Hyperborean ACKS – Warlock Class

A spellsword class for human characters. Warlocks focus on melee combat and spellcasting, and have perfected a graceful unarmoured fighting style. The original warlocks learnt the art from Hyperborean masters, but this is now a human tradition.

HD 1 (d6), Fighting 1b (2 trade-offs), Arcane 2 (½ Mage).

Base XP: 500 + 500 + 1250 = 2250 for 2nd level.

2 Fighting Styles: Two-weapon style; two-handed weapons.
Broad Weapon Selection: All melee weapons (one-handed and two-handed).
Forbidden Armour Selection: No armour or shields allowed.
Custom Powers: Unarmoured Fighting Style (as Blade-Dancing); Arcane Striking @ 5th; Spell Storing @ 9th.

Maximum Level: 14th.
Prime Requisite: Strength and Intelligence.
Proficiencies: As Ruinguard; minus Kin-Slaying, Sensing Good, and Theology; plus Swashbuckling.
Saving Throws: As Mage.
Magic Items: As Mage.
Stronghold: As Mage.

Hyperborean ACKS – Mages & Specialists

Here are some modifications to adapt the Hyperborean specialist types to ACKS. The specialists sacrifice some of their spellcasting ability in return for quicker advancement and a selection of special powers.

Mage: (also known as Sorcerers)

There is one minor change to the base Mage class:

Fighting Styles: Remove two-handed weapon style. (Mages can only inflict 1d4 damage with a staff.)
Cantrips: Mages can create minor magical effects known as cantrips. In game terms, this is identical to the Prestidigitation proficiency. (With the referee’s consent, the mage may swap out this ability for a similar appropriately-themed proficiency – such as Collegiate Wizardry, Familiar, Magical Engineering, etc.)

Illusionist:

The Illusionist class uses the ACKS Warlock rules as a base, replacing all of that class’s granted powers with the following:

Weapons Permitted: Dagger, dart, sling, staff.
Proficiencies: As elven enchanter, minus Healing and Running.
Mastery of Charms & Illusions: As elven enchanter. Granted at 1st level.
Ventriloqusim: Usable 1/turn, granted at 2nd level. Each use takes 1 round.
Phantasmal Force: Usable 1/8 hours, granted at 4th level. Each use takes 1 round.
Chimerical Force: Usable 1/day, granted at 6th level. Each use takes 1 round.
Spectral Force: Usable 1/week, granted at 8th level. Each use takes 1 round.
True Seeing: Usable 1/week, granted at 10th level. Each use takes 1 turn.
Permanent Illusion: Usable 1/month, granted at 12th level. Each use takes 1 turn.

At 8th level, an illusionist may begin to scribe scrolls and brew potions. At 11th level, they may begin to make other types of magic items. Illusionists who reach 14th level may cast ritual spells.

Necromancer:

The Necromancer class uses the ACKS Warlock rules as a base, replacing all of that class’s granted powers with the following:

Weapons Permitted: Dagger, dart, staff, whip.
Proficiencies: As Warlock, minus Contemplation; plus Familiar.
Black Lore of Ix: As ACKS Black Lore of Zahar. Granted at 1st level.
Detect Undead: Usable 1/turn, granted at 2nd level. Each use takes 1 round.
Necromantic Potence: Usable 1/8 hours, granted at 4th level. Each use takes 1 round.
Enervate: Usable 1/day, granted at 6th level. Each use takes 1 round.
Speak With Dead: Usable 1/8 hours, granted at 8th level. Each use takes 1 turn.
Animate Dead: Usable 1/week, granted at 10th level. Each use takes 1 turn.
Finger of Death: Usable 1/month, granted at 12th level. Each use takes 1 round.

At 8th level, a necromancer may begin to scribe scrolls and brew potions. At 11th level, they may begin to make other types of magic items. Necromancers who reach 14th level may transform creatures into intelligent undead.

Pyromancer:

The Pyromancer class uses the ACKS Warlock rules as a base, replacing all of that class’s granted powers with the following:

Weapons Permitted: Club, dagger, short sword (scimitar), staff.
Proficiencies: As Warlock, minus Elementalism; plus Familiar.
Elemental Mastery (Fire): Granted at 1st level.
Magic Missile (Fire): Usable 1/turn, granted at 2nd level. Each use takes 1 round.
Resist Fire: Usable 1/8 hours, granted at 4th level. Each use takes 1 round.
Fireball: Usable 1/day, granted at 6th level. Each use takes 1 round.
Wall of Fire: Usable 1/week, granted at 8th level. Each use takes 1 round.
Conjure Fire Elemental: Usable 1/week, granted at 10th level. Each use takes 1 turn.
Flame Strike: Usable 1/month, granted at 12th level. Each use takes 1 round.

At 8th level, a pyromancer may begin to scribe scrolls and brew potions. At 11th level, they may begin to make other types of magic items. Pyromancers who reach 14th level may cast ritual spells.

Hyperborean ACKS – Barbarian Subtypes

Some tweaks for the Barbarian class in Hyperborea…

Viking:

Natural Proficiency: Seafaring.
Weapons Permitted: Battle axe, club, dagger, great axe, hand axe, shortbow, spear, sword, two-handed sword, warhammer.
Fighting Styles: Weapon & shield, two-handed weapons.

Kimmerian: (also Kimmerian-Kelt)

Natural Proficiency: Precise Shooting.
Weapons Permitted: Composite bow, dagger, hand axe, javelin, lance, net, sling, short sword (scimitar), spear, whip. (Kimmeri-Kelts substitute short sword for scimitar and sling for whip.)
Fighting Styles: Weapon & shield, two weapons.

Pict: (also Half-Blood Pict)

Natural Proficiency: Skirmishing.
Weapons Permitted: Club, dart, dagger, hand axe, javelin, shortbow, short sword, sling, staff, spear. (Half-bloods substitute bola for sling.)
Fighting Styles: Weapon & shield, two weapons.

Hyperborean ACKS – Ape-Men Custom Classes

Brutish and violent, these quasi-humans walk upright as men. Ape-Men have the base countenance and body hair of an ape and a body type that presents with human and simian characteristics, including opposable thumbs.

An advanced group of Ape-Men populates the City-State of Kor and serves as its ruling elite. These Ape-Men can read and write, found weapons and tools of iron and steel, and advance in the adventuring classes.

Less well-known are Ape-Men Hybrids, the result of an unnatural union between human and Ape-Man. These Hybrids may be appropriate as Player Characters.

Hyperborean ACKS – Priest of Xathoqqua

Priests of Xathoqqua use the rules for the Witch class (from the ACKS Player’s Companion), with the following modifiers for Tradition:

Bonus Spells:

1st – slipperiness
2nd – tadpole transformation
3rd – glorious mire
4th – bottomfeeder bond

Special Abilities:

1st Level: The priest gains the Arcane Dabbling proficiency. Fickle Xathoqqua sometimes grants antemundane items to his servitors, though their use is often dangerous.
3rd Level: Through ingestion of hallucinogenic substances followed by intoxicating visions, the priest can regain the ability to cast a spell of a level he had previously expended. He may perform spiritual rituals as a shaman. Each spiritual ritual requires one hour (6 turns).
7th Level: Xathoqqua is renowned for his divine slothfulness. At 7th level, the priest gains the power to cast sleep once per day. Each use takes 1 round (10 seconds).

(Note that they are referred to as “Priests of Xathoqqua”, not “Witches”.)

Hyperborean ACKS – Auran Gods in Hyperborea

I am a big fan of the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (AS&SH) setting from North Wind Games. At least for now, Hyperborea has replaced my own Affiliation setting as preferred Swords & Sorcery / Weird Fantasy game world.

I’ve also really gotten into the Adventurer, Conqueror, King System (ACKS) from Autarch Games. The rules are top-notch and have shown me how it’s possible to run the near-mythical D&D “endgame” of rulers, strongholds, and domains.

So I’m trying to integrate the rules for ACKS into the setting of AS&SH. One area of mismatch is religion. The implied Auran setting in ACKs assumes a collection of “Empyrean” and “Chthonic” deities with clerics and priests reasonably close to the D&D norm. AS&SH has otherworldy beings, alien entities, animistic and ancestral spirits, and other mysterious forces of deific power.

The difficulty is that there are a couple “historical” deities included in Hyperborea (Apollo and Artemis in particular) that don’t quite jive with how I view the setting, and the divine classes in ACKS build in some pretty neat stuff for the Auran gods that I’d like to use.

To reconcile this conflict in my (hypothetical) Hyperborean ACKS campaign, I propose the following…

Hyperborean ACKS – Berzerker Class

A battlerager class for human characters.

HD 2 (d8), Fighting 2 (3 trade-offs).

Base XP: 1000 + 1000 (+ 450) = 2450 for 2nd level.

All Fighting Styles: Two-Weapon; weapon & shield, two-handed weapons.
Broad Weapon Selection: All melee weapons (one-handed and two-handed).
Narrow Armour Selection: Chain or lighter, shields allowed.
Custom Powers: Fighting Fury, Savage Resilience. Damage bonus in melee only.

Maximum Level: 14th.
Prime Requisite: Strength and Constitution.
Proficiencies: As Barbarian; minus Berserkergang and Precise Shot, plus Blind Fighting and Intimidation.
Saving Throws: As Fighter.
Magic Items: As Fighter.
Stronghold: Chieftain’s Hall, as Barbarian.