The Bird Speaker (DCC class)
DCC Dying EarthOne of the great Cugel sequences in Jack Vance's Dying Earth books comes in the second Cugel book (titled, funnily enough, Cugel's Saga). I'm speaking specifically of the chapters (I think it might be a total of 2) where Cugel enlists as a worminger on a ship.
In Vance, there are great worms that pull ships across the oceans, but we also can't forget about the terrifying saurian birds of prey called the pelgrane.
I've picked up and been playing the DCC Dying Earth setting and it's been very enjoyable. Goodman Games clearly intended to present only material that appears in the canonical texts (except perhaps rules for Zambolio) and I understand why. That said, I want to play a little bit outside of the boundaries of the license.
The wild and unexplained ecology of the Dying Earth calls to me, and what better way than with a character class. There's a little influence from the Michael Shea Cugel book here as well, as this may be a bit macabre for mainline Vance.
Bird Speaker
The birds of the Dying Earth know better than most that the sun could go out tomorrow. Millenia have passed since man relied on the unerring locational loyalty of the homing pigeon. Now, the birds speak to each in secret languages. A display of plumage could carry terrible tidings or good fortune. The wisdom of birds is both lauded by desert sages and mocked by learned magicians.
Some serve as companions to lonely deodand hunters; others carry messages from head man to head man. Some eat the dead only. Others terrorize travellers who stray off the known roads. Some birds have learned spells and whisper them to the ears of men.
There are whole sects of clerics who pay them homage and raise rooftops full of loyal owl familiars, taking on the same nocturnal lifecycle as their masters. There are those who follow the carrion birds, knowing that for each corpse or creature that is consumed, a new knowledge is gained and one day, the vultures of the far wastes will lay not a golden egg but an Ioun stone.
You are a Bird Speaker, one of those with the sacred duty of speaking to and learning from the true masters of the world. They seek the PATTERN that will relight the sun and gift earth with another millenia of life.
Hit points: A Bird Speaker gains 1d6 hit points per level.
Weapon training: A Bird Speaker is proficient using the arrow-gun, dagger, longsword, rapier, sling, and staff. Bird Speakers typically wear light armor, as they may need to be carried by one of thier masters.
Alignment: A Bird Speaker can be of any alignment, depending on which birds they've chosen to align themselves with.
- Those who serve the carrion birds are usually aligned with Law
- Those who serve the familar birds are usually neutral-aligned
- Those who serve the predator birds are usually Chaos-aligned
Spells: A Bird Speaker cannot cast spells, except when a bird shows them how.
Falling damage: If conscious when doing so, the Bird Speaker takes a +1d + CL bonus to saving throws related to falling.
Flight: At 5th level, the Bird Speaker has mastered the power of flight, and can fly once per day for CL minutes.
Languages: At 1st level, a Bird Speaker automatically knows the language of the dead future, the common language of birds, and the language of the bird cultures with which they are aligned.
Bird alignment
In general, acting according to the alignment of your affiliated bird culture keeps you in their good graces. Judges should note if a particular bird-speaker calls on his patron birds for many favors; a representative of those birds may show up and demand a return on their investment.
If these wishes are ignored, a Bird Speaker may find his ability to resist falls, fly, or cast spells fails at a most inopportune time.
Bird cultures
Carrion birds
Carrion birds serve the forces of Law, making sure that the wheel of life continues to spin even as the sun itself is extinguished.
If your Bird Speaker is aligned to the carrion birds, you gain the anthrometry ability.
At fifth level, you can understand the carnifex variant of bird language, which grants you the ability to communicate secretly with the carrion birds, as well as the ability to speak with the recently deceased.
Likely carrion birds quests
- Tracking down and killing a great ancient beast
- Unlocking a particularly juicy morgue or crypt
Examples of carrion birds: Vulture, wroxclaw, greater sparrow
Familiar birds
Familiar birds study the PATTERN, extracting the traces of past spells and words that lie on the winds and re-formulating them. They gather knowledge for knowledge's sake.
If your Bird Speaker is aligned to the familiar birds, you can cast spells using a d16 action dice.
At fifth level, you can understand the thaumaturgical variant of bird language, which grants you the ability to communicate secretly with the familar birds. You also have an improved chance to understand any language, know any fact, or perform any task; whenever you would roll a d10 for an untrained skill, you can roll a d16 (includes thief skills).
Likely familar birds quests
- Uncovering a libary, long lost
- Carrying knowledge from one magician to another
Examples of carrion birds: Owl, pandecticon, furry gleaning
Predator birds
Predator birds believe that only the strong will survive the dying of the earth.
If your Bird Speaker is aligned to the predator birds, you gain a deed dice and proficiency with all weapons as fighter
At fifth level, you can understand the emperor variant of bird language, which grants you the ability to communicate secretly with the predator birds. You also gain the ability to command and cause fear in lesser creatures (including other humans). When you speak to those you wish to command in the emperor tongue, they should make a Will save at DC10 + your CL. If you do so, they will be paralyzed with fear and obey simple commands, as long as those commands don't cause them garm.
Likely familar birds quests
- Crush your enemies
- See them driven before you
- Hear the lamentation of their women
- Preparing a big feast
Examples of carrion birds: Pelgrane, falcon, gladiatryx
Anthrometry
Level: 1, Range: Self, Duration: varies, Casting time: 1 turn, Save: None
When a Bird Speaker consumes the flesh of the recently dead, roll +CL and add their personality modifier, consulting the table below.
1 The Bird Speaker is poisoned by the patterns within the flesh, and takes 1d6 damage
2-11 No effect
14-17 The Bird Speaker can visualize one image from the last 24 hours of the life of the consumed flesh. At the judge's discretion, this should be something they were particularly looking for.
18-19 The Bird Speaker has the memories and experience of the consumed flesh's last 24 hours of life.
20-23 The full memories and experience of the consumed flesh become part of the Bird Speaker for 1 day.
24-27 The full memories and experience of the consumed flesh become part of the Bird Speaker for 1 day. The Bird Speaker can make a DC 15 personality check to mimic the voice of the consumee.
28-31 The full memories and experience of the consumed flesh become forever part of the Bird Speaker. The Bird Speaker can make a DC 10 personality check to mimic the voice of the consumee, or a DC 20 personality check to assume the countenance of the deceased.
32+ The full memories and experience of the consumed flesh become inextricably part of the Bird Speaker. The Bird Speaker can mimic the flesh and voice of the consumee at will. The Bird Speaker should make a Will save when doing so. A failure and they become lost in the sauce of the consumed, forgetting their own life entirely.
| Level | Attack | Crits | Action dice | Ref | Fort | Will | Predator deed die |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +1 | 1d6/III | 1d20 | +1 | +1 | +1 | d3 |
| 2 | +1 | 1d8/III | 1d20 | +1 | +1 | +1 | d3 |
| 3 | +2 | 1d8/III | 1d20 | +2 | +1 | +1 | d4 |
| 4 | +2 | 1d10/III | 1d20 | +2 | +2 | +2 | d5 |
| 5 | +2 | 1d10/III | 1d20+1d14 | +2 | +2 | +2 | d6 |
| 6 | +2 | 1d12/III | 1d20+1d16 | +3 | +3 | +3 | d7 |
| 7 | +3 | 1d14/III | 1d20+1d20 | +4 | +3 | +3 | d8 |
| 8 | +4 | 1d14/III | 1d20+1d20 | +4 | +4 | +4 | d10 |
| 9 | +5 | 1d14/III | 1d20+1d20 | +5 | +5 | +5 | d12 |
| 10 | +6 | 1d16/III | 1d20+1d20+1d14 | +5 | +4 | +4 | d12+2 |
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