Flamespeaker (M'wanga)[]
Description: The Flamespeaker—also known as a M'wanga—comes from a primitive tribe that worships fire. Any child born at sunset is immediately placed before a small campfire and observed for the rest of the night. If the child refrains from crying, and the fire still burns at dawn, the child has been chosen by the flame spirits to learn the secrets of the M'wanga, including the abilities to change into a fiery sphere and converse with flames. Tribal elders teach him these secrets when he reaches adolescence.
Requirements: Standard.
Homeland Terrain:
- Required: Desert, Mountains, or Plains.
Role: The Flamespeaker considers himself a servant of the spirits, a small player in the grand scheme of nature. His companions will find him shy and self-deprecating, quick to blame himself for real or imagined mistakes. He expresses his faith by bowing to the setting sun, passing his stone weapons through flames before a battle, and apologizing to fires before extinguishing them.
His alliance with an adventuring party usually results from an elder's directive to season his skills in the outworld. Though intimidated by most outworlders, he remains loyal to his friends and obeys the orders of his leaders. He has no fear of death, confident that his devotion will be rewarded in the afterlife.
Secondary Skills: Fire-maker.
Weapon Proficiencies: Any, but the Flamespeaker won't use weapons made exclusively of wood (a wooden arrow with a stone head is acceptable, but a solid wooden club isn't).
Nonweapon Proficiencies:
- Required: Fire—building.
- Recommended: Danger Sense*, Direction Sense, Religion.
- Barred: Leadership*.
Economic System: Animal products barter.
Wealth Options: The Flamespeaker begins with 2d4 units of animal products.
Armor and Equipment: The Flamespeaker begins with no armor, wearing instead an animal skin loincloth or smock. He may trade animal products for armor and a shield, but never wears armor better than leather or padded.
Spheres:
- Major: All, Combat, Divination, Elemental, Weather.
- Minor: Charm, Healing, Necromantic, Protection.
Talisman: The Flamespeaker's flame form (see below) functions as his talisman.
Special Benefits[]
Flame Form: Upon achieving 7th level, the Flamespeaker can become a five-foot-diameter sphere of living fire for up to an hour twice per day. Except for tiny yellow and red flames flickering over its surface, the sphere is featureless. In his flame form, the Flamespeaker has AC 4 and the same number of hit points (and same level) as in human form. The flame form also has the following properties:
- It has no rating for land movement, but can fly at a movement rate of 9 (Maneuverability Class B).
- It can see in all directions simultaneously (to the same distance as a normal human) and can't be surprised. Its senses of smell and hearing remain unchanged. It can regulate surface heat at will, from the temperature of warm water to a blazing inferno. At low heat, it can pass though dry grass without starting a fire. At full heat (the normal state), it ignites any flammable materials it contacts; those who touch it suffer 2d4 hit points of damage.
- At will, the form can generate 1—4 tentacles of flame, up to 10 feet long; the Flamespeaker controls the exact number of tentacles as well as their lengths. Though the flame form can't wield weapons, it can lash with these flame tentacles, making up to four attacks per round. Each tentacle may be directed at a different target. Each successful hit inflicts 2d4 hp damage.
- The flame form is immune to all magical and nonmagical fire-based attacks.
Speak with Flames: Once per day, a Flamespeaker may ask a question of any natural fire source, such as a campfire, a smoldering ember, a torch, or a burning house. If the Flamespeaker makes a successful Wisdom check, he hears the answer in his head. The fire always answers honestly, using a single word or a short phrase. Typical questions might include "Who started you?" "What are you burning?" "Has a man with a white beard passed this way?"
The DM should keep in mind that a typical fire doesn't know much. It can't make judgments or give dependable advice. In general, its knowledge is limited to events that occurred in the immediate area while it's been burning. If in doubt, the DM can have the fire respond, "I do not know."
Special Hindrances[]
The Flamespeaker suffers the following penalties when in flame form:
- He can't speak.
- He can't cast spells.
- He suffers double damage from all magical and nonmagical cold-based attacks.
- Any contact with a gallon or more of water (from rain, a river, a bucket of water thrown by an opponent) causes the Flamespeaker to immediately revert to human form unless he successfully saves vs. spell.
- Certain spells have adverse effects on the flame form, such as quench fire, pyrotechnics, fire quench and others. A frost brand or similar item would also harm the fire form. Both spells and items typically inflict 3d8 points of damage to the Flamespeaker and cause him to revert to human form. Other spells and items exist that can effect the Flamewalker while in fire form; the DM has the final responsibility for determining their precise effects.
| |||||||||||||||||||