Freebie: Jinxes!

The spells and powers wielded by adventurers are but a fraction of the magic on Outer World. Among the arcane arts both mighty and meager there are Jinxes, cousins to the potent hexes wielded by Sages and their ilk. These simple magical maladies are often little more than nuisances, but they can pop up where you least expect them thanks to their relative accessibility.

Jinxes can be inflicted in 1 of 2 ways:

Personal Jinxes

These are targeted affairs, with one person putting a jinx on another. While hardly the most dependable things (and often, costly whether they work or not) they are popular among petty rivals, irritated magical university students, and eccentric sorts who want to teach someone a lesson.

• To target someone with a Jinx, you need something connected to them, like a bit of hair or some personal belonging they've had for at least a month or so. In addition, 1 of these 2 factors must be true:
• You have some sort of magical additive or consumable material that will be expended while attempting the hex 
• You have at least one magical Ability (or someone with a magical Ability to assist you)
  
• A jinx attempt is a slow process that requires a Downtime Action. While no two jinxes are the same, generally these involve drawing hasty magic circles, burning or otherwise destroying the personal affect of the target, and actively hoping they have a terrible time. This prompts an Grit or Aura (whichever is higher) Contest between you and the Target:
• If you win, the target becomes Jinxed (per below).
• If the target wins, the jinx fails and the you cannot attempt to jinx anyone again for a year and a day.
• While jinxed, the target cannot be subject to an additional jinx.
• If you have connected items for more than one person you may also attempt to jinx several targets with one attempt. These are resolved separately from one another, and if you lost even one of the contests after all have been resolved you cannot attempt to jinx anyone again for a year and a day.
• The GM may allow you to ensure your target is afflicted with a specific Jinx if you take an extra step to ensure it, like including an appropriate item in your ritual or even just doodling a picture of them with the desired result beforehand.
• If the doodle option is allowed, the player or GM (depending on who is attempting the jinx) must actually draw it for this to count. The fidelity of this drawing is not important.
  

Contingent Jinxes 

Some jinxes are connected to a circumstance rather than targeted ill-intent. The magic involved for these lingers and ends up being a bit more potent than personal jinxes.

• Contingent Jinxes...
  
• Are connected to a particular place, like a Settlement, Adventure Site, or structure of some kind.
  
• Are inflicted by violating a rule or taboo. These can include, but are not limited too:
• Walking through a gate without permission or without making a proper offering
• Breaking an old law in an ancient city
• Damaging a shrine or statue of a small god or other petty immortal.
• Are stronger if the target of their wrath was informed of the taboo they are breaking. If this is the case, the jinx takes hold automatically. If not, the target is allowed an Aura Check to avoid the effect.
• It's important to note that the forces behind jinxes are pretty capricious. For example, sometimes bearing witness to a perplexing sign or crumbling mural with a warning on it counts as being "informed".
• Contingent Jinxes may inflict a particular Jinx, rather than a random one, if it is particularly appropriate for the rule being broken or the place it is attached too.
   

If inflicted with a Random Jinx...

• Roll to see what kind of Jinx has afflicted you:
• 1-10: Spirit Jinx
  
• 11-20: Physical Jinx
•  Roll again on the appropriate Jinx Table to see what particular Jinx you are suffering from.

The Jinxes themselves...

A mechanical note: Jinxes are mostly just Quirks without the benefit. The two kinds of Jinxes presented here match up with Physiology and Spirit Quirks respectively (with a few changes to keep things fair) so it should be easy to make new ones: either take the negative values from other kinds of Quirks and make up fiction for them, or use them as guidelines to make entirely original Jinxes!

Spirit Jinxes

• (1-2) Blitheness
  
• The jinx has eliminated a good deal of your sense of self preservation. You suffer a -1 to your Defense Rating.
  
• (3-4) The Jitters
• Magic has made you over-react to even the slightest surprise or danger. Your team suffers a snag on Deftness rolls when it attempting an ambush.
• (5-6) Blabbers
• You no longer know when to stop talking and can't read the room. You suffer a Snag on Aura Rolls when trying to Negotiate or impress someone.
• (7-8) Bean Spiller
• It's hard for you to speak falsehoods, and when you do you often instead blurt out the truth and overshare. You have a Snag when attempting to lie to someone.
• (9-10) Forgettable 
  
• The jinx obscures your existence from others when it would benefit you. People will attribute your positive actions to others rather than yourself, even if you are standing right there.
• (11-12) Unfortunate
  
• No matter what you do, you can't help stumbling into things. If you enter an area or room with a trap in it, you set it off automatically.
  
• (13-14) Hoarder
  
• You can't help but grab and stash the most useless items imaginable: pebbles, scratched out pieces of paper, pamphlets for scam operations. Whenever you roll an unmodified 20 on a Deftness Check random junk spills everywhere and complicates the situation you are in.
• (15-16) Buyers Remorse
• You can't stop yourself from buying the most expensive versions of something, even if it's not any better than usual. You must spend 50% more money on any clothing, armor, or other accessories you purchase.
• (17-18) Curse of Greed
• Treasure has become near impossible for you to resist. If you are close enough to any item or collection of things worth 5 Gems or more, you must make an Aura Check to resist the urge to find and plunder from it.
• (19-20) River of Consciousness
• You are constantly hearing the thoughts of others you are competing with without a way to filter it. You suffer a Minor (-2) penalty to all Contests.

Physical Jinxes

• (1-2) Swollen
  
• Awkward additional bulk has slowed you down, reducing your Speed Rating by a single step.
  
• (3-4) Teary Eyes
  
• You're constantly crying and sniffling, suffering a Snag on all rolls dependent on sight.
  
• (5-6) The Goofies
  
• Something about your appearance (your hair style, expression, etc) has been altered to be be so ridiculous that it's hard to take you seriously. You incur a Snag on Aura rolls when attempting to intimidate or impress.
  
• (7-8) Menacing Countenance
  
• No matter what you do you look like an untrustworthy villain. Lighting is never on your side, and anyone favoring law and order will distrust you immediately and are quick to blame you for ill deeds.
  
• (9-10) Obvious Do-Gooder 
  
• This jinx always makes you appear to be an aggressively heroic sort, often compelling you to chastise and give speeches. Villainous sorts will automatically assume you're out to get them and try to get rid of you preemptively.
  
• (11-12) Voracious
  
• You are hungry all the time, requiring double the amount of rations for each day spent on a journey. If you are a Bio-Mechanoid or other sort that doesn't normally need to eat, this Jinx makes it so that you now do.
  
• (13-14) Shriveled
  
• This jinx causes you to thin out to an alarming degree, and you're now much more brittle. You suffer a -1 to your Heart's Total.
  
• (15-16) Onomatopoeiatic
• Every step you take makes a new noise. It's actually pretty fascinating but also not helpful: you suffer a Snag when attempting stealthy actions.
  
• (17-18) Frail
• This is the most commonly used jinx: it just makes you feel awful. You're constantly sick and tired, and suffer a -1 to your Grit Aptitude.
  
• (19-20) Unruly Mane
  
• Your hair grows to an absurd length, can move on its own and also it hates you. You suffer a Snag to any Deftness checks involving the use of your legs as it has a tendency to grab at them when you are moving.
  

 

Getting rid of a Jinx

Those suffering from a jinx are unsurprisingly eager to get rid of it. Fortunately, the magic behind them can be unraveled readily.

• For the most part, Jinxes start to disperse normally after 24 hours. The day after being jinxed (and every day after that) you may make an Aura Check. On a success, you return to normal. 
• At GM discretion, abilities like Demystify, Compassion Cure, and Vexing Dispel can target and dispel a Jinx like a magical ability or status ailment as well.
  
• Some Contingent Jinxes won't go away unless recompense for the broken rule is offered. For example, fixing the statue that was broken, or completing a repentant quest of sorts.

 

Using Jinxes in your game

Jinxes make for a fun, low stakes peril as they tend to be short lived and more annoying and troublesome than fatal. These are best attached to another adventure or encounter to complicate them a bit. For example, a mange hexer might use them on a party that has been clashing with their bandit gang as of late to try and get an upper hand, or a strange town the party might need gather information or supplies from might have a lot of eccentric customs they need to follow lest they be jinxed. You may also add other sources of Jinxes, like monsters that inflict them on those they attack, or a uniquely cursed item.

In addition, they make for a fun option for mischievous players, if not a particularly dependable one. Heretics are often especially fond of jinxes as they are already quite good at figuring out what would annoy or upset someone.

BREAK??: Cartoon Slapstick Injury Table

Today marks the first in what I hope becomes an April Fools tradition here at the devblog: BREAK?? will be entries with rules in them that are silly and certainly not meant for regular use, but still viable for those who want to find a place for them. Today's entry is on injuries of a distinctly non-fatal variety.

(There is also a secret, incongruous bit to the language to this entry as well, bonus points if you're the first to catch it) 

Cartoon Slapstick

Magic flows and can effect the world in strange and myriad ways. Occasionally when things are just right (or wrong, depending on your view on things) the consequences of physical injury become impermanent and somewhat...animated.

When the Cartoon Slapstick rules are in play, the following rules apply:

• Whenever a character or adversary is reduced to zero Hearts or otherwise needs to roll on the Injury/Damage table, they instead reference the Cartoon Slapstick Injury Table.
• Each one of these results remove the character from action for a bit. Either until the end of combat/perilous situation, OR until every other character currently involved has taken an action if the injury is incurred in a calmer situation. At these points, the injury is simply removed without further fuss.
  
• Player Characters and their named companions can be restored from these injuries early if they Finish the gag as noted in each individual entry. 
• Most of these won't apply to a Bio-Mechanoid or similar character, who instead can be restored to form (with two hearts) if someones uses their action and expends the use of a gadgeteering toolkit.
• If subject to a Burning/Caustic Injury, instead apply the same rules as the Fragmented result, save the target is burnt into a neat little pile of ash. They are still inexplicably fine after the duration.
  

Cartoon Slapstick Injury Table

• (1-5) Bonked: A blow to your noggin has sent your head spinning (sometimes literally) and after stumbling about for a bit and saying something like "You should see the other guy" you slump to the ground, small cherub versions of the party's least cute member circling your head.
• Finish the Gag: You can be brought back into the fray with two Hearts restored if someone grabs you by the collar, shouts "SNAP OUT OF IT" and throttles you about a bit. This requires their action.
  
• (6-10) Perforated: Lo, you are ruptured. That last series of hits filled you full of holes, or a single large one. You take a moment to stare in awe before focus is taken elsewhere and you're perfectly fine without explanation when the injury is removed normally.
• Finish the Gag: If you take the time to drink a potion (or something similar) so it can proceed to leak out as if it was poured into a sieve, you regain two hearts and rejoin the action immediately.
  
• (11-15) Squashed: Your body, or a significant part of it, has been squashed flat like a pancake or  silly putty. You remain inert for the duration, once again inexplicably fine once the excitement has passed.
• Finish the Gag: You are restored and regain two hearts immediately if subjected to the Ballooned status ailment.
  
• (16-20) Fragmented: Crack! A solid strike has caused to shatter like glass, or a series of cuts has literally sliced you into ribbons. You fall into a neat pile on the spot, and (say it with me now) are inexplicably fine once things are finished
• Finish the Gag: You regain two hearts and can act again immediately if someone takes an action and expends a unit of glue or a use from a mending toolkit of some kind to put you back together.

 OK, really though...

These rules are intended as a silly gag, but if you've read this far and would like to actually use them in your game in some capacity, here are some suggestions:

• A particular adversary or type of adversary (such as a very strange unshaped, or magical creatures created with pen and ink) might use these rules instead of being dispatched normally, needing some special method to deal with them permanently. 
• An imbued item or potion might provide these effects as a "benefit" when used or imbibed.
  
• A wacky Elsewhere might use these rules for everyone within it to reflect it's strange nature.
• These rules might apply to an adventure site under the effect of a whimsy stone.