Sacred Numbers: Alternative Birth-Signs
The delightful and talented Idraluna Archives recently put out a great blog post on replacing ability scores with 'qualitative' star-signs. It's a rad idea. It's super cool and linked (in my head anyway) to a bunch of other similar ideas.
I think that 'horoscopes' and 'sacred-numbers' and 'birth-signs' and 'horoscopes' are a super efficient and impactful way for players to 'spark' new characters and streamline decision-making. But - and this is no condemnation against anyone who does use them - I always feel a bit strange borrowing the real-life tools of the zodiac and the tarot-deck and the star-signs and so on. Hence, I made my own system way back when...
Years and years ago I wrote a 24XX hack called Crush Depth which was set in a Thousand Leagues-esque underwater world of intrigue. One of the bit of flavour I put in that hyper-dense little booklet was a list of 'Sacred Numbers' that people could align themselves with or use for magic/fortune-telling. I did do some amateur numerology in how each number is linked to certain other numbers in meaning, forming cycles and such, but I do not remember the specifics at all.
Now, I have updated this sequence of twenty 'Sacred Numbers' with a cycle of three 'positions' and associated abilities: sun, moon, and star; above, below, and betwixt; past, future, and present; and so on.
Please enjoy. Treat this as an addition to a conversation.
| # | Sign | Meaning | Sun | Moon | Star |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SELF | Soul, Dream | 3-in-6 Hear Noise | +1 to Initiative | Immune to Sleep-Spells |
| 2 | CORPSE | Nothingness, Peace | 3-in-6 Move Silently | +30'/10' Movement Rate | Climb Sheer Surfaces up to 100' |
| 3 | LORD | Leadership, Tyranny | +1 to Melee Damage Rolls | Backstab Unaware for Double Damage | Foes have -1 Morale |
| 4 | CHAIN | Law, Restraint | 4-in-6 Resist Disease | Ignore Opponent's Shields | Survive on Half Rations |
| 5 | LOCUS | Throne, Shelter | Ignore Cold Conditions | Natural AC as Leather | Detect Magic 2/Day |
| 6 | SHELL | Veil, Tradition | -1 AC | 2-in-6 Read Archaic Languages | +1 to Saves |
| 7 | SEER | Mentor, Magician | +1 Spoken Language | +2 to Saves vs. Spells | Random 1st Level Spell 1/Day |
| 8 | ASH | Purification, Rebirth | 4-in-6 Recognise Disguises | Can Read Magic Scrolls | Hold Breath Twice as Long |
| 9 | GOLEM | Champion, Slave | Can Use All Weapons | Know Thief-Talk | Adjacent Allies have -1 AC |
| 10 | SILT | Accumulation, History | -1 AC vs. Large Opponents | +1 Carried Items (or +100 Coin Weight) | +1 to Ranged Attack Rolls |
| 11 | REBEL | Poet, Burglar | +2 to Saves vs. Fear | See in Darkness as Candlelight | Immune to Charms |
| 12 | TUSK | Song, Hunt | 3-in-6 Detect Hidden Foes | 5-in-6 Hide in Nature | Can Split-Move with Bows |
| 13 | STRANGER | Polarity, Love | +1 to Reaction Rolls | +1 to NPC Reactions | +1 Retainer Morale |
| 14 | KNIFE | Tool, Food | Can Always Forage | 3-in-6 Detect Traps | 3-in-6 Pick Locks |
| 15 | PIT | Threshold, Opportunity | 2-in-6 Negate Ambushes | Jump Twice as Far | Can Use All Armour |
| 16 | BLOOD | Death, Lineage | +1 to Ranged Damage Rolls | Survive at 0 Hit Points | +1 to Surprise |
| 17 | SURGEON | Stewardship, Mastery | +1 to Melee Attack Rolls | +5% XP Gain | Melee Range as Spear |
| 18 | ANTLER | Nature, Ritual | +1 Max Retainer | Ignore Hot Conditions | See in Torchlight as Sunlight |
| 19 | WORM | Compost, Inhabitation | Ignore 30' of Fall Damage | +2 to Saves vs. Poison | +1 Hit Point |
| 20 | SALT | Reduction, Absence | Turn Undead as Cleric | 3-in-6 Hide in Shadows | +2 to Saves vs. Breath |