TEXT: Lords of Gossamer & Shadow 
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  by Jason Durall
  
   
   
  Rite Publishing Presents: 
   
   
  Addendum
  Addendum
  Addendum
  Addendum: : : : Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses        
   
   
  Calais
  Calais
  Calais
  Calais (Author): Jason Durall 
      Lucien
  Lucien
  Lucien
  Lucien    (Editor): Perry Grosshans 
  Drake
  Drake
  Drake
  Drake (Cover Artist): Dennis Darmody  
  Door Wardens
  Door Wardens
  Door Wardens
  Door Wardens    (Interior Artists): Dennis Darmody,  
  Vincent Ptitvinc, and Sutthiwat      
  Dayle
  Dayle
  Dayle
  Dayle (Trade Dress): James “Devin Night” Hazelett  
  Vala
  Vala
  Vala
  Vala (Layout and Publisher): Steven D. Russell 
   
   
   
   
  Special Thanks to Christopher “Kit” Kindred   
  for always being awesome with feedback. 
   
   
   
  Based on Lords of Gossamer & Shadow by Jason Durall 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Addendum: Blessings & Curses Copyright © 2014 Steven D. Russell All rights reserved. Lords of Gossamer and Shadow Copyright © 2012-2013 Steven D. Russell All rights 
  reserved. Erick Wujcik’s Diceless Role-Playing and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Diceless by Design Publishing, LLC, and are used under license.  
  See http://Rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=1447 for more information on Erick Wujcik’s Diceless Role-Playing. Some rights reserved. The image on 
  page 3 by Vincent Ptitvinc is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/ The image on 
  page 4 by Sutthiwat   is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ 
   
  
  1 
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses    
  The Eidolon and the Umbra are 
  inarguably the most powerful forces in the 
  infinity of the Gossamer worlds. At a 
  lesser tier are the magic powers and occult 
  traditions such as Invocation, Wrighting, 
  Sorcery, and Cantrips. There are other 
  powers akin to those, however, including 
  the ability to lay blessings or curses upon 
  a chosen subject. As with the other powers 
  described in the Lords of Gossamer & 
  Shadow core rulebook, the Blessings & 
  Curses power works throughout the 
  Grand Stair and the Gossamer worlds, 
  though its potency may vary world to 
  world.  
   
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses
  Blessings & Curses [35 Points] 
  All through the Gossamer worlds, holy 
  men and magicians have been able to 
  bestow 
  conditions—favorable 
  or 
  unfavorable—upon a particular subject. 
  These conditions take the form of 
  blessings or curses, drawing mana from 
  the Gossamer worlds to create a magic 
  construct attached to the intended subject 
  for a planned duration, performing upon 
  them a set of desired effects. Those who 
  are able to bestow blessings or curses are 
  called (for want of a better term) 
  magicians, though in their Gossamer 
  worlds of origin they could be priests, 
  enchanters, wizards, shamans, witches, 
  etc.   
   
  The 35 point cost of the Blessings & 
  Curses power includes 15 points for the 
  actual ability to create and cast blessings 
  and curses, with the remaining 20 points  
   
   
  used as the pool from which the blessings 
  and curses are paid for. When a blessing 
  or curse (i.e., a condition) is created, the 
  magician selects a variety of aspects that 
  define its qualities—severity, influence, 
  persistence, 
  dismissal—determines 
  its 
  duration, and totals the point cost. This 
  total is then subtracted from the pool of 
  points. This pool can be increased by 
  spending 
  additional 
  points 
  during 
  character 
  creation 
  or 
  character 
  advancement, if so desired.  
   
  If the magician has the points available 
  in the pool, the blessing or curse is made 
  active and must be delivered through 
  close contact, psychic contact, sorcery, 
  Icon contact, or some other means. If the 
  magician does not have the points 
  available, any points required are applied 
  
  2 
  to the magician in the form of Bad Stuff. If 
  the magician has Good Stuff, the points 
  are subtracted from that total, potentially 
  reducing the magician to Zero or Bad 
  Stuff.  
   
  While the condition is active, the 
  points spent are considered unavailable 
  and cannot be used by the magician. 
  When a condition expires, is dispelled or 
  deactivated, any points drawn from the 
  magician’s pool are returned to the pool 
  and are available for use. Any points of 
  Bad Stuff the magician incurred are 
  considered permanent and any points of 
  Good Stuff the magician used are lost. For 
  these reasons, it is important for any 
  magician to carefully consider how many 
  blessings or curses they bestow, and to 
  budget 
  carefully. 
  Gamemasters 
  may 
  choose to keep the magician’s current pool 
  secret from the player, encouraging 
  greater caution and consideration.  
   
  Favored Attributes for Blessings & 
  Curses. As with most magic powers, 
  Psyche is the dominant Attribute used in 
  casting blessings and/or curses. Stuff is 
  the 
  second 
  most 
  important 
  player 
  characteristic, as any over-spent points 
  are subtracted from the magician’s Stuff. 
    
  Blessings, Curses, and Stuff
  Blessings, Curses, and Stuff
  Blessings, Curses, and Stuff
  Blessings, Curses, and Stuff    
  Though a condition may seem similar 
  to the effect of having Good or Bad Stuff, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  magical 
  effect 
  and 
  works 
  independently of Stuff, whatever the value 
  and nature of that Stuff. A character with 
  high Good Stuff may have a curse that 
  brings them misfortune, while a Bad Stuff 
  character may have a blessing that 
  benefits them. Stuff is also an inner 
  quality, intrinsic to the character, while a 
  blessing or curse is an external force 
  bestowed upon the character, willingly or 
  otherwise. Some blessings or curses may 
  seem as if the recipient had an amount of 
  Good or Bad Stuff applied, but generally, 
  the effects should be more specific.  
   
  Building Blessings & Cur
  Building Blessings & Cur
  Building Blessings & Cur
  Building Blessings & Curses
  ses
  ses
  ses    
  This power is used by the magician to 
  create an effect that influences a desired 
  subject’s state in a positive or negative 
  fashion. The following three steps are 
  required to successfully build a condition 
  (blessing or curse) and to bestow it upon 
  the intended subject.  
   
  Step One – Describe the Condition  
  The magician determines whether it is a 
  blessing or a curse, and describes its 
  nature in as specific terms as the 
  gamemaster 
  requires. 
  Vague 
  and 
  unspecific conditions are less likely to 
  affect the subject and may be potentially 
  offset by the subject’s Good or Bad Stuff, 
  while well-defined conditions are more 
  likely to have their desired effect.  
   
  Step Two – Define Qualities  
  The magician then defines the condition 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  its 
  qualities: 
  severity, 
  influence, persistence, dismissal, and 
  duration. Any condition requires each of 
  these, meaning that the minimum cost for 
  a condition is 5 points (1 point per 
  quality).   
   
  
  3 
  Step Three – Cast the Blessing or 
  Curse 
  As noted in the power’s description, the 
  magician must then cast the condition 
  upon the subject using one of a variety of 
  means. These methods are the most likely:  
   Psychic Contact: The magician may 
  •
  bestow the condition upon an intended 
  subject through psychic contact. If the 
  condition is not wanted, the magician 
  must defeat the intended subject in 
  psychic conflict in order for the 
  condition to take effect.  
   Wrighting: A special type of Icon can 
  •
  be created that, once used, will bestow 
  the 
  condition 
  onto 
  the 
  intended 
  subject. Such an Icon is called a fetish. 
  This fetish cannot be used for any of 
  the traditional Icon effects (such as 
  communication or psychic contact), 
  and must be a likeness of the subject, 
  even if it is a crude one. If the fetish is 
  destroyed, the condition is lifted. The 
  fetish has durability equal to the points 
  spent on the Dismissal quality: the 1-
  point version is easy to destroy while 
  the 
  4-point 
  would 
  be 
  extremely 
  difficult to damage or destroy.  
   Sorcery: A sorcerer can create a 
  •
  sorcery spell with the specific purpose 
  of creating a link between the sorcerer 
  and the intended subject of the 
  condition, and then use that spell to 
  bestow the condition onto that subject. 
  As with psychic contact, if the subject 
  is unwilling, the magician must defeat 
  them in psychic conflict for the 
  condition to take effect. Similarly, a 
  sorcerer can create a warded area with 
  a spell that will trigger the condition  
    
  •
   
   
  when a certain set of circumstances 
  are achieved (walking through it, etc.).  
   Invocation: An Invoker can use the 
  •
  intended subject’s True Name to 
  bestow a condition upon the subject, 
  using the "Evoking in Magic" ability.  
   Other Means: The gamemaster may 
  •
  allow player characters to devise other 
  means of bestowing conditions upon 
  the intended subjects, such as rituals, 
  wards, possession of a particular item, 
  or even a certain circumstance (bitten 
  by an enchanted creature, etc.).  
   
  Q
  Q
  Q
  Qualities 
  ualities 
  ualities 
  ualities     
  Severity. This determines how severe 
  the condition is. This is a general 
  description, 
  and 
  subject 
  to 
  the 
  gamemaster’s approval.  
  
  4 
  Quality 
  Cost 
  Description 
  Mild 
  1 
  Point 
  The effect of the condition is 
  minor, affecting the subject to 
  a small degree, such as minor 
  illness or bad luck, animals 
  being repelled or attracted to 
  the character, or the removal 
  of such effects or conditions.  
  Middling  
  2 
  Points 
  The effect is moderate, affect-
  ing the subject in a way that is 
  difficult to ignore but is not 
  incapacitating. Examples are 
  serious illness, a streak of 
  good fortune, animals attack-
  ing or befriending the char-
  acter, terrible luck, protection 
  against evil magic, etc.   
  Severe 
  4 
  Points 
  The 
  condition’s 
  effect 
  is 
  significant, 
  affecting 
  the 
  subject in a profound way that 
  is 
  undeniable 
  and 
  life-
  altering. 
  Examples 
  are 
  terminal 
  illness, 
  calamity, 
  animals 
  behaving 
  in 
  an 
  extraordinary fashion around 
  the character, baneful magic, 
  a powerful aura of protective 
  magic, etc.  
   
  Influence. 
  Influence 
  measures 
  how 
  widespread the effects of the condition 
  are, such as whether they are centered on 
  a single subject or if they extend to affect 
  others in a wider range around the 
  subject.  
  Quality 
  Cost 
  Description 
  Specific 
  1 
  Point 
  The 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  condition 
  is 
  a 
  single 
  individual, 
  item, 
  or 
  a 
  small place (a single room 
  or smallish outdoor space, 
  for example).   
  Localized  
  2 
  Points 
  The subject is a subset or 
  group of beings, up to a 
  dozen specific items, or an 
  area as large as a building 
  or castle.  
  Widespread 
  4 
  Points 
  The subject is a large 
  group of beings or items 
  (up to fifty or more), and 
  can extend to an area the 
  size of a town.  
   
   
  Persistence. Persistence is a measure of 
  how often the condition affects the 
  subject. The more points invested in it, 
  the more often the effects are felt.  
  Quality 
  Cost 
  Description 
  Infrequent 
  1 
  Point 
  The 
  condition 
  occurs 
  infrequently and unpredict-
  ably, lasting for a variable 
  amount of time when it does 
  take effect.    
  Regular 
  2 
  Points 
  The condition is in effect 
  more often than not, though 
  the subject may go for 
  periods where the condition 
  seems inactive.   
  Ongoing 
  4 
  Points 
  The condition is continual, 
  always on, and the subject is 
  rarely, 
  if 
  ever, 
  given 
  a 
  moment of respite from its 
  effects.  
  
  5 
  Dismissal. Blessings or curses are not always welcome, and the subjects of them may 
  wish to be free from those effects. The dismissal quality determines how difficult the 
  condition is to dispel, and what methods may be required.  
  Quality 
  Cost 
  Description 
  Easy to 
  Dismiss 
  1 
  Point 
  The condition is easily dis-missed, and can even be temporarily banished by use of the 
  "Nullify" cantrip. Other means of dismissing it may include Sorcery, Invocation, or even 
  casual exposure to the Eidolon or Umbra. Generally the condition must be specifically 
  targeted by these powers, but if the subject is exposed to a significant amount of magical 
  energy, the condition may be dispelled inadvertently. The magician who created the 
  condition can dismiss it at will, taking at least 1 minute per point the spell cost.  
  Requires 
  Effort to 
  Dismiss 
  2 
  Points 
  The condition requires some effort to dismiss. This may require a concerted effort 
  requiring specific elements or items, rituals, or more direct use of Sorcery, Invocation, or 
  the defensive use of the Eidolon or Umbra. Lesser-powered efforts may take more time. 
  The magician that created the condition must take a while to dismiss it, equivalent to 1 
  hour per point the condition’s cost. 
  Difficult to 
  Dismiss 
  4 
  Points 
  The condition is extraordinarily difficult to dismiss, requiring defensive use of the 
  Eidolon or Umbra, a risky and/or involved spell, or significant effort using Invocation. 
  Dismissing it may also require the subject to be in a specially consecrated place, or 
  require the expenditure or use of a powerful magic substance, item, or artifact. The 
  magician must spend a full day per point spent on the condition in order to dismiss it.  
   
  Duration  
  This affects how long the condition is in effect. Once all of the qualities have been 
  determined, the desired duration is selected and the point is multiplied.    
  Quality 
  Multiplier 
  Description 
  Temporary 
  x1 Points 
  The condition lasts a proscribed span of time, measured in days or weeks at the 
  most.  
  Short-Lived  
  x2 Points 
  The condition lasts a period of time spanning months up to a dozen years.  
  Lifelong 
  x3 Points 
  The condition lasts decades, up to centuries.  
  Generational 
  x4 Points 
  The condition will last centuries. If it is bestowed upon a living subject, it will pass 
  along the subject’s bloodline to any and all offspring, through at least two 
  additional generations.  
  Eternal  
  x5 Points 
  The condition lasts for eternity, or until dispelled. If it is cast upon a living being it 
  will continue affecting all members of the subject’s bloodline until that bloodline 
  ends.  
   
  Blessings & Curses and the 
  Blessings & Curses and the 
  Blessings & Curses and the 
  Blessings & Curses and the     
  Lords of Gossamer & Shadow 
  Lords of Gossamer & Shadow 
  Lords of Gossamer & Shadow 
  Lords of Gossamer & Shadow     
  Because this power is considered optional 
  content for the patrons of Lords of 
  Gossamer & Shadow, none of the existing 
  Lords and Ladies from the core rulebook 
  uses it. If gamemasters wish to assign this 
  power to any of them, the ones that would 
  most likely have it are Dayle, Lucien, Vala, 
  and Mowbray of the Dwimmerlaik.  
   
  Sample Blessings & Curses 
  Sample Blessings & Curses 
  Sample Blessings & Curses 
  Sample Blessings & Curses     
  The following examples of blessings and 
  curses are provided for player and 
  gamemaster reference.  
   
  A Mild Curse
  A Mild Curse
  A Mild Curse
  A Mild Curse [10 Points]  
  This is the sort of condition a magician 
  could easily put together when starting 
  out. This curse inflicts a painful and 
  unsightly condition upon the subject, 
  characterized by itchiness, burning, and 
  
  6 
  peeling skin all over the body. It can be 
  dispelled with any number of magic 
  interventions, 
  though 
  traditional 
  medicine will have little effect. At the cost, 
  the magician can have two similarly-
  priced blessings/curses in effect at once.  
   
   Mild [1 Point]  
  •
   Specific [1 Point] 
  •
   Regular [2 Points] 
  •
   Easy to Dismiss [1 Point] 
  •
   Short-Lived [x2 Points] 
  •
   
  A Moderate Blessing
  A Moderate Blessing
  A Moderate Blessing
  A Moderate Blessing [21 Points]  
  This is a more powerful blessing, perhaps 
  bestowed 
  by 
  a 
  holy 
  person 
  or 
  supernaturally-divine being. The nature of 
  the effect is that the subject will always be 
  recognized as the rightful ruler of their 
  home realm, whether for good or bad. 
  This blessing might go hand-in-hand with 
  a magic artifact, such as a weapon. It can 
  only be dismissed through the passage of 
  that right to the most legitimate of the 
  subject’s heirs. At 21 points, it is slightly 
  beyond the available pool of a starting 
  magician.  
   
   •
  [2 Points] 
  Middling 
   Specific [1 Point] 
  •
   Regular [2 Points] 
  •
   Requires Effort to Dismiss [2 
  •
  Points] 
   Lifelong [x3 Points] 
  •
   
  A Major Curse
  A Major Curse
  A Major Curse
  A Major Curse [55 Points]  
  This curse bestows the difficult condition 
  of eternal damnation upon the subject, 
  granting them immortality, but coupling  
   
   
  that eternal life with the weight of guilt 
  and an eternity of strife and gloom, 
  forcing them to roam the world in search 
  of inner peace. The subject’s name is 
  loathed throughout history, across their 
  world. This curse is coupled with a mark, 
  perhaps an unmistakable quality to the 
  subject’s 
  eyes 
  that 
  is 
  instantly 
  recognizable. It only ends with the death 
  of the subject.  
   
   Severe [4 Points] 
  •
   Specific [1 Point] 
  •
   Regular [2 Points] 
  •
   Difficult to Dismiss [4 Points] 
  •
   Eternal [x5 Points] 
  •
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Amber/Lords Of Gossamer And Shadow/Addenda/Blessings And Curses.pdf