The Harbinger

Long have I walked this land. I have seen many things. I know many things. Today, there is a great threat to this world. It must be opposed, but we cannot do so divided. Of my kind, I alone stand against it, but we need true and hearty champions from all the world's peoples if we are to have hope.

I know many of this evil's ways and secrets. Do not ask how. Such knowledge was earned painfully. Many have chosen to ignore my warnings, but I ask that you not be among them. To those who have courage, to those who would see this world saved, to those who would be champions, I will guide you.

I am the Harbinger, and Doom is coming.



The Harbinger is a prophet of the end of days. They are magical beings, and they are both very rare and very powerful. A Harbinger seldom shows up when times are good.

You will have more raw power and utility than anyone else, but you tire quickly, you make friends poorly, and you cannot do this alone. Play as The Harbinger if you want to play the mentor character, if you want to have access to powerful and deadly magic, if you want to be a bit of a loner, or if you want to play a gloomy prophet of the end times.


Titles
Lightbearer, Cursender, Windreaver, Greenhanded, of Twisting Fire, Doombringer, the Forsaken, of Red Ashes, in Exile Eternal

Look
Choose one from each list:
 Flowing Hair, Messy Hair, or Silvery Hair
 Whimsical Robes, Plain Robes, or Very Old Robes
 Cold Eyes, Kind Eyes, or Infinitely Sad Eyes
 Long Scarf, Heavy Hood, or Simple Jewelry



Stats
You begin with a +2 in Doom, a stat only The Harbinger has.

Assign +2, +1, +0, -1 to your other stats however you like.

Agenda
Choose one:

 Fulfill the Prophecy: Tell us about ~The Great Prophecies~ and do your best to fulfill them.
 Savior Complex: Remove evil from this world, at all costs.
 You'll Get Through This: Protect your allies from harm and danger, no matter what happens to you.



All Harbingers have the following Moves:

Doomed Soul
The harbingers are keepers of prophecy and magic, and their soul is unlike any other. You have a special stat, Doom. When your Doom stat gets damaged, you must immediately damage another one of your stats as well.

When you Finish Them:
--by revealing their fate
--by using your knowledge of folklore or the prophecies
--or with Wizardry,

then: roll +Doom.

If you are ever told to Share A Move with another character, if you Share this particular Move (Doomed Soul) with another, their Doom stat is +1.

When someone who does not have a Doom stat uses a Move that rolls +Doom, they roll at +0.



Doom and Gloom
Your Doom makes you hard for others to relate to. You can never have more than one Bond with someone, and others can never have more than one Bond with you. This Move cannot be Shared.


Do Not Trifle With Wizards
Your magic is dangerous and powerful, for both you and your enemies. When you conjure a powerful spell to destroy something in your way, pay a price, then take up to three points of damage. You inflict that much damage to your target. You then become exhausted, and roll with Despair for the rest of the scene. Threats to the World and Set Pieces take no damage from this Move. This Move cannot be Shared.


Wizardry
When you draw upon the magic inherent to your people, choose one option from below. You may use these spells as often as you need to. When you use one of these magical effects, tell us how it manifests - what does it look like, what does it sound like? What do you need to do to make this happen?

 Conjure a soft light, which floats around you.
 Deliver a message through mysterious means.
 Speak, look, or listen as if you were somewhere else that you can see.
 Touch, push, or grab as if you were somewhere else that you can see.

When you Share this Move with another, they choose a single spell from the list. That spell is the only one they can use. You can Share this Move with someone multiple times. Each time you do, they learn another spell.



What Is A Harbinger?
Choose the option that best represents your people:

--Cosmic Remnants
Your people are what remains of the divine beings who created this world, and your extraordinary powers are what lingers of their gifts. Your Doom will bring salvation and wisdom. When you read the prophecies about someone whose name you know, you may Persuade or Inspire with+Doom instead of +Wisdom, and you do not need to be speaking with them to learn their answers.

--Blind Prophets
Your fellow wizards see without sight, and you are no different. Even without eyes, you can see more than anyone else. Add the following options to the Wizardry Move:
----You can temporarily see the aura of destiny around others. Take +1 forward toward dealing with them.
----You can get a peek into the likely future of what someone may do next. Tell the GM what you think that person (or creature) will do next. If you keep silent about it, you will very likely turn out to be right. If it turns out that you are wrong, you get +2 forward toward your next roll.

If you do NOT keep silent about it-- if you confront that person (or creature) with a warning or encouragement about doing what you think they are likely to do next before they do it, take an extra +1 to a Persuade/Inspire roll to talk to them about it.



-Principled Academia
Wizardry comes from a book. Anyone can become a wizard with enough education, and you are among the scholastic elite. Inside your book is limitless power, if you can read the runes right. You have a magical book (2 Uses, Slow) added to your Gear. When you consult your magical book on how to perform a magical ritual properly, tell us what you want the ritual to accomplish. It takes several minutes to perform a ritual. Once it is finished, choose one:
----It works how you wanted, but won't take effect for some time
----It takes effect immediately, but there's a catch or side effect



--Servants of the Darkness
The harbingers are so-called because they herald the coming of the Overlord, and they serve the Overlord in all ways. You, however, are a renegade to your people, an outcast, but you still command the same terrifying powers they do. You do not need to pay a price to show others why they Do Not Trifle with Wizards.



Harbinger's Gear:
You start with just enough food (Food, 2 Uses) and some wizardly baubles (2 Uses, Useful).

Every harbinger's gear is unique, and no other will carry the same things you do.

Choose the weapon you brought with you on this journey:
 An ancient staff of old wood (Melee) with a spell of safe travels written upon it (1 Use, Armor)
 A runed sword (Melee, Necrotic) with a dark past
 The Overlord's Weakness, tucked away inside a bottle or box

Choose your companion, you have one Bond with them:
 A carriage or jacksled
 A pegasus or witch's broom
 A strange beast, describe it and give it two stats of your choosing

The Harbingers all have a source to their magical abilities, and every Harbinger draws from the same source. Choose your source of magic:
 The leylines of magic that hold reality together (2 Uses). You can Use this connection to the leylines to access a sealed location, or seal off an
accessible location, bending space to accommodate your need.
 A magical focus, such as a staff, crown, amulet, doll, or book. Whoever holds it has your Wizardry Move. You can always call this focus back to you at any time - it knows who its master is.
 Magical bloodline, from strange and powerful ancestors (2 Uses, Healing).
 Magical tattoos, etched into your skin, each with their own purpose (2 Uses, Useful).



Initial Bonds
You start with 2 Bonds with the other members of the fellowship. Use these, or make your own:
I am teaching _______ about the world.
_______ will be of great importance in the events to come.
I have done many a favor for _______ .
I once told ______ a long and magnificent story, and they have never forgotten it.
I have trusted _______ with a dark secret.
_______ is the only person so far who has ever changed a future I foresaw.
I have never met anyone more full of life than _______ .
My prophecies do not scare _______ , and for that I am eternally thankful.
I have foreseen the doom that awaits _______, but I cannot bring myself to tell them.
_______ gives me hope for our future.



Harbinger Custom Moves:
Choose one of these Moves to further define what it means to be a Harbinger:

Sacred Touch
You can heal the wounds of an ally with your touch, although it takes a lot out of you. When you magically heal an ally, they heal one damage. You may damage yourself to heal another point of damage. Once you've used this Move, you cannot use it again until you Feast or Recover.

A Wizard's Word
When you make a promise to someone and they promise something in return, you may leave your mark upon them. So long as you do not break your promise, they cannot break theirs. Write a Bond with them describing the promise you share. The mark is undone when they fulfill their end of the promise, or you break your end of it.

Cultural Appreciation
You have spent a great deal of time among one of the peoples of this world,
and their culture has rubbed off on you. Take a Core Move from any basic playbook. You may also take an Agenda from the chosen playbook. (This Move cannot be Shared.)

Dark and Terrible
When you denounce the deeds of another, you may mark one stat to leave a curse upon them. Tell us the nature of this curse, and what must be done to lift it.

Mysterious Fires
Add the following option to the Wizardry Move:
 Start a fire on something you can see, so long as it is flammable. The fire starts small, but it will grow rapidly if left unchecked.


The Evil Eye Above
Doom follows you, but you are ready for it. When the minions of the Overlord approach, the GM must tell you before they arrive. When you know the Overlord's plans, you may ask the GM, "What is one way I could stop this?" The GM must answer truthfully.

Wildspeaker
You speak the language of beasts and monsters. When you try to speak to such a creature for the first time, they will always pause to listen and reply, and you always have a chance to Persuade/Inspire them.

You Shall Not Pass
When you Keep Them Busy and get a 10+, you may pay a price to hold them off indefinitely - it will be impossible for them to follow or approach you for the rest of the scene. Tell us how your magic or their fate has stepped in to hold them up.



Harbinger Advancement: When you Level Up, choose an option from the list, then mark it off. Youmay only choose each option once. You also increase your Level by 1.
o Increase your Charming or Insightful by 1 (to a maximum value of +3).
o Increase one of your stats by 1 (to a maximum value of +3).
o Take another Harbinger Custom Move.
o Take another Harbinger Custom Move.
o Take another Harbinger Custom Move, or one more Harbinger Gear option.
o Take another Harbinger Custom Move, or ask another player to share a Move with you.
o You have Changed. (You must be level 5 or higher to take this Advancement.) When you Change, choose a Destiny you meet the requirements for and take its first Move.

If you share a Move that rolls +Doom with a player who does not have a Doom stat, they roll at +0.



Harbinger Companions:
Harbinger Companions are those allies who are particularly likely to join arms with you. Many of them are available as Gear options - a Companion in your Gear will always heal, return to you, or be replaced by someone or something with similar skills when you Recover.

Traveler's Carriage: Usually drawn by pony, these carriages are popular homes for the average nomad or merchant.
Stats: Home Sweet Home, Travel In Comfort

Jacksled: A sleigh, drawn by many small animals, usually rabbits or dogs. The Jacksled is the fastest vehicle in the known world, but it doesn't have much room for passengers.
Stats: Supply Run, Outrun Anything

Pegasus: A winged horse. Just like a regular horse, but significantly more mobile.
Stats: Flight, Mounted Combat

Witch's Broom: A simple broomstick, complete with vintage bristles, a finely bound leather handle, and a silver inlaid inscription of its owner's name.
Stats: Flight, Zippy Quick

A Strange Beast: Tell us about it. It comes with two Stats that describe its abilities, chosen by the one who formed a Bond with it.
Stats: Cool Thing A, Neat Thing B
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:19, Fri 22 Apr 2022.