to those who serve them well. No loyalty exists

between followers of different Dark Powers; they are

quite willing to thwart or even kill each other in the

quest for ancient lore and powerful artifacts of the

past. When this allegiance is chosen, a speciﬁc Dark

Power must be selected. Baal, Mammon, and the

Dark Lord (sometimes confused with the Lucifer of

the Bible) are all examples of suitable objects of this

allegiance.

Chapter 1: Characters

New Allegiances

The Blood War is not merely a war

of ﬂesh and bone. Morality and vice

are weapons used by both sides to

war over the souls of their enemies. Some

characters will fall prey to temptation at the

hands of ﬁends and their servants, ﬁnding themselves

changed—perhaps forever.

Because a character’s allegiance is so important in

determining his or her motives and standing in the

War, it is highly recommended that allegiances not be

optional for d20 Modern games making extensive use

of Blood and Relics . The allegiances most important

to the setting are detailed below. Many rituals, feats,

and classes have one or more of these allegiances as

prerequisites. A character can have more than one

allegiance, so long as the allegiances do not directly

contradict each other. Multiple allegiances should be

listed in order of their priority and importance to the

character.

Humility

Rejecting pride, a humble character sees himself

realistically and is not afraid to rely on or seek aid

from others when necessary. Characters with this

allegiance tend to let their actions speak for them,

shunning idle words and boasts.

Jealousy

Characters with this allegiance want something that

rightfully belongs to someone else. The more an item

(or position, or relationship, or whatever the object

of desire is) means to its current possessor, the more

desirable it becomes to the character. Even worse,

these characters do not treasure anything once they

have it; at that point they simply move on to ﬁnd a

new item or person to covet.

Diligence

Characters with this allegiance, the opposite of

laziness, believe in the power and value of hard

work. They know that to get ahead they need to apply

themselves, maximizing their talent and potential.

Kindness

A kind-hearted person goes out of his way to supply

help to his friends when times are bad, but truly

enjoys their victories when times are good. This

allegiance is the opposite of jealousy.

Generosity

Characters with this allegiance renounce avarice and

use their wealth for the betterment of those around

them. They often donate to charity any ﬁnancial gain

in excess of what they need to live.

Avarice

The character cares for one thing above all else:

wealth and its trappings. Characters with this

allegiance rarely have real friends—only employers

and employees, the loyalty of whom extends only so

far as does the character’s wealth.

Laziness

Lazy characters just can’t be bothered. They’ll do

it tomorrow… or the day after. Characters with this

allegiance spend enormous amounts of energy on

meaningless tasks while ignoring what they really

should be tending to. Even when a character with

this allegiance does do something, it is always after a

lengthy period of procrastination.

Gluttony

Characters with this allegiance love food. Not only do

they seek out the most expensive and exotic foods, but

they also tend to turn to food as a form of comfort or

companionship when times are hard.

Chastity

A character with this allegiance believes that

pleasures of the ﬂesh should be tempered with love

and devotion (usually in the context of a marriage or

committed relationship) or even avoided altogether.

This allegiance is the opposite of lust.

Higher Power

The character has an allegiance to an otherworldly

(and usually benevolent) entity—most commonly

Blood & Relics

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Chapter 1: Characters

Lust

Characters with this allegiance enjoy the, ahem,

primal urge a bit more than they ought. In their desire

for new experiences (or perhaps just afﬁrmation of

their worth and attractiveness), characters with this

allegiance are always on the prowl for their next

“conquest.”

New Advanced

Classes

This section presents advanced

classes suitable for gothic modern

campaigns. These classes will bring an

element of the supernatural to your Modern game

without the ﬂashy power of the traditional d20 magic

system.

Moderation

A person with this allegiance, the opposite of gluttony,

believes that all things (food included) are best

enjoyed in the proper amounts at the proper times and

places.

Believer

We had ditched the car and were running through

the woods. I felt like I’d been punched. Next

thing I know, I’m lying on my back and I can’t

move my legs. My vision was fading, everything

bleaching into a pale blur… and then I was

back. It was the girl, Mary. Her hands were

bleeding again, but though I was lying in a pool

of blood—my blood— I wasn’t. “C’mon Mal,

they’re coming.” That was all she said, pale blue

eyes wide and innocent. At times like that, I can

almost believe she’s human. What the hell have I

gotten myself into?

Patience

A character with this allegiance believes in counting

to ten before lashing out. A person who reacts in

anger often does so in a way he regrets later; a patient

character always manages his temper and approaches

difﬁcult situations as calmly as possible. This

allegiance is the opposite of anger.

Pride

Characters with this allegiance think they’re the

center of the universe. Everything they touch should

turn to gold, their opinions are always right, and

everyone should follow their lead in all situations.

When characters of this allegiance also happen to be

especially talented (and thus usually right), it becomes

particularly annoying.

-- from the Journals of Malcolm Gideon

The character is a true believer in a higher power.

There are as many different kinds of Believer as there

are religions: Jewish Kabbalists, Cathari Monks,

Catholic Contemplatives, and Suﬁ Mystics, to name

just a few. Whatever their belief system, all Believers

have at least one thing in common: they take their

faith to the extreme, putting it before any worldly

considerations. The spirit likewise takes precedence

over concerns of the body. In accordance with these

convictions, all Believers must take vows of poverty,

celibacy, and chastity.

Wrath

Characters with this allegiance suffer from an

unreasonable hostility most often directed at a

speciﬁc group or allegiance. However, some wrathful

characters are just unhappy people who lash out at

whoever is around, and love nothing more than a

good, clean, old-fashioned brawl. Some characters

with this allegiance enjoy a fair ﬁght, while others just

want to bully you.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Believer, a character must

fulﬁll the following criteria.

Skills: Knowledge (theology) +6

Feats: Conviction (Higher Power), Faith’s

Protection

Allegiances: Higher Power

Blood & Relics

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Chapter 1: Characters

Class Information

The following information pertains to the Believer

advanced class.

Hit Die: 1d6

Action Points: 6 + ½ character level, rounded

down, every time the character attains a level in this

class.

Class Skills: The Believer’s class skills: Craft

(pharmaceutical) (Int), Decipher Script (Int),

Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (arcane lore, history,

theology and philosophy) (Int), Read/Write Language

(all), Research (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Treat Injury

(Wis).

Skill Points at Each level: 7 + Int modiﬁer.

Table 1-1: The Beliver

Level

Base Attack

Bonus

Fort

Save

Ref

Save

Will

Save

Defense

Bonus

Reputation

Bonus

Special

1st

Turn Undead

2nd

Lay on Hands 1d8

3rd

Sacred Ritual

4th

+4 Lay on Hands (Blindness and Disease)

5th

Lay on Hands 2d8

6th

+5 Spiritual Fortitude (Doubt), Sacred Ritual

7th

+5 Immune to Poison, Lay on Hands (Poison) +2

8th

Turn Fiends

9th

+6 Spiritual Fortitude (All), Sacred Ritual

10th

Lay on Hands 3d8

below to determine the most powerful creature you

can affect. This is a Charisma check (1d20 + Charisma

modiﬁer). In a given turning attempt, you can’t turn

any creature whose Hit Dice exceeds the result of your

turning check.

Effect and Duration of Turning: Turned creatures

ﬂee from the Believer by the best and fastest means

available to them. A turned creature ﬂees for 10

rounds (1 minute). If it can’t ﬂee, it cowers (can take

no actions, –2 penalty to Defense).

If the Believer moves to within 10 feet of a

cowering turned creature, the creature overcomes

the turning and can act normally. (The Believer can

be standing within 10 feet of the creature without

breaking the turning effect; she just can’t approach

any closer to the creature.) The Believer (and anyone

else) can attack a turned and cowering creature with

ranged attacks from more than 10 feet away without

breaking the turning effect.

Destroying Undead: If the Believer has at least

twice as many Believer levels as the targeted undead

has Hit Dice, she destroys any creature that she would

normally turn.

Lay on Hands: they shall lay hands on the sick,

and they shall be healed (Mark 16:18) This ability

allows the character to heal wounds, and, at higher

levels, cure blindness, disease, and poison. Each

use of this ability (for any purpose) requires the

expenditure of one action point. All healing die rolls

are modiﬁed by the character’s Believer class level (so

at 4 th level, the character could heal 1d8+4 points of

damage by spending an action point, then one round

Class Features

The following are features of the Believer advanced

class.

Turn Undead: Starting at 1 st level, the Believer

has the supernatural ability to turn undead—zombies,

skeletons, ghosts, vampires, and the like. (Note that

Believers turn undead whereas Cultists command

them; see the Cultist description for more information

on their ability to rebuke, command, and bolster

undead).

How Turning Works: A Believer can turn undead

(and, at high levels, certain other types of creatures) as

an attack action. Doing so does not provoke an attack

of opportunity. A Believer must present her holy

symbol to make a turning attempt, holding it in one

hand in such a way that it is visible to the creatures

she wants to affect.

Times per Day: A Believer may attempt to turn a

number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma

modiﬁer.

Range: The Believer turns the closest turnable

creature ﬁrst. She can’t turn creatures that are more

than 60 feet away or that have total cover.

Turning Check: When a Believer makes a turn

attempt, make a turning check and consult the table

Most Powerful Creature Affected

(Maximum Hit Dice)

Turning Check Result

0 or lower

Believer level –4

1–3

Believer level –3

4–6

Believer level –2

7–9

Believer level –1

10–12

Believer level

13–15

Believer level +1

16–18

Believer level +2

19–21

Believer level +3

22 or higher

Believer level +4

Turning Damage: If your turning check result

is high enough to let you turn at least one creature

within 60 feet, roll 2d6 and add your Believer level

and Charisma modiﬁer to the result to determine the

turning damage. The result is the total number of

undead (or other) creature Hit Dice you can turn on

this attempt.

You may skip over already turned creatures that are

still within range so as to avoid wasting your turning

capacity on them.

Blood & Relics

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